2017 Literary Escapes Challenge--March Update

Challenge – Try to read 1 book set in each of the 50 states + the District of Columbia. (51 Points). If you complete the challenge you earn 50 Bonus Points. You also can earn Bonus Points for books set in Countries around the world. 1 Bonus Point for each country. (No repeats – only 1 point can be earned for each country.) Your books can be fiction or non-fiction and can be in any format, print, digital, audio. 


Alabama--

Alaska--

Arizona--

Arkansas--Elizabeth and Hazel: Two Women Of Little Rock by David Margolick

California--Scheduled To Death by Mary Feliz

Colorado--Fatality By Firelight by Lynn Cahoon

Connecticut--Pick Your Potion by C.C. Dragon

Delaware--

District of Columbia--Curious Minds by Janet Evanovich

Florida--Child's Play by Merry Jones

Georgia--15 Minutes by Larissa Reinhart

Hawaii--Murder At Turtle Cove by Kathi Daley

Idaho--

Illinois--Life After by Katie Ganshert

Indiana--When The Grits Hit The Fan by Maddie Day

Iowa--

Kansas--Brake Failure by Alison Brodie

Kentucky--A Ghostly Mortality by Tonya Kappes

Louisiana--A Fatal Romance by June Shaw

Maine--Telling Tails by Sofie Ryan

Maryland--

Massachusetts--The Witch And The Dead by Heather Blake

Michigan--My Perfect Imperfections by Jalpa Williby

Minnesota--

Mississippi--

Missouri--

Montana--

Nebraska--

Nevada--

New Hampshire--

New Jersey--

New Mexico--

New York--

North Carolina--Purr M For Murder by T.C. LoTempio

North Dakota--

Ohio--Ill Will by Dan Chaon

Oklahoma

Oregon

Pennsylvania

Rhode Island

South Carolina--What She Inherits by Diane V. Mulligan

South Dakota

Tennessee--The Big Overnight by Libby Kirsch

Texas--Say Goodbye For Now by Catherine Ryan Hyde

Utah

Vermont

Virginia

Washington--A Winter's Tail by Kathi Daley

West Virginia

Wisconsin--Avery: The Case Against Steven Avery and What "Making a Murderer" Gets Wrong by Ken Kratz

Wyoming


International Settings
Canada--Holiday Hangover by Kathi Daley
Italy--A Portrait of Emily Price by Katherine Reay
Greece--Evanthia's Gift by Effie Kammenou

BOOK TOUR: Evanthia's Gift and Waiting For Aegina (The Gift Saga 1 & 2) by Effie Kammenou

Book Information

Series: The Gift Saga

Genre: Women's Fiction, Romance

• Paperback: 558 pages
• Publisher: Effie Kammenou; 1 edition (August 8, 2015)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0692471839
• ISBN-13: 978-0692471838

In the year 1956, Anastacia Fotopoulos finds herself pregnant and betrayed, fleeing from a bad marriage. With the love and support of her dear friends Stavros and Soula Papadakis, Ana is able to face the challenges of single motherhood. Left with emotional wounds, she resists her growing affection for Alexandros Giannakos, an old acquaintance. But his persistence and unconditional love for Ana and her child is eventually rewarded and his love is returned. In a misguided, but well-intentioned effort to protect the ones they love, both Ana and Alex keep secrets - ones that could threaten the delicate balance of their family.

The story continues in the 1970’s as Dean and Demi Papadakis, and Sophia Giannakos attempt to negotiate between two cultures. Now Greek-American teenagers, Sophia and Dean, who have shared a special connection since childhood, become lovers. Sophia is shattered when Dean rebels against the pressure his father places on him to uphold his Greek heritage and hides his feelings for her. When he pulls away from his family, culture and ultimately his love for her, Sophia is left with no choice but to find a life different from the one she’d hoped for.

EVANTHIA’S GIFT is a multigenerational love story spanning fifty years and crossing two continents, chronicling the lives that unify two families.

Review: This is a wonderful story of family and friendship. It provides an insight into the Greek culture, both in Greece and in America, but it also is relatable to everyone who has had a lifelong friend and seen their children also become lifelong friends--or more.

There are several plot twists in the story, several of which I didn't see coming. The plot definitely held my interest from beginning to end, and I finished the book anxious to read the second one, to learn more about Sophia, Demi and Dean and their friends.

Another plus to this book is the inclusion of several of the Greek recipes mentioned in the story. It means I can try some of them out in the future!

Rating: Four stars

• Paperback: 386 pages
• Publisher: Effie Kammenou; 1 edition (January 12, 2017)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0692825932
• ISBN-13: 978-0692825938

In 1961, five little girls moved into a suburban neighborhood and became inseparable, lifelong friends. They called themselves the ‘Honey Hill Girls,’ named after the street on which they lived. As teenagers they shared one another’s ambitions and dreams, secrets and heartaches. Now, more than thirty years later, they remain devoted and loyal, supporting each other through triumphs and sorrows.

Evanthia's Gift follows the life of Sophia Giannakos. In Waiting for Aegina the saga continues from the perspectives of Sophia and her friends as the story drifts back and forth in time, filling in the gaps as the women grow to adulthood.

Naive teenage ideals are later challenged by harsh realities, as each of their lives takes unexpected turns. Now nearing their fiftieth year, Sophia, Demi, Amy, Mindy and Donna stand together through life-altering obstacles while they try to regain the lighthearted optimism of their youth.

Review: This was a great follow-up to Evanthia's Gift. It offers a chance to learn more about Sophia and her friends during the years of that book, as well as the years following.

This book is more dramatic and "gritty" than the first story, and yet it still has the same realistic engagement, drawing the reader into the Greek culture at every turn. Once again we are treated to the inclusion of  Greek recipes, which I hope to try at some point.

I look forward to reading more from this author in the future.

Rating: Four stars

Purchase Links

Amazon: Evanthia’s Gift - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B013MG484M/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_1lTFxbE4PRKJ3

Waiting For Aegina - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MT6KLN4/ref=nav_timeline_asin?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

Landing page for both books –

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_c_2_14?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=effie+kammenou&sprefix=effie+kammenou%2Caps%2C139&crid=1JRUTXFZ5K2HJ

Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/evanthias-gift-effie-kammenou/1122620438?ean=9780692471838

About the author

Effie Kammenou is a believer that it is never too late to chase your dreams, follow your heart or change your career. She is proof of that. At one time, long ago, she'd thought that, by her age, she would have had an Oscar in her hand after a successful career as an actor. Instead, she worked in the optical field for 40 years and is the proud mother of two accomplished young women.

Her debut novel, Evanthia’s Gift, is a women’s fiction multigenerational love story and family saga, influenced by her Greek heritage, and the many real life accounts that have been passed down. She continues to pick her father’s brain for stories of his family’s life in Lesvos, Greece, and their journey to America. Her interview with him was published in a nationally circulated magazine.

Evanthia’s Gift: Book One in The Gift Saga was a 2016 award finalist in the Readers Favorite Awards in the Women’s Fiction category.  Waiting for Aegina: Book Two in The Gift Saga is Kammenou’s latest release.

Effie Kammenou is a first generation Greek-American who lives on Long Island with her husband and two daughters. When she’s not writing, or posting recipes on her food blog, cheffieskitchen.wordpress.com, you can find her cooking for her family and friends.

As an avid cook and baker, a skill she learned from watching her Athenian mother, she incorporated traditional Greek family recipes throughout the books. 

She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Theater Arts from Hofstra University.

Contact Information

Website: (foodblog) https://cheffieskitchen.wordpress.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EffieKammenou/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/EffieKammenou/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/cheffieskitchen/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14204724.Effie_Kammenou

NEW RELEASES/FREE AND BARGAIN BOOKS Weekly Link up

Sharing the Love of Books
Enjoy our selection of New Releases / Free & Bargain Books this week

Authors please feel free to add your own books
Readers please free to add your own finds
(any genre except erotica welcome)

This weekly link up is hosted by Beck Valley Books & these awesome book loving blogs...
Monday
 Leels Loves Books | IrishdaisylovesRomance | Book Babble | Traci Hayden
Tuesday
Celticlady's Reviews | First Time Mommy Adventures 
Wednesday
Beck Valley Books | Jude Ouvrard
Thursday
Miki's Hope | Nicki's Nook
Friday
Ebook Addicts | I Love Romance | Colorimetry | J.C. Clarke
Saturday
3 Partners in Shopping | I Create Purty Thangs | Wishful Endings 

Sunday

Ali - The Dragon Slayer | Deal Sharing Aunt | Magic of Books Book Blog

For Pre-orders post - PRE-ORDER / genre / title /author

For New Releases post - NEW / genre / title / author

For Free Books post - FREE / genre / title / author / end date 

For Bargain Books post - SALE / price / genre / title / author / end date
(Strictly no Erotica please.  Steamy romance is fine but watch those covers people, incase any underage child is viewing it!)

Here is this weeks awesome selection!

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Come back and check out the new selection every week x

BLOG TOUR AND GIVEAWAY: Off The Beadin' Path (Glass Bead Mysteries #3) by Janice Peacock

Off the Beadin’ Path (Glass Bead Mystery Series)
Cozy Mystery
3rd in Series
Vetrai Press (March 11, 2017)
230 Pages
E-Book ASIN: B01N6FUCPN

Synopsis: Glass beadmaker Jax O’Connell and her friend Tessa have no idea what challenges await them when they take a glassblowing class with Marco De Luca, a famous Italian glass artist—and infamous lothario. 

After the first night of class, Tessa sees a body through the rain-streaked window of the studio. The next morning there’s no sign of Marco, and one of the studio owners is also missing. The local sheriff isn't taking the disappearances seriously, but Tessa knows what she saw. To complicate matters, Officer Shaw and Detective Grant are both vying for Jax’s attention as she tracks down clues in a small town that's been keeping more than one secret. 

Jax and Tessa must face their fears to find the body and uncover the killer before another life is shattered. 

Off the Beadin’ Path is the third book in the Glass Bead Mystery Series. 

Review: I am a huge fan of this series, and this book reminds me of all the reasons why: the friendship between Jax and Tessa, the brief but fun interactions with Tessa's kids, Jax's neighbor who can always be counted on for sweets, Jax's complicated relationships with Zach and Ryan, and, of course, Jax's cat, Gumdrop.

This time around, the murder mystery centers around a well-known Italian glass artist, Marco De Luca, who has a past with Tessa, due to her one-time relationship with his brother, Dario.

The information about glass blowing and bead making continues to amaze and impress me. I love learning about this, and am glad that the author is so educated on the topic.

The murder mystery will keep you guessing for a long time, and send you off in wrong directions more than once. I loved this book from beginning to end!

Rating: Four stars

About the author

Janice Peacock decided to write her first mystery novel after working in a glass studio full of colorful artists who didn’t always get along. They reminded her of the odd, and often humorous, characters in the murder mystery books she loved to read. Inspired by that experience, she combined her two passions and wrote High Strung: A Glass Bead Mystery, launching a new cozy mystery series featuring glass beadmaker Jax O’Connell.

When Janice isn’t writing about glass artists-turned-amateur-detectives, she makes glass beads using a torch, designs one-of-a-kind jewelry, and makes sculptures using hot glass. An award-winning artist, her work has been exhibited internationally and is in the permanent collections of the Corning Museum of Glass, the Glass Museum of Tacoma, WA, and in private collections worldwide.

Janice lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband, two cats, and twelve chickens. She has a studio full of beads…lots and lots of beads.

Author Links

Webpage – www.janicepeacock.com,

Facebook – www.facebook.com/JanPeac,

GoodReads – www.goodreads.com/JanicePeacock,

@JanPeac on Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest

Purchase Link

Amazon

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NEW RELEASES/FREE AND BARGAIN BOOKS Weekly Link up

Sharing the Love of Books
Enjoy our selection of New Releases / Free & Bargain Books this week

Authors please feel free to add your own books
Readers please free to add your own finds
(any genre except erotica welcome)

This weekly link up is hosted by Beck Valley Books & these awesome book loving blogs...
Monday
 Leels Loves Books | IrishdaisylovesRomance | Book Babble | Traci Hayden
Tuesday
Celticlady's Reviews | First Time Mommy Adventures 
Wednesday
Beck Valley Books | Jude Ouvrard
Thursday
Miki's Hope | Nicki's Nook
Friday
Ebook Addicts | I Love Romance | Colorimetry | J.C. Clarke
Saturday
3 Partners in Shopping | I Create Purty Thangs | Wishful Endings 

Sunday

Ali - The Dragon Slayer | Deal Sharing Aunt | Magic of Books Book Blog

For Pre-orders post - PRE-ORDER / genre / title /author

For New Releases post - NEW / genre / title / author

For Free Books post - FREE / genre / title / author / end date 

For Bargain Books post - SALE / price / genre / title / author / end date
(Strictly no Erotica please.  Steamy romance is fine but watch those covers people, incase any underage child is viewing it!)

Here is this weeks awesome selection!

Would you like to share our linkup on your site? click here
Would you like to become a weekly host? sign up here

Come back and check out the new selection every week x

KINDLE SCOUT NOMINEE (PLUS GIVEAWAY): Tiago by Catia Skye

~ $25 Amazon Voucher Giveaway ~

Tiago, by Cátia Skye, YA Contemporary Romance

Two shattered hearts. One unstoppable love.

Nominate Tiago, by debut YA Romance author Cátia Skye, for consideration by Kindle Scout and you could win a $25 Amazon Gift Voucher, and you could get to read the book for free! Scroll down for excerpts, blurb, author info and, of course, the giveaway!

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New York, USA
Kezra, sixteen, dumped by her boyfriend of six months after he took her virginity, shocked by revelations about her father, falls into an abyss of panic and anxiety. On doctor's orders, she is sent on a vacation to get away from pressures.
Lisbon, Portugal
Tiago, seventeen, has lost more than most lose in a lifetime, believes implicitly in the inevitable Portuguese Tragedy, has left the thug-life, has left school, is just trying to survive each new day.
Neither of them is looking for love…

---

Categories:

• Teen & Young Adult > Romance > Contemporary
• Romance > Series
• Teen & Young Adult > Literature & Fiction > Coming of Age
• Teen & Young Adult > Literature & Fiction > Geography & Cultures > Europe

---

Excerpts

Kezra

The Edge of Seventeen (2016)

I am no looker.
I'm not a dog either. But I am no looker.
Aylin used to say I was precocious. "Precocious when it comes to boys," she'd say.
By the time I was done dating Conor, I said I was nothing but a fool.
I started dating too early. Antoni was the first guy I ever saw. I was fourteen, close to fifteen, sporting braces on my teeth. We shared a kiss, nothing passionate, innocent.
Until he touched my breasts and I went cold.
Fourteen. Was he a freaking idiot?
Dawson happened after that. It lasted three months. I was more grown up, more developed. My breasts, especially, were more developed.
I hate my breasts.
But it was Conor who would thrust me into the black world of adulthood with an indignant slap I am certain I will never forget.
I write because I am lonely.
I write because I hurt.
I write while tears drip from my eyes, turning the screen of my tablet into splotches of pixelated rainbows.
The way I was brought into this world has nothing to do with how I feel about love.
It has everything to do with how I feel about myself.
How much horror can a mind endure?
Are the pains of a sixteen-year-old laughed at by those older then her?
What pain did my mother suffer? ("Sometimes I went without food so that I wouldn't have to take that bastard's money, Kez.")
My pain is nothing compared to what hers must have been. And yet, the pain I feel is phenomenal.

Tiago

P.S. I Love You (2007)

Just before the sun rises, when the world is silent and the River Tejo laps gently at the stone steps leading to the giant Praça do Comércio square, leaves of golden sunlight shimmer above the surface of Lisbon's great river. This is my favorite time to sit on these steps, flicking stones into the water, letting my gaze drift west toward the ocean.
And I think of her.
I do not weep anymore. My eyes are dry. I have wept this entire river twice over and still that will not bring her back.
The seagulls taunt me, cawing in accusation. I should have moved faster, they say. I should not have been so complacent with my joy.
I never deserved that joy. I know it.

Tiago

Deadly is the Female (1950)

It is the week for meeting Americans. And if I thought my encounter with Dahlia went bad, then I can only compare my meeting with the one called Kezra to something just short of a nuclear war. It's my fault, mostly. But it's also her fault.
I would love to say that our first encounter is quaint and sweet, that it is the type of first-meeting you expect from a Rom-Com.
It is not.
It is a disaster.
And I am nothing short of a hungover bastard.
But let's call a spade a spade. Guilt must be placed where guilt belongs. And this chick is a real stinker of a piece of work too.
I guess you could say I started it.
I did.
But she contributes gladly to the atomic chain reaction which follows.
Dare I say, I think she even revels in it.
Copyright © 2017, Cátia Skye. All Rights Reserved.

---

Giveaway!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

---

About Cátia

Cátia Skye is a New-York-born, Portuguese-American gal who now resides in the romantic heart of Lisbon, Portugal. She is the single mother of one rambunctious little boy, and pens romance novels between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 2:00 a.m. each night when her boy finally falls asleep.
Tiago is her first novel.
Visit Cátia's Website

NEW RELEASES/FREE AND BARGAIN BOOKS Weekly Linkup

Sharing the Love of Books
Enjoy our selection of New Releases / Free & Bargain Books this week

Authors please feel free to add your own books
Readers please free to add your own finds
(any genre except erotica welcome)

This weekly link up is hosted by Beck Valley Books & these awesome book loving blogs...
Monday
 Leels Loves Books | IrishdaisylovesRomance | Book Babble
Tuesday
Celticlady's Reviews | First Time Mommy Adventures 
Wednesday
Beck Valley Books | Cinnamon Hollow Reviews
Thursday
Miki's Hope | Nicki's Nook
Friday
Ebook Addicts | I Love Romance | Colorimetry
Saturday
3 Partners in Shopping | I Create Purty Thangs | Wishful Endings 

Sunday

Ali - The Dragon Slayer | Deal Sharing Aunt

For Pre-orders post - PRE-ORDER / genre / title /author

For New Releases post - NEW / genre / title / author

For Free Books post - FREE / genre / title / author / end date 

For Bargain Books post - SALE / price / genre / title / author / end date
(Strictly no Erotica please.  Steamy romance is fine but watch those covers people, incase any underage child is viewing it!)

Here is this weeks awesome selection!

Would you like to share our linkup on your site? click here
Would you like to become a weekly host? sign up here

Come back and check out the new selection every week x

BLOG TOUR AND GIVEAWAY: Purr M For Murder (A Cat Rescue Mystery) by T.C. LoTempio

BOOK INFORMATION

Purr M for Murder: A Cat Rescue Mystery
Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Crooked Lane Books (March 14, 2017)
Hardcover: 304 pages
ISBN-13: 978-1683310921
Kindle ASIN: B01N6P3WYP

Synopsis: Sydney McCall left behind an ex-fiancé and a New York advertising job to return home to Deer Park, North Carolina and help her sister, Kat, run the local animal shelter, Friendly Paws. Determined to save the shelter from financial trouble, Sydney and Kat organize a cat café fundraising event at a local coffee shop. Things are looking up until their landlord, Trowbridge Littleton, threatens to shut down the event. When Sydney drops by his art gallery to make peace, she finds Kat--along with Littleton's dead body.

Local homicide detective Will Worthington--who just happens to be Sydney's old high school crush--is highly suspicious of the sisters' involvement. Desperate to clear their names from the suspect list, Sydney pounces on the investigation. With the help of one of the shelter cats, a savvy orange tabby named Toby, Sydney begins poking her nose into other local businesses whose owners may have benefited from Littleton's death--until the killer notices she's pawing a little too closely at the truth.

Review: I'm a HUGE fan of this author's Nick and Nora series, so I was thrilled to learn she was releasing a new series. As hard as it may be to believe, I think I'm going to love this one even more. The cat shelter, and the fact that it is no-kill, are predominant parts of the story, which makes it near and dear to my heart as a cat lover.

Like Nick in the other series, there is a cat who plays a part in helping Sydney solve the murder...Toby the orange tabby, who is definitely working his way into my heart as well. 

We also get the hint of romance between Syd and the new detective in town, Will Worthington, who was a friend of hers in school. 

The cast of supporting characters is well-developed as well, and I look forward to getting to know more about them as well as Syd, Kat and Will.

The plot is well-written, and although I had several suspicions about the murderer throughout the book, I wasn't totally sure until the actual reveal. Already can't wait to read the next book in the series.

**I received a copy of this book through NetGalley with no expectation of a positive review. All thoughts and opinions are entirely my own.**

Rating: Four stars

About the author

While Toni Lotempio does not commit – or solve – murders in real life, she has no trouble doing it on paper. Her lifelong love of mysteries began early on when she was introduced to her first Nancy Drew mystery at age 10 – The Secret in the Old Attic.  She (and ROCCO, albeit he’s uncredited) pen the Nick and Nora mystery series from Berkley Prime Crime – the first volume, MEOW IF ITS MURDER, debuted Dec. 2, 2014. Followed by #2, CLAWS FOR ALARM.   #3, CRIME AND CATNIP, was released in December. She, Rocco and Maxx make their home in Clifton, New Jersey, just twenty minutes from the Big Apple – New York. Catch up with them at www.tclotempio.net and www.catsbooksmorecats.blogspot.com

Where to find them:

ROCCO’s blog:

www.catsbooksmorecats.blogspot.com

Website:

https://www.tclotempio.net/

 facebook:

 https://www.facebook.com/toni.lotempio.5 

Twitter:

@RoccoBlogger – https://twitter.com/@RoccoBlogger

Purchase Links:

Amazon  B&N 

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BOOK TOUR AND GIVEAWAY: Hurricane In Paradise (Florida Keys Mystery #10) by Deborah Brown

Book Information

Series: Florida Keys Mystery Series

• Series: Paradise Series
• Paperback: 446 pages
• Publisher: Paradise Books, LLC (December 12, 2016)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 099844040X
• ISBN-13: 978-0998440408

Synopsis: Set against the steamy backdrop of Tarpon Cove's sun-kissed, tropical waters, sexy sleuths and best friends Madison and Fab are at it again dealing with the occasional dead body. Hidden just below the surface of the small town lies an underworld, one steeped in deceit, corruption, and deadly secrets. It's only a matter of time before Madison and Fab find themselves on a collision course with the police, who consider them likely suspects in a murder.

Ride along on their adventures when the duo realizes that a family member is missing and pull themselves away from all jobs to track him down. Theories: walked away, freak accident, kidnapped? If so, then why no ransom demand?

Hurricane in Paradise is book ten in the thrilling and humorous provocative Paradise series, which finds the two waist-deep in mystery and romance. It is a smart, adventurous read that delivers heart-thumping, non-stop action. Join Madison and Fab as they solve the most twisted of cases, through unconventional ¬– and highly entertaining – measures… sometimes in flip-flops.

The Paradise series, are Florida Keys mysteries, “great as stand-alone reads, but they're like chips...you won't be able to devour just one!”

Review: This is my all-time favorite mystery series. I have read all ten books, and they just keep getting better as the series continues. Madison and Fabiana are back at it again, along with the usual cast of supporting characters.

This time around, the main story revolves around a hurricane that causes them to evacuate the Keys---and then they return to find squatters living in their house, claiming they are legally renting it. When one of the squatters is murdered, Madison is the prime suspect. Will the gang be able to solve the murder before she's locked up for life?

As if that weren't enough to deal with, her brother Brad disappears without a trace, and they put all their resources toward tracking him down.  This book is action packed from beginning to end, and I'm already anxious to read the NEXT one!

Rating: Five stars

Available to buy from.....

Amazon.com    Amazon.co.uk   Amazon Paperback 

"Deborah Brown's Florida Keys mystery series is highly addictive! The characters are quirky & amusing. The dialogue is snappy. The plot highly entertaining & thrilling. All the oddball cast of characters are back as well as Mad's & Fab's deliciously hunky loves, Creole & Didier." 

"Madison and Fab are so much fun to read about along with their better halves. This time there's murder (of course), a missing family member and a crazy grandma! You'll love this book so much!"

"Once again Deborah Brown has written a wonderful humorous highly entertaining book."

Above reviews from Amazon

About the Author

I've been writing, in one way or another for as long as I can remember; writing poetry, short stories, a romance novel secretly stashed under the bed and sappy love letters. Fiction should be fun. I wanted to create the perfect beach book, to make the reader laugh, cry and cheer... and then run out and tell their friends about it.

My love of reading began when I was seven, the day I opened the cover of my first Mrs. Piggle Wiggle book. Mrs. P gave lessons to other children in how to behave and to me I learned to love the written word. I live with my family and demon children aka rescue cats in South Florida.

Find the author on the following sites...

Website  Facebook  Twitter  Pinterest  Google+  Goodreads  Amazon Author page

Also available in the Paradise Series

              

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I received this book through Beck Valley Books Book Tours, I have volunteered to share my review and all the opinions are 100% my own.

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BLOG TOUR AND GIVEAWAY: Kneaded to Death (A Bread Shop Mystery #1) by Winnie Archer

Kneaded to Death
(A Bread Shop Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
New Series
Kensington (February 28, 2017)
Mass Market Paperback: 352 pages
ISBN-13: 978-1496707727
Kindle ASIN: B01GBAG7KO

Synopsis: Everyone swears by Yeast of Eden, the Mexican bread shop in town. But tonight, the only thing on the menu is la muerte . . .

Struggling photographer Ivy Culpepper has lots of soul-searching to do since returning to seaside Santa Sofia, California. That is, until the thirty-six-year-old enters a bread making class at Yeast of Eden. Whether it’s the aroma of fresh conchas in the oven, or her instant connection with owner Olaya Solis, Ivy just knows the missing ingredients in her life are hidden among the secrets of Olaya’s bakery . . .

But Ivy’s spirits crumble when a missing classmate is suddenly discovered dead in her car. Even more devastating, the prime suspect is Olaya Solis herself. Doubting the woman could commit such a crime, Ivy embarks on a murder investigation of her own to prove her innocence and seize the real killer. As she follows a deadly trail of crumbs around town, Ivy must trust her gut like never before—or someone else could be toast!

Review: This is a wonderful first book in a new cozy series. The writing draws you into the story from the very start and keeps you engaged until the last word. The descriptions of the various breads at Yeast of Eden are mouthwatering--and there are two recipes included at the back of the book!

The town of Santa Sofia has some very interesting residents. Ivy and Olaya are the main characters, but we also get to know the members of the baking class (feisty Mrs. Branford is my favorite!) as well as Ivy's father and brother--and her brother's girlfriend, who is also Ivy's best friend AND the local law enforcement.

There are plenty of clues to lead you to the killer's identity, but you have to be paying very close attention in order to catch them. Quite a bit of the book shows how consumed Ivy is with her grief, but I believe that solving her mother's murder will lessen that for her in future stories.

This is definitely a book worth reading.

Rating: Four stars

About the author

The indefatigable Winnie Archer is a middle school teacher by day and a writer by night. Born in a beach town in California, she now lives in an inspiring century old house in North Texas and loves being surrounded by real-life history. She fantasizes about spending summers writing in quaint, cozy locales, has a love/hate relationship with both yoga and chocolate, adores pumpkin spice lattes, is devoted to her five kids and husband, and can’t believe she’s lucky enough to be living the life of her dreams.
Visit Winnie online:
WinnieArcher.com

Winnie Archer is the pseudonym for national bestselling author Melissa Bourbon. Learn more at http://melissabourbon.com.
Twitter @MelissaBourbon

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