Attending a swanky cookie exchange is the last thing on veterinarian Dr. Mandy Brown’s holiday to-do list, but she agrees to help a friend out.
Welcome to the December 12th stop on the blog tour for Bloodstains and Candy Canes by Marla A. White with Goddess Fish Promotions. Be sure to follow the rest of the tour for spotlights, reviews, and a giveaway! More on that at the end of this post.
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About the Book
Bloodstains and Candy Canes
A Christmas Cookies Mystery
by Marla A. White
Published 30 November 2022
The Wild Rose Press, Inc
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Page Count: 73
Add it to your Goodreads TBR!
Attending a swanky cookie exchange is the last thing on veterinarian Dr. Mandy Brown’s holiday to-do list, but she agrees to help a friend out. The party comes to a screeching halt after a body turns up on the kitchen floor, a carving knife jutting out of his back.
As if that wasn’t bad enough, Mandy comes face-to-face with Officer Dylan Shaw, a man she thought she was dating until he ghosted her. Tensions escalate as motives for murder come out of the pantry as fast as guests scarf down the pot-spiked brownies, making everything all the merrier.
Although the case seems open and shut, Mandy doesn’t believe the evidence. Can she and Dylan put their differences aside and find the real killer, or risk one of the bakers getting away with murder?
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Excerpt
I start to creep closer to see if the butcher block is missing a knife when Shaw turns and plows smack into me. I stumble backward—again, the shoes’ fault, I wouldn’t have nearly landed on my butt in my clogs. Fortunately, Shaw has quick reflexes and grabs my arms to hold me steady. I don’t fall, but my knees feel like jelly at his touch.
“You’re right, the box is stamped with Queen Bea Bakery. I’m going to let the detective know. Seriously, you should rejoin the rest of the, um…”
He can’t quite say the rest of the sentence, so I finish it for him. “Suspects?”
His cheeks pink, and his gaze drops mine as he nods. “Yeah, the rest of the suspects.” Still holding on to me, he pulls me close for a quick, soft kiss. “Be careful, babe. One of those women might be a killer.”
Reeling from either the kiss or him calling me babe, I’m not sure which, I make my way back to the patio. Common sense says what should bother me more is the idea one of the women I’m mingling with might be a killer. I graduated near the top of my class in vet school, so why does this one sandy-haired, lantern jawed, cop confuse me so easily?
About the Author
Marla White is a story analysis instructor at UCLA and writing coach who lives in Los Angeles. She graduated from the University of Kentucky where she took her first horseback riding lesson. After dabbling in hunters, barrel racing, and weekly trail rides, she fell hopelessly in love with the sport of eventing. She conquered Novice level before taking a break to pursue novel writing but hopes to return to the saddle some day soon. When she’s not writing, she’s out in the garden, hiking, putting together impossibly difficult puzzles, or (of course!) baking.
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Giveaway Alert!
Marla A. White will be awarding a $15 Amazon or B&N gift card to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
a Rafflecopter giveaway| Dec 5 | Dawn’s Reading Nook | Dec 6 | Hearts & Scribbles |
| Dec 7 | Long and Short Reviews | Dec 8 | Momma Says To Read or Not to Read |
| Dec 9 | Fabulous and Brunette | Dec 12 | Westveil Publishing |
| Dec 13 | Viviana MacKade | Dec 14 | Sandra’s Book Club |
| Dec 15 | Hope. Dreams. Life… Love | Dec 16 | Guatemala Paula Loves to Read |
| Dec 26 | Twirling Book Princess | Dec 27 | Iron Canuck Reviews & More |
| Dec 28 | All the Ups and Downs | Dec 29 | Literary Gold |
| Dec 30 | Joanne Guidoccio |
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Bloodstains and Candy Canes sounds like an excellent holiday mystery and I am looking forward to reading it. Were there any aspects of this story that required research on your part?
Thanks for hosting!
The book sounds like an interesting read.