What I'm Reading: The Wine Jelly Murder (Meg Benjamin)

Here's another book whose release surprised me. Thank goodness for pre-orders, I guess. Because I was once again startled to learn that another friend and Nine Naughty Novelist alumni has a new release. NB: the next book in Meg Benjamin's Lucious Delights cozy mystery series is due out in October! 

But anyway, I suppose I should be annoyed with Meg for being able to segue so effortlessly from Romance to Cozy Mystery. I've ALWAYS wanted to write cozies, but haven't managed it yet. 

Also, the Lucious Delights series is all about jam making, which is such a cool and original niche. I hope she continues with it for many, many books. 

Meg has also mastered the multi-book story arc. I like how the characters' relationships grow and change throughout the series--sometimes going in different directions than I thought it would. Just like a mystery! I'm interested in how various storylines will continue to play out. 

Another thing I like is how Roxy is generally reluctantly pulled into solving crimes, rather than repeatedly jumping into obvious danger. I swear some cozy heroines are truly Too Stupid to Live. No fear of that happening here. Which is not to say there is NO foreshadowing--where would the fun be in reading something like that? But the characters generally have realistic reasons for why they miss seeing more of the danger signs. 

I've found the entire series very enjoyable.

The Wine Jelly Murder

Meg Benjamin

https://www.megbenjamin.com/the-wine-jelly-murder/

Weddings can be murder, and Roxy’s trying not to be the next victim. 

Roxy Constantine and Nate Robicheaux are into weddings, both for work and family. But when the obnoxious father of the bride is murdered at the engagement party, they find out more about his business than they bargained for.

Now someone wants to stop Roxy from investigating even as she pulls out all the stops on a super New Year’s Eve wedding celebration for her uncle.

She’ll need more than wine jelly favors and wedding cake to stop the killer.

Mug Shot: Clean Slate Mug

 

Well, this mug seems perfect for the start of a new school year--even if (where I am currently) school has already been in session for nearly a month. After the shortest summer EVER. I love these mugs and I have several of them; in part because my husband and I tend to buy them for each other. 

They remind me of a cafe I used to visit in Vallejo, California which served hot drinks out of mugs like these with all sorts of cute and/or inspirational quotes and sayings. 

Overall, I like the way this picture turned out. but I can't imagine why they hung the blackboard crookedly. 

What I'm Reading: Light of Day (Jennifer Bernard)

I was startled to find out that Jennifer Bernard has started a new series! Jen's a friend from my Nine Naughty Novelist days and it's always fun to see what my old pals are getting up to. 

I'll admit that I never want a series that I'm enjoying to end, and Jen keeps creating these extremely cool small towns and then, all too soon IMO, she's moving on to the next one! 

I mean, your mileage may vary. I've moved towns so many times in my life that I think I crave more permanence in my fictional book reading life. 

So it you like small town romance and you don't like starting series until they're wrapped up, check out Jen's website, because she has all your next binges.

However, having said all that, I must admit that I am already in love with Sea Smoke Island, and can't wait to see what else is in store for us here. 

Light of Day

Jennifer Bernard

https://www.jenniferbernard.net/light-of-day

Some secrets are buried deep. On Sea Smoke Island, digging them up could cost you everything...including your heart.

Heather McPhee swore she’d keep her distance from Sea Smoke Island—she escaped the reputation of the “messy McPhees” and intended to keep it that way. But when her best friend and podcast co-host vanishes after uncovering a bombshell story on the remote Maine island, Heather has no choice but to go back.

Luke Carmichael also thought he left the drama of his powerful family behind. Banished from their elite resort and raising his daughter on his own, the island constable prefers a quiet life. Until Heather storms back into town, stirring up old ghosts.

As they investigate Gabby’s disappearance, Heather and Luke uncover a generations-old conspiracy tied to the elite Carmichael resort, one someone will kill to protect. And as sparks fly between the messy McPhee and the renegade Carmichael, they’ll have to decide what’s worth risking—the truth, their lives… or their hearts.

Because on Sea Smoke Island, some secrets refuse to stay buried. And the truth always comes to light.

Mug Shot: Bee Mug

 

So I know I said last week that that was the last mug of summer, but I guess I lied. I just wasn't ready to leave honey lavender latte season quite yet. And what better mug to drink one out of than this bee-themed mug? PLUS, of course, it's got all those great geometric shapes, which makes it perfect for back to school season, as well. 

Need more proof? Well, at my grandson's school, they handed out teeny jars of honey as a first-day-of-school treat. Boom.

And of course, if I'm going to mention honey, I'm going to plug my book, A Taste of Honey (even if it is set in May). Here's a link to the playlist. 

A Taste Of Honey

Oberon Book 4.0

 

For Lucy Greco Cavanaugh, life is a dream come true.  She has it all. The perfect family. The perfect husband. The perfect marriage. What more could she wish for?  Other than the chance to do it all again. To experience once more the agony and ecstasy of falling in love with the man of her dreams. To recapture the joy and uncertainty that comes with starting over.

As far as Dan Cavanaugh is concerned, his life has become a nightmare. His storybook marriage is on the line when Deirdre Shelton-Cooper, the runaway daughter of a former girlfriend arrives in Oberon intent on proving Dan is her father. Even though he's convinced the girl's claims are false, Dan decides his only chance to keep from losing everything lies in keeping her very existence a secret from his wife and family.

But, sometimes, what you don't know can hurt you--and those you love. When Deirdre, masquerading as a surfer girl named Monica, accidentally hooks up with their son, Seth, Lucy and Dan are left to wonder: has their perfect, fairy-tale romance, turned into a classic Greek tragedy?

Sometimes you get exactly what you wish for.  And it's more than you'd ever dreamed.

https://books2read.com/TasteOfHoney

What I'm Reading: Dead Witch in the Library (Gretchen Galway)

As I mentioned last week, several of my favorite authors have been frustratingly slow in the past few years to release new books. Gretchen Galway is one of those authors. Her Sonoma Witches series has been LANGUISHING. But, be careful what you wish for, right? I don't know this for a fact, but she tied up A LOT of loose ends in this latest installment and it read like a wrapping up of the series. 

Nooooo!

Now that I'm no longer living in California, I need a reliable fix, an occasional hit of Bay Area esthetic, and this series was very much that for me. I was familiar with all the locations, lived in some, visited most. Although, to be honest, I OFTEN found myself grumbling at the pages as I read, insisting that this was not at all as I remembered it. 

But, OTOH, if you've spent any time at all in Berkeley, you'll understand that arrogant skepticism is pretty much the default response to EVERYTHING. Part of why I fit right in.

But I digress. 

I love the fictional world Galway has created and inserted into MY world. The snooty witch families, the feud between metal witches and hearth witches, the secrets Alma is forced to conceal, her friendships, etc.

I think the fourth book in the series is my favorite, if only because of the cats and Berkeley setting. This is the seventh book in the series and I really enjoyed it as well, although, as I said, it feels like things are coming to an end. I hate that. And I hope I'm wrong. But, if you're one of those people who like to wait until a series is complete to start reading it, I think you're safe to start this one. 

Dead Witch in the Library

Gretchen Galway

https://www.gretchengalway.com/sw7

As witches gather in San Francisco for an exclusive professional conference, a killer hunts in the shadows...

When a 97-year-old witch librarian dies under suspicious circumstances, Alma is called out of her redwood forest to investigate. Unfortunately, dozens of the most powerful witches in the world are also in the city for a conference—and when they aren’t killing each other, they’re insulting or threatening Alma.

Forced to defend her pride as well as her life, Alma follows a trail of clues that suggest anyone could be a killer. As hexes fly and opponents both fae and human swarm around her, Alma unravels her most elaborate magical mystery yet.

Mug Shot: Lake Mug

 

So, I've always thought of Labor Day as being the end of summer, and I see no reason to change that now, even if the kids around here have all been back in school for close to a month at this point. So here's the last summer mug shot of the year. 

Here in Central Texas, most of the supposed "lakes" are really just especially wide parts of a river. And most of the rivers are considered creeks, so...there's a lot of water to swim and boat and fish in whatever you want to call it. And it's all really nice on a hot day. We nearly bought a waterfront property a short while ago and, in an excess of enthusiasm, I tagged a lot of "lake life" goodies and put together a rocking river playlist. 

I may not be living the waterfront dream life yet, but time's an illusion, anyway. 

What I'm Reading: Into the Dark (Jordan L Hawk)

There are several authors I follow who have (in recent years) been releasing books less frequently than before. This is a frustration that I (sadly) know about from both sides. In the case of Jordan Hawk, it's compounded by the fact that she has several series in the works, so that the wait between books in any given series can be really long. 

I'll be honest. I love her shapeshifters the best. But her OutFoxing the Paranormal series is a pretty close second. It's so delightfully contemporary. It's all ghosts and ghostbusters and psychics and gadgets...like a grown-up version of Scooby Doo. 

This is the third book in the series, and I would definitely suggest starting at the beginning. It's not totally necessary, but you'll miss a lot of character development otherwise.

I also love the covers. 

Into the Dark

Jordan L Hawk

 https://jordanlhawk.com/products/into-the-dark-outfoxing-the-paranormal-3-ebook

OutFoxing the Paranormal’s benefactor, Ms. Montague, has a new assignment for the team: to investigate the haunted asylum Oscar’s grandmother died in. But upon arriving at the site, they find a rival duo of ghost hunters already there.

Between unexpected competitors and the murderous ghost of a former nurse, the pressure is on for Oscar to live up to his family’s heritage and lay the asylum’s ghosts to rest. Can he prove himself by putting an end to the nurse’s reign of terror, or will the asylum claim yet another victim?