Month: December 2019

THE MOONSHINER’S DAUGHTER by DONNA EVERHART

The Moonshiner's Daughter

Set in North Carolina in 1960 and brimming with authenticity and grit, The Moonshiner’s Daughter evokes the singular life of sixteen-year-old Jessie Sasser, a young woman determined to escape her family’s past . . .

Welcome to the Bushy Mountains in North Carolina. The Sasser family has been making shine for generations, along with quite a few other folks. It’s a dangerous and deadly job. But it’s the only thing most of them know.

Set in 1960, this is the story of Jessie Sasser. A girl who blames moonshine for her mothers’ death when she was a small child. Her memories of that day aren’t clear on much except her mother was stirring the still and then her mother was dead.

Her daddy won’t talk about her mother or her death so Jessie puts up a hunger strike which leads to an eating disorder. On this one thing, they are locked in a battle over. He won’t answer questions, she won’t eat the food bought by blood money.

Jessie is not going to stop until she finds answers. And finding those answers will have repercussions for the entire family.

This was a beautifully written and heartbreaking story. Generations of families mad at each other and willing to do anything to make and sell their product and stay out of the revenuers’ way.

A historical fiction character with an eating disorder was a first for me. I cried as Jessie wasted away, still seeing that fat girl in the mirror. I cried for the loss of her mother, for her own inner turmoil about who she was and what she wanted her life to be.

A very well done novel!

NetGalley/ December 31st, 2019 by Kensington Publishing Corporation

Have a Deadly New Year by Lynn Cahoon Congratulations on Release Day!

Have a Deadly New Year (Farm-to-Fork Mystery #3.5)

A Farm-to-Fork Novella

Chef Angie and her helpers from The County Seat are catering a private dinner in a huge house in the mountains for a celebrity with the deal being the crew get to stay in the house for a week, to think up new menu items and try them out.

This should be a good New Year for them all. Should be. Until the drummer is found with a drumstick in his chest. With a snowstorm on the way in and the entire crew and band stuck in the same house, tensions escalate quickly! These were some seriously nasty people.

Angie and her crew put on their sleuthing caps and try to figure out which one of the people they are living with is a killer. Who would want our drummer dead? Turns out quite a few people!

I love the idea of the holiday-themed novellas that Ms. Cahoon does. We get a little update on our favorite characters and series while waiting for the new full-size books.

Out of all the series, she writes this is the one I was on the fence about. And now it’s one of my favorites. The characters and settings are so real I fully expect to drive into Idaho and have lunch!

Great Job!

NetGalley/December 3rd, 2019 by Lyrical Underground

 

 

 

Hello December! Where is the Snow??

Monday, as much as I love that the sun is shining brightly and the lawn is full of leaves, where is the snow? Come on now, weatherman, you keep promising and nothing happens.

I am happy to announce that we are on the mend! OU Boy went back to work today and my fever finally broke. We started to feel semi-human last night. I made a huge pot of collard greens because we had no sense of smell, and let’s be honest, they stink. By the time they were done, we were ready for bed so they went down the garbage disposal. That’s what we do now. Cook one food, not eat it, toss it in the bin. Last night in bed OU Boy is looking up Baked Mac and Cheese recipes so I’m guessing his appetite is back and he wants his Thanksgiving meal.

Did everyone hit up the Black Friday Sales? I don’t do those. Mainly because I don’t put on pants that time of day, much less leave the house. Saturday after the big shoot out at the Hyatt was over and the room locked up, we watched football. Two days of football where my Dawgs whooped butt and Bama got knocked off by Auburn. So sweet! Also, Pat Sullivan passed away on Sunday. A Heisman Winner from Auburn who I loved. Rest softly, sir!

And of course, we had excitement! Saturday afternoon we saw a fire truck, ambulance, and a few police cars storm into our neighbor’s house. We poked our heads out because we are nosey. We could hear her screaming from our house and thought she must be injured or something. No. She was drunk and her team lost. The nice paramedics took her to the hospital for some much-needed reflection. OSU fans…sheesh.

It was when we went outside that I realized what I was wearing. OU Boy said it best. “You look like some Amish saloon dancer.”  I had on my white Laura Ingalls nightgown with thigh-high knee socks and a full-length purple cardigan. It’s called Layering. Fever goes up, all the clothes go on. Fever goes down, there go the sweater and socks. It was at that point I figured I should take a shower.

I hope y’all had a great weekend and made some amazing memories!

xx P

Shatter the Night (A Detective Gemma Monroe Mystery) by Emily Littlejohn

Shatter the Night (Detective Gemma Monroe #4)

Detective Gemma Monroe is back in the fourth installment of this series. This time it’s Halloween in Cedar Valley and not everyone is giving out treats!

When Gemma stops in to say hello to a retired judge, Caleb Montgomery, in his offices, she finds him upset and tells her about threatening letters he has been receiving. Gemma is still thinking about his odd behavior when his car explodes with him in it. Who in the world would have wanted Caleb dead?

Suspects abound and just as quickly as Gemma and her team clear one, another pops on the scene. As her investigation takes her into the judge’s old cases, there is one that sticks out. Making the trek to Belle Vista Penitentiary, Gemma doesn’t know what to think about the supposed stone-cold killer and the way he takes the news of Caleb’s death.

Soon enough another body is added to the pile and a major clue. This isn’t the first murder like this. Gemma and her team have themselves what looks like a copycat killer.

And if history repeats itself, there will soon be a lot more bodies! With the new playhouse in town, the opening night would be the perfect time for the last send-off.

Will Gemma and her team uncover the killer as it uncovers a lot of secrets and corruption right here in the police department?

You’ll have to read it! And then wait for the next one.

NetGalley/ December 10th, 2019 by Minotaur Books