Samantha Sweet’s husband, Beau, gets a call from a cousin he hasn’t seen in decades. Cecelia’s husband was recently murdered, and the local cops in their small town haven’t come up with a single suspect. She knows it wasn’t the random act of violence they’re claiming; Mark had been digging into something mysterious at his workplace and no one knows what kind of secrets he may have uncovered. Sam and Beau are on the road to Oklahoma to figure it out. Creston is a typical small town and no one wants to believe there’s a killer in their midst. But someone is hiding a secret that’s probably worth millions of dollars. And as Beau always says—behind most murders there’s a connection to either territory, love, or money. He and Sam just have to sort through the various suspects and motives to figure it out before the killer turns it back on them. Can they manage to catch the killer and still get home in time for the Thanksgiving holiday in Taos? Readers are raving about these lighthearted, relaxing, well-written books—Samantha may not be young, beautiful or have the perfect body, but she is intelligent, independent, and hard working, the kind of person you feel you already know. ~ ~ ~ Praise for Connie Shelton’s previous mysteries: “The best yet!! Not only was Sweet Magic fantastic, it left me dying to see where life is headed for Samantha and her family! Heart-gripping, fast-paced, and amazing.” – J.J. 5-stars, online review “LOVE, LOVE these books!” —5 stars, online review “Fantastic! Impossible to put down!” – 5 stars, Amazon reader “Shelton again has done a superb job in bringing New Mexico to life.” —Albuquerque Journal “Connie Shelton gets better with every book she writes.” —The Midwest Book Review

A Food Network Cupcake Wars winner shares her scrumptious recipes in a new cookbook that has vegans and omnivores alike clamoring for more. When Sticky Fingers Sweets & Eats opened in 2002, it instantly became one of the most popular bakeries in D.C.-a bakery that just happens to be vegan. Soon, Sticky Fingers was voted D.C.'s best bakery by The Washington City Paper, and chef Doron Petersan found herself beating out traditional bakers on the Food Network's Cupcake Wars. Sticky Fingers' Sweets is packed with one hundred of her beloved recipes- from indulgent snacks like Fudgetastic Brownies and Oatmeal Raisin Cookies to breakfast treats like Pecan Spice Coffee Cake and Cranberry Ginger Scones, and from celebratory desserts like Chocolate Seltzer Cake and Red Velvet Cupcakes to Sticky Fingers' most popular sweets- Little Devils, Cowvins, and Sticky Buns. Petersan also includes "love bite" nutritional tips and valuable tricks-of-the- trade techniques that every home baker will appreciate. The number of people embracing a vegan lifestyle continues to grow. Like Erin McKenna's BabyCakes and Isa Chandra Moskowitz's bestselling cookbooks, Sticky Fingers' Sweets and Petersan's delectable-and secretly healthy-recipes will be greeted enthusiastically by anyone and everyone who loves to bake.

When a blizzard threatens to ruin Valentine’s Day, three seventh-grade friends make and distribute fortune cookies to their lonely neighbors—and confront the secrets they’ve been keeping from one another. Confident Kate doesn’t notice much but the latest gossip, and shy Georgia can’t say out loud what’s always on her mind. They’re joined by observant, careful Olivia, whose epic, single-minded crush on PBJ (real name: Phillip Becker-Jacobs) is starting to frustrate them. Using fortune cookies that mysteriously always seem to speak directly to the person who opens them, the three girls try to work together to bring some love to their building while reminding each other why they’re such good friends to begin with.

Secrets can be funny things. We think they keep us safe, but more often than not, they spill out when we least expect and make a mess out of everything. It’s a truth Scarlett Jo Newberry knows all too well—a truth Grace Shepherd and Zach Craig are about to learn the hard way. As the lives of this boisterous pastor’s wife, polished news anchor, and beleaguered divorce attorney intersect in the tree-lined streets of Franklin, Tennessee, scandal threatens to topple their carefully constructed worlds. Grasping at survival, they embark on a journey of friendship and courage, desperate to find a way back to laughter, love, and life.

Have you ever wondered where the ideas for baking red velvet cupcakes, brownies, birthday cake, Girl Scout cookies, and other dessert recipes came from? Discover the history behind America's most popular and nostalgic desserts with popular CakeSpy blogger and self-proclaimed "dessert detective" Jessie Oleson Moore. Moore has put her sweet-sleuthing skills to work uncovering the fascinating histories and tastiest recipes for America's favorite sweets, including whoopee pies, chocolate chip cookies, Baked Alaska, and New York cheesecake. From romantic musings on how desserts got their names to sugar-fueled scandals, these classic recipes and photographs are guaranteed to offer food for thought and leave you with plenty of room for dessert.

Carole Walter’s fans know her as an award-winning author, teacher, and mentor, and her new book will keep them cheering, as she turns her attention to the most popular theme in home baking: cookies. Packed with more than 200 delectable recipes and more than 150 tantalizing photographs, Great Cookies skillfully and joyfully answers the call for a colorful, all-inclusive cookie book. From traditional favorites like Snickerdoodles, Oatmeal Raisin, and Favorite Lemon Squares to future stars of the cookie jar like the trail mix–inspired Teton Trailers and chewy, chocolaty Midnight Macaroons, Great Cookies provides something to satisfy every taste and every occasion. There’s even a section devoted to the quintessential American cookie—chocolate chip. With nuts or without? White chocolate or milk? Chocolate dough? Oatmeal in the dough? Carole provides a dozen chocolate chip recipes in all, plus definitive research on a crucial issue: “Not All Chocolate Chips Are Created Equal.” Drop cookies. Bar cookies. Piped, pressed, and rolled. Great Cookies covers every conceivable method for baking these tasty confections. In the more than thirty years that she has studied and taught baking, Carole has cataloged a wealth of helpful tips and troubleshooting hints that for the first time are gathered in one collection. With guidelines for measuring and substituting ingredients, storing and freezing, recapturing that fresh-from-the-oven flavor, decorating, even gift-wrapping and shipping, Great Cookies addresses all the basics and then some. And this ultimate guide is rounded out with authoritative information on ingredients, equipment, and the foolproof techniques for which Carole is known, including the essential “Secrets To” hints for every type of cookie. With master baker Carole Walter by your side, you may never look at a glass of ice cold milk the same way again.

On Quinnipeague, hearts open under the summer stars and secrets float in the Sweet Salt Air... Charlotte and Nicole were once the best of friends, spending summers together in Nicole's coastal island house off of Maine. But many years, and many secrets, have kept the women apart. A successful travel writer, single Charlotte lives on the road, while Nicole, a food blogger, keeps house in Philadelphia with her surgeon-husband, Julian. When Nicole is commissioned to write a book about island food, she invites her old friend Charlotte back to Quinnipeague, for a final summer, to help. Outgoing and passionate, Charlotte has a gift for talking to people and making friends, and Nicole could use her expertise for interviews with locals. Missing a genuine connection, Charlotte agrees. But what both women don't know is that they are each holding something back that may change their lives forever. For Nicole, what comes to light could destroy her marriage, but it could also save her husband. For Charlotte, the truth could cost her Nicole's friendship, but could also free her to love again. And her chance may lie with a reclusive local man, with a heart to soothe and troubles of his own. Bestselling author and master storyteller Barbara Delinsky invites you come away to Quinnipeague...

Inspired desserts that make a statement--yet are fast and easy Want your friends and family to gasp in awe when you bring dessert to the table? Here's a secret: You can make wow-worthy cakes, cookies, candies, and more, in your own kitchen, faster and more easily than you'd ever guess. (Certainly you don't need to tell your satisfied audience.) Seton Rossini provides step-by-step instructions and photographs to help you make 75 crowd-pleasing confections such as: Honeybee Cupcakes Pinata Cake Rothko Cookies Limoncello Tart Bailey's Marshmellows Rossini takes her cue from artists, vintage sweets, cocktails, and more, to create desserts that are crazy fun, breathtakingly beautiful, and, most importantly, surprisingly simple.

Praise for Connie Shelton’s previous mysteries: “Connie Shelton gets better with every book she writes.” —The Midwest Book Review Shelton again has done a superb job in bringing New Mexico to life.” —Albuquerque Journal USA Today bestselling author Connie Shelton throws a twist into this sixth episode in her most popular cozy mystery series. Samantha Sweet and Beau Cardwell are getting ready for their September wedding in Taos, with the whole Sweet clan about to show up for the celebration. Dealing with her mother may turn out to be the least of Sam’s problems when an unwelcome visitor walks into her pastry shop—Sam’s old heart-throb, the charmer, Jake Calendar. Jake wants money for a Hollywood get-rich-quick scheme and he wants Sam to finance the deal. Can Sam convince him that the answer is ‘no’ or will he sabotage the plans for her wedding? “Shelton continues to combine suspenseful storytelling with sensitive portrayals of complex family relationships.” – Booklist “Fans of Southwestern mysteries will find that Shelton's engaging story, likable heroine, and comfortable prose make this a good choice.” – Library Journal Search words: mystery, mystery series, romantic suspense, romance series, series books, culinary mysteries, paranormal mystery, paranormal romance, mystery books cozy, mystery books bakery and cooking, bestselling mystery books, mystery books in series, female sleuth cozy mystery, books set in New Mexico, romantic mystery

Samantha Sweet and her husband Beau have wrapped up a case in Oklahoma and returned to Taos, only to immediately receive surprising news from a friend. There’s been a shakeup in the Taos Sheriff’s Department and suddenly Beau has his old job back. Meanwhile, it’s Thanksgiving week and Sam’s bakery is busier than ever, as they’ve been asked to supply pies for the community Thanksgiving dinner. Plus, there’s a new event—the Harvest Feast. Chefs from around the state will compete to create and share fantastic ways to use holiday leftovers, while local farmers and vendors have their wares on display at the kickoff to the shopping season. But even before the festivities begin, well-known celebrity chef Hernando Rodriguez is found dead at his workstation, poisoned by one of his own dishes. Clearly, he was murdered, and now the challenge is for Sam and Beau to work the case while keeping the whole incident low-key enough that it doesn’t spoil Thanksgiving for everyone else. The victim’s abrasive personality means that suspects abound, and time is running short. Can they solve it before the killer gets away? Readers are raving about these lighthearted, relaxing, well-written books—Samantha may not be young, beautiful or have the perfect body, but she is intelligent, independent, and hard working, the kind of person you feel you already know. ~ ~ ~ Praise for Connie Shelton’s previous mysteries: “The best yet!! Not only was Sweet Magic fantastic, it left me dying to see where life is headed for Samantha and her family! Heart-gripping, fast-paced, and amazing.” – J.J. 5-stars, online review “LOVE, LOVE these books!” —5 stars, online review “Fantastic! Impossible to put down!” – 5 stars, Amazon reader “Shelton again has done a superb job in bringing New Mexico to life.” —Albuquerque Journal “Connie Shelton gets better with every book she writes.” —The Midwest Book Review