On My Table and In My Cup June 24th To July 1st Happy Canada Day From My Table To Yours!

Happy Canada Day! Today is Canada's 150th Celebration and we are starting our day early with a parade and then a large BBQ with family and dear friends. July 1st is not only the day Canadians celebrate Canada's Birthday it is also the day I moved to the province I live in now, actually I moved here 40 years ago today!

On my table this week I have had some lovely reads and in my cup today I have a special blend from Murchie's Tea to celebrate Canada's 150th. It is a blend of black and green tea with a hint of maple. It is a lovely blend I hope they keep in stock for years to come.

I will start the book part of my post by talking about the Summer Whodunnit Mystery Set of 6 Cozy Mysteries I bought on Amazon this week. Only two of the authors are known to me and I love discovering a great new author, book and series.

Reading Cate Conte's Cat About Town a new series and one I hope to share the review of tomorrow. I like a good mystery with a great cat and this book is shaping up to be just that!

Body on Baker Street by Vicki Delany is one I very much enjoyed, this one is out in September and is the second in the series.

I had Even Witches Get The Blues on my table this week a light paranormal fantasy story I found on Facebook and downloaded from Amazon.

Toast and Jam! This is the cookbook of the year for me, it would be hard to wow me with a better book at this point. I liked it so much I have ordered a copy for myself to have, hold, keep and make! There is a peach and green tea spread I am looking very much forward too along with so many more. I have already begun to hoard jars.

Sunday I shared Canadian Author Judy Volhart and her second in series Ice Whine and Irish Cheddar, this is the perfect book to read in the hot summer! It is out now and should go on your summer reading list for sure!

Also arrived but I have not yet started is a book by Kathleen Valenti! I will share more on this in the coming weeks!

Monday was the second week in our Three Amigos Summer Reading Club and we are all hoping you enjoyed our weekly suggested books and I am looking forward to sharing our next selections with you on Monday. We all love hearing from you so please leave us a comment below our posts, share them on social media and with all your friends.

Thank you for joining me here today for a cup of tea and a cozy mystery week in review. I wish you and yours a very happy and safe Holiday weekend.
I too would love to hear from you so please leave me a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com

Ice Whine and Irish Cheddar by Judy Volhart

I was beyond delighted to have Ice Whine and Irish Cheddar, book two in the Whine & Cheese Cozy Mystery Series by Canadian Author Judy Volhart. This is an interesting concept for a cozy mystery, the main character moves to a small town and opens a wine and cheese bistro. The menu features cheeses and wines with very cool tongue and cheek names names. On top of a great menu, main character Amalia has her best friend working for her, a boyfriend she could at one time only dream about and another murder victim on the premises!  I love this character, her very well meaning parents and I appreciate the Ontario Canada setting! While Ontario is towards the opposite side of where I live, I have visited Ontario and love the way Judy writes that makes it easy to see what it is like to live in Ontario in the winter. This mystery was not easy for me to figure out who did it and I loved the murder weapon in this story! You will have to read it to find out what I mean. Great cozy and fun to read in the sweltering heat of summer!

Things were about to get as sticky as a pot of cheese fondue!

Is Chloé dating a murderer? Who's stalking Nicole this time? Is the disturbed stranger from the woods friend or foe? And why in the world is 50+ year old Nora prancing about in push-up bras?

Thirty year-old Amalia Kis' recently opened wine and cheese bistro is flourishing despite a rocky start; until she finds the dead body of the nephew of her evil nemesis, Mr. Leonardo.

Things get smellier than Blue Cheese when she learns that everyone loathed and feared him. The suspect list steadily grows.

Amalia's eccentric Hungarian parents move just minutes away and despite her best efforts, soon learn of the murder. To her surprise, her father eventually gets involved. Meanwhile, things steam up with new boyfriend Matt, who continues to discourage her involvement in the case. Nora, on the other hand, is right in the thick of things- and gets steamy with Mr. Leonardo! (Gag).

In her accidental detective style, Amalia blunders through, trying to solve the murder.

Will she be sharp, like an aged Irish Cheddar, or crumble like an aged Asiago?

Ice Whine and Irish Cheddar is out now and you can find it on Amazon 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@gmial.com 

On My Table and In My Cup June 17-24th

A very hot Saturday on the menu for today, one last week of school for the kids and the temperature is rising here.  Summer arrived with full force  this week and with it the need for summer reads. We started this week with our 11 week Three Amigos Summer Reading club, I hope you have enjoyed our first three summer suggestions and I can not wait for Monday to reveal the next ones! I was thrilled to receive Judy Volhart's Ice Whine and Irish Cheddar in the mail this week, I read it in one sitting and look forward to sharing my review with you tomorrow. 

I enjoy toast and jam daily so when I was approved to review Toast & Jam I was very delighted!
This book is out August 15th and if you have a foodie in the house this is a book you will need to own! Look for my review later this week.

I had Killer Party on my table this week by Lynn Cahoon. This long running series gets more interesting with each book and I know you will enjoy this one for sure. Out July 18th now is the  time to pre order this one!

Another fun summer read and this one called The Fiesta Burger Murder is a first in series from author Rosie A. Point. While the cover doesn't give the cozy feeling, the book does for sure and the cover makes me hungry! This one is out July 4th and I think you will be pleasantly surprised with this story line and theme.

The Decorator Who Knew Too Much by Diane Vallere was a read I was not expecting to evoke such emotion in me! I enjoyed this delightful mystery and it was a new series for me. This one is out now and a great summer read for sure. The cover is spot on with the series and I love that what you see is what you can expect from this fun vintage loving series. 

Thank you so much for joining me here today for this weekly review. I love having you join me and 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 22nd-29th

Happy Saturday to you and thank you so much for stopping by for a cup of tea and a week in review. I was so pleased to help host Wednesday's Witches Tea Party on the on going event page for Kathi Daley Books Halloween Spooktackular , a huge thank you to all of you who came and played along and for the wonderful help of authors Nikki LeClair, Jenny Kales, Hunter Murphy,  Judy Volhart, Celeste Burke, Diane Rapp, Marine Graff and Jennifer Roche for their time, games and friendship. A Huge thank you to Kathi for also allowing me to participate.

Friday morning I placed Deck the Hallways by Kate Carlisle on my table I am looking forward to reading this one!

Reading as much as I do I find the dwindling light of this time of year so frustrating, I was happy to read on my ipad for a change and not having to worry about the lighting in the room. Murder, Curlers and Cream was a very busy cozy by Arlene McFarlane, out now and available on amazon.

A Twice Told Tail by Ali Brandon is out early next week and is a great read! Fun to read another great addition in the series!

CeeCee James book also happily graced my ipad Kindle app this week, isn't the cover of The Bitter Taste of Betrayal fantastic?

Sunday I shared Lena Gregory's first in a new series Death at First Sight on Sunday and this is a promising new series I think you may just enjoy!

I was so very happy to receive a bouquet of Witch themed cookies from a very talented lady on Wednesday  Banafshe Ashrafi is a very busy mom of twins one of whom is in my sons class at school  and she surprised me with these beautiful cookies that were equally delicious to eat! I was truly touched and they arrived on the perfect day the day I was hosting the Witches Tea Party!
In my cup this week I have had the Munchies Vanilla Black tea and with the weather as damp and dreary as it has been, it was a delight to have and enjoy!
Thank you for joining me for a cup of tea and a cozy week in review. I would love to hear from you so please leave me a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com

Join Me As I Host A Witches Tea Today For Kathi Daley Books Halloween Spooktacular On Facebook

Today I am thrilled to be hosting a virtual Witches Tea Party on Facebook for the fun and fabulous Kathi Daley. The Kathi Daley Books Halloween Spooktacular runs October 23-October 31st and today is the day I get to take over the job of hosting.

My theme for the day is a Witches Tea and I have created a delightful Autumn Enchanted Scone recipe to share and also invited some wonderful authors to help me celebrate the day. They will be helping me to run some fun  games and giveaway's! So please pop on over to Kathi Daley Books Halloween Spooktacular and say hello by clicking here.

Joining me today along with Kathi are Authors:
Nikki LeClair Author of: Haunting Me
Anna Celeste Burke Author of: All Hallow's Eve Heist (Georgie Shaw Cozy Mystery Series)
Judy Volhart Author of Asiago and the Accomplice (Whine and Cheese Cozy Mystery Series)
Hunter Murphy Author of Curse of the Bridal Chamber (An Imogene and the Boys novel) 
Diane Rapp Author of Murder on a Ghost Ship (High Seas Mystery Series book 2)
Marni Graff Author of Death Unscripted (A Trudy Genova Mystery)
Jenny Kales  Author of On The Chopping Block (A Callie's Kitchen Mystery)
Throughout the day we will host some games, and the authors will share a bit about their own books as well as doing some giveaway's. We invite you to join us by clicking here.

Now, as promised,  my Autumn Enchantment Scones Recipe...

2 1/2 cups of all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup brown sugar
2/3 cup of butter or margarine
1 egg
1/2 cup of milk
1/2 cup of boiling hot water
1/2 cup of raisins
1 tsp vanilla
1 chopped gala apple
2 tsp of Pumpkin Spice (Learn how to make your own by clicking here)

Method:
Put your water on to boil. Measure out your ingredients. Pre-heat your oven to 400
In a large bowl place your flour, baking powder, spice and brown sugar, use a pastry blender to combine. Add your butter, cutting it in with the pastry blender until well combined and looks like bread crumbs. Chop and add your apples to the bowl mix them, coating them in the flour mixture. Once your water is boiled pour the hot water over your raisins and allow to plump 2 minutes. Add 1 tsp of vanilla to the raisins and the water. Make a well in the center of your flour bowl and add your egg and milk, use a spatula to blend the wet with the dry, next add your raisins and water mixture and fold until combined.
On parchment lined baking sheets drop equal spoonfuls of your scone mixture evenly spaced I make mine the size you see at coffee shops but you can make them smaller if you like just watch the cooking time. Bake until your scones are a lovely golden brown along the edges and top.

* You can make an icing sugar glaze as well if you wish with a 1/2 cup of powdered sugar, a bit of water and a dash of vanilla mix and drizzle over your scones.

Remember to pop over and join me for a Witches Tea by clicking here for our Facebook event. I hope to see you soon!
Thank you for joining me for a cup of tea and a cozy mystery today. 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

Cozy About Wine and Cheese, Set in A Cozy Canadian Town! You have to try this new series!

I had the pleasure of reading and finishing Judy Volhart's Asiago and the Accomplice  while taking a ferry boat from Vancouver to Vancouver Island over the weekend. This is a fantastic new cozy series set in Canada that I absolutely loved. This series has a great concept and I really enjoyed reading this feel good cozy, great friends, crazy relatives, horrible crime and a dream realized. I had no trouble picturing the setting, characters and amazing food and wine pairings!

There’s something cheesy going on around here… Thirty-year-old Amalia Kis just opened a new bistro that specializes in selling mouth-watering platters of cheeses, salamis, artisan breads and wines with quirky names like Broke Ass, Well Hung and The Accomplice. But when she’s greeted by the body of the local town hoarder hanging from the coat hooks at her bistro, she finds herself in the midst of an unsavory murder investigation, and her plans for success are quickly thwarted. After a second body turns up in her stairway, the list of suspects steadily grows, as does Amalia’s desperation when her Hungarian parents decide to visit for a few days. To further complicate her life, Matt, an ex-cop who now owns his own private investigating firm, takes a sudden interest in her, but getting cozy with him proves to be difficult amidst concussions, break-ins, and her overprotective parents. Amalia’s savings are quickly dwindling, as are the customers at the bistro amidst all the scandal. Desperate not to lose her bistro, and since the police don’t seem to be making much headway, Amalia starts investigating on her own. Without a clue as to what she’s doing, will she end up pasteurized or live to Whine another day?

If you are looking for a fun new series in an all new cozy location outside of cozy town USA check out Asiago and the Accomplice on Amazon by clicking here.
Learn more about Judy and this series by visiting her website www.judyvolhart.com
Thank you for joining me for a cup of tea and a cozy review. I would love to hear from you so please leave us a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com

On My Table and In My Cup June 11th-18th

This week I have had a few new titles on my table Monday I read Amy Boyles Scared Witchless a Southern Paranormal Fantasy Mystery, pop back for the review tomorrow.

Tuesday I read Until Our Last Embrace by Joyce and Jim Lavene, such a pleasure and honor to have this book by such amazing and talented writing team that was Joyce and Jim Lavene, I always use this purple teacup when I read any of there work, knowing Joyce as I did I think she would approve, This was one of her favorite cups of mine and we shared the color choice of purple as our favorite.

Tuesday's mail brought Judy Volhart's Asiago and the Accomplice to my table and I had no trouble diving into this delicious mystery!

Thank's to my mother in law for asking her brother to pack some boxes of tea for me in his suitcase I have enjoyed (with out worrying that I was going to run out) celestial Seasonings Watermelon Lime Zinger,  I make a pitcher a day and 4 bags per pitcher I am set for a little while anyway! 

Thank you for joining me for a cup of tea and a week in review. 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

A New Series To Get Excited For! Judy Volhart's Asiago and Accomplice First Book In The Whine & Cheese Cozy Mystery Series.

I have known about this series for months now and I am so excited for Canadian Author Judy Volhart. This Whine & Cheese Cozy Mystery Series is one you are going to be thrilled with!

​​There’s something cheesy going on around here…

Thirty-year-old Amalia Kis just opened a new bistro that specializes in selling mouth-watering platters of cheeses, salamis, artisan breads and wines with quirky names like Broke Ass, Well Hung and The Accomplice.  

But when she’s greeted by the body of the local town hoarder hanging from the coat hooks at her bistro, she finds herself in the midst of an unsavory murder investigation, and her plans for success are quickly thwarted. 

After a second body turns up in her stairway, the list of suspects steadily grows, as does Amalia’s desperation when her Hungarian parents decide to visit for a few days. To further complicate her life, Matt, an ex-cop who now owns his own private investigating firm, takes a sudden interest in her, but getting cozy with him proves to be difficult amidst concussions, break-ins, and her overprotective parents.

Amalia’s savings are quickly dwindling, as are the customers at the bistro amidst all the scandal. Desperate not to lose her bistro, and since the police don’t seem to be making much headway, Amalia starts investigating on her own.

Without a clue as to what she’s doing, will she end up pasteurized or live to Whine another day?

To order your own copy of Judy Volhart's first Whine & Cheese Cozy Mystery please visit Open Books.Com and order yours today! 

Learn more about Judy by clicking here.

Thank you for joining me for A Cup of Tea and A Cozy Mystery! 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 7-June 13th

What a week, has it flown by already? Started my Saturday Morning with arrival of Lorna Barrett's A Fatal Chapter. I ordered this book almost a year ago and I am so thrilled. This is one of my most favorite series and the only cozy series I currently purchase in hard cover. Lorna is one of my most favorite authors, she is so very talented and an excellent story teller. I really think if you have not read the booktown mystery series you are missing out on a gem of a town, characters and a new set of friends that everyone should have! Check them out if you have not yet already done so!

Flat Stanley joined me for a cup of tea while Alex my 7 year old dozed in his bed. Flat Stanley and Alex are going on an Awesome Adventure this summer and has now been here a few days with much pomp and ceremony made us all love and worry about his every move. I have ordered two study units to work on with my son this summer to help him stay busy this summer and engaged with his reading. I have to say I am looking forward to this as much as Alex's is!

I moved my morning tea time outdoors this past Sunday morning and it gave me a great sense of peace. I have been missing it, it also brought several bug bites, so I must remember to get a special candle for next time, the sweet smelling one I use is clearly attracting the lovely little monsters, not repelling them.

I received the most wonderful package of bookmarks to share in the mail this week, Judy Volhart's going to be an author you cozy lovers need to know! You can find out more about Judy and her work by clicking here to visit her website.

This has been a truly busy week and one I am thankful to have shared with all of you.
Thank you for joining me here again for a cup of tea and a cozy mystery. 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