Buried on a Sundae (Coffee & Cream Café Mysteries) by Lena Gregory | Book Review and Author Guest Post

Welcome to my stop on the Great Escapes Virtual Book Tour for Buried on a Sundae (Coffee & Cream Café Mysteries) by Lena Gregory. Stop by each blog on the tour for interviews, guest posts, spotlights, reviews and more!

Buried on a Sundae (Coffee & Cream Café Mysteries) by Lena Gregory

Buried on a Sundae (Coffee & Cream Café Mysteries)
Cozy Mystery
4th in Series
Setting – Long Island, NY
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Gemma Halliday Publishing (August 27, 2024)

From author Lena Gregory comes a delicious new mystery…

Things have been looking up for Danika Delany’s business—her uncle’s old fashioned malt shop on eastern Long Island. But for her love life? Not so much. After a disastrous date with Detective Jake Barlow, Danika lets her best friends, Gwen and Eli, talk her into a night out at the hottest new nightclub in town. Only, while there, Dani finds her sort-of boyfriend secreted in the shadows on the beach behind the club with crime boss Patrick Johansen’s wife, Angelique! An upset Dani leaves without giving Jake a chance to explain, but when he doesn’t get in touch the next day, she takes a long walk along the beach to reevaluate her love life. That’s where she suddenly stumbles across Angelique’s body buried in the dunes near where she last saw her with Jake. Sure that Jake is innocent—of murder at least—Danika and her friends set out to prove Jake had nothing to do with her murder and stop a killer…before they strike again!

My review of Buried on a Sundae

I absolutely love Lena Gregory’s writing! I’ve enjoyed all of her books that I’ve read! Buried on a Sundae (A Coffee & Cream Cafe Mystery) is the fourth book in this series, but like I told the girl who cut my hair today, I think you can jump in here. My only caution would be, if you’re ever planning on reading the first three, read them first. You get a lot of great character background in those. 

Danika Delaney doesn’t actively seek out crime; she just stumbles upon it. In this case, she finds a body partially buried on the beach. The body of a woman whom she just saw the night before…with Detective Jake Barlow. The guy Dani’s been dating! Of course, she knows Jake is going to be blamed, and though she’s mad at him for not getting in touch with her or explaining why he was with the woman, she has to investigate! No, no; Dani’s not a detective. She runs a coffee and ice cream shop that belongs to her uncle Jimmy. However, she and her cohorts are on the case!

Throughout this series, the characters have become like my friends. They just keep getting better with each book! I really can’t decide who my favorite character is, but Eli is definitely in the top 3. He’s not quite as hyper in Buried on a Sundae, but given his level of “hyperness,” that’s not saying much. He’s still bouncing off the walls, hacking computers, purchasing detective-y stuff…basically he’s just adorable. He has a huge crush on Dani’s sister who loves getting him flustered. Really, there isn’t a character that I don’t like! 

I loved the crime boss angle in this mystery! It feels very on brand for Long Island! Okay, sorry Long Islanders. I didn’t really mean that… But, this mystery was so much fun to solve! There are lots of red herrings, but if you follow the clues, you’ll figure it out. There are lots of laugh out loud moments; most of them have to do with Dani’s crew’s antics while doing their detective work. This is a cozy mystery where I didn’t want to reach the end, knowing I’d have to wait months for the next book! 

I highly recommend Buried on a Sundae for its plethora of enjoyable characters, laugh out loud moments, and well-plotted mystery! 

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.

Author Guest Post

Ending One Chapter and Beginning Another

Some people find moving on easy, but I’ve never been one of those people. I always find ending one part of my life and moving on to another difficult and filled with anxiety and stress. Career changes, moving to a new home, even a new vacation destination all bring both excitement and dread. It doesn’t seem to matter whether I enjoyed what I was doing, the idea of leaving the known for the unknown is near panic-inducing.

 I started taking dance lessons when I was four years old. I danced six days a week and student taught all through my teenage years. When I left high school it only seemed natural to start work as a dance teacher. My daughter played in a playpen through dance classes, recitals and competitions, until she was old enough to dance. When she turned eight, she left dance in favor of sports; soccer, basketball, lacrosse, track, softball… You name it, she played it. My middle son, who was two at the time, couldn’t take being at the studio. The noise of the music, the kids talking, tap shoes, all overwhelmed him to the point of tears.

Not wanting to miss my daughter’s games, and unable to comfort my son (he was later diagnosed on the autistic spectrum) I had no choice but to leave the only thing I knew how to do, something I’d trained my whole life for. I needed a career that would allow me to work during the day but still be available for my son to receive therapy five days a week, so I started cleaning houses, which I didn’t love but didn’t hate either. Plus, it allowed me the freedom to be available for my children which was more important to me than anything else. 

Eventually, when my daughter started high school and my son was older, my daughter joined the drama club, in addition to all the sports. When a position opened up as a co-director and choreographer for the musicals, I jumped on it. Once again, I was doing what I loved. 

Then my daughter graduated and my youngest was born, and there was no way I could keep working at night, so once again I was faced with the dreaded career change. This time I asked myself, “What would I love to do?” Easy. Write a book. So I did. Now I’m fortunate enough to do what I love while still being available to my children. 

I guess the most important thing I often forget is, when one chapter ends, another begins. Sometimes, you can revisit a chapter you were particularly fond of for a while. And sometimes a new chapter is even better than the last. 

About Lena Gregory

Lena Gregory is the author of the Bay Island Psychic Mysteries, which take place on a small island between the north and south forks of Long Island, New York, the All-Day Breakfast Café Mysteries, which are set on the outskirts of Florida’s Ocala National Forest, the Mini-Meadows Mysteries, set in a community of tiny homes in Central Florida, and the Coffee & Cream Café Mysteries, which take place in a small town on the south shore of eastern Long Island, New York.

Lena grew up in a small town on the south shore of eastern Long Island, but she recently traded in cold, damp, gray winters for the warmth and sunshine of central Florida, where she now lives with her husband, three kids, son-in-law, and four dogs. Her hobbies include spending time with family, reading, and walking. Her love for writing developed when her youngest son was born and didn’t sleep through the night. She works full-time as a writer and a freelance editor and is a member of Sisters in Crime.

Author Links

• Newsletter: http://lenagregory.us12.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=9765d0711ed4fab4fa31b16ac&id=49d42335d1.
• Website: http://www.lenagregory.com/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lena.gregory.986
• Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/Lena.Gregory.Author/?fref=ts
• Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/LenaGregory03
• Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14956514.Lena_Gregory?from_search=true
• Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/lenagregoryauth/

Purchase Links – Amazon – B&N – Kobo 

Enter the giveaways: There are two!

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Buried on a Sundae TOUR PARTICIPANTS

August 27 – Mystery, Thrillers, and Suspense – SPOTLIGHT

August 28 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – REVIEW, AUTHOR GUEST POST, INDIVIDUAL GIVEAWAY

August 29 – Reading Is My SuperPower – REVIEW

August 29 – Socrates Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

August 30 – Read Your Writes Book Reviews – CHARACTER GUEST POST

August 30 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – REVIEW

August 31 – Sarah Can’t Stop Reading Books – REVIEW

September 1 – Maureen’s Musings – SPOTLIGHT

September 1 – fundinmental – SPOTLIGHT

September 2 – Baroness Book Trove – REVIEW

September 2 – Books, Ramblings, and Tea – SPOTLIGHT

September 3 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT

September 3 – Ascroft, eh? – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

September 4 – Elizabeth McKenna – Author – SPOTLIGHT

September 4 – Guatemala Paula Loves to Read – REVIEW

September 5 – MJB Reviewers -SPOTLIGHT

September 5 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW

September 6 – Reading, Writing & Stitch-Metic – CHARACTER GUEAST POST, INDIVIDUAL GIVEAWAY

September 6 – View from the Birdhouse – REVIEW

September 7 – Ruff Drafts – AUTHOR GUEST POST

September 8 – Cozy Up With Kathy – REVIEW

September 9 – Mystery Thrillers and Romantic Suspense Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

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