Posts

Posted on

Book Review: The One That I Want (Ever After Agency #3) by Sandy Barker  @sandybarkerauthor @TheBoldBookclub

The One That I Want
(Ever After Agency #3)
by Sandy Barker

Amazon  / B&N / Apple / GP / BB

Greta Davies, the features editor at a women’s magazine, is accomplished and successful. That is, in all areas except her love life.

Determined to help, Greta’s boss – and friend – secretly enlists the help of the Ever After Agency, and sets out to make her dreams come true.

Work-obsessed Greta is nothing if not stubborn, so it’ll take some creative thinking, which leads to a lightbulb moment: a new column focused on dating in the city.

With date after disastrous date, things are not looking rosy for Greta. But little does Greta know, the perfect man has been there all along. Will she realise it’s more than friendship before it’s too late?

 

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

Blimey, if I keep on like this, I’ll get a call from Disney asking for the rights to my life story for their next animated feature. The Thirty-something Princess and the Frogs of London coming to a cinema near you.

I don’t like it when people use the word ‘lost’ to mean someone’s loved one has died. Poor Ian didn’t lose his wife– they weren’t shopping in IKEA. He didn’t misplace her amongst the dinglehoppers and snarfblatts. She passed away.

I will lampoon him so severely, Taylor Swift could mine my article for lyrics.

Dreamboat? Where are you getting these words? Do you have a time machine or something? Are you frequenting the 1960s?

 

My Review:

 

This was a fun and cleverly amusing read that is the third in a popular series but I found it to have strong legs and quite capable of standing and dancing on its own. Although, it also has me wanting to track down and read all the previous installments. I enjoy this smooth storyteller’s wry wit and sneaky hits of humor.

 

About the Author

.
.

I’m a writer, traveler, and hopeful romantic with a lengthy bucket list. I love exploring new places, outdoor adventures, and eating and drinking like a local when I travel, and many of my travel adventures have found homes in my novels. I’m also an avid reader, a film buff, a wine lover, and a coffee snob.

I am represented by Lina Langlee of The North Literary Agency.

Posted on

Book Review: Timber Ridge (Port Promise #1) by Kelly Collins  @kcollinsauthor

Timber Ridge
(Port Promise #1)
by Kelly Collins

 

Amazon /  BB

From award winning author Kelly Collins comes a small town, single dad, neighbors-to-lovers romance…

When teacher Timber Moore applies for a job in tiny Port Promise, Alaska, her quest is to educate the youth and uncover the identity of the father she’s never known. Port Promise, with its whispering woods and close-knit community, holds the key to her past. But her arrival stirs up more than just a summer breeze.

Kane Hollister, a single father and seasoned fisherman, has learned the hard way that outsiders bring storms. He’s still mending nets from when a charismatic do-gooder sailed in and out of his life, leaving him with a child to raise alone. His walls are up, but Timber has a knack for finding the cracks in his defenses.

She’s a woman with a lesson plan but no map for her heart’s journey. He’s a man whose trust is as scarce as daylight in winter. Can they move beyond their pasts to chart a future together, or will history’s echoes dictate their fate?

Set against the rugged backdrop of a small Alaskan island, Timber Ridge weaves together the warmth of community, the pain of the past, and the soft whisper of love that says, “home isn’t just a place.”

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

I need love like a case of the pox— itchy, irritating, and leaves you scarred for life.

My teacher never looked like that. Mrs. Miller had less hair than Dad and she was missing her front two teeth. She used to spit when she talked.

Generosity is a muscle you have to flex.

Timber, I promise to share my toys, to help you bake cookies, and to always give you lots of hugs. And Daddy, I will be good and not kiss anyone until I’m thirty- five.

 

My Review:

 

This was a relaxing, enjoyable, easy-to-follow, well-paced, and rather sweet tale and the perfect introduction to kick off a new series. The storylines were realistic yet entertaining with amusing hits of humor while populated with admirable characters who were instantly likable, endearing, and the salt of the earth types whom I would benefit from knowing and having in my own life. I look forward to many more future trips to the wilds of Point Promise.

 

ABOUT KELLY COLLINS   

 

  Goodreads  / Website  / Amazon / Facebook / Twitter / Pinterest / Bookbub

International bestselling author of over 30 novels, Kelly Collins writes with the intention of keeping the love alive. Always a romantic, she blends real-life events with her vivid imagination to create characters and stories that lovers of contemporary romance, new adult, and romantic suspense will return to again and again.

 

Posted on

Book Review: Banana Pants by Penny Reid  @ReidRomance  @SmartyPantsRom

Banana Pants
by Penny Reid

Amazon  / B&N / Apple / GP / BB

 

Estranged childhood friends unexpectedly reunite under bizarre circumstances and bicker their way to love in this bonkers romantic comedy.

Ava Archer misses her best childhood friend most especially during the month of April. Ask any tax attorney, it’s a lonely, grueling time of year. Luckily, Ava has just received a surprising and delectably absurd offer from her posh doppelgänger at work. She must .to be the aforementioned posh co-worker for one night at an extremely fancy party; a party so fancy, there exists absolutely no chance anyone will recognize her or suspect her ruse. .
.
Desmond (Des) Sullivan is a thief. And not the heart-of-gold kind. He’s the steal-from-the-rich-and-give-to-the-also-rich-so-he-can-get-paid kind. He does, however, have one firm rule: never steal what the target can’t afford to lose. After a brutal falling out with his father, Desmond hasn’t returned to Chicago in over ten years. But when a good friend is swindled and something priceless is stolen, Desmond must return home, both as himself and his thieving alter ego.
.
Infiltrate a dangerous secret society of the world’s most elite billionaires while leveraging his estranged father’s resources and not blowing his cover? Sure. No problem. Or it wouldn’t be a problem if Ava Archer hadn’t just walked into the room, wearing a ridiculous wig, speaking with a preposterous accent, and pretending (badly) to be someone she’s not.
.
‘Bananapants’ is a full-length, contemporary romantic comedy filled with hijinks and shenanigans. It can be read as a standalone, but the parents of the main characters will be familiar to anyone who has read the Knitting in the City series.

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

They probably had a money vault somewhere Scrooge McDuck wanted to swim in.

My brother guarded himself like he was an illegal state secret and all other humans were whistleblowers.

You were unhinged on the phone when you called that night. Ranting about how his attractiveness should be against the law. I couldn’t take you seriously until I saw it in person.

Incompetence was everywhere. EVERYWHERE! It was one of the constants in life: death, taxes, change, cockroaches, and incompetence.

I swear, I will go to girl jail for this if you ever reveal me as a source…

Everyone here had been checking him out since he’d walked in. If he’d been a book in a library, he’d have a yearlong waitlist.

 

My Review:

 

Reading a Penny Reid novel is something I always look forward to with great anticipation, so much so, I have tried to use her tales as a reward for good behavior. But as I can’t resist the allure of her delightful missives and appear to be lacking in self-restraint when her oddly consuming character dynamics are concerned, I will read her clever arrangements of words even if I’ve been naughty. Her witty tales are smirk-worthy amusing, sizzling hot, and deeply insightful while thoughtfully written. She has mad word voodoo that sucks me into an all-consuming vortex populated with authentic, complex, and compelling characters. Her latest effort is her best work yet and kept me tethered to my Kindle late into the night.

 

Penny Reid is the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling author of the Winston Brothers and Knitting in the City series. She used to spend her days writing federal grant proposals as a biomedical researcher, but now she writes kissing books. Penny is an obsessive knitter and manages the #OwnVoices-focused mentorship incubator/publishing imprint, Smartypants Romance. She lives in Seattle Washington with her husband, three kids, and dog named Hazel.

Posted on

Book Review: New Dreams for the Village Nurse (The Village Nurse #2) by Tilly Tennant  @tillytennant6000  @bookouture

New Dreams for the Village Nurse
(The Village Nurse #2)
by Tilly Tennant

 

Amazon  / B&N  / BB

 

Escape to the glittering lakes and pretty stone villages of the Lake District, where warm bright summer evenings are just around the corner, the bees are buzzing in the hedgerows, and village nurse Ottilie Oakcroft is beginning to realise that her second chance at true love isn’t smooth sailing…

Ottilie Oakcroft can’t imagine living anywhere but the village of Thimblebury. Since moving there after her husband’s death, the villagers have welcomed her with open arms, and it’s been a long time since she’s felt this happy. Another reason for the sparkle in her eyes is her blossoming romance with Heath, who showed her that second chances at love can happen.

But when a chance meeting with Heath’s glamorous ex-wife Mila sparks a terrible argument between the pair, and with Ottilie’s patients keeping her too busy to repair the cracks in their relationship, things begin to feel a little shaky. Especially when Simon, a handsome new GP with dark eyes and broad shoulders, arrives in Thimblebury, and Heath shows a jealous side that Ottilie has never seen before…

Ottilie knows how lucky she is to have found Heath but when she discovers that Mila has been secretly visiting Thimblebury she fears the worst. Heath tries to reassure her but why did he keep Mila’s visits a secret? Did Ottilie make a mistake when she opened her fragile heart or is she letting the hurt from her past stand in the way of their future?

A beautiful romantic escapist read about healing from past hurts and learning to love again. Fans of Jessica Redland, Shari Low and Jo Bartlett will be transported by New Dreams for the Village Nurse.

 

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

The millions of little acts of kindness that happen every day are what makes the world tick over, not the grand gestures that everyone notices.

‘…it might sound to someone who didn’t know that you were calling me a lush.’ Ottilie laid a hand on her heart. ‘I’d never do that! I mean, you can sink more booze than a navy but that’s beside the point…’

My Review:

 

I adore Tilly Tennant and have reveled in every one of her engaging and nimbly penned tales that I’ve been lucky enough to pick up. This volume was an easy to follow, entertaining, and thoughtfully written continuation of the village nurse series, and I delighted in book two as much as the first installment.

I enjoy this clever scribe’s wry wit and authentic village characters. Her descriptions of the village denizens and encounters are as humorous as they are defining and I often feel as if I could easy recognize the inhabitants of her stories if I met them on the street. I’m looking forward to more of these gently endearing tales.

 

About the Author

From a young age, Tilly Tennant was convinced that she was destined for the stage.  Once she realised she wasn’t actually very good at anything that would put her on the stage, she started to write stories instead. There were lots of terrible ones, like The Pet Rescue Gang (aged eight), which definitely should not see the light of day ever again. Thankfully, her debut novel, Hopelessly Devoted to Holden Finn was not one of those, and since it hit the Amazon best seller lists she hasn’t looked back. Born in Dorset, she currently lives in Staffordshire with her husband, two daughters, three guitars, four ukuleles, two violins and a kazoo.

 

Posted on

Book Review:  Strictly the Worst (The Salinger Brothers #5) by Carrie Elks  @CarrieElks

Strictly the Worst
(The Salinger Brothers #5)
by Carrie Elks

 

 

Amazon / B&N  / BB

Linc Salinger and I have nothing in common. He’s a smooth PR executive; I’m his disciplined office rival.

And he’s just stolen the project I’ve been working on for months.

After tough negotiation I manage to bargain my way back on, but there’s a catch. We have to travel to a tropical island and present to the client together.

Sharing a beach cottage with only one bed, we plan to stay professional. But the island’s magic starts to thaw our animosity, sparking unexpected chemistry. Every laugh and touch intensifies our connection.

It’s obvious there’s no future between us.

He’s a confirmed player. And I’m a single mom with a teenage daughter and a home that’s falling down around us.

So I make a bargain with myself. A few nights of pleasure in paradise and then we’ll head back to New York and pretend this never happened.

We can go back to being at each other’s throats the way we always have.

The only problem is, Linc doesn’t seem to get the office memo…

Enemies-to-lovers and forced proximity collide in this sizzling romantic comedy set on a lush tropical island.

 

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

I feel like I’m at a crossroads, having to choose between the dull, straight road ahead of me, and the twisty one that winds into a forest and gets lost in the hills. I can’t see where it ends up but it looks so much more enticing.

I glance over at Angela, who seems very interested in her nails. She’s turning her hand this way and that, staring at it like she might find all the answers to the meaning of life in her cuticles.

His standards aren’t just double, they’re cubed.

I love parties. Or I used to. But it all felt… less… without you. Like somebody had turned the color down on life.

 

My Review:

 

Carrie Elks’s writing is so smooth and enticing that I fell right into this one and didn’t want to come back out as I was enjoying these characters and their snappy banter all too much. The storylines were interesting and the characters who inhabited them were likable and alluring. Each book in this series has been top-shelf and cleverly amusing.

 

Carrie Elks writes contemporary romance with a sizzling edge. Her first book, Fix You, has been translated into eight languages and made a surprise appearance on Big Brother in Brazil. Luckily for her, it wasn’t voted out. Carrie lives with her husband, two lovely children, and a larger-than-life black pug called Plato. When she isn’t writing or reading, she can be found baking, drinking an occasional (!) glass of wine, or chatting on social media.

 

Posted on

Book Review: Package Makes Perfect (Green Valley Heroes #6) by Lauren Connolly    @laurenconnollyromance  @smartypantsromance


Package Makes Perfect
(Green Valley Heroes #6)
by Lauren Connolly

 

When a man cheats, don’t go postal. Date a postman.

Robin Dunn is used to dealing with egotistical men. After years in the military and working in the male-dominated field of aviation mechanics, Robin thought she could tell the good guys from the bad. She even moved to the small town of Green Valley for a man she planned to build a life with. So why is that guy butt-naked on their couch with another woman, fondling her chest like he found himself a set of stress balls?

Not one to run away, Robin decides to stake a claim on her new home and dole out some much-needed revenge. In a twist of luck, she convinces Arthur Kraut, her loser ex’s cousin, and the town’s grumpy mail carrier, to agree to her fake relationship scheme. Probably because she offers to help the guy with his lady troubles through copious amounts of PDA.

After a lifetime of disappointments, Robin can’t help noticing how Arthur always delivers when she needs him. Too bad she’s done with needing men. Doesn’t matter that kissing Arthur has her thinking other, dirtier thoughts. All she wants is to get revenge on her ex, fix airplanes, and not fall for a man who has his heart set on someone else…

‘Package Makes Perfect’ is a full-length contemporary romance and can be read as a standalone. Book #6 in the Green Valley Heroes series, Green Valley Chronicles, Penny Reid Book Universe.

 

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

pain machine… That’s what this grinding mess in my chest feels like. A bunch of rusty gears and parts turning and twisting and spitting out noxious fumes of loathing and anger and despair.

At some point, I’m going to sit him down and ask what stupid ghost possessed his body to make him think this was a good idea.

I’m trying to keep from making assholery a family trait.

She’s not a put on a sweet voice and bless your heart kind of woman.

I promise not to bring up menstruation around your family. I know how scary tampons are to you big, tough men.

No time with you is a waste. When I’m with you, I’m living.

 

My Review:

 

I relished every well-chosen and artfully arranged word within this amusing and insightfully written tale. Lauren Connolly is a recent discovery for me through the Smartypants brand and I am deeply grateful she took this project on. I am enamored with her clever observations and endearing and realistically damaged characters. I smirked and giggled-snorted my way through this one and am looking forward to her next contribution.

 

Lauren Connolly is an award-winning author of contemporary and paranormal romance stories. She’s lived among mountains, next to lakes, and in imaginary worlds. Lauren can never seem to stay in one place for too long, but trust that wherever she’s residing there is a dog who thinks he’s a troll, twin cats hiding in the couch, and bookshelves bursting with stories written by the authors she loves.

 

Posted on

Book Review: It Started with a Book by Camilla Isley @camillaisley @theboldbookclub @boldwoodbooksnl

It Started with a Book
by Camilla Isley

Amazon  / B&N / Apple / BB

When she’s ghosted by yet another Tinder match, Leighton swears off dating for life. Who needs apps and blind dates when she has the perfect-in-every-way (apart from being fictional) heroes of her beloved romance novels?

That night Leigh finds a second-hand book on her TBR pile, which transports her to the small-town of Lakeville Hills, where the heroines wear shorty-shorts and the men drink bourbon. And as Leigh drifts off to sleep, she dreams of billionaire cowboy Killian St Clair, who could win a gold medal for smoldering and bicep flexing.

For a while, Leigh finds it easier to stomach misogynistic supervisors, newly coupled friends, and extravagant bridesmaid duties knowing she can return to Lakeville Hills each evening. Until one day, she wakes up to find she’s brought a bit of Lakeville Hills back with the impossible sexy and entirely implausible Killian St Clair is in her apartment.

Now Leigh must help Killian navigate the real world. But as she gets to know the man behind the trope, can she keep her heart safe, or does she risk falling in love with her book boyfriend in real life?

 

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

Any respectable romance heroine has to be a hot mess for her grand meet-cute. Maybe that’s where I’m going wrong. I should’ve come here un-showered and wearing granny underwear. Nice clothes equal no Mr. Right.

“What’s a cinnamon roll hero?” “A golden retriever kind of sweet guy in a romance novel. Ideally, he’d be a veterinarian, a middle-grade teacher, or a single dad. The cinnamon roll is goofily hot, possibly even a hot nerd. He has some heartbreak in his past but has never stopped being open to love. And he’s spectacular in bed, of course.”

Spotty looks as threatening as an overcooked noodle.

And I know we all love it when men growl possessively in romance novels, but trust me, in real life, it’s beyond ridiculous. “Stop it,” I tell him firmly. “You sound like a lawnmower with indigestion.”

I’m sure an ECG would show a severe case of arrhythmia because that poor organ is hammering against my ribs like it’s trying to break free.

My Review:

 

I have to give proper kudos to an author who can cleverly make fun of overworked romance tropes while deftly employing every single one of them. I fell into this one head first and didn’t want to come back out. Camilla Isley has honed and perfected her craft so well, her unique arrangements of words produced a smooth scrolling of sharp visuals across my gray matter as I perused her latest missive. I adore her wit and covet her skills.

 

Camilla is an engineer who left science behind to enter the whimsical realm of romantic fiction.

She writes contemporary rom-coms. Her characters have big hearts, might be a little stubborn at times, and love to banter with each other. Every story she pens has a guaranteed HEA that will make your heart beat faster. Unless you’re a vampire, of course.

Camilla is a cat lover, coffee addict, and shoe hoarder. Besides writing, she loves reading—duh!—cooking, watching bad TV, and going to the movies—popcorn, please. She’s a bit of a foodie, nothing too serious. A keen traveler, Camilla knows mosquitoes play a role in the ecosystem, and she doesn’t want to starve all those frog princes out there, but she could really live without them.

Posted on

Book Review: Murder at Sea Oats Beach by Karen C. Whalen @karen_c_whalen_author

Murder at Sea Oats Beach
by Karen C. Whalen

Breanna Hart is volunteering at the animal shelter and living her best life in a North Carolina beach town, but that changes when the police chief is found dead under mysterious circumstances inside the cage of her favorite dog. Everyone has the dog tagged as the murderer, even the handsome police officer in charge of the investigation, and the pooch is put on the euthanasia list. In spite of being new in town and dealing with both a social phobia and a secret, will Breanna be able to solve the crime and prove the dog’s innocence? Will she be able to find his forever home so she can embrace the salty seaside life and find a forever home for herself?

 

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

Don’t be ugly, y’all.

 

My Review:

 

This was an entertaining, quick, and humorous read with an endearing main character who was socially awkward to a painful degree. Breanna was trying to put herself forward and work on her social phobias while also attempting to save a shelter dog from euthanasia. To save the dog, Breanna needed to solve a murder while hitting roadblock after roadblock within the small beach town community.

This crafty author has obviously been keenly observant of this type of condition and knows it’s easier to be bold for someone else than for oneself. The characters were authentically quirky and amusing and the small-town tactics and scenarios were realistically framed while prodding my curiosity for the motives behind the troublesome behaviors. I am looking forward to watching Bree’s progress in future installments.

 

 

About the Author

Amazon
Goodreads
Website
Facebook
Twitter
BookBub
Instagram

 

Karen C. Whalen is the author of two mystery series for The Wild Rose Press: the Dinner Club Mysteries featuring Jane Marsh, an empty nester who hosts a gourmet dinner club, and the Tow Truck Mysteries starring Delaney Moran, a super feminine shoe-a-holic who drives a tow truck. Both are about strong friendships and family ties set in Colorado. She worked for many years as a paralegal at a law firm in Denver and had been a columnist and regular contributor to The National Paralegal Reporter magazine. She loves to host dinner clubs, entertain friends, ride bicycles, hike in the mountains, and read cozy murder mysteries.
Posted on

Book Review: Murder at an English Pub (Sarah Vane Mysteries Book 1) by Alice Castle    @alice_castle__ @bookouture

Murder at an English Pub
(Sarah Vane Mysteries Book 1)
by Alice Castle

Amazon  / B&N  / BB

When retired doctor Sarah Vane moves to Merstairs, she has no idea that the quaint seaside town isn’t quite as friendly it seems, and something sinister is bubbling under the picturesque surface…

Recently widowed and looking for a fresh start away from city life, Sarah Vane moves into a lovely little cottage by the sea. The rustic charm is everything she hoped it would be, but her new home doesn’t quite have enough space for her things. Her old friend Daphne offers to store Sarah’s boxes in her messy beach hut, but while clearing it out, they are shocked to find a heavy trunk… containing a dead body.

They immediately recognise the poor man as pub landlord Gus Trubshaw. Sarah concludes that he was suffocated, but who could have wanted jolly Gus dead? Unimpressed by the police’s lack of interest, Sarah realises she will have to solve the case herself.

Soon, Sarah discovers that not everyone loved Gus as much as she’d thought. Could the killer be scoutmaster Bill, who was recently banned from the pub? Or perhaps it was antique store owner, Charles, who owned the beach hut before Daphne? Or was it brewery director Mr. Grimes, who was livid with Gus for squeezing him on the purchase price of his delicious ale?

Just when the clues are starting to fall into place, the prime suspect is found strangled on the beach. And when Sarah discovers a deadly secret that links the two murders, she’s certain that a dangerous killer is roaming the streets of Merstairs. With the town in a panic, time is ticking for Sarah. Will she solve the mystery before it’s last orders for another victim?

Set off for the breezy English seaside and join Sarah on her adventures in quirky Merstairs, where nothing is quite as it seems! Fans of Agatha Christie, Betty Rowlands and Katie Gaylewill be instantly hooked by this deliciously gripping cozy mystery.

 

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

‘The trouble is that the coroner is swamped. Merstairs does have quite a large elderly population, you know,’ she said, in a way that made it clear she was not part of that group. ‘Old dears dropping off their perches keep them very busy.’

It was a threatening beginning, accompanied as it was by a fierce look from Francesca’s bitter brown eyes. Sarah had always previously associated that shade with lovely, sweet, gently warming things, like chocolate and treacle, but Francesca’s stare was the colour of the hardest toffee going– the sort that would yank out your fillings in a trice, and probably crack a molar or two for good measure.

Her resentment is the perfect renewable energy. If only we could use it to power Merstairs. None of us would ever need to pay a penny in electricity bills again.

My Review:

 

I adore a wry wit and the delightful scribe known as Alice Castle has an exceptionally clever one as well as a smooth and engaging style that never fails to tickle my fancy. Her tales charm and entertain with snort-worthy humor that keeps a smirk on my face during perusal while also poking and prodding my curiosity to work out the “who done it.” But I do miss her beloved character of the pixie boot wearing Beth, maybe she could drop in Sarah for a visit.

Before turning to crime, Alice Castle was a UK newspaper journalist for The Daily Express, The Times, and The Daily Telegraph. Alice is an avid reader of crime fiction, her favorite stories are cozy crimes with a strong sense of place. When she couldn’t find a series about her beloved south London, she decided to write her own – and single mum amateur sleuth Beth Haldane was born. Alice also writes twisty psychological thrillers for HQ Digital under the name A.M. Castle. The Perfect Widow was a top-selling audiobook in 2019 and The Invitation hit the top 50 on Amazon UK in 2021. Alice lives with her two children and two cats and, if she isn’t writing or reading a whodunit, she’ll be watching one on telly.

Posted on

Book Review: Murder in Mayfair (Lady Eleanor Swift #18) by Verity Bright    @BrightVerity  @Bookouture

Murder in Mayfair
(Lady Eleanor Swift #18)
by Verity Bright

 

Tea and cake at The Ritz, a stolen pearl necklace and a missing dead body… Lady Swift is back on the case!

Lady Eleanor Swift has been eagerly awaiting her trip in a hot air balloon to take in London’s amazing sights. But what she witnesses instead is a murder! From way up high she sees a man in a dark coat shoot another man dead, but by the time she arrives back on the ground, Eleanor can find no trace of the body. Just the broken piece of a pearl necklace clasp, trodden into the dirt.

Back at The Ritz hotel, over afternoon tea, Eleanor’s old friend Lady Philomena Chadwick confides in her about a scandalous theft. Lady Chadwick is certain someone on her staff has stolen her priceless pink pearl necklace. Eleanor is immediately suspicious when the description matches the jewellery she spotted at the crime scene.

Much to her butler Clifford’s amusement, Eleanor goes undercover as a governess in the Chadwick’s sparkling Mayfair mansion. As she sets about questioning the disgruntled staff, she uncovers a treasure trove of gossip. But how do a secret love affair, a flirty footman with a fondness for spying, and a housemaid hiding a nightly visitor connect to the murder?

And when Eleanor’s beau, Detective Hugh Seldon, is brought in to investigate a string of further robberies in Park Lane, Eleanor is certain that Chadwick House is hiding the unlikeliest gang of jewel thieves below stairs…

Diamonds are a girl’s best friend, but will this necklace get Eleanor killed before she uncovers the hidden gem she needs to crack the case?

Murder in Mayfair is a totally gripping and twisty Golden Age whodunnit set in London, perfect for fans of T.E. Kinsey, Agatha Christie and Catherine Coles!

 

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

I know how things usually pan out when I try and do the romantic thing. I’d probably more likely than not crack your head on a door frame on the way out and then discover my noble steed was a wretched donkey.

My pyjamas are calling me!

I don’t want to hear that level of honesty.

But it might help if you understand I was at the very end of the line when patience was given out.

My Review:

 

This series has been such fun, I remain totally enamored with Lady Swift and her ever-prepared butler, Clifford, who is usually two steps ahead of her. Team Verity Bright continues to hit their mark with a writing style that is polished, easy to follow, delightfully entertaining, humorous, and witty. This installment was particularly heartwarming as they continue to collect vulnerable people to care about and care for, and made a significant difference in their lives.

 

About the Author

.
Verity Bright is the pseudonym for a husband-and-wife writing partnership that has spanned a quarter of a century. Starting out writing high-end travel articles and books, they published everything from self-improvement to humor, before embarking on their first historical mystery. They are the authors of the fabulous Lady Eleanor Swift Mystery series, set in the 1920s.