Welcome to my stop on the Great Escapes Virtual Book Tour for Homemaker (Prairie Nightingale) by Ruthie Knox and Annie Mare! Today we are featuring a review of the first book in this new mystery series. Stop by each blog on the tour for interviews, guest posts, spotlights, reviews, and more! There is also a Rafflecopter Giveaway for a signed paperback copy of the book! ENTER HERE! ⬅️

Homemaker (Prairie Nightingale) 

Mystery/Amateur Sleuth/Romantic Elements
1st in Series
Setting – Green Bay, Wisconsin
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Thomas & Mercer (June 1, 2025)
Paperback Print length ‏ : ‎ 300 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1662530900
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1662530906
Digital ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0DKK5TWT5

About the Book:

When a former friend and devoted mother vanishes, a confident homemaker turned amateur sleuth follows an unexpected trail of scandals and secrets to find her.

Prairie Nightingale is both the midlife mother of two teenage girls and a canny entrepreneur who has turned homemaking into a salaried profession. She’s also fascinated with the gritty details of other people’s lives. So when seemingly perfect Lisa Radcliffe, a member of her former mom-friends circle, suddenly disappears, it’s in Prairie’s nature to find out why.

Given her innate talent for vital pattern recognition, Prairie is out to catch a few clues by taking a long, hard look at everyone in Lisa’s life—and uncovering their secrets. Including Lisa’s. Prairie’s dogged curiosity is especially irritating to FBI agent Foster Rosemare, the first interesting man Prairie has met since her divorce. His square jaw and sharp suits don’t hurt.

But even as the investigation begins to wreak havoc on Prairie’s carefully tended homelife, she’s resolved to use her multivalent homemaking skills to solve the mystery of a missing mom—and along the way discover the thrill of her new sleuthing ambitions.

My Review:

Well, this was a lot of fun! While not as zany as Finlay Donovan, it gave me similar vibes as we have a single mom, raising teenagers, solving crimes. 

To say that Prairie is persistent would be an understatement, but she knows how to get the job done. And sometimes I thought she pushed her questioning a bit much, but I loved that she often caught herself and reflected on why she pushed. And honestly, this is what I want my sleuths to do. Find the truth! 

It’s a unique concept – that Prairie has a staff that does her homemaking duties for her. Some reviews said this was unrealistic, but this is 100% why I read. Give me the strange, the different, the unique and let me pretend what could possibly be. And how much could I accomplish if I had a staff completing the homemaking duties? It’s a thought experiment to think about, and I also think the mystery serves as a commentary on just how much moms balance. 

And it’s funny. There are parts that had me giggling, and I adored Prairie’s family. I definitely want more!

About the Author:

Ruthie Knox and Annie Mare write critically acclaimed, bestselling mystery and romance, usually (but not always) together. They are the authors of the Prairie Nightingale mysteries and the TV Detectives mystery series. If you want more of their stories, check out their queer romances co-written as Mae Marvel, as well as solo work by Ruthie Knox (het romance), Annie Mare (grounded queer paranormal romance), and Robin York (Ruthie’s pen name for New Adult romance). Ruthie and Annie are married and live with two teenagers, two dogs, multiple fish, two glorious cats, four hermit crabs, and a bazillion plants in a very old house with a garden.

Author Links: Webpage ~ Facebook ~ Facebook (Annie Mare) 

Instagram: @ruthieknoxromance and @spinsterpress

Purchase Links: – Amazon – Bookshop.org – Barnes & Noble – 

TOUR PARTICIPANTS:

• June 17 – Jody’s Bookish Haven – SPOTLIGHT
• June 18 – The Avid Reader – SPOTLIGHT
• June 18 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
• June 19 – Ruff Drafts – SPOTLIGHT
• June 20 – Boys’ Mom Reads! – REVIEW
• June 20 – MJB Reviewers – SPOTLIGHT
• June 21 – Sarandipity’s – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
• June 22 – Angel’s Book Nook – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
• June 23 – Read Your Writes Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
• June 24 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – SPOTLIGHT
• June 25 – Books, Ramblings, and Tea – SPOTLIGHT
• June 26 – Ascroft. eh? – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
• June 27 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW
• June 28 – Maureen’s Musings – SPOTLIGHT
• June 29 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT
• June 30 – Sarah Can’t Stop Reading Books – REVIEW

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