A Baffling Murder at the Midsummer Ball by T.E. Kinsey

The Dizzy Heights are playing a private party this time at a pretty swank out-in-the-country house in Oxfordshire. And though some of the family are welcoming (notably the youngest son and the music producer uncle), there are definitely undercurrents of animosity as the wealthy father has recently remarried and the new wife is only a year older than his oldest son. With a fortune built on biscuits, he has money to divide up and there is some indication that he may be changing his will and that most of his children (if not all four) seem to have a problem with that. No surprise, of course, that he ends up dead. It appears to be a suicide at first glance but Skins and Dunn quickly realize that there is more than meets the eye. 

A highly enjoyable story, as usual from Kinsey. The author capture the feel of the time and place and acknowledges things like "Oh, we couldn't possibly find ANOTHER secret passage.."

Four stars

This book came out March 1, 2021

Follows The Deadly Mystery of the Missing Diamonds

ARC kindly provided by Amazon Publishing UK and NetGalley

Opinions are my own

A Fiancée's Guide to First Wives and Murder by Dianne Freeman

Frances Wynn adored being a widow but she is still looking forward to marrying George Hazelton. Well, as long as he's not actually already married. But that is what a hysterical woman is trying to claim. She also says that she's the illegitimate daughter of one of the Russian royal family. It turns out her name is Irena and some of her stories seem to be true. At least true enough that she ends up dead. In Frances's garden no less. Can Frances figure out what is going on before she and George are ostracized from society completely?

Irena was really, really annoying. I often expect it when an old curmudgeon is killed off in a book but this was the first time I was actually relieved that a character was gone. Unfortunately, the rest of the story follows a lot of the zaniness that Irena introduced without the charm of previous books in the series (which I would highly recommend reading).

Three stars

Follows A Lady's Guide to Mischief and Murder

Followed by A Bride's Guide to Marriage and Murder

This book comes out July 27th, 2021

ARC kindly provided by Kensington Books and NetGalley

Opinions are my own

Devil in Disguise by Lisa Kleypas

This was a fast and furious romance. "No sooner met but they looked; no sooner looked but they loved..." and all that rot. I didn't like that aspect of it and the end wrapped up with rather a whimper but the more I thought about that, the more I appreciated the twist from what romance readers might normally expect. 

Lady Merritt Sterling is the daughter of Lillian and Marcus of the Wallflower series. If you haven't read other books in this series, I suspect there may be a rather lot of names in this book. I've read all of the Wallflower books and all of the Ravenels (I've even reread the latter series recently) and I had trouble keeping up. But most of the romance occurs between Merritt and Keir McRae, a whiskey distributor. The book opens with the two meeting after McRae's shipment through her company is sent to the wrong port, potentially subject to extra taxes if it's not where it's supposed to be in the next day, and some of the men that she's hired to offload said shipment spilled a cask on McRae himself.

Now, Merritt has flaunted tradition by running a shipping company so she's already on shaky ice by society's standards. Now, she's thinking of taking up with a man with no history (he's literally an orphan with no hint of his past except a golden key) because he's hot. With icy blue eyes. And she wants to go to bed with him. And apparently the night is transcendent because not even being stabbed nor social conventions can make McRae stay away. But being stabbed isn't the only way someone tries to kill him and it may take a lot of cunning and some inventive stories to keep McRae alive and for the two to find their HEA.

Three and a half stars

This book comes out July 27th, 2021

Follows Chasing Cassandra

Followed by Devil in Spring

ARC kindly provided by Avon and Harper Voyager, and NetGalley

Opinions are my own

Lark! The Herald Angels Sing by Donna Andrews

Meg Langslow is once again embroiled in a Christmas mystery. This time, she is in charge of the Christmas pageant when a second baby Jesus shows up. But this one is a girl and the note that was left with the baby points at Meg's brother Rob as being her dad.

This is bad because Rob was planning on proposing to his girlfriend and, with a rash of past girlfriends popping up, Delaney doesn't seem like she's going to accept any time soon.

All of this is tied into a murder in nearby Clay County (often the bad guys in this series) and it will take Meg to tie it all together.

Three and a half stars

This book came out October 16th, 2018

Follows Toucan Keep a Secret

Followed by Terns of Endearment

Opinions are my own

Reread as Audible book December 2023

Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle by Betty MacDonald

I adored these books as a child. Kid doesn't want to take a bath? Let her get dirty enough to plant radishes on. Child doesn't want to clean up his toys? Well, let ti get to a point that he can't get out of his room and then throw a parade. I loved this book because Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle was so pragmatic. It was magic and yet not. 

As an adult, I don't like the references to the outdated notions of how Native Americans behaved nor the fact that the mothers defer to the fathers in everything and that the fathers are so quick to mete out corporal punishment. Would a child notice these things? Maybe not. These things are (in my opinion) light and could probably be omitted if read aloud. 

Four stars

This book came out in 1947

Followed by Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle's Magic

Borrowed as audiobook from Libby

Opinions are my own

Reread as audiobook from Libby February 2023

The Winter Garden Mystery by Carola Dunn

Daisy Dalrymple is off to another manor house to take pictures and write up the history for her magazine. She is somewhat regretting that this house will not have the same excitement as the last one. After all, it's not like another murder is going to be committed, right? Well, certainly not while she is there. But a dead body is discovered in the Winter Garden.

And it's not like there weren't undercurrents to begin with. Lady Valeria Parslow rules her family and the village with an iron fist. No one is allowed to step out of line. Her son Sebastian, a beautiful man, is kept on a particularly short leash. His sister Roberta ("Bobby") is actually the one who invited Daisy in the first place. Lady Valeria was not happy about it and her ire only grows when Daisy, fearing that the local police force is too intimidated by Lady Valeria to investigate properly, calls in Scotland Yard. Detective Inspector Alec Fletcher to be exact.

Three and a half stars

This book came out March 15th, 1995

Follows Death at Wentwater Court

Followed by Requiem for a Mezzo

Borrowed as audiobook from Audible Premium

Opinions are my own 

Witches Get Stitches by Juliette Cross

When she was sixteen, Violet Savoie's aunt predicted a true love for Violet. It is many decades later and the man hasn't turned up yet. However, two years ago she had a really hot night with werewolf Nico Cruz. But it was just the one night. He did find her later but they ended up having a pretty good friendship and what promises to be a heck of a good business partnership once the tattoo parlor opens. And especially once Violet perfects the spells that she wants to weave into the tattoos she gives to supernaturals.

Nico has a plan too. He wants Violet to be his forever. If she can figure out how to help him tame his wolf, even better. But he's not the only one interested in the respite Violet's magic might bring and his past may come back to haunt both he and Violet. 

The ending was a bit odd. It was set up to be a big fight and... well. Hm. I liked the second book in the series better but I think regular readers won't be disappointed.

Three stars

This book comes out July 20th, 2021
Follows Don't Hex and Drive

Followed by Walking in a Witchy Wonderland

ARC kindly provided by the author and NetGalley
Opinions are my own