Concession Stand Crimes (Ball Park Mysteries Book # 2) by Nicole Asselin

MADELINE BOUCHER is still reeling from her first few weeks of working for her family’s Independent League Baseball Team, the Abington Armadillos. She found a dead body and survived a kidnapping before finally clearing her brother of a murder. She didn’t think anything could be as dramatic as that, but she was wrong.

Her parents have given her more responsibility in running ballpark events in the hopes that they could retire and leave the team in her hands. Her brother is moving on to the big leagues, so this is her time to shine. Her first task? Deal with a concession stand kerfuffle. Redmond Brewery heiress, Alaska Redmond, storms her way into the ballpark making demands.

The next day, the son of the concession’s manager finds Redmond’s body in one of the beer stands along the ballpark concourse. Again, Madeline finds herself immersed in an investigation. While the suspects start piling up, including a promising young player on the team, Madeline knows she must get involved. With the help of Davis, her new love interest and head of the security department, she delves deeper into the death of the heiress.

Trying to run team events, solve a murder, and have a normal life take their toll as Madeline comes to depend on those in her baseball-loving community, including Bronia, her old family friend who runs a garden center and helps her make sense of things. She even chances a psychic for advice while at a Salem Warlock’s away game. Will anyone help her untangle the mess of suspects including the victim’s family?

Can she clear the name of the Abington Armadillos and start focusing on the season?  (Summary via Goodreads)

There is a line in the book Concession Stand Crimes that readers will totally relate the book and the series to .... "hotdogs and crackerjacks, not murder and lawsuits" .... that is what you would think when you are sitting down to read a book centered around a baseball team and everything related to it.  Even though the Ball Park Mysteries series written by Nicole Asselin is about an Independent League Baseball Team and not a Major League Team it still reads like Red Sox or Yankee status.

Concession Stand Crimes follows the Boucher family as they run the Abington Armadillos baseball stadium.  Madeline, the daughter, is slowly taking over running the family business as her parents are working at retiring and her brother, Ben, is going to be working for the Red Sox.  Madeline is fine with that as she loves baseball, the stadium and everything else her job will entail .... except when a dead body interfers.

Madeline is still recovering from finding a dead body, proving her brother's innocence when he is looked at as the killer, and also herself being kidnapped by the actual killer so when she is doing the rounds and another dead body is discovered, she may pack it in.  

Alaska Redmond is rude to Madeline's friend Eliza who runs the front desk for the office and bumps into Madeline while storming out.  Alaska's family owns Redmond Brewery and they want to do business with the Boucher family but before any negotiating can begin, Alaska's body is found by the concession stands.

There is really no reason for Madeline to look into Alaska's death as the police are not focusing on anyone she knows but her curious mind cannot let it go.  Even though she insists that she will not put herself in any kind of danger, her family and boyfriend Davis aren't so sure.

Readers will love this book and series.  You don't have to be a baseball fan to enjoy it but that wouldn't hurt.  Luckily I am a huge baseball fan, Red Sox, I will watch any baseball !!!  I can imagine running the park like Madeline is about to do would be so fun !!!  I would totally walk the park, sit in the stands and eat a hotdog every day !!!  

I highly recommend grabbing your copy and having a ball !!!

Murder at the Rusty Anchor (Cozy Capers Book Group Mystery Book # 6) by Maddie Day

There’s deadweight behind the bar at the Rusty Anchor and it’s up to Cape Cod bike shop owner Mackenzie “Mac” Almeida to solve the murder in Agatha Award–winner Maddie Day’s latest Cozy Capers Book Group Mystery . . .

A rainy July weekend in Westham means the beaches are empty and business is dead at Mac’s Bikes but couldn’t be livelier inside the Rusty Anchor Pub. But come Monday morning one patron is not so lively when the chef opens up and finds a body behind the bar. It’s last call for Bruce Byrne, an elderly high school teacher who’s been around so long it seems like he taught everybody.

When Mac’s friend Flo, the librarian, makes the list of suspects, Mac gathers the Cozy Capers Book Group to clear her name. With no end in sight to the rain, the group has plenty of time to study the clues and sort through a roll call of suspects to determine who decided to teach Mr. Bryne a lesson. But with a killer desperate to cover their tracks, Mac and the group will be tested as never before . . .  (Summary via Goodreads)

Murder at the Rusty Anchor by Maddie Day is the sixth book in her Cozy Capers Book Group Mystery series and you have got to be a fan .... you just have to be !!!

In Murder at the Rusty Anchor main character Mackenzie "Mac" Almeida is on her way to open up her bike shop, Mac's Bikes, in Cape Cod on a rainy day in July when as she goes past The Rusty Anchor Pub, the door flies open.  The Rusty Anchor Pub is not open in the mornings so someone coming out at that hour is a surprise.  But Mac is in for more when Yvonne, the head cook and manager, comes out visibly upset.  She drags Mac into the pub and takes her behind the bar where there is a man lying on the floor dead !!  

Mac recognizes the deceased man as Mr. Byrne, her old English teacher from high school, who she hasn't seen since.  She immediately calls 911 knowing very well what is going to happen.  The police will come and Detective Lincoln Haskins will be assigned the case, she and Yvonne will be looked at as possible suspects because they found the body, and Mac's group of friends will begin their own investigating and start their group text and chat away.  However, all Mac wants to do is head to her shop and help residents and tourists with their bicycle needs then head home to her recently new husband.  Mac and Tim have only been married mere months and are still in the lovey dovey stage so a murder and group chatting with her friends is not on her list of things to do.  But she will ...

The group have an inpromptu meeting and each member is assigned a person of interest to look into and report back to the group their findings.  It is stressed that they are not to do anything dangerous but Mac will have her hands full when her Abo (grandmother) Reba who isn't in the group does some investigating on her own.  And members of the group are acting suspicious and keeping secrets .....

Readers cannot help but love everything about this series.  You will love the town, the shops and eateries, the people and the interactions among them all.  This is a series that you will want to return to often and catch up with everyone and stay a while ... even if it is only through the books.

Crimes and Confections (A Cookies & Chance Mystery series Book # 14) by Catherine Bruns

From USA Today bestselling author Catherine Bruns comes the next sinfully sweet Cookies & Chance mystery!

With her beloved grandmother on vacation in Italy, baker Sally Muccio has her hands full. Between running a business, running after her toddler daughter, and running to keep her crazy parents out of trouble, Sal can’t seem to catch a break.

Adding to her overload, Sal’s ever youthful mother Maria decides to enter the local Mrs. Buffalo beauty pageant, and she elects Sal and Josie to provide sweet treats for the audience. It’s sure to be an exciting day for all involved.

But when vengeful contestant Charmaine Weatherwax sabotages Maria’s gown, the beauty contest quickly turns into an ugly affair. Hours later, Charmaine is found dead in her apartment! To make matters worse, Sal’s mom is caught on a surveillance camera entering the woman’s apartment shortly before her death. Are the chaos cookies about to hit the fan for the Muccio clan? Sal will need to find the real killer before her mother’s sent up the river without her stilettos!

Recipes Included!

What critics are

"A fantastic cozy mystery!"
~ InD'Tale Magazine

"I want to visit more with all of the quirky characters just to see what crazy and outrageous things they will do next!"
~ Fresh Fiction

"The Cookies and Chance Mystery series is more than just a series....it's a family !! Once you read the first book, you are hooked and feel like a member of the crazy Muccio family."
~ Cozy Mystery Book Reviews   (Summary via Goodreads)

Happy reader here !!  If you know anything about me, you know that the Cookies & Chance Mystery series written by Catherine Bruns is my all-time favorite series.  I am sorry to all the other series, I love you all but after reading any book in the Cookies & Chance Mystery series, you will completely understand. Not only is the storyline always captivating and fun but you cannot help but fall in love with the characters !!!  And with Crimes & Confections being the fourteenth book in the series, there is a lot to fall in love with !!

In Crimes & Confections it is a bittersweet story because Grandma Rosa is not there.  She is on a vacation to Italy reconnecting with her first love after over fifty years.  And let me tell you the Muccio family is feeling her absence ... because she did all the cooking and she cooked WELL !!  And another reason her absence is missed is because she kept the family in check more or less and mostly out of trouble.  But with her not there the family will turn to Sally to set everythingback in order and it is a tall order ....

Sally's mom is competing in the Mrs. Buffalo Pageant and even though she has two grown daughters who are married with children, she acts like she's twenty-one and luckily she also looks it.  Unfortunately she comes in second after her evening gown is cut by another contestant.  Even though she should have come in first, she is not a sour loser although it does sting a little. But things will take a turn when Charmaine, the winner, is found dead in her apartment and Sally's mom, Maria, is seen on surveillance camera leaving the apartment complex where Charmaine lived.

Sally is pregnant with her and Mike's second child, she is busy running Sally's Samples, the bakery she owns, and even though she is always pretty good at solving murders, she does not work for the police and they really don't like her helping.  And Mike definitely doesn't like her putting herself in danger.  But what can Sally do when her mother and father ask her to prove her innocence ? And then her friend, Brian, who is a police detective but not on the case is looking at her to help.

I could keep talking about this book, this seres, the family and everything else within this series but that is taking time away form you grabbing your copy and I know you want to dive right in.  I cannot say enough about how you will love love love love this series.  Catherine Bruns knows how to grab your attention and keep it until you finish reading the book ... and I think she casts a spell on readers and you cannot help but continue to think about the story and people long after you have finished the book.

Murder on Devil's Pond (Hummingbird Hollow B & B Mystery Book # 1) by Ayla Rose

A quaint Vermont inn offers idyllic peace–until a body is found  on the property–in this charming series debut perfect for fans of Ellen Byron and Ellery Adams.

When 33-year-old Hannah Solace returns to her hometown to renovate and reopen the inn she co-owns with her sister Reggie, her mission is to give the old Victorian hotel an entirely new life. She’s even planting pollinator gardens around the inn–native flowers and fruit trees to lure honeybees and houseguests alike. 

Hannah’s fresh start is stymied by Reggie’s continual interference, unreliable contractors, a check-the-couch-for-coins budget, and townspeople Hannah left behind fifteen years ago. Her main source of camaraderie is Ezra Grayson, an 80-year-old recluse who lives nearby. After an unsettling conversation with a disgruntled Ezra, Hannah is horrified to discover him dead on her property later that day. 

Ezra had always had plenty of people to complain about, especially locals trying to force him out of his property for its prime real estate. As buzz around town grows after his death, Hannah finds herself on the short list of suspects. Hannah starts digging and quickly discovers that secrets lurk beneath the charming surface of the town she once again calls home.  (Summary via Goodreads)

Murder on Devil's Pond is the first book in the new series by Ayla Rose.  This begins the Hummingbird Hollow B & B series and you will love it and want to jump inside the book ...

In Murder on Devil's Pond Hannah Solace has recently returned to her home of Jasper in Vermont.  She has returned after breaking from a toxic relationship and is looking to start fresh.  She is running the Hummingbird Hollow B & B that she co-owns with her sister Reggie.  

Even though she has a lot to do with the B & B she still takes time to visit with her elderly neighbor, Ezra.  The two have developed an interesting friendship and when Hannah finds Ezra dead on the property behind the inn, she feels completely alone.  Ezra wanted to talk to Hannah and she wonders what that was about but he was killed before he could tell her.  Now Hannah has Ezra's two nephews and one niece staying at the inn and are expecting to inherit Ezra's property and are already thinking of what they will do withe money.

Unfortunately the relatives are going to be completely thrown for a loop when the contents of the will are revealed.  But Hannah cannot worry about that ... she wants to find out who killed her dear friend and why.

Readers will fall in love instantly with this story.  There is so much to love and you will be right along side Hannah as she tries to uncover Ezra's secrets.  I highly recommend adding this book to your to be read pile.

Deep Wedded Blues (Deep Lakes Cozy Mystery Book # 5) by Joy Ann Ribar

Frankie’s plans for her daughter Sophie’s wedding are anything but spring breezes and blossoms. An unexpected hot spell ushers in a wave of mysterious deaths, at a time when Whitman County is missing its coroner. Garrett, who is also Frankie’s beau, is called away to Duluth to assist his former partner with a string of homicides. 

When Sophie becomes a quarantined bride, Frankie jumps into action to investigate the looming health crisis and its unknown cause. In Frankie’s struggle to overcome the blues, she questions the future of romance – both Sophie’s and her own. You’re invited to save the date for Deep Wedded Blues  (Summary via Goodreads)

Deep Wedded Blues is the fifth book in the Deep Lakes Cozy Mystery series by Joy Ann Ribar and you have to give it to main character Frankie Champagne because no matter what comes her way,she handles it like a pro.  And she is going to be tested over her limit in this book for sure !!

In Deep Wedded Blues Frankie's daughter Sophie is about to get married and Frankie is doing everything in her power to make sure it is magical.  Unfortunately there are things that will be out of her hands to control .... but she will do what she can to control it.

It all starts at the annual Spring Swing Fest at St. Anthony's Catholic Church ... it is a hot day and some of the elderly volunteers become ill.  People assume it is from the heat and working in the kitchen but it turns out that it is something more.  Then Frankie learns that some members of the Amish community nearby become ill and it looks like the same thing.  Frankie needs to find out what is going on and get on it fast when she learns that the bride-to-be was exposed to some of the patients when they were brought to the hospital and she was on shift.

Things become worse when it is learned that some of the patients have died from this mysterious ailment and Frankie cannot get any answers.  So Frankie and her partner Carmen decide to do some investigating on their own to see if they can shed some light on things.  And to make matters worse, Frankie's boyfriend Garrett was called away to look into a case elsewhere so he is not there to do the autopsies and support Frankie.

I, personally, could enjoy this series if we just followed Frankie around as she worked along side her crew at Bubble & Bake, hung out upstairs in her apartment above the bakery/wine bar, or walked along around Bountiful Fruits Vineyard.  How she has time to investigate murders and mysterious illnesses with everything she has on her plate is beyond me but I totally enjoy riding along with her as she does it all !!!

I highly recommend grabbing the books in this series and encourage you to grab a seat, drink and snack and hang out in Deep Lakes for a spell .....

 

Dead Man's Leap (Batavia-on-Hudson Mystery Book # 2) by Tina deBellegarde

Rushing waters...dead bodies...secrets...

As Bianca St. Denis and her neighbors scour their attics for donations to the charity rummage sale, they unearth secrets as well as prized possessions. Leonard Marshall's historic inn hosts the sale each year, but it is his basement that houses the key to his past. When an enigmatic antiques dealer arrives in town, he upends Leonard's carefully reconstructed life with an impossible choice that harkens back to the past.

Meanwhile, when a storm forces the villagers of Batavia-on-Hudson to seek shelter, the river rises and so do tempers. Close quarters fuel simmering disputes, and Sheriff Mike Riley has his work cut out for him. When the floods wash up a corpse, Bianca once again finds herself teaming up with Sheriff Riley to solve a mystery. Are they investigating an accidental drowning or something more nefarious?

Dead Man's Leap explores the burden of secrets, the relief of renunciation, and the danger of believing we can outpace our past.  (Summary via Goodreads)

GOOSEBUMPS !!!!  

While reading Dead Man's Leap, the second book in the Batavia-on-Hudson Mystery series by Tina deBellegarde you will experience a number of emotions and may at times get goosebumps !!!

There is a lot going on in Dead Man's Leap that will keep you engrossed in the story and on the edge of your seat .... and deBellegarde knows how to keep you turning the pages.

In Dead Man's Leap the quaint little village of Batavia-on-Hudson is getting ready for their annual charity rummage sale which brings a lot of people into town including antique dealers looking for some good antiques at low prices.  Unfortunately a storm rolls in and one of the antique dealers goes missing when everyone else is heading to the community center to wait out the rain and wind.  When there is a low in the storm a few search parties are sent out and they find the missing antique dealer dead at the bottom of the cliff of Dead Man's Leap.

Joel, the deceased antique dealer, isn't a stranger to the village and some of the people have dark hidden secrets with him that may now come to the surface with his death .... and some lives with be changed forever.

But that's not all that is going on in this story .... when Joel's body is recovered at the bottom of Dead Man's Leap, a necklace and some long buried bones are uncovered as well.  And when Sheriff Mike Riley begins investigating, he listens to many confessions of a long ago story but all the versions are slightly different.  Luckily Mike has Bianca to help him work through some of the stories and help him however she can.

Dead Man's Leap is a very emotion grabbing story.  There is a lot going on with Joel's death, finding old bones, the village dealing with destruction from the storm, people's emotions, the relationships and the strength of some and the decline of others, the secrets, always the secrets .... but you wouldn't want it any other way !!!

Dark Harbor (Sam Lawson Book # 3) by David K. Wilson

In this third installment in the popular mystery series, Detective Sam Lawson heads to Martha’s Vineyard for another entertaining and suspenseful page-turner.

Sam had hoped his impromptu trip the island would be a chance to take some time off and rekindle his relationship with Carla Davenport. But when a woman is brutally murdered, he finds himself pulled into the investigation to help prove the innocence of the prime suspect—Carla’s brother-in-law.

It doesn’t take long before Sam is butting heads with a local detective, who has suspicions about the visiting Texas detective. Forced to work around the law, Sam enlists the help of Carla, a rock star bartender, and the suspect’s stoic father. As he explores the dark shadows of the island, hidden secrets emerge and new suspects come to light…including Carla’s sister.

Dark Harbor is another thrilling stand-alone novel in the Sam Lawson Mystery series. If you’re a fan of page-turning suspense, you’re sure to love this fast-paced whodunnit from David K. Wilson.  (Summary via Goodreads)

Dark Harbor is the third book in the Sam Lawson Mystery series written by David K. Wilson and this is a series that you will get completely lost in and not want to be found !!!

In Dark Harbor main character Detective Sam Lawson has decided to take a vacation.  His girlfriend Carla, who is a medical examiner, is away visiting her sister in Martha's Vineyard and he decides to surprise her.  Carla's sister Vanessa is having a hard time because she got in a huge fight with her husband Norm and he has been missing ever since.  It is not like Norm to stay away for this long and Vanessa and Norm's father Jude are having a hard time.

Even though Sam is technically on vacation it doesn't take long for him and Carla to start noseying around into Norm's disappearance.  Unfortunately the local detective doesn't take too kindly to outsiders butting into their territory .... even though they could use the help.

Things get dicey when a local woman is found stabbed to death and Sam and Jude just happened to have visited her the previous day.  And if you think that is all then you don't know Wilson and his writing .... Carla happens to notice something on the autopsy report that sends red flags up everywhere and piles on more questions .....

Readers will love this story, as well as the previous books and future books, in this series.  Sam Lawson is a loveable character with a dark sense of humor and is always sticking his nose where it doesn't belong but luckily everything works out.  And Wilson knows how to craft a story with twists and turns that will keep the reader engaged throughout the entire book. 

Come Shell or High Water (Haunted Shell Shop Mystery Book #1) by Molly MacRae

When widowed folklorist Maureen Nash visits a legendary North Carolina barrier island shell shop, she discovers its resident ghost pirate and the mystery of a local’s untimely death . . .

As a professional storyteller, Maureen Nash can’t help but see the narrative cues woven through her life. Like the series of letters addressed to her late husband from a stranger—the proprietor of The Moon Shell, a shop on Ocracoke Island, off the coast of North Carolina. The store is famous with shell collectors, but it’s the cryptic letters from Allen Withrow, the shop’s owner, that convince Maureen to travel to the small coastal town in the middle of hurricane season. At the very least, she expects she’ll get a good story out of the experience, never anticipating it could end up a murder mystery . . .
 
In Maureen’s first hours on the storm-lashed island, she averts several life-threatening accidents, stumbles over the body of a controversial Ocracoke local, and meets the ghost of an eighteenth-century Welsh pirate, Emrys Lloyd. To the untrained eye, all these unusual occurrences would seem to be random misfortunes, but Maureen senses there may be something connecting these stories. With Emrys’s supernatural assistance, and the support of a few new friends, Maureen sets out unravel the truth, find a killer, and hopefully give this tale a satisfying ending . . . while also rewriting her own.  (Summary via Goodreads)

Come Shell or High Water by Molly MacRae is the first book in her new Haunted Shell Shop Mystery series and it sets the series beautifully.

In Come Shell or High Water Maureen Nash returns to a place of happier times, the Ocracoke Island.  This was the place she and her deceased husband use to visit with their sons when they were all younger.  She has a number of reasons for returning and one is because her husband had received letters from the owner of the famous shell shop there and she was hoping to find answers.  Unfortunately she gets there at the tale end of a hurricane and instead of answers she ends up with a lot of questions.  

Sadly she wakes up in the shell shop with two people standing over her thinking she is dead but she is very much alive but finds out she was electrocuted.  Glady and Burt are neighbors to the shell shop and are there to help her.  But it becomes too much for all of them when Maureen remembers stumbling across a dead body in the wooded area near the beach.  Sadly when it is investigated they find out it is Allen, the owner of the shell shop. 

While Maureen and her new friends, Glady and Burt, try to find out who killed Allen, Maureen also meets the resident ghost and has to get use to being around him ..... and there is a lot more that happens but you have to read it to find out.

Come Shell or High Water is a story readers will fall in love with !!  There is so much to love ... the setting, the characters, the shop, the storyline, the ghost .... and the way that MacRae ends the story, this is guarenteed to have readers checking for the next book so they can read it as soon as it is released !!!

Detectives of Autumn House by Manjima Misra

Detectives of Autumn House is a novella by Manjima Misra. The novella features LGBTQIA+ detectives who solve a case related to intellectual property rights, fake job offer letters, and mysterious disappearances. The book is situated at the unique intersection of detective fiction and queer fiction.  (Summary via Goodreads)

Detectives of Autumn House may be a novella but it is packed with some much excitement that it will feel like a full length book.

Detectives of Autumn House written by Manjima Misra follows the members of the Detectives of Autumn House as they follow a mysterious case of missing authors.  The Detectives, five females, case is about struggling authors who are approached by an elderly gentlemen offering them a lot of money in exchange for the property rights of their books and allowing him to publish their books under his name.  Then they seem to vanish and their books end up in a bookstore named Sherlock House where they are now under the name of Deliski as the author.

This case will lead the five detectives to this bookstore as well as to a literary agency and more to the case  ..... 

Misra knows how to capture the reades attention and keep hold of it throughout the entire story.  Readers will have no trouble reading this book in one sitting, if that is what they choose to do.  You can, however, read it slowly ... if you have that willpower.  I believe it will be hard to stop once you have begun reading it.

Isabella and the Chocolate Fudgella by Margaret Evans

Out-of-this-world chocolate, two out-of-this-world cats, a very “earthy” Scottish pup and a cast of thousands…well, dozens, join forces in a heavenly romp in Scotland as Isabella and her friend Patton join forces to try saving a small-town chocolatier from the clutches of a big corporation in a hostile takeover. This tail--I mean tale--has it all. Rolling-on-the-floor laughter, nail-biting excitement, and even an occasional lump in the throat. Isabella does it again in this newest adventure.

If you enjoyed Empress Isabella in the Second Treasures Mysteries, Laura Keene Cozies, and the Mistletoe Inn Mysteries, you will love her in this fun adventure before she met Laura.  (Summary via Goodreads)

The only bad thing that I can say about any of the Empress Isabella novellas is that they are not long enough.  I know that they are intended to be short and sweet, which they indeed are, and the story, although short,is full of excitement and fun, but I'm sure I am not the only reader that wishes they went on and on and on.

Isabella and the Chocolate Fudgella is the latest novella written by Margaret Evans featuring the magical cat.  This novella is different than previous novellas as this one takes place is Oban, a little town in Scotland and Isabella is there with her friend Patton.  Patton is also a cat, a calico cat, and also magical like Isabella. 

Isabella and Patton are at Heavenly Chocolate, a chocolate store that has been in Oban for many generations of the MacTavish family.  Unfortunately Callum Thrum, an outsider, comes to the store and wants to buy it from Andrew MacTavish and when he is told that the store isn't for sale and never will be, Thrum sets out to take the business .... by any means necessary.

Luckily Isabella and Patton are there to stop that from happening.  They use their magic to make sure that not only does the chocolate store stay in the family but they insure that Thrum leaves town never to return to cause havoc ever again !!!

Readers cannot help but fall in love with Isabella and these adorable novellas.  Yes they are short but that allows readers to read it all in one sitting because they are very hard to put down once you have begun reading.

Homicide Honeymoon (Aloha Lagoon Mystery Book # 22) by B. A. Trimmer

From author B.A. Timmer comes a honey of a murder mystery!

As the wedding planner at the Aloha Lagoon resort in Hawaii, Kristy Piper has seen some strange parties...but bride Claire Jackson's wedding party may be the oddest yet! Between a man-hungry bridesmaid, an overbearing mother of the groom, and a feisty tween guest, Kristy has her hands full! But when Claire's former fiancé is found dead—murdered by a luau serving fork!—things go from strange to downright dangerous. To make matters worse, Claire is discovered next to the dead body, sobbing uncontrollably. Is it shock...or guilt?

The local homicide detective is sure Claire is to blame for the death. Luckily he works on "island time," which gives Kristy the opportunity to prove her latest bride-to-be is innocent. With the help of her longtime office manager, her best friend Leilani, and her dreamy new boyfriend, photographer Jake Hunter, Kristy takes it upon herself to wade through an entire wedding party full of suspects. Together, they’ll solve the murder and save the wedding...or die trying!


What critics are

" Hula Homicide Earns 5/5 Wedding Woes…Wonderful!"
~ Kings River Life Magazine

"You are going to want to visit Aloha Lagoon Resort as much as possible, and you will not want to leave!"
~ Cozy Mystery Book Reviews

About Aloha
There's trouble in paradise...
Welcome to Aloha Lagoon, one of Hawaii's hidden treasures. A little bit of tropical paradise nestled along the coast of Kauai, this resort town boasts luxurious accommodation, friendly island atmosphere...and only a slightly higher than normal murder rate. While mysterious circumstances may be the norm on our corner of the island, we're certain that our staff and Lagoon natives will make your stay in Aloha Lagoon one you will never forget!  (Summary via Goodreads)

Anytime readers can travel to the Aloha Lagoon Resort in Kauai, Hawaii, it is a good day !!  This is a series written by multiple authors but centers around the resort.  Each author has their own stories and characters with the common denominator being the resort.  And with twenty-two books in this series, there is so much to love !!!

Homicide Honeymoon is the twenty-second book in the series and it is written by B.A. Trimmer.  This is the second book written by Trimmer for this series, with the first being Hula Homicide and that is the nineteenth book in the series.  You do not have to read these books in order but I highly recommend reading all of them !!

Homicide Honeymoon follows main character Kristy Piper who is the wedding planner for the resort.  She is getting ready for a week long wedding and the characters in the wedding party are crazy !!  They are so crazy that Kristy has given them all nicknames which helps her to remember them .....

Claire and Patrick are the bride and groom and they have brought their mothers and a few family members and friends to celebrate and have fun for the week leading up to the wedding day.  Unfortunately during a scheduled dinner, Claire's ex-fiance Marty crashes the party !!  And it seems that Claire's mother, "Cougar" Jessica, her sister "Sleazy" Shelby, and friend and bridesmaid "Flower Child" Skye all have their eyes on him and want to take him to their rooms !!!

Claire and Patrick just want to enjoy the week and the island, hang on the beach, sight see and have good food and drinks and relax before their big day.  Unfortunately someone else has another plan for them when at another scheduled dinner with a show, Marty is found stabbed in the chest by one of the serving forks and Claire is the one to find him !!!  

Detective Ray Kahoalani is called in when Marty doesn't make it.  So instead of a relaxing week, all of the members of the wedding party and guests are now suspects.  Sadly because Claire was with him after he was stabbed, Detective Ray centers his attention on her.  Everyone is pretty confident that Claire did not murder her ex-fiance days before her wedding and Kristy and her friend, Leilani, boyfriend, Jake, and co-worker, Dorothy, put their heads together and decide to see if they can get the heat off of Claire.

However when a bartender that Kristy wants to talk to also dies, she realizes that she may have more than she can handle.  Even though Detective Ray doesn't think the two deaths are connected, Kristy doesn't agree.

There is so much within this book and all of the other books for readers to fall in love with.  Just reading about all of the different jobs and people on the island would be enough to love, but then you add in everything to do and the food and cocktails, you will be hooked !!!

I highly recommend diving into the Aloha Lagoon Mystery series and enjoy your time there !!!!

The Diva Goes Overboard (A Domestic Diva Mystery Book # 17) by Krista Davis

New York Times bestselling author Krista Davis returns with a delicious new Domestic Diva Mystery set in Alexandria, Virginia’s charming Old Town neighborhood and featuring entertaining guru Sophie Winston, who loves hosting and event planning but prefers to keep things simple–if only she could…

In Old Town Alexandria’s unlikeliest match, Natasha Smith’s free-spirited mother, Wanda, is engaged to notoriously pompous antiques dealer, Orson Chatsworth—leaving Natasha to plan the entire wedding, beginning with an elaborate engagement party. For the extravagant affair, Natasha splurges on trendy food boards created by rising social media star, Stella St. James. The sumptuous boards go way beyond basic cheese and crackers, as Stella dazzles guests with picture-worthy butter boards, dessert boards, and even doughnut boards. Just as Natasha planned, the food is to die for—until someone actually does.

When the groom collapses, it seems as if a heart attack is to blame. Then guests discover Orson was poisoned, and suddenly Stella’s bespoke boards look a lot less appealing. But with an event this big, the spread of suspects is sure to be impressive. Could Orson’s killer be a jilted ex-lover? A money hungry relative? A bitter former business partner? When even Sophie is not above suspicion, she knows it’s time to get on board and scrape together an investigation of her own . . . before murder becomes the town’s next trend.

Includes delicious recipes, fabulous decorating tips, and easy entertaining hacks!  (Summary via Goodreads)

With The Diva Goes Overboard being the seventeenth book in the Domestic Diva Mystery series by Krista Davis I know there are a lot of fans !!  I, sadly, have not read all of the books in this series but the ones that I have read, I have enjoyed them tremendously.  And no matter what book you pick up you will become a fan immediately !!

In The Diva Goes Overboard there is a lot going on in Old Town and main character Sophie is right in the middle of all it !!  It starts when Sophie and her best friend and neighbor Nina attend the engagement party of Wanda and Orson and Orson collapses and later dies at the hospital.  This is right after he asked Sophie to meet with him at his antique store because he has something to discuss with her.  Now Sophie has no idea what he would have wanted to talk to her about.  

Sophie cannot help but wonder if Orson was murdered ... and it looks like others believe the same thing, including the deceased groom !!  Sophie and Nina are contacted by Orson's lawyer requesting their presence when the will is read and they are shocked at why !!! They watch a video of Orson speaking to everyone in a video that he recorded before his death and no one can understand how Orson could will his antique store to Sophie !!  

Once Sophie gets the keys to the store and is there looking around, she discovers a secret room that Orson had an office in .... and in the top drawer she finds an envelope addressed to her.  In the letter he insists that he has been murdered and asks Sophie to find his murderer.  So Sophie gets her rat pack together, Nina, Mars (her ex-husband) and friend Bernie, and they decide to work together to solve Orson's murder.  Unfortunately before they can come up with anything concrete there is another death and they have a lot of things to work out.

There is so much more that I could talk about but I really think that that is enough to get you going to want to read The Diva Goes Overboard and the rest of the books in this series.  Davis knows what she is doing with this series and you cannot help but love it !!  No matter if this is the first book in the series that you have read or it's the seventeenth, you will be engrossed and love it !!!

Bluegrass Homicide (A Bourbon B&B Mystery Book # 2) by Gin Jones

From USA Today bestselling author Gin Jones comes a southern tale of murder and deceit...

The Three Sisters B&B in the heart of Kentucky's bourbon country is starting to flourish—thanks to the hard work of Jess Walker and her two sisters, Em and CJ.

With a big auction coming up at the horse farm next door to the B&B, there's an overflow crowd at both properties. And while the sisters may love the full rooms, the workload is enough that the middle sister, Em, sneaks away for a much needed break with the horse she boards at the farm. Only instead of her horse, what she finds in the stall is the dead body of the farm's beloved vet!

The incompetent sheriff assumes it was a tragic accident, but the sisters have trouble believing it...even before the victim's new, handsome young partner arrives and insists it was murder. Em, Jess, and CJ vow to find the truth, no matter what it may take.Together they uncover a variety of likely suspects, including the farm's manager, a B&B guest, and a horse buyer who was banned from the auction. Before long, it's not just a miscarriage of justice to worry about, but the imminent danger of another Bluegrass Homicide, this time at the B&B.

"Gin’s writing style and wonderful characters made an entertaining page-turner."
~ Kings River Life Magazine

"Readers will thoroughly love reading My Old Kentucky Homicide. You will want to move into the B&B so that you can be a part of the experience. Jones knows how to paint the picture for readers so that you will feel like you are right there with the guests sitting on the front porch or the veranda."
~ Cozy Mystery Book Reviews (Summary via Goodreads)

Hopefully readers read and fell in love with My Old Kentucky Homicide, the first book in the Bourbon B&B Mystery series by Gin Jones .... but if you didn't you will after reading Bluegrass Homicide, the second book in the series.

This series is about three sisters that own a bed and breakfast and solve murders.  Jess recently moved back home to help her younger sisters, CJ and Em, run the The Three Sisters B&B and they are still trying to navigate working together as well as helping each other with their personal lives.  CJ has a lot on her plate with her autistic son, Noah and Em needs to start living life again.  And Jess would really like to continue her law practice and set up a small office and wouldn't mind getting to know Reed, also a business owner, better.

The Three Sisters B&B has a big weekend planned with helping their neighbor Daye and his Rackhouse Saddlebreds with housing guests and providing meals as well as stream the annual fall auction.  Unfortuantely before the overnight guests start to arrive, Jess receives a text from Em who went to the stables to visit her horse Joe, that she was going to be late to return.  She found the local vet, Dr. Cannon, dead in Joe's stall.

The local sheriff wants to rule the death accidental and be done with it.  However, the sisters know some things that dispute that and when they talk with Doc's partner, Daniel, they are more convinced Doc Cannon did not die of natural causes.

It doesn't take Jess long to convince Deputy Shurette that it is murder but he can only do so much and can only provide the sisters a few days to stall the sheriff.  So with Jess leading the way the sisters talk to everyone they can establishing alibis and learning everything they can about Doc Cannon and his life and practice and who would want to kill him and why.

The Bourbon B&B Mystery series is a great series to read.  There is so much to love about this series, the place, the people, the relationships, the struggles and even the murder that need to be solved will grab your attention .... and even after you close the book for the last time, you will already be thinking of when the next book will be released so you can head back to the B&B and hang out with the sisters again.

The Stranger in the Library (Lighthouse Library Mystery Book # 11) by Eva Gates

Outer Banks librarian Lucy is working on an art show at the library when paintings–and people–start to go missing, in this 11th Lighthouse Library mystery from national bestselling author Eva Gates.

When a traveling show of impressionist art comes to Nags Head, North Carolina, librarian Lucy and the staff at the Bodie Island Lighthouse Library are inspired to create an educational display about art history. Their launch of the display is a huge success, but the morning after, they discover that a reproduction of a famous painting has gone missing.

No one knows why anyone would bother stealing the picture is of no value–the real, priceless painting is under lock and key at the art show itself. Lucy gets an invite to the glitzy opening night for the real show, where she notices unusual tension among the show’s organizers. Then, the man scheduled to give the welcoming speech fails to arrive, and a party-goer is discovered drowned in a fish pond.

Meanwhile, Louise Jane is totally captivated by Tom Reilly, a handsome, charming art dealer lurking at the edges of the receptions on both nights. Tom slipped away from the party early, and he cannot be located by the police. Who, Lucy asks, is Tom Reilly, the shadowy figure threatening to break Louise Jane’s heart?

Something is afoot in Nags Head, and it’s up to Lucy and her friends to get to the bottom of it before it’s not just paintings being framed. (Summary via Goodreads)

The Lighthouse Library Mystery series by Eva Gates is one of my favorite and with eleven books in the series, there is a lot to love !!

The Stranger in the Library, the eleventh book, has two mysteries for main character Lucy Richardson McNeil to solve and surprisingly Police Detective Sam Watson actually asks Lucy for her help with one of them.

Lucy and her library are holding an art show on a small level while across town there is a more elaborate and expensive showing of impressionist art at the Granger House.  The show at the Granger House has brought a lot of people to Nags Head and luckily for Lucy and the library some come to their show.

Unfortunately after the first show at the library, they find an empty spot on the wall.  This spot held a picture that has been in Louise Jane's family for a long time and only has sentimental value to her family.  Then across town one of the people that traveled with the show at Granger House is found floating in a small pond on the property.  And Lucy, her cousin Josie, and Louise Jane are the ones to find him.

Detective Sam has a lot on his plate trying to find a killer.  There are a lot of factors in his way and the list of suspects aren't easy people to deal with.  And Lucy and Louise Jane have a mystery on their hands when the painting is returned but the backing has been cut....

Readers cannot help but love this series.  Reading and picturing a lighthouse with a full library, breakroom, offices, and an apartment at the very top is entertaining enough on it's own, then add the murder and library mystery and you are hooked !!!  And I haven't even mentioned the relationships and friendships throughout the book .... you will love them as well !!!  I highly recommend grabbing your copy and diving in !!!

Star Struck (A Hollywood Mystery Book # 2) by Marjorie McCown

Perfect for fans of Elle Cosimano and Kellye Garrett, in this second Hollywood Mystery, film costumer Joey Jessop discovers that Hollywood buries its secrets deep when a superstar’s assistant turns up dead.

Costumer Joey Jessop is working on a movie set in 1930s Hollywood and starring two of the world’s biggest stars. The male lead is also a dedicated social activist, and the female lead, Gillian Best, is known for her lifestyle brand. After a hit-and-run near the set, Joey realizes that the car involved belongs to Gillian, and she begins to wonder if the actress has more to hide than her Botox appointments.

Her suspicions deepen when Gillian’s personal assistant Rita vows to get revenge for Gillian replacing her and is found dead shortly after. Gillian quickly labels Rita’s death a suicide, and the police seem to agree–but Joey isn’t so sure.

With the police standing aside, it’s up to Joey to dig up the truth–but Hollywood stars know how to keep their secrets close, and a woman like Gillian Best won’t take kindly to someone sniffing around her affairs. Joey is certain that Gillian has something to hide–and she’s determined to find out what.  (Summary via Goodreads)

Star Struck is the second book in the Hollywood Mystery series by Marjorie McCown and even though I fell in love with the first book, Final Cut, I have to say Star Struck blew me away !!

In Star Struck main character Joey Jessop has returned to her job as a costumer for movies after suffering a horrible ordeal (you can read all about it in Final Cut) and it will get rocky quick !!  While working on movies sets is stressful enough, Joey witnesses a hit and run accident and cannot help but feel for the victim as she saw her mistreated just recently.  And when Joey sees the personal manager of one of the tops stars of the movies by the car involved, she wonders what is going on.

Joey has enough on her plate with the movie and now they are changing the sequence order of filming meaning that they need to push on getting a lot of costumes ready ahead of the previous schedule.  And to make matters even worse, Gregory, who contacted Joey for this movie had to rush back to the UK for a family emergency leaving her and Bill, the costume supervisor, to handle all the costumes and getting the actors fitted perfectly.

And, of course, even though that is enough to drive anyone crazy, Joey still feels bad about the hit and run victim and wants to find some justice for her but the movie must go on .... But when Joey and another employee are at Gillian's, the female main character's house for a fitting, they witness a bizarre scene between Gillian, her daughter and others.  This will prompt Joey to again stick her nose into things and readers will be in for a crazy ride !!!

Readers will love this story, as well as the first, and I am sure all future books in this series.  No matter what is thrown at Joey, even if she gets knocked down, she always manages to get up and keep fighting and readers cannot help but cheer her on !!!

I cannot stress it enough .... GO GET YOUR COPY AND START READING !!!  You will want to thank me ... but that is not necessary !!

A Case for the Ladies (A Dot and Amelia Mystery Book # 1) by Maddie Day

Amid Prohibition, Irish gangs, the KKK, and rampant mistreatment of immigrant women, intrepid private investigator Dorothy Henderson and her pal Amelia Earhart seek justice for several murdered young women in 1926 Boston. As tensions mount, the sleuths, along with their reporter friend Jeanette and Dot’s maiden aunt Etta. experience their own mistreatment at the hand of society and wonder who they can really trust.

This novel brings a pre-fame Amelia Earhart to life in 1926, when she lived in a Boston suburb and worked as a teacher and social worker at a settlement house founded to help immigrant women. After Amelia meets fictional lady PI Dot Henderson, and more than one young immigrant woman is found murdered, the two put their heads together to seek justice for the less powerful. Meanwhile, Etta Rogers, a founder of the settlement house and a Wellesley professor, works with reporter Jeanette Colby to investigate the Irish gangs who are not only running illicit liquor but also seeking to take over the settlement house real estate.

"This book is a triumph on so many levels! From the excitement of our foremothers stepping out of their traditional roles, to the exhilaration of early plane flight, to tackling tough subjects such as immigration, bigotry, and crime gang rivalries in 1920s Boston, Maddie Day paints a stunning portrait of one of America's most dynamic periods."—Alyssa Maxwell, author of the Gilded Newport Mysteries

"The courage of women and the power of friendship are at the heart of this inspiring and beautifully researched mystery set in 1926 Boston. Three intrepid women, investigator Dot Henderson, reporter Jeanette Colby, and a young pilot named Amelia Earhart band together to find out who is killing the immigrant women of the city. A timely and deeply moving page turner."—Mariah Fredericks, author of The Lindbergh Nanny

“Maddie Day brings the light and shadow of prohibition-era Boston to life through the story of three determined young women seeking justice. The crime, historical detail, and engaging characters make for a compelling read.”—Dianne Freeman, author of the award-winning Countess of Harleigh mysteries.

"Maddie Day’s tale — in which she imagines an alternate and crime-solving reality for a pre-fame Amelia Earhart — is as much fun as a ride in one of Earhart's planes! Day's heroine Dot Henderson, visiting from California, detects around a well-drawn 1920s Boston with an appealing circle of friends, including the famous aviatrix. Fans of historical fiction will love this women-focused mystery."—Sarah Stewart Taylor, author of Amelia This Broad Ocean, and the Maggie D'arcy series

“Written with unmistakable affection, A Case for the Ladies warmly envelopes readers in 1920s Boston.”—Jessica Ellicott  (Summary via Goodreads)

A Case for the Ladies is the first book in the Dot and Amelia Mystery series written by Maddie Day.  This is a different kind of story for Maddie to write and she executed it beautifully.

In A Case for the Ladies Dorothy Henderson, also known as Dot is visiting her aunt Etta in Boston.  While there she becomes fast friends with Amelia Earhart who is just beginning her flying experience and Jeanette Colby who is a photographer and jounalist.  The three begin investigating together when there are a number of immigrant young women murdered in the area.  And Dot finds out that one of the murdered girls is the niece of her aunt's housekeeper and the girl was only nineteen years old .... this drives her to use her private investigating skills and jump right into the cases.

Unfortunately before they can get anywhere with the cases, there are more deaths including a close male friend of Jeanette's.  The three women soon learn that there are two main gangs that control the areas and are fighting for territory.  Why they are targeting immigrant young women is a puzzle to them.  Plus trying to get anyone to identify any of the men in the gangs is becoming impossible.

Before they know it they find themselves in way over their heads when Amelia is kidnapped and Dot needs to find her.  Also there is something going on with Jeanette but she is being too secretive about it ....

Fans of Edith Maxwell and Maddie Day will instantly fall in love with this new story.  Just when you think you know an author, they throw a new and different book out there for fans to devour !!  Maddie definitely keeps readers on their toes with this story.  And hopefully future books will be just as entertaining !!!  And knowing Maddie as we do, future books will be just as good, if not better !!!!

Cornered at the Corral (Ghost Town Mysteries Book # 4) by Jamie L. Adams

From author Jamie L. Adams comes a cozy mystery with a western twist!

Lily Cranston is basking in the fruits of her labor and enjoying the idyllic life of Grady, California. As the hard-working manager of the Calico Rock Mine and Ghost Town attraction, she's found success, and she's even rekindled a romance with her high school crush. However, when a scuffle disrupts the tranquility of the annual town festival, little does she realize that another tragedy looms.

A body is found in the river, and Lily is unexpectedly drawn into a web of secrets. An invitation to tea from the town historiaByrden and family friend, Irene Fletcher, presents a secret mission: protect the matriarch's grandson from being blamed for a crime he did not commit. Lily must navigate the conflicts of a century-old family feud, but when she stumbles on a secret meant to stay buried, the real killer has no choice but to try to silence her for good.  (Summary via Goodreads)

Cornered at the Corral is the fourth book in the Ghost Town Mystery series by Jamie L. Adams and boy is this series FUN !!!

In Cornered at the Corral Lily and friends and family are celebrating Homesteader's Day in their town of Grady. Unfortunately after a fight breaks out between two families, it puts a dark cloud over the celebration.  The two people fighting are Chase Fletcher and Jeremy Byrde who are distant cousins and their family feud goes back many years.  Their feud is compared to the Hatfields and the McCoys feud.

Sadly when Lily and her boyfriend Cody are walking the grounds during the clean up after the event, they come across a dead body ... Jeremy Byrde.  And it only gets worse from there when it is determined that he was murdered.

When Lily goes to tea at Irene Fletcher's the next day, she is asked to look into the death because Irene knows that the police are going to look at Chase as the main suspect ... and she knows her grandson wouldn't kill anyone.  Seeing as Mrs. Fletcher is from one of the founding families of Grady and the town historian, Lily agrees to see what she can find out. This will not go well with her brother-in-law Jack who is the county sheriff or her CSI boyfriend, Cody.  And her sister's Ava and Pat probably won't be too happy but Lily can probably convince her sisters to help.

I could read the Ghost Town Mystery series just for the Calico Rock Mine and Ghost Town happenings.  And I would be fine hanging around with Lily as she manages the place or even Ava who portrays a schoolteacher there.  But the murders and Lily's involvement are always fun to read also.  You cannot go wrong when you pick up any of the books in this series !!