Posts Tagged ‘treasure hunt’

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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Treasure Down Below and A lost World

Posted: May 18, 2012 in Children's books, fiction
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A treasure map

A treasure map (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Title: The Emerald Quest

Author: Renee Pawlish

 
Book description borrowed from Goodreads.
A long-lost emerald, a missing treasure map, and a wealthy villain combine for an action-packed adventure!
Thirteen-year-old Noah Winter, the son of sea-exploring treasure hunters, dives the San Isabel shipwreck with his parents in search of a mysterious treasure map lost in the murky depths off the Florida Keys over a century ago. The map reveals the hiding place of the priceless De La Rosa emerald. But before the Winters can find the map, a wealthy treasure-hunting rival kidnaps Noah’s parents. Now Noah must match wits with a dangerous adversary, not only to discover the treasure map first, but to rescue his mom and dad before it is too late.
My Review
It starts simply enough. Noah and his parents go diving on a shipwreck, trying to locate a treasure map.  Somebody else wants the map and kidnaps Noah’s parents in order to exchange them for the map.  It is up to Noah to rescue his parents.  
Of course, I simplified the story line. There is no end to the action in this adventure. Rescuing his parents is just the beginning for Noah. Now they set off to find the treasure with the ever-present bad guys hot on their trail.
Renee takes you on a treasure hunt across the globe. Her characters are fun and realistic and you find yourself holding your breath in the hope that they will succeed. I loved everything about this book, the action, the vivid descriptions and the thrill of the hunt. There is much more to be told in this series.
The Emerald Quest is a good read for all ages and I highly recommend you join the hunt!
 
5STARS
 
About Renee Pawlish
From the time she was ten and tried to write her own detective series in the fashion of the Hardy Boys, Renee Pawlish has been developing her craft. Along with creative writing classes, Renee studied great writers like Dashiell Hammett, Rex Stout, Stephen King, Sue Grafton and many more. Once Renee graduated from college, she began her first novel. Now, all these years later, she has penned numerous books in a variety of genres.
Renee was born in California, but has lived most of her life in Colorado. When she’s not hiking, cycling, or chasing ball players for autographs, she is writing mysteries and thrillers. She has some middle grade novels waiting to be published.
Renee loves to travel and has visited numerous countries around the world. She has also spent many summer days at her parents’ cabin in the hills outside of Boulder, which was the inspiration for the setting of Taylor Crossing in her novel Nephilim: Genesis of Evil.
Other books by Renee Pawlish
The Reed Ferguson Mystery Series
This Doesn’t Happen in the Movies
Real Estate Rip-off
The Nephilim Series
Nephilim: Genesis of Evil
Books 2 and 3 soon to be released
The Noah Winter YA Adventure Series
The Emerald Quest
Take Five
A short story collection that includes a Reed Ferguson tale.
The Sallie House: Exposing the Beast Within
A non-fiction book about one of the most haunted houses in America.
 
To learn more you can follow her on Facebook:
on her blog:
on twitter:
 
A short review
Title: Return to Underland
Author: Alan nayes
 
My review
Spinner and Reglan are best friends. Spinner collects fossils and Regan wants to be a veterinarian when she grows up. Finally, when he turns eleven, Spinner is allowed to venture beyond the meadow, but only if Reglan and his dog Otter goes with him.  They discover the tracks of a weird creature and follow them to a stream where they notice the tracks have changed. They are almost human.
I just love the heck out of this book. The author creates such a believable world, filling it with amazing creatures. Once the action starts, it never slows down.  With Spinner and Reglan, the author perfectly captured the preciousness of young friendship and trust. This is a quick read that leaves you smiling. Recommended for all ages.
 
5 STARS