The Christmas Appeal by Janice Hallett

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The Christmas Appeal is a novella which once again follows the kooky bunch of actors who make up the Fairway Players, the acting troop who appeared in Hallett’s first novel, The Appeal. Most of the characters are new, but we do have a few of the cast from the original. A few things are the same. There is backstabbing, jealousy, revenge and oh yes, a murder! It is hilarious and in her enjoyable writing style, emails and texts, which makes for a quick delightful read.

Set during Christmas, a time of Peace on Earth and Goodwill, the Fairway Players have clearly not received the message. The Fairway gang under a new husband-wife directing team in Lower Lockwood, England some of whom are determined to unseat the couple. They seem to not be able to do anything right! So, while trying to put on a Christmas pageant, Jack and the Beanstalk, which of course some feel is stupid, they all seem to try and make each other miserable.

The production is for the children, which they all seem to have forgotten as they continue to fight and make fun of each other. The proceeds are to benefit the church which needs a roof repaired. But the beanstalk which had been used in a production years ago is in need of a cleaning as it will be the center of the story. Oh, how it will be the center!

But of course, everything begins to fall apart immediately, and as the date of the show nears, the beanstalk is deemed too big, the sweets are needed for the bags of goodies for the children, and unfortunately more patrons keep getting invited. Also, rumors begin to swirl about there being something terribly wrong with the beanstalk. The “candy” is delivered day of and as for the beanstalk, well of course during the show a skeleton falls out of it. But the audience thinks it’s part of the show and therefore the performance is deemed brilliant! Much to some people’s chagrin.

So once again we have our two levelheaded lawyers on the case with their now retired boss. They begin to sift through all the emails, texts, etc. to see if they can find out just what happened and how a body could have been left in the beanstalk for years and no one seem to know.

So, who on earth is the dead body? Who spread the rumor of there being something terribly wrong with the beanstalk? Will this be the end of the Fairway Players? With a few cameos from characters from The Appeal, The Christmas Appeal is a laugh out loud mystery which does not disappoint, and even if you think you’ve got it all figured out well, you’re probably wrong!

Happy Holidays!

The Mystery Guest by Nita Prose

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Well, the maid we all love and adore, Molly Gray is back in The Mystery Guest. With the charm and heart from the first story, The Maid, we are again excited to learn what she has been up to lately, as well as a bit of her backstory, with her loving and forevermore gran, Flora, her teacher of all things. Molly has come a long way since we were first introduced to her, but she continues to be the honest, thought-provoking, sensitive, intelligent woman we have grown to treasure.

Since we last read about her, Molly has been promoted to head maid at the prestigious yet infamous Regency Grand Hotel, living with her boyfriend Juan in her gran’s apartment. Juan is away visiting his family when of course, another death occurs.

J.D. Grimthorpe, a famous mystery writer is about to make an important announcement about himself, and he has chosen Molly’s hotel to make the statement. Although he has not written a book in a very long time, it is the hope of his fans that he will tell them he is coming out with a sequel to his bestseller from years ago.

But just before he is going to make the announcement, he keels over and dies. It is soon discovered that someone has poisoned him. Now, Molly’s new maid-in-training, Lily is frightened because she thinks it’s always the maid. But Molly has faith that with a bit of investigating, the Regency Grant Hotel will be exonerated.

As Molly’s frenemy, Detective Stark once again is put on the case and of course eyes Molly suspiciously, Molly knows she did not kill the man. But unfortunately, Molly has a deep dark secret. When she was young, she and her gran had worked as maids for the Grimthorpe household, and it did not end well.

As she flashes back to that dreadful time, she begins to remember more about what happened when they worked for the mysterious writer. But clues of his death are sparse and when she sees her dear friend Mr. Preston doing something illegal, well her head begins to spin.

As Molly tries to put the clues together, realizing Grimthorpe was not a very nice person and anybody could have wanted him dead, the suspects begin to add up and she must find the killer before it ruins the reputation of her wonderful hotel.

The Mystery Guest is sleuthing at its best, and our Molly is as sweet as honey as she brilliantly and true to herself discovers the truths behind the dead man. Cannot wait to see where Molly goes next!

Thank you #NetGalley #BallentineBooks #NitaProse #TheMysteryGuest for the advanced copy.

The Other Half by Charlotte Vassell

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The Other Half is quite the page-turner. It will make you laugh, keep you in suspense and keep you terribly hungry. The characters, richly naive or pretending to be, the officers, although wondering what their next meal will be are instinctively, acutely deviously wonderful at their jobs!

Rupert Beauchamp an extremely wealthy (family money), not very liked, want to be but too lazy to be writer has decided to celebrate his 30th birthday with a black-tie affair at the local McDonalds. With added champagne the guests minus his girlfriend who he was planning on dumping anyway, all get smashed. They can barely remember how they got home.

Unfortunately, Rupert’s girlfriend Clemmie is found very dead the next morning in bushes by no other than police detective Caius Beauchamp (no relations) as he was on his morning run deciding what to eat when he got back. 

Of course, all the party goers are suspects but Caius and the police feel it just had to be the obnoxious, spoiled Rupert. But as hard as they try, and they do try, they can’t get the puzzle pieces to fit him being the killer. But they do discover a few things about him that raise questions in other matters.

They soon find that with wealthy suspects comes secrets and lies and warnings to be careful who you accuse. But the more information they receive, the more the murder looks like a game of Clue! And when someone else is found dead, well, that changes everything! Are the two murders connected?

Suspects include, the woman Rupert really loves, although she hates him, his godmother, or perhaps the gallery owner who Clemmie was having a fling with. With so many suspects, it makes sense that the police are always hungry and talking about food! But the police investigators stumble into an even more sinister plot!

Will they be able to catch the murderer before another one occurs? Also, what will they be having for dinner? Inquisitive minds need to know in this hysterical story with terrific twists and surprising turns and suspects you love to hate!

Thank you #NetGalley #Anchor #TheOtherHalf #CharlotteVassell for the advanced copy.

Maybe Once, Maybe Twice by Alison Rose Greenberg

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Sometimes, timing is everything, but in Maybe Once, Maybe Twice timing is heartbreaking. The story follows the joys and sorrows of a woman who has three great loves in her life. Her dream to become a singer/songwriter, and two relationships which somehow keep falling to pieces. The story is told by jumping in time backward in age to now explaining how all these second chances have come to fruition and the risks involved in each decision she makes.

Maggie finds herself at a pivotal point in her life. She discovers on her 35th birthday that she may not be able to get pregnant, something she really wants although there is no man in her life, and she certainly can’t afford any help in that area. Oh, and her music career is in the dumps. Her only salvation is she and her best friend Garrett have always said if they were not married by the age of thirty-five, they would marry. Which for Maggie is very pleasurable as she has secretly loved her him since they first met. Yes, they have had their ups and downs over the years and yes, they have not seen each other in a while but she knows he’s coming to her party, and she knows she can make everything all right.

So, when they finally meet up, Maggie is devastated to learn Garrett is engaged to be married to someone else. Especially after he gave her an amazing kiss at the party! Heartbroken she begins to look back at their relationship as well as her first love, Asher whom she met at summer camp who was also the first person to break her heart.

But when Garrett invites her to his engagement party, which turns into a nightmare with them confronting each other, she realizes she can’t continue like this. So, she decides to look up Asher, an actor and is surprised at what she finds.

As they reconnect, and with his help realizes she is on the edge of fame, Garrett makes an unexpected announcement. So does Asher. And someone from her past she hates has come back to haunt her. Overwhelmed by all of this, she must decide what she wants knowing she will hurt them both.

Is there a true love of your life? Can there be two? How do you break someone’s heart knowing this could be the end of the relationship. How do you decide to finally, for once worry about yourself instead of all the others. How does she finally find the happiness and peace she needs.

Maybe Once, Maybe Twice is a funny, emotional rollercoaster of falling in love, memories and learning to let go. It’s about being strong for yourself and others, not ever realizing you can be able and still be in control of your own life as you reach the top of the mountain.

Thank you #NetGalley #St.Martin’sGriffin # AlisonRoseGreenberg #MaybeOnce,MaybeTwice for the advanced copy.

Plot Twist by Erin LaRosa

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Plot Twist is a sweet love story about a romance writer who has lost her mojo on love and can’t write, who proceeds to fall in love with her best friend’s brother, an actor who comes from Hollywood royalty, but does not only not want to act anymore, but is facing a sober life and is afraid of letting someone else down. In this charming plot, they discover not only each other, but themselves.

Romance writer Sophie Lyon gets very drunk one night and declares live on social media that she has never been in love and with her next book due in weeks believes she is a wash-up. Except the next morning when she is sober, she discovers she is now a media star. What has she done?

Dash Montrose, Sophie’s landlord as well as Sophie’s best friend Poppy’s brother sees her in a panic. An expert at social media, he tells her he can help create a platform where she could share what she feels if she will help him write a speech he needs to make at a ceremony in honor of his father, a Hollywood legend.

So, Sophie decides to go back to her former exes and ask the question why we broke up and document said answers on social media as the clock ticks towards her deadline. Dash who has his own crisis going on is learning to be sober. He has not told anyone in his family this as well as the fact he does not want to act and would prefer to live a simple life creating pottery while he is still learning how to live life clearheaded. Sophie’s problem is a terrific distraction as well as her being great to look at and fun to be with.

As Sophie visits her exes and discovers the good the bad and the ugly, she begins to realize she perhaps may have a problem with commitment. While this is happening, Dash is trying to figure out how to tell his family, who will not be pleased with his news that he was in a rehab. You see, his parents are all about the fame and being the perfect family.

But attraction gives in, and Sophie and Dash proceed to become friends with benefits. Of course, neither wants to tell Poppy because they know she will lose her mind! In the meantime, Dash seems to have a stalker who threatens to blow up his life by informing the media of his secret.

Everything explodes in their faces all at once and neither of them handles the aftermath very well. Is it possible for these two people who clearly love one another to admit their feelings when one of them can’t commit and the other is afraid to commit?

Plot Twist has strong messages while being a delightful, heartfelt story with twist and happy turns which will keep you rooting until the end.

Thank you #NetGalley #CanaryStreetPress #ErinLaRosa #PlotTwist for the advanced copy.

Whistlin’ Dixie in a Nor’easter by Lisa Patton

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Whistlin’ Dixie in a Nor’easter is an adorable story in which a woman from Memphis, Tennessee finds herself transplanted to Vermont as the owner of an Inn. Not her idea, but her husbands. The story relays their time at the Inn, a bed and breakfast in a very small town with of course quirky townspeople and the difficulties which they incurred as they tried to establish themselves as the new owners of an Inn which has always been known for its German cooking, difficult employers and a terrible odor which permeates the building and cannot be fixed! It’s about a woman who loves her husband so much she would go to the ends of the earth for him…literally and finds herself not only in a different reality, but then alone, working in an Inn with her two young children and her dog, Princess Grace by her side.

Filled with hysterical tales of how her adjustment never quite succeeds, yet through it all she never loses her happy outlook on life and looks at each challenge she faces even though frightened out of her mind, as a victory.

Leelee, her husband Baker, their two children, and their dog have a wonderful life in Memphis, Tennessee. A stay-at-home mom who lunches with her best friends at the country club and has no worries about money, loves her life. Until her husband decides he hates his job and wants to try something different. And by different he means up and moving to Vermont and buying an inn run by a German brother and sister near ski resorts. Now, Leelee has never even seen snow, let alone Vermont! but she loves her husband and agrees. One thing for sure, she can’t wait to meet a moose up close and personal!

But when they arrive, she discovers she must actually work at this smelly, un-charming Inn with hippopotamus decor and the current owner Helga who hates her. She discovers very quickly she’s not in Tennessee anymore! Her poor Yorkie won’t even go to the bathroom outside first for fear they will never find her in the deep snow as well as she just plain refuses to go out, so their tiny apartment is covered in newspaper! Although Princess Grace does enjoy a particular room to do her business.

But when Baker decides he made a big mistake and just up and leaves her to tackle all the jobs, she at first goes into a deep depression. But for the eccentric employees, her friends back home and her stubbornness and wanting the best for her children she tackles all of the obstacles which she is faced as best she can with a bit of sneakiness.

And just as her bones begin to thaw and perhaps with a little crush developing, she gets the opportunity to go home again. But where is home now? Just when she thought she had it all worked out she must now make once again the most difficult decision of her life!

In Whistlin’ Dixie, you will laugh out loud at the state of affairs Leelee must grapple with, you will empathize as she finds herself a single mom in the land of the lost until she begins to realize she may perhaps know what she is doing…well, sort of… But most of all you will feel her transformation from a lady of leisure to a powerful intelligent working woman who must think quickly on her cold feet, even if there are snowshoes under them!

Day by Michael Cunningham

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Day is the heartbreaking story of a family whose already unsteady relationships begin to fall apart just prior to the Covid lockdown. It’s the realization of the adults that life as the family has known it will never be the same as they each grapple with their own personal feelings and demons. At the same time, their children must cope with a virus which can cause death, but being young, not believing or understanding anything could ever happen to them.

Dan and Isabel live in a brownstone in New York. The year is 2019. They have two young children, Violet who is 5 and Nathan who is 9. Isabel’s brother Robbie lives upstairs in an attached attic apartment. Robbie is getting over the breakup with his boyfriend. A teacher by day, Robbie is an internet sensation under the name Wolfie. Only Isabel knows about Wolfie.

Robbie has just been told by Isabel that he needs to move out because they need the space. Robbie understands but loves the children so much he knows it will be hard. He also begins to question his choice of career and wonders if it is too late to change it wishing he could go back in time and make another choice.

Dan and Isabel are also going through a difficult time. Isabel is very unhappy in her life but is frozen not knowing what to do or how to leave. She is miserably stuck in a marriage she feels was wrong with children she barely knows.

So, when the lockdown occurs thus begins not only the continued deterioration of a family, but everything which happens later. And none of them will ever be the same. Violet suddenly becomes obsessed with germs, her brother Nathan who moved into Robbie’s old place has a personality change and has a different carefree take on the situation. Isabel and Dan hardly talk, and Robbie finds himself stuck in a remote area of Iceland unable to communicate with his family. All he has for companionship are his books and Wolfie.

None of them are the same people after the lockdown ends. Was it really the lockdown? Perhaps part of it. But the emotional toll it took, lives which may never be fixed, guilt and blame are now how each seem to cope with a new different reality and family dynamic.

Day is a story about love, loss, change and emotional deterioration. It’s heartbreaking yet poignant story which will haunt you for days after you’ve read the final page.

Thank you #NetGalley #RandomHouse #MichaelCunningham #Day for the advanced copy.

The Bachelorette Party by Carissa Ann Lynch

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The Bachelorette Party will hook you from the first page and will never disappoint! What should have been a wonderful weekend party, turns into a weekend from hell with a dead body added to the mix. The animosity the group feels towards each other is palpable. The reasons, unknown. And when the secrets are exposed well, the explosions can be heard all around New Orleans! But who is killed and why is frustratingly saved for the reader until the jaw dropping ending!

Rosalee is marrying Asher Beake, who she feels is the love of her life. A lawyer, he comes from a very wealthy family. Rosalee can’t help but wonder, why her? So as a group of family and friends organize a bachelorette party, to The Big Easy, with most of them not really wanting to be there it seems to go downhill beginning at the airport. The cast of characters, one of which will be dead by the end include:

Rosalee, the bride to be. A bit insecure due to the fact she knows her soon to be husband’s mother and sister don’t care for her thinking he could do much better. She has no family other than a cousin named Tinsley as her parents died when she was young in a car accident. She hopes everybody can just get along. But she is a bit concerned about one thing. She thinks perhaps Asher is cheating on her with one of the wedding party. And that is only one of Rosalee’s secrets.

Elizabeth Beake is Asher’s mother. She cannot particularly stand Rosalee and does not understand why her son would pick this mouse. She had always hoped he and his best friend from childhood, Georgia would finally see they were made for each other. Something Elizabeth continually says! She is still recovering from losing her husband last year and between this wedding and her daughter Bri’s antics she just wants the weekend to go quickly. Although Elizabeth herself does not share everything with her family.

Bri, the soon to be sister-in-law, does not care for Rosalee and tries to embarrass her whenever she can. She too doesn’t want her as a member of their family and will perhaps attempt to make some waves. But Bri is a drinker and sometimes is an embarrassment to herself. Why does she drink so much? We will find out!

Mara, the best friend, does not like either of Rosalee’s soon to be family. And she plans on showing them just how much on this trip. She wants to make their lives miserable. Yes, she’s a bit jealous and yes even though she planned the trip she has no money, but she adores Rosalee and knows how they have been treating her.

Georgia is Asher’s childhood best friend and doesn’t really know why she is here. She can’t imagine Rosalee wanting her here, but Elizabeth insisted she come. She was a nurse but left her position to start a yoga studio. She feels Rosalee has the wrong impression of her. Worst of all, someone is threatening her and could ruin what is left of her new career.

Tinsley is Rosalee’s only relative, the cousin she went to live with when her parent died. At first Tinsley resented Rosalee’s presence as she and her mother had always been best friends. Tinsley, a bookworm who kept to herself always had to work hard for what she had whereas Rosalee was the life of the party and was able to go to college because of the money she was left when her parents died. She still lives paycheck to paycheck and oh, by the way, she’s paying for everything because Mara is waiting for her “windfall”.

Just remember this…they all have secrets and bitterness towards each other. Anyone of them could be pushed to the limit and accidentally, intentionally kill! And the anticipation of the who, what, where how and why will kill you!

Thank you #NetGalley #OneMoreChapter #TheBacheloretteParty #CarissaAnnLynch for the advanced copy.

Last Night At The Hollywood Canteen by Sarah James

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Last Night At The Hollywood Canteen is a 1940’s throwback mystery story set in Hollywood where stardom meets addiction meets jealousy meets frenemies meets murder. Set during the time of Bette Davis and Mickey Rooney, the story revolves around a young playwright who moves to Hollywood and befriends a band of what could only be called misfit, alcoholic, movie, music and radio stars. When one of the friends is murdered at the Hollywood Canteen, a club for servicemen to dance and relax, they know it would be in the best interest for their careers to figure out exactly what happen.

Annie Laurence is the playwright who is coming off a high. Her Broadway show was a success for the most part but due to circumstances…both leads signed with a movie company in Los Angeles, and it shuts down. Devastated at not only the loss of the show, but her relationship with the two stars, when offered a job herself, she jumps at the chance to move to LA and work on a script for a movie.

But Annie goes there with a few secrets. And when she goes to the famous Hollywood Canteen to volunteer, she sees Fiona Farris, a famous film critic who alluded to her secret in a review she did of her play, and she becomes nervous. But Fiona introduces her to a band of actors/musicians who she quickly befriends. But are they friends? The seem to love to hate each other! But things take a terrible turn when Fiona is found dead at the club. At first it is ruled a suicide, but the friends seem to think it is much more sinister. Who would have it out for Fiona? Yes, she was hated for her honesty but enough to kill?

But when the friends begin digging, they discover Fiona had been working on a mysterious story which by chance could have ruined someone’s career. But whose?

So as any narcissistic stars would do, they band together to try and discover what really happened to Fiona and what and whose secret she was trying to expose. And that of course is when everybody’s skeletons in the closet slowly surface. Annie herself is panic stricken as she knows if her secret gets out it could be the end of her career!

As for her “career” Annie has a terrible case of writer’s block and hasn’t been able to write a complete sentence since she arrived at the studio. What if she gets fired?

But the case begins to turn, and when Annie gets a brick thrown into her apartment, she realizes she’s on to something. But someone else clearly knows that as well. Then Annie is arrested for the murder of Fiona! How will she be able to prove her innocence? More important who of these friends can she truly trust? Could one of them have really killed Fiona?

Last Night At The Hollywood Canteen is a terrific murder mystery filled with gruff characters who are great at not telling the truth, who are funny and quirky who are able to keep up the facade Hollywood is known for even if it might kill them in the process. But wouldn’t that make them even more famous? Hmmm….

Thank you #NetGalley #SourcebooksLandmark #SarahJames #LastNightAtTheHollywoodCanteen for the advanced copy.

Cackle by Rachel Harrison

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Cackle is an imaginative adult fairytale about a woman who has been scorned, has lost confidence in herself and through the help of another woman who is “different” begins a journey to becoming who she was always meant to be…strong and independent. It’s also very witty and sometimes frightening (in more ways than one).

When Annie, a schoolteacher who has been in love with her boyfriend for years gets dumped by him for reasons she cannot understand, she makes the choice to leave New York City where she always thought she had a fabulous, comfortable life, and the boyfriend she always felt made her feel safe. She decides to take a job in upstate New York and finds an apartment in a little village nearby the new school.

She immediately feels some sort of different vibe coming from the townspeople. She enjoys their comraderies, and they always seem so happy. The village is pleasant, beautiful and the people kind. Although she does discover the apartment she is renting does come with an infestation problem, she takes this with a grain of salt as the village is nestled in the woods.

Although Annie tries to move on, she is still miserable, until she meets the most beautiful woman she has ever seen named Sophie. She becomes Annie’s best friend. Yes, Sophie has been in the village for ages (literally), living in a mansion in the woods, and the other residence don’t particularly care for her, and she is quite quirky, but so are the others. But she makes Annie feel alive again and gives her a strength she never knew she had.

The new school has its own problems. The students constantly tease her, and she has very little control over them until an incident occurs which Annie cannot understand. She begins to look at Sophie in a different light. Very different!

As Sophie begins to give Annie life lessons, Annie gets stronger and stronger. But still, in the back of her mind she can’t forget the relationship she left behind. Although Sophie has continuously warned her not to get in touch with her ex, Annie decides to and that’s when all hell freezes over …literally!

Now Annie has a decision to make…her ex or Sophie who has taught her how to live again by taking control back of her own life. And when Sophie gives Annie an ultimatum, well, Annie may never see the light of day again!

The story is suspenseful, imaginative with one surprise after another, many eccentric characters, both human and crawling and about a woman who learns how to empower herself and grow strong and who in the end learns just how to Cackle!