jbronderbookreviews

Burglars & Blintzes (Moorehaven Mysteries – 2) by Morgan C. Talbot

Moorehaven is swarming with guests during summer’s last hurrah, and Pippa has her hands full at the mystery-author B&B. When her gossip-group connections inform her that a local construction project has unearthed a skeleton with a pocketful of Spanish gold, the news spreads, and treasure hunters flood the beaches. But the skeleton has a more recent connection to the area than anyone suspected, unearthing a shameful secret that hits far too close to home.

A marine salvage team rolls into town, seeking the rest of the treasure. When they hire Pippa’s boyfriend, Lake, to be their pilot, the team’s pretty spelunker quickly stakes a claim, rousing Pippa’s jealousy. But Pippa’s been playing tug-of-war over Lake ever since his ex-wife, Mallory Tavish, became the new acting chief of police.

When a killer’s strike brings tragedy to Moorehaven’s door, Pippa must rally her friends, family, and mystery-writing guests to catch the murderer before she loses someone she can’t live without and all the warmth of summer dies with one last gasp.

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Author’s Bio

USA Today Bestselling Author Morgan C. Talbot is an outdoorsy girl with a deep and abiding love for the natural sciences. Her degrees involve English and jujitsu. She enjoys hiking, camping, and wandering in the woods looking for the trail to the car, but there isn’t enough chocolate on the planet to bribe her into rock climbing.

When she’s not writing, she can be found making puzzles, getting lost on the way to geocaches, reading stories to her children, or taking far too many pictures of the same tree or rock.

Morgan is a member of Sisters in Crime and Mystery Writers of America and served as a panelist at Left Coast Crime 2015: Crimelandia. She lives in Eastern Washington with her family.

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My Review

5 stars

Pippa runs the Moorehaven, a Bed and Breakfast that caters to mystery authors in Oregon. It is the end of the season and the house is full. They are also expecting a typhoon of the coast and everyone is getting prepared. But the surprise after the storm is a skeleton with old Spanish coins in its pocket. Of course now all treasure hunters hurry to find the treasure that has to be connected with the body and coins. But then a fresh body is discovered and the mystery is on. Pippa and the authors are on their toes to see if they can solve this new mystery. But Pippa has a lot of her plate on top of this. She is trying to get closer to Lake but it seems his ex-wife is going to be there to cause as much trouble as possible.

I absolutely loved Smugglers and Scones and was over joyed when Morgan Talbot asked me to review the next book in the series. I was NOT disappointed. I love Moorehaven and all the authors. They all have their own stories yet find themselves wrapped up in the double murders. Of course Pippa is doing everything she can to protect those she loves and her guests.

I love how balance an older murder with a present day one without bouncing back and forth in time. I was kept on the edge of my seat and had no idea who the killer was until Pippa did. This is a great cozy mystery and had me drooling for blintzes throughout. Make sure to check this series out.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. I voluntarily chose to read and post an honest review.

I would like to thank the author for the opportunity to read and share this book.

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The Gathering by Bernadette Giacomazzo

The Uprising Series tells the story of three freedom fighters and their friends in high — and low — places that come together to overthrow a vainglorious Emperor and his militaristic Cabal to restore the city, and the way of life, they once knew and loved. In The Gathering, Jamie Ryan has defected from the Cabal and has joined his former brothers-in-arms — Basile Perrinault and Kanoa Shinomura — to form a collective known as The Uprising. When an explosion leads to him crossing paths with Evanora Cunningham — a product of Jamie’s past — he discovers that The Uprising is bigger, and more important, than he thought.

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Author Bio

With an impressive list of credentials earned over the course of two decades, Bernadette R. Giacomazzo is a multi-hyphenate in the truest sense of the word: an editor, writer, photographer, publicist, and digital marketing specialist who has demonstrated an uncanny ability to thrive in each industry with equal aplomb. Her work has been featured in Teen Vogue, People, Us Weekly, The Los Angeles Times, The New York Post, and many, many more. She served as the news editor of Go! NYC Magazine for nearly a decade, the executive editor of LatinTRENDS Magazine for five years, the eye candy editor of XXL Magazine for two years, and the editor-at-large at iOne/Zona de Sabor for two years. As a publicist, she has worked with the likes of Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson and his G-Unit record label, rapper Kool G. Rap, and various photographers, artists, and models. As a digital marketing specialist, Bernadette is Google Adwords certified, has an advanced knowledge of SEO, PPC, link-building, and other digital marketing techniques, and has worked for a variety of clients in the legal, medical, and real estate industries.

Based in New York City, Bernadette is the co-author of Swimming with Sharks: A Real World, How-To Guide to Success (and Failure) in the Business of Music (for the 21st Century), and the author of the forthcoming dystopian fiction series, The Uprising. She also contributed a story to the upcoming Beyonce Knowles tribute anthology, The King Bey Bible, which will be available in bookstores nationwide in the summer of 2018.

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My Review

4 Stars

The world has moved on and not necessarily in a good way. This is New York City in the future, ruled by the Emperor has taken control and has outlawed music, the arts, free will, and so much more. He has cowed the people down and those that violate the rules meet with a bad end with his Cabal, military force. But twenty years of this is too much and a group is starting an Uprising and plan to take the Emperor down.

The story is about Jamie Ryan. He is a former rocker that was part of the Cabal and is now leading the revolt against the emperor. Two of his friends are there to help along with the daughter of his deceased best friend.

The story starts right in the thick of things and I found that I was confused by the first chapter. I didn’t really understand what was going on, how the Emperor got to power, or anything else. But by the time I got to chapter two I was hooked.

This is a bleak world and there are parts of this story that are very tough to read. But I love how it takes fears that we face today and turns them on their head. I could see some people not really getting into the story because of the darkness but I loved it and can’t wait to see what happens in the next book.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. I voluntarily chose to read and post an honest review.

I would like to thank Rachel’s Random Resources for the opportunity to read and share this book.

Giveaway – Win a paperback copy of The Gathering (Open Internationally)

Enter for your chance to win a paperback copy of The Gathering.

*Terms and Conditions –Worldwide entries welcome. Winner will be asked if they prefer a paperback or a digital copy.  Please enter using the Rafflecopter box below.  The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then I reserve the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over.  Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time I will delete the data.  I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.

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