Review: Once Upon a Crime (A Brothers Grimm Mystery #2) by P. J. Brackston

Gretel (yes, that Gretel) is a plump 35 year old woman, still living with her brother Hans and working as a private investigator.

She has just received a new case….while it’s nothing glamorous, it is still a case. Gretel is charged with finding three abducted cats. Not three missing cats….three stolen kitties! Her client assures Gretel that the cats would never just run away, someone must have taken them but she has no idea why.

Reluctantly Gretel accepts….she feels that her skills would be better suited for something better, but she takes the case anyway.

In the mean time, the small Bavarian town of Gesternstadt is about to be rocked to its foundations by a murder. The workshop of a local cart maker is burnt to the ground and Gretel’s nemesis, Kapitan Strudel, is called in to investigate.

Gretel pauses to greet Strudel and see what she can find out about the fire, when she discovers a body in the ashes…..a body that is missing a finger and holding a bell from one of her client’s cats! Could it be coincidence? Did the cats die in the fire? Did the person die trying to save the cats?

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Announcement: Winner ENCHANTRESS OF PARIS by Marci Jefferson

And the winner of the giveaway for ENCHANTRESS OF PARIS by Marci Jefferson is…..

Diana S (Tweeted about giveaway)

The winner will be notified via email.

Thank you to everyone who entered and a huge thank you to the publisher for making this giveaway possible!

Review: Siege and Storm (The Grisha #2) by Leigh Bardugo

Alina and Mal have been forced into hiding across the True Sea. Alina is haunted by her memories of what happened on the Fold while Mal is eager to put as much distance between the girl he loves and the Darkling, as possible.

The Darkling is now more powerful than ever and has a plan that will test the boundaries of the world as they know it unless Mal and Alina can find a way to destroy him.

While she can’t be sure….Alina senses that if she brings all three amplifiers together, she will hopefully be powerful enough to defeat him. But how does one find ancient, mythical items?

The Darkling quickly discovers Mal and Alina on the True Sea but after a daring escape, they find themselves heavy one Ravka prince, Nikolai.

With his help, Alina and Mal return to the country that they have been fleeing with the hope that she will find a way to stop the Darkling. But her power continues to grow and the bond between Alina and the Darkling strengthens and it pushes her further and further away from Mal.

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Special Feature: LAMP BLACK, WOLF GREY by Paula Brackston

To help celebrate the release of Paula Brackston’s latest novel LAMP BLACK, WOLF GREY I am hosting a special feature about the book. As many of you know, I am a huge fan of Brackston’s ‘witch books’ and have read almost all of them.

This book isn’t exactly a ‘witch book’ but it still has the great magical and fantasy elements that Brackston is known for.

I will be reviewing this book in September to welcome in fall and my favorite time of year to read about witches, magic, and mystery!

Artist Laura Matthews finds her new home in the Welsh mountains to be a place so charged with tales and legends that she is able to reach through the gossamer-fine veil that separates her own world from that of myth and fable.

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Review: The Ambassador’s Wife by Jennifer Steil

This book made me want to quit my job and apply at the U.S. Embassy immediately!

I really enjoyed reading this one! It was a nice break from some of the books I’ve been reading lately. I thought this book was going to be much different than it was….for one I thought it was going to be set in like the 1940’s or something but it’s not….it’s actually a modern novel.

I don’t read a lot of contemporary fiction but I do make exceptions when the book or premise sounds unique and different and this fit the bill.

Artist Miranda is living in Mazrooq where she instructs Muslim women on painting….the kind forbidden in their culture. Miranda is kind of a free spirit, very bohemian and enjoying being free to paint and enjoy the Mazrooq people. Then she meets Finn.

Finn is a British ambassador who has just arrived in Mazrooq. He is only need there a few days when he has a chance encounter with Miranda in the market. Their acquaintance soon blooms into something more and before they know it, they are in love.

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