MOURNING AFTER by Stephanie Damore

Title:  MOURNING AFTER

Series:  Funeral Fakers #4

Author:  Stephanie Damore

Publisher:  Sweet Promise Press

Publish Date:   11.23.2018

Category /Genre:  Cozy Mystery

Recommended for:  18+ due to sexual content

Grammar/editing:  book received as an unedited ARC / errors excused

Received from:  Sweet Promise Press (as an ARC gifted copy)

Goodreads link: Mourning After

Date completed: 11.24.2018

Description from the publisher:

Aspiring stage actress Maven Mackenzie tried to take a bite out of the Big Apple… and choked.  Returning from NYC with her head down and ego shattered, she had no idea what to do next.  Until the Funeral Fakers find her and offer her a role as a Professional Mourner.  It isn’t the best gig she’s ever gone after, but, hey, it’s something.

Her boring new life goes from 0 to 60, however, when a family friend winds up murdered.  Now finding the killer lands squarely on Maven’s unprepared shoulders.

But when the deceased was a real pistol, and everyone in town seems to have a motive, the killer could be anyone – and they could strike again at any moment.

Can Maven uncover all the right clues to solve Asheville’s latest funeral fiasco?  Find out whodunit in this hilarious mystery series filled with fake tears and a very real body count...Order your copy and start reading today!

Mourning After is book four in The Funeral Fakers series.  Each book stands completely on its own, but you'll have more fun if you read them all together!

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MOURNING AFTER is the fourth book in the Funeral Fakers series.  This is a multi-author series and each book stands on its own.

There is never a dull moment, plenty of humor, a little romance, family love, family sniping, intrigue, and (of course) a murder.

One of the most unique aspects of this book is that we get to meet the victim before the murder.  She is not nice!

I loved this story and would love to read more cozy mysteries from Stephanie Damore.  Her turn at the Funeral Fakers is the best of the four so far

Note:  While I received this book as a gifted ARC, my opinions are my own and are given freely.

Funeral Fakers Series:

1.      Mourning Routine (S.E. Babin)

2.      Mourning Commute (Sam Cheever)

3.      Mourning Express (K.M. Waller)

4.      Mourning After (Stephanie Damore)

5.      Mourning Star (Ava Mallory)

6.      Mourning Crisis (Carolyn Ridder Aspenson)

Also from Stephanie Damore:

Beauty Secrets Series:

1.      Makeup & Murder

2.      Kiss & Makeup

3.      Eyeliner & Alibis

4.      Pedicures & Prejudice

5.      Beauty & Bloodshed

6.      Charm & Deception

A Ring to Die For

Spirited Sweets Series:

1.      Bittersweet Betrayal

2.      Decadent Demise

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WISTERIA WRINKLE by Angela Pepper

Title:  WISTERIA WRINKLE

Series:  Wisteria Witches, City Hall #2

Author:  Angela Pepper

Narrator:  Rosemary Benson

Length:   11 hours 29 minutes

Audible Release Date:  11.02.2018

Publisher:  Angela Pepper Publishing

Publish Date:   07.28.2018

Category /Genre:  Paranormal Cozy Mystery

Recommended for:  18+ due to sexual content

Listenability:  OK  or  NSFW

Received from:  Angela Pepper (as an Audible gifted copy)

Goodreads link: Wisteria Wrinkle

Date completed: 11.28.2018

Description from the publisher:

Zinnia Riddle has been through a rough patch, but she's not broken.  This witch is tougher than she looks.  Yank off her arm?  She'll patch it back on with some black scarabyce blood.  Mess with her coworkers?  She'll grab her purse full of magic and come for you!

Now that she's the boss of her own department, life seems simple enough.  Sure, there are strange creatures crawling out of the ceiling, but that's life in a magical town like Wisteria.

But when two of her coworkers go missing, Zinnia springs into action.  All this nonsense with the third floor has gone on long enough.  If nobody else is going to fix the problem, she will.  With the help of her friends, Zinnia whips up a new potion and takes a journey to somewhere she's never been.

Will the gang be able to defeat an enemy unlike any they've ever seen?  Or will they be too distracted by their new powers?

Only time will tell, and time is a fickle monster, indeed.

This is the second book in the City Hall series, which centers on Zinnia Riddle (Aunt Zinnia). 

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WISTERIA WRINKLE is the second book in the Wisteria Witches, City Hall series.  They do need to be read in the order of release and they are intertwined with the Wisteria Witches series.   While you don’t necessarily need to read that series, there are references that will make more sense if you know the characters and circumstances.  I would recommend reading this one after WICKED WISTERIA. (That’s where I am in the series.)

I love this series and its companion.  The many magical beings and the humor keep me glued to my car seat long after I have turned off the engine.  I love the characters and how they interact and speak to each other – like true friends and coworkers.

In this particular episode, the journey is more than an adventure.  It is a lifetime and … well, I don’t want to give anything away, but that wrinkle in the title isn’t referring to anyone’s laugh lines!

I particularly loved the Dr. Who and Star Trek (red shirt) references.  Those had me laughing extra hard.

I don’t know yet what the next title in this series is, but I know that I am looking forward to it and the rest of the Wisteria town antics.

Narration:  Rosemary Benson continues to be a perfect choice for voicing the many characters in the Wisteria City Hall, especially snarky Margaret.

Note:  While I received this book as a gifted audiobook copy, my opinions are my own and are given freely.

Wisteria Witches – City Hall series:

1.      Wolves of Wisteria

2.      Wisteria Wrinkle

Also from Angela Pepper:

·         Funny Ladies

·         The Mystery of Broken Shell Island & Other Fantasy Tales

Diamond Files Mysteries:

1.      Girl in the Shadows

Eli Carter and the Ghost Hackers series:

1.      The Cat Who Went Bump in the Night

2.      The Ghost Who Wasn’t There

3.      The Dog Who Barked Fire

Restless Spirits series:

1.      Interview with a Ghost

2.      Date with a Ghost

3.      Dancing with a Ghost

Stormy Day Mysteries:

1.      Death of a Dapper Snowman

2.      Death of a Crafty Knitter

3.      Death of a Batty Genius

4.      Death of a Modern King

5.      Death of a Double Dipper

Wisteria Witches series:

1.      Wisteria Witches

2.      Wicked Wisteria

3.      Wisteria Wonders

4.      Watchful Wisteria

5.      Wisteria Wyverns

Wisteria Witches – Daybreak series:

1.      Wardens of Wisteria (coming soon)

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MOURNING EXPRESS by K.M. Waller

Title:  MOURNING EXPRESS

Series:  Funeral Fakers #3

Author:  K.M. Waller

Publisher:  Sweet Promise Press

Publish Date:   11.16.2018

Category /Genre:  Cozy Mystery

Recommended for:  18+ due to sexual content

Grammar/editing:  book received as an unedited ARC / errors excused

Received from:  Sweet Promise Press (as an ARC gifted copy)

Goodreads link: Mourning Express

Date completed: 11.17.2018

Description from the publisher:

C-list actress Rosie Collins’ name is making headlines… unfortunately it’s only with the tabloids.  Now, with a freshly minted reputation for being a troublemaker, not even the local Dollar General store will hire her to twirl their sign.

Problem is the job offers stop, but the bills don’t.  Rosie needs cash fast, like, express-lane fast.  Might Professional Mourning be the answer?  Sure, yeah, whatever.

Never one to mince words, her first job is to deliver the eulogy for the most hated man in all of Asheville.  Now she’s got a new problem.  Namely, that the newly deceased’s slip-and-fall accident seems like it may have been more of a push-and-fall murder.

Will Rosie find a way to solve this deadly mystery, or will her next role be as Harold’s replacement in the coffin?  Find out whodunit in this hilarious mystery series filled with fake tears and a very real body count...  Order your copy and start reading today!

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MOURNING EXPRESS is the third book in the Funeral Fakers series.  This is a multi-author series; the stories are not sequential and can be read in any order.

I loved this story and the characters.  I loved the twists and surprises.  I loved the humor and building romance between Mateo and Rosie. 

I liked Rosie.  She’s built up in the media as a diva, but you’ll have to make your own judgement on that one.  I found her to be caring, giving, and smart.

I would love to read more about Rosie and her best friend, Gabe.  They are a hoot!

Note:  While I received this book as a gifted ARC, my opinions are my own and are given freely.

Funeral Fakers Series:

1.      Mourning Routine (S.E. Babin)

2.      Mourning Commute (Sam Cheever)

3.      Mourning Express (K.M. Waller)

4.      Mourning After (Stephanie Damore)

5.      Mourning Star (Ava Mallory)

6.      Mourning Crisis (Carolyn Ridder Aspenson)

Also from K.M. Waller:

Lost Souls ParaAgency Series:

1.      The Three Witches of Burberry

2.      The Ghostly Reunion

3.      Illusion of a Vampire (coming soon)

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NOT HIS WEREWOLF by Annie Nicholas

Title:  NOT HIS WEREWOLF

Series:  Not This #2

Author:  Annie Nicholas

Narrator:  B.J. Harrison

Length:  8 hours

Audible Release Date:  10.26.2018

Publisher:  Green Mountain Publishing

Publish Date:   07.24.2017

Category /Genre:  Paranormal Romance

Recommended for:  18+ due to sexual content

Listenability:  OK  or  NSFW

Received from:  Annie Nicholas (as an Audible gifted copy)

Goodreads link: Not His Werewolf

Date completed: 11.13.2018

Description from the publisher:

After being disowned and labelled as a human because she can't shift, Betty Newman rescues unwanted dogs to fulfill her need for pack.  Being rejected by her birth pack was enough pain for a lifetime, and she'll do anything to avoid subjecting herself to their prejudices.

Things change when Ken Birch wakes in her kennel still in wolf form and declares she's his soul mate.  His presence wakes her feral heart and makes her long for a life she can't have.  Old wounds are opened, and she refuses to listen to instinct.

But only a shifter can be a soul mate, and now her life is in danger by New Port's pack.  Either Betty learns to shift or she dies.  Problem is the only one willing to help is Ken, the last person she wants.

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NOT HIS WEREWOLF is the second book in the Not This series.  Though it is best to read them in the order of release, I had not read the first and was not at all lost.

Absolutely entertaining!  Especially when enjoyed as an audiobook.  I F-loved this book and I want more of this series.  It is fast-paced, well crafted, sexy, funny, quirky, and full of the unexpected.  It left me smiling for days.

I loved all of the characters.  Their mistakes and their passions are bigger than life.  They drew me in and kept me captive in a world I didn’t want to escape.

This is the first book I have read from Annie Nicholas.  I will not let it be my last.

Narration:  B.J. Harrison did an amazing job of bringing these characters to life.  I fully expected to start seeing dragons flying over my car as I was driving home and listening to NOT HIS WEREWOLF.  I would love to listen to more from this talented presenter.

Note:  While I received this book as a gifted audiobook copy, my opinions are my own and are given freely.

Planning ahead:  Book five is called NOT HER ALPHA, but it’s so far away from book two!  I know that eventually Ryota is going to get his mate.  Until then, he is aces at being the perpetual grump!  I also know that he deserves that mate.  He has a heart of gold that is hidden by his gruff exterior.  There are already many hints in that direction and I am looking forward to the discoveries to be found there in him.

Not This series:

1.      Not His Dragon

Not His Christmas

2.      Not His Werewolf

3.      Not His Vampire

4.      Not Her Gargoyle

5.      Not Her Alpha

Also from Annie Nicholas:

·         Boarded

·         Irresistible

·         Koishi

·         No Refuge

·         Venturi

Angler Series:

1.      Bait

2.      Catch

3.      Release

4.      Hunting

5.      Fugitive

6.      Hook

Chronicles of Eorthe Series:

1.      Scent of Salvation

2.      Scent of Valor

3.      Scent of Scandal

Lake City Series:

1.      Ravenous

2.      Starved for Love

3.      Sinful Cravings

Vanguards Series:

1.      The Omegas

2.      The Alpha

3.      The Beta

4.      Omegas in Love

5.      Sigma

6.      Prima

Vanguard Elite Series:

1.      Bootcamp of Misfit Wolves

2.      A Taste of Shifter Geekdom

3.      Blind Wolf Bluff

4.      Penny of the Paranormal

5.      Pallas

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