Featured Author - September 2015 - Nancy J. Parra

[Kimberly]

The Featured Author of the Month for September 2015 is Nancy J. Parra!
Here’s a link to his website:http://www.nancyjparra.com/

About Nancy:
Nancy J Parra AKA Nancy Coco is the author of 19 published novels which include three mystery series: The Gluten-free Baker’s Treat Mysteries (Berkley Prime Crime), The Candy Coated Mysteries (Kensington), and The Perfect Proposal Mysteries (Berkley Prime Crime). Her writing has been called witty and her protagonists plucky by reviewers around the world. Nancy is a member of Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of America and writes for the Killer Character Blog on the 8th of every month. Nancy loves to hear from readers.

From Nancy J. Parra:
Baker's Treat Mystery
Gluten for Punishment
Murder Gone A-Rye
Flourless to Stop Him

Perfect Proposals Mystery
Engaged in Murder
Bodice of Evidence
Newlywed Dead May 3rd 2016!


From Nancy Coco:
Candy-Coated Mystery
All Fudged Up
To Fudge or Not to Fudge
Oh Say Can You Fudge
All I Want For Christmas is Fudge


Happy Reading!!!

[Linda]

Well it took until September for you to call an author I haven't read before and now I feel the need to try and read all of them this year. I ordered the first books in the perfect proposals and candy-coated series. Not sure if I'll read both or just one, will probably depend on what words I pick for the AUTUMN challenge and which vowels I need!

[Melodie]

I've only read the first in the Baker's Treat series, so far. Have the other 2, so will read one of them next month! Also have the 2nd Perfect Proposals books and the 3rd Candy-Coated. Lots to catch up on!

[❂ Murder by Death]

I think I have at least one of each of these series on my pile. This will be a very good excuse to get them read!

[Kimberly]

Linda, I need to step up my game!

[Betty]

I have read all the Baker Shop one and couple of Nancy Coco. I didn't know it was the same writer. I like what I have and hope to read the ones I am missing.

[Carla]

I have the Nancy Coco ones on my table, I have read one and I really liked it so will try to get to the rest in that series this month.

[Rebecca]

Yessss an author I've never heard of before with SHORT series that I can actually catch up on if I want (I love when I catch an author with only 2-3 books in their series. Nothing more daunting than having 20+ books in a series to catch up)>

Okay I just put Engaged in Murder and All Fudged Up on hold at the library!

[Britney]

I have All Fudged Up and Gluten for Punishment to read. I haven't read her yet but plan to in September

[BJ Rose]

I'm waiting for All Fudged Up to arrive...

[Kimberly]

I'm beginning to think someone in my area is part of this group... :) This is the 2nd or 3rd time the author of the month books are already checked out. :O Either that, or a group in my area is reading the same author as us. ;) I was able to checkout Murder Gone A-Rye and All Fudged Up. Course, they were the only two left! I'm gonna start with Murder Gone A-Rye. I can use it for Kansas in the USA challenge. :)

[Leslie]

I was confused for a bit but realized that the books on the home page need to be updated. They are still August's Paige Shelton's books...

[Marisa, Cozy Mysteries Assistant Moderator]

I've just finished Gluten for Punishmentand I don't know if I'm going to read the next ones. Another triangle, MC who is TSTL at some moments... entertaining at some moments, but I don't know.

[BJ Rose]

I read All Fudged Up by Nancy CoCo and give it about 3.5*. I will likely continue this series, but not rushing to get the next one.

[Melodie]

Finished Murder Gone A-Rye last night. It was actually a pretty good story, but the triangle HAS to go and I really don't like Grandma much.

[Rebecca]

I just finished All Fudged Up and wasn't really wowed. I gave it 3 stars, but I won't be continuing with the series.

I think I may like this author, but would like to try another series.

Here was my review:
Meh, this book was okay, but definitely not going to be a must read series. There just wasn't anything that really hooked me and connected me to the book. I usually love small island mysteries, but the fact that the MC didn't know anyone took away the feeling. The mystery had so much potential with the (view spoiler)[ valuable wine bottle, secret passageways, and multiple murdered. But when it was all found it, it fell very flat. I suspected Emmerson right when we met him (a super heavy antique coat....come ON), but not Mabel at all. It almost felt as if Mabel was a random after-thought rather than part of a killing team. No dramatic conclusion when confronted, they just drop the gun and almost say "aww shucks, we were caught". And the ending, when it was almost "by the way....you now have millions of dollars" and the MC basically said "oh super" AND THEN IT ENDS. What kind of ending is that? Very anti-climactic indeed. (hide spoiler)] Also none of the characters really wowed me and really my favorite was Mal. I think I will try another series from this book, because I can see the author has a talent for snarky MCs, but I think this setting and the surrounding characters are just not that interesting.

[Kimberly]

Finished reading Murder Gone A-Rye. It was OK. The mystery was interesting and I was pretty clueless as to who did it. I liked the MC, her BFF, and her worker. My biggest problem was the MC's Grandma! For being in Mensa, she sure did some pretty dumb things. And, at times I couldn't really believe the fact that she's supposed to be in her 90's. A woman who needs a scooter to get around probably couldn't climb up a statue... I might try to read another, just to see if it's any better. But, maybe not.

I will be starting All Fudged Up. We'll see how this one is. :)

[Kimberly]

I finished reading All Fudged Up and liked it much more than Murder Gone A-Rye. :) I liked the MC and her new puppy (I too have a white fluffball and the descriptions reminded me of when he was a puppy-although mine is a Maltese named Mr. Cottonpuff). The mystery was interesting and I only had one piece of it figured out (who took the wine bottles-that was the easiest and I can't believe the MC didn't realize it). Not sure about the potential love triangle, but usually those do add interest to the stories. :) I'm definitely going to have to read more in this series. :) I want to know how things turn out for Allie and Mal and the McMurphy! :)

[Carla]

I just finished from the Candy-Coated series (#3) and I liked it, but I liked the second one more. My review can be found here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Melodie]

Finished Bodice of Evidence and was less than impressed. Have decided I don't like that series because I didn't like the first one either. Like the Baker's Treat series and the Candy-Coated series is pretty good, too.

[Heather L , Cozy Mysteries Moderator]

I managed to find Engaged in Murder at HPB, but it will have to wait and serve as a reward for finishing a classic group read I am about to start.

[Linda]

Finished All Fudged Up last night, just under the wire! I had hoped to get to another of her books in a different series but didn't make it. I really enjoyed this one though. I liked the writing style, the setting and the characters. The only thing I'm hesitant about is a possible love triangle, which depending on how it is handled can be okay. Looking forward to reading more in the series.

[Donna]

I read All Fudged Up and really liked it, so much so that I read To Fudge or Not to Fudge a few days later. I will definitely continue this series, and check out the author's other series as well.