-
COVER REVEAL: Honey Bee Murder by Dahlia Donovan
-
RELEASE BLITZ: Honey Mead Murder by Dahlia Donovan (Giveaway)
-
BOOK BLAST: Tea and Antipathy by Meredith Spies (Excerpt & Giveaway)
-
SERIES REVIEW: Secrets and Scrabble Books 6-7 by Josh Lanyon
Secrets and Scrabble: Lament at Loon Landing – Josh Lanyon
Fakes, folk music, and ghost fires
When legendary folk singer Lara Fairplay agrees to make her comeback appearance at Pirate Coveβs annual maritime music festival, everyone in the quaint seaside village is delightedβincluding mystery bookstore owner and sometimes amateur sleuth, Ellery Page.
Lara is scheduled to perform a recently discovered piece of music attributed to βthe father of American music,β Stephen Foster.
Several mysterious accidents later, Ellery is less delightedβespecially when it becomes clear to him that someone plans to silence the celebrity songbird forever.
Rating:
4 Stars β minor quibbles but I loved it to bitsSoundtrack: Loon
Artist: Volody
Album
Secrets and Scrabble: Death at the Deep Dive – Josh Lanyon
When Pirate Cove’s mystery bookstore owner and sometimes-amateur sleuth Ellery Page discovers a vintage diving collection bag full of antique gold coins tucked away for safe keeping in the stockroom of The Crowβs Nest, it sets off a series of increasingly dangerous events, culminating in meeting Police Chief Jack Carsonβs parents. Erβ¦ Culminating in murder.
Rating:
4 Stars β minor quibbles but I loved it to bitsSoundtrack: Dive
Artist: Olivia Dean
Album
Secrets and Scrabble is a charming cozy mystery set in small-town Pirates’ Cove starring former actor and now bookseller Ellery Page, and his boyfriend, Police Chief Jack Carson.
At this point, the series is now more cozy than mysterious. The experience more a pleasant visit to old (very nosy) friends than an exercise at sleuthing. The books are highly entertaining, the characters are mostly septuagenarians running a very, very efficient gossip mill, and Ellery and Jack are uber-endearing as a couple.
For Lament at Loon Landing, the island is graced by the presence of an ex-con folk singer and her colorful entourage. With death threats hanging over her head, Ellery is voluntold to find out if the threats are real. Our boy now has a reputation as a sleuth, and as much as it exasperates Jack, the chief is still the supportive boyfriend who helps Ellery with tips a.k.a. case notes here and there.
Death at the Deep Dive circles back to the doubloons Ellery and Jack found during their diving date in Book 5, Body at Buccaneer’s Bay. The matriarch of one of the old families, the Shantys, hired Ellery to find out who killed her brother, the former owner of the doubloons.
For both books, the culprits were very obvious. I’m not sure if author Josh Lanyon is mirroring the real world, where the main suspect is usually the criminal. It was all a matter of tagging along until Ellery connected the dots.
Not to say the mysteries are not intriguing because they are. It’s how they weave through island life, moving Ellery through various peoples and locales of Pirate’s Cove. It makes everything more immersive.
In Book 6, the conflict between the MCs is Jack torn between his duty as the police chief and his personal connections with the people involved in the case. I am Team Jack here because the Chief is really just doing his job.
For Book 7, not much relationship conflict here. Things are getting more serious between Ellery and Jack. The ending was a super cute surprise!
Lament at Loon Landing and Death at the Deep Dive kept Secrets and Scrabble‘s cozy small-town magic going strong. The mysteries might not be mindboggling, but overall, I’m eager for another exciting stay.
If you like my content, please consider using my Amazon affiliate links below to buy your copy of Secrets and Scrabble. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying Amazon purchases at no additional cost to you.
If you like my content, please consider supporting me on Ko-fi or PayPal. Your donations will help keep this website going. Thank you so much!
-
SERIES REVIEW: Secrets and Scrabble Books 3-5 by Josh Lanyon
Secrets and Scrabble: Mystery at the Masquerade – Josh Lanyon
Love is in the Salt Sea Air–and So is Murder!
Ellery Page, aspiring screenwriter, reigning Scrabble champion, and occasionally clueless owner of the village’s only mystery bookstore, the Crowβs Nest, is both flattered and bemused when heβs invited to the annual Marauderβs Masquerade, the best and biggest social event of the season in the quaint seaside village of Pirateβs Cove, Rhode Island. The event is hosted by the wealthy Marguerite Bloodworth-Ainsleyβa descendant of the famed pirate Tom Blood.
Ellery doesnβt even know Mrs. Bloodworth-Ainsleyβnor, it turns outβdoes Mrs. Bloodworth-Ainsley know him. But Margueriteβs son, Julian wants to know Ellery. Julian, handsome, rich and engaging, is a huge mystery buff. In fact, heβs bought quite a few books at the Crowβs Nest bookstore, but never quite worked up the nerve to ask Ellery out.
As his relationship with Police Chief Carson seems to be dead in the water, Ellery is grateful for a little flattering attention from the villageβs most eligible bachelor, but any hopes of romance hit the shoals when Julian is accused of murdering his motherβs unlikable second husband during the Masquerade’s annual ghost hunt in the familyβs spooky cemetery
Rating:
4 Stars β minor quibbles but I loved it to bitsSoundtrack: Only for You
Artist: Heartless Bastards
Album: Arrow
Secrets and Scrabble: Scandal at the Salty Dog – Josh Lanyon
Mystery Stalks the Cobbled Streets of Pirate’s Cove
Who or what is haunting elderly recluse Juliet Blackwell, what does it have to do with mysterious goings-on at the Salty Dog Pub–and why is any of it mystery bookshop owner Ellery Page’s problem? According to sometimes boyfriend Police Chief Jack Carson, it’s not Ellery’s problem, and Ellery should stop asking awkward questions before it’s too late.
Ellery couldn’t agree more, but it’s hard to say no when someone is as frightened as old Mrs. Blackwell. Mrs. Blackwell insists the ghost of long dead pirate Rufus Blackwell has come to avenge himself on the last member of his treacherous clan.
Before Ellery can say, “Yikes!” Mrs. Blackwell takes a tumble down the grand staircase of her spooky mansion, and it’s up to Ellery to find who is trying to kill his eccentric customer.
Rating:
4 Stars β minor quibbles but I loved it to bitsSoundtrack: Now That I’ve Found You
Artist: Liam Gallagher
Album: Why Me? Why Not.
Secrets and Scrabble: Body at Buccaneer’s Bay – Josh Lanyon
Dead Men Tell No Tales
Mystery Bookshop owner Ellery Page and Police Chief Jack Carson are diving for the legendary sunken pirate galleon Blood Red Rose when they discover an old fashioned diver’s suit, water-damaged and encrusted with barnacles. Further examination reveals the 19th Century suit contains a 21st Century body.
Who is the mysterious diver? No one seems to be missing from the quaint and cozy town of Pirate’s Cove. Was he really diving for pirate’s gold? And if not, what exactly did he do to earn that bullet hole in his skull?
Rating:
4 Stars β minor quibbles but I loved it to bitsSoundtrack: Every Side of You
Artist: Vance Joy
Album: In Our Own Sweet Time
Secrets and Scrabble is a cozy mystery that is as adorable as advertised. The first two books, Murder at Pirateβs Cove and Secret At Skull House, I was admittedly not that into the series just yet since the first 2 cases were similar. Our hero Ellery Page was accused of murder twice.
The third time’s the charm because Book 3, Mystery at the Masquerade, I was all in! Here, reluctant amateur sleuth Ellery was asked to prove his masquerade ball date’s innocence. This had him crossing paths with the one-time date and more-than-friend friend, Police Chief Jack Carson.
Each mystery put one of Buck Island’s founding families under scrutiny and took Ellery to midnight forays in centuries old crypts, tunnels, and old houses. I totally love the setting! Buck Island was founded by pirates who built grand houses, and secret tunnels. It’s a great place to explore.
To live in? I’m not sure. The series is chockful of very spry, very gossipy septuagenarians, and as per Ellery, it’s a fishbowl. Nosy as they are, the supporting cast is very entertaining. At this point, the initially maligned Ellery, a transplant from New York but a descendant of the founding father, Horatio Page, is now a respected member of the community.
The next two books, Scandal at the Salty Dog and Body in Buccaneer’s Bay, Ellery is roped in to investigate since he now has the reputation as an amateur sleuth. To me, the hallmarks of a great mystery novel is how much I enjoy tagging along with the detective, regardless of whether or not I care about catching the culprit. And Secrets and Scrabble made it so much fun to tag along with Ellery and experience Pirate Cove through his eyes.
Ellery is a fantastic MC for a cozy! Lovable, kind-hearted, loyal, and always willing to lend a hand even if greatly inconvenienced. Not overly quirky or introverted, abysmally bad actor, okay playwright, a struggling bookstore owner, and a devoted human to Watson, the black mixed-breed puppy. (I audiobooked this and narrator Matt Haynes’s Watson barks are ridiculously adorbs!)
He went through the trademark Josh Lanyon hot/cold treatment in love interest Jack. The whys of this were later revealed in the last part of Book 3 through Jack’s impassioned speech about his tragic past. The chief is one the best cop boyfriends in the author’s roster of gruff cop boyfriends because he’s not an asshole like the others. The romance might be low-key but certainly very cute!
Secrets and Scrabble is a pirate-flavored cozy mystery series that continues to charm me with intriguing cases, quirky characters, lovable MCs and an island full of secrets and hidden treasures yet to be discovered. With a delightful slow-burn romance as the cherry on top, I’m completely onboard for the rest of the journey!
P.S.
Secrets and Scrabble should be read in order. Witness a pirate cosplay murder in Murder at Pirateβs Cove. Find out how Ellery fared as a suspect in yet another murder in Secret At Skull House.
If you like my content, please consider using my Amazon affiliate links below to buy your copy of Secrets and Scrabble. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying Amazon purchases at no additional cost to you.
You can also use my Bookshop affiliate links to buy paperbacks and MP3 CD audiobooks and help support independent bookstores.
MYSTERY AT THE MASQUERADE
SCANDAL AT THE SALTY DOG
BODY AT BUCCANEER”S BAYIf you like my content, please consider supporting me on Ko-fi or PayPal. Your donations will help keep this website going. Thank you so much!
-
SERIES REVIEW: Kip O’Connor Mystery Books 1-3 by S.C. Wynne
Kip O’Connor Mystery: Last Gasp – S.C. Wynne
Kip OβConnor lives a simple life in the little seaside town of Pearl Bay. Unless itβs tourist season, things tend to be pretty peaceful. There is, however, one never ending source of irritation in the form of Police Chief Merrick Dawson.
Merrick is Kipβs older brotherβs BFF, and nothing seems to bring Merrick more joy than nagging Kip about silly things. Youβd think a Police Chief would have more important things to do than lecture Kip on parking tickets and picking up pet waste, but somehow Merrick always finds the time.
Kip decides to take an art class at the local community college, and heβs annoyed to find Merrick has also enrolled in the course. The instructor takes a shine to Kip, and soon they become friends outside of class. Merrick warns Kip of the dangers of blurring those lines and befriending his teacher, but Kip is flattered by the attention.
When his art teacher is found stabbed through the forehead with a palette knife, Kip is determined to figure out who killed his new friend. Merrick naturally thinks Kip getting involved in the investigation is a horrible idea, but when has Kip ever listened to that irksome, pig-headed Merrick Dawson?
This is book one in my brand new Kip O’Connor M/M Cozy Mystery series. Each book has a cozy feel to it and there is a strong romantic story-line in each book. No on page steam but some mild violence. I hope you enjoy reading this series as much as I enjoy writing it.
Rating:
4 Stars β minor quibbles but I loved it to bitsSoundtrack: Please Notice
Artist: Christian Leave
Album: Hope
Kip O’Connor Mystery: Last Date – S.C. Wynne
Some dates are simply murder.
After barely surviving a terrifying stalker last month, Kip is reexamining his life choices. Thereβs nothing like almost dying to make you take stock of things.
One bright spot is that the ever maddening Merrick Dawson has stopped following him around picking on him. Merrick has begun dating Peter Harris, who by all accounts is a wonderful guy. Peter is nice. Heβs handsome. Heβs downright annoyingly perfect.
When Kip is asked out on a romantic sunset cruise by one of Pearl Coveβs most eligible bachelors, he decides he has nothing to lose. Unless he wants to spend the rest of his days alone, he needs to be proactive about finding love.
But when Kip shows up for the cruise, instead of champagne and chocolate-covered strawberries, he finds his date dead.This is book two in my Kip O’Connor M/M Cozy Mystery series. Each book has a cozy feel to it and there is a strong romantic (slow burn) storyline in each book. No on-page steam but some mild violence.
Rating:
4 Stars β minor quibbles but I loved it to bitsSoundtrack: Longshot
Artist: Catfish and the Bottlemen
Album: The Balance
Kip O’Connor Mystery: Last Chance – S.C. Wynne
Wait just a minute. A whole month has passed and no one has been murdered in Pearl Cove?
Things are settling down in Pearl Cove as Kip and Merrick fumble their way through a new relationship. Thereβs no denying the two men have deep feelings for each other, but trust issues can play havoc when people donβt communicate well.
When Kipβs office manager, Helen, has her home burgled, but nothing is stolen, the Pearl Cove PD has little interest in solving the case. Kip, Charlene, and Helen decide a little amateur sleuthing couldnβt hurt anything.
Not surprisingly, Police Chief Dawson doesnβt agree. He wholeheartedly disapproves of his boyfriendβs plan to nab the trespasser. But if the police wonβt do anything, Kip isnβt about to turn his back on his friend.
In fact, itβs rather fun to play detectiveβ¦ until the thief tries to murder them.
This is book three in my Kip O’Connor M/M Cozy Mystery series. Each book has a cozy feel to it and there is a strong romantic storyline in each book. No on-page graphic steam, but some mild violence.
Rating:
4 Stars β minor quibbles but I loved it to bitsAlbum: Care for You
Artist: Ryan Ashley
Album: Care for You
Kip O’Connor Mystery is your typical cozy mystery. Small town, quirky characters, frenemy cop later boyfriend, and of course, murder. The dynamics between Kip and Police Chief Merrick Dawson reminded me of Josh Lanyon‘s style, except this is much better. Merrick is more likable and less an asshole than most Josh Lanyon love interests.
I say this is typical, but this turned out to be my favorite S.C. Wynne series. The author picked a great narrator, James Woodrich, whose delivery suited the story to a T and made Kip’s personality shine. I also liked how he voiced Merrick’s character, charming, a bit arrogant but always protective of Kip, level-headed and stern when in cop mode.
Kip’s fantastic in his down-to-earth ways. His character wasn’t overly quirky or introverted, for which I’m glad as too many cozies tend to lean towards those. He’s an average joe who seeks contentment and a simple life. What made me love Kip is that he’s kind-hearted, loyal, and always willing to help his friends, who are also his employees. He runs a thriving dog-walking business and likes dogs so much, he volunteered a lot of pro-bono training hours just so a dog wouldn’t end up in the pound. And I was super amused at how spectacularly oblivious he was about Merrick.
Kip and Merrick had an antagonistic relationship since childhood. Merrick is Kip’s older brother Thomas’s best friend, who tormented him as a child. As years passed, Merrick’s feelings changed, but Kip’s has not, and this led to the running gag in the first two books, where everyone knows, hints are thrown, but Kip fails to pick up or entertain because memories of bullying were hard to shake off.
I’m not sure how to feel about Kip’s family and friends waving the trauma aside and proclaiming Merrick’s the best guy for him. However, present-day Merrick is genuinely contrite, so I wasn’t too hard on him. I loved how effectively the author created the USTs and squee factor between the two MCs, even if most of how Merrick felt was only relayed to Kip, who had a hard time believing. It took spelling out for our boy to realize what was pretty obvious to everyone. Trust is an issue but they’re working on it.
The mysteries were intriguing, with a lot of red herrings thrown in. For the first two books, Last Gasp and Last Date, Kip is directly connected to the murder victims. One is his art teacher. The second is his Valentine’s Day date. I like that he didn’t do amateur sleuthing here because it wouldn’t have felt natural, given Kip’s situation.
In the third book, Last Chance, his employee Charlene is burgled, and due to police neglect, Kip, Charlene, and another employee, Helen, are forced to do some amateur sleuthing. They crossed paths with some horrible people but there is a nice little resolution for Charlene at the end.
One of the conflicts between the MCs is about police behavior. Kip’s encounters with the cops were usually unpleasant. Merrick is understandably defensive of his cops, but Kip had a point about them not doing their jobs properly and/or jumping the gun too often. However, the great thing about these two is that they might bicker and miscommunicate, but they do make it a point to talk, eventually.
Kip O’ Connor Mystery is as cozy and entertaining as promised. Add to it the adorable doggy antics, and boy, do I want to work for Red Leash! Kip’s a super cool boss and my spirit animal in bleeding hearts for strays department. He’d be awesome to have as a friend too. All in all, great books for curling up in a corner with a canine friend or two!
If you like my content, please consider using my Amazon affiliate links below to buy your copy of Kip O’Connor Mystery. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying Amazon purchases at no additional cost to you.
Kip O’Connor Mystery: US
If you like my content, please consider supporting me on Ko-fi or PayPal. Your donations will help keep this website going. Thank you so much!
-
BOOK TOUR: Purloined Poinsettia by Dahlia Donovan (Excerpt & Giveaway)
-
BLOG TOUR: Crown Court Killer by Dahlia Donovan (Excerpt & Giveaway)
-
NEW RELEASE: Crown Court Killer by Dahlia Donovan (Giveaway)
-
COVER REVEAL: Crown Court Killer by Dahlia Donovan