Book Review and Giveaway - The Case of the Christie Conspiracy: A Detection Club Mystery by Kelly Oliver

My Review

The Case of the Christie Conspiracy is a new historical mystery set in 1926.  Eliza Baker goes to work as assistant to mystery author Dorothy L. Sayers.  Eliza goes to a Detection Club meeting with Dorothy - attended by the most famous mystery authors in 1920's London - and there is a murder!  Eliza works to solve the mystery with the help of aspiring author Theo.  And then Agatha Christie goes missing ...

I wanted to read this book because I love historical fiction, cozy mysteries, and the 1920's time period.  I have some familiarity with Agatha Christie and Dorothy L. Sayers, and found myself happily googling other famous names mentioned in the book.  (I love when this happens because of a historical novel!)

This is a wonderful start for a new series.  I like Eliza and also like the detection team of Eliza and Theo working together.  I love all their interactions with each other too.

The mystery aspect of this book was well written and there were a number of unexpected clues and twists in the book!

I look forward to the next book in this series, and recommend The Case of the Christie Conspiracy for other cozy mystery fans - especially for anyone who loves historical mysteries and classic 1920's mystery authors.

Book Synopsis

Agatha Christie is about to embark on a new, gripping murder case. But this time, she’s not the author – she’s a suspect…

1926 – Christie is a darling of the literary circuit and the most desired guest in London’s glittering social scene. She can often be found at meetings of the Detection Club – where mystery writers come together to share ideas, swap secrets and drink copiously. But then a fellow author’s initiation ceremony takes a gruesome turn, and one of the group ends up dead. Now, Agatha is no longer just the creator of great mystery plots – she’s a player in one.

And when Agatha disappears the day after the murder, she’s widely assumed to be guilty. Only Eliza Baker, assistant to the Club’s enigmatic secretary, Dorothy Sayers, is interested in investigating the case. But in a world where murder is the ultimate plot device, can Eliza piece together the evidence and find the killer before it’s too late?

Author Bio

Kelly Oliver is the award-winning and bestselling author of four mystery series: The Jessica James Mysteries (7-book contemporary suspense); The Pet Detective Mysteries (3-book middle grade); The Fiona Figg Mysteries (9-book historical cozies).

The Case of the Christie Conspiracy, the first in her new series The Detection Club Mysteries just came out (February 2025).

Kelly is Distinguished Emerita Professor of Philosophy at Vanderbilt University. And currently, she is the Immediate Past President of Sisters in Crime. To learn more about Kelly and her books, go to www.kellyoliverbooks.com.

Author Links

Website   https://www.kellyoliverbooks.com

Facebook  https://www.facebook.com/kellyoliverauthor/

BookBub    https://www.bookbub.com/authors/kelly-oliver

 Twitter/X   @kellyoliverbook

 TikTok  https://www.tiktok.com/@kellyoliverbooks

 Instagram  @kellyoliverbooks

 Purchase Links

Amazon US –   Amazon C

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Book Review and Giveaway - A Perilous Premiere (Stone & Steele Mysteries) by Gail Meath

My Review

A Perilous Premiere is set in Hollywood in 1938.  Vivian Steele is a fashion designer with her own boutique.  When her husband is shot on the street, her life changes unimaginably.  She discovers he was keeping secrets, and she is thrown together with Hollywood playboy Preston Stone.  Suddenly they are both in danger and racing to solve the mystery.

I wanted to read this book because I love cozy mysteries, enjoy historical mysteries, and am a big fan of classic movies and old time Hollywood.

This was a delightful start to a new series!  Vivian is a fresh, smart protagonist.  I love her back and forth with Preston and especially enjoyed their scenes together.  

The classic Hollywood references - both places and people - are delightful.  Vivian is good friends with Carole Lombard, who plays a part in the story.  She also has a lovable Boston Terrier and there is a Saint Bernard in the book as well.

I loved that the chapters had descriptive titles and even pictures that helped set the scene!  This is unique and added to my enjoyment of the book.

As a mystery, A Perilous Premiere is fast paced with some twists and surprises along the way.

I enthusiastically recommend this book for fans of cozy mysteries, and especially for readers who enjoy old time Hollywood.

Book Synopsis

Solving their own murders is the least of their problems…and the beginning of Stone & Steele, a reluctant yet surprisingly skilled investigative team.

The Golden Age of Hollywood, 1938. Vivian Steele moved to California to start a new life. She opened a fashion boutique in Beverly Hills, befriended Carole Lombard, the actress, and married a successful banker. But when her husband is murdered, Vivian discovers she isn’t the only one hiding a few secrets.

An anonymous phone call lures Vivian to a plush hotel room where she stumbles upon the dead body of a beautiful young actress – her husband’s mistress. To add fuel to the fire, she’s not alone.

Preston Stone, her adversary and Hollywood’s notorious playboy, is standing beside her. Suspiciously, they part ways only to find themselves alone again at a movie premiere two days later, and the message becomes brutally clear. They’re both the next targets of a cold-blooded killer.

Together, Vivian and Preston are thrown into a deadly race to find a missing collection of valuable coins and stop a vicious killer before they become the next murder victims. But first, they need to stop pointing their fingers at each other.

A Perilous Premiere is the first book in this exciting new 1930s Stone & Steele mystery series starring a great cast of characters ranging from the rich and famous to Bella, a Boston Terrier, her new friend, Boris, a Saint Bernard, and a few other endearing folks. (A pretty clean read)

Author Bio

Gail Meath is the author of the multi-award-winning Jax Diamond Mysteries, the fun series about of a wise-cracking PI, his sweet German Shepherd partner, Ace, and his Broadway singing heartthrob, Laura, as they solve crazy crimes during the Roaring Twenties. She’s currently working on the first book in her exciting new 1930s mystery series, Stone & Steele Mysteries, takes place during the glamorous Golden Age of Hollywood. As always, she blends the most loveable characters with a good, solid mystery.

Gail also has a growing list of other award-winning historical romances, mysteries, westerns, and fictional biographies of true heroines. She lives in a small village in Upstate New York with her husband and their sweet, little Boston Terrier, and she spends loads of time with her grandchildren.

Author Links

Website:  https://www.gailmeath.com

Facebook:  https://facebook.com/gailmeathauthor

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

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/220631482-a-perilous-premiere

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/a-perilous-premiere-by-gail-meath

Purchase Links – Amazon – B&N – Kobo – Bookshop.org – 

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Book Review - Embers in the London Sky by Sarah Sundin

My Review

Embers in the London Sky is a historical novel set during World War II.  Aleida Martens lives in the Netherlands with her three year old son Theo and her controlling husband Sebastian.  Sebastian gives Theo to a British couple who whisk him away to safety before Sebastian is killed on the roadside.  Aleida travels to England, where her aunt and uncle live, and works tirelessly to find Theo.  She is helped by an intrepid BBC reporter, Hugh Collingwood.  They get closer as they participate in the war effort in England and search together for Theo.  They also work to solve the mystery of some seemingly unrelated murders in their circle of friends.

I wanted to read Embers in the London Sky because I love Sarah Sundin's books.  She is one of my favorite historical fiction authors, and I have recommended her novels many times to friends.  I love fiction set during World War II, so the time period was of interest to me.

I really liked the complexity of this novel.  There is the story of Aleida's search for her son, Hugh and his struggles with asthma, their war work in England, and the mysteries they work to solve.  

Aleida and Hugh are both wonderful protagonists - both with very human struggles (his asthma and what appeared to be her OCD) but both strengthened by their personal faith and their desire to do the right thing and make a difference.  I loved their connection, initially based on friendship and a slowly developing romance.  And of course I wanted Aleida to find Theo and be reunited with him.

There were several surprising twists in this novel.  It was more of a mystery than Sarah Sundin's other books, but I enjoyed it very much.  I recommend Embers in the London Sky to fans of historical fiction, and especially for anyone interested in a 1940's setting.

Book Synopsis

London, 1940

As the German army invades the Netherlands in 1940, Aleida van der Zee Martens escapes to London to wait out the occupation. Separated from her three-year-old son, Theo, in the process, the young widow desperately searches for her little boy even as she works for an agency responsible for evacuating children to the countryside.

When German bombs set London ablaze, BBC radio correspondent Hugh Collingwood reports on the Blitz, eager to boost morale while walking the fine line between truth and censorship. But the Germans are not the only ones Londoners have to fear as a series of murders flame up amid the ashes.

The deaths hit close to home for Hugh, and Aleida needs his help to locate her missing son. As they work together, they grow closer and closer, both to each other and the answers they seek. But time is running short--and the worst is yet to come.

Author Bio

Sarah Sundin is the bestselling author of When Twilight Breaks, Until Leaves Fall in Paris, The Sound of Light, and the popular WWII series Sunrise at Normandy, among others. She is a Christy Award winner and a Carol Award winner, and her novels have received starred reviews from Booklist, Library Journal, and Publishers Weekly, and have appeared on Booklist's "101 Best Romance Novels of the Last 10 Years." Sarah lives in California. Visit SarahSundin.com for more information.

Book Review - The Warsaw Sisters: A Novel of WWII Poland by Amanda Barratt

My Review

The Warsaw Sisters is a historical novel set during World War II.  Twin sisters Antonina and Helena Dąbrowska see their father off to war, and then endure the bombing of their beloved city.  Antonina's love Marek is sent to the Warsaw ghetto because he is Jewish.  Both women get involved in the Resistance movement as a way of fighting back.

I wanted to read The Warsaw Sisters because I love historical fiction, and am especially interested in the World War II time period.  I had never read a book set in Poland during the war, so this was particularly interesting to me.

This is a sprawling novel that spans the time period of 1939 - 1945.  The author delves into historical detail to depict the war in Poland.  This was a time of great brutality and cruelty (especially toward the Jewish people) and some of the descriptions are hard to read.

The author does a great job at delineating the two very different personalities of Antonina and Helena, and we see both their perspectives.  Descriptions of Antonina's work to save Jewish children was especially compelling.

The historical detail and descriptions in the book are vivid and the author's writing style is fluid.

Fans of historical fiction who want to read about the years of World War II in Poland will find The Warsaw Sisters of interest.

Book Synopsis

A richly rendered portrait of courage, sacrifice, and resilience

On a golden August morning in 1939, sisters Antonina and Helena Dąbrowska send their father off to defend Poland against the looming threat of German invasion. The next day, the first bombs fall on Warsaw, decimating their beloved city and shattering the world of their youth.

When Antonina's beloved Marek is forced behind ghetto walls, along with the rest of Warsaw's Jewish population, Antonina knows she cannot stand by and soon becomes a key figure in a daring network of women risking their lives to shelter Jewish children. Meanwhile, Helena finds herself drawn into the ranks of Poland's secret army, joining the fight to free her homeland from occupation.

But the secrets both are forced to keep threaten to tear them apart--and the cost of resistance may prove greater than either ever imagined.

Author Bio

Amanda Barratt is the bestselling author of numerous historical novels and novellas, including The White Rose Resists (a 2021 Christy Award winner) and Within These Walls of Sorrow. She is passionate about illuminating oft-forgotten facets of history through a fictional narrative. Amanda lives in Michigan. Learn more at AmandaBarratt.net.

 

Book Review and Giveaway - The Socialite’s Guide to Death and Dating (A Pinnacle Hotel Mystery) by S. K. Golden

My Review

In 1958 Manhattan, Evelyn Murphy is hosting a big fundraiser party at her family's Pinnacle Hotel. When a wealthy guest is found dead in the parking garage, Evelyn decides to find the killer. 

I wanted to read this book because I love historical mysteries.  I was also intrigued by the New York City setting and the time period. I rarely see mysteries set in the 1950's or 1960's, so that was a big draw.

Evelyn is a very interesting character.  She's a spoiled heiress with a sassy personality - and she is an agoraphobic. She's working to conquer this, but it certainly presents challenges to her with her sleuthing. Evelyn is in a romantic relationship with Mac Cooper, but there are complications when her father insists she break the relationship off - and later Mac ends up in jail.

I enjoyed this read very much. The tone was fresh and unique, and the period setting was a delight.  I have not read the first book in the series, but this worked fine as a standalone.  I recommend The Socialite's Guide to Death and Dating for fans of historical mysteries, cozy mysteries, and Mid-Century New York City settings.  You will enjoy this book! 

Book Synopsis

Perfect for fans of Rhys Bowen and Ashley Weaver, the second Pinnacle Hotel mystery finds another murder that strikes too close to home, and hotel heiress Evelyn Murphy knows she’s the only one who can save the hotel before it’s lights out.  

New York, 1958. Even though Evelyn Murphy has made progress conquering her agoraphobia by leaving the Pinnacle, she still feels most comfortable in her father’s hotel. With Malcolm Cooper, her new boyfriend and fellow employee at the hotel, Evelyn feels prepared for whatever happens next. In this case, it’s throwing a big fundraiser with the who’s who of New York City. 

The night is a success, and Evelyn finally takes up Malcolm’s offer to finally visit his apartment in Yonkers. As the party ends, they sneak away to the garage to get Evelyn’s car. But Evelyn’s always been good at finding things, and she discovers the dead body of a guest, Judge Baker, in a car—with a needle in his arm. 

Detective Hodgson and his new partner, Detective McJimsey, arrive on the scene, but before they can begin to question Evelyn, they are startled by another mysterious discovery: there’s a woman in the trunk of the car, and she screams as soon as she sees Evelyn’s face. Tangled up in the police investigation, Evelyn’s got another problem, too—her father insists she break off her relationship with Mac. The next day, her father is found attacked just like the judge, only this time the detectives find a dead woman nearby. 

With Mac accused of the attacks and in police custody, Evelyn will have to find the killer on her own before she’s checked out of the hotel—this time, for good.

Author Bio 

S. K. Golden is the author of the Pinnacle Hotel cozy mystery series. Born and raised in the Florida Keys, she married a commercial fisherman. The two of them still live on the islands with their five kids (one boy, four girls — including identical twins!), two cats, and a corgi named Goku. Sarah graduated from Saint Leo University with a bachelor’s degree in Human Services and Administration and has put it to good use approximately zero times. She’s worked as a bank teller, a pharmacy technician, and an executive assistant at her father’s church. Sarah is delighted to be doing none of those things now. Follow her across all platforms @skgoldenwrites.

Author Links
Website https://www.skgoldenwrites.com/
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/SKGoldenWrites/
Twitter (X) https://twitter.com/skgoldenwrites
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/skgoldenwrites/
GoodReads https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/22010011.S_K_Golden

Purchase Links – Amazon – B&N – Kobo – Bookshop.org

 

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Book Review and Giveaway - Murder at the Elms (A Gilded Newport Mystery) by Alyssa Maxwell

My Review

During the Gilded Age, Emma Cross and her husband Derrick are part of the social set in Newport, Rhode Island and also own the local newspaper.  They become involved in detecting when a young maid from a neighboring estate is discovered dead in a coal mine at the same time a very valuable necklace is discovered missing.

I wanted to read this mystery because I have enjoyed several of the books in Alyssa Maxwell's A Lady and Lady's Maid series.  I have not (yet!) read the other books in the Gilded Newport series, but Murder at the Elms works well as a stand alone.

I thoroughly enjoyed this mystery.  I love historical fiction and cozy mysteries, and this book is a perfect blend of both.  The Gilded Age setting is perfection!  There are so many great period details and descriptions that make this earlier time come alive.

I really like Emma as an amateur detective.  She's smart and independent.  Her relationship with Derrick, which is more modern than many marriages of this time, was also interesting.

The mystery aspect of Murder at the Elms was well done, with a brisk pace and a storyline that unfolds as Emma sleuths.

I recommend Murder at the Elms for fans of historical fiction, historical mysteries, cozy mysteries - and for anyone who is interested in the Gilded Age.  I want to go back and read the rest of this series!

Book Synopsis

As the nineteenth century comes to a close, the illustrious Vanderbilt family dominates Newport, Rhode Island, high society. But when murder arrives, reporter Emma Cross learns that sometimes the actions of the cream of society can curdle one’s blood in the latest installment of this bestselling cozy historical mystery series . . .

1901: Back from their honeymoon in Italy, Emma and Derrick are adapting to married life as they return to their duties at their jointly owned newspaper, the Newport Messenger. The Elms, coal baron Edward Berwind’s newly completed Bellevue Avenue estate, is newsworthy for two reasons: A modern mansion for the new century, it is one of the first homes in America to be wired for electricity with no backup power system, generated by coal from Berwind’s own mines. And their servants—with a single exception—have all gone on strike to protest their working conditions. Summarily dismissing and replacing his staff with cool and callous efficiency, Berwind throws a grand party to showcase the marvels of his new “cottage.”

Emma and Derrick are invited to the fete, which culminates not only in a fabulous musicale but an unforeseen tragedy—a chambermaid is found dead in the coal tunnel. In short order, it is also discovered that a guest’s diamond necklace is missing and a laborer has disappeared.

Detective Jesse Whyte entreats Emma and Derrick to help with the investigation and determine whether the murdered maid and stolen necklace are connected. As the dark deeds cast a shadow over the blazing mansion, it’s up to Emma to shine a light on the culprit . . .

Author Bio

Alyssa Maxwell is the author of The Gilded Newport Mysteries and A Lady and Lady’s Maid Mysteries. She has worked in publishing as a reference book editor, ghost writer, and fiction editor, but knew from an early age that she wanted to be a fiction author. Growing up in New England and traveling to Great Britain and Ireland fueled a passion for history, while a love of puzzles drew her to the mystery genre. She and her husband have make their home in South Florida. She is a member of the Mystery Writers of America and the South Florida Fiction Writers. Author Links 

Website www.alyssamaxwell.com
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/AlyssaMaxwellauthor/
Facebook Sleuths In Crime https://www.facebook.com/SleuthsInTime
Twitter https://twitter.com/Alyssa__Maxwell
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/alyssamaxwellauthor/
GoodReads https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7163135.Alyssa_Maxwell

Purchase Links – Amazon – B&N – Kobo – Bookshop.org

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Book Review - The Vanishing at Castle Moreau by Jaime Jo Wright

My Review

The Vanishing at Castle Moreau is a Gothic novel told in three timelines.  In present day, Cleo Clemmons agrees to do a big job for cash payment because she is on the run.  She goes to Castle Moreau, an American castle in Wisconsin, to help a celebrity's grandmother declutter the items she has hoarded for many years. In 1870 Daisy Francois goes to work at Castle Moreau, but becomes concerned about all the rumors of women disappearing from the castle.  There are also flashbacks to 1801 when a young girl is living a rather frightening life at the castle, haunted by a woman with a crooked hand.

I wanted to read this novel because I love the Gothic tradition of novels like Jane Eyre and Rebecca.  I enjoy historical fiction and don't encounter a lot of new Gothic historical novels, so I was curious!

The author, Jaime Jo Wright, did a wonderful job with the atmospheric setting and mystery elements of this novel.  This evocative description is a good example of the storytelling in this book:

"The castle cast its hypnotic pull over any passerby who happened along to find it, tucked deep in the woods in a place where no one would build a castle, let alone live in one. It served no purpose there. No strategy of war, no boast of wealth, no respite for a tired soul. Instead, it simply existed. Tugging. Coercing. Entrapping. Its two turrets mimicked bookends, and if removed, one would fear the entire castle would collapse like a row of standing volumes. Windows covered the façade above a stone archway, which drew her eyes to the heavy wooden door with its iron hinges, the bushes along the foundation, and the stone steps leading to the mouth of the edifice. Beyond it was a small orchard of apple trees, their tiny pink blossoms serving as a delicate backdrop for the magnificent property" (eBook location 38).

I found the present day storyline of Cleo, with the added mystery of why she was on the run, the most compelling in the book.  She is cautious to make connections, but surprisingly finds herself drawn to Deacon, the grandson of the older woman she is helping.  Deacon was one of my favorite characters in the novel.  

The story takes several twists and turns, and I enjoyed the meandering road to the answer to the mystery of Castle Moreau.  I recommend this unique and intriguing novel for fans of historical fiction, and especially for anyone who enjoys Gothic fiction.

Book Synopsis

A haunting legend. An ominous curse. A search for a secret buried deep within the castle walls.  

In 1870, orphaned Daisy François takes a position as housemaid at a Wisconsin castle to escape the horrors of her past life. There she finds a reclusive and eccentric Gothic authoress who hides tales more harrowing than the ones in her novels. As women disappear from the area and the eerie circumstances seem to parallel a local legend, Daisy is thrust into a web that could ultimately steal her sanity, if not her life.

In the present day, Cleo Clemmons is hired by the grandson of an American aristocratic family to help his grandmother face her hoarding in the dilapidated Castle Moreau. But when Cleo uncovers more than just the woman's stash of collectibles, a century-old mystery and the dust of the old castle's curse threaten to rise again . . . this time to leave no one alive to tell the sordid tale.

Award-winning author Jaime Jo Wright seamlessly weaves a dual-time tale of two women who must do all they can to seek the light amid the darkness shrouding Castle Moreau.

PURCHASE LINKS

AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE | BOOK DEPOSITORY | BOOKSHOP | GOODREADS

Author Bio

Jaime Jo Wright is the author of eight novels, including Christy Award and Daphne du Maurier Award-winner The House on Foster Hill and Carol Award winner The Reckoning at Gossamer Pond. She's also the Publishers Weekly and ECPA bestselling author of two novellas. Jaime lives in Wisconsin with her cat named Foo; her husband, Cap'n Hook; and their two mini-adults, Peter Pan and CoCo.

WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | BOOKBUB 

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Book Review and Giveaway - Murder in Postscript (A Lady of Letters Mystery) by Mary Winters

My Review

Murder in Postscript is a historical mystery set in 1860 London.  Countess Amelia Amesbury is a young widow and guardian to her 10 year old niece, Winifred. She is just finishing a two year mourning period when she meets her husband's friend, Simon Bainbridge, a marquis. Amelia has a secret that no one but her best friend, Kitty, and friend/editor, Grady know -- she writes a Lady Agony column for the newspaper.  When she receives a letter from a reader that is not a request for advice but a plea for help, she becomes involved in a mystery which includes several murders and many adventures through London and the countryside. She is assisted in detecting by her friend Kitty and her new friend Simon.

I wanted to read this novel because I love historical fiction and also love cozy mysteries.  This mystery combines both genres!

Murder in Postscript is such a strong start to a new series. It is fast paced and the mystery is compelling. There are several possible suspects, and Amelia does a wonderful job of detecting as a new amateur sleuth.  

I enjoyed Amelia's friendship with Kitty and with Grady, and especially her new friendship with possible romantic interest Simon. He is so charming, handsome, and swoon-worthy -- especially as they banter back and forth throughout the book.

The writing is strong, with fascinating historical details.  I had heard of agony columns before but this book gives a new, very interesting, insight into them through Amelia's writing work.

I am delighted that Murder in Postscript is the start of a new series. This series is sure to be one of my favorites, as it combines so much that I enjoy in historical mysteries.  I cannot recommend this mystery highly enough for fans of cozy mysteries, historical fiction, Victorian settings, and lively storytelling.  Five enthusiastic stars!

Book Synopsis 

When one of her readers asks for advice following a suspected murder, Victorian countess Amelia Amesbury, who secretly pens the popular Lady Agony column, has no choice but to investigate in this first book in a charming new historical mystery series.

Amelia Amesbury—widow, mother, and countess—has a secret. Amelia writes for a London penny paper, doling out advice on fashion, relationships, and manners under the pen name Lady Agony. But when a lady’s maid writes Amelia to ask for advice when she believes her mistress has been murdered—and then ends up a victim herself—Amelia is determined to solve the case. With the help of her best friend and a handsome marquis, Amelia begins to piece together the puzzle, but as each new thread of inquiry ends with a different suspect, the investigation grows ever more daunting. From London’s docks and ballrooms to grand country houses, Amelia tracks a killer, putting her reputation—and her life—on the line.

Author Bio

Mary Winters is the author of Murder in Postscript, the debut novel in A Lady of Letters Mystery series. A longtime reader of historical fiction and an author of two other mystery series, Mary set her latest work in Victorian England after being inspired by a trip to London. Since then, she’s been busily planning her next mystery—and another trip! Find out more about Mary and her writing at marywintersauthor.com.

Author Links

Website http://www.Marywintersauthor.com
Blog http://www.Marywintersauthor.com/blog
Facebook http://www.Facebook.com/marywintersauthor
Instagram http://www.Instagram.com/marywintersauthor
GoodReads  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61391814-murder-in-postscript

Purchase Links

Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Bookshop
IndieBound
Audible

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Book Review - To Win Her Hand by Jen Geigle Johnson

My Review

To Win Her Heart is the first book in the new series A Gentleman's Match. It is a historical novel set in Regency period England, about a matchmaker - Lord Featherstone - who falls in love with another matchmaker - Lady Loveluck. They both feel they need to make a wealthy match, but will they find a way to be together?

I wanted to read this novel because I love historical fiction and especially enjoy the Regency period.

This book was a pure delight!  It is a fast paced, light historical romance with charming and witty repartee.  I really liked both Lord Featherstone and Lady Loveluck. Seeing them work as matchmakers was fascinating and then seeing them navigate their own romantic life was even more interesting!

There was a wonderful long sequence when Lord Featherstone was coaching a male client and Lady Loveluck was talking to a female client. Their advice was often at odds: 

"Lord Featherstone looked into Mr. Hartsworth’s spyglass. 'Vulnerable. But you must never lose control.' 

Lady Loveluck toyed with a feather behind Miss Anna’s head. 'We must get him to lose control. He has to want your heart more than his own breath.'" (eBook location 169)

The secondary characters (their clients and friends) were also interesting.  I especially liked the long section of the book set at a house party in the country.  So much was going on at once at that party!  All along I was pulling for our leads to find a way to get together.

I already look forward to reading the upcoming books in this series (I am wondering if they might center around Lord Featherstone's brothers?).  I enthusiastically recommend To Win Her Hand for fans of historical romance, and especially for anyone who likes a clever, well written Regency story.

Book Synopsis

An expert at winning a woman's hand. A woman who cannot be won.

Lord Featherstone has the world on his shoulders. Or at least his world. With two brothers and a failing estate he must make funds somehow. But what happens when he falls for a woman? Will his tactics work when the situation is so close and personal?

Everyone thinks Lady Loveluck is a wealthy widow. What they don't know is that she is on the brink of hiring herself out as a Governess in order to pay for her next meal. The only thing keeping her from employment is a growing reputation as a matchmaker. As long as she never falls for another man, as long as she doesn't allow herself to be fooled into marrying, she will be just fine.

But she never counted on being caught up in the beguiling tactics of London's renowned and not so secret matchmaker for men.  

Purchase Links
AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE | BOOK DEPOSITORY | BOOKSHOP | GOODREADS 

Author Bio
Jen Geigle Johnson is an award-winning author, including the GOLD in Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Awards and LDSPMA Praiseworthy's top award for Romance, Jen has more stories circulating in her brain than can possibly be told. She discovered her passion for England while kayaking on the Thames near London as a young teenager. History is her main jam. Her literary heroes include the greats: Jane Austen and Charles Dickens. But she has modern sensibilities as well.  

Six children and an inspiring husband keep her going and make certain she doesn't stay glued to a keyboard or lost in obscure fascinating details of old castles.  

Now, she loves to share bits of history that might otherwise be forgotten. Whether in Regency England, the French Revolution, or Colonial America, her romance novels are much like life is supposed to be: full of adventure.

  WEBSITE | TWITTER | FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | GOODREADS

Book Review - The Sound of Light by Sarah Sundin

My Review

The Sound of Light is a historical novel set in Copenhagen during World War II. It is the story of two different (but surprisingly similar) people - Else Jensen, an American physicist working at a research lab and quietly also working to help with a resistance newspaper, and Hemming, the assumed name of Baron Henrik Ahlefeldt, a formerly dissolute playboy and Olympic rower turned resistance hero.

I wanted to read this novel because I love Sarah Sundin's books - she is my favorite author in this genre, and I have recommended her writing so many times over to friends. I particularly enjoy historical fiction set during World War II and was curious about the Danish setting;  I knew very little about life in Denmark during the war.

This is a beautifully told story about people finding courage they didn't know they had and banding together to do good even at great personal risk.  Hemming, the Havmand (merman) rows back and forth at night with messages. Else spreads the truth about the war through underground newspapers, becoming even more involved when her best friend Laila, who is Jewish, is in jeopardy.

Hemming and Laila live in the same boarding house and slowly connect, as friends first, and then there is a spark between them that they can't ignore. Their resistance to the war is also a powerful bond.

The descriptions and writing is, as always with Sarah Sundin's books, beautiful. For example, this is a description of the Tivoli Gardens:

"They emerged from the gardens. Beside a shimmering lake, the Chinese Tower rose in red and black magnificence. Before the war, Tivoli glowed at night, with light bulbs outlining each building, strung between trees, and reflecting in the lake, topped by fireworks shows in the summer. Although the park remained open during the occupation, the lights had been extinguished" (eBook location 920).

I highly recommend The Sound of Light for fans of historical fiction, and especially for anyone who is interested in World War II.

Book Synopsis

Copenhagen, 1940

When the Germans march into Denmark, Baron Henrik Ahlefeldt exchanges his nobility for anonymity, assuming a new identity so he can secretly row messages for the Danish Resistance across the waters to Sweden. American physicist Dr. Else Jensen refuses to leave Copenhagen and abandon her research--her life's dream--and makes the dangerous decision to print resistance newspapers.

As Else hears rumors of the movement's legendary Havmand--the merman--she also becomes intrigued by the mysterious and silent shipyard worker living in the same boardinghouse. Henrik makes every effort to conceal his noble upbringing, but he is torn between the façade he must maintain and the woman he is beginning to fall in love with.

When the Occupation cracks down on the Danes, these two passionate people will discover if there is more power in speech . . . or in silence.

Author Bio

Sarah Sundin is the bestselling author of When Twilight Breaks, Until Leaves Fall in Paris, and the popular WWII series Sunrise at Normandy, among others. She is a Christy Award finalist and a Carol Award winner, and her novels have received starred reviews from Booklist, Library Journal, and Publishers Weekly, and have appeared on Booklist's "101 Best Romance Novels of the Last 10 Years." Sarah lives in California. Visit www.sarahsundin.com for more information.

Book Review - All the Lost Places by Amanda Dykes

My Review

In 1907 Daniel Goodman is living in an abandoned rail car in California, trying to save his mother's home, when he has an opportunity to travel to Venice to translate a mysterious book. This novel, told in dual storylines, flashes back to the story of Sebastien Trovato in 1807 Venice.

I wanted to read this novel because the storyline involving a rare book and Italy in two time periods was appealing.  I also love historical fiction.

This is a beautiful novel with the quality of a fairy tale. The author has a real gift with descriptions that set the scene, like this description of Daniel's makeshift neighborhood:

When the city began to switch from railcars to cable cars, it became a graveyard of railcars too. It seemed fitting that I take up residence in this land of the obsolete. Not to mention, the rent was low— or free, rather. As good as a palace, and I wasn’t the only one to think so. Others had moved in too. An odd grid of makeshift streets formed; paint and curtains went up as windows glowed, vanquishing the air of abandonment. “The Sunset,” they started to call the neighborhood, and even in that there was truth. For we, the ragtag band of outcasts that had landed here, were gripping the tailcoats of fast-fleeing life" (eBook position 187).

This is an intricate, complex story, dense with characters and settings - not a fast read but a richly rewarding one. Daniel was an especially sympathetic character as he worked so hard to overcome his past.

I recommend All the Lost Places for fans of historical fiction, and especially for anyone interested in Venice.

Book Synopsis

When all of Venice is unmasked, one man’s identity remains a mystery . . .

1807
When a baby is discovered floating in a basket along the quiet canals of Venice, a guild of artisans takes him in and raises him as a son, skilled in each of their trades. Although the boy, Sebastien Trovato, has wrestled with questions of his origins, it isn’t until a woman washes ashore on his lagoon island that answers begin to emerge. In hunting down his story, Sebastien must make a choice that could alter not just his own future, but also that of the beloved floating city.

1904
Daniel Goodman is given a fresh start in life as the century turns. Hoping to redeem a past laden with regrets, he is sent on an assignment from California to Venice to procure and translate a rare book. There, he discovers a city of colliding hope and decay, much like his own life, and a mystery wrapped in the pages of that filigree-covered volume. With the help of Vittoria, a bookshop keeper, Daniel finds himself in a web of shadows, secrets, and discoveries carefully kept within the stones and canals of the ancient city . . . and in the mystery of the man whose story the book does not finish: Sebastien Trovato.

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Author Bio

Amanda Dykes’s debut novel, Whose Waves These Are, is the winner of the prestigious 2020 Christy Award Book of the Year, a Booklist 2019 Top Ten Romance debut, and the winner of an INSPY Award. She’s also the author of Yours Is the Night and Set the Stars Alight, a 2021 Christy Award finalist.

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