Showing posts with label author: teresa trent. Show all posts
Showing posts with label author: teresa trent. Show all posts

Wednesday, April 30, 2014

Great Escapes Book Tours Book Review: Burnout







Burnout (Pecan Bayou Series)
Cozy Mystery
E-Book File Size: 895 KB
Print Length: 202 pages
ASIN: B00ISDZK8S
Synopsis
It’s November in Pecan Bayou, Texas and while the town is getting ready for the Thanksgiving holiday a deadly fire breaks out at the newspaper office. When Rocky, the editor is nowhere to be found, Betsy refuses to believe he has perished in the fire. The entire town is coming down with the stomach flu and Betsy must deal with her husband’s new found celebrity as an on-air weatherman filling in for and under-the-weather Hurricane Hal . Leo loves all the attention he’s getting, especially from the sexy administrative assistant who works at the station. Is their new marriage in trouble already? Find out in the fifth book of the Pecan Bayou Mystery Series. All the characters you’ve come to know and love are back and you’ll find plenty of the Happy Hinter’s recipes and tips included at the end of the book.
ttrent
About The Author
Biography
Teresa Trent writes her Pecan Bayou Mystery Series from Houston, Texas. With a father in the army, her family moved often finally settling in Colorado. Living in Texas for the last 18 years she loves the people and even the weather. Teresa includes Danny, a character with Down Syndrome in her Pecan Bayou family and in real life is the mother of an adult son with Down Syndrome/PDD. Creating the character of Danny and all of the other inhabitants of Pecan Bayou has been a joy for her. Even though she lives in the big city, her writing is influenced by all of the interesting people she finds in small towns and the sense of family that seems to be woven through them all.

Author Links:
Twitter: @ttrent_cozymys
Purchase Links
AMAZON 
Book Excerpt
An hour later, Tyler and I walked into the Harvest Dance with our arms full of every baked item we could get our hands on from the grocery store. The tables were already covered in sparkling autumn colored table cloths with tasteful pumpkin and scarecrow centerpieces. It was stunning, and I hated to plop a box of Tasteeo Cupcakes on top of it all.
Phyllis, dressed in a mustard turtleneck with a maroon silk scarf tied around her neck approached. “What is this?” Her face turned white, and then was replaced with a complimentary fall color of scarlet red.
“Uh…” I stammered. “I had a little difficulty with the pumpkin squares, but you know kids. They’ll eat anything sweet, right?”
I waited for her to reassure me, but she seemed to be at a loss for words.
“You want me to open up these boxes, Betsy?” Tyler asked.
“Yes, if you would. I’m sure Mrs. Hamlin has lovely plates for us to put these on.”
Phyllis gritted her teeth and turned toward Tyler. “There are some paper plates over there.”
She turned back to me and took hold of my arm squeezing tightly on my bicep with her tastefully manicured nails.
“I specifically told you to make the pumpkin squares. If I wanted a hodge podge of junk food I would have simply stopped down at the Circle K Convenience store.”
Another mother stepped by with her freshly groomed son in tow. “Lovely tables Phyllis,” she said with a little wave.
“Thank you Shelley. We work very hard to make it a wonderful experience for our children.” Somehow I knew she wasn’t including me in that statement.
“I tried to make the pumpkin squares, but we’ve had flu at our house, and … I lost track of time, and they burnt.”
“Then why didn’t you just make another batch?”
“There’s not a can of pumpkin left in the entire town.”
“Yes, there is. I have four cans of pumpkin in my pantry. All you had to do was call me.”
The principal walked by. “Beautiful job, Mrs. Hamlin. Don’t know what we’d do without you.”

Review: Burnout is the next book in the Pecan Bayou series. I fell in love with Teresa Trent "s series awhile back and I wasn't disappointed in the latest offering.

There's a lot of fun in this quick cozy read. A missing member of her newspaper staff,who may or may ot have died in a fire, and her new hubby getting some attention from a co worker make for some fun reading.

What makes this book so good, is really Betsy and her family. There's so much going on with her kids and her husband. I felt so sorry for her son, who seemed to be getting forgotten at school because of Tyler.

The mystery is really unique, because you always have a feeling it isn't Rocky that was found in the burned out building, and when you did learn what happened, there was more than just him involved. (Oh and Rocky did have some secrets too)

I absolutely loved this mystery. Pecan Bayou is a place that's easy to revisit. You'll love the town and all of its inhabitants and you'll never guess whodunit!

Rating: 5 flowers



Tour Participants
April 14 – Traci Andrighetti’s Blog – Review
April 15 – Shelley’s Book Case – Review
April 16 – Kelly P’s Blog – Interview
April 17 – Mochas, Mysteries and Meows – Guest Post
April 18 – Books Are Life – Vita Libri - Review
April 19 – Books-n-Kisses – Review, Guest Post
April 20 – EASTER
April 21 – Michele Lynn Seigfried’s Blog – Guest Post
April 22 – Community Bookstop - Review
April 23 – readalot blog – Review
April 24 – Back Porchervations – Interview – Review
April 25 – rantin’ ravin’ and reading – Review, Guest Post
April 27 – Cozy Up With Kathy – Guest Post
April 28 – My Recent Favorite Books – Review
April 29 – Deal Sharing Aunt – Interview
April 30 – A Chick Who Reads – Review
May 1 – Brooke Blogs – Guest Post
May 2 – Little Whimsy Books – Guest Post
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Tuesday, August 20, 2013

Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours Book Review: Buzz Kill





Genre: Cozy Mystery
4th in the Pecan Bayou Series
Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (July 13, 2013)
Paperback: 342 pages
ISBN-13: 978-1490942919
E-Book File Size: 338 KB
ASIN: B00DSU1S8W

Synopsis
Betsy Livingston is planning a wedding so what could go wrong? After publishing a recipe for homemade calamine lotion in the newspaper, the ladies in the community church make a large batch. Everyone loves the stuff until someone in Pecan Bayou is found dead after using it. The town points to Betsy and she starts rethinking her whole career as a helpful hints columnist. Now she must clear her own name in between dress-fitting, cake-tasting, and all those things that turn a bride into a bridezilla. Is Betsy at fault or could there be something else that leads her down the aisle to murder?





Review: Buzzkill is the 4th installment of the Pecan Bayou Series and like all good cozies, it is one that new readers to the series can jump in with without a problem.

This book really captures that small town feel and adds a touch of southern charm. The murder doesn't happen until about half way through the book, so the story spends more time focused on Betsy and Leo and the preparations for their wedding.

The hilarity that ensues while Betsy tries to get organized and then gets a wedding planner is truly priceless. It definitely made me wonder why anyone goes through all the hassle or in this case why they'd want to get married on Valentine's Day. (Oh yeah..so their hubby won't forget!) The whole wedding planning process is full of issues thanks to another couple getting married on the same day and one half of the wedding party is the mayor's son.

Toss in the murder of the man Betsy planned to use for her wedding flowers and some other people suffering reactions from a calamine recipe she printed in her news column and Betsy has a very full plate.

There's a great mix of personal issues and well as the mystery to fill this novel. Betsy's whole family dynamic is about to change. She has a lot of decisions to make, one has to do with where she will live with new hubby, Leo.

As for the mystery, though that part is a bit slow in coming, Teresa tricks you into thinking the killer is one person, but when the crime is solved it is someone totally different.

This is the kind of book that will appeal to lovers of mystery as well as those that like the small town stories that focus on family

Teresa has created a wonderful setting for her series, and that will keep everyone coming back for more

Rating: 5 flowers







About Teresa Trent
ttrentTeresa Trent lives in Texas and loves writing about small town life. She first got the idea to create Pecan Bayou after visiting the Texas Hill Country to view the millions of springtime flowers alongside the roads and highways. The town of Pecan Bayou does not exist in Texas, but there is a body of water in the state with the name. Pecan Bayou does exist in Teresa’s imagination and heart. Buzzkill is the fourth book in the Pecan Bayou series featuring all of the crazy characters who live in this cozy little town in Texas.
Connect With Teresa
Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/teresatrentmysterywriter
Twitter- @ttrent_cozymys
Goodreads- http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5219581.Teresa_Trent
Buzzkill Excerpt
“Okay now, let’s see.” Mr. Andre lowered his head, revealing the roots of his mousse-spiked, bleached hair. He wore a dark maroon suit with a matching jewel-toned silk shirt unbuttoned midway, showing sparse hair on his skinny chest. “Do you have a photographer?”
“Yes,” I ventured.
“No,” Aunt Maggie cut in. “She has some guy who shoots kiddie team pictures.”
“Oh my.” Andre circled something on his clipboard. “No photographer.”
“And you’ve gone for a wedding cake tasting?”
“A tasting? I think I already know what vanilla and chocolate tastes like by now.”
Andre shook his head as if I were a child. “No, my dear. You will be pleased to find out there are other flavors like white amaretto, champagne – girl, you can even get peanut butter if that’s what floats your boat. So I take it you haven’t had a cake-tasting session?”
“You would be correct,” I replied.
“I see.” He circled another line. “And your flowers?”
“She’s using Lenny Stokes, and she’s already put a deposit down,” Aunt Maggie said.
Andre grimaced.
“I see. I’ll need his number and address so I can get in contact with him to put him on my approved vendors list.” He circled another line. “And what is the venue?”
“We are going to have the ceremony at the community church.”
Andre’s eyebrows raised as he nodded and smiled. I had finally done something right.
“Do you have any kind of documentation on this?” he asked.
“Not officially, no,” I said. “I have talked to the pastor about it, though and he says it’s open. We live in a small town, Andre. Documentation isn’t always required.”
“Mr. Andre,” he corrected.
“We just don’t have the same kinds of waiting lists like there are in the big city.”
He clutched his hand to his chest. “Well, that’s a relief.”
“And your invitations?”
“We weren’t going to send those out until mid-January. We were afraid people would lose them. I have them ordered.” Mr. Andre’s eyes slanted toward me. “Well, they’re not exactly ordered, but I do have them picked out.”
A pause hung in the air as Mr. Andre summoned up the strength to go on. “Are you sure we’re planning a wedding and not some kind of country barbecue where they cook a pig over a spit?” He clasped his hands together in front of him to emphasize his point. “You are in crisis mode, Madame Happy Hinter.”
I gulped. So maybe, just maybe, I hadn’t nailed down enough of the details. I felt a tear escape onto my cheek. Andre, used to overwhelmed brides, reached over to a satin-covered tissue box and slapped it down on the table in front of me.
“Dry your eyes, sweetie. We’ve got work to do,” he said. “You should know what a lucky girl you are. I just removed myself from a wedding on the same day. No one – I repeat, no one – does a wedding like Mr. Andre, but even I have my limits on troublesome brides and monster mothers. As fate would have it, I’m yours.”
He walked over to a filing cabinet and pulled out a large white leather binder. Mr. Andre’s picture was on the front, and underneath that, “Weddings Exclusively by Mr. Andre” was embossed in gold lettering.
“I don’t care what religion you are,” he said. “This, lovey, is your new bible. Carry this with you everywhere and fill it with notes, questions, business cards, quotes and everything – I mean everything – that has to do with your wedding. Is that clear?”
“Yes, sir,” I said and saluted before I could stop myself. Aunt Maggie broke out into a laugh, but Mr. Andre turned quickly, fixing his eyes on her. She quickly stifled her reaction and stood up a little straighter, becoming just another draftee in the world of white satin.

Purchase Link
Amazon



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