Laura Childs Plum Tea Crazy

I was delighted to be selected to read Laura Childs new cozy, Plum Tea Crazy. This is the newest book in the series and is book #19. This one comes out on March 6th. I love the idea of this series, the cover and Drayton. The dog Earl Grey is also a particular favorite. In this mystery like so many in this series there is a lot going on, so much so that it is easy to miss motives and reasoning. This book is a heavily layered who-dun-it with a wonderful tea menu and recipes as well.

Theodosia Browning investigates a Charleston steeped in tradition and treachery in the latest Tea Shop Mystery from New York Times bestselling author Laura Childs.While viewing the harbor's Gaslights and Galleons Parade from the widow's walk of Timothy Neville's Charleston mansion, local banker Carson Lanier seemingly tumbles over a narrow railing, then plunges three stories to his death. But a tragic accident becomes something much more sinister when it's discovered that the victim was first shot with a bolt from a crossbow. At the request of the mansion owner, Theodosia investigates the tragedy and is soon neck deep in suspects. An almost ex-wife, a coworker, a real estate partner--all had motives for killing the luckless banker, but one resorted to murder to settle accounts.

You can find Plum Tea Crazy 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@gmail.com

A Cup of Tea and A Cozy Surprise...

The other night I got a knock at the door while making dinner and I was thrilled that my ARC of Laura Child's new book Plum Tea Crazy arrived early and it had the most fantastic tea from the Plum Deluxe Tea Company .

The lovely blend I was sent is called  Reading Nook Tea Blend. This is heavenly!
This black tea is blended with Lavender, Chamomile and Rose. It is a wonderful blend to cuddle up on the couch with and read or take into my writing corner!
You can find it on their website by clicking here.

It was such a treat to have these lovely surprises on my table this week. I have a few more titles to get through before I start Laura Childs Plum Tea Crazy. I am so excited to have it and to have a new tea company to try and fall in love with.
#partner #PRHparrner @berkleypub#tea #amazing

Learn more about Plum Deluxe Tea by clicking here. 
Thank you for joining me for a cup of tea and a cozy surprise 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 March 25th-April 1st

It is Saturday again and I am not home, third week in a row, not normal for me. This morning I am in Penticton BC at a hockey tournament with my two younger sons. This is a huge moment for us and one I don't take lightly. Being a Hockey Mom is a huge deal to me. The Canucks Autism Network helped our family in so many ways and changed our lives beautifully with the addition of the hockey program and I am so proud of my boys and our team for learning this game and having this life long skill like their typical peers. 

While home briefly this week I was thrilled to find the mail lady has brought me 5 wonderful April releases to read through and I am reading Silence of the Jams right now. 

Also on my table this week was the third book Mississippi in Me, a collection of Poems by Patricia Neely-Dorsey. Her inspiring words will transport you and her love of Mississippi is contagious! More on this book early next week.

This week I read No Charm Intended by Mollie Cox Byran. This is out later in May I believe and a good read, love the idea of a crafting get away weekend.

I tried out a new cookie cutter this week which I love and I got to use my new little chick salt and pepper shakers I bought at Cracker Barrel while I was in Arizona. I was so thrilled to be home this week and enjoying my loose leaf Vanilla Murchies Black tea. No time to get out and grab something different this week and on my last trip I did not get to a tea shop I had wanted to so nothing new to try and share this week in the tea department.

It was a good week of reviews as I shared my love of A Good Day To Buy, the 4th book in the series by Sherry Harris...

I thought that Sharon Pepe's Magick and Mayhem was fantastic as well. 

Laura Childs wrote what I think might be my most favorite of the series with Devonshire Scream! 

I also enjoyed the Alice in Wonderland themed The Tempting taste of Danger by CeeCee James this week.

One book I read this week was so incredible and I can not wait to share more about it. I read a new paranormal cozy mystery book that will be coming out by Vicki Vass that will stay with me forever. She is working on the cover art now and as soon as I get word of the cover and publishing date I will let you all know. Stay tuned for more on that!

I hope you have a wonderful rest of the weekend and I look forward to sharing more photos and reviews upon my return. 

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

Laura Childs Devonshire Scream

Laura Child's Devonshire Scream kept me busy through the long stretch of highway in Nevada last week on my Spring break vacation. Driving through a very hot and lovely desert with not even a rest stop for hours I found myself immersed in the wonderful world and mystery of Devonshire Scream. Such a treat to have this book on my table. I did not read it when it came out last year in hardcover and I so enjoyed having the chance to read and review it now. I think this may be my favorite in this series. Laura Childs has such wonderful and rich characters, and a true understanding and love of all things tea. I enjoyed the themed tea ideas as much as the mystery itself. Perhaps it is because I loved the theme and mystery around the Romanoff family and this mystery has jewels and a precious egg that once belonged to the Russian Royal family, but it is a story about so much more. This one is action packed, filled with charm and delightful tea suggestions that will leave your mouth watering as it did mine all the way to Phoenix! This is out now in paper back.

Catering a high-class trunk show at Heart's Desire Jewelry is a shining achievement for Theodosia and the Indigo Tea Shop. After all, a slew of jewelers, museum curators, and private collectors will be there to showcase their wares and sip some of Theo's best blends. But just as Theo settles in to enjoy the fruits of her labor, the party is crashed by a gang of masked muggers who steal the precious gems and jewels on display. The thieves disappear almost as quickly as they arrived, leaving shattered glass, scattered gemstones, and a dead body in their wake.   Although the last thing Theo wants is to get involved, she can't help but intercede when her dear friend Brooke, aunt of the victim and owner of Heart's Desire, begs for help in figuring out who committed the brutal burglary. Though the FBI believes this daring "smash and grab" is the work of an international gang of jewel thieves, Theo is convinced that the felon is someone much closer to home... 

To order your own paperback copy of Devonshire Scream by Laura Childs please click 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 March 4th to 11th

This week has flown by and officially we are on Spring Break, however we do have hockey today. I have Hospitality and Homicide to finish today from Lynn Cahoon, this one is out in May and I am delighted to be almost done reading it so early!

Quite a lot of reading done this week actually this was the 44th book I have read and reviewed so far this year. I love the characters and relationships in this series.

Laura Childs Pekoe Most Poison matched beautifully with my napkin rings and spring tea cup. I love it when things work out. Great mystery too, no idea how she does it! Book 18 and it is out now.

Barbecue, Bourbon and Bullets by M.E. Harmon was a free cozy short I read this week. A good story, great mystery and a great deal, free at time of posting.

Another cozy short I read this week was the third book THe Ghost Wishperer by Charity Tahmaseb. Great paranormal cozy short. I can not wait to read the next one.

Oh Sid, such a treat to have a Sid mystery to read. I am thrilled there are going to be more of this series by Leigh Perry. There is just something so wonderful about this family skeleton that makes you want to read more!

I also enjoyed having the Book of Tea and Company, cook book and book of daily reflections from The Irish Country Womens's Association. This is a beautiful book and one I am so thrilled I ordered.

I am also thrilled to share a review with you tomorrow of Kylie Logan's Gone With The Twins. I am so thankful to have had so many wonderful books to read this week and share with all of you.
Thank you for taking time to stop by for a cup of tea and a week in review.
I would love to hear from you so please leave me a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com

Laura Childs Pekoe Most Poison

I love having Laura Childs work on my table. I am thrilled to be able to review Pekoe Most Poison today.  Book 18, how does she do it? I found this one to be very pleasing! A touch of history with the mystery and a deviously delightful. Drama, high tea and mystery, themed tea parties and a touch of class. I loved how this one played out! I also loved how the book paired beautifully with my new spring tea cup and matching napkin rings!

When Indigo Tea Shop owner Theodosia Browning is invited by Doreen Briggs, one of Charleston’s most prominent hostesses, to a “Rat Tea,” she is understandably intrigued.  As servers dressed in rodent costumes and wearing white gloves offer elegant finger sandwiches and fine teas, Theo learns these parties date back to early twentieth-century Charleston, where the cream of society would sponsor so-called rat teas to promote city rodent control and better public health. But this party goes from odd to chaotic when a fire starts at one of the tables and Doreen’s entrepreneur husband suddenly goes into convulsions and drops dead. Has his favorite orange pekoe tea been poisoned? Theo smells a rat. The distraught Doreen soon engages Theo to pursue a discreet inquiry into who might have murdered her husband. As Theo and her tea sommelier review the guest list for suspects, they soon find themselves drawn into a dangerous game of cat and mouse... 

Order your own copy of Laura Childs Pekoe Most Poison which is out now on Amazon by clicking here. 
Learn more about Laura Childs 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 February 18th-25th

Another week has come and gone and so much reading has happened this week. Upon my table this weekend is Laura Childs Pekoe Most Poison, I could not wait until my hardcover arrives and dove into this advanced reading copy. Book number 18 in this amazing series.

Thinking of my good friend who this weekend is on her way to Mardi Gras this weekend and celebrated this wonderful cozy last Sunday on my blog. Body on the Bayou by Ellen Byron was brilliant and one I did not want to end. I highly recommend this book!

This week I shared 4 cozy mystery short stories all that were free on Amazon this week. A Scone Killer by Josephine Wiggle, about a new tea shop was a perfect choice for me and I think you will like it too!

Pains and Penalties by Sarah Biglow was up next and this very cool cozy is set around a comic book store owner. I enjoyed this one and look forward to reading more in this series.

Ghost in the Coffee Machine was so good I bought the series! Charity Tahmaseb has written a series of paranormal shorts, the first one shown above was so good I knew I had to read more. I down loaded the first 5 stories. I love that I have them waiting for me on my kindle app.

Friday I shared about  how much I loved how A Cue to a Kill was presented, not having read any in this series I did not know what to expect, but it was wonderful and I am thrilled I have another in the series on my kindle app to read as well!

This week I had the pleasure of daily puppy sitting/visiting my new "niece" 9 weeks old and cute as can be, our cats were not thrilled to make her brief acquaintance but the boys think she is pretty cute. Visiting her daily at my sister in laws has been fun.
Thank you so much for joining me here this week for a cup of tea and a week in review. I can not wait to share more wonderful books, teas and adventures with you again soon. 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 1st-8th

Saturday of the Thanksgiving long weekend here in Canada, it sneaks up on me every year. I think the USA has the right idea by having it in November, though I wont complain I am not cooking this year, duties have fallen to my sister (who is a better cook then me) and my mother in law who's cooking is out of this world. I am very lucky to be sure. I tell you I swear I blinked and it was only labor day weekend.  On my table currently is a new to me cozy called Magicless in Nevermore, love the title and the cover can not wait to get into this one. I may indulge in a paranormal cozy or two every now in again as one does a bag of potato chips...

I did not indulge in as much reading as I would have liked to this week but I did indulge in other things I loved, my friend and I had high tea this week and it was a heavenly escape. The Chocolate Zuccini Bread was out of this world, I am going to have to try my hand at making some myself. I loved their peach black tea we had and tried their Avalon blend which I found to floral. 

 I have been reading Carrie Doyles' very interesting cozy Death on Windmill Way it is my hope to finish it today and share the review with you tomorrow or early next week.

I am still catching myself thinking back to the cozy I read on Sunday and remembering that though I finished the book how much I enjoyed this story. I love it when a  good book stays with you and The Perfectly Proper Paranormal Museum was a cozy I really enjoyed.

Released this week Crepe Factor by Laura Childs with Terrie Farley Moran was a great opportunity for me to learn more about the writing process and I am thrilled that Terrie was able to share with me and all of you how that process worked. I am very excited to have had the opportunity to read this one.

I hosted 4 of Vicki Vass Antique Hunter Mysteries on my table this week and loving this series as I do I can not say enough about the way it is written. If you are looking for a great established series that is well written and fun this is a series for you.
I look forward to sharing more cozies and great reviews with you soon. I would love to hear from you so please leave me a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com

A Crepe Factor and Cup of Tea & A Cozy Chat With Terrie Farley Moran

Today I am thrilled to share about Laura Child and Terrie Farley Moran's newest collaborative release Crepe Factor, a Scrapbooking Mystery.  I was very pleased to receive book 14 ahead of the October 4th release and today I am pleased to share with you a bit about the book and the conversation I had with Terrie Farley Moran about the writing process. But first a few thoughts about the book...
Reading Crepe Factor I was whisked away to the holiday winter market and was enjoying myself right away, as if I was one of the girls, then a particularly horrifying experience for the reader and the girls as they witness the last few moments of a mans life! Springing into action and against her better judgment Carmela is torn between interfering and putting her relationship with her boyfriend on the line to help out an old flame with lots to gain. This was a very interesting mystery and a great addition to the series.

The holidays are a busy time for scrapbook shop owner Carmela Bertrand—but not so hectic that she doesn’t have time to enjoy browsing the booths at the Winter Market with her best friend Ava. The last thing the ladies expect to see is a lurching man stabbed by a serving fork, dying in front of them.
 
The victim is loathed restaurant critic Martin Lash, who posted his scathing reviews on the Glutton for Punishment website. And the prime suspect is New Orleans restauranteur Quigg Brevard—who was seen giving the critic a tongue-lashing minutes before someone stuck a fork in him. An old flame of Carmela, Quigg asks for her help, which does not please her current beau, Detective Edgar Babcock, to say the least.
 Before her relationship is the next victim, Carmela needs to find a murderer who had no reservations about punishing the culinary curmudgeon...

KMOT: What was the collaborative process like?

TFM: Collaborative writing is stimulating because you always have a buddy to help move the work along. Laura Childs is the team leader because the Scrapbooking series is hers. I am fortunate that Laura has a clear vision and direction for each book. Once the process starts we email chapters back and forth. If I have missed a step, Laura is quick to pick it up and make a suggestion. I will confess that in the writing CREPE FACTOR, I became enamored with pinwheels, and I decided to have one of Carmela’s classes make large pinwheels. Laura vetoed it as too simple a project for the class and for the readers. But I am planning on making red and green pinwheels this Christmas with my grandkids, so the idea was not lost!

KMOT: How does the collaborative writing process work?

TFM: I think every writing team has their own unique process. In our case, Laura Childs writes a long and detailed outline (running about one hundred typewritten pages). Besides delineating the plot line, Laura’s outlines include descriptions of people, places and things, snippets of dialogue, ideas for crafts, etc. I take her outline and flesh it out into novel form and then Laura does a substantial re-write so that the voice of the story is not altered by my participation.

KMOT: What do you think makes the series such a popular one? It is clearly more than a scrapbooking mystery!

TFM: I agree it is so much more. There are lots of themes in the series: mystery, scrapbook crafts, friendship, romance and let’s not forget the backdrop of the fascinating city of New Orleans and the naturally beautiful surrounding waterways and bayous. As an extra treat, Carmela Bertrand, owner of the Memory Mine scrapbooking shop in the French Quarter, and her friends enjoy food, lots of food in the best restaurants and in quirky little places. It is New Orleans, after all.

KMOT:What do you think it is that makes Carmela such a strong character?

TFM: Laura has always referred to this series as a cozy-with-an-edge. And I think Carmela’s personality proves that to be correct. We have to look at Carmela’s history to find how her nuggets of strength grew. She was married to Shamus for a while and his wealthy, upscale family, especially his domineering mother, pushed Carmela to conform and by her very nature, Carmela pushed back. Then when Carmela discovered that Shamus was a philanderer, she tossed him and struck out on her own. The fact that she opened and runs a successful business and has formed and sustained many close personal relationships, while solving a murder or two (or a dozen!) proves she is true to her own personality in spite of any adversity that came her way.

KMOT: What do you want fans of the series to know?

TFM: I would like the readers to know that both Laura and I are immensely grateful for the love and support they show to Carmela, Ava, Babcock and all the characters that populate the series. In return our goal is to produce enthralling scrapbooking stories for many years to come.

To order your own copy of Crepe Factor from Amazon please click here. 
To learn more about Terrie Farley Moran please click here.
To learn more about Laura Child's and this series please click here. 
Thank you all for joining me here today for a cup of tea and a cozy mystery review. Also much thanks to Terrie for joining me here today and allowing me to share a bit about the writing process with my readers.

On My Table and In My Cup September 24th- October 1st

Welcome to October from my table to yours....

October 1st how does that happen so quickly I swear it was just July 2 minutes ago. Today is the release day of Andi Cumbo-Floyd's book Discover Your Writing Self. The reason I share this today is this summer I took Andi's course and felt it was tremendously helpful. I learned so much about myself and writing this summer. Andi had me looking at things I never considered and I felt that I grew personally and improved as a writer while taking the course. I am very pleased there is now a book out so that not only can I review the exercises but so that I can recommend it to anyone who ever wanted to learn about writing. Click here to learn more.

Thursday felt like Christmas with the unexpected and wonderfully exciting arrival of Vicki Vass' book Key to a Murder, this is an Antique Hunter's Mystery and one of my favorite series! I am so thrilled to have it on my table and to review soon! Best part is you can read along with me as this book is already out and you can order it on Amazon by clicking here.

Wednesday Carrie Doyle's book Death on Windmill Way arrived, I have yet to read this book but love the look and feel of it!

Great covers and a fun series Laura Child's book with Terrie Farley Moran also arrived earlier this week much to my surprise and delight as well. I am currently reading this October 4th release now and will share my review with you all very soon.

Magical cats seemed to be a theme this week with Sofie Kelly's book Paws and Effect on my table along with Kathi Daley's Count Catula!

Both cozy series have very intuitive cats and brilliantly written mysteries with characters and cozy settings that can not be beat!

Also I invite you to save the date as Kathi Daley Books is hosting a Halloween Spooktacular Event October 23-31st. I am very pleased to be taking part and hosting a Witches Tea on Wednesday October 26th along with some fun giveaways and visits from a few author friends I hope you will come and join us on Facebook for the day and the entire event! Join in by clicking here.

We also had some lovely visitors to British Columbia where I live this week, I had my own tea party to celebrate The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and their children stopping by.

Congrats to Robin Coxon winner of the Denise Swanson book Murder of a Cranky Catnapper giveaway.
I feel so very blessed to have you all join me for this week in review and I hope you have a wonderful Saturday!
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