Book Review: One Gold Ring (Century Cottage Cozy Mystery novella) by Dianne Ascroft

One Gold Ring

A Century Cottage Cozy Mystery novella

by

Dianne Ascroft

5 stars!

A missing ring, a frantic search, and an imperiled proposal. 

One Gold Ring is a holiday-themed novella set in the fictional small Canadian town of Fenwater and part of author Dianne Ascroft’s delightful Century Cottage Cozy Mystery series. When Marge Kirkwood carelessly leaves Bruce Murray’s family heirloom, a vintage diamond and ruby gold engagement ring, lying unattended at their table at the local diner, it tragically goes missing just as the ring’s intended recipient, Marge’s best friend, Lois Stone, arrives to join them for breakfast. Frantic to recover the ring without spoiling the surprise of his upcoming yuletide proposal, Bruce and Marge go to great lengths tracking down possible suspects who had access to the ring, with Lois helping them every step of the way. 

This fun novella is a great introduction to this ongoing series, with many of Marge and Lois’s friends and neighbors making cameo appearances as they follow their suspects. A wild chase through the local market, packed with Christmas shoppers, is suspenseful but also studded with comic moments of near misses and unfortunate last-minute escapes. The story had me breathless, wondering if there would be a HEA ending! I enjoyed the characters, setting, and storytelling so much that I look forward to reading the earlier books in the series now. 

I recommend ONE GOLD RING to cozy mystery readers, especially those who enjoy a holiday-themed story and small-town Canadian settings. 

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advance Review Copy from the author through Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours.

Book Review: A Pantomime of Peril (Cotswold Antique Mystery, #3) by Victoria Tait

A Pantomime of Peril: A British Cozy Murder Mystery by Victoria Tait
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A villain onstage and in real life meets his end during the village pantomime!

A Pantomime of Peril is the third book in author Victoria Tait’s cozy Cotswold Antique Mystery series, featuring friends Dotty Sayers and Keya Varma, who have both been recruited into helping with Dr. Peter Wimsey’s production of a traditional holiday pantomime. When the obnoxious newcomer to the village of Colm Akeman, Wickham Vane, collapses onstage during the first performance of Jack and the Beanstalk, everyone immediately believes it’s the combination of his exertion, the heat from the stage lights, and underlying medical conditions that’s to blame. But when Keya, the local Crime Scene Manager, discovers differently, there’s almost an unlimited number of people who had reason to wish the man ill.

Dotty, Keya, and all the friends and neighbors from their small village are back, and as the holidays close in, it’s up to the ladies to figure out who is actually behind the man’s murder. Dr. Peter Wimsey had launched the pantomime as a means to get their elderly residents out of their houses for some seasonal socializing. Wickham Vane, a well-known but overbearing professional actor and director, who had recently relocated to the village, barges his way into the production, grabs the reins of the show, the role of the giant, and runs off many of the local volunteers. Dotty, busy with a large winter auction at work, has no intention of participating in the theatrical but steps up to fill in where she can. Keya, while engaged in her own business and looking forward to the holidays and a much-deserved escape with her partner, Sujin, volunteers as well, so she is in the wings when the actor utters his final “Fee Fi Fo Fum.” Between her experience and Dotty’s keen observations, there are plenty of folk who had the means and motives to stop the dead man in his tracks.

The holiday season and the victim’s renown all increase the number of suspects on hand, and there are some good red herrings to distract armchair detectives from guessing the perpetrator too quickly. Twists and turns in the plot make for a clever holiday-themed homicide from start to finish.

Although this is the third book in the series, readers new to it will easily be able to read and enjoy this latest installment. I recommend A PANTOMIME OF PERIL to cozy mystery fans.

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Book Review: Merry Merry Merry Murder (Cuddle Farms Mystery, #1) by Paty Jager

Merry Merry Merry Murder: A Cuddle Farm Mystery by Paty Jager
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Nice holiday-themed start for a new cozy mystery series.

Merry Merry Merry Murder is the debut novel in author Pay Jager’s new cozy Cuddle Farm Mysteries series and features a widow returning to the hometown she grew up in to reunite with her family and start her life without her beloved husband. After the accidental death of her husband two years earlier, Andi Clark had experienced deep grief, and her dog, Cocoa, turned out to be the key to her healing. Realizing she could provide the same type of comfort to others, Andi learned more about therapy animals and decided to move back home to her family’s farm, rebuild her life, and start her own business, taking trained therapy dogs where they were needed most, like schools, hospitals, and retirement facilities. Thus, Cuddle Farms was born and soon expanded to include a miniature donkey, goat, and chicken, as well as Andi’s three dogs: Cocoa, Athena, and Lulu.

The holidays officially kick off in town on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, with a Christmas market followed by their traditional tree-lighting ceremony later that night. But during the evening’s festivities, the body of a local woman is discovered, strangled with a string of Christmas lights, and Andi is determined to find justice for the victim’s little girl, whom Andi had overheard confiding to Athena about seeing her mother kissing Santa Claus, a man not her father.

Andi finds out it’s hard to come home after so many years away. People have changed, life has moved on, and there are long-hidden secrets. The dead woman, Lauren Sheffield, is at the center of many of those secrets, and there are plenty of good suspects who have clear motives for wanting her out of their lives. Andi jumps into the case feet first because she wants an inroad with the new sheriff as an investigator: skills she’d developed over the twenty years she was away while helping her husband discreetly solve international murder cases involving privileged, high-placed, or government officials. From the sheriff’s perspective, she’s a nosy civilian but has local knowledge and connections he still lacks as a newcomer in town. So, although he cautions her to stay out of his investigation, he relies on her for the information she digs up. Along the way, Andi finally begins to reconnect with her old high school friends and expand her impact with her therapy animals.

The murder occurs early in the story, and the author does the heavy lifting of building the world of Auburn, Oregon, while Andi asks questions. The murder victim had quite a well-deserved reputation as a seductress, and many local couples had been drawn into her games. With so many guilty husbands and wronged wives, the suspects are thick on the ground, and Andi has her work cut out for her just ruling out the most likely. The story meanders a bit with so many distractions, but when the truth begins to come out, the pace really picks up. With questions about her family’s dynamics that still require answers and the hint of a possible romance in the future, I look forward to the next book in the series.

I recommend MERRY MERRY MERRY MURDER to cozy mystery fans, especially those who enjoy a holiday-themed story.

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advance Review Copy from the author through Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours.

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Virtual Book Tour & Giveaway - Holiday & Homicides: A Short Story Collection by USA TODAY Bestselling Authors

 

Holidays & Homicides:

A Short Story Collection

by

Rosalie Spielman, Catherine Bruns, Gin Jones, Annie McEwen, Lena Gregory, Jennifer Fischetto, Anne Marie Stoddard, Kelly Rey, Misty Simon, Christine Knapp, Jamie L. Adams, Erica Wynters

About Holidays & Homicides

 

Holidays & Homicides: A Short Story Collection

Holiday Cozy Mysteries

Publisher: Gemma Halliday Publishing

Publication date: December 2, 2025

Print length: 419 pages

ASIN: B0FSNH17GM 

From twelve USA Today bestselling and award winning authors, comes a short story collection stuffed full of mirthful mysteries, clever criminals, and holiday cheer! These short holiday bites are perfect for enjoying between rounds of wrapping or binge-reading over a cup of cocoa! 

Stories include:

• A Hometown Christmas Caper (Hometown Mysteries) by Rosalie Spielman
• Gossip, Guilt & Gingerbread (Coffee & Cream Café Mysteries) by Lena Gregory
• Larceny & Twinkle Lights (Jamie Winters Mysteries) by Kelly Rey
• Holidays & Heists (Aloha Lagoon Mysteries) by Anne Marie Stoddard
• Ornaments, Surprise & Dead Guys (Gianna Mancini Mysteries) by Jennifer Fischetto
• It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Mischief (Northwoods Mysteries) by Annie McEwen 
• You Can't see the Forest for the Christmas Trees (Modern Midwife Mysteries) by Christine Knapp
• Jingle Bell Rocker (Sunny Side Up Mysteries) by Misty Simon
• Holly, Handcuffs, and Hearsay (Camelot Flowers Mysteries) by Erica Wynters
• Search for the Silent Santa (Ghost Town Mysteries) by Jamie L. Adams
• Nothing But Truffle (Cookies & Chance Mysteries) by Catherine Bruns
• A Heartland Homicide (Bourbon B&B Mysteries) by Gin Jones

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About the Authors

Catherine Bruns is the USA Today bestselling author of the Cookies & Chance Mysteries. She lives in New York with her very patient husband, three sons, and several spoiled pets. Catherine has a B.A. in English and is a former newspaper reporter and press release writer. She also writes the Italian Chef Mysteries, Cindy York Real Estate Mysteries, and Carrie Jorgenson (Aloha Lagoon) culinary series. Her book, For Sale by Killer, won the 2019 Daphne du Maurier award for Mainstream Mystery/Suspense.

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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, and the All-Day Breakfast Café Mysteries, which are set on the outskirts of Florida’s Ocala National Forest.

Lena grew up in a small town on the south shore of eastern Long Island. She recently relocated to Florida with her husband, three kids, son-in-law, and four dogs. Her hobbies include spending time with family, reading, jigsaw puzzles, 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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Rosalie Spielman is a mother, veteran, and retired military spouse. She was thrilled to discover that she could make other people laugh with her writing and finds joy in giving people a humorous escape from the real world. Her cozy mystery novels are set in locales that have chickens—such as sunny Kauai and rural Idaho—writing for the multi-author Aloha Lagoon mystery series and her own Hometown Mystery series.

She currently lives in Maryland with her husband in a rapidly emptying nest. 

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From her first discovery of Nancy Drew, USA Today bestselling author Kelly Rey has had a lifelong love for mystery and tales of things that go bump in the night, especially those with a twist of humor. Through many years of working in the court reporting and closed captioning fields, writing has remained a constant. If she's not in front of a keyboard, she can be found reading, working out or avoiding housework. She's a member of Sisters in Crime and lives in the Northeast with her husband and a menagerie of very spoiled pets.

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Gin Jones is a retired lawyer who specialized in ghost-writing for other lawyers. She prefers to write her own books, though, since she doesn't have to worry that her sense of humor might get her thrown into jail for contempt of court. In her spare time, Gin makes quilts, grows garlic, and advocates for patients with rare disorders.

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Jamie L. Adams fell in love with books at an early age. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott opened her imagination and sparked a dream to be a writer. She wrote her first book as a school project in 6th grade.

A graduate of the Institute of Children's Literature as well as member of American Christian Fiction Writers, The Writing Desk, and several critique groups, she spends most of her time writing, reading or learning more about the craft near to her heart.

The parents of three very active children, she and her husband live in the Ozarks surrounded by forest and wildlife.

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Erica Wynters started as most authors do - as an avid reader. Cozy mysteries and romantic suspense offered her just the escape she was looking for! The combination of great love and great danger keeps her turning pages late into the night.

Now they keep her writing pages late into the night. Her goal is always two-fold: help you fall in love with love all over again and take you on an adventure that will keep you on the edge of your seat!

Falling in love has never been so fun...or so dangerous!

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Misty Simon always wanted to be a storyteller…preferably behind a Muppet. Animal was number one, followed closely by Sherlock Hemlock… Since that dream didn’t come true, she began writing stories to share her world with readers, one laugh at a time.

Touching people’s hearts and funny bones are two of her favorite things, and she hopes everyone at least snickers in the right places when reading her books. She lives with her husband in Central Pennsylvania, where she is hard at work on her next novel or three.

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Christine Knapp practiced as a nurse-midwife for many years. A writer of texts and journal articles, she is now thrilled to combine her love of midwifery and mysteries as a fiction author. Christine currently narrates books for the visually impaired. A dog lover, she lives near Boston. 

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Annie McEwen is the author of the Northwoods Mysteries series, set amongst the tall pines and sparkling lakes of northern Wisconsin where she spent vacations as a kid. Because of a sweet love story between her youngest sister and a local Wisconsin boy (storyline idea!), she’s still been able to keep on visiting the beautiful place that means so much to her. 

Annie and her husband are empty nesters—their son is married to his high school sweetheart, and their daughter is married with two adorable toddler boys. Being grandparents is definitely the best gig ever! They also have four fur babies who just might make some special appearances in Annie's books. 

When Annie isn’t writing, playing with her grandsons, or tackling trash-to-treasure projects, she works as a radiological technologist, aka, she takes pictures of bones...you can’t hide much from her! Writing, though, is her first love.   

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Jennifer Fischetto is the USA TODAY Bestselling author of the Gianna Mancini paranormal cozy mystery series, as well as a dozen other titles. She writes family-centric murder mysteries and things that go bump in the night. A lover of rainstorms and snow, she prefers fiction over reality and longs to live in a world where French fries grow on trees, chocolate appears whenever desired, and every day is October. She watches too much television and movies, which fuel her never-ending supply of plot ideas, and is a rabid fan of suspense, horror, and everything supernatural. 

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Anne Marie Stoddard is a USA TODAY bestselling author and former Amazon Mover & Shaker. She writes supernatural suspense and humorous cozy mysteries with an edge. Her Amelia Grace Mystery series, inspired by her years working in radio, and concert venues and music festivals across the U.S., has won several awards, including the 2012 AJC Decatur Book Festival Writing Contest, the 2013 Book Junkie's Choice Award for Best Debut Fiction Novel, and nominations for the 2014 & 2016 RONE Awards Best Mystery/Thriller Category. 

Aside from writing, Anne Marie loves her husband and their dog, college football, hula hoops, music, coffee, and anything pumpkin-flavored. 

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GUEST POST

Please welcome Gin Jones, the author of a slew of great cozy mystery series and one of the authors of today's featured book, to discuss her contribution to HOLIDAYS & HOMICIDES and gift us with a cookie recipe!

The first thing most readers want to know about my contribution to the Holidays and Homicides anthology is what the heck I was thinking when I decided that a call for short stories set during a winter holiday should be set in February. But Christmas and Valentine's Day have more in common than you might think. 

First, consider the weather. In Kentucky, where "A Heartland Homicide" is set, Valentine's Day is more likely to see snow on the ground than Christmas is. Beyond that, both holidays feature chocolate, gifts, and champagne. And hearts and romance. What more could a story want (besides a bit of crime)? 

I'd like to say I had thought of all these logical explanations when I set my holiday homicide story on Valentine's Day instead of Christmas or New Year's Eve. But really it was because I had been sitting on an idea for a while (no spoilers here, I promise) that was an homage to Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None. I envisioned a blizzard, rather than a remote island, stranding the victims, who are college friends getting together for a reunion on "Pal-entine's Day." And the winter holiday anthology seemed like the perfect opportunity to play with the premise.

As it turned out, short stories don't have enough space for more than one murder, so the story turned out very different from what I'd originally planned. But it still has all the hallmarks of a winter adventure—a blizzard, snowmen, and treats. So many treats! 

One of the treats mentioned in the story is my personal favorite—shortbread cookies cut into heart shapes. I make them for both Christmas and Valentine's Day (and, really, any occasion when there are enough people around to share them with, so I don't eat the whole batch by myself). Not only are they extremely tasty, but they're easy to make! Just watch them carefully while they're baking, because they can go from not-quite-cooked to overcooked in just seconds.

 

Shortbread Hearts

3/4 pound (3 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

1 cup confectioner's sugar

½ t. vanilla

3 cups flour

½ t. salt

Optional: 1/4 cup granulated sugar, either in its original white or with a drop of food coloring to turn it red

 

Cream butter, confectioner's sugar and vanilla until light. Mix in the flour thoroughly. Gather dough into 2 balls on waxed or parchment paper, and chill for 4 to 6 hours. Roll out each ball to a little over 1/4" thick. Cut into heart shapes approximately 3" across (or smaller; I like them tiny, about half that size). Sprinkle top with granulated sugar. 

Bake on ungreased cookie sheets for 20 minutes at 325 degrees for the 3" size, less if they're smaller or on the thinner side. Watch them carefully; they should just barely be set when you take them out, before they start to turn even a little brown along the edges. Cool on a rack before serving. These are among the very few cookies that taste better at room temperature than when they're still warm. For an extra bit of Christmas flavor, try them with just a dab of mincemeat or apple butter on top. Not too much, and add it only at the last minute, so the cookies don't get soggy.                                                                                                                

Makes 20 cookies using a 3" cookie cutter. 

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Virtual Book Tour & Giveaway: French Quarter Fright Night (Vintage Cookbook Mystery, #3) by Ellen Byron

 

French Quarter Fright Night

A Vintage Cookbook Mystery

by

Ellen Byron

Cozy Mystery
3rd in Series
Setting - the Garden District of New Orleans
Publisher: Severn House
Publication Date: September 3, 2024
Hardcover: 256 pages
ISBN-10: 1448312655 / ISBN-13: 978-1448312658
Digital ASIN: B0CTHQXNM5

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SYNOPSIS:

 

The third in the fabulous cozy mystery series with a vintage flair from USA Today bestselling and Agatha Award-winning author Ellen Byron.

Welcome to the Bon Veeevil Festival of Fear! Prepare for the spookiest night of your life . . .

It's Halloween in New Orleans, and the staff of Bon Vee Culinary House Museum is setting up a fantastic haunted house tour for their visitors. But when flashy movie star Blaine Taggart and his entourage move into the mansion next door, gift shop proprietor Ricki James-Diaz gets a fright of her own.

While Ricki is excited about the potential business the tours will bring to her vintage cookbook shop, she's less thrilled by former friend Blaine's arrival in town. Then Bon Vee's prop tomb becomes a real tomb for Blaine's nasty assistant, and suddenly everyone at Bon Vee is a murder suspect. There isn't a ghost of a chance one of them committed the crime, but with NOPD busy tackling the mischief and mayhem generated by the spooky holiday, it falls on Ricki and her friends to catch the killer.

As the Big Easy gears up for the Big Scary, it seems everyone has skeletons in their closets. Can Ricki reveal the shadowy killer before someone else becomes part of the Halloween horror show?

CLICK TO PURCHASE!

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REVIEW:

5 stars!

A blast from Ricki’s past threatens the Bon Vee House Halloween celebration. 

French Quarter Fright Night is the third book in author Ellen Byron’s fun and cozy Crescent City-set Vintage Cookbook Mystery series, and the evocative atmosphere of the Garden District manor house-turned-museum is the perfect setting for this Halloween-themed tale of murder. An old acquaintance from Ricki’s past disturbs her healing equilibrium and may threaten the peaceful existence of the Bon Vee in the Garden District. 

Miracle Fleur de Lis James-Diaz, or Ricki as she is known to all, is the main character and amateur sleuth of the series. Surprisingly, she’s given a subtle nod of approval to snoop by the lead detective investigating the murder of the latest victim discovered on the grounds of the historical Bon Vee House, the obnoxious personal assistant of their new neighbor. Ricki marshals her resources to dig into the background, current activities, and future plans of the deceased for clues to her murder with the intention of clearing the names of the museum staff. 

The plot delves into Ricki’s past and her history with her deceased estranged husband, Chris, when the new owner of the home next to Bon Vee proves to be none other than Blaine Taggart, Chris’s former best friend who contributed somewhat to his accidental death. There was trouble brewing between the staff at Bon Vee and Blaine’s due to a constant barrage of unfounded complaints lodged against the museum by Blaine’s assistant. The story builds bit by bit, developing the tense enmity between the neighboring properties and setting a sinister stage until it is almost a relief when the murder occurs. 

The author’s storytelling is engaging and compelling: the story flew by! I liked the glimpses of Eugenia Charbonnet Felice, the grande dame and owner of Bon Vee, thawing in her attitude and manner toward her newly revealed cousin, Ricki, and I literally laughed out loud over the many clever quips and fun banter throughout the book, especially when it involved Cookie or Theo. I enjoyed the interesting historical tidbits that were worked into the story, including the collectible cookbooks and details of the vintage kitchen items. There is also a welcome menagerie of pets to love. With a variety of possible suspects, motives, and subsequent plot twists, I was absorbed in the story and highly entertained from start to finish. 

I recommend FRENCH QUARTER FRIGHT NIGHT to cozy mystery enthusiasts, especially those who enjoy stories set in New Orleans and fans of the previous books in the series.

* See my review of Book Two in the Vintage Cookbook Mystery series, Wined and Died in New Orleans, HERE!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

 

Ellen is a USA Today bestselling author, Anthony nominee, and recipient of multiple Agatha and Lefty awards for her Cajun Country Mysteries, Vintage Cookbook Mysteries, and Catering Hall Mysteries (as Maria DiRico). Her new series, The Golden Motel Mysteries, recently debuted. She is also an award-winning playwright and non-award-winning writer of TV hits like Wings, Just Shoot Me, and Fairly OddParents, but considers her most impressive achievement working as a cater-waiter for Martha Stewart. Visit her at

Cozy Mysteries | Ellen Byron | Author 

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September 4 – Mystery, Thrillers, and Suspense – SPOTLIGHT

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September 5 – Christy's Cozy Corners – REVIEW

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September 6 – Baroness Book Trove - REVIEW

September 7 – Socrates Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

September 7 – fundinmental – SPOTLIGHT

September 8 – The Plain-Spoken Pen – REVIEW, RECIPE

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September 9 – Sapphyria's Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

September 10 – Ruff Drafts – SPOTLIGHT WITH RECIPE

September 10 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW

September 11 – Ascroft, eh? – CHARACTER INTERVIEW

September 11 – Celticlady's Reviews – SPOTLIIGHT

September 12 – Paranormal and Romantic Suspense Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

September 13 – View from the Birdhouse – REVIEW

September 14 – Guatemala Paula Loves to Read – REVIEW

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September 16 – Sarah Can’t Stop Reading Books – REVIEW

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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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Review Tour & Giveaway: Meringue Snowflake Magic (Christmas Cookies) by Tena Stetler

 

Meringue Snowflake Magic

by

Tena Stetler

Paranormal Romance / Mystery

Publisher: The Wild Rose Press, Inc

Publication Date: November 14, 2022

Page count: 98 pages

ASIN: B0BD2Q9C28

    

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SYNOPSIS:

After being in the wrong place at the wrong time, Wynter Dahl finds herself with a new name and new home. Whisked into the Witness Protection program she finds herself in the Podunk town of Raven’s Hollow, Colorado. She has more than one secret to keep and is not sure who she can trust, though the deputy sheriff is hard to resist.

Braydon “Blaze” Nightwing, owns Dragon Fire Pizza and takes his job as deputy sheriff seriously. He means to protect his town and its residents, including the mysterious newcomer. He rescues her after a tumble and finds himself in over his head. He senses she’s more than she seems but so is he.

When her cover is blown and her life is in danger it will take the whole town to save her and their annual holiday festival and cookie contest. What is Christmas without a little magic?

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TREAT YOURSELF TO AN EXCERPT:

“What the hell?” burst from her mouth before she could stop it. She slapped a hand over her mouth and glanced around.

 
He took her hand. “Follow me. It’s not safe out in the open for you.”

“What the hell are you talking about? Where are we?” She stared at the surrounding area.

 
“I’ll explain all in good time. Right now, it’s imperative you follow me.” He started to tug her deeper into the woods.

Refusing to continue, she dug her heels in the damp ground covered with decaying leaves.

“I’m not going any farther until you tell me what’s going on.”

He shrugged. “Suit yourself.”  Whirling around, he slung her over his shoulder like a bag of potatoes, then sprinted into the woods.

She squealed. “Put me down this instant.”

Paying no mind to her, he set her feet on the path at the foot of a large oak tree.  He pushed aside vines and plants to reveal a door in the ground.  When he pressed his hand into the rough bark on the side of the tree, a keypad appeared. He punched in a number. The door sprang open to reveal steep winding steel stairs.  Crouching over, he swept his arm toward the entrance. “You first.”

She stood hands on hips. “You expect me to—”

“Or I can haul your ass over my shoulder again. Unfortunately, the stairs are a bit tricky to navigate in that manner, but….” He jerked his head toward the stairs. “All will be explained once we are safe inside.”

 
“I’m not— ”

He took a step forward. “Your cover’s been blown. Handler is missing. Now move!”

REVIEW:

4 stars!

A sweet and spicy holiday cookie-themed paranormal cozy mystery!

Meringue Snowflake Magic is both a sweet and spicy story. Wynter has been ripped away from everyone she holds dear; her life depends on successfully vanishing and staying hidden. She has no idea what has happened to her best friend, Syndi, or her family, who are now also in danger because of what she witnessed.

 

Before she can even unpack or adjust to her new surroundings, she’s visited by the ladies of Raven’s Hollow bearing gifts of food, but as a group, they are a little overwhelming nonetheless. Even her first meeting with Deputy Braydon “Blaze” Nightwing is overshadowed by fear. She has no idea who she can trust yet.

The story becomes fun when her nerves get the best of her during their first date, and I wondered if they could give it another chance. But Blaze is a sweetie and sexy to boot, and love and lust eventually overcome all obstacles. 

Besides the bad men hunting Wynter, her family, and her friend, Syndi, there is a delightful subplot regarding the upcoming holiday cookie contest that everyone in Raven’s Hollow takes very seriously, especially Councilwoman Agnes Goody. Her various subterfuges to get a leg up on everyone else was fun. The descriptions of the event and the cookies are tantalizing, and a couple of the winning cookie recipes are included in the book. 

I recommend MERINGUE SNOWFLAKE MAGIC to cozy mystery readers who enjoy a touch of the paranormal in their stories and holiday or culinary themes.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Tena Stetler is a best-selling author of award winning paranormal romance/mystery with an over-active imagination.  She wrote her first vampire romance as a tween, to the chagrin of her mother and the delight of her friends. Colorado is home; shared with her husband, a brilliant Chow Chow, a spoiled parrot and a forty-five-year-old box turtle. When she’s not writing, her time is spent kayaking, camping, hiking, biking or just relaxing in the great Colorado outdoors.

 

Her books tell tales of magical kick-ass women and mystical alpha males that dare to love them. Travel, adventure,magic, and a bit of mystery flourish in her books along with a few companion animals to round out the tales.

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Book Review Tour & Giveaway: Gingerbread Dead (Christmas Cookies) by Lori L. Robinett

GINGERBREAD DEAD

Part of the Christmas Cookies series

by

Lori L. Robinett

Cozy Mystery

Publisher: The Wild Rose Press, Inc

Publication Date: November 22, 2022

Page count: 92 pages

ASIN: B0BGCD5DYW

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SYNOPSIS:

This fun cozy mystery features a “colorful display of Christmas suspense and intrigue” perfect for lovers of true crime and mysteries.

 

Jessica Barker blogs about true crime for an online magazine. Blogging for others is far from her dream job, but she's willing to pay her dues so that someday she'll have a podcast of her own.

 

Then, Jess witnesses what appears to be her next-door neighbor in distress and Jess is the only one who seems to care. When the cops dismiss her as a bothersome true crime reporter with an overactive imagination, Jess must delve into the life of her mysterious neighbors, Rory and John Regan – with hints at embezzlement and gambling – before someone ends up dead. 

Lori L. Robinett introduces a new series about the adventures of an aspiring podcaster that will appeal to fans of true crime and cozy mysteries.

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READ AN EXCERPT:

Jess slipped through the doorway into the dim hospital room. Sunlight snuck in around the edges of the blinds. There was one bed, the head slightly raised. An orange vinyl chair squatted against the register, empty. Lights around the head of the bed drew attention to the patient. Her face was pale, especially with the frame of dark hair around her oval face. No makeup, and her hair was loose around her shoulders. Though she appeared drawn up, she was taller than Jess. Her brown eyes focused on her visitor, then her brows knitted together in confusion.

“Hi,” Jess said with a tentative smile, feeling the flush of heat in her cheeks. The antiseptic smell filled her nostrils. She thrust out the brightly colored tin. “I brought you some cookies.”

The woman in the bed stared at her, dark eyes rounded, then shifted her gaze to the tin, but made no move to take the cookies. The soft whir of oxygen flowing through the cannula and the beeping of the monitors filled the room. Feeling awkward, Jess set the cookies on the tray table. “Maybe you’ll feel like having some later. Or maybe your husband will help you eat them.”

The woman’s face scrunched in on itself and she shook her head, swinging it slowly from side to side. Her eyes were wide with fear, and her fingers turned white where she gripped the metal guardrail of the hospital bed.

Jess’s heart clenched. In that bed, she saw so much more than her neighbor. She saw all the women she wrote about, all the victims she yearned to help.

REVIEW:

5 stars!

Just the thing to snuggle up with on a cold winter’s evening!

Gingerbread Dead is a thrilling little tidbit of a Christmas mystery, part of the Christmas Cookies series, and it is just the thing to snuggle up with on a cold winter’s evening. The main character, Jessica Barker, is a nose-to-the-grindstone type of girl, steadily working on finetuning her true crime blog and increasing her audience so she can eventually launch her own podcast on the subject. I enjoyed learning about the kind of preparation she did, where she took her inspiration and the amount of daily research required to maintain the blog and write for The Parkersville Post website (her bill-paying day job.) Suffice it to say it takes a lot of work.

The storyline is dark and involves suspected domestic abuse, which quickly escalates into a deadly situation. The author does an excellent job working in the common responses and reactions, the excuses, and the rationalizations, often seen from abuse victims and their abusers. I liked that Jess was courageous enough to take action.

The story is not all darkness, though. There is a sweet, budding romance between Jess and her friend, Brendan. Some of their interactions really made me smile.

I recommend GINGERBREAD DEAD to cozy mystery readers who enjoy holiday or culinary-themed stories.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Lori L. Robinett is a paralegal by day, writer by night. She’s the author of several books, including mysteries, thrillers, and contemporary western romance. She also offers online writing courses through WriteScouts (her signature course is Blank to 50K). Lori and her husband of 25+ years live on a hobby farm in central Missouri maintained for the comfort and enjoyment of their Beagle and Snorkie and two rescue calico cats. When not writing (or reading), you can find Lori crafting or indulging in her TV addiction. Her favorite authors are Stephen King, Tierney James, Carolyn Paul Branch, Micki Browning (and soooo many others!).

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Lori L. Robinett will be awarding $25 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

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