Shelle Perry Follow

When a fellow contestant at the artichoke festival is found dead with the vegetable stuffed in his mouth, Sally Solari, restaurant owner/amateur sleuth is off and running. Her questions uncover a multitude of suspects who might have wished the artichoke farmer ill will, for a variety of reasons.

I am new to this series, but I never felt out of place. The characters immediately felt like people the reader could care about. The tiny story arcs gave a level of nuance to the mystery and left me wanting to come back and read more to see where things are going.

Sally’s investigation technique is a breath of fresh air, out of the box thinking coupled with tried and true cliches. At any rate, she got the case solved. I wasn’t surprised when the person I thought did it turned out to have actually done it, but I couldn’t have proven it right up until the moment Sally made the discovery for herself. There were so many questions needing answering, great suspects, and tiny currents of drama that kept the story moving at a steady clip.

I simply love the recipes and delectable dishes offered in the book. Artichokes are an unsung veggie that needs more attention. All in all, this was a pleasant quick read.

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Rating: 4.5 out of 5.
I received an advance review copy for free through Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours, and I am leaving this review voluntarily

Much ado about Nauticaling follows Whitney Dagner. She and her brother Nick have recently inherited a boat tour company from their grandparents, located on Santa Catalina Island off the coast of California. While she visited the island many times while growing up, she has recently returned from the mainland permanently dragging along her room mate Maribel, who works as a receptionist in the local Sheriff’s office, and seemingly followed by her ex boyfriend Felix, who also works with the police. Her grandparents are a hoot, if a bit cliche. They, especially Goldy, strike a good balance between being flakey, super meddlesome and perfectly helpful at just the right moments.

I do love it when I know who done it, but end up second guessing myself because I can’t figure out why, and there are just so many juicy suspects to play with. That was certainly the case here. The mystery offers a plethora of clues, plenty of red herrings (which makes sense in a seaside town) and just the right pacing to keep the story moving along and the reader guessing.



This story has all the promise of a good cozy series. The setting is wonderful. There are some terrific characters and the author obviously knows how to tell a story. Still, the amateur sleuth seems sometimes a bit too amateur, so much so that she hangs a lantern on it more than once. With a constant inner monologue, she is at times a bit erratic and people talk to her a bit too easily, even when she makes it clear that she is theorizing their involvement, or that of someone they care about, in the crime. Also, the small town cops are a bit too shallow and rigid, not merely a bit incompetant.

While it may be trying to cram a few too many cozy tropes into the plot, there is much to recommend this series going forward and I would enjoy another visit to Avalon in the future to see what these characters are getting up to.

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Rating: 4 out of 5.
I received an advance review copy for free through Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours, and I am leaving this review voluntarily

"Heath is … everything.
He’s long summers together.
He’s support and kindness.
Hard work and a smart mouth.
A man I’ve always admired.
He’s second chances and hope.
He’s my future."

The above quote says everything about the relationship between these men; best friends first, but so much potential.

When two men who have been best friends forever find that they have a stronger connection it makes for a splendid love story. This is the second book in this series and I waited so impatiently for it after reading book 1, much as I am now waiting impatiently for book 3. The core characters in this series are such great guys, with stories begging to be told, and the MCs in this book no less. While Griff’s relationship with his ex seemed a bit odd when it came up in the first book, his situation makes sense in the context of this story. It is a gratifying read. Heath, if he can get past his own bits of baggage is a perfect fit for the newly single Griff.

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Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

-- “Cam, you’re crying,” he said in such a gentle way that my chest hollowed, and he rubbed a thumb on my cheek wiping away tears, a soft rhythmic motion that made me want to cry all the more.

“I didn’t mean to,” was all I could think to say. “Tears just happen.”

He closed in, the puff of his breath on my lips, and I was lost in his green eyes. “Don’t stop them if you need them.”

Always (Single Dads Book 4)

**Two men broken by their choices and circumstance find each other. Cam and Adam find themselves starting over from a dark place neither could ever have imagined. This a sweet love story about finding redemption and support in an unexpected place. Cam and Finn’s story is so heartbreaking, and I was super excited to finally read Adam’s story after it played out through the previous books in the series, and it was worth the wait.

This is another great book in the Single Dads series by RJ Scott. As with the previous books, it embraces the themes of friendship, found family, second chances, adorable kids, a scrappy pup and of course fiercely protective fathers and the men who to love them.

I chose the quote above because to me it boils the story down to one aspect. It not a weakness to cry. Tears are the release that gives a person the strength to continue on in the face of pain.


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Rating: 5 out of 5.
reviewed via Kindle Unlimited

I find anthologies to be fun. They are a great way to find something new from favorite authors and to find new authors to enjoy. My first anthology of the summer season is Mysteries, Midsummer Sun and Murders: A Cozy Mystery Anthology. It is chock of summer fun and mystery. From seaside resort towns, to beach picnics and pools, the settings are the best of summer. Best selling, well loved authors have offered up Cozies of all stripes. Filled to the brim with witty amateur, and a few professional, sleuths, quirky sidekicks, lovable pets, and delicious food, along with trails of clues that lead the reader to the one whodunnit.

While I found fun moments in each novella, I particularly enjoyed the museum of the macabre in A CORPSE BESIDE THE SEASIDE BENEDICT BROWN. I felt for poor Izzy being the inspiration for it. In addition to the novellas, there are recipes for Killer Summer Salads, Dastardly Desserts and Drinks to Die For. Reading the novellas side of the box set was enjoyable, but I had huge fun thumbing through the recipes, the titles of which are more than worth the price of admission. ‘Seven-Slayer Salad’, ‘Murderous Melon Salad’, and ‘Perfectly Puzzling Potato Salad’ to name a few. Then there are the desserts, my favorite of which is the Deceptively Fancy Fruit Salad Fluff which is a staple of mine under a different alias. Even the Cranberry Crime Margarita sounds delish.

I received a copy of this book for free and it is totally worth the $.99 pre order price offering hours of cozy conundrums and fun recipes. The authors have outdone themselves on this one. It seems like a fun project.

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Rating: 4.5 out of 5.
I received an advance review copy for free through Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours, and I am leaving this review voluntarily

Bookshop Mysteries by V.M. Burns are always a good time. The characters are like old friends and the story is always a page turner. With this series, you get two stories for the price of one. The first, a cozy mystery investigated by Sam, helped in ways great and small by Nana Jo and her retirement village girls. The second is a historical cozy written by Sam. Both suck the reader in until the last page.

In Killer Words, Sam and Nana Jo find themselves trying to clear the name of Detective Pitt after he is seen to have gotten into a disagreement with the irksome victim. This is a fun read full of charm and banter, along with well-written mysteries, full of the great clues and twists, all of which I have come to expect from this series.

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Rating: 4.5 out of 5.
I received an advance review copy for free through Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours, and I am leaving this review voluntarily

My goodness, do I love Murder She Wrote. Not surprising, since I am fairly sure the tv show was responsible for the cozy mystery trend that followed it. I was so excited to find out that there are books that continue the series only to find out that I have to play catch up on upwards of 50 of them. Missing a detail like that probably means that I won’t be a successful cozy sleuth anytime soon. Oh well, at least I love to read. I only hope that the rest of the books are as good as “Killing in a Koi Pond.”

In this book, Jessica has come into town to visit with an old college friend. At a dinner party on her first night there she can’t help but notice that her friend’s new husband has a temper and is quick to show it. He also seems to have a sadistic side, leaving everyone in the room a suspect when he turns up dead the next morning. There are the classic usual suspects, someone who owes money, someone who has been swindled, the family member about to be cut off, and the ever helpful business partner, to name a few. The only person Jessica is sure of is Delores, the widow.


I am very much aware of the fact that an author would have to do double duty in writing for such a well established series. First, they have to remain true to the voice created by the original actors and writers. Then, they must be able to tell a cohesive whodunnit in their own right. Terrie Farley Moran has done a bang up job in both. This book truly felt as if I had been dropped into the show with old friends and new to fill out the cast. I can’t even begin to explain how exciting it was to read Harry Mcgraw in the late Jerry Orbach’s voice. The best part? No commercials. Plus, it reads well, with plenty of clues dropped in just the right places at just the right time with Jessica’s signature withholding of the key piece of evidence until the big reveal. I am going to have to find more books written by Terrie Farley Moran, MSW or otherwise.

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Rating: 4.5 out of 5.
I received an advance review copy for free through Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours, and I am leaving this review voluntarily

I still get excited at the idea of Murder She Wrote books. I love how this one too, feels like I have been transported into my 80s TV to live for a bit. Writing a good mystery is a challenge. Writing a good mystery that stays true to the memories of thousands of fans of the series has to present its own set of challenges. Terrie Farley Moran has once again written Jessica flawlessly.

Jessica Fletcher is the quintessential cozy protagonist. She sees everything. She is as sharp as a tack. She has a beautifully analytic mind that is tempered with compassion. Most importantly she is an expert at reading people. She may not know whodunnit, but that superpower of hers is often the thing that tells her who didn’t. In Debonair in Death, she feels the need to clear the name of the young woman accused of murdering an unpleasant shop owner. There is no shortage of suspects or motives. When secret agent, Michael Haggerty comes snooping around she realizes that the whole thing might be bigger than just a local murder. She has her hands sleuthing while trying to work on her latest book. Between her civic committees, clubs, and the more than occasional murder investigations, how she ever has time to write any of her books, I have yet to figure out. She has to be the busiest retired person ever.

The best part of this newest installment is that it takes place in Cabot Cove, Maine. In the series, Jessica in her natural environment is always the best Jessica. She knows everyone in town and sooner or later she digs up all the goings on. It is the perfect eastern seacoast small town, Small but never short on drama and intrigue. With Cabot Cove comes her good friend Seth. By far my favorite of her cohorts, he is opposite her in so many ways. She is health conscious, jogging daily, biking around town, eating clean. Seth on the other hand, despite his medical background, enjoys life, good comfort food, and the occasional vice. The back and forth between the two of them is worth the price of admission and could carry any story on its own. Appearances from other series favorite characters in this story is much appreciated.

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Rating: 5 out of 5.
I received an advance review copy for free through Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours, and I am leaving this review voluntarily

For someone my age, Jessica Fletcher is an old friend. While I have my doubts that she wrote Cozies, the television show chronicling her adventures most definitely became the template for the mystery sub-genre. This is my third read in the ongoing series, co-penned by Terrie Farley Moran. Once again, I am blown away by the ease with which I slip into reading this story. Cabot Cove, its community at large, and its penchant for gossip is large and center stage. Beloved characters leap off the page to take up residence in my imagination and I feel the craving for a pot of tea and a vat of popcorn, my go-to MSW snack foods.

In this installment, Jessica, having just sent off her latest book is looking forward to spending summer vacation at an NYC beach with her favorite nephew Grady and his family. His wife had just received a promotion and had been invited to join in her boss’s family beach getaway. After meeting the likely suspects and being given a plethora of clues, her boss is found dead and Jessica dives in to figure out who murdered the man with tennis balls. She pulls the reader along in her usual persistent fashion.

It is always a pleasure to follow JB Fletcher through and investigation. She sees everything, asks the oddest questions then sets up the big reveal all while holding true to her purpose, which in this story was spending time with her young nephew. I will admit to figuring out the bad guy early on, but it is only Jessica’s patience that I was able to find the why. What is it about her Great Aunt vibe that has the killers confessing with only a disappointed look from her?

Much like the long-running series, there is an overall story arc, but the books can be read as stand-alone and in any order.

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Rating: 5 out of 5.
I received an advance review copy for free through Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours and Netgalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily

This was my first visit to South Cove CA., but I have to believe it won’t be my last. Jill owns a book store, (it is now my fantasy to own a similar one), and her aunt helps her to run it. In the book, Jill and her boyfriend have picked up a new hobby, geocaching, and there she meets Kacey, the president of the geocaching club. She is also the estranged wife of Dustin, who had dated Jill’s friend in a previous book. Kacey is going to open the long contested food truck with a gluten free menu, that is until she is found dead. There is no shortage of suspects, Jill’s friends Sadie and Dustin are the most obvious and seemingly have the most to gain. Jill steps in to clear her friend’s name. If that doesn’t keep her busy enough, Jill is being targeted by the city water conservation committee, she has run afoul of close friend Amy and Jill’s Aunt is asking her lie to the man Jackie has been dating. It is a recipe for fun.

I truly enjoyed reading about Jill, her book shop, and her hobbies. I would love the chance to read as much as she does for fun. All of the characters in this town are like old friends and even though I haven’t read previous installments in the series I didn’t feel as if I were missing out on anything. This is a terrific afternoon read I can recommend to all mystery lovers.

5 stars

I received a copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review

It is always fun to have a Lynn Cahoon book on the blog. One Poison Pie is the first in a series story of Mia Malone. As the story progresses we discover that she had left her cheating fiancee in Boise and moved to her family’s hometown of Magic Springs to make a fresh start. Just the name makes it sound like a wonderful place before we even get to know anything about it. It is a classic small town located in the mountains of central Idaho. Description of the area makes me yearn for snow despite the two feet of it outside my window. Her grandmother has helped her to procure an old schoolhouse with a bit of a past. Her plan is to restore it and open a cooking school along with a catering kitchen. Everything is going mostly smoothly when her first client, a longtime friend of her Gran’s, ends up dead and Mia is the prime suspect.

The author has done a wonderful job of introducing the characters that will make up the core MC’s moving forward, including a plucky sidekick and a love interest. Gran, I do believe will be my favorite character. She is the perfect mix of spunk and decorum, plus she’s a little bit nosey. We all know granddaughters cannot be trusted to find the right guy. ::wink wink:: The secondary cast is fun and vibrant and they have a secret or two hanging around. In addition to the murder mystery there a couple of other side questions that need answering; Where does her cat keep disappearing to? Why is her Ex really in town? What lengths would the aggressive real estate developer actually go to to get what he wants? Why does the detective seem to be out to get her young sous chef?

It is a solid start for what I believe will be a fantastic series. I am really looking forward to learning more about the witches in the area and how “Kitchen” magic differs from traditional witchcraft.

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Rating: 4 out of 5.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Ash is a new dad and he is tired, overwhelmed, and just tired. Sean is one of the three roommates that just moved in next door. A trio of first responders, an ER doctor, a fireman, and a police officer who are lifelong friends that take an immediate interest in Ash and his new daughter. I very much enjoyed the insight into the world these men live in, where circumstances or a chance mistake can cause a life to hang in the balance. The comfort that being a part of Mia’s brand new life gave them was a poignant contrast.

Right from the opening of the book, any parent would identify with Ash and his sleep-deprived state. We have all been there and done that. He worries about everything he doesn’t yet know about being a parent. He worries about everything he does know about the world he has brought his daughter into and on top of all that he still dealing with the betrayal of a partner who left him to do it all alone.

Sean is smitten with both his neighbor and his new daughter, gobsmacked really. He can easily see taking care of both of them forever and they do need a little bit of being taken care of. Sean is sweet and romantic and had me swooning right along with Ash.

Coming into this book, I had read a couple of the later books of the series and it was really great to see these wonderful characters in a different light, from the beginning. I kind of knew the story, but to see it play out was super sweet.

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Rating: 4.5 out of 5.
reviewed via Kindle Unlimited