About Solid Gold Murder

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Solid Gold Murder (Golden Motel Mysteries)
Cozy Mystery
2nd in Series
Setting – California
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Kensington Cozies
Publication date ‏ : ‎ July 29, 2025
Print length ‏ : ‎ 272 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1496745388
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1496745385
Digital ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0DLR3TVJP

Dee Stern’s Golden Motel-of-the-Mountains promises a tranquil getaway for outdoor lovers in the scenic Californian village of Foundgold. But when Dee accidentally triggers a modern gold rush, she suddenly turns her peaceful retreat into a hotspot for mayhem and murder . . .

With the summer season looming, former Hollywood sitcom writer Dee Stern has one small goal—scrubbing her motel’s unflattering moniker as the “Murder Motel.” Dee and ex-husband-turned-business-partner Jeff Cornetta are excited to introduce a family-friendly panning activity complete with fool’s gold just in time for the peak tourist months. Except neither could have anticipated the discovery of a real gold nugget or the ensuing social media frenzy. In a flash, the viral sensation draws grizzled prospectors, wide-eyed adventurers, and trend-chasing thrill seekers to the abandoned mines scattered around the woods . . .

The instant popularity proves great for business, but it also attracts a group of out-of-touch Silicon Valley techies with dreams of striking it rich—again. Dee finds herself particularly annoyed by the insufferably smug Sylvan Burr, a retired CEO who sold his startup before age 30 and won’t let anyone forget it. But things take a sinister turn when Sylvan meets a grim fate at the bottom of a mineshaft, leaving Dee at the center of a deadly mystery that could end her days as a motelier. And while Sylvan had plenty of enemies, Dee suddenly faces adversaries rooting against her own success. Now, with her life and the future of the Golden Motel hanging by a thread, Dee must unearth a minefield of suspects and outwit a greedy killer before she finally digs herself too deep . . .

About Ellen Byron

Ellen is a bestselling author, Anthony nominee, and recipient of multiple Agatha and Lefty awards for her Cajun Country Mysteries, Vintage Cookbook Mysteries,  Catering Hall Mysteries (as Maria DiRico), and Golden Motel Mysteries. She is also an award-winning playwright and non-award-winning writer of TV hits like WingsJust Shoot Me, and Fairly OddParents, but considers her most impressive achievement working as a cater-waiter for Martha Stewart.

A native New Yorker, Ellen is a graduate of Tulane University and lives in the Los Angeles area with her husband, daughter, and a rotating crew of rescue pups. Visit her at http://www.ellenbyron.com/.

Author Links

Newsletter: https://www.ellenbyron.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ellenbyronauthor/ https://www.facebook.com/CateringHallMysteries/

Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/ellenbyronmariadirico/

BookBub:  https://www.bookbub.com/profile/ellen-byron https://www.bookbub.com/authors/maria-dirico

Goodreads:  Ellen Byron (Author of Plantation Shudders) | Goodreads
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/19130966.Maria_DiRico

Purchase Links – Amazon – Kensington – Bookshop.org – B&N – Hudson Books – Target – Walmart 

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TWO DAYS TILL RELEASE 🏒🏒

🏒 CryBully: A MM Hockey Bully Romance by @ashlynnauthor

🔗 Pre-Order Now: https://a.co/d/3rFkohc

BLURB:

They were never meant to be more than a secret.

One reckless summer.

A mistake that burned too hot to survive daylight.

When Bastian walked away without a word, Lyzander told himself it didn’t matter. He learned how to bury want beneath bruises, discipline, and the weight of leadership—until anger sharpened into something meaner. Something easier to control. Now Lyzander is captain—untouchable, respected, feared.

And Bastian is back.

Same university, same elite hockey team, same cramped dorm.

Every shift on the ice is a power play.

Every practice is punishment disguised as leadership.

Every cutting remark, every extra drill, every public correction reminds Bastian who holds the power.

To the team, it’s authority.

To Bastian, it’s personal.

Lyzander calls it discipline—control, armor. Because if he breaks Bastian down first, maybe he won’t break himself. But resentment curdles into hunger. Every brush of skin is a threat. Every look dares the other to remember what they were—and what they still want.

Because in a world built on violence, loyalty, and silence, wanting the wrong person isn’t just dangerous—it’s unforgivable.

And this time, it could cost them everything.

CryBully is an MM Hockey Bully Romance. This book is intended for readers 18+. Please visit the author's website for full content warning.

#CryBully #AshlynnAuthor #MMromance #hockeyromance #bullyromance
Simon Says by @sbrogueauthor

Want to be on SB's Street Team?
Join the unhinged chaos. We are all a little unhinged, right? 🤔🤫 

🖇 Link is in my bio under street teams

✨️Releasing: 24th March 2026✨

🔗 Pre-Order ➤ https://shorturl.at/dMmex

BLURB

Can we see beyond the masks we wear?

Simon wears his mask like armor, shielding him in secret, power, and manipulation, as he gives with one hand and takes with the other. While promises of happiness are often woven in the hushed thrill of watching others beg for his favor.

Phoenix is untouched by moral constraints, believing his only mask is the one he physically puts on for The Sect—the employer for whom he facilitates exclusive, illicit entertainment for the wealthy elite.

Between them stands Roni. Wide-eyed. Unknowing. Phoenix's last chance at love—at something real. But with an empire built on corruption and control, Roni remains oblivious to being the next acquisition in the spotlight of being owned.

When the masks begin to crack, visibility becomes starvation, love becomes vengeance, and trust becomes the most dangerous weapon of all.

Because, in The Sect, everyone’s hiding something, and the only way out is to be…

Unmasked.
️
☠️Cam Girl X Sect Tech.
🖤Stalking.
☠️Age Gap.
🖤Masked Men.
☠️Primal Play.
🖤Forced Proximity.

#SBRogue #SimonSays #ARCSignUps #darkromance #darkreads
🦝✨𝐈𝐬 𝐚 𝐇𝐨𝐭𝐝𝐨𝐠 𝐚 𝐒𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐰𝐢𝐜𝐡?✨🦦

Is one of the many debates you’ll find in 𝙃𝙞𝙩 & 𝙍𝙪𝙣!

📅 Cover Reveal - March 2
💚 Releasing - June 16

And this duet is coming to audio 🎧

‼️PREORDER IS AVAILABLE NOW‼️

🦝✨ https://a.co/d/0bkc9mzB

#kinsleykincaid #bookrecs #comingsoon #booklover #nyc
What are you waiting for? Puck Around And Find Out by @author.samantha.barrett is out NOW!

Hockey Romance - Devlin Mafia Duet

🔗 Available on Amazon KU ➤ https://shorturl.at/7SFbm

💀Mafia
💀Alphahole MMC
💀Brother's rival
💀Happy for now

One night.
Three lives lost.
Memories, poof, gone.

Everyone blames me—his friends, my best friend—all gone. I can’t remember what happened, but Xaden Devlin does.
He’s the devil wrapped in a beautiful package.
I'm a moth to his flame.
And he’s made it his mission to destroy me.
He’s the heir to the most feared family in town—cold, cruel, and carved from vengeance.
He calls me Tink, a cruel reminder that
“Fairies die when no one believes in them anymore.”
The more he taunts me, the more I see the truth in his eyes…
The truth about that night.
The truth about my family.
And most of all, the truth about us.
Maybe the devil isn’t the monster after all.
Maybe I am.

#PuckAroundAndFindOut #SamanthaBarrett #HockeyRomance #DevlinMafiaDuet
🌈 ARC Readers Wanted 🌈

Ready to get caught in the reeds? 🌿🔥

Lotus in Between by I.V. Shady is a steamy MMM romance that will leave you breathless and burning for more. Think voyeur vibes, dominant alpha energy, and a secluded summer lake where curiosity turns into surrender.

ARCs will go out via Booksprout the first week of April.
‼️Want in? Link in bio under street teams 👀

This story is part of the Garden of Desire Collection. These other amazing authors will be publishing flower-based stories with me in May 2026.

🥀 Nalani Titcomb (@nalanititcomb) – Black Pearl - May 1st 2026

🌻 Meg Stratton (@megstrattonauthor) – Trumpets for Hannah - May 5th 2026

🌺 Amanda Marquardt (@amanda.marquardt.author) – A Love Not Forgotten - May 7th 2026

🪷 I.V. Shady (@shady.ivy.author) – Lotus in Between - May 11th 2026

🌾 Kris Wood (@kriswood_novels) – The Outcast, Justice, and Agastache - May 12th 2026

🌹 Jasmyn Morning (jasmyn.morning) – A Tea of Blood and Thorns - May 15th 2026

🌷 GiGi Meier (@authorgigimeier) – Twisted Tulip - May 19th 2026

🌼 Ava Milns ( @avamilns) – Weeping Iris - May 29th 2026

#mmromance #comingsoon #SecretDesires #IVShady #shadybabe