Butterfly Betrayal - A Review & Giveaway

 Review

BUTTERFLY BETRAYAL by Ruth J. Hartman
The First Seneca James Mystery 

Seneca James has inherited her grandmother's farm but is struggling to grow enough milkweed to support the Monarch butterflies she raises. She needs the property next door but her elderly neighbor, who had always been nice and gracious, has done an about face, reneging on the contract to sell her his land. She then finds her lawyer, dead in her greenhouse. Seneca's best friend, the sheriff, is there to support her, but it seems as if most of the town has betrayed her. Will Seneca be able to save her butterflies and herself?

BUTTERFLY BETRAYAL has the markings of the coziest of cozy mysteries. The protagonist protects and raises butterflies and there's a cat who loves wearing butterfly outfits. That screams cute and cozy. The truth is a lot darker. The majority of the townsfolk we meet, people Seneca has knows her whole life, are duplicitous, nasty people. I want to spend time and hang out with the characters in cozies, but while I'd love to see the butterflies and Winifred's outfits while getting a bite to eat at the cafe-I don't want to visit this town. With cruel acts (don't worry, Winifred's fine) the book has more of a traditional mystery vibe, albeit with some very cute aspects.

The sting of betrayal and the reluctance to request help are the hallmarks of the first Seneca James Mystery. I like Seneca and Cody and adore Winifred. I also hope to see more of Murray. With red herrings and misdirection, the mystery was well executed. There was a major clue given at the start of the book that I knew was important, although I wasn't sure what it meant until the truth was revealed. 

BUTTERFLY BETRAYAL is a unique small town mystery with friendship and betrayal at its core.

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Butterfly Betrayal: A Seneca James Mystery by Ruth J Hartman

About Butterfly Betrayal

Butterfly Betrayal: A Seneca James Mystery
Cozy Mystery 1st in Series
Setting - Rural Indiana
Level Best Books (November 21, 2023)
Print length: ‎ 289 Pages

Raising butterflies is peaceful and calm, until someone dies.

Majestic Monarch Butterfly Farm might flitter away forever. That is, unless Seneca James acquires the property next door. She and Winifred, her costume-wearing cat, have a fight on their hands. Their land sits next to a milkweed-covered field, essential for monarchs. If she’s unsuccessful in buying it, her precious, winged friends won’t survive. When people end up dead on her farmland, Seneca is suspected of murder.

What is it about the milkweed field that’s worth killing for? And who’s the murderer?

About Ruth J. Hartman

Ruth J. Hartman spends her days herding cats and her nights spinning mysterious tales. She, her husband, and their cats love to spend time curled up in their recliners watching old Cary Grant movies. Well, the cats sit in the people's recliners. Not that the cats couldn't get their own furniture. They just choose to shed on someone else's.

Ruth, a left-handed, cat-herding, farmhouse-dwelling writer uses her sense of humor as she writes tales of lovable, klutzy women who seem to find trouble without even trying.

Ruth's husband and best friend, Garry, reads her manuscripts, rolls his eyes at her weird story ideas, and loves her despite her insistence all of her books have at least one cat in them. See updates about her cozy mysteries at Ruthjhartman.com.

Author Links: 

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/ruth.j.hartman 

Facebook Author Page https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063631596817  

BookBub https://www.bookbub.com/profile/ruth-j-hartman  

Website https://www.ruthjhartman.com/ 

 Purchase Link - Amazon 

 a Rafflecopter giveaway

Brushed Up On Murder - A Review & Giveaway

 Review

BRUSHED UP ON MURDER by Ruth J. Hartman
The First Mobile Car Groomer Mystery 

No one in town really likes the persnickety Durbin Haines, even Molly Stewart. Molly tries to make allowances, seeing as the man saved her from an accident when she was a child, and his cat, Jasper is a sweet client of her grooming services, but it's challenging. When he rushes from a grooming appointment, leaving his beloved cat behind, she's a bit surprised, but agrees to bring Jasper home. When Durbin doesn't answer his door, she finds him in his garden-dead! While she sees murder, the sheriff disagrees. He does come around to her way of thinking, however, except he's certain Molly's Uncle Russ is the killer. With the help of her friends, including the hunky veterinarian and her cat Percival, she's determined to find the real killer all while keeping the cats of Whitewater Valley looking their best.

The first Mobile Car Groomer Mystery brings a variety of characters together in an entertaining mystery. There's action, laughs, and intrigue along with several plausible suspects and two adorable cats. My favorite characters by far are Percival and Jasper and I absolutely loved them in the climactic confrontation.

While the main characters are likeable, I found their behavior quite juvenile, especially when it came to the possible romance between Molly and Hank. I also wasn't thrilled with the portrayal of the Sheriff, a bumbling good ol' boy. I'm unsure of the level of Molly's cat expertise, at least when it comes to properly introducing cats. I'm hoping the reason she threw them together was merely a way to get a plot point across.

The first in a new series, BRUSHED UP ON MURDER is an enjoyable cat-centric mystery.

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 Brushed Up On Murder: A Mobile Cat Groomer Mystery by Ruth J Hartman

About Brushed Up On Murder

Brushed Up On Murder: A Mobile Cat Groomer Mystery
Cozy Mystery 1st in Series
Setting - Indiana
Level Best Books (April 18, 2023)
Print length: ‎ 275 pages

The life of a cat groomer isn’t just pampering purring felines, it's murder.

Mobile Cat Groomer Molly Stewart loves her job. Until she finds the dead body of one of her pet parents stabbed with a garden implement in his back yard. When Molly’s uncle Russ becomes the prime suspect in the murder and the sheriff won’t consider anyone else, Molly claws through obstacles as she prowls for clues.

With help from handsome veterinarian Hank Chenowith and Molly’s two cats, Percival and Jasper, will Molly succeed in proving her uncle’s innocence before the real murderer pounces on her?

About Ruth J. Hartman

 

Ruth J. Hartman spends her days herding cats and her nights spinning mysterious tales. She, her husband, and their cats love to spend time curled up in their recliners watching old Cary Grant movies. Well, the cats sit in the people’s recliners. Not that the cats couldn’t get their own furniture. They just choose to shed on someone else’s. Ruth, a left-handed, cat-herding, farmhouse-dwelling writer uses her sense of humor as she writes tales of lovable, klutzy women who seem to find trouble without even trying. Ruth’s husband and best friend, Garry, reads her manuscripts, rolls his eyes at her weird story ideas, and loves her despite her insistence all of her books have at least one cat in them. See updates about her cozy mysteries at Ruthjhartman.com.  

Author Links: 

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/ruth.j.hartman  

Website https://www.ruthjhartman.com  

Twitter https://twitter.com/ruthjhartman  

GoodReads https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3312900.Ruth_J_Hartman  

Purchase Link – Amazon  

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Currently Reading...

I just finished reading Brushed Up On Murder by Ruth J. Hartman. This book is the first in the Mobile Cat Groomer Mystery series and was released yesterday.

No one in town really likes the persnickety Durbin Haines, even Molly Stewart. Molly tries to make allowances, seeing as the man saved her from an accident when she was a child, and his cat, Jasper is a sweet client of her grooming services, but it's challenging. When he rushes from a grooming appointment, leaving his beloved cat behind, she's a bit surprised, but agrees to bring Jasper home. When Durbin doesn't answer his door, she finds him in his garden-dead! While she sees murder, the sheriff disagrees. He does come around to her way of thinking, however, except he's certain Molly's Uncle Russ is the killer. With the help of her friends, including the hunky veterinarian and her cat Percival, she's determined to find the real killer all while keeping the cats of Whitewater Valley looking their best.

Dial M for Meow - An Interview, Review, & Giveaway

I'm pleased to welcome Ruth J. Hartman to Cozy Up With Kathy today. Ruth writes the Bookshop Kitties Mystery series. DIAL M FOR MEOW is the first book in the series and was released today!

Kathy: In DIAL M FOR MEOW we meet Christy Bailey, a children's book author who moves to help her aunt in her bookstore. Have you ever moved to help out a relative or friend?

RJH: Hi Kathy, thanks for having me! I've lived in Indiana all my life and have never moved to help someone out, but I've traveled places to help my parents and siblings when they've needed it.


Kathy: Milton and Pearl are Christy's cats, and the inspiration for her children's mystery books. Are these two clever felines based on real cats, or are they completely fictional?

RJH: Milton and Pearl are fictional, but their personalities are a lot like the three cats I have now! Lots of mayhem and spunk! Sometimes just watching mine give me ideas for whatever scene I happen to be working on. :)


Kathy: While Green Meadow, Indiana may be a lovely town, its residents certainly aren't! Why choose to fill your fictional town with so many horrible residents?

RJH: While there are a few characters in Green Meadow who are grumpy, most are great! Plus, some of the grumpy ones are also quirky, which adds flavor to the book :). My main characters are loving, kind, and sweet. They're the ones who will continue on into future stories. :).


Kathy: What first drew you to cozy mysteries?

RJH: I've always loved to read mysteries! Also, growing up, one of my favorite TV shows was Murder She Wrote, which was a cozy mystery in television form. The first mystery I ever read was Mary Higgins Clark's "The Cradle Will Fall." And while her books are more visual in showing you the actual murder, cozy mysteries give you the suspense without the gore, and the main characters are often quirky and fun. Plus, cozies often have the bonus of pets in the stories!


Kathy: Do you write in any other genres?

RJH: Not anymore. But in the past, I wrote several historical romances, contemporary romances, as well as a children's book, and a memoir. I loved writing all of them, but cozies are by far my favorite!


Kathy: Tell us about your series.

RJH: The Bookshop Kitties Mysteries take place in a small town in Indiana, where Christy, the main character, and her cats, Milton and Pearl, go to her Aunt Betty's bookstore to help run it. In the stories, Christy writes children's mysteries with Milton and Pearl as the main characters, but in book one, you see them beginning to actually help solve a murder that Christy discovers when she first gets to town.


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

RJH: While I love all of my characters, Milton and Pearl are by far my favorites! I've always loved cats, so writing about them is one of the things I enjoy most. And since two of my cats are siblings that we got as tiny kittens and like to do everything together, it was great to write about Milton and Pearl doing the same thing.


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

RJH: I combined my love of felines with the fun I had writing a children's book, "Murphy in the Paw-Paw Patch", with a cat as the main character. Any story about cats is fun for me!

Kathy: What made you decide to publish your work?

RJH: While I love the writing process, getting to share it with others is awesome! It makes my day when a reader tells me how much they loved my story.
 

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

RJH: Mary Higgins Clark, Georgette Heyer, Craig Johnson, John Grisham.


Kathy: What are you currently reading?

RJH: Right now I'm re-reading I'LL BE SEEING YOU by Mary Higgins Clark. I love her books and they're some of the few that I've read more than once.


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

RJH: One of the things I most love to do is take walks with my husband. There's an amazing trail a mile from our house that we take advantage of as often as we can. Along with sunshine and exercise, we're sometimes treated to sightings of hawks, owls, and blue herons.


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

RJH: Diet Mountain Dew. Chocolate. Makings for pizza. Salsa. (Hmmm, not much healthy food in there!!)


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

RJH: Yes! I already have a synopsis in mind for book two for the Bookshop Kitties Mysteries. And I have two other new series that will also be out this year as well.


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

RJH: I love making people laugh! One of my favorite ways to do that is through writing. 

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Review

DIAL M FOR MEOW by Ruth J. Hartman
The First Bookshop Kitties Mystery 

In a town full of nasty people, who killed one of the nastiest?

After her louse of a boyfriend drains her bank account Christy Bailey is ready to leave him and the city of  Philadelphia behind. Packing up her cats, Pearl and Milton, the inspiration for her children's mystery series, the trio head for Green Meadow, Indiana to help in her aunt's bookstore. Instead of a warm welcome Christy finds a cold dead body and an unconscious aunt. With her aunt a suspect and her cats threatened, Christie begins her own investigation. Will Pearl and Milton help her uncover the truth before it's too late?

The first Bookshop Kitties Mystery ticks almost all of the boxes for a great cozy mystery-notably smart cats, a comfortable bookstore, a nearby bakery with delectable descriptions of its treats, as well as the murder of a not so nice person. However, I found myself not liking most of Green Meadow's residents. Unlike most cozy settings it wasn't one in which I wanted to spend time. I did like Christy and her relationship with her aunt. Her clingy friend however was a tad too...clingy.

My favorite characters were Milton and Pearl. I really enjoyed seeing them uncover clues and quietly lead Christy to the proper path in her investigation. While my cats would be aghast at the pair's willingness to be pampered in public, I did like seeing them glory in the adulation of their fans.

DIAL M FOR MEOW combines clever cats, cantankerous characters, and bookish interests with murder in a new cozy series.

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 Dial M for Meow (Bookshop Kitties Mysteries) by Ruth J. Hartman

About Dial M for Meow

Dial M for Meow (Bookshop Kitties Mysteries)
Cozy Mystery 1st In Series
Setting - Green Meadow, Indiana
Gemma Halliday Publishing (January 10, 2023)
Number of Pages: 153

When children’s book author, Christy Bailey, receives a call from her aunt Betty to help out at her bookshop, she drops everything to go. Christy packs up her two cats—Milton and Pearl, the stars of her children's mystery books—and leaves busy Philadelphia for tiny Green Meadow, Indiana. The timing of the call is perfect, as Christy’s letch of an ex-boyfriend has just cleaned out her savings, leaving Christy with a pile of unpaid bills and a desire to start over. And what better place to do that than a charming small town in Middle America?

But when Christy reaches her aunt's bookshop, instead of small town hospitality she finds a dead body! Even worse, her aunt is passed out in the corner, hands covered in blood. The dead woman is an old frenemy of her Aunt Betty, and while Christy knows her aunt is innocent, the local detective isn't so sure. With Milton and Pearl prowling for clues, Christy is determined to find the real killer and clear her aunt's name... before her story ends in tragedy!

About Ruth J. Hartman

 

Ruth J. Hartman spends her days herding cats and her nights spinning mysterious tales. She, her husband, and their cats love to spend time curled up in their recliners watching old Cary Grant movies. Well, the cats sit in the people's recliners. Not that the cats couldn't get their own furniture. They just choose to shed on someone else's. Ruth, a left-handed, cat-herding, farmhouse-dwelling writer uses her sense of humor as she writes tales of lovable, klutzy women who seem to find trouble without even trying. Ruth's husband and best friend, Garry, reads her manuscripts, rolls his eyes at her weird story ideas, and loves her despite her insistence all of her books have at least one cat in them. See updates about her cozy mysteries at Ruthjhartman.com.  

Author Links: 

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/ruth.j.hartman  

Website https://www.ruthjhartman.com  

Twitter https://twitter.com/ruthjhartman  

GoodReads https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3312900.Ruth_J_Hartman  

Purchase Link - Amazon 

  a Rafflecopter giveaway

Currently Reading...

I'm currently reading Dial M for Meow by Ruth J. Hartman. This book is the first in the Bookshop Kitties Mystery series and will be released next month.

In a town full of nasty people, who killed one of the nastiest?

After her louse of a boyfriend drains her bank account Christy Bailey is ready to leave him and the city of  Philadelphia behind. Packing up her cats, Pearl and Milton, the inspiration for her children's mystery series, the trio head for Green Meadow, Indiana to help in her aunt's bookstore. Instead of a warm welcome Christy finds a cold dead body and an unconscious aunt. With her aunt a suspect and her cats threatened, Christie begins her own investigation. Will Pearl and Milton help her uncover the truth before it's too late?

Let's Play!

     It's all fun and games 'til someone gets murdered. Friends get together all over the world to play cards or other games. It wasn't so long ago that professional poker playing became so popular that major events were televised and big name players became household names; Johnny Chan, anyone? Take a popular game, add a murder, and you get a fun cozy series.
     If you are interested in poker, Texas Hold'em in particular, try A Poker Mystery by Jackie Chance. Another card game that has its own series is bridge. Susan Moody writes about Cassie Swan, a professional bridge player in the United Kingdom. Prefer something a little less formal? What about the Bridge Club Mysteries by Honor Hartman?
     Cards aren't the only games out there-don't forget dice games. Join Kate McCall and her friends as they play bunco and solve murders in the Bunco Babes Mysteries by Gail Oust.
     If you're more of a puzzle person, never fret, there are several cozies for you. The Kate McDonald Mysteries by Shelley Freydont feature a mathematician who returns to her home town and a puzzle museum...and murder. If you enjoy crossword puzzles, Parnell Hall writes the wickedly funny Puzzle Lady Series where things, and people, aren't exactly what they seem. Nero Blanc also writes a series featuring crossword puzzles with the duo of crossword editor Annabella Graham and private investigator Rosco Polyctrates. There's also the Mystery by the Numbers Series by Casey Mayes featuring Savannah Store a math puzzle creator, and her husband, a retired police chief.
     Whatever your puzzle or game predilection, I'm sure you'll find a cozy mystery to suit.