Book Review: Maxed Out by C.S. McDonald @CSMcDonald7 @iReadBookTours

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Title: Maxed Out
Series: The Owl’s Nest Mysteries #2
Author: C.S. McDonald
Publication Date: May 2, 2021
Genres: Mystery, Cozy

Purchase Links:
Barnes & Noble // Amazon

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Maxed Out
The Owl’s Nest Mysteries #2
C.S. McDonald
McWriter Books, May 2021
ISBN 979-8745992988
Trade Paperback

From the author—

The Owl’s Nest Couturier Shoppe is a huge success! Business is booming and Alexa Owl’s love life is heating up. Yet much to the seamstress’s dismay, Detective Bobby Starr is suddenly back again! Bobby isn’t your everyday gumshoe. Rather, he’s an angel who’s trying to earn a place in Saint Peter’s Guardian Angel Squad. He’s required to solve murders he had left unsettled from when he walked the earth in order to be accepted into this prestigious group. Of course, they will need to return to the time period in which the murder took place, and again, Alexa is a reluctant time traveler. Oh, and there’s one more little problem—this time, Bobby’s brought along a friend, Maxi Krogen, and she’s no angel!

Bobby Starr was a good enough detective during his time as a living, breathing human back in the 1950’s but he’s an angel now and really wants to become a member of the elite Guardian Angel Squad. To do so, he has to solve three of his old cold cases assigned to him by St. Peter. Maxed Out is the tale of the second case and, once again, he’s recruited shopowner Alexa Owl to help.

When Bobby shows up in Alexa’s life again, he’s not alone; tagging along is Maxi Krogen who spent years in prison for murdering her husband but she’s not exactly angelic, at least not in the pleasant way you might expect. No, Maxi is rude, cranky, secretive and anything but a cooperative ghost.

Modern day Pittsburgh gives way to the city of the 1950’s as the trio goes back in time to look for clues. Before long, they find themselves running into the mob and an apparent takeover of a popular pizza parlor but will they be able to ferret out the real killer?

This is a fun story and the reader who wholeheartedly throws out any sense of disbelief will have a thoroughly good time with these appealing characters and an intriguing puzzle. Note to self: go read the first book PDQ 😀

Reviewed by Lelia Taylor, June 2021.

About the Author

For twenty-six years C.S. McDonald’s life whirled around a song and a dance. Classically trained at Pittsburgh Ballet Theater School, The Pittsburgh Dance Alloy, and many others, she became a professional dancer and choreographer. In 2011 she retired from her dance career to write. Under her real name, Cindy McDonald, she writes murder-suspense and romantic suspense novels. In 2014 she added the pen name, C.S. McDonald, to write children’s books for her grandchildren. In 2016 she added the Fiona Quinn Mysteries. Presently, the Fiona Quinn Mysteries has nine books.

Cindy’s newest venture is The Owl’s Nest Mysteries. Once again, she has set her cozy mystery in Pittsburgh. The Owl’s Next Mysteries has a little grit, a little time travel, a little romance, and a whole lot of cozy!

Cindy resides on her Thoroughbred farm known as Fly by Night Stables near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with her husband, Bill, and her poorly behaved Cocker Spaniel, Allister.

Connect with the author:  Website  ~  Twitter  ~  Facebook

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Giveaway

Autographed copy of MAXED OUT, plus
other gifts (USA only) (ends Jul 23)

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Book Review: Dearest by Alethea Kontis

Dearest Tour Banner

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Title: Dearest
Series: Woodcutter Sisters #3
Author: Alethea Kontis
Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: February 3, 2015
Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy

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Goodreads

Purchase Links:

Barnes & Noble  //  Amazon  //  Indie Bound

Book Depository  //  Powell’s

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DearestDearest
Woodcutter Sisters #3
Alethea Kontis
HMH Books for Young Readers. February 2015
ISBN 978-0-544-07407-1
Hardcover

From the publisher—

Readers met the Woodcutter sisters (named after the days of the week) in Enchanted and Hero. In this delightful third book, Alethea Kontis weaves together some fine-feathered fairy tales to focus on Friday Woodcutter, the kind and loving seamstress. When Friday stumbles upon seven sleeping brothers in her sister Sunday’s palace, she takes one look at Tristan and knows he’s her future. But the brothers are cursed to be swans by day. Can Friday’s unique magic somehow break the spell?

What drew me to the first book in the Woodcutter Sisters series and the second and, now, the third, is the covers. The designer is listed as Christine Kettner but, as Art Director, Ms. Kettner is not the actual artist. Whoever it is, that artist and Ms. Kettner have true magic in the their minds, eyes and fingers. I’ve seen other beautiful covers but these stand out and just one glance tells me this is an Alethea Kontis book; that’s brilliant branding at its best.

Opening Dearest takes the reader into Ms. Kontis’ unique world of fantasy and magic, a world I’m always glad to returen to. Other authors offer re-tellings of fairy tales and some do it very well but the Woodcutter Sisters series has a certain feel to it, a feeling that you’re immersed in the story and, in this case, sharing the journey with Friday. I love Friday—I think she’s my favorite of the sisters so far mainly because she’s so sweet and kind—and Tristan is also very likeable but it’s the seven brothers as a group who make this tale so much fun.

There are a few missteps, especially when coincidences happen too frequently, and the only reason I can stand the insta-love is that this is, after all, a fairy tale but, generally, I’m happy with this entry in the series and will eagerly await the next one.

Reviewed by Lelia Taylor, February 2015.

The Other Woodcutter Sisters Books

EnchantedHero

Links for Enchanted
GoodreadsAmazonBarnes & Noble
Book DepositoryIndie BoundPowell’s

Links for Hero
GoodreadsAmazonBarnes & Noble
Book DepositoryIndie BoundPowell’s

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About the Author

Alethea KontisHer published works include: The Wonderland Alphabet (with Janet K. Lee), Diary of a Mad Scientist Garden Gnome (with Janet K. Lee), the AlphaOops series (with Bob Kolar), the Woodcutter Sisters fairy tale series, and The Dark-Hunter Companion (with Sherrilyn Kenyon). Her short fiction, essays, and poetry have appeared in a myriad of anthologies and magazines.

Her YA fairy tale novel, Enchanted, won the Gelett Burgess Children’s Book Award in 2012 and the Garden State Teen Book Award i 2015. Enchanted was nominated for the Audie Award in 2013, and was selected for World Book Night in 2014. Both Enchanted and its sequel, Hero, were nominated for the Andre Norton Award.

Born in Burlington, Vermont, Alethea currently lives and writes in Florida, on the Space Coast. She makes the best baklava you’ve ever tasted and sleeps with a teddy bear named Charlie.

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Want to meet Alethea in person? Check
out her Road Tour HERE!

Follow Alethea’s blog tour here.

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Tour-Wide Giveaway

3 Woodcutter Sisters Prize Packs (signed copies
of Enchanted, Hero, & Dearest – US Only)

Ends March 8th

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