Saturday, February 20, 2016

Happy Homicides - Valentine's Edition - #review #giveaway



Love can be deadly. As proven by these traditional mysteries, cunningly crafted by thirteen bestselling and award-winning authors. Nearly 500-pages of heart-warming, brain puzzling, and character-driven reads. Your purchase includes a free gift, a file with recipes and craft ideas sure to put you in a romantic mood any time of the year!

Included are:

Cara Mia Delgatto and the Stupid Cupid– (Joanna Campbell Slan) Cara hopes to find the man of her dreams. Instead she gets caught up in a lover’s nightmare.

Bones and Arrows by Carolyn Haines—Sarah Delaney Booth and her partner Tinkie Armstrong tackle a thieving Cupid.

Missing Jacket by Randy Rawls—A two-timing husband hires a retired cop to retrieve a stolen gift. But nothing is as it seems!

Murder at Catmmando Mountain by Anna Celeste Burke—A murder at a theme park puts Georgina “Georgie” Shaw at risk, when the killer sets Georgie up to take the fall. Will the hunky detective assigned to the case believe her plea of innocence?

Find out about the authors on their webpages below. 














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MY REVIEW

I've never reviewed a collection of short stories before.  And what a wonderful way to break into that practice ... thirteen cozy mysteries with a Valentine's Day theme!  It's no trade secret that the cozy mystery genre is my favorite and this is like the mother of all chocolate boxes ... thirteen little tastes of cozy Valentine's heaven!

I sorted these authors into two categories:  those I have read before and those that are (were?) new to me.  Either category has its unique advantages.  For authors, series and characters with which I am familiar, I got a backstage pass into a couple of days in the MC's lives, a special/exclusive extra story.  For the new-to-me authors, I got a happy taste of stories to come, and a wonderful introduction to the next flash flood of new series to my TBR list (because you know I've got to read more by each and every one of these authors)!

Happy Homicides does present me with one impossible task...choosing a favorite?  Sorry.  Cannot be done.  Each tasty tidbit in this chocolate box is 'da bomb'.  And taken all together - cozy story nirvana will just about cover it.  So, the bad news is...I won't share my heart-shaped box of candy with you.  The good news is ... they made more than one and I'm more than happy to share where you can get your own!

So, if you like mysteries, run to your nearest bookstore (or surf to that e-book store) and nab this tasty treat.  If you like cozy mysteries, ditto but run faster.  And if you like holiday-themed cozy mysteries?  Ohmigoodness, readers ... FLY!
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GIVEAWAY!!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway
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Click on the banner to go to the tour page, where you will find many more reviews for this title, as well as interviews and guest posts by the authors!  You can also find out how to sign up to be a blog host for future book tours!

(I received a copy of this book in exchange for my objective review.  Post contains affiliate links.)

20 comments:

  1. This sounds like a fun read. Thank you for this review!

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  2. LuAnn, you describe this collection perfectly. It's an assortment of reading delights--or at least we hope it is!

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  3. You liked us -- you really liked us! Thanks so much for your review. You've made my day.

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    1. Aw...you're welcome, Elaine! Thanks for helping to make my Valentine's Day a real celebration!

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  4. Thank you so much for this lovely review of our anthology--I love, love, love the box of chocolates idea...perfect! Or should I say purrfect, courtesy of Georgie Shaw, Jack Wheeler, and Miles, of course. Cheers! Anna Celeste Burke

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  5. Thanks for the happy review, LuAnn. Being part of these anthologies is such fun!

    ~Nancy Jill Thames
    Author of "Sweets, Treats and Murder"

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    1. They're fun to read, too, Nancy! I foresee more anthologies (especially if they are cozies) in my future!

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  6. Thanks for the great review. And, of course, I agree with you. Excellent stories by wonderful writers. Well, at least 12 of them. :-)

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  7. You sound like a candy fan just like me! (But I'm not sharing the heart-shaped box of Godiva my sweetheart bought me.)

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    1. I don't blame you a bit, Neil! Between the sweet reads and the bourbon truffles I received, I may have to get back on the wagon for chocolates for a while...(yeah, I'm not buying that one either)! *lol*

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  8. Thank you for writing such a wonderful review, LuAnn. You're "da bomb"!

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    1. And you are very kind, Teresa! So happy that Betsy's blended family seems to be doing well! :O)

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  9. I love the different textures of each story in the Happy Homicides 2 anthology. Each author in the exclusive collection has such a distinct style and voice. I hope you'll consider giving it a try!

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