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Hey, Folks!

I hope this post finds you well. 2016 was a year filled with illness for me, so I focused on my health. This post is the beginning of a new phase in which I can enjoy life outside my room again. Enough about me, though. Let's talk about what we came here for, which are new releases in the world of literature.
I am voluntarily reviewing a copy of "Death by Chocolate Lab" by Bethany Blake through a partnership with Netgalley and Kensington Books. My followers know I don't pull any punches when sharing mqy opinions.
This book is the first title in the "Lucky Paws Petsitting Mysteries," mainstream cozies centered around animal loving philosopher Daphne Templeton. This feisty heroine loves all living creatures, but she is not fond of Blue Ribbon K9 Academy owner Steve Beamus, who broke her sister Piper's heart. The problem? Beamus is found murdered and newcomer police detective Jonathan Black zeros in on Piper as the most likely suspect from a long list of people. What's a girl to do? Daphne and her canine companions Socrates and Artie set out not only to find the real killer, but to locate Axis, Steve's award-winning Labrador Retriever who vanished the same night of the incident. Can she do so before anyone else gets hurt, or are she and the rest of her pals in the small town in danger?
The target audience for this novel is readers age 12 and above, but aside from a few references to Karma, there is no objectionable content. This debut is perfect for fans of Charlaine Harris' Aurora Teagarden. These characters, both human and animal, are a delight, and the puzzle is not easily solved. Those captivated by light crime fiction can count on Bethany Blake for an intriguing adventure. I would be glad to critique any upcoming manuscripts. My one criticism? The sleuthing came to a bit of an abrupt halt for my taste, but otherwise I consider it a solid debut. I would give it four and a half out of five stars. It is available now wherever books are sold, so pick it up when you get a chance. Until we meet again…
Happy Reading,
Carolyn

Death by Chocolate Lab is a cute and intriguing start to a new series. It nicely sets up the town, the supporting characters, the possible romantic interest, the current sort-of boyfriend, and solves the case while leaving readers eager for the next book.

The heroine Daphne is a little flaky but still endearing, and her love for dogs as well as her penchant for investigating murders make her all the more likable. She’s surrounded by a sister who is nearly her polar opposite, a mother who is more like Daphne than either of them would care to believe, a perky and somewhat artsy best friend, a surfer hippie who may be her boyfriend (she’s not sure), and a town full of people with secrets to discover. There’s also hunky hottie new guy in town – Detective Jonathan Black, a brooding former elite soldier with a soft spot for dogs and for Daphne (both perhaps against his will).

And let’s not forget the dog side of things! The canine characters had great personality. Bethany Blake gave the dogs character, humor, and heart. These pets added more to the story than just the token cozy mystery animals.

Bottom Line: Death By Chocolate Lab is full of subtle humor, intriguing characters, and dogs with a great deal of personality. Oh – and a really well-plotted mystery with lots of twists and turns. It’s clean (no profanity!) and entertaining, and I’m happy to add Bethany Blake and this series to my go-to list.

(I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.)

Wow, what an exciting, page turner this book was. Daphne is the best amateur sleuth, and I have to say her herd of dogs led by the charming Socrates made this book laugh out loud, good. Detective Black made this reader envision on hunky, smoldering man who is already my new fiction crush. I never saw the ending coming and loved the challenge of putting pieces together!

This is going to be a new favorite series for me. So much to love! A good sibling relationship, with its inherent complications but mutual attitudes towards mom, strong friendships, and of course the fantastic canines. You will love Socrates. A handsome, strong, silent detective, new to town, with his own secrets, even buildings with an abundance of character!
The town womanizer has already hurt Daphne's sister and red flags are raised when she thinks Piper may be giving him a second chance. Other people in town also think Steve is knocking on other forbidden doors. When he ends up dead, there are plenty of people with all three: means. motive and opportunity. However Daphne's opportunities keep being interrupted (or created) by her vintage VW bus. Secrets from the past refuse to stay hidden and Daphne refuses to stop investigating until she is sure her sister's name is cleared.

Set aside a good block of time and find a comfy spot. Curl up with your favorite hound. Once you begin to read you won't want to put this book down.

I thought this was a great start to a new series...it contained one of my favorite things, dogs! There is a basset hound named Socrates and a chihuahua named Artie that is so ugly he is cute. There are a few other dogs including 3 rottweilers named after Shakespearean characters and a retriever named Axis.

The murder doesn't happen right off the bat, but I will say I guessed who was killed before it was revealed. Now I'm sure you are thinking - but the synopsis says who was killed. Ok this is true, but I didn't read that before I started reading this book. So I still give myself lots of credit for guessing that part!

Daphne is a free spirit. I love that she drives an old VW bus - perfect for hauling dogs around, as long as she remembers to fill up the gas tank. It was a shock to realize she had a PhD (in Philosophy) so she had to have had some sort of drive to accomplish that degree; however, her actions lead you to think otherwise. I think she is still lost in what she wants to do with her life. Her sister, Piper, is the opposite. Piper is very down to earth and organized, probably why she makes a great vet.

The mystery of who killed Steve was well written and I suspected a few other people but was totally shocked when the killer was revealed. Looking back there might have been one or two subtle clues but otherwise I really had no idea.

Of course you can't have a mystery without a little potential romance. Detective Jon Black keep showing up trying to help solve the crime. I think he fancies Daphne and she might like him a little too despite dating Dylan, another free spirit. Although I don't think she likes him quite that way.

The author is off to a grand start with this new series. I was so impressed with the writing style and how the story kept my attention. I love reading about animals and adore dogs. The setting for the story was great and oh how I loved the characters.

Daphne is quite the dog whisperer. Well maybe not to some of the dogs but as a pet sitter she is perfect. Getting to know the animals she takes care of were fun. I absolutely love Artie. He would be the dog I would adopt without question. The author described him so well I could see his big eyes and bulging teeth with only one ear on a face that you have to love. Socrates is such a laid back dog and I laughed as Daphne tried coaxing him on walks. Daphne lives with her sister Piper, who happens to be a veterinarian.

Piper is a very intelligent woman and is much more serious than her wacky sister Daphne. As it gets closer for the agility trail for dogs , Daphne is helping her sister set up for it on her farm. I would love to watch one of these trails in person. I can just imagine the beautiful and powerful dogs showing their strength and ability to listen to commands. It must take a lot of work to train them. Unfortunately something goes wrong and the trail is cancelled. A body has been found and who do you think discovers the body?

Detective Jonathan Black is the investigator on the case. He really sounded like a good man with no tolerance for people who try to interfere . He is pretty quiet about his personal life and I enjoyed his encounters with Daphne. Will Piper be charged with the crime? Can Daphne stay out of the Jonathan's way? The story is funny and the trouble that Daphne finds herself in exasperates everyone around her. With Daphne the pet sitter on the case , shenanigans are sure to follow. Don't miss this fun cozy mystery filled with laughter and intrigue.

I received a copy of this book from Great Escapes Book Tour. The review is my own opinion.

Who says dogs can't solve a murder? Daphne and her ragtag pack of dogs snoop until they figure out who did it. Hint...it wasn't the butler.

This is a classic cozy but it's got the added benefit of dogs! Daphne is a terrific character even though I periodically wanted to tell her to get a grip and stop investigating on her own, even if all of this was to save her sister Piper. I loved Socrates and Artie, which Blake managed to make characters without getting too cute. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. THis is a good start on a new series and I'm looking forward to where Blake takes this next. Perfect relaxing read.

www.bookloons.com
Death by chocolate Lab
By Bethany Blake
Reviewed by Lyn Seippel

Kensington, February, 2017

Death by Chocolate Lab is the first book in The Lucky Paws Pet Sitting series which features sisters Daphne and Piper Templeton. Daphne and Piper couldn’t be more different, except in one way. They both love working with animals.
The story is told in first person by Daphne who is smart, carefree and somewhat unreliable except when it comes to her pets and clients. Daphne has a PhD in Philosophy and owns Lucky Paws Pet Sitting which she runs out of an old VW van.
Piper is a veterinarian with her own practice who owns Winding Hill Farm. The sisters live together on Piper’s farm where Daphne is an unpaying guest. Piper is the responsible sister, but she’s about to become a suspect in a murder investigation.
On the eve of the first dog agility trial to be held at Winding Hill Farm, a local dog trainer is murdered and left in a plastic tunnel to be used in the upcoming trials. Steve Beamus is not well liked by most people. It could be his condescending and controlling attitude. Despite that, many women find him attractive. Other venders are also setting up venues that night, but Steve and Piper were recently involved in a relationship which Steve broke off, making Piper the prime suspect when the coffee she gave him is found to be laced with poison.
Main characters also include Socrates, Daphne’s Basset Hound, and Artie, a rescue Chihuahua Daphne is fostering while looking for a permanent home for him. Artie finds Steve’s body.
Lead investigator, Detective Jonathan Black is new in Sylvan Lake. Daphne offers to help with his investigation. She’s lived in town all of her life and would be a fountain of information if he’d let her. Since he won’t, she’s determined she’ll clear her sister with or without his approval.
I like dog mysteries so this is a series I’m looking forward to reading.


Shelves: Death by Chocolate Lab is the first book in The Lucky Paws Pet Sitting series which features sisters Daphne and Piper Templeton.

This is a exciting cozy debut ! Death By Chocolate Lab is delightfully fun and a great start to a new series. Daphne has moved home to a small town in Pennsylvania. She is living with her sister on a beautiful farm who is the local veterinarian. Daphne has begun a successful pet sitting business. Along with her comical pack of rescue dogs she investigates a murder that takes place at a local dog event where a well known dog professional is murdered. The cast of characters are perfection and well written to the story.
This mystery is fun for all animal lovers. It Is very well crafted and kept this avid mystery reader guessing. I loved the aspect of the various dogs involved in the series which are funny and perfect for every dog lover. I predict a winning series and look forward to the next in series. Thank you to publisher for the advance copy that did not influence my review. Well done to the author.

Death By Chocolate Lab is the first book in the Lucky Paws Pet Sitting Mystery series.

This was a fun and exciting start to a new series, but I felt that more time than was needed was spent describing the antics of her dogs, Socrates and Artie. I am owned by a Westie and like dogs in general, so that comment isn’t made by one who doesn’t like animals

Daphne Templeton has a fledgling pet sitting business and lives with her sister, Piper, on a beautiful country farm. An agility trial for dogs will be held at Winding Hill, Piper’s farm and vendor and exhibitors have come in the night before to set up for the show. One of the attendees, Steve Beamus owner of the Blue Ribbon K-9 Academy and quite controversial, has come in to set up the agility run, but by the early light of morning it is clear that the agility run hasn’t been completed and Beamus is nowhere to be found. As other volunteers are completing the run, Beamus’ body is found in a tunnel that is part of the run.

But when Detective Jonathan Black begins to interview people, his suspicion keep coming back to Piper as the possible murderer. Not only is Ivy concerned about clearing her sister as a suspect and finding the killer, she also wants to find Beamus’ champion Chocolate Lab who evidently went missing when Beamus was killed.

I found the book to have a very interesting story line and interesting characters

Also included are recipes for your pups.

I’m looking forward to reading the next book in the series.

This is a great book; this is the first book in the Lucky Paws Petsitting Mystery series written by Bethany Blake. Pet sitter Daphne Templeton has a soft spot for every stray and misfit who wanders into the quaint, lakeside village of Sylvan Creek. But even Daphne doesn’t like arrogant, womanizing Steve Beamus, the controversial owner of Blue Ribbon K-9 Academy. When Steve turns up dead during a dog agility trial, Daphne can think of a long list of people with motives for homicide, and so can the police. Unfortunately, at the top of the list is Daphne’s sister, Piper. Certain that Piper is innocent, in spite of mounting evidence to the contrary, Daphne sets out to clear her sister’s name and find Axis, Steve’s prize-winning chocolate Labrador, who went missing the night of Steve’s death. This is a great book with a wonderful story and well developed characters. This book will keep you reading long into the night. If you are looking for a great book, then you need to read this book. I am looking forward to reading the next book by this great author. I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader’s copy of this book. The free book held no determination on my personal review.

3.5 stars

This debut cozy was light-hearted and full of fun. Quirky pet-sitter (aka doctor of philosophy) Daphne, who can be an annoying space cadet, lives with her tightly-wound Type A sister/veterinarian Piper. Piper becomes a murder suspect when her ex-boyfriend Steve is found bludgeoned on her property after they were seen arguing. Daphne meanders toward solving the crime with the help of an assortment of canine companions including a Chihuahua with a missing ear and a bad attitude, and a cerebral basset hound. The police, in the person of hunky and mysterious Det. Jonathan Black, are not amused by Daphne's well-intentioned and chaotic help. Lots of humor -- sure to be a hit with dog-lovers.

I received an ARC via Net Galley in return for an honest review.

A delightful cozy mystery. Lots of adorable dogs. Hints of romance and family angst. The publisher provided a copy via NetGalley for my voluntary review.














A delightful cozy mystery. Lots of adorable dogs. Hints of romance and family angst. I am glad to see this is the first of a series. I look forward to reading more about this charming pet sitter with a Phd in philosophy.

**My review will post to my blog at www.myinterdimensionalchaos.blogspot.com on March 8th. I will post a link to the post once it goes live. It has already been posted to Goodreads.**

I am a sucker for both lab dogs and cozy mystery novels. When I saw the title to this book -- Death by Chocolate Lab -- I knew it was one I had to read. The cover is cute as well...featuring the aforesaid chocolate lab and a sad-faced basset hound.

For the most part I enjoyed this book. Let me talk about what I enjoyed first....then I will mention a couple things that bothered me.

Daphne Templeton is a professional pet sitter and dog walker. She lives with her sister Piper, a veterinarian. Also living with them is Daphne's basset hound, Socrates, and a foster dog, Artie the Chihuahua. Preparations are underway for a Dog Trial event at Piper's farm. But just minutes before the event is to start, the dead body of Piper's former boyfriend, Steve, is found bludgeoned to death and stuffed into one of the obstacles on the trial course. A newcomer to town, Detective Jonathan Black, questions Piper, who was seen arguing with the dead man the night before. Daphne begins doing a bit of investigation on her own both to protect her sister and to discover what happened to Steve's lab dog, Axis, who has disappeared. Daphne finds herself perplexed by all the questions raised by the murder. Who killed Steve? Where is his dog? And, why does the new detective in town have to be so sexy?

Artie the Chihuahua is by far my favorite character in this book. He's missing an ear and has a very pronounced overbite, making him look ridiculous. I own a very very old chihuahua named Grandma. She is a rescue as well....3.5 pounds, no teeth and very little fur. Because she has no teeth, her tongue hangs out much of the time. She's so ugly that she's cute. Just like Artie. One character in the book had to keep telling Artie not to lick him.....I busted out laughing each time, as everyone has to tell Grandma that as well. She loves everyone and thinks she needs to bounce from person to person licking them. I also loved how Daphne is doing her best to find Artie a wonderful furever home.

The characters are all basically likable and eccentric enough to be interesting. The mystery portion of the plot is engaging, and for the most part realistic and well-paced enough to keep me interested. At times, I felt that the story could have moved along a bit faster in the beginning, but I didn't mind the background details and build-up.

However, I do have to add that the pace seemed choppy. Not because of the writing style, but due to the overuse of chapter breaks. Each time something happened -- even just a interesting moment in a conversation -- there would be a new chapter. It broke up the action, rather than being useful for creating or heightening tension. Several times, chapters were only one page long. It made me feel annoyed....sort of like commercial breaks cutting into a thriller movie every time anything exciting is about to happen. Many, many times the chapter break was not necessary. A 350 page book does not need 76 chapters. I think the pace of the story would have felt faster and more exciting had the chapters been combined into a maximum of 25 or so. It is not necessary to start a new chapter every time a character says or does something interesting or relevant to the plot. Let the story flow....don't choke it off to change chapters every time it starts to get interesting.

I also had a difficult time liking the main character. Daphne has a Ph.D but works as a dog walker, living with her sister for free. At times she mooched money off of people for gas and even ate food off other people's plates at restaurants because she was broke. She constantly expressed annoyance at her mother who often lectured her about having an advanced degree but not using it and having no focus in her life. Ummmm.....a 30+ year old woman who has a doctorate but can't afford to put gas in her car?? I think she NEEDS a lecture or two! I just found her complete lack of drive and tendency to be a mooch on everyone around her to be annoying rather than endearing. If she had enough brains and drive to achieve a Ph.D, I think she would have enough intelligence and self-motivation to be able to have her own place to live and enough money to put gas in her van. A van that also continually broke down (or she ran out of gas because she was too scatter brained to remember to fill up the tank) causing her to constantly turn to friends and family for help with her vehicle. Really? What doctorate-holding, well-educated woman would act like that?? She also has no filter and just comes off as immature and absent-minded. Point blank -- I didn't like her. In real life, I would find her annoying and difficult to be around for more than five minutes. However, I found her love for her dogs to be a redeeming quality, and she did truly seem to care about her friends and family. But OMG there were several times I wanted to hop into the book and shake her! Not just about her ditsy behavior and lifestyle, but poor decisions she made while trying to "help'' the investigation. So annoying!

But....it takes a lot of different types of people (and book characters) to make the world go 'round. Daphne is annoying.....but in the end, she started to grow on me a little. And the dogs were wonderful! Plus, there are recipes included for both people and dogs! :) I liked the supporting characters.....Jonathan, Piper, Moxie and Dylan (who reminded me of Shaggy from Scooby Doo). The ending had a few surprises that rounded out the plot nicely. All in all, despite a few rough aspects, this is an enjoyable cozy mystery and a promising beginning to a new series. I will be reading book 2 to see if there is improvement and to find out what happens to all the lovely citizens of Sylvan Creek, PA.

Death by Chocolate Lab is Bethany Blake's first novel. The second book in the Lucky Paws Petsitting Mystery series, Dial Meow for Murder, will be published this fall. For more information on the author and her books, check out her website at http://www.bethanyblakeauthor.com/

**I voluntarily read an Advance Readers Copy of this book from Kensington via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.**

Another enjoyable entry into Ms. Blake's dog-loving world, a world that never fails to bring multiple smiles to my face, while also managing to work in a well-paced plot with interesting characters. It's easy to immerse yourself in Blake's stories and let time fly by; I've read everything she's written in this series, and will continue to do so. Highly recommended.

Death by Chocolate Lab by Bethany Blake is the first book in A Lucky Paws Petsitting Mystery series. Daphne Templeton lives in Sylvan Creek, Pennsylvania with her sister, Piper (their mother, Maeve lives in the town as well). While Daphne has a PhD in philosophy, she runs Daphne Templeton’s Lucky Paws Pet Sitting (now many job opportunities for someone with a degree in philosophy). Her sister, Piper owns Winding Hill Farm (and is the local veterinarian) and is hosting a dog agility trial competition the next day. Late that night, various vendors show up to set up their tents. Steve Beamus, owner of Blue Ribbon K-9 Academy arrives to set up the course. Steve is not well-liked because of his condescending, superior attitude and womanizing ways. The next morning, Daphne is out early with her dog, Socrates and her foster dog, Arnie (a little Chihuahua with an overeager personality and an unfortunate overbite). Arnie enters the course and dives in a red tunnel. When he does not exit, Daphne crawls in to get him. She gets a shock when she discovers the body of Steve Beamus. The new to town Detective Jonathan Black is in charge of the case and happens to hear a private conversation between Daphne and Piper that puts Piper at the top of the suspect list. Daphne is determined to prove her sister’s innocence to the detective. There is no shortage of suspects for the murder of such an unlikeable victim. Daphne, with the help of her canine sidekicks, starts questioning her list of suspects. When Daphne is out late one night for a clandasdine meeting, she discovers the body of Virginia Lockhart in the park. Virginia must have stumbled upon the killer and paid the ultimate price. Daphne will need to up her game if she is to find the killer before he strikes again (and she stumbles across another body)!

I found Death by Chocolate Lab to be easy to read. I like the various dogs included in the story (can you tell I am trying to list the positive attributes first) and there are some good recipes for dog treats included at the end of the book (I will have to try them out). I enjoyed the mystery that Bethany Blake created in Death by Chocolate Lab. I do not think that many readers will guess the identity of the murderer. You will need to utilize deductive reasoning to identify the perpetrator (really think about all the people in the book). I give Death by Chocolate Lab 3 out of 5 stars. I thought that Daphne was too quirky (nicest word I can use). Daphne has a PhD in philosophy (she is also a vegetarian). It takes intelligence and time to get a doctorate degree. But the author then made her out to be a babbling idiot who cannot remember to keep gas in her car. Daphne has not managed to get her life together and lives with her sister who likes to remind her of this frequently (that she does not pay rent). She drives a 1960s era VW bus that breaks down as frequently as it runs out of gas (she puts in $5 and then drives 10 plus miles and is shocked there is no gas). The car has the worst paint job on the planet. It is supposed to depict a dog (for her business), but it looks like a horse (of course). I wish the author would have let Daphne be an intelligent, confident woman. It would have made for a more appealing story. Then there is the situation with Jonathan Black. It seems he is very handsome and Daphne cannot help but notice him. A reader is subjected to the many fine attributes of Detective Black several times throughout the novel (every single time Daphne and Black encounter each other). I like a little romance in cozy mysteries, but I do not feel the reader needs to be hit over-the-head with it (and we do not need the main character to be drooling over him). Detective Black is not the only hunky man in the book (there are two others). While Death by Chocolate Lab is not the right book for me, I believe others will enjoy the humor. The next book in the series is Dial Meow for Murder.

I wanted to like this book. I really did. The problem was that hardly anything, from the plot points to the main character, was believable. When I read the majority of the time I am able to suspend disbelief and sink into the story. That was not the case here. I was constantly jerked out of the story by the thought “that doesn’t make any sense” which means I wasn’t able to enjoy this read at all.
The story is about a pet sitter named Daphne, who sets out to solve the murder of a local dog trainer when her sister is implicated in the murder. She has two adorable sidekicks, a basset hound and a Chihuahua whose antics make for some adorable moments. And of course there is the essential tall, dark and handsome detective with a past that hides some secrets. Sound a bit cliché to you? It did to me too.
*Mild spoilers ahead*

What I didn’t like about this book was that I just didn’t believe in Daphne as a character. For one thing I own a pet sitting business and she is a horrible example of the profession. She doesn’t keep a calendar, doesn’t advertise at all, doesn’t seem to have a website, and her cell phone doesn’t work, so how would clients even contact her? This drove me nuts throughout the entire book. She has a PhD in philosophy so she must have had the drive and intelligence to get that accomplished and yet she can’t manage to figure out the basics of running a business? Unlikely.
One of the key plot points that the author uses to move the plot along was that Daphne was extremely worried about a missing chocolate lab named Axis. So much so that she is willing to break into the dead mans house to look for him. The only problem is that Daphne only seems to care when its convenient to move the plot along. She doesn’t put up flyers or ask anyone who may have seen the dog. She doesn’t even search the property for him. Which make no sense for someone who is supposedly concerned.
The other main thing I took issue with was the detective himself. He is an ex-navy seal, good looking and intelligent. Yet he misses several clues which allow our leading lady to find them. He is observant when the plot calls for it but completely misses things when it doesn’t. He also allows Daphne to remove a piece of evidence from the victims house without stopping her. Again – unlikely.
While there were quite a few plot issues the writing itself wasn’t bad and the author shows promise. I think that in future books Daphne would make a much better fresh pet food maker than a pet sitter, especially since the author included recipes. I might consider checking out book two to see if the story gets any better.

Death by Chocolate Lab by Bethany Blake is the first book in the Lucky Paws Petsitting Mystery series. Readers are introduced to Daphne and her sister, Piper, who seem as different as night and day. Daphne is a free spirit who owns the Lucky Paws Petstting company. Piper is the extra responsible owner of a veterinary practice. When Piper's ex-boyfriend is found murdered, Piper is the prime suspect. Daphne and her canine companions - serious Socrates and hyper Artie - set out to help Detective Black solve the murder. Daphne and her friend, Moxie, are wonderful characters in every sense. While the writing style is a bit weak, the series has potential for growth. I look forward to reading more by Mrs. Blake!