The Grand Tour by Patricia C. Wrede, Caroline Stevermer

Cecy and Kate are off on another magical adventure. This time they're on their honeymoon traveling around Europe. What should be a relaxing trip turns into something more when Thomas' mother is roped back into helping her old friends. Somebody drops off a magical package that someone else promptly tries to steal. It turns out that there are forces that seem to be agitating for the return of Napoleon to the throne and they are turning to magical means to do it.

A nice addition to the series. I'd be interested to see how this was shelved/categorized because this is a series about Young People but there are some more adult themes. My own inclination would be more toward the young adult but who knows?

Four stars

This book came out September 1st, 2004

Follows Sorcery & Cecelia

Followed by The Mislaid Magician; or, Ten Years After

Borrowed as audiobook from Libby

Opinions are my own

The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie

This is not the first meeting of Hastings and Poirot. They met in Belgium but this book takes place in England while Hastings is invalided out and Poirot is being hosted as a refugee of the Great War. But then, their hostess dies. The doctor does not seem worried but others think it may have been murder. Especially her children who were taken aback when their mother married someone 20 years younger than herself. All seems to point to the new husband but Poirot is not convinced. Even when the chemist points directly to the man as someone who bought strychnine recently. But was it him?

The story is narrated by Hastings who sees everything but rarely understands any of it.

Three and a half stars

This book came out October 1920

Followed by The Murder on the Links

Borrowed as audiobook from Libby

Opinions are my own

Midwinter Murder by Agatha Christie

This is a perfectly lovely collection of various stories by Agatha Christie including a wide swathe of her detectives. There were a few stories that I didn't quite get the winter connection but... eh. From a wide swath of her series, her detectives include Tommy and Tuppence, Mr. Satterthwaite and Harley Quinn (two stories!), Mr. Parker Pyne, Hercule Poirot, and Jane Marple. It also includes the short story version of the longest running play of all time, "Three Blind Mice." 

If you've never read Christie, these are some of her best stories and give you a glimpse into many different series. If you have read Christie, these stories are old friends and remind you why she is often called the Queen of Mystery. 

Four stars

This anthology came out October 1st, 2020

Borrowed as audiobook from Libby

Opinions are my own

Mistletoe Christmas -- Anthology

A Mistletoe Kiss by Eloisa James
Every year the most sought after invitation is to the Duke of Greystoke's Christmas Revelry. The invitation list is carefully curated and the amusements vast. But what no one knows is that his daughter, Cressida, is the one in charge. Now the Duke is dying and he wants his legacy to continue. As a means to the ends, he makes his heir (his nephew) promise to keep the revelry going for the next ten years. Val, the heir, has no interest. Neither, frankly, does Cressida. So Val suggests to his friend Elias that he should marry Cressie so she'd be close enough to help but he wouldn't have to take care of her. Elias figures it's about time to marry so why not? But then he takes a closer look at the women who everyone has ignored and discovers that she might be more precious than he originally knew.

Even as a short story, this could have lopped a few chapters off (they got redundant) and been a little bit better but James is a master and this story once again proves it.

Four stars

Wishing Under the Mistletoe by Christi Caldwell

Lady Isabelle Wilkshire has been engaged for three years but her fiance no longer looks at her the way he used to. Instead, Cyrus Hill is too busy working, trying to prove his worth because she is a duke's granddaughter and he is the son of a stablemaster. She breaks their engagement. While she loves him, she's no longer sure he really loves her. At least she can take some solace in being mentored by a playwright.  

Ten years later, she is at the Christmas Revelry, debuting a new play and Cyrus has been assigned as her partner. Old romantic feelings well up but so do old resentments. Will they be able to make it?

I do like short stories where protagonists knew each other because it makes it more likely that they are falling in love in 100 pages or less. This story could have used just a little more exposition on how the two were going to work now but was overall enjoyable.

Three and a half stars

Compromise Under the Mistletoe by Janna MacGregor

Caroline Whitmore loves her husband. And he probably cares for her but not to the extent that he loves the estate where he grew up and now cares for. But in order to get her inheritance, she needs to prove to her uncle, the Duke of Greystoke, that she and her husband are still in love. Based on other stories in this book, I'm not sure why he would do this other than to be an old fart but... it's a reason for a good fake romance. 

Caroline has it all planned out and even has a list of rules written out for Stephen. But he has different plans. This might be his last chance to win her heart.

Four stars

Mischief and Mistletoe by Erica Ridley

Louisa Harcourt's mother wants to marry her off to someone with a title. She just wants a quiet life to write. But Ewan Reid, a poet, intrigues her.

Ewan thinks Louisa is amazingly beautiful but he has a secret he's hiding. One that he doesn't want to pull her into. No matter how much she comes to him with her own secrets or how much she'll be hurt by the secrets he is hiding.

Three stars

Four stars

This book comes out September 28th, 2021

Ebook from NetGalley

Opinions are my own

Unicorn Playlist by Dana Simpson

When the book starts out, Phoebe is sad because she saw some of the recent news on her dad's computer. And, well, the world can be a scary place. Luckily, we all have Marigold Heavenly Nostrils who can distract us even for a little while with her charming narcissism and love of Phoebe.

We learn about when the mail used to have more than just credit card offers, we learn what Marigold wishes for, we learn about Phoebe and Marigold's favorite music, some of Marigold's family tree (Infernus, the Unicorn of Death (also known as "Ferny")). There is also an interesting twist between Dakota and the goblins that I did not see coming. Luckily, she still wants to be friends with Phoebe. Lots of little jokes in between with my favorite being Phoebe's father getting a call that says "Scam Likely" and Marigold thinks it's a unicorn with the same name. 

Four stars

This book comes out September 28, 2021

Follows Unicorn Famous

Followed by Unicorn Selfies

ARC kindly provided by Andrew McMeel Publishing and NetGalley

Opinions are my own

Murder Outside the Lines by Krista Davis

Florrie Fox is happy managing Color Me Read. There have been some disconcerting incidents (read here: murder) in the store but that doesn't make her any more prepared to see that the latest package delivered to the store is a skull (apparently named Harry). It's sent to her boss, Professor John Maxwell, who is sort of like a modern day Indiana Jones, by oane of his compatriots, Ellis, who tends to take a lot of risks.  

Harry is just the beginning of a number of mysterious circumstances. A local psychic is doing a reading but she comes in overexcited because she's seen a foot hanging out of a rug. But when Florrie goes to look, the rug (and the foot) are gone. Later, she has a vision of a murder being at her reading and a man tries to walk out with Harry. That man later ends up dead, wrapped in a rug. 

There are a LOT of people and red herrings in this book. If you can read this in one sitting, it might be easier to keep track but I had problems with putting the book down and picking it up again, even having read the other stories in this series. I am very grateful that Florrie is sticking with one guy and not getting involved in the love triangles that are so overdone in most cozy series. Also appreciated? The fact that they have differing opinions on a subject and each is able to see the other's side. Maybe not understand it, but at least appreciate it. 

Three and a half stars

This book comes out September 28, 2021

Follows The Coloring Crook

Followed by A Colorful Scheme

ARC kindly provided by Kensington Books and NetGalley

Opinions are my own

The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side by Agatha Christie

Though she is aging, Miss Marple doesn't feel like she really doesn't think she needs a keeper. But her nephew was worried about her after a recent illness. It means that Miss Marple now has Miss Knight to contend with. Miss Knight is the kind of nurse that thinks her clients are all senile, brimming over with enthusiasm and kindness, she doesn't actually listen to what Miss Marple has to say. Which is why Miss Marple tricks her into going shopping and then going out herself. Unfortunately, Miss Marple falls. Heather Badcock rushes to her rescue. Heather Badcock is similar to Miss Knight, kindness itself but the sort that runs over you like a train. That's why it's such a surprise that she ends up dead.

It's at a local party. Marina Gregg, the famous actress, and her husband have bought Gossington Manor. Colonel Bantry died and Dolly sold the house. It has changed hands a couple of times since then but she still comes back to St. Mary Mead to visit and she is also invited to the party as a former owner of the house. When Heather Badcock dies, it is immediately assumed that the poison was actually meant for Marina since she had given Heather her drink. But who would want her dead?

There is, as in many of Christie's early books, racism in this book. There is also a LOT of mention of Marina Gregg's baby who was born.

Three stars

This book came out in 1962

Follows 4:50 from Paddington

Followed by A Caribbean Mystery

Borrowed as audiobook from Libby

Opinions are my own