Paws For Concern by Amy Hueston is a delightful cozy mystery that revolves around a treat shop for dogs. The idea of a shop that catered to dogs fascinated me.
But first the photo. This was taken on Day 5 of Uri (that’s the name the Weather Station gave the snowstorm that hit the South) That sunrise was so beautiful. I was never so glad to see the sun. lol. It took another two days for the snow and ice to melt. And I thought Psalm 46:10 was a perfect scripture because everyone around here was forced to be still! And to acknowledge God’s power.
Now for Paws For Concern by Amy Hueston.
This was a great cozy mystery. And I love the cover. Here’s the back cover copy:
Life is good for Samantha Armstrong. She left her cheating boyfriend, settled into her cozy cottage on her Aunt Mary’s Palm Beach estate and is finally opening Canine Confections, her dream dog bakery on the ritzy Worth Avenue.
But Samantha’s happy new life goes doggone crazy when Palm Beach resident and pastry shop owner Whitney Goodwin is found dead on Canine Confections’ floor, whisking Samantha into the middle of a murder investigation. The only bright spot is that she finds herself adopting Whitney’s loveable dog Sweet Pea.
As the killer strikes again, it’s obvious that the shopkeepers on Worth Avenue are the target. Samantha’s impatience won’t let sleeping dogs lie. She takes it upon herself to move things along by padding around town with Sweet Pea and sniffing out clues to clear her name and Canine Confections’ reputation—before it is too late …
Includes a recipe from Chef Sarah Deters at the test kitchen of Three Dog Bakery, the original bakery for dogs!
My take:
I had never imagined that there were dog bakeries. I read about Samantha’s bakery in Paws for Concern with great interest, and discovered a new cozy mystery author! Amy Hueston, the author of Paws For Concern, grabbed my interest from the beginning and held it until the end.
I loved the idea of a doggy bakery, and then on opening day to have a body in the floor when Samantha arrived to open up–I really felt for her. There were plenty of characters to choose from as possible suspects, and I loved Samantha’s Aunt Mary and Detective Trimble–I see a future romance there…or a past romance. 🙂
Samantha was a strong character with great sleuthing abilities. And her dog, Sweet Pea was aptly named!
This is a book cozy mystery readers will love!
You can purchase Paws for Concern at Amazon for $2.99 or read for free on KU
Leave a comment and I’ll enter you in a February drawing for a book from my library!
This story is about a bakery for dogs. If you lived near such a bakery and had a perfectly well-mannered dog, would you take your pet for a treat?
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Comments 52
Maybe once. I’m too broke to go more often! But it sounds like it would be fun! Just watch out for over-fed dogs…!
Author
That’s funny about the overfed dogs, Monique! I think it would be a unique experience!
Monique, Samantha has been giving free pastry away to try and get the customers to come in to her shop on Worth Avenue in Palm Beach. So you might just get lucky! 😀 And as for treats I give my dog at home, I boil marrow bones for a special treat, and then I re-use them again and again by filling with non-fat plain yogurt and peanut butter. Healthy and economical and it helps my furry babies entertained!
Author
Amy, I love that…I wonder if it would work for cats…
That’s such a cool option, Amy! Healthy and economical and yummy are such a great combo! I’ll have to keep this in mind for if I ever actually get a dog! Would love one, but property is too small, and we already have 5 cats, and 5 chickens, and 3 cockatiels, and a guinea pig and rabbit. So probably don’t need another pet just yet! One day! And congratulations getting this book published! Must be such a thrill to get your own book arrive in print! Especially after all the work you put into it!
This sounds very interesting. I love dogs❤️
Author
Me, too, Debra…except I have cats. lol. They are much easier.
Debra! Me too! I love pastry, too! The treats in Samantha’s shop are organic, so they’re on the healthy side. Do you have dogs?
Yes, probably. It sounds like an interesting book. Thank you for sharing.
Author
It is an interesting book, Diana! Thanks for stopping by.
I had an Irish Setter, Mike, when I was a kid. Trust me. He would not have cozied up to other dogs, even at a cozy dog bakery. He sure liked people, though.
That is a great picture, and that verse is a good match. Snow on the ground after a storm can seem so quiet. In the spring of my senior college year in Michigan, long after any thought of snow, we had a foot of snow dropped on us over night. There was no way to get a car on my street that morning. In fact, it was two days before the plow cleaned my street so we could get out!
Author
I’ve always loved Irish Setters, Tim. Your spring story reminds me of the 14″ of snow we got the first day of Spring in 1968. Day before it was 65° and the weathermen were blindsided. lol Always good to ‘see’ you here.
Tim, I bet your Irish Setter was beautiful! And funny you should say that about getting along with other dogs because the lead character in my book learned early on that she needed to keep the dogs at a respectful distance from each other until everyone was comfortable. Some dogs on a leash and some off never works with those doggy dynamics they have to do when first meeting. What was your pup’s name?
Hmm. Doggie social distancing. Yeah, that might work. My dog’s name was Mike, and he was beautiful, Amy. I was two when we got him; a gift from my mom’s former employer. When my dad got home from work, mom said there was a surprise in the living room. That’s when they found out he wasn’t house trained yet. 🙁 But a better companion for a young boy could not be found. We were inseparable until he died at age 14. These days I’m “dad” to three cats.
Author
Tim, you have one more cat than I do. 🙂
Doggy bakery! How neat! Love stories about dogs. Our last one died 2 yrs. ago, and we won’t get another one due to health issues….we could not give a dog the exercise, attention he needs.
Author
I know what you mean, Jackie. If I had a fenced-in backyard I would probably get me a dog. But most days I hardly have time to walk myself, let alone a pet. Instead I go to water aerobics and do Pilates. lol Thanks for stopping by.
Jackie, I’m sorry to hear about your dog and about your health issues. It’s nice you understand a dog needs certain basic things like exercise. Plenty in shelters don’t get any or much exercise so if you have time to give him and maybe a fenced-in yard to go potty, it’s still a possibility for you to give someone a loving home. If not, I completely understand. And regarding the dog bakery, yes, well I love dogs (and pastry) and the world-famous Three Dog Bakery actually created recipes just for my books, which makes it extra exciting for me! My second in the series is coming out March 22 and they have another recipe in it!
Love the title and the book sounds like it would be great! I have heard of dog bakeries – not sure my dog would like anything, but I suppose it would be fun to try :).
Author
I think it would be fun to try, Betti. Of course my little town wouldn’t have enough customers to keep one in business. Glad to ‘see’ you!
Betti, the lead character in my book uses only organic ingredients and makes all kinds of things involving peanut butter and other yummy stuff. What’s your dog’s name?
Yes, I would take my pup Honeybear to the dog bakery, he deserves treats. The book sounds like a very cute story and I love, love the book cover! Thank you for sharing about this book, have a Great weekend and stay safe.
Author
Love the name, Honeybear! I think you’d enjoy the book, Alicia!
Alicia, Honeybear, how adorable! I bet he does deserve treats. (Don’t they all?) What kind of dog is he?
Sure. I’d take him on his birthday!
Author
I like that answer, Sally! Thanks for dropping by.
And Samantha and the rest of the crew at her shop on Worth Avenue would light a birthday candle and sing to him!
I like the idea of a bakery where you could take your dog and get them treats. Unfortunately my dogs would probably be too rambunctious in such a place.
Author
If I had a dog, Megan, I guarantee it would be too rambunctious, too! So glad you stopped by.
Not to worry, Megan! Samantha and Sweet Pea would go on a robust walk down Worth Avenue to get rid of some of that excess energy they need to burn off, then they’d all go back and sit under the pink canopy out front where they could sit outside while eating their Peanut Butter PawCakes.
Patricia Bradley, thank you so much for hosting my book! I love your books too and it’s an honor to be here!
Author
I’m always glad to promote a book I’ve enjoyed reading, Amy! Looking forward to the next one.
Snowstorm Uri?! Yes, it was a blessed time to be still.
Author
Absolutely, Lisa. Thanks for stopping in!
Very cute cover. It sounds like a fun mystery. I love books with animals as a main part, especially dogs. Thanks for the chance.
Author
It was a delightful read, Lynn. I think you’d enjoy it!
Love the picture and verse! I’m feeling a real need right now for being still and knowing. Others talk about nothing to do during the shutdown. For some reason, I haven’t found time to simply shut down for a while.
I’m not a dog owner, so I don’t get how people treat their dogs like humans. Since many stores now have signs that service animals only are allowed in the store, I have seen a number of dogs that I have questioned if they really were service animals, even though the owner had put a “service animal” vest on the dog. I think a lot of people are gaming the system just to see if they can. But, on the bright side, I enjoy reading good stories that include dogs with amazing abilities.
Author
Edward, I have two cats that own me, but I haven’t had a dog in thirty years. 🙂 It’s easy to get really attached to pets, but I don’t think I’d want to take one into a store with me! Way too much trouble. lol.
Psalms 46:10 has been a favorite verse of mine for many years. One version I particularly like is “Cease striving and know that I am God.”
This sounds like a fun cozy. I will check it out. We wouldn’t take our dogs to a doggie bakery as Molly is too old and doesn’t get around well while Flossy is the opposite.
Author
It is a fun cozy, Gloria! I think it’d be fun just to go see all the dogs. I’d probably even see what the treats taste like. lol
“Be still and know that I am God” is one of my favorite scriptures!
I would love to take a sweet fur baby for an occasional treat to a canine bakery.
Author
Psalm 46:10 is one of my favorites, Caryl. Thanks for stopping by!
My local bakery does a dog biscuit treat for sale that our neighborhood dogs are just wild about! Book sounds great!
Author
Your bakery sounds like a great place to shop, Shelia! Thanks for stopping by!
No, I’d go for ice cream instead and maybe share.
Author
My cats love ice cream, Lucy. Thanks for stopping by!
Sounds very interesting and I love dogs.
Author
It is interesting, Patricia. I think you would like it. Thanks for stopping by!
I not heard of a dog bakery, but I have seen healthy handmade treats for dogs. With the variety of dog food & treats, I’m sure owners would want a healthier, natural alternative to giving their dogs something good to eat without all the bad stuff for them. Just like us humans want to eat better & more natural for health reasons. I know of a person whos business is making natural pet treats and she does very well.
I’d take my dog into one of these places! I think they would get a kick out of it just as much as I would 🙂 Dogs need the socialization experiences too and to see a doggy smile when it gets something good is a delight to watch.
We don’t have anymore pets, but when we did, they were treated as a family member. If our dog was more friendly, we probably would have taken her to a store that allows dogs (like Home Depot). But unfortunately, we adopted her from the shelter when she was about 2 yrs old and we think she was abused because she didn’t like strangers at all (especially men). She really had to warm up to a person before she was friendly to them. Then there are dogs that are friendly to anyone who comes around as if that person is there just to pet them, lol! We’ve met a lot of those type of dogs in our local Home Depot store. They allow dogs (well behaved, of course) in to shop with their humans. My husband works in a Resort hotel and meets many types of dogs almost everyday. Some are repeat guests and the dogs love to get a treat from him when they come in….or just a back scratch or two 🙂
Author
Trixi, I didn’t know Home Depot allowed dogs in! That’s great. It’s been a long time since I’ve had a dog…like forever…but most of the ones we had were those dropped off because the owner didn’t want them. (We lived at a crossroads and I guess people thought we looked like dog people. lol) I think you would enjoy Amy’s book! So glad you stopped by.
I love this premise and can’t believe I haven’t gotten my hands on it yet AND am ready for 2nd book in series. Good for Amy, it sounds totally delightful and deservedly marketable.
Author
It was a great story! I’m ready for the second book as well! Thanks for stopping by.