Posted on by Maureen

Heirs and Assigns by Marjorie Eccles

81ltzwnkbhlI received this book from Netgalley/the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Two of my favorite genres are historical fiction and mysteries, and when these two are combined, I’ll likely enjoy the result. I’m not very particular about historical era- I love Victorian stories, as well as stories set in the 1930s, and just about everything in between.

I received the opportunity to read Heirs and Assigns, the first entry in a new British country house murder mystery series by Marjorie Eccles. The story begins in 1928 with a pilgrimage; the entire Llewellyn clan is descending upon their ancestral home to celebrate the birthday of their patriarch, Penrose. Even the family black sheep/prodigal son Huwie has returned for the happy occasion. At a celebratory dinner the night before the big event, Pen makes an announcement that surprises everyone, and the family’s reaction disrupts the evening’s festivities. The dinner party breaks up, and everyone retires for the evening. The next morning, Pen is discovered dead in his bed. Read more

Posted on by Maureen

Mrs. Roosevelt’s Confidante by Susan Elia MacNeal

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I am a big fan of Susan Elia MacNeal’s Maggie Hope series, although I admit that I am an inpatient fan. After reading the first book, I received an opportunity to read the fifth book before its release date. I was so excited that I dove into Mrs. Roosevelt’s Confidante, without having read the middle entries in the series! I may have spoiled myself for books 2-4, but I thoroughly enjoyed my experience and would do it again.

The story takes place at the end of 1941. Maggie Hope arrives in the United States as part of Winston Churchill’s entourage. President Roosevelt has just declared war on Germany and Japan, and Churchill has traveled to America as a gesture of solidarity. Maggie quickly demonstrates that she is an invaluable resource when she helps Eleanor Roosevelt with a delicate situation. A young woman who recently worked as Mrs. Roosevelt’s secretary has been found dead, and all signs seem to point to someone trying to implicate the First Lady in a shocking scandal.

There are several other storylines, including a young man about to be executed, and a trio of captured Nazis languishing away in an English manor house. These storylines are all related, and I loved the way that MacNeal wove everything together.

The best thing about this book, and probably about the series as a whole, is MacNeal’s talent for characterization; even the minor characters have well-developed personalities. I also loved the history behind this fictional story; I was unaware that Winston Churchill really did visit the United States, and I found myself looking up details of the visit while I was in the middle of reading. MacNeal does a wonderful job of inserting historical details into the dialogue and the descriptive paragraphs. While much of this book focused on tense moments, there was also some levity. Fala, the Roosevelts’ celebrated Scottie dog stole the show in all of his scenes.

I would absolutely recommend Mrs. Roosevelt’s Confidante. I would recommend reading the other books in the Maggie Hope series first; it’s probably not mandatory, but it certainly does help. I do plan to go back and read the books that I’ve missed as soon as I get a chance. There were several hints at the future of the series, and I am looking forward to seeing what is next for Maggie Hope.

Posted on by Maureen

The Adventuress by Tasha Alexander

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Behind the Shattered Glass was my first experience with Tasha Alexander’s delightful Lady Emily mystery series, so when I received the opportunity to read The Adventuress, Lady Emily’s newest adventure, I was very excited because I love stories set in the Victorian era, and I love mysteries.

In The Adventuress, Lady Emily and her husband Colin find themselves on the Cote D’Azure as the guests of the Wells family, whose daughter is engaged to Emily’s childhood friend the Duke of Bainbridge. As the story begins, the celebration is disrupted by the discovery of a body; a member of the party has been found dead. His death is ruled a suicide, but Lady Emily is suspicious of this; why would a chap who seemed generally happy with life choose to kill himself in his friend the duke’s room? Read more

Posted on by Maureen

Nooks & Crannies by Jessica Lawson

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I first found Nooks & Crannies by Jessica Lawson on Goodreads, and was immediately intrigued. I made a request through the library network, and my book arrived quickly. I have read so many wonderful middle grade novels this year, and I’m pleased to report that Nooks & Crannies was another treasure that I am happy to have discovered.

This is an Edwardian tale, as well as a mystery. As the story begins, six lucky children around London have all received letters inviting them to meet the Countess of Windermere. Our plucky protagonist is Tabitha Crum, who is the shabbiest of the six children. Tabitha has a little mouse called Pemberley, and she is a fan of Percival Pensive mystery stories. Read more

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The Secret History by Donna Tartt

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I first read The Secret History twelve years ago when one of my very best friends from college sent me the book for my birthday. Since then, it has become one of the books I read over and over again. Recently, Audible had a sale featuring ten editors who picked ten books apiece. The Secret History was one of those books, and I was very excited about the opportunity to experience one of my favorite books in a new medium.

The Secret History is Donna Tartt’s first book. One could argue that it is a mystery, but what makes things interesting is that it is not really a whodunit. We know who killed Bunny- narrator Richard and his friends are responsible- but the mystery lies in why they felt that they had no choice but to kill Bunny. Read more

Posted on by Maureen · 1 Comment

Luckiest Girl Alive by Jessica Knoll

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I first heard about Luckiest Girl Alive a couple of months ago, and I requested it from the library network. Luckiest Girl Alive, the debut effort of Jessica Knoll, seems to be one of the most popular books of the summer because I waited for over a month for my copy to arrive.

As the story begins, we are introduced to Ani FaNelli, who writes sex articles for a fictional version of Cosmopolitan. She’s engaged to the handsome son of an American blueblood family, and everything should be perfect, but it’s not. Ani has a dark side to her personality that lurks so close to the surface; the possibility of her revealing her inner monologue seems like it could happen at any point. Read more

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Heart of Ice by Sibelle Stone

I received this book from Netgalley/the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I was not familiar with Sibelle Stone, but when I had the opportunity to read her novel Heart of Ice, I was intrigued by the premise and the combination of several genres. The story is set in 1910- in Iceland, which is rather unique. Lucinda Stafford is a young woman who is not ready to return to her home in New York. She applies for the position of governess. She has never worked as a governess before, but she had one growing up, and that’s pretty much the same thing, isn’t it? Read more

Posted on by Maureen

Little Girls by Ronald Malfi

I received this book from Netgalley/the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I was not familiar with Ronald Malfi’s work when I received the opportunity to review Little Girls, but the premise was intriguing. By the end of the book, I had become a fan and will be seeking out more of Malfi’s books.

Little Girls is the story of Laurie Genarro, who has returned to her childhood home after her father’s passing. He was an old man, but there was nothing natural about the manner in which he died. Laurie moves into the house with her husband and daughter, with the intention of preparing the old home for sale. Her father’s caretakers tell Laurie about her father’s ranting in the throes of his dementia, and she can’t help but wonder if there was any truth to his fear. What if something was trying to get into the house? Laurie is also unsettled by her daughter’s new friend; Abigail looks exactly like her own childhood friend Sadie, who died thirty years ago. Read more

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China Rich Girlfriend by Kevin Kwan

Two years ago, I read Kevin Kwan’s debut novel, Crazy Rich Asians. It was a delightful romp through Singapore (and other locations) that featured some of the wealthiest people in the world. When I found out that a sequel was coming out, I placed a request at the library months in advance. China Rich Girlfriend arrived about a week after its release, and I was very excited about diving right into the book.

China Rich Girlfriend features an ensemble cast of characters, most of whom appeared in the first book. While there are many subplots, the main story features Rachel Chu. In the first book, she was forced to dodge accusations that she was a marrying her fiancé for his money. How could this be true when she had no idea that Nick belonged to one of Singapore’s wealthiest families? Nick’s mother Eleanor has returned, and she has managed to track down Rachel’s father. Even though Rachel and Nick are content to live typical American lives (they both work as professors), they find themselves flying to Shanghai to get to know Rachel’s father and his family. Read more

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Attachments by Rainbow Rowell

Rainbow Rowell is one of my favorite authors. I first fell in love with her books when I read Fangirl, and I was equally captivated by Landline. I had purchased Attachments during an Audible sale, and I recently got around to listening to it.

Attachments is the turn of the century (1999-2000) story of a young man named Lincoln. He’s shy, and a little socially awkward, and he works in IT for a newspaper. His responsibilities include monitoring the employees’ email for anything inappropriate. The correspondence between Beth and Jennifer, two of his coworkers regularly lands in his filters. Lincoln knows that he shouldn’t continue to read the emails, and he should either report them for personal correspondence during work hours or ignore them because they aren’t actually inappropriate. But he doesn’t do either of those things- he continues to read the emails, and as he does, he realizes that he genuinely cares about what the ladies are talking about, and he begins to fall in love with Beth. Read more