BLOG TOUR AND GIVEAWAY: Scrapbooked To Death (Cumberland Creek Mystery #5) by Mollie Cox Bryan

Scrapbook of the Dead

(A Cumberland Creek Mystery) (Book 5)

Cozy Mystery

Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages

Publisher: Kensington (September 29, 2015)

ISBN-13: 978-0758293589

ASIN: B00RRT30J0

Synopsis: Halloween means spooky scrapbooks for the Cumberland Creek Scrapbook Crop, but what's been happening around town is truly frightening. First a dead woman is found in the freezer at Pamela's Pie Palace, and the next day a second woman is found murdered by the river. Reporter Annie Chamovitz learns the victims were sisters and is certain their deaths are linked. Most bizarre of all, both women were found clutching scrapbook pages.

As their Saturday night crop quickly becomes an opportunity to puzzle out the murders, the ladies begin to wonder if Pamela is hiding more than her secret recipes for delicious pies--or if the crimes are related to the startling discovery that there are gangs in Cumberland Creek. As All Hallows Eve approaches, the crafty croppers must cut and paste the clues to unmask a deadly killer. 

Includes tips and a glossary of terms for the modern scrapbooker!

Review: This is a new to me series, and the first book I've had the pleasure of reading by this author. It was one of those books I read in one sitting--I just couldn't put it down!

The story is well-written and plotted, and the mystery is extremely well done, leaving characters and readers alike wondering whodunit. There are many twists and turns along the way,and I didn't figure out the mystery until it was revealed.

I also enjoyed the scrapbooking tips and ideas. Even though I am not a scrapbooker, I like to see/hear what others do. 

I have to say that I would suggest reading this series in order, rather than just starting with this book. I felt as though I really didn't know who the characters were, and how they connected to one another. 

**I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are entirely my own.**

Rating: Four stars

About the author

In addition to the Cumberland Creek mystery series, Mollie Cox Bryan wrote the regional bestseller Mrs. Rowe’s Little Book of Southern Pies and Mrs. Rowe’s Restaurant Cookbook: A Lifetime of Recipes from the Shenandoah Valley . An award-winning journalist and poet, she currently blogs, cooks, and scrapbooks in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia with her husband and two daughters. Scrapbook of Secrets was nominated for an Agatha Award for Best First Novel.

Author Links

http://www.molliecoxbryan.com

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23360000-scrapbook-of-the-dead

Purchase Links
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COVER REVEAL: Shanti And The Magic Mandala by F.T. Camargo

Shanti and the Magic Mandala is an adventure in which fantasy and reality are mingled. The book tells the story of six teenagers, from different religious and cultural origins and different parts of the world, who are mystically recruited to form two groups - one in the Northern Hemisphere, and one in the Southern. They eventually gather in Peru, and through a single alliance, begin a frantic chase for the sacred object that can stop the black magician's final plan.

Amazon.com I Amazon.in I Amazon.co.uk I Barnes & Noble I Google Play 

Awards & Recognition for the Book

- Winner of 2014 London Book Festival in the category “Young Adult”.
- 2014 Moonbeam Children's Book Awards: Bronze Medal at “Young Adult Fiction – Spirituality” category
- 2014 New England Book Festival in Boston:  Honorable Mention in the category “Young Adult”.
- Winner of 2015 Paris Book Festival in the category “Young Adult”.
- Winner of 2015 International Book Awards in the category “Fiction / Young Adult”.
- Winner of 2015 New York Book Festival in the category “Young Adult”.
- 2015 Los Angeles Book Festival – Runner-up in the category “Young Adult”.
- 2015 San Francisco Book Festival – Runner-up in the category “Young Adult”.
- 2015 DIY Book Festival in Los Angeles: Honorable Mention in the category “Young Adult”.

About the Author

F. T. Camargo is an Italian Brazilian living in Sao Paulo, Brazil. An award winning architect and author, he also studied Arts and Media and has a post degree in Economics and MBA in e-commerce. He is a vegetarian because of his love for all animals and has been deeply involved in causes for their protection and freedom. He is a world traveler adventurer, outdoor sports lover, speaks 4 languages and has published a travel book “Rio, Maravilha!”
For many years he has been practicing yoga and meditation and studying the Kabbalah. His exploration of spiritual teachings motivated a commitment to self-development which in turn created a new path and goal in life. Shanti and the Magic Mandala was born from his inner journey.

Contact the Author

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BLOG TOUR AND GIVEAWAY: Plantation Shudders (Cajun Country Mystery #1) by Ellen Byron

Plantation Shudders:

A Cajun Country Mystery

Cozy Mystery

New Series

Hardcover: 288 pages

Publisher: Crooked Lane Books (August 11, 2015)

ISBN-13: 978-1629532509

E-Book ASIN: B011IZPRR6

Synopsis:
Check in for some Southern hospitality in Plantation Shudders, the Cajun Country series debut from Ellen Byron.

It’s the end of the summer and Prodigal Daughter Maggie Crozat has returned home to her family’s plantation-turned-bed-and-breakfast in Louisiana. The Crozats have an inn full of guests for the local food festival–elderly honeymooners, the Cajun Cuties, a mysterious stranger from Texas, a couple of hipster lovebirds, and a trio of Georgia frat boys. But when the elderly couple keels over dead within minutes of each other–one from very unnatural causes– Maggie and the others suddenly become suspects in a murder.

With the help of Bo Durant, the town’s handsome new detective, Maggie must investigate to clear her name while holding the family business together at the same time. And the deeper she digs, the more she wonders: are all of the guests really there for a vacation or do they have ulterior motives? Decades-old secrets and stunning revelations abound in Ellen Byron’s charming cozy debut, Plantation Shudders.

Review: The fact that this series takes place on a Lousiana plantation which is now a bed and breakfast was enough to pique my interest. The author's well-written story and realistic characters were what kept me reading and will bring me back for more. And the great recipes included in the book are a delicious bonus!

The guests at the bed and breakfast and the residents of Pelican, Louisiana make for some hysterically funny conversations. I have a feeling that every book in this series will have some "interesting" characters who come to visit.

This is a very well-written debut novel, and I recommend it to anyone who is a fan of cozy mysteries.

Rating: Four stars

About The Author 

Ellen Byron is a native New Yorker who loves the rain, lives in bone-dry Los Angeles, and spends lots of time writing about Louisiana. She attributes this obsession to her college years at New Orleans’ Tulane University. Her debut novel, Plantation Shudders: A Cajun Country Mystery, launches on August 11th.  Her TV credits include Wings, Just Shoot Me, and many network pilots.  She’s written over 200 magazine articles, and her published plays include the award-winning, Graceland.  She is also the recipient of a William F. Deeck-Malice Domestic Grant. She’s the proud mom of a fifteen year-old daughter and two very spoiled rescue dogs.

Author Links

http://www.ellenbyron.com/

http://www.ellenbyron.com/#!blog/c1in0

https://twitter.com/ellenbyronla

https://www.facebook.com/ellenbyronauthor

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/23234.Ellen_Byron

Purchase Links: 
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BLOG TOUR AND GIVEAWAY: Deadly Dye and a Soy Chai (Danger Cove #5) by Elizabeth Ashby and Traci Andrighetti

Deadly Dye and a Soy Chai

(Danger Cove Mysteries Book 5)

Cozy Mystery

Publisher: Gemma Halliday Publishing (July 15, 2015)

Paperback: 210 pages

ISBN-13: 978-1515110392

E-Book ASIN: B011SBZ31

Synopsis: Native Texan Cassidi Conti was expecting to face some obstacles when she moved to Danger Cove and opened The Clip and Sip, a hair salon that gives away free drinks. What she wasn’t counting on was a client dying during a dye job. But when eighty-year-old Margaret Appleby comes in for her biweekly appointment, that’s exactly what happens: Margaret drinks her usual soy chai, dozes off under the dryer…and doesn’t wake up. Now The Clip and Sip is under suspicion, clients are wary, and Cassidi is on a mission to prove that while her styles may be killer, her employees are innocent! But as Cassidi wades through the myriad of suspects in the small, costal town, the killer sets his sights straight on everyone’s favorite stylist. If Cassidi doesn’t watch her back, she may just end up Danger Cove’s latest fashionable victim.

Review: This is my first read in the Danger Cove series, which has a fascinating concept. It is actually seven series in one, with each sub-series set in a different business around the town of Danger Cove. They are all written by Danger Cove resident Elizabeth Ashby, with the "assistance" of several well-known cozy mystery writers.

This book is the first in the Hair Salon Mysteries, which features The Clip and Sip and its owner Cassidi Conti. From the very first chapter, we are drawn into Cassidi's troubles with the residents of Danger Cove, as well as her frustration at trying to determine who murdered her Uncle Vincent, the previous owner of the house/business. When one of her customers dies under the dryer, life gets even more complicated.

In spite of all the mysteries, this book is full of fun. I can't remember the last time I laughed so much over a book---or read so many references to the color blue!  The storyline draws you in and keeps you reading to the end. All of the major characters have well-developed personalities, and should be fun to get to know as the series progresses.

This is definitely a fun way to jump into the excitement that is Danger Cove.

Rating: Four stars

About the author

Traci Andrighetti is the national bestselling author of the Franki Amato mysteries and the Danger Cove Hair Salon mysteries. In her previous life, she was an award-winning literary translator and a Lecturer of Italian at the University of Texas at Austin, where she earned a PhD in Applied Linguistics. But then she got wise and ditched that academic stuff for a life of crime–writing, that is.

Author Links

http://traciandrighetti.com

http://traciandrighetti.com/blo/

https://www.facebook.com/traciandrighettiauthor

https://twitter.com/TAndrighetti

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7383577.Traci_Andrighetti

Purchase Links
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RELEASE DAY BLITZ: Tanner's Devil by Sylvia Hubbard

In Detroit, strange things can happen.

What do a Duke, a Former Street Doctor & Prostitute and A Pimp with a very big gun have to do with one another in 21st City of Detroit?

Find out in Tanner's Devil.
Can an urban woman find love in a world not her own? Or give it up and accept her fate with her ex-pimp?

Tanner’s struggling trying to get away from the gritty streets of Detroit she was born and raised on. With a pimp as an ex-boyfriend, who’s constantly trying to get her back in the business and back in his arms, Tanner knows she’s got to better her situation immensely and get out the city all together because Donetello just doesn’t want to let go. Yet, with less than twenty-four hours to raise a large amount of money, Tanner knows she has to either work her ass off literally or give up her dream and return to Donetello’s eagerly waiting arms for security and peace of mind.

Devlin Sanchez has waited his whole life for this one moment. He’s saved himself for only the woman he would be with forever – his wife, but when he catches his bride in the arms of his best man and brother, he’s driven to circumstances that leave him unexpectedly wanting more of what he should have never had – Tanner.

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AUTHOR, BLOGGER, MOTHER, SPEAKER, JOURNALIST, RADIO HOST, CONSULTANT & MORE!

Sylvia Hubbard knew she’d wanted to be a writer of romance long before she knew there were black writers in the world. Weaving stories magically as a summer past time to writing stories to get through the humdrum of school, she was able to create something from nothing.

Today, she has independently published over 37 books, is the founder of Motown Writers Network and The AA Electronic Literary Network, CEO of HubBooks Literary Services, runs over five blogs on a variety of subjects, host The Michigan Literary Network Radio Show and is a happily divorced mother of three children in Detroit, Michigan.

“I’m no superwoman,” she states with a smile that seems infinite on her lips. “I’m just being an asset in the world instead of a liability.”
Considered an addicted blogger by HoneyTechblog.com, nominated and recognized for her literary work in the Metro Detroit area, referred to as “A Literary Diva” by Detroit City Council and donned “Cliffhanger Queen” by her readers, she finds solace in speaking and educating on a variety of topics.
Her subjects range from Social Media, Internet Marketing, Creative Intimacy, Single Parenting, Blogging, E-Books, Publishing (all aspects i.e.: writing, publishing, marketing & promoting online & offline), and personal triumphs with inspiration mixed in.




Never a disappointment, Sylvia Hubbard, has spoken in front of thousands all over the United States and Canada.

The Literary World of Sylvia Hubbard

http://sylviahubbard.com

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http://MotownWriters.com

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http://MichiganLiteraryNetwork.com

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http://Hubbooks.biz

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http://aaeln.com

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http://loveablackwoman.com

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http://MichiganMurderandMayhem.com

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http://www.linkedin.com/in/sylviahubbard1

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https://www.youtube.com/user/sylviahubbard1

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Founder of Motown Writers Network & The African American Electronic Literary Network & Motown Romance Network, Editor of The Essence of Motown Literary Journal.

Owner of HubBooks Literary Service and Co-Founder of Essence of Motown Writers Alliance Literary Conference

Moderator of Detroit Writers Galore & Lulu’s Romance Writers

Board Member of National Association of Black Writers, Michigan Black Independent Publishers

Present and Past Member of Great Lakes Booksellers Assc, National Association of Black Journalist-Detroit, Sisters In Crime, Black Writers Association, Romance Writers of America, World Romance Writers, Erotic Author’s Association, Real Sister Writers & Essentially Woman Literary Group, & Great Lakes Publishers Assc., Authors Supporting Authors (ASA), The Society of Midland Authors, The Michigan Reading Association

• Voted by Romance Book Cafe as a Favorite Author
• Spirit of Detroit Winner for 2005 by Detroit City Council
• 2006 State of Michigan Governor’s Certificate of Tribute Emerging Minority Business Leader Award
• 2005 Stone’s Revenge Voted Best African-American Mystery by Mojolist.com
• 2006 Triumphant SPIRIT Award Winner (acknowledging Legacy of Bessie Mae Downey Rhoades Martin) by Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc – Rho Sigma Chapter
• 2006 EbonyAuthor.com To Look Out For
• 2007 National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO) Greater Detroit Chapter’s Top 10 Michigan Business Giving Spirit Award Nominee
• 2007 Erotic Showdown Author Nominee by Publisher’s Market.
• 2007 Who’s Who In Black Detroit listing. (2nd Edition)
• 2007 National Inspiration Role Model Month (November) Literary Leader Award
• 2007 Powerful Visionary Award by Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc – Rho Sigma Chapter
• 2008 SORMAG.com Readers Choice Award The Best Multi-Cultural Self-Published Author of the Year
• 2008 Facilitator at Idlewild Dubois Writing Workshop
• 2008 Detroit Literary Empowerment Community Champion for Motown Writers Network
• 2008 Distinguish Service Award Recipient from Detroit City Council
• 2008 NaNoWriMo Winner for Eve’s Deception @ 56992 words
• 2008 Metro Times The Best of Detroit Recipient – Best Literary Host and Literacy Booster
• 2009 Black Author Network Community Literary Legend Author
• 2009 Who’s Who In Black Detroit listing. (3rd Edition)
• 2011 Shortie Award Nominee

PROMO POST: Harmony Run series by Sarah Elle Emm

People occasionally ask me why I write dystopian fiction. I like writing dystopian because it is a release of all of the crazy things running through my mind. Dystopian allows you to explore questions like…What if the government became a dictatorship? What if people weren’t allowed to go to school? What if teenagers could save the world because their parents have lost hope? What if?

I admit I have an overactive imagination. (I’ve seen every episode of The Walking Dead, and even though I know zombies aren’t real, I still check my closets and look under the bed for zombies after each and every episode). Anyhow, I think my parents had a lot to do with how I write today. One of their favorite dinner table conversations growing up was deciding which of their children, (there are three of us), they’d pick to be stranded on the infamous deserted island with, if they had to be stuck there with only one. They usually chose my sister because of her internal GPS system and leadership skills. They often decided on my brother because he has MacGyver-like qualities, and they were sure he could build a hut out of sand or something. And they never chose me. Though they often laughed and said they’d take me if they were interested in being entertained.


Another usual at our dinner table was Dad asking if the “bad guys” were to enter our house at that exact moment, what item in the room around us could be turned into a weapon. My siblings were very talented at this. Surprise, surprise. Me, not so much. I usually panicked. (I’d think of a hiding place so they could do the fighting).

Another family favorite? Dad’s strategy talks about how when you enter a room, you should look around immediately, assessing the situation and room for possible exits, windows included, were any emergency to occur.


I think my parents came by it honestly. My mom’s dad was a WWII vet who fought in the Battle of the Bulge. He’d rush his family to the basement when it thunder stormed, never having recovered from the war or the memories of bombs and explosions. My dad’s parents took us on a family vacation to the Caribbean every year, and they’d try to split up flights between my aunt and my dad’s side, just in case there was a crash. They wanted some of the family to survive to take care of the family business. That always freaked me out. I’d worry the entire flight. (About not only crashing, but trying to figure out what was wrong with my family).

My family always had movie night growing up. Every Sunday. We would either go to see one at the theater or rent one and watch it in our basement. The genre of choice was always action, usually a thriller. I remember watching scenes where someone would go outside to investigate the “strange noise” in the night, and my family would be yelling at the screen. (If we were home. They were well-behaved in theaters. Mostly). They’d yell for the character to go back inside. Of course, the character never would. My brother would always be the first to point out the girl character who was going to get killed by not reacting rationally. He’d yell at the screen as she tried to start her car but couldn’t even get the keys into the ignition because her hands couldn’t stop shaking from fear.


I was sitting in my driveway last week, trying to start my car. I couldn’t get the key in properly, and I started to panic. The more I panicked, the more my fingers fumbled and I couldn’t get my key in. I could hear my brother’s voice in my head saying, “Hurry up, Sarah. You’re gonna die. The bad guys are going to get you. Start the car!” After a moment, I started laughing at myself. Eventually, I pulled it together and managed to insert the key properly to start the car.

Anyhow…Why do I write dystopian? I think you get the point. I guess never getting chosen for Survival Island, never quite figuring out what to make a weapon out of, and just those what if conversations in general really stayed with me. I promise you right now, that if you were to go to either one of my parents’ houses or my siblings’, you’d find emergency supplies in their basements complete with water, food, and back up power supplies in case of an emergency. I barely have my fridge stocked right now by the way. My plan is to head to one of their houses when the world ends. I just hope I make it there in time…I guess it makes sense that I never was picked for that island.


I smile affectionately when I think of my childhood and when I think of my family. True, they may have scarred this introvert for life, ha, ha, ha, but they have to be credited for inspiring me to write some of the dystopian stories I write today. Thanks so much for stopping by the blog tour. If you’d like to risk getting inside of this head a little bit, all four books are on sale right now for only $1.99 each on Kindle. If you read any of the books, I’d be flattered if you left a review and connected with my page on Facebook, where I’ll keep you updated on future books. You just never know what this dystopian writer will come up with next. ~Sarah

BLOG TOUR: The Girl From Krakow by Alex Rosenberg

Book Information

Genre: Women’s Fiction/Thriller/Historical Fiction

• Paperback: 452 pages
• Publisher: Lake Union Publishing (September 1, 2015)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1477830812
• ISBN-13: 978-1477830819

Synopsis: It’s 1935. Rita Feuerstahl comes to the university in Krakow intent on enjoying her freedom. But life has other things in store—marriage, a love affair, a child, all in the shadows of the oncoming war. When the war arrives, Rita is armed with a secret so enormous that it could cost the Allies everything, even as it gives her the will to live. She must find a way both to keep her secret and to survive amid the chaos of Europe at war. Living by her wits among the Germans as their conquests turn to defeat, she seeks a way to prevent the inevitable doom of Nazism from making her one of its last victims. Can her passion and resolve outlast the most powerful evil that Europe has ever seen?

In an epic saga that spans from Paris in the ’30s and Spain’s Civil War to Moscow, Warsaw, and the heart of Nazi Germany, The Girl from Krakow follows one woman’s battle for survival as entire nations are torn apart, never to be the same.

Review: Even though this is a work of fiction, it is an emotionally told story about the lives of Jews in Poland, and throughout Europe, before, during and after World War II.

I was not impressed by the inclusion of so much talk of the main character's sex life. It seemed as though she slept her way across Europe. Those details could have been omitted, and the story would not have suffered at all.

The last few pages were disappointing as well. The woman she had been throughout the book, the one whose only thought was for her own survival, would never have been that considerate of others, IMO.

I generally enjoy stories from this time period, but this one was a disappointment.

Rating: Three stars

About the author

Alex Rosenberg is the R. Taylor Cole Professor and chair of the Department of Philosophy at Duke University and the codirector of the Duke Center for Philosophy of Biology. He lives in Durham, North Carolina.