I am such a big fan of cozy mysteries - and I quite enjoyed Cinco de Murder so much because it brought the mystery a bit closer to home (i.e. Texas). I am also a completist when it comes to series books, so I made sure to read the first two books in the series, Here Today, Gone Tamale, and The Good, the Bad, and the Guacamole. 

These books are absolutely great - so entertaining! Our protagonist, Josie Callahan, is such a great character; she's sweet, ballsy, inquisitive, and just plain funny. Her whole family reads just like an "average" (meaning, not so average lol) Texas family would really be. And her dog, Lenny, is so funny in his own right. 

In Cinco de Murder, we find Uncle Eddie getting a chili cook-off approved to be hosted in the town. The cook-off attracts contestants from all over, and one in particular, Lucky Straw, appears to be not well-liked by all those around him. Lo and behold, our Josie comes across Straw's body (what luck our Josie has!). Josie, along with Detective Quinton Lightfoot, get pulled along for the mystery of who killed the chili chef.

Along with the mystery, something that I truly enjoy due to my love of romance books, is the developing attraction between Josie and Detective Lightfoot. It's something that started brewing since book one, and it's something that I truly enjoyed seeing grow between them. On the flipside, I also think it's fun to read about how Josie's ex boyfriend, Ryan, doesn't seem to be over Josie - though Jose doesn't seem to see that (I kinda love when the reader knows something the protagonist doesn't!). 

Adler's writing flows so smoothly, and it is so entertaining to read. Since book one, I liked Josie instantaneously along with her family trailing right behind her. Adler helps you care about her characters and it reads less like random characters and more like people you know. I am all for it! I recommend this book (and the whole series actually) to all lovers of cozy mysteries, and especially to those who think they can't possibly get into a cozy mystery. These books will convert you for sure!

HARMON GENERAL
Misfits and Millionaires #2
by
KIMBERLY FISH
Genre: Historical Fiction / WWII / Spies
Publisher: Fish Tales, LLC
Date of Publication: June 16, 2018
Number of Pages: 330
Scroll down for giveaway!

In 1943, Lane Mercer and Emmie Tesco had nothing in common. Well, nothing stronger than a town neither of them chose and careers they couldn’t advertise as agents within the Office of Strategic Services. During the days of Longview, Texas’s Friendly Trek Homecoming Parade, Lane was gearing up for the grand opening of a bookshop that also disguised an espionage safe house, and Emmie was chasing a criminal with evil intent through the US Army’s new medical facility, Harmon General Hospital, treating diseased and amputated soldiers. Emmie ropes Lane into international threats at Harmon General, making it increasingly hard for the two spies to navigate the Junior Service League, church life, or anything else that might be considered normal for a town sizzling with oil boom wealth. A friend from Lane’s past arrives and pushes against the fiction she’s created to distance her spy history from the wedding bells ringing her future. Emmie flirts with the idea of finding a life outside of the OSS but justifies the danger as a way to make amends for those she’s betrayed. Connecting the two women, to their surprise, is a rogue agent who targets them for crimes he believes they created. For better, or worse, they have to put aside their differences to share responsibility for stopping       “The Grasshopper” before he blows apart the Big Inch Pipeline project and
Harmon General Hospital. The hope of malaria treatments for US soldiers depends on it, and justice of the heart demands it.

PRAISE FOR HARMON GENERAL:
"The war that changed the world brought the world to East Texas through Harmon General, a significant US Army hospital that treated thousands of wounded soldiers in Longview. In Harmon General, we meet again Lane Mercer, a World War II heroine, and we enjoy again how the drama of her secret service to the nation and her complicated personal relationships pull us into the vast impact of the world war." -- Dale Lunsford, Ph.D., President, LeTourneau University

“Harmon General is a brilliant story for historical fiction readers! Set in World War II, the female spies, Army hospital setting, and drama amongst the Longview townsfolk kept me riveted and engaged until the very end.” 
​- Jody T. Morse

For the first five days of the Lone Star Book Blog Tours promotion of Harmon General, the Kindle e-book of The Big Inch is FREE!! That’s right, from June 22-27, the e-book that started the whole Misfits and Millionaires adventure costs nada! Click to download your copy!

Kimberly Fish started writing professionally with the birth of her second child and the purchase of a home computer. Having found this dubious outlet, she then entered and won The Writer’s League of Texas manuscript contest which fed her on-going fascination with story crafting.
She has since published in magazines, newspapers, and online formats and in January 2017, released the first novel in the Misfits and Millionaires series set during the World War II years in Longview, Texas—The Big Inch. Her second book, Comfort Plans, was published later that same year. She lives with her family in East Texas.​

As their kiss turned heated, the phone rang. She was close enough to the desk to pick up the receiver and leave it off the hook for the next hour or so, but those three short rings followed by a pause and three more short rings followed by a pause, could only mean that Theo was calling. She couldn’t ignore the OSS if she wanted to keep the shop open. Pitiful cash reports and a renovation that had exceeded budget were reason enough to accept the government’s interference. 
Stepping away from Zeke’s embrace, Lane breathed in a fortifying gasp of air. She held a finger up and said, “Just one quick second. I have to get this call.”
“Are you kidding? Let it ring.”
​
    “I can’t.” She reached for the phone, knowing Theo would wait through four cycles. He’d programmed the operator to keep for the pattern, anticipating that Lane might be in a sales situation. “Between the Lines bookshop, on Fredonia in Longview.”
“I’m looking for a copy of Mrs. Washington’s cookbook. Do you carry it?”
She squeezed her eyes shut so she couldn’t see the disbelief on Zeke’s face. “Yes, I have one copy of Mrs. Washington’s cookbook.”
The operator paused. “Please hold.”
A perilously long fifteen seconds endured.
 “Lane?” The Bostonian accent was clipped like he was calling from a public location.
She watched Zeke swig the last of his beer, toss the bottle into the trash, and march into the storefront. The clatter of a box as it toppled to the floor followed. She was sure he’d find something else to kick before her conversation ended. Squeezing her eyes shut, she fought through the conflicting feelings that battered her brain. 
Reality reminded her she owed a debt to Theo that was bigger than any joy Zeke promised. 
Defeated, she turned her back, tucking the phone close to her chin, and answered Theo. “You have the worst timing.”

Hart of Darkness (The Hart Series, Book 1)
By S.B. Alexander
Romantic Suspense
Releasing June 12, 2018
 
Synopsis
The road to love is paved in the dark. 
Former gang member Dillon Hart abandoned the streets to join the US Merchant Marines. He feels his life is finally on track until he returns home to discover that his sixteen-year-old sister is missing. With his younger brother in jail and his older brother living a life of crime, it’s up to Dillon to find Grace. After four years of searching, a phone call from a morgue gives him a lead that he can’t pass up. Enlisting the help of a cutthroat reporter may be his only hope.
Crime reporter Maggie Marx has just the right mix of grit and sex appeal to get anything she wants, even the darkest stories on the street. Growing up in a gang, she had her fair share of setbacks and obstacles. When Dillon Hart seeks her help, she’s more than ready to take down the street's biggest enemy. Her actions could help her exact revenge or land her in the belly of the beast.
As Dillon and Maggie team up to search for Dillon’s sister, they aren’t prepared to find what lies ahead. One family is torn apart. Another is brought together. Hearts are shredded, secrets are uncovered, and love takes on a whole new meaning.
Intended for audiences 18+ Strong language and sexual content.

S.B. Alexander is a bestselling romance author of the Maxwell Series. Her books are filled with stories that tug at your heart, and are filled with romance, drama, action and suspense. As much as she loves to write, she also loves to read. Some of her favorite authors growing up were Stephen King and Edgar Allen Poe. She stills enjoy reading Stephen King. In fact, she loves most genres, although in the past three years she has gravitated toward the romance genre, which is when she started her journey to write her first book. Her motto: write what you love to read. 
 
Aside from writing, she’s a huge sports fan, in particular, baseball. Since she hails from New England, she is a diehard Red Sox fan. She’s also a navy veteran and former math teacher, loves white powdered donuts, and handbags. Her husband calls her the bag lady. When she’s not writing, she enjoys playing golf and hanging out with friends and family.
 
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sbalexander.authorpage
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SBAlex_author
Website: http://sbalexander.com/
 
AMAZON: http://sbalexander.com/wwskAZ
B&N: http://sbalexander.com/4tfwbn
GOODREADS: http://sbalexander.com/hodgoodreads
​

Excerpt
 
I parked two blocks from a sea of red and blue flashing lights. I grabbed my bag, hopped out of my car, and ran up to the crowd that had gathered around.

I sidled up to an older lady. “What’s going on?”

She didn’t even look my way. Instead, she lifted up on her tiptoes to see over others’ heads. “Word is the cops are in a standoff with some gang.”

My internal radar was firing on all cylinders. “What gang?”

She clutched the robe she was wearing. “Not sure.”

I plowed through the throng to get a better view. Some protested as I wiggled my way up to a man in blue, whose name read Miladin on his uniform shirt. I knew some cops but not him.

Police cruisers and unmarked cars littered the street on the other side of the police barricade.

I flashed my reporter credentials. “I’m here to see Detective Ted Hughes.” I scanned the men in blue and some in plain clothes. Ted was tall, lanky, and sometimes hard to miss with his thick mustache that was similar to the actor Tom Selleck’s. I did another once-over and spotted Rick. He wasn’t as tall as Ted, but he was husky, compliments of the gym he lived at during his off-duty hours.

Officer Miladin narrowed his dark eyes. “Civilians are not allowed past this barrier.”

“I work for the paper, so let me through.” I knew working as a reporter held no clout to get me into an active police scene, but most cops knew I was close to Ted.

Officer Miladin stabbed a finger at another police barrier along the sidewalk in front of the brick homes that lined the street. “The media is over there.”

I didn’t budge from my spot. “You’re new. Aren’t you?”

Miladin’s voice dropped an octave. “I said over there.”

I huffed and decided it wasn’t worth arguing. Ted would only kick me out anyway.

I spotted Deidre, a news reporter for CBNT, a local station in the city. If anyone had a lead, it would be Deidre. She was relentless in her hunt to get the big story. I was about to make my way over to her, when a shot rang out through the humid night.

People screamed and scattered.

The cops took cover behind their vehicles.

I managed to duck behind one of many cars parked along the curb. The lady in the robe joined me, breathing heavily, while the crowd scattered to take cover.

Then silence ensued.

I slowly peeked through the car window, when the lady in the robe nudged me.

She pointed a red-painted nail toward the driveway of the house across from us. “Look.”

A girl with bold red hair darted from the back of the house, setting off the motion sensor.

Miladin, who had abandoned his position, edged along the base of the house and down the driveway. He said something into his radio, when the redhead climbed the chain-link fence.  

Considering the girl was running, I suspected the cops didn’t have the house completely surrounded. Or if they did, then their attention wasn’t on the girl.
​
The crowd seemed to be holding its breath.