Ellie Alexander: Sticks and Scones

Bakeshop #19

Ellie Alexander’s nineteenth Bakeshop Mystery, Sticks and Scones, focuses on the theater. It’s time once more for Shakespeare in the park and other theatrical exploits in Ashland, Oregon. Lance, her friend and the artistic director of the Shakespeare festival, has even started a brand new pet project known as The Fair Verona Players. Always one for the dramatic, Lance is going all out for opening night. Their first play will debut on the new vineyard he partners on with Carlos, Juliet’s husband. There will also be lots of tasty treats provided by Juliet’s bakery, Torte. With so many projects going on, it’s no wonder that Juliet is starting to feel a little overwhelmed, so much so that her physical health is being affected, and strange bouts of dizziness keep throwing her off balance. Determined to delegate some responsibilities and give herself some more down time, Juliet isn’t overly concerned about it just yet. read more

Paula Munier: The Hiding Place

This is a favorite new series.  The books feature Mercy Carr and her military dog, Elvis, who have come home to Vermont to nurse their wounds (and their PTSD) after losing the love of both their lives, Martinez, in Afghanistan.  Both have reacclimated to a degree, though Mercy has a hard time with trust and tends to hold herself back when it comes to relationships.  While Mercy is slightly on the outs with her perhaps boyfriend, game warden Troy, her life is a full one.  She’s taken in a teenage mother, her baby, and her boyfriend; she has a tight relationship with her grandmother, Patience, a vet; and she and Elvis are now working as a complete team. read more