Twelve Angry Librarians by Miranda James

What an amazing honor it was to binge read Miranda James' Twelve Angry Librarians last night. Waiting on the arrival of this one with baited breath, officially is releases on February 21st . It seems that Charlie and Diesel can not seem to keep there noses out of trouble! Boy do I love it. This was a really interesting mystery. I feel so many emotions when I read anything by Miranda James, by page 12 I was already in tears, a few chapters later filled with rage, anxiety gripped a few more chapters and then blessed with that perfectly timed mystery unravel and happy ending. Miranda James has long been a favorite author of mine and this beautifully written book is one to cherish.

Charlie is stressed out. The Southern Academic Libraries Association is holding this year’s annual meeting at Athena College. Since Charlie is the interim library director, he must deliver the welcome speech to all the visiting librarians. And as if that weren’t bad enough, the keynote address will be delivered by Charlie’s old nemesis from library school. It’s been thirty years since Charlie has seen Gavin Fong, and he’s still an insufferable know-it-all capable of getting under everyone’s skin. In his keynote, Gavin puts forth a most unpopular opinion: that degreed librarians will be obsolete in the academic libraries of the future. So when Gavin drops dead, no one seems too upset... But Charlie, who was seen having a heated argument with Gavin the day before, has jumped to the top of the suspect list. Now Charlie and Diesel must check out every clue to refine their search for the real killer among them before the next book Charlie reads comes from a prison library...

Click here to order your own copy of Twelve Angry Librarians by Miranda James on Amazon.
Learn more about this amazing series 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

Granny Hooks A Crook, by Julie Seedorf

My dear friend Lisa sent me this book on Amazon as a gift last week and I truly enjoyed this very humorous cozy. I had not read any of the Granny series by Julie Seedorf and Granny Hooks A Crook is the first in this series. There is so much to love and admire about Granny, her undercover work and her menagerie of animals.  I needed a light and humorous cozy this weekend and this one was delightful.  

Granny leads a secret life in the small, unique community of Fuschia, Minnesota. It’s not just her all junk food diet, multiplying pets, or her shocking bedtime attire that makes Granny one in a million. No, Granny is an undercover cop, charged by “the Big Guy” (the town’s police chief) of preventing theft in local stores. Granny takes her job seriously and daily foils many shoplifters using her trusty spiked umbrella and amazing acting skills. When some startlingly brazen burglaries begin to occur that Granny can’t solve, along with mysteriously appearing bad guys, disappearing clerks, and misplaced Corvettes, Granny begins to wonder if she isn’t ready for the wrinkle farm. Maybe, it’s fortuitous when she accidentally-on-purpose falls in the lap of an attractive older gentleman who is soon roped into her wild adventures, as they try to figure out what’s happening in their little town.

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

Snowmen in Paradise by Kathi Daley

Today I wanted to share the news that Kathi Daley's Snowmen in Paradise a TJ Jensen Mystery is on sale now until February 4th, at the end of today's post you can find links to the sale. If you are new to the series Kathi writes series that are so welcoming and inviting. With characters you can get behind and completely relate too and route for. In the TJ Jensen series this especially true. Small town living, involved communities, extraordinary situations and good mysteries await you in this series and in Snowmen in Paradise.

Winter Carnival comes to Serenity, and with it Tj finds her schedule busier than ever. Not only is her ski and snowboard team heavily involved in demonstrations and local competitions, but her ragtag choir is about to debut in their first live performance. To make matters even more complicated, someone has killed Travis Davidson, a town favorite son, world-class snowboarder, and Olympic hopeful. Tj is determined not to get involved in the subsequent investigation until she learns the prime suspect is Chelsea Hanson, her high school boyfriend Hunter Hanson’s sister. Although there’s no shortage of Sereninites with a grudge against the hometown hero, even Tj has to admit there’s good cause to suspect Chelsea of the murder. Balancing bridesmaid duties, Winter Carnival obligations, show choir duty, and after-hours investigation, Tj sets out to prove Chelsea innocent.Related subjects include: cozy mysteries, women sleuths, murder mystery series, whodunit mysteries (whodunnit), book club recommendations, amateur sleuth books, small town mysteries.

You can find Snowmen in Paradise by Kathi Daley by clicking here for Amazon
Here for Barnes and Noble 
Here for Ibooks
Kobo here
Learn more about Kathi and her series by visiting her author website 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 January 21-28th

Thank you for joining me here for a cup of tea and a week in review. This has been a very difficult week for me, in many ways. While I was very lucky to have had some fantastic books to read and take me away from the world for a few hours each day, I have been troubled by how much pain and suffering has surrounded so many people I know this week. I am so very blessed in my own life, but I am not with out anxiety and stress. This Wednesday was Bell.ca's Let's Talk day, a day to bring awareness to the important task of removing the stigma around mental illness. A very large sum of money was raised with each text sent, or #letstalk tweet, message and more. The photo above was my contribution, I salute Bell for this campaign . This week I have witnessed strength and courage previously not witnessed by own eyes and it has had a impact on my life I have yet to fully understand. There are people in life that will have the most profound effect on the trajectory of your future, by how they become solidified in your past. The ones we seek the most are in the happy memories, however it is the difficult defining moments and memories that show our true character. I have lit many candles this week and said many prayers for strength for so many.

There have been incredibly happy moments this week as well, my son turned 16, I got flowers twice, from my husband this week, visits from friends and support from people placed so very perfectly in my life. I also sipped tea from some of the most beautiful and delicate vessels, tea made from perfectly formed leaves and infused flavors complemented each moment of reflection and self care.
And there have been so many wonderful books! And yes I have read them all this week!

Currently on my table is Granny Hooks A Crook, by Julie Seedorf, a gift of humor and mystery from my wonderful and thoughtful friend Lisa from lisaksbookthoughts. 

Nell Hampton's April 11th release was a delight to have on my table and a great escape, imagine working for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge at Kensington Palace! Honestly this was a great cozy in a very perfect imagined great British home. I am looking forward to reading more of this series.

Murder at the Fortune Teller's Table by Janet Finsilver was not at all what I thought, not exactly a paranormal mystery however this was a fun book 3, first I had read in the series and I enjoyed the team feeling of this book.

An impromptu visit to Scotland this week with Of Books and Bagpipes, a true arm chair travelers delight. I could picture so easily this setting and the story was filled with history and mystery. I highly recommend it. 

I was off skiing in Colorado with Lynn Cahoon's Fatality by Firelight, a lovey writers retreat mystery with Cat as she handles her second writers retreat while living in her own mystery. So many elements of this story to love, the food mentions as well had me making soup and feeling as though I was snowed in and loving it. 

I shared a review of a very fun cozy by CeeCee James, this one is out now and a great deal of fun.

I also was delighted with Snowed in with Murder by Auralee Wallace, I was very lucky to have so many wonderful stories to read and escape with. I hope that you may also have the same experience with these titles, a cozy spot and a cup of tea too. 
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

Kale to the Queen by Nell Hampton

Yesterday I read Kale to the Queen a new April release by Nell Hampton, I loved it. Growing up my maternal grandfather went out of his way to share his love of the royal family with me. I Have always loved and admired the Royal family, following the ups and the downs and the celebrations. I have watched every wedding and funeral with awe, respect and wonder. So when I learned about this very fictional cozy mystery about the Royal family I was very interested. This is a great cozy. I thought the story was very plausible, even given the circumstances. I loved the mystery but I did have a good idea who the murderer was. The food references were wonderful, and I appreciated the banter and hierarchy of the relationships between all the characters in this book. It felt real to me, having worked in kitchens as a chef, the time lines, the menus along with the bravado of the chefs was familiar and even comforting. I enjoyed this book and I am so looking forward to reading more in this series. If you love BBC, or PBS programming about life of the aristocracy and royal family you are going to love Kale to the Queen.

Chef Carrie Ann Cole is about to embark on the adventure of a lifetime--an assignment as the new Personal Chef to the Royal Family at Kensington Palace. But no sooner has Carrie Ann touched down across the pond and donned her apron than a dead body crops up beneath the royal kale beds.With one assistant dead and the other soon under suspicion for his murder, Carrie Ann is scrambling to keep her kitchen up and running. Not to mention she gets off to an immediate bad start with the tempestuous Royal Chef Butterbottom, who has a bitter taste in his mouth since the prestigious position in the Royal Family's kitchen was given to an "over-privileged, under-educated American chef."But the Royal Family's appetites wait for no one, and Carrie Ann must solve the murder and still get supper on the table on time--even with the annoyingly handsome Head of Security Ian Gordon tracking her every move like an MI6 agent. Suspects abound as an American chef adds a bit of spice to the traditional royal household in the first in Nell Hampton's charming and tasty Kensington Palace Chef Mystery series, Kale to the Queen.

Click here to learn more about this April 11th release 

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 the Fortune Teller's Table by Janet Finsilver

I sat down to read Murder at the Fortune Teller's Table with the intention of reading only a few chapters, I however found that I could not stop. Janet Finsilver's third book in the Kelly Jackson Mystery Series surprised me. I very much enjoy a cozy mystery where there is team effort, and the team is diverse. I thought this would have more of a paranormal twist to it but it really did not. I was pleasantly surprised with the tale and how the story unfolded. I did not figure out the murderer ahead of time and I was invested in solving the case as if I was a member of the team. This book made me think and it made me curious, so much so that I could not put it down. This is a mid March release you can order by clicking here.

Poisons, prophecies—and a peculiar past . . . When a local woman begins searching for a couple she hasn’t seen since the 1960s, Redwood Cove Bed and Breakfast manager Kelly Jackson and the crime-solving group, the “Silver Sentinels,” are quick to help out. They’re also quick to guess that they’re in over their heads after the woman is found dead beside the body of a Greek fortune teller—and a fellow Sentinel gets attacked. As Kelly juggles work and her responsibilities at a food and wine festival in town, she and her sleuthing posse must confront a killer obsessed with old secrets . . . and solve a murder mystery more than fifty years in the making . . .

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

Of Books and Bagpipes by Paige Shelton

Wednesday is upon us and I have just finished reading Of Books and Bagpipes by Paige Shelton. This is the second book in the Scottish Bookshop Mysteries and a wonderful follow up at that. First of all being set in Scotland is something that I very much enjoyed, never being there myself as an armchair traveler I fully enjoyed the imagery that Paige created. The mystery and the history sucked me in and it was a very intricately woven tale. I did not have it figured out which I truly enjoyed and I loved main character Delaney even more with each word, situation and chapter. Delaney is brave, smart and quick. The characters are rich and as inviting as the cozy Scottish setting. I am very thrilled to have read this upcoming April cozy.

Delaney Nichols has settled so comfortably into her new life in Edinburgh that she truly feels it’s become more home than her once beloved Kansas. Her job at the Cracked Spine, a bookshop that specializes in rare manuscripts as well as other sundry valuable historical objects, is everything she had dreamed, with her new boss, Edwin MacAlister, entrusting her more and more with bigger jobs. Her latest task includes a trip to Castle Doune, a castle not far out of Edinburgh, to retrieve a hard-to-find edition of an old Scottish comic, an “Oor Wullie,” in a cloak and dagger transaction that Edwin has orchestrated.While taking in the sights of the distant Highlands from the castle’s ramparts, Delaney is startled when she spots a sandal-clad foot at the other end of the roof. Unfortunately, the foot’s owner is very much dead and, based on the William Wallace costume he’s wearing, perfectly matches the description of the man who was supposed to bring the Oor Wullie. As Delaney rushes to call off some approaching tourists and find the police, she comes across the Oor Wullie, its pages torn and fluttering around a side wall of the castle. Instinct tells her to take the pages and hide them under her jacket. It’s not until she returns to the Cracked Spine that she realizes just how complicated this story is and endeavors to untangle the tricky plot of why someone wanted this man dead, all before getting herself booked for murder.

You can order a copy the April release, Of Books and Bagpipes 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

Fatality By Firelight by Lynn Cahoon

I finished Fatality by Firelight, the second in the Cat Latimer Mystery series by Lynn Cahoon. Oh boy is it great! So intriguing. I have often thought about how cool it would be to go on an actual writing retreat, I mean what could possibly go wrong? Lynn captures the magic and anticipation of the ideal writing retreat with her large Victorian Colorado Retreat. This book was not only easy to picture and feel like you were a part of but it had so many moments where I thought to myself, "Oh wow, that did not just happen" or the "No way!" thoughts I had in my head as I was reading. Was I emotionally invested in this book? Yes I was. I swear this book breathes it felt so real and all the mentions of the hot soups, cookies and food being prepared was an added bonus. Lynn has won me over with this series and I hope she will win you over too! This one is out February 28th and is one worth pre ordering for sure!

Cat Latimer’s Colorado bed-and-breakfast plays host to writers from all over. But murder is distinctly unwelcome . . .To kick off a winter writing retreat, Cat and her handyman boyfriend, Seth, escort the aspiring authors to a nearby ski resort, hoping some fresh cold air will wake up their creative muses. But instead of hitting the slopes, they hit the bar—and before long, a tipsy romance novelist named Christina is keeping herself warm with a local ski bum who might have neglected to tell her about his upcoming wedding.Next thing Cat knows, her uncle, the town sheriff, informs her that the young man’s been found dead in a hot tub—and Christina shows up crying and covered in blood. Now, between a murder mystery, the theft of a rare Hemingway edition, and the arrival of a black-clad stranger in snowy Aspen Hills, Cat’s afraid everything’s going downhill . . .

Learn more about Lynn Cahoon and this series 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 

The Honeyed Taste of Deception by CeeCee James

Last week CeeCee James sent me her book The Honeyed Taste of Deception, this is book number 4 in the Angel Lake Mystery series. This one was the most fun so far. Normally I am not a fan of books about weddings but this one was so outrageous and fun, I could not put it down. With the new job Elise is busier then ever through in a bunch of robberies, a pregnant bride to be and a circus in town there is so much to admire in this fast passed and hilarious cozy. This book is out now and loads of fun! Click here for the book listing on Amazon.

The only thing worse than a pregnant bridezilla is a corpse as the wedding cake topper.When Elise Pepper begins her job at the Dream Wedding Boutique, she thinks her life is finally back on track. Her boss is more highly-strung than the customers, but she can deal with that, and she's up for the challenge of a new job.Or so she thinks. When a bride turns up demanding a circus-themed wedding to honor her sick father, things get a little crazy. Clowns instead of bridesmaids? A sword-swallower as celebrant? Elise is sure she can handle it all. A dead man in the wedding cake may be a little too much to deal with, though. Just when she thought she had it all together, Elise finds herself in the middle of yet another murder investigation. Can our intrepid heroine track down the killer before more wedding guests die?

Thank you so much 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

Snowed In With Murder by Auralee Wallace

If you are not yet familiar with the Otter Lake Mystery Series, you should get acquainted. This is a really funny cozy mystery that I can not get enough off. I was thrilled to get an advanced reading copy of Snowed In With Murder by Auralee Wallace. This is the third book in the series and I loved the first too, but this one was such an action packed mystery I read it in one sitting. I could not put it down! As main characters go Erica is pretty much a magnet for murder, but it is her BFF who steals the show. While I love Erica, this series is made with the antics of best bud Freddie Ng! If ever there was a chance to have and meet these fictional characters in real life this would be a duo at the top of my list. This Cozy is crazy, fun, unconventional and a hoot to read!

There’s no retreat and no surrender when Erica Bloom finds herself stuck in a snow storm with a stone-cold killer. . .

Erica has returned to Otter Lake, New Hampshire, to rekindle her romance with Sheriff Grady Forrester at her mom’s island retreat, currently closed for the off season. Just ahead of a rapidly advancing storm front, Erica arrives to discover Mom has rented the lodge to a reality TV show. They’re filming the wealthy but awful Boatright brood, who’ve been summoned here by their patriarch because―so he says―one of them wants to kill him.

SNOWED IN WITH MURDER Great television, terrible timing. Not only are Erica’s romantic hopes snuffed out like a candle flame, the nasty Nor’easter just became a superstorm…and no one is getting off the island ’til it blows over. When the power fails, it’s lights out for the patriarch. Now, marooned with a murdered millionaire and his feuding family, it’s up to Erica to take the killer by storm and get back to the business of reuniting with Grady―until death do they part!

You can order you own copy of this February 7th release by clicking here
Learn more about this series and Auralee Wallace 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 January 14th-21st

I would like to thank you for stopping by today for another week in review. My table has been very full this week and I actually made my first batch of scones since moving into the new house yesterday. It was long overdue and actually made it feel just like home. I am actually feeling more settled this week and even found the Christmas Cards I wrote and accidentally packed, with out sending, as I opened the last box in the living room on Thursday! I have only a few boxes left to open and things are really falling into place.

Earlier this week a good friend of mine returned from visiting her mother in Iran, she brought with her a beautiful teapot for me and some absolutely delicious herbal teas that I have been enjoying all week. My friend is one of the most thoughtful, caring and strong people I know, she has been to hell and back more then once and she is an inspiration.  It is an honor to count her among my friends.

This week I read 7 books, I have had to say I was so very pleasantly surprised by Smugglers & Scones a new first in series by Morgan C. Talbot and if you missed my review earlier this week, this one is going to be the cozy I hold all other first in series against and the gold standard for 2017. Loved it that much!

I also loved CeeCee James The Honeyed Taste of Deception which is not yet out, I will share my review in the next week it was lots of fun!

Also on my tablet his week were A Cast of Vultures and Death by Chocolate Lab

I will have a review of the book I read last night for you on Sunday, Snowed in With Murder by Auralee Wallace

Thank you so much 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

Death By Chocolate Lab

I read Death by Chocolate Lab, A Lucky Paws Pet-sitting Mystery by Bethany Blake yesterday. This is a first in series about an unlikely armature sleuth and over qualified pet sitter that dog lovers are sure to enjoy. I will be absolutely honest it took me a really long time to get into this book, though the first half is very slow moving I did enjoy the second half. I did not find the mystery in the book plausible but I did appreciate the back story for the detective. This book is out February 28th and you can find out more about it by clicking here.

Pet sitter Daphne Templeton has a soft spot for every stray and misfit who wanders into the quaint, lakeside village of Sylvan Creek. But even Daphne doesn’t like arrogant, womanizing Steve Beamus, the controversial owner of Blue Ribbon K-9 Academy. When Steve turns up dead during a dog agility trial, Daphne can think of a long list of people with motives for homicide, and so can the police. Unfortunately, at the top of the list is Daphne’s sister, Piper—Steve’s latest wronged girlfriend.Certain that Piper is innocent, in spite of mounting evidence to the contrary, Daphne sets out to clear her sister’s name—and find Axis, Steve’s prize-winning chocolate Labrador, who went missing the night of Steve’s death. Aided by Socrates, her taciturn basset hound, and a hyperactive one-eared Chihuahua named Artie, Daphne quickly runs afoul of Detective Jonathan Black, a handsome and enigmatic newcomer to town, who has no appreciation for Daphne’s unorthodox sleuthing.Can a free-spirited pet sitter, armed only with a Ph.D. in Philosophy and her two incompatible dogs, find the real killer before she becomes the next victim?
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

Smugglers & Scones by Morgan C. Talbot

I finished Smugglers & Scones by Morgan C. Talbot last night and promptly have a book hangover. This book is out January 31st and has all the makings to become one of my most favorite series. This amazing book is set on the West Coast, which is near and dear to my heart. Morgan writes in a way that made me feel like a guest in a picturesque B&B that only allows Mystery Writers to stay in it. I felt like I was on a writers retreat and being inspired with each turn of the page. With each chapter my heart fell deeper in love with the story, the mystery, the history and the quotes. Strong relationships between the characters formed quickly and effortlessly. Main character Pippa is a spitfire and along with her Uncle Hilt, a newly hired intern and an unlikely love interest make for an recipe for this story, the mystery based on history made this so intriguing. I know it is only early in the year but this will be on my list of top new cozies I have read in 2017, it's going to be hard to beat this one in my books.

Pippa Worthy runs Moorehaven, the Oregon Coast’s quirkiest bed-and-breakfast and former home of world-famous mystery writer A. Raymond Moore. Guests come there to write their own crime novels. When a real-life murder takes a local’s life and washes a handsome boat pilot into her arms, Pippa is yanked into a deadly plot of her own. A tangle of secrets crashes past into present, and Pippa must uncover clues dating back to Seacrest’s Prohibition days, including a secret Moore himself hid from the world.Juggling her book-writing guests, small-town intrigues, secret club agendas, and a possibly fatal attraction, Pippa must sort fact from fiction to know who to trust before a desperate killer claims a final revenge nearly a century in the making.

To pre order a copy of Smugglers & Scones by Morgan C. Talbot 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 Cast of Vultures by Judith Flanders

I read Judith Flanders A Cast of Vultures Sunday. This is an English based cozy about a Canadian living in England. When a local abandoned home, burns to the ground after housing squatters for years the community comes together to support the family that has lived there. The suspicious fire has main character Sam helping to solve the mysteries of the fires and missing neighbor. I loved the talk of gardening and community feelings I got from this book. This book is out February 21st.

Usually clear-headed editor Samantha Clair stumbles through her post-book-party morning with the hangover to end all hangovers. But before the ibuprofen has even kicked in, she finds herself entangled in an elaborate saga of missing neighbors, suspected arson, and strange men offering free tattoos.

By the time the grisly news breaks that the fire has claimed a victim, Sam is already in pursuit. Never has comedy been so deadly as she faces down a pair from Thugs ’R’ Us, aided by nothing more than a Scotland Yard boyfriend, a stalwart Goth assistant, and an unnerving knowledge of London’s best farmer’s markets.

From the acclaimed bestselling author Judith Flanders, A Cast of Vultures continues the sharp-witted series starring book editor and amateur sleuth Samantha Clair.

To order your own copy from Amazon.com 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

Shelia Connolly's Cruel Winter

Friday I finished Cruel Winter an up coming Irish based cozy by Sheila Connolly. I have really loved this Irish based cozy mystery and it felt like coming home again and spending time with family. This is book five in the series and this one is being published by Crooked Lane Books . The setting and characters are so richly written, endearing and realistic. This is a March 14th release and set in the dead of winter. Being surrounded by ice and snow myself with the winds howling I had no trouble settling into this captivating story. As Irish based series go this is one of my top favorites and this mystery based on loyalty and family and history struck all the right chords with me. It is my belief that you are in for a big treat with Cruel Winter! You can find this book to pre order on Amazon by clicking here.

Snow is a rarity in Maura Donovan's small village in County Cork, Ireland, so she wasn't sure what to expect when a major snowstorm rolled in around Sullivan's pub. But now she's stranded in a bar full of patrons--and a suspected killer in a long-ago murder.Maura’s been in Ireland less than a year and hasn't heard about the decades-old unsolved crime that took place nearby, let alone the infamous suspect, Diane Caldwell. But the locals have, and they're not happy to be trapped with her. Diane, meanwhile, seeks to set the record straight, asserting her innocence after all this time. And since no one is going anywhere in the storm, Maura encourages Diane to share her side of the story, which she’d never had a chance to do in court.Over the next few hours, the informal court in Sullivan’s reviews the facts and theories about the case--and comes to some surprising conclusions. But is it enough to convince the police to take a new look at an old case? A clever spin on the classic locked room mystery, Cruel Winter, the fifth in New York Times bestselling author Sheila Connolly's series, will delight fans of the Emerald Isle.

I so enjoyed reading Cruel Winter by Shelia Connolly. You can find a link to the book on Amazon by clicking here. 
Learn more about Sheila Connolly and her writing 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

The Witch's Book of Shadows by Jason Mankey

Today I bring you a review of Jason Mankey's new reference guide The Witch's Book Of Shadows. This book is out February 8th from Llewellyn  and can be found on Amazon by clicking here.  I was thrilled to review this interesting read. Great resource and reference book for anyone interested in learning about what book of shadows are from a historical point of view and how they are relevant and used today.
I love this cover and series. I have previously read and reviewed The Witches Mirror by Mickie Muller  and am now anxious to read all of these guides from Llewellyn. 

Discover the fascinating history, tradition, and modern uses of the Book of Shadows. This fun and easy-to-use guide provides essential information on creating and consecrating a Book of Shadows, as well as how to make it a part of your practice. 

Learn about the various types of Books of Shadows, their roles throughout history, and how they differ from regular spellbooks. Enjoy advice and excerpts from the grimoires of well-known modern and historical Witches. Explore a wide variety of ideas for what to include in your own Book of Shadows. Like a magical chart showing where you’ve been and where you’re going, this wonderful tool is your personal guide to Witchcraft.

Thank you for joining me for a cup of tea and a Llewellyn book 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 Wedding by Carlene O'Connor

I absolutely loved Carlene O'Connor's Murder at an Irish Wedding. It was a thrill to be able to read and review this book before it comes out February 28th. I had absolutely fallen in love with her first book Murder in an Irish Village and was equally impressed with her second book. Murder at an Irish Wedding had me not wanting to put it down. This was such a great mystery and I tucked in with my tea and read each word with that beautiful Irish lilt in my head. This was a great escape cozy, a feel good cozy and a mystery that had me guessing until the end. I truly had not figured out the murderer until the big reveal and was taken a back at that reveal. This was brilliant and such a treat to read.

The O’Sullivan clan of County Cork, Ireland, are thrilled to be catering the matrimonial affairs of a celebrity couple—until a cunning killer turns an Irish wedding into an Irish wake . . .Any wedding is a big deal in the small village of Kilbane—even more so when the bride is a famous fashion model. It’s also good for business. Not only has customer traffic picked up at Naomi’s Bistro, Siobhán O’Sullivan and her five siblings have a full plate catering for the three-day affair. And Siobhán’s own beau, local garda Macdara Flannery, gladly steps in as best man after the groom’s first choice makes a drunken arse out of himself.Even if he hadn’t been disinvited to the wedding, the original best man wouldn’t have been able to show. He’s been found murdered in the woods, casting a pall over the nuptials. And when a second member of the wedding party is poisoned by a champagne flute engraved with Macdara’s name, the garda goes from being best man to prime suspect.With a killer at large and a string of robberies plaguing Kilbane, Siobhán feels more than a little protective of her village. She vows to clear Macdara’s name, but the suspect list is as long as the guest list. Like the bride walking down the aisle, Siobhán needs to watch her step. For as she gets closer to unveiling the truth, the murderer is planning a very chilly reception for her . . .

Out February 28th this is a book not to miss! Click here to pre order your own copy of Murder in an Irish Village from Amazon.com
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