Posted on by Maureen

Murder Most Actual by Alexis Hall

Book Description

From the author of Boyfriend Material and Rosaline Palmer Takes the Cake comes a cozy mystery that revisits the Golden Age of detective fiction, starring a heroine who’s more podcaster than private eye and topped with a lethal dose of parody — perfect for fans of Clue, Knives Out, and Only Murders in the Building!

When up-and-coming true crime podcaster Liza and her corporate financier wife Hanna head to a luxurious hotel in the Scottish Highlands, they’re hoping for a chance to rekindle their marriage – not to find themselves trapped in the middle of an Agatha Christie-esque murder mystery with no way home. But who better to take on the case than someone whose entire profession relies on an obsession with all things mysterious and macabre? Though some of her fellow guests may consider her an interfering new media hack, Liza knows a thing or two about crime and – despite Hanna’s preference for waiting out the chaos behind a locked door – might be the only one capable of discovering the killer. As the bodies rack up and the stakes rise, can they save their marriage — and their lives?

My Review

A common refrain when examining classic entertainment is, “This would never happen in the modern age because we have smartphones and the internet!”

WELL, Alexis Hall proves that phones and the internet won’t always help you if you happen to be dropped into the plot of a Golden Age mystery. As protagonists Liza and Hanna prove, sleuthing and wits are paramount to survival when trapped with a killer on the loose.

The core of every good mystery is a well-rounded cast of victims—er, characters. Hall delivers here: in addition to our main duo, there’s a vicar, a retired colonel, a professor, a dowager, a femme fatale, and several others. There isn’t a lot of character development with the secondaries, but that’s kind of the point: these characters need to stick to their assigned roles as a part of the bigger picture.

Liza and Hanna, however, do experience growth over the course of the mystery. They were supposed to have a relaxing getaway, and being thrust into the middle of a MURDER is the opposite of relaxing. So, on top of trying to work through their personal issues, they also have to avoid being murdered whilst snowed in, with no way to escape.

The narrative unfolds from Liza’s perspective, which makes sense because she’s the true crime podcaster. I loved Liza’s determination to solve the case, as well as her refusal to be dismissed by others for being an amateur. There’s a bit early in the book about Liza feeling a bit adrift with her degree in art history—compared to Hanna’s maths degree—until finding her niche with the podcast. That resonated with me personally as an English major married to a computer science major, so it was great to see Liza take on the challenge of solving the mystery.

The murder mystery is at the forefront of the plot, but the simmering tension of Liza and Hanna’s failing marriage is a constant presence in the background. This added an additional layer of depth to the narrative, and I found myself just as concerned about whether their marriage would survive the weekend as I was with both of them avoiding being murdered.

I would absolutely recommend Murder Most Actual. This book is a delightful mashup of Agatha Christie and board Cluedo/Clue. Some of the references are subtle, and some are more overt, but they both had me laughing out loud as I nodded in recognition.

Please note, this is a Kobo Original title, and there are multiple ways to access Kobo books via desktops, smartphones, and tablets.

I received a digital ARC of this book from Kobo Original/NetGalley.

About the Author

Alexis Hall is an English author of urban fantasy, science fiction, and m/m romance. His novels include Murder Most Actual, Boyfriend Material, Rosaline Palmer Takes the Cake, For Real, Glitterland, Iron & Velvet, Looking for Group, and Pansies.

His work has been nominated for to the 26th Lambda Literary Awards, 28th Lambda Literary Awards, and 29th Lambda Literary Awards in the category of Gay Romance.

Connect with Alexis Hall online at https://quicunquevult.com/ 

Posted on by Maureen

Best Laid Plaids by Ella Stainton

In 1928, Joachim Cockburn travels to Scotland to meet Ainsley Graham, his colleague’s younger brother. Ainsley Graham was laughed out of academia when he insisted that ghosts were real; Joachim studies delusional thinking, and intends to prove that ghosts are most certainly not real.  

The effervescent Ainsley offers to drive Joachim around Scotland to various haunted places, and while I don’t want to give too much away, I will say that Joachim’s hypothesis is wrong and that he finds it difficult to resist Ainsley’s charms.

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Posted on by Maureen

A Scot’s Surrender by Lily Maxton

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A Scot’s Surrender is the third book in Lily Maxton’s Regency-era The Townsends series of historical romance novels. I haven’t read of her books before, but I’m always interested in discovering new authors. I’ve also been reading quite a bit of m/m pairings, so that was another factor that piqued my interest.

Robert’s brother was featured in one of the earlier books in the series, but he (the brother) is away from Llynmore Castle, so readers won’t be at a loss if they don’t read the other books in the series first.

Anyway, Robert has been left in charge of the estate, and he has moved the land steward moved into the house because his cottage burned down. Robert and Ian don’t have anything in common; Robert feels like Ian doesn’t really like him (true) and this bothers him because he wants people to like him. Ian is a humble Highlander, who just wants to do his job, and Robert’s attempts at friendliness are getting in the way of that. Read more

Posted on by Maureen

The Highwayman by Kerrigan Byrne

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I am trying to be more responsible with my reading habits by reading and reviewing the ARCs that I receive. This plan was going along swimmingly until someone posted about The Highwayman in one of my book groups. It piqued my interest, and then someone else posted about it as well. There were now two separate posts with stacks of comments praising The Highwayman, and I knew that I could no longer ignore the siren’s call. I already owned the Kindle edition of the book, so it was quite easy to push aside everything else in my TBR pile and devour this book.

The Highwayman is a romance novel written by Kerrigan Byrne. It is the first book in her Victorian Rebels series. I have read two of the books in this series (The Duke and The Scot Beds His Wife), so I had a feeling I was going to enjoy this book. However, I could not have anticipated how much I was going to fall in love with this book.   Read more

Posted on by Maureen

A Devil in Scotland by Suzanne Enoch

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A Devil in Scotland is a historical romance novel written by Suzanne Enoch. It is the third book in her Regency-era No Ordinary Hero series. I have been a fan of Enoch’s books for years. I was especially excited about this one because I enjoyed the second book in the series and I was looking forward to finding out what was going to happen next.

Callum MacCreath is twenty years old, and wild as they come. Despite this, he professes his love for Rebecca, his childhood friend. There’s just one problem- Rebecca has just agreed to marry Callum’s older brother Ian. Needless to say, this does not go over well, and Ian is forced to leave the Scottish Highlands.

Ten years later, Callum has made a home for himself in Kentucky. He owns a prosperous distillery, and is doing just fine- until he receives a letter informing him that his brother has been dead for almost a year and that he is now the earl. Callum drops everything and journeys back to a life he thought he has left behind forever. Read more

Posted on by Maureen

The Scot Beds His Wife by Kerrigan Byrne

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The Scot Beds His Wife is a historical romance novel written by Kerrigan Byrne. It is the fifth book in the Victorian Rebels series. I thoroughly enjoyed her last book- The Duke– and I was very excited about reading this newest addition to the series.

Samantha Masters made some bad choices in the Wild West. Very bad choices. So when a chance encounter leads to an opportunity to travel to Scotland posing as an heiress to an estate, Samantha jumps at the chance to leave town and hightail it to the Highlands.

Gavin St. James, the Earl of Thorne, happens to live on the neighboring estate, and he is willing to do whatever it takes to get that land for himself. Usually, it is not very difficult for him to get what he wants from women, but his well-practiced seduction techniques are useless against this brash American. Read more

Posted on by Maureen

The Lady Most Willing by Julia Quinn, Eloisa James, and Connie Brockway

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I recently listened to the Audible edition of The Lady Most Willing, a historical romance novel in three parts. This cooperative effort is made up of the work of Julia Quinn, Eloisa James, and Connie Brockway. I also own the Kindle edition of this book, but sometimes it’s easier to listen than to read.

The story begins with a kidnapping. Laird Taran Ferguson decides that it is time that his nephews- Robin and Byron- settle down and marry. So, he does what any rational man would do- he kidnaps several eligible young heiresses from a house party at a neighboring house and brings them to his decrepit castle. Robin and Byron are mortified by this, and then the situation becomes even more complicated when a snowstorm cuts off the castle from the main road, forcing everyone to hunker down for a few days. And then added to the mix, we have two unexpected guests- a charming young lady who is most certainly not an heiress and a very angry young duke who was sleeping in his carriage when the vehicle was used to spirit the kidnapped women away. Read more

Posted on by Maureen

My One True Highlander by Suzanne Enoch

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

Suzanne Enoch was one of my favorite authors when I first started reading historical romance novels, so I was very excited when I received the opportunity to read her latest book.

My One True Highlander is the second book in the No Ordinary Hero series. As the story begins, we are introduced to Lady Marjorie Forrester who is the sister of the Duke of Lattimer (and the hero of the first book in the series). The Forrester siblings did not grow up as members of the aristocracy; Lattimer inherited the title unexpectedly, changing both of their lives forever. Lady Marjorie spends her days fruitlessly trying to fit into proper society, so when she receives a letter from her brother declaring his intentions to marry, she decides to take a trip to Scotland to visit him and meet his new bride.   Read more

Posted on by Maureen

The Charmed Children of Rookskill Castle by Janet Fox

41ijyi-d4ulI had been eagerly awaiting The Charmed Children of Rookskill Castle, and was very excited when I finally had time to read it. This middle grade novel was written by Janet Fox.

Katherine Bateson and her siblings are sent to north to Scotland and Rookskill Castle to escape the London Blitz. They are joined by several other children, and they are all the guests of Lady Eleanor, who had graciously turned her manor house into a school for the children. Read more