Welcome to my stop on the Great Escapes Virtual Book Tour for Something Borrowed, Something 90% Dark (A Bean to Bar Mystery) by Amber Royer. Stop by each blog on the tour for interviews, guest posts, spotlights, reviews and more!
Something Borrowed, Something 90% Dark (A Bean to Bar Mystery)
by Amber Royer
Something Borrowed, Something 90% Dark (A Bean to Bar Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
6th in Series
Setting – Texas
Golden Tip Press (September 12, 2023)
Print length : 301 pages
Felicity Koerber’s bean to bar chocolate shop on Galveston’s historic Strand is hosting the friends and family coming into town for her best friend Autumn’s wedding. As matron of honor, Felicity has a ton of tasks to complete – including making chocolates for the gift bags. She doesn’t have time to solve another murder. But when one of the bridesmaids becomes a prime suspect in the death of a visiting real estate agent, Felicity has to put her detecting skills to use again to keep the wedding plans from getting derailed.
She’s already nervous about the impeding deadline she’s given herself to finally choose between her two love interests – and figuring where life goes once she makes her choice. But add in a missing pigmy goat and a new coffee shop that wants to partner with her, and she’s frazzled.
She begins to discover that not everything is as it seems among the wedding guests. Can she handle the wedding preparations, pull off turning her shop into a concert venue, and unmask the killer – before anyone else dies?
Character Guest Post: Mrs. Guidry
Hi! I’m Florentien Guidry, but you can call me Flo. I run the Cajun restaurant across from Greetings and Felicitations, that chocolate shop on the Strand in Galveston Texas where all the murders seem to happen. Now, I tell you, this spot is prime real estate, so I’m glad for my business that I moved in here after the space came open, because the lady who was leasing it before me up and closed, after the business with the murder at the grand opening party over at the chocolate shop. In fact, she moved in a hurry, and left behind a ton of bric-a-brac and scented candles. The landlord said I could keep them, so they’re all in the stock room. I guess I could have garage sale, or something. But honestly – I think the killer must have said something to her, for her to exit stage left so dramatically, leaving all her tea room things.
I know what you’re thinking. You think that woman was right. That being across the street from that shop would be unpleasant. But I think this is the perfect spot. Yes, there have been a few more murders over at Greetings and Felicitations – or otherwise related to Felicity, the nice young woman who owns the chocolate shop. And who, by the way, seems to have a knack for solving crime. But I think that’s part of the charm. It’s like getting to watch Days of Our Lives unfolding right across the street from me, what with Felicity entertaining two suitors.
I do hope she chooses the nice cop. He’s such a sweet boy. Detective Romero is always checking in with me when things go wrong across the street. He told me once that I remind him of his mother, which I take as quite a compliment. Maybe it’s because we’re both good cooks. Arlo asked me for my recipe for red beans and rice the other day. I gave it to him – I’ve never been stingy with recipes, like some folks I know — but I’m sure he’ll be back anyway, because there’s something special about food served with love.
Logan, Felicity’s other love interest is a bit more stand-offish. He’s only been into my restaurant a couple of times, with Felicity. And while he seems nice enough, there’s something brooding about him, with a smile that rarely reaches his eyes. I guess you can’t really blame him, though. He was nearly killed in that annex, where they’ve extended Greetings and Felicitations into the shop next door – whose owner also decided to relocate, after the second murder happened outside on the sidewalk. But Felicity saved Logan’s life, which made things right in the end. Even if there was all that smoke and water damage that has the folks next door complaining. But I suspect Logan has money enough to solve that, without too much gossip.
Of course, Felicity getting caught up in all these murders is bound to make people gossip, especially around here. We live on an island. There’s only so much to do. But who doesn’t love a bit of gossip? I’ll pour the literal tea any time you’ve got something to spill.
And boy howdy, do my customers love to gossip. Some of them have come into town just to see the “murder books” over at Felicity’s shop. Those are the vintage books that keep showing up in her life just before a murder happens. This has caused a few people to speculate – quite loudly, I don’t even have to work to eavesdrop on my customers – that Felicity might be a mastermind, actually committing the murders herself and then elaborately framing the “murderers” she claims to have caught. I don’t believe that, not one whit. I’ve seen too much from over here, things Felicity couldn’t possibly have done herself. I see you eying my binoculars. Honestly, if your across-the-street neighbor had been involved with five high-profile cases, tell me you wouldn’t invest in a pair, too. A couple of times, I’ve even been able to share important information. (Let’s not talk about that time I tried to sell info and pics to the tabloid blogs. I needed the money, but things are going much better now that my daughter has gotten her life sorted out. She now has custody of my grandkids, which makes life so much sweeter.)
Right now, Felicity’s best friend Autumn – the mystery writer who stopped writing for a long time, but after Felicity solved a mystery in her past, started writing again and is now climbing the bestseller charts – is over there. I’m a huge fan of Autumn’s books. I’m about to bring one over there for Autumn to sign – which gives me a reason to be in the right place to hear what’s going on. After all, there’s been another murder. The friend of one of Autumn’s bridesmaids came to town, only to wind up dead. Lydia – the deceased – was also a writer, with a tell-all book about her past. Which means the bridesmaid is bound to be a suspect. Which means that Felicity will have a big stake in solving this one. And then there’s the thing with the missing goat, that the murder victim stole and stashed somewhere. Poor thing needs looking after – only no one knows where to look. And they can’t very well ask the dead girl.
Just let me grab my purse and that book, and I’ll walk you out. I’m heading across to the chocolate shop. I’m hoping to have something to tell Detective Romero, when he inevitably comes over here. After all, I need something to dish up along with his big slice of my famous crawfish pie.
About Amber Royer
Amber Royer writes the CHOCOVERSE comic telenovela-style foodie-inspired space opera series, and the BEAN TO BAR MYSTERIES. She is also the author of STORY LIKE A JOURNALIST: A WORKBOOK FOR NOVELISTS, which boils down her writing knowledge into an actionable plan involving over 100 worksheets to build a comprehensive story plan for your novel. She blogs about creative writing techniques and all things chocolate at www.amberroyer.com. She also teaches creative writing and is an author coach. If you are very nice to her, she might make you cupcakes. Chocolate cupcakes, of course.
Author Links
Website: http://www.amberroyer.com
Blog: http://amberroyer.com/blog/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amberroyerauthor/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Amber.Royer.Author/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoA_29HV2nPmRnox9LPVanw
Twitter: https://twitter.com/amber_royer
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Amber-Royer/e/B00PFV4CGM
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8144619.Amber_Royer
Purchase Links – Amazon
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Something Borrowed Something 90% Dark TOUR PARTICIPANTS
September 11 – Baroness Book Trove – SPOTLIGHT
September 11 – Jane Reads – AUTHOR GUEST POST
September 12 – Cozy Up WIth Kathy – CHARACTER GUEST POST
September 12 – My Reading Journeys – REVIEW
September 13 – Mystery, Thrillers, and Suspense – SPOTLIGHT
September 13 – Ruff Drafts – SPOTLIGHT
September 14 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – CHARACTER GUEST POST
September 14 – The Mystery Section – SPOTLIGHT
September 15 – MJB Reviewers – SPOTLIGHT
September 15 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
September 16 – Maureen’s Musings – SPOTLIGHT
September 16 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – AUTHOR GUEST POST
September 17 – FUONLYKNEW – RECIPE POST
September 18 – Celticlady’s Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
September 19 – Socrates Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
September 20 – Ascroft, eh? – AUTHOR GUEST POST
September 21 – Literary Gold – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
September 22 – Guatemala Paula Loves to Read – SPOTLIGHT
September 23 – Brooke Blogs – SPOTLIGHT
September 24 – #BRVL Book Review Virginia Lee – SPOTLIGHT
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Sounds like a book I will enjoy.
Thanks for hosting my character’s guest post! She is a fun character to write — the nosy neighbor with a good heart, whose info actually comes in handy for my protagonist from time to time.
You’re welcome! I love those type of characters in cozy mysteries! If a book doesn’t have at least one quirky character, I’m sad!
I love the setting for Something Borrowed, Something 90% Dark (A Bean to Bar Mystery) by Amber Royer.
I love the cover and goats. Sounds like a murder mystery.
fun post
I’m looking forward to reading this. It sounds like my kind of book.