Tag Archives: #Bookouture

Book Review: The Book Club Murders by Maggie Allswell

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Book Club Murders #1

Published May 22, 2026 by @Bookouture

For widower Judy, her murder book club is the highlight of the she gets to hear all the local gossip and even discuss a good fictitious poisoning or two. But when local librarian Wendy disappears, Judy follows in the footsteps of her fictional detective heroes only to find her dead in her home, clasping a copy of Romeo and Juliet…

The police rule it a tragic accident, but Judy knows that her friend hated Shakespeare, and suspects foul play. Gathering her fellow book lovers together, soon they discover that several townspeople had motive to want Wendy dead. Was it Nigel from the tavern, who may have been Wendy’s secret boyfriend? Or could it be Bryan, the local bookshop owner, tangled in a bitter rivalry with the library?

The plot thickens at a charity murder mystery night held at Nigel’s tavern. Suddenly more murders come to light, both real and very badly staged. And when Nigel makes an astonishing revelation, the book club agree it’s a plot twist no-one saw coming. Can Judy and her book club solve the mystery before they too fall victim to a killer plot?

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This is not your garden variety cozy mystery story where citizens work alongside police, or a detective, in helping catch a murder. I really had to sit on this review for a few days because I wasn’t sure how I could discuss this without giving too much away.

In this story we see a group of people taking matters in their own hands in the most extreme way. We also see another side of seeking justice, or the lack of the right sort of justice-in this case. Lines are so blurred between justice and retribution that the reader is taken to a dark place that leaves you wondering if the justice will be served. That said, this is the first book in the series and it shall be interesting how the author continues this premise in the next.

I must caution readers about the swear words in this story, and though there are not a lot, there are a few.

Overall, this was a fascinating and yet, crazy story that will have you keep turning the pages.

Stephanie

I received an ARC from the publishers through NetGalley

Book Review: Murder with a Side of Shrimp and Grits by Skylar Warren

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Published May 13, 2026 by @Bookouture

In the small-town Willow Bluff, Georgia, Jessie Haynes, a third-generation owner of Honeybee’s diner is in trouble when the town’s mayor dies of what appears-at first-to be an allergic reaction to Jessie’s famous shrimp and grits she served him just seconds before he took a bite that ended in his demise. In an instance all eyes are on Jessie as the mayor lies on the floor not breathing, and she becomes the talk of the town. Her family’s legacy in jeopardy, she and her friends race to find the culprit before there is no turning back from complete ruination.

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I absolutely love a culinary mystery and southern diners are the bedrock in many southern towns; which make for a perfect setting for a small-town southern mystery!

Skylar Warren is superb with character development. Each character in the story had their own unique voice, thoughts and personalities which enhances the readers engagement and connection to them. There was one character among Jessie’s circle that at first, I had a hard time trusting. His name is Chad and he is fairly new to town, and a therapist. To me, he seemed a bit too eager to help and please. He was too perfect in my opinion but eventually, I started to warm up to him a little, but still… I absolutely adore Maddie and Tee! Maddie is a teenager that works at the diner and she is so thoughtful, and loyal like Tee who is Jessie’s best friend that anyone would love to have!

From the start, I started making a mental note of suspects and practically everyone in the town could have done it! Needless to say, the mayor wasn’t a popular guy by a long shot.

This story would be great on film and as I read sheriff Roo’s role, I couldn’t help think that a younger Cherry Jones from the movie “Signs” with Mel Gibson would be a fantastic candidate for the role.

My only complaint is that I believe there are a couple scenes that could have been left out because they really didn’t help push the story forward, and it made the story a little too long. That said, it is so minor and it didn’t take away from how much I enjoyed this mystery.

A charming, fun read and I highly recommend this book. I will be on the lookout for more stories by this author!

Stephanie

I obtained an ARC from the publishers through NetGalley for an honest review.

Book Review: A Body at the Irish Book Club by Lucy Connelly

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Mercy McCarthy Mystery #5

Happy Publishing Day to Lucy Connelly!

Publish Date: April 21, 2026 by Bookouture

Mercy and Lizzie are America twin sisters who inherited their grandfather’s house and book shop in Shamrock Cove in Ireland. Lizzie runs the shop and Mercy is the writer in the family. The day Mercy returns from a book signing tour of her latest book, her sister held a signing at the shop. As the customers were paying for their books at the register, Mercy’s and Mr. Poe-their dog-discovers one of the ladies at the shop has died. Then the mystery begins on what happen to the victim.

A Body at the Irish Book Club is the first book I’ve read by Lucy Connelly. As usual-but not by design-I started this series with the fifth book. The beginning of the story had me asking a lot of questions about the backstory but a few of them were resolved and I was happy about that. By the time I finished the story, I decided to add this series to my to-read list. I am curious about the books before this one!   

I found the side characters to be great supporting characters that helped the story take shape. Mercy tended to get on my nerves at times. When she is on to something, she was like a dog with a bone, but isn’t that the point? She reminds me a little of Jessica Fletcher in Murder She Wrote and Danny Reagan in Blue Bloods. Mercy’s unwavering persistence makes for great crime solving and a writer!

My heart went out to Mercy’s sister, Lizzie. What a loving and supportive sister she is to Mercy. I am looking forward to reading more of their stories in these crime solving cases.

An intriguing story that had me racing to the end to discover the killer. I could not put this story down.

I love a good Irish cozy mystery!

Stephanie

I’ve rated this book four stars.

Thank you to the publishers for ARC through NetGalley for an honest review.

Book Review: Murder at the Highland Games (Ally McKinley Mystery #4) by Dee MacDonald

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Expected Publish Date: April 16, 2026 by Bookouture

The story begins with the annual Locharran Highland Games in Scotland where Ally McKinley, the villagers and many others are enjoying the competitions, and all the sudden, they hear a shot fired and an unpopular competitor, Archie Armstrong, is killed while in the middle of tossing the caber, and from there on, tensions are running high, many of the villagers are not empathetic to the mans death-which makes many of them a suspect to the murder-including a few members of Archie’s family members- and Ally must discover the killer to not only one murder but two before the killer strikes again!

I have now read two books in this series -not in order- and I’m enjoying reading them thus far. Dee MacDonald cleverly weaves a good murder mystery and her characters are well developed. Her whodunits are so well plotted, I’ve had and entertaining time trying to solve the crimes along-side Ally. I can’t wait to solve another crime alongside Ally!

Stephanie

Full Description of the Book:

When a fun day out in the Scottish Highlands turns fatal, there’s only one solution: call for Ally McKinley!

It’s the annual Locharran Highland Games and Ally McKinley has never seen her little village so busy or excited. Everyone’s enjoying the Scottish dancing, the bagpipes, and cheering the competitors on. But there’s a hitch in the proceedings when champion challenger Archie Armstrong drops dead in the middle of tossing the caber. Rushing to the scene, Ally is the first to spot that Archie’s death was no accident – this was murder!

Ally finds herself into a new investigation and soon discovers that more than one person may have had a murderous motive, including some of the current residents of her cosy little guesthouse. Patti, Archie’s glamorous wife, seems intent on acting like the perfect widow, but rumors of infidelity have been flying. Is her performance too good? Could her uncle, cranky gamekeeper Angus, have finally snapped, furious at Archie’s treatment of his niece? Or was it one of the frustrated local competitors, desperate to end Archie’s winning streak?

Determined to crack the case and fueled by more than one piece of her famous shortbread, Ally begins to narrow down her list of possible culprits, but is thrown for a loop when her chief suspect is found dead by the loch, a mysterious and threatening note clutched in their fingers. With a killer at large, can Ally finally uncover the truth? Or, as the sun sets over the highlands, will this game be her last?

Side Bar: There is some profanity in this story but not so much, it is scattered through the book.

Book Review: The Resistance Bakery by Siobhan Curham

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Pub Date: Sep 24 2024 by Bookouture

Book Description:

Paris, 1943. The scent of fresh baguettes hangs in the air as Coralie unbolts the door to her bakery with trembling fingers. She must get out of the city. Hiding her precious leather recipe book inside her coat, she promises never to let the secret locations of the people she worked tirelessly to save fall into German hands…

Present day. Raven is unhappy about being shipped off to the other side of the country for the summer to stay with the mysterious French grandmother she barely knows. And discovering a tattered, leather-bound book with yellowed pages full of handwritten recipes and coded numbers, she is stunned.

Her grandmother has never baked for her. And she refuses to talk about Paris, or the past. Flipping through the book, a faded photograph of a laughing couple falls out. As Raven scans the writing on the back she can scarcely believe her eyes…

What really happened in that tiny French bakery all those years ago? And could this forgotten recipe book finally bring healing to a woman still haunted by wartime secrets? Or has Raven’s discovery shattered any chance of bonding with hergrandmother, before her time runs out?

My thoughts:

I have read many world war II historical novels over the last two decades and I must say, “The Resistance Bakery”, is now at the top of my list of favorites. There are some stories that are so engaging, thought provoking, and so brilliantly told, one can’t exactly find the right words to express their appreciation for such immersive story-telling. This is one of those stories in my opinion.

One of the many topics explored in this story I admire Curham depicting is of forbidden love or love in the most dire and dangerous scenarios-if you will- and the consequences that results either in its tragic end or happy ends and new beginnings.

I must say she also touches greatly on relationships and interactions between people that we consider the enemy or evil at best during war and afterwards. It is certainly a taboo subject and even today more times than not, people still can’t have an open and honest conversation about the subject. You see, Curham brings humanity to the table and gives you food for thought. No pun intended. In this story, not everything is cut and dry and often times not everything is what it seems. I respect that aspect of the story and it allows us to know-as humans-how wrong or misinformed our personal assumptions and beliefs can be towards a person or people and the situation they’re in themselves. This just goes to show that our hearts will deceives us.

Curham’s descriptions of the pastries Coralie baked activated my senses of wonderful scents and imagination of being transported to a bakery so much so I immediately thought of the French bakery not four miles from my home and the delectable treats it has to offer. This just goes to show how atmospheric this story is told.

I love a good resistance story and a French one to boot. There is suspense, mystery, secrets, courage, forgiveness, love, laughter, music, sorrow, anger, danger, heroism, and then some… A truly beautiful story. I will be thinking about, “The Resistance Bakery” for a very long time.

Stephanie Hopkins

I reviewed an ARC of this book from the publishers through NetGalley for an honest review.

Cover Crush: The Watchmaker of Dachau by Carly Schabowski

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About the Cover: This cover is definitely and eye catcher! Love the landscape and colors.

About the book: There are a lot of books out there about Word War II. Though a bit burned out on them, I find this one interesting. It looks to be character driven. Keeping an eye on this one! -Stephanie

Book Description:

Bookouture

Historical Fiction

Pub Date 20 Jan 2021

An unforgettable novel of human kindness, inspired by an incredible true story.

Snow falls and a woman prepares for a funeral she has long expected, yet hoped would never come. As she pats her hair and straightens her skirt, she tells herself this isn’t the first time she’s lost someone. Lifting a delicate, battered wristwatch from a little box on her dresser, she presses it to her cheek. Suddenly, she’s lost in memory…

January 1945. Dachau, Germany. As the train rattles through the bright, snowy Bavarian countryside, the still beauty outside the window hides the terrible scenes inside the train, where men and women are packed together, cold and terrified. Jewish watchmaker Isaac Schüller can’t understand how he came to be here, and is certain he won’t be leaving alive.

When the prisoners arrive at Dachau concentration camp, Isaac is unexpectedly pulled from the crowd and installed in the nearby household of Senior Officer Becher and his young, pretty, spoiled wife. With his talent for watchmaking, Isaac can be of use to Becher, but he knows his life is only worth something here as long as Becher needs his skills.

Anna Reznick waits table and washes linens for the Bechers, who dine and socialise and carry on as if they don’t constantly have death all around them. When she meets Isaac she knows she’s found a true friend, and maybe more. But Dachau is a dangerous place where you can never take love for granted, and when Isaac discovers a heartbreaking secret hidden in the depths of Becher’s workshop, it will put Anna and Issac in terrible danger…

A gorgeously emotional and tear-jerking read set during World War Two. Perfect for fans of The Tattooist of Auschwitz, We Were the Lucky Ones and The Alice Network.

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before the second sleep cover crush

Stephanie Hopkins