by Kathleen Costa

Details at the end of this post on how to enter to win either an ebook or print copy of Return to Sender, and a link to purchase it from Amazon.

Return Address…Murder!
Bernadette Butler, Bernie to her friends, has been delivering mail and packages for residents of the tiny mountain town of Sugar Creek Gap, Kentucky, for over a decade. After the death of her husband, she had a son to raise and it was easy to return to a job she’d done before. Now with her son an adult and married, Bernie has given him the family farm and moved into a smaller cottage blocks from the center of town and in the middle of her mail route. This has given her some extra “me” time allowing her to explore hobbies, enjoy gossiping with the “Front Porch Ladies,” keeping close to her parents at the family-owned diner, and spending time with her new granddaughter Clara. However, a poorly timed proposal by now ex-boyfriend Mac Tabor has been an emotional situation added to his new girlfriend who seems to be ingratiating herself into Bernie’s granddaughters life—don’t it make your brown eyes…green! However, she still has Buster and Rowena as loyal “fur” companions, and little Clara knows her “maw-maw.” Hopefully, all the kerfuffle won’t include another dead body.

Iris Peabody and Bernadette have been best friends since primary school, and the times she’s had one of her “feelings,” not really a sixth sense, have been more miss than hit. The misses were annoying and later a source of humor, but the hit was devastating. Iris told Bernadette on that fateful day she had a feeling about Bernadette’s husband Richard, easily dismissed until the sheriff arrived to report a tragic accident. So it is understandable that Bernadette is not eager to encourage Iris’s “feeling,” but she always seems to end up listening. Today…“I don’t have a good feeling” along with a look on Iris’s face illustrated how concerned she felt.

Return to Sender earns 5/5 Yoga Poses…Entertaining Fun!
Peaches Partin is the owner of Tranquility Wellness Spa, giving a variety of yoga classes from cool to “hot.” But when Bernie arrived to deliver the mail, she witnessed more trouble than tranquility. ‘I’m telling you to get out!” Sarah Hodge wasn’t much interested in yoga when Simon Little was with Peaches, but now that she’s his girlfriend, she is a regular participant. China Gordon, friend and clothing rep, figures it’s Sarah’s way to mess with Peaches…it’s working. But, Simon has other issues with his health and business, so who will law enforcement look at when Simon ends up murdered?

It’s a Keeper! Tonya Kappes has added another excellent adventure to her four-book Mail Carrier Mystery series with a clever mystery and excellent drama from being an ex to confronting the newbie from taking care of “fur” family to endearing little infants, from greed to revenge, from break ins to murder. Sugar Creek Gap is a delightful little town with the charm and southern hospitality you’d expect and all the Kentucky Hot Brown breakfast you can eat down at the Wallflower Diner. Bernadette is a middle-aged, newly christened grandmother who is dealing with some realistic, and engaging, quandaries over relationships with her son, daughter-in-law, grand baby, her ex-boyfriend, and his new girlfriend, and along with her own friends needing her support, she gets theirs. Tonya’s writing style is always entertaining, descriptive, witty, and compelling. I’m used to the felony popping up later in the drama because, like many fans, we come and stay for the characters. The slow reveal of issues, conflicts, and questionable decisions related to Simon was compelling, and the ins and outs and a few twists challenged my inner Sherlock. This is one of my favorite series from the mind of Tonya Kappes…join in!

Alert! The next adventure, First Class Killer, is on PREORDER and will be “delivered” on September 26; I expect it’ll be heralded by one of Iris’s “feelings” and a challenge for Bernadette and her Front Porch ladies. Don’t miss out on all of her other books set to release over the next few months. Check them out, too, on her AMAZON PAGE.

Be a Big Tonya Kappes Fan!
USA Today bestselling author Tonya Kappes is also one of my Top Ten favorite authors. With this, three-book Mail Carrier Cozy Mystery, she has a nine-book Camper & Criminals Cozy series along with exciting ghostly-, magical-, and caffeinated-themed series. For ghosts, she has the popular eight-book Ghostly Southern Mystery and seven-book Kenni Lowry series. Add some magic with the twelve-book Magical Cures Mystery and three-book Spies and Spells series. And finally, get a little caffeinated with her eight-book Killer Coffee Mystery. She also has an enjoyable online presence and various EVENTS enticing fans to gather to talk, share, and partake in the fun!

Facebook – Author Tonya Kappes
Join the “Cozy Krew”
Become a Member at the Website – Tonya Kappes

Namaste
Yoga is said to be the answer, and since Bernadette’s doctor had a list of things she needs to improve, Iris suggested a bit of “downward dogging” at Tranquility Wellness Spa. Peaches’s Yoga classes would improve sleep habits, support healthy digestion and weight loss, strengthen muscles, and increase happiness. Bernie is going to be hard to convert because she thinks all this can be achieved by taking care of her new granddaughter. For the rest of us…

On Amazon, Lisa Shea has published several books on yoga and meditation that might be your perfect guide and companion. You might not need to take one of Peaches’s classes with these links to Lisa Shea’s FREE Amazon eBooks. Check out her WEBSITE.

Yoga in Bed for All Ages I am personally exploring this on the comfort of my bed.
Yoga for Stress Relief and Forgiveness
Ten Minute Yoga for Stress Relief, Focus, and Renewal
Yoga for Travel by Plane Train Bus & Car
Five Minute Meditation: Mindfulness, Stress Relief, and Focus for Absolute Beginners

To enter to win either an ebook or print copy of Return to Sender, simply email KRL at krlcontests@gmail[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, and with the subject line “return,” or comment on this article. A winner will be chosen July 25, 2020. US only, and must be 18 or older to enter. AND BE SURE TO STATE IF YOU WANT PRINT OR EBOOK. If entering via email and requesting a print copy be sure to include your mailing address in case you win-emails will be deleted when the contest is over. You can read our privacy statement here if you like.

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Kathleen Costa is a long-time resident of the Central Valley, and although born in Idaho, she considers herself a “California Girl.” Graduating from CSU-Sacramento, she is 35+ year veteran teacher having taught in grades 1-8 in schools from Sacramento to Los Angeles to Stockton to Lodi. Currently Kathleen is enjoying year 2 of retirement revitalizing hobbies along with exploring writing, reading for pleasure, and spending 24/7 with her husband of 26+ years.

Disclosure: This post contains links to an affiliate program, for which we receive a few cents if you make purchases. KRL also receives free copies of most of the books that it reviews, that are provided in exchange for an honest review of the book.