Murder in an English Glade by Jessica Ellicott

This is the first book I read instead of listening to it and I miss listening to Barbara Rosenblat. Otherwise, it is a fine story wherein Beryl and Edwina actually leave Beeches and stay at a nearby manor which is not only hosting the Girl Guides but also an artists gallery. It is an interesting "case" with the lady of the house asking them to pretend to "investigate" her sister-in-law. Constance knows her sister-in-law, Ursula, is of good virtue but they have a cousin who is determined to make up stories. Especially since Ursula is so mucjyounger than Hubert, Constance's brother, she is afraid that the rumors will be believed.

However, their time at the manor quickly changes when one of the artists, Louis Langdon Beck, is murdered. He was apparently not a nice man but just how not nice is going to be uncovered.

I liked the character building for both Edwina and Beryl in this book. The solution of the mystery felt a little unfinished, like we could have seen more about the killer's motive but it was an overall good story.

Four stars

This book came out October 26, 2021

Follows Murder Comes to Call

Followed by Murder through the English Post

Borrowed as hard copy from library

Opinions are my own

Murder Comes to Call by Jessica Ellicott, Barbara Rosenblat

Once again, Beryl and Edwina are embroiled in a mystery in Walmsley Parva. It begins when Beryl is in the magistrate's court because Constable Gibbs has decided to cite her for reckless driving. As regular readers might guess, this really grates at Beryl's nerves because, of course, she believes herself to be an excellent driver. But while in court, she sees Declan O'Shea who is in court for fighting in the pub. Being an expat herself, Beryl is drawn to the young man. Plus, there's the fact that he's got the Irish accent and is undeniably handsome. Unfortunately, anti-Irish sentiment is high and more than one person believes that Declan is the burglar who is terrorizing the village. And when the magistrate who sentenced him is found dead in his home, all eyes immediately turn toward him. 

However, Beryl isn't so sure and she and Edwina set out to prove the difference.

There are some repetitions in this book that seem like filler but otherwise a good story and I look forward to hearing the fifth book in the series.

Four stars

This book came out October 27th, 2020

Follows Murder Cuts the Mustard

Followed by Murder in an English Glade

Borrowed as audiobook from Hoopla

Opinions are my own

The Secrets of Lord Grayson Child by Stephanie Laurens

Lord Grayson Child is peeved. Someone has discovered his secret. And not only have they uncovered it, they are threatening to expose it on the front page of the London Crier. That's why he's standing outside the offices waiting for everyone to leave, because then he can confront the owner. But he's not expecting the know the owner much less have a past with them.

Lady Isadora "Izzy" Descartes never expected to see Grayson Child again. Ten years earlier, he had seemed on the brink of proposing and then... he was gone. Left destitute by her gambling father, Gray had seemed like the perfect man, someone she could love and who could save her family. But then he was gone. So she learned how to earn money for herself, running a London gossip sheet. 

I do like it when characters in a shorter story have history. It means that them falling in love makes more sense. It also makes sense then that Izzy and Gray would be able to move in lock step when a dead body, a murdered body, shows up in her dark room. 

Three and a half stars

This book came out July 15, 2021

Follows The Games Lovers Play

Followed by Foes, Friends and Lovers 

Borrowed as audiobook from Hoopla

Opinions are my own

Rate a Date by Monica Murphy, Emma Wilder, Patrick Zeller

What would you do if your friend set up a profile for you on a dating account? Would you keep dating, even if you weren't sure that meeting people online was the way to go? Eleanor Murray is trepidatious but goes for it. And she meets this guy Mitch. He's evasive about his job and never gives up his last name. He is also moving from California to Las Vegas. But he's hot so she's all in. 

There is not a lot of relationship development in this book so if that is your catnip, this is not going to be the book for you. Eventually it does come out what Mitch does but they get over it faster than he deserves.

Three stars

This book came out March 16, 2021

Follows Hate to Date You

Followed by Wedding Date

Borrowed as audiobook from Hoopla

Opinions are my own

The Games Lovers Play by Stephanie Laurens

Lord Devlin Cader didn't think he needed love to be a part of his marriage. But five years after marrying Therese Cynster, he is thinking that that was a mistake. Especially mentioning to her that that was his intention.

Therese knows that her family is known for marrying for love. But that doesn't mean that the person is perforce going to love her. And she is fine with that. She is building a powerful partnership with Devlin and people are starting to notice that she is becoming a powerful political figure in her own right. But now Devlin seems to be... changing. If she didn't know better, she would believe that the man might actually be in love with her.

This was an okay story and I was delighted to get a glimpse at someone after their marriage. Even if they thought they had figured it out, they were still working on it. However, there was just a little too much focus on people who will have sequels: Devlin's friend who has returned to England and Therese's younger brother who disappeared when he was seventeen and is also recently returned.

Three stars

This book came out March 18th 2021

Follows The Inevitable Fall of Christopher Cynster

Followed by The Secrets of Lord Grayson Child

Borrowed as audiobook from Hoopla

Opinions are my own

The Mind of the Leader by Rasmus Hougaard

I read this book for work and think that it will work well for me. However, this book is very geared toward "mindfulness" i.e. there are a lot of exercises that ask you to stop, take a moment, and listen to what your brain is saying. This may turn some other people off. 

Mindfulness - makes sure your people are seen and heard; in one survey, making sure that you were present for your team was the most important part of being a leader (not on the phone, not on email, not letting your mind wander)

Selflessness - give people space to develop; Leaders who take blame and pass on praise have employees who will take risks and be creative

Compassion- be able to have the hard conversations when needed; be able to have compassion for self as well as for your team; be able to handle the highs and the lows of life and the job, to acknowledge but then let go of mistakes; be able to understand other people's viewpoints without taking on their emotions

We need to make sure that, as leaders, we are not in a bubble -- we do not have so many people who are catering to us that we think that everything is going fine.

Look for unconscious biases -- use the beginner's mind

Four stars

This book came out March 13th, 2018

Borrowed as audibook from Hoopla

Opinions are my own

The Undoing by Shelly Laurenston

This was a hard one to grade because it was a good story, just not as good as the first. I enjoyed the addition to the world building. 

Jace Berisha used to be married to the leader of a cult, a cult her mother still belongs to. Jace was subservient, meek, and never spoke back. All that changed when he killed her. She was granted special powers by a goddess and became a part of the Crows. Now she's part of a group of women that work to serve the goddess. And they're going up against a Big Bad. One they thought they had defeated. And one that they'll have to get their traditional enemies to buy in and work together in order to defeat for real.

Three and a half stars

This book came out March 29th, 2016

Follows the Unleashing
Followed by The Undoing
Opinions are my own

The Obsessions of Lord Godfrey Cavanaugh by Stephanie Laurens

Lord Godfrey Cavanaugh has always love art and paintings. He loves his job as an art authenticator... usually. Right now, he is slogging through a winter storm and isn't sure that he is going to make his destination. His valet has twisted an ankle and things are looking dark. Luckily, he finds a man named Masterson who is heading to the same manor house. Unluckily, being out in the cold brings out the same weakness that he used to suffer as a child, basically a really bad flu. 

Elinor "Ellie" Hinckley is hopeful that selling her mother's favorite painting will help restore some of the family's money. At least enough to get them through for awhile longer. She's 28 and the daughter of minor gentry so she has no hopes of marriage when a handsome man lands in their family's lap; she's more concerned about the painting being proved to be an original masterpiece. 

But all is not as it seems in the manor and Godfrey is going to be the person to help figure out what is going on. 

If you've enjoyed other books in the series, you know what you're going to get. It's a romance from Stephanie Laurens but a little muted since there is a looooooong stretch where Godfrey is ill so the action is a little lacking. I am curious about the side character of Mr. Jeffers (I was listening to the audio so the spelling might be wrong here) -- he was introduced as a man shrouded in mystery and, at least in my mind, ended the book in the same place.

Three and a half stars

This book came out 

Follows The Beguilement of Lady Eustacia Cavanaugh

Borrowed as audiobook from Hoopla

Opinions are my own

Lady Osbaldestone's Christmas Intrigue by Stephanie Laurens

It is once again Christmas and Lady Osbaldestone is hosting an additional person this year, her youngest son, Christopher. He usually stays in London as long as possible, joining the family as close to Christmas as possible. But this year, his work in the Foreign Office is making him change his habits. Someone has been staking out his London residence and the higher ups are afraid it might be someone from France. The war from Napoleon looks like it might be ending soon (God willing) and Christopher's web of informants will be vital in rebuilding should the war actually be at an end. So if a French agent is staking out his house, Christopher needs to disappear. Add in to that the fact that he suddenly seems to be on the target of eligible lades, he's ready to disappear. And heading to Little Moseley might be the answer. He loves his nieces and nephews and knows that they've had fun there the last few Christmases. Joining them there might be a bit of a hardship but not entirely.

Marion Sewell is tracking Christopher but not for matrimonial purposes. Instead, she is trying to do a favor for her brother who is in the Foreign Office. But she thinks that Christopher might suspect her of the former. He certainly ran away from her in that London ballroom fast enough. But she is going to be relentless in making sure that he hears what she has to say, even if she tracks him down in the back of beyond.

The Christmas Chronicles usually focus around a mystery with a little romance on the side. This book is no different. But from the description (and even the way I described it myself), the romance seems to take the fore. However, there is actually a lot of back and forth between the children and Christopher, the children and Lady Osbaldestone, and even the children and the man sent to protect Christopher. The mystery in this one was weaker than usual and there was a lot of running around with little to show for it until a lot of action was packed into the last 5% of the book.

Three stars

This book came out in October 15th, 2020
Follows Lady Osbaldestone’s Plum Puddings 

Followed by The Meaning of Love

Borrowed as audiobook from Hoopla

Opinions are my own

The Real Macaw by Donna Andrews

Meg has her hands full, not only with her own twins but also Timmy, whose mother joined the army and is now stationed in Germany. So when she wakes up one night to the sounds of animals, she's confused. The only animal they have is her mother-in-law's (now her and Mike's) dog, Spike, and he's with her. When she goes downstairs, she discovers her father, grandfather, brother and the local vet moving animals into her living room. It seems the CORSICANs (Members of the Committee Opposed to the Ruthless Slaughter of Innocent Captive Animals) have broken into the local shelter after the news that the county manager and mayor have decided that it is too expensive to keep up the no-kill policy. This is only one of the most recent controversial decisions made by the new manager and mayor.

Then, the fifth member of the break-in crew turns up dead, some really hard questions have to be asked. Was it one of the many women that this fella was sleeping with? Or something more sinister?

Four stars

This book came out July 19th, 2011

Follows Stork Raving Mad

Followed by Some like It Hawk

Borrowed as audiobook from Hoopla

Opinions are my own

Stork Raving Mad by Donna Andrews

Caerphilly College has no heat anywhere on campus which means that all of the students have been outsourced and Meg and her professor husband's house is a likely spot since it is large and rambling. That includes one student whose final thesis project is interpreting a Spanish play into English and then performing it. The 80-something playwright is discovered to be alive and has even flown over for the event. However, the head of the English Department (which oversees the drama students as well) has shown up with her minion from the President's Office saying that the thesis is unacceptable. Since this isn't the first time she has proved herself to be thoroughly unlikable, it's no surprise that she ends up dead. In fact, the bigger surprise is exactly how many people actually tried to kill her. 

There was a lot going on in this one but I think it is the basis for at least one of the twin's names.

Three stars

This book came out July 6th, 2010

Follows Swan for the Money

Followed The Real Macaw

Borrowed as audiobook from Hoopla

Opinions are my own

Swan for the Money by Donna Andrews

Meg's parents have always been slightly eccentric and often pick up new hobbies (Meg's dad learning lockpicking has come in handy in more than one book). Now her parents are getting into the hobby of raising and showing roses. There's a lot that goes into the practice and a lot of rules around what kind of roses can be entered into competition. Putting together a show can be time consuming and Meg has been roped into being the lead on this particular flower show. She's having problems finding volunteers and it has quite a bit to do with the fact that she is dealing with Mrs. Winkelson. The woman has graciously allowed the show to be on her property. Well... "gracious" might be an exaggeration. The woman has tried to run the show according to her own rigid standards - standards that very much make it likely that she herself will be the winner. None of what she does makes life any easier for Meg. For instance, Mrs. Winkelson called up many of the competitors and told them only black and white roses (the color scheme of her entire property including all animals) will be shown. 

Because Mrs. Winkelson is so universally reviled, it should come as little surprise to the reader that she is the one targeted for murder. This time, Meg is more of an active sleuth rather than just a busybody or being pushed into it by her family. 

An okay story but not one of my favorites in the series. Mrs. Winkelson is kind of fun and I did like the flipping of some of the solution.

Three and a half stars

This book came out July 21st, 2009

Follows Six Geese A-Slaying

Followed by Stork Raving Mad

Borrowed as audiobook from Hoopla

Opinions are my own

Reread July 2023 as Audible audiobook

Murder With Peacocks by Donna Andrews

I started this series in the middle, something I don't usually do.  And it is a thoroughly wonderful series.  The protagonist, Meg, is a reluctant sleuth, her real avocation being blacksmithing.  Really, she's a blacksmith.  That alone would have kept me reading the series but it's also well-written and entertaining.  Which reminds me... I just re-read the plot for this book and I think I want to read it again.

Meg is remarkably dependable and organized which probably explains why she is the maid of honor in three weddings at the same time. It means she is moving back to her mother's house for the summer to help plan all the weddings. Unfortunately, one of the guests ends up dead. And then, someone seems to be targeting Meg's Dad as the next victim.

Four stars

Followed by Murder with Puffins

This book came out February 7th, 2006

Borrowed as audiobook from Hoopla

Opinions are my own

Reread May 2022

The Murder at Mandeville Hall by Stephanie Laurens

Alaric, Lord Carradale, is finally ready to settle down. He doesn't want to spread the news because it means that he will be inundated with "help" from his three sisters. While he is a wolf of the ton, right now, no one knows the extent of his family fortune. God forbid the matchmaking mamas start to look into him if and, if he even hints that he might be looking at marriage, they will dig and they will start pushing their daughters at him.
He's at Mandeville Hall to show up at the house party his friend Percy throws every year but he's not ready to partake of the licentiousness as usual. Instead, he plans to retire to his own home at the end of every evening. But when he comes back after the first day, he discovers a body.
Miss Constance Whittaker has been sent by her grandfather to retrieve her cousin from a house party that is known to be rather... licentious. But she arrives too late; her cousin is dead. And Alaric is cradling her body. But she doesn't think that he is the one who killed her. Instead, she decides to team up with him to figure out what is going on. Unfortunately, there is another murder and Scotland Yard needs to be called in. As this is a titled group of people, of course, Inspector Stokes and Barnaby Adair are called in to help figure out what is going on.
This book mainly focuses on Constance and Alaric which is good for seeing their relationship grow but won't be good for the people used to seeing Barnaby and Penelope in the middle of the action. And the mystery wraps up early with a heavy romance on the romance for the rest of the book.

Three stars

Follows Confounding Case of the Carisbrook Emeralds

This book came out

Audiobook borrowed from Hoopla

Opinions are my own

We Need to Talk by Celeste Headlee

Interweaving her own experiences with harder research, Headlee teaches us how to better communicate. Of course, a lot of it comes down to listening. But there is a lot that has to do with empathy for... well, everyone. Or mostly everyone. She is a radio host and did interviews for a living so the audiobook is quite delightful to listen to. However, I think that much of this information could be gleaned from the TedTalk that Headlee based the book off of. If you want to get down to the nitty gritty, I suggest finding that. If you like your information a little more filled out, this is going to be the place to come to.

Three stars

This book came out September 19th, 2017
Borrowed this as an audiobook from Hoopla
Opinions are my own

The Beguilement of Lady Eustacia Cavanaugh by Stephanie Laurens

Frederick, Marquess of Albury, is renown for his skill at the piano but he is equally well known for not playing in public. Lady Eustacia "Stacey" Cavanaugh would like to change that. She feels like the musicians of England are in the shadow of the great names from the continent. Her plan is to have Frederick come and play in a series of musical evenings to inveigle the ton to also come and listen to her proteges. 
He isn't easily persuaded. But Stacey is a master manipulator (which has a negative connotation for me so it made the story an interesting one to listen to) so she bides her time and finally convinces him to play for her. But while thanking him, they have an accident putting them in a compromising position and Frederick gallantly proposes. He soon wants to make their fake engagement real but will have to work to convince Stacey that she's nothing like her mother.
I was actually enjoying this story quite a bit. There was A Woman in Frederick's past and she doesn't (gasp!) actually come back to haunt him. But then there was a murderer thrown in? For Reasons. It wasn't a story woven throughout the whole book and made little sense to me since Laurens is such a good writer there could have a different way to convince Stacey she could love.

Three stars
This book came out July 18th, 2019
Follows The Pursuits of Lord Kit Cavanaugh
Followed by The Obsessions of Lord Godfrey Cavanuagh

Borrowed as an audiobook from Hoopla

Opinions are my own

The Roman Hat Mystery by Ellery Queen

TW: casual racism
The latest play sensation includes the sounds of gunfire and a dip into the underworld of the mob. What it's not supposed to include is a dead body. But such is the world's introduction to Ellery Queen and his father. And it was a good mystery with the now famous "stop" that lets readers try and deduce for themselves who would want to kill a lawyer by poisoning him with gasoline. 
I vaguely knew about this story but it was really the Classic Mysteries podcast that sparked my interest. I wish there had been some warning about the Queen's houseboy Juno and some of the terms used to describe him that definitely wouldn't be used today.

Three stars
This book came out June 27th, 1929
Followed by The French Powder Mystery
Borrowed this audiobook from Hoopla
Opinions are my own

Here Kitty, Kitty! by Shelly Laurenston

The hyenas are still up to no good. Even the tigers know it. Which is why Nik’s brothers kidnap Angelina Santiago from outside her shop in Texas and take her to North Carolina. Well, and they know their brother really likes her.
Angelina wakes up swinging. She never expected to wake up in the house of a man she flirted with briefly. Nor did she expect to fall in love so fast...
Wish that we had seen more with the hyenas but a fast, fun, and fluffy book all the same.

Three stars
This book came out July 3rd, 2007

Follows Go Fetch! 

Followed by Miss Congeniality in When He Was Bad
Audiobook from the library
Opinions are my own

Reread March 2023 as audiobook from Hoopla