#booktour – Rosepoint Publishing

Bakeries and Buffoonery: Magical Mystery Book Club by Elizabeth Pantley #BlogTour #BookReview #Giveaway #ParanormalCozyMystery

I am so delighted today to provide a review for you at my blog stop for Bakeries and Buffoonery by Elizabeth Pantley on the Great Escapes Virtual Book Tour.

Scroll down to enter your chance to win the Giveaway!

Book Details

Bakeries and Buffoonery: Magical Mystery Book Club
Paranormal Cozy Mystery
4th in Series
Setting – Small Midwestern Town
Independently Published (February 15, 2023)
Print length ‏ : ‎ 310 pages
Digital ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0BLLCTKCM

Book Blurb

It’s a magical book club! When this group chooses a book, magic happens. The mystery comes to life, and they find themselves part of the story. To exit the book and get back home, they need to solve the mystery and reach The End.

This time, the club chooses a book called The Great Cake Rivalry, because, well … cake! They read the back cover and it’s unanimous. So off they go into another grand adventure into a town aptly named Frosting.

Frosting is a rural town in an idyllic setting. The people live quiet lives most of the year. But in the spring, things change. The Annual Cake Competition becomes the focus of every man, woman, and child. They take this competition seriously. The cakes are spectacular. The festival is fabulous. For a week there are contests featuring all kinds of cakes. The people of the community become official tasters and vote for the winning cakes in each category.

The grand finale is a display of finely decorated cakes, made by the town’s bakeries. The winner of the best design receives a prize package that would make any baker dizzy.

Sadly, this event has been tainted. Once a year, each one different, but all somehow related to this event, a person is murdered. The main investigator is stumped, but that could be because he’s an inept buffoon.

Can the book club help the people of this community figure out who is causing this disturbing pattern of deaths, and stop another murder from happening? Can they figure out why some of the citizens dress so oddly, and why they always wear those unique backpacks? All while they fill themselves to the brim with cake, of course.

My Review

My first book in this series, Book 4, was quite the intro to the Magical Mystery Book Club! Not just a book club whose members must choose a new book to discuss, but one that would present a challenge in solving a mystery as each of the eight members will journey to the actual setting and become part of the characters of the book. They cannot return home until they solve the mystery.

This book lands them in a little town called Frosting where they are gearing up for their annual bake competition. While that sounds deliciously fun, it gets serious as they begin the investigation into the who or why someone connected to the competition is murdered.

The author reaches deep into folklore with this installment, borrowing ancient myths, then adds her own boundless imagination to create a fantasy so well described you could almost believe it’s real. (I’ve read of the phenomena in other books, but these depictions add chilling depth to the vision.)

The characters are brought to life in relatable scenes while descriptions of the baked masterpieces leave you drooling, imagining the confection’s beauty and taste. The characters vary wildly, including Frank, the Siamese who easily converses with people who don’t even blink at the prospect. Mollie, the ghost who is still discovering new and wonderful modern-day accruements.

Of course, it was easy for me to identify with the character of Vee who loves riding her motorcycle (didn’t that hit close to home!) and meets someone with the same love.

Yes, there are the twists and turns that have you considering multiple suspects. But even then, it’s hard to reach out and grab that one piece of evidence that would lead the reader to a viable perp. A baker who could kill the competition? Can this cake-baking competition be that serious?

Absolutely!

“…the main reasons for murder are love, lust, loathing, or loot,”…

I thought it amazing, the number of cake samples they could eat and still look forward to more cake. However, the aroma descriptions had me looking for something sweet too, so, yeah, I could see how that might happen.

It’s a well-paced and plotted narrative filled with wonderfully imaginative scenes, some paranormal as well as fantasy, but it all works so well it almost becomes normal. The banter and dialogue often include believable humorous back and forth.

Fast, unusual, engaging and entertaining. If you enjoy cozy mysteries, you’ll surely find this one unique with a paranormal element.

Giveaway

Sign up for your chance to win two books—the first book in each series, paperback or eBook in this Rafflecopter giveaway.

About the Author

Elizabeth Pantley is the internationally bestselling author of The No-Cry Sleep Solution and twelve other books for parents, published in over twenty languages.

She simultaneously writes the well-loved Destiny Falls Mystery & Magic book series and the new Magical Mystery Book Club series.

Elizabeth lives in the Pacific Northwest, the gorgeous inspiration for the setting in many of her books. Visit her and sign up for her newsletter at www.nocrysolution.com

Author Links:

Website: https://www.nocrysolution.com/books/
Newsletter Sign-up: https://www.nocrysolution.com/mailing-list/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DestinyFallsMysteryandMagic
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/destinyfallsmystery/
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/elizabeth-pantley

Purchase Link – Amazon

Thank you for visiting my stop on the tour!

Thanks to Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours for the opportunity to read and review this cozy mystery!

Book Tour

Map courtesy Free Images

The Art of the Decoy (A Scandal Mountain Antiques Mystery Book 1) by Trish Esden #BlogTour #BookReview #Giveaway

I am so delighted today to provide a review for you at my blog stop for The Art of the Decoy by Trish Esden on the Great Escapes Virtual Book Tour.

Scroll down to enter your chance to win a special Giveaway!

Book Details

The Art of the Decoy (A Scandal Mountain Antiques Mystery)
Traditional Mystery
1st in Series
Setting – Vermont
Crooked Lane Books (April 5, 2022)
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 336 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1643859641
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1643859644
Digital ASIN ‏ : ‎ B098PXZNDF

About the Book

Perfect for fans of Jane K. Cleland and Connie Berry, Tricia Esden’s series debut is sure to please.

After her mother is sent to prison for art forgery, Edie Brown returns to Northern Vermont to rebuild her family’s fine art and antiques business. She’s certain she can do it now that her mother is gone. After all, butting heads with her mom over bad business practices was what drove Edie away three years ago, including a screwup that landed Edie on probation for selling stolen property.

When Edie scores a job appraising a waterfowl decoy collection at a hoarder’s farmhouse, she’s determined to take advantage of the situation to rebuild the business’s tarnished reputation and dwindling coffers. In lieu of payment, Edie intends to cherry-pick an exceptional decoy carved by the client’s renowned Quebecoise folk artist ancestors. Only the tables turn when the collection vanishes.

Accused of the theft, Edie’s terrified that the fallout will destroy the business and land her in prison next to her mom. Desperate, she digs into the underbelly of the local antiques and art world. When Edie uncovers a possible link between the decoy theft and a deadly robbery at a Quebec museum, she longs to ask her ex-probation officer, and ex-lover, for help. But she suspects his recent interest in rekindling their romance may hide a darker motive.

With the help of her eccentric uncle Tuck and Kala, their enigmatic new employee, Edie must risk all she holds dear to expose the thieves and recover the decoys before the FBI’s Art Crime Team or the ruthless thieves themselves catch up with her.

My Thoughts

Protagonist Edie Brown has grown up in the family’s fine art and antiques business. Unfortunately, her mother landed in the slammer for art forgery, implicating Edie in the process for which Edie paid with probation for selling said property.

Now she is back in Northern Vermont to take over the business with a little help from uncle Tuck. When she is approached with a waterfowl decoy that may be the tip of an iceberg, Edie sees a huge possibility in scoring a collection from a hoarder’s farmhouse with hopes of securing lucrative auctioning rights.

“For me, researching folk art was like setting a beagle free in a park full of squirrels.”

Edie definitely gets in over her head as she fails to ignore warnings, including one from an ex-lover. While I had a few problems getting into Edie’s head, I appreciated several other main characters including Kala and Shane. There is a murder off-page, the craft of antiquing, and descriptions of the area and proximity to Canada.

For a debut novel and the first in the series, the author appears to have set up quite the storyline as well as several remarkable characters. Definitely a good start and an interesting introduction to the world of buying, trading, pricing, and selling of antiques. The well-plotted narrative, however, tends to sag a bit and do a repeat of motives, slowing the pace, and could have used a bit more fleshing of Edie and Shane.

An interesting start for a promising new series in the world of antiquing.

Giveaway

Sign up for your chance to win one Gift Package—surprise gift basket for mystery lovers with over $50 value (U.S. Only) on this Rafflecopter giveaway

About the Author

Trish Esden loves museums, gardens, wilderness, dogs, and birds, in various orders depending on the day. She lives in northern Vermont where she deals antiques with her husband, a profession she’s been involved with since her teens. Don’t ask what her favorite type of antique is. She loves hunting down old bottles and rusty barn junk as much as she enjoys fine art and furnishings.

Author Links

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Trish-Esden-author-108247488016132

Twitter: https://twitter.com/patesden

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/trishesden/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/patesden/_created/

Website: https://trishesden.com

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/trish-esden

GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21662893.Trish_Esden

Purchase Links – Amazon – IndieBound – Barnes & Noble – Books-a-Million – Kobo

Thank you for visiting my stop on the tour and please visit the other stops listed below!

Tour Participants:

March 29 – Novels Alive – GUEST POST

March 29 – Mysteries with Character – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

March 30 – The Avid Reader – REVIEW, RECIPE

March 30 – Ruff Drafts – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

March 31 – Elizabeth McKenna – Author – SPOTLIGHT

March 31 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – GUEST POST

April 1 – Celticlady’s Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

April 1 – Christa Reads and Writes – SPOTLIGHT

April 2 – Books a Plenty Book Reviews – REVIEW, CHARACTER INTERVIEW

April 2 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT

April 3 – Nellie’s Book Nook – REVIEW

April 3 – #BRVL Book Review Virginia Lee Blog – SPOTLIGHT

April 4 – Novels Alive – REVIEW

April 4 – Baroness Book Trove – SPOTLIGHT

April 5 – I Read What You Write – GUEST POST

April 5 – fundinmental – SPOTLIGHT

April 6 – Maureen’s Musings – SPOTLIGHT

April 6 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

April 7 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – GUEST POST

April 7 – Lady Hawkeye – SPOTLIGHT

April 8 – Ascroft, eh? – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

April 9 – MJB Reviewers – SPOTLIGHT

April 10 – Brooke Blogs – SPOTLIGHT

April 10 – Rosepoint Publishing – REVIEW

April 11 – Melina’s Book Blog – REVIEW

Thanks to Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours for the opportunity to read and review this cozy mystery!

Chill--It's Sunday

Enter a Wizard, Stage Left (A Zodiac Mystery) by Connie di Marco #BlogTour #BookReview – #Giveaway

I am delighted to provide a review for you at my blog stop today for Enter a Wizard, Stage Left by Connie di Marco on the Great Escapes Virtual Book Tour. Scroll down to enter your chance to win the Giveaway!

Book Details

Enter a Wizard, Stage Left (A Zodiac Mystery)
Traditional Mystery
Prequel Novella
Suspense Publishing (October 26, 2021)
Print length ‏ : ‎ 111 pages
ASIN ‏ : ‎ B09JGV526H

Book Blurb

Julia Bonatti wasn’t always a crime-solving San Francisco astrologer. She was a young woman, engaged to the love of her life, preparing for a teaching career when tragedy struck. Her fiancé was killed in a hit and run accident. As Julia struggles with her loss and attempts to find meaning in her life again, she takes refuge with her grandmother Gloria. But there’s little time for grief or rest because Gloria, a retired seamstress, needs Julia’s help. Gloria’s been hired to create costumes for a production of Agatha Christie’s Appointment with Death at the newly opened Theatre Mars in San Francisco’s North Beach neighborhood.

Theatre Mars is a stunning jewel, the cast is supremely talented and the script is brilliant. What could go wrong? Julia gets the first hint of trouble when her new friend, the owner of The Mystic Eye bookshop, warns that all might not go well. Opening night will take place during the dark of the moon, the last three days before the new moon, a time that bodes disaster for any new project. The dire prediction comes true when the lead actress is murdered before the final curtain, echoing the play itself. Julia discovers a vital clue to the murder, but a clue that puts Gloria’s life in grave danger. Can Julia rescue her grandmother before it’s too late? And will a black cat play a leading role?

My Review

Thank heaven for Grandmother Gloria’s welcoming and understanding home after the sudden fatal accident that killed Julia Bonatti’s fiancé. Julia badly needed a different scene, a waystation to give her the necessary time to push through the grieving process.

Gloria is a retired seamstress and is involved in the local theatre group facing opening night. They’ve requested Gloria deliver the costumes for a dress rehearsal and to fix any costume problems they may be facing with the various actors and the diva busy making life miserable for all in the cast. She asks for Julia’s help. The production is an Agatha Christie mystery, Appointment with Death. Oops! That title may be prophetic.

Julia takes the opportunity to check out The Mystic Eye Bookshop next door, but the owner promptly warns her that the timing, astrologically-speaking, is asking for disaster. Unfortunately, the prediction comes true when the nasty lead actress is actually murdered before the opening night final curtain.

Ah, I love the subject of astrology and dove into this prequel to the series having previously jumped into the Tale of the Dragon. It’s a fascinating study and Julia begins the research and analysis that leads to her own astrology clinic. There is a lot to the Zodiac and the author imparts a few interesting tidbits along the way.

While Julia is an interesting protagonist, I really enjoy support characters Gloria and Kuan. And let’s not forget the kitty! Fun, fast little mystery, though I was left scratching my head a bit over the search and rescue.

Giveaway

Sign up for your chance to win one of (10) Digital Copies of Enter a Wizard, Stage Left (A Zodiac Mystery) by Connie di Marco on the Rafflecopter giveaway.

About The Author: With the Zodiac Mysteries, featuring Julia Bonatti, a crime-solving San Francisco astrologer, Connie di Marco has combined her fascination with astrology and her love of writing mysteries. Writing as Connie Archer, she’s the national bestselling author of the Soup Lover’s Mysteries from Berkley Prime Crime. You can find her excerpts and recipes in The Cozy Cookbook and The Mystery Writers of America Cookbook. She is a member of International Thriller Writers, Mystery Writers of America, and Sisters in Crime. She lives in Los Angeles but dreams constantly of the San Francisco fog.

Author Links

Website: http://www.conniedimarco.com/

Blog: http://www.conniedimarco.com/blog/

FaceBook: https://www.facebook.com/zodiacmysteries/ or https://www.facebook.com/zodiacmysteries/

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3HdGb25

Twitter: @Connie di Marco

GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/dashboard?ref=nav_profile_authordash

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/connie_di_marco/

Purchase Link – Amazon

Thank you for visiting my stop on the tour and please visit the other stops listed below!

Tour Participants:

January 5 – Maureen’s Musings – REVIEW

January 5 – Island Confidential – SPOTLIGHT

January 6 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT

January 6 – Socrates Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

January 7 – Cozy Up With Kathy – REVIEW, GUEST POST

January 7 – #BRVL Book Review Virginia Lee Blog – SPOTLIGHT

January 8 – StoreyBook Reviews – REVIEW, CHARACTER GUEST POST

January 8 – MJB Reviewers – SPOTLIGHT

January 9 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

January 10 – Baroness’ Book Trove – SPOTLIGHT

January 10 – Nadaness In Motion – REVIEW

January 11 – Literary Gold – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

January 12 – Read Your Writes Book Reviews – REVIEW, AUTHOR INTERVIEW

January 13 – Celticlady’s Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

January 14 – Rosepoint Publishing – REVIEW

January 15 – Books a Plenty Book Reviews – REVIEW, CHARACTER GUEST POST

January 16 – Nellie’s Book Nook – REVIEW, GUEST POST

January 17 – I Read What You Write – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

January 18 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book -SPOTLIGHT

Thanks to Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours for the opportunity to read and review this cozy mystery!

The Ghost Camper’s Tall Tales: Destiny Falls Mystery & Magic Series by Elizabeth Pantley #BlogTour #Bookreview #Giveaway

I am so delighted today to provide a review for you at my blog stop for The Ghost Camper’s Tall Tales by Elizabeth Pantley on the Great Escapes Virtual Book Tour.

Scroll down to enter your chance to win the Giveaway!

Book Details:

The Ghost Camper’s Tall Tales: Destiny Falls Mystery & Magic Series
Paranormal Cozy Mystery
3rd in Series
Independently Published (August 2, 2021)
Digital Print Length ‏ 312Pages
ASIN: B095177BFG

Book Blurb:

A ghost, a witch, a sassy cat, and a mystery. Hayden’s adventures in Destiny Falls continue when a mysterious old man keeps popping up to tell her a series of tall tales. Who is he? And is he actually glowing? Are his stories fiction, or is he telling her the history of her family, the enchanted islands, and the witch? And why did a dead body show up . . . of someone who is already dead? Can Hayden and her brave, quirky sidekick, Latifa unscramble this mystery before someone else turns up dead?

My Review:

It’s the third in the series and my first, but most of my followers know at this point that I enjoy witchy, (in this case, dark) magic tales. This one describes Destiny Falls as a pretty, weather sculpted area complete with it’s antithesis, Gladstone Island; the dark to Destiny Falls light.

In this installment, there are several discoveries, not the first of which is the murder of a man who was already supposed to have died in a fiery car crash more than a month ago. And there is a scary link to which protagonist Hayden must discover that includes her mother.

The support characters take on a profile of their own (particularly Latifa), adding to the atmosphere of the area and the enchanted house, and there is a mysterious ghost who manifests at (mostly) inopportune times who slowly reveals little tidbits along the way that will color the present.

The conclusion and the discovery of the bad guy came quietly into the conclusion, but it was then the little twist hit. The main plot resolved, the sub-plot came to the fore. It’s a gotcha cliff-hanger and one many will tune in to pick up on in the next episode.

The cozy shined with humor, romance, and magic—a very interesting take on the latter and stirs up a fun read.

Giveaway

Sign up for your chance to win one Prize Package – includes Set of ebooks: Book 1, 2, and 3 … PLUS a coffee mug & plush kitty in the Rafflecopter giveaway

About The Author: Elizabeth Pantley is the international bestselling author of The No-Cry Sleep Solution and eight other books in the No-Cry Solution series of books for parents. Her books have been published in over twenty languages. She is also the author of the well-received magical cozy mystery series, The Destiny Falls Mystery and Magic books. She lives in the Pacific Northwest.

Author Links

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/24811.Elizabeth_Pantley
Website:  https://www.nocrysolution.com/books/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ElizabethPantleyNoCryAuthor
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elizabethpantley/
Pinterest:  https://www.pinterest.com/nocrysolution/_saved/
Blog:  https://elizabethpantley.com/

Purchase Link: Amazon

Thank you for visiting my stop on the tour and please visit the other stops listed below!

Tour Participants:

August 2 – Maureen’s Musings – SPOTLIGHT

August 2 – Brooke Blogs – SPOTLIGHT

August 3 – Novels Alive – GUEST POST

August 3 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT

August 4 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – REVIEW, CHARACTER GUEST POST

August 4 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

August 5 – I Read What You Write – REVIEW, GUEST POST

August 6 – Cozy Up WIth Kathy – REVIEW

August 7 – Celticlady’s Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

August 8 – StoreyBook Reviews – REVIEW

August 8 – Rosepoint Publishing – REVIEW

August 9 – Novels Alive – REVIEW

August 10 – Books a Plenty Book Reviews – REVIEW, CHARACTER INTERVIEW

August 10 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – CHARACTER GUEST POST

August 11 – Lisa Ks Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

August 12 – Thoughts in Progress – SPOTLIGHT

August 13 – Angel’s Guilty Pleasures – SPOTLIGHT

August 14 – #BRVL Book Review Virginia Lee Blog – SPOTLIGHT

August 15 – BookishKelly2020 – SPOTLIGHT

Thanks to Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours for the opportunity to read and review this cozy mystery!

©V Williams

The Corpse Who Knew Too Much (A Food Blogger Mystery) by Debra Sennefelder #BlogTour #BookReview #TuesdayBookBlog

Welcome to the review for The Corpse Who Knew Too Much by Debra Sennefelder at my blog stop on the Great Escapes Virtual Book Tour.

The Corpse Who Knew Too Much by Debra Sennefelder - blog tour

Book Details:

The Corpse Who Knew Too Much (A Food Blogger Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
4th in Series
Publisher: Kensington (September 29, 2020)
Mass Market Paperback: 336 pages
ISBN-10: 1496728912
ISBN-13: 978-1496728913
Digital ASIN: B082WR1YCL

Book Blurb:

Food blogger Hope Early takes on a cold case that’s heating up fast . . .

Building on her recipe for success with her food blog, Hope at Home, Hope is teaching her first blogging class at the local library in Jefferson, Connecticut. She’s also learning about podcasts, including a true-crime one called Search for the Missing, hosted by Hope’s childhood friend, Devon Markham. Twenty years ago on Valentine’s Day, right here in Jefferson, Devon’s mom disappeared and was never found. Finally Devon has returned to solve the mystery of what happened to her mother—and she asks Hope to help.

The next day Hope discovers Devon’s apartment has been ransacked. Her laptop with the research on her mother’s cold case is missing, and Devon is nowhere to be found. When her friend’s body is later discovered in a car wreck, Hope is convinced it’s no accident. Clearly, Devon was too close to the truth, and the cold-blooded killer is still at large in Jefferson. Now it’s up to Hope to find the guilty party—before the food blogger herself becomes the next subject of another true-crime podcast . . .

Includes Recipes from Hope’s Kitchen!

My Review:

Hope Early has achieved her dream of being a full-time food blogger in Jefferson, Connecticut, and is quickly expanding her reach with interested sponsors. The narrative has some great support characters including her sister Claire and Ethan, her police chief boyfriend. (She is divorced and has fur babies dog Bigelow and Princess the cat. She also has a few chickens, including Poppy, and I loved that the animals also have personality.)

Hope additionally is creating a community class at the local library for those who wish to learn to set up and run their own successful blogs and looking forward to her first class when she is informed of the return of the daughter of a woman who went missing twenty years ago. She quickly becomes embroiled in the quest to discover what happened when the daughter is found dead and it doesn’t appear to be an accident.

What was a cold case turns hot quickly as another body turns up and Hope is strongly warned off. Between testing recipes, creating her content, and caring for her animals, she continues with her interviews gleaning little clues along the way.

There are tidbits dropped here and there regarding motive, twists, and more POIs although it’s easy to eliminate those persons of interest that just don’t fit the picture.

In the meantime, she shares instructional materials with her class (and the reader) regarding some of the mysteries of blogging, social media, and SEO, which I particularly enjoyed.

The conclusion settles all the threads and clarifies the motive and suggests Hope may expand her blogging efforts in podcasting to her next entry to the series.

About The Author: Debra Sennefelder is an avid reader who reads across a range of genres, but mystery fiction is her obsession. Her interest in people and relationships is channeled into her novels against a backdrop of crime and mystery.

Her first novel, THE UNINVITED CORPSE (A Food Blogger mystery) was published in 2018. When she’s not reading, she enjoys cooking and baking and as a former food blogger, she is constantly taking photographs of her food. Yeah, she’s that person.

Born and raised in New York City, where she majored in her hobby of fashion buying, she now lives and writes in Connecticut with her family. She’s worked in retail and publishing before becoming a full-time author. Her writing companion is her adorable and slightly spoiled Shih Tzu, Connie.

Author Links – Website & Blog | Facebook | Instagram

Website: http://bit.ly/2lQwSNi

Newsletter: http://bit.ly/2jBx9oV

Facebook Author Page: http://bit.ly/2qjwHyT

Instagram: http://bit.ly/2EQh6da

Purchase Links:

Amazon – Barnes & Noble – Kensington – Kobo – Google Play

Thank you for visiting my stop on the tour and please visit the other stops listed below!

Tour Participants:

April 1 – Baroness’ Book Trove – REVIEW*

April 1 – I’m All About Books – SPOTLIGHT

April 2 – Literary Gold – REVIEW

April 2 – My Journey Back – SPOTLIGHT, RECIPE

April 3 – Here’s How It Happened – SPOTLIGHT

April 3 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

April 3 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT

April 4 – Christa Reads and Writes – SPOTLIGHT

April 4 – I Read What You Write – REVIEW*

April 5 – Laura’s Interests – REVIEW*, INDIVIDUAL GIVEAWAY

April 5 – StoreyBook Reviews – AUTHOR GUEST POST

April 6 – My Reading Journeys – REVIEW*

April 6 – Mysteries with Character – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

April 7 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW, INDIVIDUAL GIVEAWAY

April 7 – Ascroft, eh? – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

April 8 – Ruff Drafts – AUTHOR GUEST POST

April 8 – Socrates Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

April 9 – Novels Alive – AUTHOR GUEST POST

April 9 – Mystery Thrillers and Romantic Suspense Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

April 9 – View from the Birdhouse – REVIEW

April 10 – Celticlady’s Reviews – SPOTLIGHT, RECIPE, INDIVIDUAL GIVEAWAY

April 10 – A Wytch’s Book Review Blog – REVIEW

April 11 – Lisa Ks Book Reviews – REVIEW*, AUTHOR INTERVIEW, INDIVIDUAL GIVEAWAY

April 12 – Christy’s Cozy Corners -SPOTLIGHT

April 12 – Brooke Blogs – SPOTLIGHT

April 13 – Reading, Writing & Stitch-Metic – REVIEW, INDIVIDUAL GIVEAWAY

April 13 – Rosepoint Publishing – REVIEW

April 14 – BookishKelly2020 – SPOTLIGHT

April 14 – Maureen’s Musings – SPOTLIGHT

Thanks to Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours for the opportunity to read and review this cozy mystery!

Come Marching Home by Hazel West – #fantasy #giveaway – #bookreview

Come Marching Home Blog Tour

Synopsis:

After being away for over a year, Alfonse Keller has returned from the trenches on Teuton’s western front, fighting in the war that’s broken out against the Steppes. He should feel relieved now that’s he’s back in his own village in the care of his brother Ernst, but he’s not. It seems like nothing has changed except for him, like he’s a traveler from a different world.

When Alfonse left to join the army, he was a natural magician making a name for himself, but after a tragic incident resulting in the death of his friend, and his own crippling injury, he no longer has the ability to use magic.

Suffering from constant nightmares and revisited trauma, Alfonse can’t get the trenches out of his head. Ernst tries to help, but he doesn’t really understand either. How can he, when Alfonse doesn’t really understand himself? He feels like a phantom, standing on the outskirts of a life he’ll never live again.

As Ernst tries to do everything he can for his brother, he can’t help but feel like Alfonse is slipping away, that maybe part of him never left the trenches at all. But how can he save his brother when Alf refuses to let anyone in?

My Thoughts

I definitely went into this one without remembering that it is a fantasy-history fantasy. Sergeant Major Alphonse Keller has returned to Coldbrooke from the Teutonic-Steppes war a different man than the boy who left home and his older brother, Ernst, a healer. It was deemed that Ernst was of more service in the little village than at the western front.

It’s a bewildering and confusing time and Alfonse has returned with a horrendous case of PTSD before it was truly given a name and understood and guilt over having lived (albeit with serious injuries of his own) when his childhood friend and war buddy died.

He is still beset with ugly nightmares, terrors, and sweats and is a greater problem to heal than his brother has confronted prior. Ernst cannot get a handle on how to treat him, care for him, or get him over this to once again return to a normal, or near normal, life. Alphonse rescues a dog, more savagely wounded than he, and he finds a temporary respite in caring for the dog.

Alphonse used to be a magician and he wielded his magic against his enemies until that fateful skirmish in the tunnel. Even after a truce is declared and the remaining men of the village return, it seems Alphonse continues to revisit the trenches and the tunnel incident that sent him home. Each man has compartmentalized their experience in their own way–some better–several as bad.

Regardless the age, the country, or the century, war is hell. And war, no matter when, exacts the same terrible price on those who would fight. Has Alphonse forever lost his way back to his brother and those who would heal him?

Pre-Order Info

If you pre-order Come Marching Home or just order a copy of it by the end of October (extending because the paperback won’t be available for preorder) You can email the receipt of your purchase to sirwilliamssquire@gmail.com with your address and Hazel will send you a goodie pack!

Link to Amazon

Goodies

-A bookmark
-A sticker with art by H.S.J. Williams @h.s.j._williams
-A playlist curated by Hazel
-And if you order the paperback, you will get a signed bookplate

Social Links

Blog: http://hazelwest.blogspot.com
Come Marching Home on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54493656-come-marching-home
Goodreads Author page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5289626.Hazel_B_West
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Book Details

Genre: Fantasy, Historical Fantasy
Publisher:

ASIN : B08K8SNKD8

Print Length: 279 pages
Publication Date: October 13, 2020

About the Author

Hazel B. West is the author of several novels including historical titles like On a Foreign Field, By Blood or By Bond; Wolfsblood, a book about werewolves in Roman Britain and the Modern Tales of Na Fianna series, which feature modern Irish warriors with swords and fast sports cars and lots of faeries.

Hailing from Purgatory (aka, Florida) Hazel is an indie author, book wyrm, and coffee connoisseur. She typically enjoys writing books with an unconventional flair, probably with a bit of folklore and mythology, most definitely with a lot of siblings or brothers-in-arms. When she’s not writing, she manages an Etsy shop, drinks a lot of coffee, listens to music, haunts conventions, or just holes up like an eldritch horror and binges her favorite shows—for inspiration. If you meet this rare creature on the street, she has been known to respond to the offer of coffee and old bookstores. But it’s probably best you try to contact her online first.

Book Tour – Speakeasy by A M Dunnewin – a #suspensethriller for RABT Book Tours & PR

Suspense Thriller / Historical

Date Published: 12/21/2011

Publisher: Dark Hour Press, LLC

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The novella is centered on Eddie Durante, owner of a speakeasy who’s supported by his mobster uncle—the boss of the Durante family. Eddie is a young widower after his family’s rival, the Caprice family, murdered his wife over a territory dispute. After devising a plan that retaliated against four of the rivaling capos, Eddie is left with the daunting task to try and move on. That is, until he’s notified that the Caprices have put a hit man in the speakeasy—and Eddie’s name is on the list. But things take an unexpected turn when Eddie instead starts to find the dead bodies of his relatives, the ones who had helped in the retaliation.

Behind the backdrop of jazz music and glistening flappers, murder after murder begins to unravel as revenge takes center stage, and Eddie soon learns that some secrets can’t be taken to the grave.

My Thoughts

Payback’s a bitch, baby.

Eddie Durante is the epitome of a speakeasy owner. It’s a novella and he isn’t fully-developed–doesn’t have to be. It’s the 20s. Flappers, moonshiners, hot jazz music, and girls in dazzling costumes, revealing, sexy, setting the tone for the darkened secreted underground club. Haven’t we all seen 20s movies, dark, noir, tommy guns (“Chicago typewriters”), mobsters, cigarette smoke stifling the air mixed with the smell of gin and sweat.

Eddie’s speakeasy is backed by his uncle, a mobster, boss of the Durante family. And Eddie’s trying to get over the death of his wife Kate, killed by the rival Caprice family. He gets the message there is a hit out on him. An eye for an eye just keeps working back and forth, like the legendary Hatfields and McCoys…as long as there is still one in the “family”…and the bodies start popping up. It’s payback. If they are after him, why is the rest of his crew being picked off? This one catches him off guard. How unusual.

But who is being set up here? Eddie or the reader? Something isn’t adding up. Dialogue and inner thoughts bring history to light, justification. He loved his wife, how could this not be made right then? The pace does a quick-step, theories, and suspense ramps up. Who is the architect of this plot? Did you figure it out? Not I.

I’m the naive one–not until the astonishing twist in the conclusion did the mind-blowing reveal take me by surprise. This is one you’ll breeze through right to the sucker-punch ending. Oomph!

About the Author

A. M. Dunnewin grew up with a taste for mysteries and thrillers, inherited ever so lovingly from her family. An affiliate member of the Horror Writers Association, A. M.’s own stories cover a wide range of genres that tend to take a dark turn when least expected. With a B.A. in Psychology, she’s a gambler of words, obsessed with chai tea, and addicted to books – everything from classical literature to graphic novels. Other hobbies include art, history, music, equestrianism, and a good classic film. She currently dwells in Northern California.