Archive for the ‘Cozy Mystery’ Category

Tiara Trouble by Lane Buckman ~ My Review of pageant pandemonium

Posted: November 4, 2013 in Blog Tour, Cozy Mystery, reviews
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TIARA TROUBLE banner large

An excellent first in a series and I will look for more of Destinee Faith Miller. ~Rantin’ Ravin’ and Reading

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TIARA TROUBLE

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Tiara Trouble: A Destinee Faith Miller Mystery

New Series  Publisher: Cozy Cat Press (August 27, 2013) Paperback: 230 pages ISBN-13: 978-1939816160 E-Book File Size: 609 KB  ASIN: B00EWSB3GG

Synopsis

What happens when Dynasty meets Honey BooBoo, they have a baby, and that baby is raised by Charlie’s Angels? You get TIARA TROUBLE, a bedazzled cozy mystery full of gritty glitz.

One foreign policy question five years ago sent Destinee Faith Miller’s dreams of being Miss American Universe up in flames and landed her back in her hometown of Phenix City, Alabama, with her tail between her legs. But like the mythological bird that her hometown is misspelled after, she rose from the ashes to create Destinee’s Dolls, a thriving pageant consulting business knee-deep in pink, prints and tulle.

A death at the local level of a national event lands her the job of pageant emcee, and Destinee dares to dream of bigger things—maybe even a reality TV show! But when judges start dropping like flies, she has her hands full keeping herself alive long enough to see those dreams come true. Contending with catfights, car bombs, and the camouflage-colored funeral of a redneck’s dream, Destinee gets a little help from her friends, family, and a pit bull named Clarabelle.

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My Review

I’ve never been much for watching the beauty pageants so I wasn’t sure about Tiara Trouble.

It turns out I really enjoyed it.

The story opens seven years earlier,  as Destinee recalls how far one slippery contestant would go to win the crown. Then you flash forward to one year ago and the fun begins.

You’ll learn everything there is to know about beauty pageants, all the tricks, training, and preparation it takes. I never knew some of this and found it very interesting. The lengths these women go to is astonishing.

It takes a very brave, confident, or crazy woman to try to sell themselves as the product. When I look in the mirror, I see my flaws and I imagine, no matter how beautiful a woman is, they experience the same thing.

Destinee won my heart. She’s a southern gal, with all of the grit, humor, and sass that goes with it. I live on the Gulf Coast and always love reading books that revolve around it. She is whip smart, very competitive, and an astute business woman.

Tiara Trouble was told from Destinee’s point of view and it worked very well for me. I felt like we were friends. She is full of quips and slips of the tongue that had me laughing out loud and thinking, “I wish I’d said that.”

Cozy mysteries are a genre I’ve been reading for many years. The quirky titles and the charming, colorful covers just draw me to them.

Add in plenty of colorful characters and some amateur sleuthing and you get books like this.

Good clean fun, lots of belly laughs, and a mystery you think you know, but you don’t, until the surprise ending.

4 Tiaras

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Thanks so much to Lane Buckman and Great Escapes Book Tours for gifting me a copy of this delightful book and a fun tour.

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About Lane Buckman

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Lane Buckman is a former beauty queen from Phenix City, Alabama. Growing up, she wanted to be Miss America, a criminal lawyer, a super model, the President, a Bond girl, a brain surgeon, a journalist, a back-up singer for Duran Duran, and a college professor of Medieval Literature. In order to fulfill those dreams, she became a writer. She lives in Texas with her family, and enjoys every miserably hot second of it. Her solo debut novel, TIARA TROUBLE, is available from Cozy Cat Press on October 28, 2013, with a sneak peek launch the week prior at the BOSTON BOOK FESTIVAL. TIARA TROUBLE, a light-hearted cozy mystery, marks a departure from Lane’s earlier works in the darker horror/fantasy genre.

The well-received THE ORDER OF THE BLOOD (Black Bed Sheets Books, April 09, 2011), co-authored with Nicole Vlachos, was Lane’s first novel. She has ghost written and consulted on two others. Follow Lane on Facebook and Twitter, and keep up with her world on her blog.

Facebook / Twitter / Website

Purchase Links:

AMAZON  /  B & N

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To follow the tour, click on the banner below.

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Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew.

For all of my giveaways click on the Tiara below.

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Trudy, Madly, Deeply ~ A Fun, Cozy Giveaway and Review

Posted: September 18, 2013 in Blog Tour, Cozy Mystery, giveaways, reviews
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Don’t you just love cozy mysteries? They always have quirky, loveable characters, and fun cover art.

I have a fun review for you and two, yes, two giveaways!

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  Trudy, Madly, Deeply (Working Stiffs Mystery Series)

Publisher: Corvallis Press (July 27, 2013)

Genre: Cozy Mystery

Number of Pages: 260 (ebook)

This book is due to come out in print to coincide with this tour.

Purchase Links: Amazon /  B&N

Synopsis

After human lie detector Charmaine Digby scores a job as the County Coroner’s new investigative assistant, the unthinkable happens—a doctor reports the suspicious death of Trudy, a family friend and one of several elderly patients at the hospital whose heart mysteriously stopped.

With no physical evidence of foul play, Char’s on the case, much to the irritation of Detective Steve Sixkiller, who doesn’t want her to stick her pretty nose for trouble in his investigation. But she’s a woman on a mission to uncover the truth, and she’d better keep her eyes open or the next body on the way to the morgue could be hers.

My Review

This book will make you laugh, a lot.

Char is quite a character. She’s carrying a few extra pounds and leaps before she looks. This made her very real for me. We all wish we could be like the women on those fashion magazines, but in reality, most of us don’t. And when we hit the mid twenties and up, us women tend to carry a few extra pounds.

I’m like Char, and really don’t worry about it. She tries to diet, but filling in at the local restaurant and helping bake all those yummy muffins doesn’t help there.

The most important part of any story or movie is the characters. I like plenty of them and got that with this book.

From the senior center and Tango Tuesday, to the local gym, to the local restaurant, Duke’s Cafe,  where you can catch the latest gossip, there are so many characters to fall in love with.

My favorites, besides Char and her sexy best friend Detective Steve Sixkiller, are Char’s gram and the raucous elderly waitress, Lucille, at Duke’s Cafe.

These two ladies take no sass, steal the show when they enter a scene, and remind me so much of people I know and love. You can relate to all of the characters and may even recognize a few from your own neighborhood!

Char’s leap first, look later, way of investigating gets her in pickle after pickle in her new job at the prosecutor’s office , and Steve has his hands full keeping an eye on her and keeping her out of trouble. She may be a human lie detector, but her ability to tell if someone is lying or not could also make her a target.

And there’s Char’s mom, Marietta, the actress and diva of drama. She becomes Char’s back up. There’s a scene in the book with a taser that I could see clearly and had me laughing out loud.

I didn’t forget about Trudy. You know, Trudy from the title of this book? Well, she doesn’t have a big part in this story because she’s already dead when it starts. Her death is just the beginning as it may not be from natural causes. Char is personally connected, as Trudy is her great-aunt Alice’s close friend, and she plays nosy parker to find out the truth.

Suspicious death, maybe murder, a rumor of romance, tango anyone. All fun ingredients for this cozy mystery.

Something really great about this story. It doesn’t end here as this is the kick off book for The Working Stiffs Mysteries series. More fun, quirky characters to fall in love with.

I have a soft spot for cozy mysteries and Trudy, Madly, Deeply stole my heart.

5 Stars

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A couple of scenes I liked:

“You’re blushing.”

“I know.”

“It’s cute.”

“Yeah, well, I’m a cute girl.”

and

“I’ll bring dessert.”

“Chow mein, you’ll be the dessert.”

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About Wendy Delaney

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Wendy Delaney writes fun-filled cozy mysteries and is the author of Trudy, Madly, Deeply, the launch book of her Working Stiffs Mystery series. A long-time member of Sisters in Crime, Romance Writers of America, and Mystery Writers of America, she’s a Food Network addict and pastry chef wannabe. When she’s not killing off story people she can be found on her treadmill, working off the calories from her latest culinary adventure. Wendy makes her home in the Seattle area with the love of her life and has two grown sons.

Website: http://www.wendydelaney.com/

GoodReads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/list/7191068.Wendy_Delaney

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WendyDelaneyAuthor

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Giveaways. That’s right, I have two giveaways!

I have one ebook copy to give away.

To enter, please leave your email address and answer this question,

“Are you an amateur sleuth?”

Giveaway ends September 30th.

The second giveaway is for a signed print copy.

Click on the rafflecopter link below to enter.

RAFFLECOPTER GIVEAWAY

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Tour Participants

September 16 – Melina’s Book Blog Review & Giveaway

September 17 – Books are Life – Evita Libri Review

September 18 – fuonlyknew Review & Giveaway

September 19 – Mochas, Mysteries and More Interview & Giveaway

September 20 – Cozy Up With Kathy Review, Interview & Giveaway

September 21 – Darla King Series Review

September 23 – THE SELF-TAUGHT COOK Review

September 25 – Brooke Blogs Review & Interview

September 26 – readalot Review & Giveaway

September 28 – My Devotional Thoughts Review & Giveaway

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Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!

For all of my giveaways go HERE.

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Thread on Arrival ~ Come on over and get cozy!

Posted: March 31, 2013 in Cozy Mystery, Humor, reviews, Romance, Series
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I won Thread on Arrival by Amanda Lee from a giveaway on Lori’s blog escape with dollycas.

I fell in love with the soft, pastel colors on the cover art. I love a cover that is, well, cozy.

Thread on Arrival (An Embroidery Mystery, #5)

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It’s been almost a year since Marcy moved to Tallulah Falls and opened up her embroidery shop,  The Seven-Year Stitch. She’s made some close friends and even has a couple of love interests.

When she agreed to help her friend, Reggie, by teaching an embroidery class to abused women, she had no idea she’d become entangled in a hunt for lost treasure and a murder.

The town and its denizens reminds of Cabot Cove from Murder She Wrote. Everyone knows each others business and like with most small towns, news travels faster than the telephone.

Marcy is a smart business woman, a very loyal friend, and is either gifted or cursed with an impulsive nature. She dives into things quickly, wanting to help out, and often lands in hot water. Her close-knit (no pun intended) group of friends are often right in the middle of it with her.

In the beginning, there is a bit of a love triangle, but Marcy makes her choice fairly early on in the book. She’s not a player, doesn’t want anyone to get hurt. She just cautious after her last relationship ended badly.

The fact she has this giant wolfhound, Angus, really drew me to this story. If you don’t know the breed, they are one of the largest dogs, over six feet standing on their hind legs. Marcy, or Inch-High Private Eye, as her beau fondly calls her, is a tiny thing and her dog dwarfs her.

Angus is the first to know when Marcy chooses her man.

I giggle. “I’ve got a boyfriend, Angus!”

From the back seat, he woofed his approval before slurping my ear with his tongue.

I totally approve of her choice. He’s sexy, funny, and his more serious nature is a perfect match for the impetuous Marcy.

“Is this where I say something horribly corny like Yeah, but you’re a thief – you stole my heart?” he asked.

From murder, to a new beau, to a reality show, Marcy is right in the thick of things. Now she just needs to put the threads together, to solve the mystery before anyone else ends up dead.

As I got a little ways into the book, I realized this was a series and Thread on Arrival wasn’t the first book.  Imagine my surprise and delight to discover this was book #5 in the Embroidery Series. Four more cozy mysteries to read.

I had no trouble reading this book before the others. The author placed small bits of history from the other books throughout the story, kind of filling in the blanks. You could read this without having read the others and feel completely comfortable and satisfied.

Of course, I’ll be reading the other four books. Right at 300 pages, I read this in about three hours, and thoroughly enjoyed myself.

Almost forgot! When I was checking out other books by the author, I found out Amanda Lee is a pseudonym for Gayle Trent. She has also written The Daphne Martin Series and the Myrtle Crumb Series.

Four Stars for this sparkling read.

embroidery needles photo: Crafty Cupcake with Thread and Needles E8503CraftyCupcakewithThreadandNeedles.jpg

About the author

Gayle Trent

Amanda Lee is a pseudonym of Gayle Trent.

Series:
* Embroidery Mystery

(from Gayle Trent’s webpage)

“Thank you so much for stopping by my site!

I live in Southwest Virginia with my husband and two beautiful children, a boy and a girl. I’m a full-time writer/editor/mom/wife and chief cook and bottle washer, and I love every minute of it. Okay, not the bottle washing so much, but the rest of it is great.

I’m happy to introduce you to my latest characters, cake decorator Daphne Martin and embroidery shop owner Marcy Singer.

Read more about Daphne and Marcy at my blog.

Who’s Amanda Lee?

Amanda Lee is a pseudonym Gayle is using for the new cozy mystery series featuring a heroine who owns an embroidery shop. The series is set on the Oregon Coast and features Marcy Singer, a spunky, thirty-something, entrepreneur who is handy with a needle.

Goodreads

Website

Twitter

The Embroidery Series

The Quick and the Thread (An Embroidery Mystery, #1) Stitch Me Deadly (An Embroidery Mystery, #2)  Thread Reckoning (An Embroidery Mystery, #3)  The Long Stitch Good Night (An Embroidery Mystery, #4)  Thread on Arrival (An Embroidery Mystery, #5)

Go here for more of Amanda Lee’s books.

And go here for Gayle Trent’s books.

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Two Cozy Mysteries and a Giveaway!

Posted: February 7, 2013 in Blog Tour, Cozy Mystery, giveaways, Humor, reviews, Series, Short stories and collections
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Welcome to my stop on this wonderful tour hosted by I Am A Reader, Not A Writer!
I have not one, but two novellas to tell you about, so grab your favorite beverage and snuggle in while I tell you about these two cozy mysteries.
Almost forgot to mention the Giveaway ! Yep, you can win a $50 Amazon Gift Card or PayPal Cash! Link to enter is at the bottom of this post.
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Three Sisters and Showstoppers by Helen Smith

Three Sisters and Showstoppers are two novella-length stories in the Emily Castles mystery series. The first full-length novel, Invitation to Die, will be published by Thomas & Mercer in October 2013.

The Emily Castles mystery series is set in present-day London. It features twenty-six-year-old Londoner Emily Castles and her neighbor, eccentric philosophy professor Dr. Muriel Crowther. In Three Sisters, Emily goes to a party in a big house at the end of her street. She’s sure she witnesses a murder, but no one will believe her. She teams up with Dr. Muriel to investigate.

In Showstoppers, Emily helps out at a local stage school run by her neighbor, Victoria. Soon she’s mixed up in a blackmail plot and two deaths. Emily and Dr. Muriel team up to prevent further a massacre live on stage during the end of term show.

My Review of Showstoppers

Showstoppers is the second chapter in The Emily Castle Mysteries.

When Emily discovers she’s mistakenly received a letter for her neighbor Victoria, she does the good neighbor thing and walks it over to her. The response she gets is surprising.

“Oh God, no!” said Victoria.

Victoria explains she has been receiving these anonymous threatening letters. She thinks they may be from an ex-boyfriend, but Emily is doubtful.

The author has a colorful cast of characters in this cozy mystery.  She leads you down many paths to discover who is writing the letters.

I had a really fun time meeting the cast of characters and trying to guess who did it.

See if you can spot the clues. How are your sleuthing skills?

When you read Showstoppers you’ll be drawn into  this mystery to the surprising end.

Four Stars for setting the stage!

Praise for the Emily Castles Mystery Series

Fast-paced, funny, and mysterious… Helen Smith is a master story-teller.

~Socrates Book Reviews

It grips you from the very beginning.

~Babs Books Bistro

Bright, colorful and full of surprises.

~Amazon Vine Reviewer

Fast-paced and unusual, I highly recommend this one.

My Review of Three Sisters

Three Sisters is the first chapter in The Emily Castle Mysteries.

Emily decides she will go to the bonfire party at the end of her block. She has nothing pressing and really needs to get out of the house.

The party is a combination of Halloween and Guy Fawkes night, where people dress up in costumes. At this party the participants each have a role they play and the guests are there as observers only.

The knife throwing event draws a large crowd. As the two woman throw their knives back and forth, one of them is struck in the chest.

Panic ensues and the police are summoned. Shortly after they arrive, the crowd begins to cheer. When Emily gets to the front of the crowd she sees the dead girl standing and smiling, displaying the prop, a rubber knife. It was all part of the performance, or was it?

Emily had seen the light go out of the girl’s eyes. She was certain she had died.

I really enjoyed Three Sisters and became quite fond of Emily Castle. I dove right in and started digging for clues, going down wrong paths, suspecting everyone, and finally getting to the truth.

This author does an excellent job giving you a fun and intriguing mystery to solve in a short, easy read. I know I’ll be watching for more about Emily Castle and her adventures.

Four Stars for this performance!

~Eva’s Sanctuary
Praise for Helen Smith

Smith is gin-and-tonic funny.

~The Booklist

Purchase

Author Helen Smith

Helen Smith is a novelist and playwright who lives in London. She’s the author of bestselling cult novels Alison Wonderland, Being Light and The Miracle Inspector as well as the Emily Castles Mystery Series.

Amazon * Facebook *  Twitter * Blog
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Tour Schedule

BookBlast $50 Giveaway

$50 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash

Ends 2/22/13

Click on the link below to enter!

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Thank you and Good Luck!

Book Blast ~ $50 Amazon GC or PayPal Cash Giveaway!

Posted: February 5, 2013 in Cozy Mystery, giveaways, Series, Short stories and collections
Tags: , ,
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I had to be a part of this Book Blast hosted by I Am A Reader, Not A Writer.!

I love cozy mysteries. They are a great escape from everyday life.

Even better, there’s an awesome giveaway! Read further to find out more.

Three Sisters and Showstoppers by Helen Smith

Three Sisters and Showstoppers are two novella-length stories in the Emily Castles mystery series. The first full-length novel, Invitation to Die, will be published by Thomas & Mercer in October 2013.

The Emily Castles mystery series is set in present-day London. It features twenty-six-year-old Londoner Emily Castles and her neighbor, eccentric philosophy professor Dr. Muriel Crowther. In Three Sisters, Emily goes to a party in a big house at the end of her street. She’s sure she witnesses a murder, but no one will believe her. She teams up with Dr. Muriel to investigate.

In Showstoppers, Emily helps out at a local stage school run by her neighbor, Victoria. Soon she’s mixed up in a blackmail plot and two deaths. Emily and Dr. Muriel team up to prevent further a massacre live on stage during the end of term show.

Praise for the Emily Castles Mystery Series

Fast-paced, funny, and mysterious… Helen Smith is a master story-teller.

~Socrates Book Reviews

It grips you from the very beginning.

~Babs Books Bistro

Bright, colorful and full of surprises.

~Amazon Vine Reviewer

Fast-paced and unusual, I highly recommend this one.

~Eva’s Sanctuary
Praise for Helen Smith

Smith is gin-and-tonic funny.

~The Booklist

Purchase

Author Helen Smith

Helen Smith is a novelist and playwright who lives in London. She’s the author of bestselling cult novels Alison Wonderland, Being Light and The Miracle Inspector as well as the Emily Castles Mystery Series.

Amazon * Facebook *  Twitter * Blog
.
Tour Schedule

BookBlast $50 Giveaway

$50 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash

Ends 2/22/13

Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer http://iamareader.com and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

Click on the link to enter.
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Good Luck ya’ll!

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