Frozen Detective by Amanda Flower my Review

 

About the book 

A wealthy doctor invites many friends to spend a week at a giant ski villa…only to wind up dead. The police call it a hunting accident. His much-younger wife doesn’t buy it. 

Darby Piper, a seasoned private eye, and Tate Porter, who inherited half of the detective agency, are glad to take the case. They go undercover as a romantic couple at the villa, where guests are still enjoying their free luxury vacation and catered meals. As they dig up secret grudges, Darby’s jealous ex-boyfriend on the police force thinks they’re wasting their time. 

Will Darby and Tate discover the murderer…or will it become another cold case? This cozy mystery contains a free Hallmark original recipe.

And I thought 

I received  an audio version  from Net Galley. 

I have not read any books by Amanda  Flower. 

I really  enjoyed it.  So much that I want read the previous book in this 2 book series. 

Frozen Detective does not read like a book 2.  I thought there were several  in the series.  It just flowed like Darby and Tate had solved many mysteries together. 

The set up in Frozen Detective was the sleuths were undercover playing a couple at a weekend at an exclusive lodge in the mountains.  

Getting to the epilogue there is a discussion of Darby and Tate posing as brother and sister on a new case leading to the next book. 

There was a large cast of guests, friends and a frenemy.  Along with hotel staff.  And then the new Detective  in town who happens to be Darcy's ex.  That doesn't  quite seem like he is totally into that role.  

Austin the Detective  and Tate seem both  to have hidden  feelings for Darby and tend to dance around each other. And it's  not a waltz.

The storyline  was really good with twisty and turns that keep you guessing.   

This is a great series. I look forward  to reading more. 

The description  said there is a recipe at the end which was not included in the copy I received.  

I like recipes.  

I liked the narration but I thought the mens voices were struggled. 

My review  will  appear on Amazon,  Good Reads  and NetGalley.   

The series

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His For The Holidays by Samantha Chase My Review

 

About the book 

Hannah Christy was eager to head home and devour her treats in solitude while doing some prep work for the promotion she was vying for. Those plans came to a screeching halt...along with the elevator...trapping her inside with her neighbor. 

After being trapped with his match-making family over Thanksgiving, getting stuck in an elevator was a welcome reprieve for Gage Lawson.

If it was up to him, he would gladly stay

And I thought

A great holiday Romance.  

Honestly  I just chose this one because it was an audio book and available  through Net Galley. 

I enjoy a good Romance and that is what I got from this  author. 

Samantha Chase wove a really good story without any real drama.  

No exes causing trouble.  No on again off again relationship because one or the other has drama. 

That was refreshing. 

Hannah and Gage connected from page one.  

I loved how they met.  

And I had to grin at how the author brought them back together  after Hanna worked  out her own drama.   

Not only are Gage and Hannah great characters  but his mom Rebecca  is the kind of Mother In Law you would want!  Rebecca is sweet and funny. 

The rest of the cast Gage's sisters and Rebecca's neighbors add to the story and kept everything light hearted. 

His For The Holiday was a great read.  And I look forward to reading more by Samantha  Chase.  

This one though does have several  discret bedroom scenes. 

My Jazzy Grandma would be blushing. 

Which means you all know how MaMa would feel. 

I received  a copy from Net Galley. 

My  review  will appear on Amazon, Net Galley and Good Reads. 

 

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Cozy New Releases

 

French Roast

 by Sandra Balzo 

Wisconsin coffeehouse owner Maggy Thorsen’s cousin, Jacque Oui, is in trouble. Big trouble! Not only is his cash-strapped Schultz’s Market facing competition from a major new grocery chain, but his ex-wife Paulette has arrived from Paris, spectacularly claiming that she and Jacque are still married, despite Jacque being engaged to Maggy’s friend and star barista Amy Caprese.

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Waste of a Life

 by Simon Brett

Declutterer Ellen Curtis has been working to bring order into the life of Cedric Waites, a recluse in his eighties who hasn’t left his house or let anyone inside it since his wife died. On one of her regular visits, Ellen finds the old man dead. Sad but, given his age, perhaps not unexpected. Nothing to get worked up about . . . until the police raise the suspicion that Cedric might have been poisoned!

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A Medium Homecoming

 by Lynn Cahoon 

Eddie Cayce has come home to New Orleans. Good or bad, she’s made her bed and now she has to sleep in it, like her mama always said. Even though she loves the town where she grew up, the gift she’d been given from her late grandmother was causing problems. Major problems. 

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Knits, Knots, and Knives

 by Emmie Caldwell 

For once things seem to be running smoothly for knitting enthusiast Lia Geiger. Her daughter is living on her own and happy with her new job on the alpaca farm. Plus, Lia and her Ninth Street Knitters have been knitting for the Civil War reenactment being held on the grounds next to the Crandalsburg Craft Fair. It’s all fun and battle games until one of the “injured soldiers” turns out to be the very real victim of a murder, and Lia’s friend and neighbor falls under deep suspicion.

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Death Checked Out

 by Leah Dobrinska 

Greta Plank, resident librarian in the small, lakeside town of Larkspur, Wisconsin, prefers her rose-tinted glasses extra rosy, thank you very much. Ever since a family tragedy landed her in Larkspur, she’s kept a happy-or-bust outlook. But Greta’s cheery resolve takes a hit when she finds the town recluse dead at the base of the stairs leading from his deck to the lake. What she assumes is a terrible accident Greta soon learns is something more sinister, and to make matters worse, new-to-town Detective Mark McHenry cites her as not only his primary source for the case, but his top suspect. 

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Frozen Detective 

by Amanda Flower 

A wealthy doctor invites many of his associates to spend a week at a giant, luxurious ski villa. Darby Piper, a seasoned private eye, and Tate Porter, her new partner at the detective agency, are among the guests, going undercover as a romantic couple. They were hired by the doctor’s much-younger wife to investigate anonymous threats against her husband’s life. But before long, Darby and Tate are investigating a murder instead. 

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Death in the Margins 

by Victoria Gilbert 

It’s early summer, and while Richard Muir and his dance partner, Karla, are preparing their new choreographic piece, Richard’s wife, Amy, is gathering the dance’s source materials. Based on folktales and the music of the Blue Ridge Mountains, the production is set to premiere at an old cinema that has been converted to a theater. But when dancer Meredith Fox—Richard’s former fiancé—is found dead backstage, Amy is once again propelled into a murder case that threatens the careers and lives of those she loves. 

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Knot a Game

 by Betty Hechtman 

At the urging of Vista Del Mar’s owner, Casey Feldstein takes on the job of combining a murder mystery game with her next weekend yarn retreat. Enlisting the help of the hotel’s staff to play the roles of victim and suspects, she lays out a plot and plants some red herrings. And as her intrigued guests watch the murder play out and the clues unfold, Casey is certain she’s pulled off the perfect make-believe murder—until a real murder intrudes and everyone at the hotel is named as a suspect. 

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A Streetcar Named Murder

 by T.G. Herren 

When the mysterious letter arrives by courier, Valerie Cooper doesn’t know what to make of it. She’s become the beneficiary of her late husband’s estranged uncle’s will—a man she never knew—and inherited a majority partnership in the family’s company, New Orleans Fine Antiques. Valerie knows nothing about antiques, but she decides to learn the business and become an active partner. She’s also got her hands full fending off Collette, a woman who wants to sell the huge old house in the Irish Channel neighborhood Valerie and her husband painstakingly renovated.

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A Hard Day for a Hangover 

by Darynda Jones 

Some people greet the day with open arms. Sheriff Sunshine Vicram would rather give it a hearty shove and get back into bed, because there’s just too much going on right now. There’s a series of women going missing, and Sunny feels powerless to stop it. There’s her persistent and awesomely-rebellious daughter Auri, who’s out to singlehandedly become Del Sol’s youngest and fiercest investigator. And then there’s drama with Levi Ravinder―the guy she’s loved and lusted after for years. The guy who might just be her one and only. The guy who comes from a family of disingenuous vipers looking to oust him―and Sunshine―for good. 

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Scot in a Trap 

by Catriona McPherson

A mysterious object the size of a suitcase, all wrapped in bacon and smelling of syrup, can mean only one thing: Thanksgiving at the Last Ditch Motel. This year the motel residents are in extra-celebratory mood as the holiday brings a new arrival to the group – a bouncing baby girl. 

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Sleuthing in Stiletto

 by Debra Sennefelder 

Locals in Lucky Cove seem to harbor hostility toward Miranda Farrell, proprietor of a new shoe store. Nevertheless, Kelly invites her along to a Chamber of Commerce meeting. But soon afterward, Miranda’s body is found in her shop, with Kelly’s uncle—who’s had multiple public arguments with her—standing nearby. Could her uncle really have committed murder over a business dispute? Or is Miranda’s death related to her late husband’s long-ago embezzlement case? 

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The Mountain of Regret by Laura Domino My Review

 

About the book 

Love finds a way.

Meeting at a party changed their lives. Will they be able to help each other climb through the obstacles of life?

José, a successful restaurant owner, dreams of being a husband and father, but he hasn’t found someone to marry. Until Gina.

Gina manages a bridal shop and her ailing mother, which takes much of her time and energy. She can only handle so much, especially when she’s the last to find out what’s going on with her family.

When José gets serious, Gina starts worrying. She’s found a sweet Christian boyfriend, but she can’t marry him. Because of her family issues, she’s sure José would get tired of her going to bed overwhelmed every night.

Since she can’t see a way out of misery, he must find a way to open her eyes to what they could have together.

Read book one of this heartwarming Christian romance series and discover how love brings light and life to dispel desperation. 

And I thought 

The cover.  I love covers.  And I admit . . . 

I am picky.  If the cover doesn't 'get me' I probably won't pick it up. 

Well this cover worked it's magic! 

 The Mountain of Regret is just what the cover depicts a good sweet Romance. 

I love the chance to read a Christian Romance.  One that has a subtle message that anyone will want to read. 

Laura Domino gives the reader not only great characters but a fast paced storyline that will keep you turning the pages. 

I am expecting a great series! 

I received complimentary copy. 

My review will appear on Amazon and Good Reads.  

The Mountain of Regret will also be featured My Journey Back the Journey and on Facebook. 

Buy the book  

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Cozy New Releases

 

4 Sleuths & A Burlesque Dancer 

by Traci Andrighetti, Leslie Langtry, Arlene McFarlane, Diana Orgain 

After a murderous bachelorette party in Niagara Falls, Valentine, Merry, Kate, and Franki decide it’s time to relax and have some fun in the Big Easy. New Orleans turns out to be anything but easy when the killer foursome stumble across the body of a formerly famous, elderly Dolphin burlesque dancer. To make matters worse, NOLA’s finest arrest Kate’s husband Jim as the prime suspect! 

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Bread Over Troubled Water 

by Winnie Archer 

A regular who used Yest of Eden as a workspace, Josh Prentiss always turned heads with his startlingly good looks and thousand-watt smile. But Ivy can’t help noticing one morning that he seems distracted and off his game. Later, during a visit to the park where she and Miguel plan to hold their engagement party—with plenty of baked goods on the menu—her rescue pug, Agatha, sniffs out Josh lying in a bed of poppies…scone cold dead.

Available on Amazon

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On Spine of Death 

by Tamara Berry 

Bestselling author Tess Harrow and her teenage daughter Gertrude have decided to make Winthrop their home. Their cabin is fixed up and now they’re turning to the family hardware store that Tess inherited from her late grandfather into the town’s first independent bookstore. 

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Isabel Puddles Abroad 

by M.V. Byrne 

Isabel has crafted a life she loves in her Lake Michigan hometown, but she’s eager to use her golden years to make up for missed opportunities. That’s why she’s traveling to England for the first time to visit her pen pal, Teddy Mansfield, an acclaimed mystery writer who lives just outside the village of Mousehole, Cornwall. First impressions are charming—Isabel is staying in the guest cottage on the grounds of Teddy’s beautiful country manor, and Mousehole is home to an assortment of characters as colorful as any in Teddy’s books.

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Baked Offed 

by Maya Corrigan 

The Maryland Mystery Fan Fest sounds like exactly the fun getaway café manager Val Deniston and her grandfather could use. Granddad will even compete in a dessert competition in which contestants assume the roles of cooks to famous fictional sleuths. Playing Nero Wolfe’s gourmet cook Fritz is an exciting challenge for Granddad. A restaurant manager is playing Lord Peter Wimsey’s valet and cook Bunter. But Granddad is steamed to learn who will be playing Sherlock Holmes’s landlady, Mrs. Hudson—his nemesis Cynthia Sweet, who he believes ripped off his five-ingredient theme from his column “Codger Cook” to use in her own recipe column.

Available on Amazon

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Steeped in Secrets

 by Lauren Elliott (Cozy)

Flat broke and divorced, intuitive gemologist Shay Myers has changed since leaving her artsy hometown of coastal Bray Harbor sixteen years ago. But when she moves back under strange circumstances, old instincts may be the only key to spilling the tea on a deadly mystery. 

Available on Amazon

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Through the Liquor Glass 

by Sarah Fox 

Autumn brings a wonderland of color and atmosphere to Vermont. As the last leaves fall from the trees, the town is gearing up for a new festival: A Taste of Shady Creek. Pub proprietor Sadie Coleman is looking forward to visitors coming to sample her literary-themed cocktails. She’s a little more wary about her mother’s impending first visit. What if her mom doesn’t like Sadie’s adopted town—or her new boyfriend, Grayson Blake? 

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A Mocha For Murder

 by Ryan Hoffman 

It’s a couple of weeks before Christmas in Cedar Grove and everyone is feeling the Christmas spirit, including Riley Morgan. That is until town disgrace and former classmate, Levi Peirce, comes back after a stint in prison. Everyone turns sour, except for Riley. No tears are shed when Levi is found stone cold dead in a snowdrift, holding a thermos cup from Pages & Scones. Except for his brother who asked Riley to look into his death.   

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Murder on the Class Trip

 by Lee Hollis 

Drafted as chaperones, Maya Kendrick and PTA president Sandra Wallage are accompanying the SoPo High seniors to the nation’s capital—much to the embarrassment of Maya’s daughter Vanessa and Sandra’s son Ryan. Now both moms are about to find out which is harder—shepherding unruly high schoolers or solving a murder. The last sight they expected to see on this trip is a female intern who works for Sandra’s soon-to-be-ex-husband, Senator Stephen Wallage, in a fatally compromising position. 

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Death by Smoothie

 by Laura Levine 

The Bewitched knockoff I Married a Zombie may have flopped in its day, but it’s got a devoted cult following. Jaine is delighted when one of those rabid fans hires her as script doctor for his new play based on the show—until she reads the awful script and meets Misty, the actress who’ll be playing Cryptessa’s role. Misty has Audrey Hepburn’s doe eyes but not a smidgen of her ability. Yet she can certainly act the diva, demanding a special smoothie every day at 3pm. Meanwhile, Jaine is grappling with another spoiled female—her uncooperative cat, Prozac, who’s refusing to be wrangled into a kitty harness for outside walks.

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A World of Curiosities

 by Louise Penny

It’s spring and Three Pines is reemerging after the harsh winter. But not everything buried should come alive again. Not everything lying dormant should reemerge. But something has. As the villagers prepare for a special celebration, Armand Gamache and Jean-Guy Beauvoir find themselves increasingly worried. A young man and woman have reappeared in the Sûreté du Québec investigators’ lives after many years. The two were young children when their troubled mother was murdered, leaving them damaged, shattered. Now they’ve arrived in the village of Three Pines. 

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All Dog’s Children

 by Neil S. Plakcy 

Who crept into Boris and Natasha Krimsky’s mini-mansion and murdered them while they slept? Could it be the cousins they brought over from Russia, who want more money from them? Or the physicist who claims he helped Boris with the ideas behind his multi-million-dollar patent? 

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Penny Küfer’s Christmas 

by Alex Wagner 

Christmas with the family? Penny Küfer is quite surprised when she is invited to a fancy celebration with her estranged mother, of all people. Waldenstein Castle, the party location and home to Penny’s latest stepfather, turns out to be a palace right out of a fairy tale. The assembled guests, however, seem rather eccentric, and what’s more, one of them is a ruthless killer. But he hadn’t reckoned with Penny…

Available on Amazon

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Killer Cranachan

 by R.A. Wallace 

An unexpected encounter sends Megan on a search for a killer recipe that will lead her down many trails. Although some prove fruitless, a fatal crash of another kind leaves her brother-in-law calling her the berries. While Erica and Jerry hope to serve up just deserts, Megan whips up a method of her own for getting to the seed of the matter. A vintage obsession with a sprinkling of suspects is dished up as the final course.

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Justice for Ginger by Annee Jones My Review

 

About the book 

Five years ago, Ginger Carlyle turned down a marriage proposal that everyone, including Jacob Noble, thought she would agree to.

Five years ago, Jacob Noble took a job in a northern California mining town that he hoped would help him to forget the love he’d left behind in Ashton. But there was no way he could forget Ginger, or his own broken heart.

Back in Ashton, Ginger has been beset by tragedy after tragedy. After her father’s death, she is the only one who can care for her ailing mother and manage the family house and land. But hard work isn’t enough when the bank comes looking for the mortgage payments. Unable to tell her mother the truth about their dire financial circumstances, Ginger will have to work even harder to make sure that their Thanksgiving holiday is as joyful as it always was when her father was alive.

However, after Ginger is accused of stealing from her new employer, her whole world is turned upside down. She's dragged to the sheriff’s office where she's shocked to discover the new deputy is none other than the very man whose proposal she turned down all those years ago.

As the past is re-visited and secrets come to light, is there hope that justice will be Ginger's in time for Thanksgiving

And I thought 

Even though this was an 80 page short read I can easily say I look forward to reading the other books in this series. 

I don't normally really like such short books but Annee Jones made a believer out of me. 

The characters and the plot easily drew me in. 

Ginger was a sweet young woman trying hard to do the right thing by her mom after her father unexpectedly passed away. 

Even though she regretted not accepting a marriage proposal from Jacob whom she really loved she knew she could not leave town with him and abandon her parents. 

Which ultimately ended up being a wise decision.  

Because Jacob is back and more than willing much to Gingers surprise to pick up where they left off. 

Even though he arrives in town just in time to help Ginger out of a bit of drama and a sticky situation. 

Ginger not only gets Justice but a Happily Ever After.   

And I like that. 

I received a complimentary copy. 

My review will appear on Amazon and Good Reads. 

I look forward to reading more in this series. 

 

The series 

Buy the book  

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Meet the author 

Author Annee Jones loves to write all things romance, fantasy, cozy mystery, & more. She is passionate about writing stories where dreams come true, and love wins in the end!

Professionally, Annee works as a disability counselor where she helps her clients navigate through complex medical and legal systems while rediscovering their wholeness in Spirit. 

Visit Annee website to sign up for her newsletter.  Click Here

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Christmas Crime Cover-Up by Dana Mentink My Review

 

About the book 

A violent attack

Isn’t the homecoming she expected.

When an ATV tries to run her down in Death Valley, animal rescuer Nora Duke knows it’s a sign she never should have returned. Now she’s stuck on Seth Castillo’s ranch until Christmas with a pregnant donkey—and a criminal desperate to silence her. Facing her past is as terrifying as uncovering a killer’s twisted plan. But can Seth convince her to stay…if they live through the holidays?

From Love Inspired Suspense: Courage. Danger. Faith.

The series  

Desert Justice

Book 1: Framed in Death Valley

Book 2: Missing in the Desert

Book 3: Death Valley Double Cross

Book 4: Death Valley Hideout

Book 5: Christmas Crime Cover-Up

Book 6: Targeted in the Desert

And I thought 

This series has just been so fun to read.  I have only read a couple but each one seems to be better than the last for a few reasons I am sure! 

First the Suspense starts from page one and continues with twists and turns to the end.  Almost a nail bitter!  But in a good way. 

No languages. No graphics.  

No bedroom scenes. 

Dana Mentink is a favorite author of mine because she writes great suspenseful stories with characters that have no fear to put their faith and trust in God.  

I have enjoyed getting to know the Duke clan through this series.  

Maybe it was because the story revolved around a pregnant wild miniature donkey and Nora's effort to save them (I love donkeys) but I think the human characters grabbed my heart too. 

I am looking forward to reading book #6.  And going back to read a couple others I missed. 

I received a complimentary copy. 

My review will appear on retail sites and Good Reads. 

 Check out Good Reads reviews over Here

Buy the book 

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Available on Walmart

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Visit the author  

The website click Here