BOOK TOUR: Doughnuts And Deadly Schemes by Janel Gradowski

Author: Janel Gradowski

Publisher: Gemma Halliday Publishing

Publication date: 4th June 2015 

Genre: Cozy Mystery (Culinary)

Kindle Price: 4.99

ASIN: B00YNMOFXE

Synopsis:  From bestselling mystery author Janel Gradowski comes a deliciously deadly mystery...

Amy Ridley’s best friend, Carla, is getting married, and Amy is delighted to be recruited as the head wedding planner—even if Carla's demands are less than conventional. Case in point: Carla insists on a tower of doughnuts in place of a wedding cake. But navigating the world of nuptials becomes the least of Amy's problems when the owner of a menswear shop is found dead, and Carla's fiancée is assigned to the case. With the honeymoon in jeopardy, Amy and Carla vow to help track down the killer...but they soon discover there are even more sinister happenings affecting the businesses in downtown Kellerton, Michigan. If Amy doesn't figure out who is behind the deadly schemes, the nearly newlywed detective may just be solving another murder—hers!

**Recipes Included!**

Thoughts: Amy's life is crazy enough when she realizes she has three weeks to plan her best friend's wedding. But then there is a murder, with Carla's fiancee working the case, which means Amy and Carla are also trying to help him solve it. After all, if the murderer isn't caught, it could cut into the honeymoon plans!

This is the second book I've read in this series (haven't read the first one yet), and I enjoyed this one even more than the previous one, Chicken Soup and Homicide. All the residents of Kellerton are back, and we get to know them just a little better with each book.

The story is well written, the characters well defined and growing with each book, and the plot is designed to keep you guessing "whodunit."

Recipes are included, and I plan to try some of them out in the near future.

My rating: Four stars


About the author:

Janel Gradowski lives in a land that looks like a cold weather fashion accessory, the mitten-shaped state of Michigan. She is a wife and mom to two kids and one Golden Retriever. Her journey to becoming an author is littered with odd jobs like renting apartments to college students and programming commercials for an AM radio station. Somewhere along the way she also became a beadwork designer and teacher. She enjoys cooking recipes found in her formidable cookbook and culinary fiction collection. Searching for unique treasures at art fairs, flea markets and thrift stores is also a favorite pastime. Coffee is an essential part of her life. She writes the Culinary Competition Mystery Series, along with The Bartonville Series (women’s fiction) and the 6:1 Series (flash fiction). She has also had many short stories published in both online and print publications.

Recipes For Melissa by Teresa Driscoll

Author: Teresa Driscoll 

Publisher: Bookouture 

Publication date: 5th June 2015 

Genre: Women's Fiction 

Price (pback): £9.99 / $15.99 

Price (eBook): £1.99 / $2.99 

ISBN: 978-1-909490-86-4 

eISBN: 978-1-909490-87-1

Synopsis: Is it ever too late for the gift of goodbye? 

As I write now, you are eight years old – asleep in the bed next door in princess pyjamas, with a fairy costume discarded on the floor. 

Twenty-Five. The age I had you. The age our story began. And the age, I hope, that will see you truly ready for the things that I need to say to you… 

Melissa Dance was eight years old when her mother died. They never got to say goodbye. 

Seventeen years later, Melissa is handed a journal. As she smooths open the pages and begins to read her mother’s words, she is instantly transported back to her childhood. 

But returning to her past is painful and memories of her mother’s beautiful face are a cruel reminder to Melissa that she’ll never see her again. 

As Melissa slowly makes her way through the precious book, reading the snippets of advice and cooking the dishes from the recipes, she is also shocked to learn of her mother’s secrets – secrets that if shared, could change Melissa’s world forever.

My review: This is a beautiful story of the relationship between a mother and daughter. It is one I will recommend to every woman in my life. It's very well written, and we get a look not only at Melissa's life in the present day, but also at her mother's life in the past. I like that there are recipes included in the book, and found a few that I plan to try out for myself. In the journal entries written by Eleanor, you can feel the love she has for her husband and her daughter, and how difficult it is to know she will be leaving them. (I can't believe how many books I keep reading that involve breast cancer!)

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

My rating: Four stars

Excerpt:

Melissa was walking on the beach with her mother. She was holding her hand and Melissa knew for certain that it was her mother – not only because she could feel the wedding ring on her finger as she gripped her hand, but because she knew deep inside from how completely happy and how utterly loved and safe she felt. 

They were at first walking along the beach and then running and laughing and Melissa could feel the wind in her hair and she could hear the roar of the waves and taste the salt on her lips. 

She was so happy. And that was actually the problem that no one would understand. They would think it odd – that she was some kind of freak – that she did not want to feel that. 

But here was the truth: Melissa did not want to remember just how good all that felt. And the more often she had that dream the harder she had to work not to look up into her mother’s face. Because Melissa knew that if she let herself do that in the night – to look up at her mother’s beautiful face, smiling right at her – she would not be able to cope with the next morning. Or the next day. Or the next week. 

And so she ran along the beach in the dream over and over and over. Do not look into her face, Melissa. Look at the sand.

About Teresa Driscoll

For 15 years Teresa presented the BBC's nightly TV news programme Spotlight from Devon. She has worked as a reporter and columnist for a wide range of newspapers and is a popular short story writer for Women's Weekly and other leading titles.

She has tutored Writer Workshops supported by the Arts Council and away from the laptop is passionate about her family...and great coffee!

Duchess Of Mine (Glimpse Time Travel Series, Book 4) by Red L. Jameson

Synopsis: Seventeenth century Highlander Michael Cameron should have been prepared for his journey to Philadelphia in 1895. After all, it wasn't the first time he'd been kidnapped by two mischievous muses, who delighted in taking him by surprise and shuffling him off to far-flung lands and eras. But nothing could have readied him for angelic Gabriella Murray, the Duchess of Northampton. She’s a beautiful, lovely, gorgeous—did he mention just how bonny Gabby is?—duchess, and he’s a lowly Scot. How is he going to solve the missing children case the muses have given him with such a distracting woman?


Becoming friends with a muse, Gabby feels her life has taken a turn for the fantastic, which suits her fine, since being a duchess is gray and depressing. So, when that muse asks her to go on an adventure imitating her idol, Sherlock Holmes, of course she says yes. However, Michael, who is to play her Dr. Watson, is quite possibly the most handsome and intriguing Highlander she’s ever encountered. Lord, Sherlock never had to contend with an overwhelming desire for Watson. How can she concentrate on the case when he’s more fun than she’s ever had before?


As Michael and Gabby hunt through the mean streets of cities such as Chicago and Detroit, they dive deeper into a world of danger and violence. Fighting against their growing attraction to each other, they race against time to find the children, knowing that with every corner they turn, they might be too late.

Thoughts: Another adventure with a Cameron brother, thanks to three muses: Clio, Erato and Melpomene. Michael is introduced to Gabriella, and they are informed they have a mission to assist Det. Frank Geyer in solving a missing children case...but they are NOT to let him know they are assisting. Michael is also told that, unlike his brothers, he is not paired with a woman who is his glimpse (his true love).

The mixture of fact and fiction is seamless and very believable. I was able to put myself in the various cities in 1895, right alongside the characters. Although some mention is made of events from the previous three books, and several characters from them are mentioned or make appearances, this story is capable of being read as a stand alone novel. 

Michael and Gabby are an adorable couple, and seeing their relationship grow throughout the story is just as engaging as seeing the mystery play out. I especially enjoy seeing how they help each other develop better self-images after the difficult lives each has led up to this point.

If you like mysteries, time travel and/or romance, this book (and this series) is a must read.

(Personal note: I was pleasantly surprised and honored to find myself listed, along with other beta readers, in the acknowledgments!)

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

My rating:  Four stars

BOOK TOUR: Booker--Hate City (Booker #3) by John W. Mefford

NEW RELEASE....
After a life filled with destruction of others and himself, and his body ravaged by disease, there's only one thing left for Javier Calero to do. Leave a legacy that will finally bring meaning to his life—and to the death of an American president more than fifty years ago.

The CEO of a green energy company is murdered behind his million-dollar estate, his neck nearly severed in two. Recruited to aid the widow and find a savage killer, Booker finds himself in the middle of a family train wreck.

Days later, thrust into the crossfire of a deadly sniper, Booker eludes sure death with the uncanny arrival of a young woman who only wants to save her father from harm. But she can't do it without Booker's help.

Joining forces with a Latin spitfire, Booker and his new sidekick, Maggie, embark on a twenty-four-hour quest to hunt down a killer determined to make an indelible mark on history—just like the one that struck down John F. Kennedy a half-century earlier, which launched a cascade of assassination investigations and theories.

BOOKER - Hate City weaves a historic tale of thrills and suspense, examining the justifications of the unjustifiable.

Book available from...

Amazon.com    Amazon.co.uk    Barnes and Noble    iTunes   Kobo   

My review:  This is another wonderful story in the Booker series. With a crime series based in Dallas, it was only a matter of time before Booker found himself involved in something that tied to the Kennedy assassination. And it's not just one case, it's THREE.  You'll get sucked in from the first page, and want to keep reading to learn how they are all resolved, and how they all tie together.

We also get a look inside Booker's personal life again this time. We see him interacting with his daughter, her mother and her mother's new boyfriend. We're also introduced to some new characters, and hopefully we'll learn more about them in future installments.

As always, the tense mood of the cases is broken by occasional spots of humor. The author does a great job of making the major characters realistic and people we actually care about.

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

My rating: Four stars

Check out the other books in the series
Booker: Streets of Mayhem (Booker #1)
On a cool October afternoon, the majestic blue sky above Dallas is polluted with swells of gray smoke, carrying shattered memories of fifteen people, mostly children, who've just been killed by an explosion on a bus.

A white supremacist group claims responsibility, opening old wounds, turning neighbor against neighbor--fracturing the community. A Southeast Dallas native, Booker T. Adams couldn't be more invested in the city…in the people he'd served for the last seven years as a beat cop for the Dallas Police Department. Without warning, it becomes personal for Booker on so many levels. And as panic grips the city, he must decide how much he's willing to sacrifice to end the chaos.

With his career called into question and his family in the crosshairs of one terrorist act after another, Booker invests every fiber of his being to protect a broken community, and to stop the brutal, senseless slayings.

If he fails, terrorism will reign in the city of Dallas.

Book available from...

Amazon.com    Amazon.co.uk    Barnes and Noble    iTunes    Kobo    

Booker: Tap That (Booker #2)

A performance for the ages.

Courtney Johnson brings the house down in the heart of the vibrant Dallas Arts District. Later, shrills pierce the hallways of Wyle Theater when Courtney, a budding Broadway musical star, is found dead, a single bullet to the head.

Driven to find the killer before panic tears apart the arts community and all those who support it, private investigator Booker T. Adams discovers evidence of a professional hit, then uncovers a lovers ' triangle that takes him all the way to the mean streets of Boston.

And then it happens again. Another performer killed, someone Booker had met. Rocked by the shocking murders, performers and patrons alike fear that a serial killer is on the loose, and no one knows when and or where another dead body will show up.

But professional obligations quickly morph into personal vendettas. Running against an unforgiving clock, Booker is forced to solicit the help of a crime boss, The Shark.

With his life threatened at almost every turn, and his heart being put through a meat grinder, Booker taps into every resource at his disposal to stop more than just a killer.

But at what price?

Full of unforgettable characters, bone-chilling suspense and stunning thrills, BOOKER - Tap That is a wild ride that will test even the most fervent reader's quest for a luminous reading experience.

Book available from...

Amazon.com    Amazon.co.uk    Barnes and Noble    iTunes   Kobo   

About the Author

A veteran of the corporate wars, former journalist, and true studier of human and social behavior, best-selling author John W. Mefford has been writing novels since he first entered the work force twenty-five years ago, although he never put words on paper until late 2009.

John writes novels full of intrigue, suspense, and thrills, but they also evoke an emotional connection with the characters.

When he’s not writing, he chases three kids around, slaves away in the yard, reads, takes in as many sports as time allows, watches all sorts of movies, and continues to make mental notes of people and societies across the land.

John lives in Frisco, Texas with his beautiful wife, three opinionated kids, and a feisty fat cat who rules the world.

Find the author on the following sites...

Website   Facebook   Twitter   Google+   Goodreads   

Follow the book tour

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

NOW FOR THE AUTHOR'S GIVEAWAY

Ending on Sunday 21st June at 11.59pm CST

Open Worldwide 

Enter HERE

Good Luck !!

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

What I read last week:
1)  Revenge In Paradise by Deborah Brown
2) Confession Is Murder by Peg Cochran
3) Booker: Hate City by John W. Mefford
4) Chef Maurice and a Spot of Truffle by J.A. Lang
5) Under Color Of Law by Sylvie Fox (did not finish)
6) The Year My Mother Came Back by Alice Eve Cohen
7) Chance Meetings--Stories About Cross-Cultural Karmic Collisions and Compassion, by Madhu Bazaz Wangu
8) Ice Cream and Murder, Book 1 by Jennifer Martin
9) Recipes For Melissa by Teresa Driscoll


What I listened to last week:
1) Keeper Of The Light by Diane Chamberlain
2) Dogs Don't Lie by Clea Simon
3) Cats Can't Shoot by Clea Simon

What I'm currently reading:
1) The Grown Ups by Robin Antalek
2) Duchess of Mine by Red L. Jamison
3) Doughnuts And Deadly Schemes by Janel Gradowski

What I'm currently listening to:
1) Parrots Prove Deadly by Clea Simon

What I plan to read this week:
1) God's Buried Children by Daniel Farcas
2) Spelled by Betsy Schow
3) Love Letters by Beverly Lewis

What I plan to listen to this week:
1) Panthers Play For Keeps by Clea Simon
2) Baptism For The Dead by Robert Irvine

2015 Ebook Challenge: May Update

Here are the ebooks I read in May:

1) The Battered Body by Ellery Adams

2) Changes by Gillian Felix

3) Murder So Sweet by Carol Durand and Summer Prescott

4) How To Think Bigger by Martin Meadow

5) Redeem This by Cami Checketts

6) Beyond A Doubt by Nancy Cole Silverman

7) A Mother's Day (A Short Story) by Kaira Rouda

8) Charade by Kristy Douglas

9) The Genesis Reversal by Jillian Cornell

10) Liar's Bench by Kim Michele Richardson

11) Soul Surrender by Kathi Daley

12) A Fine Piece Of Chocolate by Jacqueline R. Banks

13) Eighty And Out by Kim Cano

14) Voices by Clarissa Johal

15) Antique Discovery by Eileen Harris

16) Confession Is Murder by Peg Cochran

17) Booker: Hate City by John W. Mefford

18) Chef Maurice and the Rather Fishy Tale by J.A. Lang

19) Chef Maurice and a Spot of Truffle by J.A. Lang

20) Under Color Of Law by Sylvie Fox

21) Ice Cream and Murder, Book 1 by Jennifer Martin

22) Recipes For Melissa by Teresa Driscoll



And a link to ALL my ebooks for this year: 2015 ebook Challenge  (85 to date)

BOOK TOUR AND GIVEAWAY: Revenge In Paradise, Deborah Brown

When a man of questionable character’s corpse is found at The Cottages, beaten to death with Madison’s own gardening tools, she and her partner, Fab, set out to prove that the man’s abused girlfriend did not kill him. Along the way, Madison finds herself behind bars twice, held hostage in a mansion, and running from flying bullets.

There is no shortage of action, suspense, comedy, or romance in this edge-of-your-seat story of two friends with a knack for getting into—and somehow out of—trouble. This time they must answer one question: Who is responsible for getting their Revenge in Paradise?

Revenge in Paradise is the sixth novel in Deborah Brown's Paradise series, which can be also read as a stand alone book.

Available to buy from.....

Amazon.com    Amazon.co.uk   Barnes and Noble

"I loved the location, the story, and the people so I recommend this book for those who enjoy a good mystery that has a lot of fun as well." 

"I've ready every book in her Paradise Keys --and can't wait for the next one to come out. " 

"So delightfully entertaining this is one story not to be missed!" 
above reviews from Amazon

My Review:  I am an avid reader of this series, and it never disappoints.  This one is yet another grand adventure with Madison and Fabiana. I love seeing their relationships with Creole and Didier flourish, andthe four of them all growing into a close-knit family group.

As usual, the murder mystery takes the reader, and the girls, most of the book to solve, but along the way they find themselves in some humorous situations, as well as a few tense moments. All of the characters we've come to know and love (or put up with, in some cases ::coughcoughKEVINcoughcough::) are back again, making life at Madison's house, her bar, and her rental property as interesting and exciting as always.

I am still continuing to see growth in Madison, and hold out hope that soon she'll actually be able to put her foot down when it comes to some of Fab's schemes, instead of just thinking about it. That could cause a change in the dynamic of their relationship, which would add yet another layer to the stories!

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

My Rating: Four stars

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

Also available in the Paradise Series

Follow the Book Tour

NOW FOR THE AUTHOR'S GIVEAWAY

Win $25 Amazon.com Gift card / Paypal Cash
(winners choice)
Open Worldwide

Ending on Sunday 7th June at 11:59pm EST

Enter Below and Good Luck !!
a Rafflecopter giveaway