Peaches and Schemes - A Review & Giveaway

 Review

PEACHES AND SCHEMES by Anna Gerard
The Third Georgia B&B Mystery

While not a fan of weddings, Nina Fleet is a fan of business success. So when her new friend Roxanna suggests she get a booth at the Veils and Vanities trade show, she agrees. Her B&B is a lovely Queen Anne with a gorgeous garden, so promoting Fleet House as an ideal wedding venue makes sense. As surprised as she is to see her frenemy, Harry, hawking his new business venture, she's even more surprised when he tells her of her ex-husband's upcoming nuptials. But that's nothing compared to the shock when, instead of a cascade of flowers, a body falls out of the huge prop wedding cake!  

PEACHES AND SCHEMES is both hysterically funny and genuinely moving. There's a complicated mystery, a motherless dog, and intriguing development in Nina and Harry's relationship. 

I love just about everything in this series, and the third Georgia B&B Mystery confirms that fact. Nina is smart, strong, yet still vulnerable. Harry is charming, annoying, and leading man material in oh so many ways. The mystery here is complex leading to some surprise suspects and a shocking penultimate scene.

PEACHES AND SCHEMES is a delightful mystery that had me laughing, commiserating, and gasping in shock. Its characters have wormed their way into my heart and I feel their pain as well as their joy. I was in stunned sadness at the end of the novel, which changed to hope, leaving me on the edge of my seat waiting for the next entry in this fantastic series.

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 Peaches and Schemes: A Georgia B&B Mystery by Anna Gerard

About Peaches and Schemes

Peaches and Schemes: A Georgia B&B Mystery
Cozy Mystery 3rd in Series
Publisher: Crooked Lane Books (May 11, 2021)
Hardcover: 304 pages

In Anna Gerard's third delightful Georgia B&B mystery, Nina Fleet learns that despite the satin, lace, and buttercream trappings, weddings often prove to be anything but sweet...

Nina Fleet might be new to the innkeeping business, but she's savvy enough to know that Cymbeline's tourists aren't enough to keep her fledgling bed and breakfast going. And so, Nina decides to tap into the destination wedding market by taking a booth at the Veils and Vanities Bridal Expo. The twice-yearly event is sponsored by the town's two wedding pros: Virgie Hamilton, the sixtysomething owner of Virgie's Formals, and Roxanna Quarry, a Gen X event planner and Nina's new friend. But everything goes wrong during the expo's fashion show, when Roxanna comes tumbling out of an oversized prop wedding cake, strangled to death by her own scarf.

Virgie is arrested for the crime, thanks to Nina's statement to the police about having overheard the woman accusing her partner of embezzlement. Meanwhile, the situation grows tense with her sometimes nemesis and current tenant, the dashing out-of-work actor Harry Westcott. Harry is concentrating on plugging his most recent side hustle ...but he's not too busy to break the news to Nina that her ex-husband is engaged to be married again.

Certain that Virgie's only offense is a bad temper, Nina decides to do her own investigating. First, however, she and Harry retrieve Roxanna's now ownerless dog, planning to foster him until a new home can be found. But local gossip soon convinces Nina that others beside Virgie might have had reason to murder Roxanna. As Nina gets close to the truth, she's putting her own life at danger. And when Virgie vanishes after being bailed out of jail by an unknown benefactor, Nina fears that if she can't find the dress shop owner in time, tying the knot will take on a whole new meaning for them both.

 

About Anna Gerard

DIANE A.S. STUCKART began her writing career in the 1990s as the critically acclaimed author of historical romance under the names Alexa Smart and Anna Gerard. She later switched to the mystery genre and is the NYT bestselling author of the Black Cat Bookshop Mysteries (written as Ali Brandon) and the award-winning Leonardo da Vinci historical mysteries. Her Tarot Cats Mystery series launched in 2018 with FOOL’S MOON. Her Georgia B&B Mystery series (also written as Anna Gerard) debuted in 2019 with PEACH CLOBBERED. Kirkus Reviews describes that book as “Filled with Southern charm and enough ditzy characters to keep readers guessing and laughing.” Book 3 in that series, PEACHES AND SCHEMES—her 17th published novel—will be on the shelves May 2021.

Author Links: https://www.dianestuckart.com/ 

 https://www.facebook.com/BlackCatMysteries  

https://bookloversbench.com/  

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Currently Reading...

I'm currently reading Peaches and Schemes by Anna Gerard. This book is the third in the Georgia B&B Mystery series and will be released next week.

While not a fan of weddings, Nina Fleet is a fan of business success. So when her new friend Roxanna suggests she get a booth at the Veils and Vanities trade show, she agrees. Her B&B is a lovely Queen Ann with a gorgeous garden, so promoting Fleet House as an ideal wedding venue makes sense. As surprised as she is to see her frenemy, Harry, hawking his new business venture, she's even more surprised when he tells her of her ex-husband's upcoming nuptials. But that's nothing compared to the shock when, instead of a cascade of flowers, a body falls out of the huge prop wedding cake!

Putting the “Breakfast” in B&B - A Peachy Scream Guest Post, Review, & Giveaway

I'm pleased to welcome Nina Fleet to Cozy Up With Kathy today. You can find Nina on the pages of the Georgia B&B Mystery series by Anna Gerard. PEACHY SCREAM is the second book in the series.

Putting the “Breakfast” in B&B: Nina Fleet
By Anna Gerard, author of PEACHY SCREAM

My name is Nina Fleet, owner of Fleet House Bed & Breakfast Inn in Cymbeline, Georgia. If you’ve ever visited a B&B before, you know that the second “B”, breakfast, is as important as the first. And, for some guests, it’s even more so. Unfortunately, in this busy world of ours, the morning meal always seems to get short shrift. We grab a container of yogurt, or butter an English muffin, head off to work eating as we drive, and call it good. But I firmly believe that when people are away from home, the grab-and-go just doesn’t cut it.

You’ve probably heard some variation on the expression: “Eat breakfast like royalty…eat lunch like the rich…eat dinner like the poor.” At Fleet House, I make sure to treat my guests like monarchs at breakfast. So, what’s on my menu? When 7:30AM comes around, my guests will find everything from cereal to cinnamon buns, quiche to cottage cheese, bacon to bran. And let’s not forget the rolling cart filled with everyone’s favorite morning beverages: coffee, tea, milk, and orange juice. I’m happy to say that people never leave my breakfast table complaining.

Though, giving credit where credit is due, I have a secret weapon…the Peaches and Java Diner here in Cymbeline, which caters my breakfasts for me. My friends Daniel and Gemma Tanaka run the place, and Daniel’s food is definitely fit for royalty. Their teenaged daughter, Jasmine, brings my breakfast orders over on her bike before school. Once the food is here, all I have to do is make everything look pretty using my collection of vintage serving dishes, and then accept the compliments.

Given breakfast’s role in the B&B experience, I’ve done a little research on its history. And so, here are a few fun facts I’ve found on the internet about that first meal of the day that I enjoy sharing with my guests…

· Breakfast as we know it didn’t become popular until the mid-19th century.

· The average person eats breakfast at 7:31AM Monday through Friday.

· That same average person sleeps in on the weekends, eating at around 8:29AM.

· Waffles were brought to North America from the Netherlands in the 17th century.

· The Apollo 11 astronauts had a choice of Frosted Flakes or Corn Flakes for breakfast during their mission.

· Almost 50% of the 100 billion bananas eaten world-wide every year are eaten for breakfast.

And, this bit of trivia is perhaps my favorite…prior to the advent of coffee, beer was the breakfast beverage of choice. If you know some interesting breakfast facts, I’d love to hear them. Until then, here is a quote from Lewis Carroll that puts that first meal of the day into perspective...Why, sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.

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Review

PEACHY SCREAM by Anna Gerard

The Second Georgia B&B Mystery

Cymbeline, Georgia is gearing up for its annual Shakespeare festival. While Nina Fleet is too late to become an official sponsor of the event, she's happy to host the Georgia Amateur Shakespeare Players at her B&B. That is until she discovers the director is none other than Harry Westcott, the actor who previously lay claim to her Queen Anne home. Although worried about Harry's machinations, Nina allows the group in only to find the Shakespearean troupe plagued by pranks. When their Hamlet is found dead in Nina's garden the first thought is that he died of natural causes. But did he? One thing is certain, something's rotten in the Fleet House B&B and it's up to Nina to find out what!

I'm delighted to be back at Fleet House Bed and Breakfast and even more delighted to be thrust back into the world of theatre, especially Shakespearean theatre. Shakespeare and his themes are timeless, as are motives for murder and the two are intertwined beautifully in this second Georgia B&B Mystery. In addition to loving the nod to the bard I also appreciated the way in which the book acknowledges certain modern societal issues.

The characters come to life in the pages of PEACHY SCREAM and drive the story while keeping the readers invested. The characters are vibrant and unique from the young emo thespian to the trophy wife and the pastor/county coroner/funeral director Reverend Doctor Bishop. Everybody, from the actors in the troupe to the townsfolk, have intriguing symbiotic relationships. I especially love the dynamic between Nina and Harry.

PEACHY SCREAM is a delightful mystery infused with Georgian hospitality and Shakespearean dramatics. I wish I could imbibe a peach mimosa while giving Mattie a pat as I relax under the magnolia tree ready to see what happens next!

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Peachy Scream: A Georgia B&B Mystery by Anna Gerard

About Peachy Scream

Peachy Scream: A Georgia B&B Mystery  

Cozy Mystery 2nd in Series  

Publisher: Crooked Lane Books (July 7, 2020)  

Hardcover: 320 Pages

To die, or not to die? Georgia B&B proprietor Nina Fleet turns amateur thespian to bring the curtain down on a Shakespearean actor's killer.

 

It's nothing short of inevitable that Cymbeline, GA, hosts an annual Shakespeare festival. But stage-struck Nina Fleet is about to learn that putting on an amateur theatrical production can be murder. Nina's anticipating showbiz glamour and glitz when a community Shakespearean troupe arrives for a two-week stay at her B&B. But the lights dim when she learns the company's director is her nemesis, struggling actor Harry Westcott--who still claims to be the rightful heir to Nina's elegant Queen Anne home.

 

Meanwhile, the troupe members are not content to leave the drama upon the stage. Accusations of infidelity and financial malfeasance make a shambles of rehearsals. And then, two days into the troupe's stay, the lead actor is found dead in Nina's formal Shakespeare garden. Natural causes...or murder most foul?

 

Nina uncovers evidence that something is indeed rotten in the town of Cymbeline. Too bad Harry is the only one who believes that she's not going completely off script. And exposing the truth isn't easy when the remaining troupe members say the show must go on...particularly when all of them seemingly had a motive for wanting their fellow actor to permanently exit stage right. Determined to keep the killer from making a curtain call, Nina and her trusty Australian Shepherd, Matilda, join forces with Harry to sleuth out the murder plot. Will they succeed before someone else shuffles off this mortal coil? Find out in Anna Gerard's delightful second Georgia B&B mystery.

About Anna Gerard

DIANE A.S. STUCKART is the New York Times bestselling author of the Black Cat Bookshop Mystery series (writing as Ali Brandon). She’s also the author of the award-winning Leonardo da Vinci historical mysteries, as well as several historical romances and numerous mystery, fantasy, and romance short stories. The first book in her Tarot Cats Mystery series is FOOL’S MOON, available in trade, large print, and Kindle versions. Her Georgia B&B Mystery series from Crooked Lane Books launched July 2019 with PEACH CLOBBERED, written as Anna Gerard and available in hardcover, e-book, or audio CD. Book 2, PEACHY SCREAM will be on the shelves July 2020.

Diane is a member of Mystery Writers of America and served as the 2018 and 2019 Chapter President of the MWA Florida chapter, receiving the “Flamingo” Chapter Service award in 2019. She’s also a member of Sister in Crime. In addition to her mystery writing affiliations, she’s a member of the Cat Writers’ Association and belongs to the Palm Beach County Beekeepers Association. Diane is a native Texan with a degree in Journalism from the University of Oklahoma, but has been living in the West Palm Beach FL area since 2006. She shares her “almost in the Everglades” home with her husband, dogs, cats, and a few beehives. Learn more about her books at www.dianestuckart.com

Author Links:
Website – www.dianestuckart.com / www.georgiabbmysteries.com
Facebook – www.facebook.com/blackcatmysteries  

Purchase Links AMAZON BARNES & NOBLE

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2019 - A Look Back

I'm excited to enter 2020 as I reminisce about the year 2019. I enjoyed welcoming new authors to the blog and renewing acquaintances with others. I discovered many new series and continued savoring many others. While the number of books I loved is too daunting to list...and I cannot commit to naming my top ten as there are too many variables to consider, I thought I'd at least make note of some favorites.

I was delighted to start several new series in 2019. A Dream of Death by Connie Berry, A Lady's Guide to Etiquette and Murder by Dianne Freeman,  Peach Clobbered by Anna Gerard, And Then There Were Crumbs by Eve Calder, The House on Hallowed Ground by Nancy Cole Silverman, and Death by Committee by Alexis Morgan were real standouts!

I also really enjoyed Southern Sass and Killer Cravings by Kate Young, Steeped in Murder by Kirsten Weiss, Designs on Murder by Gayle Leeson, Belinda Blake and the Snake in the Grass by Heather Day Gilbert, Murder's No Votive Confidence by Christin Brecher, and Mrs. Morris and the Ghost by Traci Wilton.

Of course I couldn't wait for new books in series I already loved and was thrilled to read 3 books in Carolyn Haines' Pluto's Snitch Mystery series. I had only recently discovered this fantastic Gothic paranormal mystery series and caught up. The most recent book is A Visitation of Angels, which was the only one actually published in 2019. I was also excited to read the second Rose Gallagher Mystery by Erin Lindsey, A Golden Grave, another historical mystery with a paranormal bent. Speaking of historical mysteries, The Pearl Dagger by L.A Chandlar, Deadly Deception by Kate Parker, and both of Peg Cochran's follow ups in her Murder, She Reported series, Murder, She Uncovered and Murder, She Encountered were top notch.

Gigi Pandian's latest Jaya Jones mystery, The Glass Thief, made me giddy at the ending and Vivien Chien gave two new Noodle Shop mysteries leaving me constantly craving Chinese food. Two Barnabas Tew novels had me laughing at the bumbling Victorian detectives as they dealt with Mayan and Hindu gods. Sarah Fox gave another standout with her fifth Pancake House Mystery, Crepe Expectations and Lena Gregory's fourth Bay Island Psychic Mystery, Spirited Away, had me on the edge of my seat.

I look forward to jumping into the new releases of 2020 as well as books I may have missed!

Peach Clobbered - An Interview, Review, & Giveaway

I'm pleased to welcome Anna Gerard to Cozy Up With Kathy today. Anna writes the Georgia B&B Mystery series. PEACH CLOBBERED is the first book in the series and was released last week.

Kathy: In PEACH CLOBBERED Nina Fleet turns a historic home into a B&B. Have you ever wanted to be an innkeeper?

AG: I think everyone has fantasies of either running a bar or restaurant, or else buying a little motel or bed and breakfast. I fall into the “B&B” category…if I were in Nina’s situation, I might well consider doing just that.


Kathy: I love architecture and old houses and once lived in a fantastic Queen Anne. What drew you to that style for Nina's B&B?

AG: I love architecture, too…I subscribe to several blogs and Facebook pages that discuss various styles. Sadly, I’ve never lived in a Queen Anne of my own, so I’m very jelly of you! But for story purposes there’s something about the myriad of rooms and staircases and gingerbread trim inside and out that seems perfect for a cozy mystery. Though I have to admit my own current architectural passion is for Mid-Century Modern.


Kathy: I had to chuckle when I realized your first Georgia B&B Mystery features both a man in a penguin suit and a bunch of nuns. Which came first when you created this mystery?

AG: The penguin suit was definitely first…in fact, the book’s working title was Death in a Penguin Suit.


Kathy: What first drew you to cozy mysteries?

AG: While I read the occasional traditional mystery and suspense/thriller, I like cozies because, like fairytales, good triumphs over evil. And with real life being pretty brutal these days, it’s nice to read—and write—a kinder, gentler book.


Kathy: Do you write in any other genres?

AG: I started my writing career publishing historical romances as Alexa Smart and Anna Gerard. I’ve also written short fiction (fantasy, western, contemporary romance, etc.) and historical mystery (the Leonardo da Vinci Mystery series) as Diane A.S. Stuckart.


Kathy: Tell us about your series.

AG: The Georgia B&B Mystery series, not surprisingly, takes place in a bed and breakfast in a small fictional town in Georgia. It’s the first of my cozy mystery series that isn’t cat-centric. Writing as Ali Brandon, I previously published the Black Cat Bookshop Mystery series featuring Hamlet the cat and his human, Darla Pettistone. This series is set in Brooklyn in the independent bookstore that Darla inherited along with the sleuthing cat, Hamlet. More recently, I wrote the Tarot Cat Mystery series featuring two sibling black cats, Brandon Bobtail and his sister Ophelia, who live in a botanica in South Florida. The Georgia B&B Mystery series is currently feline-free but does have a feisty Australian shepherd, Matilda, who helps her human solve crimes.


Kathy: Do you have a favorite character? If so, who and why?

AG: That’s like asking a mom if she has a favorite child! I love all my characters, human and feline (and canine). But I do have to admit that there’s a special place in my heart for Ophelia, the sassy Tarot card-reading kitty from the Tarot Cat Mysteries.


Kathy: Did you have a specific inspiration for your series?

AG: I find my inspiration anywhere and everywhere.


Kathy: What made you decide to publish your work?

AG: My plan ever since college had been to be a traditionally published author. I’m grateful I was able to achieve that goal.


Kathy: If you could have a dinner party and invite 4 authors, living or dead, in any genre, who would you invite?

AG: That’s a toughie. I’d probably want to have dinner with Mary Shelley, Jane Austen, Barbara Michaels/Elizabeth Peters, and Sir Author Conan Doyle. That should make for an interesting meal!


Kathy: What are you currently reading?

AG: I have a huge TBR pile that needs to be tackled. But since I’m on deadline, I’m limiting myself to reading DIY/home improvement magazines (we’re planning a home remodel).


Kathy: Will you share any of your hobbies or interests with us?

AG: In addition to writing, I have an Etsy store, Really Smart Finds, where I sell vintage collectibles. I’m also (with my husband) a beekeeper. Plus, I’m one of the founding members of Paranormal Researchers of South Florida (PROS Florida), a ghost hunting team.


Kathy: Name 4 items you always have in your fridge or pantry.

AG: Diet Coke, string cheese, pickled jalapenos, crackers.


Kathy: Do you have plans for future books either in your current series or a new series?

AG:  I’m currently finishing book 2 in the Georgia B&B Mystery series, with at least one more after that. And my agent is trying to “rehome” my Tarot Cat Mystery series following the demise of my publishing house for those books.


Kathy: What's your favorite thing about being an author?

AG: Hearing from the readers who enjoy my books. That’s what makes the hard work worthwhile.


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Review

PEACH CLOBBERED by Anna Gerard

The First Georgia B&B Mystery

Nina Fleet lives in Georgia, not the Antarctic, yet penguins start to play a major part of her life. First a penguin appears at her front door trying to sue her. OK, it's actually a man dressed in a penguin suit, but he's the one trying to take the gorgeous old house she bought away from her, claiming his aunt actually left it to him. Then she's surrounded by a group of penguins. OK, they're actually nuns in traditional habits, but they're moving in with her. The town bad guy has kicked the sisters out of their home so the mayor sped through Nina's bed and breakfast paperwork and made her an offer she couldn't refuse. As Nina accompanies the nuns on their protest of the developer she's led by a screaming woman to a penguin who has been stabbed. OK, not a real penguin, it's the same costume as Harry wore, but it's not Harry inside...it's the dastardly developer. Almost everyone in the small town of Cymbeline wanted to kill him, but who actually did? Or was Harry the real target?

I really like this new series! Nina (pronounced like the number, not Nee-nah) is a smart capable woman thrust into a most unusual situation. In fact, the book is filled with smart capable women, from the sheriff to the mayor to the Sisters of Perpetual Poverty. I'm impressed with the manner in which the nuns are represented along with the hard truths they are forced to face from their own archbishop. I'm especially fond of Sr. Mary Thomas as her love of animals shines through the pages. Mattie is a sweet dog and the town of Cymbeline is utterly charming with its nod to all things Shakespeare. The relationship between Nina and Harry is quite unique. Harry vacillates from being a villain out to take away Nina's dream, a victim of pathos, and a possible romantic interest. Lots of interesting character inhabit the pages making for a compelling read.

PEACH CLOBBERED is a charming, witty, and engaging mystery that pulled me in from the start. I'll miss some of the characters I met here, but am looking forward to meeting Nina's next guests!

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Peach Clobbered: A Georgia B&B Mystery by Anna Gerard

 

About the Book

 

Peach Clobbered: A Georgia B&B Mystery  

Cozy Mystery 1st in Series  

Crooked Lane Books (July 9, 2019)  

Hardcover 

What’s black and white and dead all over? Georgia bed and breakfast proprietor Nina Fleet finds out when she comes across a corpse in a penguin costume.

Nina Fleet’s life ought to be as sweet as a Georgia peach. Awarded a tidy sum in her divorce, Nina retired at 41 to a historic Queen Anne house in quaint Cymbeline, GA. But Nina’s barely settled into her new B&B-to-be when a penguin shows up on her porch. Or, at least, a man wearing a penguin suit.

Harry Westcott is making ends meet as an ice cream shop’s mascot and has a letter from his great-aunt, pledging to leave him the house. Too bad that’s not what her will says. Meanwhile, the Sisters of Perpetual Poverty have lost their lease. Real estate developer Gregory Bainbridge intends to turn the convent into a golfing community, so Cymbeline’s mayor persuades Nina to take in the elderly nuns. And then Nina finds the “penguin” again, this time lying in an alley with a kitchen knife in his chest.

A peek under the beak tells Nina it’s not Harry inside the costume, but Bainbridge. What was he doing in Harry’s penguin suit? Was the developer really the intended victim, or did the culprit mean to kill Harry? Whoever is out to stop Harry from contesting the sale of his great-aunt’s house may also be after Nina, so she teams up with him to cage the killer before someone clips her wings in Peach Clobbered, Anna Gerard’s charming first Georgia B&B mystery.

About the Author

 

DIANE A.S. STUCKART is the New York Times bestselling author of the Black Cat Bookshop Mystery series (writing as Ali Brandon). She’s also the author of the award-winning Leonardo da Vinci historical mysteries, as well as several historical romances and numerous mystery, fantasy, and romance short stories. The first book in her Tarot Cats Mystery series is FOOL’S MOON, available in trade, large print, and Kindle versions. Her Georgia B&B Mystery series from Crooked Lane Books launched July 2019 with PEACH CLOBBERED, written as Anna Gerard. Diane is a member of Mystery Writers of America and has served as the 2018 and 2019 Chapter President of the MWA Florida chapter. In addition to her mystery writing affiliations, she’s a member of the Cat Writers’ Association and belongs to the Palm Beach County Beekeepers Association. She’s a native Texan with a degree in Journalism from the University of Oklahoma, but has been living in the West Palm Beach FL area since 2006. She shares her “almost in the Everglades” home with her husband, dogs, cats, and a few beehives. Learn more about her books at www.dianestuckart.com  

Author Links: Website - www.dianestuckart.com / www.georgiabbmysteries.com  
Facebook - www.facebook.com/blackcatmysteries  

Purchase Links AMAZON BARNES & NOBLE

a Rafflecopter giveaway