4 1/2 stars

Great read, and although this series has it's ups and downs, this one was definitely one of the ups .  Yes, the whole Pete/Ryan thing got annoying (deducted half a star for that) but the plot was top notch; intriguing, unique and suspenseful. 
 
Overall, a great read and I'd say one of the best in the series. 

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book in return for an honest review.

I'm a cooking show junkie, and Steven Raichlen's shows on PBS (Barbecue University, Primal Grill and Project Smoke) are some of my favorites. I love his straightforward, easy to understand style and his enthusiasm for all things grilling is infectious.

The Project Smoke cookbook is no different. There's a lot of information packed into this book, including tips on selecting the right woods, the equipment and tools you will need, and recipes and tips for smoking all kinds of meats, fish, poultry, vegetables and even cocktails! I plan on giving many of the recipes this summer. I want to try the made-from-scratch bacon, and my stepdad has been wanting to smoke a brisket for ages. The smoked potato salad looks like a pretty good side dish to go with it.

The only thing that would make this book better is if it was scratch and sniff. Can you imagine?

I can't wait for this book to come out so I can buy a hardcopy. Ihave a feeling this book will be well used in my family for many years to come.

Death at a Fixer Upper is the first in the Home Sweet Home mystery series. Sam Turner is a fledgling real estate agent with three offers on a decrepit mansion. One by one, the prospective buyers turn up dead. Can she solve the mystery before she turns up dead?

Fantastic book! It grabbed hold of me from the very first page. I made the mistake of starting this late one night, then spending all of the next day counting the minutes until I could get back to it.

I loved the main character, Sam Turner, who I thought was a Kinsey Millhone lives-by-her-wits kind of woman. A single mom juggling a teen-aged son, closing on the house she just bought, a potential romance with the chief of police and her career, Sam is like most women; lots to do and no time to do it. Who can't relate to that? I loved the home ec. story, it made me giggle, thinking of the teacher's face.

The plot spanned the book quite well, with many twists and turns and an ending that I didn't expect. Lots of action filled out the story, from the kinetic sculpture race to the murders and the investigations. At the beginning of the book, it was mentioned that the locals thought the house was haunted and various paranormal events occurred, but it disappeared from the story pretty early on in the book. I would've like to have seen that explored some more.

The other concern I had is that the first murder had a lot of detail, but the second murder really didn't. I was left confused wondering which person killed Ray. Didn't detract from the story, but I felt it was detail that shouldn't have been omitted.

Lastly, there were a few moments in the book where it seemed like it was recapping an earlier book in the series. I was surprised when I found out this was book 1. Again, it didn't detract from the story or confuse me, but I thought those elements could've been integrated into the story in a way that didn't lead the reader to believe there were other books in the series.


Laugh-out-loud funny, with a riveting plot, gorgeous locale and charming characters, Death at a Fixer Upper will appeal to any fan of cozy mysteries or chick lit.

When I requested this book from Netgalley, the description was vague enough that I was curious to see what the book was about. The Truth is Beyond Belief is a short book of Christian inspirational messages meant to enlighten and relax the reader and would be ideal as an audiobook for use in meditation.

While the subject matter was not that interesting to me, the book was well written and relaxing to read. I think this book will appeal to people who enjoy a spiritual books or are looking for a mini-retreat to recharge themselves in busy times.

Thank you to Netgalley and Publish Green for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is a hard review to write. I requested this from Netgalley thinking it was a mystery. What I got instead was a romance novel that was 99% graphic sex, and 1% ghosts and mystery. Not that there's anything wrong with romance novels, I just have no interest in reading them. As such, I don't think I can give this a rating. Since I'm not a fan of romance novels, I have no idea about the quality of it. The book is well written and I can see how romance fans will enjoy the likable characters and entertaining plot.

The mystery part of it, who's sabotaging Victoria's business and why was entertaining, although not very developed. As the sex is the main focus of the story, the mystery part of it was pretty transparent and easy to figure out. Still, I stuck with it until the end because I wanted to see how it all unfolded. I also enjoyed the ghosts and I would love a whole book dedicated solely to Victoria's investigations. Marcus's story of why his friend Frank is haunting him was heart-wrenching, and I did enjoy that.

Overall, if you're a fan of romance and sex novels, particularly romantic mystery novels, you will enjoy this.

Thank you to Wild Rose Press and Netgalley for an advance copy in return for my honest review.

See this and more of my reviews at Mystereity Reviews

The unthinkable has happened; time has run out, the missiles have been launched and the United States as we know it is doomed. But never fear! The government has planned extensively to assure their safety and that their reign will continue without interruption - even if there's nothing left to govern after it's all over!

Raven Rock explores the history of the people and events that brought about these plans, spanning the span of time since the end of World War II, from Truman to Obama (who signed a bill in 2009 giving the US Postal Service the sole responsibility of delivering "biological counter-measures" in the event of a biological weapons attack. Which is better than FedEx (who always seems to deliver my packages late, but that's another story.)

After I watched a Travel Channel show that talked about The Greenbriar, I picked up Raven Rock to read more about the history behind that Cold War bunker mentality and found much, much more. The easy flow of the book drew me in quickly, the anecdotes and trivia kept things light and interesting and the very linear layout stayed on topic without extraneous detail to confuse the reader.

Raven Rock is an engrossing history illuminating a shadowy aspect of the government not well known or understood and I definitely recommend it to history buffs and trivia fans alike.

See this and all of my reviews at Mystereity Reviews

Cassie Hall, a concierge at the exclusive Parkstone luxury apartment building in Bethesda, MD, is thrilled when golf superstar Kip Ace and his wife, Bunny move into the building. Not long after, Cassie finds Kip in the Parkstone's Crabapple Courtyard - dead! With The Parkstone in a 24 hour lockdown while police investigate, restless residents and her job on the line, Cassie sets out to find a killer

I really enjoyed this charming cozy, it was a great weekend read. With a fast-paced plot full of misdirection that had me glued to the book, it was one of those great stories where you change your idea of whodunit with each chapter. With likable characters and a comfortable atmosphere, it was easy to get locked into The Parkstone with all the other residents. I got a real kick out of Mrs. Canterbury, and Cassie is an engaging main character, determined, stubborn and resourceful. I liked that the characters had enough of an introduction to give you a good idea of who they are, but leaving a few questions to be (hopefully) answered in later books.

The Courtyard Corpse is a great start to a new series, and definitely one I'll keep on my watch list. Cozy mystery fans will find a great new world to enjoy at The Parkstone, and a perfect weekend read.

I thoroughly enjoyed this one, the second in the Merry Ghost Inn series. From the enchanting and picturesque Oregon setting to the charming characters to the suspenseful plot that kept me guessing right up until the end, it was an engaging and absorbing read. I loved the reveal at the end, both heart-wrenching and tragic, it was a great way to end the book. I reallyl love Orville the Laughing Ghost, it's a fun element to the story and adds just a touch of spooky that gives the series a little flavor.

Although a great book, it rambled a little bit in some places and slowed the pace down. Overall, this wasn't a huge issue but I found myself flipping through a few scenes because they were a bit repetitive. Overall though, it wasn't a big issue, it was still an enjoyable read and this series is quickly moving up on my must-read series list.

Overall, a solid second book in a what's shaping up to be a can't-miss cozy series and very enjoyable.

I'm a bit late to the Ripple Effect series, this is the fourth book but only the first I've read and I can safely say this can be read as a introduction to the series or as a standalone. Following the adventures of retired couple Rapella and her husband, Rip, as they travel around the US in their RV, they find themselves in the middle of a mystery wherever they go. Rapella, a charmingly naive chatterbox, made for an entertaining sleuth (and I enjoyed Itsy as the sidekick!) and I was drooling over the beautiful scenery on their cruise. Add in a mouthy cockatoo, a sweet St Bernard and a zippy, lively plot and there was a lot to like!

The plot, surrounding an anonymous tip that a local woman's death was not due to natural causes and is later determined to be murder. Suspicion is thrown onto Sydney, one of Rip's cardiac nurses and the niece of the recently deceased woman. There were many facets to the plot, from the seemingly "haunted" house to the squabbling siblings to the possible cache of missing gold and I was sucked in from the start. From the breathtaking scenery on the cruise that made me drool to the many lovable (and not so lovable) characters that jumped off the page and the hijinks that Rapella got into had me chuckling (especially the Uber part!) While I read a lot of cozy mysteries, there have been few that were as fun as this and and I'm definitely going to read the other books in the series.

Listened to this on audiobook and really enjoyed it. A great plot, likable characters and the narrator on the audiobook made it come alive.