Title: SLAY BELLS RING
Author: Nancy Robards Thompson
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Book Blurb:
Fans of Gilmore Girls and Murder She Wrote won't want to miss this suspenseful cozy novel from USA TODAY Bestselling author Nancy Robards Thompson.
It's one thing to write a mystery, but when your daughter is the suspect -- you solve it.
Wedding planner Jenna Bell doesn’t panic when the groom is a no-show to the ceremony – even though he is her former high school sweetheart and this wedding is the small town's event of the year. However, when he turns up dead and she is falsely accused… well, yeah, she panics.
Jenna’s mother, Maddie, puts her cozy mystery writing skills to use to try to clear her daughter’s name, stepping on by-the-book Chief of Police Jackson Bradley's toes in the process. No matter how enticing he finds her, he doesn’t want this writer-turned-amateur-sleuth interfering with his murder investigation.
With nearly all of Hemlock, North Carolina, picking sides and the town's own Gossip Brigade churning out the rumors, Maddie discovers the mystery isn't very cozy when it hits this close to home.
Excerpt:
~ Jenna ~
“A little to the left,” I say to Alicia Lopez, the assistant manager of my mom’s shop, Blissful Beginnings Bridal Boutique.
Alicia came in early to get a jump on trimming the storefront windows, decking them out for Christmas. I’m standing outside on the sidewalk, helping her with placement of the decorations since my first appointment isn’t until later this afternoon.
I’m an event planner. I operate my newly minted company, Champagne Wedding and Event Designs, out of an office in my mom, Madeline Bell’s, shop.
Alicia pantomimes the question, My left or your left?
I hold up my hands to double-check my directions, then point. “Your left.”
She lugs the white and silver mesh reindeer into place between two bridal gowns we’re showcasing amid a backdrop of twinkle lights and shimmery silver snowflakes.
“Perfect!” I say as I rub my hands together in a futile attempt to warm up. My wool coat is no match for the arctic blast that blew in this morning. If the Hemlock Today reporter gets it right, this is the start of a downward winter weather spiral. It’s time to break out the parka.
I’m momentarily distracted from my hypothermia when Alicia flips the master switch and hundreds of white twinkle lights ignite. The sparkle and splendor of the bridal wonderland she has created warms me from the inside out.
“Oh! How pretty,” Mom says as she joins me on the sidewalk in front of the shop.
“Isn’t it?” I say. “Alicia is so creative. Look at the way she’s draped the lights and snowflakes. The twinkling makes it look like falling snow.”
We both sigh at the romantic picture she’s created. Through the window, other gorgeous wedding gowns are visible, but the most beautiful of the lot are featured on sleek white mannequins scattered throughout the store. The other dresses wait on the built-in hanging racks for their perfect bride to discover them. There’s a ballet-pink velvet Victorian chaise longue in the middle of the shop. It’s draped with veils, blingy jewelry, jewel-encrusted shoes, and other accessories. Freestanding full-length mirrors, encased in ornate gold frames, reflect the crystal chandeliers and pale pink walls.
It’s a shop fit for a princess.
“I can’t remember the last time I had a date and this window makes me want to try on bridal gowns,” I say.
“You’re working way too much,” Mom says. “You should be dating. Why aren’t you dating?”
“By the way…” I make a show of looking at my watch. “It’s nice of you to join us this morning, seeing how the shop opens in two minutes.”
“I know. Sorry I’m late. I lost track of time.”
“Too busy flirting with the chief?” I bat my eyes at her.
Mom’s cheeks color. “Jenna, we don’t flirt. He’s just a friend and a good source for the police procedural elements of my books.”
In addition to owning the bridal boutique, Mom is an aspiring cozy mystery writer. She hasn’t published anything yet, but I have faith that she will. She works hard enough. Every morning before she opens the shop, she goes to the Briar Patch Bakery across the street and writes two pages of her book.
Jackson Bradley, Hemlock’s new chief of police, has been an eager expert source. It’s no wonder. Mom is a babe. She looks cute today in her puffer coat and cobalt blue tunic, which she’s paired with black leggings and boots. She’s pulled her dark hair into a low ponytail. It shows off her cheekbones.
“How is Studly Do-Right this morning?” I ask.
“Chief Bradley is fine.” She gives me side-eye and pulls open the shop door.
I follow her inside.
Everyone knows the chief is interested in her.
In all fairness, I don’t know that the chief realizes he’s interested and my mother pretends to be oblivious. I’d love to see her happily in love. Of course, she doesn’t want to talk about it. Even though it’s been eight years since my dad’s accident, she still considers herself married.
Plus, she’s far more interested in dissecting my nonexistent love life.
“By the way,” she says as she unlocks the cash drawer and puts the day’s money in it. “Mrs. Gott asked me to convey her condolences. She’s devastated that you’re not marrying Riley Buxston.”
She tries to deliver the line with a straight face, but she can’t suppress a laugh when she sees my horrified expression.
“She’s convinced you’re not going to survive the weekend.”
I roll my eyes. Riley Buxston and his fiancée, Grace Marie Taylor, are my clients. They’re getting married tomorrow. Riley and I used to date, but that’s ancient history.
“Why can’t everyone mind their own business?” I ask.
“That’s the beauty of small-town living,” my mother says.
“Why do they assume that I’m torn up? It’s ridiculous. I agreed to plan the wedding. I wasn’t coerced into it. Does the Gossip Brigade think I’d take the job if I were heartbroken?”
“Maybe they think you’re doing it so you can have the inside track for sabotage?” Alicia says as she pulls Windex and paper towels from the cabinet under the wrap stand.
I snort. “That’s a great business plan. A surefire way to grow my client base.” Then I sigh. “I hope the gossip hasn’t gotten back to Grace Marie. I feel so bad for her.”
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All the Wedding Bell books on Amazon: https://bit.ly/49gnvN8
What I love most about the holiday season:
I love the feeling of family togetherness. We make time to bake and do special things together. Also, I love remembering the “reason for the season.”
Why is your featured book a must-read to get you in the holiday mood?
SLAY BELLS RING is the first book in my Wedding Bell Mystery cozy mystery series. It’s a cozy read that makes you want to curl up with a cup of hot chocolate (or your favorite hot beverage – even if you have to turn down the air this time of year!) and immerse yourself in the holiday spirit as the mother/daughter team of Maddie and Jenna Bell solve this mystery.
Giveaway –
One lucky reader will win a $100 Amazon gift card.
Open internationally.
Runs July 1 – 31, 2024
Drawing will be held on August 1, 2024.
Author Biography:
Award-winning and USA Today Bestselling Author Nancy Robards Thompson has worked as a newspaper reporter, television show stand-in, production and casting assistant for movies, and in fashion and public relations. She started writing fiction seriously in 1997. Five years and four completed manuscripts later, she won the Romance Writers of America’s Golden Heart award for unpublished writers and sold her first book the following year. Since then, Nancy has sold more than 50 books and found her calling doing what she loves most – writing mysteries, romance, and women’s fiction full-time.
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