Book Review and GIVEAWAY: Murder at the Christmas Emporium, by Andreina Cordani {ends 2/2}

Guest review by: Becki Bayley

Every time Merry thinks she knows all about human nature, something comes up to surprise her. The change in Dean is astonishing. The confident, charismatic Business Fixer is gone—he’s a mass of insecurities now—his breath is ragged, his face shining with sweat in the candlelight.

‘Windows, one, Dean, nil,’ Josie deadpans and the businessman practically snarls at her.

Evangeline steps forward and peers closely at him, as if unable to believe she had ever been attracted to him. Merry feels the same. Not that she’d actually been attracted to him, of course. Nope. He’s not her type.

Merry moves away from them, grateful to be swallowed up by darkness, and perches on a countertop next to the old-fashioned-looking till, kicking her legs against the panelled wood, letting her anger come out. They had ignored her in Santa’s grotto, laughed off her suspicions about Monty and now she was furious – but at herself rather than at them. She should have known better than to speak out. Nobody ever listens to her, nobody believes her. Nothing she says ever counts. It’s no wonder she has to be sneaky to get what she wants.

Oh, Merry. The one not on this lethal guest list…or was she?

Official Synopsis:

It's Christmas Eve at the Emporium, a bespoke gift shop hidden in the depths of London's winding streets, where a select few shoppers are browsing its handcrafted delights.

But when they go to leave, they find the doors are locked and it isn't long before they realize this is no innocent mix-up. The shoppers have been trapped here by someone who knows their darkest secrets, someone will stop at nothing until they have all been unwrapped—and there is a gruesome gift waiting in Santa's grotto . . .

For those that survive the night, it will be a Christmas to remember.

Who shows up to an "exclusive shopping night" on Christmas Eve? Each of the participant’s motivations are different, but the real planner behind the event has anticipated and picked the people from their past who would behave—mostly—as they expected. They have made it their project to ensure the people they wanted showed up and were goaded into responding to the others.

The characters were intriguing and willing to go to great lengths to continue hiding their deep, dark secrets. It was why they had been selected, after all. Their sometimes unknown connections to the planner went back, in some cases, to childhood.

Overall, the intricate plot and memorable characters and backstories earned 4 out of 5 stars. It would be readily recommended to those who like thrillers and mysteries, especially with some extra holiday flair. While the plot doesn’t center very much on Christmas, the Emporium is a beautiful setting of holiday wonders where the mystery untangles.

{click here to purchase via my Amazon Affiliates link}

Becki Bayley is a wife and mother who enjoys finding the magic in the holidays, no matter how old her kids get. Check out what they’re up to on Instagram where she posts as SweetlyBSquared.

GIVEAWAY:

One of my lucky readers will win a copy of Murder at the Christmas Emporium!

Enter via the widget below. Giveaway will end on Monday, February 2nd, at 11:59pm EST, and winner will be notified via email the next day and have 24 hours to respond, or an alternate winner will be chosen.

U.S. residents only, please.

Good luck!

Murder at the Christmas Emporium, by Andreina Cordani

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Book Review and GIVEAWAY: One Killer Night, by Trilina Pucci {ends 2/1}

Guest review by: Becki Bayley

“Hello!” Evie bellows next to me pulling me out of my foxy coma.

“What?” I shrug innocently.

“Good grief, Charlie McHobag. You literally just shivered while staring off into the cosmos.” She holds up her hand. “Don’t share. If I had to guess from all that blushing, it’s something I never want to know about. Spare me the trauma.”

I laugh, feeling my cheeks burn as popcorn falls between my sister’s fingers before she shovels more of it into her mouth, then points to the glowing television screen. A scream erupts. 

“I said that you were missing the best part.” I look back to the TV as she gets excited. “Oh, look, we have a runner… Why do they always run? The minute they run, everyone watching knows death is imminent.” Evie rolls her eyes. “See? She’s fallen, and she’s never getting up. Tragic. Bye-bye, busty camp counselor number two.”

When Goldie and Noah meet through total chance at a drugstore on Halloween night, it’s the beginning of a wonderful relationship.

Official synopsis:

Love is patient.

Love is kind.

Love will stab you from behind.

It’s Halloween night, and out-of-work writer Goldie Monroe’s trip to the drugstore scares up more than the fake blood she’s looking for. It leads to the man of her naughtiest dreams. And in spite of her costume, sparks fly from the moment they meet.

Noah Adler, aspiring sneaker designer, is impossibly gorgeous—like a tatted-up version of Goldie’s favorite blue-eyed vampire. He’s there for candy, but it’s Goldie he can’t resist. When she invites him to her sister’s F/X company bash, he’s all in without a second thought.

The pair’s flirty connection heats up fast, carrying them to electrifying new heights. But after Goldie discovers Noah is hiding a dark secret, it all starts to crumble. Looking for answers about her own past awakens new dangers, and when Goldie and Noah land at a slasher camp for adults, a deadly tragedy threatens to repeat itself. If they can survive this one killer night, they can definitely slay a happily ever after.

This is labeled as the first book in the To Die For duology, with the second book focusing on Goldie’s sister and Noah’s best friend, and releasing February 26, 2026. The first book most definitely did end with a cliffhanger.

In the first book, it is only fate that could bring Goldie and Noah together in such a unique meet-cute. When she throws out a casual invitation to where to find her later, he goes against every thread of his character to take her up on it - and they are inseparable from there on out. 

Unfortunately, finding out that he hasn’t been truthful about his past is enough to put Goldie off of Noah forever, regardless of how convincing their attraction had been for nearly a year. 

What started as a cozy read escalated in the turn of a page to an intricate plot with a hard-to-explain past. The book earned 3 out of 5 stars, and was great for a read right around Halloween. The relationship between Noah and his "killer," Goldie, was enviable. They brought the chemistry, romance, and smut to the table. When the complications came in, they were clearly spelled out, if somewhat annoying after all the perfection of the life Goldie and Noah were building. This was an intriguing read with unique elements that would appeal to those who enjoy quick thrillers along with a bit of steaminess and fun romance.

{click here to purchase via my Amazon Affiliates link - currently FREE for Kindle Unlimited members!}

Becki Bayley is a wife, mother, and office drudge. See more of what she’s  up to in her fun hours on Instagram, where she posts as SweetlyBSquared.

GIVEAWAY:

One of my lucky readers will win a copy of One Killer Night!

Enter via the widget below. Giveaway will end on Sunday, February 1st, at 11:59pm EST, and winner will be notified via email the next day and have 24 hours to respond, or an alternate winner will be chosen.

U.S. residents only, please.

Good luck!

One Killer Night, by Trilina Pucci

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Book Review: A Cold Trail by Robert Dugoni

Guest review by: Becki Bayley

By the time Tracy left Ed Witherspoon’s home, the sky had turned a dark gray, and a fresh two inches of snow blanketed the ground and the hood of her car. The snow had also muted Cedar Grove in a peaceful silence. Inside her Subaru, Tracy reconsidered their conversation, as she did after each interview. Her dad would have said Witherspoon had been, well, Witherspoon – the man who never gave a straight answer. More important than understanding Witherspoon’s careful avoidance of her questions, however, was figuring out why he had tried to do so. 

Tracy Crosswhite is staying in her hometown for a bit, and agrees to help her dad’s best friend - the interim chief of police - look into the untimely death of the actual police chief’s wife. But investigating that death soon leads to possible connections with two others.

Official synopsis:

The last time homicide detective Tracy Crosswhite was in Cedar Grove, it was to see her sister’s killer put behind bars. Now she’s returned for a respite and the chance to put her life back in order for herself, her attorney husband, Dan, and their new daughter. But tragic memories soon prove impossible to escape.

Dan is drawn into representing a local merchant whose business is jeopardized by the town’s revitalization. And Tracy is urged by the local PD to put her own skills to work on a new case: the brutal murder of a police officer’s wife and local reporter who was investigating a cold-case slaying of a young woman. As Tracy’s and Dan’s cases crisscross, Tracy’s trail becomes dangerous. It’s stirring up her own haunted past and a decades-old conspiracy in Cedar Grove that has erupted in murder. Getting to the truth is all that matters. But what’s Tracy willing to risk as a killer gets closer to her and threatens everyone she loves?

This was well enough written that it was a great stand-alone, even as the 7th in the series! After reading other books by the same author, it is not a surprise. 

Tracy is a detective on maternity leave since having her first daughter a few months earlier. Her husband is an attorney with the flexibility to return to her parents’ home where she grew up, so they can remodel and potentially sell, or set it up as their own second property in their hometown.

The last time Tracy was in Cedar Grove was surrounding the legal trials of the man who was convicted of murdering her sister. Now, the murder of another girl around the same time is being looked at again, since two subsequent homicides may be related.

Small town stories are always fascinating, while the characters have known each other forever, and think it means they truly understand everyone and their motivations. Of course, this is never the whole story.

The untangling of the murders, and a legal trial involving property and the success and future of the small town, made for an intricate story with engaging characters. The book earned 4 out of 5 stars, and the others in the series could be expected to be equally entertaining. The strong female characters, small town setting as essentially its own character, and family drama will make it a good read for a wide audience.

{click here to purchase via my affiliate link - currently FREE for Kindle Unlimited members!}

Becki Bayley is a wife and mother who enjoys compelling stories, reading as an escape vehicle, and good snack foods to enjoy simultaneously. Check out some of her other reads and family activities on Instagram, where she posts as SweetlyBSquared.

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Book Review: We Are the Match, by Mary E. Roach

Guest review by: Becki Bayley

Frona is tall, willowy where Helen is curved, and if she were not standing beside Helen I would think of her as beautiful.

From the queen.

Was it this woman before us, pacing at the edge of the boat, her golden hair swept up to reveal smooth white shoulders? Does she fancy herself queen enough to vie for power against Zarek?

She is goddess of secrets and sex, and both are obvious in the tilt of her chin and set of her lips. She is beautiful, but  never in a way that could have rivaled Helen’s.

Paris of Troy had been planning to destroy the Family for a long time, as revenge for destroying the closest thing she had to family when she was younger.

Official synopsis:

Paris is a fixer for mob families on the Grecian islands when a powerful crime lord hires her to investigate a bombing. Insinuating herself into Zarek’s circle is the chance for revenge that Paris has been waiting for since she was a child. Years ago, Zarek wiped out everyone she loved. Now it’s Paris’s turn. Her target? Zarek’s beautiful daughter, Helen.

Helen wants nothing more than to abandon the violent world in which she was raised—and worse, an arranged marriage to a man she barely knows. In Paris, Helen sees the perfect tool to help her escape. And in Helen, Paris sees a desperate woman who will be the perfect revenge. As the two work together to find the bomber, and their connection becomes increasingly intimate, Zarek’s empire grows more fragile and their own bonds of loyalty and purpose are tested.

When murder sends them fleeing to Troy, danger only brings Paris and Helen closer together—in love, in fury, and in the will to survive. If Zarek wants a war, Paris and Helen are ready to ignite it.

There’s a delicious electricity between Paris and Helen from the first time they meet. Initially, Paris thinks it will make it that much easier to carry out her plan, but as she and Helen get to know each other, of course things get more complicated.

While Helen’s identity is very much tied up with her crime Family, the ones closest to her that she feels she can trust are the body guard since she was born, Tommy, and her personal assistant, Erin. After Paris saves her life the night they meet, Helen brings her into the inner circle quickly, while assuring her father that she only intends to use Paris as a plaything until her arranged marriage. Anything or anyone Helen values could be used against her by a powerful and cruel man like her father.

The story moved quickly and easily earned 4 out of 5 stars. While each seemed to be evil in their own way, the characters had unique motivations and justifications for their often unsavory actions. The book also showed the fine line between passion and violence. 

{click here to purchase via my affiliate link}

Becki Bayley is a wife and mother who enjoys reading, writing, and relaxing. Some of her other hobbies include jigsaw puzzles and LEGO. Check out what she’s working on at her blog, SweetlyBSquared.com.

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Book Review: Six Weeks by the Sea, by Paula Byrne

Guest review by: Becki Bayley

Mr. Rose carried a goldfish in a pail. It was a sultry Sunday morning, but he was wrapped in a light wool comforter. His troublesome cough had worsened, despite the sea air and the ministrations of his physician, yet the fatigue he had laboured under when he arrived in Devonshire had dissipated. He felt renewed, invigorated and full of purpose.

That morning he had written again to Mr. Hayley, recounting the secret that the Reverend Swete had imparted to him at the midweek ball, his tongue loosened by several bowls of punch: the true identity of the girl on the beach. The child’s very existence was the strongest proof of all that they had fought for and canvassed. Their beloved poet had not lived to see the fruits of his labours, but Hayley’s Life and Posthumous Writings of William Cowper Esq. would make amends and seal William’s name among the great abolitionists, helped in small part by the addition of Mr. Rose’s own reminiscences and cache of letters from dear Cowper. All in good time, he said to himself.

This imagined summer holiday gives Jane Austen the love she tells so beautifully for the world.

Official synopsis:

When Jane Austen hears the news that her family is to leave their beloved country home for the city of Bath, she faints with surprise and horror. But there is one compensation: the promise of a six-week holiday by the sea while their new lodgings are being prepared. She relishes the bracing air and beautiful surroundings, takes pleasure in sea bathing, and shares laughter with her sister Cassandra and best friend Martha Lloyd.

To her joy, brother Frank arrives, fresh from naval exploits in the war against Napoleon. His friend Captain Parker seems to be making a play for Jane’s affections, but her sharp emotional intelligence tells her that something is not quite right. Meanwhile, she assists the eccentric Reverend Swete in finding a home for his bi-racial granddaughter who has arrived from the West Indies.

Jane initially takes against another visitor to the seaside resort of Sidmouth, the lawyer Samuel Rose, but as she gets to know him, a wholly different feeling begins to blossom. . . .

This was a truly delightful novel of what Jane Austen’s six weeks while moving from her family’s country home to Bath may have been. Her parents are hoping to marry their daughters into loving relationships, hopefully while elevating their station financially.

Happiness is what matters to Jane and her sister, whose previous fiancé died. While Jane knows the solicitor looks like a better match for success, she feels more attraction initially to another man in the community. But there is more to be learned about everyone, and none of them expects their story to end by the sea.

The story was relaxing and meandering between different members of Jane’s family and her brother’s friends and contacts. The book earned 3 out of 5 stars, but would be a more compelling read for those who are already fans of Jane Austen and want to learn more about what could be imagined for the missing chapters of her life. 

{click here to purchase this book from my affiliate link}

Becki Bayley is a wife and mother who enjoys fresh air, feeling the sun on her skin, and reading books just for fun sometimes. Check out her adventures with her family on her Instagram, where she posts as SweetlyBSquared.

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Book Review: Sycorax, by Nydia Hetherington

Guest review by: Becki Bayley

My father was of the Sun, and my mother of the Moon, I said, gulping at the air.

Dripping in sweat, I wiped my face and wrapped the muslin over my eyes, as I’d done so many times before. Then, taking a deep breath, letting agony run through me in a silent cry, I concentrated on the sound of my mother’s bells, tinkling around my angle, and stumbled on. Forwards again. Step by step. Forwards. Breathing. Living. Moving.

The crow, patient with my slow advance, flew in circles, soaring above the path it knew so well, now lost within the storm’s debris. As we reached the lane to the market, it alighted on the branch of an upturned tree, before settling gently on my shoulder. It was a powerful act of solidarity, a message I couldn’t help but understand.

We’d enter the town together.

I wasn’t alone.

Without knowing the full story of The Tempest, Sycorax’s story of life before was still fascinating.

Official synopsis:

Born of the sun and moon, shaped by fire and malady, comes a young woman whose story has never been told...

They call her Sycorax. Seer. Sage. Sorceress.

Outcast by society and all alone in the world, Sycorax must find a way to understand her true nature. But as her powers begin to grow, so too do the suspicions of the local townspeople. For knowledge can be dangerous, and a woman's knowledge is the most dangerous of all...

With a great storm brewing on the horizon, Sycorax finds herself in increasing peril - but will her powers save her, or will they spell the end for them all? Find out in this gripping and vivid narrative exploration of one of literature's most mysterious figures.

Sometimes the retelling of one imagined lifetime feels like it lasts even longer. This book was like that. Spanning from the meeting of her parents to the fate of her son, the story of the magic woman born Raven and eventually renamed by the townsfolk to Sycorax, encompassed so many more legends, lessons, and tales than there seemed room for in one life.

The voice and descriptions contributed to a beautiful story with a full range of emotions clearly shared. This book will be readily recommended to those who enjoy period fiction, stories with amazing female characters, and of course expansion on Shakespeare classics. Sycorax earned 5 out of 5 stars.

{click here to purchase this book via my affiliate link}

Becki Bayley is a wife, and mother who does her best traveling through reading, while cozy at home. Find out more about her life and reads on her blog, SweetlyBSquared.com.

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Book Review: Kingston and the Magician's Lost and Found, by Rucker Moses and Theo Gangi

Guest review by: Becki Bayley

I’m sitting outside on the stoop and I can’t imagine hitting the pillow. I am wired, my heart racing like it’s got enough voltage running through it to power the county grid.

At 4:00 a.m., the street is so quiet I’d believe I’m back in the suburbs. Must be how they grow trees in Brooklyn, extra thick and gnarly and lush. The leaves swish in the breeze like they’re whispering secrets.

The one word that keeps playing in my head, from all the info my uncle just dumped on me, is sacrifice…

Because that’s what I understand now that maybe I never understood before.

Kingston didn’t think he could return to his old home with his mother and actually find his father, but forces beyond his control seem to be making him look at things a little different. 

Official synopsis:

Twelve-year-old Kingston has just moved from the suburbs back to Echo City, Brooklyn—the last place his father was seen alive. Kingston's father was King Preston, one of the world's greatest magicians. Until one trick went wrong and he disappeared. Now that Kingston is back in Echo City, he's determined to find his father.

Somehow, though, when his father disappeared, he took all of Echo City's magic with him. Now Echo City—a ghost of its past—is living up to its name. With no magic left, the magicians have packed up and left town and those who've stayed behind don't look too kindly on any who reminds them of what they once had.

When Kingston finds a magic box his father left behind as a clue, Kingston knows there's more to his father's disappearance than meets the eye. He'll have to keep it a secret—that is, until he can restore magic to Echo City. With his cousin Veronica and childhood friend Too Tall Eddie, Kingston works to solve the clues, but one wrong move and his father might not be the only one who goes missing.

At 12 years old, of course Kingston doesn’t get much of a vote in what’s going on with his life. So when his mom says they’re moving back to the city where his dad disappeared during a magic trip, but redoing the family’s old magic store to be a coffee shop, Kingston is just along for the ride. He’s a good kid, and usually does as his mom says.

But strange things happen almost right away, and Kingston is given the idea that maybe he could bring his dad back from wherever he disappeared to, and they could go back to being a happy family again. He doesn’t want to go against his mom, but magic is practically happening to him without him doing anything, so it really isn’t his fault.

The book had a plot way more intricate than expected for middle grade fantasy/fiction. The world-building was clear, which is great since it’s apparently the first in an extensive series. The story would be easily recommended to those who enjoy magical realism and fantasy that is entertaining for middle-grade or adult readers. This first book in the series earned 4 out of 5 stars.

{click here to purchase via my affiliate link}

Becki Bayley is a mom and escape reader. She enjoys parenting and hanging out with middle grade kids, since you never know what they’ll say next. Check out some of her favorite reads and her life on her blog, SweetlyBSquared.com.

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