Giveaway: Win a Set of 4 Cozy Mysteries

Hello happy readers!! It's New Release Tuesday and unfortunately I don't have the April releases to give away today, but I do have something else that is super special. Four Fabulous Cozy Mysteries.

One lucky winner is going to win:

• Meow If It's Murder by T.C. LoTempio
• By Book or By Crook by Eva Gates
• On Borrowed Time by Jenn McKinlay
• A Vision in Velvet by Juliet Blackwell

I've linked our reviews above, why not check out our thoughts? We will have our review for On Borrowed Time up in a few days.

Do you want to win these books?

To enter:

1. Leave a comment below with your email address.

Don't want to leave a email? Email cozymysterybookreviews@gmail.com with a subject line of "Cozy Books Giveaway" and we will enter you.

2. We're shipping this one international!!

3. Giveaway closes on April 10, 2015 at midnight and we will contact the winner by email.

Good luck everyone and Happy New Release Day!

Book Review: A Haunting is Brewing by Juliet Blackwell

For the last two months I’ve had an unplanned absence from the blog and from reading. I got back into things this week by reading A Haunting is Brewing by Juliet Blackwell. I am head over heels in love with Lily, Oscar and the gang at Aunt Cora’s Closet from her Witchcraft Mysteries. A Haunting is Brewing pairs up Lily with Mel, from Juliet Blackwell’s other series, Haunted Home Renovation Mysteries. Together they work side by side to solve a mystery surrounding a haunted house, life size dolls and a ghostly magician!

I loved watching Lily and Mel team up. This is the first story I’ve read with Mel, but I know it won’t be my last. Lily and Mel work well together, with Lily’s witchy powers and Mel’s ability to communicate with ghosts. With a small appearance from our favorite pot-belly pig, Oscar, it was a great little story to get me back into cozy mysteries.

Furthermore, I like that no spoilers were given for either series. The story was self-contained, and even if you haven’t read either of these series you won’t be lost by reading this novella.

A Haunting is Brewing was a fun, little story to be enjoyed by fans of both of these series, especially while we wait for the next release. If you haven’t discovered either of these series I suggest picking them up today. They are some of the best cozy mysteries on the shelves.

Check out A Haunting is Brewing by Juliet Blackwell at Amazon.

Audiobook Review: Tarnished & Torn by Juliet Blackwell

Lily Ivory is a witch and owner of a vintage store called Aunt Cora’s Closet. In her time in San Francisco she’s gotten into plenty of trouble. However trouble is heading her way like never before. This time in the form of her father and what could likely be a fire demon!! It all starts innocently enough when she goes to a fair and meets a German lady selling antique jewellery. She’s interested in what she has to offer and suspects that she might also be a witch. Her suspicions are confirmed when the lady turns up dead, pressed between wood with cinder blocks on top. The “pressing” is a old form of torture against witches, which Lily has only heard of. Due to the nature of her death, Detective Carlos calls on Lily to help out and this starts one adventure that Lily nor her friends will forget in a hurry.

I fell in love with this series when I first read Secondhand Spirits. I love Lily as she not just tries to solve mysteries, but also learns what it is like to live in San Francisco and have friends nearby. She was shunned from her own mother and her hometown for being a witch. However her life in San Francisco is pretty great… well except for the murders and the fact that her one-time lover, Sailor, has disappeared.

What I love the most about Tarnished and Torn and this series as a whole, is it is never dull and boring. There is always a lot happening but Juliet Blackwell doesn’t leave readers lost and unable to connect the dots. It is more than just a cozy mystery, with the paranormal elements and more-than-meets-the-eye characters. In Tarnished and Torn we finally meet Lily’s father, who abandoned her as a baby. We discover more about their relationship (or lack there of) and perhaps more about how Aidan feels about Lily. Fans of this series will definitely enjoy some of the sub-plots that have continued on from the previous books.

For me, Xe Sands is the voice of this series. Her portrayal of the characters is beyond amazing. I particularly love the depth she gives to Lily’s familiar, Oscar. Oscar is part gargoyle, part goblin and appears a pot-bellied pig. His suggestion on how to solve the case was to hire Miss Marple, and is aghast to find out that she doesn’t exist and is made up! This scene alone had my laughing until I cried!! After having experienced the previous books as audiobooks I know I will definitely be continuing on with the series in audiobook format only. I wouldn’t hesitate recommend this series to mystery fans and also paranormal fans. It’s not one to be missed!

Check out Tarnished & Torn by Juliet Blackwell on Audible, Amazon.

Listen to a Sample of Tarnished & Torn by Juliet Blackwell, narrated by Xe Sands:

Audiobook Review: In a Witch's Wardrobe by Juliet Blackwell

Witch and vintage clothing store owner, Lily, has a knack for getting herself into "interesting situations". For what starts out as a lovely evening out with fellow witch, Aidan Rhodes, ends up in a mystery when a lady at the Art Deco Ball collpases and Lily thinks foul witchy play is involved!! When Detective Carlos asks for Lily's help with the death of a witch, Tarregan Dark Moon "Tara", Lily thinks the two may be connected. As she delves further into another coven she discovers some very evil magic at play.

I like the Witchcraft mysteries because they are always unexpected!! Lily's life is never boring. Besides the main mystery there is always a lot going on and I never finish reading one of these and think it was dull. For all the things that Lily is, she certainly isn't dull. In this one Lily gets to go to a fancy ball, try to untangle a murder case and help Miriam, who collapsed at the ball and is in a coma!! If that isn't enough there is also her love life. Definitely not dull.

Lily is a interesting character. She was chased out of her hometown by witch hunters and hasn't gotten close to anyone. Even her own mother doesn't like that she's a witch. But she's settling into a good life now, with her vintage clothing store and making friends with fellow witches. I like watching her life evolve, as she becomes happier with herself and her place in San Francisco.

The Witchcraft Mysteries are truly magical. They are everything I love about magical cozy mysteries are more than just a murder mystery! I'm excited to start the next one.

I listened to In a Witch's Wardrobe with the narration by Xe Sands and I can only use one word to describe her narration... flawless. She is the voice of Oscar, Lily's familiar, to me and her narration is part of the reason I love this series so much. If you like audiobooks I suggest trying this series on audio.

Check out In a Witch's Wardrobe by Juliet Blackwell at Audible, Amazon.