CAMPFIRES, COURAGE & CONVICTS BY TONYA KAPPES 

It is fall in Normal, KY, and the town is celebrating the season with a Bourbon Festival.

Mae West is trying to enjoy the festival and a night out with Hank. While trying to dodge the one question every keep asking (When is the wedding?) Mae overhears an argument between the bourbon king’s son and another man and woman. So, when she stumbles over a body with ties to the Bourbon King, her hackles are raised.

Mae, Dottie, and the rest of the Laundry Club Ladies start poking around into the Bourbon King’s complicated life and soon find out there's more than bourbon underneath the lid of a bourbon barrel.

Tonya Kappes has written more than 175 southern cozy mysteries, all of which have graced numerous bestseller lists, including USA Today and Woman's World Book Club pick twice . Best known for stories charged with southern charm, emotion and humor and filled with flawed characters, her novels have garnered reader praise and glowing critical reviews. She lives with her husband in northern Kentucky. Now that her four boys have flown out of the nest, Tonya writes full-time in her camper! 

You can find her all over social media and at Tonyakappes.com. 

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MY REVIEW

I am so excited to be back with my friends in Normal, Kentucky. I have gotten to know the characters very well and now consider them friends. There is never a dull moment as Mae and The Laundry Club Ladies are always getting into something. Seems like trouble finds them and we are off on an adventure filled with laughs, mystery and a few surprises. It’s time to get comfy as we begin our journey. 

I loved that it was Bourbon  festival time and how the author includes information about bourbon that I wasn’t familiar with. In the midst of the festival there were  loud voices that could be described as a heated argument that caught the attention of several people.  Now who is yelling at who and why? Mae is about to find out when the yelling is about someone being upset about the distillery. The first mystery is now facing Mae as T Elliot’s wife is missing and while looking at a trail a body is found. Can you guess who it is? 

Now I was already starting a suspect list as Mae and the ladies were going to be involved. The author does a clever job of keeping readers on their toes as the numerous suspects begin to appear. With a murder to solve Mae also has her mother nagging her constantly about setting a wedding date. I don’t know how Mae has the patience she does with her mother. At some point Mae has to reach a breaking point and tell everyone to leave her alone about the wedding. Besides she has a murder to solve and plans for her wedding  have to wait. 

The author gives us twists in the story that shocked me. When the killer was revealed I gasped. I never saw the ending to the mystery coming. I loved how the author leaves us with a beautiful and meaningful scene between Mae and Hank. I can hear wedding bells happening very soon. I can’t wait for the next book in this series to be released. 

I received a copy of this book from the author. The review is my own opinion.