Tuesday, October 14, 2014

A Crafty Christmas {+ Giveaway}


A Crafty ChristmasWhile the weather may still be a bit warm, it won’t be long before that festive holiday of Christmas will be here. With that in mind, I’m delighted to be participating in author Mollie Cox Bryan’s Great Escapes Virtual Book Tour for her release, A CRAFTY CHRISTMAS, the latest installment in her Cumberland Creek Mystery series.

As part of the tour, I’ll be sharing my thoughts on this charming cozy mystery and the author is hosting an awesome giveaway. Please see the end of the post for more details on the giveaway.

SYNOPSIS:

        Christmas is just around the corner, and the ladies of the Cumberland Creek Scrapbook Crop are thrilled when Sheila wins the first place prize in a scrapbooking design contest: a ten-day scrapbook-themed cruise in the Caribbean. Vera and Paige decide to tag along, which should pose the perfect opportunity to learn some new techniques, mingle with fellow croppers, and get in some rest and relaxation before the chaos of Christmas.
        But when Sheila finds a famous crafter dead, and investigators determine she was poisoned, the luxury cruise veers toward disaster as Sheila becomes the number one suspect – or was she really the intended victim? Just as the croppers begin un-wrapping the truth, a storm strands them at sea, and they’ll find it’s harder than ever to survive the holidays with a killer on deck…

MY THOUGHTS …..

Author Molly Cox Bryan combines the holiday season and a luxury cruise for the perfect setting in the latest installment in her scrapbooking series. She mixes in a murder mystery, suspense and a dose of humor for a fun-filled adventure you can’t resist.

The characters are well-developed and likable with traits readers can relate to. The secondary characters are quirky and enhance the storyline. Bryan’s talent for storytelling places the reader in the middle of the action.

While scrapbooking is the theme of this story, you don’t have to be a crafter to enjoy this tantalizing tale of mystery and murder. A CRAFTY CHRISTMAS is a delightful cozy that will have you guessing from beginning to end as the author keeps you on your toes with twists and turns.

A Crafty Christmas by Molly Cox Bryan, Cumberland Creek series, Kensington, @2014, ISBN: 978-0758293565, Mass Market Paperback, 352 Pages 

FTC Full Disclosure – A copy of this book was sent to me as part of the author’s virtual book tour in hopes I would review it. However, receiving the complimentary copy did not influence my review. The thoughts are completely my own and given honestly and freely.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Mollie Cox Bryan writes the Cumberland Creek Mysteries, published by Kensington. The first book, Scrapbook of Secrets, was nominated for an Agatha Award for Best First Novel of 2012; the next one Scrapped, was published in January 2013. Death of an Irish Diva is the third in the series. Plans for the series include two more novels and two novellas—the first one Scrappy Summer will be available in summer 2014. 

She writes, gardens, runs, and scrapbooks in Waynesboro, Va. with her husband and two daughters.

For more on Mollie and her writing, visit her website and connect with her on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.

A CRAFTY CHRISTMAS is available at Amazonclip_image001 and Barnes and Noble.
You can also find out more about Mollie and this delightful book by stopping by the following blogs participating in her tour.
October 7 – Brooke Blogs - Review, Guest Post
October 7 - Chloe Gets A Clue - Interview
October 8 – Booklady's Booknotes - Review
October 9 – rantin' ravin' and reading – Review
October10 – Griperang's Bookmarks - Review
October 11 – A Chick Who Reads - Review
October 12 – Books Are Life - Vita Libri - Review
October 13 – Shelley’s Book Review - Review
October 14 – Cozy Up With Kathy – Interview
October 15 - fuonlyknew ~ Laura's ramblins and reviews - Review
October 16 – Mystery Playground – Guest Post*
October 17 – Mochas, Mysteries and Meows - Review, Guest Post
October 18 – Cicero's Children - Interview
October 19 – Melina's Book Blog - Review
October 20 – Dalene's Book Reviews - Review
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GIVEAWAY:

This giveaway is for three copies of A CRAFTY CHRISTMAS (winner’s choice of format) and a $25 Gift Card (winner’s choice Amazon or Barnes and Noble).
To enter, just click on the Rafflecopter widget below and follow the instructions. The widget may take a few seconds to load, so please be patient. 

Thanks so much for stopping by today. Are you already thinking about the holiday season? Do you enjoy reading about the holidays beforehand or during the actual season?

SIDENOTE: Thanks again for your thoughts and prayers during the recent passing of my mother-in-law. I hope to be back online beginning tomorrow. 

*This post contains affiliate links. Rafflecopter Code: a Rafflecopter giveaway

14 comments:

  1. This sounds very good I can't wait to read it. Thanks for the review
    Penney

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  2. If that doesn't scare you off a cruise, nothing will.

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  3. I work in retail, so I enjoy diving into holiday reads before the holidays! Thanks for sharing the info on the book!

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  4. Mason - Thanks for sharing about this book. I think cruises are really effective settings for murder; sounds like it certainly works here.

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  5. love the festive element in it!
    Hope you're OK, Masy!

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  6. I enjoy reading Christmas stories ahead of time. I'm ready now! Thanks for the post and giveaway.

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  7. Love the Christmas theme. The cruise, the characters and the mystery all sound delightful.

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  8. A cruise at Christmas sounds delightful.

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  9. This sounds great, I love a Christmas theme book and I love the cover.

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  10. Whenever it snows I'm ready for a holiday read - which means Oct/May here in MN!

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  11. A cruise is a great place for a mystery. Sounds like another one for my ever growing TBR pile.
    Ann

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  12. This should put me in the Christmas Spirit !!!

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  13. Sounds like a great Christmas cozy!

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  14. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on the book, Mason. Great cover!

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I'd love to hear your thoughts on today's post. Thanks for dropping by.