Murder At Archly Manor by Sara Rosett-Book Review

About the book 

London, 1923. Olive Belgrave needs a job. Despite her aristocratic upbringing, she’s penniless. Determined to support herself, she jumps at an unconventional job—looking into the background of her cousin’s fiancé, Alfred. He burst into the upper crust world of London’s high society, but his answers to questions about his past are decidedly vague. Before Olive can gather more than the basics, a murder occurs at a posh party. Suddenly, every Bright Young Person in attendance is a suspect, and Olive must race to find the culprit because a sly murderer is determined to make sure Olive’s first case is her last. 

Murder at Archly Manor is the first in the High Society Lady Detective series of charming historical cozy mysteries. If you like witty banter, glamorous settings, and delightful plot twists, you’ll love USA Today bestselling author Sara Rosett’s series for Anglophiles and mystery lovers alike.

Travel back to the Golden Age of detective fiction with Murder at Archly Manor.

And I thought

Normally I am not a huge fan of  stories that take place in early times like a Historical Cozy.  However I am a fan of Sara Rosett.

I have read and reviewed a few of her other books in her other

series so I thought I would give Murder At Archly Manor a try.

I was glad I did.  I very much enjoyed this fun Cozy Mystery and 

Sara has made me reconsider my aversion to Historical Cozy and Romances.  I think I have been missing alot. 

I  enjoyed Olive and the other characters.  I enjoyed Olive's nack for making discreet inquires and getting information from people.  

Murder At Archly Manor had a steady pace and was an easy read.  I enjoyed turning the pages and racing to the end to see 

what happens and who dun it.  

If you enjoy a good cozy check this one out.  

I received an Advance Reader Copy. 

My review will appear on retail sites and Good Reads. 

Buy the book 

If you visit the authors site you can see a complete list with 

links to purchase.  Click here. 

Summer Plans and other disasters by Karin Beery-Review

About the book 

Elementary school music teacher Callie Stevens thinks she’s finally figured out God’s plan for her life—she even made a list to keep her on track.

Moving in with her brother and reconnecting with her ex-boyfriend are at the top of the list. What’s not on the list is running into her childhood crush, Ryan. God wanted her to connect with Kyle, right?

Trying to figure out God’s plan is hard enough. But a dating-averse older brother, the young blonde who adores him, a pregnant best friend, and Callie’s continual mishaps make her wonder whether her best laid plans were truly God-inspired. 

And I thought

I love a good romance.  I love a good romance that is sweet and clean.  I love a good romance that falls under the inspirational category.  

Summer Plans and other disasters meet all my favorites. 

There was lots I actually really liked like the above about the book. 

 There was lots that I was just kind of left shaking my head. 

Honestly I just didn't really get 'into' Callie's character.  I love that she set out to follow God's plan for her life.  But I felt she acted more like she was 16 than a 27 year old that lived on her own. 

She was a ditz at least while she was spending the summer with her brother.  It made me wonder how she managed to live on her own. 

Every move she made to help her brother she messed things up.  

Tripping over carpet when she arrives.  Falling into a dumpster. 

Mowing over a bag of trash.  The list kind of just went on.  Leading me to just kind of think 'Good grief'.  

Her brother Jack was a nice guy with commitment issues.  (On the romance side)  He liked a girl but was hung up on how old she was/is.

But he was a great big brother. 

His best friend Ryan has an interest in Callie.  

And then there's the ex boyfriend that Callie returned to town to at least she thought.  You'll have to check it out.

No beans spilled here.

All in all this was a good romance.  A good story.  But I just kind of thought that the characters and how they acted was more high school than grown adults. 

I say this with a whole lot of regret.  Because I really wanted to like this book more.   

I wanted the good clean romance to jump out as a great book.  

But for me it wasn't great.  It was good. 

I read it in 2 days which is normal for me.  It was a fast read. And interesting story/plot that is actually great for a teenager. A clean sweet romance is hard to find.
Especially one that centers on God's plan without being pushy.

I would be interested in giving this author another chance and will look for more books. 

For more reviews check out Amazon and the blog tour.  The links are below. 

I received a complimentary copy.

My review will appear on retail sites and Good Reads. 

Read an excerpt

Visit the tour at Read with Audra to read an excerpt. Click here.

Buy the book 

Authors site

Visit the tour

Click here to visit the tour

a life by Design by Lucy Appadoo- Spotlight & Giveaway Italy Book Tours

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This is a Spotlight post for the tour. 

I have not read this book 

About the book 

When 20-year-old Elena Allegro leaves the Italian village of Laurino to study Fashion Design in Milan, she’s certain her dreams are about to come true. Despite her father’s warnings that risk comes with her newfound freedom, she loves her studies and develops a love interest with Francesco, the handsome young entrepreneur who offers her a part-time job in a Milan clothing store.

It seems like an idyllic situation—until a stalker targets Elena, tormenting her with mind games and threatening her safety. In the face of escalating danger to herself and to Francesco, Elena must fight for her freedom, her love, and her survival.
​

Buy the book 

Amazon ~ Barnes & Noble
iTunes ~ Kobo ~ Google PlayOther retailers ~ Odilo for Libraries
Add to Goodreads
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Visit the tour
Click here to visit the tour and read reviews. 

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A Very Merry Murder by Mary Angela-Great Escapes Spotlight

 

This is a Spotlight post for the Great Escapes Tour

I have not read this book 

About the book 

It’s December in Copper Bluff, and from hillside to hallowed hall, everyone is merry—or will be as soon as semester break arrives. Students are studying, professors are grading, and Emmeline Prather is anticipating the university-sponsored holiday concert. Friend and colleague Lenny Jenkins will be accompanying the visiting quartet, Jazz Underground, and Em can’t think of a better way to kick-start the holiday season.

But before she can say “Jingle Bell Rock,” trouble arrives at Candlelight Inn, the bed and breakfast where the quartet is staying. One of the band members dies unexpectedly, and suspicion falls on Em, whose altercation with the man ends with him on the floor. He never recovers, and now she’s worried her reputation might not either. When Emmeline starts to see parallels between an Agatha Christie novel she’s teaching and the victim, Lenny claims she’s read one too many mysteries.

As the clues unravel, so does the murderer’s patience. Em is close to finding the truth, but will the truth—or the murderer—push her over the edge? It will take a Christmas miracle to solve this case, but if there’s one thing in surplus this time of year, it’s faith.

And others are saying 

This book overflows with the sounds and smells and music of the winter holiday season.

I was carried away to Copper Bluff, South Dakota.
~Laura’s Interests

A VERY MERRY MURDER is a warm and endearing cozy mystery into which the reader slips, similar to slipping under a warm afghan near a glowing fire on a cold winter’s night, ready to wrap oneself in the story,
~Mallory Heart’s Cozies

Lots of twists, turns, and surprises that you won’t see coming all leading to a great reveal scene that made me think of Sherlock as Em laid it all out for them.
~Books a Plenty Book Reviews

This book was definitely cute with the descriptions of Christmas and how the people celebrate the holidays. Along with solving a mystery and add an Agatha Christie novel to the mix and it’s bound to be a great adventure!
~Community Bookstop

There are some charming cozy moments as Christmas comes to Copper Bluff. A Very Merry Murder is an appealing cozy mystery that will have you feeling merry and bright.
~The Avid Reader

A Very Merry Murder is a classically crafted and masterfully methodical mystery with carefully placed subtle clues. It is a gem of a read with its Agatha Christie feel . . .
~Book Club Librarian

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To read reviews, interviews and guest posts and enter the Giveaway.  Click here. 

Cover Reveal-The Heart Break Cowboy-Promo Book Tour

*Old flames burn hotter the second time around...*

It’s been four long years since McCrea Coldiron watched Eleanor Mackenna walk out of his life. He wasn’t ready for the marriage noose then and never thought he would be. Single, free to do as he pleases, and running the Promise Point Horse Rescue Ranch are the things that make him sure he was right to let Eleanor go… This is until she comes back to town with a daughter he never knew about in tow.

Eleanor knows just how badly McCrea can burn a woman and how persuasive he can be when he wants something, so she’s more than cautious about his charming words and cocky grin when she comes home to arrange the sale of her grandparents’ ranch. But when a flat tire in a thunderstorm introduces four-year-old Sophie to her daddy, Eleanor knows McCrea’s love for his daughter is genuine. Can she trust it will be the same for her? As the icy walls around her heart begin to melt, Eleanor must find the courage to trust her heart or run away from the man who has always owned it.

Being shown what he lost is a wake-up call for McCrea and he isn’t about to let Eleanor or Sophie walk away. It’s time to prove he’s a man who believes in love and happy-ever-after.

About Mina Beckett

Mina and her husband live on a small farm in the beautiful Appalachian Mountains of southern Kentucky. She's an artist, an avid reader, a dog lover, and a miniature horses enthusiast. Life in her corner of the world consists of long winter nights curled up by the fire, cheering on her favorite football teams in the fall, enduring March Madness in the spring and walking barefoot through her garden with a cold jar of tea in the summer ─ fireflies at sunset accompanied by a serenade of crickets and frogs, and lazy nights in the porch swing.

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Pick up the prequel novella The Cowboy's Goodnight Kiss

The Ghost and the Bogus Bestseller-Great Escapes Tour-Book Review

About the book 

Penelope Thornton-McClure and her bookshop’s ghost-in-residence Jack Shepard are back on a new case in this delightful paranormal mystery from New York Times bestselling author Cleo Coyle.

A big bestseller leads to small town trouble.

Bookshop owner Penelope Thornton-McClure didn’t believe in ghosts, until she was haunted by the hard-boiled spirit of 1940s private investigator Jack Shepard. Now Jack is back on the job, and Pen is eternally grateful…

After an elegant new customer has a breakdown in her shop, Penelope suspects there is something bogus behind the biggest bestseller of the year. This popular potboiler is so hot that folks in her tiny Rhode Island town are dying to read it–literally. First one customer turns up dead, followed by another mysterious fatality connected to the book, which Pen discovers is more than just fiction. Now, with the help of her gumshoe ghost, Pen must solve the real-life cold case behind the bogus bestseller before the killer closes the book on her.

And others are saying

I love the way this book is part in current times part in Jack’s time. The relationship between them is so cute even if it is impossible.
~Community Bookstop

the plot was seriously intriguing, and each time our amateur sleuths, bookseller Pen (and I the reader) thought we had it solved–well, the story turned yet another corner, so we had to progress. I loved every single minute of it.
~Mallory Heart’s Cozies

I LOVED this book! I LOVED Jack and I LOVED Pen! What a super fun book that is well written and well scripted.
~The Montana Bookaholic

I devoured this book. I enjoyed every minute of it. The characters and the story are well-written.
~Socrates’ Book Reviews…

The characters are well developed and well rounded. Pen and Jack make an awesome sleuthing duo and you can tell that they care about each other.
~MJB Reviewers

Who would have thought a dead gumshoe could be so much fun? Right from the beginning, the presence of a stereotypical 1930s private detective thrown into a modern world comes through loud and clear.
~Mysteries with Character

And I thought
My first (and not my last) from this team.  I was intrigued by the 
fact that the authors are a husband and wife team.  Very cool. 

 I am sorry that I've missed the others all 5 of them.  This one was a sure stand alone as I am sure the others are. 

The Ghost and the Bogus Bookseller was just fun.  The characters are charming even the ghost.  

You'll be on a bit of a ride following as Pen tries to do the 
sleuthing and solve the mystery. She has some help along the way with the bookshop resident ghost Jack.  Jack was a detective so he has all the skill to help solve the crimes.   

I am looking forward to some backtracking and picking up a few more in this series.  

I received a complimentary copy. 
My review will appear on retail sites and Good Reads. 

Buy the book 

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Glitter Bomb by Laura Childs-Great Escapes Tour-Review/Giveaway

About the book 

An exploding Mardi Gras float has got to be the strangest murder weapon scrappy sleuth Carmela Bertrand has ever encountered in this latest Scrapbooking Mystery from the New York Times bestselling author.

It’s Mardi Gras in New Orleans and scrapbook shop owner Carmela Bertrand is excited to be attending the Pluvius Parade along with her best friend Ava. Carmela’s ex-husband Shamus rides by the duo on his float at the head of the parade, when suddenly the revelry turns to disaster. Shamus’ float crashes and explodes, and although Shamus escapes unhurt, a member of his krewe is killed.

Carmela and Ava plunge into an investigation of the krewe-member’s death, but as they dig deeper it starts to look less like an accident and more like a murder….and Shamus seems less like a victim, and more like a suspect.

And others are saying 

I found Glitter Bomb to be well-written with a fast pace. Carmela and Ava are a hoot. I enjoy their witty repartee. Ava and Carmela do not let grass grow under their feet on this investigation.
~The Avid Reader

GLITTER BOMB is a rollicking roller coaster ride through Mardi Gras in New Orleans.
~Cozy Up With Kathy

And I thought
Laura Childs is back with another great installment in a fun series.
The New Orleans Scrapbooking Mystery series features Carmela the owner of a scrapbooking shop in NOLA.  Carmela has a habit of stumbling into murder and getting into all kinds of trouble. 
This time her ex Shamus is a prime suspect (at least for while)  Shamus may be a womanizer and a jerk but Carmela stands behind him because he's not a killer.  Just not a 'good husband'.  
All the while her new detective boyfriend Babcock kind of seems to be focusing on Shamus. (what red blooded suitor with a gun wouldn't)  Of course Carmela has to get involved  and find the real culprit.  
Laura Childs provides the reader with a fast paced and humorous 
story that will keep you turning the pages to the end. 
Which btw I really liked.  I think it was the best part.  Reminded me of one of my favorite movies.  No beans spilled here.  You'll have to check it out.  
I also enjoy the scrapbooking tips at the end and the recipes.  
If you like a good cozy mystery you need to check this one out!

I received a complimentary copy. 
My review will appear on retail sites and Good Reads. 

Buy the book 

Amazon    B&N    Google Books    IndieBound   Kobo  BookBub 

Visit the tour 

Click here to read reviews, interviews and guest posts.  

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