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Blog Tour - A Recipe for Murder

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  Review - 4 out of 5 stars: I’ve been a fan of the Lady Eleanor Swift series since the very first book, so I was excited to be asked to review the latest instalment, A Recipe for Murder. Although I enjoyed this book overall, I didn’t enjoy the nastiness going on between the two halves of the village, and the individuals in the village as well. However, it was still a joy to spend time with Eleanor, Clifford, Hugh, and the ladies. Not forgetting about Gladstone and Tomkins, of course. They did a great job of solving a particularly tricky and nasty mystery. Thankfully there were also the usual lighthearted moments to lift the mood, often perpetrated by the terrible two! The last chapter was the fulfilment of hopes started many, many books ago. It made me very happy. I can’t say more without spoilers! Overall, I enjoyed this book, it was an excellent mystery, full of interesting clues and characters, as well as my old friends from the series. I was given a copy of this book, my opini...

Blog Tour - The Secret Detective Agency

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  Review - 5 out of 5 stars: I’m not, in general, a fan of books set during war. However, I love Helena Dixon’s Miss Underhay Mysteries, so I decided to give The Secret Detective Agency a chance. I’m glad I did. I was immediately sucked into the story, and I was particularly interested by the fact that Arthur has asthma. I have a chronic illness myself, so it’s good to see main characters who are not 100% healthy or able bodied. Though of course it depends on how they’re portrayed. In this case, I felt it was very well done, neither calling for pity, nor using the “triumph over disability” trope that is so exhausting. I liked both main characters, though Jane seemed rather uncaring about Arthur’s difficulties with his asthma to start with. However, as the book went on, she took more care, and I warmed to her more.  The mystery was an interesting one, I couldn’t tell who the culprit was until the reveal. It was very satisfying to follow along as Jane and Arthur solved the myste...

Murder at Merivale Manor

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  Blurb: Murder At Merivale Manor A cozy dinner party, a playful game… and a very real murder.   London, 1923 Kitty Goring seems to have it all—lavish nights at London’s finest clubs, elegant soirées, and a parade of charming bachelors vying for her hand. But despite the glamour, Kitty longs for something a little more… thrilling.  In a bid for excitement (and to avoid her mother’s constant reminders that she  really  ought to be searching for a husband), Kitty dreams up the perfect diversion. A playful mock robbery at her family’s grand estate, Merivale Manor. It’s all meant to be fun—until one of the guests turns up very much dead. With a real killer on the loose in quaint little Hampstead Village, Kitty’s keen instincts kick in. Forget matchmaking—Kitty’s determined to unmask the culprit before anyone else falls victim. With a sharp wit and a flair for mischief, she dives headfirst into the investigation. But getting to the truth won’t be easy, especially wit...

Review - Secrets, Lies and Fireflies

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  Review - 5 out of 5 stars: I’m a huge fan of the Southern Ghost Hunter Mysteries by Angie Fox, so I was thrilled to get the opportunity to review book 14, Secrets, Lies and Fireflies. This time around, Verity is surprised, but over the moon, that her grandmother has appeared in ghostly form. She leads her to an old artefact, and so begins another mystery. It was so much fun to see Verity interact with her beloved grandmother. And there were many funny moments when Frankie and Verity’s grandmother interacted (I can’t say more without spoilers): I loved the mystery and the people it involved, the important history of the area.  Overall, this was an excellent mystery, and unexpectedly emotional (in a good way). I highly recommend reading the whole series from the beginning, to really enjoy the ongoing story. I was given a copy of this book, my opinions are my own.