Sour Crime Donuts - A Spotlight

Today I'd like to shine a spotlight on an upcoming release. Sour Crime Donuts by Ginger Bolton is the tenth book in the Deputy Donut Mystery series and will be released next week.

Blurb:

Emily feels like a protective big sister around bubbly twenty-something Izzy—a new regular whose enthusiasm for peaches and cream donuts is surpassed only by her dream to start her own business. As if blown in by an August breeze, Izzy pulls Emily into her plan to buy a property at the edge of town to grow and sell fresh produce. But she’s not the only fan of Deputy Donut’s peachy delights . . . or the only patron vying to own the lush parcel of land. And the competition is fiercer than the two women imagined . . .

Petty squabbles turn deadly when a developer with a mean streak is found murdered on the vacant stretch of land. Worse, Emily’s signature donuts are spotted nearby, leading to several potential suspects who could have left their sugar-frosted fingerprints all over the crime scene—including the mayor, a handsome out-of-towner, and even sweet-to-the-core Izzy. When her detective husband discovers poisonous ingredients in the discarded desserts, a shocked Emily must reveal holes in a collection of very fuzzy facts and nab the killer before someone else takes their last bite . . .

A Dish Best Served Dead - A Review & Giveaway

 Review

A DISH BEST SERVED DEAD by T. C. LoTempio
The Third Tiffany Austin Food Blogger Mystery

The Foodie Fest Convention has come to Branson, Georgia and former chef and food blogger Tiffany Austin is looking forward to checking out all the action. With a food truck competition and a special episode of the TV show Last Chef Standing there's plenty of good food along with innovative cooks and chefs. In fact, Tiffany's ex boyfriend is there representing her former restaurant, along with his fiance. Also there is Jason Barclay, a food critic with an attitude and a rapier sharp pen. Word has it that he's about to publish a tell-all book with movie rights in the works. After a fantastic meal at the opening banquet Tiffany decides to get some air before dessert. Checking out the fountain she saw earlier she notices a shoe sticking out of the water-a shoe attached to the foot of the very dead Jason Barclay. In between interviewing chefs and tasting lots of delectable food Tiffany will start to look into Jason's murder. Lots of people hated the man, but the killer had to be someone whose secrets he was about to reveal. With help from her best friend and new cameraman Tiffany will try to uncover the truth, hopefully before her own secrets are revealed.

I want to attend a Foodie Fest Convention, though preferably one without a murder. I love the ambiance of a culinary gathering. A bit of competition along with greeting old friends makes a fun festive setting with crowds adding to a huge list of suspects.While I like Tiffany, I did want to bop her on the head a few times. Not only does she need to come clean with Phil, she should have provided him with her clues, not hold on and wait until she'd investigated and determine what was relevant. I couldn't believe what she did at the end. No spoilers from me, but it was almost a too stupid to live moment which almost did get her killed.

I loved the variety of suspects and the fact that there were mysterious strangers as well as not so mysterious ones. I enjoyed the addition of Jimmy, a Watson to Tiffany's Sherlock, but with contacts! I liked how so many people were acting suspiciously, even people Tiffany trusted. I didn't and was somewhat surprised by her loyalty.

Scrumptious food, lots of suspects, and murder cook up a delicious entry to this culinary series. I look forward to the next one!

*********************************************************************** 

 A Dish Best Served Dead: A Tiffany Austin Food Blogger Mystery by T. C. LoTempio

About A Dish Best Served Dead

A Dish Best Served Dead: A Tiffany Austin Food Blogger Mystery
Cozy Mystery 3rd in Series
Setting - Georgia
Publisher: ‎ Beyond the Page
Publication Date: ‎ August 5, 2025
Print length: ‎ 258 pages

When a food convention turns fatal, Tiffany Austin will have to cook up a scheme to catch a killer . . .

The national Foodie Fest is in town and food blogger Tiffany Austin is thrilled to report on the event, even if it means crossing paths with an arrogant and annoying chef from her past. The man can’t help boasting of his success, but he also lets slip to Tiffany that he’s publishing a tell-all memoir that will be filled with scandalous secrets about many people in the food industry. It’s a risky career move, and maybe just plain risky, as Tiffany discovers later that day when she finds the chef’s dead body mere steps from the convention center.

With any number of reputations and careers at stake if the chef’s memoir were ever published, Tiffany realizes virtually everyone at the event is a suspect. Wending her way through the convention crowd in her guise as a reporter, she cautiously questions as many of the participants as she can, hoping to unearth a telling clue or a false alibi. Because while everyone has a skeleton or two in the closet, Tiffany knows someone at the food fest has a secret they’d kill to protect—and would kill for again if she gets too close to the truth . . .

Includes scrumptious Foodie Fest recipes!

About T. C. LoTempio

 

T.C. LoTempio is the award-winning, nationally bestselling author of the Nick and Nora Mysteries, the Urban Tails Pet Shop Mysteries, and the Cat Rescue Mysteries. Born in New York City, she now resides in Phoenix, Arizona, with her two cats, Maxx and Rocco. Rocco prides himself on being the inspiration for her Nick and Nora series! For more information, check out her and her cat Rocco’s blog at www.catsbooksmorecats.blogspot.com and visit her website at www.tclotempio.ne

• FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/toni.lotempio.5
• TWITTER/X: ROCCOBLOGGER
• WEBSITE: https://www.tclotempio.net/

Purchase Links - Amazon -

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Currently Reading...

I'm currently reading A Dish Best Served Dead by T. C. LoTempio. This book is the third in the Tiffany Austin Food Blogger Mystery series and was released last month.

The Foodie Fest Convention has come to Branson, Georgia and former chef and food blogger Tiffany Austin is looking forward to checking out all the action. With a food truck competition and a special episode of the TV show Last Chef Standing there's plenty of good food along with innovative cooks and chefs. In fact, Tiffany's ex boyfriend is there representing her former restaurant, along with his fiance. Also there is Jason Barclay, a food critic with an attitude and a rapier sharp pen. Word has it that he's about to publish a tell-all book with movie rights in the works. After a fantastic meal at the opening banquet Tiffany decides to get some air before dessert. Checking out the fountain she saw earlier she notices a shoe sticking out of the water-a shoe attached to the foot of the very dead Jason Barclay. In between interviewing chefs and tasting lots of delectable food Tiffany will start to look into Jason's murder. Lots of people hated the man, but the killer had to be someone whose secrets he was about to reveal. With help from her best friend and new cameraman Tiffany will try to uncover the truth, hopefully before her own secrets are revealed.

Solid Gold Murder - A Review & Giveaway

Review

SOLID GOLD MURDER by Ellen Byron
The Second Golden Motel Mystery 

 

Foundgold and Goldsgone are in the midst of a modern day Gold Rush after Dee Stern accidentally posts a video of a guest finding real gold in her sluice. Happy that her motel is completely booked and hailed as a hero by surrounding merchants for for their now booming businesses, Dee is nevertheless apprehensive. Her anxiety increases when a 20something tech billionaire and his entourage descend on her motel. Dealing with the obnoxious Sylvan Burr is one thing, but Dee also has to jump through Verity's hoops in order to join Goldsgone's craft fair. When Sylvan goes missing and is later found dead only his girlfriend seems to be grieving. But are they crocodile tears? Almost everyone else recently threatened the young man, including Dee's father and her business partner and best friend. Dee will have to determine just why Sylvan came to Foundgold. Perhaps then she can figure out who killed him!

 

With plenty of laugh out loud moments I truly enjoyed my second visit to the Golden Motel. I love the camaraderie of Dee and her friends, even when things get tough they manage to stick together and try to work things out. I especially love the relationship between Dee and her business partner, best friend, and ex-husband, Jeff. They make a great team, whether it be managing their motel or breaking in someplace to investigate a murder. With no romantic overtones he simply has her back. The secondary characters more than pull their weight and I'm happy to see more of Dee's dad.

 

Annoying young people with no social skills and more money than they know what to do with are prime candidates for murder and SOLID GOLD MURDER takes good advantage. I love how history intertwined with the mystery and of course enjoyed Dee trying to get around the dastardly Verity "Yes-that-Donner" Gillespie.

 

While there may be no Solid Gold Dancers SOLID GOLD MURDER is even more entertaining with engaging characters, friendship drama, a complex mystery, gold, and a bear named Bud. 

 

************************************************************************* 

Solid Gold Murder (Golden Motel Mysteries) by Ellen Byron

About Solid Gold Murder

Solid Gold Murder (Golden Motel Mysteries)
Cozy Mystery 2nd in Series
Setting - California
Publisher: ‎ Kensington Cozies
Publication date: ‎ July 29, 2025
Print length: ‎ 272 pages

Dee Stern’s Golden Motel-of-the-Mountains promises a tranquil getaway for outdoor lovers in the scenic Californian village of Foundgold. But when Dee accidentally triggers a modern gold rush, she suddenly turns her peaceful retreat into a hotspot for mayhem and murder . . .

With the summer season looming, former Hollywood sitcom writer Dee Stern has one small goal—scrubbing her motel’s unflattering moniker as the “Murder Motel.” Dee and ex-husband-turned-business-partner Jeff Cornetta are excited to introduce a family-friendly panning activity complete with fool’s gold just in time for the peak tourist months. Except neither could have anticipated the discovery of a real gold nugget or the ensuing social media frenzy. In a flash, the viral sensation draws grizzled prospectors, wide-eyed adventurers, and trend-chasing thrill seekers to the abandoned mines scattered around the woods . . .

The instant popularity proves great for business, but it also attracts a group of out-of-touch Silicon Valley techies with dreams of striking it rich—again. Dee finds herself particularly annoyed by the insufferably smug Sylvan Burr, a retired CEO who sold his startup before age 30 and won’t let anyone forget it. But things take a sinister turn when Sylvan meets a grim fate at the bottom of a mineshaft, leaving Dee at the center of a deadly mystery that could end her days as a motelier. And while Sylvan had plenty of enemies, Dee suddenly faces adversaries rooting against her own success. Now, with her life and the future of the Golden Motel hanging by a thread, Dee must unearth a minefield of suspects and outwit a greedy killer before she finally digs herself too deep . . .

About Ellen Byron

Ellen is a bestselling author, Anthony nominee, and recipient of multiple Agatha and Lefty awards for her Cajun Country Mysteries, Vintage Cookbook Mysteries, Catering Hall Mysteries (as Maria DiRico), and Golden Motel Mysteries. She is also an award-winning playwright and non-award-winning writer of TV hits like Wings, Just Shoot Me, and Fairly OddParents, but considers her most impressive achievement working as a cater-waiter for Martha Stewart.

A native New Yorker, Ellen is a graduate of Tulane University and lives in the Los Angeles area with her husband, daughter, and a rotating crew of rescue pups. Visit her at http://www.ellenbyron.com/.

Author Links: 

Newsletter: https://www.ellenbyron.com/  

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ellenbyronauthor/ https://www.facebook.com/CateringHallMysteries/  

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

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/ellen-byron https://www.bookbub.com/authors/maria-dirico  

Goodreads: Ellen Byron (Author of Plantation Shudders) | Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/19130966.Maria_DiRico  

Purchase Links - Amazon - Kensington - Bookshop.org - B&N - Hudson Books - Target - Walmart  

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Savvy Summers and the Sweet Potato Crimes - A Review

 Review

SAVVY SUMMERS AND THE SWEET POTATO CRIMES
By Sandra Jackson-Opoku
The First Savvy Summers Mystery 

In Chicago's South Side Savvy Summers is known for her soul food cooking and reasonable prices. Hired as the caterer for Mattie and Granderson's fiftieth wedding anniversary Savvy is witness to the bad behaviors of many a relative and the surprise when Mattie calls her husband out for all of his affairs. The party abruptly ends with Savvy wondering if she'll ever see the rest of the money she's owed. When Grandy comes to her cafe the next day claiming he's not feeling well she supplies him with his usual coffee and a sample of her new "veganish" sweet potato pie-after which he drops dead. They say trouble comes in threes and an older man keeling over dead in your cafe is definitely #1, unfortunately followed by the health department closing her down, and the widow suing her. When Grandy's death is ruled a heart attack Savvy is back in business, but a business the weaselly Noble McPherson is trying to buy out. Could he somehow be behind all her troubles? 

I like Savvy. She's a smart no-nonsense woman with a big heart and generous spirit. I appreciate the soul food cooking that honors her Great-Aunt Essie, but also has a modern flair to it; collard green quiches, salmon croquettes, or veganish sweet potato pie anyone? I also really like her ex-husband, Fanon. Noble is a nasty piece of work and a good villain to hate. The mystery was fun with suspects whose lifestyles are quite colorful. While Savvy may get her South Side up, Shysteen is straight up ghetto.

There is no doubt that SAVVY SUMMERS AND THE SWEET POTATO CRIMES is a cozy mystery. It does, however, push the boundaries as the author herself admits in her acknowledgments. Savvy is definitely cozy, but the language and scenarios can be a bit more coarse that what some cozy readers may be used to. I had no problem with it because everything felt true to the environment.

With lots of soul SAVVY SUMMERS AND THE SWEET POTATO CRIMES is an intriguing start to a new series.

A Poetic Pox - A Guest Post, Recipe, & Giveaway

I'm pleased to welcome Samantha Hastings to Cozy Up With Kathy today. Samantha writes the Lady Librarian Mystery series. A Poetic Pox is the third book in the series and at the moment only the Audible version has been released.

Let Them Eat Twelfth Night Cake!

By Samantha Hastings

The twelve days of Christmas refer to December 25th to January 5th. During the Georgian era, the celebration of Twelfth Night was only slightly less popular than Christmas Day itself.

One of the most important parts of the celebration was the Twelfth Night cake. It was a large domed fruit cake with sugar-paste figures that decorated the top. Inside the cake was hidden both a pea and a bean. Everyone in the household, including servants, were given a slice of cake. Women were served from the left side of the cake and men from the right. The woman who found the pea and the man who found the bean became the ‘king’ and ‘queen’ of the night. Sometimes a clove was added as well for the ‘knave’ of the night. Twelfth Night was one of misrule, raucous fun, and everything turned upside down. Including gender roles. It was the night before Epiphany.

In the 1870s, nearly ninety years after this story, Queen Victorian removed Twelfth Night from official calendars. She believed that the celebrations were too rowdy and this holiday has become relatively forgotten.

*

It’s not quite a Twelfth Night Cake, but my family loves an Oreo Trifle and it’s super easy to make.

OREO TRIFLE

Ingredients:

· 1 baked 9/13” pan of Chocolate Cake (cake mixes are great)

· 1 8oz container of Whipped Cream

· 1 4.2 oz package of instant Oreo Pudding

· 2 cups of cold Milk

· 5-6 Oreos crushed up to sprinkle on top

Directions:

First, combine Oreo pudding and milk in a bowl. Whisk for 2 minutes and then let it rest in the fridge for at least 5 minutes.

In a trifle dish or a large bowl (preferrable clear one so that you can see the layers), add 1-inch squares of the chocolate cake for the bottom layer (about 1/3 of the cake). For the second layer, add 1/3 of the finished Oreo Pudding mix. For the third layer, add 1/3 of the container of Whipped Cream.

Repeat process 3 times.

Decorate the top of the trifle with crushed up Oreos. You can serve it immediately.

************************************************************************** 

 A Poetic Pox: A Lady Librarian Mystery by Samantha Larsen

About A Poetic Pox

A Poetic Pox: A Lady Librarian Mystery
Historical Cozy Mystery 3rd in Series
Setting - 1786, England
Publisher: Dreamscape
First Audible.com Release Date: July 22, 2025
Listening Length: 8 hours and 18 minutes
Author: Samantha Larsen Narrator: Marni Penning

1786, England

It is the twelve days of Christmas, and Mrs. Tiffany Lathrop is happily juggling her duties as a new mother and a librarian to Catharine, the Duchess of Beaufort. Her employer receives a mysterious letter from an old paramour, the Marquess of Harwood, who is the biological father of Catharine’s son. He promises to leave his estate and fortune to Beau if he can see the boy before he dies.

Her elder son, Thomas Montague, has a terrible cold, so Catharine asks Tiffany to accompany her and Beau. When they arrive at the dilapidated abbey, they discover a dead body—only it isn’t the marquess, but his valet! Lord Harwood is alive, but unconscious with suspicious-looking pox marks on his hands. Tiffany wonders if the marquess is really dying, or if it is all poetic revenge? Especially when she discovers the secrets that haunt Rosedean Abbey.

Between breastfeeding and dirty diapers, Tiffany must discover who killed the valet and attempted to murder the marquess before anyone else dies.

©2025 Samantha Larsen (P)2025 Dreamscape First

About Samantha Larsen

Samantha Hastings met her husband in a turkey sandwich line. They live in Salt Lake City, Utah, where she spends most of her time reading, having tea parties, and chauffeuring her four kids. She teaches World Literature at Brigham Young University. Her young adult fiction books are Junior Library Guild Gold Standard selections and her historical romances are published around the world. She also writes murder mysteries under Samantha Larsen that Publisher’s Weekly called “wildly enjoyable.”

Author Links: 

Website www.SamanthaHastings.com  

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

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

X https://x.com/HastingSamantha  

BookBub https://www.bookbub.com/authors/samantha-hastings 

 Purchase Links - Amazon B&N 

  a Rafflecopter giveaway

Icing on the Murder - A Guest Post, Review, & Giveaway

I'm pleased to welcome Madison Montgomery to Cozy Up With Kathy today. You can find Maddy on the pages of the Baker Street Mystery series by Valerie Burns. ICING ON THE MURDER is the fourth book in the series and will be released next week.

My name’s Madison Montgomery, but everyone calls me Maddy. It’s been close to a year since I was dumped by my fiancé during our livestreamed wedding. At the time, I thought that was the most humiliating thing that ever happened to me. So, I was thankful when I learned that I’d inherited a house in New Bison, Michigan from my great aunt Octavia. I’d never heard of New Bison and figured it would be a great place to hide out for a while. Turns out my inheritance came with strings. Sure, I got a house. It’s lovely with views that overlook Lake Michigan. But, I also inherited my great aunt’s bakery, and her 250 lb English mastiff, Baby. Oh, and I have to live in the house, run the bakery and keep the dog for one year, or I lose everything. The only problem with this, is that I can’t cook. I can’t even boil water.

Thankfully, Great Aunt Octavia had two bakers who were willing and able to help keep things going, Miss Hannah and Leroy Danielson. I quickly crowned Leroy as my head baker, and thanks to my social media skills, Baby Cakes Bakery is #thriving. Miss Hannah’s grandson, Michael Portman, is Baby’s vet. He’s tall, dark, handsome, kind, and my dog loves him. He’s also the love of my life. So, when he proposed, I said YES. Now, I’ve got to plan another wedding. No way am I willing to do the livestream thing again, but I struggle with making decisions. Should I go with the ladderback chairs or the Chiavaris? I need help. Michael’s wonderful, but he has me on a tight budget which doesn’t leave room for a wedding planner. However, when I learn that famed wedding planner, Seraphina, is going to be giving her wedding planning services to one lucky couple at the New Bison Bridal Expo, I’m determined to win by any means necessary. When Seraphina is murdered, I need to figure out Whodunit or I’ll be wearing black and white stripes to my own wedding.

***************************************************************************

ICING ON THE MURDER by Valerie Burns
The Fourth Baker Street Mystery

Social media influencer and bakery shop owner Madison Montgomery is excited that a huge bridal expo is coming to New Bison, Michigan. Not only will she and her crew promote Baby Cakes Bakery, she'll also be able to check out all the nuptial possibilities for her own wedding. The biggest news is that Serafina, the hottest wedding planner in the world, is having a contest for one lucky bride to have a Serafina planned wedding. Afraid of too many bridal decisions Maddie is determined to win. Unfortunately, Serafina is a horrible woman who goes out of her way to make people miserable. Before a winner can be chosen Serafina is murdered, by Baby Cakes' skewers. Trooper Bob is ready to accuse Maddy, but with the expo and subsequent murder occurring at the casino, there's a question of jurisdiction.With little time for the Baker Street Irregulars to solve the crime, the friends divvy up the suspects. Will they solve the murder before it's too late?

I must admit I was behind in this series. I'm generally a stickler for reading series in order, but thought I'd jump in. Consequently, I was a bit confused at the start; Maddie getting married?! However, I soon got caught up and the mystery itself required no prior knowledge, so even if this is your first Baker Street Mystery you'll quickly get into the swing of things.

Perhaps because I'm older I have an issue with social media influencers. But what was really annoying me about Maddie was her inability to trust her own decisions and a need to have another influencer plan her own wedding, despite what her friends and fiancé said. Who cares about the types of chairs or how napkins are folded?! However, this series is one of growth and Maddie does have the ability to develop and grow. For all her insecurities she is smart and likable, although not as likable as Baby. Baby is a wonderful, slobbery, giant ball of love who is a valiant protector as well. The one thing I discovered that I did not like is that Maddie intends to use him as a stud. There are too many healthy animals who are killed as there are not enough homes and promoting breeding, even in a work of fiction, is wrong. Baby is one in a million, but Maddie should not see breeding him as a way to earn money!

I enjoyed the mystery. With a tyrant such as Serafina there were so many suspects. I enjoyed seeing the Baker Street Irregulars work their magic and find the killer. I also loved how the team worked together, not only in solving the crime, but also watching Maddie and Leroy working together to create new cake concepts! 

Bridal options, delicious food, and a 250 pound love bug make ICING ON THE MURDER a delectably fun mystery.

************************************************************************* 

 Icing on the Murder (A Baker Street Mystery) by Valerie Burns

About Icing on the Murder 

Icing on the Murder (A Baker Street Mystery)
Cozy Mystery 4th in Series
Setting - Michigan
Publisher: ‎ Kensington Cozies
Publication Date: ‎ July 29, 2025
Print length: ‎ 272 pages

Influencer-turned-bakery-owner Maddy Montgomery has sold plenty of wedding cakes before, but before she turns one out for her and her fiancé’s wedding, she’ll have to solve a little case of murder . . .

Aunt Octavia would be so proud! Maddy has turned Baby Cakes Bakery—named for her 250-pound English Mastiff, Baby—into a runaway success, and she’s marrying the love of her life, veterinarian Michael Portman. #DreamWedding! Plus the timing couldn’t be better: the country’s biggest bridal expo has come to New Bison, Michigan, and Maddy has secured a spot for Baby Cakes to showcase their cakes. She’s also entered a contest for an all-expenses-paid wedding extravaganza offered by world-renowned wedding planner Serafina.

Unfortunately, supremely nasty Serafina truly takes the cake—she makes the worst bridezilla seem like a shy flower girl. But there’s one thing the wedding planner didn’t plan on—being impaled by one of the skewers Baby Cakes uses on their tiered wedding cakes.

While Maid of Honor Sheriff April Johnson rounds up suspects at the expo, Maddy and her aunt’s friends, the Baker Street Irregulars, and even Baby join forces to unveil a killer hiding in plain sight . . . before wedding bells start to chime.

About Valerie Burns

Valerie (V. M.) Burns is an Agatha and Edgar Award-nominated author. She is the author of the Mystery Bookshop, Dog Club, RJ Franklin, and Baker Street Mystery series. As Kallie E. Benjamin, Valerie writes the Bailey the Bloodhound Mystery series. She is an adjunct professor in the Writing Popular Fiction Program at Seton Hill University in Greensburg, PA, and a mentor in the Pocket MFA program. Born and raised in northwestern Indiana, Valerie now lives in Northern Georgia with her two poodles. Connect with Valerie at vmburns.com.

Author Links: 

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/v-m-burns  

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

GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16534140.V_M_Burns  

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

Website: vmburns.com  

Purchase Links : Amazon - Apple - Books A Million - Barnes & Noble - Bookshop. Org - Google Play - Hudson Booksellers - KOBO - Target - Walmart   

a Rafflecopter giveaway