Showing posts with label tea. Show all posts
Showing posts with label tea. Show all posts

Saturday, November 08, 2025

Book Review: Hummingbird Moonrise (Murder, Tea, and Crystals, #3) by Sherri L. Dodd

Hummingbird Moonrise (Murder, Tea & Crystals #3)Hummingbird Moonrise by Sherri L. Dodd
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Satisfying conclusion to this riveting, complex, and magical trilogy.

Arista Kelly and her Auntie Bethie have returned to Boulder Creek, California, and are settling back into a calmer lifestyle with their cats, gardens, tea, and magic, after their encounter with a serial killer and Arista’s Uncle Fergus the previous year. But just when they thought all that was behind them, the curse on the Kelly family rears its ugly head.

Hummingbird Moonrise is the third and final book in author Sherri L. Dodd’s riveting Murder, Tea, and Crystals Trilogy, and you couldn’t ask for a finer resolution. Arista and Auntie Bethie are a formidable pair, and no matter the twists thrown their way, they handle them.

There is a lot of story to wrap up, the plot is deliciously complex, so the action hits the ground running. I was all in right away, especially for what was going on with Iris: so many twists in her story! The curse her grandmother invoked against the Kellys takes center stage, though, and I was hooked on this book, eager to find out how it would all unfold. The author has quite a few surprises in store, yet still manages to create an ever-expanding cast of characters and craft a well-told, yet complex tale, with plenty of tea, crystals, folklore, and witchcraft to add to the delight.

The book is the culmination of many complex storylines that emerged over the course of the previous books; therefore, for optimal enjoyment, readers should complete those first. I recommend HUMMINGBIRD MOONRISE and the entire MURDER, TEA, AND CRYSTALS TRILOGY to readers of paranormal mysteries.

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Monday, August 14, 2023

Virtual Book Tour & Giveaway: Honey Drop Dead (A Tea Shop Mystery, #25) by Laura Childs

 

Honey Drop Dead
A Tea Shop Mystery
by
Laura Childs

Cozy Mystery
25th in Series
Setting – South Carolina
Publisher: Berkley
Publication Date: August 8, 2023
Hardcover page count: 320 pages
ISBN-10: 0593200950 / ISBN-13: 978-0593200957
Digital ASIN: B0BLTT3TCN

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SYNOPSIS:

The murder of a political bigwig at a Honey Bee Tea sends Theodosia Browning buzzing for answers in this latest installment of the New York Times bestselling series. 

Theodosia’s Honey Bee Tea was an elegant affair set in Charleston’s new Petigru Park amid newly planted native grasses and a community beekeeping project. But when a phony beekeeper shows up and sprays toxic smoke at the guests, the party erupts in chaos. Worse yet, a shot rings out and Osgood Claxton III, candidate for state legislature, falls to the ground—dead. Holly Burns, the gallery owner who asked Theodosia to cater the tea, is understandably heartbroken. A man is dead, her guests are angry and injured, and the paintings that were on display are left in tatters. When the police don’t seem to have a clue, when old-line politicos don’t want questions asked, Holly begs Theodosia to run a shadow investigation and help restore her gallery’s good name. Between hosting a Wind in the Willows Tea and a Glam Girl Tea, Theodosia questions everyone that had a bone to pick with Claxton. This includes Booker, an angry outsider artist; Lamar Lucket, Claxton’s political opponent; and Mignon Merriweather, the dead man’s soon-to-be ex-wife. But the investigation becomes a political hot potato following a second murder, the revelation of a messy affair, a chase through a swamp, and a vandalized shop. 

INCLUDES DELICIOUS RECIPES AND TEA TIME TIPS!

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Laura Childs is the New York Times bestselling author of the Tea Shop Mysteries, Scrapbook Mysteries, and Cackleberry Club Mysteries. In her previous life she was CEO/Creative Director of her own marketing firm and authored several screenplays. She is married to a professor of Chinese art history, loves to travel, rides horses, enjoys fundraising for various non-profits, and has two Chinese Shar-Pei dogs.

Laura specializes in cozy mysteries that have the pace of a thriller (a thrillzy!) Her three series are:

The Tea Shop Mysteries – set in the historic district of Charleston and featuring Theodosia Browning, owner of the Indigo Tea Shop. Theodosia is a savvy entrepreneur, and pet mom to service dog Earl Grey. She’s also an intelligent, focused amateur sleuth who doesn’t rely on coincidences or inept police work to solve crimes. This charming series is highly atmospheric and rife with the history and mystery that is Charleston.

The Scrapbooking Mysteries – a slightly edgier series that take place in New Orleans. The main character, Carmela, owns Memory Mine scrapbooking shop in the French Quarter and is forever getting into trouble with her friend, Ava, who owns the Juju Voodoo shop. New Orleans’ spooky above-ground cemeteries, jazz clubs, bayous, and Mardi Gras madness make their presence known here!

The Cackleberry Club Mysteries – set in Kindred, a fictional town in the Midwest. In a rehabbed Spur station, Suzanne, Toni, and Petra, three semi-desperate, forty-plus women have launched the Cackleberry Club. Eggs are the morning specialty here and this cozy cafe even offers a book nook and yarn shop. Business is good but murder could lead to the cafe’s undoing! This series offers recipes, knitting, cake decorating, and a dash of spirituality.

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TOUR PARTICIPANTS:

August 8 – Baroness Book Trove – REVIEW
August 8 – The Avid Reader – REVIEW
August 9 – Christy's Cozy Corners – REVIEW
August 10 – The Mystery of Writing – SPOTLIGHT
August 10 – The Plain-Spoken Pen – REVIEW
August 11 – Hearts & Scribbles – SPOTLIGHT
August 11 – The Book Diva's Reads – AUTHOR GUEST POST
August 12 – Maureen's Musings – SPOTLIGHT
August 12 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT
August 13 – #BRVL Book Review Virginia Lee – SPOTLIGHT
August 13 – Cassidy's Bookshelves – SPOTLIGHT
August 14 – Brooke Blogs – SPOTLIGHT
August 14 – Guatemala Paula Loves to Read – SPOTLIGHT
August 15 – Ascroft, eh? – AUTHOR GUEST POST
August 15 – Diane Reviews Books – REVIEW
August 16 – Angel's Guilty Pleasures – SPOTLIGHT
August 16 – Novels Alive – REVIEW
August 16 – Ruff Drafts – SPOTLIGHT
August 17 – Socrates Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
August 17 – Literary Gold – SPOTLIGHT
August 18 – Cozy Up With Kathy – REVIEW
August 18 – MJB Reviewers – SPOTLIGHT
August 19 – Sapphyria's Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
August 20 – The Mystery Section – SPOTLIGHT
August 21 – My Reading Journeys – SPOTLIGHT

GIVEAWAY! GIVEAWAY! GIVEAWAY!

Saturday, August 12, 2023

Virtual Book Tour & Giveaway: Weeding Out Lies (Texas Flower Farmer Cozy Mystery, #1) by Jackie Layton

 

Weeding Out Lies
A Texas Flower Farmer Cozy Mystery
by
Jackie Layton

Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Setting - Texas
Publisher: Level Best Books
Publication Date: July 11, 2023
Print length: 302 pages
ASIN: B0C7JT33B4


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SYNOPSIS: 
Flower farmer Emma Justice’s life is firmly rooted in Lutz, Texas where she has recently begun her new business. One morning while delivering flowers, she stumbles upon a prominent citizen. Dead. When a friend is accused of murder, Emma launches her own investigation. She’s used to separating weeds from flowers. Emma will dig for clues, weed out red herrings and cultivate a plan to find the killer.

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REVIEW:

4 stars!

A new amateur sleuth blossoms in this fresh, flower-filled, Texas-set debut cozy mystery!

Emma Justice is the unlikely new amateur sleuth in Jackie Layton’s new Texas Flower Farmer Cozy Mystery series set in the small fictional town of Lutz, Texas. A former pharmacy tech, she’s finally pursuing her dream of flower farming now that her only child, daughter Abby, is out of the house and off to college. Her transformation to gumshoe is courtesy of a promise to help her dear friend and bookstore owner, Paige Booker, clear her name as the main suspect in the murder of her part-time employee, Willow Moore. With loads of suspects and as many possible motives for her murder, this first book is rife with red herrings and plot twists.
 
Emma is hard-working and determined to find her joy in growing and selling her beautiful blooms. There are plenty of descriptions of lovely flower combinations throughout the story, and I was often tempted to try to recreate some of her displays. In addition, Emma’s best friend, Sophie, owns the bakery in town, and another, Brett, the local coffee shop, so many luscious food items and delicious drinks are mentioned. Love interest Jake is new to town and helping out his best friend, Brett, while he takes a break and does his best to delight Emma with yummy new coffee concoctions.

As with most first-in-series books, the author must establish the small-town setting and its residents in this entry, including the protagonist, family, friends, victim, and suspects. Layton does a great job providing a wide variety of people, professions, and businesses to populate Lutz without overwhelming the reader. She hits a good balance with those who make only a casual appearance and those who will have a more substantial hand in the current proceedings. 

With a victim everyone seems to like, Emma has to really dig into Willow’s private affairs to discover suspects and their motives. However, once she gets going, meanies start to come out of the woodwork. Emma is mostly discreet about her inquiries, but it’s a small town, and word inevitably gets around that she’s asking tough questions. She eventually narrows down her list of names and motives, but it wasn’t until the final reveal that I knew the real killer and the truth behind Willow’s death. 

I recommend WEEDING OUT LIES to cozy mystery readers ready for a new series featuring flowers, food, and a scrappy female protagonist in an authentic down-home Texas setting.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Jackie Layton is the author of cozy mysteries with Spunky Southern Sleuths. Her stories are set in Texas, Georgia, and South Carolina. She lives on the coast of South Carolina where she enjoys walks on the beach and golf cart rides around the marsh. Reading, gardening, and traveling are some of her favorite hobbies. She always keeps a notebook handy to write down ideas for future stories. Be careful what you say around her, because it might end up in a book. 




TOUR PARTICIPANTS:

August 9 – Reading, Writing & Stitch-Metic – CHARACTER GUEST POST
August 9 – Brooke Blogs – SPOTLIGHT
August 10 – Celticlady's Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
August 10 – Ascroft, eh? – CHARACTER INTERVIEW
August 11 – Baroness Book Trove – SPOTLIGHT
August 11 – Christy's Cozy Corners – AUTHOR GUEST POST
August 12 – Guatemala Paula Loves to Read – REVIEW
August 12 – Jane Reads -CHARACTER GUEST POST
August 13 – StoreyBook Reviews – REVIEW
August 13 – ebook addicts – AUTHOR GUEST POST
August 14 – Literary Gold – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
August 14 – Sapphyria's Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
August 14 – My Reading Journeys - REVIEW
August 15 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT
August 15 – Ruff Drafts – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
August 15 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW, AUTHOR GUEST POST
August 16 – Socrates Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
August 16 – Maureen's Musings – SPOTLIGHT
August 17 – Mystery, Thrillers, and Suspense – CHARACTER GUEST POST
August 17 – #BRVL Book Review Virginia Lee – SPOTLIGHT
August 18 – Novels Alive – REVIEW
August 18 – Reading Is My SuperPower – REVIEW

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