Review & Giveaway: Much Ado About Murder by Elizabeth J. Duncan

Series: Shakespeare in the Catskills Mystery #3
Publisher: Crooked Lane Books
Source: the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: November 7th, 2017 
Buying Links: Amazon* | Book Depository* | Chapters.Indigo | iTunes* | Barnes & Noble
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

Costume designer Charlotte Fairfax has another murder on her hands as she prepares for the latest performance of the Catskills Shakespeare Theater Company, Much Ado About Nothing. The company's steady growth enables them to cast star British actress Audrey Ashley, who arrives on scene to play the lead role of Beatrice. But things immediately get more complicated when Audrey insists the company replace the current director with new, up and coming British director Edmund Albright.

Edmund plans to change the popular romantic comedy, which alienates several people associated with the production. And the list of people he upsets only grows: the laid off former director, the hotel owner's secretary, and even Audrey herself. Just as Edmund's plans are about to come to fruition, his body is discovered on his sofa, holding a gun in his hand. His death is quickly ruled a suicide but Charlotte thinks otherwise. Why would Edmund, on the brink of greatness, kill himself? And in such an American way?

With a whole cast of characters to investigate, Charlotte is determined to unmask each one before it's final curtain call on the whole production in award-winning author Elizabeth J. Duncan's third Shakespeare in the Catskills mystery, Much Ado About Murder.

Steph, Liam, & Bea Review Elvis Presley's Love me Tender Illustrated by Stephanie Graegin

Publisher: Dial Books
Source: From the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: November 14, 2017
Buying Links: Amazon* | Book Depository*  | Barnes & Noble
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

The king of rock-and-roll's #1 hit song "Love Me Tender" is now an endearing picture book.

Adapted from the unforgettable classic song, Elvis Presley's Love Me Tender is a heartwarming ode to the special bond between children and the adults who love and care for them--be they parents, grandparents, adoptive parents, aunts, uncles, or guardians. With its simple, timeless message, Elvis Presley's Love Me Tender is destined to join Guess How Much I Love You as a baby shower staple. And the sweet, inclusive illustrations make it a book every family will treasure "all through the years, 'till the end of time."

Excerpt & Giveaway: Dreaming of a White Wolf Christmas by Terry Spear

May all your Christmas wolves be bright…

Romance writer Candice Mayfair never missed a deadline in her life—until the playful bite of a werewolf puppy accidentally turns her into an Arctic wolf shifter. Talk about a life-changing event! Candice is at the end of her rope with the unpredictable shifting, a strong desire to howl, and the need to vacuum constantly to keep the shedding fur under control.

Enter werewolf private investigator Owen Nottingham. Owen has a new mission: convince the pretty she-wolf she needs to join his pack in time for Christmas…and be his mate. It’s the only way he can think of to keep her safe…

Bea Reviews Lure of Oblivion by Suzanne Wright

Series: The Mercury Pack #3
Publisher: Montlake Romance
Source: the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: November 21st, 2017
Buying Links: Amazon* | Book Depository* | Barnes & Noble
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

Gwen Miller may be a human, but she has no problem taking a stand against her own kind. She’s going to testify against the teenage boy she saw viciously assault a lone shifter female—and no amount of pressure from the boy’s wealthy family will make her back down. But when the harassment turns violent, help comes in the form of a lean, toned wolf with winter-gray eyes.

As a guest at Gwen’s inn, shifter enforcer Zander Devlin can’t help but notice that the fierce and leggy brunette is in serious trouble. Since she’s putting herself at risk for one of his kind, keeping her safe is the least he can do. That’s not the only reason Zander wants her close. He desires her, even as the wolf inside him backs away from her. But his feral instincts are hard to keep down, and as they take shape, they’re harder for Gwen to resist. Then again, embracing them could be the only thing that could save her life.

Group Review of If Picasso Painted a Snowman by Amy & Greg Newbold

Publisher: Tilbury House Publishers
Source: the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: October 3rd, 2017 
Buying Links: Amazon* | Book Depository* | Tilbury House | Barnes & Noble
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

If someone asked you to paint a snowman, you would probably start with three white circles stacked one upon another. Then you would add black dots for eyes, an orange triangle for a nose, and a black dotted smile. But if Picasso painted a snowman…

From that simple premise flows this delightful, whimsical, educational picture book that shows how the artist’s imagination can summon magic from a prosaic subject. Greg Newbold’s chameleon-like artistry shows us Roy Lichtenstein’s snow hero saving the day, Georgia O’Keefe’s snowman blooming in the desert, Claude Monet’s snowmen among haystacks, Grant Wood’s American Gothic snowman, Jackson Pollock’s snowman in ten thousand splats, Salvador Dali’s snowmen dripping like melty cheese, and snowmen as they might have been rendered by J. M. W. Turner, Gustav Klimt, Paul Klee, Marc Chagall, Georges Seurat, Pablita Velarde, Piet Mondrian, Sonia Delaunay, Jacob Lawrence, and Vincent van Gogh. Our guide for this tour is a lively hamster who—also chameleon-like—sports a Dali mustache on one spread, a Van Gogh ear bandage on the next.

“What would your snowman look like?” the book asks, and then offers a page with a picture frame for a child to fill in. Backmatter thumbnail biographies of the artists complete this highly original tour of the creative imagination that will delight adults as well as children.

Guest Review of To Be Where You Are by Jan Karon

Series: Mitford Years #14
Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons
Source: the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: September 19th, 2017
Buying Links: Amazon*Book Depository* | iBooks* | Barnes & Noble
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

#1 New York Times bestselling author Jan Karon returns with the fourteenth novel in the beloved Mitford series, featuring three generations of Kavanaghs.

After twelve years of wrestling with the conflicts of retirement, Father Tim Kavanagh realizes he doesn't need a steady job to prove himself. Then he's given one--but what, exactly, does it prove? Meanwhile, newly married Dooley and Lace face a crisis that empties their bank account and turns their household upside down. Is the honeymoon over? Is this where real life begins?

As the Mitford Muse editor stumbles on a quick fix for marital woes and the town grocer falls in love for the first time, Father Tim and Cynthia receive an invitation to yet another family wedding.

But perhaps the bottom line is this: While a star blinks out in the Mitford firmament, another soon blinks on at Meadowgate, and four-year-old Jack Tyler looks forward to the biggest day of his life--for now and forever.

Jan Karon weaves together the everyday lives of two families, and the cast of characters that readers around the world now love like kin.

2017 HoHoHo Read-A-Thon Sign-up Post

Yes! I've been waiting for this event since last year's ended. The HoHoHo Read-A-Thon is a week long event, hosted by the Caffeinated Reviewer, focused on reading books with winter or holiday themes. They can be any genre - romance, mystery, etc. - and any length.

There will be a Twitter party, games and challenges, and prizes. For all of the details, and to sign up, go here

As always, I have a lot of books that fit this theme. My list is an ambitious one and I likely won't finish them all, but that's part of the fun. :) Also, I tend to be a mood reader so the list is subject to change. I have almost 2 dozen unread holiday/winter books, most of them from previous years so I may read one not on the list below.

Slay Bells Ring by Karen Rose Smith (ebook, mystery) - Read 11/9 - 11/11. Review on 11/27
How the Finch Stole Christmas by Donna Andrews (ebook, mystery) - Started 11/14
A Wedding for Christmas by Lori Wilde (paperback,romance) - changed my mind 
Christmas in Destiny by Toni Blake (paperback, romance) - changed my mind
Burning Bright: Four Chanukah Love Stories (ebook,romance anthology)
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens (audio book, classic)
The Chimes by Charles Dickens (audio book, classic) -  Listened 11/9
Holiday Wishes by Jill Shalvis  - Read 11/8
The Negotiator by HelenKay Dimon - Read 11/11. Review on 11/14
Murder for Christmas by Francis Duncan - Started reading 11/12
Sleigh Bells Ring by Jodie Griffin - Read 11/13

Bea Reviews Monsterland by Michael Phillip Cash & Michael Okon

Publisher: Michael Phillip Cash
Source: the author in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: October 3rd, 2015 
Buying Links: Amazon* | Book Depository* | Barnes & Noble
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

Welcome to Monsterland – the scariest place on Earth. All guests can interact with real vampires in Vampire Village, be chased by an actual werewolf on the River Run, and walk among the dead in Zombieville.

Wyatt Baldwin, a high school student and life-long movie buff is staring bleakly at a future of flipping burgers. Due to a fortuitous circumstance, Wyatt and his friends are invited to the star-studded opening of Monsterland. In a theme park full of real vampires, werewolves and zombies, what could possibly go wrong?