Book Campaign & Giveaway: A Hush at Midnight by Marlene M. Bell

 

A Hush at Midnight

by

Marlene M. Bell

Cozy Mystery / Small-town Mystery

Publisher: Ewephoric

Publication Date: September 5, 2024

Page count: 368 pages

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SYNOPSIS:

A manipulator.

A fatal plan for revenge.

Award-winning author of the Annalisse series, Marlene M. Bell, brings distant friends together in the rural South only to have one of them become the victim of a brutal crime of passion.

Once celebrated for her show-stopping pastries and irresistible desserts, former celebrity chef Laura Harris is now making headlines for a far darker reason.

Laura has been accused of murder.

How could this petite chef have brutally smothered the beloved small-town matriarch, World War II ferry pilot veteran, Hattie Stenburg? Hattie wasn't just a pillar of the community; she was Laura's confidant and mentor. The shocking twist? Hattie’s will contained recent changes, bypassing next-of kin and leaving her entire fortune and historic estate to Laura.

As Laura scrambles to clear her name, she uncovers sinister secrets lurking beneath the town’s idyllic surface. The real murderer is always one step ahead, leaving taunting clues and threatening Laura to leave Texas—or face deadly consequences. With time not a luxury, Laura must untangle the web of deceit before the killer makes her the next victim.

In A Hush at Midnight, Marlene M. Bell twists an amateur sleuth crime mystery into a race against the clock to solve her mentor's murder.

 

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Marlene M. Bell is an award-winning author of the Annalisse romantic suspense series. She’s also an acclaimed artist and photographer using her pictures for descriptive prose that eventually lands in her mysteries. Marlene lives with her husband of 42 years on their East Texas ranch with numerous sheep. When she’s not writing, drawing or painting, she is shepherdess to their Katahdin hair sheep and ranch kitties. 

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Book Blast: A Corpse at the Witching Hour (Food Blogger Mystery, #6) by Debra Sennefelder

A Corpse at the Witching Hour

A Food Blogger Mystery

by

Debra Sennefelder

About A Corpse at the Witching Hour

A Corpse at the Witching Hour: A Food Blogger Mystery
Cozy Mystery
6th in Series
Setting - Connecticut
Publisher: Beyond the Page Publishing (October 6, 2023)
Paperback: 228 pages
ISBN-10: 1960511394
ISBN-13: 978-1960511393
Digital ASIN: B0CKM7LTGJ

Hope Early has to contend with ghosts, a fatal curse, and a decades-old family secret to catch a killer in the new Food Blogger Mystery . . .

When her best friend’s Aunt Issy falls ill, food blogger Hope Early agrees to help him hand out Halloween candy at his aunt’s house, which is rumored to be cursed. A murder-suicide took place there a century ago, and legend has it that a woman has died there every twenty years since—on Halloween. Hope doesn’t really believe in curses or ghosts, but when all the trick-or-treaters are gone and she discovers a woman’s dead body on the front lawn, she wonders if the curse might be real after all.

Then Hope and her friend discover a cache of love letters linking the dead woman to Aunt Issy’s husband years ago, and Hope is certain they’ve uncovered the motive for murder—and the police are certain Aunt Issy is their main suspect. Determined to prove Issy’s innocence and nab the real culprit, Hope starts shaking other branches of the family tree. But she forgets that Halloween isn’t the only day people hide behind masks, and if she’s not careful, Hope will come face-to-face with a ghoulish fiend who’s not afraid to kill again . . .

Includes two tasty recipes!

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About Debra Sennefelder

Debra Sennefelder lives and writes in Connecticut, where she lives with her family and slightly spoiled Shih Tzu. An avid reader across a range of genres, mystery fiction is her obsession. Her interest in people and relationships is channeled into her novels against a backdrop of crime and mystery. She’s the author of the Food Blogger Mystery series, the Resale Boutique Mystery series and the Cookie Shop Mystery series. When she’s not writing, she’s either baking or reading. To learn more, visit her on the web at www.debrasennefelder.com

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Book Review - Fresh Grown: Essential Guide to Use, Store, and Make the Most of Your Vegetables by Andrea Kristin

Fresh Grown: Essential Guide to Use, Store, and Make the Most of Your Vegetables by Andrea Kristin
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This gorgeously illustrated guide will teach new cooks and inspire those more experienced to expand the uses of vegetables in their menus.

Fresh Grown by author Andrea Kristin is a new how-to guide for making the most of your hard-earned vegetables, whether you’re growing your own or perusing the produce section of your local grocery store. I think I love everything about this book, from its gorgeous photos (coffee table quality presentation), informative content, and even its well-organized and clean page design. I foresee giving this book to a number of family members for Christmas in a couple of months.

The book focuses on a large variety of vegetables and explains what parts are edible and how they are normally prepared, how to store them for maximum freshness before cooking, and how to keep excess amounts useful long-term. Methods include freezing, canning, dehydrating, fermenting, and pickling. I particularly liked how the author grouped the vegetables by the part of the plant that is going to be harvested for consumption: roots, stems, leaves, bulbs, flowers, fruits, and seeds. For example, peas are found in the “Seeds” section. (And yes, while some can be categorized in more than one way, they are discussed under their most prevalent part.) Several less popular vegetables (at least here in my region) are included, so if you have ever wondered what a fava bean was, you’ll find your answer here. (Go ahead, uncork a nice chianti now.)

I recommend FRESH GROWN to, as the author put it so well, “the veggie lover + veggie curious and anyone wanting to explore the world of fresh grown.”

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

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Christmas in July Book Review: The Starlight Mint Surprise Murder (Christmas Cookies) by Marla A. White

The Starlight Mint Surprise Murder by Marla A. White
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Mel’s attempt at starting over leads to an attempt on her life!

After an on-the-job injury leaves Emmeline “Mel” O’Rourke unable to return to work as an LAPD patrol officer, she retires to start over in a mountain resort town as an innkeeper. She and her supportive family invested their savings in this new endeavor and finally got the long-closed Babbling Brook B&B up and running, just in time for the holiday tourist season. But when one of the B&B’s first guests is found dead in the inn’s great room, and no cause of death is forthcoming because the area is shut down due to a heavy and isolating winter storm, Mel worries the gossip mill and bad social media may brand her new business as a death trap. The former police officer takes matters into her own hands when local law enforcement drags their feet to find the answers she desperately needs.

Mel is a likable main character, and I quickly came to sympathize with her about her worries that the bad press was going to singlehandedly bankrupt her family. Her fear of heights, a result of her work injury, was well conveyed and so genuine that I felt her panic. The several secondary characters are also well drawn and offer some interesting romantic options, though, with all that was going on at the inn, they will have to wait for a future story to blossom.

This exciting novella is one of the many marvelous offerings in the CHRISTMAS COOKIES collection of short stories and novellas published by The Wild Rose Press, Inc. I recommend THE STARLIGHT MINT SURPRISE MURDER to cozy mystery readers who enjoy a holiday or culinary-themed story.

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15-Stop Interactive Blog Tour, Giveaway, & Playlist: A Chocolate Is Announced (Bean to Bar Mystery, #7) by Amber Royer

A CHOCOLATE IS ANNOUNCED

Bean to Bar Mystery, #7

By Amber Royer

Cozy Mystery / Culinary Mystery / Women Sleuths

Publisher: Golden Tip Press

Pages: 277

Publication Date: June 25, 2024

Scroll down for a giveaway!

SYNOPSIS

Felicity Koerber is finally getting her life together.  She has a fiancé, her bean to bar chocolate shop on Galveston’s historic Strand has become a gathering spot for the community, and she is ready to embrace whatever the future holds.  She’s ready for another launch party – despite the disaster at her grand opening, when she’d first gotten involved with solving a murder.  And this time she’s embracing her status as a sleuth.  She’s hosting a murder mystery weekend to celebrate the new Mystery Flavor line of craft chocolate bars.  She’s held a contest to choose the attendees, who will all stay at her aunt’s flip hotel and enjoy the island.  It’s all supposed to be perfectly random – only, Felicity starts to uncover connections between her guests.  When one of them winds up murdered, Felicity has to keep her aunt from becoming the main suspect.

The killer is very clearly calling Felicity out, leaving clues that mean little to anyone other than her.  But that doesn’t narrow down the suspect pool.  Her guests are there because they love the true crime podcast she’s been featured on.  And she can’t decide whether the killer wants her to catch them – or just wants to taunt her.

Meanwhile, Felicity is also playing host to her future in-laws and discovers that her fiancé’s sister, who is also a cop, is very competitive.  Can Felicity hold her own and make a good impression, while keeping her business together and her aunt out of jail?  And can Felicity solve it in time to protect the people she cares about from becoming additional victims?   

Satchmo the retired police dog turned therapy dog returns to help her sniff out a few clues, and one of the guests brings along a ferret named Cheeseburger, who keeps showing up in the most unexpected places.

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BOOK TRAILER

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Amber Royer writes the Chocoverse comic telenovela-style foodie-inspired space opera series, and the Bean to Bar Mysteries. She also teaches creative writing and is an author coach. 

Amber and her husband live in the DFW Area, where you can often find them hiking or taking landscape, architecture, or wildlife photographs. 

If you are very nice to Amber, she might make you cupcakes.  Chocolate cupcakes, of course! Amber blogs about creative writing techniques and all things chocolate at www.amberroyer.com.

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PLAYLIST

A Hotel in the Process of Change Playlist

In A Chocolate is Announced, my protagonist Felicity is hosting a murder mystery weekend. Of course, something goes wrong, and there’s a very real murder. The event is being hosted at the hotel her aunt is in the process of flipping. This hotel has been a setting in several books in the series. I wanted to do a playlist that harkens back to this hotel in its heyday.

When I think hotels from when I was a kid, the first thing music-wise that pops into my head is the Muzak that used to play in the elevators. (For anyone not familiar with, we’re talking about instrumental versions of popular songs. Sometimes the tone feels off, when the original version was a love ballad or hard-rock jam, and the cover version is piano or acoustic guitar.). I collected together some interesting instrumental variations of songs from the 1960s to the early 2000 for an unobtrusive instrumental soundtrack.

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Audio Book Blast: Double Scoop of Murder (A Coffee & Cream Cafe Mystery, #3) by Lena Gregory

 

Audio Book 

Double Scoop of Murder

Coffee & Cream Café Mysteries

by

Lena Gregory

Read by Eleanor McCormick

Cozy Mystery
3rd in Series
Setting – Watchogue, Long Island, New York
Audiobook
Publication Date: June 25, 2024
Publisher: Tantor Audio
Listening Length - 6 hours and 39 minutes
ASIN: B0D67ZB8TB / Audio CD: ASIN: B0CZ31MZVK

Paperback / eBook
Gemma Halliday Publishing
Publication Date: November 21, 2023
Number of Pages: 226 pages
Digital ASIN: B0CCLT922F / Paperback ISBN-13: 979-8879730982

SYNOPSIS:

 

From author Lena Gregory comes a hunt for more than just treasure . . .

Danika Delany is loving running her uncle's old-fashioned malt shop on eastern Long Island and putting her own modern spin on the treats they serve. Life is finally looking up for her! That is, until local billionaire Maxwell Crumbholtz dies and leaves his fortune in the form of a treasure hunt. Chaos descends on Watchogue, and Dani and the rest of the gang from the Coffee & Cream Cafe join the melee when they enter the contest, try to decipher the clues, and go in search of the treasure. But Dani digs up more than she expected when she discovers a dead body buried instead of a treasure! To make matters worse, a witness claims to have seen Dani at the scene of the murder. Now, instead of a four-billion-dollar payday, Dani is on the hunt for a killer.

CLICK TO PURCHASE!

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Find the entire Coffee & Cream Café Mystery Series in all formats here.

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

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.

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Review Tour & Giveaway: Tangerine Marmalade Murder (Luscious Delights Mystery, #3) by Meg Benjamin

TANGERINE MARMALADE MURDER

A Luscious Delights Mystery

by

Meg Benjamin

Cozy Mystery

Publisher: The Wild Rose Press, Inc.

Publication Date: June 10, 2024

Page count: 250 pages

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SYNOPSIS:

When a stranger is murdered near Roxy Constantine’s farm, she’s sure it has nothing to do with her. But the investigation turns up surprising links to Roxy’s past. As if that weren’t enough, Roxy’s quarreling with her Significant Other, Nate Robicheaux, and facing a possible break-up. Just when the stress begins to ease, the murderer strikes again, sending Nate to the hospital. Now Roxy needs to figure out the link between the Constantine Farm and a blackmailer before she becomes the killer’s next target.

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READ AN EXCERPT:

We settled down at the dinner table for some general conversation about the Merchants Association, blueberry jam, and just how much snow we were likely to get from the latest storm, which was still stalled somewhere on the Western Slope. I’d just gotten up to see what ice cream I had in the freezer when someone hammered on my door. 

Herman whimpered, and Uncle Mike pushed himself up from the table. “What the hell?” 

I started for the door, where the hammering was still going on, but Uncle Mike grabbed my arm. “Let me open it. You hold onto Herman.” 

That was a good idea, since Herman had moved from whimpering to growling along with stalking toward the door as if he’d actually protect us. In fact, it was more likely we’d protect him, but I wouldn’t tell him that. 

Uncle Mike threw open the door. “What the hell…” he started, then paused. “Donnie?” 

I moved closer to the open door and saw Donnie McCray, Dolce’s dad and Uncle Mike’s foreman, standing on my doorstep. He’s a big man, but right then he looked like he was ready to collapse. “Come inside.” I grabbed his arm. “Sit down. What’s wrong? Are you hurt?” 

Donnie dropped onto my couch, gasping. “There’s a woman,” he began and then stopped to catch his breath. 

“What woman?” Uncle Mike said. “Where?” 

“Up by the road. In a car.” Donnie gasped again, and I dropped to my knees beside him. 

“What about her, Donnie? What’s wrong?” 

“She’s dead,” he blurted out. “She’s dead up there in the car.”

REVIEW:

5 stars!

A solid mystery when Roxy's forgotten past intrudes into her present. 

Tangerine Marmalade Murder is the third book in author Meg Benjamin's wonderful culinary-themed cozy mystery series, Luscious Delights, and a welcome return to the people and town of Shavano, Colorado. The well-developed and engaging characters really have come to life in this series, and each new book is like reuniting with old friends. While it is very comfortable and fun to catch up with everyone, this visit is fraught with mystery, murder, and a few bumps on the road to romance. 

Roxy Constantine is a great character, a level-headed and interesting young woman who experienced some sadness in her early life when her mother left her and her father behind to go her own way and the subsequent loss of her father when she was a teen. Thankfully, her Uncle Mike stepped in and gave her the home and love she deserved. When her mother's driver's license is found among the possessions of a stranger found murdered in a car on the side of their farm's road, Roxy must confront her feelings about the woman who gave her life but never knew and find out how this stranger did. Although she's pretty chill about her mom not being in her life at the start, I could understand her curiosity when faced with learning more about that side of her family after that time. In addition to this, Roxy and Nate are struggling as they try to navigate working together and having a personal relationship. 

The story begins with the discovery of the victim's body but backtracks in time to establish context. Readers only get a single scene with the victim alive, so while she doesn't have much time to make an impression, she effectively comes across as unpleasant and sly. The twist in the story may explain her sly demeanor when she shows up on Roxy's doorstep, though. The investigation into the murder is well done, and I was on board from the start, even while agonizing with Roxy over Nate's grumpiness. As always, the discussion of jams, flavors, and jam-making, as well as the dishes prepared for the catered events, were tempting and crave-inducing. I was surprised by the resolution of the story, though I'd had my suspicions. 

Although the third book in the series, readers new to Luscious Delights shouldn't have any trouble reading and enjoying this one independently. I recommend TANGERINE MARMALADE MURDER to cozy mystery readers, especially those who enjoy culinary-themed stories.

*See my review of book one in the Luscious Delights Mystery series, The Pepper Peach Murder, HERE!

**See my review of book five in the Luscious Delights Mystery series, The Wine Jelly Murder, HERE!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Meg Benjamin is an award-winning author of romance and cozy mysteries. Meg’s Konigsburg series is set in the Texas Hill Country and her Salt Box and Brewing Love trilogies are set in the Colorado Rockies (all are available from Entangled Publishing and from Meg’s indie line). Her new cozy mystery series, Luscious Delights from Wild Rose Press, concerns a jam-making sleuth based in the mythical small town of Shavano, Colorado. Along with romance and cozies, Meg is also the author of the paranormal Ramos Family trilogy from Berkley InterMix and the Folk trilogy from Soul Mate. Meg’s books have won numerous awards, including an EPIC Award, a Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice Award, the Holt Medallion from Virginia Romance Writers, the Beanpot Award from the New England Romance Writers, and the Award of Excellence from Colorado Romance Writers. Meg can be reached via email at meg@megbenjamin.com.

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Book Blitz: Slashed Potatoes & Grave-y (Honeypie Mysteries, #1) by Joann Keder

Slashed Potatoes and Grave-y
Joann Keder
(Honeypie Mysteries, #1)
Publication date: February 14th 2024
Genres: Adult, Cozy Mystery

Honeypie Sweetwater’s life is a recipe for disaster—her culinary career in San Francisco is burnt to a crisp, her sterling reputation tossed out like last week’s leftovers, and now her home is slipping through her fingers like fine sand. Just as she’s about to surrender to fate, a ghost from the past delivers a bombshell—her beloved grandmother didn’t die; she was murdered. Clutching the deed to a quaint diner on the rugged coast, Honeypie whisks back to the salty sea air of her youth to unravel a mystery that’s been marinating for years. In a town bubbling with secrets, every friend could be a suspect, and every enemy, a clue. As the plot thickens and an enigmatic blast from the past steps out of the shadows, Honeypie must face a bitter truth: the most dangerous ingredients in this simmering scandal are her own buried secrets.

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—

EXCERPT:

“Ma’am?”

Honeypie Sweetwater stared out the window of her condo. The rain was coming down in sheets, which was fitting for her current financial situation. Unwillingly, she turned her head to face the stern woman sitting across the table from her.

“I’m sorry, Mrs. Steam, I—”

“It’s SIStine, like the chapel? And I’m Ms.” She twitched her nose just like the old television show with the witch. Also fitting.

“This is your copy of the documents for the foreclosure on this property.”

“It’s my home. We’re not talking about a lemonade stand. I raised my son here and started a business—”

“And that failed too, didn’t it?”

Honeypie dug what was left of her fingernails into her palms, doing her level best not to lose her cool. “You just look at the numbers. You don’t have any idea what my life has been like, or what it took just to put food on the table for my kid some months.”

After a brief stare-down that Honeypie felt confident she’d won, the banker leaned back, causing the wobbly wooden chair to creak in protest. She flopped an arm over the back of the chair and stuck her tongue in her cheek before delivering the next blow.

“There is also the matter of your inheritance. The land and property in Washington State will also become our holdings after you sign the paperwork.” She shuffled through her papers containing a collection of colorful stickers. “I hear great things about the museum in Misty Cove.”

“The Chewseum? I didn’t realize that was still open. It’s a food museum. Kinda cheesy, get it?”

Ms. Sistine ignored H.P.’s attempt at humor and shoved the documents in front of her.

“Please sign on the lines I’ve highlighted.”

Her inheritance. Her childhood. Everything that made her the woman she was today.

Author Bio:

USA TODAY bestselling author, Joann Keder spent most of her years in the Midwest, growing up and raising a family on the Great Plains of Nebraska. She worked for sixteen years as a piano teacher before returning to school to receive a master's degree in creative writing. A mid-life move to the Pacific Northwest led her to re-examine her priorities. She now creates stories about life and relationships in small towns while her ever-patient husband encourages her on.

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