Snipped in the Bud by Kate Collins Review

**** Minor Spoilers***



Snipped in the Bud is book four in the flower shop mystery series by Kate Collins. This series is about a woman called Abby Knight and her flower shop called Bloomers. There was some awesome characters in this book. If you like a bad character then you are going to love Professor "Snapdragon" Puffer! Ohhhhh he is a real horror in sooooo many ways!!!He is very sarcastic with quips dripping in acid.... He sure makes for a memorable character! When a professor gets killed it looks like Abby is the main suspect then it is going to be up to her to prove her innocence or else she could be looking at a stint behind bars...Yikes!!!!!! This was a wonderful read. I tried to figure out from the beginning who could have murdered the professor but there was a few red herrings in here so it was wonderful getting to the end finding out who really did it. I also love Abby's love interest in the form of the handsome, sexy Marco...He sounds yummy!!!!....... sigh..... male characters in books sound dreamy.......
I would def recommend this series to cosy mystery fans who love a cool and feisty lead character who finds herself in bother a lot of the time, it makes for great reading!!!

Look What I Won

JB over at http://brookcottagebooks.blogspot.ie/ was running a comp recently and I was one of the winners there.
                                                                          Yay!!!!

This is what I won!!

 

 

Thank you soooo much JB xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Whole lot of Cosy!!!!

I read lots of different books but I have to admit to having a soft spot for Cosy Mysteries....
Below are the cosy mysteries I will be reading next ...I have a good feeling about this gorgeous stack of books...

My Lovely Cosy Mysteries.......

 Leanne Sweeney ( A yellow Rose Mystery)

 Laura Childs ( A Scrapbooking Mystery)

 Cleo Coyle ( A Coffeehouse Mystery)

 Alice Kimberly( A Haunted Bookshop Mystery)

 Julie Hyzy ( A Manor House Mystery)

 Riley Adams( A Memphis BBQ Mystery)

Jeffrey Cohen(A double feature mystery)

Labyrinth by Kate Moose

This was an incredibly good story full of rich detail  told in the present and the past . Once I began the story I could not leave it so I finished it in one sitting. The  characters of Alice and Alais were my favourites and  very special , their parts of the story were the ones that stood out the most for me. The story mixes conspiracy theories ,family history and religion as well as good old fashioned crime. I did wonder how the story would flick between the present and the past but it was done seemingly effortlessly, it made following the different timelines very easy .   I love reading about theories about the Holy Grail and if you do too then I think you will enjoy this very well told story.

I received my copy of this book for review by Lovereading.co.uk.
If you would like to read a free excerpt , see a click from the movie and learn some more about this book then check it out on the link below.
http://www.lovereading.co.uk/book/8552/Labyrinth-by-Kate-Mosse.html

Ahhhhhh books

I was writing out a list of books for my To Buy Soon List... There are so many good books coming out this year that I have to keep a notepad in my bag just to keep track ..
Normally the Autumn is the time I read and buy the most books,  but as this Winter weather has dragged on for sooo long now I have found myself inside reading more and more.

Do you have a time of year you tend to read most or is it a daily fix for you?

Even my seasonal reading habits have changed as it really does not feel like spring. Normally I would read books that tend to be set at this time of year....we had hail stones a few days ago,it does not feel like Spring!!!! Yikes!!!.... Summer seems a long way away.

I am craving stories about people on their summer holidays and villa's in sunny destinations, holiday guides and non fiction accounts of people who upped and left their life in what ever dreary country they were in for a sunny climate where wine is never far at hand and the shoes are always sandals and flip-flops and ice cream is practically a food group on it's own. 

So that being said I am planning a bumper week of " holiday books "soon where I can day dream until my heart is content about sandy beaches and clear blue seas and tropical climates. All this I shall be doing while snuggled in bed with my electric blanket and bed socks and thermal Pj's......
sigh.......

I Won A Book!!

I won this book by Diane Vallere , Buyer, Beware.
This is book 2 in the Style and Error Mystery series that started with Designer Dirty Laundry. I can't wait to read this!!

In My Mailbox

I was soooo excited when I received this book this morning for review from Lovereading.co.uk.  I have heard so many good things about Labyrinth(first book in the Languedoc trilogy) and I had read so many great reviews that I can't wait to read all about it myself. There is one other reason I was excited...I had ordered book 2 in this trilogy and it arrived today . Awesome!!! I love when things like that happen!!!
The third book is called Citadel and will be released the 20th June , I will be getting that book also.  I wanted to have the previous books read before Citadel's release.
This is what they look like.

Reading this week

It's a chilly night .. perfect for snuggling under the duvet with a good book or five....

I picked out a selection of books  to read this week.... I am a very fast reader so I do tend to go through books very quickly. Here are some I hope to get to this coming week.

 

What books do you have planned for this weeks reading?? xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

A Broth of Betrayal by Connie Archer Review

 

This is book two in the Soup Lover's Mystery series . I adore this series!
In this book we meet a lot of the same characters as book 1 but we also meet some new ones too. The story is about a little town called Snowflake in Vermont where our main character Lucky owns a restaurant called By The Spoonful. The book is filled with wonderful characters and I do have a few favourites such as Lucky's granddad Jack and her dear friend Elizabeth. The setting of the story is wonderful and in this book we learn that a developer is trying to build a car wash in the centre of this idyllic town much to all the residents horror. It is not long before someone turns up dead and then the mysteries start to mount up. I read this in a few hours as I just could not put it down. I only wish the next book in this series was out already as it is going to soooo hard to wait for book three!!!!

P.s There are wonderful recipes at the back of the book as well a glimpse of book three A Roux of Revenge.

Carrot Cake Murder by Joanne Fluke Review

This is book 10 in the Hannah Swenson series which is loved by so many cosy mystery fans.
In this book Hannah is cooking up a storm for a friends family reunion... Unfortunately things do not go exactly to plan when one member of the reunion is found dead. It is going to be up to Hannah to try and figure out who murdered her friends Uncle Gus and why. There is plenty going on in this book with more then a few mouth watering recipes . It is impossible to read any of the books in this series without some cake and tea and I recommend double doses of both!! Great characters, great plot and even better, loads more books in the series.

Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stephenson Review

I cannot believe that I have got to my age without reading this book before now. Seriously folks when I was few pages into this I fell in love with it. I had heard so many references to this book down through the years that I could almost feel that I had read it but now that I finally have I could not wait to recommend it. By the way it is free on amazon through kindle .
Many famous sea fairing men are in this book.. The notorious Captain Flint and the even more well known Long John Silver....
There is a huge amount of adventure on the high seas in this book while it feels like most of the time every pirate was a bit squiffy on a nip/crate of rum...
Pirates are great fun to read about as they are so badly behaved and they do tend to be a bit of a loose cannon (did you see what I did there ;0) )
The characters in here are so likable even though they are supposed to be bad guys.. You can't help admire them in some ways( well it is hard to run about on board deck with  one  wooden leg when  you have had a few men's share of rum inside you..... purely medicinal don't you know!!! hehehehe. These Pirates are free spirits and you can see why they enjoy it so much out  roaming the seven seas...It was a lot of fun reading this and I flew through it....
I recommend this to every single person who likes great characters!!!

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Treasure-Island-ebook/dp/B0084AZXKK#_

Supping with the Devil by Richard Elliot - Square

This was not the usual type of book I read but it was awesome!!! This book had everything you could ever need for a gripping read. Murder, corruption, contract killers, and the ups and severe downs in the financial world had me glued to the page. I was astounded by how well this financial thriller kept me guessing until the jaw dropping end. There is more then the odd one of two criminals in this book and the lengths that they went to for the almighty buck was astonishing. This was a glamorous and exciting read that was good to the very last page....... Now I am going off to daydream about all things I would do if I had the type of money these people had.... sigh........This was sooooooo good. I wish there could be a sequel !!

I received this through Lovereading.co.uk for review. This book is going to be released in May.
Below is a link to the author's web page

http://www.suppingwiththedevil.com/

http://www.lovereading.co.uk/ This book will be available to read about on lovereading nearer to publication day and will be available through all good bookshops in May

Reading this weekend

Penelope by Anya Wylde

Goodnight Mister Tom

A Broth of Betrayal by Connie Archer

If there is any time left......

What are you guys reading ?? xxxxxx

This Evening

What a lovely sunny evening it was here this evening. The flowers in the garden were tempting me so I had to go and pick a few. Daffodils are such cheerful looking flowers it really brightens up the kitchen having them on the table.
So this evening I thought I would show you what I am reading right now and tell you about the book I won.....

Reading now.. This has me gripped!

A Broth of Betrayal by Connie Archer I am starting tonight... I really adored her first book in this series. I can't wait to see what the characters are going to be getting up to in this book.

Sooo... I got this hook for in the library for my door to hang my book bag on.(I am always losing my book/library bags at home)I am hoping I will get into the habit of hanging it up when I get home now that I have a new hook.

        I love this book bag, cheap ,sturdy , washable and can take the weight of the books.
                                                                      Penny's best!

So, I mentioned I won a book.. The wonderful Larissa over at http://www.larissaslife.com/ was running a comp to win a book by R .L Nanquin  yay!!!! I picked book 1 which was Monster in my Closet,

http://www.amazon.com/Monster-Closet-Haven-Story-ebook/dp/B00814M3A2/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1366923345&sr=1-1&keywords=monster+in+my+closet

I can't wait to read this!!!!

Well buddies I am off to bed with some books and tea. Sweet dreams xxxxx

Life,Love,Books and Everything Else.

It's been a funny old week. Those who follow me on Facebook may know that I have been in hospital a lot recently.. Since I came out I have been craving comfort food, books, floral scents and all things good for me. Here is what has been getting mind and soul back on the road to recovery.

                                                             Lentil and carrot soup

                                          Movies and my favourite Avoca cosy blanket

When lying in bed my nails started to bug me being unpainted..... Cute As A button by Essie is what I put on them as soon as I got home.

I have just finished reading this book... Ohhhh I loved it... I had read it years ago as a child and that edition differed slightly to this one. This was lovely ! The story is about a young girl called Mary Lennox who is sent to live with her uncle Archibald Craven in the gloomy Misselthwaite manor. There are big changes for this young girl having been previously used to being put on a pedestal by the staff her family employed in India where she lived before her move back to England. Now orphaned and living in this lonely old house she has had to adjust a lot. Her fiery temper and strong will from being too pampered are soon lessened after spending some time with the staff in Misselthwaite. Adventure ,new friends , food and the great outdoors all play a part in healing this young girl at a time in her life she was the most vulnerable. This is more touching and tender then I thought it was going to be and will now be firmly placed on my favourite shelf .

Creamy goodness for the skin in the form of Lush soaps...I needed some girly bath time....

 Inside my Christmas special edition Lush tins are these soaps: Porridge, Honey I washed the kids, Snowcake, Vanillary, The Godmother, Rockstar. These are all wonderfully scented and gentle on skin.

                                                       Time for some baking/cooking

                  There is not much that double nut, chocolate home made cookies can't sort out

                                       For my guy who looked after me so well this week.


Some tunes to read by..........

http://www.amazon.co.uk/LUSH-Fresh-Handmade-Sound-Validation/dp/B004X5YD42