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Friday, September 5, 2014

Cozy Mystery Blog Tour: Author Guest Post, Review & Giveaway: Groomed for Murder (Pet Botique #2) by Annie Knox


Izzy McHale wants her new Trendy Tails Pet Boutique in Merryville, Minnesota, to be the height of canine couture and feline fashions. But in a week of wedding bells, someone is about to hold their peace…

forever. Love is in the air, and Izzy is hard at work coordinating two special weddings at Trendy Tails. First, Izzy’s friend and mentor, Ingrid, will be tying the knot with her old flame. And a week later, Izzy will host “pupptials” for two lovable dogs.

But even with the hullabaloo, the Trendy Tails crew is intrigued by Daniel, an enigmatic writer boarding above the shop who’s caught the attention of Izzy’s zany aunt Dolly, who gossips like most people breathe.

Unfortunately, it’s Daniel who stops breathing when he drops dead at the altar on Ingrid’s wedding day. Then Dolly is found at the scene with the murder weapon, and it’s up to Izzy, her Trendy Tails pals, and her scrappy pets, Packer and Jinx, to find a killer before the two affianced doggies bark down the aisle. 





First Love

Love is in the air in Merryville, Minnesota, as Izzy McHale and her friends plan the wedding of 83-year-old Ingrid Whitfield to her first love, Harvey Nyquist.  Ingrid and Harvey were torn apart when his parents shipped him off to a military boarding school.  They both enjoyed long marriages to other people, but after they were widowed they reconnected on the Internet and that old flame reignited.  


The romantic in me sighs at the idea of a love that spans the decades, a love so bone-deep that it survives a vast and lengthy separation.  I'd like to think that the love my husband and I share is like that: if we were ever separated, we'd find our way back to one another.  

I found my one-and-only in my 30s, so he was obviously not the first man (or boy) I had shared the L word with.  I've kept in touch with one of them... my first love, my high school sweetheart.  We've both gone on to have full and happy lives.  He's a lawyer who's been married twice (last I heard), he's successful and he is surrounded by good friends and a big wonderful family.  I'm blissfully married, have the best job in the world, and the best friends I could ever hope to have.  

We've done well apart.  

But a tiny little part of me wonders what would have happened if our first love had lasted.  What would my life look like if that sweet boy and I had stayed together, weathered being apart during college, and made a go of things as a married couple?  I don't wish that had happened... I just wish I knew what it would have looked like if it had.  

What about you?  Did you marry your first love?  Do you know what happened to him or her?  Do you ever let yourself wonder what might have been?  


Annie Knox doesn't commit - or solve - murders in her real life, but her passion for animals is 100% true. 
She's also a devotee of 80s music, Asian horror films, and reality TV.  While Annie is a native Buckeye and has called a half dozen states "home," she and her husband now live in a crumbling historic house just a stone's throw from the courthouse square in a north Texas town.




This is a quirky little series.  As an animal lover myself, I enjoy books that have a pet theme.  And this one is unique.  I've never read a book or series where the animals are treated so much like humans.  It's so much fun!  In Groomed for Murder, there are two weddings being planned - one for a beautiful reconnection of first love, and another for....... two dogs?  Yes, two dogs.  How adorable is THAT?!  Of course, this IS a cozy, so there's a great mystery thrown in and a rush to solve the crime before the two dogs share their vows.  But what I loved about this book was that it was far more whimsically romantic than most cozies.  It's a romance with a little mystery thrown in, and it makes my sappy heart just swoon.  

The book is very well written.  It's entertaining, so much fun, and gives you a warm feeling of happiness.  This is one story you absolutely do not want to miss.  

Rating:  4.5 stars

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.  All conclusions reached are my own. 


Thanks to the awesome ladies at Penguin, I have 1 paperback copy of Groomed for Murder by Annie Knox to give away to one of my lucky readers!  Just enter the Rafflecopter below for your chance to win, and be sure to keep checking back for more awesome giveaways!

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14 comments:

Robin Driscoll said...

I married my first love - and it was love at first date!! 32 years so far.

Unknown said...

Yes, I did, my best friend and together these 25 years :)

Carol N Wong said...

No, I didn't. It was puppy love and we moved away when I was 12. I learned later on that he had a rock band.

Meg C. said...

I didn't end up with him, but we're friends on Facebook so I still see what's going on in his life. Though sometimes you just can't help wondering, what if?

skkorman said...

No, I did not marry my first love, and now looking back I'm glad I didn't!

skkorman AT bellsouth DOT net

Karen B said...

No, no, and no!! I can't even remember that far back.

Lark @ The Bookwyrm's Hoard said...

I didn't marry my first crush or my first love. I'm still friends with my former boyfriend from college, but we don't communicate that often. I married the love of my life 24 years ago, though, so everything worked out for the best.

Anonymous said...

No, no and no. :)


patucker54 at aol dot com

penney said...

This sounds great thanks for the blog post on it.
Penney

Ellie Wright said...

I did marry my first love at 17. We are still going strong after 32 years.

The Menius family said...

I did not but I am happily married to my college crush!

Sue said...

Sadly, I didn't marry my first love---but I try to keep up with him a little through the local papers. I'm surprised that both of us have retired back near our original home town.

Unknown said...

I did not marry my high school sweetheart and haven't seen him since graduating (we'd broken up during senior year). I did marry my first adult love but that ended in disaster. I have not kept in contact with any of my exes nor do I wonder about what might have been.

Unknown said...

Nope. I haven't seen him since high school.

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