Book Review - The Blooming of Delphinium by Holly Varni

My Review

Delphinium Hayes owns a florist shop in the small town of Moonberry Lake, Minnesota.  When a group of elderly men from a nearby assisted living start playing poker in her walk-in refrigerator, she works with the assisted living director, Elliot Sturgis, to find a solution.  This being Moonberry Lake, there are little surprises and romance.

I wanted to read this book because I absolutely loved On Moonberry Lake.  It made my top 10 reads list last year, and I couldn't wait to spend more time in this fictional world.

The Blooming of Delphinium is delightful!  Delphinium is a wonderful protagonist.  I enjoyed her gift for - quite literally - sniffing out what is good or bad in people, her work at the florist, and her interactions with Eliot.  

I also enjoyed the elderly people in this book - they are treasures!  And I still love the town of Moonberry Lake.

I enthusiastically recommend The Blooming of Delphinium and the Moonberry Lake series for fans of women's fiction and charming small town settings.

Book Synopsis

Making the perfect match is like arranging the perfect bouquet--and no one is better at it than Delphinium Hayes. Except when it comes to making a match for herself.

As far as hidden talents go, she is blessed with one of the more unique ones. With the slightest passing whiff, she knows someone's most admirable or weediest characteristic. This peculiar perception never fails to give her an advantage in understanding people--except for one man, whose scent doesn't seem to match his demeanor.

Prim and proper Elliot Sturgis, director of Moonberry Lake's Gardens Assisted Living and Senior Care Facility, carries the scent of violets--meaning love and loyalty--yet is strict and unwavering in his determination to stop a group of his wily residents from sneaking over to Delphinium's shop to play cards in the flower cooler. But the more glimpses Delphinium gets of the soft side beyond Elliot's harsh exterior, the more she understands his scent--and her intrigue deepens as sparks fly.

The crowd in her cooler isn't Delphinium's only problem. Behind on the mortgage payments and on the verge of losing her shop to foreclosure, Delphinium isn't sure where to turn for help. But God has a funny way of putting the right people in the place at the right time . . .

Author Bio

Holly Varni is the author of On Moonberry Lake. A native Minnesotan of strong Norwegian descent, she was raised in the Lutheran Church that Garrison Keillor made a career depicting. Though she, her husband, and their three sons live along the Central Coast of California, her beloved Midwest roots continue to haunt everything she writes. She hosts the Moments from Moonberry Lake podcast, where she shares more stories of her beloved characters. Learn more at HollyVarni.com.

Book Review and Giveaway: Caught on Camera: A Camera Club Mystery by Kara Lacey

My Review

Photographer Bobbie Brooks has been in Stonebridge, Vermont for a year, since her husband died suddenly.  She's settling in, spending time with her sister, working on her photography, and being part of a new camera club.  At the first meeting, one of the members doesn't show up, and Bobbie finds her body on a photography walk.  She decides to work to solve the mystery with the help of the camera club.

I wanted to read this book because I love cozy mysteries, am interested in photography, and I will admit, the cover is very appealing.  I love mysteries that feature a dog or cat, and Darcy, Bobbie's dog, is front and center on the cover!

This is the first book in a new series and I am already looking forward to reading the future books!  I really like Bobbie.  She's smart and her photographer's eye turns out to be a real help in solving the mystery.

The mystery is well paced, the clues are plentiful, and there are several good suspects for Bobbie to investigate.

I found the photography details in the book interesting and they added a lot to the storytelling for me.

I also enjoyed the small town of Stonebridge and the friends and acquaintances Bobbie makes there.

I recommend Caught on Camera for other cozy readers, and especially for anyone who also has an interest in photography.

Book Synopsis

Blue skies and wildflowers signal the start of summer in southern Vermont, and the Stonebridge Keep it Snappy Camera Club lenses are zoomed in on…murder.

It’s been more than a year since the sudden death of her husband, and photographer Bobbie Brooks wants nothing more than to escape her grief. Fleeing her life in the city, she seeks a fresh start in the serenity of the Green Mountains. But Bobbie’s new beginning comes to a halt when she finds a member of her camera club dead beneath the village’s idyllic covered bridge. Tragic accident or something sinister? With a keen photographer’s eye, Bobbie suspects murder.

As if transitioning to small-town life wasn’t challenging enough, Bobbie’s missing scarf is found at the murder scene, making her the primary focus. Scorned by local gossips, she enlists the help of her camera club and shifts her lens from photographer to amateur sleuth. Using photos found on the victim’s camera, they waste no time setting out to catch the killer—and discover no shortage of suspects. Secrets, lies, and blackmail…Danger abounds as they close in on the killer.

Her camera holds the answers… But can she develop the clues in time to stop the killer?

Author Bio

Kara Lacey is the author of the Camera Club Mysteries. Along with her husband, she lives in a tiny village nestled in the beautiful Green Mountains of Vermont—the inspiration for her novels. Kara is a photography enthusiast who also enjoys hiking, skiing, and getting cozy with a good book. When she’s not at her laptop creating havoc for her characters, you can find her rambling through the forest with her husband and spirited Labrador retriever, camera in hand.Kara is a member of Sisters in Crime, Sisters in Crime-New England, and Mystery Writers of America. She is also a co-Member at Large for Vermont SinC NE writers.

Click the link below to get your copy of “Taste of Stonebridge”:   

https://pr.bookfunnel.com/grgtlaq

Author Links
Instagram https://instagram.com/karalaceyauthor   Facebook https://facebook.com/karalaceyauthor Website https://karalaceyauthor.com

Purchase Link – Amazon

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Book Review and Giveaway - Ink and Intrigue at Ivy Tree Inn: An Ariadne Winter Mystery by Ellen Butler

My Review

Ink and Intrigue at the Ivy Tree Inn is a cozy mystery set in 1958.  Ariadne Winter, a writer for Ladies' Lifestyle Magazine, is on a light story assignment when she discovers a body and decides to solve the mystery.

I wanted to read this novel because I love cozy mysteries, enjoy Mid-Century settings, and found the premise unique and interesting.

This is a wonderful start for a new series!  I enjoyed the 1958 setting.  Ariadne has extra challenges as a woman working during this time period as a writer and also as a sleuth.  

The mystery is well paced with several twists.  I enjoyed it, and look forward to future books in this series.  I recommend Ink and Intrigue at the Ivy Tree Inn for other cozy fans, and especially for readers who also enjoy historical mysteries.

Book Synopsis

Stumbling across a dead body could be the making … or breaking of an aspiring reporter.

During 1958, when the workforce is predominantly male, societal norms dictate women should be compliant, fashionable housewives. To Ariadne Winter, the sole tradition she aims to embrace is that of being fashionable. Amidst the ambiance of Ivy Tree Inn, where she’s been dispatched as a writer for Ladies’ Lifestyle Magazine, her focus wavers as she grapples with an interview assignment concerning a Hollywood starlet on the cusp of royal matrimony—an event hailed as the “Wedding of the Century.” While Ariadne dutifully attends to her task, her heart yearns for the pursuit of her collegiate ambition: to be an investigative reporter for a renowned newspaper.

However, fate intervenes when she discovers a dead body and recognizes the opportunity it presents to write her way into the role she desires. Yet, as Ariadne delves deeper into the lives of the inn’s inhabitants, she uncovers a labyrinth of intertwined relationships and long-buried secrets among guests and staff alike, yielding a plethora of suspects. With a murderer on the loose, her magazine deadline looming, and the inn cordoned off by authorities, Ariadne faces a race against time to untangle the web of deceit and solve the murder before she loses more than just her job.

Author Bio

Ellen Butler is the international bestselling author of the Karina Cardinal mystery series. Her experiences working on Capitol Hill and at a medical association in Washington, D.C. inspired the mystery-action series. Multiple books in the series have hit #1 on Amazon bestseller lists in the US and abroad. Book critics call the Karina Cardinal mysteries, “intelligent escapism.” Butler is also the author of the award-winning historical suspense novel, The Brass Compass. The Brass Compass has won multiple awards for historical fiction including: 2022 Speak Up Talk Radio Firebird Book Award, 2018 Indie Reader Discovery Award, 2019 Readers’ Favorite Silver Medal Winner. Butler started writing in the romance genre and won the The Romance Reviews Readers’ Choice Award 2015 with her novel Planning for Love. Her 12th book Operation Blackbird, a Cold War Spy novel, was published in October 2022 and won a Next Generation Indie Book Award gold medal for historical fiction.

Serving Up Suspense with Style
Ellenbutler.net  Instagram  Facebook 

Purchase Link – Amazon – 

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Book Review and Giveaway - Murder on the Page (A Literary Dining Mystery) by Daryl Wood Gerber

My Review

Allie Cat is a chef in Asheville who puts together literary theme parties.  When her best friend's aunt is murdered in the bookstore she owns, Allie works to solve the mystery.

I wanted to read Murder on the Page because I love Daryl Wood Gerber's Fairy Garden and Cookbook Nook series.  I love classic literature and foodie books, so I am definitely the target audience for this cozy mystery!

This is such a fun cozy mystery.  I so enjoyed Allie's love of both literature and cooking!  The book references were great and added a lot of enjoyment to the storytelling.

I really like Allie, her friend Tegan, and the other characters in this book, and look forward to reading about more of their adventures in future books in this series.  

The mystery was well paced and well developed and it kept me guessing!  I enjoyed Allie's skills as an amateur detective.

Murder on the Page has three features I absolutely love in a mystery:  a cast of characters, a map of the town, and recipes for foods mentioned in the book.

Five enthusiastic stars from me for Murder on the Page!  I recommend this book for other cozy mystery fans, and especially for anyone who loves literary references and foodie details.

Book Synopsis

Featuring twin hooks that cozy readers can’t get enough of—classic books and delicious food—this new series from the Agatha Award-winning, nationally bestselling author of several much loved series, including the Fairy Garden Mysteries and the French Bistro Mysteries, is a delicious treat for mystery lovers, especially fans of Ellery Adams, Krista Davis, and Lauren Elliott.

It’s a truth universally acknowledged that a genuinely top-notch party must be in want of a theme. Allie Catt, caterer and personal chef in the beautiful mountain community of Asheville, North Carolina, has devised a winning formula by using her clients’ favorite books as inspiration. Her first themed event is based on Pride and Prejudice (Allie’s cat, Darcy, approves), and it’s so popular that soon she has grand ideas for future parties based on Rebecca, The Great Gatsby, Babette’s Feast and more.

Business is booming, and a rival catering company is fuming. But there’s a sting in the tale when the aunt of one of Allie’s clients and best friends, Tegan, is murdered. Tegan is the victim’s sole heir, and quickly becomes the main suspect. Allie has no doubts about her friend’s innocence, but how to prove it?

Once again, her love of literature comes to the rescue, and with some guidance from her favorite fictional detectives, including Hercule Poirot and Sherlock Holmes, Allie sifts through the clues.With a little luck—and the kind of pluck that would make Elizabeth Bennett proud—she may be able to stop a killer from serving up a second course of murder . . .

Author Bio

Daryl Wood Gerber is the Agatha Award-winning and nationally bestselling author of the Literary Dining Mysteries, the Fairy Garden Mysteries and the Cookbook Nook Mysteries. As Avery Aames, she penned the popular Cheese Shop Mysteries. In addition, Daryl writes suspense including the well-received The Son’s Secret, Girl on the Run, and the popular Aspen Adams suspense novels. Recently Daryl, who loves a challenge, published a Christmas romance, Hope for the Holidays.  Fun Tidbit: as an actress, Daryl appeared in “Murder, She Wrote.” She loves to cook, garden, read, and walk her frisky Goldendoodle. Also she has been known to jump out of a perfectly good airplane. You can learn more on her website: httsp://darylwoodgerber.com

Author Links

WEBSITE: https://darylwoodgerber.com

FACEBOOK: https://facebook.com/darylwoodgerber

BOOKBUB: https://bookbub.com/authors/daryl-wood-gerber

YOUTUBE: https://youtube.com/woodgerb1

INSTAGRAM: https://instagram.com/darylwoodgerber

GOODREADS: https://goodreads.com/darylwoodgerber

TIKTOK: www.tiktok.com/@daryl_wood_gerber

AMAZON: https://bit.ly/Daryl_Wood_Gerber_page

NEWSLETTER: https://darylwoodgerber.com/contact-media/

Purchase Links 

AMAZON    BARNES AND NOBLE     BOOKSHOP.ORG    KOBO      MYSTERIOUS GALAXY

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Review and Giveaway - Murder, She Wrote: A Killer Christmas by Jessica Fletcher & Terrie Farley Moran

My Review

When a wealthy business tycoon wants to buy an old Cabot Cove homestead, things spiral out of control.  First one of the owners who was presumed dead shows up alive.  Then the tycoon's wife is murdered.  Jessica Fletcher steps in to solve the case.

I wanted to read Murder, She Wrote: A Killer Christmas because I love the Murder She Wrote series of cozy mysteries.  This book has the plus of having a Christmas setting!

I have read several recent Murder, She Wrote books set in different locales but the books set in Cabot Cove are always my favorites.  This series is a true comfort read for me;  I love the town, the townspeople, and, of course, Jessica Fletcher's detective skills.

This was a well written, quick paced mystery, and such an enjoyable read.  I recommend Murder, She Wrote: A Killer Christmas for other fans of cozy mysteries, Christmas mysteries, and of course for anyone who loves the Murder, She Wrote series.

Book Synopsis

It’s Christmastime in Cabot Cove, but there’s more homicide than ho-ho-ho in the newest entry in the USA Today bestselling Murder, She Wrote series.

Christmas is not an easy time to sell a house, but in Boston tycoon John Bragdon, Cabot Cove Realtor Eve Simpson has found a buyer for the old Jarvis homestead. Unfortunately, Eve gets a lump of coal in her stocking in the form of Kenny Jarvis, who has been missing for years and presumed dead but has now come back to stop his sister from selling their childhood home.

Eve presses on, organizing a welcome dinner for Bragdon and his wife, Rose Marie, to meet the leading citizens of the town, including Jessica Fletcher. Dinner is interrupted by an uninvited guest—not Santa but Kenny, who threateningly promises Rose Marie she will never live in his house.

When Rose Marie is found dead a few days later, Kenny is the natural suspect. But Jessica isn′t so sure he′s on the naughty list . . .

Author Bio

Along with Jessica Fletcher, Terrie Farley Moran co-writes the Murder She Wrote mystery series including  Murder, She Wrote: Killer on the Court. She is the author of the Read ‘Em and Eat cozy mystery series and also co-writes the Scrapbooking Mysteries with Laura Childs. Recipient of both the Agatha and the Derringer Awards, Moran has published numerous mystery short stories. The only thing Terrie enjoys more than wrangling mystery plots into submission is hanging out with any or all of her seven grandchildren.

Author Links – Webpage   Facebook 

Purchase Links – Amazon – B&N – Kobo – Bookshop.org – PenguinRandomHouse – 

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