Book Spotlight & Giveaway: The Lighthouse Library Mysteries

The first Endangered Cozy on our list is the Lighthouse Library Mysteries by Eva Gates. In the first book in the series, By Book or By Crook, we get introduced to Lucy:

For ten years Lucy has enjoyed her job poring over rare tomes of literature for the Harvard Library, but she has not enjoyed the demands of her family’s social whorl or her sort-of-engagement to the staid son of her father’s law partner. But when her ten-year relationship implodes, Lucy realizes that the plot of her life is in need of a serious rewrite.
Calling on her aunt Ellen, Lucy hopes that a little fun in the Outer Banks sun—and some confections from her cousin Josie’s bakery—will help clear her head. But her retreat quickly turns into an unexpected opportunity when Aunt Ellen gets her involved in the lighthouse library tucked away on Bodie Island.
Lucy is thrilled to land a librarian job in her favorite place in the world. But when a priceless first edition Jane Austen novel is stolen and the chair of the library board is murdered, Lucy suddenly finds herself ensnared in a real-life mystery—and she’s not so sure there’s going to be a happy ending....

Love Libraries? Love Cats? Love Mystery? Yep this series has it all and it's worth saving! I've read By Book or By Crook and right now I'm reading Booked for Trouble, and loving every page.

Books in the Series:
1. By Book or By Crook
2. Booked for Trouble
3. Reading Up a Storm

Visit Eva Gates Website | Facebook | Twitter

What can you do to save this series? If you've read a book in this series, please consider reviewing it on Amazon or Goodreads and linking up your review in our Review & Win project. Please also consider sharing this post so others can get introduced to this series. 

GIVEAWAY:

Today we're giving away a paperback of By Book or By Crook to one lucky reader.

To enter:

1. Complete THIS FORM.

2. Giveaway is open to all residents in US/Canada and ends on April 2, 2016 at midnight.

3. Winners will be contacted by email and posted on the sidebar.

Save Our Cozies: The Movement & How We're Helping

As a reader it is always heart-breaking when a favorite series is no longer continuing. Sometimes it can be a decision on the authors behalf or on the publisher. Either way, as a reader, I always feel sad. I love visiting cozy towns and spending time with all the interesting people, between the pages. If there is something we can do to keep the books coming, then I definitely want to help!

A group of cozy mystery fans has come together save our beloved cozy series from being cancelled, at the hands of the publishers.

So readers what can you do to help? Lori at Escape with Dollycas has a great post with some great suggestions. It is important that we support these authors by buying their books, but it is also important that we review their books, so we can let other readers know how awesome they are! Even a short 1-2 sentence review on Amazon will make a difference.

Check out the Save Our Cozies group on Facebook.

How is The Cozy Mystery Journal helping?

We're taking a very important steps in helping our beloved cozy mysteries. We're super excited for this new project!

The Endangered Cozies Project!

Starting tomorrow we will be featuring a new series every day, along with a great giveaway. Each series will be a series that has been either cancelled or is on the danger list to be cancelled. For each series we will be hosting a giveaway for one or more books in this series. We are giving readers the chance to try first hand these awesome cozy mystery series, that we believe should still be continuing and on the shelves for all readers!

If you win a book in our Endangered Cozies Project, please consider reviewing it and posting your review on Amazon and/or Goodreads.

Head over to our blog tomorrow to find out about the first Endangered Cozy on our list!

So readers will you take the pledge to save our cozies?

Giveaway: Dark Chocolate Demise by Jenn McKinlay

Today we're giving away a copy of Dark Chocolate Demise by Jenn McKinlay:

Scottsdale, Arizona, may not be the liveliest place on earth, but it’s never been as dead as this. Hundreds of fans have gathered together for the first annual Old Town Zombie Walk, and Mel, Angie, and the Fairy Tale Cupcake crew are donning their best undead attire to sell some horror-themed desserts to the hungry hordes.

But the fun turns to fright when Mel finds a real dead body in a prop casket outside of the bakery’s truck—and the corpse looks alarmingly like a zombie of their own. Knowing that Joe, Angie’s brother and Mel’s former flame, has been working on a dangerous mob case, Mel worries that the murder is a hit gone wrong and that someone near and dear was the real target. To keep any of her friends from winding up six feet under, Mel will do whatever it takes to find a killer—no matter how scary things get...[Summary via Amazon]

Check out our review here.
Check out all of Jenn McKinlay's books of Amazon.

To enter:
1. Giveaway is for ONE paperback of Dark Chocolate Demise.
2. Complete the ENTRY FORM.
3. Giveaway is open to residents of US/Canada and closes on Thursday March 31, 2016.
4. Winners will be emailed and announced on the blog sidebar.

Audiobook Review: Dishing the Dirt by M.C. Beaton

A therapist had moved into the village of Carsely and Agatha Raisin hates her. Not only was this therapist, Jill Davent, romancing Agatha's ex-husband, but she had dug up details of Agatha's slum background.

Added to that, Jill was counselling a woman called Gwen Simple from Winter Parva and Agatha firmly believed Gwen to have assisted her son in some grisly murders, although has no proof she had done so.

A resentment is different from a dislike and needs to be shared, so as the friendship between James and Jill grows stronger, the more Agatha does to try to find out all she can about her. When Jill is found strangled to death in her office two days' later, Agatha finds herself under suspicion - and must fight to clear her name.[summary via Goodreads]

I'm a huge fan of Agatha's [mis]adventures and I enjoyed watching Agatha try to untangle another mystery. This time it is the death of a therapist, one who seemed to be out to dig up the dirt on Agatha! What follows was many more murders and Agatha trying to find the real killer!

James was somewhat absent from this adventure and for that I'm glad. I much prefer Charles and Agatha pairing up to solve the crimes!! In my heart of hearts I'm still hoping that Charles and Agatha will end up together.

While I much prefer Penelope Keith to narrate I did slowly get used to Alison Larkin narrating. To me Penelope will always be the voice of "Agatha" but Alison has become a second choice. I do hold up the hope that one day Penelope will go back to narrating these books.

I enjoyed this latest installment and I know it will be a slow 11 months as I eagerly anticipate the next book.

Title Information:
Dishing the Dirt by M.C. Beaton

Book #26 of Agatha Raisin Mysteries

Published by Blackstone Audio/Minotaur Books

Purchase Dishing the Dirt at Amazon.

Book Review: Dark Chocolate Demise by Jenn McKinlay

Scottsdale, Arizona, may not be the liveliest place on earth, but it’s never been as dead as this. Hundreds of fans have gathered together for the first annual Old Town Zombie Walk, and Mel, Angie, and the Fairy Tale Cupcake crew are donning their best undead attire to sell some horror-themed desserts to the hungry hordes.
But the fun turns to fright when Mel finds a real dead body in a prop casket outside of the bakery’s truck—and the corpse looks alarmingly like a zombie of their own. Knowing that Joe, Angie’s brother and Mel’s former flame, has been working on a dangerous mob case, Mel worries that the murder is a hit gone wrong and that someone near and dear was the real target. To keep any of her friends from winding up six feet under, Mel will do whatever it takes to find a killer—no matter how scary things get...[Summary via Amazon]

The Fairy Tale Cupcake crew are concocting delicious new flavours and causing a new batch of trouble in Jenn McKinlay's latest mystery, Dark Chocolate Demise.

It's been a while since I took a trip to Scottsdale, Arizona, to visit with Angie, Mel and Tate at Fairy Tale Cupcakes. Within the first couple of sentences I felt myself hanging onto the edge of my seat, as Jenn McKinlay throws the reader right into the action at the first annual Old Town Zombie Walk. The walk turns into a frightful experience when a zombie bride turns up dead in a coffin, that has been set up near their cupcake display! The girls throw themselves into the mystery, as they try to uncover secrets and find themselves getting tangled up with the mob!

The storyline in Dark Chocolate Demise, while it could be read as a standalone, follows closely the events at the end of Sugar and Iced, and I was very much looking forward to reading what was going to happen to our favourite cupcake bakers next! I wasn't disappointed, as the story unfolded and was as action-packed as I was hoping!! Angie's numerous brothers make lots of appearances in this story, and it was a laugh a minute watching them trying to keep track of Mel and Angie, and protect them!!

Dark Chocolate Demise was another fantastic book in this series, and in my opinion, the best one yet! Jenn McKinlay writes smart mysteries that leave the readers guessing right to the end, with the perfect dose of humor and romance thrown in! I would even say that she has concocted the perfect recipe for a cozy mystery. And, just like the cupcakes in her mysteries, they always leave the reader happy and satisfied!

If you haven't checked out the Cupcake Bakery Mysteries yet and enjoy culinary cozy mysteries, I highly recommend giving this series a go!

Title Information:
Dark Chocolate Demise by Jenn McKinlay
Book #7 of Cupcake Bakery Mysteries
Published by Berkley/Penguin
Purchase Dark Chocolate Demise at Amazon.

Giveaway: A Bird in the Hand and When the Cat's Away (Proverbial Crimes) by Dane McCaslin

Today we are featuring one of my newest and favourite series, the Proverbial Crimes books by Dane McCaslin. About A Bird in the Hand:

Take two British expats, transplant them to upstate New York where the local HOA is worshipped and neighbors spy on each other for fun, and you have the makings of murder gone amok.

Caro Layton-Browning, an accomplished writer of mysteries, never imagined she would unwittingly stumble into a series of real-life murders good enough to be in her own books. But when the Cat Lady next door, who Caro is convinced is out to make life miserable for her, is found dead among her feline collection, Caro finds herself in trouble far more dangerous than her neighborhood HOA has ever dished out before. Suddenly she and her professor hubby, Gregory, find themselves on the trail of a murderer far more sinister than Caro's imagination could conjure up.

As the bodies begin to pile up in picturesque Seneca Meadows, Caro sees the possibility of a plot for her newest book, and the killer sees someone who needs to be moved out of the way…permanently.[summary via Goodreads]

Check out A Bird in the Hand on Amazon. Add A Bird in the Hand onto your Goodreads shelf.

A Bird in the Hand was one of my favourite new series in 2015 and I can't wait to see where Dane has taken this series in her new mystery, When the Cat's Away, which is out now:

Mystery writer Caro Layton-Browning has a bad case of writer's block and boredom—a very dangerous combination. Looking for something to distract her, she pays a visit to her newest neighbor, Meredith Holmes, the proprietor of a kitschy bookstore called Murder by the Book. When Meredith confides in Caro concerning an on-going battle with the president of the Seneca Meadows Chamber of Commerce, Caro jumps at the chance to liven things up a bit. Vowing to give "the dragon lady," Lucia Scarantelli, a piece of her mind, Caro takes Meredith downtown to confront the issue head-on.

Apparently someone else had the same idea. When Caro literally stumbles over the body of a very dead Lucia, she becomes determined to find out who did it—before hubby, Gregory, returns from a business trip to England. Teaming up with Meredith, Caro starts an investigation that uncovers a stolen goods ring which stretches from New York City to Seneca Meadows. With just enough information to make her a threat to the bad guys, Caro begins to worry that this could be her last case...and possibly the end of her life.[summary via Goodreads]

Check out When the Cats Away on Amazon. Add When the Cat's Away onto your Goodreads shelf.

Visit Dane McCaslin at her website | Facebook.

GIVEAWAY:

Today we have a fabulous giveaway donated by Dane McCaslin. She is giving readers a chance to win a fantastic prize package that includes both books, and a Caro's treats packages that includes an assortments of sweets and teas!!
To enter:
1. Complete THE FORM.
2. Giveaway is open to residents of US only.
3. Giveaway ends on March 28, 2016 and the winner will be contacted by email and announced on the blog sidebar.

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.