Blog Tour Spotlight: PERILS AND LACE A Ghostly Fashionista Mystery by Gayle Leeson

Synopsis

A murderer outwitting a quirky flapper ghost? Seams unlikely!

Budding retro fashion designer and entrepreneur Amanda Tucker is thrilled about making costumes for Winter Garden High School’s production of Beauty and the Beast. But when the play’s director Sandra Kelly is poisoned, Amanda realizes there’s a murderer in their midst. She’s determined to keep herself and the students safe, so when her ghostly fashionista friend Max suggests they investigate, Amanda rolls up her sleeves and prepares to follow the deadly pattern…

Purchase Links

AMAZON

About Gayle Leeson

As Amanda Lee, she wrote the Embroidery Mystery series, and as Gayle Trent, she writes the Daphne Martin Cake Mystery series and the Myrtle Crumb Mystery series. Going forward, Gayle intends to keep her writing until the Gayle Leeson name. She has a series of women’s fiction novellas set in a shopping mall that has been converted to include micro-apartments (the Kinsey Falls series) and is enjoying writing the Ghostly Fashionista Mystery Series, the Down South Cafe series, and co-writing the Victoria Square series with Lorraine Bartlett. 

Author Links
Websites: https://www.ghostlyfashionista.com/current-release and https://www.gayleleeson.com
Newsletter sign-up form: https://forms.aweber.com/form/14/1780369214.htm
Twitter: @GayleTrent
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GayleLeeson/
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Gayle-Leeson/e/B01NBSTBDU/
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/gayle-leeson
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/426208.Gayle_Tren


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Book Review: DESIGNS ON MURDER : A Ghostly Fashionista Mystery Book 1 by Gayle Leeson

Synopsis

What if you discovered your lively new friend wasn't really...alive?

Amanda Tucker is excited about opening her fashion design studio in Shops On Main, a charming old building in historic Abingdon, Virginia. She didn't realize a ghost came with the property! But soon Maxine "Max" Englebright, a young woman who died in 1930, isn't the only dead person at the retail complex. Mark Tinsley, a web designer with a know-it-all attitude who also rented space at Shops On Main, is shot in his office.

Amanda is afraid that one of her new "friends" and fellow small business owners is his killer, and Max is encouraging her to solve Mark's murder a la Nancy Drew. Easy for Max to want to investigate--the ghostly fashionista can't end up the killer's next victim!

Review

This is a fun read. Somehow Amanda is able to see an converse with Max - who is long dead, but oh, so much fun. Then there's the dead body and the handsome guy who moves into the dead guy's space. Max does have capabilities the average sleuth is missing though. She gains information and pushes Amanda to solve the murder. Amanda's fashion is all very retro style. Not that I have the occasion to wear retro-gowns, seeing Amanda's creations might be fun.

The story moves along at a good pace and all the characters renting space in this house for their small businesses have their own quirks and secrets. Why would a collector of old books have books that aren't books at all, but designed to hide something? Along with the twists and turns, the reader also gets a glimpse at Amanda's relationship with her grandfather - who also sees Max - as well as her less than supportive parents. If you like cozy mysteries and don't mind a helpful ghost, you'll enjoy this latest from Gayle Leeson.

FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book in the hopes that I would post an honest review. This has not affected the content of my review in any way.

AMAZON

Blog Tour: KILLER WEDDING CAKE (Daphne Martin Cake Mystery) by Gayle Trent

Synopsis:
Daphne Martin’s wedding to Ben Jacobs is only a couple of weeks away. An award-winning cake decorator, Daphne is busy designing their wedding cake. Her twin nephew and niece, Lucas and Leslie, are excited about being in the wedding party. And Daphne’s brother-in-law Jason is planning a bachelor party for Ben. Everything is going beautifully until Daphne’s ex-husband Todd shows up. Just released from prison after serving a sentence based on his shooting a gun at Daphne, Todd comes to Brea Ridge to profess his undying love for her.

Despite Daphne’s attempts to make Todd leave town, he insists on hanging around to reconnect with people he used to know. When he’s found murdered, Daphne finds herself at the center of the investigation. Now she must track down Todd’s killer before she becomes the next victim. Can she still make it to the church on time?

Review:

Daphne has recovered from an abusive marriage and is about to marry Ben, the ideal husband.  Only her ex-husband shows up spouting his love after his 7 years in prison, freaking her out.  Then he's murdered and she has to identify the body. Then her wedding planner is murdered and it's beginning to look like Daphne may be a target as well.  

The description of Daphne's experiences married to Todd in contrast to her mother's perception of Todd (such a gentleman) is well done and adds an emotional layer to the story. Amidst the family turmoil, pre-wedding jitters, bachelor party planning, and baking of the wedding cake, the tension regarding the murders rises steadily.  Trent does a great job of keeping all the parts moving and coming together with unexpected (and sometimes humorous) twists and turns.  

About The Author
Gayle Trent (and pseudonym Amanda Lee) writes the Daphne Martin Cake Decorating series and the Embroidery Mystery series. The cake decorating series features a heroine who is starting her life over in Southwest Virginia after a nasty divorce. The Embroidery Mystery series features a heroine who recently moved to the Oregon coast to open an embroidery specialty shop.



Author Links
http://www.gayletrent.com

https://www.facebook.com/GayleTrentandAmandaLee

https://twitter.com/GayleTrent

https://www.pinterest.com/gayletrent/

Purchase Links
AMAZON

B&N

Book Review: Claus of Death: A Myrtle Crumb Mystery by Gayle Trent

Synopsis: Myrtle Crumb, the sassy, sixty-something sleuth from BETWEEN A CLUTCH AND A HARD PLACE and WHEN GOOD BRAS GO BAD, is suspicious when the mall Santa is found dead "on the throne"--the Santa Land throne, that is. The police are saying it was suicide, but Myrtle knows no self-respecting Santa Claus would let himself die in front of the children! She goes undercover to investigate the suicide and uncovers more than she bargained for! 

Review:  At times it is hard to remember that Myrtle is sixty-something, and it is no wonder that her daughter is worried when she gets a job as Mrs. Claus to the new Santa.  Her excuse is to support her granddaughter whose gotten a job wrapping presents.  But Myrtle starts to ask questions and plays her part well. This is a fun, fast paced novella. Myrtle is likable, caring, and includes not only a touch of the holiday season, but portrays older adults as multi-dimensional, even with a bit of romance.   I have the other two on my kindle and now know what to read when I want something on the shorter side.

To purchase from Amazon  

Of note, Gayle Trent is also the author of the Daphne Martin Cake Mysteries - I may have to check them out!