The Little Bakery on Rosemary Lane by Ellen Berry Blog Tour and Audio Extract

Today is my stop on The Little Bakery on Rosemary Lane blog tour and I'm delighted to feature an audio extract.  Just click the link below. Sit back, listen and enjoy!

https://soundcloud.com/harpercollinspublishers/the-little-bakery-on-rosemary

About the Book

**Take a trip to the Yorkshire village of Burley Bridge, where a new arrival is going to shake things up…**

Growing up in a quiet Yorkshire village, Roxanne couldn’t wait to escape and find her place in the world in London. As a high-powered fashion editor she lives a glamorous life of perennial singlehood or so it seems to her sister Della. But when Roxanne gets her heart broken by a fashion photographer, she runs away, back to Della’s welcoming home above her bookshop in Burley Bridge.

But Burley Bridge, Roxanne discovers, is even quieter than she remembered. There’s nothing to do, so Roxanne agrees to walk Della’s dog Stanley. It’s on these walks that Roxanne makes a startling discovery: the people who live in Burley Bridge are, well, just people different from the fashion set she’s used to, but kind and even interesting. Michael, a widower trying to make a go of a small bakery, particularly so. Little by little, cupcake by cupcake, Roxanne and Michael fall into a comforting friendship.

Could there be a life for Roxanne after all, in the place she’s spent 46 years trying to escape?

Published by Harper Collins on 7 Sept 2017

MEET THE AUTHOR

Ellen Berry is an author and magazine journalist. Originally from rural West Yorkshire, she has three teenage children and lives with her husband and their daughter in Glasgow.

When she’s not writing, she loves to cook and browse her vast collection of cookbooks, which is how the idea for this story came about. However, she remains the world’s worst baker but tends to blame her failures on ‘the oven’.

Check out the other bloggers on the blog tour

Available to buy from

Amazon UK
Amazon US
The Book Depository

In The Stars by Zanna MacKenzie Blog Tour, Guest Post & Free Book!

Today I'm thrilled to be kicking off the blog tour for In the Stars by Zanna MacKenzie who has written a brilliant and thought-provoking guest post all about the location setting for books.  It's all about the setting - or is it? 

Not only that but Zanna is also offering every reader the chance to download a free book - just click the below link

https://www.zannamackenzie.co.uk/

In The Stars (Amber Reed Mystery)
by Zanna Mackenzie

In The Stars: A Humorous Romantic Mystery (Amber Reed Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Self Published
Publication Date: December 11, 2014
Print Length: 364 pages
ASIN: B00QXFNP62

One desperate phone call is all it takes to turn Amber’s previously dull day into one speeding scarily out of control!

Amber Reed’s at work making up the horoscopes for the local newspaper and wishing for some excitement in her life, when she gets a phone call offering her just that.

Plunged into the middle of a celebrity murder investigation she’s desperately trying to convince the scarily handsome special agent assigned to solve the case that she can help him catch the killer.

Amber’s soon battling something far more dangerous than she could ever have imagined – and it has nothing to do with the equally scary chemistry fizzing between her and special agent Charlie.

Is it Amber’s wish for more excitement in her life which has landed her in big trouble – or is her fate written in the stars?

In The Stars is part of the fun, romantic Amber Reed Mystery series:

* In The Stars (book 1)
* On Trial ( book 1.5)
* Precious (book 2)
* Forever Mine (book 3)
* Past Perfect (book 4)
* Stop The Beat (book 5)
* Paradise Lost (book 6)

It’s All About The Setting – Or Is It?

Does the setting of a book makes you want to dive into it more? What is it about the choice of location that entices you to purchase a book? Familiarity? Cosiness? Excitement?

At this point I confess I have a weakness for books set in the following:

• Alaska
• Scotland
• Ireland
• Snowy mountains
• Sunny seaside towns with a cafe, sand dunes, a lighthouse and blissful beaches

Right, so that’s my list – what’s yours? Are you keen on bustling and glam city reads? Quaint and quiet villages? Or is there something about the thrill of the unknown when discovering a totally fictitious book setting? How big a part does setting play for you when it comes to wanting to keep turning those pages - or flipping the pages in the case of an ereader!

I definitely think where a book is set influences me on whether or not I am tempted to read it. What do you think? Do you find yourself drawn to a cozy mystery because it’s set in a certain place, such as a sunny beach resort or a trendy city? I know I do. These days Amazon even lets us select cozy mysteries we want to read in categories such as small town, island, beach or mountain. How wonderful is that? Personally, I much prefer rural settings to urban ones but generally speaking, I don’t mind the country the story is set in, though the majority of books I’m drawn to are usually in the UK or the USA.

Like I said, I’m not much of a city person but that hasn’t stopped me from being intrigued by plots and drawn to reading books set in cities ranging as far and wide as London, Sydney and New York.  I certainly still enjoyed the books despite the locations not holding much appeal to me initially, so I guess location isn’t everything but I think the setting is something of a supporting ‘actor’ to the characters in a novel and can really help to bring the book to life.

As I mentioned earlier I admit to having a particular weakness for books set in Scotland, and some of my absolute favourite books have been set in Ireland as well. One book set on a fictitious island off the west coast of Ireland made me feel as though I was on holiday there with all the characters. I could smell the sea air, stroll along the lanes and see the little cottages dotted amongst the landscape, it was wonderful.

Books set overseas can make fascinating reading and allow you to learn more about the customs, traditions and the lifestyles of those who live there. I used to be a travel agent (many moons ago) and still love to watch travelogues on TV. I’ve learnt much about destinations as far flung as Alaska, Hong Kong, the Australian outback, Quebec and Montreal, North Carolina and New England from reading fantastic novels set in these places.

My Amber Reed series of fun and flirty mysteries has visited numerous destinations in the seven books so far. In The Stars (book 1) is set in the glorious Peak District National Park in Derbyshire which is only about an hour in the car from the home I share with my husband Doug and our 5 Labrador dogs. The wedding day mystery in On Trial (book 1.5 and available free via my website at www.zannamackenzie.co.uk) unfolds amongst the hills of the Lake District, another favorite holiday destination for me. My husband and I have had numerous short breaks in the Lakes, spending a few hours each morning walking up the hills to sit and savour the stupendous views or strolling around the picturesque lakes themselves. Afternoons were usually spent perusing the local art galleries, craft shops and outdoor gear stores followed by a reviving drink and cake in a coffee shop. Ah, bliss!

Anyway, enough of my hols, back to Amber’s sleuthing destinations: there’s a remote Scottish island and a luxurious French ski lodge as well the fantastic city of Vancouver in Western Canada, a place where my husband has relatives who we visited a few years ago. The latest book, called Paradise Lost, sees Amber visiting the Caribbean for another fun sleuthing adventure.

So, how important do you think the location is in the books you read? Do you prefer to bask in hot and sunny or cosy up with cold and snowy settings? Are you a city or country girl at heart? Do you think the location adds another layer to the mystery aspect of a novel? I’d love to know!

Thanks, Zanna, for a really interesting topic.  Living in the UK I love my cozies set in a small British village with lots of quirky and eccentric characters .... but I don't favour those over any other settings.  I've read books set in hot cities and books set in freezing islands and, personally, I don't mind as long as it's got a good story.

MEET THE AUTHOR

I live in the UK (Derbyshire/ Leicestershire border) with my husband, 5 dogs, a vegetable patch that’s home to far too many weeds and an ever expanding library of books waiting to be read

Being a freelance writer and editor of business publications is my ‘day job’ but, at every opportunity, I can be found scribbling down notes on scenes for whatever novel I’m working on. I love it when the characters in my novels take on minds of their own and start deviating from the original plot.

I enjoy walking the dogs, gardening and reading.

Links to webpage: www.zannamackenzie.co.uk

blog: www.zannamackenzie.blogspot.co.uk

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AmberReedCCIAMysteries/

 Twitter: https://twitter.com/ZannaMacKenzie

 GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6927649.Zanna_Mackenzie

Purchase Links
Amazon

TOUR PARTICIPANTS

September 21 – Carole’s Book Corner – GUEST POST

September 21 – Babs Book Bistro – SPOTLIGHT

September 22 – Laura’s Interests – REVIEW, CHARACTER GUEST POST

September 23 – Books,Dreams,Life – SPOTLIGHT  

September 24 – The Montana Bookaholic – GUEST POST, SPOTLIGHT

September 25 – Back Porchervations – REVIEW

September 26 – Valerie’s Musings – REVIEW, INTERVIEW

September 27 – Socrates’ Book Reviews  – SPOTLIGHT

September 28 – StoreyBook Reviews – CHARACTER GUEST POST

September 29 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW, INTERVIEW

September 30 – 3 Partners in Shopping, Nana, Mommy, & Sissy, Too! – SPOTLIGHT

October 1 – Readeropolis – SPOTLIGHT

October 2 – That’s What She’s Reading – REVIEW

October 3 – A Blue Million Books – CHARACTER INTERVIEW

October 3 – The Pulp and Mystery Shelf – INTERVIEW

October 4 – Jane Reads – REVIEW, GUEST POST

Book Tour, Review & Giveaway: Body on Baker Street by Vicki Delany (A Sherlock Holmes Bookshop Mystery)

Today is my stop on the Body on Baker Street book tour  I am reviewing the book and I also have a fantastic giveaway for one print copy (US only)

Body on Baker Street: A Sherlock Holmes Bookshop Mystery by Vicki Delany

Body on Baker Street: A Sherlock Holmes Bookshop Mystery 

Cozy Mystery 2nd in Series 

Crooked Lane Books (September 12, 2017) 

Hardcover: 304 pages ISBN-13: 978-1683312994 

E-Book ASIN: B06XW3K7F5

Gemma Doyle and Jayne Wilson are busy managing the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop and Emporium on Baker Street and adjoining Mrs. Hudson’s Tea Room in anticipation of the store’s upcoming book signing with the illustrious Renalta Van Markoff, author of the controversial Hudson and Holmes mystery series. 

But during the author Q&A session, dedicated Sherlockian Donald Morris verbally attacks Renalta and her series for disgracing Sherlock’s legacy, only to be publicly humiliated when the author triumphantly lashes back and gains the upper hand. That is until Renalta collapses on the table―dead. Donald insists he didn’t do it and pleads to his friends to clear his name. 

Fortunately, Gemma and Jayne have no shortage of suspects between the author’s bullied personal assistant, her frustrated publicist, the hapless publisher, a handsome rare book dealer, an obsessively rabid fan, and a world of other Sherlock enthusiasts with strong objections to Renalta’s depiction of the Great Detective. It’s up to the shrewd sleuthing duo to eliminate the impossible and deduce the truth before the West London police arrest an innocent man in Body on Baker Street, the second Sherlock Homes Bookshop mystery perfect for fans of Miranda James and Kate Carlisle.

I love this series!  I love Gemma and her quirky little bookshop selling Sherlock Holmes books, merchandise, anything connected with Arthur Conan Doyle, along with lots of other mystery books set in Sherlock's era.  She is clever and witty and sometimes too clever for her own good which lands her in trouble some of the time, especially with the female detective colleague of her ex-boyfriend.

This time Gemma has to deal with a rude and very flamboyant author who, at short notice, demands a book signing in the Emporium.  Of course Gemma rustles up the publicity in her organised way and it should all go smoothly ......... but no-one anticipated the author's murder on the day.

Lots of suspects all go to make this an entertaining read as Gemma's clever brain works overtime working out the clues and the motives.  With a well-thought out plot, this can be read on its own but I also highly recommend you check out the first in the series Elementary She Read.




MEET THE AUTHOR



Vicki Delany is one of Canada’s most prolific and varied crime writers and a national bestseller in the U.S. She has written more than twenty-five books: clever cozies to Gothic thrillers to gritty police procedurals, to historical fiction and novellas for adult literacy. Under the name of Eva Gates, she writes the Lighthouse Library cozy series for Penguin Random House. Her latest book is Body on Baker Street, the second in the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop series from Crooked Lane. Vicki is the past president of the Crime Writers of Canada. Her work has been nominated for the Derringer, the Bony Blithe, the Ontario Library Association Golden Oak, and the Arthur Ellis Awards.  

www.vickidelany.com 

Facebook: Vicki Delany & Eva Gates 
and twitter: @vickidelany and @evagatesauthor
Purchase Links Amazon B&N


TOUR PARTICIPANTS

  September 11 – Melissa's Eclectic Bookshelf - CHARACTER GUEST POST
  September 11 – A Blue Million Books - CHARACTER INTERVIEW
  September 12 – Valerie's Musings - REVIEW, GUEST POST
  September 12 – View from the Birdhouse – SPOTLIGHT
  September 13 – The Book's the Thing - REVIEW, CHARACTER GUEST POST
  September 13 – A Holland Reads – SPOTLIGHT
  September 14 – My Reading Journeys - REVIEW, INTERVIEW
  September 14 – Book Club Librarian - REVIEW
  September 15 – Reading Is My SuperPower - REVIEW
  September 15 – Babs Book Bistro – REVIEW
  September 16 – Varietats2010 – REVIEW
  September 16 – Carole's Book Corner – REVIEW
  September 17 – Bookworm Cafe - REVIEW, GUEST POST
  September 17 – Mystery Thrillers and Romantic Suspense Reviews – SPOTLIGHT 
September 18 – CelticLady's Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
  September 18 – StoreyBook Reviews – GUEST POST
  September 19 – Queen of All She Reads - REVIEW
  September 19 – Laura's Interests - REVIEW, GUEST POST
  September 20 – Book Babble – REVIEW
  September 20 – Brooke Blogs – GUEST POST
  September 21 – Sapphyria's Book Reviews – REVIEW
  September 21 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW
  September 22 – Teresa Trent Author Blog – INTERVIEW
  September 22 – Melina's Book Blog - REVIEW
  September 22 – That's What She's Reading – REVIEW
  September 23 – Socrates' Book Reviews – REVIEW
  September 23 – Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers - CHARACTER INTERVIEW
  September 24 – Cozy Up With Kathy - REVIEW, CHARACTER GUEST POST
  September 24 – A Cozy Experience – REVIEW

a Rafflecopter giveaway

MURDER WEARS MITTENS (Seaside Knitters Society) BY SALLY GOLDENBAUM Blog Tour Spotlight & Giveaway

Murder Wears Mittens (Seaside Knitters Society) by Sally Goldenbaum 

Murder Wears Mittens (Seaside Knitters Society) by Sally Goldenbaum

Murder Wears Mittens (Seaside Knitters Society) 

Cozy Mystery 1st in Series Kensington (August 29, 2017) 

Hardcover: 272 pages 

ISBN-13: 978-1496711021 

E-Book ASIN: B01MSVCTH9

As autumn washes over coastal Sea Harbor, Massachusetts, the Seaside Knitters anticipate a relaxing off-season. But when murder shatters the peace, the craftiest bunch in town must unravel a killer’s deadly scheme . . . After retrieving fresh lobster nets from a local Laundromat, Cass Halloran rushes to attend a last-minute gathering with her knitting circle. But Cass can’t stop worrying about the lonely boy seen hanging around the dryers, and the school uniform he left behind in a hurry. When the ladies return the lost clothing the next day, they find the child and his younger sister alone, seemingly abandoned by their mother . . . The knitters intend to facilitate a family reunion, not investigate a crime. But the death of Dolores Cardozo, a recluse from the edge of town, throws the group for a loop. Especially when the missing mother and one of their own become tied to the victim’s hidden fortune—and her murder . . . Before scandalous secrets break bonds and rumors tear Sea Harbor apart, the Seaside Knitters need to string together the truth about Dolores—while preventing a greedy murderer from making another move! * Includes a knitting pattern *

About The Author

Sally Goldenbaum was born on the shores of Lake Michigan, in Manitowoc, WI, to a homemaker mother and a ship-building father. Although she now lives in landlocked Prairie Village, KS, her longing for lakes and the sea is satisfied in part by writing the USA Today bestselling Seaside Knitters Mystery series, set on Cape Ann, MA. She is a sometime philosophy teacher, a knitter, and an editor, and the author of more than thirty novels. Her fictional knitting friends are teaching her the intricacies of women’s friendship, the mysteries of small-town living, and the very best way to pick up dropped stitches on a lacy knit shawl.

Follow Sally

Webpage Twitter Facebook 

a Rafflecopter giveaway 

TOUR PARTICIPANTS 

August 29 – 3 Partners in Shopping, Nana, Mommy, & Sissy, Too! – SPOTLIGHT 
August 30 – The Pulp and Mystery Shelf – INTERVIEW 
August 30 – The Ninja Librarian – REVIEW 
August 31 – The Power of Words – REVIEW 
September 1 – Socrates' Book Reviews -REVIEW 
September 1 – Texas Book-aholic – REVIEW 
September 2 – Laura's Interests – REVIEW 
September 3 – Moonlight Rendezvous – REVIEW 
September 4 – Carole's Book Corner – SPOTLIGHT 
September 4 – StoreyBook Reviews – GUEST POST 
September 5 – Melina's Book Blog – REVIEW 
September 5 – Teresa Trent Author Blog – SPOTLIGHT 
September 6 – A Chick Who Reads – REVIEW 
September 7 – Lisa Ks Book Reviews – REVIEW 
September 8 – A Holland Reads – SPOTLIGHT 
September 8 – Cozy Up With Kathy – INTERVIEW 
September 9 – Island Confidential – GUEST POST 
September 10 – Brooke Blogs – REVIEW 
September 11 – Bibliophile Reviews – REVIEW 
September 11 – Back Porchervations – Review