#2 Bundle of Fun


Lizz Lund - 2014
    Plural. Her catering disorder runs neck-and-neck with her weird luck, and her cat’s weirder tendency toward gnawing elf gear. Okay, and getting kidnapped a couple of times in one week is a little strange, too.Her next door neighbor Vito's past as ex-leader of the Moils, the Jewish-Polish Family from Bumville, New Jersey, comes to light and throws a dollop of dilemmas into an already simmering plot.Top it all off with a counterfeiting ring, a county-wide dearth of holiday wrapping tape, and a mass of pets running loose at the local mall, and what do you have? A recipe for disaster that Mina whips to a froth.Christmas Bizarre will keep you smiling when you’re not shouting up a belly laugh. Set in Lancaster, “Pee-Ay” you’ll discover a lively cast of characters, funny dialogue and lots of twists and turns. Hang on tight -- you’re in for a slalom of a holiday ride. CONFECTION CONNECTION Valentine’s Day stinks - literally - after a shift at The Shrimp Shack, getting showered with a vat of marinara and being haunted by a messy ghost.The romance holiday looms large for Mina Kitchen - a forty-something single without a boyfriend in sight, and a catering disorder to beat the band. Everyone else is all set: even her Swiffer-addicted neighbor Vito (the ex-leader of the Moils, the Jewish-Polish Family from Bumville, New Jersey) has a significant other. Who knew?And then there’s her best friend Trixie. She’s got a steady boyfriend, and a full time job with plenty of OT, too. She’s even quit smoking! Except now she’s a jelly junkie. Well, not just jelly - any sweet will do.What’s a girl to do? Set her sights on handsome Chef? Or dare a flirt with juicy James? Who you gonna call? GumBuster! Wait, that’s just one of Mina’s new part time jobs.Romance fills the air (or is that fried chicken?) but dates remain elusive as a series of mysterious thefts rattle the shop owners of Lancaster "Pee-Ay". Can mild-mannered Mina land a full time job, a boyfriend and save Trixie’s waistline without getting konked by some creepy crook? Vinnie, her mini mountain lion-sized tabby keeps assuring her everything will turn out fine - but he’s been wrong before.Confection Connection is packed with laughs, mysterious thefts and a ghost - with a cherry on top - recipes. Set in Lancaster, “Pee-Ay” you’ll discover quirky characters, hysterical dialogue and funny surprises simmering away. ˃˃˃ “Christmas Bizarre (Mina Kitchen Mystery 2) is a hilarious sequel to Kitchen Addiction!” "It kept me laughing all the way through and brought to mind Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum stories. Ms. Lund has a bit of a winner on her hands here... Very well written, excellent, quite lovable characters and some very witty lines made this into a book that I would read again...

Christmas Steele


Vanessa Gray Bartal - 2011
    Instead the holiday is a sad reminder of her fiancé’s abandonment and her sister's betrayal. Not only that, but her two friends, Tosh and Jason, have seemingly dropped out of her life. Now, alone and eating herself into oblivion, she doesn't think things could get much worse. And then her mother arrives, Meanwhile a distraction arrives in the form of a mysterious locket with the inscription "I Love You" etched on the back. It's up to Lacy to determine who sent her the present--her recently discovered grandfather, her best friend, Tosh, or Jason, the self-proclaimed eternal bachelor who fears commitment more than a root canal. Lacy's determined to get in the Christmas mood, even while navigating the emotional minefield that exists between her mother and her grandmother's new boyfriend. With so much on her plate, the mystery locket becomes a source of solace. But the answer of who sent it just might be more than Lacy's fragile heart can take.

The Long, Wrong Trailer


Karen Musser Nortman - 2014
    But the used trailer they purchase from a shady dealer and their first weekend of camping on Halloween bring them more adventure than they bargained for.

Christmas at The Grange


T.E. Kinsey - 2017
    They are invited to the festivities up at The Grange, as guests of Sir Hector and Lady Farley-Stroud.But barely have corks been popped and parlour games played when a mysterious crime comes to light. Someone has broken in while the revellers were distracted and made off with a priceless pearl necklace. Lady Hardcastle and Flo are determined to catch the thief—but with so many Christmas guests encamped at The Grange, is it possible that the felon is hiding in plain sight?With the clues stacking up, Lady Hardcastle bears down on her culprit. But just as the pieces come together, it begins to look as if there is something more devious afoot at The Grange…

Sweetwater Springs Christmas


Debra HollandBev Pettersen - 2013
    E. AYERS - A CHRISTMAS FAR FROM HOMEFar from home and with love in their hearts, a young Wyoming rancher and the daughter of a Montana railroad businessman learn the true joy of Christmas is in giving.LINDA CARROLL-BRADD - WISHES ON A STARWill a wish on a star foretell the future of a young suffragette and a visiting rancher?MJ FREDRICK - ABIGAIL'S CHRISTMAS ANGELA lonely widow and a lonelier marshal make peace with their past.DEBRA HOLLAND - THE GIFT OF MUSICCan two reserved people overcome their limitations and find love?DEBRA HOLLAND - A FAMILY FOR IKEAn orphaned boy finds an unexpected family.DEBRA HOLLAND - THE JOY OF CHRISTMASThe town banker learns that perhaps some things are more important than money.PATY JAGER - A CHRISTMAS TO REMEMBERIda doesn't remember the last two years, but her husband is determined to find her and reignite their love.JILL MARIE LANDIS - UPON A MIDNIGHT CLEARA spinster discovers it's never too late to embrace love and the surprises life has in store.TRISH MILBURN - A NEW HOME FOR CHRISTMASA woman scarred in face and heart finds love with a cowboy.LINDA MCLAUGHLIN - THE BEST PRESENTA grieving ten-year-old girl anticipating a sad Christmas receives some surprises.BEV PETTERSEN - THE CHRISTMAS CROSSINGWith a little Christmas magic, two searching hearts discover they can bridge much more than a raging river.TORI SCOTT - A PROMISE FOR CHRISTMASFaced with her first Montana winter without her husband, Rachel Tanner and her young son need a miracle.CYNTHIA WOOLF - SUGARPLUM DREAMSJulia Bosworth travels west to fulfill a special dream and finds her heart's desire.

Silent Night


Deanna Raybourn - 2012
    There are missing jewels, new faces at the Abbey, and a prowling ghost that brings back unwelcome memories from a previous holiday—one that turned deadly. Is a new culprit recreating crimes of the past? And will Brisbane let Julia investigate—?

Gifts of Love


Carol Moncado - 2016
    But somehow, since they started teaching at Serenity Landing Elementary II, he’s managed to worm his way into her life and make himself indispensable. Vince Roberts has loved Samantha since their first date, though he hasn’t done the best job of showing it. Spending time together is one reason he volunteered both of them to plan the staff Christmas party. They work together to take care of one of their own, dealing with the recent death of her husband in a house fire. As they plan the party, Samantha tries to keep Vince from finding his way into her heart. Will she admit the feelings that have been growing for so many years or walk away from Gifts of Love?

Charmed and Dangerous


Rose Pressey Betancourt - 2015
    Previously a part of the Cocktails and Covens anthology. 10,400 words. Halloween LaVeau hopes that she can finally relax and have a good time at The Bubbling Cauldron's annual Halloween bash. Being the leader of the Underworld isn't as easy as Hallie thought. All the Enchantment Pointe witches have gathered for a night of treats, but no tricks. When Hallie's best friend Annabelle is accused of messing with another witch's magic, Hallie must conjure up her sleuthing skills before all of Enchantment Pointe falls under a spell gone wrong.

The Way the Cookie Crumbles: Ginger Burnet Cozy Mysteries Prequel


Clementine Moore - 2021
    Recently returned from big city life, and in an attempt to reconnect with her roots and restart her life, she takes up the job of school baker at the esteemed Chiswick Park Academy. Further turning her back on her recent past and following her true aspirations as an amateur baker, stars seem to finally align in Ginger’s life.When a mysterious invitation to a bake-off challenge for a new TV reality show comes up, Ginger takes the opportunity to further cement her presence in the small town. She still has a month until her new job starts, so what harm could possibly be done?As the contestants gather at the highly gated Manor, things take a bloody turn, and all of a sudden ten strangers will need to work together to get out of their host’s murdering sight.Can Ginger solve the mystery and save her life in time? Will her natural instincts protect her from the mansion’s death traps?Find out in this page-turning mystery full of wild turns and family secrets that will rock Little Chiswick to the core, and announce the arrival of a new amateur sleuth in town!*If you like quirky characters, witty dialogue, heart-wrenching twists and turns, and lots of mystery, then you’ll love “The Way the Cookie Crumbles”

Dance of the Winnebagos


Ann Charles - 2011
    Yet here she was stuck in Jackrabbit Junction, Arizona, with an ornery old man, his smartass dog, and a parade of blue-haired babes. When Claire’s grandfather and his army buddies converge in the Arizona desert, it’s her thankless job to keep them out of trouble with the opposite sex. But when she finds a human leg bone and partners with a reluctant geotechnician to dig up secrets from the past, trouble finds her. She’s losing her heart. Worse, if she doesn’t stop digging, she could lose her life.

The Titan Series: Set Three


Cristin Harber - 2019
    Book 7: BISHOP’S QUEEN A reality star with an obsessive stalker finds herself under the protection of an ex-boyfriend from a tragic past who is her opposite in every way.Book 8: LOCKE AND KEY A military operative must rescue a journalist whom he blames for the murder of his teammates years ago.Book 9: JAX A former Navy SEAL and the daughter of a notorious motorcycle gangster partner to dismantle a drug cartel's partnership with the CIA.Each love story can be read as an action-packed, steamy standalone romance novel. No cliffhangers!

A Christmas Caper (Sugar Martin Vintage Cozy Mysteries Book 3)


Shéa MacLeod - 2019
    When the festivities are interrupted by an urgent call from her employer, she heads straight to London with Tippy in tow only to discover that her great-great-aunt Euphegenia has left her a final bequest—and a mysterious mission. Christmas is a time for magic and miracles and Sugar will need both if she’s to succeed in her quest. This charming Christmas cozy mystery is the third book in the Sugar Martin Vintage Cozy Mysteries set in post-WW2 England.

Footprints In The Snow (Wyoming Christmas Book 1)


Vivian Sinclair - 2016
     After his longtime girlfriend marries another man, Tom Gorman, owner of a large ranch in southeastern Wyoming, thinks there will never be a happy ending for him. To avoid people’s knowing stares and nosy questions, he rarely comes to town and then only briefly. Working on his ranch and taking care of his two siblings becomes his life. As a favor to an old friend, he invites a young widow with her two little boys to stay at his ranch. Lottie Donovan grew up as an orphan raised in foster care, and she has been alone for most of her life. Now at thirty years of age, she is alone again after her husband Wyatt, a police officer, is killed during a bank robbery. She struggles to take care of her two boys from her income as a schoolteacher. When her house sells faster than she expected, she has no place to live. Tom Gorman offers her temporary shelter at his ranch and Lottie wants to pay him back by transforming his house into a home and making his family happy. The approaching Christmas celebration is a great opportunity to bring his family together. If only she could ignore the attraction she has felt for Tom ever since they were in high school when Tom was the high school quarterback. Lottie was secretly in love with him then, while Tom had eyes only for his beautiful girlfriend Faith Parker. Will the magic of Christmas bring together these two lonely people who are so much in need of true love?

Leaphorn & Chee: Skinwalkers / A Thief of Time / Talking God


Tony Hillerman - 1992
    25,000 first printing. $25,000 ad/promo.

Dough Knot Murder: A Christmas Short Story


CeeCee James - 2019
    What should be all sugar cookies and hot cocoa takes a drastic turn when one of the guests turns up cold—as in stone cold dead. With no help in sight, the two hope to find the killer before anyone else gets iced out. Including them. "I love the Baker Street Series!" "Good mix of characters to keep you turning pages & looking forward to next." "Reward yourself by making some of the recipes included!!!" Previously published as part of the boxed set titled Six Merry Little Murders. This short story has been newly edited with and expanded. 
Be sure to read through the end to catch a few special recipes including Cecelia’s Christmas morning bread, a little something from Oscar, and my own secret Chicken Pot Pie! Plus a note from me! This story is special to me (I share a bit more about that at the end), and I hope you love this grumpy, darling man as much as I do! It turns out, the world would be a better place with a few more Oscars and Cecelias. Other books in the series include- Cherry Pie or Die Cookies and Scream Creme Brulée To Slay Drizzle of Death Slash in the Pan Terror on Top A clean, cozy read. No graphic violence, sex, or strong language.