Month: June 2019

Crepe Expectations by Sarah Fox

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Crêpe Expectations (Pancake House Mystery #5) 4Stars

This series is up there with some of my absolute favorites. Okay so I have a million favorites, but this series is up there. This series has everything, mystery, romance, sadness, joy, and a few twists that will keep you guessing. I cannot wait to see what Ms. Fox has in store for us next time.

Protagonist, Marley McKinney, inherits an old Victorian home and a Pancake House restaurant on the Pacific Coast when her uncle passes away. Needing a change, Marley uproots her city life to start over and accept her inheritance. Marley makes some great friends and finds love but she also finds dead bodies.

In this installment of the Pancake House Mysteries, Wildwood Cove is hosting an amateur chef competition. When one of the contestants fall suspiciously ill, Marley begins looking into a possible case of sabotage and blackmail. Also, when Marley visits her landscaper boyfriend Brett at the site of the Victorian mansion that’s being restored, she discovers a sweet little kitten; oh, and human remains. How old are the remains and were they there due to foul play? Could the case of the old bones and the current competition mishaps be connected? Read the book to find out.

What I love about the last few books in the series, we are presented with cold cases. I often wonder if someone HAS to die in a Cozy. Sometimes a good mystery is all we need. Obviously, someone died at some point, but when it has happened years prior, it is sometimes easier to digest.

Even though this is set outside of Seattle, the main setting is the pancake house. One of my favorite places ever is Gatlinburg, Tennessee which is filled with delicious and beautiful pancake houses. So that was a score with me immediately.

Oh and the recipes in the book are to die for!!

I received a digital copy of this book from NetGalley as well as having the audio version narrated by Marguerite Gavin. I highly recommend this series.

Southern Sass and Killer Cravings by Kate Young

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A Review and Interview with the Author

Southern Sass and Killer Cravings (Marygene Brown #1) 5 STARS

Southern Sass and Killer Cravings, book 1 of the Marygene Brown Series, is not only the first in an amazing series, but the first Cozy Mystery by Kate Young. I am blown away. Kate Young hit a Grand Slam with this book (homage to the Braves references throughout the book).

Marygene Brown leaves her abusive relationship in Atlanta to return back her hometown of Peach Cove, a small island town of Southern Georgia. Marygene’s plan is to join forces with her sister, Jena Lynn, and run the beloved Peach Diner, passed down by generations of family. What Marygene did not plan on, was a regular customer dying in the restaurant and her sister being lead off in handcuffs. She also didn’t bargain for having her mama show up to guide her through it all. Did I mention mama is dead??

With the help of her mama and others in town, Marygene sets out to prove her sister’s innocence and find out what is going on in her small town. Can she find the killer before the killer finds her?

The character development, setting description, and story line are phenomenal. I instantly fell in love with the characters. There were moments of shock, laughter, intrigue, and emotion throughout the entire book. The mystery was great, I did have my suspicions of the killer from the get go but the road getting there was worth the trip. I laughed many times at the shenanigans of Marygene and Betsy. And somehow, Kate Young adds in the emotional issues of domestic violence. Marygene Brown is one of the strongest Protagonists I have seen in long time.

I cannot wait to continue my journey with Marygene and the Peach Cove Gang.

I read the digital copy awarded to me by NetGalley as well as the audio version of the book. The narrator, Tiffany Morgan, does a fantastic job.

INTERVIEW WITH KATE YOUNG

1. After writing paranormal fantasies, what made you decide to dive into the Cozy Mystery genre? Will you continue to write in other genres?

Mysteries have become my favorite genre to read. I love everything from cozies to heart pounding thrillers. I decided a couple of years ago to try my hand at writing one. I had to learn to write differently. Panster style wouldn’t work in this genre. I took several classes offered through Sisters in Crime and learned that writing a mystery took skill. A skill I had to learn and am still learning. I have great respect for long term writers in the genre. The plan right now is to focus on writing more mysteries.

2. They say write what you know. Being from a small town in Georgia, is Peach Cove based on a real town?

The inspiration for Peach Cove came from both Savannah and Seaside, Florida. The quaintness and beauty of Seaside and the old southern charm of Savannah.

3. Are any of your characters based off of people you know?

The Yvonne character is loosely based on my childhood best friend. The character has her likeness some of her mannerisms, and charm that merged beautifully with the character she became.

4. When can we expect from Marygene Brown and the town of Peach Cove?

There is a lot to come from Marygene and the Peach Cove gang. In book two, Southern Sass and A Crispy Corpse, our heroine is pushed to the limit and finds that her southern sleuthing grit is her saving grace. It’s a wild ride for sure.

To learn more and keep up with Kate Young…

https://www.kateyoungbooks.com/

https://www.facebook.com/AuthorKateYoung/

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6527572.Kate_Young

https://www.instagram.com/kateyoungbooks/

Sadie by Courtney Summers

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“Forgettable people in fly over states”

Sadie (Hardcover) 5 STARS

I am not sure where to even start. Not many books leave me speechless, but this one….

I listened to the audiobook and I HIGHLY recommend it. Although its an excellent books, I feel like the audio version gives it that extra boost to smack it out of the park. Especially for those who enjoy pod casts, this is a must for you.

Forgettable people in fly over states… this is Sadie’s life in a nutshell. No one cares about a dead or missing girl from the trailer park in Nowheresville, USA. No one cares until a reporter and pod caster brings this story to life for the world.

A dead body and then a missing girl a year later. Could this be a serial? It may be thought to be, until the trail shows Sadie out for vengeance for the death of her sister. Will she ever find the answers that she is looking for? More importantly, will she survive on the road she is taking to find the answers?

This was excellent. I haven’t really listened to pod casts but I think I may start. This book touches on addiction, mental illness, love and loss, regret, molestation, poverty, and predators. I have read a few novels in the past by Courtney Summers and have enjoyed them, but this, this one just had IT. I felt like I was with Sadie every step of the way and felt every figurative and literal punch in the gut she did. This is one of those books that will stick with you for a long, long time. #bookhangover

The Sweetness of Forgetting by Kristin Harmel

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A beautiful story that shows love can last a lifetime.

The Sweetness of Forgetting 4 Stars

Although I have a few books by Kristin Harmel on my TBR list, I had not yet read anything by the author. I had not even heard anything about this book prior to reading it. This was a Book Club selection that I had to read regardless, so I went into it blindly. What a surprise?!?!

Like I said, I had no idea what the book was about, I didn’t even read the description. From the title and the cover, I expected a sweet, fluffy romance. As the book progressed, I understood the “forgetting” part of the title. When the reveal of the past lives came to light, I was blown away.

I love Historical Fiction. The history and research of WWII and the Holocaust in this novel were told with emotion and respect. Although this is a work of fiction, the emotion is real because the situations are real. My heart forever breaks thinking about survivors who’ve lost their entire family or worse, not even knowing what actually happened to them.

I now need to read more by Harmel. Her style of writing draws you in. Her tenderness yet rawness of the subject matter is a perfect balance of emotion. I warn you, you will need tissues while reading this story. The only reason I did not give this book 5 Stars, is because the daughter was too much. I understand sullen preteens and them coping with issues, but the overly excessive use of “whatever” and her horrible behavior to her mother was way too over the top for me.

I had the audio version of this book. The narrator, Kim McKean, did a fabulous job.

Dying For Devil’s Food by Jenn McKinlay

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A Cupcake Bakery Mystery
“Mean Girls meets Fairy Tale Cupcakes”

Dying for Devil’s Food (Cupcake Bakery Mystery #11) 4 Stars

In this installment, cupcake bakers and bakery owners, Mel and Angie, are baking cupcakes and preparing for their high school reunion. However, Mel is doing so under protest. Mel did not have the best experiences in school as she was overweight and bullied terribly. Although, thinned down and successful, Mel is still terribly insecure. Mel soon finds out that time doesn’t change everyone. The night of the reunion, things are just like high school. Her bullies are still there, holding court, and ready to bully her. The plot thickens when one of her tormentors is found dead and she is the prime suspect.

Determined to clear her name, Mel works with some unlikely people from her past. Together they are determined to find the killer and uncover secrets that may unravel a lot of lives. Some people are willing to do anything to keep their secrets, even kill for them.

I wasn’t surprised really by the culprit, as I suspected them at one point throughout the story but it was still a shock at the reveal.

I love Angie and Tate as a married couple now and I really liked Mel and Joe’s relationship in this book. I was never really Team Joe, always Team Martinez. And as odd as it may be to see Uncle Stan and Mel’s mom together, it makes me happy that they are finding companionship at this time in their lives. I am not sure when book 12 is going to be released but I cannot wait for it, as there will be a lot going on from the way this one ended.

I had the audio version of this book narrated by Susan Boyce. Highly recommend.