ARC Review: In Peppermint Peril by Joy Avon

In Peppermint Peril
Author: Joy Avon
Series: A Book Tea Shop Mystery (Book 1)
Publication: Crooked Lane Books (November 13, 2018)

Description: In the run-up to Christmas Eve, organizer of book-themed tea parties Callie Aspen and her lovable Boston terrier will have to conquer threefold trouble―a mysterious will, a missing heirloom and a dead body―to restore the festive spirit to their small town.

This Christmas, Callie Aspen returns to her childhood hideout Heart's Harbor, Maine where her great aunt runs Book Tea, a vintage tearoom where every sweet treat contains a bookish clue. Upon arrival in the fairy-tale snowy town, Callie is drawn into the preparations for a special tea party at Haywood Hall, the rambling house of Heart's Harbor's oldest resident, rich but lonely widow Dorothea Finster, who invited her estranged relatives, old friends and the elite of the town to make a mysterious announcement about her will.

Believing they can touch a part of her fortune, everybody is determined to come, despite not liking each other or even their hostess. And Callie's old friend Sheila complicates things by using the tea party to announce her daughter's engagement, even though her daughter isn't sure she's in love with the young lawyer her mother thinks so perfect for her.

Catering to people who each have their own agenda isn't easy for the Book Tea crew, especially once the valuable engagement ring goes missing and a dead body turns up in the conservatory. Can Callie and her great aunt use their love of clues to dig into the crimes and show their unhappy hostess and squabbling guests the true Christmas spirit?

My Thoughts: Callie Aspen, who spends most of her time as tour guide in Europe, is back home in Heart's Harbor, Maine, spending the Christmas season with her great aunt and the vintage tea room she runs. She is helping her aunt cater a tea at Haywood Hall which is owned by Dorothea Finster. Callie spent a lot of time there when she was a child. She even had a crush on Stephen Du Bouvrais who is presumed to be Dorothea's heir. But Stephen married another friend - Sheila- and they haven't seen each other for years.

Dorothea has gathered quite a crew to hear the reading of her will. The mayor and his wife are there hoping from funding to improve the town. The leader of the town council is also there hoping for money for his pet projects. A new school teacher was also invited and she hopes for some funds to improve the school. Sheila and Stephen, along with their daughter Amber, are also staying with Dorothea. Ben, Dorothea's lawyer and Amber's boyfriend, is also at the party. Also in the house are the housekeeper - Mrs. Keats - and the gardener Mr. Leadenby who used to tell the kids wonderful stories.

Sheila has her own agenda for the tea party. She wants to use the occasion to "encourage" Ben to propose to Amber by hiding a valuable family ring in the cake. Callie's aunt is in on the plan and creates a hollow in the cake that will be filled with the ring. But things don't go at all as Sheila hopes. The ring box is empty and Amber doesn't want to marry Ben. She is much more interested in a young man who is a handyman in town. Amber runs from the room and the next thing we hear is her scream. She's found Leadenby dead from a stab wound in his conservatory.

The murder case falls into the hands of Deputy Falk but Callie isn't going to step aside. The investigation was nicely twisty since many of the people at the party had reasons to kill Leadenby and others are willing to lie to protect others at the party. Callie and Falk have a difficult time untangling all the stories.

This was a nice small town mystery. The characters were interesting. I liked Callie and empathized with her difficult decision about continuing her life as it is or trying something new in a town that feels like home. I liked that she was worried about the dog she adopted after its owner's death. She wanted to find Daisy a good home but knew it would be hard to leave her behind.

The one thing this cozy was missing was recipes. I would love to have recipes for some of the treats Aunt Iphigeneia makes in her Tea Room.

Favorite Quote:

"She wants this Agatha Christie vibe: the big gathering, the denouement. Not of a murderer, fortunately, but of the lucky person who will take home part of her fortune."

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.

ARC Review: Fatal Festival Days by Jamie M. Blair

Fatal Festival Days
Author: Jamie M. Blair
Series: A Dog Days Mystery
Publication: Midnight Ink (November 8, 2018)

Description: It's a dog's life for Cameron when a killer threatens the Winter Festival fun

Planning activities for the Winter Festival in Metamora, Indiana, is hard work for Cameron Cripps-Hayman. Not only is she organizing dog sledding, ice sculpting, and downhill skiing events, but she's also dealing with angry protesters and a missing mascot. The last thing she needs is another mystery to solve. And yet, that's what she gets.

After a greedy landowner is found dead on top of a ski hill, Cameron scrambles to keep the reindeer games running. Then the festival's former-Olympian host is also found dead. Cameron gets the Metamora Action Agency together to investigate, but proving the victims were both murdered—and catching the killer—will take a miracle on ice.

My Thoughts: Cameron Cripps-Hayman is planning the Winter Festival in Metamora, Indiana, and waiting for something bad to happen. She says she's a pessimist, but experience has proven her right more than once. When Clayton, the man who is letting them use his land for the ski races, is found dead on the top of the hill, Cameron has to find the killer in order to save the festival. She has many suspects including a Native American group unhappy that his "ski hill" is a sacred mound. Clayton was a wheeler-dealer who made some other enemies in town too.

Before she can even get very far into her investigation, there's another death. David, the former Olympian who is the guest of honor at the festivities, is found dead stabbed by an ice pick from the ice sculpture competition.

Main characters in this one beyond Cameron are her sister Monica who has a business baking dog treats - which is useful because Cameron seems to have five rescue dogs of her own; Cameron's somewhat estranged husband Ben who is the local police officer; Cameron's Action Agency which consists of two high school seniors and two senior citizens. Throw in Clayton's family and some of his friends, Monica's dog trainer boyfriend, Ben's parents, and you have a book filled with bunches and bunches of characters.

This is the third book in a series but the first I have read. I had many, many questions as I was reading and had a hard time keeping track of the characters. I am assuming that reading the previous books would have helped keep the characters straight and answered some of my questions.

This was an entertaining mystery, but I would recommend reading the first two books before reading this one.

Favorite Quote:

I tried not to be a pessimist, but there's always a kink in the hose. When there wasn't, I walked around waiting for the sky to fall on my head. If something bad would just happen, I could get past it and not look for it. It wouldn't be the specter on the horizon.

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from Midnight Ink. You can buy your copy here.

First Paragraph/Teaser Tuesday: In Peppermint Peril by Joy Avon

Every Tuesday Diane at Bibliophile by the Sea posted the first paragraph of a book she is reading or planning to read. In 2018, Vicki from I'd Rather Be at the Beach is taking over this meme.

Here's mine:

The road ahead had as much frosting as the triple-tiered cake in the back of her station wagon, and delivery to Haywood Hall could be tricky.

Link up here. It is very easy to play along:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers! Everyone loves Teaser Tuesday.

Here's mine:

"She wants this Agatha Christie vibe: the big gathering, the denouement. Not of a murderer, fortunately, but of the lucky person who will take home part of her fortune."

The week I am spotlighting In Peppermint Peril by Joy Avon from my Review stack. Here is the description from Amazon:

In the run-up to Christmas Eve, organizer of book-themed tea parties Callie Aspen and her lovable Boston terrier will have to conquer threefold trouble―a mysterious will, a missing heirloom and a dead body―to restore the festive spirit to their small town.

This Christmas, Callie Aspen returns to her childhood hideout Heart's Harbor, Maine where her great aunt runs Book Tea, a vintage tearoom where every sweet treat contains a bookish clue. Upon arrival in the fairy-tale snowy town, Callie is drawn into the preparations for a special tea party at Haywood Hall, the rambling house of Heart's Harbor's oldest resident, rich but lonely widow Dorothea Finster, who invited her estranged relatives, old friends and the elite of the town to make a mysterious announcement about her will.

Believing they can touch a part of her fortune, everybody is determined to come, despite not liking each other or even their hostess. And Callie's old friend Sheila complicates things by using the tea party to announce her daughter's engagement, even though her daughter isn't sure she's in love with the young lawyer her mother thinks so perfect for her.

Catering to people who each have their own agenda isn't easy for the Book Tea crew, especially once the valuable engagement ring goes missing and a dead body turns up in the conservatory. Can Callie and her great aunt use their love of clues to dig into the crimes and show their unhappy hostess and squabbling guests the true Christmas spirit?

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (Nov. 12, 2018)

It's Monday, What Are You Reading? is now hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date.

It’s Monday!  What Are You Reading is where we gather to share what we have read this past week and what we plan to read this week.  It is a great way to network with other bloggers, see some wonderful blogs, and put new titles on your reading list.

I will be combining my YA and adult reading and purchases on this one weekly roundup. YA and middle grade reviews will still be posted on  Ms. Martin Teaches Media - my other blog.

Other Than Reading...

Winter weather arrived in Duluth this week. We had snow on Thursday (but it was gone by Friday), Friday (and it is still lingering), and more is predicted for Saturday night into Sunday. None of it was bad enough to keep me from getting out to Curves and exercising. Though I didn't wander the grocery store to get extra steps after Curves on Friday since it was snowing pretty hard when I finished up and I wanted to get home before I'd have to scrape the windows - even though my snowbrush/scraper was already in the car.

I'm still bummed out by how early it gets dark each day. I really like daylight! I have been trying to find new things to watch on television now that the baseball season is over but mostly just watch Food Network, The Cooking Channel, HGTV, and the DIY Network besides The Voice. I know Midnight Texas has begun again and I should go to my On Demand and catch up on the episodes I've already missed. 

Read Last Week

If you can't wait until the review shows up on my blog, reviews are posted to LibraryThing and Goodreads as soon as I write them (usually right after I finish reading a book.)

• Fire & Heist by Sarah Beth Durst (YA review; Dec. 4). My review will be posted on Nov. 28.
• Sadie by Courtney Summers (YA TBR mountain) My review will be posted on Nov. 16.
• A Moment in Crime by Amanda Allen (Review stack; Dec. 11) My review will be posted on Dec. 8.

• Diamond Fire by Ilona Andrews - New arrival of pre-ordered novella. I reviewed this one on LibraryThing and Goodreads.
• Bitten by Noelle Marie (YA TBR mountain since May 8, 2018. This free Kindle story was a YA werewolf story. My review will be posted on Nov. 19.
• Serpentine by Laurell K. Hamilton - (TBR mountain). Latest in the Anita Blake series. My review will be posted on Nov. 24.

Currently

The Girl with the Dragon Heart by Stephanie Burgis is a middle grade fantasy.

Next Week

• Shutdown by Heather Anastasiu (YA TBR mountain & finishes a trilogy)
• Murder on Black Swan Lane by Andrea Penrose (TBR mountain; historical mystery)
• Tsumiko and the Enslaved Fox by Forthright (TBR mountain; urban fantasy)

• Weather Witch by Shannon Delany (YA TBR mountain)
• Wonder Woman: Warbringer by Leigh Bardugo (YA TBR mountain
• Shades of Wicked by Jeaniene Frost (TBR mountain)

Reviews Posted

On Inside of a Dog:

• SEAL's Honor by Megan Crane
• A Scandal in Scarlet by Vicki Delany

• Those Who Go By Night by Andrew Gaddes
• A Vintage Death by Mary Ellen Hughes

On Ms. Martin Teaches Media:

• Hiding Lies by Julie Cross
• The Lying Woods by Ashley Elston
• Not If I Save You First by Ally Carter

Want to See What I Added to My Stack Last Week?

TBR Mountain:

• The Girl with the Dragon Heart by Stephanie Burgis
• Diamond Fire by Ilona Andrews

Review:

• One Tough Cowboy by Lora Leigh and Veronica Chadwick (Jan. 29)
• The Military Wife by Laura Trentham (Feb. 5)

• Say You're Sorry by Karen Rose (Feb. 12)
• A Merciful Fate by Kendra Elliot (Jan. 15)

What was your week like?

ARC Review: Those Who Go By Night by Andrew Gaddes

Those Who Go By Night
Author: Andrew Gaddes
Publication: Crooked Lane Books (November 13, 2018)

Description: A gruesome murder in a sleepy 14th-century English village sets the stage for a taut drama laced with witchcraft, depravity, and long-buried secrets.

England, 1324―a land rife with superstition and gripped by fear of the Church’s holy wrath. When a beggar is murdered in the quiet village of Bottesford, his body draped across the altar of St. Mary’s church in a perverse pose of pagan sacrifice, the Pope’s Inquisitor General places the small hamlet in his sights.

Anxious to stave off the Inquisition, the Bishop of Lincoln dispatches Thomas Lester, son of a disgraced Templar Knight, to investigate―but the Archbishop’s fanatical emissary has already arrived to conduct his own inquiry. Thomas’s investigation uncovers a viper’s nest of perfidious players: the secretive wife of the local lord, a notorious Irishwoman accused of witchcraft, and a depraved assassin who has left a trail of murder and blackmail in his wake. As this sordid drama unfolds, Thomas finds himself falling in love with a woman whose beauty is matched only by her defiance of the Church’s fearsome power.

Is the killer poised to strike again? Will the Inquisition bring its hammer down on the hapless hamlet? And could there be a real witch hiding in plain sight? The race is on to conjure the truth.

My Thoughts: This historical mystery takes place in Bottesford in 1324. England is ruled by Edward II who has given much of his power to corrupt favorites. Superstition is common and the Inquisition would like a foothold in England. When a man is found dead on the altar of the local church, the Bishop of Lincolnshire sends in Thomas Lester to try to find out who killed him and find a way to keep the out of his area.

Thomas arrives after Friar Justus, a Dominican who is looking for heresy and who is more than willing to use torture to force "confessions" so that he can bring in the Inquisition. The local lord definitely wants to keep the crime local and nonsecular so that he doesn't draw any attention to his lands. He managed to remain neutral in the building conflict and would like to keep it that way.  However, he is not a well man and doesn't have much choice but to cave under Justus's pressure.

Friar Justus finds "crimes" wherever he looks. He is suspicious of the recent death of the parish priest who was known to have a bad heart. When the local miller is found hanging, he is sure that is more of the devil's work. Thomas is more convinced that there are rational explanations for the deaths though he isn't able to identify the killer or the motive.

The strongest part of this mystery concerned the women characters. The lord of the manor's daughter Cecily becomes Thomas's love interest as he ponders the advantages of marrying her. The lord of the manor's strange second wife Isabelle is definitely a suspicious character. Lady Cecily's maid Hunydd has her own secrets. There is also the convicted witch Dame Alice who has fled from Ireland and is hiding in a cottage in the woods.

All of the women have secrets that play into the mystery. We know that one of them is a practicing witch but it is quite late in the story before we find out which one it is. Meanwhile, a couple of the others are herbalists quite familiar with poisons.

This was an entertaining mystery which makes me extremely happy to live in the century I do. The roles of women at the time are well described and rather appalling.

Favorite Quote:

Justus threw his hands into the air and lifted his face to the heavens. "Oh, Lord, send fire, send lightning, let the earth open and swallow her."

Alice paused and looked about, turning her face first to one side and then the other.

"Shall we give Him a moment or two?" she asked in a perversely reasonable manner.

She lifted the hem of her shift and stamped on the ground. "No, nothing, I'm afraid."

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.

Friday Memes: Those Who Go By Night by Andrew Geddes

Happy Friday everybody!

Book Beginnings on Friday is now hosted by Rose City Reader. The Friday 56 is hosted at Freda's Voice. Check out the links above for the rules and for the posts of the participants each week. Don’t dig for your favorite book, the coolest, the most intellectual. Use the CLOSEST.

Beginning:

Nothing quite ages a man like penury, unless perhaps it is disappointment.

Friday 56:

Thomas dropped to his knees and began to ease aside the tangle of twigs and foliage. He wanted to drag them off her, to tear them away, but something told him to be gentle.

This week I am spotlighting Those Who Go By Night by Andrew Gaddes - a historical mystery from my review stack. Here is the description from Amazon:

A gruesome murder in a sleepy 14th-century English village sets the stage for a taut drama laced with witchcraft, depravity, and long-buried secrets.

England, 1324―a land rife with superstition and gripped by fear of the Church’s holy wrath. When a beggar is murdered in the quiet village of Bottesford, his body draped across the altar of St. Mary’s church in a perverse pose of pagan sacrifice, the Pope’s Inquisitor General places the small hamlet in his sights.

Anxious to stave off the Inquisition, the Bishop of Lincoln dispatches Thomas Lester, son of a disgraced Templar Knight, to investigate―but the Archbishop’s fanatical emissary has already arrived to conduct his own inquiry. Thomas’s investigation uncovers a viper’s nest of perfidious players: the secretive wife of the local lord, a notorious Irishwoman accused of witchcraft, and a depraved assassin who has left a trail of murder and blackmail in his wake. As this sordid drama unfolds, Thomas finds himself falling in love with a woman whose beauty is matched only by her defiance of the Church’s fearsome power.

Is the killer poised to strike again? Will the Inquisition bring its hammer down on the hapless hamlet? And could there be a real witch hiding in plain sight? The race is on to conjure the truth.

ARC Review: A Vintage Death by Mary Ellen Hughes

A Vintage Death
Author: Mary Ellen Hughes
Series: A Keepsake Cove Mystery
Publication: Midnight Ink (November 8, 2018)

Description: Callie Reed has put together a special event, but a killer is ripping it apart at the seams

As the new owner of a music box store in Keepsake Cove, a quaint town full of collectible shops on Maryland's Eastern Shore, Callie Reed is eager to get more involved in her community. So she volunteers to plan the fall street decorations and welcome a visiting author who's come for a special book signing. But the celebratory mood is cut short when the local B&B owner is found dead, killed with a pair of vintage scissors.

Suspicion is cast on the victim's estranged wife, Dorothy, who owns Keepsake Cove's vintage sewing shop. Callie is sure Dorothy is innocent, and the visiting author agrees. Together, they begin their own investigation, only to discover that many people in Keepsake Cove have secrets. Secrets that are worth killing to keep.

My Thoughts: Callie Reed is just getting used to being the owner of her late aunt' shop which sells music boxes. Her shop is in an area filled with other shops selling collectibles. She wants to get involved in the community and volunteers to plan the fall decorations and organize an event for a visiting author.

Author Lyssa Hammond is staying at the local B & B while her home is being remodeled. The whole event is almost derailed when the owner of the B&B, and the estranged husband of one of Callie's fellow shop owners, is found stabbed in the park with a pair of antique scissors from his wife Dorothy's Stitches Thru Time shop.

Dorothy immediately falls under suspicion despite the alibi given by her cousin Jane and Callie and Lyssa begin to investigate. They learn all sorts of secrets about Callie's fellow shopkeepers and they quickly learn that Dorothy's estranged husband Cliff was quite a shady character. Someone doesn't like that Callie and Lyssa are getting close and begins trying to sabotage Lyssa's book signing by cancelling the order for the books that will be sold and setting the decorative hayrack at the venue on fire.

When another store owner is found stabbed to death in the same park as Cliff after arguing with Dorothy and trying to trash her reputation, things don't look good for Dorothy and the challenge is even bigger for Callie and Lyssa.

This was a fun cozy. While I have my doubts that shops as specialized as those in Keepsake Cove would be economically viable, I liked the concept of a group of specialty shops that are a tourist destination. I can see the possibility for lots of stories there. Callie was also an interesting character. I liked the paranormal twist of the music box that might be giving Callie clues and encouragement.

Favorite Quote:

Renata Moore nodded vigorously. "Crazy busy. We did a total redo of the shop over the summer. I mean total! New shelving and paint, which meant shifting the stock constantly."

"Which fell to me, of course, since somebody's back was acting up like it always seems to at certain times." Jerry grinned lopsidedly, apparently trying for humor but failing.

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from Midnight Ink. You can buy your copy here.