Blog Tour: The Whole Cat and Caboodle by Sofie Ryan (Review/Guest Post/Book Giveaway)

About the Book

Genre: Cozy Mystery, #1 in A Second Chance Cat Mystery Series
Publisher: Obsidian Mystery
Release Date: April 2014



Synopsis from Goodreads...

FIRST IN A NEW SERIES

Sarah Grayson is the happy proprietor of Second Chance, a charming shop in the oceanfront town of North Harbor, Maine. At the shop, she sells used items that she has lovingly refurbished and repurposed. But her favorite pet project so far has been adopting a stray cat she names Elvis.

Elvis has seen nine lives—and then some. The big black cat with a scar across his nose turned up at a local bar when the band was playing the King of Rock and Roll’s music and hopped in Sarah’s truck. Since then, he’s been her constant companion and the furry favorite of everyone who comes into the store.

But when Sarah’s elderly friend Maddie is found with the body of a dead man in her garden, the kindly old lady becomes the prime suspect in the murder. Even Sarah’s old high school flame, investigator Nick Elliot, seems convinced that Maddie was up to no good. So it’s up to Sarah and Elvis to clear her friend’s name and make sure the real murderer doesn’t get a second chance.

My Review

Sarah Grayson is quite busy with her new store Second Chance where she refurbishes and repurposes used items. Her grandmother holds the mortgage, but Sarah is determined to pay her back. The shop is located in the quaint town of North Harbor, Maine and she employs a few of her grandmother’s close friends. She is also adopted by a lovely black cat with a scar on his nose named Elvis. Elvis lets Sarah think she’s in charge, but we all know who the real boss in any feline’s house is :)

When a customer, Arthur Fenety, brings a tea service set to sell to Sarah, she’s a bit suspicious of the circumstances. She is surprised to learn that a close friend of her grandmother's, Maddie, is dating the man and  stunned when she visits Maddie and finds the man dead. She’s even more stunned when the elderly woman is arrested for his murder. Sarah knows she’s innocent but she also knows the police have to do their job and find the real killer.

However, Maddie’s friends, who also happen to be Sarah and her grandmother’s friends, aren’t willing to sit idly by as the police already think they have a killer behind bars. Against Sarah’s better judgment, she assists the women in proving their friend’s innocence. She figures they won’t get in too much trouble if she’s by their side. Elvis figures he better be by Sarah’s side to keep her out of trouble, too.

This is a fun, brand new series and it has a cat in it! Not just a cat for the cover of the book, but one who plays a huge role in the story. The author writes another cat series under the name Sofie Kelly. It features magical cats. Elvis is not magical and he doesn’t talk, but he's a huge Jeopardy fan. He behaves like a cat :) and has a strong presence throughout the book.

Sarah is a great character and I absolutely adored her supporting cast. The group of her grandmother’s friends are so enjoyable to read about and the story moves along so quickly. There's even some romance tossed into the mix.  I’m looking forward to the next one…so many great cozies these days!





For reading challenges:
2014 Alphabet Soup Reading Challenge
2014 ARC Reading Challenge
Where are you reading? challenge (Maine)
What An Animal Reading Challenge

FTC Disclosure: The publisher provided me with a copy of this book to review for this blog tour. This did not influence my thoughts and opinions in any way. All opinions expressed are my own.

Author Guest Post

Twenty-nine Questions for Sofie Ryan

Inspired by actress Sarah Jessica Parker’s seventy-three question, five minute interview by Vogue magazine, my friend Sara (no H) decided to see how many questions I could answer about myself in 5 minutes. We only got to twenty-nine. Sara doesn’t talk—or type—nearly as fast at the guy who interviewed Sarah Jessica Parker.

So here are twenty-nine things you probably didn’t know about me, Sofie Ryan:

1. How long have you lived in your house?
I never get this right. More than 20 years.

2. What’s your favorite season?
Fall.

3. What’s your favorite activity?
Walking. (I’m guessing eating doesn’t count.)

4. Would you live somewhere else?
Maybe. I have always wanted to live in Paris.

5. What’s your favorite movie?
The Princess Bride

6. What’s your favorite movie in the last five years?
Ummm…could we come back to this?

7. Favorite Hitchcock movie?
Rear Window.

8. Favorite TV show that’s on now.
The Big Bang Theory.

9. What’s the next book you plan on reading?
I just downloaded Harlan Coben’s Six Years onto my Kindle.

10. Name a book you read in school that had a big impact on you?
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn.

11. On a scale of one to ten how excited are you about life right now?
Eight and a half.

13. i-Phone or Android?
Neither. I still use a flip phone.

14. What’s the coolest thing in your house?
The table in the living room that my husband’s uncle made with a hand-lathe.

15. What’s your favorite food?
Anything with chocolate.

16. What’s your least favorite food?
Hard boiled eggs.

17. What do you like on your pizza?
Mushrooms, black olives and bacon.

18. What’s your favorite drink?
Coffee.

19. What’s your favorite desert?
Brownies.

20. What quality do you look for in a man?
A sense of humor. The ability to cook doesn’t hurt, either.

21. What quality do you look for in a woman?
Same thing: a sense of humor.

22. Heels or flats.
Flats.

23. Cats or dogs.
Cats.

24. Paris or London.
I refuse to choose.

25. Paper book or e-book.
Paper book for the feel but e-book for the convenience.

26. Favorite type of music.
It’s gotta be rock and roll music if you wanna dance with me.

27. Early morning or late night?
Morning. I’m falling asleep by ten o’clock at night.

28. Are you still friends with anyone you went to school with?
Yes. As a matter of fact I’m still friends with the very first friend I made in Grade One.

29. Do you think money can buy happiness?
I think it can make parts of life easier and that can bring happiness.

BOOK GIVEAWAY!!!!

How would you like to win a paperback copy of The Whole Cat and Caboodle by Sofie Ryan? Thanks to Obsidian, I have one paperback to giveaway to one lucky winner.

Just a few simple rules...

1) You must fill out the rafflecopter form below.

2) Contest is open to anyone over 18 years old

3) US Residents Only

4) For one extra entry: Tweet about this giveaway.

5) For one extra entry: Leave a comment for the author.

6) For one extra entry: Follow this blog. Old followers, too. Just leave the way you follow and the name you use.

No purchase necessary.  Void where prohibited.

The giveaway begins on April 10th (midnight est) and ends on April 17th (midnight est).

The winner will be chosen randomly by Rafflecopter. The winner will be notified by email and has 48 hours to respond, otherwise a new winner will be chosen. I will announce the winner here on my blog.

Good luck!

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