Tuesday, September 29, 2015


LOOKING FOR MR. GOOD WITCH by Joyce and Jim Lavene
PARCHMENT AND OLD LACE by Laura Childs 
with Terrie Farley Moran
MURDER, PLAINLY READ by Isabella Alan

LOOKING FOR MR. GOOD WITCH 
Book 2 in the Retired Witches Mystery series 
by Joyce and Jim Lavene


Everyone’s favorite retired witches from Spell Booked have returned and are diving into troubled waters to find a sinister sea witch…

WITCHY WOMAN

A sea witch has been leaving bodies in her wake up and down the Carolina coast, baffling authorities who are finding drowning victims with no water in their lungs. The fin-icky female will continue to kill young male witches until she finds her perfect man—the one who survives her mating ritual—so she can live for another hundred years. And now coven hopeful Brian Fuller is about to be ensnared in her net.

Retired witches Molly and Elsie, along with the ghost of Olivia and her daughter Dorothy, need all the help they can get to stop the sea witch. Aided by a selkie and a crème puff–craving mermaid, they’re determined to keep Brian out of her murky clutches. But are they all about to get in over their heads?

MY REVIEW


LOOKING FOR MR. GOOD WITCH, book two in the Retired Witches Mystery series, is a witch’s brew of mystery, paranormal, and fun. Positively magical! I was entranced through the entire book. The story was well plotted and filled with incredible detail. The characters wonderfully flushed out for only the second installment of this series. The writing so fantastic that I felt like I was much more than a mere reader, but indeed a quiet observer hiding in the shadows of each scene.

Readers of multiple genres are going to love LOOKING FOR MR. GOOD WITCH. And be sure to pick up a copy of SPELL BOOKED, the first book in this series, if you haven’t already read it. While you don’t have to read it to understand this story, you’ll really enjoy reading them back to back.

I’m stating for a fact, I would never have started reading para-cozies if not for authors Joyce and Jim Lavene. The first cozy mystery I bought for myself (I’d been borrowing my sister’s when I first started reading the genre) was the Lavene’s first book in the Sweet Pepper Mystery series, THAT OLD FLAME OF MINE, under their pen name J. J. Cook. (You have to check out that series if you haven’t already!) Their writing had me hooked on the first page of that book, and has kept me under their spell ever since. 

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PARCHMENT AND OLD LACE
Book 13 in the Scrapbooking Mystery series 
by Laura Childs
with Terrie Farley Moran


The New York Times bestselling author of Gossamer Ghost returns to the Big Easy and the historic Garden District, where scrapbook shop owner Carmela Bertrand discovers a bride-to-be murdered in the legendary Lafayette Cemetery…

Carmela couldn’t imagine a finer evening than dinner at Commander’s Palace with her beau, Detective Edgar Babcock. The food and the company are equally divine—with the exception of Isabelle Black stopping by to brag about her upcoming wedding. Resuming the romance with a walk in the evening air, the couple is interrupted once again—this time by a terrifying scream from inside the cemetery.

Having just seen Isabelle, Carmela and Edgar now find her lying across an aboveground tomb, strangled to death with a piece of vintage lace. Carmela would rather leave the investigating to Edgar, but she can’t say no to Isabelle’s sister Ellie, the tarot card reader at Juju Voodoo, when she asks her to help. As she untangles the enemies of Isabelle’s past, Carmela hopes she can draw out the killer before someone else gets cold feet.

INCLUDES SCRAPBOOKING TI
PS

MY REVIEW


I have to start by saying, I was thrilled to see that author Terrie Farley Moran collaborated with author Laura Childs on this book. I adore both of them, so this was exciting news for me.

It looks like book thirteen in the Scrapbooking Mystery series is lucky #13 for Laura Childs! You may think an author who has written so many books in different series would run out of things to write about. But you would be Oh. So. Wrong! It seems every new book by this author is better than the one before.

PARCHMENT AND OLD LACE had main character Carmela Bertrand and her boyfriend Detective Edgar Babcock, hit the ground running by page six. The mystery and excitement only continued to grow form there. This extremely well written story was fast paced, with interesting, multi layered characters. Everything readers have come to expect of this author.

You’re going to want to pick up a copy of this crafty mystery for yourself.

Don’t scrap (see what I did there? ;-) ) this book when you’re finished with the story or you’ll missing the crafting tips, yummy recipes, and the excerpt of DEVONSHIRE SCREAM, the new book by Laura Childs in her Tea Shop Mystery series! 

You're also going to want to check out author Terrie Farley Moran's Read 'Em and Eat Mystery series with WELL READ, THEN DEAD being the first. Once you've read one of her books, you'll see how her writing "voice" blended so with that of Laura Childs. 

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MURDER, PLAINLY READ 
Book 4 in the Amish Quilt Shop Mystery series 
by Isabella Alan


In the latest from the author of Murder, Served Simply, an Amish man checks out permanently, but quilt shop owner Angie Braddock’s got this mystery covered…

With so much to do between running her shop and spending time with her new boyfriend, it’s amazing Angie is able to help organize the Rolling Brook library's annual book sale. Luckily she’s working alongside brash librarian Austina Shaker, a lady who isn’t afraid to make waves to get books to her patrons—even the Amish. Unfortunately, this draws the ire of cranky Bartholomew Belier, an Old Order Amish bishop, who publicly vows to ruin Austina.

And she certainly might be ruined after Belier is found dead in her bookmobile. Now Angie must employ the help of her loyal quilting circle—as well as her beloved French bulldog, Oliver—if she hopes to prove Austina’s innocence before the real killer books it…


INCLUDES QUILTING TIPS

MY REVIEW


MURDER, PLAINLY READ is an excellent addition in the Amish Quilt Shop Mystery series. A truly enjoyable, clever story.

Author Isabella Alan has done a great job of creating a fictional community that reads would want to visit or even live in, and characters you would like to call friends.

This installment of the series flowed at a wonderful pace. Each page more enjoyable than the next. With a strong, developed plot, the writing was tight and on point. I was searching for answers right alongside of protagonist Angie Braddock. I won’t speak for Angie, but the reveal of the killer took me completely by surprise. Very well done.

You don’t have to know how to sew or quilt to enjoy this book, though quilters will no doubt really enjoy it.

Make sure to check out the back of the book for instructions on making an Amish quilted pumpkin, and for an excerpt of CRIME AND POETRY from the Magical Bookshop Mystery series by Isabella Alan, writing as Amanda Flower. 

All titles are available for pre-order

Release date: Tuesday October 6

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let me know what you think!

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9 comments:

  1. They sound good! And I have to agree with you about This Old Flame of Mine. I love that series!

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  2. Great Reviews Lisa. Will have to check these series out. Especially the one with Angie as the main character. Can't resist reading a book with my name in it!

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  3. Great reviews, Lisa! I'm with you about the Lavenes...I wouldn't have gone outside my comfort zone, if not for them.

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  4. You've set my anticipation even higher for Looking for Mr. Good Witch and for Parchment and Old Lace!! I certainly enjoy both the authors and those series. And now I may need to check into the Amish Quilt Shop series as well. Thanks for the great reviews!!

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  5. Great reviews! I am looking forward to all of these, October is going to be a great reading month!

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