Tag: Book Review

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Cozy Mystery

Public Anchovy #1: A Deep Dish Mystery (Deep Dish Mysteries Book 3) 

316 pages St. Martin’s Paperbacks December 26, 2023 publication date

ABOUT THE BOOK

Public Anchovy #1 is the third book in Mindy Quigley’s delectable Deep Dish Mystery series, set in a Wisconsin pizzeria.

While Geneva Bay’s upper crust gets ready to party down at a Prohibition-themed fundraiser, pizza chef Delilah O’Leary is focused on seeing her struggling restaurant through the winter slow season. The temperature outside is plummeting, but Delilah’s love life might finally be heating up, as hunky police detective Calvin Capone seems poised to (finally) make a move.

But Delilah’s hopes of perfecting a new “free-from” pizza recipe for a charity bash are dashed when a dead body crashes the party. Soon, Capone, Delilah, and her entire staff are trapped in an isolated mansion and embroiled in a dangerous game of cat and mouse.

To catch an increasingly-desperate killer, Delilah will have to top all of her previous crime-solving accomplishments, and a few pizzas, too.

MY THOUGHTS

Though this is book three in the series it is my first read of the Deep-Dish mystery series. I will be going back and reading the others in the series very soon.


Geneva Bay’s pizza chef Delilah O’Leary is doing a fundraiser at a swanky mansion the upper crust is attending. All is going well until a distraction is caused by a need to change the pizza recipe to accommodate dietary restrictions.


Chef O’Leary’s cat stows away in a mixer box and so we’re treated to its presence the whole story through. With cat like accuracy, we don’t get much out of the cat as far as listening but when it’s time to eat and shenanigans are to be found you know that cat is involved.


With a heavy storm happening and the generator not kicking on the lights not working lead to the atmosphere of suspense with a body found at the mansion where all the staff are trapped because it’s unsafe to leave. A cat and mouse game as the suspense mounts and then another body is found. Kept me guessing right til the end as I wouldn’t have suspected the suspect or the reason for it either.


I’m excited to try the gluten free pizza crust recipe for my daughter who has this food restriction. There are many recipes included, and I am going to try a few others as well. The descriptions of the foods sound so yummy. Looking forward to reading more in this series soon.

I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

THE AUTHOR

Mindy Quigley is the author of two cozy mystery series. Her most recent, the Deep Dish Mysteries (St. Martin’s Press), has been featured in Parade, Woman’s World, and Kirkus Reviews.

Mindy’s non-writing career has been stranger than fiction, taking her from the US to the UK, where she worked as the personal assistant to the scientist who cloned Dolly the sheep, and as project manager for a neurology research clinic founded by the author J.K. Rowling.

She lives in Virginia, with her Civil War history professor husband and their children.

Enjoy your day and have a slice of pizza. 🙂

Categories
historical fiction

An Honorable Deception: (English Historical Romance Series with Mystery and Private Investigators Set in Edwardian England) (The Imposters) 

400 pages Bethany House Publishers November 19, 2024 publication date

ABOUT THE BOOK

n the trying art of balancing investigations and love, a detective must determine his priorities when faced with dangerous circumstances that could threaten everything he holds dear.

As the leader of the Imposters, an elite private investigative firm, Lord Yates Fairfax has made an art of concealing his identity. But when his newest client, the beautiful Lady Alethia Barremore, is shot while leaving their meeting, he throws caution to the wind and rushes to her aid. Though Lady Alethia thought she was only looking for her missing former nanny, she has clearly stumbled upon something much more dangerous.

Lady Lavinia Hemming suspects her longtime friends hold more secrets than they’re willing to admit, and when she stumbles upon the truth that they’re the esteemed Imposters, she recruits herself into the firm. While she is happy for the distraction of an investigation, Lavinia’s own family secrets continue to haunt her. And the one thing bringing laughter back into her life–her friendship with Yates–lands her squarely on the disagreeable side of her best friend: his sister.

Tormented by a past she doesn’t dare voice aloud, Lady Alethia does what she can to help her handsome host, her new friends, and the investigators. But as clues lead them deeper into the dark side of society, Alethia, Yates, and Lavinia learn anew that the gentry isn’t always noble . . . even as they fight to hold fast to their own honor.

MY THOUGHTS

It seems like just yesterday I read the first book in the series and here we are finishing up the third and final book in the series. Though this and each book can be read as a standalone I highly recommend starting at the beginning and reading them in consecutive order for the full magnificence of the full series.


I enjoyed seeing some of the characters in all three books and a few have their own special story now finally. A series tie in with characters from another series by the author was a great addition.
The continued return of the circus performers was not something I expected but did enjoy.


This is my favorite book in the series if I had to pick one though I did love them all. We are treated to a delightful package of mystery, intrigue, suspense, reckoning, forgiveness, a greater understanding and romance.
There were some tough subjects tackled in this book, but the author handles them well and in a respectful way.


Very in-depth plot and realistic characters kept me glued to this hard to put down book.

I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

MEET THE AUTHOR

Roseanna M. White is a bestselling, Christy Award winning author who has long claimed that words are the air she breathes. When not writing fiction, she’s homeschooling her two kids, editing, designing book covers, and pretending her house will clean itself. Roseanna is the author of a slew of historical novels that span several continents and thousands of years. Spies and war and mayhem always seem to find their way into her books…to offset her real life, which is blessedly ordinary. You can learn more about her and her stories at http://www.RoseannaMWhite.com.

Have a marvelous day. Thank you for stopping in.

Categories
holidays

The Unplanned Christmas Family: An Uplifting Inspirational Romance (Heartland Sweethearts Book 3)

215 pages Love Inspired publisher Publication dateOctober 22, 2024

ABOUT THE BOOK

’Tis the season for a fresh start…

and a second chance at love.

After a stressful season, event planner Natalie Cooper has strict instructions from her doctor: rest. But when her grandmother volunteers her to plan her retirement community’s Christmas fundraiser, she can’t say no. Now she’s being roped into working alongside the home’s director, Thad MacDougall. The grumpy single father’s priority is his relationship with his son, and Natalie’s workaholic tendencies have them butting heads over every detail. But through hot cocoa and ice fishing with Thad and his son, Natalie’s about to discover that her chaos-filled holiday break might be just what the doctor ordered…

From Love Inspired: Uplifting stories of faith, forgiveness and hope.

MY THOUGHTS

I am delighted to continue reading the Heartland Sweetheart series, this is number three.
That is takes place in Iowa is another thing I love about this series. My daughter lives in Iowa and being from Pennsylvania I thought I knew a thing or two about winter. Well let me tell you, Iowa winters are brutal. The wind absolutely goes right through you. Iowa is beautiful though and very progressive, a wonderful place to visit.


Event planner Natalie has been told to take it a bit easier because of her health. A staycation of sorts. She is not the type to sit idle and try as she may when grandma at the retirement home asks for her help with the retirement community Christmas fundraiser, she simply can’t say no. Grandma wasn’t privy to the doctors’ words of wisdom.

Meeting Thad MacDougall, grumpy single dad and the retirement home’s director seems to be one fiasco after another. Not able to agree on anything except for their secret attraction for each other they start bonding when she meets his precious son.


I loved how well they started getting on as they spend more and more time together event planning often with his son there. Natalie is a workaholic, not able to let the thought of someone else plan or have much input in the Christmas fundraising event. She knows she can do it bigger and better. When things don’t works as planned will she concede things are better when you have help and ideas from others?

Lovely and uplifting inspirational fiction with an upbeat Christmas theme.

I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

MEET THE AUTHOR

Best-selling author Angie Dicken balances a busy schedule of school sports and activities, date nights with her husband, and get-togethers with her longtime friends. Whether historical or contemporary settings, Angie writes clean, heart-deep stories. Check out her books and news of upcoming releases at http://www.angiedicken.com

Have you read many Christmas books this year? I’ve read some but I have many more still to read. Have a great weekend.

Categories
holidays

A Wish for Christmas

360 pages Avon publisher November 14, 2023 publication date

ABOUT THE BOOK

In this heartwarming story from New York Times bestselling author Courtney Cole, an unhappily married couple makes a wish on an enchanted snow globe that they had never met, but when they wake up the next day in separate lives, the magic of Christmas helps them to realize that some love is just meant to be. 

Two weeks ’til Christmas…

Noel Blake is not in a great place. After several years of marriage, she and her husband Jonah are quietly drifting apart. The only time they really talk at all anymore is when they walk their dog, Elliott. And even then it usually ends in bickering.

When, one snowy day, Elliott manages to slip his leash, they find him blocks away in the care of a mysterious old man who asks them to make a wish on an old snow globe. Eager to get their dog safely home, they agree to his strange request. Neither one realizes that the wish they’re about to make will change the course of their lives… possibly forever.

When Noel and Jonah wake up the next morning, they’re in separate beds, separate apartments, separate lives. But are they any happier? As they live the existences they’d always wished for, both feel that something very important is missing. And when a chance encounter brings the pair back together, they find they have a spark of something very special.

Will they be able to find their way back to each other before it’s too late, or does the Christmas Magic have another fate in store?

MY THOUGHTS

This is a very magical Christmas story. I’ve never seen a book with this premise before.
A married couple who used to be so in love who have lost the shine in their marriage are walking their Mastiff one evening. Unable to control him the leash slips out of her hands, and he runs off through the busy streets into an elderly man’s Curiosity Shop, full of odds and ends you’ll find it all here.


The man gives them a magical snow globe and they make a wish to have never met.
Waking up the next day single, each has their own life and jobs they are proud of, and they don’t know each other.


A work-related task and an elderly parent both call them home for the holidays and they happen to both coincidently be going to the same town. We follow them on their day-to-day life as they get a second chance at writing wrongs and falling in love all over again.


That old snow globe may have just sprinkled a little holiday magic in the air for this couple. Sweet second chance romance in a charming small town.

I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

THE AUTHOR

Courtney Cole is a New York Times bestselling author of over twenty novels. She enjoys eating reader emotions for breakfast, wearing cashmere socks (when she’s not barefoot) and collecting hula girls.

An optimist, Pacman champion, trophy wife, and fierce mama, her motto is to live with grace. She believes in the power of blonde hair dye and red lipstick, and feels that a well-timed smile can change the world.

To learn more about her, visit http://www.courtneycolecreates.com

Enjoy your day. Thank you for stopping in.

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Uncategorized

Letters to Whitman: A Short Story 

October 5, 2023 publication date Calleia Press publisher

ABOUT THE BOOK

“A moving, brilliantly conceived short piece… funny, grim, insightful” – Readers’ Favorite

“Highly recommended to Civil War aficionados, fans of Walt Whitman, and all those who appreciate beautiful writing.” – Renaissance Writer blog

During the American Civil War, the poet Walt Whitman volunteered in army hospitals tending to sick and wounded soldiers. This poignant short story imagines one of these patients, Private Nathaniel Gwynnett of the 97th New York Volunteer Infantry, writing to Whitman after returning to his regiment.

MY THOUGHTS

Though this is fictional I didn’t find it any less informative
Letters to Whitman follows the life of Private Nathaniel Gwynnett of the 97th New York Volunteer Infantry. He met poet Walt Whitman who volunteered in army hospitals in Washington when Nathaniel was a patient there. Walt boosted the moral of the men there and also brought small presents.


After returning to his regiment Nathaniel writes letters of daily life during the civil war and of their travels. Though there are good times there are also sorrows, losing friends, leaking tents, not enough to eat, etc.

Nathaniel uses these letters as a way to lift his spirit during battle as he tries to turn this into a friendship.
I do wish the book wasn’t all epistolary format though.

I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

THE AUTHOR

Margo Laurie studied history at university and is a member of the RNA. She is the author of the Christmas ghost story New York Miracle and the historical fiction novella The Anarchist’s Wife about the 1920s Sacco-Vanzetti case. She lives in the North West.

Thank you for stopping in.

Categories
Uncategorized

Robins in My Kitchen-Nonfiction

96 pages nonfiction adult book November 28, 2024 The Book Guild publisher

Version 1.0.0

ABOUT THE BOOK

MY THOUGHTS

Robins in My Kitchen is a lovely diary style nonfiction book about the author’s daily life with robins that have set up a nest in her kitchen. The mother bird fearlessly brings moss, twigs and other building materials into the woman’s house through an open kitchen window and builds a nest for her babies on a dish shelf. Mr. Robin also comes in to help.


Eventually the eggs hatch and we see Mr. and Mrs. Robin sharing the parental duties of feeding the babies. I loved reading the daily progress of the fledglings and how descriptive it was.


Black and white illustrations add to the nostalgic feel of the book.
Reading this book was a true treat and made me feel closer to nature. What a joy to be chosen by the robin family to have a nest in their house.

I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

Have a wonderful day. Thank you for stopping in.

Categories
Uncategorized

*Blog Tour* DESIGNS ON YOU by Jaci Burton (Berkley; 12/3/24) publication date

352 pages Berkley publisher December 3, 2024 publication date

ABOUT THE BOOK

About DESIGNS ON YOU

Natalie Parker is in her mid-thirties, divorced, and firmly focused on her newly resurrected career and her two children. When her sister asks her to help design the backyard in the new home she shares with her boyfriend, Linc, Natalie’s more than happy to take on the project. What she isn’t prepared for is Linc’s younger brother, video game designer Eugene Kennedy. He’s smart, incredibly good-looking, and constantly flirts with Natalie. He’s also too young for her, which makes him totally off-limits.

 Eugene is intrigued by Natalie’s beauty, smarts, and especially her sarcastic wit. When he teases her, she throws it right back at him. Besides that, they have an instant chemistry, but she keeps trying to get rid of him despite the sparks that fly between them. And Eugene never backs down from a challenge. 

Natalie is running out of reasons to think being with Eugene is a bad thing. Her kids adore him, her sister loves him, and even her always negative mother does, too. The only person holding her back is…her. Maybe it’s time she take that leap and design herself a love for the ages. After all, if she can create the perfect home, she sure as hell can design a happily ever after.

MY THOUGHTS

Interior designer Natalie Parker has had enough of men and feeling like she’s not heard or appreciated. This divorcee has two adorable children and a resurrected career. Though with children around which makes life hectic she’s able to get some me time in without her husband’s demands anymore.


Yeah, she’s an interior designer and can’t resist the chance to pop over to her sisters and look at her backyard of her new house and give a few tips on decorating and styling it. Not counting on seeing the most gorgeous man alive there, Eugene the brother of her sister’s boyfriend.


Telling herself she’s not getting involved in another relationship is like telling the grass not to grow. Shortly after meeting the book takes on an instalove theme between the characters Eugene and Natalie.

Things get spicy pretty quickly, but the book does have some substance to it. It’s a feel-good fun book, not one to be taken seriously but a great relaxation book when you don’t want a heavy read.

The relationship goes through its ups and downs, some growing pains and some things that need ironed out. I loved the addition of the two children and how much page time they had in book and how they were made to feel like important characters.
A book I enjoyed a lot.

I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

MEET THE AUTHOR

About the Author

Jaci Burton is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Boots and Bouquets series, the Brotherhood by Fire series, the Hope series, and the Play-by-Play novels.

Photo by Zaksheuskaya on Pexels.com

Your blessings are many though you may not always see them.

Categories
Uncategorized

Man of Shadow and Mist (Of Monsters and Men Book 2)

322 pages Barbour Fiction publisher June 1, 2023 publication date

ABOUT THE BOOK

“The world seems full of good men—even if there are monsters in it.”
–Bram Stoker, Dracula
 
England, 1890
 
Vampires are alive and well in North Yorkshire, leastwise in the minds of the uneducated. Librarian Rosa Edwards intends to drive a stake through the heart of such superstitions. But gossip flies when the mysterious Sir James Morgan returns to his shadowy manor. The townsfolk say he is cursed.
 
James hates everything about England. The weather. The rumours. The scorn. Yet he must stay. His mother is dying of a disease for which he’s desperately trying to find a cure—an illness that will eventually take his own life.
 
When Rosa sets out to prove the dark gossip about James is wrong, she discovers more questions than answers. How can she accept what she can’t explain—especially the strong allure of the enigmatic man? James must battle a town steeped in fear as well as the unsettling attraction he feels for the no-nonsense librarian.
 
Can love prevail in a town filled with fear and doubt?

MY THOUGHTS

This cover, I love it as it goes perfectly with the story.
A Man of Shadows and Mist is the second book in the Of Monsters and Men series.


A historical romance but also gothic I was immersed in the ambience, a dark chilling manor, screams in the night. The author’s writing style is one you will get lost in as you are in her world while reading this.


James has returned from Transylvania to North Yorkshire living in his manor he just wants to care for and find a cure for his dying mother. This is the late 1800’s, he is misunderstood and ostracized, those around him fear him and think he’s evil.


Rosa helps her father out in his subscription library of which James goes to often. She winds up seeing him around town and brings him books. I enjoyed seeing her kind and helpful attitude when no one else wanted anything to do with him.


History, mystery full of encouragement and faith filled. This is my favorite book by the author so far and I look forward to more intriguing books by the author.

I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

MEET THE AUTHOR

I hear voices. Loud. Incessant. And very real. Which basically gives me two options: choke back massive amounts of Prozac or write fiction. I’ve been writing since I discovered blank wall space and Crayolas. I seek to glorify God in all that I write–except for that graffiti phase I went through as teenager.

You are wonderful. You can do it. Thank you for stopping in.

Categories
Uncategorized

Waiting for Christmas 

280 pages Tyndale Fiction publisher September 3, 2024 publish date

ABOUT THE BOOK

In this hope-filled Gilded Age Christmas novella from bestselling author Lynn Austin, the year is 1901 and the hustle and bustle of the holidays is descending on New York’s Fifth Avenue.

For the first time in her privileged life, Adelaide Forsythe won’t be swept up in it. She couldn’t be happier about the prospect of a quieter Christmas. That’s not to say her transition from Miss to Mrs. has been without challenge. Though she doesn’t regret marrying for love instead of wealth, she can barely light the hearth or cook more than burnt toast. She feels woefully unprepared to run her own household.

Then, on the first Sunday of Advent, winter winds bring change through two unlikely means: a young orphan boy, hiding near Adelaide’s front steps, and a seasoned housekeeper who seems too good to be true.

The boy, Jack, claims he isn’t an orphan at all and is desperate to reunite his family. Adelaide and her husband Howard work tirelessly to solve the riddle of Jack’s story, while Adelaide’s new endeavors open her eyes to a world beyond her past experience—and all the challenge and possibility it holds. As Christmas approaches, small glimmers of wonder light the way toward the answers Adaleide seeks and the most miraculous gift of all.

Includes discussion questions for book clubs

The novella length of this delightful work of Christmas fiction about the true meaning of Christmas makes this a great stocking stuffer or host/hostess gift

Beautiful hardcover, giftable size

Great companion to All My Secrets by Lynn Austin

MY THOUGHTS

While I do enjoy Christmas romance books, I do actually prefer feel good Christmas books of which this one is.


Taking place during the gilded age in 1901, newly married Adelaide Forsythe who grew up in the lap of luxury has had enough of it and just wants to be ordinary and live within her husband’s means. It hasn’t been easy though, growing up with cooks, nannies and maids has left her unable to do the simplest domestic chores but she’s willing to learn.


Coming home one evening hearing a rustling in her bushes she investigates and discovers a ragged street urchin about nine years old. Bringing him in out of the cold he’s cared for.

Now I fell in love with this little boy, though he did have some problems adapting to a new way of life and insecurities plagued him. Though this is novella length it is a beautifully, pull on your heartstring filled story.

A child looking for the rest of his family and can’t rest easily until he does. It’s almost Christmas, will his Christmas hopes be fulfilled or will disappointment once again fill his life?


Poignant read, one that will be remembered for a long time.
Recommended highly!

I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

Enjoy your day. Thank you for stopping in.

Categories
Uncategorized

Wrangling the Wandering Rancher: A Sweet Historical Romance (High Country Ranch Book 4) 

216 pages October 22, 2024 publication date

ABOUT THE BOOK

In the high country of Colorado, love endures all things, even the solitary way of life in the wilderness.

Maisy Merritt has vowed she’ll never marry a mountain man. Even though she loves the Colorado Rockies and the wild creatures she helps, she hates the way her pa’s mountain-man ways took him away from his family and caused her ma to die of loneliness. Maisy’s ready to start a normal life, and that includes marrying a normal man.

As a trapper and trail guide, Tanner Oakley lives a wandering life. He’s witnessed how hard being alone is for Maisy and her sister whenever their pa is gone, so he’s decided that he’s not husband material for any woman since he’s so restless and unsettled.

Having given up looking for the family he lost long ago, Tanner returns to the mountains and finds Maisy in trouble. As he tries to help her, he only makes matters worse. With Maisy injured and her reputation in shatters, he’s forced to do the right thing and marry her. They resist being together, but maybe marriage is what both of them really want—and need—after all.

Lost family

Friends to more

Alone together in wilderness

Trapped in a cabin

Shotgun marriage

Abandonment issues

MY THOUGHTS

I’ve read reading the authors books for years and her books are automatic reads for me. I love everything about them, her writing style, the setting and the characters.

This is Tanner’s story, the second adopted son. The previous book had his brother’s story.
The book has a beautiful western setting. Maisy doesn’t want to get married all the mountain men she knows leave, including her father and her sister’s husband and she doesn’t trust it not to happen to her.


Tanner hasn’t found a woman worth staying around for but he’s out to prove it to Maisy she’s the one for him and he’s staying despite her hesitation.


I love when a question from another book is answered and the book had a very satisfactory wrap up, a totally unexpected one at that. Faith filled and inspirational this clean western romance is one I can highly recommend.

I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

MEET THE AUTHOR

Jody Hedlund is the best-selling author of over fifty books and is the winner of numerous awards. She writes sweet, clean historical romances with plenty of sizzle (but without the spice).

Have a great day. Thanks for visiting today.