BEAUTY, BEAST, AND BELLADONNA by Maia Chance
A WHISKER OF TROUBLE by Sofie Ryan
BEAUTY, BEAST, AND BELLADONNA
Book 3 in the Fairy Tale Fatal Mysteries
by Maia Chance
From the author of Cinderella Six Feet Under, a beauty must solve a beastly murder.
Variety hall actress Ophelia Flax knows how to win over an audience. That’s why she’s accepted the marriage proposal of the brutish Comte de Griffe to nettle her occasional investigative partner—and romantic sparring partner—the pompous if dashing Professor Penrose.
But with his boorish table manners, wild mane of hair, and habit of prowling away the wee hours, the comte has shredded Ophelia’s last nerve. She intends to disengage from her feral fiancé at his winter hunting party—until Penrose, his lovely new fiancée, and a stagecoach of stranded travelers arrive at the comte’s sprawling château. Soon she can’t tell the boars from the bores.
When one of the guests is found clawed and bloody in the orangerie, Ophelia is determined to solve the murder before everyone starts believing the local version of Beauty and the Beast. But until the snows melt, she can’t trust her eyes—or her heart—since even the most civilized people hold beastly secrets...
Variety hall actress Ophelia Flax knows how to win over an audience. That’s why she’s accepted the marriage proposal of the brutish Comte de Griffe to nettle her occasional investigative partner—and romantic sparring partner—the pompous if dashing Professor Penrose.
But with his boorish table manners, wild mane of hair, and habit of prowling away the wee hours, the comte has shredded Ophelia’s last nerve. She intends to disengage from her feral fiancé at his winter hunting party—until Penrose, his lovely new fiancée, and a stagecoach of stranded travelers arrive at the comte’s sprawling château. Soon she can’t tell the boars from the bores.
When one of the guests is found clawed and bloody in the orangerie, Ophelia is determined to solve the murder before everyone starts believing the local version of Beauty and the Beast. But until the snows melt, she can’t trust her eyes—or her heart—since even the most civilized people hold beastly secrets...
MY REVIEWS
An imaginative retelling of the classic Beauty and the Beast
fable.
Author Maia Chance has taken on the challenge of
transforming beloved fairy tales into mysteries. I must say, she is more than
capable of the task.
BEAUTY, BEAST, AND BELLADONNA once again follows intrepid
protagonist, Ophelia Flax. Ophelia wants out of her engagement to beastly Comte
de Griffe, but many obstacles keep barring her way. The biggest obstacle of
all? Murder!
Creative and intriguing, author Chance has penned a
delightful tale of nineteenth century mystery, intertwined with a timeless
fairy tale. Superb writing and an admirable understanding of the speech and
ways of the 1800’s serve to elevate a theme that otherwise may have fallen
flat.
BEAUTY, BEAST, AND BELLADONNA is as perfect cross genre
story appropriate for readers of mystery, historic, and young adult genres.
Check out the back of the book for an excerpt from, SNOW WHITE
RED-HANDED (Note: The books says this is the “next” in the series. However it
is the first.)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A WHISKER OF TROUBLE
Book 3 in the Second Chance Cat Mysteries
by Sofie Ryan
The New York Times bestselling author of Buy a Whisker offers another adventure with secondhand shop owner Sarah Grayson and Elvis the rescue cat.
Spring has come to charming North Harbor, Maine, and with the new season comes a new haul for Second Chance, the shop where Sarah Grayson sells lovingly refurbished and repurposed items. Sarah is turning her keen eye to the estate of collector Edison Hall, hoping for fabulous finds for Second Chance—but when her rescue cat Elvis discovers a body in the kitchen, everything goes paws up.
The body belongs to an appraiser who had been hired to check out Edison’s wine collection. When Edison’s sister shows up at Second Chance, she hires Sarah’s friends—the kooky and charismatic trio of ladies who call themselves Charlotte’s Angels and work out of the shop—to solve the murder, Sarah knows she and Elvis are only going to get deeper into the case. But as it becomes a cat and mouse game of lies, cons, cheats, and family squabbles, can Elvis and Sarah claw their way to the truth before the killer slinks away forever?
Spring has come to charming North Harbor, Maine, and with the new season comes a new haul for Second Chance, the shop where Sarah Grayson sells lovingly refurbished and repurposed items. Sarah is turning her keen eye to the estate of collector Edison Hall, hoping for fabulous finds for Second Chance—but when her rescue cat Elvis discovers a body in the kitchen, everything goes paws up.
The body belongs to an appraiser who had been hired to check out Edison’s wine collection. When Edison’s sister shows up at Second Chance, she hires Sarah’s friends—the kooky and charismatic trio of ladies who call themselves Charlotte’s Angels and work out of the shop—to solve the murder, Sarah knows she and Elvis are only going to get deeper into the case. But as it becomes a cat and mouse game of lies, cons, cheats, and family squabbles, can Elvis and Sarah claw their way to the truth before the killer slinks away forever?
MY REVIEW
Sarah and Elvis are back in this delightful installment of
the Second Chance Cat Mysteries.
Author Sophie Ryan has penned another enjoyable story with A
WHISKER OF TROUBLE. It’s always fun to spend time with main character Sarah and
her feline friend Elvis, as well as the other wonderful characters from this
wonderful series. And I simply adore the
store in this series, Second Chance. I love that it isn’t just a thrift store,
but a store that sells repurposed items. I would love to see repurposed project
ideas with instructions included with these books.
Crisp writing along with a terrific plot made for an enjoyable
read. Each chapter I read brought more twists and turns, more questions that
kept me reading as I tried to discover the truth. All led to an end I found to
be very unanticipated.
If you are a fan of cat cozies, you’re going to love A
WHISKER OF TROUBLE!
Make sure to take a peek at
the back of the book for an excerpt of CURIOSITY THRILLED THE CAT, book one in
the Magical Cat Mysteries by Sofie Ryan writing as Sofie Kelly!
Both available February 2!
Pre-order today!
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