Tag Archives: mysteries

Shifting and Shenanigans by Elizabeth Pantley

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Shifting and Shenanigans by Elizabeth Pantley – a Review

 

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Description:
Paige and her adventurous Aunt Glo inherit a country inn from eccentric GeeGee. They pack up and hit the road, arriving at the charming place they both loved since childhood. Finally! They can get into the secret room in the basement that GeeGee kept locked! They discover it’s a wonderful library filled to the brim with mystery books. But more than the room was a secret – it’s a magical place that houses enchanted books. Paige and Glo find themselves smack-dab in the middle of a murder mystery, along with a motley group of book club friends. The club will need to work together to solve the case in order to get out of the book and back to their home.

 

 

Review:

Shifting and Shenanigans by Elizabeth Pantley is the first book in her Magical Mystery Book Club series. We meet our heroine, Paige, who is celebrating her birthday, as well as her finalizing her divorce. Paige receives a call from her aunt Glo, who tells her that her grandmother passed away, and they both are inheriting the country inn, which was always their favorite place to go.  They pack up all their belongings, and proceed to The Snapdragon Inn, in the Rocky Mountains, Colorado, for a new life, that was filled with wonderful memories. 

After each chooses the room they wanted, they are shocked to meet the resident cat, Frank, who actually talks.  This was cute, though I wasn’t crazy about the name for a cat. Lol   With Frank’s assistance, they find the key that allows them to enter a secret room that was never allowed for them to enter.  Paige and Glo, are surprised to discover a wonderful library filled to the brim with mystery enchanted books. Both will learn that they will need to continue the existing book club, and they need 6 more members to make the required 8. Zell is the first person to meet up with Paige and Glo, and explains that she has always been a member (with Frank) and will help them set things up. The new group that eventually joins is a mix of different characters.

The fun begins when the club chooses its first book, and realize that they have been transported to a small town, where they are literally in the story; which they will need to solve the case before they can go back to their homes.  The story was fun, with all of the members in the middle of this mystery, as they find a dead body (they need to know who killed the victim), and spend lots of time in the town, meeting other wonderful characters; and trying to find clues.  Each of the book club members were unique, and together they slowly developed friendships. 

Shifting and Shenanigans was a fun and enjoyable story, that was totally different and unusual.  There were a number of surprises throughout, and discovered an amazing secret the town had. I loved the taking cat, Frank. Shifting and Shenanigans was very well written by Elizabeth Pantley.  I enjoyed the lighthearted mystery and look forward to the next book.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy supplied for Review

 

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Furbidden Fatality by Deborah Blake – a Review

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Furbidden Fatality by Deborah Blake – a Review

 

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Description:
Kari Stuart’s life is going nowhere–until she unexpectedly wins the lottery. The twenty-nine-year-old instant multimillionaire is still mulling plans for her winnings when trying to rescue a bossy black kitten leads her to a semiabandoned animal shelter. They need the cash–Kari needs a purpose.

But the dilapidated rescue is literally going to the dogs with a pending lawsuit, hard to adopt animals, and too much suspicious attention from the town’s dog warden. When the warden turns up dead outside the shelter’s dog kennels, Kari finds herself up a creek without a pooper-scooper.

With the help of some dedicated volunteers, a cute vet, and a kitten who mysteriously shows up just when she needs it, Kari must prove her innocence all while trying to save a dog on death row. Now she just needs to hope that her string of unexpected luck isn’t about to run out.

 

Review:

Furbidden Fatality by Deborah Blake is the first book in her new Catskills Pet Rescue Mystery series.  I have read a few series by Blake, and this new series is a total genre change for her.  I will say that I loved the book, it’s heroine Kari and especially a little black kitten named, Queenie, who I absolutely adored.

We meet our heroine, Kari Stuart, who finally manages to capture an adorable cute black kitten, and takes her to a shelter to find her a home.  The shelter is overbooked and unable to take any more pets, she is told to try the failing sanctuary.  Kari, barley made ends meet, but she just won a 5-million-dollar lottery, and decides to do something constructive, and purchase the dilapidated animal shelter that is for sale.  She hires men to renovate the shelter and together with Daisy (former owner), Sara, Bryn, and her best friend, Suz, the shelter slowly opens up to bring in more dogs and cats.  Two issues though are problematic, a pending lawsuit against Buster (under Daisy’s tenure), a dog who escaped and supposedly bit someone, with the evil dog warden pushing for his death; and on the same day Kari moves into her house next door, she wakes up during the night, as the dogs are all barking. Kari discovers a dead body, and it is the dog warden.       

Since she discovered the body, Kari is immediately a suspect, as is Daisy; but since almost every dog owner in town hated the dog warden, any one could have murdered him.  There were quite a few dog owners whose dog was put to sleep on the warden’s recommendations, which leads Kari, with some help from her volunteers, to start their own investigation to the murder. Over the next few nights, the shelter is vandalized by someone who wants to destroy the shelter.  Are they the ones who committed the murder?  Why are they so determined to cause chaos? Kari will be on the case to find out.

What follows is a cute cozy mystery, with wonderful secondary characters, fun adorable dogs and cats, a few villains (that keep you guessing), and a possible future romance between two new people; the veterinarian and the new dog warden.  Most of all, as noted earlier I loved loved Queenie the little kitten, who seems to have a little magic, as she manages to help give her clues.  Did I save I love Queenie?

Forbidden Fatality was a light hearted and fun small-town mystery that kept you guessing til the very end. We also get a glimpse of shelter life taking care and meeting the abandoned animals, as well as finding homes.  Deborah Blake did a wonderful job writing this story, and keeping our interest throughout. I look forward to the next book in this series. 

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Publisher

 

 

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Engagement and Espionage by Penny Reid-Review & Excerpt Tour

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Engagement and Espionage (Solving for Pie: Cletus and Jenn Mysteries Book 1) by Penny Reid-Review & Excerpt  Tour

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date July 14, 2020

Jennifer Sylvester made her deal with the devil . . . and now they’re engaged!

But all is not well in Green Valley. A chicken choker is on the loose, 61 dead birds most “fowl” need plucking, and no time remains for Jennifer and her devilish fiancé. Desperate to find a spare moment together, Jenn and Cletus’s attempts to reconnect are thwarted by one seemingly coincidental disaster after another. It’s not long before Cletus and Jenn see a pattern emerge and the truth becomes clear.
Sabotage!
Will an undercover mission unmask the culprit? Or are these love-birds totally plucked?

‘Engagement and Espionage’ is the first book in the Solving for Pie: Cletus and Jenn Mysteries series, is a full-length cozy mystery, and is a spin-off of Penny Reid’s Winston Brothers series. This novel is best read after ‘Beard Science,’ Winston Brothers #3.

••••••••••••

REVIEW: ENGAGEMENT AND ESPIONAGE is the first instalment in Penny Reid’s contemporary, adult SOLVING FOR PIE: CLETUS AND JENN MYSTERIES cozy, mystery series-a spin off from the author’s Winston Brothers series. Cletus Winston and Jenn Sylvester’s story can be found in book three BEARD SCIENCE.

Told from dual first person perspective (Jenn and Cletus) ENGAGEMENT AND ESPIONAGE follows Jenn and Cletus as they endeavor to reveal the truth and the people behind a series of accidents at the local farms from which Jenn gets her ingredients for her prize winning bakery. The attack against her mother and a fire at the local bee hive, the death of a flock of chickens, and the sale of the farm and cows where Jenn buys her milk finds our couple looking into the who, how and why, including the acrimonious break up and impending divorce of Jenn’s belligerent parents. As Jenn and Cletus go undercover, including a ruse to reveal the truth, Jenn quickly discovers that not all is well in Green Valley, as she has become the target of jealousy, vengeance and a disgruntled family member.

ENGAGEMENT AND ESPIONAGE is an intriguing, quirky and spirited mystery. The premise is compelling ; the romance is tender and light hearted; the characters are animated

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

NOTE: The Excerpt is intended for mature readers due to strong language and content

 

“Don’t stop.” She reached for my belt again, this time completely undoing it, the button of my pants, and my zipper at world-record speed.
Her phone buzzed. Then it chimed. Then it buzzed and chimed two more times. Then it rang again. Reba.
Cursing, Jenn pulled the phone from her pocket, once again her face illuminated, murderous rage in her eyes. Her finger moved to the power off button. She blinked, hesitating. Her eyes widened, her body stiffened, and she gasped.
“Cletus!”
Something about her tone, like she was horrified, and maybe a little afraid, cut through the heavy haze of lust inertia, and my hands stilled. Shaking myself, it took me a few moments to realize she was showing me the phone screen, and another few to bring the content of the text messages into focus.Momma: Jennifer Anne Sylvester, pick up your phone. If you’re with Cletus, I need his help. Please.
Momma: ALL THE CHICKENS AND ROOSTERS ARE DEAD! PICK UP YOUR DAMN PHONE!
Momma: I’m calling you in a second, pick up the phone. Mr. Badcock’s chickens are dead. All of them. I got here and he’s running around, deranged, yelling about his dead chickens! I called the police and they’re on their way. Please, please, please pick up the phone!At some point, I must’ve taken the phone from Jenn and stepped away, because I glanced up upon reading the messages for the third time, finding the phone in my hand and Jenn fixing her skirt.
“This is nuts.” Her big eyes searched mine imploringly. “Who could have done this?”
I shook my head, having not yet managed to fully shift head gears—you know, from that head to the one on my neck—and my gaze dropped to the wet patch on the front of her dress just visible in the swath of light. My erection throbbed.
So we’re . . . not having sex?
“Why? Why would they do it? And WHO?” She snatched her phone back, her tone bewildered, distracted, and distraught. She was distraught because of the dead chickens, like any normal person would be.
I was distraught also, but my distress had nothing to do with farm animals.
“We have to go.” Jenn grabbed my hand and began walking toward the direction of the hall. Meanwhile, it took me until her hand found the door handle to realize my zipper and belt were still undone.
“This is crazy.” She paused as I zipped up, her tone halting and distracted. “Poor Mr. Badcock. And those poor chickens.” A sound of distress escaped her throat. “This is terrible.”
It was terrible.
And I was going to hell.
Because all I could think was, Talk about a cock block. 


 

Penny Reid is the Wall Street Journal and USA Today Best Selling Author of the Winston Brothers, Knitting in the City, Rugby, and Hypothesis series. She used to spend her days writing federal grant proposals as a biomedical researcher, but now she just writes books. She’s also a full time mom to three diminutive adults, wife, daughter, knitter, crocheter, sewer, general crafter, and thought ninja.

Please feel free to drop her a line. She’d be happy to hijack your thoughts! You can find her on her blog or email her: pennreid at gmail dot com

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