Death & the Viking's Daughter by Loretta Ross

Next on Wren and Death's Appraisal List:
Item #1: An Old Family Feud.
Item #2: A Missing Woman.
Item #3: A Body in the Rosebushes of their Dream House

Auctioneer Wren Morgan and her private eye fiancé Death (pronounced "Deeth") Bogart are ready to meet each other's parents and settle down together. But their sleuthing days are far from over. While Death and Wren are helping prepare auction items at an old supper club, a Viking reenactor nearly dies at the historical settlement next door. The cause? Seeing the ghost of his daughter, who went missing twenty years ago.

As Wren looks into what happened to the Viking's daughter, Death is hired to investigate the theft of historical items that have high sentimental value. When their respective investigations turn out to be connected, the couple gets caught in a deadly conflict.

Series: Auction Block Mystery #4 | Publisher: Midnight Ink  | Genre: Contemporary Cozy Mystery| Source: Publisher| Rating: 4 Cups

Challenges Read For:  Literary Pickers  Caravan/RV

The ending of the last book gave just enough of a tease that left me itching for this mystery and when I received the ARC, I read it in one sitting. Yeah, when these are in book form rather than audio form, they don’t last very long.

 

Like the mysteries in previous books, this too centered had a bit of an historical bend to it. Death has been hired to look into a forged painting that’s value is more sentimental than monetary. Along the way, he discovers that several historic items with sentimental value have been replaced with forgeries. While he’s been sorting out his mystery, Wren makes a discovery of her own in the form of a blood-caked costume like the Viking’s daughter was last seen wearing. As they continue their investigations, they soon realize the two are connected.  

 

I really enjoyed watching Wren and Death settle into their relationship. They’re still working through some issues. Death’s still getting a handle on his PTSD and he’s worried about sharing such a close space with Wren. He also has the new complication of meeting Wren’s parents. Wren’s dealing with her mother questioning whether she makes the best relationship choices given her last fiancé came out as gay. I just loved watching them grow in their relationship. They’ve finally found their footing and I’m so thrilled for them.

 

The mystery was a bit different in this one and I enjoyed that she changed up the formula while keeping true to the series. Like the previous books, there are several threads to the mystery and while I had an inkling about some things, I was surprised by the ending.

 

The secondary characters are just amazing. The entire Keystone brood just makes me smile. They’re a bit kooky at times but so entertaining and lovable. They bring so much heart to this series. Then there’s Randy, Death’s brother, he’s bit over the top but such fun and always there for Death and Wren. This is the first time Wren’s parents made an appearance and I enjoyed them, they added a nice touch.

 

Although this one is labeled as a cozy mystery, it’s has so much more depth to it and it brings so many serious issues to light and I like how she incorporates the hard-hitting issues with the lightness and humor of the characters without diminishing seriousness of the issues.

 

Overall, this one is another great addition to the Auction Block Mystery series. It has a bit of everything history, mystery, romance, serious issues, and comedy. I cannot wait to see what’s next for Wren and Death.

 

On a sidenote, it was a bit eerie reading about the Beverly Hills Supper Club, it’s the supper club the one the Keystones were auctioning off was modeled after, because the tragedy is part of the history of my area. Since it was so close, a lot of people from Southern Ohio were there the night it caught on fire and I had heard stories from people who were there or who had known someone there that night. So, it added a bit more depth for me.  

 

 Auction Block Mystery Series

#1-Death and the Redhead Woman

#2-Death and the Brewmaster’s Widow

#3-Death and the Gravedigger's Angel

#4-Death and the Viking's Daughter

 

 

   

Playing House by Amy Andrews

Eleanor is content with her boring life—mostly. She’s even fine being the quirky sister in a bevy of beauties. So imagine her surprise when one of her brother’s Sydney Smoke mates hits on her at an engagement party. Her. The weird sister, who wears vintage dresses and prefers her books to parties.

Bodie is shocked the next morning to find the soft, sexy virgin who seduced him with corsets is his best friend’s little sister. If he could kick his own ass, he would. And two months later, she’s got an even bigger surprise for him. Now he needs to convince the corset-loving wallflower that he loves her uniqueness if they’ve got a chance at forever.

Series: Sydney Smoke Rugby #5 | Publisher: Entangled: Brazen | Release Date: February 12, 2018| Genre: Contemporary Romance | Source: Publisher | Rating: 3.5

Challenges Read For: All About the Trope (forced proximity)  Literary Pickers  - Dust/Cobwebs

 

She’s a wallflower with a love for all things Victorian and a penchant for wearing pantaloons. He’s a hotshot rugby player who’s been getting over his ex by going through a revolving door of women. How can things not get interesting when the two get together?

 

Here’s what’s going on. All Eleanor wants to do at her brother’s engagement party is blend into the background until Bodie strikes up a conversation with her and she realizes she’s finally found the one to lose her virginity to. Bodie can’t seem to get enough of Eleanor, even after he learns she’s his best friend’s little sister. And now that there’s a consequence of their night together, he realized he can use this as his chance to get to know the woman he can’t get out of his mind.

 

I loved Eleanor and Bodie. They were a bit like chalk and cheese but they were so good together, which is why I read this book in one sitting. Seriously, it was a put a do not disturb sign on the door, don’t answer the phone, let the hot tea go cold, can’t put it down type of book.

 

I really enjoyed Eleanor. She walks to the beat of her own drum and I admire that—I also admire anyone who can sew a corset without losing their mind and wear them daily without fainting. She’s lived her life on a cattle station (Australian ranch) with Jane Austen as her guide and a stack of Victorian romances that’s served as her personal dating guide. It took her a bit of time to find her footing and come out of her shell and I was really rooting for her to figure out how to balance the wallflower with the more outgoing person she was becoming.

 

Bodie’s been playing the field of a bit—he was hurt and figured a string of women was the best way to save himself from going down the same path and getting involved with someone who only wanted him for his celebrity and trust fund. So, when he meets Eleanor and she starts chattering away about Victorian hypnotist, he’s enthralled. He’s also just an all-around good bloke. He caring, considerate, and feels guilty that’s he’s sleeping with his best friend’s sister but he doesn’t want to give her. And when he learns about the consequences their one night together, he goes with the flow rather than having a meltdown.

 

The romance started as insta-lust then evened out but even at the beginning they had such great chemistry and it continued to grow. Neither was sure what to expect and they had a bit of figuring out to do.

 

While I loved the majority of the book, the last few chapters just seemed off, which thoroughly disappointed me. Given the foreshadowing, I figured what was going to happen but the fallout just seemed out of place and a bit like drama for drama’s sake. And I don’t understand why the blame was placed on Bodie and why he felt like he had to make amends.

 

So, this one was a sports romance and I wasn’t sure what to expect—they can go either way for me—but, thankfully, this one was centered around a sport I watch so I actually knew what was going on and I didn’t feel like I was out in left field. Of course, the romance was center stage, but I felt this offered a nice balance between the sport and the romance. This one made me realize I need to read more rugby romances.

 

Overall, while the last few chapters weren’t my favorite, I did enjoy this one. It was fresh and unique and I’m interested in reading the previous books in this series.

 

Sydney Smoke Rugby series

Playing By Her Rules

Playing It Cool

Playing the Player

Playing With Forever

Playing House

Waiting on Wednesday #71: Bellewether by Susanna Kearsley

 Title: Bellewether Author: Susanna Kearsley
Publisher/Release Date: Simon & Schuster Canada April 24th 2018, Sourcebooks Landmark October 2^nd, 2018
Why it’s my WoW: Because I’m so excited and I just can’t hide it! lol I’m seriously thinking about buying it from S&S Canada because Kearsley is one of those I need it now authors. I absolutely love her writing style and the fact she writes modern day gothics.  If you haven’t read her before, I highly recommend her.

 

Some houses seem to want to hold their secrets.

 

It’s 1759 and the world is at war, pulling the North American colonies of Britain and France into the conflict. The times are complicated, as are the loyalties of many New York merchants who have secretly been trading with the French for years, defying Britain’s colonial laws in a game growing ever more treacherous.

 

When captured French officers are brought to Long Island to be billeted in private homes on their parole of honour, it upends the lives of the Wilde family—deeply involved in the treasonous trade and already divided by war.

 

Lydia Wilde, struggling to keep the peace in her fracturing family following her mother’s death, has little time or kindness to spare for her unwanted guests. French-Canadian lieutenant Jean-Philippe de Sabran has little desire to be there. But by the war’s end they’ll both learn love, honour, and duty can form tangled bonds that are not broken easily.

 

Their doomed romance becomes a local legend, told and re-told through the years until the present day, when conflict of a different kind brings Charley Van Hoek to Long Island to be the new curator of the Wilde House Museum.

 

Charley doesn’t believe in ghosts. But as she starts to delve into the history of Lydia and her French officer, it becomes clear that the Wilde House holds more than just secrets, and Charley discovers the legend might not have been telling the whole story...or the whole truth.

 

 

What are you waiting on?

w 

 

 

   

Tuesday’s Tea and Tome: Bel, Book, and Scandal: A Belfast McGrath by Maggie McConnon

Bel McGrath tries her best to keep herself on the straight and narrow but she just has a taste for trouble. This time danger arrives in the form of a newspaper left behind by visitors to Shamrock Manor--and a photograph that jolts Bel out of the present and back into a dark chapter from her past. The person in the photo is Bel's best friend Amy Mitchell, long gone from Foster's Landing, at a commune in upstate New York shortly after her disappearance. The picture, and Bel's burning desire to find out what happened to Amy--and whether she may still be alive--is the catalyst for a story in which old secrets are revealed, little by little...and certain characters are shown to not be as genuine as Bel once thought.

 

Series: Belfast McGrath #3 | Publisher: St. Martin's Press | Genre: Contemporary Cozy Mystery | Source: Publisher | Rating: 4 Cups

 

So, I sort of jumped into this one at an odd spot—it’s the third book in the series and it happens to be the end of a mystery that’s arced across the series. Surprisingly, this one worked as a standalone.

 

Here’s what’s going on. When a potential client leaves behind a newspaper, Bel instantly recognizes Amy Mitchell, her best friend who has been missing and presumed dead since they were teens. Now Bel finds herself visiting an old commune in New York’s Hudson Valley and meeting a man who seems to be hiding more than he is willing to tell. As her search for Amy continues, Bel finds herself wading deeper and deeper into danger and questioning whether or not she wants to know the secret that drove Amy away.

 

I wasn’t really sure what to expect from this one, especially since I started in such a weird place in the series but I was hooked from the first chapter. The entire zany McGrath clan just drew me in and the mystery kept me turning the page.

 

Bel was a rather interesting and quirky chef-turned-amateur-sleuth. She’s a bit all over the place as she tries to uncover the truth about Amy’s disappearance, keep her nosy family at bay, work as chef at her family’s business, and deal with dating drama. She’s more than a bit harried from being pulled in so many different directions but she’s determined to discover the truth about what happened that night.

 

Bel’s brothers added so much entertainment and drama to the mix and it was fun seeing which one was going to come up with something outrageous to do. Although out of her four brothers, I liked seeing her relationship with Cargan. She knew he would always have her back and I liked the way he supported her.

 

The mystery was a bit different from the ones I’ve read before in cozy mysteries and I liked the change of pace. I also liked that I wasn’t really sure of what the outcome would be. I had an inkling and I was partly right but this one played out nicely.

 

Like most cozies there’s a bit of romance—or rather romantic drama—for Bel. Like the mystery, the romantic drama played out in the previous books so rather than witnessing it, this book dealt more with the fallout and the figuring out what to do next. While I thought it was handled well, the ending was a bit vague.

 

There were a few bumps in the road with this one.  Bel was occasionally a bit over the top, there was a part of the book where she went on about how her cooking was so amazing one bite would make a suspect confess all he knew. The second was how abrupt a character who was helping Bel investigate Amy’s disappearance dropped out of the story. She brought a lot to the story as both a new friend for Bel and a sleuthing partner so when she was pulled out of the book it felt a little uneven. Also, the fact a character was named Tweed Blazer was a bit annoying. I’m just not a fan of weirdly named characters. While I did have a few problems, they didn’t pull me from the book.

 

Overall, this one kept me on my toes. The mystery was solid and the McGrath family was a riot. While I probably should have read the previous books to get the full flavor of this one, it wasn’t necessary.

Seeing as Bel and her family are Irish—as were a few other characters—I paired this one with a nice cup of Irish Breakfast Tea from Twinings of London. It’s a nice full-bodied black tea that’s smooth. I like mine strong and plain and it suited this cozy mystery.

 

The Belfast McGrath Series

Wedding Bel Blues

Bel of the Brawl

Bel, Book, and Scandal

 

 

 

   

Looking for Captain Poldark by Rowan Coleman

Four strangers, united by their shared love of POLDARK, come together on a trip to Cornwall in search of their hero...

Lisa has sworn off love and relationships after a really bad experience, but lately she’s been tempted to take a chance on a more exciting life. First she meets other fans of the TV show Poldark online. Then she proposes a very special road trip to Cornwall, in search of where their favourite show is being filmed.

But can four strangers find friendship, as well as a certain sexy hunk on their trip south?

 Publisher: Ebury/ Penguin UK | Genre:  Contemporary Fiction | Source:  Purchased| Rating: 4.5 Cups

This one was one of those random impulse buys that turned out to be such a great find.

 

Here’s what’s going on. There’s been some catastrophes in Lisa’s life that’s left her a bit fragile and afraid. She’s more or less put her life on pause until she gets a wild and random idea to travel to Cornwall to find Captain Ross Poldark and tell him, or rather Aidan Turn the actor who plays him, what he has meant to her. Not wanting to journey alone, she opens the invitation to the other Poldarlings, members of an online Poldark fan group. Now Lisa finds herself traveling with three strangers from the internet, each with their own problems. As the journey progresses, Lisa soon discovers that there’s more to life than being afraid.

 

This was such an amazing short story about growth and self-discovery.

 

Lisa’s been wounded and it’s made her leery and afraid of everyone and everything. She’s decided to go on this journey with strangers from the internet and it wasn’t easy for her. Several times, I thought she was going to throw in the towel but, rather than giving in, each hitch made her stronger.

 

I don’t want to give too much away about the other three passengers Lisa’s traveling with because this is one of those books you need to discovers things as you go, but I will say they all had their own share of serious problems. It’s through the problems of the other passengers that Lisa learned how to let go of her fear and let others in.

 

While this one does have some heaviness to it, it’s funny and light too. I think the author did such an amazing job at balancing the scale. Yes, Lisa’s anxiety is practically bouncing off every page but Abby, second passenger Lisa picks up, is nice counterbalance. The things Abby said had me laughing on several occasions.

 

Seeing as this was a Quick Reads book, I knew it was going to be short (print version is only 79 pages), but I felt it was well rounded. I mean, yes I would have loved for it to have explored a bit more of the ending and what came next, but, for what it was, I was satisfied with it.

 

Each chapter opens with list that includes what track was playing on the radio during that part of the journey and I have to say, the soundtrack of the book rocks.

 

Overall, I really enjoyed watching the characters let go of their fears and connect with each other. Like all good journey’s this one had a few ups, downs, and surprises along the way. Whether you’re a Poldark fan or not, I think you should give this one a go.

 

 

What was your last surprisingly good read?