On My Table and In My Cup February 3rd-10th

Greetings of peace from my table here on the West Coast of Canada, my salute to the Olympics with my morning tea. I watched the opening ceremonies last night and was very impressed. I cannot help but feel pride and excitement as I look upon the faces of each and every athlete that entered the stadium and think of all that must first happen to get them to that moment. I find it moving to see. I prefer the Winter Olympic sports to watch and cannot wait to see what happens next.

Upon my table this week Hummus and Homicide by Tana Kashian. Just started this one.

I will be sharing my review for Rhys Bowen's The Tuscan Child tomorrow. I could not put this down and I have one heck of a book hangover from this one.
Outstanding read.

Also a great read was Clairvoyant and Present Danger by Lena Gregory. I found this my most favorite of the series and the characters are so great in this one. I hope that there will be a book 4!

Miranda James Claws for Concern was one of those reads that you just have a special place in your heart for. This series has surpassed my expectations and this one was incredibly well written, with so much heart and a great mystery too!

Pawprints & Predicaments by Bethany Blake was a lovely cozy read and one that I know you will read. A great post Christmas based mystery story with lots of great animals and friends too!

Rescue cups on my table this week were a guilty pleasure for me this week, this one was a $3.99 rescue.

This Paragon rescue is a lovely light blue and it has the biggest flowers on it, I love the look and feel of it, right down to the delicate handle. This one was a bit more at $14.99 but I fell in love with it.

This $4 rescue has quite a good story which I will share next week...
In my cup this week I have had Murchie's new Sweet Heart blend of black and green tea, with fruit and delicate spices. A lovely light holiday tea. I have also been enjoying the Plumb Deluxe Readers Nook Tea, A Laura Secord Green tea, A Orange, Honeybush tea from Twinings Honeybush & Mandarin Orange tea,   and A Celestial Seasonings Chamomile & Lavender tea. I have of course started most of my days off with the Murchies Black Vanilla that is my long standing favorite!
Thank you for taking time today to join me for a cup of tea and a look back at what has been on my table and in my cup this week. I would love to hear from you so please leave me a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com

Clairvoyant and Present Danger by Lena Gregory

This series just keeps getting better and better. I loved Clairvoyant and Present Danger by Lena Gregory. This series started out and I thought, it could go either way but honestly now it is one I think is absolutely perfect. It is a paranormal cozy series for sure but only really in book three do we get the full paranormal experience with a great cozy mystery and setting. Love the dog in this one seriously "Beast" is so easy to picture and fall in love with. I think of him as a bull in a china shop, or dog in a crystal shop. Great best friends in this series in Cass and her besties Bee and Stephanie. Lena writes this story that makes you feel like you are included in Cass' inner circle. There is so much to love in this series and a really great mystery awaits you with a bunch of surprises in Clairvoyant and Present Danger out now.

A haunting vision reveals a ghostly grave in the latest Bay Island Psychic Mystery from the author of Occult and Battery.Whoever said that dead men tell no tales has never met Cass Donnovan...Cass has always relied on her abilities to guide her, but after communications with a ghost land her in the middle of a murder investigation, she has to wonder if her gifts are really more a curse.Cass knows she is meant to help track down the killer--much to the chagrin of local law enforcement--when the apparition leads her to a dead body on the beach near her psychic shop, Mystical Musings. But the police are not the only ones who wish Cass would stick to reading palms. Someone is trying to scare her off, and it will take all her powers of premonition to catch the killer before Cass herself becomes the next victim...

You can order your own copy of Clairvoyant and Present Danger from 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

Scone Cold Killer by Lena Gregory

Yesterday I read Scone Cold Killer by Lena Gregory and I did not want to put it down, I did not want it to end and I loved everything about it. That doesn't always happen with cozies I read. I honestly would not have changed one thing about this cozy mystery. The characters are great and develop really well over the story. The way the dog comes into main Character Gia's life was perfect and I think her best friend Savannah is perfectly written. I can see great things in this first in series and I am anxiously awaiting the release of the next in this series. I could see how this would quickly become a favorite series of mine.  This one is out January 23rd from Lyrical Press and should be on your to be read list for sure! I still have no idea what Grits are but really want to try them now! Wish there was a recipe. Loved the cover as well.

For Florida diner owner Gia Morelli, there's no such thing as too much breakfast-unless it kills you . . .

When Gia Morelli's marriage falls apart, she knows it's time to get out of New York. Her husband was a scam artist who swindled half the millionaires in town, and she doesn't want to be there when they decide to take revenge. On the spur of the moment, she follows her best friend to a small town in Central Florida, where she braves snakes, bears, and giant spiders to open a cheery little diner called the All-Day Breakfast Cafe. Owning a restaurant has been her lifelong dream, but it turns into a nightmare the morning she opens her dumpster and finds her ex-husband crammed inside. As the suspect du jour, Gia will have to scramble fast to prove her innocence before a killer orders another cup of murder . . .

This one is out January 23rd and you can find it on Amazon by clicking here. 

Thank you for joining me here 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 April 8th-15th

A week has come and gone and we have had more rain then sunshine, I have heard more sadness and strife sadly then happy news,  I hope that as this week draws to a close the new week begining holds a much better times ahead for all of us. Checking back now on what I have had on my table this week...

Last night I finished One Fete in the Grace by Vicke Fee and I shall share my review in full with you all tomorrow. Such a lovely and welcome surprise this week to find it in my mail box.

I am still craving cupcakes and is it any wonder why when I have had Jenn McKinlay's latest cozy on my table. Loved the characters and story in this one too!

A Frying Shame was a read I enjoyed, first in series for me and lots of fun.

Lena Gregory's Occult and Battery was a wonderful paranormal cozy read that I enjoyed along with  the traditional cozies this week. Loved the story line and characters in this second in series.

I reopened my Etsy shop in hopes of helping out a dear friend in troubling times, if you would like to help out to please click here to learn more. 

I have had my old standby Murchies Vanila in my cup most of the week, but I also had some peppermint tea and some lavender black in my tea pot this week. I am looking into a tea line to hopefully add to my tea shop and shall let you all know about it when I have settled on a line. Until then I am ever so grateful that you choose to spend your time with me. 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

Occult and Battery by Lena Gregory

Friday night I finished Occult and Battery the second in the Bay Island Psychic Mystery Series by Lena Gregory. I loved it. As I was sent this book to review I think you should know that while I liked the first book, Death and First Sight, I did not love it like I did this one. This second book in the series is very different from the first. It reads like a first in series best seller, paranormal mystery. I am so glad I requested to review this as it is way more energy and excitement then the first. You really see the valuable relationship and bond between the main character Cass and her two best friends Bee and Stephanie. You get a real sense of genuine love of Cass's puppy Beast, the highs and lows of puppy life is truly highlighted in this one. This story has a much more cozy feel then the last one and really has me looking forward to book three!

The outlook is not so good for Cass’s psychic shop, Mystical Musings. With winter winds discouraging tourists from riding the ferry from Long Island to Bay Island, Cass hopes to draw in more customers by hosting a murder mystery weekend, complete with a séance, in a supposedly haunted mansion. But Cass begins to lose her spirit when her ex-husband shows up, along with his fiancée—Cass’s ex-best friend. Then, after one of the guests is found dead, a blizzard blows in, trapping everyone inside with a murderer. Now Cass must divine who did the deed before her reputation and her livelihood fade away.

Occult and Battery is out now and you can find it on Amazon by clicking here.
Learn more about author Lena Gregory 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

Death At First Sight by Lena Gregory

Friday on my table I had and advanced reading copy of Death at First Sight, a new first in series by Lena Gregory. This is a Bay Island Psychic Mystery. I am a sucker for a cozy series with a lighthouse, make it one with a possible paranormal twist and I am pretty excited.  I was quite surprised with this cozy and even though the theme of the cozy is a Psychic Mystery this is really more of a cozy with a touch of paranormal thrown in. I liked the story. I loved the characters and main character Cass, is  as complicated as they come, Psychiatrist turned Psychic Shop owner and yes you read that right, makes for a very interesting back story. Two best friends who are fabulous and how their stories intertwine and connect is quite clever. The addition of the classic cozy mystery furry companion does add to the charm of the book. Death at First Sight is out November 1st.

It doesn’t take a crystal ball to see that something’s not right on Bay Island... Since she left her psychiatric practice in New York City to open up a psychic shop in her hometown on Bay Island, Cass Donovan has given her fair share of readings to conflicted customers. But what she sees in Ellie Callahan’s future doesn’t bode well.  When Ellie’s mother, Marge, publicly confronts Cass about the reading, the embarrassment makes her want to curl up and die. And when she later stumbles across Marge’s body—and is a suspect in her murder—Cass is suddenly the star of Bay Island’s rumor mill. Cass is determined to prove her innocence and save Ellie from meeting the fate in her unfortunate vision. But even with the help of her friends Bee and Stephanie, Cass will have to channel some serious sleuthing instincts to find the real killer...

Find out more about Lena Gregory on Facebook by clicking here.
Order your own copy from 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

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.

A Cup of Tea and A Chat About An Up Coming Cozy Mystery By Lena Gregory Called Death At First Sight!

Coming this November is a new series by Lena Gregory and the first book in the Bay Island Psychic Mystery series is called Death at First Sight. Today Lena Gregory joins me for a cup of tea and a chat about this cup coming release.

KMOT: What sustains you while you are writing? Coffee, Tea or other?

LG: Diet Pepsi and chocolate keep me going! I have to admit, I have a slight addiction to both.

KMOT: How long was the writing process for Death at First Sight?

LG: It took about two or three moths to write the first half of Death at First Sight, but once I hit the middle, the rest just flew out. I finished the second half in about two weeks. Then I took a week to edit, before sending it out to my agent for another round of edits.

I'll never forget the call from my agent, Dawn Dowdle, a couple of months after she started submitting my manuscript. I was at the Magic Kingdom in Disney World when she called to tell me Berkley was interested in Death at First Sight. The entire deal was negotiated and accepted via email from my cell phone. That was an awesome vacation!

KMOT: How did you pick your setting of Bay Island for your main character Cass to come home to?

LG: I live in a small town on the east end of Long Island, and I loved the idea of a small island community between the forks. The scent of the sea, waves lapping against the shore, seagulls screaming, and children laughing and playing have always reminded me of home, and I wanted those things to bring comfort to Cass when she needed it most. Plus, the island setting makes it difficult for help to reach them from the mainland in book two, Occult and Battery.

KMOT: Is Cass' shop based on any exciting psychic shops?

LG: Cass's shop is not based on any shops I know of, but some of her methods are loosely based on a psychic I went to at one time, who was amazing, as well as remarkably accurate. When the reading was completed, I left with a sense of peace and calm that I try to bring to Cass's customers.

KMOT: What would like my readers to know about your writing and this November release? 

LG: Death at First Sight is my first cozy mystery, and I'm very excited for its release. It's the first book in the Bay Island Psychic Mystery series. The second book, Occult and Battery is scheduled to release in April, and book three, which I am currently writing and has not been named yet, is tentatively scheduled to release in October of 2017. I am also currently plotting a new series I hope to begin writing soon.

Thank you Lena for joining us today! I am really looking forward to your book!

Want to know more? 

FIRST IN A VISIONARY NEW MYSTERY SERIES.   It doesn’t take a crystal ball to see that something’s not right on Bay Island...   Since she left her psychiatric practice in New York City to open up a psychic shop in her hometown on Long Island, Cass Donovan has given her fair share of readings to conflicted customers. But what she sees in Ellie Hawkins’ future doesn’t bode well.   When Ellie’s mother Marge publicly confronts Cass about the reading, the embarrassment makes her want to curl up and die. But when she later stumbles across Marge’s body—and is arrested for her murder—Cass is suddenly the star of Bay Island’s rumor mill.   Out on bail, Cass is determined to prove her innocence and save Ellie from meeting the fate in her unfortunate vision. But even with the help of her friends Bee and Stephanie, Cass will have to channel some serious sleuthing instinct to find the real killer...

Click here to pre order this book from The Book Depository with Free Shipping.

Or here for Amazon

Thank you all for stopping by for a cup of tea and to chat about an up coming mystery!

I would love to hear from you so please leave me a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com