I won a copy of The Broken Bridge and The Story That Made Us Stronger by Iris March.

MY REVIEW

I got what I expected when I cracked open The Broken Bridge: A Succulent Sleuth Cozy Mystery (Succulent Sleuth Series Book 1) by Iris March. While there was nothing earth shattering about the story, it is well written, with fun characters, and some eco friendly gardening tips that add a little bit extra to the story.

We are at Patty’s Plant Place (try saying that three times fast), an eco friendly garden center. The twins, Molly and May, and their cousin, Shannon, inherited it from their grandparents. May is the numbers person with an outgoing personality. Molly is more of an introvert and loved playing with the plants. Shannon only stops by to complain.

The Broken Bridge is a pretty laid back cozy mystery. We do have a little bit of danger and the kitty that makes it’s home at the garden center. We have characters that can’t help but put their nose where others don’t want them to be, and people who aren’t what they appear to be.

If you are looking for an easy reading, laid back mystery, The Broken Bridge by Iris March may be fore you. I have another book by Iris March, The Story That Made Us Stronger, that I will be starting very soon.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of The Broken Bridge by Iris March.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos — 3 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

An abandoned backpack. A damaged walking stick. A broken bridge. What happened on the Buckeye Trail?

Succulent-savvy sleuth, Molly Green spends her day tending her eco-friendly garden center, inherited from her beloved grandmother. She wants nothing more than to nurture her nursery and share her plant passion with the world.
When a hiker goes missing on the Buckeye Trail that runs behind the garden center and a bridge on the trail is damaged, the police suspect foul play. As clues mount up, Molly fears she may know who is to blame, perhaps someone in her own family.
To make matters worse, Molly must navigate the inconvenient appearance of a loquacious colleague, pulling her from her path to uncover the mystery of the broken bridge.
Can she discover what really happened that day on the trail? Or will the spikes and thorns surrounding this mystery take Molly out as well? Find out in the first book of the Succulent Sleuth Cozy Mystery series, The Broken Bridge.

Genre: Cozy Mystery, Fiction, Mystery Series
218 pages, ebook
Published May 24, 2022 by Wandering Ginkgo Press
Series: Succulent Sleuth

ABOUT IRIS MARCH (from Amazon)

Iris March has a reputation for killing house plants and now she’s killing people off in books? Coincidence? Perhaps not. Iris has spent two decades working in the sustainability field and is usually either reading a book or on a trail. She lives in Ohio with her husband, son, and three cats. Learn more about upcoming books and sign up for her newsletter at irismarchbooks.com.

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A Killer Sundae (An Ice Cream Parlor Mystery) by Abby Collette

About A Killer Sundae

A Killer Sundae (An Ice Cream Parlor Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
3rd in Series
Setting – Chagrin Falls, Ohio
Berkley (January 4, 2022)
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 352 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0593099702
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0593099704
Digital ASIN ‏ : ‎ B091PHQ88M

Ice cream shop owner Bronwyn Crewse is in for two scoops of murder in this charming mystery from Abby Collette.
Chagrin Falls, Ohio, is gorgeous in the fall, and Bronwyn Crewse, owner of Crewse Creamery, knows just how to welcome the new season. At the annual Harvest Time Festival, residents will get a chance to enjoy hot-air balloons and hayrides, crown a new Harvest Time Festival Queen, and eat delicious frozen treats sold at Win’s freshly purchased ice cream truck. But she gets into a sprinkle of trouble when a festivalgoer is poisoned and Win is implicated.
Although the victim was a former Harvest Time Festival Queen, her once-sunny disposition had dimmed into bitterness, leaving no shortage of suspects at the festival. To clear her name before the chill of winter sets in, Win will have to investigate and hope that her detective skills won’t “dessert” her.

RECIPE

Aloysius and Kaylene’s Favorite Pralines and Cream Ice Cream

Ingredients

Pralines

1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 tbsp butter
1 cup pecans
Salt to taste

Ice Cream:

2 cups heavy cream
1 1/4 cups milk
1 cups sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
Pinch of salt

Caramel Sauce:

1 cup sugar
¼ cup water
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
½ cup heavy cream
A teaspoon of vanilla
Pinch of salt.
Small jar with lid.

Directions:

To make the pralines combine the brown sugar, granulated sugar, cream, and butter in a skillet over medium heat. Bring to a boil and continue to boil for approximately 3 to 4 minutes to start caramelization. Use a wooden spoon to stir in the pecans until they are coated. Remove from heat. Keep stirring until the candy coating cools. Spoon onto a parchment lined baking sheet to cool completely. Sprinkle on salt.

To make the caramel sauce combine the sugar and water in a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat. Stir until the sugar dissolves and continue cooking without stirring until mixture turns amber-colored. Approximately 8 to 12 minutes. Slowly mix in the cream and continue simmering until mixture is smooth about 2 to 3 minutes. Then add in butter vanilla and salt. Set aside to cool. Pour into glass jar to cool completely to thicken.

To make the ice cream combine milk, vanilla and sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir occasionally until the sugar completely dissolves. Take off heat and add salt. Allow to steep and cool. Whisk in the heavy whipping cream. Cover with plastic wrap and place in fridge about two hours, until completely chilled. Using an ice cream maker, add the chilled ice cream base and churn according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Once the mixture has thickened add the pralines and about ¼ cup of caramel sauce. Continue churning until well mixed. Place in a freezer-proof container and freeze for at least two hours.

Enjoy!

About Abby Collette

Wall Street Journal bestselling author Abby Collette loves a good mystery. She was born and raised in Cleveland, and it’s a mystery even to her why she hasn’t yet moved to a warmer place. As Abby Collette, she is the author of the Ice Cream Parlor mystery series, about a millennial MBA-holding granddaughter running a family-owned ice cream shop in Chagrin Falls, Ohio, and the Books & Biscuits mystery series, starring a set of fraternal twins who reunite and open a bookstore and soul food café. Writing as Abby L. Vandiver, she is the author of the Logan Dickerson Mysteries, featuring a second-generation archaeologist and a nonagenarian, as well as the Romaine Wilder Mysteries, pairing an East Texas medical examiner and her feisty, funeral-home-owning auntie as sleuths. Abby spends her time writing, facilitating writing workshops at local libraries and hanging out with her grandchildren, each of whom are her favorite.

Author Links – Facebook – Twitter – Instagram– Website –

Purchase Links – Amazon – B&N – Kobo – Google Play – IndieBound – Alibris – Penguin Random House –

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