The Baroness’ Choices for Upcoming Releases for October 2021
Hey!
Wow, it’s already fall time. I can’t believe that 2021 is almost over. Fall time is my favorite time of the year as I can snuggle up with some hot apple cider and a good book. Of course, having the three dogs snuggle with me while I enjoy a good book.
The Books
My choices for October include anthologies, romances, a thriller, different kinds of cozy mysteries, historical, Young Adult, and Fantasy. What books are you planning on reading in October?
Here are my choices for Upcoming Releases for October 2021. I will be reviewing some of these books, so please look for them if you have time.
Crown of Cinders by Emily R. King
Wings of Fury #2
Publication Date: October 5, 2021
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Greek Mythology
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Going to battle against a Titan in the war of all wars, one woman is making history in an epic novel of ancient Greece by Emily R. King, author of the Hundredth Queen series.
May Gaea be with you…
Althea Lambros is growing into her power, wrestling with a burdensome heritage, and unwilling to concede to Cronus, the redoubtable God of Gods. For that, Cronus is making good on his promise. Calling upon the elder Titans, he’s bringing down his wrath on the world. Suffering quakes, tempests, fire, and hail, mortals are paying in blood for the war of the gods.
With the help of her friend Theo, Althea takes cover with her sisters, Bronte and Cleora. But they can’t hide forever. To mastermind the downfall of the evil king, Althea must recruit allies of her own before the aggrieved mortals surrender the sisters to Cronus in exchange for peace.
Is Althea formidable enough to win? It’ll take the help of her sisters and those willing to fight for the cause of the just. As the gods pick sides, Althea must divide heaven and earth to defeat the enemy and write the true history of the war to end all wars.
Good Catch by Jennifer Bardsley
Harper Landing #2
Publication Date: October 5, 2021
Genre: Romance, Contemporary, Clean & Wholesome, Sweet, Small-Town Romance
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A pair of frenemies navigates the shallow depths of a small-town dating scene only to find the romance they need is right in front of them.
Former ballerina Marlo Jonas has all the right moves—except when it comes to men. Her latest boyfriend? A cheater. In the wake of her breakup, her father has a novel idea for her: try dating men for who they are and not how they look. This makes it easy to ignore her hot nemesis, Seattle Times reporter Ben Wexler-Lowrey.
Ben’s take on romance means spending time with interesting women whose personalities might sparkle more than their looks dazzle. But Ben’s mother thinks he can fare better. He’s never tried online dating before, but what could be the harm in putting himself out there?
As Marlo and Ben both suffer through a series of hilariously awkward dates, they’re left feeling empty. Marlo needs someone empathetic enough to soothe her past hurt. Ben needs someone who truly sees him for the man he is.
These enemies love to loathe one another; could that mean Marlo and Ben are foes in love?
Playing Possum by Dane McCaslin
The 2 Sisters Pet Valet Mysteries #3
Publication Date: October 5, 2021
Genre: Cozy Mystery
The 2 Sisters Pet Valet Service is purring along, thanks to the entrepreneurial talents of retired schoolteacher Gwen Franklin and her bestie and business partner, Nora Goldstein. But whenthe fur starts to fly, they become partners in crime detecting as well . . .
At Nora’s request, Gwen is happy to accompany her to a meeting with ex-hubby #3’s lawyer. Much to Nora’s surprise—and dismay—she’s been named executor of said ex’s will. The fact that the man has been missing for years and was just declared legally dead only makes an already complicated process more so. And besides, is he really dead? What’s not a surprise is that Nora’s twin ex-stepchildren are pressing for access to their father’s dry cleaning fortune . . .
With Gwen’s assist, it’s time for Nora to do a little digging. It turns out that the twins’ catering business is failing—and that their dad’s business was laundering more than clothing. Soon, Gwen and Nora are infiltrating a long list of dirty deeds, including fraud and illegal gains. And the perpetrators are all too close to home. The police may want Gwen and Nora to stick to their own line of work, but the pair are determined to make sure the truth comes out in the wash—before someone ends up in the discard bin . . .
Twisted Tea Christmas by Laura Childs
A Tea Shop Mystery #23
Publication Date: October 5, 2021
Genre: Cozy Mystery, Culinary
An attack on the host of a fancy tea party sends Theodosia Browning looking for answers in the latest entry in the New York Times bestselling series.
Tea maven Theodosia Browning and her tea sommelier, Drayton Conneley, are catering a Victorian Christmas party at a swanky mansion in downtown Charleston. Drucilla Heyward, the hostess, is one of the wealthiest women in town.
As the champagne flows and the tea steeps, Drucilla is so pleased with the reception by her partygoers that she reveals her secret plan to Theodosia. The Grande Dame has brought the cream of Charleston society together to reveal that she is planning to give her wealth away to various charitable organizations. However, before she can make the announcement, Theodosia finds her crumpled unconscious in the hallway. It looks like the excitement has gotten to the elderly woman–except that there is a syringe sticking out of her neck.
INCLUDES DELICIOUS RECIPES AND TEA TIME TIPS!
Wolf Point by Ian K. Smith
Ashe Cayne #2
Publication Date: October 5, 2021
Genre: Mystery, Thriller
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In the second installment of the suspense-filled series from #1 New York Times bestselling author Ian K. Smith, an ex-cop turned private investigator seeks to fight corruption on the streets of Chicago.
A Cadillac, a pistol, and a corpse make for another morning in Chicago. The body belongs to Walter Griffin, a prominent Black Chicagoan insider hailing from the city’s West Side. He ascended to the upper echelons of the mayor’s office only to meet his end in a watery grave at Wolf Point. Forensics finds his prints on the gun; it’s ruled a suicide.
But grizzled private investigator Ashe Cayne knows better.
Griffin’s children plead with a reluctant Ashe to hunt their father’s killer. They know their dad wouldn’t have taken his own life without a goodbye. And Ashe knows this town’s dark secrets often mean murder is not too far away.
Ashe decides to take on the case and navigate a city rotting with corruption, racial tensions, and sketchy backroom deals. On the bleak streets of Chicago, it’s every man for himself—and that makes everyone a suspect.
Vintage Trailers and Blackmailers by Heather Weidner
Jules Keene Glamping Mysteries #1
Publication Date: October 10, 2021
Genre: Cozy Mystery
There is nothing like finding a dead body, clad only in a red satin thong, on your property to jolt you from a quiet routine. Jules Keene, owner of the posh Fern Valley Camping Resort in the Blue Ridge Mountains, is thrust into the world of the Dark Web when one of her guests, Ira Perkins, is found murdered in the woods near her vintage trailers. Jules quickly discovers that the man who claimed to be on a writing retreat was not what he seemed, and someone will go to any length to find what he left at her resort. Jules, along with her Jack Russell Terrier sidekick Bijou, has to put the rest of the missing pieces of a blackmailing scheme together before her business is ruined.
Jules’s resort, set in the heart of Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains near Charlottesville in the quaint town of Fern Valley, offers guests a unique vacation in refurbished and upcycled vintage trailers. Hoping to expand her offerings, she partners with her maintenance/security guy to create a village of tiny houses, the latest home DIY craze, but a second murder of a reporter interrupts Jules’s expansion plans. Curiosity gets the best of her, and she steps up her sleuthing to find out what Ira Perkins was really up to and what he was really hiding at her resort.
Nightmare on the Bike Trail by Jodi Linton
A Southwest Exposure Mystery #4
Publication Date: October 11, 2021
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Welcome to Bushwhack, New Mexico: home to tourists, the great outdoors, and murder…
The Southwest Exposure Mystery Series is a mysterious, thrill ride, with zany characters, and outdoorsy adventures. You’re going to love this new cozy mystery series and probably taste the mountain air as well.
A Brush with Murder by Bailee Abbott
A Paint by Murder Mystery #1
Publication Date: October 12, 2021
Genre: Cozy Mystery
A quiet lakeside town in western New York state is the new home of Manhattan artist Chloe Abbington and the backdrop for murder in this series debut by Bailee Abbott.
For Chloe Abbington, the transition from fine art painter in New York City to painting-event business owner in charming Whisper Cove is more than a little jarring. But when poison-pen journalist Fiona Gimble writes a viciously negative review of the newly opened Paint with a View, Chloe learns that critics are the same everywhere. And when she finds Fiona’s body behind her shop with a painting knife in her neck, Chloe realizes that this picture-perfect town offers anything but peace and quiet.
Suddenly, bustling Artisan Alley is a crime scene, and Chloe is the prime suspect. Her sister and business partner, Izzie, isn’t much help–she’s busy running the shop, and besides, she has secrets of her own. As shrewd Detective Barrett tries to paint her into a corner, Chloe soon finds that Fiona had plenty of enemies. The Whisper Cove Gazette columnist wielded her pen like a sword, slicing and dicing just about every shop owner in the lakeside town.
Chloe sets out to prove that she’s been framed for Fiona’s murder. But she’d better learn the fine art of detection quickly, before the real killer paints the town red again. Otherwise, she may end up trading in her paint smock for an orange jumpsuit…or a green burial plot.
Mistletoe Cake Murder by Lena Gregory
All-Day Breakfast Café Mystery #6
Publication Date: October 12, 2021
Genre: Culinary Cozy Mystery
’Tis the season for celebrating when Gia Morelli’s holidays include both a wedding and yuletide festivities. Until someone naughty delivers a most unwanted Christmas gift—murder. . .
For a native New Yorker, palm trees and warm temperatures don’t equal winter, much less Christmastime. Nevertheless, Gia Morelli’s friends have decked the halls and trimmed the trees to truly welcome her into their “family” with an old-fashioned Boggy Creek, Florida holiday season. Even more joyous, Savannah Mills is getting married on Christmas Eve—the greatest gift Gia could ever wish for her best friend.But when Gia and Savannah stop by the caterer for a final tasting a week before the wedding, they overhear another bride arguing with her son about her husband-to-be. Moments later, the woman is sampling a piece of wedding cake—gorgeously decorated with mistletoe frosting—then suddenly dies.
Now Gia’s caterer friends are the prime suspects in what appears to be murder by poisoning. To clear their names and ensure Savannah has a merry matrimony will require Gia to conjure up a Christmas miracle . . .
Includes recipes from the All-Day Breakfast Café!
Once Upon a Seaside Murder by Maggie Blackburn
A Beach Reads Mystery #2
Publication Date: October 12, 2021
Genre: Cozy Mystery
As the holidays approach, bookstore owner Summer Merriwether learns a dark secret in this second volume of Maggie Blackburn’s Beach Reads mystery series.
There’s no place like home for the holidays, even if home is sleepy, beachside Brigid’s Island, NC. During this season for giving, the town wakes up to a welcome throng of shoppers–and Beach Reads is no exception. But bookseller Summer Merriwether’s Christmas cheer turns to cringing fear when she uncovers a deadly secret about her late mother–a secret someone will kill to keep.
When the local library hosts a cozy mystery panel discussion, Summer learns that one of the authors on the panel based her book on an actual murder that shook Brigid’s Island thirty-five years before. Worse, she soon learns that her dearly missed mother, Hildy, took a disturbingly deep interest in the case, going so far as to collect clippings and keep a journal of the dark doings. This doesn’t jibe with Summer’s memories of her usually cheery mother at all.
Tidings get worse when Summer learns of her long-lost biological family’s involvement in the crime…and still worse when the life of the book’s author is threatened. With the help of Hildy’s plucky book club, Summer puts her scholarly smarts to work on protecting the cozy author and solving the decades-old murder.
But this ghost from Christmas past may still be deadly in the present, and if she can’t find the killer, Summer’s future will be brief.
Secrets of the Specter by Molly Fitz
A Haunted Mystery, A Magical Cat, and A Modern-Day Candlestick Maker #1
Publication Date: October 12, 2021
Genre: Paranormal Cozy Mystery
I’m Mags McAllister, and I am an honest-to-goodness modern-day candlestick maker. I work in my family’s shop in the historic district of Larkhaven, Georgia, and also make a pretty penny from sharing videos of my process online.
My life is simple, quiet, and all mine… until a white cat with mismatched eyes shows up outside my shop and refuses to leave. When I take him home, things get really weird. As in, I can now see things and people that were never there before.
It gets even freakier when a voiceless spirit introduces herself to me via a handwritten letter. This specter claims that I share her name and will also share her fate if we can’t solve the mystery that’s haunted our town since 1781… and quickly, because she won’t be able to maintain her strength for much longer.
Talk about a cold case! Can I actually find a way to free my eighteenth-century counterpart? Or has my new feline companion just signed my death warrant by opening my eyes to the secret supernatural plane in our otherwise sleepy small town?
Seven Deadly Sequins by Julie Anne Lindsey
Bonnie and Clyde Mysteries #2
Publication Date: October 15, 2021
Genre: Animal Cozy Mystery
Bonnie & Clyde are at it again!
When the death of a local baker threatens to shred the fabric of their lovely town, this dynamic sleuthing duo bolts into action. The results will leave you in stitches.It’s summertime in beautiful Bliss, Georgia, and while second chance dress shop owner, Bonnie Balfour, would prefer to spend her time redesigning gowns for the upcoming Founder’s Day parade, her grandma, Gigi, is too hot under the collar to concentrate. It seems Gigi’s former friend is using her recipe to sell cobbler at the local festivities, and she’s claiming Gigi’s treat as her own!
Things go from uncomfortable to downright ugly when Gigi confronts her friend publicly about the unseamly pattern of behavior, only to later find the woman dead! With Gigi’s prints on the murder weapon, and dozens of material witnesses to their earlier scrap, Gigi cuts straight to the top of Sheriff Wright’s suspect list.
Now, Bonnie and her kitty companion, Clyde, must don their sleuthing hats once more.
To mend Gigi’s reputation and deliver justice for the victim, Bonnie must lace together a string of clues about what really happened that night. Will she wind up on the killer’s cutting board in the process?
Southern Cauldrons by Amy Boyles
Sweet Tea Witch Mysteries #21
Publication Date: October 17, 2021
Genre: Paranormal Cozy Mystery
Goodreads | Amazon #KindleUnlimited
There’s a new sheriff in Magnolia Cove and he’s taking names and kicking rear ends. Only Betty Craple doesn’t like her rear end being kicked. As the matron of Magnolia Cove, nothing happens in town without Betty knowing about it.
And when a murder occurs, this new sheriff is not only looking like an outsider, he’s beginning to look like suspect number one.
Can Pepper and her family solve the murder? Or will they become the next victims?
Trouble Brewing by Heather Day Gilbert
Barks and Beans Café Cozy Mystery #5
Publication Date: October 18, 2021
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Goodreads | BookBub | Amazon #KindleUnlimited
Welcome to the Barks & Beans Cafe, a quaint place where folks pet shelter dogs while enjoying a cup of java…and where murder sometimes pays a visit.
Convinced that the elderly lady in her care didn’t die of natural causes, Macy’s friend Della determines to look into the broken relationships surrounding the woman. She books a Halloween-themed getaway at a local inn and talks Macy into coming along with her to spy on her prime suspect.
As they join a ghost tour of the candlelit town, Macy and Della feel their guide is a little too fanatical as he shares his spooky tales. He tells the story of the Greenbrier ghost, a newlywed who supposedly came back from the grave to tell her family that her husband murdered her.
When a disturbing apparition makes its presence known, guests at the inn become apprehensive…and for good reason, because soon after, a young bride turns up dead. Although everything points to a copycat killer replicating the historical Greenbrier murder, Macy has her doubts. She’s discovered that the inn harbors secrets of its own, and when she pokes into one darkened corner too many, she might not stand a ghost of a chance.
Join siblings Macy and Bo Hatfield as they sniff out crimes in their hometown…with plenty of dogs along for the ride! The Barks & Beans Cafe cozy mystery series features a small town, an amateur sleuth, and no swearing or graphic scenes.
Christmas Town Homecoming: A 10-Book Connected Holiday Romance Collection
Publication Date: October 19, 2021
Genre: Romance, Contemporary, Clean & Wholesome, Sweet, Holiday
Welcome back to Christmas Town, Maine!
This holiday season works its romantic magic during Christmas Town High School’s ten year class reunion.It’s going to be a jam-packed holiday weekend for the returning class, beginning with preparations for the two day event – where a mysterious promise ring has been found in their time capsule – and culminating in a Reunion Ball – where something lost finally finds its home. No one’s expecting to discover love, but this is Christmas Town, where happily-ever-afters are delivered with holiday traditions, glowing twinkle lights, and tinsel.
Consider this your invitation to the reunion where you’ll have a front row seat next to some of the class’s most memorable members – the prom queen, the jock, the mean girl, the drama kid, the teacher’s pet, the bad boy, the math nerd, the girl most likely to succeed, and some of your favorite administrators. From start to finish, this collection of connected, sweet romances from Harlequin Heartwarming authors will warm your heart.
Compare this read to The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. Inside, you’ll find stories featuring best friend to lovers, best friend’s older brother, teen crush, enemies to lovers, second chance, reunion, medical, and later in life romances.
Dance of a Burning Sea by EJ Mellow
The Mousai #2
Publication Date: October 19, 2021
Genre: Historical, Fantasy, Romance
Goodreads | BookBub | Amazon #KindleUnlimited
From award-winning author E. J. Mellow comes the thrilling second installment in the Mousai series, featuring a powerful sorceress who finds her loyalties tested by a ruthless pirate lord.
Within the world of Aadilor, there is a hidden place called the Thief Kingdom, where both magic and pleasure abound. There, the Mousai, a trio of deadly sorceresses bound by oath and blood, use their powers to protect the kingdom’s treasures.
Niya Bassette brings the potent gift of dance to the Mousai, but behind her tempting twirls, she carries a heavy secret—that the infamous pirate lord, Alōs Ezra, has been threatening to exploit for years. Now banished from the Thief Kingdom for smuggling, Alōs resurfaces in Niya’s life with a plot to hold her hostage, leveraging what he knows to extort a pardon from the Thief King.
But Niya makes her own deal with Alōs to guard her secret and guarantee her freedom—yet in doing so binds herself aboard his pirate ship, where she must navigate deadly waters, a bloodthirsty crew, and her own traitorous heart. Soon, a simmering attraction between her and Alōs threatens their delicate truce and makes for a tumultuous ride on the open seas. Far from her kingdom, Niya is entangled in a dangerous dance indeed.
Welcome to the world of Aadilor, where dark deeds can mask noble hearts and the most alluring of sways often ends with a burn. Care for a spin?
Holiday Fake-Out: 22 Fake Holiday Dates to Heat Up the Season
Publication Date: October 19, 2021
Genre: Romance, Contemporary, Holiday
Need a date for the holidays? We’ve got you covered with 22 fake holidates to heat up your season!
Travel from small towns to cosmopolitan cities, snow covered mountains to gorgeous mansions. You’ll meet sexy billionaires, brainy tech gods, buff journalists, sinfully cocky athletes, and sizzling hot chefs. They’re naughty and nice (and everything in between) and they’re enough to fulfill any romantic fantasies.
These 22 swoon-worthy heroes are ready to be your *fake* plus-one at holiday events, from Christmas weddings to Chanukah and Kwanzaa celebrations. Each starts out as a charade, and though they might lie to family, friends, or co-workers, they won’t be able to fool themselves when a very real romance develops.
Escape into addictive tales of second chances, sweet new beginnings, secret crushes, friends to lovers, love triangles, and forbidden rendezvous. Throw in a mix of suspense, laughs, passion, and temptation, and your holidays are set.
Download HOLIDAY FAKEOUT now to get the season started. The tingles, butterflies, and swoons brought on by these sweet and scorching stories will have you wondering which book boyfriend you should bring home for the holidays.
Scroll up and one-click to one-click your copy today.
Jackets, Jack-O-Lantern, and Justice by Tonya Kappes
A Camper and Criminals Cozy Mystery #22
Publication Date: October 21, 2021
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Goodreads | BookBub | Amazon #KindleUnlimited
Let me be the first person to welcome you to Normal, Kentucky located in the heart of the Daniel Boone National Forest. I’m Mae West the owner of Happy Trails Campground.
Fall at the campground is my favorite time of the year. The bursts of orange, yellow, green, and red pop on the falling leaves, creating a colorful path along the trails for all of my guests at my campground is a real life picture that could never be captured by a camera.
Days are warm and at night you need a light sweater to enjoy the campfire or snuggle up in a cozy blanket.
The campground is full and the campers are excited to participate in Normal’s annual Pumpkin Carving Carnival.
It’s a little spooky seeing the hundreds jack-o-lantern faces all light up with toothless or toothy smiles.
It’s the dead body among them that chills me to the bone.
A Secret Christmas Wish by Cathy McDavid
Wishing Well Springs #3
Publication Date: October 26, 2021
Genre: Romance, Contemporary, Clean & Wholesome, Sweet, Holiday
The magic of Christmas
Could make her wish come true!
A small-town Christmas wedding. What could be more romantic? Unless you’re a plus-one for hire like single mom Maia MacKenzie. Too bad handsome cowboy Brent Hayes is her new coworker—and completely off-limits! Neither of them can afford to lose their job…or invest in a relationship. But when she sees Brent’s adorable connection with her young son, Maia can’t help wishing for a Christmas miracle.
A Texan’s Christmas Baby by Linda Warren
Texas Rebels #11
Publication Date: October 26, 2021
Genre: Romance, Contemporary, Clean & Wholesome, Sweet, Holiday
Christmas is a time of forgiveness…
And unforgettable surprisesFormer professional football player Chase Rebel has finally come home for good. But ranching life in his small Texan hometown is far from simple—especially when it comes to Chase’s beautiful estranged wife, Jody. There’s no escaping the mistakes and hurts of their past…or the feelings that still linger between them. But can Jody and an unexpected Christmas surprise show this Texan where he truly belongs?
Deck the Donuts by Ginger Bolton
A Deputy Donut Mystery #6
Publication Date: October 26, 2021
Genre: Holiday Cozy Mystery
In the sixth criminally delicious Deputy Donut Mystery series by Ginger Bolton, ’tis the season for the delectable desserts Emily Westhill and her cuddly cat serve up at their donut shop—but someone naughty on Santa’s list has come to town…
It’s Christmastime again in Fallingbrook, Wisconsin. Emily has truly decked the halls of her donut shop and decorated her donuts with festive designs from green and red frosting to snowflake sprinkles. For the annual Ice and Lights Festival, she’s commissioned a sculpture with three ice-carved donut shapes to form a holey snowman, Frosty the Donut. She has one Christmas wish this year—to spend some time under the mistletoe with a certain detective.But the holidays just aren’t the same without an unexpected disaster or two. A tour bus on its way to the festival has crashed and a snowstorm has left all the shaken passengers stranded and shivering. Emily and her friends open their homes to shelter the traveling families, while the bus driver is admitted to the hospital for his injuries. But the following morning, Emily discovers his body—buried beneath Frosty the Donut.
The bus passengers show little sympathy for the man who dashed through the snow so badly, some claiming he was under the influence while behind the wheel. Emily also discovers that the driver had a history with folks in Fallingbrook. With multiple motives for murder piling up, it will take a Christmas miracle for Emily to solve this crime…
Getaway with Murder by Diane Kelly
The Mountain Lodge Mysteries #1
Publication Date: October 26, 2021
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Getaway With Murder is the first in a cozy series from Diane Kelly set in a lodge in the Blue Ridge Mountains, where secrets hide behind every hill.
As if hitting the half-century mark wasn’t enough, Misty Murphy celebrated her landmark birthday by amicably ending her marriage and investing her settlement in a dilapidated mountain lodge at the top of the Blue Ridge Mountains. With the old inn teetering on both a bluff and bankruptcy, she must have lost her ever-loving mind.
Luckily, handyman Rocky Crowder has a knack for rehabbing virtual ruins and for doing it on a dime, and to Misty’s delight, the lodge is fully booked on opening night, every room filled with flexible folks who’d slipped into spandex and ascended the peak for a yoga retreat with plans to namastay for a full week. Misty and her guests are feeling zen―at least until the yoga instructor is found dead.
With a killer on the loose and the lodge’s reputation hanging in the balance, Misty must put her detective-skills to the test. Only one thing is as clear as a sunny mountain morning―she must solve the crime before the lodge ends up, once again, on the brink.
Have a Holly, Haunted Christmas by Lynn Cahoon
Kitchen Witch Mysteries #2.5
Publication Date: October 26, 2021
Genre: Paranormal, Culinary, Cozy Mystery, Holiday
Mia Malone is planning a holiday party to promote her catering and cooking school business—but she’s got a Christmas spirit to deal with first, in this new Kitchen Witch Mystery from New York Times bestselling author Lynn Cahoon . . .
For all its merriment, Christmas can also bring melancholy—and in Magic Springs, Idaho, Mia finds that the season has brought her an unhappy ghost who’s pulling poltergeist-style pranks to get her attention. When she demands an explanation, the ghost just sends a message: Ask Mary Alice—that is, Mia’s beloved Grans, who’s been training her to develop her witchy talents. If anyone can figure this out, it’s Grans . . . even if she still hasn’t managed to free Mia’s cat from a previous spell that she cast.
The restless spirit turns out to be Magic Spring’s most well-known ghost, Dorothy, who supposedly died peacefully in her sleep. Now Dorothy claims she was murdered, and she wants her killer brought to justice. And she doesn’t have much patience about it, so the pressure is on Mia—with some help from her boyfriend, Trent, and a strangely secretive Grans. There aren’t many dicing-and-chopping days till Christmas—but this year, the most important gift Mia can give is to cheer up this troubled spirit . . .
Includes Recipes!
Her Holiday Reunion by Cheryl Harper
Veterans’ Road #4
Publication Date: October 26, 2021
Genre: Romance, Contemporary, Clean & Wholesome, Sweet, Holiday
A Christmas agreement
Could save their marriage!
A fresh start in Miami—that’s all Mira Peters wants for Christmas. But Atlanta SWAT officer Rob Bowman won’t sign the divorce papers…unless she spends the holidays in Key West with him. Watching the Christmas boat parade and seeing Rob charm her young nephew makes her long for a second chance. But he’ll never leave his dangerous job—or Atlanta—for her… Will he?
It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Murder by Maria DiRico
A Catering Hall Mystery #3
Publication Date: October 26, 2021
Genre: Holiday, Culinary, Cozy Mystery
Astoria, Queens, is decorated within an inch of its life for the Christmas season, and Mia Carina is juggling her job at the Belle View catering hall with a case of murder . . .
Mia’s busy with a full schedule of events at the family business—among them an over-the-top Nativity-themed first birthday party and a Sweet Sixteen for a teen drama queen. But her personal life is even more challenging. Her estranged mother has returned—and her lifelong friend Jamie has discovered a shocking secret about his past. He’s so angry that he starts hanging out with Lorenzo, who claims to be his long-lost brother—even after it becomes clear that Lorenzo’s story is as fake as a plastic Christmas tree.Then a body turns up among the elves in a Santa’s-workshop lawn display, and amateur sleuth Mia has a buffet of suspects to choose from. Amid the holiday celebrations, she intends to find out who’s the guilty party . . .
Italian recipes included!
Slayed by Souvlaki by Jenny Kales
A Callie’s Kitchen Mystery #5
Publication Date: October 26, 2021
Genre: Culinary Cozy Mystery
Greek vacations can be murder! Recipes are included in this cozy mystery set in the Greek Islands.
Callie Costas can’t believe she is finally traveling to Greece with her significant other, Detective Ian Sands. However, this isn’t your average voyage: Callie’s father has invited a slew of colorful family members to his beautiful childhood village to celebrate his recent marriage. Callie is especially delighted to be reunited with her Greek “Aunt Sweetie” aka Glykeria.
The Costas family’s Greek getaway turns to Greek tragedy when murder turns up on the menu at the seaside restaurant of her father’s friend, Dimitrios. A restaurant employee has been killed and Dimitrios is a prime suspect.
With a hodge-podge group of tourists and villagers to round out the suspect list, can Callie help her father clear his friend’s name, before the killer skewers her?
Includes recipes.
Trusting the Rancher with Christmas by Cari Lynn Webb
Three Springs, Texas #2
Publication Date: October 26, 2021
Genre: Romance, Contemporary, Clean & Wholesome, Sweet, Holiday
A visit for the holidays
Brings love for a lifetimeCattle rancher Evan Bishop is desperate for Paige Palmer’s help. The veterinarian is in Three Springs for the holidays, but the single dad hopes she has time to save his ailing livestock. Paige is up for the challenge, though not quite up to resisting the cowboy’s rugged charm and his darling devotion to his little girl. Can Paige learn to trust the rancher before the countdown to Christmas ends?
Punkin Strudel Mayhem by Jodi Rath
The Cast Iron Skillet Mystery #8
Publication Date: October 29, 2021
Genre: Culinary, Cozy Mystery
It is a Spooktacular time for Jolie and Ava as they have their hands’ full catering Leavensport’s annual Halloween Pumpkin Bash. When Ava convinces Jolie to get their fortunes told by a visiting psychic, they receive an ominous prediction.
“Masks–literal and figurative, chaos, deceit, betrayal, death. The cards have spoken.”
Madame Esme Emerald’s fortunes are looking more like premonitions of doom. It seems that someone in Leavensport received a reading that did not sit well because Madame Emerald is found dead, and it looks like her crystal ball is the murder weapon—or is something more supernatural going on?
Bounty-Full Investigative Services is on the case, or is it more of a paranormal manifestation? This could be a first for the girls as they take on the underworld’s spirits.
Welcome to Leavensport, OH, where DEATH takes a DELICIOUS turn!
Well, that’s it for the Upcoming Releases for October 2021
Drop a comment if you like one of the books above or if you have one to recommend.
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Happy Reading!
Thanks so much for including VINTAGE TRAILERS AND BLACKMAILERS! I appreciate it!