The Girl from Vichy – Book Review

The Girl from Vichy: The USA Today bestselling historical fiction page turner by [Andie Newton]

1942, France.

As the war in Europe rages on, Adèle Ambeh dreams of a France that is free from the clutches of the new regime. The date of her marriage to a ruthless man is drawing closer, and she only has one choice – she must run.

With the help of her mother, Adèle flees to Lyon, seeking refuge at the Sisters of Notre Dame de la Compassion. From the outside this is a simple nunnery, but the sisters are secretly aiding the French Resistance, hiding and supplying the fighters with weapons.

While it is not quite the escape Adèle imagined, she is drawn to the nuns and quickly finds herself part of the resistance. But her new role means she must return to Vichy, and those she left behind, no matter the cost.

Each day is filled with a different danger and as she begins to fall for another man, Adèle’s entire world could come crashing down around her.

Adèle must fight for her family, her own destiny, as well as her country.

No. of pages:- 402 pages

Date published:- August 13th 2020

Genre:- Historical Fiction

This is the second book I have read from Andie Newton, the first book, The Girl I Left Behind, was her debut book which is based on a German girl involved in the resistance movement against the Nazis. This book too, is based on the French girl, Adele, who flees to the nunnery to escape from her wedding to a man named Gerard who supports the Nazis and belongs to a notorious Vichy police force. While in the nunnery, she meets Marguerite, with whom she initially didn’t get along, and later on become friends as Adele become involved in the resistance movement and becomes actively involved, using her name “Catchfly”

Like her first book, the author has done tremendous research about the life of France during the Nazi occupation–Vichy, where the story is actually based on was not under Nazi occupation at the time but the police and the Vichy regime acted as puppets to the Nazi regime. We see there are two types of people–those who support the regime and those who don’t, like Adele and her mother. I was amazed at the bravery women like Adele faced to be involved in resistance against the Germans and risking their very lives. The story is well written, vivid descriptions of vineyards and French countryside that makes the reader feel like they are living during that time in the rural France.

Overall, it was a good, gripping and emotional book–worth five stars!

Rating Five Stars. Motion Graphics Stock Footage Video (100% Royalty-free) 1019062039 | Shutterstock
Andie Newton

Andie Newton is the USA Today bestselling author of The Girl from Vichy (2020) and The Girl I Left Behind (2019). Andie holds a Bachelor degree in History and a Master in Teaching. She would love to say she spends her free time gardening and cooking, but she’s killed everything she’s ever planted and set off more fire alarms than she cares to admit. Andie does, however, love spending time with her family, trail running, and drinking copious amounts of coffee.

You can find book club discussion questions on andienewton.com.

Facebook: fb.me/newtonauthor
Twitter: @andienewton
Instagram: @andienewtonauthor

Rep’d by Kate Nash Literary Agency.

Thank You Next – Book Review

Thank You, Next: A perfect, uplifting and funny romantic comedy by [Sophie Ranald]

Seriously, why do guys on dating apps think I want a picture of what’s in their pants? I could open an art gallery with the collection I’ve got.

Zoe really doesn’t want to die alone and surrounded by cats. But it’s not looking good: she’s had sex precisely twice in the last year, and her feline friend isn’t the kind of male company she wants in bed…

Her top dating disasters include:

1) The guy who kissed her hand, took out a violin and serenaded her in public.
2) The guy who force-fed her oysters (she can confirm that they’re not an aphrodisiac).
3) The guy who was so hungover he turned up with his t-shirt on inside out, sweating sambuca.
4) The guy who brought his actual kid on a dinner date.

And don’t even get her started on the dick pics, or how on earth you’re supposed to know whether a total stranger is an axe murderer or not.

Zoe’s ready to give up on the search for love, until her friend has an idea. Robbie lives by his horoscope, and he’s sure she’s got this dating stuff all wrong. He dares her to work her way through the zodiac until she finds The One.

Usually Zoe would laugh at such a suggestion, but desperate times call for desperate measures. Could love be written in the stars? Or is she destined to end up alone, eating take-out in bed and watching endless re-runs of Friends?

A feel-good, fresh and fabulous page-turner for anyone who has torn their hair out over their love life, drunk their weight in wine to survive an awful date, or stared at their phone, willing it to ring. Fans of rom-coms by Sophie Kinsella and Lindsey Kelk and TV shows like Crazy Ex-Girlfriend and Jane the Virgin will absolutely love this laugh-out-loud tale.

No. of pages:- 316 pages

Date published:- 30th November 2020

Genre:- Romance/Comedy

Thank You Netgalley and Bookouture for the ARC of this book!

Zoe wants to find true love and didn’t want to die alone with cats. She tries online dating and believes in horoscopes to find love and she wasn’t that successful. However with the help of her friend Robbie, she hopes to find love through Zodiac signs–will she succeed?

To me, it was an OK book though there were some parts in the book that was funny, particularly when Zoe at first finds herself with different types of guys. However, the book was well written though there were at times it was a bit boring. Overall, it was a good romantic book, kind of a laugh out loud comedy book–a bit like a soap opera kind of book–worth three stars!

Poul Anderson Appreciation: Three Stars
Sophie Ranald

Sophie Ranald is the youngest of five sisters. She was born in Zimbabwe and lived in South Africa until an acute case of itchy feet brought her to London in her mid-20s. As an editor for a customer publishing agency, Sophie developed her fiction-writing skills describing holidays to places she’d never visited. In 2011, she decided to disregard all the good advice given to aspiring novelists and attempt to write full-time. After one false start, It Would Be Wrong to Steal My Sister’s Boyfriend (Wouldn’t It?) seemed to write itself, and six more novels have followed. Sophie also writes for magazines and online about food, fashion, finance and fitness. She lives in south-east London with her amazing partner Hopi and their two adorable cats.

Aunt Ivy’s Cottage – Book Review

Aunt Ivy's Cottage: A totally gripping and emotional page turner by [Kristin Harper]

Clearing out the attic, Zoey opens the carved trunk and smiles as she picks up the small, leather-bound diary hiding inside. Curious, she leafs through the pages, and realises this will change everything…

All Zoey’s happiest childhood memories are of her great-aunt Ivy’s rickety cottage on Dune Island, snuggling up with hot chocolate and hearing Ivy’s stories about being married to a sea captain. Now, heartbroken from a breakup, Zoey escapes back to the island, but is shocked to find her elderly aunt’s spark fading. Worse, her cousin—next in line to inherit the house—is pushing Ivy to move into a nursing home.

With the family clashing over what’s best for Ivy, Zoey is surprised when Nick, a local carpenter and Ivy’s neighbor, takes her side. As Zoey finds comfort in his sea-blue eyes and warm laugh, the two grow close. Together, they make a discovery in the attic that links the family to the mysterious and reclusive local lighthouse keeper…

Now Zoey has a heartbreaking choice to make. Nick’s urging her to share the discovery, which could keep Ivy in the house she’s loved her whole life… but when Zoey learns that Nick and her cousin go way back, she questions if the man she‘s starting to have feelings for really has Ivy’s best interests at heart. Will dredging up this old secret destroy the peace and happiness of Ivy’s final years—and tear this family apart for good?

No. of pages:- 294 pages

Date published:- 7th December 2020

Genre:- Literary

Thank You Netgalley and Bookouture for the ARC! This review is based on my honest opinion.

Zoey returns back to the Dune Island to her aunt, Aunt Ivy’s cottage after her failed relationship and her loss of job. She loves hearing stories from Aunt Ivy particularly her whirlwind romance with a Captain Denny. When her other Aunt Sylvia dies, Zoey temporarily moves into Aunt Ivy’s cottage taking care of Aunt Ivy. Meanwhile, her cousin, Mark is determined to lease out the cottage as her thinks Aunt Ivy is old and forgetful and needs to be in a care home and Zoey’s niece, Gabi joins them from California.

I really enjoyed reading this book–I really like the sister relationship particularly between Jessica and Zoey, and Ivy and Sylvia. I also like the slow budding romance between Zoey and Nick, who is the handyman and who repairs around Aunt Ivy’s Cottage, This story is warm filled with family drama that will keep the reader into the story as if they were a part of the Winslow family. I also like that in between all the drama is a mystery about Mark as well.

Overall, this is a good, family story, talking about the bonding and relationship with family and a book that you wouldn’t want to put down. Worth four stars! I really enjoyed reading this book that I couldn’t put the book down!

CCSD Schools Earn High Marks for School Climate - Dean Rusk Middle School

If this book interests you, you can pre-order your copy now on Amazon as it will be released on December 7th 2020!

Death on West End Road- Book Review

Finally I am back with a book review! Death on West End Road by Carrie Doyle is a part of Hampton Murder series.

Death on West End Road (Hamptons Murder Mysteries Book 3) by [Carrie Doyle]

There are two things Hamptons innkeeper and sleuth Antonia Bingham can’t resist—carbs and an unsolved murder!

Despite a busy high-season schedule and an inn booked to capacity, Antonia has agreed to investigate a cold case in her beloved adopted hometown, East Hampton, NY: the killing of Susie Whitaker, whose brutal 1990 slaying on a tennis court in the poshest part of town was never solved.

And the person who has hired Antonia? Prime suspect Pauline Framingham, a manipulative pharmaceutical heiress from a powerful family. As Antonia attempts to unravel the mysteries of the past she unearths even darker secrets and ultimately wonders if it would have been best to let sleeping dogs lie. To make matters worse, past acquaintances and love interests reappear in the Hamptons, disrupting Antonia’s world and causing her to scurry to the fridge for comfort.

Join Antonia for this gripping new installment in the Hamptons Murder Mystery series from Carrie Doyle! Death on West End Road is an entertaining mystery that will keep you guessing right up until the end.

No. of pages:- 352 pages

Date published:- November 24th 2020

Genre:- Cozy thriller

Thank You Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book! This review is based on my honest opinion.

This is the third book of the Hampton Murder Series but this is the first time I have read from Carrie Doyle and the first time I am reading the book. The book is based on Antonia, who owns an inn and who part time acts sort of a Nancy Drew solving murder mysteries. First of all, I really like the cover design of this book so five stars for the

In this book, Pauline Framingham, who is actually a wealthy but manipulative woman hires Antonia initially to solve the murder case of her friend Susie, who was murdered in the Franmingham’s tennis court back in 1990. The main suspect at that time was Pauline but due to her father’s wealth and reputation status, she was able to get away from the case. Antonia, along with Larry tries to find the killer behind Susie’s murder and at the same time, Antonia running and dealing with the drama in the inn. To be honest, I really enjoyed reading the book. It was cozy and the author did a good job engaging the reader into the story. It was also funny in some parts and nearly everyone in the book was a suspect that you don’t really know who is the actually killer! Overall this is actually an enjoyable and fun mystery thriller to read and you will soon hooked into the story. Four stars!

four-stars :: Overtures
Carrie Doyle

Carrie Doyle was the founding Editor-in- Chief of the Russian edition of Marie Claire Magazine. She is currently a Contributing Editor of Hamptons Magazine and has written extensively for Harper’s Bazaar, Town & Country and has also written for Women’s Health and Avenue on the Beach. With Jill Kargman, Carrie co-wrote the film Intern (which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 1999), as well as several screenplays sold to Showtime, Paramount Pictures, Nickelodeon Films and the Oxygen Network. Carrie and Jill co-wrote five books together, including three teen books for HarperCollins and two bestselling women’s fiction books, The Right Address and Wolves in Chic Clothing (Broadway Books). Carrie also penned the popular novel The Infidelity Pact (Broadway Books). Carrie lives in New York City with her husband and two children and is currently at work on an animated series for broadcast as well as her new series, the Hamptons Murder Mysteries.

Her Sister’s Child – Book Review

Her Sister's Child: A heart-stopping psychological thriller with an incredible twist by [Alison James]

She rolls over and reaches for her instinctively: her baby. Her hand hits air and flaps redundantly. She stumbles out of bed and switches on the light. But this only confirms it. The baby is gone. Someone has taken her.

Sixteen years ago, Lizzie Armitage woke to find her newborn baby gone. Just days later, Lizzie was dead.

Her sister Paula swore she would do everything she could to find the child. If she hadn’t promised to keep Lizzie’s pregnancy secret, maybe the baby wouldn’t have disappeared. And maybe Lizzie would still be alive. But, in nearly a decade, Paula’s never found any trace. Until now…

When Paula bumps into an old friend from the past, she realises she wasn’t the only one who knew about her sister’s child. Someone knows what happened that day. Someone knows where Lizzie’s baby went.

But can Paula find out the truth before another family is ripped apart?

No. of pages:- 351 pages

Date published :- 26th November 2020

Genre:- Psychological Thriller

Thank You Netgalley and Bookouture for the ARC! This review is strictly based on my honest opinion.

Paula Armitage along with Johnny finds that her sister’s child has been missing and they both try to find the child. Meanwhile, a girl named Charlie was pregnant and wants to keep the baby though her parents want her to abort the baby.

To me, I do like the plot line. The plot was really intriguing and gripping and has you guessed till the end. However, at some points, I was confused in some of the pages. The story is told from Paula, Charlie and a woman named Marian’s perspectives and there’s a change in the time line from 2003 to the Present. There were also too many characters in the book so I was left confused about the characters. However, the good thing is, it was a good thriller, quiet fast paced and is intriguing–worth four stars!

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Alison James

I’ve been a fan of crime writing and thrillers since I was in my teens, and I still love reading new crime fiction.

I studied criminal law and worked for several years as a paralegal on serious crime cases including rape, murder and fraud. This meant my working day involved liaising with police detectives and watching them solve cases. It was only some years later, after a stint writing for TV drama, that I realised my experience working in crime qualified me to write police procedurals myself.

After a few attempts at coming up with characters, Detectives Rachel Prince and Mark Brickall came into being, and their first three cases will all be published in 2018. There’ll be more of them to come in 2019, so watch this space!

Wildflower Graves – Book Review

Sorry guys I was delayed! There was an issue with the internet but I am back and so here’s my review!

Wildflower Graves: A totally gripping mystery thriller (Detective Ellie Reeves Book 2) by [Rita Herron]

The darkness closed around her. She tried to clear her vision, but there was no light, no noise, nothing. Only the emptiness, the echoing sound of being alone. Fear pulsed through her. The man had come out of nowhere. Who was he? Blinking away tears of frustration, in the pitch black she felt the floor and walls surrounding her. Cold. Steel. Bars.

Detective Ellie Reeves heads into the wilds of the Appalachian Mountains when she wants to get lost––to forget the whispers chasing her and the past that keeps her up at night. She’s sick of having to prove herself to her small town.

But hiking in the endless miles of woods isn’t the escape she was hoping for. One night, as dusk falls, a gust of wind blows some petals on to Ellie’s path. Following the trail, she finds a golden-haired young woman dead on a bed of daffodils, with a note: Monday’s child is fair of face.

When Ellie emerges from the forest, there is a message on her phone. Someone has sent her a picture of her colleague, Officer Shondra Eastwood, with the words: Can you find her, Detective Reeves? Ellie is racked with guilt––while she was busy hiding from life a killer was on the loose, and he has taken her beloved friend.

The wilderness, and its shadows, are the perfect hunting ground for a criminal––but what does the sinister nursery rhyme mean? It soon becomes clear when another dead woman, Tuesday’s Child, is found.

Ellie is up against a serial killer who will claim a victim for every day of the week, and in the next twenty-four hours there will be another body. As this ruthless murderer closes in on her, can she save more innocent women––and Shondra––from his clutches? Or will he get to Ellie first?

An utterly gripping and completely breathless crime thriller for fans of Lisa Regan, Kendra Elliot and Melinda Leigh. You’ll have trouble falling asleep after this heart-pounding page-turner!

No. of pages:- 439 pages

Date published:- will be published on 3rd December 2020

Genre:- Thriller

Thank You Netgalley and Bookouture for the ARC! This book review is based on my complete honest opinion.

This is the continuation of the Detective Ellie Reeves’ series. The first book, The Silent Dolls, was really good that it had me reading up till night–it was really good. So when this second book came along, I was excited too and couldn’t wait to read it. And I must say, I was not disappointed.

A man is murdering women brutally each day, based on the infamous nursery rhyme. And he is specifically targeting Ellie as he tells them where the women’s bodies are. Ellie must find out the “Weekday Killer” and then the search for the killer became more urgent when the killer kidnaps Deputy Shondra Eastwood and Ellie realized that time is running out before he kills Shondra.

I was so hooked into the story! It was intriguing, gripping as if I was riding in a roller coaster ride with Ellie Reeves. It had me at the edge of the seat and I read it in one go! A truly fast paced psychological thriller, that will keep you awake at night, scary and gruesome too some parts, and doing guessing games as to who would be the so called killer. I really enjoyed this book and I felt this book is better than the first book. Of course, while Ellie is investigating the serial killer case, she has to deal with how the town is coping with the fact that her parents had been almost helping Hiram, the killer in the first book and how she is dealing with her relationship with her adopted parents.

Overall, I had to say–I was not disappointed. It had me guessing at the end, which I really like, quiet a page turner with tons of twists and turns you will not expect and had you keep awake at all night wanting more–completely worth five stars in my opinion!

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Rita Herron

USA Today Bestselling and award-winning author Rita Herron fell in love with books at the ripe age of eight when she read her first Trixie Belden mystery. But she didn’t think real people grew up to be writers, so she became a teacher instead. Now she writes so she doesn’t have to get a real job.

With over ninety books to her credit, she’s penned romantic suspense, romantic comedy, and YA novels, but she especially likes writing dark romantic suspense and crime fiction set in small southern towns.

For more on. Rita and her titles, visit her at http://www.ritaherron.com. You can also find her on Facebook/ritaherron.com and Twitter @ritaherron.

The Stranger in My Bed – Book Review

The Stranger in My Bed: An utterly gripping psychological thriller by [Karen King]

‘We have a patient who has been involved in a serious accident. We believe he’s your husband.’

When Freya first met Phil, she thought he was the man of her dreams. He bought her roses every week, booked surprise trips to sun-soaked destinations, and showed her affection like she’d never experienced before. But over time the dream has become a violent nightmare. And now Freya is packing her bags, knowing it’s time she escaped their increasingly broken marriage.

But then Freya gets a visit from the police. Phil’s been in a horrific car crash and – as he comes around – it becomes clear that he remembers nothing since their blissful honeymoon two years before, back when their relationship was perfect. All he wants is to be happily married again.

Freya knows giving him another chance could be dangerous. But now he’s the one who needs her, it’s a chance to turn the tables, and to change the outcome of their relationship once and for all. After all, he will only know what she chooses to tell him…

But what really happened during those two years of marriage? And as they start over again, who is safe? And whose life is in danger?

Fans of The Girl on the Train, Behind Closed Doors and Date Night, who are looking for a dark, gripping psychological suspense novel, will love The Stranger in My Bed.

No. of pages:- 295 pages

Date published – will be published on 23rd November 2020

Genre:- Domestic Thriller

Thank You Netgalley, Bookouture and Karen King for the ARC of this book! The review is based on my honest opinion.

Freya seems to be having an abusive marriage with Phil, her husband. She was going to leave him when Phil meets with an accident and then doesn’t remember the past two years of his life–literally the time of their marriage. Will Phil remain that kind, doting husband she used to love or will he return back to his normal angry self?

For me, this story started out great at first. The story is told from the perspectives of Freya, Phil, and Daisy. As a result, we don’t know which character is telling the real story here as different characters are telling from their point of view and the reader is left confused. However, towards the end of the chapter, it was a bit predictable and the ending to me was a bit lame. There were no twits and turns you would expect in a thriller and sadly, this book is not really my cup of tea. I knew how the story was going to turn out to be.

Overall, it was an OK thriller–worth three stars.

Poul Anderson Appreciation: Three Stars
Karen King

Karen King is a multi-published bestselling author of fiction for both adults and children. She has also written several short stories for women’s magazines.

Currently published by Bookouture and Headline. Karen has recently signed a two-book deal with Bookouture to write psychological thrillers. The first one will be out in November, and the second one in 2021. She is also contracted to write three romance novels for Headline, which will be out in 2021 and 2022

Trust Me – Book Review

Trust Me: An absolutely gripping and unputdownable psychological thriller by [Sheryl Browne]

Emily and Jake are the perfect couple. Or so everyone says. But Emily just read a letter that has shattered her perfect world. Now she only has one thing on her mind… which one of her friends is sleeping with her husband?

Emily watches Jake as he makes small talk with their children, still the perfect man she married years ago. But when the phone rings and he answers before quickly putting it down again, she sees the look on her husband’s face – guilt. She knows the signs – after all, she’s been lying to him for years.

Working with Jake at the local doctor’s surgery, Emily starts to listen at closed doors and read things she shouldn’t, hoping to find the truth about her husband. Soon she learns that hers isn’t the only family telling lies to each other. Is there anyone Emily can trust? And who is behind the letter to Jake?

When a second letter, revealing a wife’s hidden pregnancy, is sent to the woman’s husband, it has disastrous consequences. And as more angry letters revealing people’s biggest secrets begin to appear, fingers point at Emily. After all, she’s the one with access to everyone’s private history, and she’s the one with a score to settle. Emily says she didn’t do it. But this isn’t the first time Emily has lied. What happens next will have you questioning everything…

You might have already decided that Emily is guilty, but as each twist is revealed, you’ll begin to doubt everyone in this quiet little town. This is a psychological thriller that will keep you up all night!

If you enjoyed The Girl on the Train, My Lovely Wife and Behind Closed Doors, you will love this thrilling psychological thriller from bestselling author Sheryl Browne. Trust Me will have you hooked from the start.

No. of pages:- 338 pages

Date published:- will be published on 20th November 2020

Genre:- Thriller

Thank You Netgalley and Bookouture for the ARC of the book! This review is based on my honest opinion.

Emily and Jake Meridian are perfect couple in everyone eyes in the village. But Emily has a secret as she blames herself for the death of her twin sister Kara. And then one day, Emily gets an unknown email, claiming that Jake is having an affair…

This is the second book I have read from this author, the first book The New Girlfriend was really good so I was looking forward to read this one. This was good–the story was a bit fast paced, there’s some sort of thrill going on in the story and we are actually wondering as a reader what Emily’s secret is.. The series of letters that are received afterwards causing rifts between the other families as well as causing havoc in Emily’s marriage with Jake so we are wondering who is sending these letters. There are suspects as well so as a reader we could guess. The ending was however unexpected, though I thought it was a bit lame in my opinion.

Overall it was a good thriller, though not gripping and sort of thriller that will keep you on the edge of the seat…worth three stars!

Poul Anderson Appreciation: Three Stars

Bestselling Author, Sheryl Browne, writes taut, twisty psychological thriller. A member of the Crime Writers’ Association and the Romantic Novelists’ Association, Sheryl has several books published and two short stories in Birmingham City University anthologies where she completed her MA in Creative Writing. Sheryl has also obtained a Certificate of Achievement in Forensic Science and – according to readers – she makes an excellent psychopath. Sheryl’s latest psychological thriller THE NEW GIRLFRIEND comes to you from fabulous BOOKOUTURE. Her previous works include the DI Matthew Adams Crime Thriller series, along with contemporary fiction novels, The Rest of My Life and Learning to Love published by ChocLit.

Sheryl lives in Worcestershire UK with her husband and her timid rescue dog, Brie, whose little back legs were pinned after a road accident. She expects her family to grow, however. imminent arrivals being other rescue dogs with disabilities who need that extra special bit of love and care.

To find out more about Sheryl’s novels, go to http://www.facebook.com/SherylBrowne.Author/ or follow @SherylBrowne on Twitter. To find out more about Sheryl, go to http://www.sherylbrowne.com

Game of Cones – Book Review

Game of Cones (A Lickety Splits Mystery Book 4) by [Cynthia Baxter]

As stormy weather puts a freeze on business at Lickety Splits, Kate McKay doesn’t waffle around scooping up new clientele at a historic hotel. But her hopes of becoming the Hudson Valley’s reigning ice cream queen melt fast when murder checks in . . .
 
From the moment Kate arrives at the imposing Mohawk Mountain Resort, not even luggage brimming with hot fudge can sweeten her stay. Instead of savoring alone time with her on-again boyfriend Jake and leading workshops on whipping together delectable frosty treats, she finds herself stranded at the isolated hotel with a small group of nutty characters—and a dead body.
 
When the corpse of wealthy cosmetics executive Bethany La Montaigne is suddenly found following a blackout, any of the five strangers trapped with Kate and Jake could be the killer. Chilled to the core, Kate vows to discover whether the victim’s mortal enemy was a smooth-talking playboy, bubbly millennial, mousy librarian, charming Englishman, or the Mohawk’s creepy general manager . . .
 
Bethany’s life was chock full of scandals and there’s little doubt that someone refused to endure another taste. With just a sprinkling of clues, it’s up to Kate to bring justice to a culprit who believes that revenge is a dish best served cold . . .

Includes mouthwatering ice cream recipes from the Lickety Splits Ice Cream Shoppe!

No. of pages :- 220 pages

Date published:- will be published on November 24th 2020

Genre:- Mystery

Thank You Netgalley and the publisher for giving me the ARC! This review is based on my honest opinion.

Kate McKay owns an ice cream shop and together with her boyfriend, Jake goes to Mohawk Hotel, which is said to be sort of haunted and owned by an eccentric Mrs. Moody. However, there was a storm and a large tree fell across the road, preventing them from leaving the place. Kate is hosting an ice cream workshop at the place and there were other people who also came to attend the workshop–Bethany and her boyfriend Jake, Yoko, Fanny and Naveen. Then a power goes off and Bethany was found murdered, stabbed. Who has killed Bethany?

I kind of enjoyed reading this book. This book is more like a cozy mystery thriller with Kate acting as as Nancy Drew. Each of the people in the workshop had their own vendetta against Bethany so it was kind of interesting to know who would be the killer. Also, learning about the different types of ice cream particularly the history of ice cream was interesting and I kind of learned a bit about ice cream. However, it was not really fast paced, a little bit of unnecessary parts but it was good thriller and quiet enjoyable and also sometimes funny.

Overall, this is a good thriller–learning about ice cream history is a plus factor and which I actually enjoyed reading. Worth four stars!

CCSD Schools Earn High Marks for School Climate - Avery Elementary School
Cynthia Baxter

Cynthia Baxter is the author of three mystery series. In addition to her current series, the Lickety Splits Ice Cream Shoppe mysteries, she wrote the Reigning Cats & Dogs mystery series, featuring Long Island veterinarian Jessica Popper, and the Murder Packs a Suitcase mysteries, which feature travel writer Mallory Marlowe.

Cynthia dreamed of being a writer ever since she was six years old and discovered that she loved books and reading more than anything else.

She grew up on Long Island, New York, graduated from Bryn Mawr College, got an MBA from the Sloan School at MIT, and spent three and a half years working for large corporations–and hating every minute. She was therefore thrilled when she got her first book published at age 27 and decided to try writing full-time.

Cynthia has also written more than forty novels under the name Cynthia Blair. And books and reading are still her favorite things in the world.