A Wytch's Book Review Blog

Monkey Bread Business (The Cast Iron Skillet Mysteries #6) by Jodi Rath

Nature breeds new life with the sign of Spring in the air in Leavensport, Ohio, and Jolie and Ava find their new families’ lives turned upside down! With properties in Leavensport beginning to sell, Nina Sanchez opened a bakery after purchasing the lot next to M&M’s Italian restaurant. She is new to town and swears to Ava and Jolie she has no connection to the Dominican Republic Sanchez mafia family. Yet, Ava is skeptical, and this sends Jolie and Ava off on yet another investigation looking at how organized crime connects to their little village and the politics that surround it.

Meanwhile, Nina Sanchez is not thrilled to feel obliged to cross-sell and become a full-fledged member of Leavensport, especially not with Jolie and Ava investigating her history. She has no choice when her son discovers a murdered homeless woman on the street on his way to deliver bread to the local shelter—it looks a lot like a mob hit and the reveal of who the homeless woman is will send all of Leavensport on alert making Jolie question the future of her town.

 

An Interview With A Character

What is your full name? 

Fern or Fernie Tucker I mean, I’ve been called a lot of things though. I don’t think I can say some of them here. 

What is your Profession?

Oh sorry—I was shrugging my shoulders. Retired receptionist at the hair salon—so much great gossip. I still hang out there on the regular.

What is your current favourite book or movie?

Broadcast News, now I’m showing my age!

What is your go to comfort book or movie?

Any Janet Evanovich book. I know they are funny but I always eat a dozen or two donuts while reading a Stephanie Plum book—now that’s comforting!

If someone was to play you in a movie who would it be? OR what would be the character you would want to be in a book?

Yeah, I know I’m Jolie’s aunt, but I’m not going to say the quirky aunt—(wagging a bony finger) you can’t get me to do it! I feel like I’m the tall, lanky, hotty that all the men want to date.

What is your ideal evening?

Italy, pasta, wine, dancing, sexy kiss, and—well, I’ll stop there. So, nothing too extravagant. 

Thanks for having me here today!

 

TOUR PARTICIPANTS

April 16 – Baroness’ Book Trove – REVIEW

April 16 – I’m All About Books – SPOTLIGHT

April 16 – Mystery Thrillers and Romantic Suspense Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

April 17 – Brooke Blogs – SPOTLIGHT, RECIPE

April 17 – Tea Book Blanket – SPOTLIGHT

April 17 – Lisa Ks Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

April 18 – Books a Plenty Book Reviews – REVIEW

April 18 – Literary Gold – REVIEW

April 18 – Eskimo Princess Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

April 19 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT

April 19 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – GUEST POST

April 19 – Christa Reads and Writes – SPOTLIGHT

April 20 – Mysteries with Character – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

April 20 – My Journey Back the Journey Back – CHARACTER GUEST POST

April 20 – Ruff Drafts – SPOTLIGHT

April 21 – Maureen’s Musings – SPOTLIGHT

April 21 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

April 21 – A Wytch’s Book Review Blog – CHARACTER INTERVIEW

April 22 – Reading, Writing & Stitch-Metic – GUEST POST, INDIVIDUAL GIVEAWAY

April 22 – My Reading Journeys – REVIEW

April 23 – Cozy Up With Kathy – CHARACTER GUEST POST

April 23 – Ascroft, eh? – CHARACTER INTERVIEW

April 24 – MJB Reviewers – SPOTLIGHT, INDIVIDUAL GIVEAWAY

April 24 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

April 25 – CelticLady’s Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

April 25 – BookishKelly2020 – SPOTLIGHT

April 25 – eBook Addicts – REVIEW

Shrimply Dead (A Seafood Caper Mystery #3) by Maggie Toussaint

When veterinarian and amateur naturalist Jasmine Garr is shot in her yard, residents of Shell Island press caterer River Holloway into investigating the homicide. River dons her amateur sleuth cap and sets out to discover who killed her former catering customer.

Between Jasmine’s estranged cousin, a rival veterinarian, a wild animal trapper, the chicken lady, and a real estate broker, River has plenty of suspects to consider. As she peels back the layers of Jasmine’s life, dangerous secrets come to light.

Jasmine’s orphaned kitty, Iris, along with River’s cat Major, and her husband Pete help River sift through the evidence. At the same time, River recently expanded her catering business. She must service her regular catering clients, plus provide fresh baked goods for Pete’s ice cream shop.

The killer follows River’s every move relishing the thought of another victim. Time is running out. Will River solve the murder before she becomes a cold dish?

An Interview With A Character

What is your full name?

River Holloway Merrick. I married my high school sweetheart a few months ago, so my last name is Merrick now. However, islanders have long known me as River Holloway and many call me by my maiden name.

What is your Profession?

I’m a caterer. My business is Holloway Catering, and I cater both casual and formal events, and everything in between. The key for customers is to call in  early enough to reserve the date you want.

What is your current favourite book or movie?

I stay so much on the go that I don’t have time to read. If I try to read as I settle down in bed, my book or kindle inevitably flops down on my face or falls to the floor. Since cooking is my thing, I prefer Julie and Julia as my fav movie of all time. It’s a little dated in calendar years, but the story is so vivid and real for me, it feels fresh every time I watch it. Yes, I have my own copy of the movie.

What is your go to comfort book or movie?

I love Hallmark movies. Whenever it seems like nothing is going right, one of these feel-good pieces melts my heart and re-centers me so that all is right in my world.

If someone was to play you in a movie who would it be? OR what would be the character you would want to be in a book?

That’s easy. I wouldn’t dream of playing Meryl Streep’s role if they did a remake of Julie and Julia, but I’d love to play Julie. I don’t see myself as a superstar. I’m more suited for the everywoman role.

What is your ideal evening?

My ideal evening is cooking at home with family and friends. We have a large deck out back and tons of privacy so our place is especially suited for small gatherings.

 

TOUR PARTICIPANTS

April 13 – I’m All About Books – SPOTLIGHT

April 13 – Cinnamon, Sugar, and a Little Bit of Murder – REVIEW, RECIPE

April 13 – Novels Alive – GUEST POST

April 13 – #BRVL Book Review Virginia Lee Blog – SPOTLIGHT

April 14 – Author Elena Taylor’s Blog – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

April 14 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT

April 14 – Tea Book Blanket – SPOTLIGHT

April 15 – Celticlady’s Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

April 15 – Maureen’s Musings – SPOTLIGHT

April 16 – Christa Reads and Writes – REVIEW

April 16 – Literary Gold – REVIEW

April 17 – Sneaky the Library Cat’s Blog – CHARACTER INTERVIEW

April 17 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

April 17 – MJB Reviewers – SPOTLIGHT

April 18 – I Read What You Write – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

April 18 – Cozy Up With Kathy – SPOTLIGHT

April 19 – StoreyBook Reviews – CHARACTER GUEST POST

April 19 – A Wytch’s Book Review Blog – CHARACTER INTERVIEW

April 20 – Baroness’ Book Trove – REVIEW

April 20 – My Reading Journeys – REVIEW

April 21 – Cassidy’s Bookshelves – GUEST POST

April 21 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW, AUTHOR INTERVIEW

April 21 – My Journey Back The Journey Back – CHARACTER GUEST POST

April 22 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – CHARACTER GUEST POST

April 22 – Mysteries with Character – REVIEW

April 23 – BookishKelly2020 – SPOTLIGHT  

April 23 – Mystery Thrillers and Romantic Suspense Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

April 24 – Brooke Blogs – SPOTLIGHT, RECIPE

April 24 – Books a Plenty Book Reviews – REVIEW, CHARACTER INTERVIEW

The Hasidic Rebbe's Son (A Becks Ruchinsky Mystery - book 2) by Joan Lipinsky Cochran

The murder of an ultra-religious student seeking refuge in her home forces an investigative reporter to explore the seedy underside of South Beach’s glitzy nightclub scene and the insular world of Hasidic Judaism to find his killer.
Boca Raton reporter Becks Ruchinsky is surprised when her son, Gabe, brings a frightened young man home from college and asks her to hide him. Menachem left his Hasidic community under mysterious circumstances and fears being kidnapped. Grateful to the young man for befriending her son, whose Asperger’s makes friendships difficult, Becks takes in the boy. Six days later, he’s found floating in a canal.
Police insist Menachem’s drowning was an accident but Becks isn’t buying. Her investigation takes her from the gritty underworld of South Beach to secretive Hasidic communities in Miami and New York. With the help of her ex-gangster father and a nosy Hasidic shopkeeper, Becks discovers the leader of a cult-like religious community is subverting rabbinic law to conceal ugly truths. As she uncovers layer upon layer of lies and deceptions, Becks discovers her son’s life may depend on her ability to unearth these secrets.

 

An Interview With A Character

What is your full name?

Becks Ruchinsky (my husband’s last name is Gitlin but I don’t use it).  He, by the way, isn’t all that thrilled about my detecting and I’m not so happy about his trying to tell me what I can and can’t do.

What is your Profession?

I’m a former investigative reporter trying to make it as a food writer, about all I can handle while caring for a son with Asperber’s Syndrome. Problem is I keep getting roped into these murder investigations that take me into these strange subcultures of American Judaism.  In The Hasidic Rebbe’s Son I had to break into the insulated world of Hasidic Judaism and the South Beach night club to discover who killed an ultra-religious boy I was hiding.  Believe me, it wasn’t easy.

What is your current favourite book or movie?

I’m reading a lot of the late  Laurie Colwyn lately, an essayist and cookbook author who also wrote for the New York Times. My dream is to write and cook as well as she did. 

What is your go to comfort book or movie?

I find comfort in laughing, so I’ve watched “The Big Lebowsky” almost a dozen times.

If someone was to play you in a movie who would it be? OR what would be the character you would want to be in a book?

I come across like Bette Midler at her ditzyest until you get to know me, then figure out I have the steel spine of Meryl Streep in Iron Lady.

What is your ideal evening?

These days,  going out for a five course gourmet meal NOT cooked by me. I spend way too much time testing recipes for my next cookbook and conducting  murder investigations the police should be attending to.

 

TOUR PARTICIPANTS

March 30 – Mysteries with Character – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

March 30 – I’m All About Books – SPOTLIGHT

March 31 – Ascroft, eh? – CHARACTER INTERVIEW

April 1 – Literary Gold – CHARACTER GUEST POST

April 2 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – SPOTLIGHT. RECIPE

April 3 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW

April 4 – A Wytch’s Book Review Blog – CHARACTER INTERVIEW

April 4 – I Read What You Write – GUEST POST

April 5 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

April 6 – Celticlady’s Reviews – SPOTLIGHT, RECIPE

April 7 – Cassidy’s Bookshelves – REVIEW

April 8 – Novels Alive – GUEST POST

April 9 – StoreyBook Reviews – GUEST POST

April 9 – MJB Reviewers – SPOTLIGHT

April 10 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

April 11 – Reading Author’s Network – REVIEW, RECIPE

April 12 – Maureen’s Musings – REVIEW

April 12 – BookishKelly2020 – SPOTLIGHT

All That Shines (Glitter Bay Mysteries Book 2) by Diane Bator

When Sage Miller’s sister Laken decides to host a fashion show as a grand opening for the new location of Vintage Sage, she’s not amused. Even less so when she discovers her sister hired a Hollywood fashion designer to help. Not only does the designer show up in the middle of renovations, but he drags along his protégé.

Then she finds Sebastian Hayward III, dead in her store.

Suddenly it seems half of Los Angeles—all unwelcome guests from Laken’s past—appear in Vintage Sage seeking something Sebastian had in his possession. Sage has to deal with renovations, a fashion show, and a murder before she and Laken come unglued.

 

An Interview With A Character

What is your full name?

My full name is Sage Willow Miller.

What is your Profession?

I have owned and operated a boutique called Vintage Sage for the past 5 years. 

What is your current favourite book or movie?

I love old movies. Thanks to this latest adventure, I’m watching Mata Hari with Greta Garbo again. I haven’t had a lot of time to read lately thanks to renovating and moving my store, but I hope to sneak in a few lazy days! I’m not exactly a mystery buff. I prefer romance or biographies.

What is your go to comfort book or movie?

My sister Laken and I used to watch lots of old movies with our Grandma Sadie when we were kids. I adore the old black and white movies, but my guilty pleasure is any Hallmark movie. Please don’t tell Laken, she’ll tease me mercilessly!

If someone was to play you in a movie who would it be? OR what would be the character you would want to be in a book?

Millie Bobby Brown, Emma Watson, or Daisy Ridley. They’re all tough women with a soft side. I’m more like a soft woman with a tough side! Ha! Whoever it is, they’d have to become a redhead!

If I could be a character in a book it would be Willy Wonka. All that chocolate!!!

What is your ideal evening?

Lately, it’s been hanging out at home with my sister watching movies and eating popcorn (or ice cream if one of us has just broken up with someone!)

 

TOUR PARTICIPANTS 

March 22 – I’m All About Books – SPOTLIGHT

March 22 – #BRVL Book Review Virginia Lee Blog – SPOTLIGHT

March 22 – Maureen’s Musings – SPOTLIGHT

March 23 – Novels Alive – GUEST POST

March 23 – Literary Gold – REVIEW

March 23 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – CHARACTER GUEST POST

March 24 – Socrates Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

March 24 – Dee-Scoveries – SPOTLIGHT

March 25 – Mysteries with Character – GUEST POST

March 25 – StoreyBook Reviews – CHARACTER GUEST POST

March 25 – Ascroft, eh? – CHARACTER INTERVIEW

March 26 – I Read What You Write  – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

March 27 – Ms. Cat’s Honest World – REVIEW

March 27 – A Wytch’s Book Review Blog – CHARACTER INTERVIEW

March 27 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

March 28 – Celticlady’s Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

March 28 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

Murder in First Position: An On Pointe Mystery by Lori Robbins

Ballerina Leah Siderova knows the career of a professional dancer is short. But rarely is it as brief as that of her rival, Arianna Bonneville, whose rise to stardom ends when she is stabbed in the back.

New York City police detective Jonah Sobol fixes upon Leah as the prime suspect. After all, she was the one who found the body, she had the most to gain from Arianna’s death, and it was her name Arianna whispered, just before she died.

Leah is desperate to clear her name, and she begins her own investigation, collaborating with her best friend and her ballet coach. As the three dancers sort through backstage intrigues, attempted blackmail, and a tangle of romantic liaisons, the noose around Leah’s neck grows tighter.

Ballet, with its merciless discipline, is all Leah has ever known. Is that enough to keep her one step ahead of the police—and the killer?

 

An Interview With A Character

What is your full name?

My name is Leah Siderova. It used to be Leah Feldbaum, but my mother changed it after she divorced my father. I’m a dancer, and she thought Siderova, which is her maiden name, would look better on a Playbill. It’s not uncommon for dancers to change their names, and I’m happy with mine.

What is your Profession?

I’m a professional ballet dancer with American Ballet Company. It’s the only life I’ve ever known. It’s the only life I’ve ever wanted.

What is your current favourite book or movie?

I love mysteries. Right now, I’m reading the last book in Judith Flanders’ series, A Howl of Wolves. It’s funny and smart. As for movies, my all-time favorite is Casablanca. Lots of romance and intrigue.

What is your go to comfort book or movie?

Pride and Prejudice never gets old for me. And my comfort movie is the 1940 version of that book, with Greer Garson and Sir Laurence Olivier. Although the movie version doesn’t precisely follow the book, it gets the mood exactly right, and it’s hilariously funny.

If someone was to play you in a movie who would it be? OR what would be the character you would want to be in a book?

I’d like Rachel Brosnahan to play me. I love her role in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. She’s skinny, and she’s got a great wardrobe!

What is your ideal evening?

My idea evening is performing to an adoring audience. After the last curtain call, I’d want a champagne dinner and two desserts. In a perfect world, I wouldn’t have to worry about the calories.

 

TOUR PARTICIPANTS

March 18 – Mysteries with Character – GUEST POST

March 18 – MJB Reviewers – SPOTLIGHT

March 18 – #BRVL Book Review Virginia Lee Blog – SPOTLIGHT

March 19 – A Wytch’s Book Review Blog – CHARACTER INTERVIEW

March 19 – I’m All About Books – SPOTLIGHT

March 19 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – REVIEW

March 20 – StoreyBook Reviews – CHARACTER GUEST POST

March 20 – Elizabeth McKenna – Author Blog – SPOTLIGHT

March 21 – Books a Plenty Book Reviews – CHARACTER INTERVIEW

March 21 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

March 21 – I Read What You Write – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

March 22 – Celticlady’s Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

March 22 – Maureen’s Musings – SPOTLIGHT

March 23 – Socrates Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

March 23 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT

March 24 – The Pulp and Mystery Shelf – SPOTLIGHT

March 24 – Author Elena Taylor’s Blog – REVIEW

March 25 – Ruff Drafts – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

March 25 – Literary Gold – CHARACTER GUEST POST

March 26 – Novels Alive – GUEST POST

March 26 – Laura’s Interests – REVIEW

Truffles and Tragedy (Down South Café Mystery #6) by Gayle Leeson

Down South Cafe owner Amy Flowers learns her chocolate truffles might not be the only things her patrons find "out of this world."

When her cousin, Jackie, asks her to give a presentation to her online class, Amy thinks all she has to worry about is speaking before a group. But then the nitpicky professor collapses. He has been murdered, and hot-tempered Jackie is the prime suspect. Some online forums are even speculating that the professor was an extra-terrestrial, so Amy must sort out fact from fiction to get to the truth.

Certain the real killer is setting Jackie up, will Amy be able to outwit the killer and save her cousin?

Gayle Leeson grabs your imagination and whisks you away to the Down South Cafe before you can blink!

Things seem to be going smoothly at the Down South Cafe, Jackie has settled into the routine of college and cafe and Amy is happy with her family (both by blood and the staff and regulars at the cafe), then things start to take a downturn, a rather snooty lady finds the cafe "underwhelming" for an afternoon tea and Jackie is disgruntled with her professor (who has marked her down two grades because she didn't format a paper exactly to his standards!), all this is nothing compared to seeing the same professor die on screen during an on-line presentation!

Now Jackie is the Prime Suspect when it turns out to be murder - so Amy decides to find out the truth before her cousin Jackie swaps the Down South Cafe for a cell!

An Interview With A Character

What is your full name?

I’m Amy Flowers.

What is your Profession?

I’m a professional chef and entrepreneur. I own the Down South Café in Winter Garden, Virginia.

What is your current favourite book or movie?

My favorite book is Joy of Cooking, by Irma S. Rombauer. There’s a reason it’s a classic!

What is your go to comfort book or movie?

Waitress, starring Keri Russell. 

If someone was to play you in a movie who would it be? OR what would be the character you would want to be in a book?

After seeing her brilliant performance in The Queen’s Gambit, I’d choose Anya Taylor-Joy to play me in the movie. She’s a couple of years younger than I am, but she’d be fantastic.

What is your ideal evening?

My idea of a perfect evening is having dinner—sometimes dinner out because I like to get fresh ideas—followed by cuddling on the sofa with the pets and my boyfriend Ryan either watching TV or just talking.

TOUR PARTICIPANTS

March 16 – I’m All About Books – SPOTLIGHT

March 16 – Mysteries with Character – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

March 16 – Paranormal and Romantic Suspense Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

March 17 – My Reading Journeys – REVIEW

March 17 – Reading, Writing & Stitch-Metic – SPOTLIGHT

March 18 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – GUEST POST

March 18 – A Wytch’s Book Review Blog – REVIEW, CHARACTER INTERVIEW

March 19 – Mochas, Mysteries and Meows – CHARACTER GUEST POST

March 19 – Maureen’s Musings -SPOTLIGHT

March 20 – I Read What You Write – REVIEW

March 20 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – REVIEW

March 20 – Baroness’ Book Trove – SPOTLIGHT

March 21 – Cozy Up With Kathy -REVIEW

March 21 – StoreyBook Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

March 22 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT

March 22 – Laura’s Interests – REVIEW

March 23 – Books a Plenty Book Reviews – REVIEW, CHARACTER INTERVIEW

March 23 – Reading Is My SuperPower – REVIEW

March 24 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW

March 24 – Novels Alive – GUEST POST

March 25 – Lisa Ks Book Review – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

March 25 – Brooke Blogs – SPOTLIGHT

March 26 – Literary Gold – CHARACTER GUEST POST

March 26 – Ascroft, eh? – CHARACTER INTERVIEW

March 27 – Melina’s Book Blog – REVIEW

March 27 – Celticlady’s Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

March 27 – MJB Reviewers – REVIEW

Murder by Page One (Peach Coast Mystery #1) by Olivia Matthews

Marvey’s a librarian from Brooklyn who makes book-themed jewelry as a hobby, looks after her cranky cat, and supports events for readers and authors. She’s still adjusting to quirky small-town life in Georgia—and that’s before she discovers a dead body in a bookstore.

When her new best friend becomes a suspect, Marvey develops a new hobby: solving a murder mystery. With her talents for research, her knowledge gleaned from crime novels, and a whole lot of determination, she pursues the truth. But even as she gets closer to it, could she be facing a deadly plot twist?

 

An Interview With A Character

What is your full name?

Marvella “Marvey” Marie Harris

What is your Profession?

Librarian

What is your current favourite book or movie?

My current favourite book is Murder by Page One: A Peach Coast Library Mystery by Olivia Matthews.

What is your go to comfort book or movie?

My go-to comfort movie is The Librarian: Quest for the Spear.

If someone was to play you in a movie who would it be? OR what would be the character you would want to be in a book?

I would most want to be the quirky sidekick in a book.

What is your ideal evening?

My ideal evening would be spent curled up on the sofa with a book and a cup of hot chai tea.

 

TOUR PARTICIPANTS

March 18 – Christa Reads and Writes – REVIEW

March 18 – A Wytch’s Book Review Blog – CHARACTER INTERVIEW

March 18 – My Reading Journeys – REVIEW

March 18 – Reading, Writing & Stitch-Metic – SPOTLIGHT

March 18 – I’m All About Books – SPOTLIGHT

March 18 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW

March 19 – Cozy Up With Kathy – REVIEW, AUTHOR INTERVIEW

March 19 – Book Club Librarian – REVIEW  

March 19 – Books to the Ceiling – SPOTLIGHT

March 19 – Brooke Blogs – SPOTLIGHT

March 19 – Ruff Drafts – SPOTLIGHT

March 19 – I Read What You Write – REVIEW

March 20 – Literary Gold – CHARACTER GUEST POST

March 20 – MJB Reviewers – REVIEW

March 20 – Baroness’ Book Trove – REVIEW

March 20 – Maureen’s Musings – SPOTLIGHT

March 20 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

March 20 – Author Elena Taylor’s Blog – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

March 21 – Celticlady’s Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

March 21 – The Book Diva’s Reads – SPOTLIGHT

March 21 – Socrates Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

March 21 – The Book’s the Thing – REVIEW

March 22 – Novels Alive – GUEST POST

March 22 – The Avid Reader – REVIEW

March 22 – Reading Reality – REVIEW

March 22 – Novels Alive – REVIEW

March 22 – Melina’s Book Blog – REVIEW

March 22 – Reading Is My SuperPower – REVIEW

 

A Game of Cones (Ice Cream Parlor Mystery #2) by Abby Collette

Bronwyn Crewse is delighted that Crewse Creamery, the ice cream shop her family has owned for decades, is restored to its former glory and serving sweet frozen treats to happy customers in the picturesque small town of Chagrin Falls, Ohio. But when a big city developer comes to town intent on building a mall, a killer with a frozen heart takes him out.

After literally stumbling across the body, one of Win's closest friends becomes the prime suspect, and to make things worse, Win's aunt has come to town with the intention of taking command of Crewse Creamery. Even though Win has a rocky road ahead to help her friend and keep her ice cream shop, it'll take more than a sprinkle of murder to stop her from solving the crime and saving the day.

An Interview With A Character

What is your full name?

Bronwyn Crewse. But practically everyone calls me Win.

What is your Profession?

I am an ice cream maker. Although I have an MBA, I am presently the manager of my family’s ice cream shop.

What is your current favourite book or movie?

I am learning to like shows about amateur sleuths and murder mysteries because they seem to be happening in my real life. But right now, I think my favorite is Knives Out.

What is your go to comfort book or movie?

I don’t have a lot of time to watch movies. Running an ice cream shop is a full-time business. And before I came back home to Chagrin Falls, I was super busy at a New York ad agency.

If someone was to play you in a movie who would it be? OR what would be the character you would want to be in a book?

If someone was to play me in a movie, it would be Ruby Barker.

What is your ideal evening?

Listen to music on the jukebox in the ice cream parlor and making ice cream because both of those things remind me of my Grandma Kay.

The Watchman of Rothenburg Dies: A German Cozy Mystery (The Homeswappers Book 1)

Etta and Dora, both newly retired teachers, travel from their home in Southern Italy to a fairy-tale German town for their first home swap holiday, delighted by their neighbours’ warm welcome. But the welcome turns sour when the Night Watchman of Rothenburg is brutally murdered while his tour group takes photographs nearby, a halberd buried in his chest and a peculiar iron mask by his side.

When the murderer claims a second victim and the son of their hospitable neighbours becomes the number-one suspect, Etta’s analytical mind goes to work. Why was a shame mask left at the scene of each murder? Is there a clandestine trade going on behind the scenes of apparently upstanding local businesses? And why does every lead take her back to the sinister Devil’s Ale pub and the terrifying gang who lurk within?

Meanwhile, Dora has a puzzle of her own – how can she persuade Etta that a loveably disobedient Basset Hound called Napoleon is now a permanent part of their lives?

 

Once the Watchman dies this turns into a regular page turner, make sure you have nothing planned as you will want to finish it!

At first I wasn't sure about this book, but as I started reading and got past the grumpiness at the beginning then the book flowed and flowed and I wanted to find out what happens next! We start with two disparate friends trying to find the house they are supposed to be staying at in Rothenburg, when they do they then can't find the key to get in! By this time Etta is really wishing she hadn't been chivvied into trying out houseswapping, luckily (for Etta's sanity and possibly Dora's life expectancy) the neighbour has arrived home and sees their trouble and helps out (oh also extends an invitation to dinner which is much appreciated!).  Although the two ladies would just like to relax for the evening Etta's daughter had booked them into a walking tour that evening, run by "The Night Watchman", the tour starts wonderfully (although Dora to Etta's displeasure ends up walking the Watchman's dog Napoleon aka Leon - Etta is NOT a great animal lover), but near the end Leon suddenly tugs Dora frantically and she and Etta discover the dead body of the Watchman!

Now with the son of their helpful, temporary, neighbours in the frame for murder Etta and Dora need to find out who killed the Watchman and why (and Etta also wants to find a home for Leon as Dora brought him back with them to the houseswap!)

 

An Interview With A Character

What is your full name?

Concetta Natale Passolina, but I’m simply Etta to family and friends.

What is your Profession?

I’m a newly retired teacher. [It shows in her voice that Etta doesn’t much like the word ‘retired’. When your curious blogger asks why, she explains that in Italy, retirement tends to mean you’re well over sixty, and as she says, she’s “against aging”. Whatever that means!]

What is your current favourite movie?

Bread and Tulips. I’m sorry, I’m naming an Italian movie that most readers in the English-speaking world won’t be familiar with. It’s a wonderful romantic comedy featuring a typical Southern Italian housewife, with a selfish husband and careless children, who’s left behind at a petrol station during a coach trip. Instead of taking a train back home, she hitchhikes her way to Venice and finds a job – in a quaint flower shop, at that. She ends up loving her new life as she realises who she really is. 

As a divorced woman who had to bring up my only daughter alone, I find the movie empowering and inspiring, and I love Venice so much. I hope Dora, my friend and sidekick in The Homeswappers Mysteries series, and I find a homeswap there soon.

What is your go to comfort book or movie?

Etta: “You promise you won’t tell anyone?”

Blogger (solemnly), “I promise.” [Then she adds in a whisper, “They might read what you say, but I won’t tell anyone”.]

Etta: “My guilty pleasure is Anne of Green Gables. It sets me at peace with the whole world, and we red-haired women rock! As for my comfort movie, I’m still waiting for Rhys Bowen’s Molly Murphy Mystery series to be adapted for the screen. Again, it features a red-haired woman. And a red-haired sleuth at that.

If someone was to play you in a movie, who would it be? 

I wanted to say Nicole Kidman because she has the same red hair as me, though I’m not quite as thin… But my friend Dorotea Rosa Pepe (you can call her Dora) told me it’s a fun question, so she gave it some thought and said, “Jack Nicholson in As Good as it Gets.” She’s not usually the sarcastic type, so I was shocked by her answer. I can’t really see what we have in common – he’s such an unbearable guy, saying all sorts of nasty things, no matter whom he’s speaking to. I’m not like that. At all. GRUMPH!

What is your ideal evening?

I confess, my best time of day is the morning. Evenings are mostly for curling up on my armchair, reading a book, Leon, our Basset Hound, snoring nearby, Dora baking some biscuits. And preferably, no one in the vicinity being murdered! 

Please leave a message in the comments and we will pick a winner for an eBook of The Watchman of Rothenburg Dies.

All  my links:

Free eBook: https://adrianalicio.com/murderclub  

Website: https://adrianalicio.com  

BookBub: https://bookbub.com/authors/adriana-licio

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/19378391.Adriana_Licio

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/adrianalicio.mystery 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/adrianalici 

 

TOUR PARTICIPANTS

September 14 – The Avid Reader – REVIEW

September 14 – I Read What You Write – GUEST POST

September 14 – Mystery Thriller and Romantic Suspense Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

September 15 – I’m All About Books – SPOTLIGHT

September 15 – Ascroft, eh? – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

September 15 – Readeropolis – SPOTLIGHT

September 16 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT

September 16 – Literary Gold – SPOTLIGHT

September 17 – MJB Reviewers – SPOTLIGHT

September 17 – Reading Is My SuperPower – REVIEW

September 17 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – REVIEW

September 18 – Cozy Up With Kathy – REVIEW, AUTHOR INTERVIEW

September 18 – View from the Birdhouse – SPOTLIGHT

September 19 – Baroness’ Book Trove – SPOTLIGHT

September 19 – Books a Plenty Book Reviews – REVIEW, CHARACTER INTERVIEW

September 20 – Celticlady’s Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

September 20 – A Wytch’s Book Review Blog – REVIEW, CHARACTER INTERVIEW

September 21 – My Reading  Journeys – REVIEW

September 21 – Here’s How It Happened – REVIEW 

September 22 – Reading, Writing & Stitch-Metic – SPOTLIGHT

September 22 – StoreyBook Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

September 23 – Elizabeth McKenna – Author – SPOTLIGHT

September 23 – Sneaky the Library Cat’s Blog – CHARACTER INTERVIEW

September 23 – The Book’s the Thing – REVIEW, GUEST POST

Dough or Die (A Bread Shop Mystery #5) by Winnie Archer

People come to the beach town of Santa Sofia as much for the healing properties of Yeast of Eden's breads as for a vacation getaway. And now a cable food channel has selected the bakery as a featured culinary delight for a new show. Baking apprentice Ivy Culpepper is excited as the crew arrives, ready to capture all the ins and outs of the renowned bread shop. But instead they capture something much harder to stomach: the attempted murdered of the show's cameraman just outside Yeast of Eden . . .

With no motive and no clues, and the town craving answers, it will be up to Ivy to sift through the evidence to find the truth. But she'll have to move quickly before someone else is targeted or the wrong person gets the heat--and the business collapses like a deflated souffl�, right before her eyes.

Winnie Archer has written another book that pulls you into the story until you can feel yourself right there in the midst of the action!

Reality TV has come to Santa Sofia, or more to the point to Yeast of Eden. with a show about America's Best Bakeries, a local presenter is one of the two co-presenters on the show but she seems determined to muscle her way to the top spot which leads to tensions within the filming team.  No one though expects one of the team to be mown down by a hit and run driver!  That would be bad enough but then another member of the team is murdered, now Ivy along with her neighbour Mrs Bamford (and of course Santa Sofia's finest in the form of her best friend Emmeline) before more people end up six feet under!

An Interview With A Character

What is your full name?

Ivy Culpepper

What is your Profession?

I’m a photographer, but since I moved back to Santa Sofia, I’ve become passionate about baking, specifically bread. I work part time for Olaya Solis at Yeast of Eden. 

What is your current favourite book or movie?

All my favorite books right now are cookbooks! 

My all-time favorite movies are: Chef, The Hundred Foot Journey, and Julie and Julia. 

What is your go to comfort book or movie?

I’d definitely put on Chef. The food truck, the cuban sandwiches, the brilliant kid with his social media. It’s probably my all-time favorite.

If someone was to play you in a movie who would it be? OR what would be the character you would want to be in a book?

Oh, Emma Stone, for sure. We’re like twins. 

What is your ideal evening?

Miguel Baptista runs Baptista’s Cantina & Grill. We were high school sweethearts and have rekindled our relationship twenty years later. He’s an excellent cook. An evening at his bungalow, which has an amazing view of the Pacific, for a dinner he cooked—and with bread I baked, followed by a walk on the beach with my sweet pug, Agatha, would be my perfect evening.

 

DOUGH OR DIE TOUR PARTICIPANTS

September 10 – Hearts & Scribbles – SPOTLIGHT

September 10 – The Book's the Thing – REVIEW

September 10 – A Wytch's Book Review Blog – REVIEW, CHARACTER INTERVIEW

September 10 – MJB Reviewers - SPOTLIGHT

September 11 – Cozy Up With Kathy - REVIEW, AUTHOR INTERVIEW

September 11 – Reading Is My SuperPower – REVIEW

September 11 – I'm All About Books – SPOTLIGHT

September 11 – Mystery Thrillers and Romantic Suspense Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

September 12 – Baroness' Book Trove – SPOTLIGHT

September 12 – Celticlady's Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

September 12 – I Read What You Write - SPOTLIGHT

September 13 – Socrates Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

September 13 – Ruff Drafts – SPOTLIGHT, RECIPE

September 13 – Brooke Blogs – SPOTLIGHT

September 14 – Christy's Cozy Corners – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

September 14 – Books a Plenty Book Reviews – REVIEW

September 14 – My Reading Journeys – REVIEW

September 15 – A Blue Million Books – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

September 15 – Reading, Writing & Stitch-Metic – GUEST POST

September 15 – Readeropolis – SPOTLIGHT

September 16 – StoreyBook Reviews – CHARACTER GUEST POST

September 16 – Literary Gold – SPOTLIGHT

September 16 – Gimme The Scoop Reviews – SPOTLIGHT/ RECIPE

September 16 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT