Virtual Book Tour & Giveaway: Soft Serve Sleighing (Coffee & Cream Cafe Mystery, #5) by Lena Gregory

Soft Serve Sleighing

Coffee & Cream Café Mysteries, #5

by Lena Gregory

About Soft Serve Sleighing

Soft Serve Sleighing (Coffee & Cream Café Mysteries)
Cozy Mystery
5th in Series
Setting – Long Island, NY
Publisher: Gemma Halliday Publishing (January 28, 2025)
Number of Pages - 226
Kindle ASIN: B0DLHPWDNT

From author Lena Gregory comes a delightfully delicious cozy mystery...

With most of Eastern Long Island closed down for a blizzard, Danika Delaney and her friends are holed up in her old fashioned malt shop, the Coffee & Cream Café, with ice cream and hot chocolate. However, their plans to wait out the storm in cozy company are interrupted when a popular YouTuber and her two companions show up at the door—they've been trapped by the storm, and Dani generously offers to serve them breakfast. But her generosity isn't rewarded in kind, as the reviewer then tries to extort money from Dani in exchange for a good review! When the storm finally clears, Dani is happy to have seen the last of them.

Or so she thought.

Dani and her friends decide to go sleigh riding the morning after the storm clears, but instead of a winter wonderland, they find the extorting YouTuber...dead! To make matters worse, Dani suddenly finds herself accused of the woman's murder. Intent on restoring her reputation, Dani sets out to prove she didn’t do it. This is one storm she's not sure she can weather...

CLICK TO PURCHASE!

| Amazon | Apple Books | BAM! |

| Barnes & Noble | Bookshop.org | Google Play |

| Kobo | Smashwords |

About Lena Gregory

Lena Gregory

is the author of the Bay Island Psychic Mysteries, which take place on a small island between the north and south forks of Long Island, New York, the All-Day Breakfast Café Mysteries, which are set on the outskirts of Florida’s Ocala National Forest, the Mini-Meadows Mysteries, set in a community of tiny homes in Central Florida, and the Coffee & Cream Café Mysteries, which take place in a small town on the south shore of eastern Long Island, New York.

Lena grew up in a small town on the south shore of eastern Long Island, but she recently traded in cold, damp, gray winters for the warmth and sunshine of central Florida, where she now lives with her husband, three kids, son-in-law, and four dogs. Her hobbies include spending time with family, reading, and walking. Her love for writing developed when her youngest son was born and didn’t sleep through the night. She works full-time as a writer and a freelance editor and is a member of Sisters in Crime.

| Website | Newsletter Sign-Up |

| Facebook | Facebook Author Page | Goodreads |

| Pinterest | X (Twitter) |

Review

5 stars!

When a blackmailing TikToker meets an untimely demise in the snow, Dani Delaney is unexpectedly involved in another murder investigation. 

Soft Serve Sleighing is the fifth fun entry in author Lena Gregory’s outstanding, cozy Coffee & Cream Café Mysteries, and, once again, Dani Delaney finds herself in the middle of a murder investigation. With its comfortable, familiar Long Island setting and its likable recurring cast of characters, I was quickly drawn into the latest story of murder and intrigue in the little town of Watchogue. 

Dani is the series’s main character and the owner and operator of the local ice cream and coffee café, having taken the business over from her Uncle Jimmie. Now, in the dead of winter, the addition of coffee and pastries to the former “ice cream only” parlor’s offerings is starting to pay off with a clientele of regulars from the local population when a blizzard hits the town and shuts everything down. When three young women appear at the closed café, Dani feels obligated to open up just for them, even after their leader, Brynleigh Star, a TikTok influencer, unjustly bashes the local B&B where they are staying. The three proceed to order numerous items from the menu and demand tastes of all the specialty ice cream dishes, then insinuate they’ll only post a 5-star review of the café if Dani subscribes to one of their outrageously expensive memberships. When Dani fails to take the bait, they walk their check. The next day, when Dani finds the instigator dead in the snow near the B&B on the town’s favorite hill for sledding, she begins to look like suspect number one! 

The plot progresses swiftly from setup to the discovery of the murder, and I didn’t want to put the book down at all as the fun amateurs followed their instincts. I appreciated how Dani has to walk a fine line between definitively clearing her name and staying on the right side of her police detective boyfriend, Jake Barlow, who wants her as far away from the case as possible. However, it was fun watching Dani, Gwen, and Eli dance around the rules and work through the clues they had, many of which had fallen into their laps via some other very talkative suspects. After four previous books in this fun series, I really felt like I knew these characters. There are some good suspects, with everyone having a bone to pick with the very unlikable victim, but the truth isn’t too obvious. It was an entertaining story all the way to the final reveal. 

I recommend SOFT SERVE SLEIGHING to cozy mystery readers, especially fans of the previous books in the series.

Tour Participants

January 28 – Jody's Bookish Haven – SPOTLIGHT

January 28 – Reading, Writing & Stitch-Metic - AUTHOR GUEST POST, INDIVIDUAL GIVEAWAY

January 28 – fundinmental – SPOTLIGHT

January 29 – Socrates Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

January 29 – Reading Is My SuperPower - REVIEW

January 30 – Christy's Cozy Corners - REVIEW, CHARACTER GUEST POST, INDIVIDUAL GIVEAWAY

January 31 – Guatemala Paula Loves to Read – REVIEW

January 31 –  Celticlady's Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

February 1 – Frugal Freelancer - CHARACTER INTERVIEW, INDIVIDUAL GIVEAWAY

February 1 – Elizabeth McKenna - Author – SPOTLIGHT

February 2 – Cozy Up With Kathy – REVIEW

February 2 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT

February 3 – Angel's Book Nook – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

February 3 – Read Your Writes Book Reviews – CHARACTER GUEST POST

February 4 – Ruff Drafts – AUTHOR GUEST POST

February 4 – Cassidy's Bookshelves – SPOTLIGHT

February 5 – Novels Alive – REVIEW

February 5 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW

February 6 – Rebecca M. Douglass, Author – REVIEW

February 6 – Ascroft, eh? – CHARACTER INTERVIEW

February 7 – View from the Birdhouse – REVIEW

February 7 – StoreyBook Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

February 8 – Maureen's Musings – SPOTLIGHT

February 9 – Sapphyria's Book Reviews – REVIEW

February 10 – Deal Sharing Aunt – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

February 10 – Sarah Can't Stop Reading Books – REVIEW

GIVEAWAY! GIVEAWAY! GIVEAWAY!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Have you signed up to be a Tour Host?
Click Here to Find Details and Sign Up Today!
Want to Book a Tour?
Click Here

Virtual Book Tour & Giveaway: Star-Crossed Egg Tarts (Magical Fortune Cookie Mystery, #2) by Jennifer J. Chow

STAR-CROSSED EGG TARTS

by Jennifer J Chow

January 27 - February 21, 2025 Virtual Book Tour

Synopsis:

A MAGICAL FORTUNE COOKIE NOVEL

 

Jin Bakery has been asked to cater the Lum-Wu outdoor wedding at Pixie Park. The day of the ceremony, Felicity is finishing the “cake” of tiered egg tarts as the wedding party arrives for the ceremony. When one of the groomsmen, Miles Wu, doesn’t arrive, Felicity’s best friend and local florist Kelvin generously steps in for him and the wedding goes smoothly―until cake cutting time.

That’s when Felicity finds Miles’ dead body beneath the table with her egg tarts display, stabbed by Kelvin’s gardening shears. With the detective’s sights on Kelvin, Felicity starts sleuthing away to prove his innocence, revealing dark secrets about all the wedding's attendants. They each had something to hide―and a reason to quiet Miles forever. To make matters worse, Felicity’s powers of prediction are on the fritz thanks to the emotional turmoil of a surprise visit from her estranged father.

When the groom gets poisoned at the send-off party and winds up in a coma, the stakes are even higher, not to mention Felicity’s feelings for Kelvin are beginning to feel more than friendly. Will Felicity’s magic return in time to catch the true culprit and rescue her budding relationship with Kelvin?

Praise for the Magical Fortune Cookie series and Jennifer J. Chow:

"A spellbinding whodunit unfolds in the first installment of Jennifer J. Chow’s Magical Fortune Cookie series."
~ Woman's World

"The story itself is light, sweet, and delectable. The ensemble of interesting characters adds a crispy texture to the narrative, and, true to the cozy mystery genre, a central mystery―the ill-fated fortune―keeps readers engaged from start to finish."
~ The Big Thrill

"This first in a new series featuring a likable Chinese American heroine will appeal to fans of Jenn McKinlay, Eve Calder, or Joanne Fluke."
~ Booklist

"Nobody writes cozy mysteries quite like Jennifer J. Chow. No matter what is going wrong in my life, I know that all I need to do for some comfort is turn to one of Chow's books. Chow has done it again with Ill-Fated Fortune. I did not want to leave Felicity's side even for a moment, and you won't want to either."
~ Jesse Q. Sutanto, Edgar Award-winning author of Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers

"A magical new culinary cozy mystery series filled with family, friendship, and heart―and a pinch of real magic."
~ Gigi Pandian, USA Today bestselling author of the Secret Staircase Mysteries on Ill-Fated Fortune

Book Details:

Genre: Cozy Mystery, Amateur Sleuth, Asian American fiction
Published by: Minotaur
Publication Date: January 21, 2025
Number of Pages: 352
ISBN: 9781250351623 (ISBN10: 1250351626)
Series: The Magical Fortune Cookie series, #2
Book Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | BookShop.org | Goodreads | Minotaur

Read an excerpt:

Chapter 1

I put the last egg tart in place on the tiered circular display, stepped back, and admired my handiwork. From a distance, if you squinted and tilted your head just right, you might actually mistake it for a wedding cake made of gold, or Jin. Fitting, since “Jin” was both my surname and the Mandarin word for “gold.” I grinned. Guess I’d been fated for this job.

Happily, I even got to rope in loved ones as other vendors. My best friend, Kelvin Love (who has the most fitting name to cater a wedding), handled the elaborate floral displays. And my godmother, Alma Paz, made the candle arrangements, including the votives for the cake table. She’d even handcrafted bowl-shaped lace holders for each votive candle.

Once the late afternoon dissolved into evening, the small candles would be lit, and the cake made of egg tarts would turn into an enchanting display. Quite literally, because my mom had used her magic to bake joy into every last bite. After all, that’s what we Jins do—pour joy into our signature recipe treats to flow out to others. Except my own brand of magic came with an extra bonus: I made special fortune cookies that provided happiness and accurately predicted future happenings.

I added a stash of business cards to the table. I’d been made official co-owner of Jin Bakery with my mom, and I now had business cards to attest to that exciting fact. Besides, I figured it wouldn’t hurt to have my contact info out there. If people were in the area for the wedding, maybe they’d decide to check out our local bakery, too.

Plus, many of the guests were from nearby Fresno, the bride’s hometown, though a fair share hailed from up north, where the groom’s relatives lived. It wasn’t too much of a trek from NorCal to visit Pixie, right? Not for delicious egg tarts, pineapple buns, and fortune cookies, all coated with magic.

“It’s beautiful,” someone whispered from near my shoulder. I would have startled at the interruption, but the voice was so gentle, it didn’t scare me in the least.

A bridesmaid must have snuck into the main tent without my noticing. Maybe the soft grass surrounding the tent had masked her footsteps. Or she’d minced along in those stiletto sandals.

She was a wisp of a young woman, just a few years past twenty. Even though I was twenty-eight, I couldn’t imagine having ever been so bright-eyed and hopeful as the girl before me. The twin honey-colored braids wrapped around her head only added to her youthfulness.

“Haley, was it?” I asked.

She nodded, almost bouncing on her heels. “You remembered my name.”

“It’s distinctive. Very pretty.”

She flushed a sweet shade of pink. “I like your name, too. Felicity is lovely.”

“Is that a rose tucked behind your ear?” I asked, pointing to the blossom, the full pink petals brushing up against a tiny golden ear cuff lined with diamonds.

She widened her green eyes at me. “Uh, is that okay? I mean, do you mind? Are you and Kelvin together—”

“It’s fine,” I said, waving away her concern. “Kelvin and I are just friends.” Best friends, technically. “I take it he’s still working on the flower arch outside?”

“Said he was ‘securing the petals.’” Kelvin was a stickler for floral quality. Guess that’s what made us good entrepreneurs in our little town of Pixie.

I glanced at Haley’s T-shirt and jeans. “What time is it? Do you need to change?”

“Four forty-five,” she said. “I better get ready.”

The wedding guests would show up at six. Right now, only us hired help and the wedding party, plus the parents of the bride and groom, were roaming the surrounding green space.

“Jada’s in our tent doing makeup, and she said she’d help me,” Haley said.

“I should get going, too.” I’d promised the bride, Leanne, that I’d check on the tea ceremony. Not that I’d be super helpful. I’m third-gen Chinese American and had had to google what the traditional tea ritual entailed.

I followed Haley’s bouncing steps out of the larger main tent into the lush green of Pixie Park. Our town’s biggest park definitely had enough space for the Lum-Wu ceremony. The bride and groom had asked to pitch four tents for the event: a reception tent for food, his and her tents for wedding prep, and a tent for the traditional tea serving ritual.

Pixie Park also boasted a large hill, and it was sure to look magnificent with its aerial view for the actual wedding ceremony and exchanging of vows. Kelvin was on the hill now, fussing over the flowers on the custom arch he’d made.

I waved at him. He bobbed his head at me, his fingers still patting petals into place. Kelvin looked good fancied up, in a dress shirt and pressed slacks. His usual go-to was a casual Henley and jeans.

There was a rainbow of beautiful blossoms decorating the immense arch he’d constructed. I didn’t know why Kelvin was so worried. There wasn’t a breeze to be found. It was perfect, and the flowers should stay put.

If anything, the temperature was slightly too warm today. Thankfully, it was dry heat, typical of the San Joaquin Valley. Whoever thought tea was a great idea in July had not factored in the weather. Then again, traditions were important. I headed over to the tea tent, and as soon as I put my head through the flap, Leanne squealed.

“You came to help. Thank goodness,” she said. The bride-to-be wore a red qipao with a golden phoenix trailing down the front. Her hair was pinned up, and pearls were scattered across the hairdo as decoration, matching the dangling pearl earrings she wore.

“How can I assist?” I asked.

“With the hot plate. You’re good in the kitchen. Er, bakery. Can you get it started?”

“I can try.” I mean, I was hired to cater the cake, not the tea. But I’d done the bare minimum online research. Maybe I could fake my way through.

***

Excerpt from Star-Crossed Egg Tarts by Jennifer J Chow. Copyright 2025 by Jennifer J Chow. Reproduced with permission from St. Martin’s Publishing Group. All rights reserved.

 

 

Author Bio:

Agatha, Anthony, Lefty, and Lilian Jackson Braun Award-nominated author. Jennifer J. Chow writes cozy mysteries filled with hope and heritage.

Catch Up With Jennifer J Chow:
www.JenniferJChow.com
Amazon Author Profile
Goodreads
BookBub - @jenniferjchow
Instagram - @jenjchow
Threads - @jenjchow
Facebook - @JenJChow

 

 

Tour Participants:

Visit these other great hosts on this tour for more great reviews, interviews, guest posts, and opportunities to WIN in the giveaway!

Click here to view the Tour Schedule

 

 

ENTER FOR A CHANCE TO WIN!

This is a giveaway hosted by Partners in Crime Tours for Jennifer J Chow. See the widget for entry terms and conditions. Void where prohibited.

Can't see the giveaway? Click Here!

 

 

Get More Great Reads at Partners In Crime Tours

 

Book Review: Tartan, Treasures and Trouble (Dotty Sayers Antiques Mystery, #12) by Victoria Tait

Tartan, Treasures and Trouble by Victoria Tait
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Dotty’s return to the Cotswolds is marred by murder!

Tartan, Treasures and Troubles is the 12th book in veteran author Victoria Tait’s awesome cozy Dotty Sayers Antiques Mystery series and picks up with Dotty’s return to the Cotswolds and her home at Meadowbank Farm and job at Akeman’s antiques business. She and her best friend, Sergeant Keya Varma, have teamed up to host a traditional Burns night dinner at the Waterwheel Café at the auction house, but the sudden death of one of the attendees was very much NOT on the menu.

Dotty has become a serious and settled young woman, and she’s dealing with some very big issues during this story. Her father’s cancer has progressed, and the doctors have judged it to be inoperable, so every time she visits with him may be her last. The anguish when she learns of his prognosis is palpable. Dotty is also still uncertain about her relationship with Zach, and he is having a difficult time grappling with his findings of this family’s history. Still, there is a treasure to be found.

The plot is well-paced, incorporating multiple storylines with Dotty’s and Keya’s plans for their Burns night celebration, which is fast approaching. As Dotty picks up her life in the Cotswolds again, the story blooms with the names and appearances of many characters from the previous books in the series. It promises to become quite a reunion with people coming out for the Burns night dinner. Having read the earlier books may make sorting all these characters out somewhat easier. hen a character close to those central to the series dies suspiciously in front of everyone at the dinner, other familiar faces make their way onto the suspects’ list, so there are plenty of red herrings to cross off on the way to a surprising resolution. Sharp-eyed armchair detectives may be able to settle on the correct perpetrator in advance as the clues are there.

I recommend TARTAN, TREASURES AND TROUBLE to cozy mystery readers, especially those who have enjoyed the previous books in the series.

View all my reviews

Virtual Book Tour & Giveaway - Shocktober: The Biggest Upsets in World Series History by Jonathan Weeks

Shocktober

The Biggest Upsets in World Series History

by

Jonathan Weeks

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by

Goddess Fish Promotions.

Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Sports History
Publisher: Lyons Press
Publication Date: January 7, 2025
Page count: 258 pages

SCROLL DOWN FOR GIVEAWAY!

SYNOPSIS:

Mays’s spectacular catch in 1954, Bill Mazeroski’s walk-off homer in 1960, and Kirk Gibson’s pinch-hit blast in 1988 are just a few of the memorable moments that have dominated highlight reels. The outcome of the Series has not always been terribly surprising—especially during the late 1940s and early 1950s when the Yankees captured five consecutive championships, breaking their previous record of four straight titles from 1936 to 1939. But despite its predictability at times, the Fall Classic has taken many unexpected turns. The 1906 Cubs lost to the weak-hitting White Sox after establishing a new regular season record for wins. The 1955 Dodgers avenged seven prior October failures with an improbable victory over the seemingly invincible Yankees. And in 1969, the Mets finally shed their image as “loveable losers,” dethroning the powerful Orioles. In more than a century of World Series plays, a number of similar scenarios have emerged; twenty-two of those stories are told in Shocktober.

CLICK TO PURCHASE!

| Amazon | Apple Books | BAM! |

| Barnes & Noble | Bookshop.org | Google Play |

| Indigo | Kobo | Walmart |

ENJOY AN EXCERPT:

To understand why members of the White Sox conspired with gamblers to throw the 1919 World Series, one must take into account the financial climate of baseball in the early-20th century. Players weren’t paid exceptionally well (at least in comparison to today). Before the advent of free agency, owners held most of the advantages when it came to negotiating contracts. Players were more or less stuck with the clubs they had signed with until team executives decided it was time to get rid of them. Typical deadball stars were minimally educated and rough around the edges. In their free time, many gravitated to bars and pool halls, where men of questionable integrity could be found. Some players developed relationships with members of the underworld—especially bookmakers who were willing to tamper with the outcome of games in order to turn a profit.

 

Ty Cobb, one of the biggest names of the era, was paid $20,000 in 1919—equivalent to about $348,000 today. No one else was making that much at the time—not even Babe Ruth. Pitcher Eddie Cicotte, at a little over $9,000, was the highest paid member of the Chicago conspirators. The others were earning significantly less.

 

A common misconception among contemporary fans is the idea that Chicago team owner Charles Comiskey was a nefarious miser who drove his men to commit the crime of the century. Multiple myths have persisted regarding Comiskey’s penny-pinching ways—the most salacious being the story about how he delivered a case of flat champagne to his players as a World Series bonus in 1917. Other fallacies have been handed down over the years.

 

In reality, Comiskey was prone to acts of generosity. He allowed a number of Chicago organizations to use his ballpark for free and gave out complimentary grandstand tickets to school children. During World War I, he donated a significant portion of his annual income to the Red Cross. While it’s true that he could also be frugal, charging players for laundry fees, he actually paid his men pretty well. The White Sox Opening Day payroll in 1919 was among the highest in baseball.

 

While the specific motivations of each conspirator have been endlessly debated, it’s safe to assume that the primary incentive was financial gain. By his own account, it was first baseman Chick Gandil who approached gamblers with the idea of a fix. At the time, the club was divided into two social cliques with tension existing between the two. The educated players fell under the influence of Ivy League graduate Eddie Collins. The rest of the joiners cast their lot with Gandil—a former boxer with an attitude toward authority. Shortstop Swede Risberg played a major role in the fix as well, helping Gandil lure other players (ones who could be trusted to keep their mouths shut) into the fold. Boston-based bookmaker Joseph “Sport” Sullivan convinced New York underworld kingpin Arnold Rothstein to bankroll the plot. Others involved included “Sleepy Bill” Burns (a former pitcher) and Abe Attell (a former featherweight boxing champion). Both were associates of Rothstein’s.

GUEST POST:

Please welcome Jonathan Weeks, the author of today's featured book to the blog!

Why baseball books? 

Well, I could have made this a very short essay and answered simply ‘Why Not?’ But there is a specific story associated with the question.

Around the time of my 40th birthday, I decided to make a bucket list. I actually wrote down some of the things I wanted to accomplish over the next few decades of my life. I have no idea what happened to the list and have forgotten most of the things that were on it. But there is one item that stands out clearly in my mind: “Become an expert at something.” 

Seriously? Yep. For real—I honestly wrote that down. And I knew even then that it was a pretty tall order for someone who had already expended roughly half a lifespan.   

With no time to waste, I started eliminating the things I felt I could never be good at. Math? Boring and incomprehensible. Car repair? Too messy and labor intensive. Medicine? I pass out at the sight of my own blood. Nuclear Technology? Bad for the environment.

And so it went—until I stumbled upon the topic of writing. I was fairly accomplished during my high school years (several teachers told me that I showed promise) and I had gone on to write a few articles for my college newspaper. But every time I submitted my work elsewhere, it was always: “thanks, but no thanks.” I experimented with different forms of writing—short stories, novels, poetry. I even dabbled at children’s books. You could have papered the walls of a sizeable home with all the rejection letters I received. The negativity wore me down over time and I eventually developed a serious case of writer’s block. 

Unable to produce a single paragraph of coherent fiction, I composed songs on my guitar (bad ones mostly) and also learned how to write screenplays. A friend and I collaborated on a science fiction script and entered it in an Amazon Studios contest. We made it to the semi-finals but that’s as far as we got.   

It was around this time that I came up with my bucket list. Without any ties to Hollywood, I knew I would never make it as a screenwriter. So I decided it was time to execute Plan F (since Plans A through E had failed to yield any tangible results). There was one form of writing I had never explored in any depth: Non-fiction. And there were at least two topics I had always been passionately interested in: baseball and history.

I had written a lot of term papers in college so the process came fairly naturally to me. The learning curve was steep and my first project was a failure. But my second book (Cellar Dwellers: The Worst Teams in Baseball History) ended up being published. I have kept on writing ever since. Though I still struggle with fiction, I have managed to produce two novels, both of which were released through indie presses. I have learned a lot about baseball over the past 15 years or so—maybe not enough to be considered an “expert” on the topic. But if I may be so bold, I can actually say that I’m getting closer with every book.  

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Jonathan Weeks has written several sports biographies and two novels, one of which was a posthumous collaboration with his late father. He grew up in the Capital District region of New York State and currently works in the mental health field.

| Blog | Goodreads |

 

GIVEAWAY! GIVEAWAY! GIVEAWAY!

Jonathan Weeks will be awarding a $25 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Blurb Blitz & Giveaway: Bullets and Dandelions by Gail Koger

Bullets and Dandelions

A Deputy Gemma Stone Novel

by

Gail Koger

Romantic Suspense

Publication Date: December 26, 2024

Page count: 143 pages

SCROLL DOWN FOR GIVEAWAY!

SYNOPSIS:

My name is Tess Reynolds, and I’ll admit few people would think I’m a badass Army sniper called the Scorpion. Afterall, women snipers were unheard of in 1990. People look at me and see a petite blonde who is cute as a button. My father calls it my natural camouflage.

 

My time in the Middle East has been full of unforeseen complications. I have a rogue CIA agent trying to kill me and I caught the attention of a Force Recon Marine by the name of Alexander Stone. Wowzer! He’s hot but he’s also the biggest jackass I have ever met. To make things even more interesting, I need the Jackass’s help to stay alive.

CLICK TO PURCHASE!

| Amazon | Apple Books |

| Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Smashwords |

ENJOY AN EXCERPT:

The smell from the mess hall drew me like a magnet. I was having one of everything. Grabbing a tray, I went down the line until there was no more room on my plate.

 

A soldier eyed my tray in disbelief. “Are you sure you’ve got enough food?”

 

“Nope, I’m coming back for seconds.” I carried my tray over to an empty table and started eating.

 

“On your feet soldier,” Sergeant Stone growled.

 

Well, hell. I plastered a confused look on my face and looked up at him. “Excuse me?”

 

“Drop the act. You know why I’m here.”

 

“Sorry, but I don’t.” I went back to eating.

 

Sergeant Stone studied my face. “Are you the Scorpion?”

 

I picked up my glass of water and drained it.

 

“Answer the question.”

 

“By your stench, you’ve been out in the sun too long. Maybe you should have a medic check you over for heat stroke. It might explain your mental confusion too,” I said pleasantly.

 

“I could have you arrested for assault,” Sergeant Stone snapped.

 

I raised my eyebrows. “Got any proof of this brutal assault, sergeant? Like a picture or fingerprints or some kind of hard evidence?”

 

“Footprints.”

 

Shit! Shit! Shit! “Call me curious, but who did I assault?”

 

His lips twisted in self-mockery. “Me.”

 

“Un huh, and where did this horrible assault occur? 

 

“The village of Tarin Kowt.”

 

“Never heard of it.” I took a big bite of chocolate cake. God, it tasted so good.

 

“You’re the blonde midget we’ve been tracking for the last two days, and I can prove it.”

 

Midget?  That was kinda rude. “I’m not the person you’re looking for.”

 

“Yes, you are. Now get up. You are coming with me.”

 

“No.” I shoveled more food in my mouth.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

I was a 9-1-1 dispatcher for the Glendale Police Department and to keep from going totally bonkers – I mean people have no idea what a real emergency is. Take this for example: I answered, “9-1-1 emergency, what’s your emergency?” And this hysterical woman yelled, “My bird is in a tree.” Sometimes I really couldn’t help myself, so I said, “Birds have a tendency to do that, ma’am.” The woman screeched, “No! You don’t understand. My pet parakeet is in the tree. I’ve just got to get him down.” Like I said, not a clue. “I’m sorry ma’am but we don’t get birds out of trees.” The woman then cried, “But… What about my husband? He’s up there, too.” See what I had to deal with? To keep from hitting myself repeatedly in the head with my phone I took up writing.

| Website | Amazon | Bluesky |

| BookBub | Facebook | Goodreads |

| Instagram | X (Twitter) |

GIVEAWAY! GIVEAWAY! GIVEAWAY!

Gail Koger will be awarding a $15 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

  

Book Review: The Fortress (The Fortress, #1) by T.A. Styles

The Fortress by T.A. Styles
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

To atone for the past, he vowed to keep children safe and save their lives.

The Fortress is the first book in author T.A. Styles's post-apocalyptic series featuring a former teacher and the children left behind after a deadly virus ravages the world. With its large cast of child characters trying to eke out an existence in the chaotic, lawless remnants of society and the evil adults who want to take everything from them, I was completely drawn into this exciting and horrifying survival story.

Sim is the only one left of his small family, but his survivor's guilt has a twist: he killed his daughter and near-death wife so they could all die together. However, his resolve failed when he turned the gun on himself, and he was left to cope on his own with the knowledge of what he had done. His self-imposed penance was to collect any children left behind and care for them in his large, fortified, and now well-supplied home on the hill. Saving the children from the streets was a two-edged sword, though. He was saving a life, but each one reminded him of the daughter that should have been at his side. A growing troop of lost or orphaned children of all ages eventually surrounds him. I enjoyed their backstories and how they had come to "The Fortress," their name changes, and their preparations to ensure their continued safety.

Sim leads The Fortress with a firm grip, and while he takes input from the kids, he mostly discards it. As the young survivors age, they form a formidable team. But will it be enough to fight off those who want what they've built with Sim?

I really enjoy post-apocalyptic tales, and this was one of the best; I was delighted to see that there are two more books available in the series. The children have a wide range of personalities, even the youngest ones who are still forming theirs. The story gets started quickly, taking just a little time for bare bones, upfront exposition. The danger presented by wandering adult survivors is immediately established, and the kids' fight for survival becomes critical early on. The suspense mounted as the little group inside The Fortress waited for the next assault on their safety. I didn't want to put this book down!

I recommend THE FORTRESS to readers who enjoy post-apocalyptic tales that prominently feature children.

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advanced Review Copy through RABT Book Tours and PR.

View all my reviews

Book Review: Scandalous in Huntington Beach (Love Is a Beach, #3) by Melody DeBlois

Scandalous in Huntington Beach by Melody DeBlois
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Rich and satisfying secret baby and a second chance at love story.

Scandalous in Huntington Beach is the third book in author Melody DeBlois’s Love Is a Beach women’s fiction series, and it features the single father of a surprise secret baby. Senate hopeful Bennett Browning is surprised to discover he’s the father of a baby girl when his former girlfriend, Rachel, passes away. Wanting to do the right thing and be the perfect father to this tiny being he never even knew existed, he’s still woefully unprepared for the day-to-day of caring for an infant when Social Services hands the baby over. But like a miracle, Emma Kuan, Rachel’s older sister, offers to act as nanny to her newly-discovered niece, and the immediate emergency is quelled. But as Bennett and Emma spend time together, bonding over their shared grief for Rachel and love for baby Madelynn Grace, life takes an unexpected turn for them all.

The main characters, Bennett, Emma, and Madelynn Grace, absolutely stole my heart! Strangers to each other on page one, they slowly form a new family (and puppy makes four) from their starting point of an expedient business arrangement as their life priorities change. You can’t help but hope for the best and their relationship to become a love match.

The story, though, is more complex and nuanced than initially imagined. Both Bennett and Emma have complicated pasts as children, and trust issues must be overcome before they can create a new life with new dreams. They experienced setbacks and breakthroughs that had all my emotions engaged on their way to their HEA.

I recommend SCANDALOUS IN HUNTINGTON BEACH to readers of women’s fiction, contemporary romance, especially those who enjoy a satisfying second-chance romance or secret baby theme.

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advanced Review Copy from the author through Goddess Fish Promotions Book Tours.

View all my reviews

Book Review: Royal Scandal (Royal Blood, #2) by Aimee Carter

Royal Scandal by Aimee Carter
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

It’s a full-on private war as someone in the royal circle is determined to destroy Evan and, perhaps, the monarchy itself!

Evan Bright, the illegitimate daughter of the king, is being targeted by a press corps fueled by the tasty yet false tidbits slipped to them by an anonymous source. Apparently, when the perpetrator is not satisfied with the social media chaos and family drama that results, Evan starts experiencing "accidents" that put her life and those around her in danger.

Royal Scandal is the second book in Aimée Carter’s exciting YA series, Royal Blood, and this time; it’s a full-on private war as someone in the royal circle leaking sensitive information to the media about the tumultuous goings on in the royal family. As relationships crumble and new alliances develop, Evan desperately tries to protect her family and loved ones from their hidden persecutor.

Evangeline “Evan” Bright, the illegitimate daughter of the king and much-maligned by the media, is still struggling to find her place in the royal family. I enjoy this fish-out-of-water character and her continued attempts to fit in, even with the family members who have been horrible to her. Because of her past, she’s socially awkward and clumsy but improving daily under the guidance of Kit, Tibby, Jenkins, and Maisie. I was glad to see the two sisters grow closer and establish an understanding of each other. Her nemesis, Benedict of York, had been banished from the royal presence due to his actions in book one, but family politics and the need to present a united front to the media soon saw him back in the fold to create more havoc.

The plot grows more complex as Evan’s mother, Laura, joins them at Christmas, and the adults in the immediate family decide to pursue the real loves of their lives. But as news of the new liaisons is leaked, the media has a field day. It is easy to compare the fictional tale to the history of Britain’s royal family and gain a more sympathetic view of what they endure on a day-to-day basis and for an entire lifetime.

As the story unfolds, there is one mishap involving Evan after another, and it is quickly determined that these are no mere accidents. Tension mounts as her unseen stalker multiplies his efforts to discredit her, and the attacks turn deadly. The story is one twist after another, and I did not want to put the book down. There is a cliffhanger ending that left me shocked that I wouldn’t have the much-needed resolution to the story! While this is the second book in the series, and there is some backstory given so that this book can be read on its own, I feel the two should be read in order.

With its action-packed plot and relatable main character, I recommend ROYAL SCANDAL to young adult fiction readers and fans of the previous novel in the series.

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advanced Review Copy through TBR and Beyond Book Tours.


View all my reviews

Children's Book Review: Will's Race for Home by Jewell Parker Rhodes

Will's Race for Home by Jewell Parker Rhodes
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

An exciting and inspirational historical middle-grade adventure story.

Will’s Race for Home is a new historical middle-grade adventure story from author Jewell Parker Rhodes centered around the Oklahoma Land Rush of 1889. Twelve-year-old William Samuels and his father, George, set out for Oklahoma from their home in Texas, where they are sharecroppers on another man’s cotton farm, to participate in the upcoming land rush. At stake is a 160-acre piece of farmland they can call their own. Along the way, they face danger from many directions: rattlesnakes, a treacherous river crossing, and, worst of all, from their fellow man. However, Will also comes to know and understand his emotionally distant father, a man of few words and agonizing secrets buried in his past.

I absolutely fell in love with this book and its young protagonist from the first page. Will Samuels easily mirrors the thoughts and feelings of any boy, as does his yearning to gain his father’s approval and love. Not only does the journey allow him to connect with his reserved father, but it also opens his eyes to a world from which he’s been mostly sheltered his entire life, living in deeply rural southwest Texas. Young readers will identify with Will, his hopes and dreams, and his love for his family and the mule, Belle.

The author features the historic Oklahoma Land Rush, which occurred on April 22, 1889, and the descriptions of the Samuels’s journey, the time, and settings are vivid and evocative, putting the reader smack on the trail with Will, George, and their new friend and former Union soldier, Caesar. The story gives readers an idea of what it meant to be a sharecropper and the difficulty of ever getting ahead under the system.

Occurring a little over 20 years after the end of the Civil War, the story relates the tensions still in existence between those who supported opposite sides of the conflict: for many, the war was never over. Will’s mother, Anna, his father, George, and their friend, Caesar, put names and faces to the men and women who had been enslaved from birth, only gaining freedom after the start of the war, and illustrates realistically what that meant for them going forward.

This is not the first book I’ve read from this author, and her stories and writing continue to be an immersive experience, no matter the topic. Her writing style is warm and easy to read, and the chapter lengths are perfect for younger readers. With its exciting and suspenseful story and engaging, relatable characters, I recommend WILL’S RACE FOR HOME to middle-grade readers and for use as a read-aloud book in the classroom, in an afterschool program, or at home.

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advanced Review Copy through TBR and Beyond Book Tours.

View all my reviews

Book Review: A Perilous Premiere (Stone & Steele Mysteries, #1) by Gail Meath

A Perilous Premiere by Gail Meath
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Fun and frothy and a solid murder mystery to boot!

A Perilous Premiere is the first book in author Gail Meath’s fun and frothy yet seriously solid mystery series, Stone & Steele Mysteries, and this name-dropper of a murder mystery sets a delightful tone for what’s to come. After fashion designer Vivian Steele’s husband, George Ramsey, is gunned down before her very eyes in an assumed robbery gone wrong, she naturally looks to the police for answers. However, they show no interest in trying to find the murderer after an initial, lame attempt, so she decides to call in old favors from people in her past to reignite the investigation. While her actions yield results, they don’t supply the answers she was looking for nor the revenge she craves, and before she can regroup, another murder occurs with evidence planted to make her look like the killer.

Vivian is a sweet and talented woman with a smart mind and an even smarter mouth. She berates herself emotionally for having been blissfully unaware when her husband’s true nature comes to light. Still, she’s compelled to bring his murderer to justice. She is joined by wealthy playboy Preston Stone who is investigating the case of an unbelievably valuable coin collection, and Vivian’s husband is one of the small number of possible suspects.

The plot is fast-paced as the pair, first separated and eventually as an unwilling team, follow up on the few clues they uncover during their investigation, some of which are lifted straight out of the crime scene before the police make an appearance. The case of theft and then murder is full of twists sprinkled with the sightings of celebrities from the early Golden Age of Hollywood. (Viv’s best friend is Carole Lombard!) The author packs in historical figures and events with those of a more fictional vintage, and the fun mingling of fact and fiction really makes the book a lot of fun. But along with the fun and froth, there is one heck of a good, complex tale of murder, mayhem, and misdirection.

I recommend A PERILOUS PREMIERE to readers of historical cozy mysteries, especially those who enjoy old movies and Hollywood history.

View all my reviews

Blurb Blitz & Giveaway: Sanctuary by Ginny Fite

SANCTUARY

by

Ginny Fite

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by

Goddess Fish Promotions.

Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Dystopian / Speculative Fiction

Publisher: Milford House Press

Publication Date: November 16, 2024

Page count: 240 pages

SCROLL DOWN FOR GIVEAWAY!

SYNOPSIS:

Sometimes losing your children is the only way to save them.

The year is 2039.

Chased by government goons determined to quarantine her and a virus that might kill her at any time, Jean Bennett races a thousand miles to Canada to get her five children to safety. On a journey unlike any they’ve ever taken, Jean learns who she is and what she must do to save her children.

CLICK TO PURCHASE!

| Amazon | BAM! | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop.org | Sunbury Press |

ENJOY AN EXCERPT:

The infection hit with such ferocity and speed that all public transport had shut down by the end of my husband’s meeting in DC, sixty-five miles from home. No car, no commuter train, no way out.

 

In the five hours since he’d arrived in the city that morning, police had blockaded roads and barred highway entrances. Airlines delayed flights and then canceled them. Residents, under threat of arrest, huddled in their homes, and universities restricted students to dorms. Government officials shuttered public buildings, closing, and locking the gates.

 

Television news showed black-helmeted National Guardsmen herding panicked tourists back toward their hotels as they stampeded down unfamiliar streets. Coast Guard cutters patrolled the Potomac River; helicopters buzzed overhead. From Capitol Hill to the Ellipse, red lights on Constitution Avenue blinked on and off. Front pages of the morning newspaper skittered across empty streets.

 

I waited for Ted to call.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Ginny Fite is an award-winning journalist and author of nine traditionally published novels, three collections of poetry, a collection of short stories, and a book of humorous essays on aging. A graduate of Rutgers University and Johns Hopkins University, her 40-year career in communications included posts in newspapers, government, higher education, and a robotics R&D company. Pushcart Prize nominated, shortlisted for the 2019 SFWP prize, a finalist for the 2020 Bakwin Prize, winner of the FAPA gold medal in fiction for the collaborative novel Thoughts & Prayers, her stories have appeared in The Delmarva Review, Women Arts Quarterly Journal, Heartwood Literary Magazine, Coffin Bell, and the Anthology of Appalachian Writers. Writing about ordinary people who grapple with extraordinary circumstances, her novels span the genres of mystery, thriller, adventure, speculative, and women’s fiction. Learn more at GinnyFite.com.

| Website | Facebook | Instagram | Threads | X (Twitter) |

 

Published novels

Sanctuary

Leave Everything You Know Behind

The Physics of Things

Possession

Blue Girl on a Night Dream Sea

No End of Bad

Lying, Cheating and Occasionally Murder

No Good Deed Left Undone

Cromwell’s Folly

Thoughts & Prayers (co-author)

GIVEAWAY! GIVEAWAY! GIVEAWAY!

Ginny Fite will be awarding a $25 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner.

a Rafflecopter giveaway