New Releases For The Week Of July 4th, 2021–Part 2

Have yourself a very Merry Witchmas in July in Holiday Haven, where the magic and mystery of Christmas is snow joke!

Rudie Hollybrook, here! I love my quaint, magical town of Holiday Haven. It’s basically like living in a snow globe.

I’m killing it (oops) directing my family’s funeral home where I work with my two zany sisters and am head over heels for my boyfriend, the editor of the local paper. It’s all going swimmingly until the annual Summer Solstice pool party…when it all goes down in an avalanche of trouble.

Suddenly, I’m not the only witch in town who can see ghosts! My arch nemesis, Hayley Swift, is being haunted by the spirit of a dead beauty queen who died sixty years ago amid rumors of murder.

Even worse? The ghost seems to be warning Hayley that she’s in for the same, tragic fate!

Now, I’ve got to team up with my least favorite grinch to solve the decades old cold case and keep her out of trouble (even though Hayley seems to go looking for it). And to complicate matters, I overhear something that makes me fear I’ll soon have to pick between my beloved hometown and the man who has my heart!

Can I melt the mystery around the beauty queen’s death in time to save Hayley? And how will I make an impossible choice?

Solstice Spirits is the stand-alone sequel to Cocoa Curses. It’s a clean, cozy mystery with no gore or profanity. “If you love paranormal cozy mysteries, with witches, magic and small town drama you will love this book.”

Grab your cup of iced cocoa, and get comfy on your beach towel, for an escape to a charming town full of lovable, memorable characters, imaginative details, clever mysteries and jolly jokes that’ll have you in the holiday spirit, any time of year!

And be sure to check out the other magical mysteries of the Winter Witches of Holiday Haven series! (Amazon)

Editions Available: Kindle

It’s time to shell-ebrate! Tis the sea-sun for a little solstice fun in Holiday Haven!

Aurora Hart’s life has never been better. She’s got a successful business as an ice sculpture artist, a group of loyal friends in the Humbugs, and a hot bear of a boyfriend. Her reputation as the savior of Christmas gets her more attention than she wants, especially when the event planner for the summer solstice celebration wants her help making something special.

Everything’s going swimmingly until something goes terribly wrong. Now, all of the attention is focused on Rory, except for all the wrong reasons. Accused of being the reason things for the festivities are ruined, she needs the help of her fellow Humbugs to find who’s really behind it all. They need to work fast if they’re to keep all hope for Holiday Haven from melting away.

Water you waiting for? Get cozy and read Cheery Charms, the second book by Bella Falls in the Winter Witches of Holiday Haven series. (Amazon)

Editions Available: Kindle

Time for some fun under the North Pole sun!

Star Clearwater has everything she’s always wanted. Her business is soaring, her relationship with her mother is on the mend, and she and her cute, bookish boyfriend Everett are gearing up to attend the big Summer Solstice celebration that promises to be a party like no other.

But instead of throwing on the sunscreen and relaxing with her toes in the sand, Star’s off to hunt down two powerful chaos magic spell books that have been stolen from Everett’s bookstore. Not only is this magic dangerous in the wrong hands, but Everett’s in danger of losing his bookstore if they don’t hurry to find the books in time…

This mystery contains Christmas magic, hot cocoa, some romance, and plenty of mischievous puppy-sitting!

Jolly Jinxes is the stand-alone sequel to the cheerful Holiday Hexes, also by J. L. Collins, in the Winter Witches of Holiday Haven mystery series. (Amazon)

Editions Available: Kindle

Lumi Northrop is having the best summer of her life. She’s earned the respect of the entire haven after her role in recovering Rudolph and saving Jack Frost, her family’s reindeer sanctuary is thriving, and she’s even got herself a date to the Summer Solstice Celebration.

Life is sweeter than a bowl full of jelly.

Right up until the beloved frost pixies start going full gremlins-after-midnight, wrecking havoc around the sanctuary, and threatening to invade the entire magical Christmas village.

With no clue as to their sudden shift in attitude, Lumi and her boyfriend, the Frost Prince, are forced to go out into the wild woods searching for answers—but there are dangers far greater than a band of feral pixies lurking in the ancient forest.

Can they save the pixies before they are lost forever? Grab your favorite beach towel and an iced cocoa with extra whipped cream, and dive into this sweet Summer Solstice story with magic, mystery, danger, and a pinch of romance!

Also, be sure to check out the other Winter Witches of Holiday Haven stories and enjoy the other adventures this tiny North Pole town has to offer. (Amazon)

Editions Available: Kindle

What Trouble Can Three Kitty Familiars and Their Witches Get Into….Plenty

Hi, I’m Camille, a witch PI who can read minds and tell the past and future. Which didn’t help when I saw my ex cheating on me. He loved my powers but when I told him his business would go belly up and he’d find another woman, he wasn’t happy. And then it all came to pass. I’m better without him. My familiar is a calico kitty named Quentin. He’s an odd one who likes brandy in his milk. Oh and he can also connect with the dead.

Hey there, I’m Anna, a witch who can alter my appearance. It comes in handy when a PI needs to get into certain areas that an ordinary looking middle aged woman can’t. I lost my husband in a tragic car accident. I morphed into an ER nurse and tried to save him but couldn’t. It haunts me to this day. My familiar is a round tabby kitty named Myrna. She can also shift as well, but she loves being a cat.

Hello, I’m Jackie and I mix potions. My husband left me for a younger model. I considered brewing up a love potion to get him back, but my friends, Anna and Camille talked me out of it. I’m forever grateful they did. My familiar is a sleek black kitty named Chauncey. He can taste my potions and exhibit their effects so I know I’m on the right track and it doesn’t harm him.

When a man dies right before divorcing his wife, she’s the chief suspect. But her attorney hires the witch PIs to clear her name. There are a number of suspects, but the merry widow doesn’t help her case in the slightest. Can the witches find a killer or is he or she staring them in the face?

The cop on the beat is a fairy and he’s none too crazy about the witches sticking their nose where it doesn’t belong. He’ll have to take a number. Magic collides when the witches, their familiars, and other paranormals seek answers to a whodunit.

***Don’t Miss the First Book in the Three Kitty Familiar Witch Mystery Series*** (Amazon)

Editions Available: Kindle, Paperback

From USA Today bestselling author Leslie Langtry comes a boxed set of three hilarious Merry Wrath Mysteries! This boxed set includes three, full-length novels featuring the CIA assassin turned Girls Scout troop leader, including:

Mad Money Murder – book #16
When Merry Wrath inherits an urn of cremains, the ex-CIA agent turned Scout Leader also inherits a mystery: “If you’ve received this, it means that I need you to find out who murdered me.” With her best friend and five mischievous little Girl Scouts, Merry takes a trip across the state to her aunt’s hometown for answers. But can she get them before a killer silences her questions…for good?

Mind-Bending Murder – book #17
Former CIA agent and current suburbanite Merry Wrath knows she’s having a bad day when she wakes up wearing someone else’s clothes in a locked room with a dead body. It doesn’t help matters any when the police burst in and arrest her on the spot for the murder of a man she’s never heard of. Can Merry solve this locked room mystery before she ends up locked in a cell?

Mascots Are Murder – book #18
For Merry Wrath her 10 year high school reunion brings more than just spiked punch, when the loathed Class President threatens to reveal dangerous secrets, half the class starts hallucinating, and they all find themselves locked into the gym by a murderous ninja janitor. Merry has to move fast to make sure there are enough classmates left for a 15 year reunion!

Merry Wrath Mysteries:
Merit Badge Murder – book #1
Mint Cookie Murder – book #2
Scout Camp Mystery – short story in the “Killer Beach Reads” collection
Marshmallow S’More Murder – book #3
Movie Night Murder – book #4
Mud Run Murder – book #5
Fishing Badge Murder – short story in the “Pushing Up Daisies” collection
Motto for Murder – book #6
Map Skills Murder – book #7
Mean Girl Murder – book #8
Marriage Vow Murder – book #9
Mystery Night Murder – book #10
Meerkats and Murder– book #11
Make Believe Murder – book #12
Maltese Vulture Murder – book #13
Musket Ball Murder – book #14
Macho Man Murder – book #15
Mad Money Murder – book #16
Mind-Bending Murder – book #17
Mascots Are Murder – book #18
Mosquito Bite Murder – book #19

“Langtry gets the fun started from page one!”
~ Publisher’s Weekly (Amazon)

Editions Available: Kindle

An impending divorce. A hot homicide detective. And spontaneous time travel. Midlife in Glimmerspell is proving to be magical.

If I thought the first half of my life was a bumpy ride, I’d better buckle up because I’m about to go over the hill and off the rails.

*A laugh out loud Paranormal Women’s Fiction Novel by New York Times Bestseller Addison Moore*

A masquerade ball has all of Glimmerspell a titter as the entire town congregates at Hyland Hall, where an art benefit is set to raise funds for the local university. But things take a dark turn when an artist turns up dead and I’m left holding the murder weapon. Not only will I have to clear my good name, but the local vampire coven has recruited me to help find a couple of missing women using my time-traveling abilities. They’ve got to be kidding, right? I can no more control those jaunts around the calendar than I can control the hot flashes that sponsor them. Here’s hoping I don’t end up dead or worse—staring a mastodon in the face.
Glimmerspell is rumored to be home to vampires, werewolves, and fae, but those are just simply gimmicks to lure tourists to their snowy little town—aren’t they? Turns out, the rumors are true. Add a few paranormal creatures, one very hot vampire, my inability to control my romps around the time continuum, and a murder—and I’ve got more trouble than I know what to do with.

Who said midlife was boring?

Midlife in Glimmerspell can be a real killer.

From the NEW YORK TIMES and USA TODAY bestselling author, Addison Moore— Cosmopolitan Magazine calls Addison’s books, “…easy, frothy fun!” (Amazon)

Editions Available: Kindle, Paperback

Nasty notes and deadly deeds

Zella’s had enough of the horrid letters she’s been receiving since she moved to White Sage. Scrawled on scraps of paper and left near her home to find, each of the notes shares the same theme: go home.
Except…White Sage is Zella’s home. No one is making her feel unwelcome in her adopted town!
She enlists the sleuthing granny gang to help her track down the poison pen letter writer…and that’s when the first body appears.
Join Zella, Fairmont, and the rest of the sleuthing granny gang in their latest adventure. (Amazon)

Editions Available: Kindle

Witch’s Cove might have a rejected gargoyle familiar and a vandalized yarn shop, but even murder can’t stop this love story.

As an amateur sleuth, who happens to be a witch, I, Glinda Goodall, eventually get to the bottom of the who-dun-its. But when a gargoyle goes missing from atop a church, I don’t know where to begin to look. If that wasn’t troublesome enough, a vandal has strung pink yarn across the French inspired yarn shop. Was it kids again? Or someone more nefarious?

My only hope of figuring out this mystery is to join the women’s knitting group. I’m such a sucker for gossip. But me, knit? It won’t be pretty. Besides, do I really need a sweater in July—in Florida no less?

Anyone willing to send me some tips on knitting, please do. I need all the help I can get on these cases. (Amazon)

Editions Available: Kindle, Paperback

Being a witch can be complicated.
We have powers, but with limitations.
In a perfect witchy world, that works like a charm.
But the witchy world isn’t perfect.

Witches don’t always follow the rules, and when they don’t, bad things happen. Like Cassandra Bloom’s death, for starters.

Holiday Hills residents, magical and humans, were afraid of Cassandra. She was the bad witch in every fairytale, the one with the ugly wart and long, stringy gray hair. But she didn’t just look scary. She was scary.

Sure, everyone in town might feel secretly relieved Cassandra’s no longer with us, but they’re missing the bigger picture.

Cassandra didn’t die of old age. She was murdered.

And now I’ve got to figure out the why, how, and who before the killer strikes again. Until I do, no one in Holiday Hills is safe. (Amazon)

Editions Available: Kindle, Paperback

Death descends on the New Forest…

It is Spring 1871 when Lizzie Ross accompanies her formidable Aunt Parry on a restorative trip to the south coast. Lizzie’s husband, Ben, is kept busy at Scotland Yard and urges his wife to stay out of harm’s way.

But when Lizzie and her aunt are invited to dine with other guests at the home of wealthy landowner Sir Henry Meager, and he is found shot dead in his bed the next morning, no one feels safe.

Lizzie suspects that Sir Henry had a number of bitter enemies, many of whom might have wanted him dead. Once Ben arrives to help with the investigation, he and Lizzie must work together to expose Sir Henry’s darkest secrets, and a ruthless killer intent on revenge…

An absolutely gripping Victorian mystery featuring Scotland Yard’s Inspector Ben Ross and his wife Lizzie, perfect for fans of M R C Kasasian, Susanna Calkins and M C Beaton. (Amazon)

Editions Available: Kindle

Be witched on a pirate ship.

Storm Puddlewick of the Wavily Witch Clan didn’t mean to stow away on a pirate ship, and she certainly didn’t intend to steal a talking cat. However, it’s too late for regrets when the crew of The Pink Pearl capture her and take her to Treasure Island.

It’s the fifty-seventh pirate parlay, and the current Pirate King is determined to keep his throne. But when someone breaks the peace pact, a murder throws the event into disarray. With his reputation on the line, the king orders Storm to solve the murder, or walk the plank.

Armed with a chicken egg, a snobby cat and a few spells, Storm will need all her wits to solve the murder in time to help the king and save the peace. But with the stakes so high, it’s only a matter of time before the murderer comes after her.

Storm Wavily and the Pirate King is the first case in the Pirates Ahoy Cozy Mystery Series. Get ready to sail around the African continent and into murder, mayhem, and other misadventures. 

If you enjoy exotic locations, eccentric characters and bewitching stories, then come aboard and join the crew for a spellbinding voyage. (Amazon)

Editions Available: Kindle

At last!
Adrianne and Keith finally set a date for their wedding and flew down to Australia to b married on the Windsong as they cruised The Great Barrier Reef.

They hoped her head-strong father would make peace and attend.

But somebody didn’t want to see them married — somebody who was prepared to take Adrianne right out of the picture

(Amazon)

Editions Available: Kindle

Morgan Jones has plenty to celebrate.

She has moved in with Luca, her birthday is fast approaching, and a friend is about to tie the knot. There is magic in the air in Vanish Valley, literally. Nothing quite like stumbling across a body in the parking lot of the diner to put you off your breakfast though.

As much as Morgan loves a challenge, figuring out what happened to this guy seems almost impossible. He was last seen on camera walking into his hotel room, yet a couple of hours later he is lying face down in the dirt on the other side of town. How did he get there? No one seems to know.

A family reunion reveals that trouble is brewing and it’s down to Morgan to keep her loved ones safe. All she has to do is make it through this week without anyone else getting hurt, but that’s easier said than done in a family of witches. And what could be more annoying that one ghostly grandparent? Two.

Will anyone get their happy ending? Or are those visions of a burning house a warning of more danger on the horizon?

Bait and Witch is the sixth, and final, book in the Wicked Witches of Vanish Valley series. (Amazon)

Editions Available: Kindle

Intrepid cook Kat Holloway puts aside her apron to delve into Victorian London’s high society and catch a killer in this thrilling new mystery from the New York Times bestselling author of Murder in the East End.

While attending an exhibition at the Crystal Palace, young cook Kat Holloway is approached by a woman in distress. Lady Covington is a wealthy widow convinced that her entire family is trying to kill her. Kat feels compelled to help, and she escorts the lady home to discover whether she is delusional or in true danger.

It is quickly apparent that the threat is all too real, and Kat promises aid. Her charming confidant Daniel McAdam is busy infiltrating a plot against the Crown, and she worries he will not have time to lend his sleuthing expertise. This might be for the best, as Kat fears her growing emotional entanglement with Daniel can only lead to disaster. But soon, Kat faces a more serious threat when her involvement in both investigations plunges her into peril. (Amazon)

Editions Available: Kindle, Paperback. Audiobook

In New York Times bestselling author Jeff Abbott’s latest novel of riveting psychological suspense, an uneasy alliance forms as two widows delve into their husbands’ deadly and dangerous secrets—as they try to protect their own.

Henry North is a down-on-his-luck cybersecurity expert from New Orleans. Adam Zhang is the cofounder of one of Austin’s most successful venture capitalist firms. These two men didn’t know each other. They had never met. Yet they died together, violently, in a place neither had any business being.

When Henry doesn’t return from a business trip, his wife, Kirsten, panics—and then gets an anonymous phone call: “Your husband is dead in Austin.”

Flora Zhang knew her husband was keeping secrets. She suspected an affair, but she had decided she could forgive him for his weakness—until her husband ended up dead. And with no explanation for her husband’s murder, the police begin to suspect her.

Together, these two widows will face a powerful foe determined to write a false narrative about the murders. In doing so, neither Flora nor Kirsten will remain the women the world thought they were.

An uneasy alliance forms as the two widows delve into their husbands’ deadly and dangerous secrets—as they try to protect their own. Together they will face a powerful foe determined to write a false narrative about the murders. In doing so, neither Flora nor Kirsten will remain the woman the world thought they were. (Amazon)

Editions Available: Kindle, Hardcover, Paperback, Audiobook

“Superb…Cuts right to the heart of the most important questions of our times.” —Michael Connelly
“A tour de force – poignant, action-packed, and profound.” —Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
A Black father. A white father. Two murdered sons. A quest for vengeance.

Ike Randolph has been out of jail for fifteen years, with not so much as a speeding ticket in all that time. But a Black man with cops at the door knows to be afraid.

The last thing he expects to hear is that his son Isiah has been murdered, along with Isiah’s white husband, Derek. Ike had never fully accepted his son but is devastated by his loss.

Derek’s father Buddy Lee was almost as ashamed of Derek for being gay as Derek was ashamed of his father’s criminal record. Buddy Lee still has contacts in the underworld, though, and he wants to know who killed his boy.

Ike and Buddy Lee, two ex-cons with little else in common other than a criminal past and a love for their dead sons, band together in their desperate desire for revenge. In their quest to do better for their sons in death than they did in life, hardened men Ike and Buddy Lee will confront their own prejudices about their sons and each other, as they rain down vengeance upon those who hurt their boys.

Provocative and fast-paced, S. A. Cosby’s Razorblade Tears is a story of bloody retribution, heartfelt change – and maybe even redemption.

“A visceral full-body experience, a sharp jolt to the heart, and a treat for the senses…Cosby’s moody southern thriller marries the skillful action and plotting of Lee Child with the atmosphere and insight of Attica Locke.” —NPR (Amazon)

Editions Available: Kindle, Hardcover, Paperback, Audiobook