Friday Features 34

Happy Friday!

Today I'm once again participating in six blog hops.  You can click on the host links below to find the blogs of others who are participating in each blog hop. If you're a blogger, feel free to join through the host links.

BOOK BLOGGER HOP, hosted by Ramblings of a Coffee Addicted Writer

Question: Is there a book you've been meaning to read forever, but haven't gotten to yet?

My response:  I've been an avid reader for only about five years, but I can think of a lot of books I've been meaning to read and haven't yet. The Hannah Swensen series, by Joanne Fluke, got me hooked on cozies and on reading in general. I started reading the series in 2021, but then wanted to explore other cozies. I'm on book 18 and have been wanting to finish the series for a while now. I've got the next one on my TBR for later this year.

FIRST LINE FRIDAY, hosted by Reading is My Superpower

FRIDAY 56, hosted by My Head is Full of Books

BOOK BEGINNINGS, hosted by Rose City Reader

Today's excerpts are from the e-book format of Spell to Pay (Spellbooked Magical Cozy Mystery 2), by Elle Wren Burke.

Here's the beginning:

"This is the book my soul needs?"

And here's an excerpt from 56%:

    On my way back to the sales counter, I made an impulsive stop in the self-help section to check if we had more copies of the books Page had found for James.

    Nope. For now, I'd have to think about being authentic and vulnerable all on my own. I shuddered.

You can see in the beginning, a question is being asked. The customer seems unsure of the book Page, the sentient bookshop, chose for him. In the excerpt from 56%, Kinley, who is the narrator, is talking. I wonder why she shuddered at the thought.

I'm about 60% done with this book. It's an ARC of a book that was just recently released. It was a short turnaround time, which is why wasn't able to finish it before the release date. I'm planning to finish it and post my review next week. Spoiler alert: I'm enjoying it!

FELINE FRIDAY, hosted my messymimi's meanderings

Although I believe my girls were born in April, their birthday is noted as today, May 1st. They are now four years old.  I can't believe how fast the years are flying by! These were the best I could get for their birthday pictures.

NATURE FRIDAY, hosted by Living the LLB Life

Dandelions are my favorite flower. I love seeing them on my walks. 

Whiskey Business (Mixology Lounge Mystery 1), by Adrian Andover

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Last year, I was thrilled to meet Adrian Andover at Malice Domestic.  At the time, Whiskey Business, his debut novel, had not yet been published. However, early readers were raving about it and I was intrigued. I don't drink alcohol, but the premise sounded like a fun way I could imagine having drinks, especially since mocktails would be included. 

Later in the year, I was ecstatic when I was the winner of a giveaway - a signed paperback copy of Whiskey Business! This book is nominated for Best First Mystery Novel at Malice Domestic this year, so I wanted to have it read before then. I recently finished it, and I have to say I now know why it's nominated and why everyone has been raving about it.

In this first in series, Reece Parker is dealing with his recent breakup with Chloe. They had planned on getting married, but as Reece is coming to terms with his sexuality, he called it off. As a way to cope with the breakup, Reece, a mixologist, opens an underground cocktail lounge. One night, after a whiskey club meeting, Reece stumbles upon a dead body and he becomes a prime suspect in this murder investigation. To make matters worse, Chloe's big brother is an officer assigned to the case. Reece sets out to find out who the culprit really is in an effort to clear his name and save his business's reputation.

Wow! This is an exceptional debut novel! I loved the relationships. I never felt overwhelmed by the number of characters. There was a comfortable balance between getting to know them and moving the plot along. It's always a challenge to accomplish this in a first in series, but it's done perfectly here.

Although Reece and Chloe have parted ways as a romantic couple, they still get along well with each other. They support each other the way two good friends would. Chloe's brother adds an interesting layer. He is very protective of Chloe and he does have trouble accepting that Reece broke it off with her, but he's also willing to listen and talk about it. There is tension between them, but they are not enemies. Reece also has the support of his best friend Nate. Reece's parents are introduced as well and I love the scenes when they are together. All of these relationships are multi-dimensional and they really held my interest from beginning to end. I love when there are layers to characters' relationship, but not too much animosity. It made for a pleasant read. 

There was just the right amount of romance in this book. As Reece is now coming to terms with his sexuality, he is not quite sure if he's ready for another relationship. He is open to possibilities, but is taking it slow. There could be a possible love interest and I'm interested in seeing where that storyline goes.

If you enjoy fur babies in cozies, be patient. There is a feline friend who shows up later in the book. It looks like Jameson could be a permanent member of the cast going forward. I certainly hope so!

While I don't drink alcohol, I enjoyed this aspect of the book. I was interested in reading about the different cocktails they created and how they were made. It's also good to know that Subplot, the name of Reece's cocktail lounge, serves mocktails. My only question about the setting is whether or not Subplot is accessible for wheelchair users and others with mobility impairments. There are two entrances. One has stairs. The other leads to a back alley and I'm not sure the path is flat enough for everyone. I really like to imagine myself in the setting, but this is not easy to do if I'm not sure I can access it. 

The mystery is solid. There are several viable suspects and I was unable to guess the whodunnit. It was a carefully-crafted mystery, with twists and turns I didn't see coming and a conclusion that had me on the edge of my seat when all was being revealed. It all came together perfectly in the end.

If you are a fan of cozy mysteries, I highly recommend Whiskey Business, by Adrian Andover. Book two will be released in a couple of months, so you have time to catch up before then. I'm confident you won't be disappointed!

Murder in a Lavender Daze (Aroma Wellness Mystery 2), by Daryl Wood Gerber

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I really enjoyed the first book in the Aroma Wellness mystery series, Essence of Foul Play, by Daryl Wood Gerber. From the moment I closed that book, I was eagerly anticipating the second one. So I was thrilled when I was offered an ARC of Murder in a Lavender Daze. Like the first one, it's a great combination of relaxation (the aroma wellness theme) and mystery.

In this second installment, Emma Brennen, owner of Aroma Wellness Spa has booked a "Happily Divorced" event for soon-to-be divorced Addison Lacey. However, the discovery of a dead body changes everything. With Addison as the prime suspect in the murder investigation, Emma believes there's more to the story and she is determined to figure out who is behind this heinous crime. Was it Addison or did someone else commit murder?

The setting for this series is Carmel-by-the-Sea, the same setting for Daryl Wood Gerber's Fairy Garden Mysteries. It truly feels like a community, especially since characters from that series make appearances in this one. Since fairies reside in Carmel-by-the-Sea, we are even treated to appearances by them. While the fairies are not main characters in the Aroma Wellness series, they are present enough for fairy fans like myself. For me, the only thing that would improve the community even more is the mention of ramps wherever there are stairs. I like to imagine myself in the setting of the books I read, but it's difficult to do this when I don't know if I could access the delightfully cozy businesses in the area.

I love the theme of wellness. In the midst of an investigation, I found the spa scenes quite serene and calming. The contrast with the murder mystery worked very well.

I once again really enjoyed spending time with most of the main characters in this second installment. I also had fun getting to know new characters. There are just two characters I'm not a huge fan of. One may be moving on, but the other one is the detective. I understand he has a job to do, but I thought he was overly harsh with Emma. I didn't feel that she was interfering in the investigation as much as the detective felt she was. In real life, sometimes it is the citizens who provide the authorities with leads in investigations.  I thought he could have been more accepting of her help.

The mystery in Murder in a Lavender Daze is strong. Trying to figure out the whodunnit had my head spinning in the best way. I had a a few suspects in mind and I thought I narrowed it down to the the two strongest suspects. Both of them turned out to be wrong. I love when that happens. The big reveal surprised me, but it came together in a logical way.

And there are some extras in this book. If you're a fan of culinary cozies, you'll be pleased to know there are several recipes at the end. They all sound delicious. These include gluten free options. Something else in all of the books I've read by Daryl Wood Gerber that I really appreciate is the list of characters in the beginning of the book. If I ever lost track of who a character was, all I had to do was quickly look at that list that gives a brief description of each one. This eliminates the need to highlight or write down a list of characters, which I often do when a list isn't given.

If you're looking for a cozy mystery that has a light, airy feel to it, look no further than Daryl Wood Gerber's Aroma Wellness series. While each installment contains a standalone mystery, I recommend reading them in order so you can follow the subplots and character development. There is only one book before Murder in a Lavender Daze, so you have time to catch up before this second installment is released on April 28th. I am already looking forward to more!

Thank you to author Daryl Wood Gerber, Kensington Publishing, and NetGalley for providing me with ARCs of this book!

Sunday Post 133

Hi everyone!

Through Monday, I am linking with the following: 

Reading Reality, who hosts Stacking the Shelves

Readerbuzz, who hosts Sunday Salon

Caffeinated Reviewer, who hosts Sunday Post

The Book Date, who hosts It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

It's my birthday! Well, tomorrow, Sunday, is my birthday. It's also National Grilled Cheese Day, so I'll be having grilled cheese for lunch, but not before going to the local farm to play with the goats! I do this every year. Usually I go after my birthday so I can hold at least one baby goat that was born on my birthday (lots of them are born at this farm during April), but this year I decided to go on my birthday. It's supposed to be a picture perfect day with highs in the low 70s (even lower than that at the time I'll be going), with sunshine. I couldn't pass up this opportunity because I think next week is supposed to be hotter with a chance of rain. And the following week I won't be available. So it made sense to go on my birthday this year. Who knows. Maybe I'll be at the farm when a baby goat is born! The farm also has a fairy forest that I love to visit. I'm looking forward to a fun time in the great outdoors with the goats and fairy friends.

I'm intentionally not doing a lot of posting this month because of various birthday activities, several appointments, and a convention. It's a busy month! But I am finding time everyday to read. In fact, my birthday also happens to be D.E.A.R. (Drop Everything and Read) Day!

IN THE BOOKS

RECENTLY FINISHED

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I listened to The Jig Is Up (Irish Bed & Breakfast Mystery 1), written by Lisa Q. Matthews and narrated by Rebecca Gallagher. I had a difficult time connecting with the characters, but I loved the setting and the mystery was strong. I might give the the second book in the series a try.

IN PROGRESS

I'm on track with The Comfort of Crows: A Backyard Year, written by Margaret Renkl and illustrated by Billy Renkl, reading one chapter each week. I enjoy reading the authors thoughts throughout the year and seeing the illustrations.

Whiskey Business (Mixology Lounge Mystery 1), by Adrian Andover, is still my current read. I'm almost 70% done and I expect to finish this upcoming week. I am enjoying it. You can read some excerpts here.

UP NEXT

Spell to Pay (Spellbooked Mystery 2), by Elle Wren Burke, is still up next. I'm excited to read this eARC, especially since it has a cat plus a fairy theme. These are two of my favorite things!

My next audiobook listen will be Paris is Always a Good Idea, by Jenn McKinlay. It became available from Libby, but I wasn't quite ready. I should have borrowed it when it was available because even though I'm first in line again, I still have to wait until it's available. It says it will be less than two weeks, so it's not a long wait. Meanwhile, the online book club I'm reading it with is well into the book. Oh, well.

ON THE SCREEN

• The Way Home - Season 3 is on demand on frndly, so I'm rewatching it in preparation for season 4, which premieres on The Hallmark Channel next Sunday. I love this series so much and I'm sad this will be the final season. If you have Netflix, they have been rolling out each season there. It's also on Hallmark+.
• Gilligan's Island - Why do I even bother? This show is so silly, but I watched S1E2. It was okay, but I have so many questions!
• The Breakfast Club - After the Escape Room experience and the actual date that this movie is set being in March, I decided to re-watch it. I had it recorded from frndly. It was okay, but some movies just don't age well.
• A Royal Setting - This was Jen Lilly's return to Hallmark, which I was really looking forward to. Unfortunately, the movie was underwhelming. It's a pretty standard royal Hallmark movie. There was nothing unique about it. It had all the royal tropes, almost as if they had a checklist they needed to complete. It's not a bad movie, but it's nothing special either.
• A Season to Blossom - This is another pretty standard Hallmark plot, but I enjoyed it. I thought the second half was stronger and there was some uniqueness throughout the movie in how the story was told. I also adored the cat, of course.

ON THE BLOG

• Sunday Post - 03/28 - Weekly Recap
• Puzzle - 04/11 - Birthday Party Table

Have a great week!

Puzzle 135 - Birthday Party Table

Tomorrow (Sunday) is my birthday and I'm having a virtual party with all of you! I invite you all to celebrate with me!

My time on this puzzle was 2:01 using 24 non-rotating pieces. I lollygagged a bit when the timer started going, so it should have taken me less than two minutes. Oh, well.

Remember, you can change the settings to make it meet your preferences.

Enjoy!

Sunday Post 132

Hi everyone!

Through Monday, I am linking with the following: 

Reading Reality, who hosts Stacking the Shelves

Readerbuzz, who hosts Sunday Salon

Caffeinated Reviewer, who hosts Sunday Post

The Book Date, who hosts It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

I didn't publish a Sunday Post last week because I had a busier than usual weekend. One of the things I did was an Escape Room with five other people. This was only the second time I did an Escape Room. It was beginner level and we still didn't escape in time. The operator told us we were about 80-85% done.

 

The theme was high school detention. The scenario was we, the students, were in detention. (Hmmm...any fans of The Breakfast Club out there?) We had a substitute teacher who got bored, so he left us alone and told us he'd be back in an hour. Our mission was to try and escape before then.

The first time I did an Escape Room, I think it was eight years ago, we escaped. However, I had no clue about anything in that experience. I just let everyone else do their thing, and with lots of hints, we escaped with two minutes to spare. That was a level 6/10 room.

There was mixed feedback regarding the Escape Room we did last weekend. Some thought it was harder than the last one, some thought it was about the same, and I thought it was easier even though we didn't escape. I felt like I knew what I was doing with this one, though. I knew what we were looking for. It was just difficult to crack the codes.

But most importantly, everyone had a good time and we all want to eventually do another Escape Room. Unfortunately, the challenge is finding ones that are wheelchair accessible. Several people in my group use wheelchairs and many Escape Rooms are not accessible. So frustrating that we have fewer choices than everyone else, but I think the situation is improving. Eight years ago, I only knew of one accessible Escape Room in the area. Now I know of at least three.

Oh, and as a bonus, we got candy at the end of the experience. I chose a mini Snickers bar, which was my favorite candy bar in high school. I can't remember the last time I had one before last weekend, so that was a nice treat.

This weekend, I've been glued to The USA Jigsaw Association YouTube channel because they're streaming the 2026 Jigsaw Nationals. Karen Puzzles is my favorite puzzle YouTuber, so I've mostly been watching to see how she does. She doesn't claim to be a top speed puzzler, even though she does do well. Her main goal is always to just have fun doing as many puzzles over the weekend as possible. If you advance in the first rounds, then you move on to the finals, so that's her goal. They have individual, pairs, and team rounds. I like listening to the commentators. I've been picking up some tips here and there. They've also been debuting new puzzles made by Ravensburger that will be available to the public starting on Monday. One of my favorite parts of the commentating is when they interview puzzle artists. It's so interesting to hear about their creative process.

IN THE BOOKS

RECENTLY FINISHED

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I finished reading an ARC of Murder in a Lavender Daze (Aroma Wellness Mystery 2), by Daryl Wood Gerber. There are a couple of things that bothered me throughout this book, but overall I enjoyed it. It releases at the end of April and my review will be posted a few weeks before then. You can read some excerpts here on Friday's post.

IN PROGRESS

Each week, I continue to read The Comfort of Crows: A Backyard Year, written by Margaret Renkl and illustrated by Billy Renkl. I'm looking forward to seeing what the author notices throughout spring. I'm also enjoying the illustrations.

I'm still listening to The Jig Is Up (Irish Bed & Breakfast Mystery 1), written by Lisa Q. Matthews and narrated by Rebecca Gallagher. I had planned on finishing this one a while ago, but I've gotten distracted by an assortment of podcasts. I'm more than halfway done.

Whiskey Business (Mixology Lounge Mystery 1), by Adrian Andover, is my current read. I'm enjoying the mystery as well as the subplots. Fun fact: The name of the cocktail lounge in this book is called Subplot. I don't drink alcohol at all and I never have, so this is truly an escape for me! You can read some excerpts here.

I had stopped working on the puzzles in Murdle: Volume 1, but I started working on them again. I'm on puzzle number 81 of of 100. I'd like to finish this book by my birthday, which is around the middle of April. I already have Volume 2 waiting in the wings.

UP NEXT

I received an eARC of Spell to Pay (Spellbooked Mystery 2), by Elle Wren Burke, so that will be up next. I'm not sure if I'll be able to start this week or next week. This one is heavy on the fairy theme, which I love, so I'm looking forward to it.

My next audiobook listen will be Paris is Always a Good Idea, by Jenn McKinlay. This is a novel that will become a Hallmark movie later this year. I typically read the book after watching the movie, but this time I'm part of a virtual book club that will be reading it together.

ON THE SCREEN

• The Brady Bunch - I'm halfway through season 2. After each episode, I'm listening to the corresponding podcast episode for The Real Brady Bros hosted by Barry Williams ("Greg"), and Christopher Knight ("Peter"). It's so fun to hear about the series from their perspectives. Sometimes they have guests who were also on the show.
• High Potential - I watched season 1 last year and loved it. Season 2 is almost finished airing on ABC, but all previously aired episodes are streaming on Hulu. So far, I've watched the first three episodes in season 2 and I'm loving it. They really know how to elevate the show, while still maintaining the same vibe. 
• Chasing Leprechauns - I was looking for a movie with a Hallmark vibe to watch on St. Patrick's Day (one that I hadn't seen yet) and I came across this one. Ummm...it was okay.
• Nelly Knows Mysteries: All Manners of Murder - This second movie in the Nelly Knows series was so much better than the first one. It's my second favorite movie of the year so far, out of the 12 new Hallmark movies. You can read my full review here.
• Butlers in Love - This is a 2022 movie that I hadn't seen yet. I don't know why, but I didn't think it would be a favorite. However, I really enjoyed it! It's set in Maryland, which I thought was cool since that's my home state. But more than that, the plot was fun.
• Two for Tee - This is Hallmark's first Spring Into Love movie this year. I thought it had a strong cast, but the plot fell flat for me. I think I'm in the minority with my thoughts on this because I saw that a lot of people loved it. I thought they could have embraced the cultural diversity more than they did.

ON THE BLOG

• Sunday Post - 03/15 - Weekly Recap
• Book Review - 03/16 -At Death's Dough (Deep Dish Mystery 5), by Mindy Quigley
• Movie Review - 03/17 - Sugar and Vice: A Hannah Swensen Mystery
• Character Guest Post - 03/18 - Claire O'Keefe
• Book Review - 03/19 - Syrup to No Good (Maple Syrup Mystery 2), by Catherine Bruns
• Friday Features - 03/20 - Bookish response, featured book, Feline Friday, Nature Friday
• Puzzle - 03/21 - Hello Spring
• Movie Review - 03/24 - Nelly Knows Mysteries: All Manners of Murder
• Friday Features - 03/27 - Bookish response, featured book, Feline Friday, Nature Friday
• Puzzle - 03/28 - Blooms

Have a great week!