In The Dog House by V.M. Burns

Last Friday night I finished In The Dog House by author V.M. Burns. This is a first in series that I truly enjoyed. Not your average cozy and was delightful in that it was not as predictable as some first in series can be. I loved the main character, her family and best friend. I like how the story was set up and how the setting, will change for the next book in the series. My favorite character though has a very small part and I can not give it away but I hope somehow she shows up in another book. She reminds me of a fairy godmother with a great attitude and I hope that she comes back in a future book. The main character and cozy animal have a great bond, love at first sight. I would really like to see how this series grows and I know dog and cozy lovers are going to so enjoy this book!

 A killer wants Lilly Echosby to roll over and play dead . . . Lilly may be losing a husband but she's gaining a toy poodle. That could be seen as a win-win, since her new adopted pooch Aggie (named after Agatha Christie) is cute and adorable, and Lilly's dirty dog of a spouse is cheating on her with a blond bimbo—except for one problem: Albert Echosby’s just been murdered, and Lilly is the number-one suspect. With the cops barking up the wrong tree, it's a good thing her best friend Scarlett "Dixie" Jefferson from Chattanooga, Tennessee, decided to take a break from the dog club circuit to pay a visit, along with her own prize pair of poodles. With help from Dixie, her defense attorney daughter, and a blue-eyed man in blue with a K-9 partner, Lilly is determined to collar the real killer. But when a second murder occurs, it's clear they're dealing with one sick puppy . . .

This book is out now and can be found 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

V.M. Burns Read Herring Hunt...

I thoroughly enjoyed Read Herring Hunt! I have no idea how V.M. Burns does it but in this book you get two very different and wonderful cozy mysteries. I am in awe of her writing talent and I could not put this book down. There is something so wonderful in the way that main character Sam has taken so many painful things in her life and found a way to start moving on, even under the most imposible of circumstances. I love her relationship with her Grandmother, and the way her employee has become like family to her. You get this deep feeling of love and family in this story, love that stands the test of time, disease, anger and anguish. A great group of supporting characters and two wonderful little dogs. I loved this book and I am excited ready for book three! This one is out April 24th, so you don't have long to wait!

Mystery bookstore owner Samantha Washington is about to find out it's not so easy to play Monday morning quarterback when it comes to murder. . .  To the town of North Harbor, Michigan, MISU quarterback Dawson Alexander is a local hero. To Samantha Washington, owner of the Market Street Mysteries Bookstore, Dawson is more than a tenant—he’s like an adopted son. But to the police, he is their prime suspect after his ex-girlfriend is found murdered. It’s more than enough real-life drama for Sam to tackle, but her role as a mystery writer also calls. Returning to the English countryside between the wars, she finds Lady Daphne Marsh in quite the quandary. Someone has tried to murder the scandalous American divorcée Wallis Simpson, for whom Edward VIII so recently abdicated his throne. It seems finding a suspect is no small challenge when most of England has a motive . . . While Sam’s lawyer sister Jenna rushes in to build Dawson's defense, Sam and her lively grandmother, Nana Jo, huddle up to solve the mystery and blow the whistle on the real killer. With the tenacious members of the Sleuthing Senior Book Club eager to come off the sidelines, Sam and her team just might stop a killer from completing another deadly play . . .

You can find this book on Amazon for pre order 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 14th- 21st

Things that I would never have believed possible this week happened. Good things, not so great things and amazing things. First off my TBR pile is almost as long as I am tall and I am thankful to Karen K for helping me get my TBR list in order and well I have misplaced it this morning but some of the books shown above are a fraction of what is one it. #blessedlystressed.

I hosted a cooking class fundraiser for my oldest son's choir on Saturday night. He is going to Europe over Spring Break and 20 lovely ladies came, learned out to make a lovely Greek meal and we raised $275 towards the cost of the trip.
I am very grateful to these ladies for helping us with the cost of the trip. The Epicure spices and cookware used was fun and very healthy, also pretty yummy too! Who knew I could cook a whole chicken in 15 mins!

A delightful surprise this week to find that Vicki Vass has released her latest in the Antique Hunters series and that she put my name and quote on the front cover! That was such a thrill! Great book and series a must read!

I have a review up tomorrow of book three in the Maddie Hatter series, Timely Taffeta is a great adventure mystery, while technically it is a YA book, I feel it is timeless and delightful!

M.K. Graff's British suspense mystery The Golden Hour was an exciting read as well, could see this one as a mini series for sure!

Sunday I shared my review of The Plot is Murder, you simply must get this book. So good and I want you to read it so we can chat about it!

 Thursday night I hosted the release day event for Secrets and Pies for author Jenny Kales and it was such a blast! Thank you to all of you who came!

Thank you also to author Joyce Tremel for stopping by for tea and chatting about her latest book A Room With A Brew.

Also arrived this week is author Lynn Cahoon's book Of Murder and Men this series is one I have been enthralled with since book one and I am so excited to have this on my list to read!

In my cup this week I have had largely my Vanilla Black tea from Murchie's, quite a few water bottles this week too, and some wonderful Mulled Apple Cider I made from my Epicure party. Spices and hot apple juice, not only smelled great but was tasty too!

I am just finishing up A Fatal Collection and will have that review for you early next week.
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

The Plot is Murder by V. M. Burns

I am very blessed to be able to read so many cozy mystery books and I will say that I actively lobbied author V.M. Burns for the opportunity to have this book on my table as soon as possible. Sometimes I can look at a cover and just know a book is going to be amazing, and I was very right with The Plot Is Murder. I did not read the book intro which I have posted below. I just saw the cover and knew I wanted to read the book. Yes I judge books by their covers, and I am not ashamed. This book was better than good, it was spectacular. I had no idea the concept of a main character who was in the process of mourning her husband, opening a mystery bookstore to help fulfill her husband's dying wish and she is writing a mystery too, would work so well! If I had read that going in I would have told you it is not possible to do all that and do it well and I would have been so wrong. I have never seen a cozy that was so well written and seamlessly slips between the main characters reality and the book she is writing. I would have told you it can't be done and I would have missed out on an amazing book. I found this to be one of the most engaging cozy mysteries I have ever read. Easily in the top 5 best new cozy first in series released this year and a book you should line up for.  Not only were the two mysteries perfectly balanced but the characters were interesting, well rounded and each added something perfectly in this layered tapestry.  I could not put this book down. In fact I didn't, it was the perfect cozy read. I am in awe of V.M. Burns ability to write like this and I am anxiously awaiting the release of book two already. The Plot is Murder is published by Kensington and is out November 28th and can be pre-ordered on Amazon by clicking here. (I am not an amazon affiliate and I do not make money if you click this link)

The small town of North Harbor on the shores of Lake Michigan is about to have a new mystery bookstore. But before the first customer can browse its shelves, the store’s owner is suspected of her own murder plot . . .  Samantha Washington has dreamed of owning her own mystery bookstore for as long as she can remember. And as she prepares for the store’s grand opening, she’s also realizing another dream—penning a cozy mystery set in England between the wars. While Samantha hires employees and fills the shelves with the latest mysteries, quick-witted Lady Penelope Marsh, long-overshadowed by her beautiful sister Daphne, refuses to lose the besotted Victor Carlston to her sibling's charms. When one of Daphne's suitors is murdered in a maze, Penelope steps in to solve the labyrinthine puzzle and win Victor. But as Samantha indulges her imagination, the unimaginable happens in real life. A shady realtor turns up dead in her backyard, and the police suspect her—after all, the owner of a mystery bookstore might know a thing or two about murder. Aided by her feisty grandmother and an enthusiastic ensemble of colorful retirees, Samantha is determined to close the case before she opens her store. But will she live to conclude her own story when the killer has a revised ending in mind for her? 


Learn more about V. M. Burns by visiting her website by clicking here. 
I truly enjoyed reading this cozy mystery and I am thrilled to be able to share my reviews with all of you.
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 7-14th

Wonderful things have been upon my table this week and  I am so excited for the Maddie Hatter Series book 3 release! Timely Taffeta is on my kindle app calling to me and I have to get through two books this weekend to get to it! I am so excited to have it and this next adventure mystery by author Jayne Barnard!

I have been blessed with some lovely flowers via my Mother in law this week! They paired nicely with M.K. Graff's British Cozy that I am about to start!

Currently I am finishing Mrs. Jeffries and the Three Wise Women this is a great read so far I just have had so much going on that I have not had a chance to finish it!

I read and reviewed a lovely  Canadian based cozy by Amber Boffin I think you might enjoy. This one is out now and has a lovely setting, set of characters and plausible mystery! Looking forward to seeing more in this series.

I am excited to share the review of The Plot is Murder by V.M. Burns tomorrow with you all, this book is so, so good! I promise to tell you all about it tomorrow.

I also reviewed Secerts and Pies this week and coming up on Thursday is the release day party I hope you will join me on the Beyond The Bookmark page for the event, actually we have been doing some fun things leading up, I hope you will join us! Click here for the event page. 

The event is next Thursday and I will there to help celebrate, share recipes, crafts and more all relating to author Jenny Kales series! It's online and free and so much fun! Click here to learn more. 

So I have been doing something other than reading this week, actually I have made three fresh cheese this week and I have had fun not only eating but making different soft cheeses that are lactose free and it is surprisingly easy!

Earlier this week I braved the very cold morning air and had a pre dawn tea complete with a tealight, despite the cold it was beautiful and very nice to sit and listen to the sound of the waves even before the birds woke up!

Today is the start of our Hockey season and I am very thrilled to be so very blessedly stressed and busy today. Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to join me here 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