Finished this sweet, lovely book with a smile on my face and an overpowering crave for dandelion tea. Also, I seriously want to plant a garden filled with herbs and flowering plants so I may experience the magic of hibiscus, lemon verbena, and jasmine. I'm not certain about the effects of such herbs and plants but I can tell you that I did find Memory House to be utterly enchanting. I have always dreamed of owning my own Bed and Breakfast, so Bette's story resonated strongly with me. I love the fact that this bed and breakfast brought an old and young woman together. The bond they shared was as sweet as the dandelion tea Ophelia served. This book, given to me by the author, is my very first completed Bette Lee Crosby story. So enjoyable. In one form or another, Crosby cleverly weaves a tiny bit of each one of her books into Memory House and now I must know more. How do the memories tie each story together? I'm not sure. What I do know is that I'll be reading Spare Change next. Like Annie, I look forward to discovering more about the objects and memories of Ophelia and her Memory House

If you enjoy books by Sarah Addison Allen, you will probably like Bette Lee Crosby's books, too. I know I do. If you can't get enough of sweet southern tales, Bette has three book series to entertain the happy reader.

Memory House Series (Books 1-5)

Wyattsville Series (Books 1-4)

Serendipity Series (Books 1-3)


Bette Lee is an award winning novelist with several stand alone novels. For more info, join Crosby at www.betteleecrocby.com




*I was provided with a DRC of this book by the author. Thank you!

A beautiful story that revolves around another daughter of the sixteenth century witch, La Lune. This young woman, Opaline Duplessi, is the actual child of Sandrine. For those of you familiar with The Witch of Painted Sorrows, you'll remember the lovely Sandrine, the young woman who became the vessel for the sixteenth century witch. Opaline's story and introduction to the dark arts is just as interesting as her mother's mystical journey. However, where Sandrine welcomed the powers she inherits, Opaline does her best to avoid the magick that flows through her blood.

Rose's latest offering takes place twenty four years after Sandrine's initial encounter with La Lune. Like her mother did years before, Opaline runs away to Paris in order to escape her mother's dark influence. Still, Opaline doesn't escape her magical abilities and finds herself making talisman for the mothers, wives, sisters, and lovers of fallen soldiers of WWI. She has the ability to translate a message from the deceased to a loved one through these talisman which are created with a strand of hair, gold, precious gems and stones.

The story here is wonderful and touching. I almost felt as if I was in Paris during WWI. Rose did an incredible job of setting the scene and making this time period come alive. My only complaint? While I'm certainly not a prude and I can withstand some erotica in my reads, the creepy ghost relationship was a bit much. Just sayin'. I've actually encountered an entity before. (YES! I'M SERIOUS!!)That he was in my house was one thing. The last thing I would have ever wanted was for him to physically touch me!!!! Then again, we didn't quite get along...not even a little bit. He wasn't exactly as friendly as Opaline's visitor was. Anyway, without spoiling anything, that's why this doesn't get the hole five stars. It would have though. I wasn't sold on all of that and it didn't add anything to the story, IMO. What I did love? The Romanov connection. Great intrigue! Overall, another winner from M.J. Rose and the daughters of La Lune. Hope there's another in the works. I even liked this one better than the first. Good stuff.

I've only recently discovered cozy mysteries and I really enjoy this fun genre. I joined a cozy mystery challenge on Goodreads and while searching for a new book, I ran across this FREE cozy on Amazon. While the story is short, it's a great introduction to a series that seems full of promise. I was initially intrigued by the protagonist's relationship to an ancient coven of witches. Who doesn't find witches fascinating? When I was young, one of my favorite television shows was BEWITCHED. I could've watched Samantha cast her spells all day long. Like Samantha, the main witch in this story just wants to live a normal life, away from magic and witchcraft. Morgan Summers can move to the ends of the world to escape her family of witches but it's impossible to run from the dead and the spirit world where the dead reside.

After an unsuccessful attempt to separate her identity from her family and start her own life in New York City, Morgan must return to her childhood home in Yew Hollow. Back in town, she's immediately engulfed in the mysterious murder of Yew Hollow's beloved historian and librarian. Being the first to discover the body, Morgan unwittingly becomes the prime suspect, especially after evidence at the crime scene points to witchcraft.

For the most part, I quickly put the pieces of the puzzle together but I DID enjoy the storyline. Would I classify this as a cozy mystery? Maybe not. IMO, it was lacking the humor I've come to expect in a cozy mystery. As I mentioned, this is the first book in the series (although it's labeled as Book 0) and I think the author did a nice job of introducing characters and the small town of Yew Hollow. Overall, entertaining and a nice start to a fun series.

*This series must be fairly new because there's only one more book to continue the Yew Hollow series and it shares the same title as Book 0 but is labeled Book 1. (Kind of confusing.) Just to be sure, I checked the synopsis for Witch Myth: A Yew Hollow Cozy Mystery Book 1 and it did offer a different storyline. 

Loosely based on a reallife haunting, The Depot is a quick read but delivers chills. While the plot isn't all that original, this paranormal-murder-mystery is quite entertaining. I read it at night while sitting on my patio. Spooky enough to send me indoors after a couple of chapters. Liked it well enough to follow Detective Mark Waters into THE LIBRARY, where the story picks up six months later. DeSousa introduces Detective Waters in another book entitled THE PIT STOP. I've downloaded both and I actually got one for free. I'm not sure if the ebooks are still free but worth a check.

For more info, check out DeSousa's website. www.carmendesousa.com
She has many stories to choose from including paranormal and romantic suspense.

A fun listen involving murder, mystery, and lots of humor. I always enjoy DeLeon's stories. The characters, although from a small town, are always interesting. Helena Henry, a busy body ghost that shows up to her own funeral, was probably my favorite character. She gave me several laugh out loud moments. When Helena discovers that her daughter in law, Maryse, the book's protag, can see and hear her, the fun really begins. Helena ensists that she was murdered and Maryse has no choice but help, especially when Maryse discovers that she's the killer's next target. This is my second book by DeLeon and I don't usually do book series but I think I'll continue getting to know the residents of Mudbug. Johanna Parker is a wonderful narrator and never makes me feel like I'm listening to someone reading. Parker just sounds like a great storyteller, Helena Henry being the highlight. Looking forward to the second book in the Ghost-in-Law series, Mischief in Mudbug. There is a free preview at the end of this audiobook and after listening, I think I'll stick to the audio version. I did buy the boxed set, which includes Book One-Three. Maybe I'll do a bit of both.