Historical researcher, Emily Haversson, and Mr Bumble (the cat) are at heritage site, Larch Hall, to go through some old records. They’ve only been there a day, when Emily discovers an old love letter which contains cryptic clues to a ‘legacy of love’ buried in the garden at Larch Hall. However, when she approaches the head gardener, Rob, to see what he makes of the clues, he expressly forbids her from digging up the garden. So when Rob discovers soil and lavender bushes strewn everywhere the next morning, he immediately accuses Emily. Only she knows the truth… Someone else is hunting for the secret hidden beneath the lavender of Larch Hall! *This book can be read as a standalone novel* Interview with the Author Q - So, what makes the Hearts and Houses British Short Story Series special? A - It's a mix of things, really. When I set out to write these books, I wanted to create something that mirrored exactly the kind of books I like to read. My top picks are usually, rural mysteries, British Chick Lit, any of the thousands of cozy mystery bestsellers, and, of course, books featuring good old fashioned small town justice. Basically, anything with a kick-ass attitude and some romantic tension gets my vote. I love getting away from predictable women sleuths mysteries! The Hearts and Houses books are a great mix of these genres. You'll find the series focuses on the fun mystery thriller suspense / Chick Lit genre overall, with some clean and wholesome romance and drama thrown in for good measure. Overall, the Hearts and Houses series is designed to keep you turning the pages - and I've made sure there's never a dull moment. Q - What order should I read the books in? A – This series is one that can be read in any order! However, they are best read in this order: - The Lavender of Larch hall - The Leaves of Llewellyn Keep - The Snow of Severly Castle - The Frost of Friston Manor - The Heart of Heathley House Q - So, why should readers give these books a try? A - Because the Hearts and Houses series is a dramatic, suspense filled, British short story series that takes no prisoners! The characters and settings are so unusual that I guarantee you won’t have read anything like it before. Ultimately, readers who enjoy cozy mystery series with plots that twist and turn all the way to the end will get a kick out of this series. And thanks for reading! Hearts and Houses British Short Story Series eBook Categories: - British chick lit - British short story series - Short stories history - Cozy mysteries women sleuths series - rural mysteries - small town justice

    Not only has she got a meddling mother, a wacky staff, and a dying business, but now she’s got a dead client who was strangled while awaiting her facial.With business the way it is, combing through this mystery may be the only way to save her salon. Until a second murder, an explosion, a kidnapping, death threats, and the hard-nosed Detective Romero complicate things. But Valentine will do anything to untangle the crime. That’s if she can keep her tools of the trade in her bag, keep herself alive, and avoid falling for the tough detective.In the end, how hard can that be?

    

    Which turns out to be a nice surprise, after all.But just as she’s getting to know her eccentric Aunts and learn to harness her newfound magic, a shocking murder threatens the entire world she’s just uncovered. Her mother’s best friend is found dead, with her Aunts’ fingerprints all over the murder weapon, and Ella must act to save her family.Combining forces with Rory, the cute mailman she’s been crushing on, Ella uses her skills of scent and sense to track the killer. But when clues cross social classes, Ella realizes that catching the killer could alienate Rory.Will Ella catch the killer and still get her man?

     When Trudie Eyre came to Hollywood as personal assistant for the famous and indulged, she expected to see wealth, glamour and maybe a little crazy. What she did not expect was to be wedged in a doggie door, trying to rescue America’s Sweetheart from a potentially career destroying booty call with Hollywood’s Sexiest Man Alive. Finding the dead body of Hollywood’s favorite bad boy slumped in a shower did not feature in the job description either. Blackmailed by the police for her help, Trudie must navigate the world of the famous and not so famous, while keeping her distance from her gorgeous fake undercover cop boyfriend, before she becomes the next target.

    But her recent acquisition of the stately Marlton House has led to a showdown with the town real estate mogul, and now she needs to restore the old house and flip it before time runs out. But Alex gets more than she bargained for when a Hawaiian shirt-clad tourist with a bullet in his head turns up in the home's bathtub. Pairing up with unlikely partner and town florist, George Fontaine, Alex vows to solve the murder before her flip becomes a flop.As Alex worries over deadlines, she stumbles across another body on the cliffs of Danger Cove. However, this "body" is a super-sexy man with amnesia...or so he says. Throw in a stash of stolen diamonds, a matchmaking grandmother, a foulmouthed parrot, and a mysterious killer with Alex in his sights, and Alex is in a race against the clock to salvage the job, solve the murder, and save her own life.

     Gianna Mancini has chatted with ghosts most of her life. It's never affected her much. Until now. The latest ghost in Gianna's family-centric, boy-complicated, job-depleted world is Emma Tinsdale, a woman Gianna despises. Wanting Emma out of her apartment and her orbit, Gianna chooses to help her move on, but she doesn't expect to come across poisonous jam, a vengeful cop, or a group of friendly clowns. When a relative is framed for Emma's death, Gianna must dig deeper and faster to find out what really happened that fatal night on the beach. With help from her sister, her cop brother, and her ex-boyfriend, Julian, she gets close to figuring out the truth. But when the killer closes in, Gianna better watch her step unless she wants to become the latest member of the dearly departed. What critics are saying about Jennifer's books: "It grabbed me by the hand and pulled me in, not letting go until the very last page. Highly recommended." - Melody's Bookshelf, on "Unbreakable Bond" "Weaves mystery with laughs (and a few tears). This delightful tale is a definite read! I would read it again as well as the rest of the series." - Should You Read This Book? Review Blog, on "Secret Bond" "The characters are always so well written. They feel like they could pop off the page. I can’t wait for the next book in the series!" - Wakela's World, on "Secret Bond" "I approached this book with the idea that it would be the light reading many of us look forward to enjoying in the summer. It turned out to be more than that and I couldn't put it down." - The Birch Bark, on "Secret Bond"

    In this full-length prequel to The Housewife Assassin series, Acme Industries black-ops agent Jack Craig is tasked with investigating the mysterious death of his organization’s most prolific hit man, Carl Stone, only to fall in love with the dead man’s wife, Donna—a woman he must never contact, but who may hold the key to her husband's disappearance. When Acme approaches Donna to join their organization as an assassin, Jack’s undercover mission will change both their lives forever.

    Suddenly Lindsay finds herself battling poisoned chocolate, a dead man who doesn't seem very dead and a psycho stalker. Her best friend and co-worker, Paula, dyes her blond hair brown, hides from everybody and insists on always having an emergency exit from any room. Secrets from Paula's past have come back to put lives in jeopardy. Determined to help Paula and to save her own life, Lindsay enlists the reluctant aid of another neighbor, Fred, an OCD computer nerd. In spite of his mundane existence, Fred possesses tidbits of knowledge about such things as hidden microphones, guns and the inside of maximum security prisons. Lindsay needs more than a chocolate fix to survive all this chaos. Lindsay Powell's only secret is the recipe for her chocolate chip cookies, but she is surrounded by neighbors with deadly secrets. Suddenly Lindsay finds herself battling poisoned chocolate, a dead man who doesn't seem very dead and a psycho stalker. Lindsay needs more than a chocolate fix to survive all this chaos.

    That was before she found the body of a woman with whom she had traded heated words the previous night, left her fingerprints on the murder weapon, and came under attack for trying to clear her name. When her cheating ex-fiance shows up, intent on convincing her to come back to work for him, Tess—armed with an extra batch of éclairs—decides to take control and solve the mystery herself, with the help of friends and frenemies alike. But will that be enough to save her when she gets too close and the killer decides it’s safer to get her out of the way?

    An eccentric aunt. An unsolved murder.Out of work reporter Clarissa Spencer is being stalked by a stray cat. She can't cook to save her life, her garden is an overgrown mess and her chocolate chip cookie addiction is out of control. Then to top it all off, she gets struck by lightning.Clarissa thinks she has it bad - until she learns the town mayor has been murdered. Okay, so it could be worse...Clarissa makes it her mission to expose the true killer before her arch nemesis - an infuriatingly handsome reporter from the city newspaper - can. Unfortunately, solving a murder is easier said than done...especially with the lunacy in Clarissa's life!

     All Hattie Jenkins wanted was a fun night at the annual Mabon Fair. But when a boat of old bones washes up on Sugar Beach, Hattie and the cats fall head first into a murder mystery that tells them: Sometimes its best to leave your skeletons in your closet. Belly-laughs and belly-rubs ... this short story has it all.

    Divorced and jobless, she relocates to the enchanting village of Witchland intent on solving the murder of her late mentor. But as she pursues clues buried in the man’s fight to save the endangered forest-dwelling lynx, she makes an enemy of a ruthless land developer.Encountering fairies in the woods, Sarah discovers she’s been repressing unique gifts passed down from her ancestor and founding witch, Lativia Spellwood. But though she can now hear her deceased friend’s dog speak, she isn’t sure her abilities are enough to expose the greed and corruption covering a killer’s lies.Can Sarah work with the magical beings to bring a murderer to justice?Witch’s Tail is the charming first book in the light-hearted The Spellwood Witches cozy mystery series. If you like paranormal puzzles, delightful canine companions, and environmental enlightenment, then you’ll love Melanie Snow’s wagging-ly fun whodunit. Buy Witch’s Tail to set a snare for an assassin today!

    Getting a call from her home town’s Sheriff with the message, “We’ve arrested your grandmother for murder,” wasn’t it.Three bodies later and Ginger finds herself, and the hot new small-town doctor, up to their broomsticks in trouble. Ginger sets out to find the real killer before her missing sister’s name shows up on a list of the dead in The Book of Ill Deeds. A Paranormal Cozy Mystery.

    Abrams was the kind of small, quiet town where, as any of its residents would tell you, nothing ever happened. That was why Ellie Rocca loved living there, even if her ex-husband did not. But even small towns had secrets, as Ellie discovered when Lacey Mitchell suddenly disappeared. Ellie caught Lacey’s husband in a lie, and one small discovery led to another until it became apparent that nothing about the Mitchell’s was quite what it seemed. Mother’s Day was just around the corner. With a sexy detective on the case, and Ellie and her friends getting closer to the truth, can Lacey Mitchell be found in time to enjoy the day with her sons? Or was something more deadly going on? This novella is 35K words, the first in the Mt. Abrams Mystery Series