Review/ Kensington Cozy Mystery Sampler

Review/ Kensington Cozy Mystery SamplerFormat: eBook
on March 2015

This is a sneak peek at a few of Kensington Publishing Corp.’s upcoming May/June Cozy Mystery titles.

A Catered Mother’s Day by Isis Crawford

Musseled Out by Barbara Ross

Death of a Cupcake Queen by Lee Hollis

Farmed and Dangerous by Edith Maxwell

Murder at Beechwood by Alyssa Maxwell

I love that more and more publishers are starting to get on the bandwagon of putting out samplers of their upcoming titles. Another one to join is Kensington.

I personally think this is a great marketing idea and it  gives the reader a sneak peek at upcoming books and perhaps introduce a reader like myself to a book that I might not normally have picked up on my own and honestly I normally don’t browse in this section at the book store but I have to admit that after reading the little snippets a few books have peaked my interest. Do you have any idea what they could be?

My only complaint would be that I wish they would have included more of a snippet rather then just a chapter of the book but over all I have to say it was nice being introduced to some new mysteries that are coming out and discovering some authors that I want to check out.

Do you like these kinds of samplers? Would you like to see more publishers doing this?

As you can see from the description five books are included in this sampler.

It’s Mother’s Day in sleepy Longely, New York, and this year, catering sisters Bernie and Libby Simmons help a friend—who happens to be an overworked and underappreciated mom—go to extreme lengths to teach her family a lesson. But when a prank turns deadly, the Simmons sisters will have to cook up a plan to clear their pal’s name…

Bernie’s college roommate Ellen Hadley is burning the candle at both ends. She’s grown a successful business baking treats for dogs and cats, and she’s a dutiful wife and mother who somehow manages to fit all the cooking and cleaning into her busy schedule. But after her children forget her birthday and her husband forgets their anniversary, her expectations for a memorable Mother’s Day are understandably modest.

When Bernie jokingly suggests Ellen fake her own kidnapping to set her family straight, she never imagined her friend would actually go through with it. But when Ellen’s husband follows her phony ransom note to an out-of-the-way hotel, he finds the police taking her into custody after she discovers a dead body in her room. Ellen swears she doesn’t know the victim, but as police investigate her half-baked plans, they turn up more questions than answers.

Bernie can’t help but feel guilty for helping her friend concoct a recipe for disaster, so she and her sister Libby enlist the help of Ellen’s kids, and together, they must race to find the true culprit—before Mother’s Day is postponed indefinitely…

Includes Original Recipes for You to Try!

The busy summer tourist season is winding down in Busman’s Harbor, Maine, but Julia Snowden senses trouble simmering for the Snowden Family Clambake Company. Shifty David Thwing—the “Mussel King” of upscale seafood restaurants—is sniffing around town for a new location. But serving iffy clams turns out to be the least of his troubles…

When Thwing is found sleeping with the fishes beneath a local lobsterman’s boat, the police quickly finger Julia’s brother-in-law Sonny as the one who cooked up the crime. Sure, everyone knows Sonny despised the Mussel King…but Julia believes he’s innocent. Proving it won’t be easy, though. It seems there’s a lot more than murder on the menu, and Julia needs to act fast…

Includes Traditional Maine Clambake Recipes!

As the food and cocktails columnist for the Island Times, Hayley Powell attends a lot of events–but this one will be murder. . .

On the eve of her high school reunion, Hayley dreads seeing the trio of mean girls who used to torment her: Sabrina Merryweather, Nykki Temple, and former prom queen Ivy Foster. These days Ivy wears a different crown as the cupcake queen–and flaunting her success is just the icing on the cake.

But maybe the prom queen should have been voted Most Likely to Die. At the reunion, Ivy is found murdered, cupcakes scattered around her. Is a killer out to teach the mean girls a lesson? As Hayley tries to get the scoop, she’ll have to be careful. . .or someone may be writing this columnist’s obituary next.

Includes seven delectable recipes from Hayley’s kitchen!

Snow is piling up in Westbury, Massachusetts, and Cam Flaherty’s organic farm has managed to survive the harsh New England winter. Unfortunately murder seems to be the crop in season. . .

Cam is finding the New Year just as hectic as the old one. Her sometimes rocky relationship with Chef Jake Ericsson is in a deep freeze, she’s struggling to provide the promised amount of food to the subscribers in her first winter CSA, and her new greenhouse might just collapse from the weight of the snow. Supplying fresh ingredients for a dinner at the local assisted living facility seems like the least of her worries–until one of the elderly residents dies after eating some of her produce.

Cantankerous Bev Montgomery had a lot of enemies, from an unscrupulous real estate developer who coveted her land to an aggrieved care provider fed up with her verbal abuse. But while the motives in this case may be plentiful, the trail of poisoned produce leads straight back to Cam. Not even her budding romance with police detective Pete Pappas will keep him from investigating her.

As the suspects gather, a blizzard buries the scene of the crime under a blanket of snow, leaving Cam stranded in the dark with a killer who gives new meaning to the phrase “dead of winter.”

For Newport, Rhode Island’s high society, the summer of 1896 brings lawn parties, sailboat races…and murder.

Having turned down the proposal of Derrick Andrews, Emma Cross has no imminent plans for matrimony—let alone motherhood. But when she discovers an infant left on her doorstep, she naturally takes the child into her care. Using her influence as a cousin to the Vanderbilts and a society page reporter for the Newport Observer, Emma launches a discreet search for the baby’s mother.

One of her first stops is a lawn party at Mrs. Caroline Astor’s Beechwood estate. But an idyllic summer’s day is soon clouded by tragedy. During a sailboat race, textile magnate Virgil Monroe falls overboard. There are prompt accusations of foul play—and even Derrick Andrews falls under suspicion. Deepening the intrigue, a telltale slip of lace may link the abandoned child to the drowned man. But as Emma navigates dark undercurrents of scandalous indiscretions and violent passions, she’ll need to watch her step to ensure that no one lowers the boom on her…

Review/ I Will Always Write Back

Review/ I Will Always Write BackI will Always Write Back Format: eARC
on April 14, 2015
Pages: 400
Buy on Amazon

The true story of an all-American girl and a boy from an impoverished city in Zimbabwe and the letter that changed both of their lives forever.

It started as an assignment. Everyone in Caitlin's class wrote to an unknown student somewhere in a distant place. All the other kids picked countries like France or Germany, but when Caitlin saw Zimbabwe writer on the board, it sounded like the most exotic place she had ever heard of--so she chose it.

Martin was lucky to even receive a pen pal letter. There were only ten letters, and forty kids in his class. But he was the top student, so he got the first one.That letter was the beginning of a correspondence that spanned six years and changed two lives.

In this compelling dual memoir, Caitlin and Martin recount how they became best friends --and better people--through letters. Their story will inspire readers to look beyond their own lives and wonder about the world at large and their place in it.

I received this book for free from publisher/pr firm in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

You know  when you get an email about a book and after reading the synopsis you know that you really need to get your hands on the book ASAP well that was the case with this book. Thankfully I was lucky and I was able to nab and ARC to read and review.

Growing up I have always had two pen pals. One was from England and the other was Italy. We wrote each other constantly and sadly once we were all done with high school and proceeded to university/college we ended up loosing touch but there’s not a day that goes by that I don’t stop and think of those two special friends.

I admit I have looked on facebook to see if they are there but sadly they aren’t. Wouldn’t that have been fun to reconnect with them after all those years?

The story is told in alternating points of view of Caitlin (the American Girl) and Martin (the boy from Zimbabwe. The story begins September 1997 when Caitlin has a pen pal assignment to do. The kids are allowed to choose their countries and she picks Zimbabwe because she likes the sound of it and it sounds exotic. Martin is the lucky boy who gets Caitlin’s letter because he is in Group One in school.

Through the course of their letter writing it was nice to see Caitlin grow into the wonderful and caring person that she is today. She lives a privilaged life and never having to want for anything. She has a roof over her head, parents who love and support her, feed and cloth her. Through the course of writing Martin she begins to realize that not everyone has it like she does and she discovers how bad poverty is in other parts of the world.

Martin, tries to keep alot from Caitlin about his situation but gradually over the course of writing to each other she discovers how bad it is for Martin and his family and she begins to send him money. Which he truly appreciates it and lets her know how much she is saving him and his family.

Through the course of the book Martin realizes that he needs help to finish school and asks for Caitlin’s help. Through the generosity Caitlin and her family sponsor Martin so that he can finish school and then come to the USA to complete his education.

I picked up the book and I literally read it in two days. I had a hard time putting it down because it was so good and there was always a struggle that they had to over come. It was nice to see this book ended happy and that Martin achieved his goal. I loved the photos that were included at the end of the book because it made it seem that much more real.

I think if you had a pen pal growing up you will love this book. Did you have a pen pal? If so from where?

Review/ The Royal We

Review/ The Royal WeThe Royal We Format: eARC
on April 7th, 2015
Pages: 464
Buy on Amazon

"I might be Cinderella today, but I dread who they'll think I am tomorrow. I guess it depends on what I do next."

American Rebecca Porter was never one for fairy tales. Her twin sister, Lacey, has always been the romantic who fantasized about glamour and royalty, fame and fortune. Yet it's Bex who seeks adventure at Oxford and finds herself living down the hall from Prince Nicholas, Great Britain's future king. And when Bex can't resist falling for Nick, the person behind the prince, it propels her into a world she did not expect to inhabit, under a spotlight she is not prepared to face.

Dating Nick immerses Bex in ritzy society, dazzling ski trips, and dinners at Kensington Palace with him and his charming, troublesome brother, Freddie. But the relationship also comes with unimaginable baggage: hysterical tabloids, Nick's sparkling and far more suitable ex-girlfriends, and a royal family whose private life is much thornier and more tragic than anyone on the outside knows. The pressures are almost too much to bear, as Bex struggles to reconcile the man she loves with the monarch he's fated to become.

Which is how she gets into trouble.

Now, on the eve of the wedding of the century, Bex is faced with whether everything she's sacrificed for love-her career, her home, her family, maybe even herself-will have been for nothing.

I received this book for free from publisher/pr firm in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

The Royal We is by authors Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan and this is their young adult novel. Their previous two books are Spoiled and Messy. I haven’t read either of those books but I do own them. I think once I am going through boxes of books this summer I am going to dig them out and read them because I really did enjoy reading The Royal We. I should mention that The Royal We is a stand alone.

As a Canadian I love anything that has to do with the royal family. Many many many years ago when Princess Diana was alive and was just recently married her and Prince Charles came to Canada. I was lucky enough to go and see Princess Diana because the school brought us. I remember being completely in ah of her.

As I began reading the book I was literally thinking this has to be based around Prince Harry (Freddie), Prince William (Nick) and Kate Middleton (Rebecca). There was a lot of similarities to them. Which I had no problem with at all because I love watching them grow and become who they are today. You can see the huge influence Princess Diana had on those boys.

The story line also reminded me of Autumn Kelly who was a girl from my town who married a real life prince and that was Prince Peter Phillips, His mother is Princess Anne. Her mother just happens to be Queen Elizabeth II.

Now I want to say that I loved the book but I can’t. I did enjoy reading the book. I think it took me longer to read this because at times I was reading and reading because I wanted to find out what was happening and then other times I felt like it dragged on more then it needed to.

I never once thought about dropping the book when it got slow because I was rooting for Rebecca the whole way through. I can’t imagine how things quickly change in your life when you get involved with someone with that much status? It must be completely nerve wrecking and how much fun is it really when you need to be on your best behavior all the time because you know someone is watching you at all times?

Growing up we all wanted to meet and marry a prince and probably dreamed of what life would be like and in all honesty I don’t think its as regal as they make it out to be and I would wish that on no one. Your life is no longer your own but I love how the new royals are stepping away from it and leading a more private life.

I would be interested to see if there will be a sequel to the book.

Review/ The Tapper Twins Go To War (With Each Other)

Review/ The Tapper Twins Go To War (With Each Other)The Tapper Twins Go to War (With Each Other) Series: #1

by Geoff Rodkey
Format: eARC
Published by Hachette Children's Group on April 7th 2015
Pages: 224
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads
Genres: General, Young Adult

Wars are terrible things. I know this because I've read about a lot of them on Wikipedia. And also because I was just in one. It was me against my brother, Reese. That might not sound like a war to you. Trust me. It was. This is the oral history of the terrible war between twins, Reese and Claudia Tapper. It began with a cruel and senseless sneak attack in the school cafeteria on Monday, September 8th, at approximately 8:27 a.m. Or possibly it began in the Tapper family kitchen, earlier that morning, with the greedy guzzling of the last brown sugar cinnamon toaster pastry. What really happened? It depends on who you speak to... This is a hilarious middle-grade comedy that's both totally timeless and completely up-to-the-minute.

I received this book for free from publisher/pr firm in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

This was such a fun and quick read. I think I managed to read this in two sittings. As an adult I enjoyed reading this and I think it’s a perfect read for the tweens and older.

Claudia and Reese are twelve-year-old twins. I think that Claudia and Reese were the perfect characters for the book as they were very believable and it makes you think the story is real and it could actually happen.

Claudia and Reese are your typical siblings we have been trying to one up each and to humiliate the other one. It makes you wonder who will get the upper hand?

I love the format of the book. Each chapter has a title which goes along with the dialog. Its sort of like a script which I have to say I enjoyed. Within chapters there is text messages, photos, hand written text, emails and so much more. Its very well done and it makes you want to continue reading it.

Claudia is the main voice of the book but other characters come out such as Reese, Sophie, Mom and Dad, Akash, Ashley and a few others. It was nice to see how each character plays an important part to the story line.

I loved the message behind the book and its one that kids can easily grasp. Even though Claudia and Reese were doing everything they could to humiliate their sibling they both realized that in the end everything they did has a consequence to it. Which kids need to realize.

This was such a fun read and it was nice to take a break in my regular reading. I think tweens and the little bit older ones would enjoy this. I know Michael plans on reading it especially once I mentioned Minecraft was in this.

This is also my first BEA Buzz Book for 2015.

 

March Book Unhauling #3

Its hard to believe we are already at the end of March. Where is the time going?

With spring just around the corner I will once again be doing a whole bunch of spring/summer cleaning in the next few months. I have boxes upon boxes of books in the basement that I really need to go through and purge what I realistically shouldn’t hold on to. I rarely reread my books so why am I holding on to them?

But for now here is what I am unhauling:

  • I Will Always Write Back: How one letter changed two lives by Caitlin Alifirenka & Martin Ganda with Liz Welch. I read this and enjoyed it. My review will be up in April for this.
  • The Royal We by Heather Cocks & Jessica Morgan. My review will be up on April 7th.
  • The Tapper Twins Go To War (with each other) by Geoff Rodkey. My review will be up in April.

We discovered we had doubles of these ones:

  • Thea Stilton Mouseford Academy: Mouselets in Danger #3
  • Thea Stilton Mouseford Academy: Dance Challenge #4
  • Thea Stilton and the Chocolate Sabotage
  • Geronimo Stilton The Enchanted Charms The 7th adventure in the Kingdom of Fantasy

The total unhauling for March is  7  and the total to date is 61.