My Nails and My Book Review - High Kicks, Hot Chocolate, and Homicides by Mary McHugh

**NetGalley**

Title: High Kicks, Hot Chocolate, and Homicides

Series: Happy Hoofers #5

Author: Mary McHugh

Goodreads Summary: Murder takes center stage . . .

It’s a Christmas miracle for the Happy Hoofers—Tina, Janice, Pat, Mary Louise, and Gini. They’ve scored a gig at New York City’s Radio City Music Hall with the legendary Rockettes, complete with sexy Santa suits and microphones on their shoes. But when a dazzling diva of a dancer is found dead under the stage, there’s quite a lineup of suspects. In between rehearsals and seasonal sightseeing—and the discovery of a multi-talented, multi-colored cat—the toe-tapping troupe has to sort out the intrigue before another victim kicks the bucket . . .

My Review: **I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review**

This is a great winter book. I can just imagine being snuggled into a blanket next to a fire, sipping a nice hot cup of coffee while snow is gently falling outside (or, since I'm a northerner, watching blizzard conditions). It's light, it's cozy, it's predictable. Pretty much, it's just that perfect mix for a cold winter's day. I do feel that it leaned a little more towards “light romantic mystery” than a straight cozy mystery, but the main characters felt so real that it didn't matter. It felt weird to me that the entire mystery was fully explained by about 2/3rds of the way in, leading to a few too many climactic scenes. Although it did get amusing when Mary Louise realizes how ridiculous it was getting. A major plus for me was the fact that this can be read as a standalone, and it also doesn't leave any unresolved plotlines.

My Manicure: I went super simple on this one. Sinful Colors Rich in Heart because is such a gorgeous chocolatey brown. It really reminds me of a nice, cozy cup of hot chocolate.

~Kelly

26 Great Nail Art Ideas - Blue and Silver

**Nothing to Disclose**

Hooray! Time for another round of Crumpet's Nail Tarts. This year, it is 26 Great Nail Art Ideas. This means every other Friday I'll be posting a new manicure based on the prompt. Since the first prompt is blue and silver, I went with my absolute favorite blue - Sinful Colors True Kolor. Blue and silver makes me think nautical, so I looked through my plates until I found my Winstonia Absolutely Nautical plate. I used Bundle Monster So Metal for the stamping. I love how opaque it is, but I do find it a little thick to work with. I've had to relearn how to scrape with it.

An InLinkz Link-up

~Kelly

My Nails and My Book Review - Death By Pumpkin Spice by Alex Erickson

**NetGalley**

Title: Death By Pumpkin Spice

Series: Bookstore Cafe #3

Author: Alex Erickson

Goodreads Summary: Bookstore café owner Krissy Hancock would rather spend Halloween serving pumpkin goodies than wearing costumes with Pine Hills’ wealthiest at Yarborough mansion, especially when the soiree shapes up to be more trick than treat . . .

As if a run-in with an old flame and a failed marriage proposal weren’t enough to horrify Krissy for one night, a woman is found strangled to death in a room filled with ominous jack-o’-lanterns. All signs suggest a crime of passion—but when the hostess’s jewelry disappears, malevolent intentions seem way more likely . . .

With the estate on lockdown and a killer roaming the halls, Krissy must help Officer Paul Dalton investigate each nook, cranny, and guest for answers—while also confronting a few demons of her own. Someone has lots of skeletons in the closet, and Krissy better tread lightly to expose them . . . 

My Review: **I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review**

A highly enjoyable mystery. I loved that it was a locked room mystery. I feel like there aren't many of those written. The books are definitely best read in order. I haven't read book two yet and I was slightly confused with Krissy having a history with a character I've never met. Despite that confusion, I really enjoyed it and I'm curious what book four will bring.

My Manicure: Coffee! I love coffee! Even though my camera was a brat and wouldn't capture this properly. Base is Philly Loves Lacquer 2AM Coffee Run - the perfect base for a coffee manicure. Then I used MoYou London Cookbook 3 and Bundle Monster Straight Up Black for the coffee beans. I'm not sure what went wrong with the picture. I can see the stamping much better in real life than the picture. In case it's too hard to see, it's coffee beans on my ring and middle fingers. The photo is slightly color adjusted to bring out the stamping.

My Nails and My Book Review - The Murder of a Queen Bee by Meera Lester

**NetGalley**

Title: The Murder of a Queen Bee

Series: Henny Penny Farmette #2

Author: Meera Lester

Goodreads Summary: All abuzz about murder . . .

Former police officer Abigail Mackenzie has made a fresh start as a beekeeper and farmer in picturesque Las Flores, California—but she never suspected her new hometown would prove to be a hive of criminal activity.

When Abby invites her free-spirited friend, Fiona Mary Ryan, owner of Ancient Wisdom Botanicals, to her farmette for lunch, she never imagines that Fiona’s no-show will lead to a murder investigation.

Only hours after their lunch date, Fiona’s body is found in a burning car in what at first appears to be a tragic accident. But after the coroner’s report is issued, it’s clear she was dead before being placed in the vehicle. Someone has gone to great lengths to cover up a murder. But who—and why?

Driven by her loyalty to her friend, and her deeply ingrained skills as a trained investigator, Abby sorts through suspects—who seem to be sprouting up everywhere. Speculating that Fiona’s herbal business might hold the key to motive, Abby isn’t afraid to get her hands dirty to smoke out a killer . . .

Includes farming tips and delicious recipes!

My Review: **I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review**

It took me a while to get into this book, but I did end up enjoying it. The author paints an absolutely amazing picture, and strangely this was what made it hard for me to get into the book at the beginning. It seemed to have a little too much focus on the descriptions and not enough on the story. The ending also seemed to drag out a little too long, which made the climactic ending a bit anticlimactic by the time it ended. But overall it was well written with an interesting mystery.

My Manicure: So, I'm going to start by saying that it is really hard to draw a straight line on a curved surface with my non-dominant hand. Yeah, I ended up with slightly wonky bees that have a strange resemblance to the Steeler's throwback jerseys. The yellow is 3 coats of an unlabeled Color Club. Then I freehanded the stripes with a Kiss Black striping polish, and dabbed a coat of Finger Paints Th-ink Outside the Box on the other fingers. Simple, but with a very clear inspiration.

~Kelly

My Nails and My Book Review - A Charming Voodoo by Tonya Kappes - Review and GIVEAWAY!!

**Press Sample**

I'm doing things a bit different today. It'll still be my normal post, but this time, I'm part of Tonya Kappe's blog tour. And, as an added bonus, there are not one, but TWO giveaways. So, without further ado, to the blog post!

Title: A Charming Voodoo

Series: Magical Cures #10

Author: Tonya Kappes

Goodreads Summary: Bubble. . . bubble. . . 

Whispering Falls is abuzz with the new 
housing development and new shops 
popping up all over the magical 
village right before the annual All 
Hallow’s Eve celebration. 

Cures and trouble. . . 
June Heal’s intuition 
is on high alert and she just can’t shake 
that something bad is about to happen. 

Magic stirs . . . 
June finds Violet Draper standing over a dead body 
In the new pumpkin patch hours before it’s supposed 
to open for hayrides. 

And trouble doubles . . . 
Once again, June has to put her sleuthing skills to work 
and figure out who the real killer is before the new 
citizens pack up and move right back out of town

My Review: **I received this book from the author in exchange for my honest review**

This was such a cute story. And I have no idea why I just described a murder mystery as cute, but that really is how I feel about it. The setting is an adorable, quaint little village, the characters are quirky, and it just all works. The mystery was enjoyable. I didn't quite have it figured out, but there was enough there to give me that little niggling feeling.

My Manicure: Oh, this one looks much better in person. The colors I chose show up perfectly under my lighting, but my camera decided to be a total diva and not pick it up accurately. The base is one coat of Sinful Colors Black on Black. I love this color for two reasons - one coat for glossy black perfection, and it's cheap. Seriously, it's hard to beat $2 for a bottle of polish that applies this well. I stamped the leaves - June's newest charm - with Bundle Monster plate H11 and Bundle Monster stamping polish Expedition Pearl. The other fingers I wanted a magical type look, so I picked up Baroness X Doomfire. Funny thing, it's purple. So I thought I would have a nice purply magical look. But the red duochrome part came out instead, so now I guess I have slightly evil looking magical nails? Even weirder? In some lighting you can see green along with the red.

And now, for the giveaways! Both of them are nice, easy-peasy entries. For the first one - a chance to win an audiobook of one of the Magical Cures books - just leave a comment about your favorite Tonya Kappes series. My favorite is Kenni Lowry - Fixin' to Die was so much fun.

The second giveaway is in the Rafflecopter widget. Just follow the directions for a chance to win an awesome big prize! Look at how amazing that prize bundle looks!

a Rafflecopter giveaway



~Kelly

My Nails and My Book Review - Unlucky Charms by Linda O. Johnston

**NetGalley**

Title: Unlucky Charms

Series: Superstition Mystery

Author: Linda O. Johnston

Goodreads Summary: Rory Chasen, manager of the Lucky Dog Boutique in Destiny, California, hopes her new line of good-luck doggy toys will be a hit, especially the stuffed rabbits with extra-large feet. The timing of the line’s debut proves ill-fated, though, as several local shops—including Rory’s—are ransacked and vandalized with spilled salt and other unlucky charms.

The most likely culprit is disgruntled real estate agent Flora Curtival, whose issues with the town give her a motive. But when Flora is murdered and one of Rory’s toy rabbits is found with the body, Rory needs all the luck she can get while trying to determine just who killed the superstitious vandal.

My Review: **I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review**

I had such high hopes for this book. It wasn't bad, just not quite what I was expecting. The story was slower than what I'm used to, and it went on a bit too much about superstitions. I understand that the town takes superstitions seriously, but it felt excessive even knowing that. Any time that I thought the story was picking up, the action fizzled out fast. The climax was a little anticlimactic, but I was shocked by who the killer was.

My Manicure: Have I mentioned that I absolutely adore holo polish? If not, it's probably obvious by the amount of holos I've been using. As usual, I chose my base color because I wanted an excuse to wear it, and the black cats are because they feature in the story and are part of a common superstition. 3 coats of ILNP Mega (L). I probably could've gotten away with 2 coats, but with the length of my nails I wanted to be safe. Black cats are stamped with MoYou London Festive 15 and Bundle Monster Straight Up Black. It seems to stamp a lot better than Sinful Colors Black on Black. This look would also work as a non-traditional Halloween manicure.

~Kelly

My Nails and My Book Review - The Crown by Kiera Cass

**Nothing to Disclose**

Title: The Crown

Series: The Selection #5

Author: Kiera Cass

Goodreads Summary: When Eadlyn became the first princess of Illéa to hold her own Selection, she didn’t think she would fall in love with any of her thirty-five suitors. She spent the first few weeks of the competition counting down the days until she could send them all home. But as events at the palace force Eadlyn even further into the spotlight, she realizes that she might not be content remaining alone.

Eadlyn still isn’t sure she’ll find the fairytale ending her parents did twenty years ago. But sometimes the heart has a way of surprising you…and soon Eadlyn must make a choice that feels more impossible—and more important—than she ever imagined. 

My Review: There is something that I just adore about this series. I loved Eadlyn's character growth through the story, and I loved watching her find out that she really does have a heart. I think overall it was a little bit more of a happy story than the original trilogy, although she still had many obstacles to overcome as she tries to find her true love.

My Manicure: Ok, no laughing at this one, even though the story is a bit funny. I chose Vapid Pegasus Poots (yes, the name makes me giggle) to coordinate with the cover. Not an exact match, but red/pink based purples don't work too well on me, so I'm working with what looks good on my skin tone. I wanted to do a tiara stamp because, well, look at the title. I figured a very literal interpretation of the book would work well, and Eadlyn has a bit of an obsession with tiaras, so it would be perfect. Except I don't have any tiara images. A couple of crown images, but that just wasn't going to work. So, plan b. I grabbed my tiara as a prop.Yes, I have a tiara. Yes, I have worn it when it isn't Halloween. And that's how I ended up with this seriously awkwardly posed photo (my fingers apparently do not like tiaras).

~Kelly