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Mysteries of Blackberry Valley #8
Smoke and Mirrors
Smoke and Mirrors is the eighth book in the Mysteries of Blackberry Valley fiction series.
Hannah Prentiss is touched by the belated birthday luncheon her friends throw in her honor, complete with thoughtful and charming gifts! When Hannah opens an unlabeled box, she questions who it’s from—especially when she finds a beautifully crafted creamer inside, eliciting a shocked reaction from her friend, police department receptionist Vanessa Lodge.
Vanessa explains that the creamer is a piece from a unique set of pottery dishes that her grandmother made by hand—and that it is also one of two pieces that went missing decades ago. Who could have anonymously gifted the creamer to Hannah? And what happened to the matching sugar bowl? Hannah is determined to find the answers for Vanessa’s sake as well as her own. But as long-held secrets begin to reveal themselves, she wonders if some stories are best left in the past.
Welcome to the Hot Spot…where the food is fresh and the mysteries are delicious!
After years away, Hannah Prentiss finally returns home to the charming village of Blackberry Valley. She transforms a former firehouse into the Hot Spot―a warm and welcoming place for townsfolk and travelers alike to enjoy meals made with fresh ingredients from local Kentucky farms. But running a new restaurant, reconnecting with loved ones, and forging new friendships around every corner aren’t the only things Hannah is doing these days. When mysteries start cropping up, she finds that solving them is just as satisfying as fulfilling her culinary dreams!
What you’ll love about Blackberry Valley The cozy charm and heartfelt connections of small-town lifeFaithful characters and the warmth of a close-knit communityClean, wholesome storiesIntriguing mysteries that give you hours of reading pleasureWith warmth, humor, and a menu full of intrigue, Blackberry Valley Mysteries are the perfect way to let go of the stress and worries of the day and curl up in your favorite chair for hours of page-turning delight.
Hannah Prentiss is touched by the belated birthday luncheon her friends throw in her honor, complete with thoughtful and charming gifts! When Hannah opens an unlabeled box, she questions who it’s from—especially when she finds a beautifully crafted creamer inside, eliciting a shocked reaction from her friend, police department receptionist Vanessa Lodge.
Vanessa explains that the creamer is a piece from a unique set of pottery dishes that her grandmother made by hand—and that it is also one of two pieces that went missing decades ago. Who could have anonymously gifted the creamer to Hannah? And what happened to the matching sugar bowl? Hannah is determined to find the answers for Vanessa’s sake as well as her own. But as long-held secrets begin to reveal themselves, she wonders if some stories are best left in the past.
Welcome to the Hot Spot…where the food is fresh and the mysteries are delicious!
After years away, Hannah Prentiss finally returns home to the charming village of Blackberry Valley. She transforms a former firehouse into the Hot Spot―a warm and welcoming place for townsfolk and travelers alike to enjoy meals made with fresh ingredients from local Kentucky farms. But running a new restaurant, reconnecting with loved ones, and forging new friendships around every corner aren’t the only things Hannah is doing these days. When mysteries start cropping up, she finds that solving them is just as satisfying as fulfilling her culinary dreams!
What you’ll love about Blackberry Valley The cozy charm and heartfelt connections of small-town lifeFaithful characters and the warmth of a close-knit communityClean, wholesome storiesIntriguing mysteries that give you hours of reading pleasureWith warmth, humor, and a menu full of intrigue, Blackberry Valley Mysteries are the perfect way to let go of the stress and worries of the day and curl up in your favorite chair for hours of page-turning delight.
278 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 30, 2025
18 people are currently reading
34 people want to read
About the author
Laura Bradford
58 books887 followersAka Elizabeth Lynn Casey.
While spending a rainy afternoon at a friend's house nearly forty years ago, Laura Bradford fell in love with writing over a stack of blank paper, a box of crayons, and a freshly sharpened number two pencil.
Those early attempts at the craft had her writing and illustrating stories for young children. Wise beyond her years, Laura saved her first writing attempt in a hand decorated shoe box (complete with sparkly stickers) and moved on to her next idea. Her second book—O’Casey’s Wish—was so utterly brilliant, she sent it off to a well-known New York publishing house at the tender age of ten, confident she was on the verge of becoming the next Don Freeman (Corduroy) or Shel Silverstein (Giving Tree).
Months later, she received her first form letter rejection.
While she wasn’t of the mindset to save that first crushing blow for posterity, Laura did save the original copy of this particular literary masterpiece in the event the letter was a mistake.
Desperate to prove her flexibility as a writer, Laura soon found herself dabbling in jokes (for her Girl Scout troop’s newsletter), stories of angst (a somewhat autobiographical look at her teenage years), movie reviews (for the Xavier University Newswire), and countless news and feature articles (for newspapers in CT, SC, TN, and MO).
It wasn’t until Laura was home raising children of her own though, that she was finally able to dust off that rainy day dream and bring it back to its original form—writing fiction. Today, she is a bestselling mystery author with Berkley Prime Crime (Penguin Publishing), and an award winning romance author with Harlequin American. She lives in New York with her family.
Oh, and if you meet Laura at a book event in the future, ask her about O’Casey’s Wish. It tends to travel with her everywhere she goes.
While spending a rainy afternoon at a friend's house nearly forty years ago, Laura Bradford fell in love with writing over a stack of blank paper, a box of crayons, and a freshly sharpened number two pencil.
Those early attempts at the craft had her writing and illustrating stories for young children. Wise beyond her years, Laura saved her first writing attempt in a hand decorated shoe box (complete with sparkly stickers) and moved on to her next idea. Her second book—O’Casey’s Wish—was so utterly brilliant, she sent it off to a well-known New York publishing house at the tender age of ten, confident she was on the verge of becoming the next Don Freeman (Corduroy) or Shel Silverstein (Giving Tree).
Months later, she received her first form letter rejection.
While she wasn’t of the mindset to save that first crushing blow for posterity, Laura did save the original copy of this particular literary masterpiece in the event the letter was a mistake.
Desperate to prove her flexibility as a writer, Laura soon found herself dabbling in jokes (for her Girl Scout troop’s newsletter), stories of angst (a somewhat autobiographical look at her teenage years), movie reviews (for the Xavier University Newswire), and countless news and feature articles (for newspapers in CT, SC, TN, and MO).
It wasn’t until Laura was home raising children of her own though, that she was finally able to dust off that rainy day dream and bring it back to its original form—writing fiction. Today, she is a bestselling mystery author with Berkley Prime Crime (Penguin Publishing), and an award winning romance author with Harlequin American. She lives in New York with her family.
Oh, and if you meet Laura at a book event in the future, ask her about O’Casey’s Wish. It tends to travel with her everywhere she goes.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
January 11, 2026
3.5 stars, personally ⭐️ Christian Fiction - Cozy Mystery
About this book:
“Hannah Prentiss is touched by the belated birthday luncheon her friends throw in her honor, complete with thoughtful and charming gifts! When Hannah opens an unlabeled box, she questions who it’s from—especially when she finds a beautifully crafted creamer inside, eliciting a shocked reaction from her friend, police department receptionist Vanessa Lodge.
Vanessa explains that the creamer is a piece from a unique set of pottery dishes that her grandmother made by hand—and that it is also one of two pieces that went missing decades ago. Who could have anonymously gifted the creamer to Hannah? And what happened to the matching sugar bowl? Hannah is determined to find the answers for Vanessa’s sake as well as her own. But as long-held secrets begin to reveal themselves, she wonders if some stories are best left in the past.”
Series: Book #8 in the “Mysteries of Blackberry Valley” series. Reviews of Book #1, Book #2, Book #3, Book #4, Book #5, Book #6, and Book #7!
Spiritual Content- Isaiah 64:8 at the beginning; A Scripture is quoted; A few talks about God; ‘H’s are capital when referring to God; Mentions of God & God-given gifts; Mentions of prayers, praying, & thanking God; Mentions of churches, church going, services, a pastor, youth group, & mission trip; Mentions of blessings & being blessed; A couple mentions of Bibles; A mention of a godsend; A mention of a church’s Christmas pageant; A mention of the religion section at a bookstore;
*Note: Hannah believes someone who has passed away was able to watch an event on earth just like she believes her late mother is watching her; Mentions of luck & being lucky; A mention of being psychic (teasing).
Negative Content- Minor cussing including: Some sarcasm & eye rolling; Hannah and her family comment on missing her mom (who passed away nine years prior); All about & many mentions of stolen/missing items; Mentions of deaths, grief, illnesses, & cancer (including Hannah and her family grieving for her mother who died from cancer); Mentions of fires & arson; Mentions of vandalism & arrests; Mentions of rumors & gossip; A few mentions of jealousy; A couple mentions of manure; A mention of the Revolutionary War;
*Note: Hannah faces a couple (mostly well-meaning) comments where the speaker implies that Hannah doesn’t have a direction in her life because she isn’t married or have children (these bother Hannah for a bit, but then she tells someone else that God made everyone different and she’s where she’s supposed to be right now); A quote from Jhumpa Lahiri; Mentions of fictional characters (Nancy Drew); Mentions of a car brand; A mention of a brand name (Uno card game).
Sexual Content- Three forehead kisses; Some touches, embraces, hand holding, nearness, & smelling (barely-above-not-detailed); Blushes; Mentions of boyfriends/girlfriends, dates, & dating; A couple mentions of crushes; A couple mentions of a man making “puppy-dog eyes” at his girlfriend; Very light love, falling in love, & the emotions;
*Note: *Spoiler, about a side character’s pregnancy* ; As a note for parents of younger readers possibly interested in this series, Hannah and Liam do spend some time alone together in her apartment (on the couch) and talk (nothing sexual happens besides her leaning against his arm and he kisses her forehead; They talk instead of watching a movie; Their ages are 36 and 38, respectively).
-Hannah Prentiss, age 36
P.O.V. of Hannah
278 pages
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Pre Teens- One Star
New Teens- Two Stars
Early High School Teens- Three Stars
Older High School Teens- Four Stars
My personal Rating- Four Stars
This was a fun mystery set in January to read in that month! I’ll admit I couldn’t keep track well of the different families mentioned, but I really enjoyed seeing more of the light romance between Hannah and Liam! They were adorable—I’m pretty sure I was smiling the whole time of their late night walk around the park. Overall a cute and chill story!
Link to review:
https://booksforchristiangirls.blogsp...
*BFCG may (Read the review to see) recommend this book by this author. It does not mean I recommend all the books by this author.
About this book:
“Hannah Prentiss is touched by the belated birthday luncheon her friends throw in her honor, complete with thoughtful and charming gifts! When Hannah opens an unlabeled box, she questions who it’s from—especially when she finds a beautifully crafted creamer inside, eliciting a shocked reaction from her friend, police department receptionist Vanessa Lodge.
Vanessa explains that the creamer is a piece from a unique set of pottery dishes that her grandmother made by hand—and that it is also one of two pieces that went missing decades ago. Who could have anonymously gifted the creamer to Hannah? And what happened to the matching sugar bowl? Hannah is determined to find the answers for Vanessa’s sake as well as her own. But as long-held secrets begin to reveal themselves, she wonders if some stories are best left in the past.”
Series: Book #8 in the “Mysteries of Blackberry Valley” series. Reviews of Book #1, Book #2, Book #3, Book #4, Book #5, Book #6, and Book #7!
Spiritual Content- Isaiah 64:8 at the beginning; A Scripture is quoted; A few talks about God; ‘H’s are capital when referring to God; Mentions of God & God-given gifts; Mentions of prayers, praying, & thanking God; Mentions of churches, church going, services, a pastor, youth group, & mission trip; Mentions of blessings & being blessed; A couple mentions of Bibles; A mention of a godsend; A mention of a church’s Christmas pageant; A mention of the religion section at a bookstore;
*Note: Hannah believes someone who has passed away was able to watch an event on earth just like she believes her late mother is watching her; Mentions of luck & being lucky; A mention of being psychic (teasing).
Negative Content- Minor cussing including: Some sarcasm & eye rolling; Hannah and her family comment on missing her mom (who passed away nine years prior); All about & many mentions of stolen/missing items; Mentions of deaths, grief, illnesses, & cancer (including Hannah and her family grieving for her mother who died from cancer); Mentions of fires & arson; Mentions of vandalism & arrests; Mentions of rumors & gossip; A few mentions of jealousy; A couple mentions of manure; A mention of the Revolutionary War;
*Note: Hannah faces a couple (mostly well-meaning) comments where the speaker implies that Hannah doesn’t have a direction in her life because she isn’t married or have children (these bother Hannah for a bit, but then she tells someone else that God made everyone different and she’s where she’s supposed to be right now); A quote from Jhumpa Lahiri; Mentions of fictional characters (Nancy Drew); Mentions of a car brand; A mention of a brand name (Uno card game).
Sexual Content- Three forehead kisses; Some touches, embraces, hand holding, nearness, & smelling (barely-above-not-detailed); Blushes; Mentions of boyfriends/girlfriends, dates, & dating; A couple mentions of crushes; A couple mentions of a man making “puppy-dog eyes” at his girlfriend; Very light love, falling in love, & the emotions;
*Note: *Spoiler, about a side character’s pregnancy* ; As a note for parents of younger readers possibly interested in this series, Hannah and Liam do spend some time alone together in her apartment (on the couch) and talk (nothing sexual happens besides her leaning against his arm and he kisses her forehead; They talk instead of watching a movie; Their ages are 36 and 38, respectively).
-Hannah Prentiss, age 36
P.O.V. of Hannah
278 pages
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Pre Teens- One Star
New Teens- Two Stars
Early High School Teens- Three Stars
Older High School Teens- Four Stars
My personal Rating- Four Stars
This was a fun mystery set in January to read in that month! I’ll admit I couldn’t keep track well of the different families mentioned, but I really enjoyed seeing more of the light romance between Hannah and Liam! They were adorable—I’m pretty sure I was smiling the whole time of their late night walk around the park. Overall a cute and chill story!
Link to review:
https://booksforchristiangirls.blogsp...
*BFCG may (Read the review to see) recommend this book by this author. It does not mean I recommend all the books by this author.
December 26, 2025
It was definitely nice to go back to Blackberry Valley and visit with Hannah and all her friends and family. This is a nice Christian based series written by different authors, I enjoy that we get interesting mysteries, often with a thought-provoking message, without a murder. This story begins with Hannah being treated to a surprise birthday party as part of her church groups monthly luncheon being held at her restaurant the Hot Spot. Hannah is thrilled to enjoy the company and fellowship of her friends and is surprised by their thoughtful gifts. As the party is winding down, she is handed a wrapped package with her name on it that was left outside the restaurant's door. Inside is a beautiful hand thrown pottery creamer. One of Hannah's friends, Vanessa, gasps in shock at the gift, as the creamer was part of a large set her grandmother had made for her mother 40 years ago, a set that had had the creamer and sugar bowl disappear mysteriously. Can Hannah figure out who gifted her the creamer? Can she find out why it was gifted to her? Can she recover the sugar bowl as well to return to Vanessa's grandmother? How did these pieces disappear in the first place? You will enjoy the trip with Hannah, friends, and townspeople as they try to find answers to this very old mystery. #SmokeandMirrors #ABlackberryValleyMystery #LauraBradford #bookreview #bookideas #retiredreader
November 3, 2025
I enjoyed this latest book in the Mysteries of Blackberry Valley very much! If you can read them in order, do so, since there are a number of relationships that keep developing throughout the whole series. The main mystery was handled well. There was another "mystery" that I figured out very early on :-) I look forward to the next book!
January 3, 2026
3.5 stars. This was a fun mystery, and the progression of the relationship between the heroine and her beau was very nice. The inner monologue was a little sappy, but the small town vibe was still sweet.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews