Tag: mystery

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Two Christmas cozy mystery reviews for you: A Nutcracker Nightmare (A Killer Chocolate Mystery Book 2) and The Twelve Suspects of Christmas: a heartwarming Provence cozy mystery perfect for the holiday season

250 pages BooksGoSocial October 20,2023 publish date

ABOUT THE BOOK

Grannies, gangsters, murders—and a rollicking journey across France!

It’s January 4, 1961, and Marseilles housemaid Annie Malian is in love. It’s also the day her fiancé René takes his life under peculiar circumstances.

Many decades later, an old Christmas postcard addressed to Annie arrives, and all her doubts come flooding back.
At 84, there’s no time to waste!
Annie enlists the help of Rose Tassy, an eccentric retired teacher and amateur sleuth.
Thus begins an unforgettable journey from Provence to a quaint village in Picardie and then on to the sparkling Riviera, with a detour through wintry Paris.

Amid yuletide festivities, Annie and Rose navigate perilous terrain. Their list of suspects quickly grows. Was it Rene’s older brother? Maybe the ex-gangster turned chicken farmer? The powerful Monegasque tycoon?
Stumped, Rose begins to question her detective mettle when a new death compounds the plot…

This Christmas, will Annie receive the overdue truth as a gift?

MY THOUGHTS

Based on factual and fiction happenings and locations, I enjoyed this book a lot. It’s quirky and it stands out among the rest.

Our protagonists are two elderly women who set off on a trip through France to solve a years old cold case. Amateur sleuth Rose Tassy, and Annie Malian brave the wintry elements after receiving an old Christmas postcard addressed to Annie. Her love interest was said to have committed suicide but did he really?

These two, at first can’t agree on anything and I can just imagine what the arguing in the car sounded like, but a mutual respect soon settles over the two.

So many suspects, so little time, it seems as though this case will stay unsolved with so many suspects but when things start to hear up with the clues there’s no telling what will happen. This is my first time reading this author and I’m hoping I’ll be able to read more cases with these two in the driver’s seat.

Pub Date 20 Oct 2023
I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

302 pages Crooked Lane Books publisher October 17,2023 publish date

ABOUT THE BOOK

Perfect for fans of Joanne Fluke and Laura Childs, when twin sisters Hanna and Alex help out at the local high school reunion, volunteering takes a turn when they find a former classmate’s dead body.

Hanna and Alex, owners of the Murder and Mayhem book and chocolate shop, are busy preparing for the Harriston High School’s reunion weekend. Neighbors will connect with old friends and perhaps try to avoid old foes. One person no one can avoid is Kyle, the former star quarterback, who is busy using his entire playbook to try and score with Hanna, even threatening her if she doesn’t play nice. At the reunion, Alex glimpses more drama than nostalgia as insults are flung around like a football at a Friday night game. The party is put on hold when Alex finds the dead body of none other than Kyle himself, bludgeoned to death by a nutcracker that the sisters admired earlier in the night.

Hanna quickly becomes the prime suspect—someone saw her slap Kyle in the face at the reunion dance. She’ll need her sister, their sleuthing canine, Watson, and their old friends and colleagues to help break this case wide open. While looking through old yearbooks and taking a stroll down memory lane, Alex uncovers a few secrets about Kyle, now, it seems like everyone had a motive to kill him.

But when the suspects start becoming the victims, Alex and Hanna know that they can’t melt under the pressure—they must find the killer before they become just another yearbook memory.

MY THOUGHTS

A Nutcracker Nightmare is the second book in Killer Chocolate, a cozy mystery series. Though I am reading the second one first I still was able to enjoy the story fully. I do need to read that first one now.

Sisters Alex and Hanna live together and jointly own Murder and Mayhem: Killer Chocolates and Bookshop in fictional Harriston, Montana where this is set. When they signed up for a best chocolates competition, they didn’t realize the competition would be delayed several times and finally fall right during the Christmas season when they were swamped with candy orders. Can the sisters keep up with everything including trying out recipes of new chocolate favors to create for the shop?


I did think it was pretty neat that the names of their chocolates go with the theme of their shop. Some of the names of the chocolates include True North Nicotine Caramel, recipe included and Gingerbread Gelsemine Truffle, recipe included. In real life would these names of chocolates be off putting or draw people in? I’d say both.


With high school reunion weekend coming up, some of the former students are looking forward to it and some just want to try to avoid their foes. When an arrogant former student shows up everyone tries to avoid him. They know how rotten he still is. One of the sisters is accused of murder because of an action that was said to have happened.

Will this candy maker still be able to stir the chocolate pot, or will the cooking fires be growing cold? The victim was very unlikable so many had a reason to want him out of the picture.
Loved the Christmas theme, it was there but not overwhelming. I enjoyed this mystery set around the holidays and it kept me reading to see how it was solved.

Pub Date 17 Oct 2023
I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own,

Have you read these or plan on it? We have snow coming in again tonight and into tomorrow. After what happened during our last snowstorm you know I’ll be staying in. Be safe and stay warm.

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The Women of Pearl Island 

350 pages Harlequin Trade Publishing Park Row December 7, 2021 publication date

ABOUT THE BOOK

Set on a secluded island off the British coast, The Women of Pearl Island is a moving and evocative story of family secrets, natural wonders and a mystery spanning decades.

When Tartelin answers an ad for a personal assistant, she doesn’t know what to expect from her new employer, Marianne, an eccentric elderly woman. Marianne lives on a remote island that her family has owned for generations, and for decades her only companions have been butterflies and tightly held memories of her family.

But there are some memories Marianne would rather forget, such as when the island was commandeered by the British government during WWII. Now, if Marianne can trust Tartelin with her family’s story, she might finally be able to face the long-buried secrets of her past that have kept her isolated for far too long.

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MY THOUGHTS

I’ve had The Women of Pearl Island on my shelf for over 2 years and now that I’ve read it, I regret waiting so long.

This is a different read, an ending I couldn’t possibly have seen coming. A story that is a time slip, taking place in two time periods, 2018 and 1955. Set on a secluded island off the British coast, there are secrets, lots of secrets. You really feel locked in while reading this as it’s so hard to put down.

A young woman is hired as a personal assistant to an elderly woman who’s lived on this secluded island all of her life. There were family members at one time, now she lives with memories of the past and butterflies.


As we slide back and forth in the time periods the book takes on a surreal and mystical quality during the old lady’s musings when the past comes to life. The atmosphere changes as the book progresses but there is a foreboding feeling hovering over the book. The cover will fool you into thinking the book is one way, but the inside is different than you could imagine.


The author is very talented, and the presentation is excellent. You can vividly imagine the two time periods. A compelling read that will have more searching for more by this author.

Pub Date 07 Dec 2021
I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Polly Crosby grew up on the Suffolk coast, and now lives with her husband and son in the heart of Norfolk.

Polly’s third novel, Vita & the Birds, came out in May this year. Her first novel for young adults, This Tale is Forbidden – a dystopian fractured fairytale with hints of the Brother’s Grimm and The Handmaid’s Tale – is out in January next year with Scholastic.

In 2018, Polly won Curtis Brown Creative’s Yesterday Scholarship, which enabled her to finish her debut novel, The Illustrated Child. Later the same year, she was awarded runner-up in the Bridport Prize’s Peggy Chapman Andrews Award for a First Novel. Polly received the Annabel Abbs Creative Writing Scholarship at the University of East Anglia.

Polly can be found on Twitter, Instagram & Tiktok as @WriterPolly

Website: pollycrosby.com

Have a wonderful weekend. Thanks for stopping in.

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A Tale of Two Cookies: A Cookie House Mystery

323 pages St. Martin’s Paperbacks April 27,2021 publish date

ABOUT THE BOOK

In A Tale of Two Cookies, a cozy mystery from Eve Calder, it’s nothing but sugar and spice at The Cookie House, but elsewhere on Coral Cay everything isn’t so nice.

Pastry chef Kate McGuire is loving life on the laid-back island of Coral Cay, Florida. As junior partner in a bakery renowned for luscious desserts—especially her cookies—life is pretty sweet. So when an old friend arrives and announces a spur-of-the-moment beach wedding, that’s just the icing on the wedding cake.

But the groom vanishes right as a television crew descends on the town to film a hot, new realty show. Is there a connection? Is her friend Desiree somehow involved? Or did groom Judson simply get cold feet? The bride and groom were paired better than warm cookies and cold milk, so Kate doesn’t buy it.

As the show’s cast runs amok on the island and the investigation into Judson’s disappearance heats up, Kate and her pal Maxi, along with town dog Oliver, will brave the rambunctious world of reality TV and a wedding weekend gone awry, in an all-out effort to find the missing groom.

Taste of Home Oatmeal raisin cookies recipe

MY THOUGHTS

A Tale of Two Cookies is the third book in the Cookie House Mystery series. I do enjoy cozy mysteries that involve bakeries. I enjoyed reading about the different types of cookies and baked goods being made and the ingredients used in the recipes.
Now this one is a bit different in the sense that the mystery has no body, just a disappearance.


Coral Cay, Florida is the beautiful setting the wedding will take place in. Sure, it was a quick romance but with the sun, sand and the scents of fresh baked goods in the air a wedding just felt right. Sticking with the old tradition of the bride not seeing the groom until the morning of the wedding when he doesn’t show up everyone is wondering, did he get cold feet?

Could the movie crew that shows up in this tropical location just as the man disappears have something to do with his disappearance? The location of Coral Cay, Florida sounds like it would be a relaxing place to visit. Is the prospective groom dead or just missing? The story had a great plot that wasn’t the same as many others I’ve read.

The small town feel of the book kept it charming and the characters were all so helpful.
This is an author I’ll be reading more of.

Pub Date 27 Apr 2021
I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

Taste of Home Cranberry Lime Macaroons recipe

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Florida native Eve Calder writes the Cookie House mysteries — featuring pastry chef Kate McGuire — for St. Martin’s Press. Look for AND THEN THERE WERE CRUMBS and the new release, SUGAR AND VICE. And visit her website, CookieHouseMysteries.com, for all kinds of Cookie House extras.

Do you enjoy reading cozy mysteries too? Thank you for stopping in today. Have a wonderful day.

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Coconut Drop Dead (Spice Isle Bakery Mysteries Book 3) Publication Day Post

269 pages St. Martin’s Paperbacks publisher December 26,2023 publication date grab a copy here 

ABOUT THE BOOK

The case in Olivia Matthews’s Coconut Drop Dead is going to be a tough nut to crack.

Brooklyn’s annual Caribbean American Heritage Festival is finally here, and Spice Isle Bakery is thrilled to be one of the event’s food vendors. After all, the Murrays have been attending the festival for years. Co-owner Lyndsay Murray hopes their West Indian pastries and finger foods draw people back to the bakery in Little Caribbean. She’s looking forward to having fun, connecting with customers, and celebrating with her family.

The day’s festivities are cut short when Camille, lead singer of an up-and-coming reggae band, dies. The police think it may be a tragic accident. But Lyndsay’s cousin Manny was close to Camille, and he believes someone cut her life short. Now Manny needs Lyndsay’s help to make sure a killer faces the music.

Jamaican Coconut Drops Recipe

MY THOUGHTS

Coconut Drop Dead is the third book in the Spice Isle Bakery cozy mystery series but my first read in this series.


I really enjoyed the authentic flavor the author has added to the book. I learned a lot about Caribbean American foods and the culture.

Spice Isle Bakery is doing very well and a vendor spot at Caribbean American Heritage Festival helps business to boom. I enjoyed seeing how close knit this family is as they work together at the bakery, even granny, the family matriarch. Granny seems to have the final say in everything and the family and community gives her the respect she deserves.


While at the festival a murder occurs, the lead singer of a famous reggae band.
Believing the police are not solving the case quickly enough Lyndsay, owner of Spice Isle Bakery is ready to take things into her own hands and do some investigating on her own.


The investigation, presentation of clues and possible suspects are presented in a believable way and the book kept me guessing on who the guilty party was. Well done and I’ll look forward to reading more in this series.

Pub Date: 26 Dec 2023
I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Olivia Matthews is the cozy mystery pseudonym for national best-selling and award-winning author Patricia Sargeant.

Patricia’s work has been featured in national publications such as Publishers Weekly, USA Today, Kirkus Reviews, Suspense Magazine, Mystery Scene Magazine, Library Journal and RT Book Reviews. She’s also been interviewed on podcasts including Destination Mystery with Laura Brennan, Conversations LIVE! with Cyrus Webb, Read You Later with Lasheera Lee and Katara’s Café with Katara Johnson.

Stay connected with Patricia:

Website: http://www.PatriciaSargeant.com.

Email: BooksByPatricia@yahoo.com.

Enewsletter: http://eepurl.com/cOOIPf.

YouTube: https://bit.ly/2Jmbp9E.

Twitter: @BooksByPatricia.

Facebook: @AuthorPatriciaSargeant.

Watch her author brand video, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ivASYzGogfs.

Patricia has been a keynote speaker and presenter at various events. She’s conducted numerous writing craft workshops for writers groups and book conferences, and offers online fiction writing courses through her The Write Spot website. To contact Patricia about attending your event, email her at BooksByPatricia@yahoo.com.

Have a wonderful day and thanks for stopping in.

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A Vineyard Wedding (A Vineyard Novel Book 5)

339 pages Kensington publisher April 26,2022 publish date

ABOUT THE BOOK

Finding love on Martha’s Vineyard has been a dream come true—but for the bride-to-be, the price of happiness may be too high . . .

With her long-awaited wedding to police sergeant John Lyons only weeks away, bestselling author and Vineyard Inn proprietor Annie Sutton is faced with more drama than usual. Between the hideous heirloom gown her new family expects her to wear and the challenges of bonding with John’s contentious daughter Abigail, Annie’s having serious doubts. But when the baby she once found on her doorstep goes missing, Annie has bigger concerns, including that the little girl’s pregnant, older half-sister is in no condition to hear bad news . . .
 
Desperate for answers, Annie combs the island, questioning friends and even her family-to-be. Because suddenly it seems as if Abigail will do just about anything to stop her father from marrying Annie—even if it means putting a child at risk. But if scaring Annie half to death is the plan, it’s working. Nothing else matters now except finding the little girl. And if postponing her future with John—indefinitely—is the only way to make that happen, it’s a sacrifice Annie may have to make . . .

MY THOUGHTS

It’s lovely to continue a series with a carryover of so many characters you’re familiar with. These delightful beach reads will charm you right into reading them. Set on the beautiful Martha’s Vineyard, you will hear the waves crashing and feel the mist on your face as you’re out walking.

We’ve met famous author of mystery books and Vineyard Inn proprietor Annie Sutton in the past books. She is excited to be soon tying the knot with police sergeant John Lyons.

Her biggest concern is how to wear the wedding dress his family expects her to wear. Wedding dresses are supposed to be beautiful, feminine and make you feel happy and wonderful, this does none of these.

A baby that she rescued off of her porch several years ago is now missing and everything shifts from the importance of her wedding dress to the missing child. What has happened to the child, who would want to take her?

A mystery, a romance and some family drama. This was as good as all the other books in this series.

Pub Date 26 Apr 2022 I was given a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

THE AUTHOR

I enjoy writing about the types of challenges in life that are faced by “everyday” women—and showing how they turn their struggles into wisdom in order to overcome obstacles. Each book also includes a bit of a mystery and a touch of love “just for fun.” I also have written under the name Abby Drake.

My first novel, SINS OF INNOCENCE, was published by Random House in 1994, and was named an amazon.com ebook bestseller in 2016, which was very exciting! A few of my early Vineyard novels appeared on the USA Today bestseller list.

My 20 novels have been published around the world in various languages. My latest series is from Kensington Books and takes place on Martha’s Vineyard (where I live): the first titles are A VINEYARD CHRISTMAS and A VINEYARD SUMMER. Both are available in print, large print, as ebooks, and as audio books.

For more information, check out my website at http://www.jeanstone.com, my blog at http://www.jeanstonemv.com, or follow me on FaceBook, Twitter, or Instagram. And let me know what you think!

And thanks for “stopping by” to learn more about my books.

—jean

I appreciate you coming by today.

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The Lost Boys of Barlowe Theater: (An Eerie and Fast-Paced Split-Time Mystery and Suspense Fiction)

354 pages Bethany House Publishers October 10,2023 publish date

ABOUT THE BOOK

It promises beauty but steals life instead. Will the ghosts of Barlowe Theater entomb them all?

Barlowe Theater stole the life of Greta Mercy’s eldest brother during its construction. Now in 1915, the completed theater appears every bit as deadly. When Greta’s younger brother goes missing after breaking into the building, Greta engages the assistance of a local police officer to help her unveil the already ghostly secrets of the theater. But when help comes from an unlikely source, Greta decides that to save her family she must uncover the evil that haunts the theater and put its threat to rest.

Decades later, Kit Boyd’s best friend vanishes during a ghost walk at the Barlowe Theater, and old stories of mysterious disappearances and ghoulish happenings are revived. Then television ghost-hunting host and skeptic Evan Fisher joins Kit in the quest to identify the truth behind the theater’s history. Kit reluctantly agrees to work with him in hopes of finding her missing friend. As the theater’s curse unravels Kit’s life, she is determined to put an end to the evil that has marked the theater and their hometown for the last century.

Grab a copy here

MY THOUGHTS

What I love about this author’s books is how atmospheric they are. In this dual timeline, you will feel like you are experiencing everything right there with the characters.
This is a fast-moving plot that will have you looking behind yourself as you’re reading. What was neat was that the historical part of the book is loosely based on a theater where the author lives. I love stories based on facts.

Barlowe Theater is where Greta’s oldest brother perished during its construction. Will she have to concede to another brother lost to her when he goes missing in the theater after breaking in with a few other boys?

Rumors of underground tunnels in the basement sound like the perfect place for the police to look for the boys. When they can’t find anything, theater owner Mr. Barlowe refuses to let Greta search.

I enjoyed reading about the opulence of the theater in its prime. With its velvet seat covers and drapes, vast size, and box seating for the rich, it sounds like a magnificent place to see a show.

During a ghost walk at Barlowe Theater, which social media influencer Madison hopes will boost ratings, she and a ghost-hunting host, along with Madison’s best friend Kit, decide to tour the theater and see if they can find evidence of the ghostly rumors that have been around for a long time. When Madison seemingly vanishes before their eyes at the theater, Kit becomes wrapped up in finding her best friend.

Logic seems to have gone out the window as searching the theater seems to bring no new clues, but things are getting creepier all the time with rumors swirling about ghosts and other eerie things in the theater.

Yes, the same theater where the boys went missing a century before. There is something or someone trying to keep them from searching and finding answers. Eerie, fast-paced, and no one is quite who they seem to be.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Bethany House Publishers through Interviews & Reviews for my honest opinion.”

THE AUTHOR

Jaime Jo Wright, multi award-winning author–including the Christy and Daphne du Maurier awards–is a coffee-fueled and cat-fancier extraordinaire. She has entwined her life with the legendary Captain Hook, residing serenely in Wisconsin’s rural woodlands. Her literary vocation involves penning chilling Gothic tales, a baffling change from that of Austenites, with a strong preference to the master of dark, Edgar Allan Poe. Two mischievous urchins adorn their family, who keep their mother on her toes – providing an exhilarating amount chaos.

Visit her at: http://www.jaimewrightbooks.com and listen to her podcast MadLit Musings on your favorite podcast player or at http://www.madlitmusings.com

Do you have a favorite book by this author?

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The Swindler’s Daughter by Stephenia H. McGee A surprise inheritance. A cache of family secrets. A choice that will change her life forever.

352 pages publication date May 2,2023 Revell Publisher

ABOUT THE BOOK

Lillian Doyle has lived her entire high-society life with her widowed mother, believing her father died long ago. But when news arrives that her estranged father only recently passed away–in jail–Lillian is startled to find that the man has left a business and all of his possessions to her, making her a rather unusual heiress.

When she goes to take possession of her father’s house in a backwoods Georgia town, the dilapidated structure is already occupied by another woman who claims it was promised to her son, Jonah. In her attempts to untangle the mess, Lillian will discover not only a family she never knew she had but a family business that is more than meets the eye–and has put a target on her back.

To discover the truth and take hold of the independence she’s always dreamed of, she’ll have to make friends with adversaries and strangers–especially Jonah, the dusty and unrefined cowboy who has secret aspirations of his own.

MY THOUGHTS

I have enjoyed every book I’ve read by this author. I would have to say my favorite character is Lillian. She really comes into her own her growing in maturity, strength and spiritually.


She has a real awakening in the start of the book, her mother was not forthcoming with important information about Lillian’s life and it really throw’s Lillian for a loop. She has some very important decisions to make. Decisions that set her on the track to maturity, forgiveness and wisdom. These decisions were not made without spiritual guidance.


I enjoyed the setting, and the transformation of the house was such a joy to read about.
The mystery running through the story was not too much and it added such an intriguing back drop to the story. Faith filled and encouraging, I enjoyed the story a lot. I think the romance was light and just right for the time period.

Some surprising twists and turns will keep your attention as you’ll want to keep reading and not put this one down.

Published May 1, 2023
I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Stephenia H. McGee is a multi-published author of stories of faith, hope, and healing set in the Deep South. She lives in Mississippi, where she is a mom of two rambunctious boys, writer, dreamer, and husband spoiler. Her novel The Cedar Key was a 2021 Faith, Hope, and Love Readers’ Choice award winner. A member of the ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers) and the DAR (Daughters of the American Revolution), she loves all things books and history. Stephenia also loves connecting with readers and can often be found having fun with her Faithful Readers Team on Facebook. For more on books and upcoming events and to connect with Stephenia, visit her at http://www.StepheniaMcGee.com.

Have you read any books by this author? I think I’ve read 5 and my favorite so far has been The Secrets of Emberwild.

Thank you for stopping in. Your presence here is a blessing.

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A Beautiful Disguise: (English Historical Romance Series with Mystery and Private Investigators Set in Edwardian England) (The Imposters) by Roseanna White

368 pages publish date August 22,2023 Bethany House Publishers

About The Book

In Edwardian London, not all that glitters is gold as a lady and an intelligence officer’s secret mission take them from the city’s dazzling ballrooms to its covert intelligence offices.

Sir Merritt Livingstone has spent a decade serving the monarch in the field, but when pneumonia lands him behind a desk in the War Office Intelligence Division just as they’re creating a new secret intelligence branch, he’s intent on showing his worth. He suspects an aristocrat of leaking information to Germany as tensions mount between the two countries, but he needs someone to help him prove it, so he turns to The Imposters, Ltd. No one knows who they are, but their results are beyond compare.

Left with an estate on the brink of bankruptcy after their father’s death, Lady Marigold Fairfax and her brother open a private investigation firm for the elite to spy on the elite. Dubbed The Imposters, Ltd., their anonymous group soon becomes the go-to for the crème of society who want answers delivered surreptitiously. But the many secrets Marigold learns about her peers pale in comparison to her shock when she and her brother are hired to investigate her best friend’s father as a potential traitor.

Lady Marigold is determined to discover the truth for her friend’s sake, and she’s more determined still to keep her heart from getting involved with this enigmatic new client . . . who can’t possibly be as noble as he seems.

My Thoughts

I was entertained by this book the whole way through. Combining intriguing danger, mystery, history and romance. I really enjoyed Lady Marigold’s character, I’d have to say it’s my favorite, she is a unique woman.

With her brother Yates, they are The Imposters.
The siblings are thinking of anyway to come up with the funds for survival, the estate they’ve been left by their father is about to go bankrupt. Spying on the elite brings some unexpected overheard conversations and circumstances. Unexpected twists and turns in the book including an interest in circus activities such as high wire aerialist and petting lions, Marigold will surprise us at every turn.


I loved reading about the different costumes and accents and could imagine it perfectly. Espionage, romance, and an ending full of surprises will keep you turning the pages right til the end on this one.
I enjoyed the pacing and beautiful descriptions in this book.

Pub Date 22 Aug 2023
I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

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.

Roseanna’s books are always full of adventures. Do you have a favorite?

Have a splendid day and thanks for stopping in.

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The Laws of Attraction (Wyoming Sunrise Book #2) by Mary Connealy

301 pages June 20,2023 publication date Bethany House publisher

About The Book

Can they risk giving in to the attraction between them while their lives are on the line?

If widowed seamstress Nell Armstrong has to make one more pair of boring chaps for the cowboys in her tiny Wyoming town, she might just quit the business altogether! So meeting Brand Nolte, a widower struggling to raise three girls on his own, seems like her dream come true. Brand has no idea how to dress the girls properly, and Nell finally has a chance to create beautiful outfits while also teaching the girls to sew.

But Nell is much more than a seamstress, and the investigative skills and knowledge she picked up alongside her late lawman husband soon become critical when a wounded stagecoach-robbery survivor is brought to town. As danger closes in from all sides, Nell and Brand must discover who has a target trained on them before it’s too late.

“A richly detailed adventure that captivates till the end.”–Publishers Weekly on Forged in Love

My Thoughts

The Laws of Attraction is the second book in the Wyoming Sunrise series.
Mary Connealy writes with such authenticity; you could see the things in the book actually taking place. I’ve never been to Wyoming, but I would really love to visit there. The way she describes it, so beautiful with wide open spaces for that cowboy roping and riding.
Mary writes cowboy stories, that’s one thing you can count on in her books along with an intriguing story you’ll find very hard to put down. Thrown in you’ll always find robust adventures and a bit of lawlessness. I must commend Wyoming; it was a first in many things including giving women the right to vote and it also had the first public county library.
Nell, our female main character is a real go getter, she’ll stand up to anyone and will pitch in and do any job needed of her including being the first women to do many jobs formerly done by men. Now that’s a forward-thinking woman. Nell Armstrong is a widowed seamstress; she’s brought beautiful material with her to make the loveliest of dresses but with her hands full making chaps for the cowboys she really can’t.
When Brand Nolte’s daughters are made fun of in town, they tell him, and he knows it’s time for a change. See, he’s a widowed father with three lovely girls but he really is lost when it comes to knowing how to dress and style their hair. Nell is happy teach the girls to sew and she’ll make them some feminine dresses while they work for her paying off the cost of the dresses. The more time Nell spends with Brand and his daughters it has her thinking falling in love again may not just be a fading memory. I really enjoyed seeing Nell as such a forward-thinking woman for her time period. I just loved the sisters’ characters as well, especially Samantha. Samantha is the oldest and a very smart girl. Maybe we will see her story in a book sometime. I know I’d enjoy this.

Pub Date 20 Jun 2023
I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

Grab A Copy Here

About The Author

Mary Connealy writes romantic comedy with cowboys. She is independently publishing a contemporary romantic suspense series called Garrison’s Law, book one is Loving the Texas Lawman. Her new historical series, High Sierra Sweethearts begins with The Accidental Guardian. She is also the author of these series: Kincaid Brides, Trouble in Texas, Wild at Heart, Cimarron Legacy, Lassoed in Texas, Montana Marriages and Sophie’s daughters, and has many other books.

She is a two-time Carol Award winner and has been a finalist for the Rita and Christy Awards. She’s a lifelong Nebraskan and lives with her very own romantic cowboy hero. She’s got four grown daughters and four spectacular grandchildren.

Find Mary online at:

Her website: maryconnealy.com

Her blog for aspiring writers: Seekerville

Her blog for lovers of western romance: Petticoats & Pistols

Sign up for her newsletter at maryconnealy.com/newsletter

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All the World’s A Stage in this intriguing historical mystery taking place on a riverboat-In the Shadow of the River by Ann H. Gabhart

345 pages Revell publisher May 09, 2023 publish date

About The Book

If all the world’s a stage, Jacci will play her part.

She only hopes her story does not turn out to be a tragedy.

In 1881, Jacci Reed is only five years old when a man attempts to kidnap her from the steamboat her mother, Irena, works on. Badly wounded during the confrontation, Irena takes Jacci aboard the Kingston Floating Palace, a showboat tied up beside them. There, Jacci’s actor grandfather tends to her mother and Jacci gets a first taste of the life she will come to lead.

Fifteen years later, Jacci is an actress aboard the Kingston Floating Palace, and largely contented with her adopted family of actors, singers, and dancers. Especially Gabe, who has always supported her, and the gruff grandfather she has come to know and love. Jacci’s mother has been gone for years, but the memory of the altercation that ultimately took her life–and the cryptic things Jacci has overheard about her past–is always there, lurking in the back of her mind.

When someone on the showboat tries to kill Jacci, it’s clear her questions demand answers. But secrets have a way of staying in the shadows, and the answers she craves will not come easily. Gabe only hopes they come in time for him and Jacci to have a future together.

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My Thoughts

I enjoy books taking place on the river and this one takes place on a showboat described as a floating palace. The book has such wonderful descriptions and sounds so opulent inside.


The thing I enjoy about this author’s books is she writes different historical topics than many authors do which makes for quite an interesting read.
Spending her life since she was five years old on showboats this is all that Jacci Reed knows. When she was very young her mother kept her from the shows but now that she’s older she is an actress on the stage of the showboat. Sadly, her mother passes away when she was very young, and she continues to live on the showboat on the Ohio River with her grandfather and his theater troupe.


I enjoyed the historical aspect of the story and equally I enjoyed the mystery of who was putting Jacci’s life in danger and why. The book kept me entertained and I read it in less than 24 hours I found it very hard to put down.

I was given a complimentary copy of this book from Baker Books through Interviews & Reviews.
All opinions expressed are my own.

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About The Author

Ann H. Gabhart caught the writing bug at the age of ten and has been writing ever since. An award winning author, she’s published many books for both adults and young adults. Her books cover several genres from historical to small town family stories to cozy mysteries (mysteries published with author name A.H. Gabhart). Her ideas are sparked by events in Kentucky history and by experiences in her own family. Her first Shaker novel, The Outsider, was a finalist for the ECPA Christian Fiction Book of the Year. Love Comes Home won the Selah Book of the Year award, and These Healing Hills was the Faith, Hope & Love Readers’ Choice Women’s Fiction Book of the Year.

Ann lives on a Kentucky farm not far from where she was born. She and her husband have three children and nine grandchildren. Ann enjoys hiking on her farm with her grandkids and her dogs, Frankie and Marley. See more about her books at http://www.annhgabhart.com or join the conversation on her Facebook page, http://www.facebook.com/anngabhart.

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