Murder Buys A Lemon by Christy Fifield

 

Well, hello there old friend, it has been quite sometime since we last visited. Almost 2 years, boy things have changed and yet somethings have stayed the same. For me the love of tea and reading really never left, but allowing myself the time to read, in an ever changing world where I felt like if I took my eyes off of the news, social media etc that the world would indeed come to an end and in ways It was that fear that has kept me away from reading and reviewing for so long. When we last chatted in 2020 things were about to change even more than I had ever imagined, my life had done a 360 and then well Covid-19 took us by storm, and now in 2022, here we are, War in the Ukraine, Covid-19 still a daily concern and yet, a gentle pause in my new life (working now in a school) afforded me a Spring Break reprieve. One the first night of Spring Break for me, I received an email request to read a book in the Haunted Tourist Shop Series. Now Christy Fifield had actually been on my mind in recent months as I was remembering how much I loved this series, main character Glory and her coffee bereft Parrot Bluebird. Not having read a book in a very long time. I jumped at the chance to read this 5th book in the series. 

I absolutely loved it! This is book 5 in the series which was once a Berkley series. It was like visiting and catching up with old friends. Picking up where we left off and a really enjoyable visit! Keyhole bay and Glory's friends, the shop and the adventures of best friends Glory and Karen, their weekly dinner crew and of course Bluebird and his antics made this book one I could not put down. I absolutely loved it and I also loved that this out of practice armchair sleuth, did not have the murderer figured out in the end! A great read and one I highly recommend! 

Now I won't pretend I understand the ins and outs of Kickstarter however, @tusnamiridgepublishing on instagram and you can find the kickstarter here is offering a chance to win an early copy of the book for the launch of the kickstarter Tuesday! 

"tsunamiridgepublishing

It's been a while in coming #cozymysterylover, but the newest installment in #ChristyFifield's beloved "Haunted Souvenir Shop" mystery series is compete and ALMOST on its way to you! "MURDER BUYS A LEMON" features the further murderous adventures of Glory, Bluebeard the foul-mouthed haunted parrot, and the whole gang down at the Southern Treasures shop!
We're launching the book through a new Kickstarter campaign that will give you a chance to get advance copies, an omnibus of the first four books (with added material!), bonus short stories, and much more!
Be sure to click the link in our bio to get all the details!

Your Pal, RobotCEO"

Well my long neglected blog and my delightful friends, It felt good to be back sharing and reading, reviewing and hope you don't mind a visit from this old friend. Let's have tea again soon. I would love to hear from you so please leave me a comment here or email me however this time at karenmgibson44@gmail.com

A Death Long Overdue by Eva Gates

 

I read, and loved A Death Long Overdue by Eva Gates. This series is set in a lighthouse library and has characters that I have come to love and feel like good friends. Through each book I feel more and more like a member of the community. I dove right in and could not put this one down. I loved the idea of the Librarians reunion and the "look back" at Library procedures over the years. I do remember joyfully filling out my card at the library as a child and still get excited at the site of the Vintage pocket and cards when I come across them at old book stores. 

If you are looking at a series that is full of fun, mystery, great books and a lovely sleuth then do check out Eva Gates Lighthouse Library Mystery Series.  

When her former director is found dead in the water, librarian Lucy Richardson will have to get to the bottom of the mystery before the killer ends her tale.

It's summertime in the Outer Banks of North Carolina and Bertie James's college class is having their 40th anniversary reunion. The opening night reception is held at the Lighthouse Library and Lucy and her colleagues have assembled an exhibit of library artifacts showing how libraries have changed over the years. After the reception, some of the women take a walk down the boardwalk to the pier, using flashlights to illuminate the dark path, but what's scarier than the dark is finding the former director of the Lighthouse Library floating lifeless in the water.

Helena Sanchez, the former director, wasn't much loved and spent the party being rude to almost everyone there. As a result, Lucy finds herself in deep water as she rocks the boat, questioning several suspects. But she'll have to batten down the hatches and fast before she's left high and dry...and right in the killer's crosshairs.

You can find this one on Amazon by clicking here. 

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

A Curious Incident by Vicki Delany

 

I was delighted to be treated to an advanced reading copy through Netgalley, of Vicki Delaney's January 2021 Release, A curious Incident. I love this series, this book for me was an especially great read and a nice distraction from the world. I loved being able to travel by book back to the spend time with Jayne and Gemma, and have no problems imagining being in the shop and the tea room, being part of this reluctant and nosy crime solving team. I very much enjoyed the interactions of the characters and the age difference between Jayne and 10 year old Lauren, the dynamic felt natural and was a nice side of character Jayne to see. I hope Lauren will be back in future stories. This was a great read and one I think you are going to love too, lots of good feels and I did not have it figured out until the big reveal! 

It's up to Gemma and Jayne to root out the killer in national bestselling author Vicki Delany's sixth Sherlock Holmes Bookshop mystery when the winner of a garden tour trophy is left pushing up daisies.

"I am not a Consulting Detective," Gemma Doyle reluctantly tells 10-year-old Lauren Tierney, when the little girl comes to the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop and Emporium to beg Gemma to find her missing cat, Snowball. Gemma might not be able to follow the clues to find the cat, but her dog Violet follows her nose to locate the missing kitten in a neighbor's garden shed. Gemma and Violet proudly return Snowball to her grateful owner, and Gemma basks in praise for a job well done. But a few days later Lauren is back with ten dollars in hand, wanting to once again hire a consulting detective, and this time for a far bigger job: Her mother has been accused of murdering her garden club rival.
Sheila Tierney's garden, which everyone said was the one to beat for the West London Garden Club trophy, had been vandalized the night before the club's early summer tour. Sheila confronted her former friend and gardening partner Anna Wentworth in a towering rage, and the women nearly came to blows. Later that night, after having won the trophy for best garden, Anna is found murdered and Sheila Tierney is the police's prime suspect.
Despite herself, and despite the disapproval of her police detective boyfriend Ryan Ashburton, the game is once again afoot, and Gemma finds herself and Jayne Wilson using their powers of deduction to ponder yet another curious incident.

You can find it for pre order on Amazon (I am not an affiliate) 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 

Happy News to Share

 

I have happy news to share in a time where happy news is much needed. I am thrilled that even with all that is going on in the world, my plans for my Timeless Tea Trailer, are on track. As of yesterday I have received the official paper work and the last coat of primer is drying on the inside of the trailer, soon she will get her coat of paint. 

 Not the best photo of me, but hey its hot and I am happy. I did have a dream that all the primer was actually white glue and when I went back to the trailer it was all brown again. But thankfully that was just a dream!

The process is one of patience for sure, something this 30 minute crafter is not used too. 

I cannot wait to share the final photos, have tea and read in these beautiful space, oh and host tea parties, and open the shop. 

If you want to follow along on Instagram I am @timelessteatrailer also on Facebook by clicking here.

Thank you for joining me for a cup of tea and a look at how the tea trailer is coming along. 

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

Chili Cauldron Curse by Lynn Cahoon

 

I was so thrilled to get an advanced reading copy of , Chili Cauldron Curse, the first in a new series by Lynn Cahoon that is so close to my heart. This is the first in her Kitchen Witch Series and I loved it. This is a Novella, not as long as a typical cozy but it was packed with every element I love.  

Growing up my mom had a Kitchen Witch that I was obsessed with, when I was 11 years old we moved and some how the kitchen witch was lost. I searched for years to find another on, especially after my mom died, I did manage to find one a few years ago in need of a bit of TLC, she now hangs in my kitchen and makes me smile every time I see her. The main character, Mia, also has a Kitchen Witch and it is implied that this special doll, will have a bigger role in coming additions. I also  love that the first book is centered around helping out at a food bank. Something I think we can all appreciate in these trying times, I also love that the local Witch Coven, seems to be a mostly a helpful addition to the area and not at odds with the "Muggles", so far anyway.  This was a great start to what I hope will be a long running series by a truly favorite author. 

New York Times bestselling author Lynn Cahoon introduces a new heroine with her own special brand of culinary magic in this novella to introduce her Kitchen Witch series.
 
When Mia Malone’s grandmother asks her to take a week away from her restaurant job and come to Magic Springs, Idaho, she’s happy to oblige. Like Mia, Grans has witchcraft running through her veins, and life with her is never boring. Plus, the cause is a good one—helping Grans get the local food bank up and running again. But there’s an unappetizing surprise in store. While Mia is knee-deep in boxes of donated produce, she encounters the body of Dorian Alexander.
 
Dorian was a warlock, leader of the local coven. He was also her Grans’ new beau. There’s no potion that’ll make this trouble disappear. But if Mia wants to keep her Grans—now a prime suspect—from serving a spell in prison, she’ll have to unearth the real killer fast. . . .

This book is out August 25th, you can find it on Amazon by clicking here (I am not an amazon affiliate) 

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 

Murder at an Irish Christmas by Carlene O'Connor

 Welcome back readers and I am again sorry for the delay in updating my blog. I have been busy working on my tea trailer yes, but I have also been having some trouble with my vision which has not allowed for me to read, thus prompting a visit to the eye doctor and now I have some follow up appointments, it seems that the major changes in my vision are due to the rather high prescription and require further follow up I have updated my glasses which I did not more than a year ago and the dramatic change has helped me so far to actually be able to seed the kindle to read. So with out further ado....

I was so excited to be approved for the advanced reading copy of Murder at an Irish Christmas by Carlene O'Connor, this series is a true favorite of mine and a blessing to read, when one is stuck where they are, unable to travel due to world events and looking for a wonderful escape for a few hours. On the hottest summer day here, I was transported to a cold and snowy, Irish village at Christmas time and it was a divine read. I love the main character so much and find her so relatable, as an orphan myself, from a large family it was an instant admiration for the sacrifices and struggles Siobhán O'Sullivan’s and her family face. 

This is the sixth book in the series and I have enjoyed each one but there is something special about this one that truly left a warm and cozy feeling in my heart. I hope that you will also enjoy the series and think about pre ordering Murder at an Irish Christmas, which is out this October. 

Garda Siobhán O'Sullivan’s holiday plans hit a sour note when murder rearranges the yuletide carols into unexpected eulogies . . .
 
This December in Kilbane, if you’re planning to warm up with a cuppa tea at Naomi’s Bistro, you may have a bit of a wait—the entire O’Sullivan brood has gone off to West Cork to spend the holidays with brother James’s fiancée Elise’s family, including her grandfather, the famous orchestral conductor Enda Elliot. Siobhán is so happy for James and Elise but also quietly disappointed that she must put her own wedding to fellow garda Macdara Flannery on hold. Mac will have to join them later, so he can spend part of the holidays with his mam.
 
When the O’Sullivans learn everyone will choose a name from a hat to buy a music-related Christmas gift for someone else at the gathering, it seems like their greatest concern—until the cantankerous conductor is discovered crushed under a ninety-pound harp in a local concert hall.
 
With the extended family—including Enda’s much-younger new wife Leah, a virtuoso violinist—suspected in his murder, it's up to Siobhán to ensure the guilty party faces the music. But as a snowstorm strands both families in a lavish farmhouse on a cliff, Siobhán had better pick up the tempo—before the killer orchestrates another untimely demise . . .

This book is available for pre order on Amazon ( I am not an affiliate) 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 or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com 

Murder In Wating by Lynn Cahoon

I am thrilled and most relieved to be writing about a book I just finished, Murder in Waiting by Lynn Cahoon.  Relieved mostly because I lost my kindle for more than a month, finding it finally as it had fallen behind the book shelf and I was a day away from ordering a new one. I have to say in these trying times it is wonderful to have a series like The Tourist Trap Mystery Series to give some much needed relief and escape. A visit to South Cove was exactly what I needed to fores back into the land of reading. Not enough words to describe the delight of just how much Lynn's series has brought me over the years. I love being able to go back and "check in" with the characters, and find its like a welcome home.  In Murder in Waiting Lynn doesn't disappoint with twists I did not see coming and the most wonderful unexpected turn near the end. I love it, cozy, tidy, comforting and just plain fun!

In the latest Tourist Trap mystery from New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, Lynn Cahoon, bookshop café owner Jill Gardner contends with a best friend-turned-bridezilla while trying to solve a local historian’s untimely date with death . . . At Coffee, Books, & More, Jill’s the boss. But as Amy’s maid-of-honor, she can barely keep up with marching orders--and now she’s in charge of organizing an epic bachelorette! Adding to Jill’s party-planning panic, the South Cove Heritage Society just unceremoniously dumped her historic landmark bid. While vying proposals rush in from a loaded land developer and a pushy travel guide company, Jill finds an unexpected ally in Heritage Society expert, Frank Gleason. But their happy union is cut short when Frank is mowed down in a suspicious hit-and-run. With Amy’s big day on the horizon, Jill vows to catch the killer before she has to catch a bouquet.

Murder in Waiting came out June 30th! Click here for the Amazon listing. 
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