Blurb: Flora has spent her entire life hiding in the trees and ignoring the cursed, poisonous larkspur growing from her ankle and eating away at her life. She lets her anxiety and fear control her, but fate forces her hand when her adopted mother is kidnapped by a cruel witch. The only way to save her is to find the magic shards of her family’s amulet scattered throughout her land. With no time to waste, Flora sets out with her best friend, and along the way they meet a darkly intriguing stranger. But Flora is running out of time and can’t succumb to distractions. If she trusts the wrong person or lets her anxiety win, Flora risks losing more than just her mother …

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Author bio:

Aleighsha Parke is an avid reader who first fell in love with storytelling as a young child. Young Adult Fantasy and Sci-Fi are her first loves and the two genres she enjoys reading and writing in the most, however, she is interested in dabbling in horror and mystery/thrillers. When she’s not reading hundreds of books a year or writing new stories with flawed characters and magical worlds, she crochets in her free time and works in a library so she’s always surrounded by books and stories.

The Age of Larkspur is her debut novel.

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Giveaway and promo: I have a pre-order campaign where people can submit their receipts and receive a bookmark, signed bookplate, art print, and stickers as well as a Goodreads giveaway going live August 1st and running until August 29th. I also have the ARC up on Netgalley and Booksirens until September.

When photographer Autumn Season lands the job of official photographer at the prestigious Aloha Lagoon Resort, she’s ecstatic. But a lively luau suddenly turns deadly, and Autumn realizes she may have accidentally snapped a picture of a murder in progress! Now the killer will go to any lengths to protect his (or her) identity, and Autumn is clearly in their sights. With the help of her best friend, super hottie, and head of the Aloha Lagoon Resort Security, Jimmy Toki, Autumn sets out to find the killer’s identity before the killer finds her. What do stolen camera equipment, a bossy busty blonde, and a group of jealous surfers have to do with it all? Autumn isn’t sure, but when another luau ends in another body, Aloha Lagoon might be headed for infamy instead of fame. If Autumn doesn’t get to the bottom of it all soon, she may just be the next victim to wipe out!

Thoughts: This is a good addition to the series (Aloha Lagoon Mysteries). The nice thing is, you don’t have to have read the others in the series to know what’s going on. Each one stands alone. And yes, some characters may cross over, but there’s not one central character that carries the entire series.

In this one, Autumn Season (LOL on her name!) is a photographer who is hired to take pictures at a luau at the local resort where her best friend, Jimmy Toki is head of security. When a murder occurs at the luau and her camera is stolen, Autumn (aka Red because of her red hair) becomes a target.

There’s a lot going on in this story – drugs, smuggling, murder, and more. And there are a lot of suspects. But when someone tries several times to kill Red, Jimmy has her back. So there is a bit of a romance in with the mystery here. And a HEA that satisfies both the romantic part and the whodunnit. Plus, it’s set on the island of Kauai, so beautiful scenery to go along with the action.

Recommended.

Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. All thoughts and opinions are my own and are not influenced or solicited by anyone.

Mermaid Swimwear President Holly Schlivnik discovers the Bainbridge Department Store Easter Bunny slumped over dead and obnoxious swimwear buyer Sue Ellen Magee is arrested for the crime. Despite her differences with the nasty buyer, Holly is convinced the Queen of Mean didn’t do it. The wise-cracking, irreverent amateur sleuth jumps into action to nail the real killer. But the trail has more twists than a pretzel and more turns than a rollercoaster. And nothing turns out the way Holly thinks it will as she tangles with a clever killer hellbent on revenge.

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Named Best US Author of the Year by N. N. Lights Book Heaven, award-winning cozy mystery author Susie Black was born in the Big Apple, but now calls sunny Southern California home. Like the protagonist in her Holly Swimsuit Mystery Series, Susie is a successful apparel sales executive. Susie began telling stories as soon as she learned to talk. Now she’s telling all the stories from her garment industry experiences in humorous mysteries.
She reads, writes, and speaks Spanish, albeit with an accent that sounds like Mildred from Michigan went on a Mexican vacation and is trying to fit in with the locals. Since life without pizza and ice cream as her core food groups wouldn’t be worth living, she’s a dedicated walker to keep her girlish figure. A voracious reader, she’s also an avid stamp collector. Susie lives with a highly intelligent man and has one incredibly brainy but smart-aleck adult son who inexplicably blames his sarcasm on an inherited genetic defect.

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This is the beginning of Suicide Prevention Month.

I lost a good friend this year to this awful thing. I have friends and relatives who have lost others for the same reason. This is not a solution. Please. If you need help, reach out and ask for it. There are a lot of places that are available.

From NAMI.org: Suicidal thoughts, much like mental health conditions, can affect anyone regardless of age, gender or background. Suicidal thoughts, although common, should not be considered normal and often indicate more serious issues.

In the US, If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org to reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.

Go to: Nami.org (National alliance on mental illness) for information. There are also a lot of other places to find help online. Just google “suicide prevention” and you’ll see them.

Please don’t let another family go through this agony. And it is agony for the ones left behind. There is help. Don’t be afraid. Help is out there. For you. For your loved ones.

Please.

Kelly Jo Sweeney grew up in England before moving to New Zealand where she lived for 15 years with her kiwi husband and four wonderful children. An avid reader from an early age, crime novels have long been a favourite. She always likes to work out whodunnit before the big reveal and writing her own novels means that there’s at least one that she’ll always get right. Her debut novel is set in and inspired by the unique scenery of New Zealand, infusing her stories with a wonderful sense of place and atmosphere.

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THE BODY AT BACK BEACH by KJ Sweeney

Blurb: Helena Statham never imagined herself as a sleuth. But when she stumbles upon the body of a young woman while on a walk, she can’t resist the urge to discover who she was and how she got there. Even if it means upsetting the tight-knit community of the small New Zealand town she lives in, and uncovering secrets that have long been buried. Thirty years ago, a young woman went missing, but no one tried to find out what had happened to her. As Helena investigates deeper, she learns more about what took place back then, putting herself in danger now. Join Helena on her journey as she becomes an unlikely amateur detective, determined to uncover the truth and bring justice to the long-forgotten young woman whose story has been buried in silence for far too long.

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SLAY BELLS RING by Nancy Robards Thompson

Fiction, Cozy Mystery, Holiday

4****

Blurb: It’s one thing to write a mystery, but when your daughter is the suspect — you solve it. Wedding planner Jenna Bell doesn’t panic when the groom is a no-show to the ceremony – even though he is her former high school sweetheart and this wedding is the small town’s event of the year. However, when he turns up dead and she is falsely accused… well, yeah, now it’s the time to panic. Jenna’s mother, Maddie, puts her cozy mystery writing skills to use to try to clear her daughter’s name, stepping on by-the-book Chief of Police Jackson Bradley’s toes in the process. No matter how enticing he finds her, he doesn’t want this writer-turned-amateur-sleuth interfering with his murder investigation. With nearly all of Hemlock, North Carolina, picking sides and the town’s own Gossip Brigade churning out the rumors, Maddie discovers the mystery isn’t very cozy when it hits this close to home.

Thoughts: I enjoyed this cozy. The characters are realistic and believable, as are their conflicts and issues. Jenna has moved back home and lives in a downstairs apartment with her mother upstairs. Her mom runs a bridal gown business and Jenna runs a wedding planner business. Since the two complement each other, they work out of the same office. They’re working on the biggest society wedding the town has ever seen. 

And then trouble rears its ugly head when the drunk groom shows up at Jenna’s claiming he’s still in love with her (they dated at one time). She takes him home but when he fails to show up for the wedding, she sends her mother and his father to get him – and they find him dead.

There are a lot of suspects and it turns out that the golden boy wasn’t so golden. And Jenna’s mom and the chief of police are in tight with each other since she depends on him for his expertise when she’s writing her book. There’s a lot going on in this book, but it’s a good start to what I know is going to be a decent series. I can foresee interesting things happening for Jenna and her mom Maddie. Note: This story is written in first person from both Maddie and Jenna’s point of view, but the author delineates who is the lead with headings so you know. 

Recommended.

Disclaimer: All opinions in this review are mine and mine alone. I was not coerced or asked to write a review, nor was I influenced by anyone or anything.

DEADLY DYE & A SOY CHAI by Traci Andrighetti & Elizabeth Ashley

Fiction, Cozy Mystery, Danger Cove Mystery Series

4****

Blurb: This salon’s styles are to die for. Native Texan Cassidi Conti was expecting to face some obstacles when she moved to Danger Cove and opened The Clip and Sip, a hair salon that gives away free drinks. What she wasn’t counting on was a client dying during a dye job. But when eighty-year-old Margaret Appleby comes in for her biweekly appointment, that’s exactly what happens: Margaret drinks her usual soy chai, dozes off under the dryer…and doesn’t wake up. Now The Clip and Sip is under suspicion, clients are wary, and Cassidi is on a mission to prove that while her styles may be killer, her employees are innocent! But as Cassidi wades through the myriad of suspects in the small, costal town, the killer sets his sights straight on everyone’s favorite stylist. If Cassidi doesn’t watch her back, she may just end up Danger Cove’s latest fashionable victim.

Review: Don’t mention the word “blue” to Cass, owner of the Clip and Sip salon in her uncle’s Victorian home in Danger Cove. When he was murdered, she became the owner of the building. Her uncle was definitely on the cops “most suspicious” list as he was a suspected source of running drugs and the house was a brothel. Poor Cass and her cousin Gia are trying to make a go of things when one of their customers ends up murdered in the salon. And the fun (NOT) begins.

Cass is a good character for the sleuth, but her cousin Gia is a hoot and a half. They go on the search for clues to who killed their customer, as well as her uncle, and… eventually… a town doctor. But the cops definitely do not like them interfering in the investigation (of course). And Cass even gets suspected of doing the deed. 

The characters are fun and realistic and the town of Danger Cove does live up to its name. This is the second book I’ve read in the series and both were entertaining. 

Recommended.

Disclaimer: all opinions are mine alone and not influenced by anyone or anything. I reviewed this book voluntarily and was not solicited for this review.

MURDER AND MAI TAIS by Sibel Hodge & Elizabeth Ashby

Fiction, Cozy Mystery, Danger Cove Mystery Series

4****

Blurb: Murder is on the menu, and someone’s about to get served. Hope Foster’s motto is to let fate lead you—which it did in her case right to the quiet town of Danger Cove. But when the owner of the Smugglers’ Tavern, where Hope tends bar, is murdered, suddenly fate puts Hope squarely in the role of “prime suspect” in her employer’s murder. Not only is she the last one to see him alive, but a new will also reveals that her employer left his whole estate to Hope instead of his ungrateful daughter Elise and nephew Carter. With the local police convinced Hope is a manipulative “Black Widow” killer, Hope’s peaceful life in Danger Cove is about to turn into a white water ride. Along with a sexy underwater archaeologist from England, in town searching for a lost shipwreck, an international yoga guru, and a reformed alcoholic patron, Hope sets out to prove her innocence. But can Team Hope catch the real killer before she trades in her bartending apron for an orange prison jumpsuit?

Review: This was a really good story. Hope is an unusual character in that she’s never had a stable place to live until now, and then she gets accused of murdering her boss! She and her friends band together to prove that she’s innocent. Meanwhile there’s a hot British underwater archaeologist who captures her eye—and heart. He’s looking for an ancient shipwreck in the area but has only a limited time to do so. 

Favorite parts of the story: the description of Zen the cat (looks like John Lennon only shorter and hairier); the non-relationship between Vernon and Ruby (Hope’s friends); and the ending. Nicely done. 

Things I didn’t care for so much – too many strings left dangling for me. I assume a series is coming and they’ll be tied up there, but it really bothered me that some things were just left hanging. 

Other than that, a really good story.
Recommended. 

All opinions are my own and are not influenced by anyone or anything. I was not required to leave a review.

Blurb: Burdened with her empathic gift, Elizabeth Reilly wants to be free of it and fit in with normal people. Nevertheless, when the spirit of an old man asks for her help, she travels across the country to help him return home. Gio Clemente is still angry with his father who abandoned him as a child. To help the father pass on, Elizabeth must persuade Gio to let go of his anger. Though he resents her intrusion, they are both stunned to find themselves fighting a profound attraction. Elizabeth can accept his headstrong brand of love, but can Gio accept her gift—and believe in her?

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Available through these fine retailers…
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About the author:
Minnesota-based author, Joie Lesin is a life-long fiction writer and the author of The Passenger. She has long been fascinated by anything otherworldly including ghosts. She loves to write a good ghost story—especially when it includes a touch of romance. Originally from Massachusetts, at six years old, Joie moved to her mother’s birthplace, Minnesota. By eight, Joie lost her New England accent, however, it’s gradually returning as the years go by. She grew up in Minneapolis but now resides in St. Paul with her husband and their blended family—which includes a rambunctious grand-corgi. Joie misses the ocean, but she often finds herself walking by one of Minnesota’s many lakes and travels to one of the coasts as often as she can. In fact, she considers California her home away from home. When she’s not writing, reading, or walking, you can find her listening to music. She absolutely loves music—especially live—and songs have sparked most of her story ideas.

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