Sunday Salon: A Cozy, A Paranormal Romance, And A Thriller

Sunday Salon is a delightful way to find new and exciting books each week that can lead you on some marvelous adventures, stir your imagination, chill you to the bone or have you laughing out loud.

This week I’d like to share my thoughts on three books I’ve read. While these books fall into different genres, they all have one thing in common - they were very good reads. So get comfortable while I tell you about a cozy murder mystery, a paranormal romance, and a thriller. Quite a combination, don’t you think?

WINED AND DIED by Cricket McRae

Sophie Mae Ambrose can’t seem to keep herself out of unauthorized investigations and dangerous situations.

When her husband, Detective Barr Ambrose, bought a box of used mini cassettes at a thrift store, Sophie Mae never imaged they would lead her to a killer. The 11-year-old daughter of their housemate, Meghan Bly, listened to one of the tapes and began asking questions. Young Erin discovered the tapes had belonged to a therapist recording notes about her clients.

Sophia Mae listens to the tapes in order to return them. What she learned was the therapist believed one of her clients was considering murdering a member of the prominent Swenson family, owners of the Grendel Meadery in Cadyville. However, no report had been made to the police and the therapist had since died of an apparent heart attack.

Sophie Mae begins to search for answers wondering if the young therapist’s death was natural causes and who the intended murder victim could be. When one of the Swenson family dies of a heart attack, even the police begin to wonder.

WINED AND DIED is a delightful cozy murder mystery that will have you laughing as you try to unravel the mystery with Sophie Mae. Author Cricket McRae has created a cast of characters that are very realistic and charming.

This is the 5th installment in the Home Crafting Mystery series, but is a stand alone book. While there are references to prior events, they are not so prominent as to confuse new readers. An added bonus, the book contains recipes for home crafted items including Homemade Ginger Beer.

WINED AND DIED is a fast pace, enjoyable read that will be hard to put down once you begin. 

Cricket McRae’s website is www.cricketmcrae.com

Wined And Died by Cricket McRae, A Home Crafting Mystery, Midnight Ink, @2011, ISBN: 978-0-7387-2334-1, Paperback, 284 pages

FTC Full Disclosure - This book was sent to me by the author in hopes I would review it. However, receiving the complimentary copy did not influence my review.

IN THE HEAT OF THE BITE by Lydia Dare

 

Witches, vampyres and werewolves, oh my!

All Rhiannon Sinclair wanted to do was to make sure her sister Ginny was safe even if it meant going all the way to London from Edinburgh and having to see her vicious aunt.

When she wasn’t allowed to see her sister, Rhi stomped off to a nearby park and had a temper tantrum. But being a weather-controlling witch, Rhi’s tantrums usually involve wind, rain, thunder and lightning. She was in the middle of such a storm when Matthew Halkett, Earl of Blodswell, spotted her and thought she needed rescuing.

Matthew can’t help himself when it comes to rescuing damsels in distress. He is truly a knight in shining armor who has been coming to damsels rescue for countless decades. He was reborn as a vampyre during the Holy War when he was discovered dying on the battlefield.

When Matthew tries to rescue Rhi from the storm, the two of them find themselves battling more emotions than they ever imaged. Things really get heated when Rhi discovers Matthew is the one who turned her friend Alec MacQuarrie into a vampyre. Then there’s the matter of her conven sister Caitrin Eynsford who is married to a werewolf.

As the events begin to unfold, Rhi and Matthew find themselves draw to each other. The bantering between the Englishman and the Scottish lass are endearing.

IN THE HEAT OF THE BITE is the second installment in the vampyre series by author Lydia Dare, but is a stand alone book. There are returning characters from the first book, as well as the Westfield werewolf series, that will delight fans of this author. At the same time, new readers won’t be left in the dark but hopefully intrigued enough to check out the other books.

This is one vampyre series that will have you laughing and swooning. 

Author Lydia Dare’s website is http://www.lydiadare.com/

In the Heat of the Bite by Lydia Dare, Sourcebooks Casablanca, @2011, ISBN: 978-1-4022-4510-7, Paperback, 384 pages

FTC Full Disclosure - I requested this book and it was sent to me by the publisher in hopes I would review it. However, receiving the complimentary copy did not influence my review.

THE SERIAL KILLER’S WIFE by Robert Swartwood

Sarah Walter would do anything to protect her son, Matthew. She would even return to being Elizabeth Piccioni, wife of serial killer Eddie Piccioni.

When her husband was arrested for the rape and murder of a number of women, Elizabeth took her son and ran. That had been five years ago and she had since made a new life for herself and her son cutting ties with everyone from her former life.

Now a robotic voice calling himself Cain informs her she must return to her former life and secure her husband’s trophies from his kills. If not, her son will be killed. She is sent photos every hour showing her bound son and the hours ticking down till his death unless she produces the ring fingers of her husband’s victims.

She sets off on her journey and is joined by the new man in her life. While she has not informed Todd of her past, she quickly must fill in the blanks in order to accomplish her task. As they encounter people from Sarah’s past, the body count begins to rise. At every turn it seems Cain is one step ahead of them.

Sarah’s race against-the-clock is filled with suspense and intrigue. It’s a breath-taking ride filled with twists and surprises along the way. Just when you have everything figured out, author Robert Swartwood drops in a surprise or two.

THE SERIAL KILLER’S WIFE will grab you and not let go until you find out who the real ‘Widower Maker’ is.

Author Robert Swartwood’s website is http://www.robertswartwood.com/

The Serial Killer‘s Wife by Robert Swartwood, RMS Press, @2011, ASIN: B0055001E6, Kindle Edition, 400 KB 

FTC Full Disclosure - This eBook was sent to me by the author in hopes I would review it. However, receiving the complimentary copy did not influence my review.

I hope everyone is having a great Sunday. Thanks for stopping by. Be sure to stop back by next week as I have a number of great authors and an Indie Publishing Company lined up to guest blog. Hope you’ll drop by, say hello and make them feel welcomed. Thanks again, y’all are the best! Have a wonderful day. I’ll be thinking of y’all even though I won’t be able to visit with you.

 

Author Cricket McRae: ‘Wined And Died’ Released Today

It’s my pleasure to welcome author Cricket McRae back to Thoughts in Progress as she launches her mini-blog tour for the latest installment in her Home Crafting Mystery series, WINED AND DIED.

I’ve asked Cricket to share a bit about her current release and about mead making. Cricket will be stopping by periodically today to respond to your comments and answer any questions you might have.

Thanks for hosting me on the first stop in my blog mini-tour, Mason! I’m delighted to guest on Thoughts in Progress.

 

The fifth Home Crafting Mystery, WINED AND DIED, officially releases today. I’ve included soap making, food preservation, spinning and cheese making in previous books in the series. This time the colonial home craft that serves as the backdrop to murder and mayhem is mead making.

“Something is brewing in Cadyville, and it's not only dandelion wine. Sophie Mae is intrigued by a recently discovered cassette recording in which a therapist fearfully contemplates her client's murderous threats. When the same therapist ends up dead, Sophie Mae is lured into another intoxicating investigation, one that explores the age-old art of mead and wine making.”

In this book, Meghan is visiting her long-distance beau in New Jersey, and Barr and Sophie Mae are caring for Erin. As a result, the precocious almost twelve-year-old takes on a larger role in the investigation than usual. Add in a little soap making, a big business contract, a new employee for Sophie Mae, a bit of drug dealing and a family of oddballs who own the local meadery and let the games begin!

Mead is honey wine, the most simple of which is a fermented combination of honey and water. Some say it was the first recorded alcoholic beverage, though others argue beer came first. However, honey could ferment without the help of any human interaction. 

Hives in the hollows of trees, especially certain species in Africa, would flood during torrential rains and then the sweetened water would ferment due to the natural yeasts in the air. Indeed, I found a recipe for mead that consists of basically mixing honey and water and leaving it on the kitchen counter to ferment. It’s much the same recipe that I give in the back of WINED AND DIED for making homemade ginger beer using sugar, water, and ginger.

Though Paleolithic peoples may have accidentally discovered the mood-altering gift of the gods, the Egyptians, Romans and Greeks developed hive systems and harvested honey specifically for mead production – the nectar of the gods and high-born alike.

There are many sub-varieties of mead, and the primary one in WINED AND DIED is a methaglin. A methaglin is a mead brewed with spices and herbs. The term is a combination of the Latin word for medicine with the Old Irish word for liquor. The alcohol extracts herbal constituents better than plain water or oil, and in the past the sweet taste of mead would have masked unpleasant tastes from medicinal herbs. Nowadays, however, the herbs and spices are added more to enhance the flavor of honey wine.

The idea for incorporating mead into this book came from my friends Bob and Amy who, one evening after dinner, brought two small bottles up from the basement, popped them open, and reverently poured the contents into four champagne flutes. Elixir of the gods, indeed. They brewed it using champagne yeast, and brut dry, sparkling and light, it tasted like no other mead I’d ever tried. I had to find out more, and then, of course, I had to write about it.

Kirkus says of WINED AND DIED, “…a tutorial on mead and a dash of soapmaking, all wrapped around a credible mystery.”

Thanks again for hosting me, Mason!

Cricket, thank you for guest blogging. It’s always fun to find out what Sophie Mae is up to while learning new recipes and tips I can use. Mead making sounds like fun, I may have to give it a try.

Now for a bit of background on Cricket. Her books are available in trade paperback and as downloads for Kindle and Nook. In honor of the recent release of WINED AND DIED, you can enter to win a free Author Website ($900 value!) from the creative folks at Bizango Websites for Writers until July 29, 2011. For more details and information on how to enter, please visit her blog at  www.hearthcricket.com . For more information about Cricket or her books, check out www.cricketmcrae.com .

Have you ever tried your hand at wine or beer making? If so, what was the outcome? Remember if you have any questions, Cricket will be dropping by off and on today. I appreciate each and everyone of y’all. Thanks so much for stopping by. Be sure to check out the 5th installment in Cricket’s Home Crafting Mystery series.