Silent Winter Solstice by Bonnie Oldre

A Beth and Evie Mystery Book 1

Winter Solstice, 1968. While most of the world is transfixed by the televised images of the first manned lunar orbit, Beth Williams rushes through the eerie quiet of her home-town city park trying to get to work on time. Suddenly, a body rolls down the hill and lands near her feet. She glimpses a shadowy figure at the top of the hill. But, before the police arrive, the body disappears and they dismiss the whole thing as a drunk who fell, was stunned, and then wandered off after regaining consciousness. However, Beth is certain that a murder was committed. She and her best friend, Evie Hanson, both mystery novel buffs, decide to investigate. The menace grows when Beth discovers she is being followed around town. Beth and Evie realize they must solve the case before it is too late.

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B09NZC296H
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Gatekeeper Press (December 20, 2021)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ December 20, 2021
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 1346 KB

My Review

What do you do when it is 1968, before cell phones were invented and you find a dead body in the snow? You run to the library, where you work as a Library Assistant so you can call the police. Unfortunately, the time it took to report the death also provided the murderer with the time to hide the body. Or was the person alive and knocked out, woke up and walked off? Beth Williams was second-guessing herself when the police couldn’t find evidence of foul play.

I liked the fact this mystery was set in 1968 when life was simpler and life in small communities was laid back and residents trusted one another. The author captured the time period perfectly. The writing style was easy to read, and the plot kept me turning pages. It didn’t keep me on the edge of my seat like thrillers do but its style was perfect for a cozy read.  It was a tantalizing read for a relaxing afternoon.

About The Author

I always loved books. My library card was a prized childhood possession. In the summer, I spent hours at the library happily turning pages with fingers wrinkled from playing in the adjacent city swimming pool. Reading transported me to a new world. I was interested in everything. Some of my favorites included the Hardy Boys and Sherlock Holmes stories, and later, Agatha Christie’s novels.

I developed a life-long passion for writing when a poem I wrote was published in my high school’s anthology. After earning a degree in English Literature from the University of Minnesota, my first publishing job was copy-editing church bulletins in the morning and delivering them in the afternoon! I was also a volunteer writer and editor for our neighborhood newspaper and sold a couple of short stories. But that didn’t pay the bills, so I went to graduate school and became a librarian.

The desire to write never diminished and ultimately propelled me into taking writing classes at the Loft Literary Center and the University of Minnesota. A life-long resident of Minnesota, my husband and I have two grown sons and a tribe of grandchildren. We, and our pet cat, Chocolate, live in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Bonnie also writes historical fiction as B.K. Oldre.

https://bonnieoldre.com/

Bad Vibes by Diane Weiner

Bad Vibes-A Sara Baron Tuned-In Mystery

Oboist Sara Baron is settling nicely into her new life back in her hometown, but when a friend goes missing under suspicious circumstances, her newfound equilibrium is thrown off balance. The police don’t suspect foul play, but Sara gets a bad vibe when she finds her friend Micah blew off a meeting with his dissertation chair and has been ghosting his girlfriend. Playing amateur sleuth, she uncovers secrets from Micah’s past which make her wonder if she ever knew her friend at all. Meanwhile, Sara has a secret of her own. One which could change her life forever.

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0B7TT4Z46
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ July 31, 2022
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 194 pages
  • Page numbers source ISBN ‏ : ‎ 1952579481
  • Lending ‏ : ‎ Enabled

Diane Weiner

Diane Weiner, the award-winning author of The Susan Wiles Schoolhouse Mysteries, The Sugarbury Falls Mysteries, and The Sara Baron Tuned-in Mysteries, is a veteran public school teacher and mother of four grown children. Being an animal lover, she is a vegetarian and shares her home with two precious cats—a calico named Callie and a gray tabby, Chelsea. In her free time, she enjoys running, shopping, attending theater productions, watching British mysteries on Britbox, and spending time with her family. A favorite way to destress involves turning down the lights, cranking down the air-conditioning (she lives in Florida), and getting lost in the scenery and mystery of Wales, Scotland, or England by watching shows such as Hinterland, Shetland, and Vera.

My Review

I am never disappointed when I pick up a Diane Weiner Cozy Mystery, no matter what series. Bad Vibes is the third book in her Sara Baron Tuned In Series. In Bad Vibes Sara moves back to her home town and as always, life is never what you expect when you go home again. Reconnecting with her family business in the craft of making custom oboes, she feels the warmth of being near her family but the death of a friend rocks her world. This mystery has romance, a family feel, and of course an enthralling mystery. Put on your amateur sleuth hat. As always with Ms Weiner’s mysteries, it is well-written and a good addition to the Sara Baron Tuned-In Mystery Series.

To learn more about the author, visit her website: www.dianeweinerauthor.com, or follow her on Facebook (dianeweinerauthor), Amazon, Goodreads, and Bookbub.

Download a free book as a gift and to introduce you to Diane’s series.

Where Wild Peaches Grow by Cade Bentley

Where Wild Peaches Grow by Cade Bentley

Release Date August 30, 2022

In a deeply emotional novel of family, cultural heritage, and forgiveness, estranged sisters wrestle with the choices they’ve made and confront circumstances beyond their control.

Nona “Peaches” Davenport, abandoned by the man she loved and betrayed by family, left her Natchez, Mississippi, home fifteen years ago and never looked back. She’s forged a promising future in Chicago as a professor of African American Studies. Nona even finds her once-closed heart persuaded by a new love. But that’s all shaken when her father’s death forces her to return to everything she’s tried to forget.

Julia Curtis hasn’t forgiven her sister for deserting the family. Just like their mother, Nona walked away from Julia when she needed her most. And Julia doesn’t feel guilty for turning to Nona’s old flame, Marcus, for comfort. He helped Julia build a new life. She has a child, a career, and a determination to move on from old family wounds.

Upon Nona’s return to Natchez, a cautious reunion unfolds, and everything Nona and Julia thought they knew—about themselves, each other, and those they loved—will be tested. Unpacking the truth about why Nona left may finally heal their frayed bond—or tear it apart again, forever.

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B09PBJDR5G
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Lake Union Publishing (August 30, 2022)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ August 30, 2022
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 297 pages
  • Page numbers source ISBN ‏ : ‎ 1542031214

MY REVIEW

Nona “Peaches” Davenport is a complex woman. She finds one can never put the past behind them when she travels back to her home in Natchez, Mississippi to bury her father. Peaches relationship with her family, fraught with emotions and misunderstandings, reaches the core of our being as we experience them with her. It touches on the feelings many have experienced in their own lives.

As the story unfolds, it also reveals differences in culture that many of us don’t think about or turn a blind eye to because we don’t want to see, always through the years unspoken but silently simmering.  The characters come to life, working together so the reader can visualize every scenario.

Where Wild Peaches Grow is by far my favorite book by this author. It has heart, it has soul, and is memorable. I would also put it as one of my top favorite books of the year. I highly recommend it.

THE AUTHOR

About Abby L Vandiver/Cade Bentley

Abby Vandiver

WALL STREET JOURNAL, USA TODAY, and internationally best-selling author, Abby L. Vandiver, is a hybrid author, being both self and traditionally published. She writes as Abby L. Vandiver/Abby Collette and Cade Bentley. Abby has always enjoyed writing, and combining that with her gift for telling stories and love of mystery, she became an author.

Starting in 2013, and prior to 2018, Abby self-published more than twenty books. Her debut novel, In the Beginning and its sequels, Irrefutable Proof and Incarnate are fact mixed with fiction, mystery/sci-fi novels not written as action packed or fast paced, but as “what-if” alternative history stories. After those books were published, Abby switched to writing cozy mysteries, she has four self-published series so far, Logan Dickerson Cozy Mystery, Normal Junction Cozy Mystery, Tiny House Mysteries and ABC Cozy Mystery Series. Although she writes mostly mystery, Abby has co-written a historical/women’s fiction novel with author and friend, Kathryn Dionne under the pen name Kathryn Longino, In 2017, she contracted with Henery Press for a 3-book deal to pen the series Romaine Wilder Mysteries. After signing with an agent in 2018, she authored two traditionally published cozy mystery series, both pubbed by Penguin Berkley: An Ice Cream Parlor Mystery’s and A Books & Biscuits Mystery. Again switching genres, Abby has penned a women’s fiction book, published by Lake Union, Where Wild Peaches Grow, due out August 30, 2022, which has received a starred review from Booklist. Abby acted as agent and editor for an anthology comprised of twenty authors of color titled, Midnight Hour published by Crooked Lane.

During her non-writing life, Abby obtained a bachelor’s in Economics, a master’s in Public Administration, and a Juris Doctorate. She is a former attorney and Economics professor, but now writes books full-time for the past nine years. As part of her writing journey, Abby teaches writing classes at her local library, Literary Cleveland, and the International Women’s Writing Guild. She will be the Writer in Residence at the South Euclid-Lyndhurst Public Library’s William L. Skirball Writer’s Center for 2022-2023.

Abby resides in South Euclid, Ohio, and enjoys spending time with her grandchildren, all of whom are her favorite.

Abby’s got many more books to come, so stay tuned!

Amazon Link

Visit her: www.authorabby.com

Email her: abbylvandiver@aol.com

Follow her: www.twitter.com/AbbyVandiver

www.instagram.com/abbylvandiver

www.facebook.com/authorabbyl.vandiver

Keep up with new releases: www.bookbub.com/authors/abby-l-vandiver

If God is Love Don’t Be A Jerk: Finding a Faith That Makes Us Better Humans by John Pavlovitz

Thou Shalt Not Be Horrible.

Imagine for a moment what the world might look like if we as people of faith, morality, and conscience actually aspired to this mantra.

What if we were fully burdened to create a world that was more loving and equitable than when we arrived?

What if we invited one another to share in wide-open, fearless, spiritual communities truly marked by compassion and interdependence?

What if we daily challenged ourselves to live a faith that simply made us better humans?

John Pavlovitz explores how we can embody this kinder kind of spirituality where we humbly examine our belief system to understand how it might compel us to act in less-than-loving ways toward others.

This simple phrase, “Thou Shalt Not Be Horrible,” could help us practice what we preach by creating a world where:

  • spiritual community provides a sense of belonging where all people are received as we are;
  • the most important question we ask of a religious belief is not Is it true? but rather, is it helpful?
  • it is morally impossible to pledge complete allegiance to both Jesus and America simultaneously;
  • the way we treat others is the most tangible and meaningful expression of our belief system.

In If God Is Love, Don’t Be a Jerk, John Pavlovitz examines the bedrock ideas of our religion: the existence of hell, the utility of prayer, the way we treat LGBTQ people, the value of anger, and other doctrines to help all of us take a good, honest look at how the beliefs we hold can shape our relationships with God and our fellow humans—and to make sure that love has the last, loudest word

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B08YJ6BTSZ
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Westminster John Knox Press (September 28, 2021)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ September 28, 2021
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 245 pages
  • Page numbers source ISBN ‏ : ‎ 0664266843

My Review

If God Is Love, Don’t Be a Jerk: Finding a Faith That Makes Us Better Humans

If God is Love, Don’t Be A Jerk may hit you right between the eyes. No matter what you believe or what political affiliation you might identify with, this book should make you pause and examine your beliefs. I couldn’t put it down as the author seemed to be living in my headspace during these traumatic times.

John Pavlovitz will have you exploring your beliefs about God and religion and where they originated in your life. Were we blindly led along our path to believe what we do? Did we question and explore and challenge the religious authority in our lives that led us to where we are today? Is the way we treat people based on our religious background? Are we cruel in our judgment because we believe that is what God tells us to do? How do we interpret God’s love? Is it a love of inclusion or exclusion? If God is Love Don’t Be a Jerk should have us all examining how we live in the name of religion.

I would imagine the author is going to get flack over this piece of work because it goes against the norm of what we expect from books about Christianity. Finally, someone says what many of us have wondered but not dared to speak in our religious affiliations. John Pavolitz in If God Is Love Don’t Be A Jerk, Finding a Faith That Makes Us Better Human Beings, challenges all of us to do better in our lives and our interactions with others.

About The Author

John Pavlovitz is a pastor, writer, and activist from Wake Forest, North Carolina.

In the past four years his blog Stuff That Needs To Be Said has reached a diverse worldwide audience. A 20-year veteran in the trenches of local church ministry, John is committed to equality, diversity, and justice.

In 2017 he released his first book A Bigger Table: Building Messy, Authentic, and Hopeful Spiritual Community, and his forthcoming book Hope and Other Superpowers: A Life-Affirming, Love-Defending, Butt-Kicking, World-Saving Manifesto, arrives November 6th, 2018.

Available in Print, Ebook and Audiobook. Publishes September 28, 2021

Find John Pavlovitz at: johnpavlovitz.com

If God Loves Me, Don’t Be A Jerk

The Lines We Cross by R. L. McCalla

The Lines We Cross by R. L. McCalla

If DNA is the blueprint of life, what happens when we change the instructions?
When deputy Sam Thurston responds to a report of a dead body on the side of the road, he’s completely unprepared for what he’ll find: a pregnant woman, womb cut open, baby missing. So soon after his own wife’s miscarriage, Sam is drawn in to the case. In his search to find both the baby and the young woman’s killer, Sam uncovers a hidden world of rogue scientists, genetic editing, and pregnant college students.
Meanwhile, Ava Newman learns she’s pregnant, accepts a scholarship to a school founded by a biotech billionaire, and unknowingly moves into the room previously occupied by the roadside victim. There, Ava discovers secrets about life and death and her own DNA.
In order for Ava and Sam to uncover what really happened, they must confront their fears, their families, and secrets someone is willing to kill for. Lives are not the only thing at stake. They’re fighting to determine what it means to be human.

MY REVIEW

The Lines We Cross is in my top twenty if not top ten books of the year. I loved this book.

I’m familiar with this author and read many of her previous works with Harlequin so The Lines We Cross was a surprise to me. It challenged everything I though I believed about DNA, science, gene editing and life. I came away from this mystery changing my mind about various scientific studies, and it left me with certain what-if’s.

I could not put this mystery down. When does science go too far? What are the repercussions on those left behind or those coming after us in the future? And then…what part does faith play in this? Can science and faith come together? Or is faith a separate entity? Who are we as people and what dictates the choices we make? Do we throw aside faith when questioning how far is too far if the end justifies the means and it makes a difference in our health and safety? I thought I was pat in my answers to those questions until I read this book and  made me look at why I believed what I believed.

And yes, this is a mystery, and it is fiction and it is a page turner. Find out for yourself. So far, my best book of this year.

About the Author

Rachelle McCalla plays with words like some kids play with fire. When she’s not writing, she can be found digging deep research holes, setting up ideas like lightning rods to catch the next big bolt to shoot from the sky. Please use caution when picking up her books, as some may emit dangerous sparks.

Amazon

A Death At Seascape House

With its sweeping sandy beaches and rolling emerald hills, the island of St. Morwenna is an idyllic escape. But behind the perfectly pruned primroses and neighborly smiles a killer lies in wait…

When librarian Jemima Jago is offered the opportunity to catalogue Cornwall’s largest collection of antique shipwreck records it is a dream come true. The only problem? The collection is housed on the island of St. Morwenna, the childhood home she left years ago and vowed never to return to.

Shortly after Jem arrives back in town, island busybody and notorious grump Edith Reddy is found dead, with duct tape clamped over her mouth and nose. Jem, caught seemingly red-handed at the scene of the crime, mistakenly becomes the police’s number one suspect. The handsome Sergeant Hackman in particular can’t seem to leave Jem alone…

Jem must take matters into her own hands if she wants to clear her name. Snooping around Edith’s once-grand home, she is struck by the mess before her. The bedroom is completely ransacked and in the living room all the photographs have been removed from their frames. Was Edith’s death simply a break-in gone wrong, or is there more to the mystery that the police are missing?

Jem has a sharp eye for a clue and she soon realizes that many of the island’s eccentric residents had reason for wanting Edith out of the way. Could Declan, the curious café owner, or Bart, the fishy ferryman have killed Edith? Jem won’t rest until she uncovers the truth, but doing so will put her right in the killer’s line of sight…

A totally charming cozy mystery from the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Emma Jameson. Brimming with intrigue and warm humor, fans of Agatha Christie, Faith Martin and Betty Rowlands will love A Death at Seascape House.

My Review

I wasn’t sure when I chose this book whether it would be my cup of tea perse. The plot intrigued me but I am on the fence when I read British Mysteries.. It is a personal taste or perhaps some of the ones I have previously read were not up to par. I took a chance and I was not disappointed. This is one of those British Mysteries that will hook readers and leave them wanting more.

Jemima Jago is a flawed person having been judged wild and unfit as a teenager. This wild teenager became a librarian and now returns to her hometown to catalogue Cornwal’s largest collection of antique shipwreck records. Small communities have long memories and are quick to point fingers when Jemima finds a body of a former nemesis.

A Death at Seascape House has strong characters with a history of heartbreak and friendship which weaves a tale of murder, mystery and human feelings drawing you in and keeping us reading long into the night.. This may be a work of fiction, but the real emotions will touch a readers life reminding us that we are all flawed with pasts that shape who we are, and if we can’t escape them, our destinies.

What more could we ask for with our reading pleasure?

About The Author

Emma Jameson is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Lord & Lady Hetheridge cozy mystery series. Book #1, ICE BLUE, Book #2, BLUE MURDER, Book #3, SOMETHING BLUE, Book #4, BLACK & BLUE, Book #5, BLUE BLOODED, and Book #6, BLUE CHRISTMAS are available now.

Her newest venture with digital publisher extraordinaire BOOKOUTURE is the Jem Jago cozy mystery series. Book 1, A DEATH AT SEASCAPE HOUSE, will be published in April 2021.

Ms. Jameson is also the creator of amateur sleuth Dr. Benjamin Bones. Set in Cornwall during the Second World War, book #1 is MARRIAGE CAN BE MURDER; book #2 is DIVORCE CAN BE DEADLY. Dr. Bones fans will also want to read the companion series, Magic of Cornwall. This includes DR. BONES AND THE CHRISTMAS WISH and DR. BONES AND THE LOST LOVE LETTER, two charming novellas set in untamed, romantic Cornwall.

Links

Emma Jameson Website

Interviewing Lisa Kelley from Lisa K’s Book REviews

You can find Lisa at : Lisa K’s Book Reviews

Infinite by Brian Freeman

One rainy night, the unthinkable happens: Dylan Moran’s car plunges off the road into a raging river, his beautiful wife drowning as he struggles to shore.

In the aftermath, through his grief, Dylan experiences sudden, strange visions: wherever he goes, he’s haunted by glimpses of himself. Dylan initially chalks it up to trauma, but that changes when he runs into a psychiatrist who claims he’s her patient. She says he has been undergoing a unique hypnotherapy treatment built on the idea that with every choice, he creates an infinite number of parallel universes.

Now those parallel universes are unlocked—and Dylan’s doppelgänger has staked a claim to his world. Can Dylan use these alternate realities to get a second chance at the life that was stolen from him? Or will he lose himself…to himself?

My Review

Infinite by Brian Freeman

The first question I would ask Author Brian Freeman if I interviewed him in person is: “Can I crawl into your mind while you’re writing?” I have a feeling it would be an interesting place to reside as his words appear on the computer screen.

Infinite is twisted, and curvy and outright surprising. I held my breath in anxiety during many of the chapters. I wasn’t sure why, but that’s the way I was affected when reading, and for me that’s a good sign that I’m hooked. An unusual story of a man wrapped in himself. Was it real? Was it fantasy? I couldn’t put the book down until I found out.

It’s no secret Brian Freeman is now on my list of favorite authors. I am crushing on his writing. Like Forest Gump states, “Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re gonna git.” I feel that way every time I read a Brian Freeman book. Brian Freeman’s books are like a box of chocolate, you never know what you’re gonna git.” I guarantee one thing, you will never be disappointed when reading one of his works. Infinite may just move to the top of your list of favorites in the world of Brian Freeman.

About Brian Freeman Brian Freeman is a New York Times and Amazon Charts bestselling author of psychological thrillers, including the Jonathan Stride and Frost Easton series. His books have been sold in 46 countries and 22 languages. He is widely acclaimed for his “you are there” settings and his complex, engaging characters and twist-filled plots. Brian was also selected as the official author to continue Robert Ludlum’s Jason Bourne series, and his novel THE BOURNE EVOLUTION was named by Kirkus as one of the best mysteries and thrillers of 2020.

Brian’s stand-alone thriller SPILLED BLOOD won the award for Best Hardcover Novel in the annual Thriller Awards given out by the International Thriller Writers organization, and his fifth novel THE BURYING PLACE was a finalist for the same award. His novel THE DEEP, DEEP SNOW was a finalist for the Edgar Award for Best Paperback Original in 2021.

His debut thriller, IMMORAL, won the Macavity Award for Best First Novel and was a finalist for the Edgar, Dagger, Anthony, and Barry Awards. IMMORAL was named an International Book of the Month, a distinction shared with authors such as Harlan Coben and Lisa Unger.

All of Brian’s books are also available in audiobook editions. His novels THE BONE HOUSE and SEASON OF FEAR were both finalists for Best Audiobook of the Year in Thriller/Suspense.

Find Brian at bfreemanbooks.com

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