by Kathleen Costa

Details at the end of this post on how to enter to win an ebook copy of the book and a link to purchase it from Amazon.

Hooking Up with Murder
Samantha Davies, a freelance writer, is back living in her hometown of Wings Falls in Upstate New York with her constant companion Porkchop, a delightful dachshund who is the inspiration and lead character for her children’s book. She has a quirky sense of humor, as do many of her compadres, telling people who ask that she’s also a “hooker.” Of course, she giggles clarifying she’s a rug hooker. Every week she meets The Loopy Ladies at The Ewe and Me Woolery to hook, eat, and trade gossip. Her cousin Candie Parker, a fellow “looper,” transplanted southern belle, and writer of adult romance novels, is playing out her own romance with the upcoming nuptials to the mayor Mark Hogan. Did someone say “twelfth” time’s a charm? Sam’s put romance on hold after a bitter divorce, but she’s been given a second chance with local detective Hank Johnson. They bonded over her being accused of murder, so having a detective handy makes it easier when confronted by the occasional suspicious death. Hook one, Murder two!

A Wedding Gone to the Dogs Earns 5/5 Wedding Rugs … Engaging Cozy Gem!
Exes seem to be the theme of Candie’s and Mark’s upcoming nuptials. Mark’s ex-wife, Babs, dubbed “Vampira” by Candie, has shown up uninvited. She says she intends to support “Markie” in his campaign, but her manner seems to indicate there’s more to it. She cheated on Mark, so their divorce was more than a mere “misunderstanding,” and her veiled animosity toward Candie is a cloud on the festivities. Candie has eleven ex-fiancés all with whom she’s mostly stayed friends, and her first ex, Tommy Ray Clements, is helping her rehab her Victorian home for her and Mark to live in after the wedding. But, she’s shocked to find that Tommy Ray has on his phone an embarrassing photo from thirty years ago when they were young, yet totally inappropriate for the soon-to-be first lady of the town. The local snoop, Rob Anderson, sees this exposé as his ticket to national attention, so he headlines the photo in the paper giving Mark’s opposing candidate, Bret Hargrove, fodder for his campaign. Candie’s “I’ll wring his scrawny neck” threat may be hard to dismiss when Tommy Ray is found dead and in his grasp evidence that could implicate Candie. Is the wedding still on or will it be postponed until Candie is released from prison?

“I do!” love this book! S.A. Kazlo’s third book in her Samantha Davies Mystery series has a clever mystery, ample surprises, multigenerational cast, endearing relationships, conflicts hard to ignore, and always a happy ending. The problems exes cause beg the question, where’s karma when you need ‘em? But, with break-ins, perilous mayhem, arguments witnessed, political shenanigans, and a possible doppelgänger there’s a lot more going on than first thought. With one of their own on the “hook” for murder, the Loopy Ladies really step up with snooping around, but it seems the killer may take exception to their nosy manner. Sam’s relationship with Hank suffers a bit when she’s placed in danger, but revelations of his past only strengthens their connection. The mystery was complex, entertaining, with various avenues to ponder and problems with their “out in the open” snooping, but it does end with a “Yeah!” arrest. It is an easy read, well-written, and also includes engaging side stories with the wedding, the mayoral campaign, dachshund antics, more exes’ drama, and lots of friends hooking together. It’s an excellent addition to the series, and one that’ll make newbies eager to read more.

Samantha Davies Mystery
Kibbles and Death (2022)
A Doggone Death (2022) KRL Review HERE
A Wedding Gone to the Dogs (2023)

Be a Big S.A. Kazio Fan!
S.A. Kazio (aka Syrl Ann Kazlo) is a retired teacher, and says, like her heroine in her novel Samantha Davies, “I’m a hooker, rug hooker that is.” She also has two very active dachshunds who are featured in many of her blog articles: S.A. Kazlo—Blog.

Facebook: S.A. Kazlo, author
Website: S.A. Kazio

Be a GHP Fan!
Gemma Halliday Publishing is a “small, boutique publisher of quality women’s genre fiction.” There library of stories have “laughter, heart, and lots of clever plot twists,” with no graphic descriptions, their books perfect for eighteen-year-olds to eighty-year-old.

Website – Gemma Halliday Publishing

Enter to win an eBook copy of A Wedding Gone to the Dogs by S.A. Kazlo by making a comment below about: (1) any “funny” wedding glitch, (2) a crafting project you are proud of, or (3) your favorite children’s book or character.
Or you can simply email KRL at krlcontests@gmail[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, and with the subject line “dogs.” A winner will be chosen April 15, 2023. U.S. residents only, and you must be 18 or older to enter.You can read our privacy statement here if you like.

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