Great Escapes Book Tours Book Review: Putting on The Witch

Putting on the Witch

by Joyce and Jim Lavene

Putting on the Witch (Retired Witches Mysteries)

Cozy Mystery

3rd in Series

Berkley (October 4, 2016)

Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages

ISBN-13: 978-0425268278

E-Book - ASIN: B01AHKXHTS

Synopsis

With their coven’s spell book still missing, Molly and Elsie—along with their ghostly friend Olivia, her daughter Dorothy, and her boyfriend Brian—are all on edge, especially now that Dorothy’s infamously wicked father is back in the picture. So when they receive an invitation to an exclusive Witches Ball, the ladies jump at the chance to dress up and have some fun.

The castle locale is spectacular and the party is hopping, but the festivities come to a swift end when a member of the Grand Council of Witches is murdered. With the whole place on lock down, the coven is determined to find the cunning killer, even with an angry council and a real Spanish Inquisitor breathing down their necks...

Review: My heart breaks as I review this. Not because there's anything wrong with the book. The book is fabulous, as are all of Jim and Joyce Lavene's books. The problem is, there will be no more, as both authors have past away.

I absolutely adored this book.  The three witches, their friends and family are what make this book. In fact, that's what makes all books by these authors. When you read a book by Joyce and Jim, you make new friends and that's how you'll feel about about Molly, Elise, Olivia, Dorothy and Brian. They are friends and family and what happens to them really affects the reader.

There is so much about this book to love. What sets it apart is that Molly, Elise and Olivia (who was a witch but is now a ghost) have to solve the murder of another witch, but in another realm. This isn't the typical cozy mystery. It isn't the typical paranormal mystery either. Its a great mixture of both.

The ending is perfect. I had no idea who the killer was. There were so many people that you thought could have done it.  There were a lot of red herrings so you really were kept interested until the last page.

It is fast paced and fun. The perfect October read.

Rating: 5 flowers

About The Authors

Joyce and Jim Lavene wrote award-winning, bestselling mystery fiction as themselves, J.J. Cook, and Ellie Grant. They had written and published more than 70 novels for Harlequin, Berkley, Amazon, and Gallery Books along with hundreds of non-fiction articles for national and regional publications. Joyce passed away October 20, 2015 and Jim passed on May 5, 2016. They are missed by family, friends and their many fans.

www.joyceandjimlavene.com

www.facebook.com/joyceandjimlavene

Purchase links:

Amazon - Barnes and Noble 

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Tour Participants

October 3 – Back Porchervations – REVIEW

October 3 – Queen of All She Reads – SPOTLIGHT

October 3 – Blogger Nicole – SPOTLIGHT

October 4 – Sleuth Cafe – REVIEW, SPOTLIGHT

October 4 – Lisa Ks Book Reviews – REVIEW*

October 4 – The Angry Grey Cat Reads – REVIEW

October 5 – The Book's the Thing – REVIEW*

October 5 – I Read What You Write – REVIEW (Interview)

October 6 – Book Babble – REVIEW

October 6 – Cozy Up With Kathy – SPOTLIGHT

October 6 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW

October 7 – Mallory Heart's Cozies - REVIEW, SPOTLIGHT

October 7 – Sapphyria's Book Reviews – REVIEW*

October 8 – Texas Book-aholic – REVIEW*

October 8 – Community Bookstop – REVIEW*

October 9 – Shelley's Book Case – REVIEW*

October 9 – fuonlyknew – REVIEW*

October 10 – Socrates' Book Reviews - SPOTLIGHT

October 10 – 3 Partners in Shopping, Nana, Mommy, & Sissy, Too! – REVIEW*

October 10 – Cassidy Salem Reads & Writes - SPOTLIGHT

October 11 – A Holland Reads – REVIEW, SPOTLIGHT*

October 11 – Deal Sharing Aunt – REVIEW*

October 12 – A Chick Who Reads – REVIEW

October 12 – A Blue Million Books – SPOTLIGHT

October 13 – Booth Talks Books – REVIEW*

October 13 – The Cozy Mystery Journal – REVIEW

October 14 – Brooke Blogs – REVIEW, SPOTLIGHT*

October 15 – Paranormal and Romantic Suspense Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

October 16 – Bibliophile Reviews – REVIEW  

October 16 – Island Confidential – SPOTLIGHT

October 17 – LibriAmoriMiei – REVIEW

October 17 – MysteriesEtc – REVIEW

October 18 – Kathy Loves 2 Read – REVIEW

October 19 – ChristyMystery – REVIEW

October 20 – My Interdimensional Chaos – REVIEW

October 21 - Murder, Mystery & More... – REVIEW

October 22 – centraleast2 – REVIEW

October 23 – Lori's Reading Corner - SPOTLIGHT

October 24 – The Girl with Book Lungs – SPOTLIGHT

October 24 – Polished Nails and Puppy Dog Tales – REVIEW

Joining us with Reviews/Spotlights

Nicole G.

Linda L.

Kendrea P.

Robin C.

Daniele K.

Lisa C.

Stacie A.

Karen K.

Brittany A.

Kathy D.

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Great Escapes Book Tours Book Tours: Gone By Midnight

Gone by Midnight
Genre – Cozy Mystery
Print Length: 149 pages
Publisher: J. Lavene (February 2, 2016)
ASIN: B019AJC1XU

Fans of Joyce and Jim Lavene will thrill at this collection of thirteen short stories—many are set in the worlds of their national bestselling mystery series, including the Missing Pieces Mysteries, the Renaissance Faire Mysteries, the Retired Witches Mysteries, and an upcoming mystery novel!

These stories contain the elements of mystery and fantasy the Lavenes are famous for, as well as some new things their readers have never seen. Several stories feature characters interacting with ghosts, magic, and the supernatural—the healing woman in “Courtship;” the Civil War widow in “One with the Darkness;” the city girl who summons a wizard from the past in “The Magician and the Sorceress/Accountant;” and the young introvert in “Aunt Edna” who finds her calling with help from a ghostly visitor.

Poignant, charming, and captivating, Joyce and Jim Lavene bring their characteristic wit and heart to these stories and introduce each one with a passage about its origin or how it ties into the universe they’ve created. Gone by Midnight is a treasury of tales that will delight the mind and touch the heart from one of the most prolific writing duos of our time.


Review: Anyone that loves the cozy mysteries of Jim and Joyce Lavene are going to want to grab a copy of Gone By Midnight. It is a collection of short stories that aren't what you would expect.

It starts with the haunting Aunt Edna, which is sad and yet beautiful at the time. It is really a lovely ghost story, not at all frightening but really heartwarming. I absolutely loved this story, but I'm prone to loving things that tug at your heart strings.

Another favorite in this collection was The Singing Trees of Jappa. Reading this story reminded me of Doctor Who. It really felt like something that would happen on that show.

The Magician and the Sorceress Accountant was funny and sweet. A woman not content with her appearance conjures up someone from the past to help change her appearance only to find this man loves her as she is. I was totally thrilled with this story.

The title story is one that just might bring a tear to your eye.

I don't want to give too much away about each story found here, because most are so short that sharing the plot gives too much away.

These stories will have you turning the pages quickly and you won't want to put the book down until you've finished, which won't be long because this collection is only about 150 pages long. The stories cover so many genres, sci fi, paranormal and even a bit of folklore, so there is definitely something for everyone here.

If you love Jim and Joyce's other books, you'll want to check this out. It will give you the answer to how they could write so many different series, because they can write anything!

Rating: 5 flowers

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Great Escape Book Tours Interview: Jim & Joyce Lavene w/Review: A Watery Death

A Watery Death
By Joyce and Jim Lavene
A Missing Pieces Mystery
7th in Series
Cozy Mystery
Synopsis:

It’s the Fourth of July weekend in Duck, North Carolina and twenty-thousand visitors are on hand to enjoy the parade, the festivities – and learn about the murder of Captain Bill Lucky.

Lucky is the captain of the new gambling ship, Andalusia II, which is modeled after the famous ghost ship that haunts the small town on the Outer Banks. Like her predecessor, the Spanish treasure ship replica has been a boon to the hardy residents of Duck, but it has proven unlucky for her captain.

Mayor Dae O’Donnell has her hands full with setting up the parade set, convincing her friend, Trudy, that she shouldn’t call off her wedding, and getting her shop, Missing Pieces, ready for the summer when she makes most of her money for the year. She doesn’t need the problems involved with a local murder.

But Captain Lucky involves Dae when he asks her to buy an artifact from him that is supposed to be able to summon mermaids. He says he needs money to get out of town for a few days until some problems are resolved. Dae is glad to help him, but isn’t prepared to find him dead in his quarters on the Andalusia when she returns the keys he dropped at her shop.

It isn’t the first time that mermaids and mermen have been seen in Duck, but it’s the first time one of them has been accused of murder. While her grandfather and her fiancé, Kevin, struggle to believe such a thing is possible, Dae is left trying to prove her new friends are innocent.

Interview:

 You write so many great series, how do you decide which series to work on next?

We decide at least a year before which book is coming out next. A lot depends on what book we want to work on and when we think would be a good time to have it out on the market.

In the last Missing Pieces mystery we saw some Ren Faire Mystery characters crossing over.  Do you have any plans for more crossovers between other series? 

Absolutely! We LOVE crossovers. Peggy Lee is guest starring in June’s Missing Pieces book, A Watery Death and in the first book of our new series, Pumpkin Patch Mysteries which begins in august with Give ‘em Pumpkin to Talk About. We’d like to do a mash up of several different characters from our books in a single book. That sounds like fun! Maybe Peggy Lee, Dae O’Donnell, and Mary Catherine Roberts solving a mystery together. Hmm.

Do you have a favorite book that you’ve written?

No. We love all our characters and wouldn’t want them to think we favor one over another.

Where do you get your inspiration for your books?

EVERYWHERE! We go down the street coming up with two or three ideas every time we go out. Sometimes they stick and we end up writing them – other times not so much and we forget about them.

If the Missing Pieces series were adapted for TV or films who would you want in the cast?

What a great question! Let’s see – a younger version of Meg Ryan to play Mayor Dae O’Donnell. Ed Asner to play Gramps. Much younger Kevin Costner to play Steve. 

What’s next for you?

We are working on a few new series that will be released later this year. Pumpkin Patch, of course, and a new paranormal series titled The Purple Door Detective Agency which will be out in September. In October, the second witches book comes out, Looking for Mr. Good Witch.  November we’re starting a new Christmas mystery series. December is the new Biscuit Bowl, Fat Tuesday Fricassee. And January is the fourth Sweet pepper book, Sweet Pepper Hero. We like to stay busy!

Thanks for having us here today!

Review: I've said it many times and I'm sure I'll say it again, Joyce and Jim Lavene are masters when it comes to the cozy mystery. 

The Missing Pieces series combines the small town cozy with time travel and some mythical creatures and a crossover from another one of their series. (In this case it is Peggy Lee, her husband, Steve and their dog, Shakespeare.

This is the 7th book in the series, but it can easily be read as a stand alone. I love Dae, and her ability to touch things and find out who they belong to and sometimes even travel in time.

This book revolves around the death of the gambling ship's captain and the sea people/ mermaids/mermen. The existence of these water people really get things hopping in Duck. There are more people in the town that have had encounters and some people that want to profit on them. The existence of Tovi and Lilly even cause some friction between Dae and Kevin.

Along with the mermaids and the murder there's some closure for one of the story lines involving Dae's grandmother just might have come to a close. I won't say how, because that would be a huge spoiler, but it is definitely one that affects the heart strings.

This was an excellent read and quite emotional for a cozy, especially as you get to know about the sea people and their interactions in the past with Duck residents.

I highly recommend this book and any book written by Joyce and Jim!

Rating: 5 flowers

About The Authors

Joyce and Jim Lavene write award-winning, bestselling mystery fiction as themselves, J.J. Cook, and Ellie Grant. They have written and published more than 70 novels for Harlequin, Berkley, Amazon, and Gallery Books along with hundreds of non-fiction articles for national and regional publications. They live in rural North Carolina with their family.

Author Links

www.joyceandjimlavene.com 

www.facebook.com/joyceandjimlavene 

http://amazon.com/author/jlavene 

https://twitter.com/AuthorJLavene

Purchase Links:
Amazon

Great Escapes Book Tours Book Reviews: Killing Weeds

Author: Joyce & Jim Lavene

Title: Killing Weeds

Publish Date: May 5, 2015

Buy: Amazon

Book Blurb: 

It’s spring in Charlotte, North Carolina, home of forensic botanist and garden shop owner, Peggy Lee. This spring has been beautiful, as always, with flowering trees and blue skies. But a killer is on the loose, and seems determined to destroy everyone and everything she cares about. When her garden shop, the Potting Shed, is brutally vandalized, Peggy doesn’t realize that it is only the beginning. Her son, Paul, who has been moonlighting as a private detective to investigate the death of his father, John Lee, is suspected of murder when a mink coat lined with poison kills the woman who is wearing it.

Peggy identifies the particularly deadly blend of botanical poisons in the coat. Unfortunately, her work as a specialist with plant poisons makes Paul even more interesting to the police. When attacks against her and her family continue, Peggy must go back through her years of sleuthing to finger the person responsible . . . before it’s too late.

Review: The Peggy Lee series is the series that started me loving Joyce and Jim's books.  I found Pretty Poison in our local library and I loved it.

This book is the 8th book in the series.

This series simply gets better with each book.

The mystery involves Peggy's son Paul who is a Private Detective. He's a suspect in a murder investigation that involves a poisoned coat. Peggy identifies the poisons and that makes things look even worse for her son and it starts to look bad for Peggy too.

The novel is fast paced and fun, and just when you think that everything is wrapping up, there's more. In fact, the last few chapters had me biting my nails in fear for one of the characters. I'm not usually a person that gets on the edge of my seat while reading, but this one did.

There's also some friction between Peggy and her hubby over a file involving her first husband's death.

Oh and there's a little bit of a cliffhanger at the end, not in a bad way, but in a I can't wait to see what Peggy and Co will do next.

Reading this series is like visiting with old friends.

Rating: 5 flowers

 

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Great Escapes Book Tours Book Review: Dead Girl Blues

Dead Girl Blues
By Joyce and Jim Lavene

• Genre – Cozy Mystery (PARANORMAL)

When Nashville cop Skye Mertz and her husband, Jacob, are killed in a wreck, Skye is given the opportunity to come back for twenty years to raise her five-year-old daughter, Kate. With her ghostly mother-in-law’s help, Skye hopes to be there until Kate is old enough to take care of herself.

But three years into her twenty-year service to Abraham Lincoln Jones, the man who gave her the extra time, Skye is beginning to think life might have been easier before she died.

Abe asks her to investigate the murder of his sorcerer, Harold the Great, a man who was a victim of too many snakes. And the Life Extended People (LEPs – a nice term for zombies) who work for Abe have begun turning into ghosts and disappearing. Only Lucas, the possibly evil, amnesiac sorcerer who lives with Skye and her family, can save her from being the next victim of the deadly curse.

To make matters more complicated, Skye has found a lead in solving the riddle of her husband’s death. She has never believed Jacob died as a result of the crash, but hasn’t been able to prove it. Many other people have lost their lives in the same lonely stretch of highway that he did three years before. Skye goes against Abe’s express wishes to discover the truth with a crazy man bent on vengeance.

Review: Another great series by my favorite cozy author duo. I don't know how they do it. I really don't. This is book two in the "Taxi For The Dead" series.

This book is more a paranormal mystery. I like to dip my toes in something different every now and then and I don't read much in the paranormal genre anymore, so I thought I'd give this series a go, because I love the authors so much.

I'm glad I did. They prove again that they can write anything.  They do a little bit of paranormal in their Ren Faire Mysteries, but nothing like this.

Skye and Lucas are a great couple and I love Abbie as the ghostly mother in law. Skye is one of Abe's LEPs given 20 years of extra life to raise her daughter and she helps bring in the LEPs when their time is up. (Not all of them come willingly.) She's a zombie Stephanie Plum!

There's a sort of double mystery going on here, maybe even triple. The first one involves Skye finding out who killed Abe's sorcerer. (Abe is the man who turned Skye into the sort of zombie that she is, or rather LEP -life extended people) Then there's the LEPs that are turning to ghosts and draining Abe's powers.  Lastly, she's still trying to figure out what killed her husband Jacob after their car crash.

This is really a different take on a cozy mystery and even Zombies with a few werewolves tossed in. If you haven't read a book by this husband and wife team, you should start with this series, it is one of their best.

Rating: 5 flowers

About The Authors

Joyce and Jim Lavene write award-winning, bestselling mystery fiction as themselves, J.J. Cook, and Ellie Grant. They have written and published more than 70 novels for Harlequin, Berkley, Amazon, and Gallery Books along with hundreds of non-fiction articles for national and regional publications. They live in rural North Carolina with their family.

Author Links

www.joyceandjimlavene.com 

www.facebook.com/joyceandjimlavene 

http://amazon.com/author/jlavene 

https://twitter.com/AuthorJLavene

Purchase Link:
Amazon

First Book in Series
Broken Hearted Ghoul (Taxi for the Dead Paranormal Mysteries) (Volume 1)

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Great Escapes Book Tours Book Review: Spell Booked

Spell Booked
(Retired Witches Mysteries)
New Cozy Series
Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages
Publisher: Berkley (December 2, 2014)
ISBN-13: 978-0425268254

Once upon a time in Wilmington, North Carolina, three witches ran a curio shop named Smuggler’s Arcane. But as the years passed, their magical powers started to fade—leaving them no choice but to conjure up a retirement package…  

Before they could blink their eyes or twitch their noses, Molly, Elsie, and Olivia somehow became eligible for AARP. But they can’t fly off to Boca Raton just yet. First they must give up their magic, recruit and train three new witches, and pass on their cherished spellbook.

They’ve barely begun to consider potential practitioners when Olivia winds up dead and their spellbook is stolen. To honor their friend and reclaim their spells, Molly and Elsie are about to go wand-to-wand with a dangerous young witch more powerful than the trio was in their prime. And this time they’re going to need more than magic up their sleeves…

Review: When it comes to cozy mysteries, you can never go wrong with Joyce and Jim Lavene. I adore their books and I was so excited to be part of the tour for the first book in their new series.

Witchy mysteries are always such fun and Spell Booked is all that and more. The three witches Molly, Elsie and Olivia find their powers waning, and they are hoping to retire, but not until they find new recruits.

But before they can even contemplate packing their bags one of their own ends up murdered and their spell book is stolen and they will need more than a velvet cloak and silver coin to get things put to rights.

This is probably my favorite books, by Joyce and Jim. Their books are always unique, but this series is a cut above the rest. I'm already looking forward to the next book!

Rating: 5 flowers

About The Authors

Joyce and Jim Lavene write award-winning, bestselling mystery fiction as themselves, J.J. Cook, and Ellie Grant. They have written and published more than 70 novels for Harlequin, Berkley, Amazon, and Gallery Books along with hundreds of non-fiction articles for national and regional publications. They live in rural North Carolina with their family.

Author Links

www.joyceandjimlavene.com 

www.facebook.com/joyceandjimlavene 

http://amazon.com/author/jlavene 

https://twitter.com/AuthorJLavene

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Great Escapes Book Tours Book Review: Dae's Christmas Past

Author: Joyce & Jim Laven
Title: Dae's Christmas Past
Publish Date: Nov 4, 2014
Buy: Amazon

Review Copy Provided By: Great Escapes Book Tours & the authors
Book Blurb: 

When wild horse rescue director Tom Watts is found dead on Duck Road, newly re-elected mayor Dae O’Donnell is determined to find out who killed him. Her friend Jake Burleson is accused of killing Tom even though the two men have been good friends for years.

The problem is the excavation of the horse cult that’s been happening on Jake’s property. Tom and several archaeologists working on the project think that Jake should give up his land to widen the search for artifacts. Jake won’t do that.

It’s not that Jake hasn’t been acting strangely. He shoved one of the ancient stone horses into Dae’s hands when he knew she was afraid to touch it. He’s obsessed with stopping the excavation—maybe to the point of killing Tom.

But Dae thinks there may be more to the story. Jake’s determination has shown her what the horse cult was used for thousands of years ago, the destruction the demon horses brought before they were stopped. She’s afraid something of the past may have already returned to the Outer Banks of North Carolina, and there may be more deaths to come.

Featuring Pet Psychic Mary Catherine Roberts!

Review: Joyce and Jim Lavene are two of my favorite cozy mystery writers. I've read books from several of their series. (I love the Ren Faire mysteries) This is book 6 in the Missing Pieces series, and I don't know how I missed the other books!

Dae has special talents when it comes to touching things, psychic talents. That's all I'll say there, you'll have to read the book to find out the rest. When a horse statue gets thrust into her hands things get a little crazy. And what she sees involves a horse cult! OMG! Let me tell you, as things progress with the story and you learn more about the horse cult, you'll see how very creepy it is.

Then when the body is found in the road the only suspect looks like her friend Jake. And when another body turns up, it looks like there's no way he won't go to jail. Both victims had ties to Jake.

This mystery was fast paced and such fun. I loved Pet Psychic Mary Catherine Roberts and her relationship with Dae's grandfather. I'm so excited that she may be a recurring character!  There's one particular scene with the wild horses that was so beautiful and another with a rat. (Yeah, I know..rats...ick...but this scene was wonderful) I loved how all the animals came to her to talk!

Oh and Jessie and Chase from the Ren Faire series make a stop in Missing Pieces for some shopping! I love when stories overlap!

The cast of characters here is wonderful. If you haven't read anything by Joyce and Jim Lavene, this is a god series to start with.

Rating: 5 flowers

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Great Escapes Book Tours Book Review: Bewitching Boots

Author: Joyce & Jim Lavene
Title: Bewitching Boots
Publisher: Createspace
Publish Date: July 29, 2014
Buy: Amazon

Review Copy Provided By: Great Escapes Book Tours
Book Blurb: 

Jessie Morton is thrilled when she finds Bill Warren, an old fashioned shoemaker, and he agrees to come back to Renaissance Faire Village with her. She’s not so thrilled when claims to have elf magic, and he falls for Princess Isabelle. The dancing slippers Bill makes for Isabelle make him a suspect when the princess takes a leap from the castle terrace. Now, Jessie must find the lady or lord who helped the princess with her last dance before she loses her star attraction.

Review: Bewitching Boots is book 7 in the Renaissance Faire Mystery series. I absolutely love this series and I really need to go back and read some of the earlier books. I've only read the one prior to this and it was fantastic.

If you've been to a Renfest, you'll feel right at home at the Village and the cast of characters is super quirky. I love the Cobbler, Bill, who takes center stage in this book because of the slippers he made for Princess Isabelle who dies shortly after receiving them.

There are a lot of people that didn't care for the Princess but not many that would kill to get rid of her, so finding out whodunit isn't all that easy here, though early on the Lavene's do give you a clue as to who it might be, you just have to pay attention. There are a few potential suspects along the way, along with poor Bill.

I loved his elf magic and the quirks of his boots when too much magic is involved.

Jessie is also dealing with rumors about her new hubby, Chase and that adds a little bit of drama to the story that isn't murder related.

The ever blue ghost, Wanda, is still around and just as fun, freaky and obnoxious as ever. She has to be my favorite ghost.

I really love the mix of paranormal, magic and mystery of this series, as well as the setting. The Lavene's really know how to craft a great mystery, that is fun and keeps you guessing.

My only gripe with this story is when Jessie refers to some cosplayers as dressing like different versions of Dr. Who. As a huge Whovian, I cringed, because the character is The Doctor not Doctor Who. So that bugged me, but it didn't affect my love of the story.

Rating: 5 flowers

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Great Escapes Book Tours Interview & Review: Joyce & Jim Lavene - Murderous Matrimomy

What is it like writing as a team?

For us, it’s like working with your best friend each day. Not that it’s always easy and nothing bad ever happens, but we have a very good time working together. We have fun, and we get things done!

What is your favorite thing about working together? 

It’s the lattes. Jim is the best barista in the world! Also, we don’t have to sit at a table alone signing copies of books when we go to stores and libraries.

What made you set a cozy series in a Renaissance Faire?

We LOVE the Ren Faire! We were introduced to it with free tickets from a friend and have always enjoyed it. That same friend took us ‘backstage’ to some of the crazy things that happen when a bunch of funny people live together for a while pretending to be characters from another time or place. Their lives make our Ren Faire books  look tame.

Why do you think series are so popular in all genres of novels?

We think it’s because people love characters. They like them in a story and then like to follow them later and see what happens to them. At least that’s what WE like about reading series.

Who is your favorite character from the Renaissance Faire series?

That is hard to say. We love Jessie, of course, because she’s so normal. We also love Chase because, well, he’s Chase Manhattan! We also love Daisy, who makes the swords, and the new character, Madame Lucinda, who may or may not have a pet dragon.

What is next for you?

Wen just finished the first book, ONE WITCH IS NOT ENOUGH, in our new witches series which will be out December 2014. The second book in our Volunteer firefighter series, PLAYING WITH FIRE, featuring our resident fire chief ghost, will be out January 2014. And our new food truck series starts with DEATH ON EAT STREET, in April 2014.

Thanks for having us here!

Murderous Matrimony

(Renaissance Faire Mystery)
6th Book In Series
E-Book
Release Date: November 15, 2013
Available For Pre-Order Soon
Synopsis:In less than two short weeks, Jessie Morton will marry Chase Manhattan at Renaissance Faire Village and Marketplace. But so much can go wrong in that short time. A man is murdered in Jessie’s new Arts and Crafts Museum and her assistant is being scrutinized for the deed. Chase’s brother and parents have arrived and are still against their marriage. Wanda’s ghost is busy making Jessie’s life miserable. The Ren Faire wedding of her dreams may never take place. Can Jessie talk Chase into eloping before it’s too late?

Review: Murderous Matrimony is the 6th book in the Renaissance Faire Mystery series. Once again, I jump into a series that is really established. Since I've read many of books Joyce and Jim have written, I wasn't worried about that.

I jumped right into this series and instantly felt like the characters were old friends. I loved the two lead characters, Jessie and her soon to be husband, Chase. They are a wonderful pairing, and I liked that Chase doesn't totally discourage her from trying to find out who killed David and then Bob. She goes with her instincts when it comes to her friend's innocence. I loved her loyalty.

The best part about the mystery is that when it is solved, the reader (at least I was) will be totally surprised. Yes, you get hints at who is involved, but the actually murderer is really a surprise.

But this book is more than just a murder mystery. There's some paranormal elements, one of them is the blue ghost Wanda, whose rather ornery? obnoxious? antics will leave you laughing until you cry. She really makes the book!

If you are a fan of Renaissance Festivals, you will have to love this book. It really feels like you are getting a inside look at how these festivals work and the kind of people that work for them. All I needed was to have an appearance by Cast In Bronze with the wonderful carillon and it would be like being at the Pittsburgh Renfest.

Oh and let's not forget Chase and Jessie's wedding. It was so wonderful, and I let out a squee of delight when they read the inscriptions on their wedding bands.

This is definitely a series not to be missed.

Rating:  5 flowers

Joyce and Jim Lavene write award-winning, bestselling mystery fiction as themselves, J.J. Cook, and Ellie Grant. They have written and published more than 60 novels for Harlequin, Berkley, Amazon and Gallery Books along with hundreds of non-fiction articles for national and regional publications. They live in rural North Carolina with their family.



Visit them at www.joyceandjimlavene.com
Plus:
Website: http://www.renaissancefairemysteries.com/
Blog: www.romanceofmystery.blogspot.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/joyceandjimlavene
Twitter: @authorjlavene
Amazon : amazon.com/author/jlavene
Purchase Links: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00GOA74N6/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00GOA74N6&linkCode=as2&tag=musreamys-20
A Book Excerpt 
Before I could call out again, the principle wonder of Madame Lucinda’s tent walked immediately in front of me in a challenging stance.
“Nice dragon.”
I know. There was no way the dragon, the size of a large terrier, was real. Believe me I had investigated every other possibility.
It wasn’t a puppet. It wasn’t a holographic image. It wasn’t a person in a costume, like Fred the Red Dragon. I checked out all those ideas.
The green dragon had yellow eyes that were fastened on me. Its mouth showed rows of sharp teeth. I’d seen it spit fire before. Though it seemed impossible, even here at the Renaissance Faire, I was pretty sure the dragon was real. I don’t know how it was possible, but I had no other answer for it.
When I’d mentioned it to other residents of the Village, they were all fine with the idea that there was a dragon inside the purple and gold tent. No one even seemed to question how a real dragon could be there.
Of course, residents of the Village are not always the most logical, practical people in the world. Let’s face it, we live in a fantasy land where visitors from outside come to be immersed in another time and place. We’re encouraging people to use their imaginations.
My imagination was having a hard time wrapping itself around this very real dragon confronting me like a guard dog. I feinted one way, and he followed me. I was definitely in his sights.
“Oh. It’s you, Jessie.” Madame Lucinda suddenly appeared in the quiet darkness of the tent. “I’m sorry about Buttercup. She doesn’t like surprises, or unannounced visitors, for that matter.”
“Buttercup? It’s a girl dragon?”
Madame Lucinda laughed daintily as though my ignorance was amusing. She was a deeply stooped older woman who always wore a long purple robe. She had a hard time walking. I thought maybe she was crippled, or in some way injured, since she hid herself in here, even after the Village was closed each day.
She moved her long, gray hair away from her face as she sat down carefully in her chair behind the tiny table with the glowing glass ball on it. “Actually, in their fight to survive, dragons have learned to be flexible in their gender. Buttercup is a female right now. She may be a male someday. She’s not old enough to mate as yet. We’ll see when the time comes.”
I moved quickly as Buttercup jumped up on a shelf where she usually perched above Madame Lucinda. I took the chair opposite the fortune teller at the table.
“Are you telling me Buttercup is a real dragon?” I said it with all the authority of a master’s degree in medieval history could bring. “Because you know dragons were only mythology. They weren’t even like dinosaurs. At least existed and went extinct.”
I just wanted to hear her say it. I don’t know why since I probably wouldn’t believe it.
“Mythology is hard to define,” she said in a gruff voice. “One person’s mythology is another person’s truth.”
I looked up at the dragon that made a kind of purring noise on the shelf above us. “That doesn’t really answer my question.”