When a body turns up in a larger-than-life candy bowl filled with peppermints on the town square, Holly White is horrified to learn her best friend Caroline is the main suspect. Everyone in town, including Mistletoe, Maine’s sheriff, saw Caroline fighting with the victim on the night of his death. Worse, a custom kitchen knife, engraved with Caroline’s initials was found with him.
Now, just ten days before Christmas, Holly’s up to her jingle bells in holiday shenanigans and in desperate need of a miracle. Juggling extra shifts at her family’s Christmas tree farm and making enough gingerbread jewelry to satisfy the crowd is already more than she can handle―and now she has to find time to clear her best friend of murder. Add in her budding relationship with the sheriff, and a personal stalker dressed as Santa Claus, and Holly’s ready to fly south until springtime.
But her Sherpa-lined mittens come off when Caroline is taken into custody. Can Holly wrap up the case in time for Christmas…even after she gains the true killer’s attention?
‘TWAS THE KNIFE BEFORE CHRISTMAS (Christmas Tree Farm Mystery Book #2) by Jacqueline Frost is the second book in this entertaining and amusing amateur sleuth cozy holiday mystery series. They are set each Christmas season in small-town Mistletoe, Maine featuring Holly White and her family and friends. This can easily be read as a standalone holiday mystery case to be solved, but Holly’s personal relationships continue to grow and evolve in each book, so I have enjoyed reading them in order.
Holly and her best friend Caroline have arrived in the town square to participate in the evening’s festivities. When the cover is pulled off a giant bowl of peppermints, everyone is shocked to discover a dead body inside. It is Caroline’s date from the night before who got too handsy. Caroline yelled at and humiliated him on-line and now he is dead with one of Caroline’s monogrammed knives in the bowl with him. Sheriff Evan Grey has no choice but to follow the evidence and arrest Caroline.
Holly knows her friend is innocent and she is willing to do anything to prove it, even as the killer has left notes threatening her against interfering. Holly is once again on the hunt for a killer. With the help of her friends and a mysterious, magical contractor, can Holly stop a killer before he eliminates her?
I thoroughly enjoy all the characters in this series. They are so much fun, and their relationships are believable. Holly is a great main character with just the right amount of inquisitiveness mixed with pluck and determination. Her group of friends is growing, and I cannot wait to be reunited with them all in future books. The cozy mystery was well paced and plotted throughout with not only Caroline as a suspect, but several others. The twists and surprises kept me guessing to the end.
I highly recommend this festive holiday cozy mystery! Both books in this series are worth reading and I am so glad I stumbled upon this series.
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About the Author
Jacqueline Frost is a mystery-loving pet enthusiast who hopes to make readers smile. She lives in rural Ohio with her husband and three spunky children. Jacqueline is a member of the International Thriller Writers (ITW) and Sisters in Crime (SinC).
Today I am sharing my Feature Post and Book Review for DOUBLE TAKEDOWN (Mike Stoneman Book #6) by Kevin G. Chapman on this Black Tide Book Tour.
Below you will find a book description, my book review, an about the author section, and the author’s social media links. Enjoy!
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Book Description
What if everything you thought you knew was wrong?
The glittering lights of Broadway are just a cover for the dark secrets hidden behind the curtains. NYPD homicide detectives Mike Stoneman and Jason Dickson are about to find out how many layers one story can have in their latest case. As they prepare to testify in a high-profile murder trial, they begin to question if they got it wrong. The Broadway director claims evidence was planted to frame him and that Mike and Jason developed tunnel vision. If they did, can they live with themselves, knowing that an innocent man might be convicted . . . and that someone else got away with the perfect crime?
With orders to stay away from the closed case, Mike and Jason are plagued by doubts and can’t let it go. When new evidence leads to even more questions, the detectives race to put the pieces together and uncover the whole truth. But their unauthorized investigation could lead to catastrophic collateral damage, could cost them their badges, and the director may still be guilty.
DOUBLE TAKEDOWN (Mike Stoneman Book #6) by Kevin G. Chapman is another complex, intricately plotted addition to this NYPD homicide detective crime thriller series. Det. Mike Stoneman is back with his partner, Det. Jason Dickson and a familiar cast of supporting characters. Even though this is the sixth book in the series, it can easily be read as a standalone, but all of them are worth reading.
Det. Mike Stones and his partner, Det. Jason Dickson are attending a charity ballet event at Lincoln Center with their wives when a man in the front of the theater dies. They are assigned to the investigation. It is a straightforward investigation, and the main suspect is now set to stand trial, but even after a year and a half, he is still maintaining his innocence.
As Mike and Jason begin trial prep with the D.A., the private investigator for the accused comes to Jason and tells him his client is innocent and being framed. Second thoughts and witness deaths send Mike and Jason looking back over their work and discovering false alibis, lies, drug abuse, and jealousy.
With one man who has claimed his innocence from the start, clues leading to deceit, and witnesses dying, will Mike and Jason be able to uncover the truth before a devious killer eliminates all proof leading to him?
I always enjoy returning to this group of characters. Mike, Jason and all the supporting characters are believable, and the crime plots are always intriguing as well as twisted. This story has two police investigations that may or may not be connected, and I was completely caught up in both. Mr. Chapman always gives me a page-turner that I am unable to put down.
I highly recommend this police procedural/crime thriller and the entire Mike Stoneman series!
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About the author
Winner of the 2023 CLUE Award GRAND PRIZE (best suspense/thriller for The Other Murder), also winner of the 2021 Kindle Book Award (for Lethal Voyage, Mike Stoneman Thriller #3), the 2022 CLUE AWARD (for Fatal Infraction, Mike Stoneman Thriller #4), the 2023 CLUE Award (for Dead Winner), and #1 Amazon Best-Selling author Kevin G. Chapman is, by day, a buttoned-down corporate labor & employment lawyer who works for a major US media company. He frequently speaks at Continuing Legal Education seminars, has taught legal writing to law students, and is the past chairperson of the Labor & Employment division of the global Association of Corporate Counsel. When the work day is done, however, Kevin lives a much more exciting fictional life of crime and romance as the author of the award-winning Mike Stoneman Thriller series (and other novels, short stories, and screenplays).
When not busy writing, he enjoys playing tournament poker and cheering on his beloved New York Mets. Kevin loves talking fiction with readers (especially book clubs), or talking law, politics, or baseball.
Three homeless puppies, two lonely hearts, and a massive snowstorm.
Candace “Candi” Goodman, an unemployed teacher, is always sharing a smile and helping those around her. This Christmas she has volunteered to drive three puppies to a shelter in Maine. However, when a road closure sends her on a detour, she gets lost in a snowstorm.
Michael Bishop, a township road supervisor, has spent the past two years mourning the loss of his young family. As he’s plowing snow late one evening, he notices something amiss. When he goes to investigate, he finds a woman and three puppies in a dire situation. The more time they spend time together, the more he finds himself falling for her mistletoe kisses. But will it be enough for him to take a chance on love again?
Book 1 – Puppy Wishes & Candy Kisses Book 2 – Puppy Love & Snowflake Kisses Book 3 – Puppy Hugs & Mistletoe Kisses Book 4 – Puppy Smooches & Peppermint Kisses
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My Book Review
RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars
PUPPY WISHES & CANDY KISSES (Kringle Falls Book #1) by Jennifer Faye is an endearing, sweet, and heartwarming holiday romance set in the year-round Christmas themed small-town of Kringle Falls, Vermont. This is the first book in this series by a new-to-me author and I am so excited that I will have more opportunities to return to Kringle Falls.
Candace “Candi” Goodman is always helping those around her. While her teaching position in Cleveland, Ohio was eliminated in a consolidation, she is picking up work as a substitute teacher and helping at the local animal shelter which is closing. She has volunteered to take the last three remaining puppies on a road trip to a shelter in Portland, Maine. As they are on their way, a snowstorm hits and a wreck on the highway has Candi detouring. She gets lost on the side roads in the storm.
Michael Bishop, a township road supervisor, has been out plowing during the storm and is ready to head home until he notices some tracks on an out of the way small side road. When he goes to investigate, he discovers a woman and three puppies off the road and partially down an embankment. He brings them all home with him hopefully only for a short stay because he prefers his solidary existence since the loss of his young wife and son two years previous.
As Candi and Michael spend time together, their attraction grows, but is it enough to melt the ice around Michael’s heart?
This is a well written, enjoyable holiday romance read, and I will be looking for other books by this new-to-me author. It not only has the requisite HEA, but it is full of holiday hope, love, second chances, and puppies, especially a determined husky puppy named Tank. Candi is just what Michael needs to take a chance on love again and rediscover his love of the Christmas holiday. His family and friends are all hoping it works out and I am looking forward to revisiting with them again in future books in the series. I love the town of Kringle Falls with its year-round Christmas and a certain Mr. and Mrs. Kringle who always believe things will work out for the best and certainly seem like they are living in the wrong town.
I highly recommend this small-town holiday contemporary romance! I am looking forward to reading more books in the Kringle Falls series to discover the fate of the other two puppies.
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About the Author
Award-winning author, Jennifer Faye pens fun, heartwarming contemporary romances. With more than a million books sold, she is internationally published with books translated into more than a dozen languages and her work has been optioned for film. She is a two-time winner of the RT Book Reviews Reviewers’ Choice Award, the CataRomance Reviewers’ Choice Award, named a TOP PICK author, and been nominated for numerous other awards.
Now living her dream, she resides with her very patient husband and two spoiled cats. When she’s not plotting out her next romance, you can find her curled up with a mug of tea and a book.
Algiers, North Africa, 1943. After her abusive German husband left her for dead and took their daughter with him behind enemy lines, Dottie Lincoln learned that it’s better to be a trained soldier rather than a victim. As a newly minted squad leader in the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps, she spends her days moving men and materials to the front and her nights attending mandatory dances to boost the morale of the men. Despite the grueling nature of her job, she has found a sanctuary amongst the women in the Army. When Ruth, a member of her squad, is murdered, she’s devastated and determined to get to the bottom of the murder.
Dottie’s company is the first group of American women assigned to a combat theater, and with Ruth’s death, the entire operation is being questioned. Determined to do everything she can to help win the war, bring justice to her friend, and hopefully reunite with her daughter, Dottie must rise to the occasion before the killer strikes again.
But when her past comes back to haunt her, Dottie must prove she’s not a German spy and put a stop to a deadly conspiracy that threatens the entire American war effort.
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Elise’s Thoughts
Murder In the Ranks by Kristi Jones is her debut mystery filled with spies, murder, and a touch of romance. It is also a historical novel that delves into the American Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC) where women served in a combat zone in Algiers. Their duties were of the administrative nature, mainly typists, drivers, translators, and switchboard operators freeing up more men to fight. The Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps was renamed from WAACs to WACs, without “auxiliary” in the name.
The plot features Dottie Lincoln, who decided to join the WAAC after her abusive German husband left her for dead and took their daughter with him behind enemy lines when he joined the Nazis. Dottie Lincoln learned that it’s better to be a trained soldier rather than a victim.
Risking her own reputation, as a WAAC squad leader in World War II she becomes an investigator when one of the women in her unit is found dead. WAAC Ruth Wentz is found sprawled on the pavement in a pool of her own blood. Army officers speculate the incident was a suicide, but Dottie believes Ruth was murdered. She convinces MP Captain Devlin to look at the evidence and investigate. Secrets, deception, black market, bribery and blackmail all prevail as the investigation proceeds including Dottie’s past that comes to haunt her.
This mystery has multiple suspects with lots of twists, keeping readers guessing to the very end. Those reading this debut novel will welcome more books in this series.
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Author Interview
Elise Cooper: Idea for the story?
Kristi Jones: I have always been interested in history and grew up as a military brat. I read Eisenhower’s Crusade in Europe where he mentioned a consignment of WACs assigned to his headquarters. I contacted the US Army Women’s Museum that had a lot of information about the 149th Post Headquarters. I did research in their archives in Virginia. I wanted to write a story about these women. I wrote my first murder mystery using these women as inspiration. Also, I was in Turkey for several years when my dad was stationed there. This helped me to write the setting of Algiers where the first women WACs were stationed.
EC: What was true?
KJ: The murder was pure fiction. But when the WACs arrived there, they were posted all over different sections. They were assigned to military police, they did office work, became drivers, and worked in signal communication. As in the book, there were officers that pushed back in having the women work in their offices, as well as officers inviting and helpful. The male soldiers in the book as in real-life reacted towards the WACs. Some saw them as dates and moral boosters. Some became jealous when the WAC women fraternized with the male British officers. Some saw the WACs as not lady-like. The women had to overcome this challenge of how the men responded to them.
EC: Do you think they broke the “glass ceiling”?
KJ: These women were pioneers, the first women stationed in a combat situation. They were considered a “test-tube company” because people wondered if they could withstand the rigors of being in a combat theatre, including under bombardment. As the war progressed, they proved themselves to do the job.
EC: How would you describe Dottie?
KJ: She is sometimes embarrassed. She speaks French and German so she can be useful to the allied cause. Dottie is protective, gutsy, and was abused. Her husband saw her as weak and vulnerable, beat and abandoned her. Her backstory is that her husband went to fight for the Nazis and took their daughter, Sophie. Throughout the series there will be the theme of a mouse to lion, where she must find her strength. She represents those real women who joined the WACs to find independence and to become a force to reckon with.
EC: What is the role of her daughter and her husband?
KJ: They were why she initially joined the military. Dottie struggles to believe in herself and needs to find her emotional and physical strength. In future books she wants to win the war to find her daughter.
EC: How would you describe Captain Devlin?
KJ: He is cocky with cop-like instincts and can be calm, caring.
EC: What about the other women WACs?
KJ: I wanted to give them each a different personality. Each of the characters were based on differences of women I researched.
Sue is calculating, sly, argumentative, troublesome, and likes to play games. There were WACs that did steal for the black-market. She is a scandal girl.
Ruth is the consummate solider, determined, serious, dependable, rational, and grounded.
Jeannie is scared, trusting, and sweet. Dottie does trust her.
Mary is the youngest, dramatic, selfish, childish, and acts princess-like. She is young and looking for adventure.
EC: What did you want readers to get out of the book?
KJ: This book quote, summarizes my feelings, “I hope Dottie’s story will illuminate their sacrifices, courage, and the critical role played in the combat theatres during World War II.” Plus, to inform people who did not know how severe the manpower shortage was in the services at that time. Recruiting these women would fill the non-combat roles to free the men to fight in combat.
EC: Next book?
KJ: Jeannie will be back and becomes Dottie’s side-kick character. It is tentatively titled A Map to Murder. After working with Military Police to solve the murder of her fellow soldier, in this book, Auxiliary Dottie Lincoln wanted to get a permanent assignment with Captain Devlin and the MPs. Instead, she is sent to work for Force 141, a top-secret planning headquarters just outside the city. She soon finds herself drawn into a web of secrecy, betrayals and murder, racing to root out a traitor before an innocent woman is hanged for a crime she did not commit.
THANK YOU!!
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BIO: Elise Cooper has written book reviews and interviewed best-selling authors since 2009. Her reviews have covered several different genres, including thrillers, mysteries, women’s fiction, romance and cozy mysteries. An avid reader, she engages authors to discuss their works, and to focus on the descriptions of their characters and the plot. While not writing reviews, Elise loves to watch baseball and visit the ocean in Southern California, with her dog and husband.
When Holly White’s fiancé cancels their Christmas Eve wedding with less than two weeks to go, Holly heads home with a broken heart. Lucky for her, home in historic Mistletoe, Maine is magical during Christmastime—exactly what the doctor ordered. Except her plan to drown her troubles in peppermints and snickerdoodles is upended when local grinch and president of the Mistletoe Historical Society Margaret Fenwick is bludgeoned and left in the sleigh display at Reindeer Games, Holly’s family tree farm.
When the murder weapon is revealed as one of the wooden stakes used to identify trees on the farm, Sheriff Evan Grey turns to Holly’s father, Bud, and the Reindeer Games staff. And it doesn’t help that Bud and the reindeer keeper were each seen arguing with Margaret just before her death. But Holly knows her father and is determined to exonerate him.
The jingle bells are ringing, the clock is ticking, and if Holly doesn’t watch out, she’ll end up on Santa’s naughty list in Twelve Slays of Christmas, Jacqueline Frost’s jolly series debut.
TWELVE SLAYS OF CHRISTMAS (Christmas Tree Farm Mystery Book #1) by Jacqueline Frost is the first book in a cozy small-town mystery series all set during the holiday season. They bring all the happy holiday feels along with a cozy murder mystery to solve in Mistletoe, Maine.
This first book introduces the reader to Holly White and her cat, Cindy Lou Who, on their return home to the family Christmas tree farm after a broken engagement. Home is just what she needed to help heal her broken heart and reunite her with family, friends, and the Reindeer Games holiday tradition on the farm. Everything is going well until Holly discovers Margaret Fenwick, the head of the local historical society bludgeoned to death with a Christmas tree stake and left dead in the sleigh display.
When Sheriff Evan Grey shuts down the farm and games, Holly is determined to find the killer, exonerate her father and farm staff, and get the games going again. There are plenty of people through the years who have had problems with Margaret, but with Holly asking questions about the murder, Holly is now the target of a killer who wants to remain hidden. Will Holly ask one too many questions of the wrong person, even as Sheriff Grey warns her to stop, and become the killer’s next victim?
This is a wonderful holiday cozy mystery that has everything to pull me into the story curled up on my couch on a cold winter night. The author’s writing is descriptive and engaging. I felt like I was in Mistletoe participating in all the games, and all the characters were my friends. Holly is a great protagonist who is both inquisitive and strong willed with a warm and loving heart. The mystery plot is well paced throughout the story with plenty of suspects, red herrings, and a few surprises. I am looking forward to reading more of the books in this series and following all the characters that now feel like family.
I highly recommend this cozy holiday small-town mystery and I am looking forward to reading more in this series!
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About the Author
Jacqueline Frost is a mystery-loving pet enthusiast who hopes to make readers smile. She lives in rural Ohio with her husband and three spunky children. Jacqueline is a member of the International Thriller Writers (ITW) and Sisters in Crime (SinC).
Sarah McNeilly is a rare find in the tabloid industry. She won’t ignite gossip. She finds the truth. And for once, that’s what her boss wants. With her job on the line, Sarah’s latest assignment is to identify the elusive “Maximillian Smith,” unearth his connection to the billionaire Stone family, and dig up some dirt.
Yesterday Max was an ordinary workingman, concerned with little more than the price of gas. Now he suddenly has a family, jaw-dropping wealth, and an avid (if clumsy) reporter on his trail. With the press threatening to destroy his new life, he needs to release his real story strategically, and Sarah is the key—not to mention an adorable yet invaluable resource for finding his mother.
As Max and Sarah team up to peel back the ugly layers of Max’s past, they stumble heart-first into their fiery attraction. But when their research threatens their newly built trust, it’s their future that is on the line.
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Elise’s Thoughts
The Forgotten One by Catherine Bybee once again proves how she can make readers laugh yet also pull at their heart strings.
This plot has a rags to overnight riches story. Yesterday Max was an ordinary workingman, concerned with little more than the price of gas. Now he suddenly has a family, jaw-dropping wealth, and an avid (if clumsy) reporter on his trail. With the press threatening to destroy his new life, he needs to release his real story strategically, and tabloid journalist Sarah is the key. As Max and Sarah team up to peel back the ugly layers of Max’s past, they stumble heart-first into their fiery attraction. But after their research threatens their newly built trust, their future is threatened. A little bit of a cliffhanger where readers can’t wait for book three to see where this romance is going.
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Author Interview
Elise Cooper: Idea for the story?
Catherine Bybee: I wanted to do a Cinderella story with the man, not the woman. Also, in the forward of the book I wrote how I was in foster care as a child for a while. I wanted to bring things to light about the foster care system and what happens to these children who have no parents. The system fails then it helps.
EC: How would you describe Max?
CB: Max is the reality of how someone could survive in the foster care system. He is a survivor but not thriving. He is jaded, emotionally unavailable, needs to learn to trust, needs to learn to love both romantically and platonically. He searches for closure because there are no ties to his past. Max is bitter and arrogant, his coping mechanism. He is strong willed, self-assured, and protective.
EC: How would you describe Sarah?
CB: She is a Lois Lane type, only she wears the glasses, not Clark Kent. She needs to learn to take risks, and to know her own value and worth. I think she is a different kind of heroine that I usually write about with the fire behind her and is unsure of herself. She has two parents that love her and support her. As with my other heroines Sarah does not have a past that makes her stronger. She does not have baggage and is down to earth.
EC: What is the relationship between the siblings?
CB: Each of the three are so completely different. All three siblings have in common the disenchantment and hate of their biological father. Hate binds just as good as love binds. They have past aggressions. Max’s siblings push him. Alexandria chases her father’s love, takes no guff, leaves no prisoners, and is driven. Chase is comfortable in his own skin. Once Max realizes what it truly means to have someone to care for, they become very close. They are all loyal to each other and have togetherness.
EC: What is Max and Sarah’s relationship like?
CB: The romance moved quickly, and they realized they are right for each other. He has an emotional wall and is wary of people. Max teaches her to stand up for herself. He did not need a strong heroine. Having her in his life helped him to withstand the new reality. She keeps him grounded. They were intrigued with each other without drama.
EC: What did you want to say about tabloids?
CB: They have no regard for someone’s privacy and the emphasis is to sell papers, not the truth. They have no regard for someone grieving. Max chastises this system.
EC: You also highlight the foster care system?
CB: There is a large amount of tormenting and bullying. I talk a little about what I saw as an ER nurse.
EC: You always have great quotes, and, in this book, it is about the title, “MS”-please explain
CB: You mean this quote, “The expectation for a woman to change how she is addressed because of her marital status is not only sexist, but also archaic and outdated.” There is a very big distinction as what Miss means, Mrs. means, and Ms. means. We do not know if a man is married with just the reference Mr. I am divorced and will tell people when they refer to me as Mrs. that it cost me a lot of money to remove the “r.” People make assumptions with these titles.
EC: Next book?
CB: In book three I give Max and Sarah the ring and the promise. I do not think there would be a fourth book because there is not a character to put in a romance. The third book is Alex’s story with a strong hero. This will be the story of how Alex gets over her past. The title is No More Yesterday’s, coming out in May or June.
THANK YOU!!
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BIO: Elise Cooper has written book reviews and interviewed best-selling authors since 2009. Her reviews have covered several different genres, including thrillers, mysteries, women’s fiction, romance and cozy mysteries. An avid reader, she engages authors to discuss their works, and to focus on the descriptions of their characters and the plot. While not writing reviews, Elise loves to watch baseball and visit the ocean in Southern California, with her dog and husband.
