Release Day Giveaway!

Hi Everyone,

One of the books that I read during Hurricane Florence was Forever Fudge by Nancy Coco. Today, is the official release day for this book and I am excited to host a giveaway, courtesy of Kensington Publishing. I am especially excited to share this book with you all, because part of the proceeds will be donated to the ASPCA. Below you will find an excerpt, as well as my review, and of course, the giveaway! Good luck to all! The winner will be announced Friday, September 28th.

Enjoy!

~Ariesgrl

Forever Fudge Release Day!

About the Book:
It’s Labor Day weekend, the official end of the tourist season, but things are hotter than ever on quaint, historic Mackinac Island, as a TV murder mystery pilot is being filmed among the tree-lined streets, horse-drawn carriages, and fudge shops. Best of all, hunky Hollywood heartthrob Dirk Benjamin is prepping to play the part of police officer Rex Manning – so he needs to get to know the local business owners, including a flustered but delighted Allie McMurphy.

When Allie and her curious pup, Mal, discover a dead man in the alley way behind The Historic McMurphy Hotel and Fudge Shop, the murder is definitely not part of the script. The victim’s position makes it clear the killer wanted Allie to find the body. And the note he leaves her is clearly the start of a vicious game of cat and mouse. Drawn into a chess match with a devious killer, Allie must keep her wits about her – and avoid being distracted by show-biz shenanigans – in order to outsmart this madman and stop him from killing again!

Excerpt:

“9-1-1, what is your emergency?” Charlene the dispatcher’s voice was clear on the other end of
the phone.
“Hi, Charlene, it’s Allie.”
“Oh, dear me, who’s dead now?” She sounded pained.
“I don’t know,” I said. “I’m in the alley behind Main Street . . .” I stepped back to look at the store names stenciled on their back doors. “Behind Doud’s Market and Mackinac Gifts.”
“I’ll send Rex out,” she said. “But he isn’t going to be happy.”
“I’m not responsible for making Rex happy,” I replied.
“That’s not what I hear,” Charlene chuckled. “I’ve sent a text out to Shane as well to get CSU over there. There is a dead body, right?”
“Yes,” I said solemnly. “But just because I call you doesn’t automatically mean someone died.”
“Honey, the only time you ask for help is if someone dies,” she pointed out. “Are you alone?”
“No, Mr. Beecher is here, too.”
“Well, good. Who found the body?”
“Mal did,” I answered.
“That pup has a nose for the dead,” Charlene said.
In the distance I heard sirens. The alley wasn’t very far from the administration building where the ambulance and police were housed. The ambulance was one of the only motor vehicles allowed on the island.
“I hear them coming,” I said into the phone.
“Thanks, Charlene.”
“Take care, Allie.”
“Well, this certainly is an interesting turn of events.”
Mr. Beecher kept his hands in his pockets and bent over to peer at the body. “I wonder what killed him?”
“Let’s hope it wasn’t foul play,” I said, and gathered Mal up in my arms. Movement caught the corner of my eye and I turned to see Rex come striding down the alleyway with a tall, impossibly handsome man behind him.
“Allie, Mal, Mr. Beecher.” Rex acknowledged us all but didn’t introduce the man with him. He turned to the body. “You reported him dead?”
“Yes,” I said. “Mal pointed him out and we thought he was sleeping. So I knelt and shook him to wake him up, but he was stiff and cold.”
“Wow, a real dead guy. Just like that . . . in the alley,” the handsome man said, and ran his hand through his mass of blond hair, which was thick and glossy.
“Hello,” Mr. Beecher said, and stuck out his hand.
“I don’t think we’ve met.”
“Right, Dirk Benjamin,” the man said, and shook Mr. Beecher’s hand. “You’re Beecher?”
“Mr. Beecher,” he replied.
“The man is definitely dead,” Rex said, interrupting. He knelt beside the body and used his pen to pull the hat off the dead man’s head. There was blood and gunk on the inside of the hat.
Dirk Benjamin turned very pale. “Is that like brains?”
“Yes,” Rex answered with his mouth in a grim line. Dirk turned and got sick on the other side of the Dumpster. “Amateurs . . .”
I looked from the hat to the dead man’s head and saw that he had a bullet hole right above the eyes.
“I’m thinking it was foul play,” Mr. Beecher said out loud.
“Do you think?” Rex muttered sarcastically.
The ambulance—one of only two motorized vehicles allowed on the island—cut its sirens as it crept along the alley toward us. George Marron and Walt Henderson got out of the vehicle. George had long, black hair that was pulled back in a single braid, copper skin, and high cheekbones of his Iroquois ancestry. Walt was a tall, thin man with gray hair and a hawklike nose. He had sharp features and dark brown eyes. His skin had the weathered look of a fisherman or at the least someone who knew his way around the water.
“Mr. Beecher, Allie,” George said. “What happened?”
“That’s what we’re trying to figure out,” Mr. Beecher said.
“Did either of you hear gunshots last night?” Rex asked as he stood.
“No,” I replied. “Mal would have barked.”
“It might be a body dump,” George said as he squatted down to take a look. “There’s not a lot of blood here.” He squinted up at us, his dark black gaze serious. “Probably killed somewhere else and moved here.”
“Why here?” I asked.
“People know you walk this alley,” Rex said. “And with your reputation . . .”
“What reputation?” I put one hand on my hip and held Mal with the other.
“Of finding dead men,” George said.
“Mal finds them,” I pointed out. “What does that have to do with anything?”
“They probably killed him, brought him back here, posed him to look like he was sleeping, and left him here for you to find.”
“Are you sure he didn’t kill himself ?” Mr. Beecher asked.
“No gun around,” Rex said, taking in the scene.
“It could be under the Dumpster,” I pointed out.
“Jack Sharpe was right-handed,” George said. “The Dumpster is on his left.”
“So it is Jack Sharpe,” Mr. Beecher said. “I thought so.”
“I’m going to have to rope off the crime scene until Shane can get here,” Rex said. Shane was the local crime scene investigator and Jenn’s boyfriend.
“George, take a look at Mr. Benjamin. He lost his breakfast and might be in shock. Allie, keep Mal away from the body. You and Mr. Beecher should go sit on the steps to your apartment until I can square away the scene.”
“Yes, sir,” I muttered.
“Come on, Allie,” Mr. Beecher said, taking my elbow in his hand. “This is the best adventure of
my life.”
“Well, Mal and I wish it wasn’t a normal occasion in ours,” I said as we scooted past the ambulance. Dirk Benjamin sat in the back of the ambulance. George had draped him in a blanket and was checking his pulse. I remembered seeing my first dead body. It didn’t make me sick, but it did put me into shock.
Mr. Beecher pulled another treat for Mal out of his pocket as we settled onto the steps to my apartment.
“I don’t know why Rex leapt to the conclusion that the body was left for me to find.”
“It was my first thought, too,” Mr. Beecher said.
“Why?” I asked. “You walk down this alley twice a day. The body could have been there for you to find.”
“Then they were successful, as I did find it, too,” he said. “But most likely it was left for you.”
I rolled my eyes. “You can’t rule out Doud’s Market or Mackinac Gifts, their owners and patrons,” I said.
“It’s a stretch to say that it was left for me.”
“Not much of a stretch,” Rex said as he approached, his latex-gloved hand holding the corner of a piece of paper. “They left you a note.”

Author, Nancy Coco

About Nancy Coco:
Nancy Coco is the byline chosen by popular author Nancy J. Parra for use exclusively with the Candy-Coated Mysteries series. With degrees in engineering, journalism and a MA in Writing Popular Fiction, Nancy has published in cozy mystery, romantic suspense, and sweet Western historical romances genres.

An Air Force veteran who rose to the rank of sergeant, Nancy is a member of an on-line group of female veterans who are authors, “Military Women Who Have Turned Sword to Pen.” The group’s Website is romvets.com.

Nancy is also a member of Mystery Writers of America and Sisters in Crime. She has given workshops on a number of writing topics and enjoys doing author panels at fan conferences such as Malice Domestic and Bouchercon. She lives in Portland, Oregon with her dog—a Bichonpoo affectionately known as Little Dog on Nancy’s Facebook and Twitter accounts. Check out Nancy’s Website at nancyjparra.com.

My Review:

Allie McMurphy loves her new home on Mackinac Island. She enjoys baking fudge and running the historic hotel, like her grandfather had done. The only slight problem that Allie encounters is her little pup, Mal, keeps finding dead bodies. With the help of Mal and the senior center, Allie has learned how to solve each crime. But when the latest murderer seems to be taunting her with chess moves, will Allie be the next victim?

Nancy Coco weaves a windy tale with numerous elements and characters. There’s a small town, chess moves, fudge recipes, and animals, so there is something for all readers to enjoy. Despite this being the sixth book in the series, readers do not need to read the previous books. The quirky cast of characters is delightful and the recipes look delicious. Readers will look forward to reading future works, by this author!

Giveaway Time:

Kensington Publishing is giving away one paperback copy of Forever Fudge. To enter for a chance to win, leave a comment below, telling me if you are a dog person or a cat person. Contest will end Thursday night at 11pm Eastern Time. One random winner will be announced on Friday, September 28th. Good luck!