Review: Pumpkin Spice Peril by: Jenn McKInlay

Title: Pumpkin Spice Peril
Author: Jenn McKinlay
Publisher: Berkley Prime Crime
Series: Cupcake Bakery Mystery #12
Format: Kindle e-book ARC 272 (p)
Source: NetGalley

Description:

In the twelfth Cupcake Bakery Mystery from New York Times bestselling author Jenn McKinlay, the Fairy Tale Cupcake crew follows the clever crumb trail of a killer who's anything but cookie-cutter.

Life is all sugar and spice for the Fairy Tale Cupcake bakers--Melanie Cooper is engaged to the delectable Joe DeLaura, Angie Harper and her husband Tate are savoring married life, and the bakery is bustling with happy customers. Until one of their most valued cupcake connoisseurs ends up dead.

Local glass artist and cupcake lover Rene Fischer-Klein has always suffered from a wide variety of health issues. In an effort to cheer her up, her doting husband, Peter, brings her a four-pack of her favorite cupcakes every week. But when the police discover that Rene has been poisoned, there's no sugarcoating the fact that the last things she ate were the bakery's signature pumpkin spice cupcakes! With their lives and bakery at stake, it's up to Mel and Angie to find out who poisoned their artist friend and why, before their future is frosted for good. 

My Thoughts: 

In this book we learn some news about Angie which has everyone in a bustle add to it that local glass artist Rene has an upcoming show that Mel and Angie are hired to supply with cupcakes when Mel decides to visit Rene to finalize the recipe but finds her friend is anything but fine.  Next thing you know Rene is dead and so many are wondering what happened/?

Will Mel be able to put it all together or will she wind up facing a similar fate?  So much was going on in this book it pulled you in until you were immersed with the DeLaura family and Mel and her family wondering how it will play out and what the future will hold for Mel and Angie.  I enjoyed this series even more than the Hannah Swenson series.  The characters feel more real and yes they have their flaws but they don't let them drag them down!

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Review: Rotten To The Core by: Sheila Connolly

Title: Rotten To The Core
Author: Sheila Connolly
Publisher: Berkley Prime Crime
Series: Orchard Mystery #2
Format: e-book (304 p.)
Source: Personal Purchase

Description:

Spring has come to Meg Corey's apple orchard—and it's quickly becoming a killer season. Just as she's getting the hang of managing the two-hundred-year-old orchard she's inherited, the dead body of a local organic farming activist is found in her springhouse. And the only thing that's sprung is a murder accusation—against her...

The young man's body was found with traces of pesticide poisoning. Strange for someone opposed to all things chemical. And why did someone plant his body on Meg's land—when Meg hadn't even met him? Now Meg needs to pick her actions wisely and get rid of the seed of suspicion that's been planted before the orchard—and her future—is spoiled for good.

My Thoughts:

In this book Meg Corey's apple orchard is starting to shape up that is until a man is found dead in her springhouse.  Meg can't believe her luck of another body and it being related to the local college.  Meg is determined to find out what is going on and why?  Will she find out or will her time be sprung?

I love this series with the theme of small town and apples which makes things so fun.  Meg is also working with a new worker to her farm Bree the farm manager.  I think she will make a good friend to Bree as she learns about farm managing and how Bree handles the job.

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Review: Deadly Forecast by: Victoria Laurie

Title: Deadly Forecast
Author: Victoria Laurie
Publisher: Berkley Prime Crime
Series: Psychic Eye Mystery #11
Format: Hardcover (384 p.)
Source: Library

Description:

Wedding bells are ringing for psychic Abigail Cooper. But her senses are tingling that her fiancé, Dutch, is in danger. And he’s not the only one.…

ON HER WEDDING DAY, ABBY’S A TICKING TIME BOMB.

  It’s said to be good luck if it rains on your wedding day, but Abby sees something darker than storm clouds on the horizon. She’s just had a disturbing premonition of her fiancé’s murder. Her husband-to-be has been assigned to a case involving a series of bombings, and Abby’s spirit guides warn her of imminent danger.

FBI agent Dutch Rivers is keeping his cool, but Abby can’t quell her anxiety. After another bombing at a local beauty salon, Abby vows to do everything in her power to keep Dutch safe and get him to the altar. But on the morning of the ceremony, she finds herself in a dire situation, with time running out…. 

My Thoughts: 

Finally the day Abby has waited for is here time to get married to Dutch, what she didn't count on is the bomb strapped to her chest.  As Dutch and their friends hunt for Abby, she has to keep her distance or else Dutch could die too.  Will Dutch figure it out in time?

This book was a definite back and forth between Dutch and their friends trying to find Abby and Abby with the bomber.  It had you on the edge of your seat trying to get to the bottom of it.  Hoping Dutch would be able to piece the situation together and save Abby in the process!  It was definitely the bumpiest ride Abby has had in the whole book series and definitely pulled me back in like I never left them.  Can't wait to see what is next for this group of friends!

Next in the series is: 

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Review: Beaches, Bungalows, and Burglaries by: Tonya Kappes

Title: Beaches, Bungalows and Burglaries
Author: Tonya Kappes
Publisher: Createspace Independent
Series: A Camper & Criminals Cozy #1
Pages:  212
Format: kindle e-book
Source: Kindle Unlimited

Description:

Welcome to Normal, Kentucky~ where nothing is normal.

Mae West, a far cry from the Hollywood actress, has been thrown for a loop. Her plush lifestyle in the big city of New York comes to a screeching halt after the FBI raids her mansion and arrests her husband, Paul West, for a Ponzi scheme that rips people out of millions of dollars.

Mae finds herself homeless, friendless, and penniless. All hope isn't lost. . .the only thing Mae got to keep that the government didn't seize is a tourist camp ground, Happy Trails, in Normal, Kentucky and an RV to live in. One problem, Mae's idea of camping has room service.

By the look of the brochure, Happy Trails has plush Kentucky Bluegrass, a crystal clear lake, a beach chair with her name on it and thoughts of how much money it could bring her after she sells it. Mae figures she'll take a couple weeks vacation with her toes dipped in the lake. Things aren't always as they appear. The Kentucky Bluegrass is nothing but dirt and the crystal clue lake is murky with green slime on top.

Mae quickly find out that Happy Trails and the citizens of Normal were also victims of Paul's schemes, making her lower than the lake scum in the residents' eyes. Mae doesn't think things could get much worse, but as luck would have it, Paul West has escaped from prison and is found dead, murdered, floating in the Happy Trails mucky green lake.

Mae is the number one suspect on Detective Hank Sharp's short list. After all, Mae has the perfect motive as a kept wife who has been scorned to ashes, embarrassed to death, and seeking revenge.

Time is running out for Mae to prove that she's innocent and nothing like her husband. If only she could get someone to believe her and talk Detective Sharp into looking at other residents who've lost all their savings to Paul's Ponzie scheme before the curtain is closed on this Hollywood namesake. 

My Thoughts: 

This is the first book in the Campers and Criminals cozy series in it we find the heroine or amateur sleuth Mae West is having a very bad time.  When her ex-husband Paul West is in jail for a Ponzi scheme.  She has to give up the lifestyle Paul put her in and figure out where to go when everything is gone.  In this case with a camper to Normal Kentucky to Happy Trails the only thing left that Mae owns.  After looking at a brochure for the property Mae figures she can stay there long enough to sell the property.  What she didn't count on was the mess the property really was.  Happy Trails needs some massive TLC to make it even approachable by buyers.  

While assessing the property with the local handyman they stumble upon Paul West a very dead very escaped from jail Paul West.  The heat is turned up on Mae as to why Paul was here and if she had a hand in his demise.  Mae is determined to give Paul the justice he didn't give other people by finding out who killed him and why.

While sleuthing she also meets a group of women known as The Laundry Club who welcome her in. They make her one of their own and try to help her adjust to Normal.  Will Mae figure out who killed her husband and why?

I enjoyed this step into another series of Tonya Kappes.  She has an incredible ability to spin a story that pulls you in and you find the book a quick read which makes you want to continue the adventure with Mae and The Laundry Club.

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Review: Step On a Crack by: James Patterson

Title: Step on a Crack
Author: James Patterson
Publisher: Little Brown & Co
Series: Michael Bennett #1
Pages: 383
Format: Hardcover
Source: Library

Description:

Patterson and Ledwidge introduce a new hero in an exciting thriller set in the heart of Manhattan. NYPD detective Michael Bennett is concentrating on getting his family through a particularly difficult Christmas: he and his 10 adopted children are facing the loss to cancer of his brave wife, Maeve. But a major crisis calls him away: the funeral of a former First Lady at St. Patrick's Cathedral goes horribly awry when men storm the church and take hundreds of attendees hostage. 

Michael is asked to try to reason with a sinister man named Jack. Jack releases all but the most famous people, and makes his demands: he wants several million dollars from each celebrity hostage, including the mayor, a popular comedic actor, a beloved talk show host, and a pop starlet. Once Jack starts killing, Michael realizes he's up against a truly diabolical foe. Patterson has a knack for creating genuinely likable heroes, and Michael fits the bill. 

As readers rapidly turn the pages to learn how the tense hostage drama plays out, they will also be sympathizing with Michael as he faces the agonizing loss of his wife. Totally gripping and downright impossible to put down, this is a promising start to a potential new series.

My Thoughts: 

In this book we are introduced to NYPD detective Michael Bennett who has his hands full.  He has 10 adopted children and a wife dying in the hospital and gets called in to negotiate with Jack a man with a big mean streak.  Michel is trying to juggle eveything at once.

This book really became a game of cat and mouse.  With the NYPD trying to rsolve this as soon as possible which get more complicated as the book progresses along.  That and trying to figure out how to handle the fact his wife is dying, and he'll soon be the sole parents of 10 kids. Can Michael do it all in time, or will his time run out?

I thoroughly enjoyed learning about Bennett and his family.  Also getting to see Michael figure out the case and catch the bad guy was definitely worth it.  I can't wait to read what is next for Michael Bennett and his family!

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Review: Louisiana Longshot by: Jana DeLeon

Title: Louisiana Longshot
Author: Jana DeLeon
Publisher: Kindle
Series: Miss Fortune Mystery #1
Pages: 232
Format: Kindle e-book
Source: Book Club/ Personal Purchase

Description:

It was a hell of a longshot...

CIA Assassin Fortune Redding is about to undertake her most difficult mission ever--in Sinful, Louisiana.

With a leak at the CIA and a price on her head by one of the world's largest arms dealers, Fortune has to go off grid, but she never expected to be this far out of her element. Posing as a former beauty queen turned librarian in a small, bayou town seems worse than death to Fortune, but she's determined to fly below the radar until her boss finds the leak and puts the arms dealer out of play.

Unfortunately, she hasn't even unpacked a suitcase before her newly-inherited dog digs up a human bone in her backyard. Thrust into the middle of a bayou murder mystery, Fortune teams up with a couple of seemingly-sweet old ladies whose looks completely belie their hold on the little town. To top things off, the handsome local deputy is asking her too many questions. If she's not careful, this investigation may blow her cover and get her killed.

Armed with her considerable skills and a group of old ladies referred to by locals as The Geritol Mafia, Fortune has no choice but to solve the murder before it's too late. 

My Thoughts:

I have had this sitting in my kindle for so long I don't know why I didn't start sooner.  Fortune Redding has returned home after a botched CIA mission in the middle east.  Her boss has no choice but to place her in witness protection where only three people know where she is assuming the role of the director's niece cleaning out someones house in the butt hole of Louisiana known as Sinful where just about anything and everything is illegal.  Her alias is a librarian/beauty queen.  Something Fortune knows nothing about.  Give her a good gun and she's all set ask her to do her nails and well you might not want to stick around for that.

Fortune quickly meets to old ladies who are anything but what they appear like. When a bone shows up in Fortune's residence it's up to her to figure out what happened, although her new friends won't let her go at it alone. They are a group of old women called  Sinful Ladies Society run by Ida Belle and Gracie who were determined to find their friend Marie. Whose on the hook for the bone.  Who killed Marie's missing husband and why?  Will the local hot detective arrest Fortune or just jail her so he can get some sleep?

This book was incredible funny and sassy with women who are great at showing they can do just as much if not more than men.  I loved it and couldn't put it down at all!  If you love fun, sass and adventure like you've never seen this is the book for you!

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Review: A Visitation of Angels by:: Carolyn Haines

Title: A Visitation of Angels
Author: Carolyn Haines
Publisher: Good Fortune Farm Refuge
Series: Pluto's Snitch #4
Pages: 382
Format: e-book
Source: Personal Purchase

Description:

*100% of all proceeds will be donated to Good Fortune Farm Refuge which will help animals receive medical treatment and loving homes.

Elizabeth Maslow is an educated woman living in the isolated town of 1920’s Mission, Alabama. She’s defied the town’s definition of a woman’s place—she’s unmarried and given birth to a child with webbed hands and feet. In a town fraught with superstitions and religious repression, Elizabeth is dangerous.

But Elizabeth is much more than an unwed mother. Since the birth of Callie, who she believes is fathered by an angel, she’s been able to “dream the truth.” And she’s determined to testify in behalf of Slater McEachern, a man charged with the brutal murder of a local woman. Elizabeth insists McEachern is innocent. She’s determined to speak, no matter the cost.

Spirit detectives Raissa and Reginald arrive to help Elizabeth save McEachern—before she ends up on the gallows with him. Raissa and Reginald must unravel a crucial question. Does Elizabeth’s gift come from an angel, or from something much, much darker? In the world of spirits and the dead, Raissa has learned to trust no one, especially not the dead. The dead lie.

My Thoughts: 

This book follows Raissa and Reginald who are called to investigate by Elizabeth Maslow whose adament that a man is about to die for something he didn't do.  When they arrive in Mission they find out it's not as forward thinking as other towns.  Raissa and Elizabeth should be in the kitchen tending hom and not asking questions or in the case of Elizabeth having a child out of wedlock with webbed hands and feet.  Will they figure out who killed Ruth a local woman and why?  Did Slater McEachern do it or is someone that determined that he should pay for another's crime?

As they investigate a dark entity keeps appearing to the girls claiming to be Gabriel, but is he who he says he is or is it something more sinister?  What does the entity want and how many will be impacted before Raissa and Reginald get to the bottom of it?

I love this series they are deep and engaging and keep you going wondering how it will end?  For anyone who loves a geat ghost story or good vs evil will definitely be captivated by this series as I was!

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