Cozy Cull [12] - Autographed Throw in the Trowel by Kate Collins #giveaway

According to Merriam-Webster:

Definition of CULL

1 : to select from a group : choose  

2 : to reduce or control the size of (as a herd) by removal (as by hunting) of especially weaker animals; also : to hunt or kill (animals) as a means of population control

The plan is:

1. Each week I read one of the MANY cozy mysteries I have among my personal books.  
2. I write a post about it. 
3. Then I offer it in a giveaway in order to cull my "herd" of cozies... as "a means of population control."

 Please spread the word, even if you've already read this week's book. 

This week I have book 15 in the Flower Shop Mystery series, Throw in the Trowel by Kate Collins (published February 2014).  

I still haven't read beyond the first 3 books in this series so far (you can find my thoughts on them here), but I will.

From Goodreads:

I’m used to buried bulbs, not buried bodies…

The couple that sleuths together…

Flower Shop owner Abby Knight has just returned from a romantic honeymoon with the man of her dreams. There’s no reason for the bloom to be off the rose just because she and Marco are returning to normal life. But when Marco discovers a skeleton buried in the basement of his bar, it is a bit of a mood killer.

When the body is identified as a carpenter who went missing back in the 1970s, Abby and Marco decide to cultivate the clues to solve the cold case. What could be more romantic? But the deeper they dig, the more desperate the murderer grows. And if Marco and Abby don’t unearth the killer’s identity, they may not live to see their first anniversary.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

It's all in the terms and conditions, but in case you missed those...

Giveaway ends Thursday, February 27th (11:59 pm CT). I'll give the winner 48 hours from the time of notification to respond before I move on to someone else. The winner will be announced here once I've received a reply to my email.

It's not required, but feel free to comment!

And the winner is... Elissa!

Cozy Cull [3] - Nightshade on Elm Street by Kate Collins #giveaway

According to Merriam-Webster:

Definition of CULL

1 : to select from a group : choose  

2 : to reduce or control the size of (as a herd) by removal (as by hunting) of especially weaker animals; also : to hunt or kill (animals) as a means of population control

This is the third of what I hope will be a weekly giveaway.  Please spread the word, even if you've already read this week's book. I cannot keep this going if I don't have more interest.

The plan is:

1. Each week I read one of the MANY cozy mysteries I have among my personal books.  
2. I write a post about it. 
3. Then I offer it in a giveaway in order to cull my "herd" of cozies... as "a means of population control."

For this week, only the 3rd, I'm already breaking my own rules.  I've been reading Finger Lickin' Dead (Memphis BBQ Mystery, Bk 2) by Riley Adams for this giveaway.  But I haven't finished it yet, so I had to rethink my options.

I had the opportunity to splurge and purchase an autographed copy of the most recent (out this November 2012) Flower Shop Mystery (Bk 13) by Kate Collins, Nightshade on Elm Street.

I've only read the first 3 books in this series so far (you can find my thoughts on them here), so I'll have to read the library's copy of this when I finally get caught up (as I can't afford to buy a book twice!).

From Goodreads:

Enjoy her wedding shower…or receive a cold dunking?

In addition to running her flower shop, planning her wedding, and juggling two mothers who both want to host an elaborate bridal shower, Abby Knight is facing another complication. Her ditzy cousin Jillian asks her and her longtime beau, Marco, a private detective, to find a woman who’s gone missing from the exclusive beach house belonging to Jillian’s in-laws, the Osbornes. The missing woman is also the fiancée of Pryce Osborne, a wet noodle with a big bank account who dumped Abby just before their wedding several years ago. Merely being anywhere near Pryce makes Abby’s insecurities grow like kudzu….

Then a woman’s drowned body surfaces, and Pryce becomes a prime suspect in her death. Unless Abby and Marco can get a killer to come clean, their bridal shower will turn into a complete washout...and Pryce will be exchanging a sunny beach for a prison cell.

Just comment that you'd like to enter and provide an email address to contact you should you win. Open to everyone.

Giveaway ends Thursday, November 22nd (11:59 pm CT). I'll give the winner 48 hours from the time of notification to respond before moving on to someone else. The winner will be announced here once I've received a reply to my email.

The winner of this Cozy Cull giveaway is Kimberlee!

Kate Collins and the Flower Shop Mysteries

Mid April (I am very behind), I had the opportunity to see Kate Collins aka Linda Tsoutsouris speak at a fund-raiser for my library.  I was SO excited.  In preparation for the event, I started reading Kate's Flower Shop mysteries, which I've been collecting for awhile but had yet to read.  I managed to read the first two and get a start of the third before hearing her.  I finished the third afterwards.  Continuing the series is a given (I still have several more waiting), but I took a break to read some other books, genres, and authors.  In the meantime, these are my belated impressions of the first three...

Mum's the Word (Flower Shop Mystery, Bk 1) by Kate Collins (personal copy - ex-library copy from a library local to a former residence) -

I have to say my biggest impression of these is influenced by the setting.  I'm familiar with the town this was set in and could picture it when it was described.  In fact, that familiarity game me a little thrill.  Beyond that, I enjoyed it for what it is... a light cozy mystery.  Abby Knight gets involved in murders because she's a meddler.  If you've followed my blog you may know meddling is not one of my favorite traits in characters.  Nevertheless, I still liked Abby.

Slay It with Flowers (Flower Shop Mystery, Bk 2) by Kate Collins (library ebook) -

A co-worker noted that these books pick up where the previous book left of (as opposed to say, a year has passed) which I suspect makes it easier to read together than with great pauses while waiting for the next to be published... put that's a bridge I'll cross when I come to it.  What it means for now is that Abby is running into a lot of dead bodies in a short amount of time.

Dearly Depotted (Flower Shop Mystery, Bk 3) by Kate Collins (personal copy - purchased used) -

Abby is at her annoying cousin Jillian's wedding reception when she (or rather Jillian's new grandmother-in-law that Abby's supposed to be keeping track of) finds someone who's been murdered.  By this point, Jillian has managed to completely annoy the local police with her meddling in their affairs.  But she's been asked to help - again.  This time by her proper employee, Grace, who has previously discouraged her involvement in these investigations.  Funny how that works.  Anyway, the next book in the series is Snipped in the Bud.  My aforementioned co-worker skipped straight from the 1st book to the 4th so I had a spoiler about how it starts off, and there's no question that I need to read it and find out the deets.