Month: October 2025

Review: Home Fries and Alibis

HOME FRIES AND ALIBIS by Lena Gregory

Fiction, Cozy Mystery

4****

THOUGHTS:
This is the eighth book in the All-Day Breakfast Café mysteries and has all the usual suspects. Gia and Samantha and Leo and Hunt along with Alfie and his crazy computer skills. I will admit, Alfie is one of my favorite characters.

In this story, Gia has a new neighbor who is downright nasty. When she knocks on Gia’s door, accusing her dog of digging up her yard, Gia loses it. With the help of Alfie, she sets out to prove that it is not Thor that is doing the digging. But what they uncover is murder. And Gia is the main suspect.

The friends come together to find out who killed the nasty woman and in doing so, uncover some hidden nastiness in their town. Blackmail, embezzlement, cheating, and more are discovered in their search, but it is Alfie’s skills that finally help Gia solve the mystery – but not before her own life is endangered.

I love the characters the author has created and the small-town vibe. I want to go sit at the diner and have some sweet potato hash. I love that Gia gets to experiment with new recipes that sound so good that I want to try them. I also really liked the ending and can’t wait to read the next one in the series.

Recommended.

Disclosure of Material: I received a final and/or advanced reader copy of this book with the hope that I will leave my unbiased opinion. I was not required to leave a review, positive or otherwise, and my opinions are just that… My Opinions. I am posting this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising” Thank you to the author, Beyond the Page Publishing, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC.

BLURB: When a belligerent woman moves in across the street, café owner Gia Morelli has to call off the welcome wagon and call in the homicide squad . . . hen a nasty new neighbor moves into their peaceful community, Gia and everyone else in the neighborhood is ready to blow a fuse. The spiteful woman has quickly made a nuisance of herself, complaining to and about everyone there. Then she makes the grave mistake of falsely claiming Gia’s dog tore up her yard, and Gia goes ballistic, telling the woman to back off . . . or else. It was an impulsive move for Gia, but someone else decides an even more extreme approach is called for, and silences the woman—permanently. Unnerved by the thought of a murderer living in her neighborhood, Gia begins digging into the victim’s life to figure out who would have wanted her dead. She soon discovers that the woman was not only malicious but was blackmailing people in the community. Even more surprising is that nearly everyone in the neighborhood has something to hide. Dead-set on rooting out the culprit, Gia has to determine who stood to lose the most if their secret was revealed, unaware that she’s perilously close to losing her own life . . .

Review: Unholy

UNHOLY by Kathryn Amurra

Fiction, Paranormal Romance, Vampire

4****

THOUGHTS: This was a different type of vampire story. First of all, it’s really clean and sweet. Yes, Thomas is a vampire and drinks blood – but it’s not graphic or nightmare-ish. Nor does he kill (anymore). When he meets Beth, his undead life starts to change. He starts to remember his real life. He starts to…want something different than what he has. And that could be dangerous to both of them. Beth is in her last semester at college. She has a boyfriend who wants more from her than she is willing to give. When she meets Thomas, at first, she’s afraid of him, but then, she comes to find him irresistible. She breaks up with her boyfriend and, as the weeks go by, she comes to desire more from Thomas. Finding out the truth about Thomas brings her into danger, but not from Thomas–from the vampire hunter after him. But Beth believes in him. And in the amulet that might grant them a wish.

I generally do not like vampire stories, but I did like this one. As pointed out, it is sweet (sex is behind closed doors) and the conflict between the characters is well-done without being over-the-top. I loved how Thomas dealt with the ex-boyfriend. And with the hunter. And I absolutely loved the ending! The only thing I’m missing, I wished I knew what she got on her final project grade! LOL

Recommended.

BLURB: In her last semester of college, Beth D’Angelo has one goal—to get her thermodynamics experiment to work so she can graduate. But everything changes when she nearly runs over a mysterious stranger with her car—a man whose hauntingly handsome face fills her with an inexplicable sense of dread. Suddenly, her failed experiment becomes the least of her worries. Strong, alluring, and centuries-old, Thomas Callahan is a vampire whose powers are as dangerous as his secrets. After Beth nearly runs him over, her sweet nature and innate fear of him become an irresistible challenge—to corrupt her innocence. As they spend more time together, Beth’s fear dissipates and becomes something Thomas finds himself craving more than blood. Knowing it is only a matter of time before she discovers what he truly is, and with two hunters on his trail seeking vengeance, Thomas must decide if loving Beth is worth risking both their lives.