Prawn of the Dead (Lemon Layne Mystery #1) by Dakota Cassidy

Blurb:

Fig Harbor, Washington home to amateur sleuth Lemon Layne, the best Sherlock Holmes wannabe west of the Mississippi!

USA Today bestselling cozy mystery author Dakota Cassidy serves up conspiracy, suspects, bedlam, and murder in Prawn of the Dead, Book 1 in A Lemon Layne Mystery series.

Prawn of the Dead is sure to keep you guessing from start to finish as you and Lemon follow the trail of a murderer.

"My name is Lemon Layne, and if asked to describe myself, like maybe on a dating site (which is never gonna happen), I'd have to go with best convenience store/barbecue joint owner in the Pacific Northwest. I live in the tiny tourist town of Fig Harbor, Washington with my adorably neurotic best friend, Coco Belinski, my a-little-left- of-center (read totally out there) mom, May, and my troublemaking pet monkey, Jessica Fletcher.

Oh, and last but certainly not least, I'm a dyed-in-the-wool amateur sleuth. Yep. I'm literally incapable of resisting a good mystery. No matter how great or small, I love to stick my nose into...er, help solve a crime. From the mysterious disappearance of Ho Hos in my store, to a lost piece of jewelry, I'm always ready to put on my Sherlock Holmes cap (I really do have one. Got it when I was eight).

When I find my mother's ex-boyfriend murdered in our convenience store bathroom with a piece of his skull missing, and my mom's a suspect in a murder investigation, my mystery solving goes from zero to a hundred. To really make matters worse, the town's local conspiracy theorist and official doomsday prepper, Cappie somehow finds out the victim isn't just missing a piece of his skull--he's missing a piece of his brain!

And that's when off the wall Cappie starts spreading word the zombie apocalypse has officially arrived in our tiny burg. Total chaos ensues and I have to pick my way through everything from weekend warrior zombie hunters to medical mysteries in order to catch a killer!"

This contemporary cozy mystery has it all, from the local doomsday prepper to an out of control pet monkey, a mother who would drive a saint to drink, and of course a dead body in the bathroom. Prawn of the Dead is a laugh-out-loud thrill ride that will keep you guessing from start to finish.

My review:

Prawn of the Dead is an adorable cozy mystery by the ever snarky Dakota Cassidy. You are guaranteed to giggle, groan and laugh out loud on your way to finding out who done it. I loved it. With a mixture of quirky cohorts and a spider monkey named Jessica Fletcher Lemon Layne is a sleuth to watch.

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Bad to the Bone (Barkery & Biscuits Mystery #3) by Linda O. Johnston

Blurb:

Veterinary technician Carrie Kennersly, owner of the Barkery & Biscuits bakery for dogs, is reluctant to sell her recipes to pet food manufacturer VimPets. Jack Loroco, a VimPets representative, assures Carrie that it would be a great opportunity to grow her business. His promising new relationship with Carrie's friend, Billi Matlock, doesn't hurt his cause. But the budding romance takes a bad turn when Wanda Addler, another VimPets employee, sets her sights on Jack.

After threatening to ruin Jack's career if he doesn't give her what she wants, Wanda is found dead. Jack and Billi are put at the top of the suspect list, and Carrie is doggone determined to rescue them from a life behind bars.

My review:

Bad to the Bone is a wonderful addition to the Barkery & Biscuits Mystery series. The crew of regulars both human and furry are back and the victim is truly a horrible person, someone no one will miss. But the cops still have to find the murderer and in Knobcone that means Vet Tech Bakery owner Carrie Kennersly is going to poke her nose in especially when the two prime suspects are friends of hers. I loved the interactions with the fur babies and that Carrie and Vet Reed are moving closer in their relationship. I am going to give the recipes at the end of the book a try. If you enjoy dogs and mysteries enjoy this doggone good tale.

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When Danger Bites (Bravo Team WOLF #1) by Heather Long

Blurb:

Buttoned-up Corporal Kaitlyn Amador is dangerous on every level. As a human, she poses a threat to Marine Captain Jax Raymond’s special Force Recon unit. Though the team has a reputation among the other recon units, only their commanding officer knows their secret. As a woman, the danger posed is entirely different. Jax can survive the temptation for only so long before his wolf takes over and pursues what it wants. 

Military intelligence specialist Corporal Kaitlyn Amador is the first woman in the Marines to be assigned to a recon team. And everyone’s watching her. Her mission? Not only prove herself worthy of her place in the group, but uncover the mystery of why Bravo Team is so successful. A mission that gets more difficult every time she’s near Jax… 

My review:

What happens when you make a hunky team of werewolves into Marines? Hotness overload! When Danger Bites is military paranormal romantic suspense at its finest. I look forward to seeing where this series takes us. In this story we meet Bravo Team WOLF who come under suspicion because they seem to be too good at their missions. A classified unit Bravo Team WOLF is made up of werewolves from various packs and they are very good at what they do. Military intelligence specialist Corporal Kaitlyn Amador is human and assigned as the first woman in the Marines to be assigned to a recon team to Bravo Team WOLF. She has also been assigned to find out the secret to their success. I LOVE Kat. She is squared away and a total Marine. She is determined to succeed. Can she help it if Marine Captain Jax Raymond is the hottest thing she has ever seen? The attraction between them is incendiary. The fact that he is her Captain and she a corporal should put the kybosh on them acting upon their attraction. The fact that they each have secrets should put the kybosh on them acting upon their attraction. But oh when they finally give in it is explosive and very well may cost them both their careers. This book grabbed me from the first page until the last and I didn’t want to go.

I received an advanced copy of this book and chose to review it. I also bought a copy.

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Blood Laws (Immortal Curse Series, Book 1) by Lexi C. Foss

Blurb:

The lines between charade and reality blur as a dark romance brews between two unlikely soulmates…

Stas isn’t your average human. She can bend others to her will, a psychic talent she’s kept hidden since the brutal murder of her parents.

Issac isn’t human at all. He’s an immortal masquerading as one of New York City’s hottest bachelors while secretly seeking revenge against a former ally.

A fateful meeting ends in a seductive proposition: He’ll teach her more about her gifts if she agrees to play girlfriend to his billionaire persona. As their lives intertwine, secrets are exposed and passion ignites. It’s a bond built to last a lifetime, if they’re willing to risk everything to protect it. 

My review:

Blood Laws is a wonderful UF/PNR by new to me author Lexi C. Foss. It has a terrific new take on vampires and introduces us to a convoluted world where you don’t know who the good guys are. This is a twisted tale of love and intrigue and it left me wanting more.

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Dating The Undead (V-Date.Com #1) by Juliet Lyons

Blurb:

It’s Bridget Jones with vampires in this fresh and funny paranormal romance from debut author Juliet Lyons 

When Silver Harris kisses sexy Irish vampire Logan Byrne on New Year's Eve, she knows other humans just won't suffice. Convinced she'll never see him again, she joins the uber-popular vampire dating site, V-Date.com.

What Silver doesn't know is that the site is more dangerous than she could ever imagined, and soon she's in over her head. When Logan returns, sparks fly and attraction sizzles, but they'll have to escape some very real demons if they have any chance of lasting forever. 

My review:

Dating The Undead is a quirky British paranormal rom-com. Silver Harris is young, funky and fun. Logan Byrne is an old hunky and sexy as hell vampire with a delicious Irish accent. The book starts with a meet cute and then the pacing gets a bit wobbly. I loved the twist at the end. If you grunt it through the slow bits this is a fun read.

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Bound in Eternity: Paranormal BBW Shapeshifter Dragon Romance (Drachen Mates #3) by Milly Taiden

Bound in Eternity: Paranormal BBW Shapeshifter Dragon Romance (Drachen Mates #3)

by Milly Taiden

Blurb:

Avery Harper hasn’t dated in two years. After losing her fiancé during his deployment, she chose to stay away from men and the games they play. That worked great until she met Jae Drachen. He overwhelms her senses from the moment she meets him. It has her wondering if love at first sight truly exists. The more time she spends with Jae, the more she believes it does. 

Jae wants Avery. He’s built a corporate empire through years of all work and no play. That never bothered him until now. He’s finally met a woman who makes him feel alive; he no longer wants to wait for his marked mate to appear. What he feels for Avery is stronger than what any mate mark could create for someone else. 

That all changes when another woman shows up. One who’s dreamed of Jae and has a mate mark. He’ll give up anything, including his dragon and long life, if it means keeping Avery. He’d sacrifice his life for her, but she loves him too much to let him destroy himself for her. She’d rather he be with someone else and living than dying because of her. 

Note to readers: This is a hot, action-packed, fun adventure of dragon love, babies, sassy women, dirty-talking alpha males and enough heat it will make you take a couple of cold showers. Don't say I didn't warn you.

My review:

Stick in the mud, workaholic, multi-billionaire, dragon shifter, Jae Drachen is a tiny bit jealous of his brothers who have found their mates and are busy procreating. Jae wants that and all the money in the world isn’t going to buy him one. When checking on one of his hotels he comes across one of his employees sexually harassing a woman looking for employment. He is smitten. His dragon wants her too. But then another woman shows up. One who’s dreamed of Jae and has a mate mark.

I adored Avery. She is comfortable in her own skin and owns her feelings. Who wouldn’t fall for a rich guy who would give up eternity for you? I could appreciate her wanting to know that he loved her for her and not some mark handed out by fate.

There are a lot of surprises and twists in this fast paced hold on tight story.

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Spells to Die For (Witch's Brew Cozy Mystery 2) by C.C. Dragon

Blurb:

Claudia Crestwood and friends are back again for more mystery, murder, and magic!
New witches are welcomed to town. Even invited to a coven meeting. Then deadly spells turn up missing from the family collection—was it the rival witch or the one who turned up dead? Either way, Claudia needs to retrieve the spells and solve the murder…
With a competing coven growing and a new werewolf in town, Claudia has her hands full. Add in the personal secret she’s still trying to uncover plus her first magical ball and she needs all the help she can conjure! 

My review:

Spells to Die For is a wonderful cozy mystery filled with terrific characters you want to know more about.  In this installment coffee house owner and witch Claudia Crestwood is bound and determined to uncover the secret her family is hiding from her. And of course there is a murder to clear up and then there is her boyfriend Bran and his family to deal with. I love that Claudia is not a pushover and is true to herself. I really look forward to more adventures at the Witch's Brew.

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