A Christmas crime shocks the merchants of a quaint shopping district in this latest installment of The New York Times bestselling Victoria Square series. It's Christmastime, but not everyone is jolly--especially not Vonne Barnett. Her dead body has been found in Victoria Square. Katie Bonner, the manager of Artisan's Alley, happens to be at the tea shop Vonne's mother, Francine, owns when the news is delivered. Vonne left a trail of men behind her so the suspects are many--but the clues are few. A broken teacup leads Katie to one of the suspects, but before she can investigate, she's attacked. Katie may be closing in on a murderer, but time is ticking because the murderer is definitely closing in on her.
Previously published in Yule Log Murder Christmases in coastal Maine can seem picture perfect—until murder ruins the scenery . . . Hayley Powell’s holidays aren’t off to a very merry start. Not only has her daughter brought Conner—an infuriatingly perfect new beau—home to Bar Harbor, but a local troublemaker has been found dead with traces of her signature Yule log cake on his body. As Conner becomes the prime murder suspect, Hayley must put aside her mixed feelings to identify the real killjoy.
Freelance photographer and Yeast of Eden bakery assistant Ivy Culpepper has just scored the job of a lifetime shooting the Dickensian dress-up X-mas party thrown by It Girl film actress Eliza Fox . . . until an unwanted guest appears. A holiday costume party in the sleepy coastal town of Santa Sofia could be just the boost Ivy needs for her fledgling photography business. At the party, Ivy enters a Victorian fantasy come to life, all courtesy of the fabulous Ms. Fox. Ivy gets to play shutterbug while hanging with Scrooge, Marley, the Cratchits, and more classic Dickens characters. But what begins as the best of times turns out to be the very worst for one of the party guests—a tabloid journalist with more enemies than Ebenezer himself. When the man’s body is found sprawled across the jagged rocks below the house, the fingers begin pointing at Eliza. Meanwhile, Ivy gets roped into helping prove the starlet’s innocence. Her festive photos are now official evidence—and the Ghosts of Christmas Present could mean the party for Eliza is over, once and for all.
Merry mayhem: "When single mom Annie Coleman unexpectedly arrives in Christmas, Oklahoma, police chief Caleb Jackson suspects she's hiding secrets. He'll be watching her closely. And his protection is just what Annie and her daughter need, as danger has followed them to their new home."--Page 4 of cover
The New York Times bestselling series is back, as Katie Bonner—owner of Artisans Alley in the quaint shopping district of Victoria Square—attempts to solve a murder at a nearby B & B. Katie Bonner feels like nothing can spoil her perfect day off, sailing Lake Ontario with her good friend and lawyer Seth Landers. Then she runs into her ex-boss Josh on the dock. It was never smooth sailing with Josh, and Katie is only too happy to get away from him as he makes a scene. Unfortunately, the next day her unpleasant former employer is found drowned in a bathtub at a bed-and-breakfast in Victoria Square. Who would pull the plug on Josh? When an autopsy reveals lake water—not bath water—in his lungs, Katie quickly finds herself in over her head. She’ll need to race to find the killer before her business and her freedom both go down the drain…
“Terrific. A wild ride….I loved it. It hooked me and I couldn’t put it down.” —Mike Mignola, creator of Hellboy "Brom is that rare breed: a person who is skilled in more than one area of artistic expression. Here's hoping that he will continue to share his dark and often beautiful dreams with us for many years to come." --Christopher Paolini, New York Times bestselling author of Eragon Acclaimed author and artist Brom raised eyebrows and pulse rates with The Child Thief, his grim, brilliantly audacious, gorgeously illustrated reimagining of the Peter Pan legend. So what does this innovative fantasist do for an encore? He tinkers darkly with the beloved mythology of Santa Claus. Set in Appalachia, Krampus the Yule Lord is a twisted fairytale about a failed West Virginia songwriter who gets ensnared on Christmas Eve in an eternal war between a not-so-saintly Saint Nick and his dark enemy Krampus, aka Black Peter, an ancient trickster demon. Krampus the Yule Lord is Gregory Maguire (Wicked) meets Susanna Clarke (Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell) in the realm of Guillermo Del Toro’s Pan’s Labyrinth, as Clive Barker (Mr. B. Gone) works his dark sorcery from the shadows. Once again featuring Brom’s chillingly beautiful artwork throughout, Krampus the Yule Lord is a feast of wonder straight from the kitchen of Sweeney Todd.
Filled with dozens of magical tips, recipes, crafts, and spells, Llewellyn's Little Book of Yule shares everything you need to make your Yuletide memorable and enchanting. From wassail blessings to the spirits of the solstice, this book delves into the lore of familiar traditions as well as observances that may be brand new to you, making it an invaluable resource for bringing meaning and magic to your holiday season.
Previously published in the anthology Yule Log Murder Fresh-baked cookies, pies, and cakes can warm even the frostiest Christmases in coastal Maine. But there’s little room for holiday cheer when murder is the new seasonal tradition . . . Lucy Stone is thrilled to be cast as an extra in a festive period film—until the set becomes a murder scene decorated in blood and buttercream icing. Returning to her role as sleuth, Lucy dashes to restore peace to Tinker’s Cove, unwrap a cold-hearted criminal’s MO, and reveal how one ornate Yule log cake could possibly cause so much drama.
Katie’s been dealt the Dead Man’s Hand … It’s all fun and games when Katie Bonner and her friends play poker for chocolate-covered peanuts, but the very next day Jamie Seifert collapses and dies after visiting Katie’s tearoom on Victoria Square. Katie’s business in on the line and she needs to prove Jamie wasn’t poisoned at Tealicious. Her first order of business is to locate the mysterious woman he was dining with, and her next step is to go undercover at a nearby poker club where Jamie won big just a week before. It seems everyone there might have had a motive to rub Jamie out...and if they learn Katie has been lying to them, she might be next!
In the myth and folklore of ancient European cultures and spiritual traditions, the longest night of the year, called Winter Solstice, was a time of transition during which people sought out personal renewal and rebirth. The Fires of Yule provides a template and a pattern for entering deeply into the Winter Solstice Season, experiencing it in poetic and transformative ways through a contemporary calendar called The Thirteen Dayes of Yule. Readers of The Fires of Yule will follow a pilgrim path of the Thirteen Dayes from 13 to 25 December, engaging in various myths, symbols, stories, and rituals associated with each day. Becoming practitioners of the Yule, deepening their experience of the Winter Solstice, they will move beyond the more banal and commercialized forms of the December holidays. The calendar of the Thirteen Dayes is sourced (historically) in Celtic myth and Paganism, as well as (imaginatively) in the lore of the Elves of ancient pre-Celtic worlds. This book brings together many of the best-known icons and customs of modern Christmas traditions, re-sourcing them in the light of a Pagan Hearth and offering touchstones for self-renewal at Winter Solstice. This revised edition of The Fires of Yule presents the mystic pattern of Thirteen Dayes in its fullest expression, narrated in the voice of a fictional character, Cornelius Whitsel, a student of religion and a Pagan spiritual director in the Keltelven Traditions who lives in the imagined landscape of Ross County, Pennsylvania. Cornelius has been a character in two of Montague Whitsels other books; Ham Farir: The Faring of Matthew Thorin Dier (2008) and Tales from the Seasons (2009). The Fires of Yule is the culmination of more than three decades of the authors devout engagement with the Yule and deep reflection on the nature of the Winter Solstice. Montague Whitsel has explored, studied and practiced Western spiritualities grounded in the Celtic, Neo-Pagan and Monastic traditions for more than 40 years.
