A Tangled Yarn By Betty Hechtman

Book 5 in the Yarn Retreat Mystery Series by Betty Hechtman was the perfect choice to read on my girls weekend away last month, I went with two friends and their daughters for a craft and girls weekend. While I was there I managed to knit two hats and learn some crochet stitches however I did have to leave the retreat early for medical attention and what turned out to be this bought of pneumonia I have been dealing with for the last month. In dealing with it I somehow overlooked posting my review so I apologize to Betty Hechtman for the late posted review.

What a fun series and an inspiring one too! I always seem to have to take up a project while reading the yarn retreat mysteries! Book 5 doesn't disappoint and always so much going on! While some of the retreat attendees may not have been so thrilled with the projects presented I know I wished I had been there to try it out! adding to the excitement and confusion a travel writer  who is attending a different retreat ends up dead and Casey gets tangled up right in the middle of things! I really enjoyed how this mystery played out and I think you will too, now I am more determined than ever to knit the baby blanket in the back of the book!

Casey Feldstein has her hands full with preparations at the Vista Del Mar hotel on the scenic Monterey Peninsula as another yarn retreat begins. The retreaters will be thrown for a loop this time, learning the trendy art of arm knitting and finger crocheting.  But not everyone is enthusiastic about trying something new, and Casey is forced to come up with an alternative craft for her less adventurous pupils. Things go from worst to worsted when a travel writer from a neighboring retreat group is found dead in his room among a sea of feathers. When one of the owners of Vista Del Mar pleads for help, Casey gets hooked into the case and must unravel a delicate skein of secrets to catch a killer.

Betty Hechtman's A Tangled Yarn is out now and you can find it on Amazon.com by clicking here.
Thank you for joining me for a cup of tea and a cozy mystery review I would love to hear from you so please leave me a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com 

On My Table and In My Cup October 15th -22nd

Saturday is here again and much has happened this week I wish I could just forget, some weeks are like that and this one was one I wont be sad to see go.  Even though there were things out of my control this week and that left me longing for calmer seas, I was very grateful to have had some wonderful  books to read and escape to this week. I do not feel it is wrong to escape with a great book and actually I wish others could find that joy and release in a book as I do, but you dear reader already know that. So with out further melodrama here are some of the wonderfully written books that I have had the pleasure of having on my table this week.

Monday I was thrilled to be able to share my review of Casket Cache, this book by Canadian Author Janice J Richardson was one I wont soon forget. The idea of a cozy built around a funeral home business was one I thought could be awkward, however what I found was a thoughtful and beautiful written serene cozy that I can not wait to read the next book. One to read for sure!

Betty Hechtman's Hooking For Trouble was fun, it was a great addition to the series with surprises I was not expecting and an ending that is not to be missed!

The Good The Bad and The Guacamole, by Rebecca Adler was a good family centered cozy with a great title. I enjoyed this taste of Texas cozy and I hope you will give this book a try as well.

Vicki Delany's We Wish You A Murderous Christmas is the second in her year round Christmas mystery series, this one is actually set at Christmas time and is out November 1st, a great book to kick of the crazy holiday season and one that will make you happy for the holiday stress you do have and that you are not Merry!

With Halloween right around the corner it was a delightful escape to have Susan Boles Death of a Wolfman to read this week. I enjoyed the dialog so much in this book, it really stood out and endeared the characters to me, Lily Gayle Lambert is a great main character and this is a series I am looking forward too reading more of.

A new cozy on my table Friday morning, Death and First Sight the first in a new series by Lena Gregory. This  is a review I will have for you tomorrow.

In my cup this week I have been enjoying a lot of black tea, thinking I should switch to some of my more winter like herbals and add a few more of my favorites back into the mix. I found this quote earlier in the week and I loved it and the photo, today I wanted to share.
I hope you enjoy the rest of your weekend and thank you for joining me for a cup of tea and a week in review.

Hooking For Trouble by Betty Hechtman

Sunday was a rainy and blustery day at my place so I spent much of the day with Betty Hechtman's Hooking For Trouble.  Out November 1st this crochet mystery has a fantastic title an I love the cover. Hooking for trouble is book 11 and was actually my favorite book in the series so far. I loved being back with the gang and seeing what they were all up to. I love that main character Molly Pink turns 50 in this book and that she only improves with age, gives a girl something to look forward to! 

This was a great mystery and I did not figure out the killer until it was revealed. It was a fun story line as murder mysteries go and I know that others who enjoy this series will be thrilled with it.

The Tarzana Hookers’ Yarn University has been a big success, and the classes have drawn in a slew of new crochet devotees. A less welcome arrival is the boxy monstrosity in the yard behind Molly’s house. She hasn’t met her new neighbors, but when she sees a couple struggling on the balcony and later spies what looks like someone lying on the ground, Molly wastes no time calling in her ex, homicide detective Barry Greenberg.  To Molly’s shock, Barry reports that nothing is amiss with her neighbors and asks her to lay off with the amateur detecting. Molly knows she wasn’t just seeing things, but with no body to prove her case she’ll have to unravel the evidence on her own—because someone in Tarzana is tangled up in murder...

To learn more about Betty Hechtman and this series please click here.
To order your own copy of Hooking For Trouble from Amazon please click here.

Thank you for joining me for a cup of tea and a cozy mystery review. I would love to hear from you so please leave me a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com

A Cup Of Tea And Cozy Mystery Week In Review July 9-16th

Saturday morning and time for another week in review. I am very happy with the books I have been reading this week and feel so very blessed to have been able to make the time. On my table this week have been a variety of cozies that have both inspired and excited me!

Cozies are not only a great escape read, they often inspire me and I find myself wanting to have things that the characters in the books have. Some of them are easily attained like "Oscar" my new to me Gargoyle tea light holder, inspired by Oscar from Juliet Blackwell's Witchcraft Series. Some items like a lake front cottage are a tad harder to come by. I don't blame Disney for my unattainable desired lifestyle, I instead blame cozy mystery authors!

 I very much loved and cried over Murder, Handcrafted by Isabella Alan. I loved this book so much and as I have not read the series am delighted to have the other books to catch up on!

Murder At The Pier by Rayna Morgan, was a good read and the fantastic cover matched my $5 yard sale find from last Saturday.

I have now made two of the Cowl's from the pattern found in Betty Hechtman's Gone With the Wool. These easy to make loom craft will have even the most unconvinced knitter to take up knitting. I know it is July but I can not wait to wear these more come fall.

I can not wait to share next week's reads with you. Thank you for joining me for a cup of tea and a cozy mystery week in review. I would love to hear from you so please leave me a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com

Gone With The Wool By Betty Hechtman

Betty Hechtman's Gone With The Wool was a very inspiring read. As a very novice knitter I truly appreciated a yarn retreat with a project at the end of the book I felt sure I could actually complete! This series is a wonderful idea and book 4 doesn't disappoint!  An enchanting seaside town with a butterfly festival and a yarn retreat to boot, sounds like my kind of town! When the former uppity Butterfly Queen is murdered and the mystery unfolds it is a very exciting read.

Every October, thousands of monarch butterflies flock to California’s Monterey Peninsula to spend the winter there. To welcome their colorful guests, Cadbury by the Sea holds a weeklong festival complete with a butterfly queen and her court. Eager to show some town spirit, Casey Feldstein finds herself fluttering back and forth between setting up a yarn retreat, baking and helping out at the festival. But when a former butterfly queen is found dead with a knife in her back after a Bless the Butterflies service, Casey must set her loom aside to hook a killer with a score to settle.

To learn more about this series and Betty Hechtman please click here. 
To order your own Gone with the Wool book from Amazon please click here.

Patterns and recipes at the back of cozies are the adult version of the prize at the bottom of the cereal box. 

I love how my "Crystal's Loom Cowl" turned out!

Thank you for joining me for a cup of tea and a cozy mystery review I would love to hear from you so please leave me a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com

On My Table And In My Cup June 18-25th

Thanks to the UPS man I have been delivered safely 12 of the summers most anticipated reads and I am so thrilled! I have started on Terrie Farley Moran's Read To Death the third book in the Read 'Em and Eat Series. 

I am so thrilled and excited to have so many wonderful books to read! It is hard to choose which to read first through 12th! I can not wait to read them all.

This week I read Laurie Cass' Cat With A Clue, such a great series! Book five is sure to delight!

Book two of Kathi' Daley's A Sand and Sea Hawaiian Mystery was a great escape. I really enjoy this Island based cozy series and can not wait for the next one.

Judy Volhart's first and fabulous Whine & Cheese Cozy Mystery  Asiago and the Accomplice was really well written a great and inspiring read, I challenge you all to order and read this one this summer! Click here to find it on Amazon

In my cup all week this week I have been enjoying the new Twinings 90th Celebration tea. This afternoon tea is a blend of three commonwealth black teas and reminds me of a very high quality Darjeeling tea.  My sister in law purchased this for me and I am so grateful!
Thank you for joining me for a cup of tea and a week in review! I have a delightful amount of reading to do. I hope you find time to read some of these fantastic cozies too! As always I would love to hear from you so please leave me a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com

Seams Like Murder By Betty Hechtman A Crochet Mystery Review

Seams Like Murder  by Betty Hechtman came out last week and was a good read, an excellent mystery and an inspiring craft themed cozy.

"Molly Pink and the Tarzana Hookers get a dangerous lesson on crafty criminals... Knitting and crocheting books are selling like crazy at the bookstore where Molly works, so to keep the customers coming, she sets up a series of classes where the Tarzana Hookers can pass on their skills to others: a Yarn University. The only problem is the teacher of the most popular seminar Sheila is getting a massive case of stage fright about being in front of a crowd. To ease Sheila s nerves, the Hookers plan a practice class at crocheter CeeCee s mansion. But before the lesson begins, Molly and the gang stumble upon a dead body in the apartment above CeeCee s garage. Now, Molly must unravel the clues to find a killer quickly or school might be out forever... Delicious recipes & crochet patterns included!"

Reading any of the A Crochet Mystery books you can not help but want to pick up yarn and a hook and join in the fun, sadly even after reading several of these my skills have yet to advance past the chaining on stage! 

I had no problems putting myself in this story, getting in to trouble  with Molly and hanging out at the book store, the mystery is a good one and the relationships between "the Hookers" are always the best parts of the book. I love a series where the main character has a solid group of friends, cuddly creatures waiting at home and a great mystery to solve. This was a really good read and a series I recommend. 
To order your own copy of Seams Like Murder please click here.
Learn more about Betty Hechtman and visit her website by clicking here 
Thank you for joining me for a cup of tea and a cozy mystery please leave me a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com 

On My Table And In My Cup April 30- May 7th

What a week it has been. Thank you for joining me for a cup of tea and a cozy mystery this week. I have had some amazing titles on my table this week as well as many cups of wonderful tea. This week I pulled out a favorite black tea called Fuzzy Peaches that I bought from Steeped Tea, I don't think they have this one anymore but it is a favorite. I have had a pot each afternoon this week and it tastes like the summer fruit I am so looking forward too.
Vicki Vass sent me two of her up coming books Killer finds and Gem Hunter, this week, they arrived on Thursday and I am halfway through Killer Finds. I love the Antique Hunter Mystery series and book three has some wonderful surprises, a few mysteries and the worlds best next door neighbor!

It is surreal to even write these words but Jim has gone to join Joyce, the sudden passing of the second half of the most incredible writing duo has me still in shock, my heart goes out to their family and the entire community. The re-release of The Last To Remember book 3 was outstanding. Truly amazing to have this on my table this week and this photo I took Thursday morning has the cup I used most often when I am thinking of Joyce, it is purple,delicate and ornate, and reminds me of her and our short but important friendship. Joyce and Jim were mentors of mine and I have such respect for them. Please keep their family in your thoughts and your prayers.

I finished Irish Stewed this week and have a review coming out for you later this month, I will tell you that I enjoyed this first in series and look forward to seeing the next Ethnic Eats Mystery soon!

Not a cozy but a very cool book coming out this summer, The Witches Mirror by Mickie Mueller, has an amazing cover and is another book I have been sent to review but will buy in paper back truly an interesting and historical look at mirrors in magic and witch craft. My review will be up Sunday.

I have also pre written a review of Caroyln Hart's Don't Go Home as well as

finished and pre written the review for Seams Like Murder by Betty Hechtman, both these reviews will be up later this month as well.

My TBR pile is slowly winding down and at the moment I think I have 7 to go before the end of the month. So I shall leave you here to enjoy your Saturday while I continue to tackle the books, between baseball, yard sales, free comic book day and whatever else I may have forgotten about that is on the calendar this weekend.
Thank you for joining me this weekend for a cup of tea and a week in review. I look forward to sharing more reviews, crafts, tea and more with you again soon! As with all my posts I would love to hear from you so please leave me a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com

Happy Release Day! Run Out, Pick Up Or Order You Can Not Loose

May has some truly wonderful reads just waiting on you to pick up, hold in your hand and in your hearts forever!

I am currently reading Irish Stewed by Kylie Logan  which is one of the amazing cozy mysteries being released today! I am on chapter 15 and hated to put it down last night so I could get some sleep! I love a captivating first in series and love it even more when the tea cups match the books I am reading.

Also out today is Carolyn Hart's Don't Go Home, the cover fits this story well and no spoilers from me, I will tell you I have a review planned for later this month!

Betty Hechtman 's Seams like Murder was such a fun read, catching up with the gang and still trying to get the hang of the hook myself, I love a well spun and tangled yarn type mystery!

I can not insist more that you pick up this second in series and be inspired and transported to the Hamptons, this is a great weekend read! Kathleen Bridge has a unique and wonderful lead character I know you are going to just love.

Darcie Wilde, what can I say A Useful Woman was a "distinctly discerning" read. sharing my review of this one on May 10th, I can not help but get very excited for those of you who are going to loose yourself in this Austen Era Mystery!

No words needed, if you are a fan of this series you are likely lining up if you have not got the mail man dropping your order of to you! Heather Blake and the Wishcraft Mystery Series is one of the best!

I will admit I splurged and bought this in hard back but for those of you who were excitedly waiting on the release of the paper back today is your day! I know you are going to be simply amazed by this cozy by Lorna Barrettm, my lips are sealed but I will say read with Kleenex, ice-cream and take your phone off the hook, you wont want to put it down!

On my to be read pile is Nancy J. Parra's Newlywed Dead out today and what a cover!

Peg Cochran has Berry The Hatchet out today, looking forward to this cozy, the kitten is calling me from the cover!

Two books out today and on my TBR pile by Sally Goldenbaum, I am truly looking forward to reading all of these books and quite a few more this month!
Happy Release Day to all! Please remember to Order, Read, Review and Repeat to keep these cozy series and so many more enriching our lives!
Thank you for joining me for a cup of tea and a cozy mystery release day. I would love to hear from you so please leave me a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com