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NACHO AVERAGE MURDER, the seventh book in the Country Store Mystery series by Maddie Day, is a delightful visit to Santa Barbara, California! I was especially thrilled when I found out that the protagonist, Robbie Jordan, was making a trip from her Indiana residence back to her hometown. I grew up in the area and it was obvious that Ms. Day researched it thoroughly. She accurately captures the sights, sounds, flavors, and smells of the location, from the beaches to the mission grounds, to the restaurants and Latin-inspired food, to the quaint shops and the historical culture. I enjoyed how she infuses her story with our Southern California Latino heritage via the dishes Robbie ate and the Spanish phrases we use frequently, no matter our ethnic background. It added to the authenticity of the locale.

Robbie’s visit is instigated by her tenth high school class reunion, where the mean girls are still the mean girls. I liked that Robbie feels like she’s moved beyond the self-doubt they inflicted on her in high school and how she reaches out to try to connect. It shows an insight into Robbie and the growth of her character over the years. While in town, she finds some disturbing information that perhaps her mother’s untimely death might have really been a murder connected to her involvement with local environmental activism. It becomes even more suspicious when her mother’s friend dies in the same manner.

Ms. Day weaves an intriguing mystery that involves a possible cold case and questionable environmental agriculture practices. Robbie treads carefully as she begins to ask questions to find out what really happened to her mother and friend since her usual posse of friends and law enforcement isn’t there to back her up. I did feel that Robbie took a few too many chances walking in deserted areas on her own but the author’s tongue-in-cheek acknowledgement of her foolhardiness brought some humor to the scenes. As the story develops it becomes clear that people are hiding secrets and as a result, there are lots of suspects to keep the reader guessing. Plenty of clues are sprinkled throughout and I fell for the misdirection thrown in several times. But as the reveal unfolds it all begins to tie together into a cohesive, entertaining read!

While Robbie may not be doing the cooking in this newest installment, she does partake of some amazing meals while in Santa Barbara. Always on the lookout for new recipes to add to her menu at Pans ‘N Pancakes in Indiana, she makes notes of the dishes and takes pictures. Ms. Day shares those recipes with a Southern California flair, at the back of the book. It’s not unusual to have orange trees dotting the backyards in most neighborhoods, so I was drawn to the recipe for Orange Scones. These flaky pastries are easy to mix up and the sweet, orange glaze boosts the wow factor. Scrumptious on their own, a smear of orange marmalade would make them even more delectable!

Amazon Synopsis

Robbie Jordan is temporarily leaving Pans ’N Pancakes, her country store in South Lick, Indiana, to visit Santa Barbara, California—where wildfire smoke tinges the air, but a more immediate danger may lie in wait . . .
 
While looking forward to her high school reunion back in California, Robbie’s anticipation is complicated by memories of her mother’s untimely death. At first, she has fun hanging out with her old classmates and reuniting with the local flavors—avocados, citrus, fish, and spicy Cali-Mex dishes. But then she gets wind of rumors that her mother, an environmental activist, may not have died of natural causes. With the help of friends, Robbie starts clearing the smoke surrounding the mystery—but what she finds could make it hard to get back to Indiana alive . . .

A special thanks to Maddie Day for providing one lucky winner with a print copy of NACHO AVERAGE MURDER! Giveaway is limited to U.S. residents. Contest ends Wednesday, July 1, 2020 at 11:59 pm PST. 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!)

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Orange Scones

Ingredients

Scones

• 1/3 cup sugar
• Zest of one large orange
• 2 cups unbleached flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, frozen
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 egg

For the glaze

• 1-1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice (from the orange you just zested)

Instructions

Scones

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees (F) and set oven rack to the middle position. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

2. In a medium-sized bowl, gently toss flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

3. In a separate small bowl, whisk sour cream and egg until completely smooth. Set aside.

4. In a large bowl, stir sugar and orange zest together until sugar is moistened and zest is evenly distributed. Pour in flour mixture and toss to combine.

5. Grate frozen butter into mixture using a medium grater. Using your hands, work in the butter until the mixture resembles a coarse meal. Gently stir in sour cream mixture until just about combined. Do not overwork the dough.

6. Very gently press the dough against the sides of the bowl a few times and form a ball. The dough will be sticky at first but will come together as you form it.

7. Place dough on a lightly floured surface and gently pat into an 8-inch circle about 3/4-inch thick. Use a very sharp knife to cut into eight triangles (like a pizza). transfer triangles onto prepared baking sheet, leaving about 1 inch between.

8. Bake scones for 15 - 17 minutes or until the tops begin to turn golden. Don't take them out too early or they will be too soft. Allow them to cool for 10 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling completely.

For the glaze

1. While the scones bake, prepare the glaze. Melt butter in a glass dish in the microwave for 30 seconds. Whisk in the powdered sugar, vanilla, and orange juice until smooth.

2. Once completely cooled, drizzle the glaze on the scone tops and sides with a spoon.

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

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THE GRIM READER, the fourteenth book in the Bibliophile Mystery series by Kate Carlisle, brings the reader back to the delightful setting of Dharma, a quaint wine country town situated in Sonoma County in Northern California. A long-time fan, I’ve greatly enjoyed previous books that has protagonist, Brooklyn, and her new husband, Derek, surrounded by their family and close friends. THE GRIM READER brings them all back together for the first annual Book Festival in Dharma. The close-knit relationships Brooklyn and Derek’s family have together is heartwarming. I love how they’re supportive of each other with nary a jealous or snide remark to be seen within the in-laws. In fact, Brooklyn and Derek’s mothers have become best friends and together they are a force to be reckoned with. I greatly enjoyed seeing Brooklyn’s mom, Becky, take center stage in this story, which helps give the reader glimpses of why Brooklyn is who she’s become in adulthood. One of the greatest strengths in this series is the character development Ms. Carlisle brings throughout the arc of the books and builds on that development with each passing page.

While Brooklyn and Derek’s families may be kindhearted, caring individuals (and most of the community is as well!) a greedy predator is gobbling up local vineyards and using the harvests to produce inferior boxed wine. He goes out of his way to harass and threaten the Book Festival committee, particularly, Becky. Early on in the book I thought I knew which way the mystery would go but Ms. Carlisle throws in several twists to keep the reader on their toes. I love how she intertwines a rare mishandled first edition copy of Little Women into the mystery along with scenes showcasing Brooklyn’s bookbinding and restoration skills. With plenty of suspicious suspects to keep the reader guessing, the plot unfolds at a nice pace until the dramatic reveal. The author does a great job of wrapping up all the threads in the story into an entertaining conclusion that left me wishing the next book in the series was ready for me to read!

Brooklyn and Derek share many meals with their family and close friends during their visit to Dharma, especially breakfast. I was delighted to see the Ms. Carlisle provides several mouthwatering breakfast recipes at the back of the book, all which sound fabulous! I was drawn to the recipe for Streusel-topped Pumpkin Scones (I’ve been on a pumpkin kick for a while now!) and am so glad I decided to try it. My granddaughter isn’t a fan of scones but she gave these two thumbs up and went back for seconds. The sweet streusel complements the cinnamon in the scone without being overly crumbly, while the mild pumpkin brings color and good texture to the treat. She liked that these were moist and sweet enough on their own without having to drench them in additional butter and jam making them perfect for a grab-and-go breakfast or snack.

Amazon Synopsis

Brooklyn and her new hunky husband, Derek, are excited to be guests at Dharma’s first annual Book Festival. The entire town is involved and Brooklyn’s mom Rebecca is taking charge. In addition to all of her other event related duties, she’s got Brooklyn doing rare book appraisals and is also staging Little Women, the musical to delight the festival goers. If that wasn’t enough, she and Meg—Derek’s mom—will have a booth where they read palms and tarot cards.

Brooklyn couldn’t be prouder of her mom’s do-it-all attitude so when a greedy local businessman who seems intent on destroying Dharma starts harassing Rebecca, Brooklyn is ready to take him down. Rebecca is able to hold her own with the nasty jerk until one of her fellow festival committee members is brutally murdered and the money for the festival seems to have vanished into thin air.
Things get even more personal when one of Brooklyn’s nearest and dearest is nearly run down in cold blood. Brooklyn and Derek go into attack mode and the pressure is on to catch a spineless killer before they find themselves skipping the festival for a funeral.

A special thanks to Kate Carlisle for providing one lucky winner with a print advance copy of THE GRIM READER! Giveaway is limited to U.S. residents. Contest ends Sunday, June 14, 2020 at 11:59 pm PST. 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!)

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Streusel-Topped Maple-Pumpkin Scones

Ingredients

Maple Sugar

• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup

Streusel Topping

• 1/4 cup flour
• 2 tablespoons maple-sugar, packed
• 1 tablespoon butter

Scones

• 1/2 cup canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
• 2-1/4 cups flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 cup maple-sugar, packed
• 1/2 cup cold butter
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon cream, divided
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Instructions

Maple Sugar

1. Stir together maple and sugar with a fork until well combined. Set aside.

Streusel Topping

1. Whisk the flour and sugar until well combined. Cut in the butter with a pastry cutter. Set aside.

Scones

1. Place pumpkin in a sieve over a bowl so the pumpkin will drain. If possible, do this the night before and put the sieve and bowl in the fridge because cold ingredients make for flaky scones.
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and put in the fridge.
3. Sift together the flour through nutmeg. Whisk in the sugar. Cut the butter into ¼-inch chunks. Add to the dry ingredients and cut in with a pastry blender or two butter knives until the mixture has a crumb-like texture.
4. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg, pumpkin, ¼ cup of cream and vanilla. Fold into the dry ingredients just until it pulls together into a ball. If necessary, add cream one teaspoon at a time. Don’t overwork.
5. Place the ball on the parchment-lined baking sheet and pat down into a 10-inch circle. Slice into 8 wedges and pull apart so each scone is separate. Brush with cream. Top with streusel. Bake until scones are brown on bottom and streusel is golden on top, about 20-25 minutes.

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I’m delighted to be participating in the Great Escapes Virtual Book Tour presenting SOUTHERN SASS AND A CRISPY CORPSE, the second book in the Marygene Brown Mystery Series by Kate Young. The action starts right from the very first in this edgy cozy mystery. Protagonist Marygene Brown gets involved in a decades-old cold case after accidentally bumping into the remains of the missing young woman while skinny-dipping in the ocean off the coast of Peach Cove Island in Georgia. From this set up, the mystery takes a unique and entertaining twist in that Marygene doesn’t want to be involved in solving the mystery, nor has she ever wanted to be an amateur sleuth. Except her deceased mother’s ghost is quite insistent that Marygene do so… or else… Adding to the twists in Marygene’s life is the fact that she’s the daughter of Sheriff Eddie Carter, the result of an affair between the sheriff and her mother. Marygene is pulled between her mother’s ghost and her sheriff father while working alongside her half-sister and half-brother at the family-owned Peach Diner. Ms. Young’s vivid imagery leaps from the pages as the story unfolds. The reader feels the emotional angst the protagonist feels, smells the delectable peach treats baking at the family diner, hears the sound of the waves on the beach, and sees a ghost that shouldn’t be there. With each turn of the page I felt like there was something new to discover.

Ms. Young crafts a fast-paced plot. There are layers upon layers of mystery surrounding the cold case(s) and plenty of suspects for Marygene to discover. The author has created some terrific characters, especially in the island’s older generation that were around when the cold case occurred. These memorable characters added some humor and humanity which I found important since the book covers some serious topics that can be quite tragic. It adds an element of emotional depth and I appreciated that each scene is written with sensitivity and weaves into the story without detracting from the flow. With a heart stopping reveal, Ms. Young wraps up the threads of the plots and subplots in one highly satisfying conclusion, making me count the months until the next book in this series is released.

With the Peach Diner serving up all sorts of delicious Southern food and delectable peach treats, the reader will get hungry reading the descriptions. There are several recipes at the back of the book and I just had to try the recipe for Peach Muffins. Chock-full of peaches these mix up quickly without any fuss. Canned peaches even work when fresh aren’t available which makes this recipe convenient year round. And, thanks to the generous amount of peaches used, the muffins are super moist and flavorful. The batch makes plenty to serve a hungry family or can be stored in an airtight container for a couple of days to nibble on for breakfast or snack time!

Amazon Synopsis

On Georgia’s picturesque Peach Cove Island, a killer is serving up a two-for-one special . . .

After their mama’s passing, Marygene Brown returned to Peach Cove Island to help her sister Jena Lynn run the family diner, renowned for its homemade peach desserts. But Mama is never too far away—her sassy spirit haunts the island, and more specifically Marygene. Lately Mama has been warning her that the dead will seek her out to solve their murders, an idea Marygene is far from peachy keen on.

But that prophecy appears to be coming true when she goes skinny-dipping off the island and swims right into a woman’s charred corpse floating in the waves. And when Marygene and her brother Sam come upon a second burned body in a wine cellar at an event they’re catering, it appears they have a double homicide on their hands. It soon turns out the victims have more in common than their charred remains, and Marygene will need to double down to find a killer who has no aversion to playing with fire. Good thing Mama has her back . . .

A special thanks to Kate Young for providing 1 winner with a $50 Amazon gift card! Contest ends June 1, 2020 at 11:59 pm PST and is administered by Great Escapes Virtual Book Tour. Please use the Rafflecopter box located below to enter. The winner will be announced on this page as well as notified by email (so check your spam folder!)

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Peach Muffins

Ingredients

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon allspice
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1-1/2 cups brown sugar
• 3 cups chopped peaches, fresh or canned

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees (F) and line muffin tins with 16 muffin paper liners.

2. In a large bowl, mix flour, cinnamon, allspice, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

3. In a separate bowl, mix oil, vanilla, buttermilk, eggs, and brown sugar. Pour wet mixture into dry ingredients and mix gently until combined. Fold in peaches.

4. With a large ice cream scoop, spoon batter into muffin cups.

5. Bake 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool 10 to 15 minutes before turning out on a wire rack to cool.

Cinnamon & Sugar's Note:

1. If using canned peaches, drain well before dicing. I used a 29-ounce can of peaches but it wasn't enough to make 3 cups. Due to grocery store lines during the shutdown, I made do with what I had and the muffins turned out fine.

2. I sprinkled half of the muffins with coarse sparkling sugar for a bit of added sweetness and crunch.

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TOUR PARTICIPANTS

May 25 – The Avid Reader – REVIEW
May 25 – Hearts & Scribbles – SPOTLIGHT
May 25 – The Book Decoder – REVIEW
May 26 – Cinnamon, Sugar, and a Little Bit of Murder – REVIEW, RECIPE
May 26 – Ascroft, eh? – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
May 26 – Paranormal and Romantic Suspense Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
May 26 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT
May 27 – Read Your Writes Book Reviews – CHARACTER INTERVIEW
May 27 – Socrates Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
May 27 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW
May 28 – Diane Reviews Books – REVIEW, CHARACTER INTERVIEW
May 28 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – REVIEW
May 28 – Baroness’ Book Trove – REVIEW
May 28 – Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers – SPOTLIGHT
May 29 – Cozy Up With Kathy – REVIEW
May 29 – Literary Gold – SPOTLIGHT
May 29 – I’m Into Books – SPOTLIGHT
May 29 – T’s Stuff – SPOTLIGHT
May 30 – MJB Reviewers – REVIEW
May 30 – The Self-Rescue Princess – CHARACTER INTERVIEW
May 30 – Gimme The Scoop Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
May 30 – eBook Addicts – SPOTLIGHT
May 31 – Brooke Blogs – SPOTLIGHT
May 31 – Laura’s Interests – SPOTLIGHT
May 31 – Books a Plenty Book Reviews – REVIEW
May 31 – Ruff Drafts – SPOTLIGHT
June 1 – Readeropolis – SPOTLIGHT
June 1 – StoreyBook Reviews – REVIEW
June 1 – Melina’s Book Blog – REVIEW
June 1 – My Reading Journeys – REVIEW

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