Southern Sass and a Battered Bride (+ Giveaway)

I’m happy to be a part of author Kate Young’s Great Escapes Virtual Book Tour for her latest release, SOUTHERN SASS AND A BATTERED BRIDE, the third installment in her Marygene Brown Mystery series.

Southern Sass and a Battered Bride

By Kate Young

Cozy Mystery

3rd in Series: A Marygene Brown Mystery

Publisher: Kensington (April 27, 2021)

Mass Market Paperback: 352 pages

ISBN-10: 1496721497

ISBN-13: 978-1496721495

Digital ASIN : B08F2WNNPQ

At a murder mystery–themed wedding reception on Georgia’s picturesque Peach Cove Island, the bride is doing an awfully good job playing dead . . .

Marygene Brown always figured she’d marry her childhood sweetheart, Alex Myers, not cater his wedding. But the Peach Diner could use the exposure. Most of the island is showing up—although more for the role-playing murder game at the reception than for the widely loathed bridezilla, Lucy Carmichael. Marygene may have to smile through the festivities, but Mama doesn’t have to hold her peace—especially since only Marygene can hear her mother’s ghost. Mama says she sees an aura of darkness around the wedding.

So, when Marygene finds Lucy lying beside the wedding cake, buried in batter, with no pulse, it looks like Mama called it. This is no game. And when the bride’s body simply vanishes, it’s up to Marygene and her best friend Betsy (cousin to the groom and no fan of the bride) to solve a real-life mystery—with a little help from Mama’s sassy spirit . . .

Includes Seven Recipes from Marygene’s Kitchen!

Southern Sass and a Battered Bride is available at the following sites: Amazon – B&N – Kobo – IndieBound

Meet the Author: Kate Young

Kate Young writes Southern mystery novels. She is a member of Sisters in Crime and the Guppy Chapter.

Kate lives in a small town in Georgia with her husband, three kids, and Shih Tzu. When she is not writing her own books, she’s reading or cooking.

For more on Kate and her writing, you can connect with her on the following links:

Website – https://www.kateyoungbooks.com

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/AuthorKateYoung/

Twitter – https://twitter.com/KAYoungBooks

GoodReads – https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6527572.Kate_Young

BookBub – https://www.bookbub.com/profile/kate-young-b3339e9c-d2e4-482d-a637-5afd7b064d73

Thanks so much for stopping by today. You can follow Kate’s tour by visiting the blogs below. Also be sure to enter the giveaway. If the Rafflecopter widget doesn’t show up, you can still enter by clicking HERE.

Can you image catering your childhood sweetheart’s wedding? Have you ever had to participate in an ex’s wedding or such? 

TOUR PARTICIPANTS

April 26 – I'm All About Books – SPOTLIGHT

April 26 – Cinnamon, Sugar, and a Little Bit of Murder – REVIEW, RECIPE

April 26 – Angel's Guilty Pleasures – CHARACTER INTERVIEW

April 26 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT

April 27 – Christy's Cozy Corners – REVIEW

April 27 – Ruff Drafts – SPOTLIGHT, RECIPE

April 27 – I Read What You Write - REVIEW, AUTHOR INTERVIEW

April 28 – Author Elena Taylor's Blog – CHARACTER INTERVIEW

April 28 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW

April 28 – My Journey Back the Journey Back – CHARACTER GUEST POST

April 29 – Celticlady's Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

April 29 – Literary Gold - REVIEW

April 29 – Baroness' Book Trove – REVIEW

April 30 – A Wytch's Book Review Blog – REVIEW

April 30 – Maureen's Musings – SPOTLIGHT

April 30 – My Reading Journeys – REVIEW

April 30 – Books a Plenty Book Reviews – REVIEW

May 1 – Paranormal and Romantic Suspense Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

May 1 – ebook addicts - SPOTLIGHT

May 1 – Sapphyria's Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

May 2 – Cozy Up With Kathy – REVIEW

May 2 – Diane Reviews Books – REVIEW

May 2 – Tea Book Blanket – SPOTLIGHT

 

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Have you signed up to be a Tour Host?

Click Here to Find Details and Sign Up Today!

Bait and Witch (+ Giveaway)

It’s a pleasure to be participating in the Great Escapes Virtual Book Tour for BAIT AND WITCH by Angela M. Sanders, the first installment in her Witch Way Librarian Mystery series.

Bait and Witch

By Angela M. Sanders

*Cozy Mystery

*1st in Series: A Witch Way Librarian Mystery

*Publisher: Kensington (December 29, 2020)

*Mass Market Paperback: 336 pages

*ISBN-10: 1496728742

*ISBN-13: 978-1496728746

*Digital ASIN: B086R8VF2T

Librarian Josie Way moved to small-town Oregon to lay low. Instead, thanks to newfound magic abilities—and a killer on the loose—she’s leapt out of the frying pan and into a cauldron of trouble . . .

Josie Way loved working among the Library of Congress’s leather-scented stacks—until she uncovered corruption and made herself a target. As Wilfred, Oregon’s new librarian, Josie can stay undercover until the case goes to court. But life in this little town isn’t as subdued as she expected. The library, housed in a Victorian mansion, is slated to be bulldozed. Still digesting the news that her safe haven is about to become scrap lumber; Josie discovers a body in the woods . . .

Almost as shocking, Josie learns that she’s descended from a long line of witches—and her powers have suddenly sprung to life. With help from a spoiled alley cat who just may be her familiar, Josie’s thumbing through a catalog of suspects, hoping she can conjure a way to save her library—and her life . . .

BAIT AND WITCH is available to purchase at Amazon - B&N - Kobo - Google Play - IndieBound

Now here is an excerpt for your reading pleasure.

EXCERPT FROM CHAPTER 1

“Are you okay?”

“Yes—that is, I’m not sure. I had this weird episode on the plane, like my innards were exploding. Is that what a panic attack feels like?” Toni was a physician. She’d know.

“Not usually. Stress does weird things, though.”

I’d had plenty of stress. I pulled aside my collar and pressed a finger on the star-shaped birthmark on my shoulder. Ever since I was a girl, I’d touched it for comfort. Tonight, it almost burned.  “I’m sure I’ll be better in the morning.”

“You really won’t tell me where you are?”

“No. You know I can’t. But you should see it here. It’s crazy, like I stepped into Cold Comfort Farm. The guy who drove me from the airport could have been nicknamed Lurch. I’m waiting for a raven to appear on a tree branch outside.”

“Just give me your town’s name. What if something happens to you?”

“No. I can’t. It’s better this way.” I toyed with the phone’s coiled cord. “I’ll call Mom tomorrow,” I said, replying to Toni’s unspoken question. All our lives, my sisters and I had shared a tacit communication. We could work elbow-to-elbow in Mom’s kitchen and never get in each others’ way. We’d pass a half cup of milk or plug in the mixer or set the oven’s timer for another sister without saying a word. “It’s late. I need to get to bed. I just wanted you to know I’m all right.”

After hanging up, I laid my nightgown on the foot of the bed. On impulse, I heaved up the bedroom window.

Oak trees vanished into the night. Beyond the trees was a cabin that couldn’t have been more than a few rooms. The caretaker’s, I guessed. Beyond that, maybe fifty yards away, was a house as large as the library, but squat and wide. I made out the glow of a light in an upstairs window. As I watched, a window shade pulled shut and blocked it out.

A breeze whooshed through the dry leaves, carrying a few to rattle against the roof. “Good night, wind,” I said, almost hearing my grandmother whisper the words in my ear. Funny, I hadn’t greeted the wind since I was a girl.

The black cat returned, too, padding up the shingles below my window.

“Who are you, little guy?”

He took two steps forward, mouthed a silent “meow,” and leapt away into the darkness.

Meet the Author!

Angela M. Sanders writes the Amazon bestselling Joanna Hayworth Vintage Clothing Mysteries and The Booster Club Capers. Under the pen name Clover Tate, she’s the author of the Kite Shop Mysteries (Berkley), which Romantic Times praised for their “well written wit and intrigue.”

Angela’s articles on food, personalities, and perfume have appeared in a variety of magazines, and her monthly newsletters have nearly 2,000 subscribers. She interacts with readers on Facebook and Instagram and is a prominent blogger for Now Smell This, which garners 1.5 million monthly page views.

Angela has two cats—one of whom is black of course—a witch’s freckle in her left eye and learned to read tarot cards from a pagan priestess.

For more on Angela and her writing, you can connect with her on the following sites: 

Website - https://angelamsanders.com/

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/AuthorAngelaMSanders

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/angela.m.sanders/

Twitter - https://twitter.com/AngelaMSanders

Thanks for stopping by today. You can check up on Angela’s tour by visiting the blogs listed below. Also, be sure to enter the giveaway. If the Rafflecopter widget doesn’t appear, you can still enter by clicking HERE.

Doesn’t this story sound intriguing? I enjoy a story that involves a librarian, don’t you, and who can resist when a little magic is involved?

January 11 – Mochas, Mysteries and Meows – CHARACTER GUEST POST

January 11 – The Editing Pen – REVIEW

January 11 – Brooke Blogs – SPOTLIGHT

January 12 – I'm All About Books – SPOTLIGHT

January 12 – The Pulp and Mystery Shelf – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

January 12 – Literary Gold - SPOTLIGHT, EXCERPT

January 13 – The Avid Reader - REVIEW, EXCERPT

January 13 – Baroness' Book Trove - REVIEW

January 13 – Maureen's Musings – SPOTLIGHT

January 14 – Angel's Guilty Pleasures - CHARACTER INTERVIEW

January 14 – Socrates Book Reviews - SPOTLIGHT

January 14 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW

January 15 – MJB Reviewers – SPOTLIGHT

January 15 – Cozy Up WIth Kathy - REVIEW, AUTHOR INTERVIEW

January 15 – Moonlight Rendezvous – REVIEW  

January 16 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT

January 16 – StoreyBook Reviews – GUEST POST

January 17 – Christy's Cozy Corners - REVIEW

January 17 – Books a Plenty Book Reviews - REVIEW

January 18 – Paranormal and Romantic Suspense Reviews - SPOTLIGHT, EXCERPT

January 18 – Eskimo Princess Book Reviews - SPOTLIGHT

January 19 – Celticlady's Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

January 19 – Sneaky the Library Cat's Blog – CHARACTER INTERVIEW

January 20 – I Read What You Write - GUEST POST

January 20 – Sapphyria's Book Reviews - REVIEW

 

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Have you signed up to be a Tour Host?

Click Here Find Details and Sign Up Today!

 

Snowball's Christmas (+ Giveaway)

Snowball’s Christmas
by Kristen McKanagh
* Published by: Kensington
* Publication date: September 29th, 2020
* Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

The Purrfect holiday awaits…

Snowball–an aptly named bundle of feline fluff–is thankful to be spending her first Christmas in the comfort of Weber Haus, the Victorian B&B run by Miss Tilly. Emily Diemer, who cooks for the guests, dotes on Snowball, but she’s not thrilled about another new arrival at the B&B: Miss Tilly’s nephew, Lukas. Which is odd, because Snowball’s animal instincts tell her that Lukas and Emily should definitely be friends.

Everything Emily needs is in this quaint community–including, she hopes, the chance to open her own bakery one day. She doesn’t think much of Lukas for leaving his aging aunt to struggle while he jets around the world taking photographs. But now that he’s here, helping to spruce up the property and getting mixed up in Snowball’s antics, she begins to soften a little. Until she learns what he has planned…

Lukas is going to sell Weber Haus so that Miss Tilly can retire. But Snowball is certain that this B&B, and these people, are supposed to be her forever home. Somehow she has to get these stubborn humans to see things through the wisdom of a cat’s eye and a kitten’s loyal, loving heart…

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo / Google Play

—

EXCERPT:

At her car, her good mood took a back seat to frustration. The fob on her key chain was dying, which meant it didn’t always let her in right away. After four or five clicks, she finally gave a grr of annoyance and opened the door with the key.

“Wait.”

No mistaking the deep voice of the man from the parking lot. No way could he be talking to her, though, so she went to get in.

“Emily.”

He is talking to me.

Surprise tinged with more delight than she’d let herself acknowledge had her pausing to look over her shoulder. “How did you know my name?” she called as he jogged down the last few steps.

He waved back up at the slope. “That man called your name earlier.”

And he’d paid attention? Wow. A blush warmed the skin of her cheeks, making the sting of the cold air against her bite more. “Listen, I’m flattered and everything, but I’m running late.”

He paused on a word, mouth open, then his eyes crinkled as he grinned. “I’m not asking you out.”

Oh. Disappointment dropped over her like snow falling off branches on her head. Kerfloop. Followed swiftly by embarrassment. The heat crept back up her cheeks, but for a much less fun reason. “Okay . . . What can I help you with?”

“Actually, I’m here to help you.”

Help her? With what? She raised her eyebrows in question.

“I believe you’ve picked up a small passenger in your purse.”

“My—” Realization rushed in with all the subtlety of a blizzard, and she closed her eyes in resigned horror. “There’s a kitten in my purse. Isn’t there?”

She opened her eyes in time to catch the full impact of her stranger’s full-bodied laugh, his eyes alight with humor. “Does this happen to you often?” he asked.

“Only since this one arrived on our doorstep.” More gently than she’d been handling it until now, she swung her purse around and opened it wide. Sure enough, two blue eyes stared back at her with all the innocence of angels.

“Snowball. You’ve got to stop this,” she admonished as she lifted the small kitten out. Cuddling the ball of fluff against her chest, she lifted her gaze to her helpful stranger. Right in time to see him with a camera up to his eye. A soft click sounded as he snapped a picture.

“Uh— No, thanks.” She lifted a hand to block any more.

“I’m only getting the cat in the shot. I promise.”

Zero for two. First, he wasn’t chasing her down because he was interested, and now he only wanted pictures of the cat. My ego is going to need some chocolate therapy if this keeps up.

Meet the Author

Sweet contemporary and Amish romance author Kristen McKanagh grew up consuming books and exploring the world through her writing. She attempted to find a practical career by earning a degree in English Rhetoric (Technical Writing) and an MBA. However, she swiftly discovered that writing without imagination is not nearly as fun as writing with it. Kristen also writes award-winning steamy contemporary romance as Kadie Scott, and award-winning paranormal and YA fantasy romance as Abigail Owen. No matter the genre, she loves to write happily-ever-afters that shine with home, heart, and humor. Kristen currently resides in Austin, Texas, with her own swoon-worthy hero husband and their two children, who are growing up way too fast.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / Newsletter / Bookbub

Thanks so much for stopping by today. Isn't that book cover so adorable? You can't help but be drawn into a story with a cute kitten like Snowball, now can you?

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