Engagement rings are much more than shiny jewels; they are symbols of love, commitment, and sometimes, unexpected adventure. In “Vanilla & Vendettas,” amateur sleuth and baker Ava Decker learns this all too well when a diamond ring meant to be a sweet surprise takes center stage in a cupcake caper. Join us as we delve into some of the most bizarre and entertaining places engagement rings have been found: both in real life and fiction.
Lost & Found: Bizarre Places Engagement Rings Have Turned Up 💍🔍
Engagement ring mishaps are more common than you might think.
The Fishy Find 🐟: A fisherman off the coast of Florida reeled in more than just his catch of the day. Inside the belly of a large fish was a long-lost engagement ring. The fisherman’s catch was another couple’s treasure rediscovered!
The Rattling Ride 🚗: After months of an unexplained rattle in her car, one woman finally took the vehicle to a mechanic. Upon inspection, the source of the noise was revealed, a diamond ring her husband had hidden to propose and accidentally dropped behind a panel.
Garden of Glee 🌼: After frantically searching her entire backyard, a gardener finally unearthed her engagement ring while planting new flowers, nearly five years after it had slipped off during a weekend project.
The Emotional Rollercoaster 🎢
Whether hidden in a pie or stashed away in a toolbox, the journey of a missing engagement ring can be an emotional rollercoaster. From panic and worry to relief and humor, these stories transform simple pieces of jewelry into epic adventures.
Conclusion 🔮
In “Vanilla & Vendettas,” Ava finds herself caught up in the whirlwind of tracking down a missing engagement ring, proving that even the sweetest plans can go awry. These tales remind us that while rings may wander, their stories often become some of the most memorable chapters in our lives.
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About the author
Lisa Siefert is a USA Today Bestselling Mystery Author who writes humorous cozy mysteries. She dedicates all of her free time to testing out different latte flavors at every coffee shop she comes across and has never once skimped on dessert because life is too short not to. She lives in San Diego with Lucky, her own devious but adorable Abyssinian kitten. She excels at recounting every Hallmark Movie plot ever conceived and can also whip up a mean batch of mint chocolate chip ice cream.
Her books feature amateur women sleuths that always believe in silver linings despite all of the murderous clouds surrounding them. Be sure to check out her website: www.lisasiefert.com.
Hi, friend! I hope you had a great weekend. I also want to thank you for stopping by to join in the celebration of the release of Dead in the Ditch, the latest book in my Elmo Simpson Mysteries series.
Isn’t that a fun cover? I love it.
Anyway, you may be wondering why this post is titled The Magic Number. It’s because Dead in the Ditch is the third book in the series. That got me thinking about the number three.
I grew up in the seventies and spent my Saturday mornings watching Saturday morning cartoons. That included the School House Rock videos, one of which was called “Three Is a Magic Number”. If you haven’t seen it before, or haven’t seen it in a while, go check it out here and enjoy the trip back in time.
Well, that got me thinking about other things related to the number three. So, let’s chat about some of them.
How about the third book in a series? There are some great ones. “Voyage of the Dawn Treader” is the third book in the Chronicles of Narnia, a series I first read as a kid. For my money, Voyage is the best book in the series.
The third Hercule Poirot novel by the legendary Agatha Christie is none other than “The Murder of Roger Ackroyd”. I think it’s an incredible story. And it happens to be her greatest novel, according to a lot of Christie experts and fans.
Let’s move to music. The third album by U2, my longtime favorite band, is “War”. Featuring the singles “Sunday, Bloody, Sunday” and “New Year’s Day” it’s the album that broke the band into worldwide fame. I think it stands among the band’s finest works.
Other great threes? Baseball legend Babe Ruth wore number three. The Magi, otherwise known as The Three Wise Men, those of the Christian faith may have heard of them. For fans of action adventure, there’s the crime-solving trio “Charlie’s Angels” from both the small screen and big screen.
We can’t forget Snap, Crackle, and Pop. Rice Krispies aren’t Rice Krispies without that fun trio. The younger crowd is represented by The Powerpuff Girls—Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup. My kids loved watching that show when they were young.
Will Dead in the Ditch ever rise to the level of a memorable number 3? Only time will tell. One thing is for sure, though. I had a lot of fun writing it and I hope you have fun reading it.
How about you? Are there any favorite threes or trios you think deserve mention? Tell me about them. After all, three is the magic number and we can all use some magic in our lives. Until next time, bubbles up!
About the author
J.C. Kenney is the Agatha Award Nominated and bestselling author of mysteries full of oddball characters in unusual settings. “Panic In the Panhandle,” book 1 of his Elmo Simpson Mysteries series, was named one of the Ten Best Cozy Mysteries of 2024. He’s also the co-host of The Bookish Hour and A Bookish Moment webcasts. When he’s not writing, you can find him following IndyCar racing or listening to music. He has two grown children and lives in Indianapolis with his wife and a cat. You can find him at https://www.jckenney.com/.
Happy May fellow cozy sleuths! We have some wonderful titles for you this month and we can’t wait for you to get into them! Plus, a GIVEAWAY: Because who doesn’t love FREE books?
We will pick ONE winner to receive a digital book of their choice from the May mystery releases.
Comment down below saying which book you’re looking most forward to reading! Giveaway is open INTERNATIONALLY. The winner will be randomly selected and announced at the end of the month.
Good luck and happy reading!
Dead in the Ditch
Release Date: May 5th, 2025
Wild animal removal specialist Elmo Simpson needs to act fast before the good people of Paradise Springs decide to remove him!
Halloween has arrived, and all is well in Elmo Simpson’s life until his beloved cat Oscar wanders off and doesn’t return. While searching for Oscar, Elmo discovers a body in a ditch. A body that turns out to be Elmo’s former arch-nemesis, a man who Elmo believes stole intellectual property from him worth millions.
When word gets out who the victim is, the town becomes convinced Elmo is the murderer, intent on taking revenge. With nowhere to turn and the reputation of his recently purchased Sea Breeze Resort on the line, Elmo takes it upon himself to figure out who the real killer is. All the while, trying to assemble the threads that connect a dark time in his past with the equally perilous present.
“Carl Hiaasen, look out! You’ve got stiff competition.” ~Ellen Byron, multiple Agatha and Lefty Award winner. A funny, edgy, and entertaining new cozy mystery series!
A Wedding and A Murder
Release Date: May 12th, 2025
No one invited a murderer to this wedding, and yet …
The announcement sounded innocent enough: five romance writers have chosen Peachtree Valley for their annual gathering. One of the writers is Kirk’s aunt Lily, and as one of Helen Rogers’s newest investigators at the PI firm, he’s eager to show off his new job.
Helen and her fiancé, Ted Morgan, are eager to show guests a good time at their wedding.
But then someone shows their true stripes and murders one of the visiting writers, and police have no witnesses or clues to work with. It’s an investigator’s nightmare, but the Rogers, Adams, and Brown agency isn’t daunted by hard cases. Their deep dive into the publishing world uncovers jealousy, resentment, and a boatload of motives. Including clues that the killer has their sights on Aunt Lily next.
Can the team pool their talents one more time to save their lives and the wedding too? Or will Helen have to turn the page on this new chapter in her life?
Vanilla and Vendettas
Release Date: May 19th, 2025
Stolen sparkling bling. A shocking murder. Will her single-minded sleuthing free her from a sour situation?
Pastry chef Ava Decker is delighted to prepare a special cupcake for her BFF’s surprise engagement. But after the diamond ring disappears from its sugary hiding place, the empty-handed baker is suddenly suspect number one. So when a witness comes forward to the cops, Ava eagerly tracks him down… only to stumble across his dead body.
With the police insisting she mind her own business and an unhelpful psychic more worried about Ava’s stalled love life than useful clues, the amateur snoop might have bitten off more than she can chew. But when she’s arrested for possession of a poached Aston Martin, she’ll need more than her is-he-or-isn’t-he boyfriend and her impulsive bestie to extract herself from the gooey mess.
Can she turn the tables on a thief-turned-killer before she’s baking cakes behind bars?
Vanilla & Vendettas is the scrumptious third book in the Frosted Misfortunes cozy mystery series. If you like dorky heroines, light-hearted comic relief, and cute kitties with pooch envy, then you’ll adore Lisa Siefert’s tasty indulgence.
Blackmail and Kitty Tails
Release Date: May 21st, 2025
A glamorous gala, a cursed dagger, and a killer on the loose—Rebecca Cuthbert and her talking cat, Aneksi, face their most dangerous mystery yet.
When Rebecca Cuthbert volunteered to help with the Citrus Grove Women’s Club gala, she envisioned a night filled with elegant silk drapes, Egyptian-themed decorations, and tasty hors d’oeuvres—certainly not murder. But then the lights flicker out during the party setup, and club president Deborah Ralston is found dead, stabbed with an ancient dagger.
With Aneksi purring by her side and a murder weapon steeped in legend, Rebecca must unravel a twisted web of secrets, blackmail, and bitter rivalries behind this sinister murder. Everyone from suspicious club members to scorned lovers is a suspect, and time is running out as Rebecca’s own antique shop becomes linked to the deadly artifact.
Can Rebecca and her cat corner the killer before tragedy slashes her world again?
A cozy mystery perfect for fans of charming small towns, clever cats, and amateur sleuths!
I’m so excited to be celebrating the release of book two in the Shepherd Sisters Mysteries, Murder On Display! These books found the most perfect publishing home with Tule, with a new book in the series dropping every other month, all year long.
Savanna Shepherd is an accidental sleuth. A former art authenticator whose job it was to detect forgeries from the real thing, Savanna has a knack for spotting clues hiding in plain sight, sometimes without even trying. When she discovers a local politician dead in his locked home, the victim of foul play, and then police arrest a good friend for the murder, Savanna and her sisters race to uncover what really happened. Ratcheting up the stakes are a mysteriously vandalized town monument, a coveted art fair now at risk of being canceled, and a wrench thrown into a budding romance a long time in the making.
So, why three sisters? Who doesn’t love a good bestie trio? I am a sucker for women helping women, girl power, soul sisters, women amplifying women. If a set of sisters, or two friends, seemed like it might be fun to write, three seemed even better. Growing up, I fell in love with Charlie’s Angels—the television series and then the fun and fabulous movies. Those women knew how to team up and kick butt when necessary. I also couldn’t get enough of the gang in Buffy the Vampire slayer—Buffy, Willow, and Xander, and sometimes Cordelia. They were stronger together than alone. And, in a non crime solving example, I also loved the friend group in the show Friends, especially the trio of Monica, Rachel, and Phoebe. They brought out the best in each other.
When Savanna Shepherd first appeared in my mind, fully formed with her own personality traits and back story, I knew she had to be the middle sister. Coming home to her small lakeside town after a decade away, she fits easily back into her family and community. She tends to be the “glue” within her sister trio, and even though Savanna is the primary female protagonist, she relies on her sisters on a daily basis, just as they do her.
Skylar, like me, is the eldest sister. She’s the most serious in the trio, a bit of a perfectionist, her type A personality serving her well in her career as an attorney. Her two younger sisters often have fun poking at serious Skylar, trying to get a laugh out of her but sometimes just causing her exasperation. But Skylar is also the person Savanna and Sydney turn to anytime they’re in need of advice or help with difficult problems—she always comes through.
The youngest sister is Sydney. Free-spirited, laid back, not to be confined by business suits or corporate schedules, Sydney runs a gourmet dog bakery and grooming salon called Fancy Tails and Treats. Sydney delights in finding new ways to tease and joke with her sisters, calms her mind with yoga and meditation, and knows the name of every dog in town. Sydney is the heart of the sister trio, happy-go-lucky, loyal, and quick to act when her sisters need her.
The series of course holds plenty of other intriguing characters: a grumpy but kind detective, a swoon-worthy cardiologist and his bad-boy brother, the sisters’ parents who are relationship-goals to their daughters, and a wealth of intriguing townspeople, some of whom are not to be trusted.
The Shepherd sisters are at the center of this cozy mystery series. They may argue now and then, they don’t always agree, but they love and protect each other fiercely. I can’t imagine a better mystery solving trio!
About the author
Tracy Gardner is an Edgar Award nominated author of two cozy mystery series, one recent novel earning a spot on New York Public Library’s Best 100 Books list. Tracy also writes book club fiction with heart and grit under pen name Jess Sinclair. A Detroit native with one foot in the sand of Florida’s Gulf Coast, Tracy is a mother of three, the daughter of two teachers, and works as a nurse when not writing. She lives with her husband and a menagerie of spoiled rescue dogs and cats who inspire every fictional pet she writes. Check out Tracy’s website https://www.tracygardnerbeno.com/.
Old Habits Die Hard includes tropes familiar to any mystery reader. The amateur sleuth can’t stop themself from meddling and helps solve the case. Generation gap. Close-knit community. Eavesdropping, snooping, everyone’s got an axe to grind with everybody else so they’re all suspects. My opening scene tickles me still, Bernie returns to The Abbey: Senior Living one night to discover a body dead in the hallway and the detective called to the scene is her former student. Of course they’ll work together! It’s her turf and his case! Brilliant!
I was in a giddy state of mind writing this book. It was my first time working off a clear outline and knowing exactly how the story ended. Everything slotted into place as neat as you’d like. I sent out my requisite hundred queries to agents and editors and thought I was done. I’d written my first murder mystery, and it wasn’t nearly as challenging as I’d feared. Feeling cocky (and obviously very overconfident) that I’d nailed it in one shot because I am a genius, I got to work on another project involving four women fighting a big corporation from stealing their town’s water. Months later, responses to my queries started coming in: Clever concept, great story, what’s book two about? And three? That’s when I learned a sobering truth. To get this book published, I needed to pitch more Bernie and AJ adventures. Suddenly this project became Much. More. Difficult.
Repeatedly offing the residents at The Abbey: Senior Living is unsustainable for obvious reasons. It was a great idea once, but I’m no Horowitz with Midsomer Murders. Even the great Agatha Christie moved Poirot and Marple around to new settings. I’d foolishly paired the amateur sleuth, a retired nun who lives in senior apartments, with a detective in his late twenties. Any case they work together requires colliding their worlds. AJ’s end of things is easy, as a detective he can take any case I assign to him because solving a crime is literally his job. Bernie’s more challenging because her world must overlap so she has a stake in solving the murder, access to key clues, and a plausible way to be involved in the investigation. Oof. I couldn’t have made this tougher if I’d tried! At least the vicar in Grantchester can help Geordie because of course people will confess their sins to him. There’s a reason most amateur sleuths are writers or reporters because they can always fall back on While I was researching… But a retired nun living in senior apartments? Where do I find her point of entry for the next murder? And the next? And even the next?
Writing Old Habits Die Hard gave me a bigger mystery to solve because I had to figure out whodunnit, how, and why over and over again within very narrow parameters I’d naively set for myself. Thank God I’m a fiction writer, I can make this stuff as I go along, right? Now I’m constantly on the lookout for an idea that would conceivably pull Bernie and AJ back together. In the next book, Dropped Like a Bad Habit, the murder takes place in the neighborhood, down the block from The Abbey. (I confess, I might’ve gotten a little carried away because the bodies kept piling up in that book). In A Regular Habit I send Bernie and AJ out of town where their paths cross as they solve another murder. The Nun the Wiser Mysteries will continue as long as I can keep coming up with credible reasons to bring Bernie and AJ together.
About the author
Melissa Westemeier grew up around the edge of nerd culture, but marriage and motherhood with three sons immersed her in it. She’s fluent in Marvel, DC, Dr. Who, Star Wars, Godzilla, and more thanks to their influence. Her fiction work includes rom-com and a trilogy loosely based on her experience tending bar on the Wolf River in Wisconsin. She’s thrilled to realize her childhood dream of writing murder mysteries. Her books blend her humor and appreciation for nerd culture while tackling serious themes and unpacking the puzzle of whodunnit (and how and why!). In her spare time, Melissa needs to be outside or near a window. Her passions include hiking, swimming, biking, reading, and fantasizing about her next vacation destination.
Spring is here, and so are some exciting new book releases! From thrilling mysteries to heartwarming cozies, this month’s lineup has something for every reader. Whether you’re in the mood for a page-turning suspense or a cozy read to enjoy in the sunshine, April’s books are ready to captivate your imagination. To kick off the season of fresh starts, we’re also hosting a giveaway! Keep reading to discover your next favorite read and enter for a chance to win an ebook copy of one of our new releases!
Giveaway Question: What’s your favorite cozy mystery or thriller setting — a small town, a quirky café, or maybe an old mansion? Let us know for a chance to win!
