I’m delighted to be participating in the Great Escapes Virtual Book Tour presenting SOUTHERN SASS AND A BATTERED BRIDE! This third book in the Marygene Brown Mystery series by Kate Young, grabbed my attention from the very first and captivated me until the last page was read. The quirky, loveable characters pulled me in and the twisty-turvey plot made this book a “just one more chapter” read through the night story. Protagonist Marygene, is as southern as they come. Despite her longtime sweetheart marrying her detested nemesis, Marygene and her sister agree to cater the wedding after being asked and do so with more grace than what seemed possible. When the bridezilla is found murdered, just after the ceremony, Marygene and her best friend/cousin, Betsy, become prime suspects. To make the scenario even more intriguing is Marygene’s ghostly mama, who shows up to lend support and an occasional clue in solving the crime. I’ve enjoyed watching the growth of the characters over the course of this series, and that includes Marygene’s Mama’s ghost. The creative and quirky twists on the characters adds to the overall entertainment.

The plot flowed at a quick pace which kept me turning pages. With action galore and snippets of humor to lighten the scenes, Ms. Young weaves in clues to keep the reader guessing. While I had my suspicions about the culprit, I wasn’t quite sure and I waffled back and forth as I was sucked in by misdirection. The heart pounding reveal contained another unexpected twist and has me waiting impatiently for the next book in this Southern Sass cozy series!

Marygene and her sister own the Peach Diner and whip up multitudes of mouthwatering dishes and desserts. With Marygene’s father experiencing some health issues, she’s determined to bake up healthier treats so he doesn’t feel deprived. I couldn’t help but be intrigued by the author’s recipes at the back of the book, which incorporate some of her healthier desserts. In particular, I had to try her recipe for Healthy Fudgy Brownies. Using sweet potatoes as the base, these brownies utilize honey for the sweetener instead of refined sugar. And instead of non-nutritional white flour, oat flour is used instead. And of course, everyone knows that chocolate is already healthy and there’s a double dose in the brownies via cocoa powder and chocolate chips. I actually loved these enough to make them several times (wrapped individually and stored in the freezer, these make for a quick on-the-go healthy snack) but substituted peanut butter for the almond butter and walnuts for the pecans for a different variation on occasion. The small amount of honey used allowed the natural chocolate flavor to shine and I decided that mini chocolate chips provided greater coverage so you get a bit of sweet chocolate with every nibble. Whatever tweaks you choose, these fudgy brownies are healthy without making you feel deprived.

 

 

 

Amazon Synopsis

At a murder mystery–themed wedding reception on Georgia’s picturesque Peach Cove Island, the bride is doing an awfully good job playing dead . . .

Marygene Brown always figured she’d marry her childhood sweetheart, Alex Myers, not cater his wedding. But the Peach Diner could use the exposure. Most of the island is showing up—although more for the role-playing murder game at the reception than for the widely loathed bridezilla, Lucy Carmichael. Marygene may have to smile through the festivities, but Mama doesn’t have to hold her peace—especially since only Marygene can hear her mother’s ghost. Mama says she sees an aura of darkness around the wedding.

So when Marygene finds Lucy lying beside the wedding cake, buried in batter, with no pulse, it looks like Mama called it. This is no game. And when the bride’s body simply vanishes, it’s up to Marygene and her best friend Betsy (cousin to the groom and no fan of the bride) to solve a real-life mystery—with a little help from Mama’s sassy spirit . . .

 

 

 

 

A special thanks to Kate Young for providing a lucky winner with a $20 Amazon gift card! Contest ends May 2, 2021 at 11:59 pm PST, and is administered by Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours. Please use the Rafflecopter box located below to enter. The winner will be announced on this page and on Great Escapes website, as well as notified by email (so check your spam folder!)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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I was provided with an advance copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.