Month: May 2018

Four Funerals and Maybe a Wedding by Rhys Bowen

~ Nicole Asselin ~ Leave a comment

I’m gonna say it.  I love Rhys Bowen.  Her Molly Murphy & Royal Spyness series are just delightful.  I started with the Molly Murphy series and blew through those so quickly….I anxiously await the next one (book 17!).  Molly is a spunky Irish Immigrant living in turn of the century NYC and I just love the character so much!

But, the reason I’m here is because Net Galley & Berkley Publishing gave me the opportunity to read the latest in the Royal Spyness series (book 12!) coming out August 7.

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Four Funerals and Maybe a Wedding by Rhys Bowen

It was kind of fun reading this book with less than a week to go before the next Royal Wedding (Harry & Meghan forever!).  Lady Georgiana Rannoch is 35th in line to the throne and engaged to the dreamy Darcy O’Mara.  While related to royalty, she is not wealthy and at the beginning of the book living in her friend’s house using her maid.  Trying to find an apartment/house that both her and Darcy could afford was proving to be difficult.  Luckily, one of her mother’s former husbands (of which she has plenty), who happened to raise Georgie for a time, names her his heir.  He happens to be a world traveler and offers her and Darcy his grand estate for their use.  He only asks for space when he’s home from his various travels.

She readily jumps at the chance.  Prior to the wedding she decides to go up and start getting the house in order.  Upon arrival, she finds a curious set of employees, all different from those that previous worked under her stepfather.  They don’t seem to be the usual sort of servants, and Georgie tries her hardest to whip them into shape and get the house back in tip top shape.  Her old maid, Queenie (her of the “Bob’s your uncle) comes on board, and her mother comes to stay as well.  Mysterious happening occurs, and a very Jane Eyre situation rears it’s head.  I thought I knew what part of the mystery was, but the end was still a surprise with a twist.

The wedding itself between Darcy and Georgie gets rushed at the end, I would’ve liked to see more of the wedding itself.  BUT, the mystery of the book was great, and I still enjoy the characters very much.

I can’t wait for the next one!  See where Darcy and Georgie go now they are married.  Maybe duel spy missions?

Ruth Ware

~ Nicole Asselin ~ 1 Comment

Ruth Ware has quickly become one of my favorite authors.

It started when I read this book:

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The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware

Those who know me, know I have a few big fears.  Fire is one.  Cruise ships are another.  Being gaslighted is another.  This book checks two of those boxes for me, and I was hooked.  Did the main character witness a murder on a cruise ship?  It is a small cruise but there is something weird going on about it.  And I LOVED it.  A great thriller.  So, when her next book came out, I was onboard right away.

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The Lying Game by Ruth Ware

This book is set in a mysterious town in England near a boarding school.  It centers on four “friends” and how they survived during the school year and how they reconnect later.  Again, it’s a creepy thriller, and Ruth Ware is amazing with getting into psychology of women and friendship relationships.  Each time I read her book, I learn something new about female friendships.

So, I decided after reading these two books to go back and read her first book.

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in a dark, dark wood by Ruth Ware

This was my favorite of her books!  I’m so upset I didn’t read this sooner.  It’s a cabin based murder mystery, which I love!  A group of “friends” meet to celebrate one of their own getting married.  The reader learns bits and pieces about the relationship of those in the house, all while flashing between what happened in the cabin, and what is now happening in the present.  Leonora is the friend who doesn’t really know why she was invited to her old friend’s party, but succumbs to peer pressure to attend.  We first see her stumbling out of the woods covered in blood.  But who’s blood is it?  The book flashes back to the time in the cabin where we learn more about what exactly happened.  So good!

Ruth Ware’s new book comes out soon, and it looks super creepy and gothic, which I’m totally into right now.  So I’m a bit excited.  If you like twisty female driven thrillers….then Ruth Ware is for you!

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The Death of Mrs. Westaway

 

It’s officially official!

~ Nicole Asselin ~ 1 Comment

Well, after about a year of querying my mystery novel, I can now announce that I’m going to be published with Pandamoon Publishing in the near future!  They are a small press out of Austin, TX, and the owner just happens to be a Red Sox fan (which I think worked in my favor).  I’m going to be learning a lot about the publishing business through them, and I’m already working on the second book in the series of Baseball Cozy Mysteries.  Stay tuned for an announcement one when/where you can buy a copy of the first book!

Here is the press release:

Pandamoon Publishing Acquires Baseball Cozy Mystery Series, DEATH AT FIRST PITCH by Nicole Asselin

Austin, TX – 4/27/18 – Pandamoon Publishing proudly announces the acquisition of the baseball cozy mystery series, DEATH AT FIRST PITCH by Bostonian Nicole Asselin. “We are excited to welcome Nicole to our growing creative community and look forward to publishing her unique series that blends her love of baseball with her passion for mysteries,” said Zara Kramer, publisher at P…andamoon Publishing and an avid member of #RedSoxNation herself.

“For her 32 years of life, Madeline Boucher grew up a baseball fan. Her grandfather ensured a love for the game and particularly the Boston Red Sox from an early age by purchasing a local Independent League Baseball team, the Abington Armadillos, before she was born. When circumstances force her to return home, she finally accepts her place in the family,” Kramer added.

“Walking into the ballpark, Madeline encounters the body of a prospective scout in the visitor’s dugout. He’s been bludgeoned to death with a baseball bat. Madeline uses her position in the baseball front office to learn more about the victim and potential suspects. While facing anonymous threats, she realizes that she may have bitten off more than she can chew,” Asselin said.

DEATH AT FIRST PITCH expands Pandamoon Publishing’s growing catalogue of crime, mystery, and suspense thrillers that include PARIAH by Ward Parker and CRYBABY LANE by Laura Ellen Scott.

“I’m thrilled to join Pandamoon Publishing and am excited to get started on this journey to bring my series to life. I’m especially looking forward to participating in the entire process, which is something you don’t find with other publishers,” Asselin said.

Asselin is a Navy Brat who followed her father to his various stations. She holds a degree from Curry College in Milton, MA in English/Creative Writing with a minor in Dance. She received a Master’s Degree in Arts Management from George Mason University before serving as a technical writer in Government Contracting. Currently, she works in Downtown Boston and lives on the South Shore with her three cats Julia, Jacques, and Madeline. She is a member of Sisters in Crime and Mystery Writers of America

Pandamoon Publishing focuses on publishing quality and unique fiction works and distributes them through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, and Ingram, as well as other book distributors and bookstores worldwide, including Powell’s and Books-A-Million. Headquartered in Austin, Texas, Pandamoon Publishing is dedicated to growing good ideas into great reads…one book at a time. Review copies of our books are available to journalists and qualified reviewers through our media contact. Learn more at www.pandamoonpublishing.com.

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