Smashbomb

Search

Search results

All (4956)

Content

Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2464 KP) rated A Sense for Murder in Books

Aug 3, 2023

Fundraising is Murder

When Sally Solari hears about the farm-to-fork fundraiser that the new restaurant in Santa Cruz is hosting, she immediately volunteers to help with the cooking for the event. As a result, she on hand when someone steals one of the auction items – a signed set of Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking – killing a member of the restaurant’s staff as well. Can Sally figure out what happened?

The book takes a bit of time setting up the suspects, but it isn’t too long before the body is found and things really pick up. There were several puzzling twists on the way to the satisfying climax. I was anxious to see how Sally’s relationship with her new boyfriend was going to go. I appreciated that their storyline didn’t drag their conflict out too much. The rest of the cast was great; we mostly focus on the suspects, and they kept me guessing. The book touches on the issue of the homeless, and I felt it did a good job of presenting the concerns fairly, which I appreciated. We also dabble a little with the sixth sense in this book, but it didn’t go so far that it bothered me or took this book out of the real world. There are five gourmet recipes at the end to enjoy later. This series was always intended to be a six book series, and if the author does stick with that, fans will be happy with where Sally winds up here.

Kudos

Morgan Sheppard (998 KP) created a post

Feb 16, 2024

IT'S LIVE!!! - Slippers and Songs

I can't believe it's finally out in the world! So far, the feedback has been great. And don't forget, you can get it for FREE in return for a review if you click the link for BookSirens - https://booksirens.com/book/HI60XMA/Y746Y5R

I also had some fun this week and, by request, made a recipe page for the Brodyr Alarch. All of the recipes were found online - although some have already disappeared, so I had to find substitutes! Which one would you like to try the most? And if you do for real, let me know what you think! https://morganjsheppard.weebly.com/brodyralarchrecipes.html

You can find Slippers and Songs at the following:
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/200681601-slippers-and-songs
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/slippers-and-songs-by-morgan-sheppard
Smashbomb: https://smashbomb.com/s/slippers-and-songs-brodyr-alarch-1
Universal Purchase: https://books2read.com/SlippersandSongs
Amazon.com: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CSPQTCJ6
Apple: https://books.apple.com/de/book/slippers-and-songs-brodyr-alarch-1/id6477316319
B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/slippers-and-songs-morgan-sheppard/1144779682
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/gb/en/ebook/slippers-and-songs-brodyr-alarch-1
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1514775
Eden: https://edenbookstore.com/product/pre-order-slippers-and-songs-brodyr-alarch-11/

If you could spare a moment, I'd greatly appreciate your review. Even just a few words can make a significant difference for authors.💙

Have a great weekend and I'll catch you later. Have fun!

#Fantasy
#Romance
#WelshGods
#BrodyrAlarch
#BrothersGrimm
#FairytaleRetelling

Kudos Comment

Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2464 KP) rated Easter Basket Murder in Books

Jan 25, 2024 (Updated Jan 25, 2024)

Here’s to a Deadly Easter

Kensington has called on their go to trio for three new holiday themed mysteries, this time featuring Easter. Up first, Leslie Meier’s Lucy Stone gets involved with a promotion for the local businesses leads to the theft of a golden Easter egg. Then Lee Hollis’s Hayley Powell finds the Easter Bunny dead at a community Easter egg hunt. Finally, Barbara Ross’s Julia Snowden’s Easter on the family island off the coast of Maine is interrupted when she finds a man in coat tails dead in the garden. Then, a few minutes later, he’s gone.

All three stories have fun with the theme, and present it in some clever ways. As is often the case, I found the first story the weakest, but the mysteries in the other two stories are strong. Still, I was engaged no matter which story I was reading. All three have some great Easter elements that made me feel like it was spring. And I love the community aspects we get. I’m only a regular reader of Barbara Ross’s series, and I was interested in the updates we got on the characters there. If you are looking for some new dishes to serve this year, you’ll be interested in the recipes we get with the second and third story. Each story is roughly 100 pages, so you can read them in a sitting or two. Overall, this is a fun anthology you’ll be happy hopped on to your to be read pile.

Kudos

Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2464 KP) rated A Midnight Puzzle in Books

May 18, 2024

Litigious Customer Murdered

Secret Staircase Construction is being sued by their latest customer. He maintains that his wife’s accidental fall down the stairs was the result of their shoddy construction. Tempest Raj doesn’t believe a word of it and thinks he may have tried to kill his wife and blame them. Before they can figure out what to do the man dies at the theater where Tempest is preparing for her farewell tour – a theater with a connection to the Raj family’s tragic past. While the police are initially looking elsewhere, Tempest knows it is just a matter of time before they look at her family. Can she figure out what really happened?

This book wraps up an arc that Tempest has been on, which means fans of the series will be satisfied. If you are new to the series, there is some background, but you might not fully understand some of what happens here. The pacing in this book is off, with things a little slow in the second act. Unfortunately, it means that the third act, while it does logically wrap things up, also feels very rushed. We needed a little more time to fully absorb the twists. Still, I love the premise of this series, and Tempest and her friends and family are always a joy to spend time around. As usual, there are a couple of recipes at the end. Fans will be looking forward to the next entry when they finish this one.