Bread Over Troubled Water - A Recipe, Review, & Giveaway

Today I'm pleased to be able to share a recipe from BREAD OVER TROUBLED WATER by Winnie Archer. This book is the eighth in the Bread Shop Mystery series and was released this week.

Olaya’s Morning Cookies (naturally gluten free!)

Ingredients

• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter

• 1/4 cup granulated sugar

• 1/4 cup light brown sugar lightly packed

• 1 large egg

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 3/4 cup oat flour

• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• 1/4 cup golden flaxseed meal

• 1 1/2 cups extra thick rolled oats (or substitute gluten free old-fashioned oats)

• 1/2 cup dried cranberries

• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

• Other Add Ins of choice


Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F.

2. Prepare two baking sheets by lining with parchment.

3. Cream butter and both sugars together in large bowl.

4. Mix in the egg and the vanilla.

5. Stir in the flour, baking soda, and cinnamon until combined.

6. Add the oats, flaxseed meal, cranberries, and walnuts (or other Add Ins). Stir until just combined.

7. Using a spook, form cookie dough into small to medium-sized balls. Place on the baking sheets. Press down slightly to flatten.

8. Bake for about 12 to 15 minutes.

9. These cookies keep for 2-3 days in an airtight container.


ADD INS

• Raisins

• Pecans

• Slivered almonds

• Golden raisins

• Dried cherries

• Dried blueberries or other dried fruit

• Chocolate chips• Sweetened dried coconut

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Review

BREAD OVER TROUBLED WATER by Winnie Archer
The Eighth Bread Shop Mystery

A staple in Santa Sofia, Yeast of Eden has its share of regulars, including the charming Josh Prentiss. After a tumultuous morning at the bread shop Ivy Culpepper and her pug, Agatha, take a break in the park that will be the site of her engagement party. Instead of a relaxing stroll, Agatha is on the scent of something else and leads Ivy to Josh's dead body. Before long protests against Yeast of Eden begin, with people claiming it was bread that poisoned the man. With the beloved bread shop in the crosshairs and the owner's sister a suspect, Ivy delves once more into a murder investigation. But will she find a killer, or will a killer find her?

 

New characters add more layers and decidedly more spice to this eighth Bread Shop Mystery and not everyone is what they seem. While on the surface everyone seemed to love Josh, his true colors are slowly revealed, providing lots of motive to a variety of suspects. Detailed descriptions enrich the drama and immerse readers into the story. I found characters I wanted to smack, and breads I really wanted to eat!

BREAD OVER TROUBLED WATER skillfully blends misdirection, red herrings, and surprising twists into a cleverly written character driven mystery.

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 Bread Over Troubled Water (A Bread Shop Mystery) by Winnie Archer

About Bread Over Troubled Water 

Bread Over Troubled Water (A Bread Shop Mystery)
Cozy Mystery 8th in Series
Setting - California
Kensington Cozies (November 29, 2022)
Mass Market Paperback: ‎ 304 pages

Rising cozy mystery author Winnie Archer cooks up her latest installment in her delightful and delicious Bread Shop Mystery series.

Photographer Ivy Culpepper is soon to make a home with her husband-to-be in the California beach town of Santa Sofia—but the Yeast of Eden bakery remains her second home. It’s not just a place to work, but a community. And now one member of the community has been murdered . . .

A regular who used Yeast of Eden as a workspace, Josh Prentiss always turned heads with his startlingly good looks and thousand-watt smile. But Ivy can’t help noticing one morning that he seems distracted and off his game. Later, during a visit to the park where she and Miguel plan to hold their engagement party—with plenty of baked goods on the menu—her rescue pug, Agatha, sniffs out Josh lying in a bed of poppies…scone cold dead.

There’s no reason for Ivy to get involved. She’s busy enough holding down the fort as the shop’s owner, Olaya, cares for her recently orphaned niece, not to mention the stress when a new employee is fired and storms out in a rage. Then a band of rabble-rousers starts picketing the bakery, claiming that Olaya’s sourdough roll is what killed Josh—and Ivy hears some salacious gossip about her beloved boss. She doesn’t think there’s a grain of truth to the seedy rumors—but to prove it, she’ll have to start sleuthing . . .

About Winnie Archer

Winnie Archer is the nationally bestselling author of the Bread Shop Mystery series, as well as the Lola Cruz Mysteries and the Magical Dressmaking Mystery series written as Melissa Bourbon. A former middle school English teacher, lives in North Carolina with her educator husband, Carlos, and the youngest of their five children. Visit Winnie Archer online at www.MelissaBourbon.com!

Author Links

• • Website: http://www.melissabourbon.com/
  • Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MelissaBourbonWinnieArcherBooks/
  • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bookishly_cozy/

Purchase Links: Kensington - Amazon - B&N - Kobo - IndieBound  

 

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A Pickle of a Murder - A Review

 Review

A PICKLE OF A MURDER by Melissa Bourbon
The First Foxy Ladies Mystery 

With a flamboyant wardrobe and an unlit cigarette, Hattie Juniper Pickle knows her own mind. She also knows something is up when her dull as dishwater second ex-husband shows up out of the blue, with her first ex-husband, who also happens to be her third ex-husband, following on his heels. Telling her exes to come back later, Hattie is relaxing at home after a date when she hears someone messing around by her old loblolly tree. Going outside to chase them away she's stunned to find ex #2 under her tree-dead. Gathering her friends, the foxy ladies, Hattie is determined to discover what brought her ex to town and who killed him!

Having read the Book Magic Mysteries I was familiar with Hattie Juniper Pickle. Indeed, she was a secondary character so bright she deserved a series of her own and she got it in the new Foxy Ladies Mystery series. But have no fear, even if you haven't read the book series, you'll have no problem jumping in to Hattie's adventure.

I loved this quick read that brought me back to Devil's Cove. Though short, there was plenty of scintillating detail, red herrings, and enough twists and turns to keep readers guessing.

A PICKLE OF A MURDER is a fast paced colorful novella that proves that age is just a number.

Murder Through an Open Door - A Review

 Review

MURDER THROUGH AN OPEN DOOR By Melissa Bourbon
The Third Book Magic Mystery

Pippin Lane Hawthorne is learning to live apart from her twin Grey, but she's hardly alone. Her inn is almost always fully booked, leaving her grateful for Hazel, a traveling innkeeper, who has come to help out. She also has her friends, as well as Jamie and his daughters. But until she can break the family curse there's no place for romance. Is there? Could a dead body in Jaime's bookshop and a discovery about Pippin's necklace mean that she and Grey will be able to actually break the curse? Or does it only mean that more trouble is heading their way?

Lots of twisty turns, about faces, and surprises suffuse the third Book Magic Mystery leading readers on a merry chase to determine, not only who the murderer is, but what needs to be done in order to break the curse. Many characters are acting suspiciously and it seems as if trusting anyone could be a major mistake. 

Pippin is a wonderful protagonist, full of determination, if somewhat plagued by self doubt. She's learning to trust despite obstacles placed by the author, and I love how her relationship with Jaime is growing. One of my favorite characters, Hattie Juniper Pickle, is back and plays a key role in apprehending a suspect, a scene that had me on the edge of my seat-yet giggling.

MURDER THROUGH AN OPEN DOOR is a magical maze of trust, treasure hunters, and murder with a backdrop of books and Celtic mythology. Filled with family secrets and unexpected twists this book with have you glued to your seat.

Currently Reading...

I'm currently reading Murder Through an Open Door by Melissa Bourbon. This book is the third in the Book Magic Mystery series and was released earlier this month.

Pippin is learning to live apart from her twin Grey, but she's hardly alone. Her inn is almost always fully booked, leaving her grateful for Hazel, a traveling innkeeper, who has come to help out. She also has her friends, as well as Jamie and his daughters. But until she can break the family curse there's no place for romance. Is there? Could a dead body in Jaime's bookshop and a discovery about Pippin's necklace mean that she and Grey will be able to actually break the curse? Or does it only mean that more trouble is heading their way?

A Murder Yule Regret - An Interview, Review, & Giveaway

I'm happy to welcome Winnie Archer back to Cozy Up With Kathy today. Winnie writes the Bread Shop Mystery series. A MURDER YULE REGRET is the seventh book in the series and was released earlier this week.

Kathy: In A MURDER YULE REGRET Ivy attends a Victorian costume party attended by a variety of Dicken's characters. There are so many wonderful versions of A CHRISTMAS CAROL. Do you have a favorite version?

WA: What a great question! I LOVE the Patrick Stewart version. Our family went to see Patrick Stewart perform A CHRISTMAS CAROL. Apparently, it was written to be performed solo. He narrated it, and acted the parts, but alone on stage. He was incredible!


Kathy: Ivy Culpepper is working to boost her fledgling photography business. Do you enjoy taking pictures at the holidays? What are some of your favorite subjects to photograph?

WA: I do love taking pictures. I went through a huge scrapbooking phase when my kids were little. With the advent of the cell phone camera, that all changed. My youngest son doesn’t have the same level of scrapbooks as my other kids, as a result.

We have an annual tamalada (tamale making party). I really enjoy capturing this party for posterity. It is all friends and family having such a great time. The event really captures the joy of the season for our family. It’s my favorite tradition.


Kathy: I'm sure Olaya had some special bakes coming up for the holidays. Do you have anything special that you make for the holidays?

WA: We’re fairly traditional, although I try to add new things now and then. I make the same caramel corn recipe I learned in 10th grade home ec. I make sausage bread, which is a family favorite (https://melissabourbon.com/sausage-bread/). We make dinner rolls, but don’t usually get more adventurous than that.


Kathy: Was there a specific inspiration for this story?

WA: I was so excited to be able to write a holiday-themed story for this series! DEADLY PATTERNS, a Magical Dressmaking Mystery, is also a holiday story. In that book, there’s a strong Santa element. I knew I wanted to go in a different direction with this one.

Since I do love A CHRISTMAS CAROL, that was the first thing that came to mind and stuck. When thinking about a holiday party Olaya could cater, a celebrity party felt right. And Santa Sofia is fairly close to the Los Angeles/Hollywood area, so a starlet fit the bill. Those elements all came together perfectly!


Kathy: Are you able to share any future plans for Ivy?

WA: Of course! Book #8 releases late in 2022. There’s a nice moment at the end of A MURDER YULE REGRET that leads into part of the storyline for that book, BREAD OVER TROUBLED WATER. The trouble begins when a Yeast of Eden customer meets an unfortunate demise. And Ivy is invested in getting to the truth because some people think Olaya’s bread is to blame.


Kathy: When it comes to writing I understand there are 2 general camps-plotters, who diligently plot their stories, and pansters, who fly by the seat of their pants. Are you a plotter, a panster, or do you fall somewhere in between?

WA: Definitely in between. I generally know who the victim is, a few possible scenarios as to who could have done it, and why, and the overall arc of the story.

It’s the in-between stuff that I can’t plot. So much comes to me as I write. I call it ‘brain writing’. The actual process triggers new ideas, and, dare I say, moments of brilliance?!

Kathy: Authors are required to do a lot of their own marketing, especially for a new release. What's your favorite part of marketing your work? What do you dislike about marketing?

WA: Marketing is a necessary evil! I formed Book Warriors with fellow mystery writer, Diane Kelly, on Facebook. It’s a group focused on mysteries. We have a monthly book club and, of course, when our books release, we feature them!

The other HUGE thing I’m doing is taking me away from actual writing just a little bit. I’m tapping into my teaching roots and have created WriterSpark Writing Academy. It could end up as a way to market my books, sort of indirectly, but the focus is on teaching creative writing courses The first course is up for pre-sale and officially launches on January 1, 2022. https://writersparkwritingacademy.simvoly.com/

The best part of marketing boils down to the connections I get to make with other writers, and writing events we get to do.


Kathy: Will you share any other upcoming books?

WA: Yes! My Book Magic series has the next book in the series, MURDER THROUGH AN OPEN DOOR, releasing on Feb.1, 2022. I love this series, so I’m super excited about it! (https://bit.ly/MTAOpenDoor)

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Review

A MURDER YULE REGRET by Winnie Archer
The Seventh Bread Shop Mystery

 

Ivy Culpepper is surprised when bread maven Olaya accepts a last-minute request to provide Yeast of Eden breads for a holiday party. Hollywood star Eliza Fox, who recently moved to Santa Sofia, is hosting a Dickensian celebration and not only will Yeast of Eden be providing plenty of carbohydrates for the event, but Ivy will also be its official photographer. Even with gossips and guests only there for the free food and drink, the party seems to be a success, until a scream pierces the night. A body has gone over the edge of the cliffside home. Who had the temerity to push a man to his death in the middle of a Christmas party? Eliza seems to be a genuine and down to earth young woman, but is it just an act?  

 

Celebrity gossip, unscrupulous people, a hint of past abuse, and a desire to reinvent oneself are at the heart of the seventh Bread Shop Mystery. The writing is as crisp as a December evening in Santa Sophia and I enjoyed every word. Lush descriptions made me feel as if I was there. Serious subjects are raised and dealt with in a mature and respectful manner making the book, not only more realistic, but more pertinent, especially in today's world.

In addition to stimulating your mind with a well plotted mystery, A MURDER YULE REGRET will ignite your desire to attend a holiday party in order to indulge in scrumptious appetizers and holiday beverages. Descriptions of food may me long for some of Olaya's creations. I'll have some star bread, please, and though I'm not sure about the combination, I'll try Mrs. Bradford's Sparkling Peppermint Swirl!

A MURDER YULE REGRET is a festive holiday mystery pitting celebrity dreams against reality with unsavory characters quietly driving the action. Filled with bright and shining stars and mouthwatering carbs A MURDER YULE REGRET makes for a perfect holiday read.

 

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 A Murder Yule Regret (A Bread Shop Mystery) by Winnie Archer

About A Murder Yule Regret

A Murder Yule Regret (A Bread Shop Mystery)
Cozy Mystery 7th in Series
Publisher: ‎ Kensington Cozies (November 30, 2021)
Mass Market Paperback ‏ : ‎ 304 pages

Freelance photographer and Yeast of Eden bakery assistant Ivy Culpepper has just scored the job of a lifetime shooting the Dickensian dress-up X-mas party thrown by It Girl film actress Eliza Fox . . . until an unwanted guest appears.

A holiday costume party in the sleepy coastal town of Santa Sofia could be just the boost Ivy needs for her fledgling photography business. At the party, Ivy enters a Victorian fantasy come to life, all courtesy of the fabulous Ms. Fox. Ivy gets to play shutterbug while hanging with Scrooge, Marley, the Cratchits, and more classic Dickens characters. But what begins as the best of times turns out to be the very worst for one of the party guests—a tabloid journalist with more enemies than Ebenezer himself.

When the man’s body is found sprawled across the jagged rocks below the house, the fingers begin pointing at Eliza. Meanwhile, Ivy gets roped into helping prove the starlet’s innocence. Her festive photos are now official evidence—and the Ghosts of Christmas Present could mean the party for Eliza is over, once and for all.ance photographer and Yeast of Eden bakery assistant Ivy Culpepper has just scored the job of a lifetime shooting the Dickensian dress-up X-mas party thrown by It Girl film actress Eliza Fox . . . until an unwanted guest appears.

A holiday costume party in the sleepy coastal town of Santa Sofia could be just the boost Ivy needs for her fledgling photography business. At the party, Ivy enters a Victorian fantasy come to life, all courtesy of the fabulous Ms. Fox. Ivy gets to play shutterbug while hanging with Scrooge, Marley, the Cratchits, and more classic Dickens characters. But what begins as the best of times turns out to be the very worst for one of the party guests—a tabloid journalist with more enemies than Ebenezer himself.

When the man’s body is found sprawled across the jagged rocks below the house, the fingers begin pointing at Eliza. Meanwhile, Ivy gets roped into helping prove the starlet’s innocence. Her festive photos are now official evidence—and the Ghosts of Christmas Present could mean the party for Eliza is over, once and for all.

 

About Winner Archer

Winnie Archer is the nationally bestselling author of the Bread Shop Mystery series, as well as the Magical Dressmaking Mystery series written as Melissa Bourbon. A former middle school English teacher, lives in North Carolina with her educator husband, Carlos, and the youngest of their five children. She can be found online at MelissaBourbon.com.

Author Links: 

Kensington: https://www.kensingtonbooks.com/9781496724410/dough-or-die/  

Website: https://melissabourbon.com/  

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MelissaBourbonWinnieArcherBooks  

Purchase Links - Amazon - B&N - Kobo - IndieBound

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Murder at Sea Captain's Inn - A Review & Giveaway

Review

MURDER AT SEA CAPTAIN'S INN by Melissa Bourbon
The Second Book Magic Mystery

While the idea of turning their family home into an inn was a dream, the reality is much more challenging. More details than she believed possible and an exacting, grumpy guest are leaving Pippin Lane Hawthorne frazzled, especially as she doesn't have her twin by her side. Not only did Grey step away from the inn to start his own restoration business, he seems to be flouting the family curse. The inn's opening night party doesn't do much to relax Pippin either. A sinister looking man and an apparent break in make her wonder if someone is looking for her late father's secrets. Does it have anything to do with the archeologists and scholars in town studying the Lost Colony of Roanoke?

Secrets, subterfuge, and sinister characters fill the second Book Magic Mystery. Lots of suspicious behavior had my eyebrows raised for most of the book, wondering just what was going on. I also began to have doubts about several main characters. Just who was trustworthy? I was upset for Pippin who seems to be losing her twin, in more than one way. I love the addition of Colette, a wise French cheesemonger who believes in the paranormal, offers wine, and makes a mean charcuterie board. I wish she was my friend and neighbor! 

MURDER AT SEA CAPTAIN'S INN provides an intriguing multilayered mystery. The Lost Colony, the Lane family curse, family relationships, and mysterious connections converge creating an intensely captivating story. Readers' minds must be alert and nimble, sorting through the clues divined by literary classics and those craftily left by the author.

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 Murder at Sea Captain's Inn (A Book Magic Mystery) by Melissa Bourbon

About Murder at Sea Captain's Inn

Murder at Sea Captain's Inn (A Book Magic Mystery)
Cozy Mystery 2nd in Series
Publisher: Lake House Press (July 20, 2021)
Approx 300 pages

Generation after generation of Lane women die in childbirth, while the sea claims the men. Pippin Lane Hawthorne’s grand opening of Sea Captain’s Inn is tainted when a scholar studying the Lost Colony of Roanoke is brutally murdered. Like the black crow that hangs around the old house, could the untimely death be a harbinger of dark things to come? When her twin brother, Grey, begins bucking the curse by risking his life in the waters of the Outer Banks, Pippin lives in terror that he’ll be the next Lane male to be swallowed by the sea. Now she must use her gift of bibliomancy to save her brother, solve the murder, and end a two thousand year old pact.

About Melissa Bourbon

Melissa Bourbon is the national bestselling author of more than twenty-five mystery books, including the Book Magic mysteries, the Lola Cruz Mysteries, A Magical Dressmaking Mystery series, and the Bread Shop Mysteries, written as Winnie Archer. She is a former middle school English teacher who gave up the classroom in order to live in her imagination full time. Melissa lives in North Carolina with her educator husband, Carlos. She is beyond fortunate to be living the life of her dreams. Learn more about Melissa at her website, www.melissabourbon.com, on Facebook @MelissaBourbon/Winnie ArcherBooks, and on Instagram @bookishly_cozy.

Author Links: 

Website: http://melissabourbon.com  

Book Warriors Online Book Club: https://www.facebook.com/groups/BookWarriors  

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bookishly_cozy/  

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5423119.Melissa_Bourbon  

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmyAuh_IzHHYkzWzuZg9OVA  

Purchase Link - Amazon  

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Currently Reading...

I'm currently reading Murder at Sea Captain's Inn by Melissa Bourbon. This book is the second in the Book Magic Mystery series and was released yesterday.

While the idea of turning their family home into an inn was a dream, the reality is much more challenging. More details than she believed possible and an exacting, grumpy guest are leaving Pippin Lane Hawthorne frazzled, especially as she doesn't have her twin by her side. Not only did Grey step away from the inn to start his own restoration business, he seems to be flouting the family curse. The inn's opening night party doesn't do much to relax Pippin either. A sinister looking man and an apparent break in make her wonder if someone is looking for her late father's secrets. Does it have anything to do with the archeologists and scholars in town studying the Lost Colony of Roanoke?

The Secret on Rum Runner's Lane - A Review & Giveaway

 Review

THE SECRET ON RUM RUNNER'S LANE by Melissa Bourbon
A Book Magic Mini Mystery 

Cassandra Lane was different. Different from the people of Laurel Point and even different from her sister. The Lanes were cursed. The men would be taken by the sea while the women died in childbirth. The women also had the gift of bibliomancy, the ability to use books as a form of divination, of seeing into the future. Cassie, however, saw this as a curse as well. While her sister Lacy embraced the gift, Cassie shunned books of all kinds. After a rift with her sister, Cassie took off to start fresh in North Carolina. But her new home has secrets and she can't escape bibliomancy. Will she be able to use it to help a woman in danger? Or will she be too late?

THE SECRET ON RUM RUNNER'S LANE acts as a prequel to MURDER IN DEVIL'S COVE, the first book in the Book Magic Mystery series. As a novella, we don't get the intricacies and richness found in a full length novel, but Cassie Lane's world is still vibrant, if troubled. We feel her frustration, being disjointed and set apart from others. If you've read the first book in the series you'll delight in seeing a much younger Hattie Juniper Pickle, be charmed at the meeting of Cassie and Leo, and your skin may crawl at the appearance of other characters and prickle at the future you know will come.

I enjoyed reading Cassie's story. Seeing her as a vibrant young woman determined to beat the family curse and witnessing her desire to help others along with the determination to pursue justice makes an uplifting tale. This mini mystery is a very quick read, but contains enough intricacy and ambiance to be satisfying.

THE SECRET ON RUM RUNNER'S LANE captures the uncertainty and underlying strength of women searching for their place in the world. It allows readers to get a glimpse of the past while seeing the glimmer of what's to come.

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 The Secret on Rum Runner's Lane: A Book Magic Mini Mystery by Melissa Bourbon

About The Secret on Rum Runner's Lane

The Secret on Rum Runner's Lane: A Book Magic Mini Mystery
Cozy Mystery Mini Mystery #1
Publisher: Lake House Press (November 10, 2020)
Print length: 104 pages

The Lane women are bibliomancers, but Cassie sees her divination not as a gift, but as a curse--one from which she desperately wants to escape. It turns out, though, that running from her fate isn’t as easy as she thought it would be. When a woman goes missing, and a neighbor turns up dead, Cassie turns to the books she’s always avoided to help her find the truth.

About Melissa Bourbon

Melissa Bourbon is the national bestselling author of nineteen mystery books, including the brand new collaborative Book Magic mysteries, the Lola Cruz Mysteries, A Magical Dressmaking Mystery series, and the Bread Shop Mysteries, written as Winnie Archer. She is a former middle school English teacher who gave up the classroom in order to live in her imagination full time. Melissa, a California native who has lived in Texas and Colorado, now calls the southeast home. She hikes, practices yoga, cooks, and is slowly but surely discovering all the great restaurants in the Carolinas. Since four of her five amazing kids are living their lives, scattered throughout the country, her dogs, Bean, the pug, Dobby, the chug, and Jasper, a cattle dog/lab keep her company while she writes. Melissa lives in North Carolina with her educator husband, Carlos, and their youngest son. She is beyond fortunate to be living the life of her dreams.

Author Links  

Website: https://melissabourbon.com/  

Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/melissabourbonbooks/  

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/groups/BookWarriors  

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/MelissaBourbonWinnieArcherBooks  

Purchase Link – Amazon

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Murder in Devil's Cove - A Guest Post, Review, & Giveaway

I'm pleased to welcome Cassandra Lane Hawthorne to Cozy Up With Kathy. You can find Cassie on the pages of the Book Magic Mystery series by Melissa Bourbon. MURDER IN DEVIL'S COVE is the first book in the series and was released last week.

I grew up in Laurel Point, Oregon.

And I left Laurel Point, Oregon as soon as I possibly could.

Don’t get me wrong. It’s a beautiful place, but the Lane family is cursed. I thought I could outrun that curse—or maybe hide from it—by leaving home.

It worked for a while. I ended up in Devil’s Cove, North Carolina, just about as far away as I could get from Laurel Point. I was terrified of the sea, but I was also drawn to it—which is why I ended up on the coast—a different coast, but still on the water. I met Leo in a fish market. Love at first sight wasn’t something I believed in. I’d never planned to fall in love, or get married, or have children. All of those things would surely end in tragedy.

But I couldn’t stay away from Leo. We did fall in love, and we did get married. And we did have children. Beautiful twins: Pippin and Grey.

I don’t read. I stay away from books, because the Lane family curse of bibliomancy is directly connected to them, but I gave in to Leo’s passion for Tolkien and agreed to name my kids after two of his favorite characters. I don’t know if bearing these names will give either of them the strength they need to survive, but I hope so.

Because, you see, I didn’t survive. The curse got me in the end, and now it’s up to my children to figure out how to stop it before it takes them, too.

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 Review

MURDER IN DEVIL'S COVE by Melissa Bourbon
The First Book Magic Mystery 

After twenty years Pippin Hawthorne and her brother, Grey, have returned to Devil's Cove. Spirited away by their grandmother after their mother died and their father apparently walked out of their lives, the siblings have returned to reclaim their childhood home. Abandoned, the property needs a lot of work in order to be transformed into an inn, including removing their father's old boat. When they inspect the craft, however, they find a skeleton the hatch. Perhaps their father didn't walk out on them, after all. Pippin starts to uncover the truth about her family including a curse and her special ability, that of a bibliomancer!

A book with bibliomancers! How exciting for a voracious reader and lover of books like me. So imagine my surprise when I started to read and discovered that Cassie hated books, wouldn't have anything to do with them, and forbade her children to read them! Then I learn Pippin has difficulty reading and isn't a reader. Being a reader from a family of readers, I found it hard to understand their aversion to books. Obviously, they each had their reasons, Cassie the "gift"/curse and Pippin, having reading discouraged as a child, but it's shocking for me.

I found the first Book Magic Mystery to be totally captivating. There's a multipronged mystery and a family curse wrapped in a literary form of divination. More than that, it's a story of acceptance, coming to terms with the past, and being able to develop and adjust. It's about facing fears; fears of abandonment and of not being good enough. It's about growing up and reaching for your dreams.

I love the idea of a family curse and how two generations are looking for a way to understand and end it. The characters are unique and well developed. I absolutely love Hattie Juniper Pickle, a woman as flamboyant as her name! I also respect Pippin. Although not a reader, she is encouraged to become one, despite the difficulty. I also love the sweet pup and Pippin's efforts to make her a part of her family.

Blending a family curse and a hint of the paranormal with an intriguing mystery MURDER IN DEVIL'S COVE is a fantastic start to a new series. The book has piqued my interest and I can't wait to discover more about the Lane family, its curse, and if there is a way to end it!

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Murder in Devil's Cove: (A Book Magic Mystery) by Melissa Bourbon

About Murder In Devil's Cove

Murder in Devil's Cove: (A Book Magic Mystery)
Cozy Mystery 1st in Series
Publisher: Lake House Press (September 22, 2020)
Number of Pages: Approx 300

 

Two best-selling authors, one magical universe.

In the Book Magic Mystery Series, best-selling authors Melissa Bourbon and Wendy Lyn Watson bring you the story of cousins Pippin Lane Hawthorne and Cora Lane. The cousins live on opposite coasts (Pippin in Devil’s Cove, North Carolina, and Cora in Laurel Point, Oregon), but they share the family gift of bibliomancy: the ability to foresee the future and unravel the past with the help of the books we love. Join Pippin and Cora as they use their otherworldly power to solve mysteries in their respective worlds.

__________________________________________

Every book tells two stories—one written on the pages with pen and ink, and one woven into the paper, a story of the soul. The Lane women have the gift of bibliomancy. They can read both.

But Cassie Lane doesn’t see this as a gift. For her, it is a curse because the book magic comes with a price--the Lane women die young and the men are lost to the sea. As soon as she’s able, she leaves Laurel Point, Oregon, running from her past and her fate, ending up in the Outer Banks of North Carolina. There she meets Leo Hawthorne and lives a perfect life with him in an old Sea Captain’s house.

Perfect, that is, until an old book foretells the future, and the curse that has plagued the Lane women comes true for Cassie.

Twenty years later, Cassie and Leo's children, twins Pippin and Grey, are back in Devil's Cove. Long forgotten secrets surface and an old crime comes to light. Now Pippin must learn how to be a bibliomancer if she is to discover the truth about her father and continue his effort to stop the curse.

About Melissa Bourbon

Melissa Bourbon is the national bestselling author of nineteen mystery books, including the brand new collaborative Book Magic mysteries, the Lola Cruz Mysteries, A Magical Dressmaking Mystery series, and the Bread Shop Mysteries, written as Winnie Archer. She is a former middle school English teacher who gave up the classroom in order to live in her imagination full time. Melissa, a California native who has lived in Texas and Colorado, now calls the southeast home. She hikes, practices yoga, cooks, and is slowly but surely discovering all the great restaurants in the Carolinas. Since four of her five amazing kids are living their lives, scattered throughout the country, her dogs, Bean, the pug, Dobby, the chug, and Jasper, a cattle dog/lab keep her company while she writes. Melissa lives in North Carolina with her educator husband, Carlos, and their youngest son. She is beyond fortunate to be living the life of her dreams.

Author Links:

Website - https://melissabourbon.com/
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/melissabourbonbooks/
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/groups/BookWarriors
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/MelissaBourbonWinnieArcherBooks

Purchase Link - Amazon

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