Great Escapes Tour – Deadly Wedding by Kate Parker – Review
DEADLY WEDDING
by Kate Parker
The author did a good job in capturing the time and place in which the story takes place. Her characters were well developed and likeable.
~A. Holland Reads
The Author did a very great job with the details of the story and the characters were very believable.
~Books, Dreams, Life
You will be captivated by this beautifully written story and the characters come to life right from the start.
~Shelley’s Book Case
Deadly Wedding is an excellent cozy mystery and I enjoyed every minute spent in the world of Olivia Denis.
~The power of words . . .
I love this series. The attention to detail, the well plotted mystery, and the burgeoning romance in the background provide a captivating look into a fascinating era.
~Cozy Up With Kathy
Deadly Wedding (The Deadly Series Book 2)
Genre – Cozy Historical Mystery
JDP Press (October 17, 2016)
E-Book 266 pages
ASIN: B01LW0HO5L
Synopsis:
Why murder a dying man?
Olivia Denis is hesitant to help an old family friend get ready for her wedding outside London. The so-called friend is a master at using people. As a young widow trying to find her way through a new romantic relationship, Olivia would rather avoid the large party.
She definitely didn’t plan to find the bride’s grandfather stabbed to death. The cruel, enormously rich aristocrat had changed his will only the day before, angering all his children.
As Olivia is forced to investigate the murder, she’s called away by her employer, the owner of an influential London daily newspaper. She must carry out another secret assignment, one that will take her to Vienna, now part of Nazi Germany.
With war on the horizon and attacks on the old man’s family increasing, can Olivia find a way to save lives in two countries?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Kate Parker has wanted to travel to 1930s England since she read her mother’s Agatha Christie and Dorothy Sayers mysteries when she was a schoolgirl. After many years of studying science, she decided a time travel machine was out of the question so she found herself limited to reading about the period and visiting historic sites. Her love of this fascinating and challenging period led her to the research from which the Deadly series grew. Eventually, she found it necessary to spend several days in the British Library reading old newspapers, which meant another trip to England. Near Christmas. A sacrifice she’d gladly make every year.
The first story in the series is Deadly Scandal, released January 14, 2016.
Author Links:
Website: www.KateParkerbooks.com
Facebook: www.Facebook.com/Author.Kate.Parker/
Twitter: www.twitter.com/KateParkerbooks
Goodreads: www.Goodreads.com/Kate_Parker
Purchase Links:
FTC Disclosure: I received a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.
My thoughts: It’s plain and simple. I really enjoyed this book. It has many things I love in a book: mystery, a wonderful heroine, and a historical setting.
Kate Parker has a certain tone to her writing that pulls me in from the first few words. I can’t find the right words to do it justice. I just know that as soon as I start reading I’m in another world.
She has created a tightly woven mystery with lots of complex twists and turns. It kept me guessing right up until the end. I was not expecting the outcome. I really like Olivia Dennis. She’s a compassionate, level headed character that I would love to meet. I even like her cranky father. This is the second installment in the series, but can easily be read as a stand alone. Another plus for me is the setting – pre WWII Britain. It’s one of my favorite historical fiction time periods. If you are looking for an all around good read, this one is for you.
Be sure to visit the other stops on the tour.
TOUR PARTICIPANTS
October 17 – Back Porchervations – Review
October 18 – A Holland Reads – Review, Giveaway
October 19 – Books, Dreams, Life – Review, Spotlight
October 20 – Shelley’s Book Case – Review, Giveaway
October 21 – The Power of Words – Review
October 21 – StoreyBook Reviews – Spotlight, Giveaway
October 22 – Cozy Up With Kathy – Review
October 23 – Brooke Blogs – Guest Post, Spotlight, Giveaway
October 23 – 3 Partners in Shopping, Nana, Mommy, & sissy, Too! – Spotlight, Giveaway
October 24 – Booklady’s Booknotes – Review
October 25 – Island Confidential – Interview, Giveaway
October 26 – Deal Sharing Aunt – Review, Giveaway
October 26 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – Cozy Wednesday
Great Escapes Tour – Crepe Factor by Laura Childs with Terrie Farley Moran – Review
Crepe Factor
by Laura Childs
with Terry Farley Moran
Author Laura Childs is a superb writer and is now joined in writing this series with another of my favorite authors, Terrie Farley Moran! They make a perfect fit for sure. Reading the books, you’d never know two writers were contributing. The quality storytelling in CREPE FACTOR is of a standard that many authors can only hope to achieve.
~Lisa Ks Book Reviews
CREPE FACTOR is not only a fun, madcap romp through New Orleans and the bayou with memorable characters, the book provides inspiration and tips for scrapbooking along with several delicious recipes.
~Cinnamon, Sugar and a Little Bit of Murder
This is a lively read. Carmela and Ava are fun characters, and I loved their scenes together. The dialogue is sharp and quick, and really moves the story along.
~View from the Birdhouse
Laura was my first cozy mystery author I read and it was this series I started with. She is who got me hooked on cozy mysteries and why I keep coming back to them.
~A. Holland Reads
Crepe Factor is quirky, fun, and entertaining. It is well written by seasoned authors, and their dual contribution flows seamlessly.
~The Power of Words
The descriptions of this New Orleans community makes the reader feel like they are right there…I did enjoy the book, well written with a touch of humor.
~CelticLady Reviews
I found this book a delight!…The mystery was lots of fun.
~I Wish I Lived In a Library
I have followed this series from the start and when you put both of these authors together , their writing styles go so well together that you get an outstanding read.
~Shelley’s Book Case
This book really pulled you in wanting you to figure out who killed him and why. I loved going on the adventure with them.
~Community Bookstop
This was an entertaining and fun read. It had the right amount of humor in it that made me chuckle at times.
~Melina’s Book Blog
I love the setting of New Orleans. One of America’s most fascinating places. I love the friendship between Ava and Carmela. And I love the scrapbooking store setting.
~MysteriesEtc
I enjoyed main characters, Carmella and Ava. They were fun, quirky, and full of adventure. I appreciated that I could come into book fourteen as a new reader and not feel left behind in the series.
~Grace, Gratitude, Life
I loved everything about this book. I even got a surprise-to-me ending. It certainly kept me on my toes. Bring on the next book in the series, please!
~Socrates’ Book Reviews…
It is a fun and entertaining mystery that I enjoyed from beginning to end. The pacing of the story is smooth and even, the plot tight, clever and intricate, and the story itself, so very intensely riveting.
~LibriAmoriMiei
Crepe Factor
(A Scrapbooking Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
14th in Series
Berkley (October 4, 2016)
Hardcover: 320 pages
ISBN-13: 978-0425266700
E-Book ASIN: B01AHKY37I
Synopsis
The Winter Market in the French Quarter is in full swing, but murder isn’t taking a holiday in the latest from the New York Times bestselling author of Parchment and Old Lace
…
The holidays are a busy time for scrapbook shop owner Carmela Bertrand—but not so hectic that she doesn’t have time to enjoy browsing the booths at the Winter Market with her best friend Ava. The last thing the ladies expect to see is a lurching man stabbed by a serving fork, dying in front of them.
The victim is loathed restaurant critic Martin Lash, who posted his scathing reviews on the Glutton for Punishment website. And the prime suspect is New Orleans restauranteur Quigg Brevard—who was seen giving the critic a tongue-lashing minutes before someone stuck a fork in him. An old flame of Carmela, Quigg asks for her help, which does not please her current beau, Detective Edgar Babcock, to say the least.
Before her relationship is the next victim, Carmela needs to find a murderer who had no reservations about punishing the culinary curmudgeon…
Scrapbooking tips and recipes included!
My Thoughts: I loved this book, but that’s no surprise. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed everything I’ve ever read by these two women. Ava and Carmela are two of my favorite cozy mystery characters. Childs and Moran have created an fun and engaging mystery filled with plenty of twists/turns and of course scrapbooking ideas.
Carmela is a spunky character with a heart of gold. She and her delight best friend Ava remind me a modern day Lucy and Ethel, though perhaps not in such a slapstick way. Reading about their adventures is always a delight.
This is the 14th book in the series, but you can easily read this book without having read the others. But, since I have read the others, I think you will want to go back and read them all.
FTC Disclosure: I received a free Netgalley from the author in exchange for an honest review.
About The Authors
Laura Childs is the New York Times bestselling author of the Tea Shop Mysteries
, Scrapbook Mysteries
, and Cackleberry Club Mysteries
. In her previous life she was CEO/Creative Director of her own marketing firm and authored several screenplays. She is married to a professor of Chinese art history, loves to travel, rides horses, enjoys fund raising for various non-profits, and has two Chinese Shar-Pei dogs.
Laura specializes in cozy mysteries that have the pace of a thriller (a thrillzy!) Her three series are:
The Tea Shop Mysteries
– set in the historic district of Charleston and featuring Theodosia Browning, owner of the Indigo Tea Shop. Theodosia is a savvy entrepreneur, and pet mom to service dog Earl Grey. She’s also an intelligent, focused amateur sleuth who doesn’t rely on coincidences or inept police work to solve crimes. This charming series is highly atmospheric and rife with the history and mystery that is Charleston.
The Scrapbooking Mysteries
– a slightly edgier series that take place in New Orleans. The main character, Carmela, owns Memory Mine scrapbooking shop in the French Quarter and is forever getting into trouble with her friend, Ava, who owns the Juju Voodoo shop. New Orleans’ spooky above-ground cemeteries, jazz clubs, bayous, and Mardi Gras madness make their presence known here!
The Cackleberry Club Mysteries
– set in Kindred, a fictional town in the Midwest. In a rehabbed Spur station, Suzanne, Toni, and Petra, three semi-desperate, forty-plus women have launched the Cackleberry Club. Eggs are the morning specialty here and this cozy cafe even offers a book nook and yarn shop. Business is good but murder could lead to the cafe’s undoing! This series offers recipes, knitting, cake decorating, and a dash of spirituality.
Laura’s Links:
Webpage – http://www.laurachilds.com/
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/laura.childs.31
Short-listed twice for The Best American Mystery Stories, Terrie Farley Moran is delighted to introduce mystery fans to the Read ’Em and Eat café and bookstore, which debuted with Well Read, Then Dead
. followed by Caught Read-Handed
and Read to Death
released in July of this year. The only thing Terrie enjoys more than wrangling mystery plots into submission is playing games and reading stories with any or all of her grandchildren.
Terrie’s Links:
Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/terrie.moran.9
Goodreads:https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/23186092-terrie-moran
Purchase Links:
Be sure to visit the tour page for a chance to win a print copy of this book. And don’t forget to visit the other stops on the tour.
Tour Participants
October 3 – Lisa Ks Book Reviews – REVIEW, INTERVIEW
October 3 – Cinnamon, Sugar and a Little Bit of Murder – REVIEW
October 3 – View from the Birdhouse – REVIEW
October 4 – A Holland Reads – REVIEW
October 4 – 3 Partners in Shopping, Nana, Mommy, &, Sissy, Too! – SPOTLIGHT
October 5 – Celticlady’s Reviews – REVIEW
October 5 – The Power of Words – REVIEW
October 6 – I Wish I Lived in a Library – REVIEW
October 6 – Sleuth Cafe – SPOTLIGHT
October 7 – Mallory Heart’s Cozies – REVIEW
October 7 – The Girl with Book Lungs – SPOTLIGHT
October 8 – Shelley’s Book Case – REVIEW
October 8 – Community Bookstop – REVIEW
October 9 – A Blue Million Books – INTERVIEW
October 10 – Melina’s Book Blog – REVIEW
October 10 – StoreyBook Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
October 11 – MysteriesEtc – REVIEW
October 11 – Island Confidential – SPOTLIGHT
October 12 – Grace. Gratitude. Life. by Marie McNary – REVIEW
October 12 – Babs Book Bistro – GUEST POST
October 13 – Socrates’ Book Reviews – REVIEW
October 13 – fundinmental – SPOTLIGHT
October 14 – LibriAmoriMiei – REVIEW
October 14 – deal sharing aunt – SPOTLIGHT
October 15 – Brooke Blogs – GUEST POST
October 15 – Mystery Thrillers and Romantic Suspense Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
October 16 – Laura’s Interests – REVIEW
October 16 – Booklady’s. Booknotes – REVIEW
Great Escapes Tour: Dandelion Dead by Review and Guest Post
It is my pleasure to welcome Chrystle Fielder to the blog today to talk about rescue pets and her latest book “Dandelion Dead.
Make Your New Best Friend a Rescue
Looking for unconditional love, companionship and joy? Look no further than your local shelter or rescue organization!
By Chrystle Fiedler
All of the books in my natural remedies mystery series focus on animal rescue. In Dandelion Dead, the latest in the series, Willow McQuade’s boyfriend Jackson Spade officially opens up an animal sanctuary for everything from dogs and cats, to birds, horses, pigs and goats, and they adopt a cute little dachshund name Zeke. If you are counting it means Willow and Jackson now have 2 cats: Ginger and Gingko and 4 dogs: Qigong, Rockford, Columbo and now, Zeke. All are rescues. All adorable!
I love dachshunds just as Willow and Jackson do! I adopted my first dachshund Holmes, right after I moved back from L.A. where I worked in TV production and was a screenwriter, to my home town of Greenport and purchased a cottage in the village.
Throughout the process of building my writing business from publishing in consumer magazines, to non-fiction and the natural remedies mystery series, Holmes was a steadying influence, along with Tinker and Tuppence, the two rescue cats that I adopted next to keep him company. All of my animals love my garden, especially when it’s just been planted as you can see in this photo taken in May of this year.
But Holmes, was special – he was like a mini-Buddha giving me advice in his own way. Often, I’d want to do something and he’d want to do the other and when I followed his lead, I realized that it was the right thing to do! Like take a break and go outside in the sunshine or go to bed early after a particularly stressful day. You can see from his photo just how wise he was! After I read a book that said, “Are you ready to be owned by dachshund?” I realized who was in charge. But that was fine with me.
It’s been over year since he’s been gone and I still miss him so much. He loved me unconditionally and he was so smart and wise, a steadying influence throughout life’s up and downs and everything in-between. When I wrote, he would often lie at my feet and take a snooze on the couch, his presence always a comfort.
A little more than a year later, I still miss Holmes, and I dedicated my new book Dandelion Dead to him.
To Holmes: Always Loved. Forever Missed.
Today, both of my dachshunds, Wallander, 7, and Murdoch, 1, (he’s the one opening up a box of my books!) come from a wonderful organization called All American Dachshund Rescue (www.allamericandachshundrescue.org). If you love dachshunds I dare you to visit the available dogs page and not want to take them all home or become a foster pet parent!
Murdoch 1, in front, and Wallander, 7.
Each year, millions of animals like this end up in rescue groups like this and no-shelters just waiting for a forever home. But you can make a difference. Adopt your next dog or cat, don’t buy one. Many rescues offer transport from one location to another, so don’t let distance stand in the way of your new best friend. The fees are more than reasonable and usually include a full vet check, medical treatment, and spay or neutering.
Yes, You Can Rescue a Pure Bred Dog!
If you are interested in a particular breed, you can find any dog you’d like to adopt. Just put the breed of dog you are interested in your search engine and the word rescue. Or look for a breed rescue in your area. Of course, mutts make wonderful pets, too, and so do cats and many other animals.
Remember that when you adopt a rescue, you are saving two lives, that of the pet you adopt and that of the new animal you make a space for to be rescued and given a better tomorrow.
For More Information
Pet Finder: https://www.petfinder.com/
North Shore Animal League America: www.animalleague.org
Best Friends Animal Society: www.bestfriends.org
All Breed Rescue, Vermont: www.allbreedrescue.vt.com/
All American Dachshund Rescue: www.allamericandachshundrescue.org
The Humane Society of the United States: www.humanesociety.org
The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA): www.aspca.org
Here’s an excerpt from Dandelion Dead featuring Willow, Jackson, Qigong, Columbo and Rockford and a new addition to the family!
Inside of Pure, I found Simon in his well-appointed loft office with an expensive sofa, bookcase, and desk that overlooked the bar and lounge area. Its enormous picture window had a view of the vineyard, the sunflowers and the corn maze, and beyond that the trees, with peekaboo views of a pond and, farther north, the Long Island Sound.
Simon, thirty-five, and my ex-BF, wasn’t conventionally good-looking—he was slender and bookish—but something about him, his charm, that made him absolute catnip to women. Dressed in khakis and a black dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up, and white Jack Purcell sneakers, he sat on the edge of the desk, talking into his headset while his adorable dachshund, Zeke, chewed a bone at his feet. Zeke spotted me, left the bone, and scampered over to say hi, tail wagging.
“Cassie, I told you that you should have taken him with you,” Simon said into the phone, and rolled his eyes dramatically. “I just don’t have time to give him the attention he needs. I’m very busy right now.”
Cassie, his now ex-girlfriend, was a documentary filmmaker on location in London. Simon blew out a sigh, took his wire-rim glasses off, rubbed his eyes, and put them back on. “But you said that you wanted him there once you got settled, remember? He was going to stay in your trailer while you were working, and your assistant would walk him and play with him. Now you say you both don’t have time for him?”
I scratched the dog under the chin and put two and two together. Now that their relationship had ended, neither of them wanted the dog they’d acquired as a puppy six months ago.
This made me angry, first of all because Cassie had bought the dog at an NYC pet store that was known for selling animals from abusive puppy mills, and second because of their sudden change of heart once they broke up.
I’d seen this happen all too often at Jackson’s animal refuge. People were super-excited about getting a pet, but when they realized that it would require time, energy, attention, and effort, they wanted out.
“Fine, I’ll deal with it,” Simon said, hanging up and giving me a beseeching look.
I knew what that meant. “Let me guess, you want me to take the dog.” I picked up Zeke and gave him a kiss on the nose. Zeke was what is known as a red dachshund, with big brown eyes and a sweet disposition. He licked my face in return.
Simon nodded. “Would you? Cassie is too busy and so am I.”
“I told you to think it through before you got him, but you didn’t listen. Having a dog, a puppy especially, is a lot of work. It’s worth it, but you have to put the time and effort in to care for him, walk him, and play with him. You said you would, Simon.”
Simon shrugged. “I know I did. I meant to, but . . .”
What I wanted to say was But you’re selfish and only think of yourself. Still, we were friends now, not boyfriend and girlfriend, and I needed to act like a friend. So I tempered my reaction. “I know that you’ve got a lot on your plate, especially right now. It’s okay, we’ll take him.”
He arched an eyebrow. “Jackson won’t mind?”
I shook my head. “We’ve already talked about it. We both knew it was coming.”
“You are good friends. Better than I deserve.”
Instead of focusing on Simon’s flaws, I thought about all the times over the past few years that he’d been there for Jackson and me, with the murder investigations and incarcerations, and his help with lawyers and support. “It’s fine, Simon, really. I’m going over to Jackson’s now, so I can take him with me.”
Simon blew out a breath. “Good, thanks, Willow, really. That’s a relief.”
I put Zeke down on the area rug and pushed his bone toward him. He grabbed it and began to happily chew, his tail wagging. “So, are we all set for this afternoon?”
Simon nodded. “Ivy has the tasting-room setup handled, and the dining room, while Amy’s managing the B and B.” The bed-and-breakfast, behind the tasting room, was a quaint clapboard house painted sea-foam green with bright white shutters, containing four bedroom suites.
The B and B had been up and running when Simon and David had taken over the vineyard and was a good moneymaker, especially after a complete interior and exterior renovation. Wine lovers enjoyed staying on-site, with the wine, walks, and being in nature.
I told Simon about running into David and Ivy outside. “She’s a real piece of work, isn’t she? David seems miserable.”
“They’re always like that. The whole family has been fighting for years. He argues with her, and his family, and Ivy fights with him and Amy.” Simon pushed off the desk and came over to me. “Don’t worry, Willow, no one is going to kill anyone.”
“What are you talking about?”
He put his arm around me. Simon had always been demonstrative, and fortunately Jackson didn’t mind. “C’mon, friend, it’s been over a year since your last case. You haven’t been able to play detective since that murder in your medicinal herb garden. Are you sure that you don’t want something to investigate?”
I shook my head. “You are nuts. I was just reporting what happened.”
He smirked at me. “Whatever you say.”
“If that’s all, I’m going to go home and get ready.”
“Don’t forget your new little buddy.” Simon picked up Zeke and his bone, patted his little head, and handed him to me. “I put all of his stuff in that bag by the door—you know, his dog bed, his blanket, his special puppy food and treats, bones and toys, you know, the works.”
The duffel bag was big, and heavy, but I managed to hold Zeke and his bone and put it over my shoulder.
Simon waved to us as we went out the door. “Have fun you two.”
******
I decided to stop by to see Jackson and introduce him to Zeke, before I headed back to Nature’s Way. Less than five minutes later we arrived at his two-hundred-year-old house, on a generous two-and-half-acre lot, seven minutes east of Greenport.
<TX>I found him out back repairing the paddock for the horses, while volunteers buzzed around him, tending to rescued animals in the paddock and in the adjacent barn, including donkeys, goats, pigs, birds, opossums, raccoons, and two turkeys.
Rescue dogs and cats were placed in temporary foster homes with volunteers until they were adopted. Jackson put photos and bios of available animals on a website, and potential pet parents had to fill out an extensive application with information about themselves, their vet, and personal references. If the applicant looked promising, Jackson or one of his volunteers conducted a phone interview and a home visit before any adoption.
Unfortunately, animals had often been injured, abused, or abandoned, and when necessary, Jackson worked with the local vets to treat them and raised money from the community to care for them. Recently, he’d received a New York State grant that would fund his refuge through the end of next year and enable improvements to the paddock and the barn and the addition of more fencing out in the field for the larger animals.
I’d also been able to contribute quite a bit, and regularly, thanks to my profits from Aunt Claire’s Fresh Face herbal antiaging cream. The money took the pressure off Jackson, but fund-raising was a fact of life. Tomorrow night, we were hosting a dinner at Nature’s Way where dishes would be paired with Simon’s wines to benefit the sanctuary.
Healthwise, Jackson was feeling good. The back injury he’d sustained on the job from a slip on black ice, which resulted in his retirement, was no longer an issue, and he credited me with his recovery. Really, it was a combination of my natural cures and therapies such as massage and acupuncture from my in-store practitioners and good friends Allie and Hector.
One problem for Jackson though was Simon’s new vineyard next door and the resulting noise from tour buses, limos, and visitors. Jackson also didn’t like Simon’s frequent pop-ins. While Jackson tolerated and even liked Simon, he could only take him in small doses. Simon could be charming and helpful but also selfish and self-centered. Often, he was oblivious of the effect his actions had on others, such as chatting up Jackson when he had work to do.
I waved to Jackson and pointed to Zeke. He shrugged, knowing what had happened. “Bring him over to meet the boys.” Qigong, and two dachshunds we’d rescued together named Columbo and Rockford, spotted me and scurried over to the bottom edge of the paddock that Jackson had reinforced with chicken wire so that they’d stay inside and safe. I met them there and patted their heads, while their little tails went back and forth like metronomes.
Jackson stepped out of the paddock and came over to us. He had on his usual working clothes—flannel shirt, jeans, and boots—and looked hunky and handsome with his short-cropped hair, scruffy beard, and piercing blue [SHB2] eyes.
“Hi, honey; hi, Zeke.” He gave me a kiss and scratched Zeke behind the ears, which he loved. “So, Simon couldn’t handle having a dog. Did you say, ‘I told you so’?”
I shook my head. “No, I was nice. He felt kind of bad about it, I think. Both he and Cassie [SHB3] are superbusy right now.”
“Unfortunately, I hear that all the time. Best to put Zekeinside the paddock and introduce him to the boys. Neutral ground and all that.”
“Good idea.” I followed Jackson through the gate. Curious,of course, our dogs scampered over.I put Zeke down on the ground and he immediately rolled on this back [SHB4] submissively so they could examine him from nose to tail. “ “Qigong, Rockford, Columbo. Say hi to Zeke, guys.”
Dogs are pack animals, so I had no doubt that once they got used to each other Zeke would be happier here with all of us, rather than on his own, alone. His tail was already wagging back and forth.
Zeke stood up and the dogs sniffed him all over again. Finally, they decided he was A-OK, and all four of them began to explore the paddock together. After overhearing the fight between Ivy and David, I couldn’t help but think that it would be nice if people could be as accepting as dogs are.
Dandelion Dead: A Natural Remedies Mystery
Business is blooming at Nature’s Way Market & Café, and shop owner, holistic doctor, and amateur sleuth, Willow McQuade has never been happier. Her new medicinal herb garden is a hit, and so is her new book, she’s in love with ex-cop and animal sanctuary founder Jackson Spade, and enjoying teaching seminars about edible plants and natural remedies.
But everything changes when Willow’s old boyfriend and TV producer, Simon Lewis, winemaker David Farmer, and his wife Ivy, ask her to cater a party at Pure, their new organic vineyard, to kick off North Fork’s Uncorked! week and the competition for Wine Lovers magazine’s $200,000 prize. Pure’s entry, Falling Leaves, is the favorite to win, and the wine flows freely until after Simon’s toast when smiles give way to looks of horror. Ivy’s twin sister, Amy has been murdered! Turns out, the poison that killed her was actually meant for David. But who wants him dead? A rival vintner? Or someone closer to home? This time the truth may be a bitter vintage to swallow.
Bio
CHRYSTLE FIEDLER is a freelance journalist specializing in natural remedies, alternative medicine and holistic health and healing, and is the author of the Natural Remedies Mysteries series. Her many consumer magazine articles have appeared in USA Today’s Green Living, Natural Health, Remedy, Mother Earth Living, Spirituality & Health, and Prevention. She is also the author/co-author of seven non-fiction health titles including the Country Almanac of Home Remedies with herbalist Brigitte Mars, and The Compassionate Chick’s Guide to DIY Beauty with Vegan Beauty Review founder, Sunny Subramanian. Chrystle lives on the East End of Long Island, NY in a cozy cottage by the sea. Visit www.chrystlefiedlerwrites.com.
Content Marketing Writer/Journalist/Author Visit: http://chrystlefiedler.contently.com . Check out my LATEST books!
Dandelion Dead: A Natural Remedies Mystery (Pocket Books) Out 9/29 Available for pre-order NOW!
The Compassionate Chick’s Guide to DIY Beauty (Robert Rose) Out 9/2016!
LIKE my Facebook Author Page Follow @ChrystleFiedler on Twitter
Thank you so much for joining us today. I also believe in adopting rescue dogs. We’ve been rescued by many a dog.
My thoughts: Dandelion Dead is a very engaging read. The mystery is well plotted and the main characters are very likable. There are plenty of twists and turns to keep you guessing until the end.
This is book four in the series and the first that I have read. It was easy to follow the story without having read the previous three, but I enjoyed this book so much I plan to go back and read the first three.
In addition to enjoying the mystery, I learned a lot about natural remedies. I love it when a book is both entertaining and informative. Be sure to visit the tour page for a chance to win $25 Amazon Gift Card. And don’t forget to visit the other stops on the tour.
September 26 – A Holland Reads – CHARACTER GUEST POST
September 26 – Pulp and Mystery Shelf – SPOTLIGHT
September 27 – Mallory Heart’s Cozies – REVIEW
September 28 – Booth Talks Books – SPOTLIGHT, EXCERPT
September 29 – The Book’s the Thing – REVIEW
September 30 – deal sharing aunt – INTERVIEW
October 1 – Melina’s Book Blog – REVIEW
October 2 – Author Annette Drake’s blog – SPOTLIGHT
October 3 – Island Confidential – GUEST POST
October 4 – LibriAmoriMiei – REVIEW
October 4 – Cozy Up With Kathy – INTERVIEW
October 5 – The Girl with Book Lungs – REVIEW, EXCERPT
October 5 – Mystery Thrillers and Romantic Suspense Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
October 6 – StoreyBook Reviews – GUEST POST
October 7 – Booklady’s Booknotes – REVIEW, GUEST POST
October 7 – 3 Partners in Shopping, Nana, Mommy, &, Sissy, Too! – SPOTLIGHT
October 8 – Bibliophile Reviews – REVIEW, CHARACTER INTERVIEW
October 9 – Texas Book-aholic – REVIEW
October 9 – fundinmental – SPOTLIGHT, EXCERPT
CG Swaps- Swapoween
I was late signing up for this swap. In fact I sneaked in just in time. So I won’t give you the information about signing up as the deadline has passed. This is always a fun swap, so stay tuned for more information about all the fun. I should be receiving my swap partner today.
If you were going to get a package full of Halloween goodies, what would want to be in it?
Teaser Tuesday
Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Books and a Beat. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
- Open to a random page
- Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
- BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!
Teaser:
What is it? Finn asked.
Gideon gestured with his chin. ” A witch’s cauldron.”
This is from my current read, Finn’s Choice by Darby Karchut. Today is release day the last installment in the Finn Finnegan series. This is a hard read for me. I love Finn and I’m not ready to say goodbye. I finally made myself start the book. I’m torn between sitting down and not getting up until the book is finished or just dragging it out. The fact that I have five classes in the library today and a pottery class after school means I will fall somewhere in between. My full review will be coming soon.
Dandelion Dead by Chrystle Fieldler Book Blast
In a cozy mystery filled with natural cures and edible plants that you will love, an organic winery becomes the backdrop for murder! Fortunately, solving crimes comes naturally to charmingly unconventional amateur sleuth and holistic doctor, Willow McQuade, as she looks for clues that will reveal a killer’s true vintage.
Business is blooming at Nature’s Way Market & Café, and shop owner, holistic doctor, and amateur sleuth, Willow McQuade has never been happier. Her new medicinal herb garden is a hit, so is her new book, she’s in love with ex-cop and animal rescuer Jackson Spade, and enjoying teaching seminars about edible plants and natural remedies.
But everything changes when Willow’s old boyfriend and TV producer, Simon Lewis, winemaker David Farmer, and his wife Ivy, ask her to cater a party at Pure, their new organic vineyard, to kick off North Fork’s Uncorked! week and the competition for Wine Lovers magazine’s $200,000 prize. Pure’s entry, Falling Leaves, is the favorite to win, and the wine flows freely until after Simon’s toast when smiles give way to looks of horror. Ivy’s twin sister, Amy has been murdered! Turns out, the poison that killed her was actually meant for David. But who wants him dead? A rival vintner? Or someone closer to home? This time the truth may be a bitter vintage to swallow.
About the Author
CHRYSTLE FIEDLER is a freelance journalist specializing in natural remedies, alternative medicine and holistic health and healing, and is the author of the Natural Remedies Mysteries series. Her many consumer magazine articles have appeared in USA Today’s Green Living, Natural Health, Mother Earth Living, Spirituality & Health, and Prevention. She is also the author/co-author of seven non-fiction health titles including the Country Almanac of Home Remedies with herbalist Brigitte Mars, and The Compassionate Chick’s Guide to DIY Beauty with Vegan Beauty Review founder, Sunny Subramanian. Chrystle lives on the East End of Long Island, NY in a cozy cottage by the sea. Visit http://www.chrystlefiedlerwrites.com/
The release date is September 27, 2016. Pre-order your copy today at
Books N Bloggers Swap Reveal
The Books N Bloggers Swap hosted by Chaotic Goddess Swaps is one of my favorite swaps. You get a chance to meet some really nice “book” people and you get lots of great new books to add to your collection. Check out CG Swaps here: http://cgswaps.com.
I was paired with the lovely Candace Rosado from Book Queen Reviews.
She sent me a lovely package with books, book marks and treats. The book from my wish list was Fatal Chapter by Lorna Barrett, the book that she enjoyed and thinks I will too is Tigers Curse by Colleen Houck and the book that she thinks is interesting but hasn’t read is Big Magic: Living Beyond Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert. The package also included a coloring book of her favorite city, New York. I can’t wait to dig in. I think these would all be perfect for a lazy book filled afternoon. Don’t you?
Great Escapes Tour: Murder at Rough Point by Alyssa Maxwell – Review
Murder at Rough Point
by Alyssa Maxwell
Murder at Rough Point
(A Gilded Newport Mystery)
4th in Series
Cozy Mystery
Kensington (August 30, 2016)
Hardcover: 304 pages
ISBN-13: 978-1496703286
E-Book ASIN: B0190HGUE8
Synopsis
In glittering Newport, Rhode Island, status is everything. But despite being a poorer relation to the venerable Vanderbilts, Emma Cross has shaped her own identity—as a reporter and a sleuth.
As the nineteenth century draws to a close, Fancies and Fashion reporter Emma Cross is sent by the Newport Observer to cover an elite house party at Rough Point, a “cottage” owned by her distant cousin Frederick Vanderbilt that has been rented as an artist retreat. To her surprise, the illustrious guests include her estranged Bohemian parents—recently returned from Europe—as well as a variety of notable artists, including author Edith Wharton.
But when one of the artists is discovered dead at the bottom of a cliff, Rough Point becomes anything but a house of mirth. After a second murder, no one is above suspicion—including Emma’s parents. As Newport police detective Jesse Whyte searches for a killer, Emma tries to draw her own conclusions—with the help of Mrs. Wharton. But with so many sketchy suspects, she’ll need to canvas the crime scenes carefully, before the cunning culprit takes her out of the picture next . . .
Praise for Alyssa Maxwell and her Gilded Newport Mysteries
“Another entertaining entry in this cozy series.” —Library Journal on Murder at Beechwood
“Maxwell’s second entry has a credible mystery, solved by a female detective who’s likeable.” —Kirkus Reviews on Murder at Marble House
About The Author
Alyssa Maxwell has worked in publishing as an assistant editor and a ghost writer, but knew from an early age that being a novelist was what she wanted most. Growing up in New England and traveling to Great Britain fueled a passion for history, while a love of puzzles of all kinds drew her to the mystery genre. She lives in South Florida in the current year, but confesses to spending most of her time in the Victorian, Edwardian, and post WWI eras. In addition to fantasizing about wearing Worth gowns while strolling manor house gardens, she loves to watch BBC and other period productions and sip tea in the afternoons.
Author Links
Twitter – https://twitter.com/Alyssa__Maxwell
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/gildednewport/
Webpage – http://www.alyssamaxwell.com/
GoodReads – https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7163135.Alyssa_Maxwell
Purchase Links
FTC Disclosure: I received a free Netgalley of this book from the author/publisher in exchange for an honest review.
My thoughts: It’s really simple. I loved this book. Murder at Rough Point is the the 4th book in the Gilded Newport series and I’m ashamed to say that this is the first time I’ve heard of this seres. I don’t know how I missed this one, but rest assured, I will be going back and reading the first three books. If you enjoy mysteries with a bit of history, Murder at Rough Point is a good match for you.
This story had a classic Agatha Christie flavor to it: an eccentric group of characters essentially isolated, leaving a small pool of suspects. It reminded me of Christie’s And Then There Were None. However, Maxwell gave it her own twist. Murder at Rough Point is a delightful read.
Even though the suspect pool was rather shallow, the author had me guessing through out the story. The author paints a story that keeps the reader engaged to the end. I love historical mysteries, especially when they include real people, particularly real people from America’s gilded age. Of course those stories usually have me running to the computer and putting my librarian degree to use in order to figure what is real and what is made up.
Maxwell is quite skilled at creating a tightly woven mystery. I did not want to put this story down and return to reality. Now, I’m hoping for an early snow day so I can have a day off from school so I can dive into the previous books in the series. Though Murder at Rough Point is the fourth book in the series, you can read it as a stand-alone. There are some references to previous stories, but nothing that will keep you from enjoying this book. I do believe that you will enjoy the story and Emma so much so that if this is your first Gilded Newport mystery, you will want to go back and read the others simply because they are bound to be a good read.
Be sure to visit the tour page for a chance to win a print copy of this book. This is the day on the tour, so be sure to visit the other stops to learn more about this great series.
Tour Participants
September 12 – Booklady’s Booknotes – REVIEW
September 12 – Girl Lost In a Book – REVIEW
September 13 – Back Porchervations – REVIEW
September 13 – A Holland Reads – SPOTLIGHT
September 14 – Celticlady’s Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
September 14 – Island Confidential – SPOTLIGHT
September 15 – Shelley’s Book Case – REVIEW
September 16 – The Editing Pen – INTERVIEW
September 16 – The Girl with Book Lungs – SPOTLIGHT
September 17 – Cassidy Salem Reads & Writes – REVIEW
September 18 – Cozy Up With Kathy – REVIEW
September 19 – LibriAmoriMiei – REVIEW
September 19 – deal sharing aunt – INTERVIEW
September 20 – View from the Birdhouse – SPOTLIGHT
September 21 – Brooke Blogs – SPOTLIGHT
Great Escapes Tour: A Story To Kill by Lynn Cahoon – Guest Post and Review
It is my pleasure to welcome one of my favorite authors, Lynn Cahoon, to the blog today.
The birth of a new series. I have to say, a lot of my ideas come to me because of travel. Maybe it’s the long, boring (at times) car rides. Or maybe, it’s a time out of my normal routine where the muse allows me to play with the what ifs?
Tourist Trap was born out of one of these trips, although a few years after I spent a week on my own little tour of the central California coast. Guidebook to Murder, Book 1 of the series went through a lot of incarnations, before Kensington bought the series and put the town of South Cove on the covers and in reader’s hearts. But the main story – the one about a woman finding her way in her new to her town, that stuck.
So when we drove back home to Idaho from the St. Louis area where we’ve been for the last 10 years, my mind was thinking about a new series. What could I do to entice Kensington to move me from digital first to mass market paperback. Authors are always looking for the next step in their career and for me, I’d decided it was print.
As we drove, I bounced ideas off my husband. He doesn’t read a lot, but he watches a lot of television and movies. So when I’d bring up an idea that he’d already seen, he would nix it. Finally, I came up on Cat’s writer’s retreat. He didn’t nix it. Then I thought about where I wanted it to be set. I already had a series in both Idaho and St. Louis so I thought about where I wanted to be. Colorado was the obvious choice. We’re mountains and lakes kind of people. So I get Seth, Cat’s love interest. He’s the outdoor type. And I can still understand Shauna who’s new to the Colorado life style.
And the Cat Latimer series was born. Of course, after that trip, there was a lot of work getting the story right, figuring out who dies, who kills them, and more importantly, the why. Because random acts of murder don’t make a good mystery.
Since that road trip, Cat and the crew have become part of my imaginary friends’ club. Book two is already written and this fall, I’ll start on the third. I have to say, my little college town of Aspen Hills, Colorado is holding tight to some secrets. So I hope you enjoy A Story to Kill and come back for Fatality by Firelight, Book two releasing February 28th. I had a blast writing them.
And I’ve got a new road trip coming up to North Carolina. I wonder what story the muse has in store for me then?
Do you like to road trip by car?
Thanks for sharing, Lynn. Personally, what I like about a road trip is the opportunity to read (provided someone else is driving of course) or to listen to a book on audio. I’m glad that road trips get your creative juices flowing. Can’t wait to see what you come up with after your trip to North Carolina.
A Story to Kill
by Lynn Cahoon
There is everything you could want in a cozy mystery, an intriguing mystery with a sub-plot mystery that leaves a cliffhanger at the end of the book, a wonderful and realistic cast of characters, enough backstory to endear you to the character’s lives, and even some romance.
~Classy Cheapskate
If you are looking for a great start to a new series … and who doesn’t love being in on the story from the beginning … you will not go wrong with Cahoon’s A Story to Kill.
~Back Porchervations
Brilliant from chapter one, with every page I turned I became more and more caught up in this book.
~Lisa K’s Book Reviews
This had mysteries inside of other mysteries. I really enjoyed the journey it took you on…
~Community Bookstop
Cahoon made me care about these recurring characters…And she entertained me with a solid mystery, a believable field of suspects, and a satisfying conclusion…
~The Bookwyrm’s Hoard
The story captured me from page one; if not for sleep and work, I would have kept reading all the way through…
~Bea’s Book Nook
The story will keep you guessing and just when you think you MIGHT know who it is…a twist comes into play and you are off guessing again.
~Sleuth Cafe
It’s a mystery within a mystery!
~Storeybook Reviews
I enjoyed it from the start and the plot twist kept me captivated and guessing till the end. You will be hooked on this new read.
~Shelley’s Book Reviews
…an enjoyable and fast paced read, with many a twist and turn that should appeal to mystery lovers.
~Cassidy Salem Reads & Writes
Ms. Cahoon does an excellent job setting the stage for her characters right from the start.
~Queen of All She Reads
A Story to Kill (A Cat Latimer Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
New Series
Mass Market Paperback: 320 pages
Publisher: Kensington (August 30, 2016)
ISBN-13: 978-1496704351
E-Book ASIN: B0190HGVK6
Synopsis
Former English professor Cat Latimer is back in Colorado, hosting writers’ retreats in the big blue Victorian she’s inherited, much to her surprise, from none other than her carousing ex-husband! Now it’s an authors’ getaway—but Cat won’t let anyone get away with murder…
The bed-and-breakfast is open for business, and bestselling author Tom Cook is among its first guests. Cat doesn’t know why he came all the way from New York, but she’s glad to have him among the quirkier—and far less famous—attendees.Cat’s high school sweetheart Seth, who’s fixing up the weathered home, brings on mixed emotions for Cat…some of them a little overpowering. But it’s her uncle, the local police chief, whom she’ll call for help when there’s a surprise ending for Tom Cook in his cozy guest room. Will a killer have the last word on the new life Cat has barely begun?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
New York Times and USA Today best-selling author, Lynn Cahoon is an Idaho native. If you’d visit the town where she grew up, you’d understand why her mysteries and romance novels focus around the depth and experience of small town life. Currently, she’s living in a small historic town on the banks of the Mississippi river where her imagination tends to wander. She lives with her husband and two fur babies.
Author Links
Goodreads http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5857424.Lynn_Cahoon
Twitter – https://twitter.com/LynnCahoon
Facebook –https://www.facebook.com/LynnCahoonAuthor
Website – http://lynncahoon.com/
Amazon Author Page – http://www.amazon.com/Lynn-Cahoon/e/B0082PWOAO/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1
Purchase Links
My thoughts: FTD Disclosure – I received an free Netgalley copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I’m a big fan of Lynn’s Tourist Trap series, so I jumped at the opportunity to participate in the tour for her new series. I knew from the synopsis that I would love it. It’s set in Colorado and it’s about writers (one of my dream jobs – if only I had the skill set.)
I wasn’t wrong. I did love this book. The story is very well written with a nicely woven plot. I liked that there were multiple mysteries running through out the story. That can sometimes be distracting, but Lynn is a master story weaver and the different mysteries gave added depth to the story.
Another thing I really enjoyed about this story is that there wasn’t an annoying nemesis for Cat. I often find that those type of characters (and plenty of my favorite series seem to have one or two) take away from the mystery. All of the characters in A Story to Kill were a delight to read about. I love Cat’s uncle. Shaun and Seth round out the ensemble nicely. I enjoyed spending time with them in print and if they were real, they are the kind of people I’d want to hang out with. Just like South Cove, I’d love to visit Aspen Hills. And since I live in Colorado, maybe I can figure out the area that inspired Aspen Hills. I’m looking forward to seeing how Cat and Seth renew their high school sweetheart relationship.
If you like a well plotted mystery with well developed characters that will give you a peek into the writer’s world (both seasoned and beginning writers), I strongly recommend you add this one to your reading list. I can’t wait to read Fatality by Firelight.
For a chance to win a print copy of this book visit the tour page and don’t forget to check out the other stops on the tour.
Tour Participants
August 29 – Back Porchervations – REVIEW
August 29 – Classy Cheapskate – REVIEW
August 30 – Lisa Ks Book Reviews – REVIEW
August 30 – The Girl with Book Lungs – SPOTLIGHT
August 31 – Ashleyz Wonderland – REVIEW
August 31 – Community Bookstop – REVIEW, INTERVIEW
September 1 – The Bookwyrm’s Hoard – REVIEW
September 1 – Bea’s Book Nook – REVIEW
September 2 – Sleuth Cafe – REVIEW
September 2 – Queen of All She Reads – REVIEW, GUEST POST
September 3 – StoreyBook Reviews – REVIEW
September 3 – Shelley’s Book Case – REVIEW
September 4 – Cassidy Salem Reads & Writes – REVIEW
September 5 – Booklady’s Booknotes – REVIEW, GUEST POST
September 6 – Celticlady’s Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
September 6 – Island Confidential – INTERVIEW
September 7 – MysteriestEtc – REVIEW
September 7 – A Holland Reads – GUEST POST
September 8 – fuonlyknew – REVIEW
September 8 – Laura’s Interests – REVIEW
September 9 – Book Babble – REVIEW
September 9 – Reading Is My SuperPower – REVIEW
September 10 – Brooke Blogs – REVIEW, INTERVIEW
September 11 – LibriAmoriMiei – REVIEW
September 11 – 3 Partners in Shopping, Nana, Mommy, & Sissy, Too! – SPOTLIGHT
Dandelion Dead – Cover Reveal
Dandelion Dead: A Natural Remedies September 27, 2016
In a spicy cozy mystery filled with herbal remedies readers will love, a sustainable winery becomes the backdrop for murder! Fortunately, solving crimes comes naturally to charmingly unconventional homeopath and amateur sleuth Willow McQuade, as she looks for clues that will reveal a killer’s true essence.
Pre-Order today –
Amazon – B&N – IndieBound
I love the cover on this book and I can’t wait to read it. Wine and mystery? Sounds awesome. —– Booklady
Booklady's Booknotes 