Babs Hightower's Blog, page 61
August 6, 2016
Guest post and tour of cozy mystery THE BLUEBONNET BETRAYAL
The Bluebonnet Betrayal
by Marty Wingate
The Bluebonnet Betrayal: A Potting Shed Mystery
Cozy Mystery
5th in Series
Publisher: Alibi (August 2, 2016)
Print Length: 294 pages
ASIN: B017QLSIU4
Bestselling author Marty Wingate “plants clever clues with a dash of romantic spice,” raves Mary Daheim. Now Wingate’s inimitable gardening heroine, Pru Parke, is importing a precious bloom from Texas—and she won’t let a vicious murder stop her.
Pru’s life in England is coming full circle. A Texas transplant, she’s married to the love of her life, thriving in the plum gardening position she shares with her long-lost brother, and prepping a Chelsea Flower Show exhibit featuring the beloved bluebonnets of the Texas hill country. Technically, Twyla Woodford, the president of a gardening club in the Lone Star State, is in charge of the London event, but Pru seems to be the one getting her hands dirty. When they finally do meet, Pru senses a kindred spirit—until Twyla turns up dead.
Although Twyla’s body was half buried under a wall in their display, Pru remains determined to mount a spectacular show. Twyla would have insisted. So Pru recruits her husband, former Detective Chief Inspector Christopher Pearse, to go undercover and do a bit of unofficial digging into Twyla’s final hours. If Pru has anything to say about it, this killer is going to learn the hard way not to mess with Texas.
Guest Post
Dear reader,
You have no idea how much you mean to me, so allow me to try to explain.
We authors create worlds in our heads – sometimes, those words have elements of reality in them, but we amend and embellish as needed (fiction), sometimes we use real events and people and make things up around them and put words in their mouths (historical fiction), and sometimes our imaginations fly off into the nether regions of the universe (sci-fi). But always, the people and places in our books are real to us – very real, most sincerely real. And when they become real to you, too – when you mention to us a funny line a character said or how much you enjoy the relationship between two characters – it makes it all worthwhile.
I love writing cozy mysteries, because it allows me to set my stories in places I love and populate those spaces with all manner of characters (some of whom I work to get to know and others who seem to walk into a scene fully formed). I understand that the mystery (the murder, the whodunit) is important to you, the reader, in different ways. Many of you love the puzzle of it and will put it together one clue at a time to see if we (you and I) come up with the same perpetrator, while many of you love the way the “event” affects the characters and their own stories. We learn about people by how they react.
It is not an uncommon occurrence for me (and I’m sure it happens to other authors, too), to return to a real setting I’ve used for one of my books and feel as if the main character is looking over my shoulder. Let me explain.
Pru Parke, middle-aged American gardener moved to England and the protagonist of my Potting Shed mystery series, defies that cozy-mystery rule that each book should be set in the same village. Pru hops around a bit. In The Bluebonnet Betrayal, the newest book in the series, Pru returns to London where the first book (The Garden Plot) is set, but between #1 and #5, she’s been in Sussex, Edinburgh, and in Hampshire.
The Bluebonnet Betrayal is set during buildup to the Chelsea Flower Show, and when I attended the show just this past May, I couldn’t turn round but for thinking, “Oh, that’s where Roddy was standing when …” or “Pru stepped just over there, inside the Great Pavilion when …” I visited the local pub (just off Sloane Street, although I changed the name from the Fox and Hounds to the Cadogan Arms). In this story, Pru is staying at a flat in Chiswick, a neighborhood southwest of central London. I’ve stayed there (not in the flat, but close by!) I strolled the High Road in Chiswick and I had coffee in her favorite spot. And, I know where she buys those Portuguese custard tarts.
So when you, dear reader, say to me that you love Prumper, the Siamese cat in Between a Rock and a Hard Place, or Trevor, the re-homed beagle in The Red Book of Primrose House, or you wish you had the recipe for Evelyn’s hunter’s chicken in The Skeleton Garden, I feel like we’ve made a connection above and beyond the plot of a particular book. We share a bit of the same world.
About the Author
Marty Wingate is a Seattle-based writer and speaker who shares her love of Britain in her two mystery series. The Potting Shed books feature Pru Parke, a middle-aged American gardener transplanted from Texas to England, and Birds of a Feather follows Julia Lanchester, bird lover, who runs a tourist office in a Suffolk village. Marty writes garden articles for magazines including Country Gardens and theAmerican Gardener. She is a member of the Royal Horticultural Society, Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, and the Crime Writers Association. She leads garden tours to England, Scotland and Ireland, spending free moments deep in research for her books. Or in pubs.
Author Links
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/martywingateauthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/martywingate
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/453259.Marty_Wingate
Website: www.martywingate.com
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/marthawingate/
Amazon author page: http://www.amazon.com/Marty-Wingate/e/B001JS1AIS
Purchase Links
Tour Participants
August 2 – Brooke Blogs – INTERVIEW
August 3 – Carole’s Book Corner – REVIEW
August 4 – Author Annette Drake’s blog – INTERVIEW
August 5 – Sleuth Cafe – REVIEW
August 6 – Babs Book Bistro – GUEST POST
August 7 – The Power of Words – REVIEW
August 8 – Reading Reality – REVIEW
August 9 – Laura’s Interests – REVIEW
August 10 – MysteriesEtc – REVIEW
August 11 – Queen of All She Reads – REVIEW
August 12 – 3 Partners in Shopping, Nana, Mommy, & Sissy, Too! – SPOTLIGHT
August 13 – LibriAmoriMiei – REVIEW
August 13 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – SPOTLIGHT
August 14 – Mystery Thrillers and Romantic Suspense Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
August 15 – The Book Diva’s Reads – GUEST POST
The post Guest post and tour of cozy mystery THE BLUEBONNET BETRAYAL appeared first on ~*~Babs Book Bistro~*~.
August 5, 2016
SILK STALKINGS by Diane Vallere blog tour, spotlight and giveaway
Silk Stalkings
by Diane Vallere
This is one of my favorite series….The characters are well developed and make the story interesting even without the mystery.
~Booklady’s Booknotes
I thought the author did a good job in developing all of the characters as well as keeping you guessing. So much so that I had a lot of fun reading this book and trying to solve the murder along with Poly.
~A. Holland Reads
I really enjoyed this book and thought that there was a lot that kept me engaged to the end.
~Kaisy Daisy’s Corner
There were plenty of twists to keep us guessing along the way and the author does a great job with the character development.
~Sleuth Cafe
Silk Stalkings (A Material Witness Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
3rd in Series
Berkley (August 2, 2016)
Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages
ISBN-13: 978-0425270592
E-Book ASIN: B01839Q47C
Fabric shop owner Polyester Monroe can get tangled up in textiles, but it’s murder that really throws her for a loop in the latest mystery from the national bestselling author of Crushed Velvet.
The time has come for San Ladrón, California’s annual Miss Tangorli beauty pageant, and Poly has agreed to use Material Girl’s inventory of shimmery silks to create embellished gowns fit for a crown. But when millionaire Harvey Halliwell—the man who revived the city’s citrus trade with his imported tangorli tree—is found dead days before the pageant contestants are announced, something sour takes over the town.
To make matters worse, her friend, mechanic Charlie Brooks, is soon caught up in the crime, having been seen in the company of the case’s prime suspect. Now Poly’s on a mission to squeeze out the truth. But as she searches for a pattern, the killer seems intent on cutting up the evidence…
About The Author
I’m a former fashion buyer turned mystery writer, trading fashion accessories for accessories to murder. I was bit by the mystery bug as a kid reading Trixie Belden, Connie Blair, and The Three Investigators. Now I’m writing three series: the Style & Error Mysteries
, the Mad for Mod Mysteries
, Material Witness Mysteries
, and the new Costume Shop Cozy Mysteries
!
The Material Witness mysteries feature Polyester Monroe, who inherits the fabric shop where she was born. Books include SUEDE TO REST and CRUSHED VELVET . The third, SILK STALKINGS, will be out in August 2016.
The Style & Error Series features former fashion buyer turned amateur sleuth Samantha Kidd. Books in that series include DESIGNER DIRTY LAUNDRY ; BUYER, BEWARE ; THE BRIM REAPER ; and SOME LIKE IT HAUTE . (A short story, “Just Kidding ,” tells the story of how Samantha first met shoe designer Nick Taylor). Book 5, GRAND THEFT RETRO, will be out in 2016.
The Madison Night Mysteries feature a modern day interior decorator who specializes in midcentury design (studying Doris Day movies to get the look right). Books are PILLOW STALK,THAT TOUCH OF INK , and WITH VICS YOU GET EGGROLL . A prequel novella, “Midnight Ice,” can be found in OTHER PEOPLE’S BAGGAGE .
The new Costume Shop Cozy Mysteries feature former magician’s assistant Margo Tamblyn who has come home to run her family’s costume chop. A Disguise to Die For
was released February 2, 2016 and Masking for Trouble
will be released October 4.
Author Links
Webpage: http://www.dianevallere.com/
FB: https://www.facebook.com/DianeVallereAuthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/dianevallere
GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4739022.Diane_Vallere
Purchase Links
Amazon – B&N – Google Play
The post SILK STALKINGS by Diane Vallere blog tour, spotlight and giveaway appeared first on ~*~Babs Book Bistro~*~.
August 3, 2016
Kari Lynn Dell’s RECKLESS IN TEXAS Spotlight + Giveaway
Title: Reckless in Texas
Series: Texas Rodeo, #1
Author: Kari Lynn Dell
Pubdate: August 2nd 2016
ISBN: 9781492631941
Violet Jacobs is fearless. At least, that’s what the cowboys she snatches from under the hooves of bucking horses think. Outside the ring, she’s got plenty of worries rattling her bones: her young son, her mess of a love life, and lately, her family’s struggling rodeo. When she takes business into her own hands and hires on a hotshot bullfighter, she expects to start a ruckus. She never expected Joe Cassidy. Rough and tumble, cocky and charming, Joe’s everything a superstar should be—and it doesn’t take a genius to figure out he’s way out of Violet’s league.
Joe came to Texas to escape a life spiraling out of control. He never planned on sticking around, and he certainly never expected to call this dry and dusty backwater home. But Violet is everything he never knew he was missing, and the deeper he’s pulled into her beautiful mess of a family, the more he realizes this fierce rodeo girl may be offering him the one thing he never could find on his own.
Kari Lynn Dell is a ranch-raised Montana cowgirl who attended her first rodeo at two weeks old and has existed in a state of horse-induced poverty ever since. She lives on the Blackfeet Reservation in her parents’ bunkhouse along with her husband, her son, and Max the Cowdog, with a tipi on her lawn, Glacier National Park on her doorstep and Canada within spitting distance. Her debut novel, The Long Ride Home, was published in 2015. She also writes a ranch and rodeo humor column for several regional newspapers and a national agricultural publication.
Buy Links:
A Letter from the Author
Dear Reader,
There’s something about a rodeo. The scent of early morning dew and the quiet crunch of gravel under metal shoes. The first drowsy simmer of excitement wakened by the dull thud of hooves on rubber as horses hop into the trailer. One last check to be sure all the rope bags and bridles and the one certain saddle blanket are packed into the tack compartment. The life-giving aroma of coffee in travel mugs, and a half-hearted debate about whose turn it is to climb behind the wheel, and who drove last time, and yeah, honey, I know you hate those idiot Portland drivers. I’ve got that shift.
There’s something about a rodeo that takes you to places you would otherwise never venture. Tiny towns on dead end highways, with names like Weippe and Rosebud. Into the chaos of city traffic in Minneapolis and Seattle. Through endless miles of high desert to Winnemucca, and crawling up the side of Hell’s Canyon to Asotin.
There’s something about a rodeo. Bucking bulls and horses drowsing in the midday sun, tails twitching at the occasional fly. Voices and laughter echoing through a maze of pickups and trailers in the contestant parking area. How’d you do at Homedale yesterday? Great ride at Fort Pierre last weekend. Did you draw a good one today? Yeah, I got on Thunderfoot at High River. Better have your hammer cocked, he’ll throw some moves at you.
The whistle of ropes as cowboys pull out their gear and warm up their arms. The jingle of tack and the slap of leather, punctuated by an occasional whinny. Damp earth and diesel smoke as the tractor rumbles around the arena, preparing the ground, and the first, tempting wafts of grilled beef from the concession stand. And underneath it all, a slow-building tension.
Almost time…
There’s something about a rodeo. Old men in battered, sweat-stained cowboy hats and pearl snap shirts, clustered together in the stands to relive the good times, shaking their heads at how fast these boys are nowadays. Babies in strollers, and their older siblings scampering around in boots and spurs, swinging kid-sized ropes and dreaming dreams as big as the world.
Bucking horses peering out through chute gates, bareback riders standing over them with hats pressed to hearts as the Star-Spangled Banner streams behind a galloping horse and the notes of the national anthem soar into a blue summer sky. Heads bowed as the announcer’s solemn baritone recites the Cowboy’s Prayer.
We ask, Lord, that you be with us in the arena of life…
There’s something about a rodeo. The simmer turning to a buzz as your moment creeps closer. Muscles tighten, lungs constrict. Relax. Breathe. The concerted effort to clear the clutter from your brain and be here, now, inthis moment. This few seconds that are the culmination of all the hours of training and practice and travel. Hands that want to tremble from anticipation when you tighten cinches and test your loop. The creak of leather and the musky scent of horse sweat as you swing aboard. Reins that twitch in your hands, bottling up the equine nitro that churns beneath your saddle, eager for the instant of explosion.
Almost time…
Minutes drag, and then race, and then drag again. Relax. Breathe. Riding the wave of adrenaline to the razor-thin edge between ultimate effort and tipping over into a debilitating tangle of nerves. Focus. Clear. You’ve done this a thousand times. Shut down your mind, trust your body.
There’s something about a rodeo. That moment when it’s your name booming over the loudspeakers. You backing into the roping box, climbing down into the chute. A ton of muscle and adrenaline quivering beneath you, primed to launch. Ready, ready…
And then you nod your head.
There’s something about a rodeo. And I hope you’ll grab a copy of Reckless in Texas and come along for the pulse-pounding, heart-stopping ride.
An Excerpt
Joe slid off his horse, face contorted with pain. He pressed his back against the nearest post and eased down, knees bent, hands clasped tight between his thighs, grinding out curses between clenched teeth. Violet dropped to a crouch between his feet, stomach churning at what she might find. Just a month earlier, she’d seen a team roper lose a thumb by catching it in his rope, and last year one of the tie-down ropers had crushed his wrist in a stray coil.
“Let me see.” She took hold of his forearms, trying to pull his hand out to where she could examine it.
“No.”
“Yes.” She slid her hands down to his wrists, not feeling any gross deformities or blood, but he still had his gloves on. “Is it your thumb?”
“Go. Away.”
“Stop being a baby.”
His right hand snapped up, whip-quick, and clamped on the back of her head, bringing them nose to nose, eye to eye. “It’s not my hand, Violet. It’s what’s underneath.”
“What’s—oh!”
Joe’s hand was cradling his crotch. That pop she’d heard? It was the knotted end of the rope whacking him where it counted. And her hand was right on top of his.
He bared his teeth. “Still wanna kiss it better?”
Mortification rolled over her, hot as molten lava. She tried to jerk away, but the force of Joe’s grip on her nape
tipped her off balance. She grabbed his shoulders and her not-inconsiderable weight knocked him sideways. They tumbled to the ground in a tangle of limbs. She scrambled to get her knees under her. One of them made contact with something solid. Joe yelped, twisting hard and fast, flipping Violet onto her back. She arched, bracing to fight him off.
“Stop!”
Violet froze.
Joe was sprawled on top of her, his body rigid. Air hissed in and out between his teeth and sweat beaded on his forehead. “Just…don’t…move,” he panted. “Honest to God, you knee me in the thigh again, I’m gonna puke right down the front of your shirt.”
Violet held her breath. If possible, she would’ve willed her heart to stop beating, in case the thud, thud, thud disturbed his stomach. Motherhood had done nothing to disable her very active gag reflex. As her head cleared, she sorted out what was where. Joe was draped over her, chest to chest, her kneecap flush against the inside of the thigh Dirt Eater had nailed. She carefully rotated her leg, removing the pressure.
“Thank you,” Joe breathed. “Just give me a minute to catch my air and I’ll get off of you.”
Her hands were still clamped on his shoulders, but she couldn’t find anyplace else to put them. The longer she stayed put, the more aware she became of all the hard, lovely muscle under his T-shirt. If it were Beni, she could rub his back to make him feel better. She imagined sliding her palm down the sleek curve of Joe’s spine. Imagined his reaction. Yeah. He would definitely misinterpret the gesture. Much like her body was beginning to misinterpret their current position, the lean length of him hot against her, his cheek pressed to her collarbone, his face buried in the curve of her neck. Each short puff of air was a hot stroke on her skin.
“You sound like you’re in labor,” she said.
He huffed a laugh that tickled her ear. “If having a kid hurts as bad as gettin’ whacked on the pecker with a nylon rope, I need to buy my mother flowers.”
“More like a new car,” Violet said drily. “And I thought it was your thigh.”
“It’s both now, thanks to you.”
“I was trying to help.”
“Uh-huh. I’m guessing this is why you’re a pickup man and not a paramedic.”
Degree by degree, the tension eased from his body, even as Violet wound up like a spring. Need coiled hot and low, and the urge to wiggle against him was almost intolerable.
“Up until then you were doing pretty good,” she said, by way of casual conversation. “I’ll have to tell Beni you can handle stock okay.”
“Gee, thanks.” She could hear the eye roll in his voice. He blew out a long, slow breath—then nuzzled his face into her hair and inhaled deeply. “You even smell good when you’ve been rolling in the dirt.”
She jerked her head away. “Do you always go around sniffing women like a damn stud horse?”
“Nah. If I were a stud horse, I’d do this.” He gave her a quick, light nip at the curve of her neck that electrified every nerve ending and shot a blue-white current straight to where his thigh was pressed between her legs.
She shoved at his shoulder. “Stop that!”
“Just wanted to see if you tasted good, too.” He pushed up onto his elbows, groaned, and eased sideways, an excruciating slide of body against body before he rolled clear and flopped onto his back, legs splayed. He lifted one hand in warning. “Stay back. I’ll be fine as long as you don’t help me anymore.”
No problem. Violet couldn’t move, paralyzed for a few breaths by the sudden, aching absence of his weight. Then she scrambled to her feet, slapping the dust from her butt and legs. “Take all the time you want, tough guy.”
His head snapped up. “You tackled me when I was already down.”
“I thought you were actually hurt.” She flipped a casual hand at him. “No, don’t get up. Katie and I can handle it.”
He made a noise like a pissed-off rattlesnake. She shook the dirt out of her hair, tugged her cap down low, and went to deal with the bulls before she lost her head and tackled him again.
The post Kari Lynn Dell’s RECKLESS IN TEXAS Spotlight + Giveaway appeared first on ~*~Babs Book Bistro~*~.
July 25, 2016
Auto Travel Umbrellas, Windproof, Auto Open review
Here I am reviewing the umbrella. There wasn’t much wind outside but that was ok. I really like how durable and strong the umbrella seems to be. I like the fact it has more ribs than most other umbrellas I have had in the past. This will be nice on the days it is rainy or windy. A great thing to take walking with me on the windy days to help stay out of the sun and keep safe.
Product Description
STRONG 8-RIBS: Each and every rib is made with alloy and carbon fiber to prevent bending or breaking
WINDPROOF, HEAVY DUTY 60MPH: Tough enough to endure 60 mph of wind, providing long term reliability that you can count on
SUPERIOR WATER-REPELLENT: Coated with waterproof DuPont Teflon Technology, made with soft and durable 210T polyester fabric compared to standard umbrellas which use a 190T polyester fabric. All raindrops bounce and/or rolls off smoothly, protecting you against the rain
AUTO OPEN & CLOSE CANOPY IN SECONDS: With a push of a button, the umbrella automatically opens and closes. Great for quick entry into a car, building, or tent. Easy and simple to use with just 1 hand
COMPACT & LIGHTWEIGHT: This compact umbrella weighs less than 1lb, making it perfect for travel. It is 11″ long and easy to store in your purses, backpack, briefcase, gym bag, luggage or more.
I received this product to review for my honest review.
The post Auto Travel Umbrellas, Windproof, Auto Open review appeared first on ~*~Babs Book Bistro~*~.
Kelley General Expandable Hose review
Here I am as you can see above with the hose. I was really impressed with the hose. The part I like best is the on off switch ( the black valve ) that it has on the end. As soon as you turn the water on the hose begins to expand. Once I was done with using it and turned the water off the hose went back to it’s original design. I was shocked how well this really did. Wish I would have gotten one of these sooner. A great product.
Product Description
Kelley General Expandable Flexible Garden Water Hose, 75′ Solid Brass Fittings With Shut Off Valve, Double Layer Latex Core, Car Wash Expanding Garden Hose Guaranteed Not To Kink Kryptonite Strong!
NEW GENERATION KRYPTONITE STRONG – Expandable hose has the highest rating of strength and pressure testing on the market today.
LIGHTWEIGHT & INDESTRUCTIBLE – This 75 foot expandable garden water hose is ultra light weight and guaranteed not to kink or tangle. This is by far the strongest most durable expandable garden watering hose on the market today! Sprayer not included.
SOLID BRASS CORROSION RESISTANT FITTINGS -Kelley General only produces products that are made tough! This 75 foot expandable flexible garden water hose is manufactured with solid brass fittings with easy pressure shut off valve for total control of your watering experience.
DOUBLE LAYER LATEX CORE THREADING – This 75 foot expandable garden hose is the next generation in cutting edge technology of “no kink” indestructible high-pressure car wash garden hoses. It is protected by a alligator type thick nylon exterior skin. Kelley General-” Products Made Tough”!
I got this product to review for my honest opinion.!
The post Kelley General Expandable Hose review appeared first on ~*~Babs Book Bistro~*~.
HOMICIDE IN THE HOUSE by Colleen Shogan
Homicide in the House
by Colleen J. Shogun
Homicide in the House
(Washington Whodunit)
2nd in Series
Cozy Mystery
Camel Press (June 15, 2016)
Paperback: 258 pages
ISBN-13: 978-1603813334
Synopsis:Kit Marshall has bounced back from her first brush with the law, when she was suspected of murdering her senator boss. Now she is working for a freshman congresswoman, Maeve Dixon, a young Gulf War veteran representing North Carolina. It’s February, and Kit is feeling out of sorts. A government shutdown has just been announced, wreaking havoc on the Hill, and Dan, Dixon’s chief of staff and Kit’s supervisor, is an inexperienced lightweight flying blind. Then there’s Kit’s distracted live-in boyfriend, Doug, who doesn’t seem any closer to popping the question. Kit’s best friend Meg is up to her eyeballs with her new beau and oversight committee job, and Clarence the beagle mix will certainly not win Capitol Canine if Meg has to campaign for him all by herself. Bad as things are now, they are about to get much worse.
Early one morning Representative Dixon is caught standing over the corpse of Jack Drysdale, the Speaker of the House’s top staffer, a man she argued with in front of the press the day before. The murder weapon was the Speaker’s gavel. This item was entrusted to Dixon at the time, leading the police to believe they’ve found their killer. To save her job, Kit must clear her boss’s name, and quickly. Dixon’s career may be over if the police declare her a suspect or an anonymous blogger known as Hill Rat breaks the story. Solving this murder will test Kit’s courage and all her fledgling powers of deduction as she roams a spooky, sparsely populated Capitol Hill looking for clues and sounding out suspects.
About The Author
Colleen J. Shogan is a senior executive at the Library of Congress. She is the former deputy director of the Congressional Research Service and previously served as a staffer in the United States Senate. A political scientist by training, Colleen has taught American government at Georgetown University, Penn, and George Mason. Colleen is a native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She received her BA from Boston College and her doctorate from Yale. A member of Sisters in Crime, she lives in Arlington, Virginia, with her husband Rob Raffety and their rescue mutt, Conan. Her first book, Stabbing in the Senate
, won the Next Generation Indie Award for Best Mystery in 2016.
Author Links
Webpage – www.colleenshogan.com
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/washingtonwhodunit
Twitter – www.twitter.com/cshogan276
GoodReads – https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25775813-stabbing-in-the-senate
Purchase Links
Tour Participants
July 25 – Back Porchervations – Review
July 25 – Babs Book Bistro – Spotlight
July 26 – 3 Partners in Shopping, Nana, Mommy, &, Sissy, Too! – Review
July 26 – Author Annette Drake’s blog – Interview
July 27 – fundinmental – Review
July 28 – Sleuth Cafe – Guest Post
July 28 – T’s Stuff – Spotlight
July 29 – Teresa Trent Author Site – Review
July 29 – StoreyBook Reviews – Guest Post
July 30 – Brooke Blogs – Review, Character Interview
July 31 – Lisa Ks Book Review – Review, Interview
August 1 – Bookjunkie’s Book Blog – Review
August 2 – Cozy Up With Kathy – Interview
August 3 – Queen of All She Reads – Review
August 4 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – Review
The post HOMICIDE IN THE HOUSE by Colleen Shogan appeared first on ~*~Babs Book Bistro~*~.
July 22, 2016
PLANTED C.T. Collier book blast
Planted
by C. T. Collier
Planted (The Penningtons Investigate)
1st in Series
Cozy Mystery
Asdee Press (July 22, 2016)
Print Length: 309 pages
ASIN: B01FOVMCPK
Synopsis:Planted is book one of the new mystery series, The Penningtons Investigate, from award-winning author C. T. Collier. The Penningtons, Lyssa and Kyle, are both PhD’s, and when their clever minds start asking questions, clever killers can’t hide.
It’s Monday of spring break when Professor Lyssa Pennington’s backyard garden project unearths a loaded revolver. With no record of violence at their address and no related cold case, the Tompkins Falls police have no interest. But the Penningtons and a friend with the State Police believe there a body somewhere. Whose? Where? And who pulled the trigger?
The Penningtons’ canvass of their quiet neighborhood turns up disturbing secrets about the family who lived in their house for decades and another ill-fated family a few doors away. No one seems to know how to contact the only sons of either family. The few facts they have about them don’t add up and, since the gun was buried about the time both young men disappeared from Tompkins Falls, the Penningtons feel compelled to find them and make sure all is well.
Lyssa follows the money story and finds twenty million dollars, a neighbor who’s not what he seems, and a long-buried rivalry. Kyle goes after homicide data in six states and finds a body. Their next surprise is a murderer who will go to any length to conceal the crime.
About The Author
C. T. Collier grew up in Seneca Falls, NY, left the area for college and jobs, and always wanted to return to the Finger Lakes. Today she lives in a beautiful small city on one of the prettiest of the Finger Lakes, not unlike fictional Tompkins Falls on lovely Chestnut Lake. Most days you’ll find her writing in her tiny office looking out on a woods populated with fox, deer, wild turkeys, and songbirds. In her career as a tech-savvy college professor she has been endlessly fascinated with campus intrigue. Entirely fictional, Tompkins College is no college and every college.
Author Links:
Website: https://drkatecollier.wordpress.com
Facebook: kate.collier.315
Twitter: @TompkinsFalls
Purchase Link
JULY 22, 2016
Babs Book Bistro – Review
Sleuth Cafe – Review
Queen of All She Reads – Review
3 Partners in Shopping, Nana, Mommy, &, Sissy, Too!
Back Porchervations – Review
Books, Movies, Reviews. Oh my!
Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers
Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book
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Click Here Find Details and Sign Up Today!
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The post PLANTED C.T. Collier book blast appeared first on ~*~Babs Book Bistro~*~.
PLANTED by and review
Planted
by C. T. Collier
Planted (The Penningtons Investigate)
1st in Series
Cozy Mystery
Asdee Press (July 22, 2016)
Print Length: 309 pages
ASIN: B01FOVMCPK
Synopsis:Planted is book one of the new mystery series, The Penningtons Investigate, from award-winning author C. T. Collier. The Penningtons, Lyssa and Kyle, are both PhD’s, and when their clever minds start asking questions, clever killers can’t hide.
It’s Monday of spring break when Professor Lyssa Pennington’s backyard garden project unearths a loaded revolver. With no record of violence at their address and no related cold case, the Tompkins Falls police have no interest. But the Penningtons and a friend with the State Police believe there a body somewhere. Whose? Where? And who pulled the trigger?
The Penningtons’ canvass of their quiet neighborhood turns up disturbing secrets about the family who lived in their house for decades and another ill-fated family a few doors away. No one seems to know how to contact the only sons of either family. The few facts they have about them don’t add up and, since the gun was buried about the time both young men disappeared from Tompkins Falls, the Penningtons feel compelled to find them and make sure all is well.
Lyssa follows the money story and finds twenty million dollars, a neighbor who’s not what he seems, and a long-buried rivalry. Kyle goes after homicide data in six states and finds a body. Their next surprise is a murderer who will go to any length to conceal the crime.
About The Author
C. T. Collier grew up in Seneca Falls, NY, left the area for college and jobs, and always wanted to return to the Finger Lakes. Today she lives in a beautiful small city on one of the prettiest of the Finger Lakes, not unlike fictional Tompkins Falls on lovely Chestnut Lake. Most days you’ll find her writing in her tiny office looking out on a woods populated with fox, deer, wild turkeys, and songbirds. In her career as a tech-savvy college professor she has been endlessly fascinated with campus intrigue. Entirely fictional, Tompkins College is no college and every college.
Author Links:
Website: https://drkatecollier.wordpress.com
Facebook: kate.collier.315
Twitter: @TompkinsFalls
Purchase Link
JULY 22, 2016
Babs Book Bistro – Review
Sleuth Cafe – Review
Queen of All She Reads – Review
3 Partners in Shopping, Nana, Mommy, &, Sissy, Too!
Back Porchervations – Review
Books, Movies, Reviews. Oh my!
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The post PLANTED by and review appeared first on ~*~Babs Book Bistro~*~.
July 19, 2016
Address To Die For by Mary Feliz blog tour and giveaway
Address To Die Forby Mary Feliz
Address to Die For
(A Maggie McDonald Mystery)
New Series
Cozy Mystery
Lyrical Underground (July 19, 2016)
E-book – 320 pages
ASIN: B01B0KK5P8
For professional organizer Maggie McDonald, moving her family into a new home should be the perfect organizational challenge. But murder was definitely not on the to-do list . . .
Maggie McDonald has a penchant for order that isn’t confined to her clients’ closets, kitchens, and sock drawers. As she lays out her plan to transfer her family to the hundred-year-old house her husband, Max, has inherited in the hills above Silicon Valley, she has every expectation for their new life to fall neatly into place. But as the family bounces up the driveway of their new home, she’s shocked to discover the house’s dilapidated condition. When her husband finds the caretaker face-down in their new basement, it’s the detectives who end up moving in. What a mess! While the investigation unravels and the family camps out in a barn, a killer remains at large—exactly the sort of loose end Maggie can’t help but clean up . . .
About The Author
Mary Feliz has lived in five states and two countries but calls Silicon Valley home. Traveling to other areas of the United States, she’s frequently reminded that what seems normal in the high-tech heartland can seem decidedly odd to the rest of the country. A big fan of irony, serendipity, diversity, and quirky intelligence tempered with gentle humor, Mary strives to bring these elements into her writing, although her characters tend to take these elements to a whole new level. She’s a member of Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of America, and National Association of Professional Organizers. Mary is a Smith College graduate with a degree in Sociology. She lives in Northern California with her husband, near the homes of their two adult offspring. Visit Mary online at MaryFeliz.com, or follow her on Twitter @MaryFelizAuthor.
Purchase Links
Tour Participants
July 19 – Lisa Ks Book Reviews – REVIEW, INTERVIEW
July 19 – Babs Book Bistro – SPOTLIGHT
July 20 – Back Porchervations – REVIEW
July 20 – 3 Partners in Shopping, Nana, Mommy, &,Sissy, Too! – SPOTLIGHT
July 21 – Sleuth Cafe – REVIEW
July 22 – Shelley’s Book Case – REVIEW
July 23 – Texas Book-aholic – REVIEW
July 23 – Island Confidential – SPOTLIGHT
July 24 – Cassidy Salem Reads & Writes – REVIEW
July 25 – StoreyBook Reviews – REVIEW
July 25 – Jersey Girl Book Reviews – REVIEW, GUEST POST
July 26 – Cozy Up With Kathy – INTERVIEW
July 26 – Tea and A Book – REVIEW
July 27 – Melina’s Book Blog – REVIEW
July 28 – Community Bookstop – REVIEW
July 28 – Bookjunkie’s Book Blog – INTERVIEW
July 29 – Reading Is My SuperPower – REVIEW
July 29 – Booklady’s Booknotes – REVIEW, GUEST POST
July 30 – The Power of Words – REVIEW
July 31 – Book Babble – REVIEW
August 1 – The Book’s the Thing – REVIEW
August 1 – fuonlyknew – REVIEW
August 2 – The Girl with Book Lungs – REVIEW
August 2 – Queen of All She Reads – REVIEW
The post Address To Die For by Mary Feliz blog tour and giveaway appeared first on ~*~Babs Book Bistro~*~.
July 15, 2016
Friday Finds July 15
click cover for free
Today Friday July 15th and Saturday July 16th Murder and Mayhem by Amy Metz is free. If you have not tried this series or don’t have this particular book you better get moving.
A rerelease of a highly regarded cozy mystery. Murder & Mayhem in Goose Pimple Junction is back and better than ever.
When Tess Tremaine starts a new life in the colorful town of Goose Pimple Junction, curiosity leads her to look into a seventy-five-year-old murder. Suddenly she’s learning the foreign language of southern speak, resisting her attraction to local celebrity Jackson Wright, and dealing with more mayhem than she can handle.
A bank robbery, murder, and family tragedy from the 1930s are pieces of the mystery that Tess attempts to solve. As she gets close to the truth, she encounters danger, mystery, a lot of southern charm, and a new temptation for which she’s not sure she’s ready.
The post Friday Finds July 15 appeared first on ~*~Babs Book Bistro~*~.
