Review: A Captain and A Corset

A Captain and a Corset (Steam Guardians - Book 2) by Mary Wine

Publication Date: June 4, 2013
Publisher: Sourcebooks
Imprint: Casablanca
Genre: Steampunk 
Pages: 320
ISBN-10: 1402264836
ISBN-13: 978-1402264832

(Received for an honest review from Sourcebooks Casablanca)

Purchase: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository, IndieBound

Mary Wine on the WEB: Webpage, Blog, Facebook, Goodreads, LibraryThing, FantasticFiction

Books in the Series:

A Lady Can Never Be Too Curious (2012), A Captain and a Corset (2013)

Coverart: Click on the image for a larger, clearer view of the covers in this series.

Excerpt from A Captain and a Corset, courtesy of the author's website.

Synopsis:

There's Trouble in the Skies...

For Sophia Stevenson, there's no going back to the life she knew. She never asked for the powers that make her a precious commodity to the secret society of Illuminists—and their archenemies.

Captain Bion Donkova would give anything to possess the powers that have fallen in Sophia's lap. If only the beautiful, infuriating woman could stay out of trouble, he wouldn't have to keep coming to her rescue...

Bion and Sophia have friction to spare—and nothing fuels a forbidden passion better than danger...

Thoughts:

Mary Wine has delighted readers with everything from erotic romance to historical romance, but her latest series, Steampunk Guardians is the most unique and diverse series yet from this author. A Captain and Corset is the second book in the Steampunk Guardians series, which is cross between Victorian historical fiction and science fiction. With a strong female lead character and fantastic world building, this book is sure to strike a cord with many different types of readers. 

I have long been a fan of Mary Wine's writing, but this latest series is probably one of my favorites. Some of the first books and tv shows that I really enjoyed growing up were science fiction and the Steampunk sub-genre has elements of both romance and science fiction. The blend between the two makes for really interesting world building, something that I think Wine really excels at. Readers who have not tried Steampunk yet, with find A Captain and a Corset, as well as, A Lady Can Never Be Too Curious a very good place to start. 

The latest book in the series, A Captain and Corset picks up directly after the first book and continues the world created there. I liked the idea of airships and how some navigators were able to see gates that allowed the airships to travel faster across the globe. The entire society that Wine has built is contingent on these ships and the people who use them. I enjoyed the fact that Wine continues to give readers more and more details about this world and how it works. As with most books that science fiction elements the potential is limitless because the author can take it any direction they can dream up. I like Wine's direction so far, and I can't wait to see what happens in book three, which is set up nicely in this one.

Wine has created a society called The Illuminists, which is composed of men and women who want to better society, a lofty goal. But Wine makes the reader believe it is possible and shows how one person can change the world. She also provides a group of people who are out to make changes to the world for their own purposes. The conflict in ideas and views makes for a lively clash between the two, which readers will really enjoy.

I liked the strong characters she created with the heroine, Sophia, who is determined and independent. I also love the hero in this one, Bion. He is certainly a little rough around the edges but loyal and trustworthy. His conviction in finding Sophia after she is kidnapped is both appealing and attractive. Readers will find both characters to have great depth and intensity. 

This book is a blend of romance, fantasy and adventure that readers won't want to put down!

A Captain and a Corset is available NOW from your favorite bookseller.

I'm giving this one 5 out of 5 apples from my book bag!

About the Author:

Acclaimed author Mary Wine has written over 30 works of erotic fantasy, romantic suspense, and historical romance. An avid history-buff and historical costumer, she and her family enjoy participating in historical reenactments. Mary lives with her husband and two sons in Yorba Linda, California.

Guest Post and Giveaway: Mary Wine

Please join me in welcoming Mary Wine to Debbie's Book Bag today. Mary is joining us to promote her latest book, A Captain and a Corset. Enjoy Mary's guest post and check out the giveaway details at the end!

The Steam is coming….

That’s right, it’s time for more Steam Punk romance. I always get a little giddy as one of my books nears its release date. It’s almost like a rediscovery because I worked on the book so many months ago. But it’s coming closer now, A Captain and a Corset, released on June 4.

I get a lot of people asking what Steam Punk is. In a nutshell, it’s Victorian science fiction. The roots of this sub-gene go back to 20,000 leagues Under the Sea. One of my personal favorites is ‘The league of Extraordinary Gentlemen’. I love writing historical and Steam Punk allows me to play, just a bit with that magical element of ‘What if…’.

I think the element I enjoy most is evening the playing field between men and women. Let’s face it, our sisters from eras gone by had fewer rights. When I created the Illuminists, I wanted to give those Victorian gals a chance to have equality and all the beautiful bustle gowns. Just my way of pleasing both my inner little girl princess…got to have the dress….and my adult, taking life on…big girl queen.

A Captain and a Corset will be book two in my Steam Punk saga. You can pick up the first book, A Lady can Never be too Curious right now.

Cheers!


Mary Wine

Look for my review of Mary's book and an excerpt from A Captain and a Corset later today!

GIVEAWAY DETAILS:

The publisher is sponsoring a one copy giveaway of A Captain and a Corset.

~You must be a bloglovin' follower or email subscriber to participate.
~US and Canadian addresses only.
~The deadline to enter this giveaway is Midnight, EST,  July 9th.

1. Please leave a comment for the author on this post.
2. Please fill out the FORM.

Review and Giveaway: Murder After a Fashion

Murder After a Fashion (Accessories Mystery - Book 1) by Grace Carroll

Publication Date: June 4, 2013
Publisher: Penguin Group
Imprint: Berkley Prime Crime
Genre: Cozy-Mystery
Pages: 272
ISBN-10: 0425252191
ISBN-13: 978-0425252192

(Received for an honest review from Berkley Prime Crime)

Purchase: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository, IndieBound

Grace Carroll (aka Carol Grace Culver) on the WEB: Website, Facebook, Goodreads, LibraryThing, FantasticFiction, Cozy-Mystery

Books in the Series:

Shoe Done It (2011), Died With a Bow (2012), Murder After a Fashion (2013)

CoverArt: Click on the image for a larger, clearer view of the covers in this series.

Excerpt from Murder After a Fashion, courtesy of Amazon's Look Inside feature

Synopsis: 

These days, not even a new wardrobe can keep fashionista Rita Jewel from feeling blue. Perhaps the cure is a cooking class with a celebrity chef! But her appetite is ruined when murder becomes the main course...  
 
As a salesgirl at Dolce's, a chic boutique outfitting San Francisco's wealthiest women, Rita has the world's greatest job. So why does she feel like last season's Christian Louboutin stilettos - worn and out of style? Maybe it's because her love life needs a makeover ASAP. From carrots to caviar, Guido Torcelli is the celebrity chef du jour. Perhaps signing up for his cooking class will serve as a much-needed distraction for Rita.
 
But when Guido's shot to death, Rita knows she'll soon top the list of suspects. Guido was killed at his culinary school the same night she scrawled her phone number on a menu and handed it to him. Now she's got to find the murderer before she's forced to take all her meals in the prison cafeteria...

Thoughts:

Grace Carroll has an eye for fashion. Her latest novel in the Accessories series, Murder After a Fashion will appeal to both the fashionista and the cozy mystery enthusiast. Nothing makes an outfit like great accessories and nothing makes a great mystery like the perfect murder. Carroll does a wonderful job of setting up the crime, planting the right clues and keeping the interest of the reader from the first to last page. 

I will be the first to tell you that, I don't have a chic sophisticated fashion sense. You'll most usually find me in shorts and tee when it comes to summer and I often wonder how those well put together ladies always look so cultivated and refined. I've always heard that to make a great outfit you had to have great accessories. The perfect belt, gorgeous earrings or even a scarf. Grace Carroll's accessories mystery series, proves that theory out. Carroll has a great sense of fashion and writes about it with ease. I liked the little tidbits about fashion that permeate this series and this book.

One of my favorite parts of Murder After a Fashion was the premise. Rita's love life, just isn't working for her, so she decided to take a cooking class. Fans of the series not only get a great fashion related mystery but they also get the added touch of a culinary twist. Having the murder victim be a renowned chef was genius. I thought Carroll had a great sense of food as well as fashion in this one and it made all the difference. 

Carroll also has a knack for developing memorable characters. Characters that readers can identify with. I mean who hasn't gotten discouraged with their love life? Or tried something completely out of the box to get their life going in a different direction? Rita is a great character. She has a great eye. She can look at a person or an outfit and automatically know which accessories will make it perfect. But that also serves her well in investigating murders as well. She see's things differently. I think fans of the series like here so much because she puts things together in a unique way. She's a one of a kind character. With a great premise and an uncommon heroine, Murder After a Fashion is sure to make a great accessory for those loaded bookshelves!

Murder After a Fashion is available NOW from your favorite bookseller.

I'm giving this one 5 out of 5 apples from my book bag!

About the Author:

Carol Grace Culver was born with wanderlust. She was raised in Illinois, but longed to travel. She spent her junior year in college at the Sorbonne in Paris. Armed with a BA in French, she went to San Francisco to seek her fame and fortune. There she landed a job as switchboard operator and receptionist at KQED, the public TV station, where she met her future husband and did on-the-air promos in French for her idol, Julia Child, showing her parents that French was a useful major after all.

Restless after five years, she joined the hospital ship HOPE for three voyages - Guinea, Nicaragua, and Tunisia. After she married, she and her husband went to Algeria and Iran to work. They loved the excitement of living abroad, but returned to California to raise their two children in their mountain-top home overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Carol says that writing is another way of making life exciting.

Carol has published over 35 romance novels for Harlequin/Silhouette.  She’s written 2 single title romances and three Young Adult novels.  She is currently writing mysteries. The first – A GOOD DAY TO PIE - will be published in August 2011, the second SHOE DONE IT comes out in October 2011. 

Giveaway Details:

The publisher is sponsoring a giveaway for one copy of Murder After a Fashion by Grace Carroll.

~You must be a Bloglovin' follower or Email subscriber to participate.
~US addresses only (publisher request)
~The deadline to enter this giveaway is Midnight EST, July 4th.

1. Please leave a comment for the author on this post.
2. Please fill out the FORM.

Interview and Giveaway: Jayne Fresina

Please join me in welcoming Jayne Fresina to Debbie's Book Bag today. She is here promoting her latest book, Lady Mercy Danforthe Flirts with Scandal. She was kind enough to answer a few questions for. Her interview follows. See giveaway details at the end of the post for your chance to win a copy of The Wicked Wedding of Ellie Vyne, the book directly preceeding Lady Mercy Danforthe Flirts with Scandal in the Sydney Dovedale series.

DEB: Jayne, tell us a little bit about yourself.
JF: I wrote for thirteen years before I finally got a publishing contract. I love writing historical romance - and reading it too. I work from my home, so I get to divide my day between my "real" job and writing. Sometimes it gets very busy! I lived the first half of my life in England and the second half in America, which has been interesting. 

DEB: You're here today promoting your new book, Lady Mercy Danforthe Flirts with Scandal. What was your inspiration for this book?
JF: After writing THE WICKED WEDDING OF MISS ELLIE VYNE I really wanted to write Lady Mercy's story next. She leapt off the paper for me when I was writing her as a naughty little girl. Apparently a lot of readers liked her too, as I got some encouraging emails from people wanting to read more about her. It meant jumping ahead twelve years to write her love story, but she was quite insistent about having it told - and she's very demanding!

DEB: Is it a part of a series? Or a single title?
JF: This is the third in the Sydney Dovedale series, but it's not necessary to have read the other books. Hopefully, if you haven't read the others, Lady Mercy will make  you want to go back and read them!

DEB: How did your experiences growing up in England influence your writing?
JF: I'm not really sure. I suppose everything I've ever experienced has had some influence on my writing, but my teachers, my family and the history of the towns where we lived have contributed the most. At school I was very fortunate to have some wonderfully inspiring English literature teachers. The books I had to study have remained some of my lifelong favorites. They taught me a lot about developing characters. Revising for school exams in England also helped me to learn how to write speedily. Need five essays in 2.5 hours and I'm your girl!! 

Listening to my father's stories has always been inspirational - he grew up in the countryside and loves to tell a good joke. I think I got a lot of my creativity and humor from him. Also, as the youngest (and quietest) in my family I tended to do a lot of listening and observing, which has probably contributed to my storytelling now. With four girls in the house there was always a lot of tension and inevitably some drama going on, a lot of tears and laughter too. I grew up in several very old towns, including Huntingdon, Cambridge and York. There was history all around me and I absorbed it like a sponge. 

DEB: Why did you choose the Regency period to write about? What was the attraction?
JF: I've written in several different periods of the historical genre, but I do love the Regency era. I've loved Jane Austen and Georgette Heyer since I was fifteen. For some reason, there seems to be more room for humor in a Regency story - I'm not sure why. 

DEB: What was your reaction when your first book was published?
JF: I was thrilled, of course. When I received my complimentary paperback copies from the publisher, I just held one in my hands for the longest time, because I could hardly believe it was true. I've tried to do a lot of things in life and failed at many! This is one thing I finally managed to get done!

DEB: What do you read when you get a chance to read for pleasure? Do you have a favorite author?
JF: Jane Austen, Daphne Du Maurier, Samantha Grace, Courtney Milan, Madeline Hunter...

DEB: Tell us something about yourself that readers may not know.
JF: I have a phobia about sewing machines. I once ate nothing but strawberry jam sandwiches for a year.

DEB: What advice do you have for new writers?
JF: Write as much as you can, every day if possible - even if it's only for ten minutes. Persevere, no matter how many rejections you get. As long as you love what you write, someone else will too.  

DEB: What are you working on right now?
JF: I just finished edits on the final book in the Sydney Dovedale series and started the first book in my second series for Sourcebooks (The Book Club Belles Society).

GIVEAWAY DETAILS:

The publisher is sponsoring a giveaway for one copy of The Wicked Wedding of Ellie Vyne by Jayne Fresina.

~You must be a bloglovin' follower or Email subscriber to participate.
~US and Canadian addresses only (publisher request)
~The deadline to enter this giveaway is Midnight EST, July 3rd.

1. Please leave a comment for the author on this post.
2. Please fill out the FORM.

Review: Lady Mercy Danforthe Flirts With Scandal

Lady Mercy Danforthe Flirts with Scandal (Sydney Dovedale - Book 3) by Jayne Fresina

Publication Date: June 4, 2012
Publisher: Sourcebooks
Imprint: Casablanca
Genre: Historical Romance
Pages: 384
ISBN-10: 1402266030
ISBN-13: 978-1402266034

(Received for an honest review from Sourcebooks Casablanca)

Purchase: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository, IndieBound

Jayne Fresina on the WEB: webpage, twitter, facebook, goodreads, librarything, fantasticfiction

Books in the series:

The Most Improper Sophie Valentine (2012) The Wicked Wedding of Miss Ellie Vyne (2013), Lady Mercy Danforthe Flirts with Scandal (2013)

Coverart: Click on the image for a larger, clearer view of the covers in this series.

Excerpt from Lady Mercy Danforthe Flirts with Scandal, courtesy of Amazon's Look Inside feature

Synopsis:

When a Perfectly Proper Lady...

Lady Mercy Danforthe always has a plan. It's what makes her such a successful matchmaker, and why she's obligated to spend a great deal of time generously organizing the lives of her friends and family. But there's one man beyond her help. One man whose recklessness she can't rein in; whose chaos she can't contain. Her ex-husband, Rafe Hartley. Her one - and only! - mistake.

Flirts with a Reckless Rogue...

Rafe has never forgiven Mercy for running out on him. Their hastily annulled marriage may have one lasted three hours, but that doesn't mean he needs her help finding a proper wife. Someone needs to teach little Miss Know-It-All a lesson about keeping her adorably freckled nose out of other people's business. And it just so happens that Mercy "Silky Drawers" Danforthe still owes him a wedding night...

A Scandal's Never Far Behind

Thoughts:

English author Jayne Fresina continues the Sydney Dovedale series with her latest book Lady Mercy Danforthe Flirts with Scandal. Fresina has a knack for Regency England and her knowledge of the period is remarkable. Readers will be transported back to the days of the haute ton and England from yesteryear. Fresina's use of humor and unusual circumstance make this a surprisingly light novel that will leave readers feeling uplifted and enchanted. Fresina certainly makes a splash with this book and the series.

I recently read the first book in this series, The Most Improper Sophie Valentine and absolutely fell in love with Jayne Fresina's writing style. Her characters aren't perfect and it's their imperfections that make them easy to identify with, even though they are from a different time. Lady Mercy Danforthe made a snap judgement in her past. But she has moved on. She believes she understands everything she needs to know about men and women and how relationships work, but she has one nemesis, her ex-husband. I thought Fresina made Mercy real. She characterized her as woman who wants to help others, but isn't too adept at helping herself. She was a wonderful character that jumped off the page. She was bright and effervescent. Readers will love her.

And then there's Rafe. By all accounts a rake, a scoundrel who can't seem to settle down since his estrangement from Mercy. She may be the matchmaker for the rest of the ton, but Rafe is beyond her help, until she realizes that maybe she was a little hasty in her decision to throw off her marriage. I liked the fact that he did not apologize for who he was or how he acted. He accepted responsibility for his actions and took the consequences. He wasn't exactly a bad boy character but the reader could tell that he had it in him. I thought Fresina did a great job with his character.

Every romance has to have a little conflict in order to make it riveting and full of suspense. It somehow makes the moment when hero and heroine get together that much sweeter. I liked the fact that Fresina made her moments count. The circumstances that came up were not just thrown together they were meant to create a certain feeling in the reader and each one built on the last until the reader was ready to explode if these two didn't just get their happy ending already. I loved the way the plot built and built and the energy and romance spiraled until the end. Well done!

Lady Mercy Danforthe Flirts with Scandal is available NOW from your favorite bookseller. 

Look for my interview with Jayne later today and a giveaway!

I'm giving this one 5 out of 5 apples from my book bag!

About the Author:

Jayne Fresina sprouted up in England. Entertained by her father's colorful tales of growing up in the countryside, and surrounded by opinionated sisters, she's always had inspiration for her beleaguered heroes and unstoppable heroines. She lives in upstate New York. Visit www.jaynefresina.com.

Review: One Day in Apple Grove

One Day in Apple Grove (Apple Grove - Book 2) by C.H. Admirand

Publication Date: June 4, 2013
Publisher: Sourcebooks
Imprint: Casablanca
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Pages: 320
ISBN-10: 1402269021
ISBN-13: 978-1402269028

(Received for an honest review from Sourcebooks Casablanca)

Purchase: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository, IndieBound

C.H. Admirand on the WEB: website, blog, twitter, facebook, goodreads, librarything, fantasticfiction

Books in the series:

A Wedding in Apple Grove (2012), One Day in Apple Grove (2013)

Coverart: Click on the image for a larger, clearer view of the covers in this series.

Excerpt from One Day in Apple Grove, courtesy of Amazon's Look Inside feature

Synopsis:

He's not so sure about small town life.
She can't imagine living anywhere else.

Welcome to Apple Grove, Ohio (population 597), where everyone has your best interests at heart, even if they can't agree on the best way to meddle. When the townsfolk of Apple Grove need handiwork done, there's no job too small for the Mulcahy sisters: Megan, Caitlin, and Grace.

Specializing in hard work and family loyalty, tomboy Meg Mulcahy has left behind any girlhood dreams of romance. Enter newcomer Daniel Eagan, looking to bury his own broken heart and make a new start. He's surprised-and delighted-by the winsome girl with the mighty tool belt who shows up to fix his wiring.

But Dan's got a lot to learn about life in a small town, and when Meg's past collides with her future, it may take all 595 other residents of Apple Grove to keep this romance from short-circuiting.

Thoughts:

Apple Grove, population 597... Salute! (think the hee-haw cornfield) Author C.H. Admirand takes a small-town America approach to writing romance. Her Apple Grove series is reminiscent of days gone by, though it is set in the present day. Apple Grove is the kind of community that readers will want to visit time and again. Admirand's command of setting and place is exceptional. With small town charm and a healthy dose of romance, One Day in Apple Grove may be just what the doctor ordered!

There are two things that make this series and especially this book worth your time to read. The first is the setting. I love books written about small towns. They just have atmosphere that makes you feel comfortable and at home. They have a more laid back pace and gentler kind of way about them. One Day in Apple Grove is no different. I love the way Admirand describes the town and it's people. I live in a small town but this one doesn't remind me of my home town. It reminds of the kind of town I would have loved for my children to grow up in. Things have gotten a bit out of control in today's day and time, you don't have that camaraderie that existed in small close knit communities anymore. Very few people have spoken to their neighbors let alone have any kind of relationship with them. This series reminds me of what it was like when I was younger and the kind of place I wish my children had gotten a chance to know.  Where everybody knew your name and you couldn't get away with anything... LOL.

The second reason you need to read this book is because of the wonderful characters that C.H. Admirand has created here. Admirand gives her small town a core group of women who make sure that things run smoothly in Apple Grove. Not only are the main characters Cait and Jack imperative to the story, but it just wouldn't be the same without Miss Philo, Honey B. and Mrs. Winter. These ladies are in the middle of everything whether it's good or bad and they are a treat to read about. Admirand somehow got a hold of information about my grandmother and her "church ladies" when she was dreaming the group up, because I sit and laughed and remembered some of the things both of these groups of women got into. You'll love them, I know I did.

One Day in Apple Grove centers around the relationship of Cait who has lived in Apple Grove her whole life and can think of no place better and recently returned Navy medic Jack, who isn't sure he can go back to small town life after a stint in Iraq. It's a compelling love story that involves a wonderful puppy dog. You don't want to miss it. I will admit that I haven't read the first book in this series. But I definitely plan to go back and catch up and I hear that there will be a third book in the series possibly out in December. I can't wait to see what happens in this enchanting small town next.

One Day in Apple Grove is available NOW from your favorite bookseller.

I'm giving this one 5 out of 5 apples from my book bag!

About the Author:

C.H. Admirand has always had her nose in a book, has traveled the world over, and even tested the time-space continuum, thanks to the awesome power of the written word. One of her writing quirks is that she loves to include bits and pieces of her ancestors and ancestry in all of her books. Her family centers her and keeps her sane, which is why she enjoys adding elements of family, hearth and home in all of her romances.

C.H.'s second series with Sourcebooks began with A WEDDING IN APPLE GROVE in November, available in large print in April. ONE DAY IN APPLE GROVE releases in June and WELCOME BACK TO APPLE GROVE in December. In April she re-released the first book in her Historical Irish Western Series in e-book and trade paperback: THE MARSHAL'S DESTINY which skyrocketed to #6 and held strong at Amazon in the top ten for 3 weeks. In May she released book 2 in the same format, THE RANCHER'S HEART and has seen a steady climb up the charts. Books 3 and 4 will be released soon!

​

With 8 short stories and 15 novels to her credit, this award-winning, multi-published author's books are available in paperback, hardcover, trade paperback, magazine, and e-book.

Review and Giveaway: Thread and Buried

Thread and Buried (Threadville Mystery - Book 3) by Janet Bolin

Publication Date: June 4. 2013
Publisher: Penguin Group
Imprint: Berkley Prime Crime
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Pages: 320
ISBN-10: 0425252183
ISBN-13: 978-0425252185

(Received for an honest review from Berkley Prime Crime)

Purchase: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository, IndieBound

Janet Bolin on the WEB: Website, Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, LibraryThing, FantasticFiction, Cozy-Mystery

Books in the series:

Dire Threads (2011), Threaded for Trouble (2012), Thread and Buried (2013)

Coverart: Click on the image for a larger, clearer view of the covers in this series.

Excerpt from Thread and Buried, courtesy of the author's website.

Synopsis:

In Threadville, Pennsylvania, known for its textile art courses and shops, everyone's stories are connected by a common threadeven the ones ending in murder

Every town has a legend. For Threadville, it's the story of Snoozy Gallagher, the hotel owner who disappeared thirty years ago with a bag full of stolen jewelry, never to be heard from again. That is, until nowwhen Snoozy's loot is discovered buried behind Willow Vanderling's embroidery shop In Stitches.

When villagers mysteriously become ill, and a body shrouded in materials from Threadville shops appears in the exact spot where the treasure wasalong with two abandoned kittensWillow needs answers. The random events are too coincidental to be unrelated, but Willow will have to act quickly to unravel the deadly mystery, or she might get tangled up as the killer's next victim.

Thoughts:

Author, Janet Bolin returns readers to Threadville. In her third Threadville mystery, Thread and Buried, Bolin takes on a local legend. Cozy mystery enthusiasts love a good small town mystery and every little town has a story, a local legend, even fictitious towns. This mystery has a great premise and engaging characters. Bolin does an excellent job of bringing her town and her characters to life, all the while teaching readers about the intricacies of machine embroidery. 

When I first stared reading this series, with the first book Dire Threads, I didn't know anything about machine embroidery. I had seen it done of course on school jackets and tee-shirts but how it was done and how the designs were made was something new to me. I found myself really intrigued by the different methods and all of the equipment that crafters could use to make such beautifully crafted work. Bolin obviously has a passion for craftsmanship and writing. The Threadville books not only entertain with wonderful suspense and mystery, but they also do double duty by providing readers lots of information on a the skill of machine embroidery. It definitely makes you want to go out and give it a try.

Thread and Buried centers around a local legend. That made me really nostalgic when I was reading it. I live in a very small town and we certainly have legends of our own, including one that included a haunted house, not more than a 1/2 mile from my house. I thought it was a great premise, it engaged the readers from almost the very beginning of the book. There were moments where the action drug on a little too long but overall I thought the mystery aspect of the book was well written. I think the story line for this one was probably my favorite in the series so far.

I really like the progression of Willow as a heroine. In the first book she is a newcomer to Threadville and goes through a period of adjustment like anyone who moves to a new town would. I was glad that Bolin took that into consideration and showed it in her characterization of Willow. In the second book, Willow was getting more comfortable with her role in the town and with the townspeople. In the third book it is safe to say that Willow is a full fledged member of the community. Bolin does a wonderful job of showing how Willow integrates into the town and the ebb and flow of the life in Threadville. I can't wait to see what she does next.

This is a series that I think sewers of all kinds will enjoy as well as mystery enthusiasts. It is very versatile and mentions the work and livelihoods of several different artisans in the town and the works that they create. I loved reading about all of the other shops in Threadville and what their owners were creating as well as Willow. I think this one has small town charm, exceptional characters and it celebrates the craftsmanship of people who create and sell their own works as well as the supplies needed to create them.

Thread and Buried is available NOW from your favorite bookseller.

I'm giving this one 4 out of 5 apples from my book bag!

About the Author: 

I have lots of hobbies. I love reading, writing, sewing, knitting, crocheting, and going on long walks with my dogs. I believe I want to make quilts. Sometimes I try to teach myself (not very successfully) how to play piano.

A few years ago, I discovered embroidering using software and high-tech sewing machines. I'm not certain that everything I own must be embroidered, but creating the design is really, really fun. And they'd go so well on crazy quilts...

I live way out in the country, a long drive from stores that sell supplies for people who like to create and embellish their own textiles and garments.

Sooooo... I created Threadville, a village where everything I might want for my projects is on one short street, and I created Willow Vanderling, who is thrilled to own a store selling the high-tech embroidery stuff that I wish I could find just down the block.

From time to time Willow and her Threadville friends may need to take time out from their creative work to solve a murder or two. I hope you'll join them...

Giveaway Details:

The publisher is sponsoring a giveaway for one copy of Thread and Buried by Janet Bolin.

~You must be a Bloglovin' follower or Email subscriber to participate.
~US addresses only (publisher request)
~The deadline to enter this giveaway is Midnight EST, July 2nd.

1. Please leave a comment for the author on this post.
2. Please fill out the FORM.