It’s release day for

E S S E N T I A L S   O F   M U R D E R

and I’m celebrating with a giveaway for a
$10 Amazon gift card and a
Saje Peppermint Halo® Wand Cooling and Soothing Oil Blend for the Head*

Use the Rafflecopter below to enter. Saje Peppermint Halo is available in limited countries and as such, may not be awarded if winner lives outside their delivery zones. Contest ends 9/14/21.

As a bonus, read Chapter 1 before you buy ➾ https://bit.ly/2WVeEAk

ABOUT THE BOOK

Following a scandal that chased her from San Francisco, Carissa Carmichael struggles to find acceptance in her small Southern California hometown as she opens her aromatherapy  and reflexology shop.

When she finds a man murdered in her distilling room, Carissa becomes the main suspect, especially when her fingerprints are found on the murder weapon. Despite her father’s position as Oak Creek Valley’s chief of police, most townspeople assume she’s guilty—including the new leading detective.

Refusing to run again, Carissa knows she must prove her innocence to save her shop and her family’s reputation. With suspects acting as slippery as the essential oils she distills, it’s up to Carissa to apply pressure and sniff out the truth before it’s too late.

** If you like your cozies with quirky hometown characters, small-town California charm, recipes, and essential oil and reflexology tips, Book 1 in the Aromatherapy Apothecary cozy mystery series is for you. Clean read: no graphic violence, sex, or strong language.

a Rafflecopter giveaway


BOOK LINKS

Publisher website – https://kindredinkpress.com/titles/essentials-of-murder/

Read Chapter 1 before you buy – https://bit.ly/2WVeEAk

Amazon US – https://www.amazon.com/dp/ASIN/B09BBLP2C2

Amazon UK – https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/ASIN/B09BBLP2C2

Amazon CA – https://www.amazon.ca/dp/ASIN/B09BBLP2C2

Amazon AU – https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/ASIN/B09BBLP2C2

Barnes & Noble – https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/essentials-of-murder-kim-davis/1139912711

Apple Books – https://books.apple.com/us/book/id1578537176

Kobo – https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/essentials-of-murder

Goodreads – https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58756107-essentials-of-murder

BookBub – https://www.bookbub.com/books/essentials-of-murder-aromatherapy-apothecary-cozy-mysteries-book-1-by-kindred-ink-press-and-kim-davis

Click to visit Saje

*My favorite headache relief essential oil blend, it includes:

• peppermint (mentha piperita)
• eucalyptus (eucalyptus globulus)
• cajeput (melaleuca cajuputi)
• rosemary (rosmarinus officinalis)
• lavender (lavandula angustifolia)
• vetiver (vetivera zizanoides)

To use: depress tip of wand onto scalp for 1-2 seconds in 8-12 spots. For increased cooling, apply in 15-25 spots. Avoid eyes.

Winner of Best Headache Remedy, Best Health Editor’s Choice Awards, 2018!

Sign up for my author newsletter
(which goes out only a few times a year when I have news to share)
for a subscriber only giveaway coming next week!

Subscribe here: https://www.subscribepage.com/kim-davis-web

I’m celebrating BUY A FRIEND A BOOK DAY
with a giveaway!

Winner’s choice of one of my 4 books
Please use the Rafflecopter below.
Contest ends Sunday, September 5, 2021 and is limited to U.S. residents only.

SPRINKLES OF SUSPICION

One glass of cheap California chardonnay cost Emory Gosser Martinez her husband, her job, and her best friend. Unfortunately, that was only the beginning of her troubles.

Distraught after discovering the betrayal by her husband and best friend, Tori, cupcake caterer Emory Martinez allows her temper to flare. Several people witness her very public altercation with her ex-friend. To make matters worse, Tori exacts her revenge by posting a fake photo of Emory in a compromising situation, which goes viral on social media. When Tori is found murdered, all signs point to Emory being the prime suspect.

With the police investigation focused on gathering evidence to convict her, Emory must prove her innocence while whipping up batches of cupcakes and buttercream. Delving into the past of her murdered ex-friend, she finds other people had reasons to want Tori dead, including Emory’s own husband. Can she find the killer, or will the clues sprinkled around the investigation point the police back to her?

CAKE POPPED OFF

Cupcake caterer Emory Martinez is hosting a Halloween bash alongside her octogenarian employer, Tillie. With guests dressed in elaborate costumes, the band is rocking, the cocktails are flowing, and tempers are flaring when the hired Bavarian Barmaid tries to hook a rich, hapless husband. Except one of her targets happens to be Emory’s brother-in-law, which bodes ill for his pregnant wife. When Emory tracks down the distraught barmaid, instead of finding the young woman in tears, she finds her dead. Can she explain to the new detective on the scene why the Bavarian Barmaid was murdered in Emory’s bathtub with Emory’s Poison Apple Cake Pops stuffed into her mouth?

With an angry pregnant sister to contend with, she promises to clear her brother-in-law’s name. As Emory starts asking questions and tracking down the identity of the costumed guests, she finds reasons to suspect her brother-in-law has been hiding a guilty secret. Her search leads her to a web of blackmail and betrayal amongst the posh setting of the local country club crowd. Can Emory sift through the lies she’s being told and find the killer? She’ll need to step up her investigation before another victim is sent to the great pumpkin patch in the sky.

FRAMED AND FROSTED

The third book in the Cupcake Catering Mystery series finds cupcake caterer, Emory Martinez, working at a Laguna Beach society Fourth of July soiree, with her sister and their new employee, Sal. With a host that seems intent on accosting both catering employees and guests alike, things go from bad to worse when he accuses Sal of murdering his long-dead son.

As the crescendo of exploding fireworks overhead becomes the backdrop for cupcakes and champagne, a deadly murder occurs. Can Sal and Emory explain why the cupcake the host ate, after shoving a trayful of buttercream frosted cupcakes onto Sal, resulted in his death? Or will the guests and detective alike believe that Sal is a murderer? Emory and her octogenarian employer, Tillie, whip into action to find out who framed Sal after being frosted by the victim.

A GAME OF DECEIT – A suspense novel

A father’s disappearance never solved, a mother’s secret taken to the grave, a daughter deceived…

Kathryn Landry thinks her life is just about perfect. She is the owner of a successful interior designer business in Newport Beach, California, and she has an attentive, supportive husband. But her world comes crashing down when her husband, Neil Landry, vanishes without a trace… in a situation almost identical to the disappearance of her father twenty years before.

With her father’s disappearance still a mystery, Kathryn is skeptical that the detective assigned to her case will be able to find her husband. Determined to uncover the truth, Kathryn is plunged into a world of politics, high-priced call girls and wealth. As she begins to search for her husband, a decades-old secret her mother took to the grave threatens to destroy all she holds dear. Caught up in a web of betrayals and deceit, and not knowing who to trust, Kathryn must find a way to survive as she discovers the past has a way of repeating itself.

a Rafflecopter giveaway


The first book in my Aromatherapy Apothecary Cozy Mystery series
E S S E N T I A L S   OF   M U R D E R
releases September 8, 2021

About the Book

Following a scandal that chased her from San Francisco, Carissa Carmichael struggles to find acceptance in her small Southern California hometown as she opens her aromatherapy and reflexology shop.

When she finds a man murdered in her distilling room, Carissa becomes the main suspect, especially when her fingerprints are found on the murder weapon. Despite her father’s position as Oak Creek Valley’s chief of police, most townspeople assume she’s guilty—including the new leading detective.

Refusing to run again, Carissa knows she must prove her innocence to save her shop and her family’s reputation. With suspects acting as slippery as the essential oils she distills, it’s up to Carissa to apply pressure and sniff out the truth before it’s too late.

If you like your cozies with quirky hometown characters, small-town California charm, recipes, and essential oil and reflexology tips, Book 1 in the Aromatherapy Apothecary cozy mystery series is for you.   

ESSENTIALS OF MURDER BOOK LINKS

Publisher website – https://kindredinkpress.com/titles/essentials-of-murder/

Amazon US – https://www.amazon.com/dp/ASIN/B09BBLP2C2

Amazon UK – https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/ASIN/B09BBLP2C2

Amazon CA – https://www.amazon.ca/dp/ASIN/B09BBLP2C2

Amazon AU – https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/ASIN/B09BBLP2C2

Barnes & Noble – https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/essentials-of-murder-kim-davis/1139912711

Apple Books – https://books.apple.com/us/book/id1578537176

Kobo – https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/essentials-of-murder

Goodreads – https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58756107-essentials-of-murder

I’m thrilled to announce that
Kindred Ink Press
will be publishing three books in my new
Aromatherapy Apothecary Cozy Mystery series!

The first book,
E S S E N T I A L S   OF   M U R D E R,
will release September 8, 2021

I’ve been on pins and needles waiting to see my cover
and have the chance to share with you.
A huge thank you to Karan Heitschmidt at Kindred Ink Press
for creating such a fabulous cover for me!

To celebrate, I’m giving two winners a $5 Amazon gift card each.
(Hint, hint… it’ll cover the cost of preordering ESSENTIALS OF MURDER if you would like.)
Please use the Rafflecopter at the bottom of the post. Contest ends 8/24/21.

About the Book

Following a scandal that chased her from San Francisco, Carissa Carmichael struggles to find acceptance in her small Southern California hometown as she opens her aromatherapy and reflexology shop.

When she finds a man murdered in her distilling room, Carissa becomes the main suspect, especially when her fingerprints are found on the murder weapon. Despite her father’s position as Oak Creek Valley’s chief of police, most townspeople assume she’s guilty—including the new leading detective.

Refusing to run again, Carissa knows she must prove her innocence to save her shop and her family’s reputation. With suspects acting as slippery as the essential oils she distills, it’s up to Carissa to apply pressure and sniff out the truth before it’s too late.

If you like your cozies with quirky hometown characters, small-town California charm, recipes, and essential oil and reflexology tips, Book 1 in the Aromatherapy Apothecary cozy mystery series is for you.   

BOOK LINKS

Publisher website – https://kindredinkpress.com/titles/essentials-of-murder/

Amazon US – https://www.amazon.com/dp/ASIN/B09BBLP2C2

Amazon UK – https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/ASIN/B09BBLP2C2

Amazon CA – https://www.amazon.ca/dp/ASIN/B09BBLP2C2

Amazon AU – https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/ASIN/B09BBLP2C2

Barnes & Noble – https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/essentials-of-murder-kim-davis/1139912711

Apple Books – https://books.apple.com/us/book/id1578537176

Kobo – https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/essentials-of-murder

Goodreads – https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58756107-essentials-of-murder

a Rafflecopter giveaway


https://kindredinkpress.com/EssentialsMurderSignup

I’m thrilled to have ebook advance reader copies now available my upcoming release, FRAMED AND FROSTED (Thanks to Lisa of Lisa Ks Book Reviews for another fabulous title!!!) It’s available now for preorder on Amazon and will also be available on Kindle Unlimited. Print will be available on the release date.

Preorder link: https://amzn.to/3v6b7ud

I’m celebrating with a giveaway for a chance to win 1 of 20 ebook advance copies of FRAMED AND FROSTED! If you enter, please try to have a review posted to Goodreads and Amazon within a month of the release date, 6/22/21.  Use the Rafflecopter below to enter. Contest ends Saturday, 5/22/21.

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Synopsis

Framed and Frosted, the third book in the Cupcake Catering Mystery series, finds cupcake caterer, Emory Martinez, working at a Laguna Beach society Fourth of July soiree, with her sister and their new employee, Sal. With a host that seems intent on accosting both catering employees and guests alike, things go from bad to worse when he accuses Sal of murdering his long-dead son.

As the crescendo of exploding fireworks overhead becomes the backdrop for cupcakes and champagne, a deadly murder occurs. Can Sal and Emory explain why the cupcake the host ate, after shoving a trayful of buttercream frosted cupcakes onto Sal, resulted in his death? Or will the guests and detective alike believe that Sal is a murderer? Emory and her octogenarian employer, Tillie, whip into action to find out who framed Sal after being frosted by the victim.

Includes recipes!

I promise I’ll be sharing some of the recipes here in June and July, along with fun giveaways, but for now let me tempt you with some of the recipes included in the book:

Mini Phyllo Cups with Whipped Goat Cheese and Cranberry Stars
Jicama, Apple, and Berry Salad with Citrus-Ginger Dressing
Orzo Salad with Roasted Red Pepper, Feta, and Kalamata Olives
Lemon Drop Martini Cupcakes
Champagne Cupcakes
Pink Lemonade Cupcakes
… and more!

I recently had the good fortune of reading an advance copy of A TALE OF TWO COOKIES by Eve Calder! The publisher, St. Martin’s Press, kindly provided both a giveaway copy of this brand new release along with a yummy excerpt from the book to tempt your taste buds. Scroll through for my review, the excerpt, and the Rafflecopter link to enter.

Click on book to visit Amazon

Review

A TALE OF TWO COOKIES, the third book in the Cookie House Mystery series by Eve Calder, is a page-turning addition to a yummy series! In this newest release, protagonist bakery owner Kate McGuire finds herself embroiled with a runaway groom, a jilted bride, a contentious reality show, and endangered sea turtles. With so much going on, the author does an admirable job of building the plot and weaving the threads of the story together to build tension and intrigue. Central to keeping the pace on track are the delightful characters that inhabit the small island, Coral Cay. Kate is not only friendly, but she has a knack for making everyone feel welcome and wanted. I especially enjoyed how she knows just what kind of cookie to give to customers to fit their tastes without any input from them, even after only meeting the customer for the first time. Her sidekicks, best friend, Maxi (a fiery Cuban florist) and the adorable dog and town mascot, Oliver, are on hand to assist no matter what situation pops up. As the mystery progresses, I loved that Kate also calls upon the Coral Cay Irregulars, the local mystery readers book club, to hunt for clues. I find it appealing that Kate doesn’t try to investigate on her own, and doesn’t willfully put herself into danger. It lends a greater sense of reality to the book.

The mystery itself is quite intriguing. Without providing any spoilers, it centers on a groom who disappears the night before his wedding. All appearances point toward him jilting his bride-to-be, but the bride thinks foul play was involved. As the story progressed, the clues presented had me guessing all over the place and not once was I right. The clever diversions kept me turning pages and I couldn’t put the book down until I’d read the last page. With all the various subplots wrapped up together in a cohesive story, I closed the book, hungry for cookies and hungry to see what comes next for Kate and her friends!

Amazon Synopsis

Pastry chef Kate McGuire is loving life on the laid-back island of Coral Cay, Florida. As junior partner in a bakery renowned for luscious desserts—especially her cookies—life is pretty sweet. So when an old friend arrives and announces a spur-of-the-moment beach wedding, that’s just the icing on the wedding cake.

But the groom vanishes right as a television crew descends on the town to film a hot, new realty show. Is there a connection? Is her friend Desiree somehow involved? Or did groom Judson simply get cold feet? The bride and groom were paired better than warm cookies and cold milk, so Kate doesn’t buy it.

As the show’s cast runs amok on the island and the investigation into Judson’s disappearance heats up, Kate and her pal Maxi, along with town dog Oliver, will brave the rambunctious world of reality TV and a wedding weekend gone awry, in an all-out effort to find the missing groom.

Excerpt from the publisher, St. Martin’s Press

Pastry chef Kate McGuire, pal Maxi Más-Buchanan, and Kate’s old friend Desiree Goldsmith rendezvous at the Cookie House bakery to compare notes in their quest to find Desiree’s missing fiancé, marine biologist Judson Cooper. Desiree is stunned to discover a slew of Post-it Notes—each bearing various clues—pasted across the front of the kitchen’s over-sized refrigerator: 

“What does this one mean?” Desiree asked, pointing at the refrigerator. “‘Dirty coolers’?”

“Sounds like a band,” Maxi said. “One that plays club music super loud.”

Kate recounted Howie’s story about the stolen ice chests.

“That’s just weird,” Maxi said.

“That’s pretty much what Howie thought,” Kate agreed. “Apparently he’s now keeping them under lock and key. Literally.”

“There’s something about that that seems familiar,” Desiree said. “But it’s not coming to me right now. It’s like the memory is close, but I just can’t seem to grab ahold of it.”

“When’s the last time you ate?” Maxi asked.

“I sort of got caught up revisiting a lot of the places Judd and I saw while we’ve been here on Coral Cay,” Desiree said. “Trying to get a lead on where he might be now.”

“Why don’t I make us a couple of omelettes, while you tell us what you discovered,” Kate offered, opening the back door and leaving it ajar.

As Desiree recounted her travels, Kate chopped spring onions and diced Swiss cheese and ham. She cracked the eggs and whisked them to a frothy yellow, adding salt, pepper, and a generous pour of cream.

The pastry chef put four skillets on the stove and sliced a pat of butter into each.

“Four at a time?” Maxi asked. “And why four?”

“You’ll see. We used to do omelette stations in the restaurants all the time. For the customers—and for the staff, when we’d missed a meal.”

“Remember Omelette Surprise?” Desiree asked.

“That was fun,” Kate said, swirling each pan in turn, as the smell of warm butter drifted across the kitchen.

“What’s that?” Maxi asked.

Kate smiled. “It was something we’d do at the hotel when the staff was hungry, and we couldn’t get home anytime soon. Basically, it’s what we’re doing now. You look in the fridge or the pantry. And what ever you have left over, that’s what goes in the  omelette.  Some days it was beef bourguignon, other times it might be baked apples. That was the surprise.”

Kate poured eggs into two pans. A half a minute later, she filled the other two. With a wooden spatula, she worked the first  pans, tilting them as needed. She finished up by giving them liberal helpings of ham, cheese, and scallions.

Then she moved to the second two pans, working them in tandem. While the last two omelettes cooked, she folded the first  two with her spatula and plated them.

She added two thick slices of fresh tomato to each, and slid the  plates in front of Maxi and Desiree. “Just let me know what you think,” she said proudly.

As they tucked in, Kate finished the second two omelettes. One with all the trimmings, the other simply with ham and cheese.

Oliver appeared at the back door, as if summoned.

Kate cut the ham and cheese omelette into quarters, and again into eighths, sliding the pieces into the pup’s bowl. As he gave the offering his undivided attention, she grabbed her own plate and joined her friends at the table.

“OK, this is seriously the best omelette I’ve ever had,” Maxi said. “You better not let Bridget and Andy know you can cook like this. They’ll hire someone to come over and break all your frying pans.”

“Bridget and Andy’s pub has nothing to worry about. Besides, the secret is butter and cream. And somehow, I have a feeling they already know that one.”

“This is scrumptious,” Desiree agreed. “You always had talent. But I think you’ve risen to a whole new level.”

“It’s just a few eggs,” Kate said, between bites.

“It’s more than that,” Desiree said. “You’re happy here. And it comes out in your food.”

Oliver looked up, and if Kate didn’t know better, she’d have sworn he winked.

 From A Tale of Two Cookies by Eve Calder. Used with the permission of the publisher, St. Martin’s Press. Copyright © 2021 by Eve Calder.

A special thanks to St. Martin’s Press for providing a winner with a print copy of A TALE OF TWO COOKIES! Contest ends Sunday, May 2, 2021 at 11:59 pm PST and is limited to U.S. residents. Please use the Rafflecopter box located below to enter. The winner will be announced on this page and on Cinnamon & Sugar’s Facebook page, as well as notified by email (so check your spam folder!)

a Rafflecopter giveaway


If you crave cookies like I do, check out my blog’s Cookie Collection here:

COOKIE RECIPES

I’m thrilled to introduce my upcoming release, FRAMED AND FROSTED (Thanks to Lisa of Lisa Ks Book Reviews for another fabulous title!!!) It’s available now for preorder on Amazon and will also be available on Kindle Unlimited. Print will be available on the release date. I’m also offering this new book at a special preorder price of only $0.99!

You can preorder here:  FRAMED AND FROSTED

Click on book to visit Amazon

Framed and Frosted, the third book in the Cupcake Catering Mystery series, finds cupcake caterer, Emory Martinez, working at a Laguna Beach society Fourth of July soiree, with her sister and their new employee, Sal. With a host that seems intent on accosting both catering employees and guests alike, things go from bad to worse when he accuses Sal of murdering his long-dead son.

As the crescendo of exploding fireworks overhead becomes the backdrop for cupcakes and champagne, a deadly murder occurs. Can Sal and Emory explain why the cupcake the host ate, after shoving a trayful of buttercream frosted cupcakes onto Sal, resulted in his death? Or will the guests and detective alike believe that Sal is a murderer? Emory and her octogenarian employer, Tillie, whip into action to find out who framed Sal after being frosted by the victim.

Includes recipes!

I’m celebrating my new cover with a giveaway with a chance to win your choice of either SPRINKLES OF SUSPICION or CAKE POPPED OFF! Print limited to U.S. residents, all others will be awarded ebooks. Use the Rafflecopter below. Contest ends 4/28/21.

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Click on book to visit Amazon

One glass of cheap California chardonnay cost Emory Gosser Martinez her husband, her job, and her best friend. Unfortunately, that was only the beginning of her troubles.

Distraught after discovering the betrayal by her husband and best friend, Tori, cupcake caterer Emory Martinez allows her temper to flare. Several people witness her very public altercation with her ex-friend. To make matters worse, Tori exacts her revenge by posting a fake photo of Emory in a compromising situation, which goes viral on social media. When Tori is found murdered, all signs point to Emory being the prime suspect.

With the police investigation focused on gathering evidence to convict her, Emory must prove her innocence while whipping up batches of cupcakes and buttercream. Delving into the past of her murdered ex-friend, she finds other people had reasons to want Tori dead, including Emory’s own husband. Can she find the killer, or will the clues sprinkled around the investigation point the police back to her?

Click on book to visit Amazon

Cupcake caterer Emory Martinez is hosting a Halloween bash alongside her octogenarian employer, Tillie. With guests dressed in elaborate costumes, the band is rocking, the cocktails are flowing, and tempers are flaring when the hired Bavarian Barmaid tries to hook a rich, hapless husband. Except one of her targets happens to be Emory’s brother-in-law, which bodes ill for his pregnant wife. When Emory tracks down the distraught barmaid, instead of finding the young woman in tears, she finds her dead. Can she explain to the new detective on the scene why the Bavarian Barmaid was murdered in Emory’s bathtub with Emory’s Poison Apple Cake Pops stuffed into her mouth?

With an angry pregnant sister to contend with, she promises to clear her brother-in-law’s name. As Emory starts asking questions and tracking down the identity of the costumed guests, she finds reasons to suspect her brother-in-law has been hiding a guilty secret. Her search leads her to a web of blackmail and betrayal amongst the posh setting of the local country club crowd. Can Emory sift through the lies she’s being told and find the killer? She’ll need to step up her investigation before another victim is sent to the great pumpkin patch in the sky.