Showing posts with label Samantha Silver. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Samantha Silver. Show all posts

Friday, 3 November 2023

**FELINE FICTION FIX** Book Reviews with Amber at The Mewton-Clawson Library #255 featuring **Snowball's Chance in Hex** by Samantha Silver **PLUS** Friendly Fill-Ins **AND** The Winner of My Birthday Giveaway!

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Hello meautiful library guests 

and 

Welcome to the Mewton-Clawson Library at BBHQ 

Thank mew for joining me in the stacks today, and this week I'm feeling much better post pawty, well it was a big birthday which deserved a big celebration! MOL 

Thank mew all for joining me and Pandora, and let's announce the winner of the giveaway in a moment.

But first, I must say that I'm really enjoying snuggling in the sitting room this week!  

Amber's Book Reviews #255 ©BionicBasil® Amber's Snuggly Selfie

The winner of Amber and Pandora's Birthday Giveaway 

Drumroll purrlease...
And the winner drawn out of the hat* is:


WOOOOOOO HOOOOOOO!

MANY CONCATULATIONS!

If mew can email us your snail mail address at your earliest convenience, that would be epic. 

deardrbasil @ gmail . com

Thank mew to everypawdy else who entered, and don't wurry if mew didn't win this time; there'll be more giveaways in the New Year so stay tuned.

*And just in case mew're wondering how we pick the winner, we type the full list of names from the blog post and Instagram post, then paste them into the random name picker at www.miniwebtool.com, and it automatically picks the winner.

Anyhoo let's look at this week's top book pick.

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Today the P.A. is also joining in Friday Fill-ins Blog Hop with the pawesome 15 & Meowing and Four-Legged Furballs.
1. My November to-do list includes ______________________ and ______________________.
2. I was busy doing _________________________ 20 years ago.
3. _________ is a challenge I often face.
4. I’m proud to say that I overcame _________.

The P.A.'s answers are...

1. My November to-do list includes leaf raking, garden tidying and (hopefully) writing the brand new B Team Adventure, Claws of Terror. It has been five years since I wrote a B Team Adventure, as until last week every time I tried (and there have been many, many attempts) it was as if I was facing a huge block - the loss of Basil literally destroyed me inside - without my muse, the dude himself, who would sit on my desk in his in-tray and inspire these stories I have been lost. Yet something shifted last Thursday while I was writing last week's fill-ins, and before I knew it, I had Chapter One done. Which I hope you all enjoyed, and don't panic, Chapter Two is finished, and Chapter Three is underway.

2. I was busy doing pretty much the same as I am today 20 years ago. My life hasn't changed that much, other than getting older, stupid accidents and adding blog writing to my repertoire! LOL 

3. Apathy is a challenge I often face. But I think that's more of a 'time of life' thing with post-menopause. Oh, the joys of mid-life that no one warns you about!

4. I’m proud to say that I overcame most of my falls injuries, although some days I still get twinges in my back, neck and hips. But overall, it's all good.

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Let's see what I've got to show mew this time!

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This week's top book pick is...

Amber's Book Reviews #255 ©BionicBasil® Cursing Up A Storm by Samantha Silver
Mewton-Clawson Library Copy

Snowball's Chance in Hex


Witches Murder Club ~ Book 2

by 

Samantha Silver

       Here's a little snippet of the book blurb:      

When bodies start popping up in Golden Hope, Storm Bancroft has a feeling something is wrong. Sure, they’ve been labelled accidents, but a witch has her intuition, and Storm trusts hers. Getting the Witches Murder Club back together, the group begins to investigate and quickly finds that Storm is probably right. These aren’t accidents. They’re murders.

With no chance of getting any help from the police, Storm and her friends set about investigating on their own. But Storm has other questions that need answering. Questions about her past. And as she spends more time with Logan, she starts wondering about her future, too.

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This week I just finished reading Snowball's Chance in Hex by Samantha Silver, and my regular library visitors will know that I've read quite a few of this authors' books already.

Cursing Up A Storm ~ Book 1 Witches Murder Club


This is the second installment in the Witches Murder Club series, and it's a well-crafted blend of mystery, magic, and feline fun that kept me turning those pages. From the very first page, I was drawn into the charming and magical world of Golden Hope, a small town filled with secrets and supernatural happenings.

The best character for me was Jay, (obviously! MOL) the feline companion of the lead character Storm Bancroft. Jay's role in the story was most necessary, as without a cat, mew know I won't read it! MOL

Storm herself was a good protagonist with her magical abilities and unwavering determination, making her a force to be reckoned with. Furthermore, the other characters in the book were equally well-developed, each with their own unique personalities that added significant depth to the story.
 
The pacing of the book was spot on, with the plot unfolding at a steady and engaging tempo that kept me reading. The setting of the story, a small town called Golden Hope, is filled with secrets and occasional supernatural happenings. 

Snowball's Chance in Hex is a lighthearted cozy mystery, a little cliched in one or places, though nothing that detracts from the overall enjoyment. I can't wait to read the book three in the series and find out what happens next!  And the really great news is there are 8 books so far, therefore plenty to keep me going, as mew know I love a long series! MOl

Also, if mew have Kindle Unlimited this book is included in your memfurship. Although I will add, that I did prefer the narration on this one, I had the Kindle copy, and it offered me an audio version at a discount price, so I got that too, and the audio is the way to go for sure! MOL

Another Top Paw Read!


Paperback: 157 pages
Audio: 5 hours 10 mins
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My Ratings Scale
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Ratings of:

Snowball's Chance in Hex

Overall Enjoyment

Amber's Rating Scale ©BionicBasil® 5 Paws

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Other Fun Blog Hops to Join Today


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I'm off to prepare for next week's review, as mew know the drill, so many books, so little time!

I always look forward to your company as I share a specially paw-picked book just for my epic readers!

Don't forget if mew are looking for great books with cats, check out the Book Review page, just click the link here or at the top of the page, as that's the place to visit to get your feline fiction fix.

Until next week...

Keep calm and read more books

Amber 









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Friday, 12 May 2023

Book Reviews with Amber at The Mewton-Clawson Library #242 featuring **Cursing up a Storm ~ The Witches Murder Club Book 1** by Samantha Silver PLUS Friendly Fill-Ins

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Hello meautiful library guests 

and 

Welcome to the Mewton-Clawson Library at BBHQ 

Thank mew for joining me in the stacks today, and I hope mew are sitting down before mew see my picture below.

Yes, I did go outside on Sunday afternoon, it was a glorious day; warm and sunny, and the P.A. and Dad were busy in the garden so I ventured out onto the patio while the P.A. was doing a bit of potting on. In fact, mew can see that I am watching her, she was just off camera to the right of the picture.

Amber's Book Reviews #242 ©BionicBasil® Amber in The Garden

And if mew were here last week, mew may remember my concerns regarding young Melvyn's cattitude? Well, I summoned him to my office in the library and gave him a rather stern talking to, and I even gave him a verbal warning. Not that I can repeat any of it, as I did verbally fluff him up and down dale! MOL

Needless to say, he did apologise profusely and pledged his undying loyalty to the library and told me that as a kitten he always dreamed of being surrounded by books and being able to be part of a team, like here at the M.C.L. (Mewton-Clawson Library) with myself and the library mice. Also, he said that he'd take extra care when returning books to the stacks in future.

So the good news is, Melvyn is back on track... for now.

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Today the P.A. is also joining in Friday Fill-ins Blog Hop with the pawesome 15 & Meowing and Four-Legged Furballs.
1. I’ve got a yen for __________________________.
2. I would gladly trade ________________ for _____________________.
3. It seems like only yesterday that _________.
4. If you offered me _________, I would _________.

The P.A.'s answers are...

1. I’ve got a yen for travel, there are a few places I'd like to visit, although with The B Team, that's not possible, so I will continue to watch National Geographic and travel from the comfort of my sofa! LOL

2. I would gladly trade my house for a small farm with about 15 acres and a little bit of woodland.

3. It seems like only yesterday that the garden was bare, and yet today it is literally popping with colour. I adore the spring after the long bleak winter months, to see everything flourishing brings me so much joy. Although I must add it does take a considerable amount of work and constant effort to maintain it! LOL

4. If you offered me a silver Maine Coon cat, I would take him/her in a heartbeat.

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Let's see what I've got to show mew this time!

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This week's top book pick is...

Amber's Book Reviews #242 What Are We Reading This Week ©BionicBasil® Cursing Up a Storm by Samantha Silver
Mewton-Clawson Library Copy

Cursing up a Storm 


The Witches Murder Club Book 1

 by 

Samantha Silver 


       Here's a little snippet of the book blurb:      

Weather witch Storm Bancroft has never been afraid of ruffling a few feathers, even if it means occasionally being pecked at. So, the local mayor trying to kill her after she exposes him as an embezzler in the local paper? All in a day's work. But when the mayor in question is found stabbed to death the next morning, Storm quickly realizes she's suspect number one, and that's a problem.

Knowing she has to do some investigating before she ends up doing hard time instead, Storm rounds up a rag-tag group of other local witches who all have something to gain from the murder being solved, and voila—the Witches Murder Club is bo
rn.

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I reviewed several of Samantha Silver's books previously, here are the links:




I still have another five to go to complete this series, and they are on my to-read list, in case mew're wondering! MOL

Anyhoo let's dive into this new series, Cursing Up A Storm, the opening paragraph is rather exciting and sets up the rest of the story. Our heroine Storm, who is a weather witch finds herself in a life-threatening situation and the plot unfolds from this singular event leaving her as the prime suspect in a murder.

Her talking familiar is called Jay, and like a lot of the cat characters I've read in recent cozy mysteries he's got a snark-vibe and some serious cattitude happening, and while this doesn't detract from anything, I'm just finding it a little too formulaic as it's being used everywhere. What's wrong with having a really supurr helpful, kind and considerate kitty, as mew know some of us are not all snark-beasts?! MOL  And before mew jump to any conclusions, I did like the cat and he was funny in places.

I did enjoy the start to this new series, the plot unfolds well, it has a nice tempo, the characterisation is good, the characters are likeable, and the setting has a nice vibe, although I thought the town name of Golden Hope did sound like a restaurant. 

The story obviously has a little paranormal edge, and as far as cat/paranormal cozy mysteries go, this is a fun, lighthearted easy read. Which if like me, mew love your cozies, this one might be a good addition to add to your to-read list.  I'm looking forward to book two, as book one was left on a bit of a cliffhanger, and mew know I like a long series and so far this has seven books, so we'll see how the rest of the series unfolds. So watch this space for more.

Mew can buy the audio version for a reduced price of £3.49 on Audible UK, or if mew have a Kindle Unlimited subscription mew can read it for free.

Audio: 5 hours 40 mins
Paperback: 209 pages
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My Ratings Scale

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Ratings of:

Cursing up a Storm


Overall Enjoyment

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Other Fun Blog Hops to Join in Today



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I really hope mew enjoy the book as much as I did if mew decide to read it.

It's time for me to say BFN or bye-for-now as mew know the drill, so many books, so little time and I'll be back next week with another specially paw-picked book just for mew, and don't forget that all my previous reviews can be found on my Book Review page.

Until next time...

Keep calm and read more books

Amber 


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