Tag: Cozy Mystery

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Spotlight & Excerpt: Death and Decluttering + Giveaway

This is my stop during the blog tour for Death and Decluttering by Nancy McGovern. Death and Decluttering is the first book in the new cozy mystery series Sparks and Joy by author Nancy McGovern.

This blog tour is organized by Lola’s Blog Tours. The blog tour runs from 4 till 24 January. See the tour schedule here.

Death and Decluttering

Death and Decluttering (Sparks and Joy #1)
By Nancy McGovern
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Age category: Adult
Release Date: 23 June, 2020

Blurb:
Joy Russo loves chaos. From her life as a busy reporter to her brawling, coffee-obsessed Italian family, there’s nothing she loves more than her messy, little life. Then the weird, slightly out-of-this-world Aurora Sparks arrives, whose life seems to revolve around creating order out of chaos.

The two of them have somehow ended up as roommates in the small Upstate New York town of Bent River, and the old adage that says “opposite attract” couldn’t be further from the truth! Sparks fly & tempers flare as each young lady tries to deal with the other’s eccentricities while not compromising their own values. Much easier said than done.

But when a man is found dead and Joy’s father is the prime suspect, the two must put aside their differences if they want to help him. They soon find that Joy’s tough, no-nonsense demeanor and Aurora’s ordered, structured nature perfectly complement each other when it comes to ferreting out clues. And, thankfully so, as the danger threatens to escalate unless they can sort through the facts and solve this mystery in a hurry!

Death & Decluttering is the first cozy mystery adventure in Nancy McGovern’s new series, “Sparks & Joy”!

Links:
– Goodreads
– Bookbub
– Amazon

Excerpt:

“Joy Russo? You’re Ricardo’s granddaughter, right?” Aurora held out a hand.

“He was my Nonno. My maternal grandfather.” Joy nodded.

“I believe I talked to your lawyer? Mr. Goggins? He let you know what date I’d be arriving, right?”

Joy’s arms remained crossed, and her face was decidedly un-joyful as she said, “Aurora Sparks. I’ve heard of you.”

“Great.” Aurora gave her a smile that was two parts desperation and one part relief. “I’ve got all my boxes in the car. It should take me an hour or so to unload them. If you could show me my side of the house—”

“Your side of the house?” Joy’s eyebrow raised half an inch.

“Er… yes?” Aurora didn’t know what to say. The lawyer, Mr. Goggins, had assured her that the will was air-tight. No court of law could challenge it. She was being left half the house, and that was that. Naturally, she knew Joy wouldn’t necessarily be happy about it. But she hadn’t accepted Aurora’s offer to purchase her half, nor had she been willing to sell the whole house and split the proceeds. Aurora could have challenged this in court and forced Joy to sell, but the lawyer had warned her that the case could then take years to resolve and end up costing more than the house itself. So that left Aurora with no option but to come and actually live here in Bent River. She didn’t mind. A change of pace would suit her just fine.

“You know you won’t survive a week here, right? Bent River isn’t your average, everyday town,” Joy said. “It’s definitely not New York City.” She looked Aurora up and down in a fashion that seemed to imply Aurora would drag the city with her wherever she went.

“I know it’s not NYC. That’s why I’m here. I’d like to be as far away from crowds as possible for a while,” Aurora replied.

“You won’t last a month,” Joy predicted.

“That’s up to me now, isn’t it? And I thought it was a week?” Aurora raised an eyebrow right back at her. If Joy thought she could cheat her out of her fair share of the property, she could think again. “Fifty percent of this house is mine by rights and, if you refuse to sell, then I’m here to stay.”

Later books in the series:

Alibis and ArrangingSuspects and Sorting

Alibis and Arranging (Sparks and Joy #2) by Nancy McGovern
You can buy Alibis and Arranging on AmazonSuspects and Sorting (Sparks and Joy #3) by Nancy McGovern
You can buy Suspects and Sorting on Amazon

Nancy McGovernAbout the Author:
I’m a mother, wife, homemaker, pet lover, teacher, student, reader, writer, drinker of tea & wine (depending on the time of day) and sleep-deprived dreamer. I live in Northern New Jersey with my husband (a veterinarian and writer), our three children and too many furred & feathered friends to list!

Please visit my website at www.NancyMcG.com for more information about my books and to sign up for my newsletter!

You can find and contact Nancy McGovern here:
– Website
– Facebook
– Twitter
– Goodreads
– Amazon
– Bookbub
– Pinterest
– Instagram

Death and Decluttering banner

Giveaway
There is a tour wide giveaway for the blog tour of Death and Decluttering. The first winner will win a $50 Amazon gift card and three other winners will each win a physical copy of Death and Decluttering (US Only).For a chance to win, enter the rafflecopter below:
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Spotlight & Excerpt: Late For Love + Giveaway

Late for Love
The Way Over The Hill Gang, #5
by M.K. Scott
Genre: Cozy Mystery

The senior sleuths love a good laugh, but this conundrum is no laughing matter. A missing journalist, an African Grey parrot, and a possible mob connection sound like the beginning of a bad joke. Unfortunately, there is no punchline and no one, aside from the seniors, who would dare to take the case on.

Will their first chance to handle a case on their own prove to be way too much for them to handle, and more importantly, could this first be their last?

The book will be on sale for $0.99 on the days of the tour.

Amazon

Read an Excerpt

Gus placed his hand on the page. “I got it. We could ask her if there was anyone who wanted to kill her sister.”

The wide grin announced his friend thought this was an obvious question. To some it might be, but not to the parrot party club owners who knew nothing about Lyre’s disappearance. Jake shook his head before replying. “We don’t want direct questions that might make her suspicious. We might try some parrot talk and allow Lorelei to tell us stuff without realizing it.”

“Parrot talk? Are you the bird whisperer now?” Gus inquired with a dismissive sniff.

“No. I do watch television, especially on Saturday mornings when that vet show is on. Parrots tend to pick out their feathers when they are distressed. Sometimes, they’re aggressive. Other times, they won’t eat or talk as much and perform repetitive behavior. Lorelei will immediately tell us she’s not Lyre and her sister isn’t there, possibly hoping that’ll get rid of us. It’s important to listen to how she says it.”

“Got it.” Gus held up a thumb to indicate comprehension. “If she breaks into tears, then maybe she actually cared for her sis.”

“Possibly.” Jake tapped his pen on his friend’s hand to get him to move it, which he did. “I’m more interested in her explanation about her sister. Will she say her sister is dead? She might say her sister is missing. Could be she might say her sister isn’t there, indicating nothing.”

“Don’t forget she could just slam the door in our faces or possibly not open it at all.”

“There is that. I can only work with what I know currently. If we’re able to see the bird, I can make a visual inspection asking if the bird was pulling out its feathers when she got it. I’m not sure how long the bird was alone, but I’m sure it was distressed being locked up without food or water. Then I could mention that sometimes birds are impacted by the owner’s emotions. I might ask if Lyre was afraid of something.”

“I thought the sisters weren’t close,” Gus pointed out.

“Could be,” Jake conceded even though it galled him to do so. It sort of ruined his plan about questioning the sister. “People say stuff like that all the time, especially when they don’t want to talk to the police. Not being close could mean a lot of stuff, too. Maybe they didn’t do lunch or share clothes, but they did have a general idea of what was happening in each other’s lives. Lorelei could be good for supplying a friend’s name or a boyfriend. They might know more.”

About the Author: M. K. Scott is the husband and wife writing team behind The Painted Lady Inn Mysteries and The Talking Dog Detective Agency. Morgan K Wyatt is the general wordsmith, while her husband, Scott, is the grammar hammer and physics specialist. He uses his engineering skills to explain how fast a body falls when pushed over a cliff and various other felonious activities. The Internet and experts in the field provide forensic information, while the recipes and B and B details require a more hands-on approach. Morgan’s daughter, who manages a hotel, provides guest horror stories to fuel the plot lines. The couple’s dog, Chance, is the inspiration behind Jasper, Donna’s dog. Overall, both are fun series to create and read.

Website
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Twitter
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Spotlight & Excerpt: Cosplay Killer + Giveaway

Cosplay Killer
London Podcast Mystery Series, #1
by Dahlia Donovan
Genre: Cozy Mystery, M/M Romance

 

What happens when an autistic firefighter and his paramedic boyfriend share a thirst for true crime?
 
Osian Garey and Dannel Ortea live together in a colourful flat in Covent Garden. They run a podcast and throw themselves wholeheartedly into Cosplay, video games, and musical theatre. This year, they’re all fired up to attend their annual convention with a group of first responders.
 
When Osian finds a paramedic friend murdered in the middle of the crowded venue, the police immediately turn their attention to him.
 
They have one question on their mind.
 
Is he the first witness on the scene or the killer?
 
As the mystery unfolds, Osian has to face the trauma of his last job as a paramedic. Somewhere in those memories, a killer waits to exact revenge. They’ll have to prove Osian’s innocence and fight for their own survival when the killer puts them both in their sights.
 
 

 

Chapter One
Osian
“I’m Oz. He’s D. And we’ll be back for another rundown of murder and mayhem next week. Stay tuned for Osian and Danny’s London Crime Podcast.” He checked his watch, counting down a few seconds before signalling to Dannel to pause the recording. “Another one bites the dust.”
“Oz and D?”
Osian grinned over the top of his laptop at his boyfriend of fourteen years. They’d been best friends practically from infancy and started dating in their teens. “We’re hip with the kids.”
“I am not hip. I have two.” Dannel swivelled in his chair before pushing himself across their living room floor. “And thirty isn’t old age. Besides, how many teenagers are listening to true crime podcasts?”
“Let me have my dream.” Osian followed him down the hall into their bedroom. He stretched out on the bed to watch Dannel prepare for his shift. “Ready to go for twelve hours?”
Dannel glared over his shoulder; his dark brown eyes always seemed to pierce into Osian. “What do you think?”
Truthfully, Osian didn’t know for sure what Dannel thought about being a firefighter. Dannel had followed in his father’s footstep, yet he didn’t quite fit the mould. Osian worried it might come crashing down eventually.
Am I borrowing trouble from the future? Maybe it’ll all work out on its own. Although, when does it ever?
Watching Dannel comb his short black curls trimmed into a high fade before spritzing his hair with argan oil, Osian couldn’t help dragging his fingers through his own untidy brown mane. Though they had much in common, they were polar opposites in other ways. Their differences made their relationship stronger, in Osian’s opinion.
Dannel always made him think of a buffer version of Richard Ayoade. Osian had a striking resemblance to the actor Matt Ryan. He’d even cosplayed as John Constantine and Edward Kenway because of it.
“Meeting me after shift for an early breakfast?”
“Go on, then.” Osian leaned up on his elbows for a kiss. He smiled when Dannel brushed his lips quickly, then bolted from the room. “Bye.”
Since they’d grown up together, Osian knew the ins and outs of Dannel’s personality probably better than his own family did. They’d been inseparable from the time they could toddle across the hall to each other’s homes. He’d been the first one Dannel told about his autism diagnosis.
With Dannel gone for his shift, Osian faced the silence in their two-bedroom flat with a sense of dread. He hated the quiet. It allowed his thoughts to stray to things better left forgotten.
Rolling off the bed, he headed into the en suite to stare glumly into his own blue eyes in the mirror. He shook his head. I’m not old enough to feel so bloody tired all the time. His thoughts seemed to drain every ounce of energy out of him.
Tired and drained.
Drained and tired.
Guilt weighed him down, as though the entire Tottenham Hotspur team had climbed on his shoulders. Time heals all wounds is such bollocks. A year hadn’t brought him much relief.

Dahlia Donovan wrote her first romance series after a crazy dream about shifters and damsels in distress. She prefers irreverent humour and unconventional characters. An autistic and occasional hermit, her life wouldn’t be complete without her husband and her massive collection of books and video games.
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Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!
 
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