July 2022 New Cozies

Thank you to the authors, publishers, and NetGalley for providing these ARCs in exchange for honest reviews. The recipe reviews and food pairing found on my Instagram feed  are of my own doing. 

JULY 26th RELEASES 

Death a Sketch (A Paint & Shine Mystery)
Cheryl Hollon
Kensington Publishing

Paint & Shine is entering its first fall and the end of the tourist season. Miranda, worried that times could be tight, decides to add corporate events to her offerings. Team building, art lessons, great food, and some shine cocktails sounds like a great combination, right? Upper management has other plans and team building becomes team demolition as the participating teams are set against each other in order to secure their jobs. On the bright side, Miranda is able to reunite with an old friend, on the dark side, that same friend is high on the suspect list for murder. Essentially everyone has a motive thanks to the crazy competition but who had the opportunity? Miranda teams up with Austin the forest ranger aka her romantic interest, to whittle down the suspect list. I am not sure how she finds the time to sleuth, what with the extremely busy days hosting a wide/wild variety of events for the two teams complete with good glass of shine and some excellent home-style cooking each day. Speaking of which, recipes for both shine-tails and great eats like the Homemade Herb Crackers which are found after the extremely cute ending of the story. 

Murder at the Blueberry Festival
Darci Hannah
Kensington

(Mostly) hilarious hijinks and bountiful blueberry goodies take center stage in the Beacon Harbor Blueberry Festival, unfortunately so does an unscheduled Viking burial at sea. Lindsey Bakewell hates to see her guy, Rory, unhappy so she does what she can to help him get to the bottom of his Scandinavian friend’s demise.  Thankfully she isn’t alone and has a nice group of cozy friends and family who are ready and willing to help sleuth.  She also has a cozy companion, Welly, a very big, and often wet, Newfoundland who sometimes steals the show, he is a dog apparel model after all. The story was as well-crafted as the recipes found at the back of the book. I would suggest picking up a quart of blueberries to have on hand when you take a look at the yummy recipes, in case you want to make a little something to snack on or share while you enjoy this cozy.  

Murder Spills the Tea
Vicki Delaney
Kensington

 
Great title! I recently learned that is the new way to ask for gossip, unfortunately all gossip is not good but all publicity is good, right? Wrong! Lily learns this quickly enough when she reluctantly agrees to take part in a reality TV bake off featuring the Tea Shoppe and her wonderful baked goods. The funny thing about this whole ordeal is that one would think that getting up at the crack of dawn to bake, or prepping after working an entire day is an ordeal, but not Lily. Drama begets drama whether it is naturally occurring or factiously created and this time it leads to murder. There are plenty of suspects, or rather others who make far better suspects than Lily’s assistant, Chery, who unlike several of the Hollywood types, had no true motive. Like the two books that preceded it, this cozy also has quite a bit of sleuthing, a cuddly companion, a dynamic duo, a gallant gardener, and recipes that are perfect regardless of when or how you take your tea.   

No Parm No Foul
(Grilled Cheese Mystery Book #2)
Linda Reilly
Poisoned Pen Press

Who doesn’t like a Fall Food Festival contest with a Halloween theme? This story definitely has a spooky setup, the murder, not the culinary competition, which resulted in not only some face stuffing but also some ballot box stuffing and what appears to be a staking. Obviously Ari isn’t the culprit so who did in the surly sandwich maker while cloaked in darkness and a vampire cape. Plenty of suspects to choose from who had much more of a motive than Ari which means there will be plenty of red herrings to keep you guessing. An entertaining story with savory sandwiches like the Sleeps with the Fishes tuna fish sandwich featured at the back of the book. 

Witch and Famous
(Witch Way Librarian Mysteries #3)
Angela M. Sanders
Kensington Books

I have often felt that books speak to me, or rather they call to me, not unlike cursed Aztec gold. Unfortunately they do not help me to answer questions but they are a great way to pass the time. Now, Josie on the other hand, the intrepid librarian and truth teller witch has a rare gift and an even rarer relationship with books. Ms. Sanders does a superb job of giving not only Josie but all of the characters a  sense of depth. From Josie's need to see justice done, Roz and her romantic side, Lyndon the plant whisperer, Sam with his confounding facial habit, and all of the unique town's folk. Speaking of the locals, they are not only beside themselves, but also star struck that THE Daphne  wants to interview Roz aka about her romance novel. Daphne is a bit much to take, everyone and I do mean everyone is falling over themselves to be near her. Okay, maybe not her staff and not Roz or Josie (who have their own yet similar reasons). Maybe it is this over the top and slightly saccharine personality that causes the angst, angst that leads to murder and a variety of suspects. I was guessing constantly and reformulating my theory as to who did the deed. I also applaud Josie for her wise choices when faced with temptation.  Speaking of something tempting, those potato pancakes sounded so tempting that they are my pairing choice for this book, since I am not a big fan of peach Shnapps and a Cutie Cocktail just sounded way to sweet and cloying, not unlike the  infamous actress Daphne. Is someone out to get her or is it all drama?

I have often heard that authors are given three book contracts, and while this one ended in such a way that it could leave it there, I would REALLY like to visit Josie and the Wildredians again, very soon!