Giveaway: Murder, Served Simply by Isabella Alan

Today we're giving away a paperback of Murder, Served Simply by Isabella Alan. 

Amish quilt shop owner Angie Braddock has a lot on her plate this Christmas. But things only get worse after someone develops a taste for murder… 

Angie’s parents are visiting Rolling Brook for Christmas—but unfortunately, her ex is joining them. Luckily, Angie has no time to dwell on her romantic troubles as she prepares her store, Running Stitch, for the town’s traditional progressive dinner, featuring a sleigh ride stopping at each shop for a different course of the meal. 

The meal ends with an Amish-themed Christmas play at the Swiss Valley Hotel and Barn. But the performance is cut short when an actress falls from the scaffolding to her death. After the sheriff suspects foul play, tensions between the Amish and Englisch heat up, as do rivalries among the acting troupe. Now Angie and her quilting circle must stitch together clues before they’re the ones running for cover…[summary from Goodreads]

Check out our review for Murder, Served Simply here.

To enter:

1. Giveaway is for ONE paperback of Murder, Served Simply.

2. Complete the ENTRY FORM.

3. Giveaway is open to residents of US/Canada and closes on Sunday March 27, 2016.

4. Winners will be emailed and announced on the blog sidebar.

Book Review: Murder, Served Simply by Isabella Alan

Amish quilt shop owner Angie Braddock has a lot on her plate this Christmas. But things only get worse after someone develops a taste for murder… 

Angie’s parents are visiting Rolling Brook for Christmas—but unfortunately, her ex is joining them. Luckily, Angie has no time to dwell on her romantic troubles as she prepares her store, Running Stitch, for the town’s traditional progressive dinner, featuring a sleigh ride stopping at each shop for a different course of the meal. 

The meal ends with an Amish-themed Christmas play at the Swiss Valley Hotel and Barn. But the performance is cut short when an actress falls from the scaffolding to her death. After the sheriff suspects foul play, tensions between the Amish and Englisch heat up, as do rivalries among the acting troupe. Now Angie and her quilting circle must stitch together clues before they’re the ones running for cover…[summary via Amazon]

The Amish Quilt Shop Mysteries is one of my favourite Amish cozy mysteries. While on the surface everything looks peaceful and full of harmony in this quiet town of Rolling Brook, this couldn't be further from the truth. As Angie Braddock has found, murder lies amongst her townsfolk and she's about to be embroiled in another murder mystery!

I found the storyline for Murder, Served Simply very fascinating. Eve Shelter is a local Amish girl that left Rolling Brook and is returning to perform in front of her family and townfolk, who previously disowned her when she left. The performance is sure to turn a few heads, but Eve is not expecting to be the victim of murder! With the author surprising us with a early murder in the book, I was very much on the edge of my seat as I tried to solve the mystery, alongside Sheriff Mitchell and Angie.

I love every visit to Rolling Brook. Isabella Alan truly captures the spirit of Amish and Englischers living side by side in a town, and the mixed emotions that come with it. 

I enjoyed the Christmas theme of the book and the added drama of having Angie's parents and her ex-boyfriend, Ryan, arriving in for the holidays. Angie's mom has matchmaking on her mind, and Angie is determined to stay clear of Ryan. Together with the murder mystery, both story lines entwined to create a drama filled mystery, that I loved from beginning to end.

If you haven't picked up the Amish Quilt Shop Mysteries yet, I strongly recommend you start with Murder, Plain & Simple. Within a few pages, you will be wanting to read all the books in this series, and alike to me, will love every visit to Rolling Brook.

Title Information:
Murder, Served Simply by Isabella Alan
Book #3 of Amish Quilt Shop Mysteries
Published by NAL/Penguin
Purchase Murder, Served Simply at Amazon.

Book Review: Murder Simply Stitched by Isabella Alan

Angie Braddock is getting used to life in Rolling Brook, Ohio. She’s enjoying running the quilting store her Aunt Eleanor left to her and has made many new friends in the area, including the handsome Sheriff. When Angie participates in the Rolling Brook Amish Auction she expects to sell a quilt or two, but she doesn’t expect to find a dead body. However, dead bodies seem to have the habit of falling in Angie’s path. This time it is a member of the township trustee board, Wanda Hunt. When the police start looking closely at Angie’s good friend, Rachel Miller, who had an argument with Wanda just shortly before her death, Angie knows she has to step in and find the real killer.

My enjoyment of Amish mysteries really came quite as a shock. While I enjoy a good variety of mysteries, it wasn’t until I started reading Amanda Flower’s Appleseed Creek Mysteries, that I found a new cozy mystery sub-genre to throw myself into. With the gentle faith of the Amish, cozy mysteries seem to be a perfect fit for all the little Amish towns across America. The Amish are quiet and go about their business, but that is not to say that murder doesn’t cross their mind.

In the Amish Quilt Shop Mysteries, Isabella Alan captures the spirit of the Amish perfectly. From the more strict Amish, like Martha Yoder, who prefer to stick to the old ways, to her friends like Rachel Miller, who is happy to be friends with Englischers, like Angie. Throw in the Englischers living in Rolling Brook and the tourists visiting and you have a great host of colourful characters in Rolling Brook.

I really enjoyed this second adventure with Angie Braddock in Rolling Brook. She delivered a pitch perfect mystery that hit all the right notes with me. I was kept on the edge of my seat trying to solve the mystery surrounding Wanda’s death, and I was still thinking about Rolling Brook long after I turned the last page.

Angie continues to delight me as the amateur sleuth of this series. She’s sweet and good-natured, even at the hands of her pushy mother and the irritating Martha Yoder, who has opened a quilt store next to hers, but she’s also determined. She’s a good friend, who is determined to find the killer and do what she can to save Aaron and Rachel Miller’s business. She’s a pure delight to take an adventure with!

If you’re a fan of Amish mysteries or interested in trying this sub-genre, I highly recommend starting with the Amish Quilt Shop Mysteries. You won’t be disappointed!