The Silent Woman by Terry Lynn Thomas

Oh My where to start, The Silent Woman by Terry Lynn Thomas, wow. I did not want to put it down and when I did I felt so guilty and desperately wanted to get back to it. Do not try to adult while reading this book. I promise you are going to want to sit and read this in one sitting. You are going to want to shut the world off while you devour this spy mystery. Set in England, just before the second world war there is so much historial intrigue and mystery in this one, that it reads like a more serious version of a Rhys Bowen novel. I found that while this story was not technically a cozy it made me feel quite cozy in the end. I found that the main character "Cat" was completely relatable, her unassuming nature and the feelings of being stuck because of her place in society was palpable. Her heartache and loss struck a chord with me and endeared her to me almost immediately.    There are some truly great twists in this book, historical hierarchy and great questions raised about British and German society. I absolutely loved this book. The imagery that the words written by Terry Lynn Thomas wrote will stay with me for a long time to come. If you are a cozy mystery fan, a historical mystery fan this is a great read for you. Mystery, intrigue and a must read. This book is out now and I love the cover!

Would you sell your secrets?

Catherine Carlisle is trapped in a loveless marriage and the threat of World War Two is looming. She sees no way out… that is until a trusted friend asks her to switch her husband’s papers in a desperate bid to confuse the Germans.

Soon Catherine finds herself caught up in a deadly mixture of espionage and murder. Someone is selling secrets to the other side, and the evidence seems to point right at her.

Can she clear her name before it’s too late?

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

On my table and in my cup January 6th-13th

Good morning from the Wet West Coast, perfect day for being inside for hockey games and home reading, or if you are like my sister, outside for soccer (one of the reasons I did not push them to become soccer players) I have been reading Deja Moo and upcoming paranormal cozy from a series I enjoy written by Kristen Weiss.

It has been a really busy but really fun week in the teacup department for me, I have been hitting the local thrift stores and scoring some lovely deals this week which I will share more about later next week and I have found some great journals at our local dollar store. I am going to do my very best not to lose it. I did clean my desk today and found the four other journals I had purchased late last year and promptly buried so I should be writing like crazy this year. 

In my cup this week I have been having a few different and lovely new teas. The one I had a friend mailed me and it was a Tazo tea called butterscotch blondie and if you have any in your stores, grab it! So good and now I have to track it down. It tasted like I was drinking tea and cookies, loved it! I have also had I love Tea #7, from Davids Tea, Vanilla black and Balmoral Blend Tea from Murchies. It has been perfect tea and reading weather this week.

In addition to reading, rescuing teacups and saucers and drinking tea. I attended a funeral for a family friend who passed away last week. He was part of my childhood and a man who gave his love of sport and who made support of children as his life's work. He was a pillar of our community and it was an honor to know him, have him as a coach and teacher. My heart goes out to the community, to his family and to all who new Vern Baker.  He was there for so many of us and in the end about 1000 of us were there for him. A three hour service and send off for him was an honor to be witness too. 

A true delight to have this weeks release of Sheila Connolly's Many A Twist to read. I have to tell you this series is one of my favorites. Based in Ireland and the twists in this one were spectacular. A great read and binge worthy series!

The Spirit of Grace by Terry Lynn Thomas was unlike any other paranormal cozy I had read before. Delightful and so happy to have had it on my table! A great read!

Cookies and Scream is the second book in the series and I loved it, CeeCee Jame's Baker Street Mysteries are good, touching and easy to love.

Libby Klein has a book coming out later this month that is a MUST READ. I related to the character perfectly, loved the story line and pretty much everything about it. Order this one for sure, I can not wait to see where this series goes.

I have also been working hard on the upcoming 24/7 event on the Beyond The Bookmarks Event Page called Cupids Cozies, we have 22+ authors coming by, crafts, recipes, great cozies and so much more. You can join us by clicking here. 

Thank you for joining me for a look back at what has been on my table and what is 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

The Spirit Of Grace by Terry Lynn Thomas...

I was sent The Spirit of Grace by Terry Lynn Thomas to read and what a great read it was.  I had no idea going into the book that I would feel how I did while reading it. This was a very different paranormal cozy it did not really read like one but read like a great historical cozy with  some paranormal elements. Main character Sarah, was very much an enigma in the beginning of the story, but as a reader you get to know her as she really gets to know herself. You feel pulled into a very confusing situation, feel and empathize with her throughout the book. I found the twists and turns to be exciting and sad all in the same wonderful way. A great read and I am thrilled I can read another in the series very soon.  

Sarah Bennett doesn’t remember the night her mother tumbled down the stairs at Bennett House, despite allegedly witnessing the fatal fall. There was talk of foul play, dark whispers, and sidelong glances, all aimed at Sarah, prompting her family to send her to The Laurels, an exclusive asylum in San Francisco, under a cloud of suspicion. Now, on the one-year anniversary of her mother’s murder, Sarah has been summoned home. Convinced of her innocence, she returns to Bennett House, hoping to put the broken pieces of her life back together. But when another murder occurs shortly after her arrival, Sarah once again finds herself a suspect, as she is drawn into a web of suspicion and lies. In order to clear her name, Sarah must remember what happened the fateful night her mother died. But as she works to regain her memory, the real murderer watches, ready to kill again to protect a dark family secret.

The Spirit of Grace is out now and you can find it on Amazon by clicking here. 
Thank you for joining me for a cup of tea and a cozy mystery review. I would love to hear from you so please leave me a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com

On My Table and In My Cup December 29th-January 6th

A week has gone by and what a week it has been, new year, new tea and new teacup rescue for me. I was finally feeling better this week and headed to my local Murchie's Tea shop to stock up on my favorite blend and discovered their Balmoral Blend which is such a lovely blend of black teas with a soft malty flavor which is perfect for afternoon tea.

The tea shop is near two second hand stores so I stopped into both having no car with me and was delighted to find a long sought after toast holder, silver and only $5! The china shop that I go to had a half price sale as well and I got the lovely Royal Albert Cup, Saucer and bread and butter plate for $16! A truly great find, and a fun way to spend some of my Christmas money!

I have bought the Witches Spell-A- Day Almanac for about 5 years now, I love reading this book, some lovely sentiments in this book, something I find apply and some don't but I enjoy the read and the history in this book year after year. Happy to have found it just before the new year again.

Just arrived on my table Friday is two of the books in the Terry Lynn Thomas series The Spirit of Grace which I have been looking forward too for so long! I have a few more to get through before I can start these but I am delighted to have them peaking out at me from my TBR pile.

Tomorrow I have my review of Tonya Kappes upcoming cozy Six Feet Under, this is a series that I really enjoy and I am looking forward to sharing this with you tomorrow.

I had a very busy week of reading and I read and shared my review of The Cat of The Baskervilles by Vicki Delany another great story in this series and my favorite so far! This one is out in a few weeks and I recommend it!

A Grave Issue by Lillian Bell was a first in series I read earlier this week and loved! I like where this story went and I cannot wait to see where it goes next! One to watch for! 

One of two cozy shorts I read this week. I bought myself this one from Lorraine Bartlett earlier this week and read it. I love it when you find just the right book for the moment and it makes your spirit soar! I loved this book and the Lotus Bay mystery series. I hope we see more from it soon!

All I wanted was a Drink by Michelle Ann Holstein was the other holiday short I read. This was funny, smart and very well done. A great way to end the holidays on my end. 

Monday I will have for you the review of Class Reunions are Murder, I really did not want this one to end. Very well done and I am anxious to share the review with you all on Monday. I still have book hangover from it! Such a great read.

Thank you so much for joining me for a cup of tea and a look back at what has been on my table and in my cup this week. I look forward to sharing more with you tomorrow. I would love to hear from you so please leave me a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com