Thursday, April 25, 2013

Giveaway Ended: Reflection, by Kim Cresswell

Suspense author Kim Cresswell gave away 2 ebooks of Reflection as part of the Shower of Books Giveaway Hop ~ April 24-30, 2013.  

 

Florida investigative reporter, Whitney Steel, has lived in the shadow of her legendary father long enough. To prove herself she needs to find the “Big” story.

She found it.

Now it may kill her.

After Whitney receives a lead pointing to the world’s first cloned human, now a small child, she vows to unravel the truth. However, sifting through the facts proves to have dangerous results, including death threats and murder.

When Whitney is nearly killed, but is saved by undercover FBI Special Agent, Blake Neely, he refuses to let her get in the way of his own objective—at least not right away.

Caught in a lethal game between a billionaire obsessed with genetic perfection, his hit man’s thirst for retribution, and a Colombian drug lord fresh out of prison determined to make Blake pay for his twin brother’s death over a decade ago…

Can they save an innocent child before it’s too late?

Faced with tough choices, with deadly consequences for many—Whitney soon realizes that sometimes a story becomes more than just a story.
  
from Goodreads

Hop over here to Kim Cresswell's website, for more info on REFLECTION!




Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Family Jewels, by Norah Wilson

Read from March 05 to 10, 2013

N is for Norah Wilson, author of Family Jewels.

#2 in the Dix Dodd Mystery Series.

An Ontario PI and her hunky apprentice go to Florida, after Dix receives a fax from the Pinellas County Deputy Sheriff. Dix's mother is under suspicion for the theft of tens of thousands of dollars worth of jewels at her Retirement Village, and is also a person of interest in a man's disappearance.

It turns out that the deputy ... {no, that would be telling}.

Read the book!  And #1 in the series, The Case of the Flashing Fashion Queen, another four-kitty book!







This book qualifies for
2013 Goodreads Reading Challenge
Year-Long Alphabet Challenge 2013
Cruisin' thru the Cozies Reading Challenge 2013


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Giveaway Ended: A Killer Read by Erika Chase


Hop on over to Socrates' Book Reviews Blog, for a review of A Killer Read and an interview with the author , Erika Chase!



A KILLER READ is a 2012 Agatha Award nominee for Best First Novel!  

 

 It's the first meeting of the Ashton Corners Mystery Readers and Cheese Straws Society and an intruder is later found dead in his car. When the owner of the mansion which is home to the book club meetings, Molly Mathews, becomes the prime suspect, Lizzie Turner, a reading specialist with the Ashton Corners, AL school board, and fellow book club members turn their talents to sleuthing.
Who knew the new police chief would be non other than Lizzie's old unrequited high school flame, Mark Dreyfus? Why is she finding chapters from an anonymous manuscript in her mailbox? And will cheese straws have to be served at every meeting from now on?
Lizzie is unrelenting in tracking down the killer, even to the point of putting herself in danger -- from the murderer and the oh-so-alluring police chief.
from www.erikachase.com

 Yvonne, the Socrates' Book Blogger, gave the book a five-kitty review.  After reading her glowing review, I am eager to read the book for myself.


Berkley Publishing gave a paperback copy of A Killer Read to one lucky winner.  The giveaway at Socrates' Book Reviews began on April 24, 2013 (midnight est) and ended on May 1, 2013 (midnight est).

Monday, April 22, 2013

Berried to the Hilt, by Karen MacInerney

Read from March 02 to 03, 2013
  
M is for Karen MacInerney, author of Berried to the Hilt.

#4 in the Gray Whale Inn Mystery Series and the best one, so far!

A sunken ship is discovered in the waters off Cranberry Island.  Speculation runs amok as the marine archaeologists and treasure hunters race to identify the ship, so as to lay claim to the cargo.  

Is it the ship of Captain Jonah Selfridge, the ancestor of one of the islanders?  

Or is it a 17th century pirate ship, matey?  Arr!

The entire series is very enjoyable and highly recommended all four-kitty reads!  Book #5 in the series, Brush with Death is due out on May 8, 2013.


                         






This book qualifies for
2013 Goodreads Reading Challenge
Year-Long Alphabet Challenge 2013
Cruisin' thru the Cozies Reading Challenge 2013
Finishing the Series Reading Challenge 2013 

We'll Always Have Parrots, by Donna Andrews

Read from February 27 to March 01, 2013

L is for Meg Langslow in We'll Always Have Parrots.

In We'll Always Have Parrots, Meg travels with her fiance Michael to a fan convention for Porfiria, Queen of the Jungle--a cheesy cult TV show on which Michael has a minor role. Michael hopes the weekend will give him a chance to talk Miss Wynncliffe-Jones, the show's temperamental leading lady and executive producer out of enforcing a certain provision in Michael's contract.

Of course, Michael's not the only person whose career the dictatorial star has manipulated. So when the star is found murdered, the police have plenty of suspects. Trouble is, Meg doesn't believe they're going to arrest the right one. Soon she finds herself following the murderer's trail through a hotel filled with egotistical actors, costumed fans, and a motley flock of monkeys and parrots who, rebelling against their role as live scenery, have escaped from their cages to take an active (and noisy) role in the festivities.


#5 in Donna Andrews' wonderful Meg Langslow cozy mystery series about a blacksmith / amateur sleuth, her zany (to put it mildly) family, and her boyfriend.  Highly recommended!








This book qualifies for
2013 Goodreads Reading Challenge
Year-Long Alphabet Challenge 2013
Cruisin' thru the Cozies Reading Challenge 2013
What An Animal Reading Challenge VI 2013

Murder Most Maine, by Karen MacInerney

Read from February 24 to 27, 2013

K is for Karen MacInerney, author of Murder Most Maine,  #3 in the Gray Whale Inn Mystery Series, about Natalie Barnes, a Texas native who moved to Maine, bought an inn and is running a bed-and-breakfast on an island near Bar Harbor.   Her guests enjoy themselves, and her inn seems to be very well run, other than an occasional dead body showing up every so often.  I recommend the book series, but can't recommend staying at the Gray Whale Inn.

Murder Most Maine follows Murder on the Rocks (#1) and Dead and Berried (#2) in the series.  Each book could be read as a stand-alone, but you could miss out on the progressions of the character relationships.

As a bonus, each book contains several recipes at the end that Natalie served her guests or friends.  I haven't tried any of them yet, but they all sound delicious! I have given each book in the series a four-kitty rating.   Try it, you'll like it!







This book qualifies for
2013 Goodreads Reading Challenge
Year-Long Alphabet Challenge 2013
Cruisin' thru the Cozies Reading Challenge 2013
Finishing the Series Reading Challenge 2013 

Sunday, April 21, 2013

Monkey See, Monkey Die, by Cynthia Baxter

Read from February 23 to 24, 2013

J is for Jessica Popper in Monkey See, Monkey Die, #7 in the Reigning Cats & Dogs Cozy Mystery Series about a veterinarian who is also a sleuth.

Is a certain vet detective about to become an endangered species?

It’s been over a decade since Jessica Popper spoke to vet-school friend Erin Walsh. So when Erin calls out of the blue, Jess agrees to meet her. When Erin doesn’t show, Jessie begins to suspect that her old pal was making a monkey out of her—until she learns that Erin was murdered.

Jessie can’t resist getting involved, but her sleuthing quickly pulls her into a jungle of suspects. Did Erin’s husband, Ben, kill her – or was it the eccentric lizard-loving coworker with whom she may have been monkeying around? Was Ben’s outrageously wealthy new partner trying to cover up some monkey business? Or was it Erin’s ambitious boss, a distinguished primate specialist determined to remain top banana in her field? With the killer going ape to stay hidden, even Jess’s animal instincts might not save her from a fate more fatal than a barrel of monkeys. 
From Goodreads.








This book qualifies for
2013 Goodreads Reading Challenge
Year-Long Alphabet Challenge 2013
Cruisin' thru the Cozies Reading Challenge 2013
What An Animal Reading Challenge VI 2013
Finishing the Series Reading Challenge 2013 

Insatiable, by Emily Kimelman

Read from February 20 to 23, 2013

I is for Insatiable, #3 in the noir Sydney Rye series. 

INSATIABLE is the third novel in Emily Kimelman's best selling, award winning Sydney Rye Series of dark murder mysteries. This series feature a strong female protagonist and her canine best friend. It is recommended for the 18+ who enjoy some violence, don't mind dirty language, and are up for a dash of sex. Not to mention an awesome, rollicking good mystery!

INSATIABLE begins with private detective Sydney Rye living a simple, disciplined life in London, but when a dangerous man from her past calls, Rye finds she cannot turn him away. Robert Maxim explains that the daughter of a powerful friend has gone missing and he wants Rye to find her. In exchange he offers her something she had given up hope of ever having; freedom from her past.

With her dog, Blue, at her side, Rye meets up with her new partner, a handsome man she's not sure she can trust. Heading for Mexico City, they go undercover, posing as husband and wife. After meeting with the bereaved parents, Rye starts to sense that there is more going on than just a missing girl. But it isn't until they arrive in the Yucatan Peninsula, hot on the girl's trail in Paradise, that all hell breaks loose. Sydney has to reach out for help from old friends and deal with the consequences of her past, if she's going to find the girl and keep them all alive.

To learn more about Emily Kimelman's Sydney Rye series of dark murder mysteries please visit www.emilykimelman.com
From Goodreads


No skipping around in this noir series -  these four-kitty books must be read in order.   #1, Unleashed; #2, Death in the Dark (novella), #3, Insatiable.  I recommend all three as very good reads! 








This book qualifies for
2013 Goodreads Reading Challenge
Year-Long Alphabet Challenge 2013

Friday, April 19, 2013

Taking time from reading, to stop and smell the . . . .

               Roses
         























                                   Pansies















Oregano?
                                                                                 


Maxie

What's blooming in your garden?










 Take Ringo's advice now, y'all.



                                    



                                         

Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Blue Murder, by Emma Jameson

Read from February 16 to 17, 2013

H is for Lord Hetheridge, in Blue Murder, #2 in the Lord and Lady Hetheridge cozy mystery series.

Blue Murder is the sequel to Ice Blue (also a Five-Kitty read).  The main characters are Anthony Hetheridge, Chief Superintendent for New Scotland Yard (otherwise known as Lord Hetheridge, ninth Baron of Wellegrave) and his team, Detective Sergeant Kate Wakefield and Detective Sergeant Deepal “Paul” Bhar.

I like this book and series, not only for the murder mystery plots, but also for the growing romantic attraction between Tony and Kate, which began in Ice Blue.  Tony is sixty, her boss, and a baron; whereas, Kate is in her early 30s, care-giver for her young nephew and mentally-challenged brother, and from a working-class family.

Looking forward to the release of Book 3 Something Blue, coming in Spring 2013!
 







This book qualifies for
2013 Goodreads Reading Challenge
Cruisin' thru the Cozies Reading Challenge 2013
Year-Long Alphabet Challenge 2013

Ammie, Come Home, by Barbara Michaels

Read from February 15 to 16, 2013

Ammie, Come Home is another old favorite, a gothic romance page-turner that will be a quick read for the YLTO toppler. 

I love  this book. I first read it in high-school, when a classmate loaned it to me.  I will be forever grateful to her.  Many thanks, Dale, wherever you are!

 Ammie, Come Home may be the first gothic romance I ever read.  I know it's the first of many Barbara Michaels books that I have read, and re-read. 

If you have never read it, and you like a spooky storyline (séances, spirits, noises in the night) plus a romance or two, I highly recommend Ammie, Come Home!







This book qualifies for
2013 Goodreads Reading Challenge
Cruisin' thru the Cozies Reading Challenge 2013
YLTO February Toppler 

Monday, April 15, 2013

The Same Last Name, by Kathleen Gilles Seidel

Read from February 13 to 14, 2013

Marriage means more than sharing the same last name.  

April Peters knew that Christopher Ramsey did not love her when they married. But Christopher's genteel Virginian background dictated that a woman about to have your baby became your wife in a hurry.... Innocently, April believed that Christopher would grow to love her once they were a family, until her baby died at birth and she was propelled into cold, harsh reality. She left Christopher without a trace as to her whereabouts and headed toward upstate New York.

Six years later as a successful State Forest Ranger April meets Christopher again. In the serene setting of a natural preserve, old passions turn to mature desires too powerful to be controlled!
...
from Goodreads and the back cover

I also read The Same Last Name for the week-long February Toppler. It is another old favorite, a keeper that I have read many times over the past 30 years.  The storyline has such a good romance that it was perfect for the toppler! Plus, I like that April is a Forest Ranger - that's an unusual twist for a 1983 Romance novel.  Again, what can I say?  I have a mushy side, as well as the side that delights in the murder and mayhem of a cozy mystery.







This book qualifies for
2013 Goodreads Reading Challenge
YLTO February Toppler
 

Twice in a Lifetime, by Rebecca Flanders

Read from February 11 to 13, 2013

 I read Twice in a Lifetime for the week-long February Toppler, of the You'll Love This One group on Goodreads.  

The toppler theme is It's a Love / Hate Thing, and the idea is to read as many books as possible within the theme.  I decided to fall back on some old favorites of mine, some oldies-but-goodies, that will be quick reads.

Twice in a Lifetime is one such old favorite, that I have read many times over the past 30 years.  The storyline has such a good romance that it was perfect for the toppler!

Barbara, a young widow, keeps fighting her attraction to Kyle, her sister's brother-in-law, because Barbara believes that true love only happens once in a lifetime.  Does Kyle succeed in convincing Barbara that true love can come along twice in a lifetime?   

Spoiler Alert:  Well, yes, he does.  But the fun part is reading about how Kyle convinces her! 

(I'm not really sure why this Romance novel, written in 1983, is such a favorite of mine, while the 2012 Romance novel  Waking Up Married barely rated Three Kitties.  But it is.  Oh, well.)







This book qualifies for
2013 Goodreads Reading Challenge
YLTO February Toppler

Sunday, April 14, 2013

Waking Up Married, by Mira Lyn Kelly

Read on February 10, 2013

I read  Waking Up Married for the February Toppler of the You'll Love This One group on Goodreads.  The toppler theme was It's a Love / Hate Thing, and I thought this free Kindle Romance book would be appropriate.

I liked it alright, but since I am not a big Chick-Lit fan, I probably won't read any more by this author.

The storyline was amusing, so it would make a good beach read for Romance fans.






This book qualifies for
2013 Goodreads Reading Challenge
Why Buy the Cow? 2013 Reading Challenge (free on Amazon 2/7/13)
YLTO February Toppler

Phone Kitten, by Marika Christian

Read on February 09, 2013

 Phone Kitten is a funny cozy mystery.  I really enjoyed and recommend it.

After Emily loses her job, the only one she can find is Phone Actress.  When one of her clients is murdered, she is one of the suspects, and so does some investigating to clear her good name.

At first, I thought it might be a little raunchy.  But Emily never does "the sex," she just talks "the nasty," as one of her friends puts it.

Here is a You Tube trailer for the book: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m0faZl...

I read an interview with the author. She is working on a sequel. I'm excited - I want to read more about Emily!






This book qualifies for
2013 Goodreads Reading Challenge
Cruisin' thru the Cozies Reading Challenge 2013
What An Animal Reading Challenge VI 2013
YLTO February Toppler

Devil's Food, by Kerry Greenwood

Read from February 05 to 09, 2013

G is for Kerry Greenwood, author of Devil's Food, #3 in the Corinna Chapman series.

It is another excellent book in the series, and picks up where Heavenly Pleasures left off.

I highly recommend the series, and recommend that you read it from the beginning.

I love me some Corinna Chapman!







This book qualifies for
2013 Goodreads Reading Challenge
Cruisin' thru the Cozies Reading Challenge 2013
Year-Long Alphabet Challenge 2013

Scrapbook of Secrets, by Mollie Cox Bryan

Read from February 03 to 04, 2013

I was hooked from the first sentence of Scrapbook of Secrets: For Vera, all of the day's madness began when she saw the knife handle poking out of her mother's neck.

This is Mollie Cox Bryan's debut novel, an enjoyable cozy mystery that's a very good read.

I look forward to reading Scrapped, and to the release of Book 3 in the Cumberland Creek series.







This book qualifies for
2013 Goodreads Reading Challenge
Cruisin' thru the Cozies Reading Challenge 2013
Let's Make Fruitcake Challenge (YLTO - Goodreads)

Fourth Grave Beneath My Feet, by Darynda Jones

Read from January 27 to 28, 2013

F is for Fourth Grave Beneath My Feet, #4 in the Charley Davidson paranormal mystery series.

Double WOW!!!!

There's not much else I can say, without including spoilers galore.  And I don't do that.  So, READ THE BOOK!

I can tell you that, after reading library copies of the Charley Davidson books, I loved the last one so much that I bought my very own copies of all four books!

Can't wait for Fifth Grave to be released!







This book qualifies for
2013 Goodreads Reading Challenge
Finishing the Series Reading Challenge 2013
Year-Long Alphabet Challenge 2013

The Curse of the Pharaohs, by Elizabeth Peters

Read from January 17 to 26, 2013

E is for England and Egypt, the two settings of The Curse of the Pharaohs by Elizabeth Peters.  It is #2 in the Amelia Peabody series, about a British amateur archeologist and sleuth, and her husband, the famed Egyptologist Radcliffe Emerson.  


It is a re-read for me, as I have read the entire series and highly recommend it, giving most of the books Four Kitties.  


I acquired the first four books as a set for my Kindle, and so this one made a good choice for my E book in the Alphabet Challenge.







This book qualifies for
2013 Goodreads Reading Challenge
Cruisin' thru the Cozies Reading Challenge 2013
Year-Long Alphabet Challenge 2013

Third Grave Dead Ahead, by Darynda Jones

Read from January 10 to 12, 2013

D is for Charley Davidson, in Third Grave Dead Ahead, #3 in the Charley Davidson paranormal mystery series.  WOW!  This book was SO GOOD!! And Indescribably Delicious  - in other words, I can't tell you any more about it without including spoilers. You'll just have to discover for yourself what makes it SO GOOD!!




{note to self...*Must hurry and finish the E book, so I can read Fourth Grave!*...}

 
This book qualifies for
2013 Goodreads Reading Challenge
Finishing the Series Reading Challenge 2013
Year-Long Alphabet Challenge 2013



Second Grave on the Left, by Darynda Jones

Read from January 09 to 10, 2013

C is for Charley Davidson, in Second Grave on the Left, #2 in the Charley Davidson paranormal mystery series.

Charley is the Grim Reaper.  It turns out that a grim reaper is nothing like the reaper-like third ghost of A Christmas Carol, nor like the ones on the TV show Dead Like Me.  Charley is also a private investigator, and helps the Albuquerque police with murder investigations. 

If you liked First Grave on the Right, you'll love this one. Charley has a nice balance of Grim Reaping and Detecting in the book.  Plus, there's Reyes!






This book qualifies for
2013 Goodreads Reading Challenge
Finishing the Series Reading Challenge 2013
Year-Long Alphabet Challenge 2013

Tiger's Eye, by Barbra Annino

 Read from January 05 to 06, 2013.

B is for Barbra Annino, author of Tiger's Eye,

This is the third book in the Stacy Justice series, a paranormal cozy mystery series about Stacy, a newspaper reporter who is also a reluctant witch.   It's another great installment in a very enjoyable series.

I chose the first book in the series, Opal Fire, for another challenge of You'll Love This One.  I was reluctant at first, about reading about a reluctant witch, but not for long!  The second book in the series is Bloodstone.  I gave Four Kitties to both of them.  The series should be read in order, IMO.

Book four, Emerald Isle, will be out in July - can't wait!






This book qualifies for
2013 Goodreads Reading Challenge
Cruisin' thru the Cozies Reading Challenge 2013
Year-Long Alphabet Challenge 2013
What An Animal Reading Challenge VI 2013

Heavenly Pleasures by Kerry Greenwood

Read from January 2 - 4, 2013

Heavenly Pleasures is #2 in the Corinna Chapman series, a Cozy Mystery series set in Melbourne, Australia and featuring Corinna and her bakery, Earthly Delights (which also happens to be the title of the first book in the series.  I recommend you read it first.)  Corinna lives in an apartment over her bakery, in a small classical-Roman-style apartment building called Insula.

Heavenly Pleasures, also the name of a Chocolate Shop in Insula, takes up right where the action in Earthly Delights leaves off. Corinna uses her sleuthy powers to aid the authorities and discover who is sabotaging the chocolates.

I am participating in the Year-Long Alphabet Challenge of the Goodreads group You'll Love This One.  I am reading the alphabet in Cozy Mysteries, and A is for Australia, the setting of this book.

I look forward to reading #3 in the series!






This book qualifies for
2013 Goodreads Reading Challenge
Cruisin' thru the Cozies Reading Challenge 2013
Year-Long Alphabet Challenge 2013



Here's how it works:

  • Should you choose to participate in this challenge, your goal is to read at least twelve (12) legally obtained FREE e-books. While twelve is the minimum there is no maximum limit.
  • Anyone can join. You don’t have to be a blogger, and you don’t have to live in the United States.
  • Any E-Reader will work for this challenge, including: iPad, Kindle, Nook, Kobo, Sony Reader, enTourage.