Blog Tour Book Review: MISTLETOE, MOUSSAKA AND MURDER A Kebab Kitchen Mystery by Tina Kashian

Synopsis:

Not even her impending nuptials can keep Lucy Berberian, manager of her family-owned Kebab Kitchen, from the Jersey Shore’s annual Polar Bear Plunge. But her dive into the icy ocean is especially chilling when she finds a fellow swimmer doing the dead man’s float—for real . . .

Who would kill a man in cold blood during Ocean Crest, New Jersey’s most popular winter event? When Lucy learns the victim is Deacon Spooner, the reception hall owner who turned up his nose—and his price—at her wedding plans, she can’t help wondering who wouldn’t kill the pompous caterer . . .

Perhaps the culprit is the wedding cake baker whose career Deacon nearly destroyed? Or the angry bride whose reception he ruined? With her maid of honor, Katie, busily planning Lucy’s wedding without her, Lucy will have to get to the bottom of this cold-hearted business in time for Kebab Kitchen’s mouthwatering Christmas celebration—and before her hometown’s holiday spirit washes out to sea.

Recipes included!

Review:

Planning a wedding provide excuses for Lucy and Katie to investigate Deacon's death, only they keep identifying more people with a motive, and all were doing the Polar Bear Plunge. And there is the fast approaching holiday and the wedding date to be set. Lucy and Katie have a great friendship and neither of them believe the prime suspect is the real killer. In between Lucy's work at the Kebab Kitchen, continuing romance with Chef Azad, and avoiding her mother, Lucy and Katie annoy the detective and catch the killer.  The pace is good, the characters are likable, and there are plenty of false leads, twists, and turns, and surprises. This is the fifth in the series and easily read as a stand-alone mystery. An enjoyable cozy mystery and don't forget the recipes! 

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.

About the Author

About Tina Kashian Tina Kashian is an attorney and mechanical engineer whose love of reading for pleasure helped her get through years of academia. She is the author of the popular Kebab Kitchen Mediterranean cozy mystery series for Kensington Publishing. Tina spent her childhood summers at the Jersey shore building sandcastles, boogie boarding, and riding the boardwalk Ferris wheel. She also grew up in the restaurant business, as her Armenian parents owned a restaurant for thirty years. 

Tina still lives in New Jersey with her supportive husband and two daughters. Please visit her website at www.tinakashian.com to join her newsletter, receive delicious recipes, enter contests, and more! 

Author Links 

Website: www.tinakashian.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TinaKashianAuthor/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TinaKashian1
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tinakashian/
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/tina-kashian
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16902011.Tina_Kashian

Purchase Links: 

Amazon 
Barnes & Noble 
Google Books 
iBooks 
Kobo

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TOUR PARTICIPANTS

October 1 – I'm All About Books – SPOTLIGHT 
October 1 – Reading Is My SuperPower – REVIEW 
October 1 – The Cozy Pages – REVIEW 
October 2 – The Avid Reader – REVIEW, RECIPE 
October 2 – Heart & Scribbles – SPOTLIGHT 
October 2 – Christy's Cozy Corners – SPOTLIGHT 
October 3 – Elizabeth McKenna - Author – SPOTLIGHT 
October 3 – fundinmental – RECIPE POST 
October 3 – MJB Reviewers – REVIEW 
October 4 – Baroness' Book Trove – REVIEW 
October 4 – Literary Gold – SPOTLIGHT 
October 4 – Lisa Ks Book Reviews – REVIEW 
October 5 – Christa Reads and Writes – REVIEW 
October 5 – Celticlady's Reviews – SPOTLIGHT 
October 5 – The Book's the Thing – REVIEW 

October 5 – FUONLYKNEW - SPOTLIGHT 

October 6 – The Pulp and Mystery Shelf - AUTHOR INTERVIEW 

October 6 – Cozy Up With Kathy – REVIEW 

October 6 – Mystery Thrillers and Romantic Suspense Reviews – SPOTLIGHT 

October 7 – Ascroft, eh? – AUTHOR INTERVIEW 

October 7 – Reading, Writing & Stitch-Metic – RECIPE POST 

October 7 – My Reading Journeys – REVIEW 

October 8 – Brianne's Book Reviews – REVIEW 

October 8 – Socrates Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT 

October 8 – A Wytch's Book Review Blog – REVIEW, CHARACTER INTERVIEW 

October 9 – View from the Birdhouse – SPOTLIGHT 

October 9 – Books a Plenty Book Reviews – REVIEW 

October 9 – Author Elena Taylor's Blog – SPOTLIGHT 

October 10 – StoreyBook Reviews – REVIEW 

October 10 – I Read What You Write – SPOTLIGHT 

October 10 – eBook Addicts 

Guest Post by Tina Kashian, Author of One Feta in the Grave

Today, it's my pleasure to have Tina Kashion as my guest. Not only do we get to find out about her book, but she shares a cookie recipe, too.

Thank you for featuring me as a guest today!

I love to cook all types of cuisine. I grew up in a family-owned restaurant in New Jersey, and my Kebab Kitchen Mystery Series is set in a Mediterranean restaurant at the Jersey shore.

In One Feta in the Grave, Lucy Berberian is a recovering lawyer who returns to Ocean Crest, NJ and her family’s restaurant, Kebab Kitchen. To celebrate a successful summer season, the town plans a beach festival. But things soon take a turn for the worse when an arrogant businessman gets in a screaming match with Lucy’s best friend, Katie, over a sand castle contest. And when the same businessman is found shot dead under the boardwalk, things don’t look good for Katie. It’s up to Lucy to investigate before the wrong person gets skewered.

One of the recipes featured in the book is for date stuffed cookies. I have two girls who won’t touch a date, but when I made this Armenian recipe, then actually thought it was chocolate and loved it. Now, I admit, I didn’t confess the cookies were stuffed with dates until after they had their second cookie. I used this funny experience when writing One Feta in the Grave. Lucy, my sleuth, makes this recipe and gives a cookie to her ten-year-old niece who bites into a cookie and believes it’s filled with chocolate. When she’s told it’s not chocolate, but dates, her eyes widen and her mouth forms an O. It made for a great scene.

I’m happy to share my family’s recipe.

Tina Kashian’s Date Stuffed Cookies 

For the dough:

½ pound unsalted, softened butter
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 tablespoons sugar
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ cup warm water
For the filling:

1 ½ to 2 pounds pitted and chopped dates
1 tablespoon unsalted, softened butter
1 cup hot water
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon

For the egg wash:

1 egg, slightly beaten
Powdered sugar to sprinkle on cookies after they are baked

        Use an electric mixer on medium speed to mix butter, oil and sugar. Add flour, baking powder, and water and mix on medium speed. The dough should be a soft, pliable consistency. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and set it aside for thirty to forty-five minutes at room temperature.

        Now you are ready to prepare the date filling. Combine dates, butter, hot water, sugar and cinnamon in a separate bowl and mix on medium speed until well combined.

Flour a work surface to prevent the dough from sticking. Roll out dough until about 1/8 inch thick. Use a two-inch round cookie cutter or a water glass to cut out a circle shape. Place one rounded teaspoonful of date filling in the center of each circle shape. Fold into a half-circle shape. Using a fork, gently press the edges together to seal.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray baking sheets with cooking spray. Place cookies on baking sheets. Brush each cookie with egg wash. Bake for 15-20 minutes. Cookies should be golden, not brown. 

Lift cookies with a spatula and place them on cooling racks. Sprinkle with powdered sugar Makes about two dozen cookies. 

Thank you again and enjoy the cookies!

ONE FETA IN THE GRAVE

SYNOPSIS

As summer comes to an end in her Jersey Shore town, Lucy Berberian continues to manage her family’s Mediterranean restaurant. The Kebab Kitchen also has a food tent at this year’s beach festival. But now a local businessman is under the boardwalk—dead by the sea . . .

With a sand castle contest and live music, Ocean Crest bids a bittersweet farewell to tourist season. Summer will return next year . . . but Archie Kincaid won’t. The full-of-himself store owner has been fatally shot, soon after a screaming match with Lucy’s best friend. Katie’s far from the only suspect, though, since Archie had some bitter rivals—as well as some relationships no one knew about. It’s up to Lucy to look into some seedy characters and solve the case before the wrong person gets skewered . . .

Recipes included!

“A delectable read.”

—Bestselling author Shelley Freydont

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2UxFd8q

iBooks: https://apple.co/2B9EAsI

Barnes & Noble: https://bit.ly/2Bbbuta

Kobo: https://bit.ly/2C8zA9M

Google Books: https://bit.ly/2RTDl8r


ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Tina Kashian is an attorney and a former mechanical engineer whose love of reading for pleasure helped her get through years of academia. Tina spent her childhood summers at the Jersey shore building sandcastles, boogie boarding, and riding the boardwalk Ferris wheel. She also grew up in the restaurant business, as her Armenian parents owned a restaurant for thirty years. Tina still lives in New Jersey with her supportive husband and two daughters. Please visit her website at www.tinakashian.com to join her newsletter, receive delicious recipes, enter contests, and more!
You can also connect with Tina at:

Website: www.tinakashian.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TinaKashianAuthor/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/TinaKashian1

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tinakashian/

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Blog Tour Cover Reveal: HUMMUS AND HOMICIDE by Tina Kashian

When Lucy Berberian quits her Philadelphia law firm and heads home to Ocean Crest, she knows what she’s getting—the scent of funnel cake, the sight of the wooden roller coaster, and the tastes of her family’s Mediterranean restaurant. But murder wasn’t on the menu . . .


Things are slow in the off-season in this Jersey Shore town, but Lucy doesn’t mind. She doesn’t even mind waitressing at the Kebab Kitchen. Her parents have put in a new hummus bar, with every flavor from lemon to roasted red pepper. It’s fun to see their calico cat again, and to catch up with her old BFF, who’s married to a cop now.

She could do without Heather Banks, though. The Gucci-toting ex-cheerleader is still as nasty as she was back in high school . . . and unfortunately, she’s just taken over as the local health inspector. Just minutes after eating at the Kebab Kitchen—where she’s tallied up a whole list of bogus violations—she falls down dead in the street. Word on the grapevine is it’s homicide, and Lucy’s the number one suspect . . .

Recipes included!

Ready…

Set…

Reveal!!

Coming February 27, 2018 from Kensington Books!!

You can pre-order your copy today!!

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