Not too long ago I shared a debut Cozy Mystery by Stella Bixby, my review Downward Death is here, a new series with paranormal elements featuring Ellie and her pet pig Penelope. Now I am happy to share that book two in this fun series is out tomorrow March 16th! Here is a link to add Bowling Blunder to your Goodreads shelf.
I was able to read an ARC of the book last week and I'm happy to share my opinions, which as per usual are all mine!
This book is on the shorter side, so it's great for a nice weekend read. There are quite a few female characters so you might want to read this when you have time to focus on it over a day or two instead of reading it in snatches of free time here and there over a long period of time.
One of the reasons I find this series so entertaining is that we the reader are learning about Ellie's magic alongside her and it's so fun to see what happens next! It's a delightful tension in the story. Also, the themes of Ellie's search for belonging and acceptance continue in this book and you just have to root for her to flourish in this small Iowa town. I enjoyed how the town is now turning to her to solve crimes even as she says she doesn't have the right skill set, looks like the town knows her better than she knows herself!
As a runner, I was both amused and horrified by the Trot and Tater race. I could NOT eat a bucket of mashed potatoes at the finish line of a race.
The ending of Bowling Blunder is super sweet and I'm excited to read what happens in book three. I'm definitely hoping for more scenes with Ellie and the mystery motorcycle man!
4.5 stars!
Dinner talk, I had a bag of Vigo rice in the cabinet and I wanted to use it to make a skillet dinner. This is what I came up with:
First I sauteed about 12 oz. of medium deveined, shelled shrimp in a little oil. The shrimp were seasoned with chili lime seasoning I had and once the shrimp were cooked then I took the shrimp out of the iron skillet and then I cooked one chopped poblano pepper, chopped shallot, chopped yellow onion, and chopped celery in a little red pepper oil. After a couple of minutes, I added the bag of Vigo Yellow Rice and two cups of water. Once the water boiled, I turned it down, covered the skillet, and let it simmer until the rice was cooked. Then I turned it off and threw the shrimp into the skillet and gave it a mix and then wah-la dinner was done.
The Hubs said it was very good and spicy. That was my goal! Mission Accomplished!
