Jean M. Roberts's Blog, page 20

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04/04/23

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Review

04/09/23

JennCaffeinated

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Review

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Published on April 07, 2023 11:29

WINNING MAURA’S HEARTThe Hangman’s Daughters Series, Boo...

WINNING MAURA’S HEARTThe Hangman’s Daughters Series, Book # 1byLINDA BRODAY
Western Romance / Clean & Wholesome / Historical FictionPublisher: Severn HouseDate of Publication: March 7, 2023Number of Pages: 256 pages 
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The Calhoun brothers are identical twins but on opposite sides of the law. Cutter is a deputy Marshal, Jonas an outlaw. When Cutter attempts to break his brother out of a notorious gang, they are shot, and Maura finds one of them wounded, close to the mission - but which brother is it?
Maura Taggart is an outcast, the daughter of a hangman and tainted by association - no reputable man wants her as his wife. And now she is homeless, along with her sister and the group of children in their care. Armed with pure grit, she finds a nearby mission where the nuns agree to take them in and set up an orphanage. But trouble is just around the corner . . .
As the stranger regains his strength under Maura's care an attraction between them grows, yet how far can she trust him? And why has he brought trouble to their door? With the orphanage under threat can Maura trust this handsome stranger both with their safety and with her heart?

UNIVERSAL PURCHASE LINK:https://books2read.com/u/3LVQ9D

I'm a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of western romance novels and short stories. Watching TV westerns during my youth fed my love of cowboys and the old West and they still do. On a still day, I can often hear the voices of American Indians, Comancheros, and early cowboys whispering in the breeze here on the high West Texas plains. We refer to this land as “cowboy” country and men here still ride the range just as cowboys of old. My stories focus on family life and almost all have children.
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Beautiful Maura and her sister Emma are outcasts through no fault of their own; their father is the local hangman and the people of San Antonio shun his innocent daughters. After treating patients stricken with yellow fever, Maura and Emma are run out of town, but they are not alone. They’ve gathered a group of orphans and intend to take care of them. They find themselves at an old Mission on the outskirts of the city where they are welcomed by a trio of Catholic nuns and their alcoholic uncle, Max. As they settle in to their new life, they find a handsome stranger suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. He tells them only his last name, Calhoun, as Maura nurses him back to life and falls for him at the same time. The reader learns that Calhoun is an identical twin, one a lawman, the other an outlaw. Which one has Maura given her heart to?
Winning Maura’s Heart is a sweet heart-felt western romance with a page turning mystery. The story is pretty straightforward but does have enough drama to keep the reader involved in the story. I enjoyed the historical setting of the Mission and the descriptions of life the 1860s, when Texas was still the wild west and the relationship between Maura and her uncle as he comes to enjoy the presence her and the children and she learns about the emotional trauma that lead to his drinking.
This book will appeal to readers who enjoy historical romance.
I rate this book 4 ⭐⭐⭐⭐stars.

GIVEAWAY!  GIVEAWAY!  GIVEAWAY!THREE WINNERS:GRAND PRIZE: tote including signed copy of Winning Maura’s Heart, strawberry & chocolate tea, Cowgirl hand lotion, bath bombs, personalized cup;2nd Prize: eBook copy Winning Maura’s Heart;3rd Prize: $15 Amazon gift card(US only; ends midnight, CDT, 4/14/23)

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04/04/23

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04/04/23

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04/05/23

Review

04/05/23

BONUS Promo

04/06/23

Excerpt

04/07/23

Review

04/08/23

Review

04/09/23

JennCaffeinated

Notable Quotables

04/10/23

Review

04/11/23

The Page Unbound

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04/12/23

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04/13/23

Review

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Published on April 07, 2023 11:29

Review: The Flowers of Penruddock by Ronnda Eileen Henry

The Details:
The Flowers of Penruddock by Ronnda Eileen Henry (also known as The Daughters of Penrudduck)Published: 2018A collection of novellasPublisher: IndependentGenre: Historical Fantasy/RomancePages: 408 (note the paperback is 8x11)Available: ebook, paperback❤ clean romance😱 violence: minimal
The Book Blurb: (taken from Amazon)
Selected as a Silver Medalist in the 2018 FAPA (Florida Authors and Publishers Association) President's Book Awards in the Romance Fiction category.
The Flowers of Penruddock is a collection of romance stories set in a medieval-like historical fantasy world.
Sweet. Emotionally unique with heroines ranging from young to older.
“Can’t put it down … emotional ride … smooth and poetic … dramatically romantic … surprising twists … can’t get enough of this author”
Seven novellas feature flower-named protagonists in various social positions, but each finds romance on a journey of obstacles.
If you enjoy sweet romance, the kind of love that brings families together, and stories with subtle inspirational elements, this book is for you. Meet the heroines and their stories
ROSE
When Rose, a common-born late-twenties widow meets Conor, who helped raise her as an orphan, she finds him unhappy, focused on revenge against those who killed their parents. She helps him remember the simple values and joys they used to share in their meager adoptive childhood home. But is it too late? Has life been so hard on Conor that he’ll never soften?
POPPY
Eighteen-year-old, pure-hearted Poppy, gives up worldly advantages, title and wealth when she flees from a forced marriage to a cruel man. Alone with nowhere to go, Poppy faces an unknown future. How will she survive?
VIOLET
A noblewoman and three-times widow, Violet, is accused of murdering her last husband. In the process of defending her innocence, she meets someone who inspires her to focus on what’s the most important thing in her life. But will fighting for that save her from a guilty verdict and execution?
HYACINTH
After Hyacinth’s aging husband, the king, develops a fatal illness and dies, Hyacinth reflects on their long past and the loving devotion they had for each other, a love that endured bitter tragedies and hateful conspiracies.
MARIGOLD
When Marigold travels with her cousin, the princess, who’s on her way to get married, Marigold is kidnapped. Courageous, dutiful and trained in weaponry, Marigold deceives her kidnappers and pretends that she’s the princess. Will her deception right an old wrong or cause her execution?
PENNY
Single forty-year-old Penny has devoted her life to serving in her community and caring for her retired parents. But after their deaths, an abandoned infant is placed in her care and causes her to do something she never thought she would. She proposes marriage to a single man who has become a friend. Will she regret her bold act, or will he accept and change their lives for the better?
KRYSANTHA
Eighteen-year-old Krysantha finds love in an arranged marriage with William, an older man. When he dies, Krysantha is strapped with a young son to raise and starts a business to provide for his future. But William’s estranged and jealous family attempt to sabotage her success. Will their vindictiveness destroy her or push her into the arms of another man?

Receive a BONUS: a Jane Austen fan fiction fantasy"mashup" novella titled “Cousins, One and All.”
Spectacular value! Brighten a friend’s life, and buy her a copy, too.
Be sure to look for other romance novellas penned by this author.
My Review:
Thank you to the author for providing a review copy.
The Flowers of Penruddock is a compilation of seven novellas set in the historical fantasy world of Penruddock. Note: there are none of the usual fantasy elements such as dragons and wizards, rather it is more like an imaginary medieval world. Each novella centers about a woman with floral name. Their stories are heartfelt and engaging, the women face adversity with strenght and determination. One unique aspect of the stories, which I appreciated, is the women take control of their love lives, often proposing marriage to the men they love. Although Penrudduck is filled with Lords and Ladies, Dukes and Duchess', the heroines of Henry's stories run the gamut of her imaginary society and many are educated beyond what is considered the norm.
Well written in a simple straightfoward manner, readers will love these clean romance, family-centered stories. I took my time reading them, and found them the perfect tonic to savor at the end of a hectic day. And as a Jane Austen lover, I was happily surprised to find a fanfic story tucked in at the end. Bonus!
I rate this book 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐stars
You can find The Flowers of Penrudduck on Amazon

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Published on March 29, 2023 11:14

Review: Sweet Comfort by Kimberly Fish

SWEET COMFORTComfort and Joy Trilogy, #1byKIMBERLY FISH
Women's Fiction / Later-In-Life RomanceSecond-Chance Romance / Cozy MysteryPublisher: Fish TalesPage Count: 359 pagesPublication Date: January 21, 2023
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Welcome to the hometown everyone wants to call their own.
Gloria Bachman, a retired bank executive, has eight weeks to flip a location on Comfort’s High Street into a boutique chocolate shop. Defying expectations for “women of a certain age,” Gloria rediscovers talents and a sharpening of skills. If only she could read people as well as she does a spreadsheet. Even with the renovation in good hands, the subsequent struggle to name the shop brings Gloria and her business partner into conflict with a shady citizen. While Gloria is capable of remaining in her retirement rut while opening a business, two competing social groups try to lure her into their networks, causing Gloria to wonder if she ever knew Comfort at all. A murder rocks the community and revives investigative instincts honed by years in the banking industry.
Mason Lassiter, a disgraced CEO, has his own dramas to escape and the offbeat town seems the perfect place to recover his self-esteem. What was to be a quick reversal of fortunes becomes a quest to right a deeply felt injustice. Fascinated by the women driving the energy of Comfort, he extends his stay to find out why the small town is the backdrop to their best tales. Tangling with his neighbor Gloria becomes his favorite pastime and the key to unlocking the mystery of his past—if he can convince her to trust him.
Chocolate and joy become the glue bringing an unlikely cast together, which just might change Gloria’s and Mason’s course for the better. With characters familiar from previous Comfort novels and introducing fresh names, Sweet Comfort will entertain those who like their stories seasoned with coziness and sweet, second chances.

Purchase on Amazon

Kimberly Fish has been a professional writer in marketing and media for over thirty years, with regular contributions to area newspapers and magazines. As an accidental historian, she wrote two novels, The Big Inch and Harmon General, both based on factual events in Longview, Texas that changed world history. Kimberly also offers a set of contemporary women’s fiction novels and novellas, based in the Texas Hill Country, that reveal her fascination with characters discovering their grit and sweet, second chances; all four of the novels have won distinguished awards. Sweet Comfort is her latest novel, the first book in the Comfort and Joy Trilogy.

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I sometimes admit to being a ‘woman of a certain age’ and it was with great pleasure that I dove into this story of a fictional contemporary. Gloria Bachman is a retired banking professional whose career ended on a bitter note. She’s happily childless and her ex-husband, who she nursed during his final days, has left her without a partner. But she’s not alone. Gloria has a collection of colorful friends both young and old. She’s determined to launch a new career with her partner Kali in a food retail business. Kali is a master in crafting all things chocolate and together they are opening a shop in Comfort, Texas.

My motto in life is ‘Nothing’s Easy’, and this holds true for Gloria. Ted, the owner of their building, is a curmudgeon who insists the shop’s name honor him and his demands all but sink their plans. Construction issues also threaten to delay their grand opening. Add a handsome gentleman and a murder to the mix and you’ve got a heck of a story.

The author brings the town of Comfort to life with her engaging characters and descriptions of the town. I appreciated the portrayal of Gloria as a vibrant woman, full of life, admired by the younger women who surround her and seen as a problem solver. She is the one her friends run to when they need help and she generously gives it. I especially appreciate the budding and realistic romance between Gloria and the handsome Mason Lassiter. Yes, older people do fall in love!

With its engaging layered plot, the story draws you into Gloria’s life until you find yourself wishing you could play bunco with the ladies of Comfort and gossip about the neighbors. I really enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more in the series.

I rate this book: 5 Stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

GIVEAWAY! GIVEAWAY! GIVEAWAY!Two winners each receive a signed copy of Sweet Comfort plus a box ofSweet Shop USA candies!(US only; ends midnight, CST, 3/31/23)

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Published on March 26, 2023 20:00

Book Tour: Murder's Legacy by Anita Dickason

MURDER’S LEGACYA Tori Winters Mystery, Book 2byAnita Dickason
Mystery / Amateur Sleuth / Women SleuthsPublisher: Mystic Circle BooksDate of Publication: February 17, 2023Number of Pages: 378 pages 
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Secrets that defy time!
An inconceivable disaster brings Tori Winters’ plans for the historic house she inherited to a traumatic standstill. A section of the escape tunnel built by her great-grandfather, a notorious Dallas gangster, has collapsed. Within the rubble, there is a gruesome discovery. A skeleton with a bullet hole in the skull.
The shocking cave-in triggers an ominous scheme to condemn her property as accusations arise that the tunnel is dangerous.
Embattled, Tori soon discovers that more than the destruction of the house is on the line. It seems she can’t escape the past. It keeps clawing its way into her life with deadly consequences.
Who hides in the shadows with a motive for murder? And … is Tori the target?

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Award-winning Author Anita Dickason is a twenty-two-year veteran of the Dallas Police Department. She served as a patrol officer, undercover narcotics detective, advanced accident investigator, tactical officer, and first female sniper on the Dallas SWAT team.

Anita writes about what she knows, cops and crime. Her police background provides an unending source of inspiration for her plots and characters. Many incidents and characters portrayed in her books are based on personal experience. For her, the characters are the fun part of writing as she never knows where they will take her. There is always something out of the ordinary in her stories.
In Anita’s debut novel, Sentinels of the Night, she created an elite FBI Unit, the Trackers. Since then, she has added three more Tracker crime thrillers, Going Gone!, A u 7 9, and Operation Navajo, which are not a series and can be read in any order, and Deadly Business, a crime thriller.
As a Texas author, many of Anita’s books are based in Texas, or there is a link to Texas. When she stepped outside of the Tracker novels and wrote Not Dead and the Tori Winters Mysteries series, she set them in the small Texas communities of Meridian and Granbury, respectively.
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Thank you to LSBBT and author Anita Dickason for a copy of Murder’s Legacy. This is the second Tori Winter Mystery I’ve read.

Tori, who inherited a mansion from a grandmother she never knew, is determined to convert the beautiful old house into a graceful inn, but once again, trouble comes calling. A tunnel built by her gambler grandfather, caves in during reconstruction and a body, long dead is found. To make matters worse, someone is determined to shut down her plans and have the property condemned. But Tori is made of tougher stuff and fights to save her dream.

Murder’s Legacy is a fun, fast read with a great set of characters, especially Tori, a kind woman with a penchant for collecting friends. She may seem soft on the outside, but she has an inner core of steel and woe be to those who underestimate her. The dual mysteries are well plotted with a surprise ending.

I really enjoyed this second instalment of the Tori Winter Mysteries series and highly recommend it to readers who enjoy a good mystery story. Although it can stand alone, I advise readers to begin with book one for a full understanding of the plot.

I give this book 5 Stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

GIVEAWAY!  GIVEAWAY!  GIVEAWAY!THREE WINNERS:eBook copy of Deadly Keepsakes, Tori Winters Mystery #1+ tote bag & personalized coffee mug(US only; ends midnight, CDT, 3/24/23)

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03/14/23

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03/14/23

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03/15/23

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03/16/23

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03/17/23

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03/18/23

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03/19/23

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03/21/23

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Published on March 20, 2023 19:00

Book Tour: Marva Cope by Teddy Jones

MARVA COPEJackson’s Pond, Texas Series #4byTEDDY JONES
Rural Fiction / Small Town Texas / Literary FictionPublisher: MidTown PublishingDate of Publication: February 5, 2023Number of Pages: 281 pages  Scroll down for Giveaway!

A stranger comes to Jackson’s Pond and everything changes.

Marva Cope, the fourth novel in the Jackson’s Pond, Texas Series, brings new elements to the story of the small town in the Texas Panhandle.
Marva arrives as the new postmaster in 2017. She brings with her a lifetime of hesitancy to open herself to others. It is here, while living with her elder Aunt Violet, that she comes to appreciate the value of true friendships. With new relationships, long walks, and conversations with herself, she comes to terms with her difficult past...the loss of a beloved teenaged brother in a tragic farm accident, her father’s death from a broken heart, and a distant mother who had no love for the young teenager.
Troubled teenage years followed as a flawed young man lures her to New Mexico, then left her alone with their newborn daughter. With her newfound courage of trusting others as friends, she reconnects with her daughter and a college dorm-mate she had deserted in years past. In Jackson’s Pond, she finds the ability to consider what to do with the rest of her life.

PRAISE FOR MARVA COPE:There is so much to admire in this wise and luminous novel. Marva Cope is written with abiding tenderness and compassion. -- John Dufresne, author of Storyville
The novel Marva Cope is a rarity— an artfully told “coming of age” story that morphs into a “getting on with life” saga that, in the end, celebrates the simple joys of human connection. -- Martha Burns, author of Blind Eye

CLICK TO PURCHASE!

Teddy Jones is the author of five published novels, as well as a collection of short stories. Her short fiction received the Gold Medal First Prize in the Faulkner-Wisdom competition in 2015. Jackson’s Pond, Texas was a finalist for the 2014 Willa Award in contemporary fiction from Women Writing the West. Her novel, Making It Home, was a finalist in the Faulkner-Wisdom competition in 2017 and A Good Family (not yet unpublished) was named finalist in that contest in 2018.
Although her fiction tends to be set in West Texas, her characters’ lives embody issues not bounded by geography of any particular region. Families and loners; communities in flux; people struggling, others successful; some folks satisfied in solitude and others yearning for connection populate her work. And they all have in common that they are more human than otherwise.
Jones grew up in a small Texas town, Iowa Park. Earlier she worked as a nurse, a nurse educator, a nursing college administrator, and as a nurse practitioner in Texas, Colorado, and New Mexico. For the past twenty years, she and her husband have lived in the rural West Texas Panhandle where he farms and she writes.

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Marva Cope is a dual time story, set in the 1970s -1980s and 2017.

When Marva Cope, single with a grown daughter, takes the job of postmaster in Jackson’s Pond, she moves in with her elderly Aunt Violet. Without prodding, wise Violet coaxes her niece’s life story from her, causing Marva to rethink her life.

As a teenager, Marva Cope’s life was altered by the tragic deaths of her brother and later her father and her mother’s inability to see past her own pain to the traumatic effects on her daughter. In high-school, Marva pours herself into her studies with the one aim of getting into college and away from her mom. Head down, Marva concentrates on her courses until befriended by a group of girls and she realizes she’s cut herself off from any type of relationship. When she meets an attractive young man her life changes course once again, leaving school for a tough life on a New Mexico ranch.

As Marva settles into her new home in Jackson’s Pond, she makes an effort to forge new friendships and reach out to people in her past life to reestablish links. Then she meets Chick Talley, a man with his own share of heartache. Understanding and patient, he is willing to wait for Marva to find room for him in her life..

I really, really enjoyed this well-written book. From the first page, I fell in love with Marva and Aunt Violet. My heart ached for her troubled life and cheered as she fought to make a decent life for herself and her daughter. I felt like the author dropped me into Marva’s world with her poignant storytelling. It’s a quiet story of inner-strength, testing your limits, and learning to open your heart to others, no matter your age.

Highly recommend this lovely story. I rate this book 5+ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Stars

--------------------------------------GIVEAWAY!  GIVEAWAY!  GIVEAWAY! ONE WINNER: A set of all 4 Jackson’s Pond, Texas books, a copy of Nowhere Near,and a $25 Amazon gift card.(US only; ends midnight, CDT, 3/17/23)

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03/07/23

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03/14/23

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Published on March 15, 2023 19:00

Book Tour: A Study in Chocolate by Amber Royer

A STUDY IN CHOCOLATEBean to Bar Mysteries Book 5byAMBER ROYER
Cozy Culinary Mystery / Women Sleuths / Romance Publisher: Golden Tip PressDate of Publication: January 27, 2023Number of Pages: 260 pages 
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Felicity Koerber's bean to bar chocolate shop on Galveston's historic Strand is expanding, as it has become a gathering spot for the community, despite having been the scene of multiple murders. Artists she met while doing a chocolate sculpture are now working out of the shop. So when Felicity is invited to tea by an eccentric art collector, she's intrigued, especially when she gets asked to pose for a portrait done with chocolate on chocolate. Only, where there is a murder the next day at the same historic house where the tea was held, one of Felicity's artist friends becomes the main suspect.
When the killer threatens that unless Felicity unravels the murder, one of her two love interests will be the next victim, she finds herself unwittingly at the center of a puzzle with a Sherlock Holmes-obsessed murderer who wants to be the next Moriarty - and wants to cast Felicity as Sherlock.
Felicity starts finding unexpected connections between her friends and acquaintances and must deal with the idea that someone who knows her is a murderer. At the same time, she has to keep her business running, despite construction dust and unruly customers - and an unexpected order for thousands of truffles.
Satchmo the retired police-dog-turned-therapy dog returns to help her sniff out a few clues, and the kidnapping of Ruffles, the quirky artist's cat, helps lead Felicity into the puzzle. Can Felicity solve it in time to protect the people she cares about from becoming additional victims?

CLICK TO PURCHASE!

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______________________________________________________________

Thank you to the author and LSBBT for providing a copy of this book for review. This is the second Bean to Bar Mystery Book that I’ve read. I recommend readers begin with the first book in the series, but this book can be read as a stand-alone.

I love that this series is set in Galveston, Texas, a city I know well. Felicity and her partner, Logan, run a chocolate shop on the Strand, making all their product from scratch. Readers are treated to lots of delicious descriptions of chocolate bars and baked goods. Warning: don’t read hungry!

Felicity has a thing for Logan. Unfortunately, she also has a thing for local cop, Arlo. This has been an ongoing love triangle, which keeps Felicity in a state of perpetual indecision and readers hoping she’ll put us out of our misery. BTW I’m team Logan!

Felicity and her friends attend a tea hosted at the historical home of a art dealer, new to town. After he is found murdered the following morning, Felicity realizes his killer is taunting her, using clues from a Sherlock Holmes book. When they threaten the life of someone close to her, she becomes desperate to solve the murder and unmask the mastermind behind the crime.

The pace of this book is lightning fast with little time to breathe between scenes. There is a crowd of suspects and red herrings galore. Royer will keep you guessing to the end, leading you down secret tunnels and underground rooms. At times I felt overwhelmed by the action and had to slow down my reading to absorb all the details.

This is a fun cozy murder mystery in a great setting with a host of great characters. I recommend it to readers who enjoy this genre.

I rate this book: 4 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ stars

Amber Royer writes the Chocoverse comic telenovela-style foodie-inspired space opera series and the Bean to Bar Mysteries. She is also the author of Story Like a Journalist: A Workbook for Novelists, which boils down her writing knowledge into an actionable plan involving over 100 worksheets to build a comprehensive story plan for your novel. 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/wildlife photographs. If you are very nice to Amber, she might make you cupcakes. Chocolate cupcakes, of course! Amber blogs about creative writing technique and all things chocolate.◆ WEBSITE ◆ BLOG ◆ FACEBOOK ◆ TWITTER ◆◆ AMAZON ◆ GOODREADS ◆ INSTAGRAM ◆ YOUTUBE ◆

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GIVEAWAY!  GIVEAWAY!  GIVEAWAY!ONE WINNER:Signed copy of A Study in Chocolate +a chocolate bar from French Broad Chocolate.(US only; ends midnight, CST, 3/10/23)

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CLICK TO VISIT THE LONE STAR LITERARY LIFE TOUR PAGEFOR DIRECT LINKS TO EACH POST ON THIS TOUR, UPDATED DAILY, or visit the blogs directly:

02/28/23

Series Spotlight

02/28/23

BONUS Promo

03/01/23

Review

03/01/23

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03/02/23

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03/03/23

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03/03/23

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Sybrina's Book Blog

03/03/23

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03/04/23

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03/05/23

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03/06/23

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03/06/23

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03/08/23

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Published on March 08, 2023 19:00

Book Tour: A Study in Chocolate by Amanda Royer

A STUDY IN CHOCOLATEBean to Bar Mysteries Book 5byAMBER ROYER
Cozy Culinary Mystery / Women Sleuths / Romance Publisher: Golden Tip PressDate of Publication: January 27, 2023Number of Pages: 260 pages 
Scroll down for Giveaway!

Felicity Koerber's bean to bar chocolate shop on Galveston's historic Strand is expanding, as it has become a gathering spot for the community, despite having been the scene of multiple murders. Artists she met while doing a chocolate sculpture are now working out of the shop. So when Felicity is invited to tea by an eccentric art collector, she's intrigued, especially when she gets asked to pose for a portrait done with chocolate on chocolate. Only, where there is a murder the next day at the same historic house where the tea was held, one of Felicity's artist friends becomes the main suspect.
When the killer threatens that unless Felicity unravels the murder, one of her two love interests will be the next victim, she finds herself unwittingly at the center of a puzzle with a Sherlock Holmes-obsessed murderer who wants to be the next Moriarty - and wants to cast Felicity as Sherlock.
Felicity starts finding unexpected connections between her friends and acquaintances and must deal with the idea that someone who knows her is a murderer. At the same time, she has to keep her business running, despite construction dust and unruly customers - and an unexpected order for thousands of truffles.
Satchmo the retired police-dog-turned-therapy dog returns to help her sniff out a few clues, and the kidnapping of Ruffles, the quirky artist's cat, helps lead Felicity into the puzzle. Can Felicity solve it in time to protect the people she cares about from becoming additional victims?

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Thank you to the author and LSBBT for providing a copy of this book for review. This is the second Bean to Bar Mystery Book that I’ve read. I recommend readers begin with the first book in the series, but this book can be read as a stand-alone.

I love that this series is set in Galveston, Texas, a city I know well. Felicity and her partner, Logan, run a chocolate shop on the Strand, making all their product from scratch. Readers are treated to lots of delicious descriptions of chocolate bars and baked goods. Warning: don’t read hungry!

Felicity has a thing for Logan. Unfortunately, she also has a thing for local cop, Arlo. This has been an ongoing love triangle, which keeps Felicity in a state of perpetual indecision and readers hoping she’ll put us out of our misery. BTW I’m team Logan!

Felicity and her friends attend a tea hosted at the historical home of a art dealer, new to town. After he is found murdered the following morning, Felicity realizes his killer is taunting her, using clues from a Sherlock Holmes book. When they threaten the life of someone close to her, she becomes desperate to solve the murder and unmask the mastermind behind the crime.

The pace of this book is lightning fast with little time to breath between scenes. There is a crowd of suspects and red herrings galore. Royer will keep you guessing to the end, leading you down secret tunnels and underground rooms. At times I felt overwhelmed by the action and had to slow down my reading to absorb all the details.

This is a fun cozy murder mystery in a great setting with a host of great characters. I recommend it to readers who enjoy this genre.

I rate this book: 4 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ stars

Amber Royer writes the Chocoverse comic telenovela-style foodie-inspired space opera series and the Bean to Bar Mysteries. She is also the author of Story Like a Journalist: A Workbook for Novelists, which boils down her writing knowledge into an actionable plan involving over 100 worksheets to build a comprehensive story plan for your novel. 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/wildlife photographs. If you are very nice to Amber, she might make you cupcakes. Chocolate cupcakes, of course! Amber blogs about creative writing technique and all things chocolate.◆ WEBSITE ◆ BLOG ◆ FACEBOOK ◆ TWITTER ◆◆ AMAZON ◆ GOODREADS ◆ INSTAGRAM ◆ YOUTUBE ◆

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Published on March 08, 2023 19:00

A Mistake of Murder by Helen Hollick

Welcome to The Book’s Delight and a stop on the Coffee Pot Book Tour for the fabulous historical fiction writer, Helen Hollick, and her new book, A Mistake of Murder, a cozy mystery read!

The Details:

Book Title: A Mistake of Murder

Series: Jan Christopher Murder Mystery – Episode #3

Author: Helen Hollick

Publication Date: 18th January 2023

Publisher: Taw River Press

Page Length: 169

Genre: Cosy Mystery (Historical)

The Blurb:

The third Jan Christopher Cosy Mystery

Was murder deliberate - or a tragic mistake?

January 1972. The Christmas and New Year holiday is over and it is time to go back to work. Newly engaged to Detective Sergeant Laurence Walker, library assistant Jan Christopher is eager to show everyone her diamond ring, and goes off on her scheduled round to deliver library books to the housebound – some of whom she likes; some, she doesn’t.
She encounters a cat in a cupboard, drinks several cups of tea... and loses her ring.When two murders are committed, can Jan help her policeman uncle, DCI Toby Christopher and her fiancé, Laurie, discover whether murder was a deliberate deed – or a tragic mistake?

Buy Links:

This title is available to read on #KindleUnlimited.

Universal Link: https://mybook.to/MISTAKEofMURDER

Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0BRNRRDFG/

Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BRNRRDFG/

Amazon CA: https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B0BRNRRDFG/

Amazon AU: https://www.amazon.com.au/gp/product/B0BRNRRDFG/

Author Bio:

First accepted for traditional publication in 1993, Helen became a USA Today Bestseller with her historical novel, The Forever Queen (titled A Hollow Crown in the UK) with the sequel, Harold the King (US: I Am The Chosen King) being novels that explore the events that led to the Battle of Hastings in 1066.

Her Pendragon’s Banner Trilogy is a fifth-century version of the Arthurian legend, and she writes a nautical adventure/fantasy series, The Sea Witch Voyages. She has also branched out into the quick read novella, 'Cosy Mystery' genre with her Jan Christopher Murder Mysteries, set in the 1970s, with the first in the series, A Mirror Murder incorporating her, often hilarious, memories of working as a library assistant.

Her non-fiction books are Pirates: Truth and Tales and Life of A Smuggler. She lives with her family in an eighteenth-century farmhouse in North Devon, England, and occasionally gets time to write…

Follow Helen on Social Media:

Website: https://www.helenhollick.net

Twitter: https://twitter.com/HelenHollick

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/helen.hollick

Facebook Australian Readers’ Page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/244396568906388

Mastodon: @HelenHollick@mastodonapp.uk

Newsletter: https://tinyletter.com/HelenHollick

Amazon Author Page: https://viewauthor.at/HelenHollick

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/75589820-a-mistake-of-murder

Check out all the stops on Helen's Tour for more about her new book!

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Published on March 02, 2023 20:00

Copper Waters by Marlene Bell

COPPER WATERS Annalisse Series, Book 4 by MARLENE M. BELL
Genre: International Mystery / Crime / Romantic SuspensePublisher: Ewephoric PublishingDate of Publication: October 7, 2022Number of Pages: 340
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A rural New Zealand vacation turns poisonous.

Antiquities expert Annalisse Drury and tycoon Alec Zavos are at an impasse in their relationship when Alec refuses to clear up a paternity issue with an ex-lover.

Frustrated with his avoidance when their future is at stake, Annalisse accepts an invitation from an acquaintance to fly to New Zealand—hoping to escape the recent turbulence in her life.

But even Annalisse’s cottage idyll on the family sheep farm isn’t immune to intrigue.

Alec sends a mutual friend and detective, Bill Drake, to follow her, and a local resident who accompanies them from the Christchurch airport dies mysteriously soon after. A second violent death finds Annalisse and Bill at odds with the official investigations.

The local police want to close both cases as quickly as possible—without unearthing the town’s dirty secrets.

As she and Bill pursue their own leads at serious cost, the dual mysteries force Annalisse to question everything she thought she knew about family ties, politics, and the art of small-town betrayal.

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Thank you to Marlene Bell for a copy of her book. This is book four in a series. I read book three but not one or two. In both of these books there is a significant amount of backstory that pops up so I would recommend that readers begin with book one.

Main character’s Annalisse Drury and her millionaire boyfriend, Alec Zavos are engaged but currently on the outs over a child that has entered their lives, purportedly Alec’s son. Needing a diversion, Annalisse heads to New Zealand after receiving an invite and a key to a cottage from a man who once worked for her missing mother. Annalisse hopes to track her mom and reunite with her. Alec sends along his friend, Bill Drake, as a bodyguard to keep her safe.

Not long after they arrive, Annalisse and Bill witness the death of man which has them butting heads with the local police chief. Within days, they hear of a second death in which they become entangled. Annalisse is determined to get to the bottom of both deaths.

Once again, the author whisks the reader off to an exotic location, this time New Zealand. I loved the setting of the sheep farm on which they stay. The writing is highly descriptive with lots of tidbits about sheep, the local geology and other unique features about the locale. Makes me want to add it to my bucket list of places to visit. I will say that at times, I found the writing a little convoluted and had to reread some sentences to get a clear meaning.

The pace of the story is fast and action packed. It is written in first person/ present tense so there is an immediacy to the narrative. The plot has plenty of twisty turns and there is an unexpected surprise waiting for the reader at the end!

I rate this book four stars. ⭐⭐⭐⭐

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Marlene M. Bell is an eclectic mystery writer, artist, photographer, and she raises sheep in beautiful East Texas with her husband, Gregg, three cats and a flock of horned Dorset sheep.
The Annalisse series -- mysteries with a touch of romance -- has received numerous honors including the Independent Press Award for Best Mystery (Spent Identity) and FAPA (Florida Author’s President’s Gold Award) for two other installments, Stolen Obsession and Scattered Legacy. She also penned the first of her children's picture books, Mia and Nattie: One Great Team! based on true events from the Bell’s ranch. The simple text and illustrations are a touching tribute of compassion and love between a little girl and her lamb.
║ Website║ Facebook ║ Twitter ║║ LinkedIn ║ BookBub ║ Instagram ║ Amazon ||║ Goodreads ║ Blog ║ YouTube ║

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