Amanda Flower
Author of Crime and Poetry
Series
Works by Amanda Flower
Apple Cornered 1 copy
Associated Works
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Other names
- Alan, Isabella (pseudonym)
- Birthdate
- 1980-01-23
- Gender
- female
- Occupations
- academic librarian
mystery author - Organizations
- Sisters in Crime
Sisters in Crime Columbus Ohio
Sisters in Crime Guppies
America Christian Fiction Writers - Agent
- Nicole Resciniti (Seymour Agency)
- Short biography
- Author Amanda Flower, a native of Akron, Ohio, started her writing career in elementary school when she read a story she wrote to her sixth grade class and had the class in stitches with her description of being stuck on the top of a Ferris wheel. She knew at that moment she’d found her calling of making people laugh with her words. Like her main character India Hayes, Amanda is an academic librarian for a small college near Cleveland. When she is not at the library or writing her next mystery, she is an avid traveler who has been to seventeen countries, forty-eight U.S. states, and counting. Maid of Murder is her debut novel and the first in a series featuring amateur sleuth India Hayes.
- Places of residence
- Ohio, USA
Akron, Ohio, USA - Associated Place (for map)
- Ohio, USA
Members
Reviews
Premeditated Peppermint by Amanda Flower is the third tale in An Amish Candy Shop Mystery series. Bailey King is looking forward to a peaceful Christmas in Harvest, Ohio with her grandmother, Clara and cousin, Charlotte. They have been busy preparing a variety of peppermint candies for their Swissmen Sweets table at the Harvest Christmas Market. Then a grinch arrives in the form of Bailey’s ex-boyfriend and baker, Eric Sharp along with a camera crew. He wants to film the Christmas special show more of his show in Harvest with Bailey. Bailey agrees to meet the producer, Rocky Rivers the next morning to discuss the proposal. On her way to the meeting, Bailey notices a set of lights out on the gazebo. When she enters the gazebo, Bailey finds Rocky dead with the lights wrapped around her neck and Eric standing over her body. Deputy Aiden Brody quickly arrives on the scene and targets Eric as his prime suspect. Eric asks Bailey to prove his innocence before he ends up as head baker at the local prison. Linc Baggins (not a hobbit) arrives to take over production of the show and he has a surprising business proposition for Bailey. Then Juliet Brody approaches Bailey with a special request for her almost daughter-in-law (Aiden and Bailey have yet to have a first date). Juliet feels that Jethro has the face for television, and she wants Bailey’s help jumpstarting the pig’s career. Then Margot needs Bailey’s help with the live nativity. Bailey’s Christmas is quickly spiraling out of control.
Premeditated Peppermint is an entertaining cozy mystery as you can tell from my summary. You will be hooked from the very first page. While Premeditated Peppermint can be read alone, I suggest reading the series in order. It will provide you a better understanding of Bailey and how she came to live in Harvest. I thought Premeditated Peppermint was well-written with a good pace. It is just the right length at 306 pages. I had been reading a different book that was dragging along (I fell asleep), so I switched to Premeditated Peppermint and quickly devoured it. Harvest is a quaint small town that has a mixture of Amish and English citizens. There are charming shops and events that attract tourists such as the Harvest Christmas Market. Bailey is a smart and talented main character. I was happy to see Bailey’s best friend, Cass pop up in Harvest to help Bailey. Juliet Brody is quite a character. She goes around town with her pig, Jethro on a leash. I can see Jethro acting as the ring bearer if Aiden and Bailey ever marry (picture Jethro wearing a cute little tux). There are many laugh out loud moments in Premeditated Peppermint courtesy of Juliet, Jethro, Eric, Margot Rawlings, and the camel, Melchior. I enjoyed the descriptions of the delectable candies being prepared at Swissmen Sweets. The mystery was interesting with a handful of suspects and misdirection. The method of murder fit in with the book and the author provided good clues to aid the reader in solving the crime. There are recipes at the end of book and a preview of Toxic Toffee. My rating for Premeditated Peppermint is 4 out of 5 stars. show less
Premeditated Peppermint is an entertaining cozy mystery as you can tell from my summary. You will be hooked from the very first page. While Premeditated Peppermint can be read alone, I suggest reading the series in order. It will provide you a better understanding of Bailey and how she came to live in Harvest. I thought Premeditated Peppermint was well-written with a good pace. It is just the right length at 306 pages. I had been reading a different book that was dragging along (I fell asleep), so I switched to Premeditated Peppermint and quickly devoured it. Harvest is a quaint small town that has a mixture of Amish and English citizens. There are charming shops and events that attract tourists such as the Harvest Christmas Market. Bailey is a smart and talented main character. I was happy to see Bailey’s best friend, Cass pop up in Harvest to help Bailey. Juliet Brody is quite a character. She goes around town with her pig, Jethro on a leash. I can see Jethro acting as the ring bearer if Aiden and Bailey ever marry (picture Jethro wearing a cute little tux). There are many laugh out loud moments in Premeditated Peppermint courtesy of Juliet, Jethro, Eric, Margot Rawlings, and the camel, Melchior. I enjoyed the descriptions of the delectable candies being prepared at Swissmen Sweets. The mystery was interesting with a handful of suspects and misdirection. The method of murder fit in with the book and the author provided good clues to aid the reader in solving the crime. There are recipes at the end of book and a preview of Toxic Toffee. My rating for Premeditated Peppermint is 4 out of 5 stars. show less
Truffle Trouble by Amanda Flower is a cute tale. I love visiting Harvest, Ohio to check in with Bailey as well as her family and friends. Bailey and Aiden are finally (it is about time) getting married. Everyone in Harvest is invited (English and Amish) including Jethro. Of course, it would not be Bailey’s wedding without a snafu or a murder (or both). I just love the characters in this series. Lois is a hoot (I want to be like her at that age), and she seems to have caught the eye of a show more wedding guest. The whodunit has Bailey asking questions and searching for clues. Aiden should really put her on the payroll. Bailey finds herself with extra activities to do since she cannot seem to say no (she is too nice). Jethro, the polka dotted pig, spends quite a bit of time in Bailey’s company. He shares Nutmeg’s bed at Swissmen Sweet’s (Bailey needs to invest in a larger pet bed). I laughed often while reading Truffle Trouble. It is a lighthearted, fun story. Truffle Trouble is the tenth An Amish Candy Shop Mystery, and it can be read as a standalone. Personally, I recommend reading this entertaining series from the beginning. Truffle Trouble is an amusing story with a long-awaited wedding, a precocious polka dotted pig, an incredible chocolate cake, a flirtatious Lois, a murdered man, a determined Margot, and, hopefully, the happy couple departing on their honeymoon. show less
In December 1903, Wilbur and Orville Wright were in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, making history by flying an airplane they had built. Back at home in Dayton, Ohio, their sister, Katharine, teaches introductory languages at Steele High School. She hopes to achieve her goal by requesting to teach Greek III to upper-level students. Not to mention that her teaching is just one aspect of Katharine’s life. She also cares for her father at their family home and ensures her brothers’ bicycle shop show more runs smoothly, ordering supplies, checking accounts, and balancing the books. It’s almost Christmas, her brothers are coming home, and Katharine never suspected another role, a high-stakes role, will soon take priority.
I was not aware of the Wright brothers' sister. I was fascinated to learn of Katharine Wright. To learn of the reliance by her father and brothers for her care of the family home since the loss of her mother at 15 and the brothers for their business when out of town, her intelligence, independence, and strong work ethic, her interest in moving beyond gender inequality, is inspirational and revealing of a woman moving the benchmark of men's thinking and habits forward in her quiet way.
I loved the combination of unveiling a woman in history who deserves as much respect and recognition as her brothers and a fictional mystery woven by a master storyteller, which is a delight to read. Although I had read from the start that the mystery was fictional, the author’s meticulous research of history made the mystery seem entirely plausible.
Don’t miss meeting Katharine Wright! Highly recommended.
The Author Note and Discussion Questions are available at the end of the novel.
Thank you to Amanda Flower, Kensington Books, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an eARC of this book. show less
I was not aware of the Wright brothers' sister. I was fascinated to learn of Katharine Wright. To learn of the reliance by her father and brothers for her care of the family home since the loss of her mother at 15 and the brothers for their business when out of town, her intelligence, independence, and strong work ethic, her interest in moving beyond gender inequality, is inspirational and revealing of a woman moving the benchmark of men's thinking and habits forward in her quiet way.
I loved the combination of unveiling a woman in history who deserves as much respect and recognition as her brothers and a fictional mystery woven by a master storyteller, which is a delight to read. Although I had read from the start that the mystery was fictional, the author’s meticulous research of history made the mystery seem entirely plausible.
Don’t miss meeting Katharine Wright! Highly recommended.
The Author Note and Discussion Questions are available at the end of the novel.
Thank you to Amanda Flower, Kensington Books, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an eARC of this book. show less
Murders and Metaphors is the third book in the Magical Bookshop Mystery series. I love this series! The thought of a magical bookstore with an enchanted tree growing in the middle makes me happy in itself. Add in that customers visiting Charming Books get magically matched with the perfect books.....and I'm just totally sucked in by this series. I wish Charming Books were real! I would be there all the time! :) I wonder what my perfect book would be??
Violet Waverly runs Charming Books with show more her grandmother Daisy. She's taken over as caretaker of the shop and the magical tree as well. It's been six months since she left her old life to come back to Cascade Springs, NY to help her grandmother. While she loves the shop and her grandmother.....Violet has already had to solve two murders (with the help of her grandmother, the magical shop, Emerson the Cat and a crow named Faulkner, of course). Surely things will calm down now.....
But, of course, that doesn't happen. An author is stabbed to death with a grape cutting knife at the annual Morton Vineyard ice wine harvest. Violet, Daisy and the Red Inkers writing group are back on the case! Who put the wine expert on ice? Violet is determined to catch the killer!
This story is a great addition to this delightful cozy series! The mystery is interesting and engaging with plenty of twists and suspense. I like Violet as a main character. The side characters are all quirky and awesome. In this newest book, there are some nice developments in background story and character development. Can't wait to see how things develop in future books! The last few pages made me smile. Grandma Daisy is coming into her own! :) I was a bit surprised by the solution to the mystery, although it does make perfect sense. I just didn't see it coming. All in all, a very entertaining and fun read. I love Emerson and Faulkner. My favorite character though is Daisy....she's just lovely...and feisty when she needs to be!
Amanda Flower never disappoints. I enjoy every book I read by her. I will definitely continue reading this series. Her Magic Garden series, Amish Candy Shop cozies and Appleseed Creek series are also favorites.
**I voluntarily read an advanced readers copy of this book from Crooked Lane Books via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.** show less
Violet Waverly runs Charming Books with show more her grandmother Daisy. She's taken over as caretaker of the shop and the magical tree as well. It's been six months since she left her old life to come back to Cascade Springs, NY to help her grandmother. While she loves the shop and her grandmother.....Violet has already had to solve two murders (with the help of her grandmother, the magical shop, Emerson the Cat and a crow named Faulkner, of course). Surely things will calm down now.....
But, of course, that doesn't happen. An author is stabbed to death with a grape cutting knife at the annual Morton Vineyard ice wine harvest. Violet, Daisy and the Red Inkers writing group are back on the case! Who put the wine expert on ice? Violet is determined to catch the killer!
This story is a great addition to this delightful cozy series! The mystery is interesting and engaging with plenty of twists and suspense. I like Violet as a main character. The side characters are all quirky and awesome. In this newest book, there are some nice developments in background story and character development. Can't wait to see how things develop in future books! The last few pages made me smile. Grandma Daisy is coming into her own! :) I was a bit surprised by the solution to the mystery, although it does make perfect sense. I just didn't see it coming. All in all, a very entertaining and fun read. I love Emerson and Faulkner. My favorite character though is Daisy....she's just lovely...and feisty when she needs to be!
Amanda Flower never disappoints. I enjoy every book I read by her. I will definitely continue reading this series. Her Magic Garden series, Amish Candy Shop cozies and Appleseed Creek series are also favorites.
**I voluntarily read an advanced readers copy of this book from Crooked Lane Books via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.** show less
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- 58
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- Popularity
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- Rating
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