The Pepper Peach Murder

Luscious Delights Mystery, #1

by

Meg Benjamin

When the toxic head chef of a local restaurant meets his end, Roxy Constantine becomes suspect number one!

After a disastrous encounter with the head chef at the trendy Denver restaurant where she worked, new chef Roxanne "Roxy" Constantine fled home to her family's farm in Shavano, Colorado. Over time and with the help of her Uncle Mike, she pulled herself up and started on an alternate career journey, creating a line of premium jams and preserves. 

Although Luscious Delights was a big hit with locals and tourists alike, it was destined to remain a small home business unless Roxy took on some help. She was a one-woman operation, barely able to make enough product each week to stock her booth at Saturday's farmers’ market. When news that a successful cooking show was coming to Shavano to feature the restaurants, farmers’ market, and other foodie enterprises, Roxy knew she could be on the brink of something bigger. With Uncle Mike's encouragement, she began to look ahead and what it would take to expand. 

However, the assault and subsequent cover-up had taken its toll on her heart, and Roxy wondered if she'd ever be whole again. The few dates she'd attempted since always fizzled out when she realized she wasn't ready for a more intimate relationship, that is, at least until she met Nate Robicheaux. a chef at a family-owned restaurant in town. 

Unfortunately, there was a constant reminder of what happened in Denver in the form of Brett Holmes, the head chef at the upscale High Country Restaurant. Brett had worked at the same restaurant and gleefully believed the head chef's fabricated version of what had occurred after Roxy had departed. Despite her explicit refusals, he regularly pushed himself her way and hounded her to sleep with him. 

One Saturday at the farmers market, Brett corralled Roxy at her booth to blackmail her into sex, threatening to tell the television producers the lies the head chef had spread after his foiled attempted rape, and get her bumped from consideration for the show. Not one to succumb to such tactics, Roxy’s refuses and their discussion became heated, and Brett grabbed Roxy. The argument and her protests attracted the attention of vendors and shoppers, and Nate jumped in to intervene, causing Brett to stumble to his knees in front of the crowd. A week later, when Brett's body was discovered in High Country's kitchen, Roxy became the new police chief's main suspect in his murder! 

The Pepper Peach Murder is an entertaining debut to Meg Benjamin's new cozy mystery series, Luscious Delights Mysteries. While having all the fun hallmarks of the cozy mystery genre front and center, the story also explores a darker theme: sexual assault/harassment. 

The protagonist, Roxy Constantine, is a great character. She's had her life disrupted, and her dreams smashed but is slowly coming back to life and taking a new direction with her career. What happened to her was horrible and unforgivable, but she refuses to let the assault and the betrayal which followed define the rest of her life. 

Nate Robicheaux, Roxy's delectable love interest, is healing as well but doing so in the kitchen of his family's restaurant, now run by his brother, Bobby, and they don't quite see eye to eye on their business. I was glad there was a glimmer of them coming together by the book's end. 

Susa is Roxy's "ride or die" best friend and is a competent and capable partner in crime-solving rather than the comic relief sidekick, which I thought was terrific. And perhaps, there's a little spark between Susa and the new police chief to fan in future books? 

The plot builds when Roxy feels Chief Fowler isn't looking hard enough at other possible suspects for Brett's murder. There is little information forthcoming from that sector, so Roxy and Susa must create their own line of questioning based on who and what they know about the people in Shavano. I liked how Susa developed an online method for the two women to record and share with each other the results of their separate inquiries and laughed over Susa's later discussion of the proper way to fill it out! With Brett's reputation as a jerk and a womanizer, there are quite a few avenues to pursue. 

Since this is the first book in the series, many townspeople were introduced, and although many did not appear to have anything to do with the current murder, they were still easy to keep track of or follow as needed. When all was revealed, I thought the resolution made sense, and the case was wrapped up without going down a bunch of unnecessary rabbit holes. I am already looking forward to more of this series. 

I enjoyed hearing about all the various jam flavors and enough of the jam-making process to know it was something I wouldn't want to tackle myself. I'll stick to trying out some of those amazing-sounding concoctions when I run across them at local farmers' markets and craft shows. Pepper Peach is absolutely on my shopping list, too. 

I highly recommend THE PEPPER PEACH MURDER to cozy mystery readers who enjoy culinary-themed stories. 

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advanced Review Copy from the author through Goddess Fish Promotions Book Tours.

Coal Dreams

by

Annette Oppenlander

Absolutely riveting!

Coal Dreams is another absolutely riveting WWII historical novel by veteran author Annette Oppenlander and features the lives of a couple of regular non-combatants and the hardships they endure while the world is at war. German Marie Heinrich is forced to go to work at the local coal mine after her husband is conscripted to fight for the Nazis. Frenchman Adrien Rocheau, taken from his hometown of Lyon, is sent to work at the same mine. He and Marie meet when he steps forward to translate her German to French for his fellow forced laborers from France. However, others in each of their communities harbor resentment and anger at their growing closeness. 

Oppenlander’s latest WWII historical novel depicts the German perspective of often overlooked aspects of the war: the impact on regular people, the non-combatants, such as the lack of food and basic necessities, and the danger from the Allied attacks or one’s own neighbors. Simple grudges fester, and people, pushed to the breaking point, eventually take advantage of others to improve their own situation. 

The plot moves quickly, and the tension in every scene is almost overwhelming at times. The effects of the war on everyday life were eye-opening, and the lengths people would go to in order to survive were heartbreaking. The author’s vivid descriptions created clear images of the action and settings and evoked strong emotion with each turn of the page. I couldn’t help but hope for a future for Marie and Adrien, even though the eventual outcome is spelled out in the Prologue. 

I recommend COAL DREAMS to readers of historical fiction, especially those with an interest in WWII and the perspective of those living in Germany and the surrounding countries at war. 

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advance Review Copy from the author through Goddess Fish Promotions Book Tours.

Momo Arashima Steals the Sword of the Wind

Momo Arashima, #1

by

Misa Sugiura

Non-stop action with magic and mythical beings and creatures will tempt even reluctant readers to fall into the story.

When twelve-year-old Momo Arashima discovers that all the stories of mythical beings and supernatural spirits that her Japanese mother had told her when she was very young were true, she is shocked and dismayed. She had drawn unwanted attention and ridicule at school early on for believing the fantastical tales and had emotionally demanded that her disappointed mother stop telling her those make-believe stories as if they were real. Now she hears that her mother is actually an Earth goddess from the Island of Mysteries and is responsible for keeping the evil spirits and demons from crossing into the world. But the portal between the land of the dead and this one has been breached. Hundreds of demons and worse have made their way onto the island, and the more that enter, the sicker her mother physically becomes. Finding out she is the only one able to stop the monsters, Momo joins a magical talking fox named Niko and her childhood friend, Danny, on a mission to save her mother and the world. 

Momo Arashima Steals the Sword of the Wind is the first book in author Misa Sugiura's new middle-grade fantasy series featuring the twelve-year-old heroine from the title. Hands down, this is one of the top books I've read this year, and I feel it is sure to be a hit with middle-grade students, including reluctant readers. As the mother of three boys who all needed coaxing to complete independent reading requirements at that age, I wish this book had been available back then! The story would be a fabulous read-aloud selection. 

Momo has had a tough childhood. Not only had she lost her father, but her mother had also been swamped with grief and, eventually, illness. To top off her misery, Momo has been besieged by cool-kid bullies at school because she's seen as "different." The bullying hurts even more when her childhood friend, Danny, is one of the group. It is extremely important at that age to feel like you belong; most readers will relate to Momo's experience. Perhaps, even more important, Momo's plight will strike a chord with young readers that bullying and cruel jokes hurt. Our heroine rises above her mistreatment, but she also stands up for herself. 

The story is fantastic, and its fast pace moves things along like a runaway rollercoaster. It captured my attention from the start, and I didn't want to put the book down until I was finished. With the recent popularity and interest in Asian culture, the story, with its modern take on Japanese mythology, couldn't come at a better time. The fantastical elements are fresh, unusual, scary, and perfect for igniting young imaginations. The awesome cover art already has me hoping for this to become an animated series. 

The trio travels to many magical places while on their quest for the tools to succeed in their ultimate showdown. Real cities, in addition to those of myth and legend, are visited and will please readers familiar with those locations. They may begin to imagine running into some of the magical beings or evil minions, just as Momo, Danny, and Niko did. 

With its highly likable and engaging characters, fun dialogue, the inclusion of current pop cultural references, and a story with non-stop action, I recommend MOMO ARASHIMA STEALS THE SWORD OF THE WIND to older elementary or middle-grade readers who enjoy stories with fantasy, magic, and mythical creatures, fans of the Percy Jackson series, and perhaps those who enjoyed the Nickelodeon series, AVATAR: The Last Airbender.

For this and other reviews, visit BOYS' MOM READS!

No Small Murder

Mini-Meadows Mystery, #1

by

Lena Gregory

A charming new series featuring a fun tiny home community and its delightful residents!

No Small Murder is the debut novel of author Lena Gregory's Mini-Meadows Mystery series and will surely delight cozy mystery readers with its tiny home theme. The main character, Emma Wells, has her own business assisting people in downsizing their possessions and easing their transition to smaller living spaces, many of whom become her neighbors in the tiny house community of Mini-Meadows. But when one of her clients arrives at their new home deceased and wrapped up with the furniture, Emma investigates to nab the killer before the murder is pinned on two innocent friends. With de-cluttering and downsizing being such trending topics, I was absolutely drawn to the premise and the plot. 

Emma is the likable and engaging heroine of this fun and compelling story. I liked that after she parted ways with her autocratic father, she made a success of her business, standing steadily on her own two feet. There are already more than enough barely-getting-by amateur sleuths featured in cozy series, so having one doing well, although still building her business, was refreshing. She has a fun group of "ride or die" gal pals, all of whom live and work within the tiny home community. Dialing up the action and entertainment is the sudden arrival of her much-loved and missed Granny Rose, who has come to move in with Emma in her less than 500 square feet of space. They all work together, supporting one another to clear the names of friends caught up in the murder mystery. 

The murder occurred early in the story, and the plot soon took some great twists and turns. There was little waiting for the action to take off. The murder victim was suitably unpleasant, and how the body was disposed of was surprising. There is quite a long list of people who had something against the victim, so there were many viable suspects to consider. I didn't know who the killer was until the reveal. 

This is the first book I've read by this author, and it was quite the page-turner. I got so involved in this story that distractions were no problem to ignore or put on hold for later. I recommend NO SMALL MURDER to cozy mystery readers looking for a charming new series featuring a fun tiny home community with a delightful group of residents. 

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advanced Review Copy from the author through Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours.

The Queen of Cotton

Texas Brave and Strong, #2

by

Laurie Moore-Moore

Exciting, entertaining, and educational!

The Queen of Cotton is the second book in author Laurie Moore-Moore’s Texas Brave and Strong series, continuing the historical fiction story of Sara Darnell Brown. This new novel is about Sara’s camel cotton convoy that travels across the state of Texas to get their product to foreign markets at the start of the American Civil War, when the traditional routes were blockaded. This surprising tale is one of overcoming obstacles and hardships, exciting yet terrifying Indian and bandit encounters, rich in historical detail, and full of heart and emotion. 

Sara Brown must once again draw deeply on everything she’s got to get Dallas’s cotton farmers’ crops to market on her own when her husband, Benjamin, joins the Texas Frontier Rangers in protecting the state’s borders. The careful plans he’d made and shared with Sara before mobilizing to the frontier fell through as the men needed to make it work, also left for war. Sara, already fully occupied with getting her mercantile back up and running after the devastating fire in Dallas the previous year, is somewhat familiar with his business and is able to come up with an unusual alternative using camels left over from earlier experiments with their use on the Texas frontier. Although I was aware of the traditional views men held at that time about women’s roles, I was still surprised by some of the characters’ vehement reactions to Sara taking charge. On the other hand, I liked Jonah Watson’s characterization as a large, strong, and capable foreman with an unheard-of classical education. Viewed as a member of the Watson family, he was still enslaved. 

The plot is well-paced, with interesting historical tidbits sprinkled throughout the story, and I loved the appearances by actual historical figures. My emotions were immediately engaged by the leave-takings of the husbands, fiancés, fathers, and sons as they headed to fight for the Confederacy or serve with the Rangers. Many of the women had experienced this same type of separation years before, either during Texas’s fight for independence from Mexico or the Mexican-American War, not knowing if they’d see their loved ones alive ever again. However, they were not given much time to think about it, as their lives and those of their families depended on their continued efforts to move forward. 

I recommend THE QUEEN OF COTTON to readers of historical fiction, especially those who enjoy a story set during the Civil War or on the Texas frontier. 

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advance Review Copy from the author through Lone Star Literary Life Book Campaigns.