BOOK TOUR

I'm so happy to be a stop on the blog tour for

WED, READ & DEAD

Book 4 in the Mystery Bookshop Mysteries

by V.M. Burns

Bookstore owner Samantha Washington sells and solves mysteries in North Harbor, Michigan—including the murder of her mother's wedding planner . . . 
 
Sam's mother can't wait to wed her wealthy beau, Harold Robertson. The big mystery is how they're going to pull off a lavish wedding in three weeks. Harold's snobby sister-in-law proposes a solution: engage flamboyant wedding planner Lydia Lighthouse. But their beacon of hope quickly sends everyone into a blind rage, most of all the groom-to-be. So when the maddening micromanager is strangled with her own scarf, it's a shock, but not a surprise.
 
It’s a case of art imitating life as Sam pens her next historical mystery set in England between the wars. Lady Daphne Marsh insists on marrying Lord James Browning on Christmas Eve, three weeks hence. But when the fop planning their wedding ends up with a knife in his back, she vows to nab the backstabber before she walks down the aisle.
 
Meanwhile, when she’s not writing, Sam and her beloved and boisterous Nana Jo rush to shine a light on Lydia's killer—so her mother's new husband won't spend his honeymoon behind bars . . .

Pre-order

RELEASE DATE: Tuesday, April 30!

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!!!GIVEAWAY!!!

5 lucky readers will each win 

A $10 Amazon Gift Card!

USA only

Enter using the Rafflecopter form at the end of this post.

Winner will be chosen after May 2 at the end of the tour

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

MY REVIEW

This is the first book I’ve read in the Mystery Bookshop series, and I have no idea why! I have known of the books, and if I check my TBR I’m sure I have the others there. Well, better late than never they say. But oh, the time I have wasted!

From the very first page of WED, READ & DEAD, I enjoyed the flow of the story. Yes. The first page. Can’t you just tell when you start a book rather or not it’s the one for you? I can. The words just seem natural and, well, flowing. Author V.M. Burns certainly has that style of writing I seek out.

From the characters, the location, the theme, and of course the mystery, I can’t find one bad thing to say about WED, READ & DEAD. The wonderfully twisty plot held me captive until the reveal. We’ll I’ve read in some reviews that those readers solved it easily, I myself didn’t see it coming. I love that protagonist Samantha Washington owns a mystery bookstore. It is a dream of mine. I also like that the character is writing a cozy mystery, and we get to read it as well! Kudos to author Burns for writing a book within this book!

I could spend all day listing positive adjectives about WED, READ & DEAD. Instead of doing that I’ll just say this. Read. This. Book! Now I’m off to search my TBR for the first three! 

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About the Author

V.M. Burns was born in Northwestern Indiana and spent many years in Southwestern Michigan on the Lake Michigan shoreline. She is a lover of dogs, British historic cozies, and scones with clotted cream. After many years in the Midwest, she went in search of milder winters and currently lives in Eastern Tennessee with her poodles. Her debut novel, The Plot is Murder was nominated for a 2017 Agatha Award for Best First Novel. Valerie is a member of Mystery Writers of America, International Thriller Writers, and a lifetime member of Sisters in Crime. Readers can learn more by visiting her website at 

vmburns.com

Author Links

Website: http://www.vmburns.com/ 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vmburnsbooks/ 

Twitter: @vmburns 

Purchase Links

 Amazon - Barnes & Noble - IndieBound - 

Books-A-Million - Hudson Booksellers 

GOOD LUCK!

a Rafflecopter giveaway


TOUR PARTICIPANTS

April 23 – Reading Is My SuperPower – REVIEW
April 23 – Brooke Blogs – SPOTLIGHT
April 24 – Baroness' Book Trove – REVIEW
April 24 – Island Confidential – SPOTLIGHT
April 25 – Laura's Interests – REVIEW
April 25 – Literary Gold – SPOTLIGHT
April 26 – Carla Loves to Read – REVIEW
April 27 – Lisa Ks Book Reviews – REVIEW
April 27 – MJB Reviewers – SPOTLIGHT
April 28 – Ruff Drafts – SPOTLIGHT
April 29 – Books a Plenty Book Reviews – REVIEW
April 30 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW
April 30 – Book Club Librarian - REVIEW
May 1 – LibriAmoriMiei – REVIEW
May 1 – I'm All About Books – SPOTLIGHT
May 2 – Babs Book Bistro – SPOTLIGHT
May 2 – Cozy Up With Kathy – SPOTLIGHT

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.

I love cozy mysteries, and I love recipes.

Here are a few of my favorite past Cozy Food Fridays!

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A STICKY SITUATION

Book 3 in the Sugar Grove Mystery series 

by Jessie Crockett

 

BACON MAPLE CHUTNEY

This makes a wonderful housewarming gift or something nice to have on hand in the fridge when guests happen to drop by. 

Ingredients

1 pound bacon

3 cups thinly sliced sweet onions 

1/4 cup maple syrup 

3 sprigs fresh rosemary 

freshly cracked black pepper, to taste

Directions

In a large skillet, fry bacon until crisp. Remove from pan.

Remove and reserve 2 tablespoons melted bacon fat from skillet and discard the rest. Return pan to burner and add reserved fat. 

Reduce heat to low and add onions and sprigs of rosemary, cooking slowly and stirring occasionally until they are very soft and golden in color.

Chop bacon into small pieces and add to pan. Stir in maple syrup and continue stirring until it is reduced and the entire mixture is sticky and thickened. 

Remove rosemary sprigs. Add cracked pepper too taste. 

Serve with crackers and cheese or add to sandwiches. 

NOTE: All images are from Google Images and/or Pinterest. 

Your dish may vary in appearance.

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BITTERSWEET

Book 23 in the China Bayles Mystery series

by Susan Wittig Albert

HERB QUICHE

Ingredients

3 eggs, slightly beaten 

2 cups warm milk 

salt and pepper to taste 

3/4 cup grates Swiss cheese 

9-inch unbaked pie shell 

1/2 cup cooked, drained, chopped spinach 

1/2 cup sautéed mushrooms 

3 tablespoons fresh snipped chives 

1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves, minced 

1 teaspoon fresh parsley, minced 

1 tablespoon butter or margarine 

leaves of fresh greens (Kale, arugula, lettuce) and fresh chive blossoms for garnish

Directions

Preheat over to 350 degrees F. 

Combine eggs, milk, salt, and pepper. 

Spread the grated cheese evenly in the bottom of the pie shell. 

Mix the spinach, mushrooms, and herbs and spoon over the cheese. 

Pour the milk-and-egg mixture over that. 

Dot the top with butter or margarine.

Place pie plate on a cookie sheet and bake until set, about 30-35 minutes. 

Remove when the outside is set and the middle still jiggles when shaken. 

Let stand 10-15 minutes before slicing. 

Serve slices on beds of fresh greens, garnished with chive blossoms. 

chive blossoms

NOTE: All images are from Google Images and/or Pinterest. 

Your dish may vary in appearance.

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FILLET OF MURDER

Book 1 in the Deep Fried Mystery series

by Linda Reilly

BEA'S COLESLAW

Ingredients

1/2 head of green cabbage, shredded

1/2 head of red cabbage, shredded 

2 medium carrots, shredded 

1 large shallot, diced 

1/2 cup mayonnaise 

1/4 cup sour cream 

1 tsp. white sugar 

1 tbs. chipotle paste

2 tsps. salt 

Finely ground black pepper (to taste, about 1/4 tsp.)

Directions

Using a box grater or food processor, shred the cabbage and plaice it into a colander.

Sprinkle the salt over the cabbage and combine, then place a plate over the cabbage and weight it with a large can of tomatoes or something of similar weight.

Place the colander into a bowl and refrigerate for an hours. This will allow the excess water to drain. 

In the meantime, prepare the dressing, whisking together the diced shallot, mayonnaise, sour cream, white sugar, chipotle paste, and ground black pepper. 

Drain and rinse cabbage and dry thoroughly with paper towels. 

Combine cabbage and carrots. 

Add the dressing a little at a time until you've reached your desired consistency. 

Chill before serving. 

Serves 8 to 10

NOTE: All images are from Google Images and Pinterest. 

Your dish may vary in appearance.

This is of course a wonderful side dish or   

serve it on top of burgers, hotdogs or tacos!

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ESPRESSO SHOT

Book 7 in the Coffeehouse Mystery series 

by Cleo Coyle

Anginetti 

(Glazed Lemon Cookies)

A word from Cleo Coyle

The anginetti are a satisfying treat to have with coffee. Light and buttery with a sweet lemon glaze, they often make their appearance during the holidays, and the sprinkle of nonpareils (confetti in Italian) over the glaze makes them an excellent wedding cookie, too, since the colorful sugar balls call to mind the longstanding wedding tradition of giving guests almonds coated in hard-sugar shells as favor. (The bitterness of the almonds and the sweetness of the sugar represent the bittersweet truths of married life.) While recipes for anginetti vary---some bakers shape figure-eights or knots from a rope of dough, others simply create lemon drops---my version uses the ring shape in honor of Nunzio's wedding rings. My version is also a bit sweeter that the traditional recipes.

Makes 3 to 4 dozen, depending 

on size and shape of cookie

Cookie Ingredients

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened 

3/4 cup granulated sugar 

1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract 

1/2 teaspoon lemon extract 

1 teaspoon fresh lemon zest (grated from rind) 

1/8 teaspoon salt (pinch or two) 

3 large eggs 

1/4 cup whole milk 

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (sifted) 

4 teaspoons baking powder

Lemon Glaze Ingredients 

2 tablespoons unsalted butter 

4 tablespoons water

2 teaspoons lemon extract 

2 cups confectioners' sugar (sifted) 

Make Cookies

   With an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar together with vanilla and lemon extract, lemon zest, and salt. 

   Add eggs and beat for a minute or two until light and fluffy. 

   Add in the flour and baking powder, blending well with the mixer until you have a dough (be careful not to overmix the dough or cookies will be tough). Dough should be soft and sticky. 

   Chill for at least an hour---could dough is easier to work with. 

   Preheat the oven to 350° F.

   Line baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone sheets or spray surface with cooking spray. 

   With well greased hands, shape bits of dough into small ropes (about the thickness of a woman's wedding ring finger), make a ring with the rope of dough about 2 inches in diameter, and press ends together on the baking sheet. Or for lemon drops, simply roll pieces of dough about 1 inch in size and place on baking sheet.  (If you really want to go rustic, then don't even bother chilling the dough. Simply drop teaspoonfuls of the sticky dough onto the baking sheet.) 

   Bake about 10 to 15 minutes. Don't over cook. Baking time may vary, depending on your oven. 

   Let the cookies cool before glazing and decorating. 

Make Glaze

   In a nonstick saucepan, place the butter, water, and lemon extract over low heat. Stir until butter melts. 

   Add confectioners' sugar, a little at a time, stirring constantly. Wait until sugar dissolves before adding more. Continue until all sugar has been added. Stir or whisk until your glaze is smooth. 

   Use pastry brush to glaze your cooled cookies. (Optional: If you wish to add decorations to your cookies, such as nonpareils or colored sugar, be sure to sprinkle while glaze is still warm. I (Cleo Coyle) actually prefer the cookies without decorations, just the lemon glaze.) 

NOTE: The first two photo's are Cleo Coyles. 

All other images are from Google Images and/or Pinterest. Your cookies may vary in appearance.

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KILLING THYME

Book 3 in the Spice Shop Mysteries

by Leslie Budewitz

Raspberry Limoncello Sparklers

A marvelous drink for a celebration, 

or whenever champagne is called for.

For each drink:

½ teaspoon sugar

¼ teaspoon grated lemon zest

A few drops of fresh lemon juice

4 to 5 raspberries

2 tablespoons limoncello

Crushed ice

½ cup sparkling wine

A strip of lemon peel, for garnish

On a small plate, stir together the sugar and grated lemon zest.

Dip a clean finger in the lemon juice and moisten the rim of a champagne flute.

Dip the rim in the sugar mixture to coat.

Place the raspberries in a small bowl with the limoncello. 

Use a cocktail muddler if you’re lucky enough to have one, or a wooden spoon, to crush the berries and make a limoncello-berry puree. 

Pour the puree into the sugar-rimmed flute. 

Add a spoonful of crushed ice, and pour in the sparkling wine. 

Garnish with the lemon strip and serve immediately.

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All of these Flashback recipes 

combine to make a tasty meal!

 

  

      

   

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.