Babs Hightower's Blog, page 44
January 16, 2018
Survival of the Fritters (A Deputy Donut Mystery) by Ginger Bolton, blog tour, review, guest post & giveaway
Survival of the Fritters (A Deputy Donut Mystery)
by Ginger Bolton
Survival of the Fritters (A Deputy Donut Mystery)
Cozy
Mystery
1st in Series
Kensington (January 30, 2018)
Paperback: 256 pages
ISBN-13: 978-1496711878
E-Book ASIN: B071HKMK38
Emily Westhill runs the best donut shop in Fallingbrook, Wisconsin, alongside her retired police chief father-in-law and her tabby Deputy Donut. But after murder claims a favorite customer, Emily can’t rely on a sidekick to solve the crime—or stay alive.
If Emily has learned anything from her past as a 911 operator, it’s to stay calm during stressful situations. But that’s a tall order when one of her regulars, Georgia Treetor, goes missing. Georgia never skips morning cappuccinos with her knitting circle. Her pals fear the worst—especially Lois, a close friend who recently moved to town. As evening creeps in, Emily and the ladies search for Georgia at home. And they find her—murdered among a scattering of stale donuts . . .
Disturbingly, Georgia’s demise coincides with the five-year anniversary of her son’s murder, a case Emily’s late detective husband failed to solve before his own sudden death. With Lois hiding secrets and an innocent man’s life at stake, Emily’s forced to revisit painful memories on her quest for answers. Though someone’s alibi is full of holes, only a sprinkling of clues have been left behind. And if Emily can’t trace them back to a killer in time, her donut shop will end up permanently closed for business . . .
Review
Survival of the Fritters is the first book in the Deputy Donut series.
Emily Westhill runs a donut and coffee shop in Fallingbrook WI surprising with her father- in-law. She has a delightful fur baby named Deputy Donut AKA Dep. Her best friends are Misty, a police officer, and Samantha, an EMT. Before the shop her FIL use to be the Cheif of police and her husband was a police office killed in the line of duty.
The Knitpickers has Emily to go to the home of Georgia Treetor. When they arrive they find her body in the kitchen.
When they arrest someone for the murders she doesn’t think they have the right person.
This was a fun read and the twist and turns will keep you turning the pages. You will not want tout this book down.
Giveaway
Guest Post
THE ARDUOUS THRILLS OF RESEARCH
First, a disclaimer. Because I write the Deputy Donut Mystery Series, I need to say this a lot: I know that police officers do loads of worthwhile work and they’re not always eating doughnuts and drinking coffee. Some of them probably never touch coffee or doughnuts. Most of them probably don’t binge on either one, and if they do, it’s probably coffee. I’m also guessing that no police officers exist on a diet of only coffee and doughnuts. However, if patrol officers can find nowhere else that’s open in the wee hours, and they are hungry, well, what can they do?
Author Laurie Cass, who writes the Bookmobile Cat Mystery Series, told me about Cops & Doughnuts, a bakery in Clare, Michigan. Originally the Clare City Bakery, the shop had been in continuous business since 1896 when the owners announced they were going to close it.
The members the Clare Police Department, all nine of them, loved that bakery and decided they couldn’t let it close. Together, the nine cops bought the bakery. They opened it as Cops & Doughnuts in 2009.
My first thought after Laurie told me about Cops & Doughnuts was that a doughnut shop catering to cops, where an amateur sleuth could pick up all sorts of rumors, clues, and gossip, would be a fun concept for a cozy mystery series.
My second thought—actually, I think it was my first—was that I would like to visit Cops & Doughnuts. I write mysteries, so I need to know about policing. Besides, I am rather fond of doughnuts . . .
Last summer, while I was writing my second Deputy Donut mystery, I did visit Cops & Doughnuts. By then, several franchises had opened—who can help wanting to buy doughnuts in shops run by (sorry, all you police officers out there who aren’t crazy about doughnuts) the real experts? I went to the original Cops & Doughnuts in Clare.
In addition to the bakery, there’s a diner that features interesting fare like the Misdemeanor Weiner. There’s also a store, its shelves and racks crammed with merchandise to thrill even the giddiest writer of books involving cops, coffee, and doughnuts. I wanted one of everything.
I ended up behind the bars of the Cops and Doughnuts Jail. I cleverly engineered my own escape.
On one wall in the store, there’s a world map, and pins to stick into your hometown. Pins are nearly solid within a 300-mile radius of Clare, but pins are also in far-flung points of the world.
The bakery smells delicious and is full of tempting goodies—bread, cookies, cakes, and, of course, doughnuts. I made a beeline for those doughnuts.
Out on the sidewalk there’s a cut-out where you poke your head into a hole and someone takes a picture of you looking like a cartoon while the good citizens of Clare try pretend they see this every day. Oh, wait, they probably do.
I posed as the cop.
I also posed as the robber, biting into a fudge-frosted raised doughnut. With sprinkles.
That doughnut was probably the best I’ve ever tasted.
Research can be tough, but someone has to do it . . .
Ginger Bolton writes the Deputy Donut mystery series
–cops, crime, coffee, donuts and one curious cat. When Ginger isn’t writing or reading, she’s crocheting, knitting, sewing, walking her two rescue dogs and generally causing trouble. She’s also fond of donuts, coffee, and cafes were folks gather to enjoy those tasty treats and one another’s company.
Author Links
Webpage: http://gingerbolton.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorGingerBolton/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ginger_bolton
GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16834862.Ginger_Bolton
Purchase Links
TOUR PARTICIPANTS
January 17 – Babs Book Bistro – GUEST POST
January 17 – A Holland Reads – CHARACTER GUEST POST
January 17 – Community Bookstop – REVIEW
January 18 – Reading Is My SuperPower – REVIEW
January 18 – Books,Dreams,Life – SPOTLIGHT
January 18 – Laura’s Interests – REVIEW
January 19 – MJBReviewers – REVIEW
January 19 – StoreyBook Reviews – REVIEW
January 20 – Book Babble – REVIEW
January 20 – The Book’s the Thing – REVIEW, GUEST POST
January 21 – A Chick Who Reads – REVIEW
January 21 – Island Confidential – GUEST POST
January 22 – Books a Plenty Book Reviews – REVIEW
January 22 – Mochas, Mysteries and Meows – REVIEW, CHARACTER INTERVIEW
January 23 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT
January 23 – The Power of Words – REVIEW
January 24 – Queen of All She Reads – REVIEW
January 24 – The Montana Bookaholic – REVIEW
January 25 – Mystery Thrillers and Romantic Suspense Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
January 25 – My Reading Journeys – REVIEW
January 26 – Varietats – REVIEW, CHARACTER GUEST POST
January 26 – Girl with Book Lungs – REVIEW
January 27 – Bibliophile Reviews – REVIEW
January 27 – Carole’s Book Corner – REVIEW
January 28 – Melina’s Book Blog – REVIEW
January 28 – A Blue Million Books – INTERVIEW
January 29 – That’s What She’s Reading – REVIEW
January 29 – Valerie’s Musings – REVIEW
January 30 – Brooke Blogs – GUEST POST
January 30 – Socrates’ Book Reviews – REVIEW
The post Survival of the Fritters (A Deputy Donut Mystery) by Ginger Bolton, blog tour, review, guest post & giveaway appeared first on ~*~Babs Book Bistro~*~.
January 12, 2018
Pre-Meditated Murder (A Downward Dog Mystery) by Tracy Weber, blog tour & spotlight
Pre-Meditated Murder (A Downward Dog Mystery) by Tracy Weber
Pre-Meditated Murder (A Downward Dog Mystery)
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Cozy Mystery
5th in Series
Midnight Ink (January 8, 2018)
Paperback: 288 pages
ISBN-13: 978-0738750682
E-Book ASIN: B0711WY9ST
Yoga instructor Kate Davidson is ready to marry her boyfriend Michael, so she’s disappointed when a special dinner doesn’t end with a proposal. But disappointment turns to dismay and outrage as she learns the real problem: Michael is already married and his green card-seeking wife is blackmailing him.
When his wife’s body is found—by Kate and her dog, no less—Michael is strangely unable to remember where he was the night she died. Since Michael has no alibi, Kate steps up to uncover what happened. What she walks into is a tangled web of deceit, obsession, and immigration fraud . . . with Michael trapped in the middle.
Tracy Weber is the author of the award-winning Downward Dog Mysteries
series featuring yoga teacher Kate Davidson and her feisty German shepherd, Bella. Tracy loves sharing her passion for yoga and animals in any form possible. Her first book, Murder Strikes a Pose
won the Maxwell Award for Fiction and is a 2015 Agatha award nominee for Best First Novel.
Tracy and her husband live in Seattle with their challenging yet amazing German shepherd Tasha. When she’s not writing, Tracy spends her time teaching yoga, walking Tasha, and sipping Blackthorn cider at her favorite ale house.
Author Links
http://www.wholelifeyoga.com/blog/
https://www.facebook.com/tracywe
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7148442.Tracy_Weber
https://twitter.com/TracyWeberTypes
TOUR PARTICIPANTS
January 8 – Sneaky the Library Cat’s Blog – INTERVIEW
January 8 – A Holland Reads – SPOTLIGHT
January 9 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW
January 10 – A Blue Million Books – INTERVIEW
January 10 – Books,Dreams,Life – SPOTLIGHT
January 11 – Laura’s Interests – REVIEW
January 12 – Read Your Writes Book Reviews – REVIEW, GUEST POST
January 13 – Babs Book Bistro – SPOTLIGHT
January 14 – Cozy Up With Kathy – REVIEW
January 15 – Island Confidential – GUEST POST
January 16 – Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers – SPOTLIGHT
January 17 – My Reading Journeys – REVIEW
January 18 – Books a Plenty Book Reviews REVIEW
January 19 – Socrates Book Reviews – REVIEW
January 20 – Brooke Blogs – SPOTLIGHT
January 21 – Varietats – REVIEW
The post Pre-Meditated Murder (A Downward Dog Mystery) by Tracy Weber, blog tour & spotlight appeared first on ~*~Babs Book Bistro~*~.
January 8, 2018
FATAL FALL: A Lori Reynolds Mystery by Teresa A. LaRue, blog tour, review, giveaway & guest post
FATAL FALL: A Lori Reynolds Mystery
by Teresa A. LaRue
FATAL FALL: A Lori Reynolds Mystery
Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Cozy Cat Press (September 28, 2017)
Paperback: 220 pages
ISBN-13: 978-1946063397
Digital ASIN: B076YJNVCY
Lori Reynolds thought she’d never return to the home where she spent her teenage years, but her sister Kay’s death from a fall down a staircase, changes all that. Having recently spoken with her sister on the phone, and knowing how worried Kay had been about all the strange things happening in her house, Lori suspects that her sister’s fall was anything but an accident and she resolves to investigate. Now that she has arrived for Kay’s funeral, she is caught up in the very family battles that she had tried to avoid when she left seven years ago. From Kay’s husband, Trevor, to his daughter from a previous marriage, Selena, to Lori’s first love and now Selena’s husband, Marc, to Trevor’s brother, Derek, to Selena’s grandmother, to Trevor and Kay’s daughter, Amber, the tension runs high. Then it really explodes when Trevor’s first wife, Jocelyn, decides to make an appearance. Did any of these family members have a motive strong enough to kill Kay? And if so, what was it? Kay moves closer and closer to the truth behind her sister’s fatal fall.
My thoughts: So sorry late my internet was down but here we go:
Lori knows Kay would never just fall and die she thinks someone murder her and goes back to her home town to find out what happened and by whom. She comes back into family issues that have everyone going around and around. She knows with everything going on she is in danger of herself being next.
Lori comes off as pushy and I guess I would be too if I had a sister dying and the whole family secrets and all. I was surprised but some of the characters and the way Marc stays with Selena I am shocked as the way she is coming across in the book.
I enjoyed the way Lori figured it out. There are some twists you might not see coming until later after you think about the story.
A great read.
Guest Post
FATAL FALL: BEHIND THE SCENE
I love reading! Especially mysteries. So, when I decided to try my hand at writing, the mystery genre seemed like the perfect fit. Since I don’t know much about forensics (besides what I see on TV) and I have no experience dealing with law-enforcement (thank goodness), I decided cozy mysteries would be the ideal place to start.
The idea behind Fatal Fall was simple. What if the main character knew her sister was murdered, but no one believed her? Even the police think her death was an accident, but maybe they wouldn’t be so quick to rule her death an accident if they knew the family as well as she did.
Since I wanted the story to take place in an isolated spot, I chose an old Greek Revival mansion surrounded by woods, with its own private beach. A place where all kind of sinister things could happen. Like a fatal fall down the stairs that everyone assumed was an accident.
I needed people to inhabit the place, so I gave Lori, the main character, a nemesis―Selena, her brother-in-law’s daughter, who was always in competition with Lori for her dad’s attention and was the double-crossing, back-stabber who stole the only man Lori had ever loved.
Since novels are built on conflict, I thought―why stop there? I added two brothers, who fight for their parents’ affections; a bitter, old man, who blames his son-in-law for his daughter’s troubles; a mother who warns Lori to leave things alone; an ex-wife who pops in to cause trouble. . . not to mention all the secrets each one brings to the mix.
Uncovering those secrets is no easy task. The more Lori digs, the more danger she encounters. And to make matters worse, the man she used to know―is counting on to help her uncover the truth―has suddenly developed a nasty temper.
Of course, there are always lots of twists and turns in any mystery. So I gave one of the characters a premonition about Lori’s death, then I stuck her on an island and let the killer make his move.
But solving the murder can’t be the only storyline. There’s this little thing called subplots, which add texture to the story. They often revolve around problems and relationships in the character’s ordinary life. In this case, I decided Lori and Selena needed to work through their adversarial relationship and Marc (Selena’s husband) and Lori needed to deal with the past and move on.
I admit, writing a novel isn’t easy. There’s countless hours of plotting, re-writing, and marketing involved. The worst part for me is marketing. I’m happiest in my cave, surrounded by imaginary characters, who don’t make me venture out of my comfort zone. At least, they haven’t so far. But if any of you have been toying with the idea of writing a novel, why not sit down at your computer and let your imagination soar. There’s no telling where it might take you.
Teresa LaRue grew up in a small town along the Mississippi Gulf Coast. She’s worked as a secretary, assistant manager of an audio book store, and manager of a fashion jewelry store. She is an avid reader, gardener, and movie buff. She lives across the lake from New Orleans with her family, including a dog named Bones, and a cat named Chloe.
Link to Webpage: http://tlarueauthor.wordpress.com
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14035650.Teresa_LaRue
Purchase Links: Amazon Cozy Cat Press
Tour Participants
January 4 – Varietats – REVIEW
January 4 – 3 Partners in Shopping, Nana, Mommy, & Sissy, Too! – SPOTLIGHT
January 5 – Cozy Up With Kathy – INTERVIEW
January 6 – Books,Dreams,Life – SPOTLIGHT
January 6 – StoreyBook Reviews – REVIEW
January 7 – Books a Plenty Book Reviews – REVIEW
January 8 – The Book’s the Thing – REVIEW
January 9 – Babs Book Bistro – REVIEW, GUEST POST
January 10 – The Pulp and Mystery Shelf – INTERVIEW
January 11 – A Holland Reads – SPOTLIGHT
January 12 – Celticlady’s Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
January 13 – Brooke Blogs – SPOTLIGHT
January 13 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – SPOTLIGHT
The post FATAL FALL: A Lori Reynolds Mystery by Teresa A. LaRue, blog tour, review, giveaway & guest post appeared first on ~*~Babs Book Bistro~*~.
January 5, 2018
Stowed Away (A Maine Clambake Mystery) by Barbara Ross, blog tour, giveaway & spotlight
Stowed Away (A Maine Clambake Mystery) by Barbara Ross
Stowed Away (A Maine Clambake Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
6th in Series
Setting – Maine
Kensington (December 26, 2017)
Mass Market Paperback 280 Pages
ISBN-13: 978-1496700414
E-Book ASIN: B06XZSXYQ6
It’s June in Busman’s Harbor, Maine, and Julia Snowden and her family are working hard to get their authentic Maine clambake business ready for summer. Preparations must be put on hold, however, when a mysterious yacht drops anchor in the harbor—and delivers an unexpected dose of murder . . .
When Julia’s old prep school rival Wyatt Jayne invites her to dinner on board her billionaire fiancé’s decked-out yacht, Julia arrives to find a sumptuous table set for two—and the yachtsman dead in his chair. Suspicion quickly falls on Wyatt, and Julia’s quest to dredge up the truth leads her into the murky private world of a mega-rich recluse who may not have been all that he seemed . . .
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Barbara Ross is the author of the Maine Clambake Mysteries
. The first book in the series, Clammed Up was nominated for an Agatha Award for Best Contemporary Novel, the RT Book Reviews, Reviewer’s Choice Best Book Award for Amateur Sleuth and was a finalist for the Maine Literary Award for Crime Fiction. She is co-editor/co-publisher of Level Best Books, which produces anthologies of crime stories by New England authors. She writes at her home overlooking the harbor in Boothbay Harbor, Maine. Barbara blogs with the Wicked Cozy Authors and Maine Crime Writers. Readers can visit her website at MaineClambakeMysteries.com.
Purchase Links – Amazon – B&N – kobo
TOUR PARTICIPANTS
January 3 – Laura’s Interests – REVIEW
January 3 – Celticlady’s Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
January 4 – Bookworm Cafe – GUEST POST
January 4 – Community Bookstop – REVIEW
January 5 – My Reading Journeys – REVIEW
January 5 – Island Confidential – INTERVIEW
January 6 – Babs Book Bistro – SPOTLIGHT
January 6 – The Power of Words – REVIEW
January 7 – Cozy Up With Kathy – INTERVIEW
January 7 – StoreyBook Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
January 8 – Books a Plenty Book Reviews – REVIEW
January 9 – Teresa Trent Author Blog – SPOTLIGHT
January 9 – The Pulp and Mystery Shelf – GUEST POST
January 10 – Mystery Thrillers and Romantic Suspense Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
January 10 – Queen of All She Reads – REVIEW
January 11 – The Montana Bookaholic – REVIEW
January 11 – Brooke Blogs – SPOTLIGHT
January 12 – A Holland Reads – SPOTLIGHT
The post Stowed Away (A Maine Clambake Mystery) by Barbara Ross, blog tour, giveaway & spotlight appeared first on ~*~Babs Book Bistro~*~.
January 4, 2018
Kappy King and the Puppy Kaper (An Amish Mystery) by Amy Lillard, blog tour, guest post, & giveaway
Kappy King and the Puppy Kaper (An Amish Mystery)
by Amy Lillard
Kappy King and the Puppy Kaper (An Amish Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Setting – Pennsylvania
Zebra (December 26, 2017)
An Imprint of Kensington Books
Paperback: 352 pages
ISBN-13: 978-1420142976
E-Book ASIN: B06XZQTCQH
Content to be unmarried and plain-spoken, Kathryn “Kappy” King is an odd-woman-out in the Amish community of Blue Sky, Pennsylvania. But she’s skilled at making the special kapps local women need to cover their hair. And she might be the only one who can unearth the danger hiding in this peaceful valley . . .
When Kappy’s neighbor, Ruth Peachey, turns up dead in her yard, everyone in Blue Sky believes it’s a tragic accident. Until the Englisch police find the gentle dog breeder was deliberately struck down—and arrest her mentally-challenged son, Jimmy, for the crime . . .
Jimmy’s sister, Edie, returns to Blue Sky clear his name, yet no one will speak to a shunned former Amish woman, much less give her information. Determined to help, Kappy starts digging for the truth among her seemingly-innocent neighbors. But suddenly a series of suspicious “accidents” threatens Edie and the Peachey farm—property Edie is determined to protect for her brother’s future.
Now, as danger looms large in the small community, Kappy must bait a trap for a killer snapping hard at her heels. And Edie must decide whether to make a home once more in the town she thought she’d left behind . . .
Guest Post
Kappy King and the Puppy Kaper is my new Amish cozy murder mystery. What’s a murder mystery without a funeral and what’s an Amish funeral without funeral pie? Yes, the Amish have a pie for funerals. Actually the tradition of taking a raisin pie aka funeral pie to the house of a mourning family goes way back. Raisins don’t have a season, like strawberries and peaches, and the main ingredients are found in most cupboards. That makes it readily available on short notice.
Raisin pie is a lot like mincemeat and though it is known as funeral pie, in some Amish communities it’s served at happier occasions such as weddings. But if you like to try new recipes, or in this case, old recipes, raisin pie is a good place to start. Who knows after reading the funeral scene in Puppy Kaper you might just have a hankering for a little bit of funeral pie.
First of all, there are two ways to make raisin pie. One is with two crusts (one for the bottom and one for the top) and the other is with meringue. But the Amish I know use the two crusts recipe. Another difference in the two is the meringue version contains a little less spice.
Since my friends like the pie with spice and two crusts, that’s the recipe I’ll share with you today.
First you’ll need two ready-made pie crusts, unless you’re very industrious and would like to make yours from scratch.
Funeral Pie
2 cups of raisins*
2 cups of water
½ cup packed brown sugar
½ cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons of cornstarch
1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground allspice
A pinch of salt
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
3 tablespoons butter
Pie dough
Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Heat the raisins and 2/3 cup of the water in a saucepan on medium heat for 5 minutes.
In a medium-size bowl, combine cornstarch, both sugars, spices, and salt. Stir to mix, then gradually, stirring constantly, add the remaining 1 1/3 cup of water. Once mixed, add to the raisins. Stir and cook until mixture starts to bubble. And vinegar and butter and stir until butter is completely melted. Remove from heat and allow to cool until warm.
Pour into your readied pie crust and top with remaining crust and crimp the edges. Cut vent slashes or desired design. Bake until golden brown, approximately 15 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely before serving.
*Several recipes call for golden raisins, most likely due to their gentle flavors and appealing color.
That’s all there is to it. Simple enough, huh?
Have you ever tried Funeral Pie? Funeral Pie by another name? Did you enjoy it? I’m more of a buttermilk or cherry girl. What about you?
Amy Lillard is the award-winning author of more than twenty novels, including the Wells Landing series, The Quilting Circle 
novels, the Sugarcreek Amish Mysteries
and the Kappy King Mysteries
. Born and raised in Mississippi, she now lives with her husband and son in Oklahoma. Please visit her online at www.AmyWritesRomance.com.
Author Links:
amywritesromance.com
Facebook: @AmyLillard918
Twitter: @AmyWritesRomance
Goodreads
Purchase Links
Barnes & Noble / http://bit.ly/2z4jdep
Hudson Booksellers / http://bit.ly/2zKFaMJ
Amazon / http://amzn.to/2msMglR
Books-A-Million / http://bit.ly/2ihSO23
IndieBound / http://bit.ly/2A1lW8y
Walmart / http://bit.ly/2iXr1n8
TOUR PARTICIPANTS
January 3 – Sneaky the Library Cat’s Blog – CHARACTER INTERVIEW
January 4 – Reading Is My SuperPower – REVIEW, GIVEAWAY
January 4 – Queen of All She Reads – REVIEW, GIVEAWAY
January 5 – Babs Book Bistro – GUEST POST, GIVEAWAY
January 5 – Brooke Blogs – GUEST POST, GIVEAWAY
January 6 – Books,Dreams,Life – SPOTLIGHT, GIVEAWAY
January 7 – Books a Plenty Book Reviews – REVIEW
January 8 – Laura’s Interests – REVIEW, GIVEAWAY
January 8 – Island Confidential – INTERVIEW
January 9 – The Power of Words – REVIEW
January 9 – A Holland Reads – SPOTLIGHT, GIVEAWAY
January 10 – Celticlady’s Reviews – SPOTLIGHT, GIVEAWAY
January 11 – My Reading Journeys – REVIEW, CHARACTER INTERVIEW
January 12 – Cozy Up With Kathy – INTERVIEW
January 13 – 3 Partners in Shopping, Nana, Mommy, &, Sissy, Too! – SPOTLIGHT, GIVEAWAY
January 14 – Melina’s Book Blog – REVIEW, CHARACTER GUEST POST
January 15 – Bibliophile Reviews – REVIEW, CHARACTER GUEST POST
January 16 – A Chick Who Reads – REVIEW
The post Kappy King and the Puppy Kaper (An Amish Mystery) by Amy Lillard, blog tour, guest post, & giveaway appeared first on ~*~Babs Book Bistro~*~.
January 3, 2018
Unbridled Murder (A Carson Stables Mystery) by Leigh Hearon, blog tour, giveaway & spotlight
Unbridled Murder (A Carson Stables Mystery)
by Leigh Hearon
Unbridled Murder (A Carson Stables Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
3rd in Series
Kensington (December 26, 2017)
Mass Market Paperback: 352 pages
ISBN-13: 978-1496714084
E-Book ASIN: B06XZRVFBD
After horse trainer and rancher Annie Carson visits a feedlot in eastern Washington, she is determined to save as many horses from slaughter as possible before hightailing it back home—until she discovers the sleazy owner seemingly trampled in his corral. With the fate of the feedlot herd in her hands, Annie must navigate unfamiliar territory while trying to track down a killer and solve an increasingly tangled mystery. But unfortunately for Annie, returning to the Olympic Peninsula alive will be trickier than she ever imagined.
Leigh Hearon began her own P.I. agency, Leigh Hearon Investigative Services, in 1992. Her cases have appeared on In the Dead of Night, Forensic Files, 48 Hours, Court TV, City Confidential, Unsolved Mysteries, America’s Most Wanted, and CBS Evening News with Connie Chung. Hearon was an avid rider of horses throughout her childhood. She currently has a Saddlebred mare, Jolie Jeune Femme, and enjoys watching Jolie and two rescue mares cavort on a fifty-five-acre farm she shares with her husband. Visit her on the Web at leighhearon.com, on Facebook and Twitter.
Purchase Links:
TOUR PARTICIPANTS
January 3 – The Pulp and Mystery Shelf – INTERVIEW
January 3 – Queen of all She Reads – SPOTLIGHT
January 4 – Babs Book Bistro – SPOTLIGHT
January 4 – Books,Dreams,Life – SPOTLIGHT
January 5 – Brooke Blogs – GUEST POST
January 6 – Bibliophile Reviews – REVIEW
January 7 – 3 Partners in Shopping, Nana, Mommy, & Sissy, Too! – SPOTLIGHT
January 8 – StoreyBook Reviews – GUEST POST
January 9 – Cozy Up With Kathy – INTERVIEW
January 10 – Celticlady’s Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
January 11 – Valerie’s Musings – SPOTLIGHT
January 12 – Bea’s Book Nook – REVIEW
January 13 – Island Confidential – INTERVIEW
January 14 – Books a Plenty Book Reviews – REVIEW
January 15 – The Montana Bookaholic – REVIEW
January 16 – My Reading Journeys – REVIEW
The post Unbridled Murder (A Carson Stables Mystery) by Leigh Hearon, blog tour, giveaway & spotlight appeared first on ~*~Babs Book Bistro~*~.
January 2, 2018
Ginger Snapped: A Spice Shop Mystery by Gail Oust, blog tour, giveaway & spotlight
Ginger Snapped: A Spice Shop Mystery
by Gail Oust
Ginger Snapped: A Spice Shop Mystery
Cozy Mystery
5th in Series
Minotaur Books (December 12, 2017)
Hardcover: 304 pages
ISBN-13: 978-1250081261
Kindle ASIN: B071LM71RR
Piper Prescott and Police Chief Wyatt McBride might have gotten off on the wrong foot but, over the past year, their interactions have evolved into a friendship of sorts. And when the body of Shirley Randolph is found floating in a fishing hole, their relationship reaches entirely new territory.
Shirley, the town’s Realtor of the Year, was also Wyatt’s suspected romantic interest, and now the residents of Brandywine Creek are speculating that Wyatt is responsible for her death. As the town council moves to suspend the handsome lawman, Piper springs into action to save his reputation and possibly his freedom. She enlists the aid of her BFF, Reba Mae Johnson, along with Wyatt himself, to help solve the puzzle and find Shirley’s real killer.
Pointing them toward high-powered real estate tactics and possible affairs, the investigation soon becomes personal when Piper’s shop, Spice It Up!, is burglarized, and she’s forced off the road late one night, narrowly escaping serious injury. Realizing that she must be close to uncovering the truth, and that the evidence against Wyatt is no longer circumstantial, Piper resorts to drastic measures to prevent a grave miscarriage of justice.
Friends often accuse Gail Oust of flunking retirement. While working as a nurse/vascular technologist, Gail penned nine historical romances under the pseudonym Elizabeth Turner for Avon, Pocket, Berkley, and Kensington. It wasn’t until she and her husband retired to South Carolina that inspiration struck for a mystery. Hearing the words, “maybe it’s a dead body,” while golfing with friends fired her imagination for the Bunco Babe Mystery series
originally published by NAL. In conjunction with Beyond the Page Publishing, the Bunco Babe series has been republished in digital format as the Kate McCall Mysteries 
complete with new titles and a whole new look. Gail has written five Spice Shop Mysteries
for Minotaur/St. Martin’s. Her favorite pastimes are reading, traveling, and hanging out with friends.
Author Links
Webpage – www.gailoust.com, Gail Oust Author on Facebook, and Goodreads.
Purchase Links
Amazon B&N kobo Google Play BAM
Tour Participants
January 3 – Babs Book Bistro – SPOTLIGHT
January 3 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – COZY WEDNESDAY (REVIEW, GUEST POST)
January 4 – Valerie’s Musings – SPOTLIGHT
January 4 – Bibliophile Reviews – REVIEW
January 5 – Teresa Trent Author Blog – INTERVIEW
January 5 – Lisa Ks Book Reviews – REVIEW, GUEST POST WITH RECIPE
January 5 – A Chick Who Reads – REVIEW
January 6 – Laura’s Interests – REVIEW
January 6 – Brooke Blogs – REVIEW
January 6 – The Montana Bookaholic – SPOTLIGHT
January 7 – Varietats – REVIEW
January 7 – Readeropolis – SPOTLIGHT
January 8 – fundinmental – SPOTLIGHT
January 8 – View from the Birdhouse – SPOTLIGHT
January 8 – Island Confidential – INTERVIEW
January 9 – Jane Reads – GUEST POST
January 9 – My Reading Journeys – REVIEW
January 9 – StoreyBook Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
January 10 – The Self-Rescue Princess – REVIEW, CHARACTER INTERVIEW
January 10 – Book Babble – REVIEW
January 11 – Books a Plenty Book Reviews – REVIEW
January 11 – Moonlight Rendezvous – REVIEW
January 12 – Melina’s Book Blog – REVIEW
January 12 – A Holland Reads – SPOTLIGHT
January 12 – Community Bookstop -REVIEW
The post Ginger Snapped: A Spice Shop Mystery by Gail Oust, blog tour, giveaway & spotlight appeared first on ~*~Babs Book Bistro~*~.
January 1, 2018
COWBOY STOLE MY HEART by Soraya Lane, blog tour, review, excerpt & giveaway
It takes true grit to build a billion-dollar dynasty like the Ford family ranch. But when it comes to finding love, all it takes is one handsome cowboy to steal a woman’s heart in Cowboy Stole My Heart by Soraya Lane.
SHE’S RIDING SOLO
As one of the heirs to the River Ranch fortune, Mia Ford is practically Texas royalty. But that doesn’t mean she’s some pampered princess. She can saddle up and ride a horse as well as any man, even a hard-working cowboy like Sam Mendes. For years, she’s harbored a crush on the strong, silent horseman. But how can she make a move when she’s his boss?
HE’S TAKING THE REINS
Sam Mendes is through with love—or so he thought. Still recovering from a breakup, he’s doing everything in his power to resist Mia Ford. It’s bad enough she’s the kind of beauty who drives men wild with desire. It’s even worse she’s got him so worked up, aching to kiss her lips, when he’s supposed to be working her ranch. Is this lovestruck cowboy willing to risk losing his job—and breaking his heart—to win the girl of his dreams?
My thoughts
Mia Ford loves horses she has since she was a kid. She is independent and doesn’t turn to her wealthy family for anything.
Sam Mendes also loves horses and he rather deal with animals then people. He is known as the horse whisper.
Mia’s father has hired Sam to help with a horse and when he meets Mia they sparks fly.
A great journey these two people take through out the story. A nice romantic read and you will love Mia and Sam.
I voluntarily read a copy of this book
Excerpt
Mia disappeared and he talked to the horses, wandering down the line to look at all of them. He’d only seen her ride the one, her favorite mare, but he had a feeling she was full of surprises, and her horses all looked impressive. When she didn’t reappear, Sam went looking for her, wondering what the hell was taking so long.
“Hey, do you need a hand back there?” he called out. He squinted in the half-light, dark compared to the full sun glare outside when he ducked through the doorway and into the tack room.
“Oh, shit, sorry, just give me a sec.”
He stopped. Sam stood in the middle of the small room, saddles and bridles covering every inch of wall space, and Mia pressed into one corner, her tears impossible to hide. “Hey,” Sam murmured, striding over to her. Hell, he hadn’t expected her to be crying. He’d thought she might need a hand carrying some gear out, but . . . he didn’t know what to do.
“I’m fine, please,” she said, holding one hand up to her face, the other stretched out in front of her as if trying to push him away before he was even close.
“You’re not okay,” he said, knowing how gruff he sounded but unable to help it. “Come here.”
She shook her head. “Please, I’m fine,” she managed, voice cracking.
“Your mom, huh?” he asked, knowing that there was no way in hell he’d managed to say anything to upset her this much. She was still grieving, he could see that from a mile off.
She nodded, dropping one hand, the other still covering her face. “Yeah,” she whispered. “It’s just I haven’t talked about her for a long time. She’s been gone twelve years so I shouldn’t be reacting like this.”
“Come here,” Sam said, not taking no for an answer this time as he opened his arms and pulled her in.
He held her, tight, letting her cry. She sobbed once, loudly, a noise that made his heart lurch for her, feeling her pain, before she went silent and relaxed in his arms. It had been almost a year since he’d held a woman like this; comforted a woman and held her and felt something for her. He stiffened. Only that woman had played him, ripped his heart out when he’d have done anything for her. Anything.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “I’d tell you it’ll get easier, but I doubt it will.”
He didn’t sugarcoat things, even this type of thing, but he did feel for her. She’d tried to talk about her mom all nonchalant to him, laughing about her beautiful stables, when in reality it had torn her in half and left her crying all on her own. She’d lost her mom and her best friend as well; no wonder she’d been prickly when he’d tried to muscle in and take over with the one thing she did have— her horses.
Mia pushed back and he wished she hadn’t. He’d liked the warmth of her against him, the tickle of her long hair catching in his stubble as he’d inhaled her shampoo or whatever it was on her that smelled so damn delicious.
“Sorry,” she murmured, her hands to his chest as she stepped back. “I don’t ever let anyone see me cry.”
He believed it. She didn’t strike him as the type to let anyone see her vulnerabilities.
Sam glanced down at her, at her hands against his chest, at the way she was looking up at him, her eyes wide. Her mouth parted, tear-stained cheeks making her look so vulnerable that it tugged at something inside of him he’d thought was long buried.
“You’ve got nothing to apologize for,” he muttered, slowly raising a hand and brushing his thumb gently across her cheeks to blur the tears away.
Mia stayed still, her palms still planted against him, head tilted. He looked at her mouth, fought the urge to rub his thumb across her soft pink lips. Instead he dropped his hand, skimming past her long blonde hair on the way past. Sam bent a little, eyes on her mouth, imagining what her lips would taste like. He wanted to kiss her so damn bad, wanted to push her up against the wall behind her and kiss the hell out of her. But he didn’t.
He’d sworn off women for a reason, and sexy or not, he wasn’t about to take advantage of his boss up against a wall. Even crying she was beautiful, but he wasn’t going there. He couldn’t go there.
Dammit!
Her eyes were dancing, her lips were parted, her hands were slowly dropping away from his chest. But instead of closing the distance between them, instead of hungrily tasting her lips against his, he took her hands, stepping back and squeezing them.
“You take all the time you need,” he said instead, hearing the husky note of his own voice. “I’ll be out here.”
He walked out, ducking back through the door and out into the bright sunlight again. Goddamn it! What the hell had he just done? He’d always prided himself on being able to keep his shit together, and he’d let himself get way too close to Mia.
Copyright © 2018 by Soraya Lane and reprinted by permission of St. Martin’s Press.
Giveaway
PRINT COPY: US ONLY AND 1 WINNER
To enter just comment with who your favorite Cowboy is.
Author Bio:
As a child, Soraya Lane dreamed of becoming an author. Fast forward more than a few years, and Soraya is now living her dream! Soraya describes being an author as “the best career in the world”, and she hopes to be writing romance for many years to come.
Soraya loves spending her days thinking up characters for books, and her home is a constant source of inspiration. She lives with her own real life hero and two sons on a small farm in New Zealand, surrounded by animals and with an office overlooking a field where their horses graze. She is the author of The Devil Wears Spurs, Cowboy Take Me Away, and I Knew You Were Trouble.
Buy Links:
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
BAM
IndieBound
Powells
Social Links:
https://www.facebook.com/SorayaLaneAuthor
https://twitter.com/Soraya_Lane
The post COWBOY STOLE MY HEART by Soraya Lane, blog tour, review, excerpt & giveaway appeared first on ~*~Babs Book Bistro~*~.
December 31, 2017
New Years New Books free & 99 cent books and giveaway
Start your new year off with a great new book!!
FREE Contemporary Romance
Love’s Broken Road
by Julie Coulter Bellon
FREE Contemporary Romance
Stone Silence
by Taylor Dean
FREE Contemporary Romance
Seaside Surprises
by Stacy Claflin
FREE Contemporary Romance
On Thin Ice
by Emily Debenham
FREE Young Adult Paranormal Romance
The Light of Asteria
by Elizabeth Isaacs
FREE Contemporary Romance
A Moment to Love
by Jennifer Faye
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Unexpected Metamorphosis
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Giveaway Details
$50 in Paypal Cash or a $50 Amazon.com eGift Card
Ends 1/6/18
Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use money sent via Paypal or gift codes via Amazon.com. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. This giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader and sponsored by the authors, bloggers, and publishers on the sponsor list. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.
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