Moonshine & Murder

Moonshine Hollow #1

by Kathleen Brooks

Zoey Mathers had everything going for her until one night she lost her biggest client, her job, and her reputation. Leaving her life up to fate, Zoey closed her eyes and pointed. She would serve out her career exile in the small mountain town of Moonshine Hollow where moonshine flowed as freely as a mountain stream.

Giving up the law to become a baker in Moonshine Hollow turned out to be the best thing Zoey had ever done. She was happy and enjoying life in her new small town. But Zoey should have learned the first time . . . one night can change your whole life.

After unknowingly crashing a battle between witches, Zoey accidentally becomes a witch herself. That’s all before Zoey stumbles over a murder victim and the town’s sheriff becomes involved. Now she’s trying to find a murderer, stop two old witches from playing matchmaker, and learning she’s way more than a mere accidental witch.

And that’s all before fate turns up one more sexy hunk of a twist . . .

Genres: Mystery, Paranormal, Fantasy, Romance, Witches, Ebooks, Fiction

120 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 3, 2019

About the author

Kathleen Brooks is a New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling author. Kathleen's stories are romantic suspense featuring strong female heroines, humor, and happily-ever-afters. Her Bluegrass, Bluegrass Brothers®, Forever Bluegrass®, and Shadows Landing Series feature small-town charm with quirky characters while her Women of Power Series shows that behind every sexy billionaire is a man strong enough to love her! Then hang onto your seat for the wild and mysterious ride in the thrilling Web of Lies Series and a little magic in the Moonshine Hollow Series.

Kathleen is from Kentucky, where she graduated from Centre College and then later received her J.D. from the University of Kentucky College of Law. Kathleen still resides in Kentucky with her family and houseful of animals.


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Book Order:
(Bluegrass Series-complete series)
Bluegrass State of Mind
Risky Shot
Dead Heat

(Bluegrass Brothers Series®-complete series)
Bluegrass Undercover
Rising Storm
Secret Santa, A Bluegrass Series Novella
Acquiring Trouble
Relentless Pursuit
Secrets Collide
Final Vow
All Hung Up, Novella
Bluegrass Dawn, Novella
The Perfect Gift, Novella
The Keeneston Roses

(Forever Bluegrass Series®-complete series)
Forever Entangled
Forever Hidden
Forever Betrayed
Forever Driven
Forever Secret
Forever Surprised, Novella
Forever Concealed
Forever Devoted
Forever Hunted
Forever Guarded
Forever Notorious
Forever Ventured
Forever Freed
Forever Saved
Forever Bold
Forever Thrown
Forever Lies
Forever Protected
Forever Paired
Forever Connected
Forever Covert
Forever Burning
Forever Lasting
Forever Country
Forever Remembered

(Bluegrass Fire Series-ongoing)
Spark

(Shadows Landing-complete series)
Saving Shadows
Sunken Shadows
Lasting Shadows
Fierce Shadows
Broken Shadows
Framed Shadows
Endless Shadows
Fading Shadows
Damaged Shadows
Escaping Shadows

(Shadows Landing: The Townsends- ongoing series)
Face-Off
Targeted
Rescued
Heated
Escaped
Fractured
Claimed

(Paige Turner Bookworm Series- complete)
Adventures of a Bookworm
Misadventures of a Bookworm
The Adventurous Bookworm

(Moonshine Hollow- complete series)
Moonshine and Murder
Moonshine and Malice
Moonshine and Mayhem
Moonshine and Mischief
Moonshine and Menace
Moonshine and Masquarades

(Web of Lies- complete)
Whispered Lies
Rogue Lies
Shattered Lies

(Women of Powe-complete)
Chosen for Power
Built for Power
Fashioned for Power
Destined for Power

Reviews

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a 3.5 star read.

A wonderful palette cleanser with more than a few chuckles in it, it was perfectly light and easy to read while also leaving you intrigued by the bigger mystery.

[Derryn · Rating 2 out of 5]

A hot shot lawyer moves to small town usa 🇺🇸 and becomes a baker. Slips, trips and falls into witchy powers.


I’m so sad! I really wanted to love this 😫 my best mate Kelly recommended it to me ....... and she did me DIRTY!

😂 jk
so there was a lot I liked

The atmosphere reminded me of pushing daisies mixed with hart of dixie.

This book made me crave moonshine and some sweet treats.


The best friend Maribelle was pretty great (although we didn’t get enough of her.

the town and it’s wonderfully weird clubs.

Agnes and Vilma I WOULD DIE FOR THESE LADIES


What I didn’t love

Motherfucking love triangles ..... can’t these just die yet.

How bloody simple the murder mystery was I low key thought I was being trolled.


And it was waay too short.


I have hope for the next two.

Wish me luck 🤞🏻

[Mummy's Naughty Corner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well this was a little gem. I liked the humor and the story line. The characters were good and they all seem to fit well. It'll be interesting to see what Slade wants and with who. I feel the mystery could have been a bit longer as it seems they had a murder and they caught the murder from one little bit of information. They didn't do enough sleuthing for me to give it 5 stars.

[Franci · Rating 2 out of 5]

Cute witchy cozy mystery.

Love interest(s) unresolved, that irked me a little.

The part of her being a witch came quite suddenly and then it was all consuming, instead of focusing on the mystery.

Not bad, but won't continue with the series.

[Kelcy · Rating 4 out of 5]

cute!

[Heather · Rating 2 out of 5]

This had a nice premise, but didn't deliver. The writing was choppy - I kept feeling like Brooks was using shorthand for the plot rather than describing the action. The reader is told lots of things happen (like the heroine finding a best friend) without ever experiencing them. And the world-building/witch stuff was just odd.

[Up All Night Book Addict · Rating 3 out of 5]

I admit, I saw the title of this book and downloaded it thinking it was a mystery. It is a mystery but also a witchcraft book. I didn't bother with the blub, which I wish I had.

If you took out the witch part of this book, I probably would have enjoyed it a lot more. It was a cute, small town mystery with a love interest. These books are usually enjoyable. Good for a quick, non emotional read. I struggled through this one, even with as short as it is.

The characters were very cliche' for me. I am not sure what I expect from a book with witches in it, but I am sure these characters weren't what I had expected. There just isn't a lot of character development outside of their job titles and a few being witches. I can't say I was a fan.

The plot itself was a bit outside of the box. A little too far outside of the box for me. It honestly went beyond the suspension of disbelief. It just wasn't a book for me. I can see some enjoying it. I just couldn't get on board.

*Note for the author: This book could use a round of proofreading. There are many places where words are omitted. And other places where the wrong tense of words is used. For example, ending in -ing instead of -ed.

[Krystyna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Is he the enemy?

A good start to a new series, light and easy to read with a dash of humour and possibly romance. A very different way of finding out you are a witch. The characters although entertaining still need a bit more grounding to become really real.
When her client makes a frantic phone call to her and she tries to limit the damage she finds herself quickly turning from the blue eyed wonder lawyer to an unemployable one. Now out on bail she takes the advice of her rescuer and moves to a small town to open a bakery. Everything is going great until the food fight at the moonshine competition. Leaving it behind (and her blind date) she stumbles upon a fight of a different sort - a man and her favourite two seniors. Trying to stop the fight she is hit by a green light and passes out. Throw in new witch powers, a dead man (that she keeps accidentally zapping around town), training, hunters and her new BFF and her boyfriend being arrested for murder. Can she get the couple off and find the real killer? Are there more hunters coming and is she on the menu?

[Kathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Once I started to read this new book by Kathleen Brooks, I knew she had another winner on her hands. The first pages of this book had me LMAO and getting a little teary at the same time and I just could not put it down.
When entertainment lawyer Zoey gets a call from her top client late at night, she goes to the resuce, and in that one call her career goes down the drain. What is she to do next, through a dart at a map and when that dart lands on Moonshine TN, she drives accross country and does what she really always wanted to do, be a baker of delightful desserts.
What Zoey does not know is that this town will change her life in more ways than she can every have imagined.
I can't wait to see what is in store for Zoey and the magical powers that were bestowed upon her when she sees bright lights when she goes to resccue her to new friends.

[Courtney · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was kind of hoping for more in this book. I wanted a mystery, but I didn't really get that. Sure, there was some crime in it, but most of it was Zoey trying to learn how to use her new witch powers. That also made no sense to me. I have never heard of a person turning into a with by sucking up another Witch's power. I was able to figure out the murderer as soon as they said they would be the prom King and Queen, the new power couple.

[Kaitlin · Rating 3 out of 5]

The ending left me anxiously waiting for the next book. Kathleen is my favorite author. This book is much different from her others, introducing the magic aspect, but it still has plenty of her signature style:small towns, strong women, sexy men, mystery, intrigue, meddling old ladies, and lots of gossip. I can't wait for the next 2 novellas to be released!

[Tiszka · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy, nice read, a little bit of mystery, not to much romantic babbling, just right :)

It has a little dose of humor, a little of this mystery-ish atmosphere, but is mostly about witches and a woman who looks for something better in life (and finds it). Great if you want an easy read for the afternoon during heat.

[Nola Arganbright · Rating 5 out of 5]

The right recipe

I loved this book. It was a strong storyline and a well developed plot. The characters are so memorable and personable. Is it white magic vs black magic or strong family ties that save the day?

[Tracy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I absolutely adore the cover of this book. And it may have been 90% of the reason I chose to read it. I liked it but it was predictable and there were so many things going on in a short amount of pages. This was a cute, cozy mystery.

[Leslie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Uggg. Series!

Oh no! The end? I was just getting into the story… I hate cliffhanger series! Please please please don't let Slade be a bad guy !

[Celeste Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has a nice mix of mystery, moonshine, romance, magic and a dash of steamy alpha male. I look forward to reading the next book.

[Emma James · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is my first Kathleen Brooks story.
It is a short, cute read I picked up for free.
My stars are lower than normal because I thought for me personally, the mystery part was a little transparent. I love Slade's character and Vilma and Agnes are cuties.

[Meegy · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent short, cozy mystery. A big shot entertainment lawyer turned baker, turned accidental witch. Who doesn't love an accidental witch?

[Donna Watson]

Started out so cute then turned in a way I wasn’t expecting and not a big fan of. But I am curious what happens in book 2 and 3.

[Elaine C. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a good mystery and the paranormal is fun ... I'll continue with the series.

[GEOrocks · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute. Novella length. Up and coming lawyer tries to help an idiot client and in hours loses reputation and job. Moves to the middle of nowhere to be a baker. And does it well. Accidentally becomes a witch and needs to solve a murder. Just as things get going, the book ends.

[Cris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting

I really liked it, it was short but really concise and the story it’s really easy to follow. Can’t wait to read the next one!

[Sheila · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cliff hanger

I was really starting to get into the book, and it just ended. The story was good, but definitely could have been longer.

[Tony Parsons · Rating 5 out of 5]

LA, CA. Zoey Mathers (28, lawyer, JD) day was done at the entertainment firm.
Scott Westerfield (big Hollywood action hero) was her next client. $30 million would be quite a lucrative off to him, & to the firm she worked for.
Scott called Zoey from the Sparkling Tassel strip club.
Zoey had been told the cops were on their way to break up Scott’s little entourage.

Zoey was let loose from the police station in the morning.
When she got home there were 3 boxes & a note by her front door.
She would be looking for a new job.
Slade who had bailed her out tried to be sympathetic.
Moonshine Hollow (Appalachian Mountains), TN. Zoey was proud of her new bakery Zoey’s Sweet Treats.
The Moonshine Distillery (Stillhouse Lane) had been going since prohibition times.
Vilma (sister), & Agnes (sister) became her friends/regular customers.
Lodge of the Order of the Opossum. Zoey was delivering another set of sugar cookie’s decorated like an Opossum.
Bart (50+) asked for a password.
Billy Ray (65) gave Zoey the newest gossip.
The wives had their own group the Irises.
Maribelle (26, Zoey’s BFF, former Moonshine HS teacher), & her BF Dale belonged to the Mountaineers club.

Wayne fixed up Zoey with a blind date Sheriff Luke Tanner.
A food/drink fight had erupted between the Irises, & the Opossums as Tim Hildebrand (Moonshine Distillery recipes keeper, Tenebris hunter) gave the person’s name of this yr.’s flavor winner.
On her way home Zoey stopped to see what was going on at Vilma, & Agnes house.
The guy with the green light glow & burst into flames had disappeared.
Vilma (Claritase), & Agnes (Claritase) took Zoey to see Dr. Thurman (90). They claim she hit her head when she fell.

Maribelle, & Dale were arrested & had to pay $200,000 bail.
The judge was holding a preliminary hearing next week.

I did not receive any type of compensation for reading & reviewing this book. While I receive free books from publishers & authors, I am under no obligation to write a positive review. Only an honest one.

A very awesome book cover, excellent & proper great font & writing style. A very well written cozy paranormal murder mystery book. It was very easy for me to read/follow from start/finish & never a dull moment. There were no grammar/typo errors, nor any repetitive or out of line sequence sentences. Lots of exciting scenarios, with several twists/turns & a great set of unique characters to keep track of. This could also make another great paranormal murder mystery movie, or better yet a mini TV series. There is no doubt in my mind this is a very easy rating of 5 stars.

Thank you for the free author; BookFunnel; Amazon Digital Services LLC.; book
Tony Parsons MSW (Washburn)

[A.M. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fate, in the form of a knife blade stuck in a map, chose Moonshine Hollow as the place for Zoey to start over. She’s just been sacked from her law firm and starting a bakery in the small town is a major life pivot but she’s got the funds and the recipes.
She settles in well to small town life, but is accidentally witchified when she steps into her neighbours Agnes and Vilma’s yard unexpectedly.

“… Therefore, the man’s powers went to the nearest open object—your open, screaming mouth,” Vilma said not too pleased.

Oopsies.
Then her life is complicated by: the appearance and subsequent disappearance of a body; the judge for the local moonshine competition; a date with local policeman Luke, and the reappearance of Slade, the black clad bouncer who lent her the knife.
***
I’ve read a few awful cosy mysteries but this one kind of works.
It’s very short; a teaser for more in the series but it’s all here: quirky neighbours, small town community fights, bakery (why is it always bakeries or cake shops?) and murder.
There aren’t many rules to the magic; it’s not wicca. The evil dudes are Tenebris Hunters who try to track down and kill the Claritase witches and absorb their power. The witches don’t usually inhale the hunter powers, so Zoey has messed it up somehow.
Her new found witch skills get around all the time it takes to bake. [clever… I saw what you did there…]
As an ex-lawyer Zoey gets all the info from suspects who want her to give them advice. It’s even said that she isn’t admitted in this state and can’t represent them. [accuracy - look the bar is pretty damn low for cosies]
The love triangle is obviously going to continue; light versus dark, good vs evil etc.
But you know, I’m always gonna vote for the dark guy.
3 stars

[Dora · Rating 4 out of 5]

Moonshine and Murder

Zoey Mathers was well on her way to making partner in the law firm where she worked, when her celebrity client calls her in a panic. He has violated the moral clause of the million dollar movie contract that he had just signed. Zoey tries to get him extricated from the strip joint where he was swinging naked from the stripper pole and crying that someone was trying to kill him. Zoey ends up the worse for wear as the prostitutes who had accompanied the celebrity had torn out a piece of her hair, ripped her clothing and stolen one of her shoes. Slade, the tattooed, black pleather wearing, motor cycle riding bouncer for the club, is the only person who will post bond for Zoey. When they get back to her condo, her possessions from work are boxed and on her doorstep as well as a letter of termination.

She knows that her reputation is ruined and that she will have to move and start over somewhere else. Slide convinces her to blindly pick a place and do something that she enjoined in the past. She winds up moving to Moonshine, TN and starting a bakery.

On the night that the successful moonshine distillery is having a vote for the new flavor, the man who holds all the recipes is killed. Zoey also finds out that her two old lady friends are witches and due to mistimed magic, Zoey is a witch too. It is all a little much for her to handle and the her best friend and her boyfriend are arrested for the murder. Zoey vows to clear their names and with a little help from Slade who turns up just when needed, she does.

This book is first in a series. The plot is not plausible but then that was not why I read it. I read it for its entertainment value and it certainly has plenty of that. If you like cozy, romantic suspense, try this book.

[Aprilleigh · Rating 4 out of 5]

I expected to see Slade again, just not quite the way he showed up, despite the occasional hint in that direction. That was left unresolved at the end of this first book, but not as a cliffhanger. The specific mystery in this book was resolved.

Zoey is a fairly normal person, for an attorney who caters to celebrities, until a bad decision in an effort to protect her client and her own interests lands her in hot water. Enter Slide, but only briefly enough to get her out of the worst of it. He’s just too cool a character for us to never see again, so already I’m expecting him to show up later.

After losing her job, she moves to Moonshine Hollow and opens a bakery. Initially her plan was to lay low for a while and let her infamy subside before returning to the practice of law, but by the time we see her again she seems happy where she is. We never get to find out if her goals have changed because she accidentally interrupts a battle that changes her entire life. As if that wasn’t bad enough, she stumbles, literally, over a dead body the next morning.

With the help of a couple of matchmaking neighbors, her new best friend, and the sheriff’s deputy who just returned to Moonshine Hollow after getting tired of the city, Zoey needs to find out who killed the victim and get up to speed with her new circumstances before she becomes the next victim.

That’s a lot going on in a relatively short book, but the two main plot lines were nicely integrated, leaving you wondering for a while if they’re related or just accidental timing.

[Lisa Baker-Elliott · Rating 3 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2 stars

I read the Bluegrass Series by Kathleen Brooks, and I enjoyed it. When this moonshine series became available for free on Kindle- I grabbed it!

I didn’t read the description, I just dug right in. It’s three novellas, and I wanted a short read or two before jumping in to my next book club read.

Zoey is a BIG city lawyer who goes through some career crumbling “stuff”. She ends up in a super small woodsy town on Tennessee by chance- where she opens a bakery. It doesn’t take her long to befriend two “little old ladies” & even make a best friend. (This is all as sweet as it sounds…. 💝)

In walks a new deputy—- you know the type- tall, hunky, handsome….. and in my mind I think- boom chicka wow wow…. BUT….. that’s about when the 💩 hits the fan!

Magic, witches, shape shifters, hot guy on motorcycle with neck tattoo… murder in a small town! 😳

Had I read the description before I started this Novella, I would have known about some of this, but I was shocked! Maybe pleasantly surprised is a better way to describe it. This book ends with solving the murder….. but there’s underlying tension & a battle brewing between good & evil.

I laughed several times while reading this novella. There’s sun or built in to several situations. If you’re from a super small southern town, there’s so much truth in the interactions between the characters.

I’m looking forward to Book 2, but book 1 was satisfying in a way that if I choose to wait a bit to read book 2, I’ll be ok.

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good read that is poorly edited

The book is humorous and fun, has a great plot, and a good storyline. I enjoyed reading it except for the poor editing. Editing involves more then just pressing spell check. There is a difference between the words shuttered and shuddered- even if it's spelled correctly if it's not the right word it isn't grammatically correct. There's also a difference between wearily and warily. Is lots of small words like an and I and some three letters words it's there's one time where "the" is used when it should have been " it's". That makes for very confusing reading and interrupts the flow at the story. My suggestion is that purchasing a good grammar as well as spelling program for your computer or either you or your editor or both should be considered. Otherwise again I will say that I did enjoy the book. I was able to read past the problem areas and complete the reading. And no I'm not saying that my grammar is perfect, because it isn't. My own grammar in high school was so poor that I almost flunked English. I'm hoping you consider this as constructed and not just as something nasty that somebody wants to say. It's just that it's very irritating when you have to go over a sentence a couple of times to get what the author is trying to say. I have improved over the years because of my use of a grammar program. But I'm not an author and I don't want to be an author I prefer reading but other people write

[S · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wanted so badly to give this book a five star rating but just a few things held me back.
Firstly I would have loved there to have been more content- I wish it had been longer and although I love quick reads that I can fly through, I felt like this may have been a little too quick.
Secondly, following the same notion as the first, I would have loved a more in-depth explanation and more insight into the Claritase and their history. It’s touched on nicely in the book, yes, but I feel it’s such an intrinsic part to the storyline that more information would have been amazing.
Finally, the obvious love triangle could have been pushed a little more. There were a few cute scenes but I would have liked some more intense moments ;) though a slow climb does always leave you wanting more which is probably why I’m hanging out for Moonshine and Malice.
The small town charm had me swooning and wishing I lived in the country and don’t even get me started on Vilma and Agnes! Two of the most loveable old ladies I’ve ever read about haha!
Zoey was a wonderful main character and I loved watching her grow and develop as the story progressed- she’s strong and intelligent and resilient, making her someone you really root for.
If you enjoy quick, light reads with a bit of mystery, paranormal and romance thrown in then this is the book for you! :)