Review & Giveaway: Death of a Valentine by M.C. Beaton

Pub. Date: January 2010
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Format: Hardcover, 246pp
ISBN-13: 9780446547383
ISBN: 0446547387

"From the inside cover: Amazing news has spread across the Scottish countryside. The most famous of highland bachelors, police sargeant Hamish Macbeth, will be married at last. Everyone in the village of Lochdubh adores Josie McSween, Macbeth's newest constable and blushing bride-to-be.

While locals think Josie is quite a catch, Hanish ahs a case of prenuptial jitters. After all, if it weren't for the recent murder of a beautiful woman in a neighbouring village, there wouldn't be a wedding at all. For it was a mysterious Valentine's package- delivered to the victim before her death-that initially drew Hamish and Josie together on the investigation. As they work side by side, Hamish and Josie soon discover that the woman's list of admirers was endless, confirming Hamish's suspicions that can can be blind, dead ....and deadly."

My Thoughts: Another fun romp through the highlands with Hamish and his new constable as they pit wits against a murderer and sometimes even with police headquarters in Strathbane. Hamish is the most unambitious of policemen. He just wants to do his job and not be noticed. Heaven forbid that he should be promoted and moved out of his beloved village of Lochdubh.

As for being married, well, he tried being engaged. . . .several times. And that surely didn't work out! Women only want to change him and his home in the police station. Hamish has absolutely no interest in change. But now along comes Josie . . . Could she finally be the one to rope him into marriage ? To what will she resort to get him up the aisle?

If you've never read any of the Hamish Macbeth mysteries, you've been missing out. I think I have read all of them and they are always good for a light hearted cozy read. The highland setting makes a great backdrop for some quirky characters in the village. I love the scenery descriptions and some of the dialogue written in dialect. A lot of the characters appear frequently making each mystery like visiting with an old friend. Death of a Valentine is number 26 in the Hamish Macbeth series.

M.C. Beaton is also the author of the very popular Agatha Raisin series and is the pseudonym for Marion Chesney.

Hachette Book Group is allowing me to give away 5 copies of Death of a Valentine to:

Residents of US & Canada. No P.O. Boxes.
Must be a follower of P.P.P. through google friend connect to enter. If you do not have a blogger account, just put me on your blog roll.
Be sure to include an e-mail address.

Bonus entries can be earned by:
+5 posting about it and leave me a permalink
+2 putting a link to contest in sidebar

Dead line is Feb 15th at 5 PM Good uck!

Disclosure: A review copy of the book was provided by Hachette Book Group. Thank you so much, Miriam.

Show Me 5 Saturday: Reasons by Tracy Fabre

Alipet at That's a Novel Idea has started a new MEME called Show Me Five Saturday. This meme will give each blogger an opportunity to give a brief description of a book they have read or reviewed during the week. It will work like this: Each Saturday you will post the answer to these questions. The number indicates the number of answers you will provide.

This week I am going to add part of the publisher's synopsis so you have an idea of the basic premise:

"Delphi Brent, seriously injured ina hit-and-run accident as a teenager, is ready to spend the summer with old family friends when her parents make a distressing confession: the driver of the car that nearly killeed her was one of the three sons of the Laughlin family she's about to visit. They urge her to stay home and let the past be, but she resolves to go out West anyway to learn the truth about what happened the night she was struck and one of the Laughlin sons died.

1. The title of book you read: Reasons by Tracy Fabre

2. Book description: contemporary romance

3. Settings where it took place or characters you met:

• Colorado
• Delphi Brent who has not seen or heard from the Laughlins for over a decade somehow magically gets the e-mail address for Annie ( Mrs. Laughlin and Delphi's mother's old friend) and strikes up a correspondence and then plans on visiting for most of the summer. When she first meets Noreen, the Laughlin's future daughter-in-law, she gets into a verbal skirmish with her complete with childish responses and almost paranoid behavior. Noreen "hates me". This is the first day she arrives. Is this acceptable believable behavior for a guest? I think not! Despite having had a crush on Bobbie, the older brother, she falls for Tam. Another case of inane inner dialogue: "he doesn't like me, he smiled at me, he's not talking to me, he kissed me, he hates me, ooh he called me sweetheart. Oh, puhleeeze, is this the 8th grade. I found Delphi to be an abrasive and most annoying character that at times I wanted to just slap her. Most days she acted half her age. As to her mission to find out the truth, that was just glossed over as she daydreamed about Tam.
• The Laughlins: They must be the most trusting people on earth. They invite Delphi to visit after not having seen her for over a decade nor have they had any contact with Delphi's parents and yet they let her work in their ranch office with free rein to all their files, business, etc. Ten years previously when their sons came home with a very damaged car and one of the sons went into a coma, it seems no questions were asked. Didn't they wonder why the Brents did not contact them in any way after their last visit? Is this likely behavior for any parents or friends for that matter?

4. Things you liked/disliked about it:

• I liked the cover and the title and then it all went downhill from there.
• Improbability of events: When Delphi's parents tell her they don't want her to go and why, none of it made sense to me. If my daughter had been hit by a car and I saw the vanity license plate and knew who the owner was, you can bet I would be irate and demanding of an explantion why she was just left in the street. Even if the car's owner were my best friends' son and I had been staying with them. How could the Laughlins not know that Delphi had been in an accident and then their sons come home in a damaged car? How could this all be swept under the rug? Delphi's mother explains that when they finally got home to PA, they found a letter from the Laughlins that said their son Artie had been in a coma after a car accident and passed away. So they felt bad and didn't say anything about Delphi's accident. WHAAAAT? Nobody connects these two accidents. This whole premise seemed unbelievable to me. It set the tone for the whole book and irritated me to no end.
• A few of the minor characters were the saving grace of this book but the main characters I couldn't get invested in and just couldn't like
• dialogue that felt stilted, tried to be "witty" and failed for the most part.

5. Stars or less for your rating:

• 2** Using my put down/pick up criteria, I could easily put this one down and if I hadn't agreed to review it in January, the bookmark would most likely still be languishing between page 90 to 100.

Review: Our Hart by Lloyd Lofthouse

Publisher: Three Clover Press
ISBN: 978-0-9819553-1-5
Publication date: 2009
Pages: 290

Our Hart is the fictionalized account of the real life Robert Hart who in 1854, at a very young age, started out as an interpreter in the British consulate in China. With his burgeoning love of China at the forefront he set out to truly understand the Chinese way of thinking by hiring a tutor to help him study the early poets.

After he resigned from the consul to become deputy commissioner of customs for Canton, his loyalties now lay with the Ch’ing dynasty. Due to his deep understanding of the Chinese concept of "face" he helped to keep corruption to a minimum and a lot of potential crises were averted. Hart managed to increase money flowing to the imperial coffers thus earning him the ear of the Imperial government, a feat unheard of for any "foreign devil."

Although Robert witnessed may changes in China and much unrest among the many different people of the country, his ultimate goal was to insure a stable income for China so that the country could modernize and prosper. Robert may have left Ireland in disgrace but 54 years later he left China in honor as Inspector General of Chinese Maritime customs, chief advisor to the emperor and senior guardian of the heir apparent for the Ch’ing dynasty.

This is not just the story of Hart’s career but also a deeply tender love story between Robert and Ayaou, his concubine. As much as he loved Ayaou, sometimes their cultural differences presented problems but as Ayaou matured, she understood how important Robert was to China. Along with the history and adventure Lofthouse deftly tells the story of a man torn by his love for Ayaou and his western upbringing. Throughout the book his head was at war with his heart over the morality of loving and keeping a Chinese concubine; a love that would last the rest of his life.

I read My Splendid Concubine last year and enjoyed the book a lot but I think Our Hart is much deeper emotionally and has more in-depth content. Although Our Hart is the sequel to My Splendid Concubine, it is a stand alone novel but I would recommend reading My Splendid Concubine first as it provides the backstory of Ayaou and her sister Shao-mei and how they initally became part of Hart's life. Both books are excellent reads that I found difficult to put down. 4****

Disclosure: A review copy of the book was provided by the author in exchange for an honest opinion.

Review: Angel's Peak by Robyn Carr

Blurb from back cover: "Four years ago, air force sweethearts Franci Duncan and Sean Riordan reached an impasse. She wanted marriage and a family. He didn't. But a chance meeting proves that the bitter breakup hasn't cooled their sizzling chemistry."

And sizzling it is! Definitely rings the bell on the "phew, is it hot in here or is it me" meter. When I finished Forbidden Falls, it was almost with sadness. I wanted it to go on and on. Well, now with the release of Angel's Peak Robyn Carr gives us another wonderfully warm and heartfelt story from Virgin River. Not only do we get to re-visit some old friends from the series, we get to meet new ones. Let's take a quick look at what Francie and Sean are up to.

When Sean has quite a bit of leave due him, he decides to visit his newly-wed brother, Luke. One night, in an attempt to give Luke and Shelby a little more private time, he visits a nearby bar. His heart starts to thud and his pulses race when he sees a woman who looks just like Francie but leaner and with much shorter hair. On an impulse he follows her out of the bar and tries to reconnect with her. Francie tells Sean he had his chance and made his feelings about marriage quite clear four years ago. She is in no way amenable to more heartache from Sean. She wants none of that, thank you very much!

Or so she tells herself. The hard part is she never got over him and probably never will but she has her life now; a job she likes and with her mother living just up the street to help out, life is good. But Sean is taken aback at his response to seeing her and is not about to take no for an answer. After listening to some advice from his new sister-in-law, he starts to haunt some of the places he thinks he might find her. Several weeks later they reconnect in a chance meeting and wow, do the sparks fly! Can Sean even get his head around the changes in her life since he last saw her and prove he is not such a mule headed idiot now and win Francie back?

Robyn Carr is the consummate story teller breathing life into her characters so that they just come alive on the page. There is a lot more to this book than just Sean and Francie. There's love, friendship, faith and a little bit of self discovery mixed into the story with some other terrific characters. I don't want to give away any more details. You'll just have to read the book and find out. You'll be happy you took a little trip to Virgin River. Needless to say, I loved it! 4.5 ****

Robyn Carr is the author of the Virgin River series. Angel's Peak is the second in her 2010 trilogy and is set to hit the shelves in February. Moonlight Road will be released in March. Link to review of the first one: Forbidden Falls .

Disclosure: A review copy of the book was provided by Nancy Berland Public Relations, Inc. Thank you so much Nancy!

Teaser Tuesday: Eggs Benedict Arnold by Laura Childs

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly meme hosted by Miz B of Should Be Reading and asks you to :

1. Grab your current read
2. Open to a random page
3 . Share 2 "teaser"sentences also citing the title of the book and the author and in that way people can have great recommendations if they like the "teaser.
4. Please avoid spoilers!


This week's Teaser Tuesday is from Eggs Benedict Arnold by Laura Childs. The book was featured in Show Me 5 Saturday on the 23rd of this month.

While doing a little amateur sleuthing, Suzanne and Toni find themselves trapped in a barn. With a mule! They get the brilliant idea to have the mule kick open the door. Here's the teaser:

"Backing up this mule is like trying to back up a dump truck," complained Toni. This guy is ginormous and I can't seem to find reverse."

Disclosure: A review copy of the book was provided by Laura Childs. Thank you so much, Laura.

Mailbox Monday

Mailbox Monday is a weekly meme hosted by Marcia at The Printed Page. Anyone can play along. Just leave a link to your MM at Marcia's blog and follow the links to other blogs to see what books are finding their way to mailboxes around the world. Caveat: participation in MM can cause your tbr list to grow exponentially. Last week my MM overfloweth but this past week was a little more sane. Here's what landed in my mailbox:

Tuesday: Dear John by Nicholas Sparks audio won from Toni at Circle of Books. Thanks so much Toni!

Wednesday: Rose Hill and Morning Glory Circle both by Pamela Grandstaff who will be guest posting and giving away 8 books on Feb 9th. Ayuh, you read that right. Eight books! Wow, this is one generous author.

Friday: Imperial Cruise by James Bradley won at Bookin' with Bingo. Thanks again, Karen. Hubby has his eye on this one.

Saturday: Saving CeeCee Honeycutt by Beth Hoffman won at Number 1 Novels. Thanks again, Rebecca!

What exciting books showed up in your mailbox this week?

Show Me 5 Saturday: Eggs Benedict Arnold by Laura Childs

Alipet813 at That's a Novel Idea has started a new MEME called Show Me Five Saturday. This meme will give each blogger an opportunity to give a brief description of a book they have read or reviewed during the week. It will work like this: Each Saturday you will post the answer to these questions. The number indicates the number of answers you will provide.

1. Title of book you read or reveiwed this week: Eggs Benedict Arnold by Laura Childs

2. Words that describe the book: Culinary Cozy

3. Setting where it took place or characters you met:

• Suzanne: widowed first owner of the Cackleberry Club cafe who has a real talent for murder investigations. While delivering a cherry pie to Ozzie Driesden, owner of the local funeral home, Suzanne finds his dead body on top of the embalming table. And as if that isn't traumatic enough, someone comes from behind and before escaping out the back door, chloroforms her.
• Petra: chief cook and second owner at the cafe. Petra is an older women whose husband has early onset alzheimer's and is in a nursing home. Petra is the bedrock of the cafe and the group; always ready to dispense advice and hugs at the same time while lending a hand where needed.
• Toni: younger woman, married to Junior, although she waffles about divorcing him as Junior is always taking off with some waitress or other. Toni is the most impetuous of the three women and is more than willing to help Suzanne in her sleuthing adventures.

4. Things you liked and/or disliked about it:

• I really enjoy all the knitting, book and foodie talk along with the delicious recipes at the end of the book.
• The totally unforseen denoument. Wow! The identity of the murderer stunned me as I never saw it coming at all. The way the murderer was finally subdued was hilarious.
• Cackleberry Club Cafe setting in midwest town of Kindred. Sounds like the type of cafe I would love to visit. Not only does the menu sound wonderful but there is a book nook and knitting nest attached to the cafe. All sorts of original events are hosted there by the owners.
• The tight relationship among the strong women characters. They are all so unique while having a lot in common at the same time. Their caring for each other and the community in general really comes through in the book.

5. Stars or less for your rating?

4****

For other Show me 5's please visit Jenners & Mary

Note: Laura is also the author of the tea shop series and a New Orleans scrapbooking mystery series. Tragic Magic, the latest in that series was recently featured in Show Me 5 Saturday. I reviewed the first in this Cacklebury Club series, Eggs in Purgatory here.

Disclosure: a review copy of the book was sent to me by the author. Thank you so much, Laura! As always, it was a fun and enjoyable read.

Blog Tour & Giveaway: Knit, Purl, Die by Anne Canadeo

Paperback: 288 pages
Publisher: Pocket; Original edition (December 29, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 141659812X
ISBN-13: 978-1416598121

From the back cover: "Gloria Sterling had it all--money, looks, and a new sexy young husband. So when she's found floating face down in her own swimming pool, shock waves ripple through tiny Plum Harbor. At the Black Sheep Knitting Shop, Maggie Messina and her circle are devastated to lose their dear friend--a woman as colorful as her fabulous yarn creations.

The police are quick to call it an accident, but sorting out Gloria's final hours leaves too many loose ends to satisfy her friends. The vivacious, fifty-something cougar had her French manicured tips in more than a few pots, and the threads of some inside deals stashed in her chic knitting tote.

Who was the last person to see Glora alive on that quiet summer night? Two empty wine glasses suggest she wasn't home alone knitting the entire night . . .The Black Sheep need to know the truth and set out to unravel--stitch by stich--the weighty secrets that pulled poor Gloria under."

My thoughts What a fun cozy! Canadeo does a great job of introducing the diverse members of the Black Sheep knitters: widowed Maggie who owns the Black Sheep Knitting Shop, college student Phoebe, divorcee Lucy and two married women Dana and Suzanne make up the group. She also sets the scene of the crime with flair. While Gloria's realtor, Suzanne, is showing the home to well heeled clients the last thing she wants them to find is a body in the pool.

While their marital status and ages are diverse, the Black Sheep knitters all have two things in common: they love to knit and they want to find out who murdered their friend Gloria. Yes, murdered! There is no way Gloria would move her chair from the terrace to that end of the pool. She didn't even like to get wet never mind go for a swim at close to midnight. When the friends start to do some amateur sleuthing, someone's feathers are ruffled and a threatening note is left at the Black Sheep Knitting Shop. Will the five friends figure out who didn't want to see Gloria live to knit another stitch?

This is a new author for me but I was immediately drawn in due to several factors; the location is coastal Massachusetts and the group of friends are knitters. The clues are believeable and there is more than one viable motive and they all involve some pricey and or shady real estate deals. I really enjoyed the mystery, the recipes and the knitting links at the end of the book. Although this is the second book in the Black Sheep Knitters series, I don't feel that I missed anything by not having read the first one. 4****

About the author: Anne Canadeo began her Black Sheep Knitting Mystery series with While My Pretty One Knits. She is the author of more than 30 books, including the bestselling Cape Light series, which she writes as Kathleen Spencer. A novice with needles, she finds many similarities between knitting and writing-inspiration, peristence, and good thing happening by accident. Anne lives in Northport, New York.

Now for the giveaway details: Pocketbooks is allowing me to give away two copies of the book to:

Residents of the USA only
Followers of this blog.
Be sure to include an e mail address. Bonus entries can be earned by:

+5 posting about it and leave me a permalink
+2 putting a link to contest in sidebar

Deadline to enter is Feb 3rd at 5 P.M. Good luck!

Disclosure: A review copy of the book was provided by Pocketbooks. Thank you, Sarah.

Teaser Tuesday: The Russian Concubine by Kate Furnivall

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly meme hosted by Miz B of Should Be Reading and asks you to :
1. Grab your current read
2. Open to a random page
3 . Share 2 "teaser"sentences also citing the title of the book and the author and in that way people can have great recommendations if they like the "teaser.
4. Please avoid spoilers!

This week's teaser is from The Russian Concubine by Kate Furnivall.
From the author's web site: "The Russian Concubine
is a sweeping epic love-story. Exiled from Russia after the Bolshevik Revolution, the beautiful and fiery Lydia and her aristocratic mother have taken refuge in Junchow, China, in 1928. On the edge of destitution, Lydia uses her wits to survive and resorts to stealing.

She is saved from certain death by a young Chinese Communist, Chang An Lo, and together they are thrust into clashes with savage triads. Lydia and Chang fall in love and are swept up in a fight against prejudice and shame. Forced to face opium-running, betrayal and kidnap, their compelling attraction to each other is tested to the limits in this story of love and loss, secrets and lies."

I'm a little more than half way into this book and it is very hard to put it down. Furnivall is a fantastic writer that puts you right into the moment and the scene.

Teaser:

"She lifted her gaze to his and in that second when their eyes fixed on each other, he felt something tangible form between them; a thread, silver and bright and woven by the gods. Shimmering between them, as elusive as a ripple in the river, yet as strong as one of the steel cables that held the new bridge over the Peiho."

Disclosure: A review copy of the book was borrowed from the county library system. Thanks to our tax dollars!

Mailbox Monday

Mailbox Monday is a weekly meme hosted by Marcia at The Printed Page. Anyone can play along. Just leave a link to your MM at Marcia's blog and follow the links to other blogs to see what books are finding their way to mailboxes around the world. Caveat: participation in MM can cause your tbr list to grow exponentially. My mailbox has been empty for quite some time but this week more than made up for it. Here's what showed up this past week.

Monday:

• Fireworks Over Toccoa by Jeffrey Stepakoff from St. Martins Press
• Angels Peak by Robyn Carr from Nancy Berland, publicist for review

Tuesday:

• Knit, Purl, Die by Anne Canadeo from Pocketbooks for tour

Wednesday:

• Death of a Valentine by M.C. Beaton from Hachette for review and possible giveaway

Thursday:

• The Last Will of Moira Leahy by Therese Walsh won at Peeking Between the Pages. Thanks again, Dar!
• Beautiful People by Wendy Holden and The Founding by Cynthia Harrod- Eagles from Sourcebooks for review. Thank you, Danielle!

Saturday:

• The Teaberry Strangler by Laura Childs for review. Thank you so much, Laura!

Show Me 5 Saturday: State of the Onion by Julie Hyzy

Alipet813 at That's a Novel Idea has started a new MEME called Show Me Five Saturday. This meme will give each blogger an opportunity to give a brief description of a book they have read or reviewed during the week. It will work like this: Each Saturday you will post the answer to these questions. The number indicates the number of answers you will provide:

1. Title of book you read or reviewed this week: State of the Onion by Julie Hyzy

2. Words that describe the book : Culinary , Thriller

3. Settings where it took place or characters you met:

• White House in Washington, D.C.


• Ollie Paras: assistant executive chef who is in competition with Laurel Ann for Head Executive Chef position. Not only does she have this going on but somehow she manages to get into the middle of a secret service investigation just by being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Now, a world notorious assassin, The Chameleon, may be after Ollie.


• Laurel Ann: former white house chef who now has her own cooking show and is determined to beat out Ollie by any means for the Head Executive Chef position. She's one of those characters you want to slap silly when she starts throwing her weight around, but she added a lot of fun to the story.

4. Things you liked and/or disliked about it:

• I loved the setting in the White House kitchen with all the daily drama going on in preparation for a very important heads of state dinner. Julie has obviously done a lot of research into the happenings and protocol at the White House.


• The diversity of characters and personalities in the book added reality to the story. Even the minor characters were amusing, especially Ollie's next door neighbor, a feisty older lady who keeps an eye out for any monkey business going on and who is not afraid to act if the need arises.


• All of the scrumptious sounding recipes at the end.


• No cozy is complete without a little romance thrown in the mix. Ollie and secret service agent Tom are finding a few bumps in the road to romance as Ollie gets involved in what Tom thinks should be secret service business only.

5. Stars or less for your rating?

4****

Note: This is the first in the new White House Chef Mystery series. The second book is Hail to the Chef . Julie's latest, Eggsecutive Orders, just hit the shelves so be sure to pick up a copy. Julie is a "new to me" author but State of the Onion will not be the only book of hers I'll read. I definitely plan to read the whole series! Julie can be found at her website and also at
Mystery Lovers Kitchen.

Disclosure: A review copy of the book was sent to me by the author, Julie Hyzy. Thanks, Julie! Congrats on winning the Anthony and Barry awards for best paperback novel of the year for State of the Onion. That's quite an accomplishment.

For another Show me 5 - Please visit Jenners.

Review: A Truth Worth Tellin' by Toni Teepell

In Toni Teepell's debut novel, A Truth Worth Tellin', the reader is introduced to Maggie: a child wise beyond her years and with resposibilities no pre- teen should have to have. Right from the start, I was drawn in by almost 12 year old Maggie's narration of her family coping with life in the '60's in the small town of Pearl, Louisiana.

Riding her bike to the store with her friend Sam, eating oatmeal cookies with the next door neighbor's housekeeper and visiting the library make up a lot of the summer activities. As Maggie a voracious reader tells us , the library consists of a couple of bookcases on Miss Annabelle Whitney's front porch.

Unfortunately, there are other matters that are paramount to Maggie's life. Maggie and her father have a lot to deal with as her mother is a schizophrenic and this makes for a difficult time growing up. The following passage, so poignantly written, seems to sum up the essence of Maggie's and her father's life.

"We do all our living when we have the well Mama. Monopoly games or cards take over most evenings. Some nights we lie in the backyard and look up at the stars. Once we played hide and seek in the house. Ran like we were out in the fields, laughing until our bellies hurt, tears rolling down our face. Her laugh is better than anything in the world."

Too often there is the reality of the sick Mama. Maggie tells other people if they ask about her mother simply that "she keeps busy". Although Maggie does not like to lie, sometimes as she tells God, the truth ain't worth tellin'. But through it all, Maggie loves her mother more than anything. It's the times the family deals with the sick Mama that will tear at your heart.

The book is not all sadness, there are so many moments of light heartedness and joy; even some humor is interjected as Maggie is consumed with things most eleven, almost twelve, years old girls are. Along with Maggie's family story, there is another plot line of Maggie's friend Sam and the story of her relationship with her single, alcoholic mother. Overall, another theme of unconditional love and faith so very well written.

If you are a fan of books that magically evoke images of another time and place and show you inside the characters' hearts, then this is the book for you. A Truth Worth Tellin' is an endearing and emotionally compelling read with likeable, believable characters that I found very difficult to put down. Southern charm at it's best. I'll be most anxious to read another of Toni's books. A very promising new writer! 4.5*****

Disclosure: A review copy of the book was provided by the author. Thank you so much, Toni!

Waiting on Wednesday: The Teaberry Strangler by Laura Childs

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.



Eagerly awaiting Laura's latest cozy in the teashop series. This will be number 11. Set to hit the shelves in March. * Sigh*, I guess I'll have to wait. I don't want to but . . . . .

From Amazon.com:

The bestselling author of Oolong Dead serves up an Old-World treat, spiced with a Sherlock Holmes-style murder mystery. It was the Dickensian evening Theodosia Browning had been hoping for. Charleston shop-owners dressed in cloaks of yore threw open their back doors to visitors, who took advantage of bargains and Theodosia's delicious teas. But later, the alleys clear except for one body- which a horrified Theodosia discovers. It's Daria, the map store's owner. Locals have shown interest in buying her shop-but enough to kill? Plus there's been a customer hell-bent on acquiring a not-for­sale map. Most alarming of all theories, however, is Detective Tidwell's: the killer mistook Daria for Theodosia. And if that theory holds, the killer's work isn't done.

Teaser Tuesday: The Chocolate Snowman Murders by JoAnna Carl

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly meme hosted by Miz B of Should Be Reading and asks you to :

1. Grab your current read
2. Open to a random page
3. Share 2 "teaser"sentences also citing the title of the book and the author and in that way people can have great recommendations if they like the "teaser".
4. Please avoid spoilers!

This week's teaser is taken from The Chocolate Snowman Murders by JoAnna Carl

"Lee, I'm going to ask you to do something that you're not going to want to do; something you're going to think is immoral, and that I know is illegal."

"You don't want me to put preservatives in the chocolate, do you?"

"Good heavens, no! I'd never do that."

Yes, yes, I know this is against the "rules". Rant if you must, but 2 sentences is not enough and honestly this is not a spoiler by any stretch of the imagination.

Disclosure: A copy of this book was borrowed from the county library system. Thanks to our tax dollars!

Giveaway: Love in 90 Days by Diana Kirschner

From the publisher:

Finding true love is possible in just 90 days. Renowned clinical psychologist, Dr. Diana Kirschner, uses the latest research, clinical and personal experience to show you how. Dr. Diana knows the questions single women everywhere face: "Why am I attracted to the wrong kind of guys?" "Why is he just not that into me?" "Why can't I seem to find the One?" She also knows the unconscious mistakes that women make over and over again in love-regardless of age, work success, or the type of men they are dating.

Over the years Dr. Diana has received countless inquiries from single women about writing a how-to guide on her work. Love in 90 Days: The Essential Guide to Finding Your Own True Love is that book.

Love in 90 Days is fun, savvy and based on the latest research on singles, online dating and healthy relationships. Loaded with step-by-step instructions, checklists, and weekly homework assignments, this revolutionary love book is also an intensely personal journey for each reader. Love in 90 Days guides you along your own path towards self discovery with proven and effective dating advice and tough love. Dr. Diana dispels common misconceptions about love relationships and dating, and share personal stories from women who have successfully completed the Love in 90 Days Program. There's also a chapter devoted to the special issues faced by African-American women, single mothers, and women forty-five and older.

Now for the giveaway :

Hachette is allowing me to give away 5 copies of this excellent book. No P.O. boxes and drawing is open to residents of US and Canada. Please leave an e mail contact in your comment.

Bonus entries can be obtained as follows:
+5 for posting about contest-leave me a permalink to post please
+2 for followers (remind me if you are already one)

+2 for sidebar link or tweet

Deadline for entries is Jan 24th at 5 P.M. Good luck!

Show Me 5 Saturday: Tragic Magic by Laura Childs

Alipet813 at That's" a Novel Idea has started a new MEME called Show Me Five Saturday. This meme will give each blogger an opportunity to give a brief description of a book they have read or reviewed during the week. It will work like this: Each Saturday you will post the answer to these questions. The number indicates the number of answers you will provide.

1.Title of the book you read or reviewed this week

Tragic Magic by Laura Childs

2. words to describe the book

Cozy mystery

3. Setting or characters you met in the book

Carmela Bertrand: owner of Memory Mine scrapbooking shop and sometime amateur sleuth, sets out to find the murderer of her friend Melody at the request of Melody's husband Garth.

Melody Mayfeldt: has been converting an old abandoned house into Medusa Manor, a haunted house attraction, for the horror convention soon to be held in New Orleans. Seems like she converted someone into a deadly enemy.

Ava Grieux: Carmela's best friend and sleuth partner who owns the JuJu Voodoo shop. Ava is one spunky lady with a big imagination and her own unique sense of style who adds a lot of spice and humor to the story.

4. things you liked or disliked about the book

I really liked the mystical feel of the New Orleans setting with all the great descriptions of the different districts and customs.

The twists in the mystery and all the possible suspects and great motives kept me guessing all the way to the end.

Sub plots of Carmela's soon to be ex- husband Shamus, and Edgar her police officer current beau.

The many imaginative and descriptive scrapbooking elements sprinkled throughout the story really added to the book's dimension.

5. stars or less rating

4****

Note: Tragic Magic is part of the scrapbooking series but can be read as a stand alone mystery. Laura Childs, one of my absolute favorite cozy writers, also writes the tea shop mysteries and the Cackleberry Club mysteries. Links to review of Oolong Dead and Eggs in Purgatory. The second book in the Cackleberry Club series is Eggs Benedict Arnold and that will be featured in a Show Me 5 later this month.

Disclosure: a copy of this book was borrowed from the county library system.

For another Show Me 5 please visit Jenners