Review: Heartstrings and Hijinks (A Hattie and Moose Cozy Mystery #6) by Greta Sinclair

Heartstrings and Hijinks

A Hattie and Moose Cozy Mystery #6

by Greta Sinclair

Published: February 3, 2026

Genre: Cozy Mystery, Cozy Animal Mystery

Blurb:

Greta Sinclair is a multiple Amazon bestselling cozy mystery author and 2025 Global Book Awards Silver Medal winner for A Very Sticky Murder.

Valentine’s Day at The Grand Music Hall should be all about music, romance, and adorable pets—but chaos strikes center stage.

Hattie Leiper is ready to dazzle with her three talented companions: grumpy Chow Chow Moose, feisty Yorkie Mini Pearl, and suave British Shorthair Cecil. Together with her best friend Gracie and Detective Bo Becket keeping quietly monitoring the action, Hattie is set to compete in the first-ever Valentine “Heartstrings Showdown,” where celebrities and their pets perform in perfect harmony.

But the glittering glamour turns to panic when Sir Bentley of Belcourt, a prize-winning Schnauzer, vanishes—along with a rare pink diamond on his collar. With the venue locked down by a security malfunction, Hattie must follow pawprints, unravel backstage intrigues, and expose a cunning thief before Bentley—or the jewel—is lost for good.

Warm, witty, and full of charm, this cozy caper proves you don’t need a murder to create suspense—and that love, loyalty, and teamwork can save the day.

Bonus Recipes Included!

See what readers are saying about Greta Sinclair:

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ “No Murder, All Mayhem—and I Loved Every Page!”

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ “A Valentine’s Cozy That Sparkles with Heart, Humor, and Paws!”

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ “Locked Down at The Grand Music Hall with Three Unforgettable Animal Stars!”

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ “Charming, Clever, and Cozy—This Showdown Stole My Heart”

Goodreads ~ Amazon 

My Review:

It's Valentine’s Day at The Grand Music Hall, and Hattie is entering her three delightful fur companions: the grumpy Chow Chow named Moose, the spirited Yorkie Mini Pearl, and the charming British Shorthair Cecil, in the inaugural Valentine's “Heartstrings Showdown,” where stars and their pets perform in perfect unison.

Everything seems to be going well until Sir Bentley of Belcourt, a distinguished Schnauzer, mysteriously disappears—along with a rare pink diamond attached to his collar. Tonya, Sir Bentley’s owner, is more distressed about her beloved pet being missing than the loss of the diamond.

Hattie, along with her three lovable fur companions, her closest friend Gracie, and the dashing Detective Bo Becket, embarks on a quest to find the missing Sir Bentley of Belcourt.

Who could have taken Sir Bentley? Was it someone hoping to clinch the competition? Or perhaps they were after the diamond? I truly hope that poor Sir Bentley is safe with his captors.

Hattie, Moose, Mini Pearl, Cecil, Gracie, and Detective Bo Becket kept me in suspense as I eagerly awaited whether they would locate Sir Bentley before it was too late. The tension had me hanging on every line as I rushed toward the conclusion, hoping they would rescue Sir Bentley before time slipped away.

Heartstrings and Hijinks is another delightful addition to the Hattie and Moose Cozy Mystery series. I am eagerly looking forward to the next chapter in the series to discover what adventures lie ahead for our beloved trio and their owner, Hattie.

Be sure to grab a copy of this enchanting tale, Heartstrings and Hijinks, today!

Check out all the books in the Hattie and Moose Cozy Mystery Series I’ve read.

Murder, Music & Mischief #1

Goodreads

Amazon

Fiddling with Murder #2

Goodreads

Amazon

BookBub

Dancing with Murder #3

Goodreads

Amazon

Murder, Relics & Rivalries #4

Goodreads

Amazon

Murder, Mistletoe & Spirits #5

Goodreads

Amazon

BookBub

Heartstrings and Hijinks #6

Goodreads

Amazon

Connect with Greta Sinclair

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Book Tour + #Giveaway: Ceremony of Innocence by Stephen Asher @RABTBookTours

Literary / Historical Fiction

Date Published: 12-02-2025

Publisher: Scrivener Quill

It is June 1924 when an inquisitive but skeptical Gemma Danforth graduates from Wellesley College. Despite a loving family, an idyllic New England girlhood, and family summers in the Hamptons, little had assuaged her doubts Now, with college behind them, she and two classmates leave America bound for post war France where they will be immersed in the pulsating culture of European modernism. While in France, she reunites with her Paris based parents, and, in Nice, amidst its creative ferment, she falls in love with Rhys, a British aristocrat and ex-pat journalist. During this year spent along the Cote d’Azur, encounters with Sara and Gerald Murphy, Somerset Maugham, Zelda, Isadora Duncan and others, adds a depth and richness to the ambience of le midi. And so begins the process of displacing her doubts.

She and Rhys return to American where their values collide with antithetical and alien attitudes. It is these experiences that come to challenge long-held beliefs and provide a vivid counterpoint to their recent immersion in the Modernist aesthetic and world view.

Resolved to return to France, Gemma shares a final day in America with Gerald Murphy at his ocean front Hampton estate. As this unhurried afternoon unfolds, it becomes clear that Gemma’s skepticism and doubtfulness have been replaced with a clear-sighted maturity and hardened resolve. The next morning, aboard the Ile de France, Gemma and Rhys sail for France. 

 

Interview with Stephen Asher

Could you tell us about any research trips you took for this story? Which places did you visit, and what made them essential to your writing?

Ceremony of Innocence is, in a sense, peripatetic. Gemma Danforth’s years, from girlhood to maturity, began in Boston/New England/Hamptons, followed by a year in Provence, then Scotland, Tennessee/Mississippi, and New York and finally Paris. These are regions where I have spent time over many decades and where I collected mental images and experiences from which are drawn the places and events that shape the story. The concept of place is one of the structural elements of the story.

What's the strangest thing you've ever had to research online for your book?

The book is literary/historic fiction and, thus, attempts to dodge “strangeness,” a word that I feel refers to genres such as gothic etc. However, a facet of the story that is fascinating to the point of being quite unimaginable is how, at a glamorous dinner party on the Cote d’Azur, the host, who suffered from a severe stammer, gradually shed his speech impediment as he became engrossed in conversation with Gemma. This phenomenon is factual and, in a career that centered on disorders of movement, one that I encountered not infrequently.

What research (history, mythology, science) goes into your world-building?

In terms of research, I have been a lifelong reader and, probably in tandem with the growth of my own values, I became swept up in the rapid emergence of new ideas and ways of artistic expression that flowered in the years between the end of the Belle Epoque until the onset of the Great Depression. This led to reading the works of many of the European Modernists and some early 20th century American writers. Also, and as you may be aware, I was a neurologist, a branch of medicine that occupies the liminal space between the brain and the mind and thus became privy to some of the deepest, life-changing and even tragic chapters in many lives.

Have any of the people you've known, past or present, left a lasting impression on your writing journey? If so, we'd love to hear about a memorable experience that stands out to you.

In terms of exposure to other lives that have left a lasting impact on my writing life, I read a biography of Tommy Hitchcock, whom F.S. Fitzgerald used as a model for Tom Buchanan in Gatsby. Although each of their personas differed in important ways, both came to reflect the good, bad and carelessness of the ultra-rich.

Do you write in the same genre all the time?

My choices of genres have varied but, by whatever route, I seem to find my way into the inner life of my characters. So, whether a story is set amidst contemporary sporting life, or in the early-mid 20th century, all find their way to values, choices and beliefs.

If so, have you ever consider writing in another one?

Yes, I am in the midst of a set of reminiscences regarding a famous animal. Some of the book’s elements are impressionistic while others are historic.

Which character, supernatural or human, do you enjoy writing the most and why?

I am drawn towards a central character, in young to mid-life, who is intelligent, non-dogmatic, questioning, and mildly unsettled.

About the Author

Stephen Asher is a graduate of UCLA and was subsequently educated at the University of Rochester School of Medicine, University of California San Francisco, and St. Catherine’s College Oxford. His professional life was spent as a neurologist, often walking the fine line separating the mind from the brain, a vantage point which encouraged a perspective molded not only by the scientific and the rational but also shaped by the aesthetics of the senses. It is this unity of world view that fashions one of the novel’s central themes.

Asher and his wife were drawn to Idaho’s arid vistas, glistening rivers, and rugged skylines. As a travelling angler, he has pursued Atlantic salmon throughout their natural range, has sought sea run brown trout in Patagonia, and steelhead in his home waters in the Pacific Northwest. He and his wife have cycled much of France, and, during quiet times at home, he enjoys music and plays cello.

Previously, he has published essays, and short pieces in the British sporting literature. He is a member of the F. Scott Fitzgerald Society, the Barbara Pym Society, and is a proud supporter of PEN America. He lives in Idaho with his wife, adult children, and his bird dogs.

 

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Book Blitz + #Giveaway: When Time Flies by Jennifer Moreno @XpressoTours

When Time Flies
Jennifer Moreno
Publication date: February 3rd 2026
Genres: Adult, Comedy, Romance, Time-Travel

She was just a flight attendant…until she landed in her past.

Indy Kash is a corporate flight attendant, jet-setting with the rich and famous in a world most only glimpse through glossy magazine covers. But beneath the polished service and designer luggage lies a past she’s spent years trying to forget. When a mysterious time-slip yanks her mid- flight into the trauma that derailed her life thirteen years ago, Indy is forced to face the crime that destroyed her future—and the man who made sure she took the fall.

Back in the present, he’s suddenly on board her jet, and Indy’s thrown into a battle across time to stop him from destroying the world. With a reluctant spirit guide, a crash course in time travel, and a love she never saw coming, Indy must untangle the past to rewrite her future.

Can she finally clear her name, save the world, and discover if time really does heal all wounds?

Goodreads / Amazon

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EXCERPT:

The old rage from my liver rose, and my intestines churned like an electric whisk on the lowest speed. I was a cliché of both Chinese medicine and Ayurveda. The fact that my shame, anger, and fear culminated into Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) really made me textbook. As the spiritual experts would say: You keep holding onto old crap.

I’d tried everything to let go of the past. I talked about my feelings to numerous therapists—some good, some not. I even attempted the “woo-woo” including:

Inner child work.

A soul retrieval from a Native American shaman (Apparently my soul couldn’t be retrieved).

Good ole fashioned journaling.

Cry therapy.

Ayahuasca in the Amazon jungle (The result? Shitting and vomiting at the same time).

Exploring my “shadow side.”

Breath work while a didgeridoo played in the background (One word: painful).

Shrooms.

Trauma workshops.

Belief coding.

Vision boarding (I was desperate).

Transcendental Meditation.

Ketamine.

Visits to psychics, mediums, astrologers, and tarot readers, who all agreed…

I was pretty fucked.

Then I returned to the Western approach and did a one-week stint each with Lexapro and Zoloft, which only gave me migraines. I freakin’ loved the I-can’t-even-get-anxious-if-I-wanted-to feeling of Xanax…but alas, it wasn’t enough.

Nothing worked.

I let out a sigh from my belly, as a multitude of yoga teachers had taught me. As I expelled the air, I felt strange…odd…not dizzy, not nauseous, but weird. I checked the monitor that displayed the airshow. Time To Destination, or TTD, was three hours to go until we landed in Teterboro, New Jersey.

The words and numbers on the monitor blurred into an astigmatism.

I rounded the corner into the crew rest and then plopped onto the club seat. Exhaustion crawled through my veins like slow lightning. My vision pulsed. The feeling was jetlag times infinity. I tried to stay centered and think through what was happening. I had been flying, almost nonstop to save money to buy a house. Crossing all those time zones and the constant fatigue combined with the IBD did not make for a healthy lifestyle.

I’d let myself get that run down. Damn.

My body felt weightless. It was like the moment before a fall, that breathless pause—only it never ended. A newfound hum in my ears grew until it swallowed my every thought. My eyes darted over my lap to the khaki fabric wall and finally to the window. The sky brightened to an angelic white, nearly blinding me. I wasn’t dizzy. I had the urge to stare straight ahead, yet I could not focus.

Am I vaporizing?

I stretched out my fingers. They were disappearing! I felt so airy, as if I could levitate off the seat. I grasped the armrests until…

I couldn’t grasp them anymore.

The outline of my body began to blur. I lost the solidity of flesh. Tiny sparks of light flickered along my arms, breaking apart into floating specks, like dust in the sun. These particles—that were once me—scattered outward. Where I had sat, I was now only a swirl of luminous dust, leaving me somewhere between confused and terrified.

The world spun ahead of me, leaving no room for panic, no room to understand. In an instant, purple lightning hummed and sounded like the constant static of a bug zapper. The spinning intensified, yet I wasn’t queasy.

What the fuck is going on?

I realized I was spinning through blackness, as if I was on an otherworldly plane. Then the particles of my body snapped back together and returned it to its human shape. I kept rotating and twirling until, out of nowhere, I smelled old wood and cleaning solution. And then…

There I was, sitting on a chair in a—was it a courtroom?

My mouth was so dry it felt like sand had settled on my tongue. A dull ache pulsed behind my temples, the kind that usually came from waking too early and too thirsty. My eyes darted across the courtroom, desperate to anchor on something steady, but every face seemed sharpened against me, a blur of judgement I couldn’t decipher. My chest tightened, heavy as stone, and though I begged my body to move, shift, or raise even a finger, nothing obeyed. It was as if my body had betrayed me; every molecule refused to budge. Before I could get one thought together, I heard:

“Indy, doodoo, what’s wrong?”

Mom.

Where am I?

Author Bio:

Jennifer Moreno has a master’s degree in creative writing from New York University. She was a corporate flight attendant for six years and is the host of the Corporate Flight Attendant podcast.

She is deeply involved in metaphysical practices, including obtaining certificates in trance and advanced mediumship; medical intuition; and psychic detection. She is also a reiki master and hosted a metaphysical podcast called Two Inches Off the Ground.

In her personal life, Jennifer is a proud Colombian adoptee. As a Colombian American, she enjoys improving her Spanish and exploring her roots in her native Colombia. “Jennifer” is her adopted American name, and “Moreno” is her original Colombian surname, thus combining these different…yet magical cultures.

GIVEAWAY!

When Time Flies Blitz

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Release Blitz + #Giveaway: Women Therapists on Healing by Susan Pease Banitt, LCSW and Larissa Miranda @SuePeaseBanitt @RABTBookTours

11 Personal Essays about Overcoming Trauma

Psychology Nonfiction

Date Published: February 3rd, 2026

Publisher: Acorn Publishing

Women Therapists on Healing is a powerful anthology of personal essays from women therapists who know trauma from the inside out. This three-part collection braids lived experience with clinical wisdom, offering a compassionate lens on healing that crosses cultural, generational, and systemic boundaries.

Far beyond a typical guide to PTSD, this book challenges outdated narratives and sheds light on the effects of marginalized topics, such as chronic invisible illness, intergenerational trauma, racism, ritual abuse, and human trafficking.

This book will especially resonate with

●    women recovering from trauma

●    healers and advocates seeking growth and guidance

●    health professionals committed to trauma-informed and anti-racist practices

●    friends and family who love and support survivors

The diverse voices in these essays honor the arduous path of healing as a reckoning, a reclamation, and a sacred reminder that we do not walk alone.

About the Author

Award-winning author Susan Pease Banitt is a Harvard-trained psychotherapist and licensed clinical social worker with over thirty years of experience in the field. In her work, she integrates western therapy with holistic practices like yoga, Reiki, and Celtic shamanism.

Her acclaimed books, The Trauma Tool Kit and Wisdom, Attachment, and Love in Trauma Therapy, are essential reading for anyone seeking a compassionate path to healing complex trauma.

Based in Portland, Oregon, she continues her coaching and consulting work through Lotus Heart Counseling, and she shares bite-size wisdom on TikTok as “The Lightworker Whisperer.” In her downtime, she enjoys RVing, gardening, performing improvisational comedy, and spending time with family and friends.

 

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Virtual Book Tour + #Giveaway: Forever Kind of Love by Susan Bagby @Sbagbyauthor @GoddessFish

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Susan Bagby will be awarding a $20 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

 Blurb:

Willow Barton’s life crumbles at her husband’s arrest for fraud, forcing her to return to her Ohio hometown to rebuild. Running a small bookstore and helping her best friend care for her ailing father offers solace—until Zachary Hayes, her best friend’s brother and a charming country music star, shows up. Struggling to revive his career and reconnect with his estranged father, Zach sparks an undeniable yet unwelcome chemistry with Willow. As her estranged husband seeks forgiveness, and Zach battles his own demons, Willow must confront her painful past and decide if she’s willing to risk her heart again. Caught between heartbreak and hope, can they overcome their fears and build a future together?

Purchase FOREVER KIND OF LOVE on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Bookshop.org, and Walmart

Read an Excerpt

He browsed the shelves, stopping in front of a framed photograph on the wall of a close-up picture of a couple, sitting in a park somewhere in New York City. The woman was laughing, and the man held her outstretched hand. “The carefree expressions on their faces strike me with a feeling of wistfulness. Not an easy emotion to capture in an image. Who did this?” Zach pointed to the picture.

“I did.” Willow felt warmth spreading across her cheeks. Oh, God. I’m blushing.

“You’ve got talent—another surprising quality you possess. And this one?” He indicated another photo on the opposite wall.

“Yes.” She chewed on the end of her pen, watching him.

“Why aren’t you pursuing this as a career?”

She lowered her pen. “I’ve always wanted to, but life got in the way.” She was determined to stay tight-lipped about her endeavors in New York and failed career as a fine arts photographer.

“Don’t let adverse circumstances prevent you from following your dreams, Willow. No matter what happens externally, don’t lose touch with your inner calling.” He lifted the photo and placed it by the cash register. “I want to buy this, please.”

Willow observed his facial expression, which bordered on flirtatious. “You don’t have to. Please don’t feel you need to buy one because we know each other. I won’t be offended.”

“You see, your problem is you don’t believe in yourself. I want this because the photo is an exquisite piece of art. I have a perfect place for it in my house. Don’t argue.” He grinned and eyed her with both hands on his hips, then slapped his credit card onto the counter.

Interview with Susan Bagby

Could you tell us about any research trips you took for this story? Which places did you visit, and what made them essential to your writing?

I recently moved back to my hometown in Ohio after living 30 years in LA. I ventured to a nearby town that was situated on a river and had the cutest boutique shops along Main Street. I felt like it was the perfect little Hallmark town and visualized it as I wrote this new Cedar Hills series. I often drove through it when I was writing.

What's the strangest thing you've ever had to research online for your book?

One book I’m working on required me to research archaeological artifacts of Mexico and inspect the layout of Oxford University in England. It wasn’t strange, but very interesting. I was lucky enough to travel to England last year to see Oxford in person and visit a Mayan exhibit in the Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archaeology in Oxford.

What research (history, mythology, science) goes into your world-building?

Since I usually write small town contemporary romance, most of my world building comes from my own experience. Although I do have to do research into backgrounds or occupations for my characters. I got the idea for Forever Kind of Love from a local newspaper article about a man who was arrested for fraud and had duped everyone. Thus, I created a similar story for Willow, although she lived in a big city and had to return to her hometown to rebuild her life.

Have any of the people you've known, past or present, left a lasting impression on your writing journey? If so, we'd love to hear about a memorable experience that stands out to you.

I’d have to say, that would be my first publisher at a small independent press in Canada, who gave me my first chance to publish a book. All through the process, he was extremely supportive, inspired me to write a second book, and was patient with sales. He gave me the confidence to keep going, improve my craft and follow my dreams.

Do you write in the same genre all the time?

Yes, so far. Forever Kind of Love is my fourth contemporary small-town romance.

If so, have you ever consider writing in another one?

Yes. I have another manuscript that is spicier and has some mystery twists in it as well.

Which character, supernatural or human, do you enjoy writing the most and why?

I like writing about protagonists who are kind, have dreams, and must overcome fears to achieve their highest potential. I’ve had a couple veteran heroes which I really enjoy writing about. I like to honor our military in that way.

About the Author:

Susan is a retired speech and language pathologist and full-time writer of romance books. She has three novels published with independent presses and her newest release is slotted for February 2026 with The Wild Rose Press entitled, Forever Kind of Love. In addition to being a Maggie Award finalist, Sweet Ridge Hearts, her last book, was also a Literary Titan gold award winner. She lives in Ohio where she relishes the four seasons, (well, maybe not winter), and loves yoga, jazz, golf and walking anywhere outdoors. Susan belongs to the Great Lakes Fiction Writers organization and to Romance Writers of America (RWA). She loves seeing new characters come to life and is a firm believer that dreams do come true.

Connect with Susan Bagby

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Giveaway:

$20 Amazon/BN GC

Follow the tour and comment; the more you comment, the better your chances of winning.

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Cover Reveal: Ivy Leigh Ever After by Gael Lynch @gaellynch @RABTBookTours

Middle Grade Fiction

Date Published: Feb 24, 2026

Publisher: Small Circles Press

Ivy’s life is a swirl of turbulence and change. It’s been almost a year since her sweet momma has died. Bottled up feelings tear her apart inside. Grandma wants to take her little dog away. Her BFFs pressure her to change. The cutest boy in school has a crush on her.

“It’s the universe, Ivy Leigh, welcoming in a little change.” Mr. Winters, her neighbor, a wannabe cowboy, tells her one day. But change is so confusing. When a pair of bullies taunt her on the bus and tease her at school, Ivy makes a giant mistake.

With a mix of humor and poignant moments and a quirky cast of neighbors and friends, Ivy finds a way to understand herself and make up for that mistake she’s made. Best of all, Ivy remembers Momma: Feelings are like fireflies caught in a jar, Ivy Leigh. They belong in the open, where a warm breeze can carry them away!

About the Author

 

Gael Lynch is a writer and storyteller, a teacher whose love of kids and furry creatures has followed her throughout her life. She now lives in coastal Carolina, a place of sunny beaches and warm breezes with her husband Tom and her rambunctious golden retriever, Wrigley. However, Newtown, Connecticut, with its pastoral beauty and kind-hearted people will always be a place she calls home.

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