Friday, January 31, 2020


It's
Cozy Food Friday!

That means it's time to share a recipe from 
another great cozy mystery!
This week's recipe is from
APPLES AND ALIBIS
by Gayle Leeson


That's the last time Amy agrees to do a favor for a stranger...
Down South Cafe owner, Amy Flowers is in over her head. Operating a cafe while hosting the first Farmers' Market in Winter Garden has her swimming in apples. And when an elderly woman calls the cafe, pleading for a delivery for her upcoming party, Amy relents, feeling compelled to help the desperate customer. But when she arrives, the woman is slumped over her kitchen table, and Amy is catapulted into the middle of a small town crime. Guilt-ridden for not arriving earlier to save the woman, she sets out to unravel the mystery surrounding the woman. Now, between running the cafe and dealing with the chaos of the farmers' market, Amy is squeezing in a murder investigation, a run-in with her boyfriend's mom, and her own mother's quirky life decisions. Life can't get any worse...or can it? This cafe owner needs a break--in the case.

🍽🍽🍽🍽🍽

DIET COLA BROWNIES

Photo property of www.sparkrecipes.com

Ingredients

12 oz can of Diet Cola
1 bow of brownie mix (Galye used Betty Crocker Low-Fat Fudge Brownie Mix)

Photo property of www.brooklynfarmgirl.com

Instructions

   Empty brownie mix into a large bowl. Add 12 oz. diet cola. Using a handheld mixer or whisk, combine until batter is free of lumps. 

   Pour mixture into a 9 x 9 pan treated with nonstick cooking spray.

   Bake according to brownie mix instructions, adding an additional 5 to 10 minutes baking time.

Photo property of www.eatyourselfskinny.com

Does it get much easier than that?

🍽🍽🍽🍽🍽

Please keep reading to check out my 
installments of 
Book Beginnings on Fridays
and
The Friday 56

Both the BB and 56 are from


APPLE AND ALIBIS


Book Beginnings on Fridays is a meme hosted by Rose City Reader
Share the first sentence (or so) of the book you are reading.

The Friday 56 is a meme hosted by Freda's Voice
Rules: *Grab a book, any book. *Turn to page 56 or 56% in your eReader (If you have to improvise, that's okay.) *Find any sentence, (or few, just don't spoil it) that grab you. *Post it. 

My Book Beginnings

Dilly Boyd stuck her head inside the door of the DOWN SOUTH CAFÉ and called, "Big Harry Ostermann needs a bandage! He got a splinter from his apple crate!"

My 56

"Someone needs to tell us what's going on here," Mom said.


As always, please leave a comment and 
let me know what you think!

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Thursday, January 30, 2020


WHAT'S COOKING?

It's finger lickin' chicken!

🍽🍽🍽🍽🍽

WINNER! WINNER! CHICKEN DINNER
50 Winning Way To Cook It Up
by Stacie Billis


With this cookbook on their kitchen counters, home cooks can prepare delicious chicken suppers with confidence and ease. The spirit of this cookbook lies in author Stacie Billis’ light, funny, and instructional tone, which takes the intimidation factor out of working with chicken, whether breaking down a bird or roasting it whole. Each chapter is chock-full of tips and tricks that use a wide range of techniques, from braising and roasting to grilling, slow cooking, and sheet-pan cooking, and all fifty recipes focus on tender meat infused with flavor. Keep roasted chicken classic, or give it pizzazz with the addition of a savory compound butter. Get perfectly crispy tenders without frying or give fajitas with lime crema the sheetpan treatment for easy prep (and cleanup). Other favorite recipes include Chicken Thighs with Maple–Cider Vinegar Glaze and Fennel-Apple Slaw, Sheet Pan Shawarma, Chicken Parmesan Meatballs, Green and White Chicken Chili, Peachy Sriracha Sticky Wings, and Pineapple Chicken Salad with Green Beans and Toasted Coconut. With colorful photographs of every recipe, readers will master the classics and discover new favorites for every occasion, from a casual dinner party to a backyard cookout. 


A lot of people get tired of eating chicken. “I can’t eat chicken again tonight” my sister says to me all the time. But author Stacie Billis has compiled in one book, fifty ways to prepare the blank canvas of chicken that makes it a delight every night.

WINNER! WINNER! CHICKEN DINNER is packed with so much information. Choosing the type of chicken to buy, recipes, ways to cook it, tips for leftovers, and more. Also included are beautiful full color photos that had my mouth watering not only while I was reading the book, but again while writing this review.

With chicken recipes like, Crazy Delicious Classic Roast Chicken, Sheet Pan Shawarma, Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic (I know, right?), Chicken Parmesan Meatballs, Chicken Thigh Ragu, BBQ Chicken Pizza, plus stock, soup, sandwiches, salads, sauces, and more, there’s something for every taste.

If you’re looking for a way to get more out of chicken, WINNER! WINNER! CHICKEN DINNER is a book you have to check out.


As always, please leave a comment and 
let me know what you think!

Follow my blog by submitting your email in 
upper right hand corner of this page (on the side bar).

Reading from your phone? Scroll to the bottom of your page and click"View web version". Then follow the above directions.

Wednesday, January 29, 2020

BOOK TOUR


I'm so happy to be a stop on the book tour for
STATUE OF LIMITATIONS
Book 1 in the Goddess of Greene St. Mysteries
by Kate Collins


In this delightful new series by the New York Times bestselling author of the Flower Shop Mysteries, Athena Spencer comes back home to work with her crazy big Greek family at their garden center. But she never expected a return to her roots would mean protecting her family from murder . . .
 
After her divorce, Athena has returned to coastal Michigan to work in her family’s garden center and raise her son, while also caring for a mischievous wild raccoon and fending off her family’s annoying talent for nagging. Working alone at the garden center one night, Athena is startled by a handsome stranger who claims to be the rightful owner of a valuable statue her grandfather purchased at a recent estate sale.
 
But she has even bigger problems on her plate. The powerful Talbot family from whom her pappoús bought the statue is threatening to raze the shops on Greene Street’s “Little Greece” to make way for a condo. The recent death of the family’s patriarch already seemed suspicious, but now it’s clear that a murderer is in their midst. Athena will have to live up to her warrior goddess namesake to protect her family from a killer and save their community from ruin . . .  

📚📖📚📖📚

!!!GIVEAWAY!!!

3 lucky readers will win a print copies of

STATUE OF LIMITATIONS

Enter using the Rafflecopter form at the end of this post. (USA Only please)

Winner will be chosen after February 6 at the end of the tour.

This giveaway is through Great Escape Book Tours, not Lisa Ks Book Reviews.



Another thud turned me in the direction of the outdoor garden area, located on an acre lot behind the barn, and then I had my answer.
It was Oscar, our friendly neighborhood raccoon, who liked to steal shiny objects. He’d pilfered any number of items from the area where we kept garden décor. I wasn’t about to let him take another one.
Using my cell phone’s flashlight as my guide, I headed toward the back exit, walking down the left side past rows of indoor plants, garden supplies, tools, and small decorative pots.
Circling the long, oak plank conference table at the rear of the barn, I pushed the glass door open and stepped outside just as the electricity came back on. Hanging lanterns around the perimeter of a ballroom-sized area right outside the building illuminated a cement floor and a wide aisle down the middle that divided the area into two sections. The left side was filled with shelves overflowing with flowering annuals, perennials, and vegetables, while the right side contained stone, clay, glass, and cement garden sculptures, water fountains, large decorative planters, wrought-iron benches, and patio furniture.
I caught movement from the corner of my eye and backed against the door with a sharp gasp.
A man was crouched at the base of a life-sized marble statue of the Goddess Athena, now lying on her back in the grass. He had an open pocketknife in his hand and his cell phone was propped nearby, its flashlight aimed at the statue’s base. He jumped to his feet, obviously as shocked to see me as I was to see him.
“Drop that knife and don’t move a muscle.” I thrust my phone forward, the beam pointed at his face and my trembling finger on the home button. “I’ve got the police on the line.”
If only that were true.

About Kate Collins


Kate Collins is the New York Times bestselling author of the Flower Shop Mystery series. After publishing numerous historical romances, Kate penned the long-running mystery series, three books of which were made into Hallmark movies starring Brooke Shields. An Indiana native, Kate graduated from Purdue University with a master's degree in education. When not growing roots at her computer, Kate loves to garden. Other passions include yoga, reading, spending time with family and friends, sampling great wines and fine dark chocolate, and enjoying every moment of life. Kate lives in Northwest Indiana and Key West, Florida. 

Visit her online at KateCollinsBooks.com.

Author Links Website 
  
Purchase Links 
 Kensington   -   Amazon   -   B&N   -   Kobo


GOOD LUCK!
a Rafflecopter giveaway


TOUR PARTICIPANTS

January 28 – The Power of Words – REVIEW
January 28 – Paranormal and Romantic Suspense Reviews – SPOTLIGHT, EXCERPT
January 28 – Diane Reviews Books - GUEST POST
January 29 – The Pulp and Mystery Shelf – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
January 29 – Laura's Interests – REVIEW
January 29 – Lisa Ks Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT, EXCERPT
January 30 – View from the Birdhouse – SPOTLIGHT
January 30 – Ruff Drafts – SPOTLIGHT
January 30 – I Read What You Write – REVIEW, EXCERPT
January 31 – Christy's Cozy Corners – REVIEW
January 31 – TBR Book Blog – REVIEW
January 31 – Books a Plenty Book Reviews – REVIEW
February 1 – Gimme The Scoop Reviews – REVIEW
February 1 – Readeropolis – SPOTLIGHT
February 1 – StoreyBook Reviews - REVIEW
February 2 – Brooke Blogs – SPOTLIGHT, EXCERPT
February 2 – A Blue Million Books – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
February 2 – Maureen's Musings – SPOTLIGHT
February 3 – The Avid Reader – REVIEW, EXCERPT
February 3 – Literary Gold – CHARACTER GUEST POST
February 3 – My Reading Journey – SPOTLIGHT
February 4 – Rosepoint Publications – REVIEW
February 4 – Cozy Up With Kathy – REVIEW, AUTHOR INTERVIEW
February 4 – Devilishly Delicious Book Reviews – REVIEW
February 4 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW
February 5 – Socrates Book Reviews – REVIEW
February 5 – A Wytch's Book Review Blog – CHARACTER INTERVIEW
February 5 – This Is My Truth Now – SPOTLIGHT
February 6 – Melina's Book Blog – REVIEW
February 6 – I'm All About Books – SPOTLIGHT
February 6 – Celticlady's Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

Collins, Kate  - Credit Edda Taylor Photographie 


As always, please leave a comment and 
let me know what you think!

Follow my blog by submitting your email in 
upper right hand corner of this page (on the side bar).

Reading from your phone? Scroll to the bottom of your page and click"View web version". Then follow the above directions.

Tuesday, January 28, 2020


So. Many. Wonderful. Books.
Take a look these new releases available today!


In the new Secret, Book, and Scone Society novel from New York Times bestselling author Ellery Adams, the rain in Miracle Springs, North Carolina, has been relentless—and a flood of trouble is about to be unleashed . .

As the owner of Miracle Books, Nora Pennington figures all the wet weather this spring is at least good for business. The local inns are packed with stranded travelers, and among them Nora finds both new customers and a new friend, the sixtysomething Sheldon, who starts helping out at the store.
 
Since a little rain never hurt anyone, Nora rides her bike over to the flea market one sodden day and buys a bowl from Danny, a Cherokee potter. It’ll make a great present for Nora’s EMT boyfriend, but the next day, a little rain turns into a lot of rain, and the Miracle River overflows it banks. Amid the wreckage of a collapsed footbridge, Danny's body lies within the churning water.
 
Nora and the sheriff both doubt the ruling of accidental drowning, and Nora decides it’s time for the Secret, Book, and Scone Society to spring into action. When another body turns up, it becomes clearer that Danny’s death can’t be blamed on a natural disaster. A crucial clue may lie within the stone walls of the Inn of Mist and Roses: a diary, over a century old and spattered with candle wax, that leads Nora and her friends through a maze of intrigue—and onto the trail of a murderer . . .


Sarah Grayson and her feline ally, Elvis, are hot on the tail of a crafty killer in the newest installment of the New York Times bestselling Second Chance Cat mysteries.

Sarah Grayson owns a delightful secondhand shop in the small town of North Harbor, Maine, where she and her rescue cat, Elvis, are always finding themselves up to their whiskers in trouble. With the help of a quirky group of senior citizens—who call themselves Charlotte’s Angels and work out of the store—they solve crimes both new and vintage.

Local squabbles about property development have the town in quite a state of drama—and it seems like someone may even be upset enough to kill. When a local man involved in the real estate quagmire falls over dead at a reception to celebrate the harbor front’s redevelopment, Sarah gets roped in to investigate by her own IT expert, Mr. P., who has long known the victim’s stepfather. Between Sarah, Elvis and Charlotte’s Angels, the killer is sure to have claws for concern.


Cat Latimer and her writer’s retreat group go on a hiking trip—but a murderer has been lurking off the beaten path . . .
 
Cat’s sweetheart, Seth, is going all out on an outing into the local mountains—for the benefit of the writing group Cat’s hosting at her Colorado B&B. But when they try to identify some plant and animal life, they find death instead. The body belongs to a man with a gold claim a few miles away. Instead of striking it rich, he’s been struck down.
 
To his surprise, Seth recognizes the victim from his military days—and up to now believed he’d already died during his last tour of duty. Now Cat has to solve this mystery before the killer takes a hike . . .

 

A series of blizzards have kept tourists away from Moosetookalook, Maine, and shoppers out of Liss MacCrimmon’s Scottish Emporium. But as warmer weather brings promises of tartan sales and new faces, melting snow reveals cold-blooded murder . . .
 
Liss has suddenly found herself in charge of the March Madness Mud Season Sale, a town-wide celebration created to boost the local economy during the slushy weeks of early spring. With businesses ailing after a rough winter, the pressure is on to make this year’s effort the can’t-miss-event of the season. But before Liss can get her hands dirty, her husband makes a horrifying discovery. There’s a dead man on their property, and he didn't die of natural causes . . .
 
Stunned by the murder mystery developing in her own backyard, Liss receives another shock. The victim is identified as Charlie MacCrimmon, an uncle believed to have died eleven years before Liss was born. No one has seen or heard from Charlie since he went off to fight in Vietnam. What secrets could he have been hiding for so many years, and who would want to kill a man long thought to be dead?
 
Enlisting the help of her family, Liss uncovers more questions than answers as she delves into her uncle’s murky past. One thing is clear—before he met his end, Uncle Charlie was desperately trying to warn her about something sinister. And unless Liss can soon track down a maniacal criminal as elusive as the Loch Ness Monster, she just might be the next MacCrimmon to disappear . . .


In this delightful new series by the New York Times bestselling author of the Flower Shop Mysteries, Athena Spencer comes back home to work with her crazy big Greek family at their garden center. But she never expected a return to her roots would mean protecting her family from murder . . .
 
After her divorce, Athena has returned to coastal Michigan to work in her family’s garden center and raise her son, while also caring for a mischievous wild raccoon and fending off her family’s annoying talent for nagging. Working alone at the garden center one night, Athena is startled by a handsome stranger who claims to be the rightful owner of a valuable statue her grandfather purchased at a recent estate sale.
 
But she has even bigger problems on her plate. The powerful Talbot family from whom her pappoús bought the statue is threatening to raze the shops on Greene Street’s “Little Greece” to make way for a condo. The recent death of the family’s patriarch already seemed suspicious, but now it’s clear that a murderer is in their midst. Athena will have to live up to her warrior goddess namesake to protect her family from a killer and save their community from ruin . . .  


Emmy Oak is hosting her first wedding at her family's Oak Valley Vineyards, and she's worked hard to make sure it goes smoothly. And why wouldn't it? The blushing bride is beautiful, the groom is charming, and the parents-of-the-bride are paying Emmy a tidy fee that may just put her struggling winery in the black next month. Only all her best laid plans fizzle faster than flat champagne when the groom goes missing just moments before the ceremony…and Emmy finds him bludgeoned to death on her terrace! Suddenly Emmy's dream wedding turns into a crime scene, and when the entirely-too-enticing Detective Christopher Grant sets his sights on the wrong suspect, Emmy knows it's up to her to find out who committed the matrimonial murder. Was it the overprotective father-of-the-bride who seems to be harboring secrets of his own? The jealous ex-boyfriend with a violent streak? The victim's calloused and cunning cousin? Or was the groom charming women other than his fiancée…and his philandering ways finally caught up to him? Emmy isn't sure, but the deeper she digs, the more she realizes the victim wasn't exactly innocent…and his killer may threaten to strike again!

**Simple and delicious recipes & affordable wine pairings included!**


Delighted by the quiet uproar of raising their newborn, Lady Lucy and Major Sir Robert Kurland could not be more pleased at the prospect of welcoming another into their home. But their preparations are soon overshadowed by a baffling case of murder . . .
 
Once known to all in her village as the rector’s daughter, Lucy is now a mother herself—to a wonderful eighteen-month-old son, Ned. Upon discovering that she is expecting a second child, Lucy and Robert are delighted. In anticipation of the new arrival, Lucy is set on expanding her nursery staff. When Agnes, her current nurse, recommends her cousin, it seems like the perfect solution.
 
But trouble arrives along with the new nursery maid from London. Polly’s flirtations provoke fisticuffs in the servants’ hall and tumult in the village tavern, and on her afternoon off, she fails to return to the Kurland Estate. When a farmer finds her lifeless body in a drainage ditch, Lucy and Robert fear foul play.
 
To their consternation, they learn their new nursery maid was not who they thought. As Lucy’s sister Anna leaves the rectory and moves in to watch over Ned, the couple’s search for the truth leads them to the London theater world, where aristocrats purchase their mistresses, and into danger. But the real threat strikes all too close to home . . .


Scarlett Parker and Vivian Tremont return to don their sleuthing caps and solve a murder that's death in show.

London's most refined canines and their humans are gearing up for the Pets and Wellness Society's annual dog show--and Betty Wentworth, favorite aunt to Scarlett's fiancé Harrison and proud owner of corgi front-runner Freddy, knows that this could be their year with the right edge. Never one to turn away a corgi in need, Scarlett convinces her milliner cousin, Vivian, to design matching hats for dream team Betty and Freddy as they compete for Best in Show.

It's a tail wagging good time until the dog-food sponsor of the event is found dead and Betty is the prime suspect. Vivian and Scarlett agree to enter the competition in Betty's place and help Harrison catch the real killer before Betty is collared for a crime she didn't commit.





As always, please leave a comment and 
let me know what you think!

Follow my blog by submitting your email in 
upper right hand corner of this page (on the side bar).

Reading from your phone? Scroll to the bottom of your page and click"View web version". Then follow the above directions.