Smada's Book Smack : Audiobook Blog Tour & Giveaway: Barking up the Wrong Bakery (Happy Tails Dog Walking Mysteries #1) by Stella St. Claire

Author: Stella St. Claire

Narrator: Machelle Williams

Length: 5 hours and 6 minutes

Series: Happy Tails Dog Walking Mysteries, Book 1

Publisher: Relay Publishing

Released: Jan. 4, 2018

Genre: Cozy Mystery

Some people would kill for coffee....
Olivia Rickard would kill to keep everything just the way it is. She’s got a gorgeous boyfriend who loves her, a supportive sister to lean on, and a dog walking business that’s briskly barking away. But just as she’s getting comfortable, her sister suddenly wants to buy an entire brownstone with her, and her boyfriend looks like he’s going to pop the question at every opportunity. Changing the status quo has always been disastrous for Olivia, and now everything is changing at once....
What Olivia needs is a distraction, and she’s found one in stumbling upon Yvette Dunn dead in her coffee food truck - drowned in a vat of fresh coffee. Olivia starts out as an unlucky bystander to the crime, but she’s forced to dig in deeper when it looks like her sister could be involved in Yvette’s death.
Olivia is running out of time in regards to the mystery, the mortgage, and the marriage. She’s going to have to solve all three problems - and quick - or face a future most foul.

My Review:

4 Out Of 5 Stars

Genre: Mystery, Romance, Suspense--

I am always looking for fun cozy mysteries that mix endearing realistic characters, humor and a twisty enough mystery to keep me guessing (Janet Evanovich and Gemma Halliday set pretty high bars for my expectations). This sounded like a perfect new series for me to jump into so I was excited to start listening.

Olivia was kind of a hot mess. Her life is perfect (in her eyes) but she is on the verge of change in multiple aspects and it completely freaks out. Her love of mystery novels causes her to be super helpful aka nosy and involve herself in everyone's business. I liked how dedicated she was and an overall good person. Her antics with her dogs, sister and friend entertained me and I feel like Olivia was very much so a real person.

The mystery was interesting with a nice twist, but this is very much a romance book that just so happens to have mystery component. I felt so bad for Andrew- he really was the perfect boyfriend and Olivia was basically a crazy beast to him. The more sweet things he did or said, the more Olivia pulled away or did something else crazy. He might just be a saint- I mean she did try to impulsively break up with him multiple times in the beginning of their relationship and he just kept ignoring her (which is hysterical and maybe messed up... but it seemed to work out). I wanted to shake Olivia and her irrational fear before something terrible happened.

The narrator had a nice clear voice and her enunciation was perfect. She was able to really bring Olivia to life and give her personality. My one complaint was that all the character's voices basically sounded the same. Maybe I have been spoiled, but I love when the narrator has distinct voices for each character and it is very clear as to who was talking, and that was not apparent all the time in the book. Sometimes the point of view in the book would switch from Andrew or even the killer's view, but I was never certain what character it was suppose to be.

I look forward to reading/and or listening to the rest of the books in the series because this was cute and fun (and full of dogs so instant win!- and the pet psychic scene was my favorite part of the story!) and I would love to see what happens next for Olivia and Andrew. Be aware though, this book will cause desires to cuddle with dogs and make you want some fresh scones and muffins...mmmm...

I received this audiobook as part of my participation in a blog tour with Audiobookworm Promotions. The tour is being sponsored by Stella St. Claire. The gifting of this audiobook did not affect my opinion of it.

Stella lives and breathes cozy mysteries! With her head always buried inside these books, it’s no wonder that she would put pen to paper to bring her own cozy mysteries to life. The words flew onto the page, and she’s already teeming with ideas for the next cozy mystery series.

With her trusted canine by her side, it seemed only natural to be inspired by her beautiful beagle Doogle and the many hours they spent walking through scenic New England villages. When Stella’s not reading books, she’s off on road trips, exploring every nook and cranny in neighboring towns, seeking inspiration for her next book.

She’s keen to see what her fellow cozy critics think of her new cozy mystery so please leave a review and share your thoughts with Stella.

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As an audiobook narrator with 23 years of experience moving audiences with her voice through corporate facilitation and public speaking, Machelle knows how to connect with the intent of the author to bring their vision to life. Her compelling yet casual voice draws the listener close, transporting them deep into the story and keeping them hanging on every word with full attention and anticipation.

Machelle’s voice is nuanced and delivers reads that range from soft and soothing to dramatic and smoky. She specializes in Mysteries & Thrillers, but her Bespoke repertoire also includes Non-Fiction, Religious, Urban and Noire.

Machelle is based in Northern Virginia with her two Boston Terriers, Daphne and Lilah, and her fully equipped studio from which she provides quick turn-around of professional quality recordings. When you need a narrator to take your listener to the edge of their seat and their breath away – trust the telling to Machelle.