Renewed Hope: A Pride and Prejudice Variation by Rose Fairbanks
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This Pride and Prejudice variation continues from 'Sufficient Encouragement' but with the emphasis on the more interesting characters of Viscount Arlington (James Fitzwilliam), Colonel Richard Fitzwilliam, and the story of Jacob Truman and his history with Caroline Bingley.


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The Winter Kill: A Medieval Mystery Novella by J.R. Tomlin
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

After catching a thief Sir Law is detailed by the Sheriff of Perth to determine the cause of death of one Jannet Neyn Patrik Ross, who was found buried in snow. But another body is found, and so with the help of his friend Cormac, he must found the evidence that will be believed when he catches the murderer.
I enjoyed this story, and liked the characters, so I hope there will be a next one.

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The Future of Mary Bennet by jordanabookworm
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

In this Pride and Prejudice sequel - a 7000 word story - Catherine Bennet is out enjoying herself while Mary Bennet is not looking for love but you never know when it finds you.
A nice enjoyable tale mainly about Mary.

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Love You To Death by Caroline Mitchell
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

In London, females who have given up their child for adoption are being killed. Why and what does the killer really want.
Lost a lot of interest when Preston started to involve a criminal family in her investigations but read it to the end.
Not sure whether I will read the next in the series to see how the characters progress, I suspect it will depend on the story.
A NetGalley Book

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The Secret Garden by G.K. Chesterton
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Valentin, Chief of the Paris Police, arrives late for his dinner party, a party that includes Father Brown. After dinner a body is found in the secluded, enclosed back garden. Can Father Brown solve the mystery.
Interesting short story.

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The Widows Guild by Anna Castle
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

It's England August 1588 and the Lady Alice Trumpington (aka Trumpet) has arranged her marriage to an old Viscount Surdeval. After their wedding night he is found dead -murdered? But what if the Viscount is not the first recusant Catholic that has been killed.
Bacon and his students investigate.
Very enjoyable, love the characters and the style of writing, and hoping that there is another in the series.

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Secrets Kept by Gaby A.
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

In this Pride and Prejudice variation, Lydia and Wickham are not found until after Lydia has been abandoned, bringing shame on the Bennet family.
Elizabeth becomes a governess but unfortunately she is attacked by her employer, but thankfully as she escapes she rushes straight into Bingley, where he takes her to Darcy's home.
Can there be a happy ending now for Darcy and Elizabeth

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Chaos Comes to Longbourn: A Pride and Prejudice Variation by Victoria Kincaid
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

With this Pride and Prejudice variation chaos starts when Darcy is perceived to have compromised Lydia Bennet, who could well be the worst possible wife for Darcy. Then events lead to three more unlikely engagements. Read how these unfortunate engagements can be, if there are, resolved.
An enjoyable read.

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Deadly Rendezvous by Daniel Bjork
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Three years have passed since the murder of Mary Chase but now another occurs, this time the mother Sarah Chase. But what has happened to the two other children. Dr. Bartlett, his daughter Hannah, and the local sheriff John Keynes are drawn into the schemes of this murderer.
It is not necessary to have read Book One but it does help with the back story, and getting a feel for the writing style, which at times does read as stilted. But overall I enjoyed the story and the likeable characters.
A NetGalley Book

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Tragic Deception by Linda S Prather
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Alexandra Fox joined the NYPD from England to find the killer of her sister. But she has been given the job of finding 3 kidnapped babies within the next week or look for another job.
I found the story and characters to be okay, but couldn't believe that a person who had lived in the States for a year hadn't picked up any American colloquialisms and that did annoy me.
a NetGalley Book

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The Devil's Bride by Lucy Gordon
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

In Regency England Lord Rupert Glennister reputation as 'Devil Glennister' has badly misfired and he has been ostracised by the ton. Only a marriage to a virtuous lady can redeem him.
Calvina Bracewell, an orphaned daughter of a parson, is thrown onto his path. But their marriage is anything but calm and safe. Is it just her imagination that her life is in danger, and who from.
I really enjoyed this story, it kept be amused and didn't flag. I am getting to like these romances as long as there are interesting characters and some mystery.
A NetGalley Book

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The Sense of Reckoning by Matty Dalrymple
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Following straight on from the first book, Ann Kinnear discovers she needs the help of fellow senser Garrick Masser. So she travels to Maine , but becomes involved in Masser's current investigation,
But what could have happened in 1947 that impacts on the current generation of the Lynam family living in the area.
Still couldn't really get involved with this series. So probably not for me.
A NetGalley Book

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The Blue Cross: A Father Brown Mystery by G.K. Chesterton
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Can Father Brown outwit the great criminal Flambeau, and if so, how in my first Father Brown story.
An amusing short story. On to the next

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The Enemy in Our Midst by John E. Conley
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Can events and secrets from the past cause problems in the future - the men from a surviving regiment in 1916 meet up again at their Colonel's manor house in 1928. But murder comes to the house and Lord Charles Stewart investigates with the help of his butler, Bingham.
An enjoyable tale with some likeable characters leading me to read the next in the series

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Springsteen: Point Blank by Christopher Sandford
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Spent the last couple of weeks reading a chapter at a time, but couldn't get interested in it, maybe the style of writing is not to my taste. It happens.
A NetGalley Book

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Stalker on the Fens by Joy Ellis
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A year after Helen Brook, a friend of DI Nikki Galena, was involved in a serious accident, Helen starts getting flashbacks to a man confessing to murder. But will Helen get anyone to take her seriously. Then events accelerate.
I have enjoyed every book in this series, love the characters and the plots are always good, and this one was up to standard.
A NetGalley Book

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The Templar's Cross: A Medieval Mystery by J.R. Tomlin
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

In 1424, Sir Law Kintour arrives in Perth, Scotland, injured from the wars in France. While looking for his next patron he is employed by a Sir Blinsele to look for his wife and lover. He agrees but rightly becomes suspicious when people start getting murdered and he becomes the man the sheriff wishes to hang for the murders. To save himself he must untangle the mystery and find the guilty party.
An enjoyable tale, and look forward to the next in the series.

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Spence at the Blue Bazaar by Michael Derek Allen
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

In the village of Tinley, seventeen years ago a double murder was committed and the killer was never caught. Now there had been another murder. It is up to D.S. Spence to determine if and what the connections are and then solve the murders.
An entertaining enough mystery, a couple of the key points I did guess just before they were revealed.
A NetGalley Book

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The Sense of Death by Matty Dalrymple
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Ann Kinnear basically sees representations of the dead, and she is eventually involved in solving the mystery of the missing Elizabeth Firth.
Unfortunately for me we have a description of the murder and know who the murderer is, this tends to lessen my interest in a mystery a lot, and I really didn't like the style of writing.
A NetGalley

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Murder in Grosvenor Square by Ashley Gardner
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

In March of 1818, Captain Gabriel Lacey is preparing for a duel but he begins to be drawn into the lives of two of his friends - Leland Derwent and Garath Travers - where he must unravel a mystery.
I enjoy reading about these likable characters - even the constant villains in the series - I also like the writing style. I shall need to buy the next in the series.

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Moriarty Meets His Match: A Professor & Mrs. Moriarty Mystery by Anna Castle
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

In 1885 London Professor James Moriarty now works in the Patent Office. Due to past circumstances his aim is to ridicule a Lord Netterfield. To this end he attends the International Exhibition, but everything starts to go wrong when an exploding steam engine kills a man. An engine which has been promoted by Netterfield. But it gets worse when Holmes and Watson get involved.
For me a new perspective on the character of Moriarty, which I liked. Who really is the villain - Holmes or Moriarty. Liked the mystery, the characters and the style of writing. Hoping that there will be more in the series.


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The Curse Of The Diogenes Club by Anna Lord
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Although this is book 8 in the series, it is the first that I have read. It is London 1899 and we start with the death of Princess Paraskovia, who has been separated from her husband the Russian ambassador. But later at a New Year’s Eve ball, there is an attempt on Mycroft Holmes' life, which he later admits is not the first attempt. Are these events related.
In this book I was introduced to Colonel Moriarty (brother to the Professor) and to Mycroft's ADC Nash.
I enjoyed the mystery in the book, and I liked both Moriarty and Nash's characters and hope they appear in other books in the series, not sure yet about the Countess.


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Victoria by Daisy Goodwin
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

An enjoyable light fictional account of the life of Alexandrina Victoria, at the age of eighteen when she became Queen up to her engagement to Albert.
A NetGalley Book

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Room with a Clue by Kate Kingsbury
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

In 1906, at the Pennyfoot Hotel Lady Eleanor Danbury falls from its roof. As the police would not be arriving for some hours Celia Sinclair, owner, believes she must determine, to save the hotel's reputation, whether it was an accident or not.
A lighthearted and engaging mystery.

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The Particular Charm of Miss Jane Austen by Ada Bright
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The city of Bath is hosting its annual Jane Austen Festival. Rose Wallace an avid Austen fan becomes suspicious of her neighbour. So we have a charmed necklace, a novelist and time-travel. A great combination for a story. Very enjoyable, some lovely characters and an easy writing style, and I presume there will be a sequel to look forward to.

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A Decline in Prophets by Sulari Gentill
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

In 1932 Rowland Sinclair and his friends are travelling from Europe to New York on the luxury liner Aquitania when the first murder is committed. But this is not the last before they reach home in Australia. Is the motive in any way connected to the Theosophical Society,a religious movement of which a few members are aboard.
Sinclair and his friends decide to investigate.
Quite a slow paced novel, but which kept my interest, with some amiable characters.
A NetGalley Book




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Blood Lines by Angela Marsons
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

When a stabbed female victim is discovered in her car, Detective Inspector Kim Stone and her team are called out to investigate. But this is only the start.
What are the plans of Doctor Alexandra Thorne while she serves her prison sentence. Although the Thorne has appeared on a previous book in the series (which I have not read) I didn't find that it was necessary to know the details.
An interesting read which just about kept my interest, with enough diverse characters to keep the plot flowing.
A NetGalley Book

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Butchery: A Mystery of Tudor London by Kenneth Browning
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

It's 1550 London, England, a time of political and religious upheaval. When a brutally murdered body is discovered in the butcher area of London, tension starts to rise and the sheriff Sir John York employs parish constable George Harwood and his friend Thomas Whyte, to investigate.
I really enjoyed the writing style and the story, with its believable and mostly likable characters. Disappointed to not find a sequel.

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Death by Disputation by Anna Castle
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

It's March 1587 and Thomas Clarady who has been recruited as a spy by Francis Bacon is sent to Cambridge University, because of the rumours of reformation within the church. Tom's brief is to determine the extent, and the leaders, of the radical Protestants or Puritans. But the job starts off badly when he finds his chief informant dead.
A very enjoyable read, I like the style of writing and the believable characters.

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The Murders on the Grand Pont by James Burge
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Paris in 1122, and two philosophers are killed on the Grand Pont bridge, with a third Absolom, as the suspect.
A very quick okay read but I didn't find Absolom as a particularly nice or interesting character.

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Sent to His Account by Eilís Dillon
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Miles de Cogan moves onto his inherited estate in the village of Dangan (in Ireland), only not before long the most disliked man in the village is killed.
An okay read and mystery with not any really likable characters.
A NetGalley Book

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Her Heart's Choice: A Pride and Prejudice Novella by Leenie Brown
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Rounding off the series Miss Anne de Bourgh advertising for a husband with a list of requirements which she insists must be adhered to. Unfortunately the gentleman that loves her does not. It is this Alexander Madoch that wants Anne to marry him for love. Can there be a happy ending.
I really enjoyed the story and was glad that the new characters from the previous stories were included in this conclusion, and found all the four novellas a joy to read.

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A Hand In Love and Murder by C.L. Bush
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Continuing the story of Laurie and Franny Sheridan but this first in a trilogy concentrates on Lucy Livingston and her relationship with ex-soldier Simon Tucker, who has come to work for the Sheridans.
Unfortunately the mystery didn't come until the end, which left us with a cliff-hanger in this shortish novella.

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Murder in the Queen's Boudoir by Amy Myers
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

It's 1906 and Didier is hosting a dinner for the King and some of his friends. When a wager is taken on whether there is a ghost of Marie Antoinette at Le Petit Trianon, Paris. On arriving in Paris revenge is on the menu and murder is the result.
Probably say that I just about liked the tale, still can't quite make up my mind about the characters and food content though, my problem might be that I not actually interested in French cuisine.
A NetGalley Book


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Darcy and Elizabeth: A Promise Kept by Brenda J. Webb
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Five years have passed since the awful proposal of Darcy to Elizabeth at Hunsford, five years kept apart by misunderstanding. But now Bingley is ill and his business in trouble and he calls upon Darcy to keep his promise and look after his family. Can prior arrangements, intrigue, and a political conspiracy still keep them apart.
We have new main characters in Countess Millicent and Lord Van Lynden. And it is good to see that Colonel Fitzwilliam plays a much bigger role than in the original, with Lord and Lady Matlock also here.
An enjoyable tale with mystery and likeable characters who are thankfully not overshadowed by Darcy and Elizabeth

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Baynard's List by Jason Vail
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

It is now October 1262 and the list of spies for King and his rival Montfort, which was once held by King Henry's master spy in the area - Baynard - who had been recently murdered has gone missing.
By persuasion, from his former master, the crown justice Ademar de Valence - Attebrook has been forced to find the list.
Enjoyed the story and continue to like the characters, and look forward to reading the next in the series.



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The Murderer's Son by Joy Ellis
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

In the Fens twenty years previously a farmer and his wife were brutally murdered, what possible connection could there be to a recent murder. And why would a reporter - Daniel Kinder - confess to the murder.
DI Rowan Jackman leads his detectives in the search for the truth.
Very engaging well paced plot and some likeable characters.
A NetGalley Book.

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His Inconvenient Choice: A Pride and Prejudice Novella by Leenie Brown
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Lord Matlock holding the purse string of Colonel Fitzwilliam, his second son, has decreed that he will marry for status and fortune. But the Colonel wants to marry Catherine Bennet.
Can there be a happy ending.
Really enjoyed this story (and the series so far), well it's about the Colonel, what more for a JAFF story is needed.

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Sherlock Holmes and the Hilldrop Crescent Mystery by Val Andrews
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

In 1911 Sherlock Holmes comes out of his several years of retirement to investigate whether Crippen was really guilty or not. Crippen having already been hanged. With the help of Dr.Watson and the retired Detective Inspector Lestrade, Holmes solves the case to his satisfaction. An interesting short tale.

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Payette Custom Creations Blog: ~~GIVEAWAY~~ "Bring me a Drink Socks

Payette Custom Creations Blog: ~~GIVEAWAY~~ "Bring me a Drink Socks: Okay, since Christmas is in less than three months now, I'm super excited as always to start giving stuff away. Yes I will be running my...

A Disappearance in Drury Lane by Ashley Gardner
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

After Mrs Abigail Collins, an actress, has been missing for six months, Marianne Simmons asks Captain Lacey to find her. But it is only a couple of days until Lacey's marriage.
He doesn't take long before Lacey is in danger and has to face being abducted, persons being blackmailed and the sending of incendiary devices. Also involved is Granville, Denis from previous tales and a new bow street runner.
Another enjoyable and engaging mystery.

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The Blessing of Marriage by Elizabeth Ann West
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Continuing with the problems that Darcy and Elizabeth (who seems to be a bit outspoken for a Regency lady) especially have to face, but we also learn of the problems that have beset the other relations. Hoping that the next book will concentrate on these families rather then the Darcy one.

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Dead Man's Shadow by Anne Wilkinson
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

When Alex Stonier finds a box belonging to a Edward Barton, containing old documents under the floorboards of her daughter's house, she starts to investigate a church called Gothic Hall. Which coincides with a skeleton found in the grounds of the Hall. One part of the book is her story, while the other tale is set in the 1890's where we find out what happened.
Unfortunately I didn't find the story that riveting, or that keen on the style of writing.
A NetGalley Book

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