The Murder of Mr. Wickham by Claudia Gray

Ms. Austen has always been popular and there have been a number of mysteries based around her books. This book takes every one of Austen's novels and brings main characters (or their children) to a house party at the Knightleys. In this timeline, Emma and George have just gotten married and are having a house party. For reasons, everyone is invited to join. And Mr. Wickham decides to crash. Of course, he's such a bad, bad dude, that nearly everyone has a reason to have killed him. 

This book was... fine. Some of the characters felt too changed from the books and much of the story felt forced. I liked the substory of the younger Mr. Darcy and Ms. Tilney but would have liked it more if it wasn't connected to the original books. 

Three stars

Mr. Darcy & Miss Tilney Mysteries #1

This book came out May 3, 2022

Hard copy I didn't keep

Opinions are my own

July 2025 Monthly Rereads

As always, opinions are my own.

The Next Always by Nora Roberts

Four stars

This book came out November 1st, 2011

Inn Boonsboro Trilogy #1

Followed by The Last Boyfriend

Audiobook from Audible

The Last Boyfriend by Nora Roberts

Four stars

This book came out May 1st, 2012

Inn Boonsboro Trilogy #2

Follows The Next Always

Followed by The Perfect Hope

Audiobook from Audible

The Perfect Hope by Nora Roberts

Three and a half stars

Inn Boonsboro Trilogy #3

This book came out November 1st, 2011

Follows The Last Boyfriend

Audiobook from Audible

Icing on the Murder by Valerie Burns

Maddy and Michael are at an impasse trying to figure out their wedding budget. Maddy's dad is, of course, fabulously wealthy so she could have the wedding of her dreams if she wants. But Michael doesn't want to take that much money from her dad and besides, she already had the wedding of her dreams. It just happens that she was left at the altar. The two figure everything out except that Maddy leaves out one thing, she's entered a contest to have event planner Serafina plan their wedding. If they win, it will be filmed for a possible new reality show.

It's fabulous when Maddy and Michael are picked as one of the three finalist couples. It's just too bad that Serafina doesn't seemt to be a pleasant sort of person. She's seen/overheard arguing with any number of people including Michael’s ex-fiancée, her assistants Lucy and Luke, and one of the other vendors at the wedding expo that all of this is happening at. It makes her the prime character that needs to be murdered. And, she is. Trooper Bob is called in and, of course, believes Maddy did it. April was there during the murder and could claim jurisdiction but really, it turns out they need to call in the feds so it's not like Trooper Bob is going to be in charge anyway. Besides, he's got some health issues to concentrate on. 

This was an okay story but there is so much focus on the characters that the mystery becomes a sub-sub plot in a series that is mainly about mysteries. 

Three stars

This book comes out 

Baker Street #4

Follows A Cup of Flour, A Pinch of Death

ARC kindly provided by Kensington Publishing and NetGalley

Opinions are my own

The Game Is Murder by Hazell Ward

This was a very interesting read. The premise is that you have been invited to solve a murder that has affected the Verreman family. You are given various contracts with the characters in the book that you will need to keep. Clues are given but red herrings abound. 

This was an interesting read but very linear. It could have been more interactive with allowing people to choose various paths. 

Three stars

This book came out July 29, 2025

ARC kindly provided by Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley

Opinions are my own

Just F**king Say It Susie Ashfield

Written in an engaging style with good information, Ashfield's books covers any number of situations where it might be hard to speak. For each of the situations, she gives examples of what you should say, and sometimes what you shouldn't.  

The book starts with how to have general confidence. Then examples of when she used each of these in her job as a speech coach are added for things like self-promotion, presentations, interviews, and even personal instances like giving a wedding speech or a eulogy.

Four stars

This book came out May 22, 2025

ARC kindly provided by Elliott & Thompson and NetGalley

Opinions are my own

Lady Avely's Guide to Lies and Charms by Rosalie Oaks

It has been nine years since Dacian killed Lord Charles Garvey and it is time for him to determine what actually happened that night. While he has always believed what he saw, he now wonders if there may not have been some Musing (magic) involved in the story. He and Judith head out with Judith’s husband’s son, Robert, to see what they can uncover.

All is not well at Garvey House  however. Lady Garvey refuses visitors and her granddaughter, Georgina seems to be a prisoner. The current Lord Gavey, Charles’ brother Kenneth, won’t come to the house at all, preferring to stay in the village. 

The story took a LONG time for me to get into and I had to power my way from about a quarter in to the two-thirds mark where it picked up again. There was a leap into the story that happened seven years ago that didn't make sense to me and then a lot of side characters that may be building to the overall arc of the story but didn't provide much other than very temporary red herrings for the end of the story. 

Three stars

Matronly Misadventures #2

This book came out November 13, 2024

Follows Lady Avely's Guide to Truth and Magic

Followed by Lady Avely's Guide to Guile and Peril

ARC kindly provided by Parkerville Press and NetGalley

Opinions are my own

Larceny and Old Lace by Tamar Myers

This book is definitely of its time and did not age well. The characters feel like caricatures and I didn't connect with ay of them, I clouding thr first person author. 

Abigail Timberlake is running an antiquities store after her husband divorced her. She's living for free in her aunt's home and blatantly disrespecting the rules set put for her (they're a little onerous but not so bad that she should be biting the hand that feeds her.) The board she's on for the area where she has her shop is up in arms about another shop in town... Abigails's aunt. So, when said aunt is murdered, it could have been any one of a number of people.

Two and a half stars

Den of Antiquity #1

This book came out June 1, 1996

Followed by Gilt by Association

Hard copy I didn't keep

Opinions are my own