Michelle Griep is fabulous at melding mystery and history together. Her novel Man of Shadow And Mist was a wonderful gothic-delight! Inspired by the Dracula legend, this historical mystery set in Victorian-era England was an intriguing and well-researched exploration of finding one’s place in the world, in spite of prejudice. Main character Rosa Edwards works for her father in his subscription library (an interesting bit of history) but dreams of more than the place she seems destined for — a married woman with children. When the mysterious Sir James Morgan returns to his home, rumors of vampires swirl around him. Mystery, intrigue, and double-dealing abound in the small town. Gossip and innuendo, rumors and violence are whipped up by misinformation, ignorance, prejudice, and good-old fashioned evil intentions. Rosa and James join forces to counteract the misplaced fears that threaten their relationship and James’s life. I really, really loved this book. I fell in love with Rosa and James and rooted on their growing romance. I found the medical information behind vampirism to be intriguing and eye-opening. The addition of Bram Stoker to the cast of characters added a unique historical detail to the story. And the journeys of the two main characters to find their place in the world and in God’s kingdom was inspiring.
If you love history, mystery, and intrigue I highly recommend reading Man of Shadow And Mist.
Highly Recommended.
Audience: Adults.
(I purchased the ebook from Amazon. All opinions expressed are mine alone.)
England, 1890 Ā Vampires are alive and well in North Yorkshire, leastwise in the minds of the uneducated. Librarian Rosa Edwards intends to drive a stake through the heart of such superstitions. But gossip flies when the mysterious Sir James Morgan returns to his shadowy manor. The townsfolk say he is cursed. Ā James hates everything about England. The weather. The rumours. The scorn. Yet he must stay. His mother is dying of a disease for which heās desperately trying to find a cureāan illness that will eventually take his own life. Ā When Rosa sets out to prove the dark gossip about James is wrong, she discovers more questions than answers. How can she accept what she canāt explaināespecially the strong allure of the enigmatic man? James must battle a town steeped in fear as well as the unsettling attraction he feels for the no-nonsense librarian. Ā Can love prevail in a town filled with fear and doubt?
Welcome to the Blog Tour for The Paris Portrait by Heidi Eljarbo, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!
About The Book
Title:The Paris Portrait Series:A Fabiola Bennett Mystery #3 Author: Heidi Eljarbo Publisher: Independently published Release Date: November 12, 2024 Genre: Historical Mystery, Dual Timeline, Fiction
Fabiola stumbles upon a clue that indicates a royal portrait went missing almost two hundred years ago. Is this true, or is there substance to the rumor?
Paris, France, 1973. After an enjoyable but dusty road trip, Fabiola and her friends, Pippa and Cary, arrive in a small village on the outskirts of Paris to spend a few days with Fabiolaās brother Eivind and his family.
On their first evening there, Eivind shows Fabiola an ancient recipe book he bought at an auction. The book is filled with old writing, and he asks Fabiola to decipher the pages. After the others have gone to bed, she spends hours reading and is gripped by the last pages that have nothing to do with recipes for baked goods and stews. Certain the author was a famous portrait artist at the time of the French Revolution, Fabiola and her friends set out on a treacherous investigation, dodging murderers and thieves to learn the truth.
But outside on the streets, Paris is becoming more perilous with every day that passes. Madame Le Brun would be a fool to think the rumors of a revolution will pass, and aristocratic life will continue as before.
Amid the turmoil, she paints one final portrait of Marie Antoinette, knowing well her association with the queen could cause her to be arrested or executed. As chaos and riots in Paris turn to violence, Madame Le Brun flees with her young daughter, hoping her royal friend and the portrait will be safe.
Excerpt
An hour after theyād left Paris, Ćlisabethās carriage rolled into Versailles. The horsedrawn carriage had sped along the dirt roads past open fields with woodland and small farmsteads on either side. Now, cobblestones rattled the vehicle. In the town, they met beggars along the roadside, children without shoes running in the street, and a scanty market square with meager products. Ćlisabeth looked out the carriage window. The stark contrast between the poor and the grand palace up ahead caused a heaviness in her chest every time she arrived.
As the driver pulled into the Cour dāHonneur, the opulent royal palace came into view. No words could truly describe the impression it made; overwhelming, extravagant, and massive came to mind. By order of King Louis XIV, Versaillesāonce a prosperous village popular with huntersāhad become a royal city. He had moved the aristocracy and the administration out of Paris. In Versailles they could both hunt and live in lavish luxury.
The guards welcomed them into the courtyard and opened her door.
Heidi Eljarbo grew up in a home full of books, artwork, and happy creativity. She is the author of historical novels filled with courage, hope, mystery, adventure, and sweet romance during challenging times. Sheās been named a master of dual timelines and often writes about strong-willed women of past centuries.
After living in Canada, six US states, Japan, Switzerland, and Austria, Heidi now calls Norway home. She lives with her husband on a charming island and enjoys walking in any kind of weather, hugging her grandchildren, and has a passion for art and history.
Her familyās chosen retreat is a mountain cabin, where they hike in the summer and ski the vast white terrain during winter.
Heidiās favorites are her family, God’s beautiful nature, and the word whimsical.
Connect with Heidi by visiting heidieljarbo.comĀ to follow her on social media or subscribe to email newsletter updates.
Tour Giveaway
(1) winner will receive a $25 Amazon giftcard + a paperback of one Fabiola Bennett Mystery of your choice!
Full tour schedule linked below. The giveaway begins at midnight November 12, 2024 and will last through 11:59 PM EST on November 19, 2024. Winners will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. No shipping restrictions. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.
Welcome to the Blog Tour for An Ode to Poison by Lisa E. Betz, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!
About The Book
Title:An Ode to Poison Series:Livia Aemilia Mysteries #3 Author:Lisa E. Betz Publisher: Breakthrough Christian Publishing Release Date: October 21, 2024 Genre: Historical Mystery
What do death by poison, a ruthless senator, and a poetry party have in common?
They combine to draw Livia Aemilia into her most dangerous investigation yet. She must risk setting foot in the house of her worst enemy, Senator Tiberius Gracchus, to investigate the death of his wife. (Donāt worry, she has a plan.)
The victimās sister is convinced Gracchus is the killer. If so, proving his guilt in Romeās law courts could put a stop to his nefarious threats forever.
Livia is sure this investigation is Godās plan to protect her family from their malicious enemy. And maybe it will finally convince her husband Avitus that God is real.
The more Livia and Avitus dig, the more it looks like they will finally bring Gracchus to justice. Until another victim is poisoned, and everything they think they know is turned upside down.
Excerpt
Livia was not fond of poetry. Let that be stated from the start. She was not looking forward to tonightās celebration of stuffy poetry in flowery language recited by snooty women and hosted by a friend of her sister-in-law, Hortensia, the snootiest of them all. Worse yet, their hostess had insisted every attendee pen at least one brief ode or epigram. Even Livia.Ā
āYou like flowers,ā Hortensia had said when sheād invited Livia. āYou can write a nice ode to a rosebush.āĀ
Like that was going to happen.Ā
But Livia had married into this exalted stratum of society and the sooner she got to know these women the better. She couldnāt afford to miss this opportunity to mingle with Hortensiaās peers at a function where no men were present, providing a rare opportunity to observe these women when their husbands werenāt watching.Ā
Ā So Livia had written the stupid poem. It wasnāt an ode to a rosebush. Or a marigold. Or a butterfly. Since poetry was a deadly bore, sheād written an ode to deadly poison (a topic intended to disqualify her from the āhonorā of reciting her literary masterpiece).Ā
The hostess gathered the women and started the recital with a brief ode to Erato, the muse whose inspiration the poets relied upon tonight (although Erato might deny responsibility for some of the poems that were offered).Ā
The poetry was as tedious as Livia had anticipated, but Calida supplied an irreverent whispered commentary that had Livia stifling chuckles. Between poems, Salvia and Livia worked out an arrangement for communicating without their husbandsā knowledge. By eveningās end, they had a plan and a budding friendship.Ā
The hours spent composing the deadly ode hadnāt been wasted after all.
Lisa E. Betz is an engineer-turned-mystery-writer, entertaining speaker, and speaking coach. She inspires others to become their best selves, living with authenticity, and purpose, and she infuses her novels with quirky characters who thrive on solving tricky problems. Her Livia Aemilia Mysteries, set in first-century Rome, have won several awards, including the Golden Scroll Novel of the Year (2021). She and her husband reside outside Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, with Scallywag, their rambunctious catāthe inspiration for Nemesis, resident mischief maker in her novels. Lisa directs church dramas, hikes the beautiful Pennsylvania woods, eats too much chocolate, and spoils her grandsons.
Connect with Lisa by visiting lisaebetz.com to follow her on social media or subscribe to email newsletter updates.
Tour Giveaway
(1) winner will receive a signed set of all 3 Livia Aemilia Mysteries in paperback!
Full tour schedule linked below. The giveaway begins at midnight November 4, 2024 and will last through 11:59 PM EST on November 11, 2024. Winners will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. US only. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.
Happy Friday! If you like historical fiction with elements of romance and suspense, then you are going to love Michelle Griep‘s latest novel, Of Gold And Shadows. The first line really dropped me into the story! Find out more below.
Cemeteries always smelled of earthworms and damp dog fur, especially after a rain, and Brudge rather liked it that way.
The shadows hold secrets darker than they ever imagined. . . .
In 1888 Victorian England, Ami Dalton navigates a clandestine dual life. By day, she strives to establish herself as a respected Egyptologist, overcoming the gender biases that permeate academia. But with a heart for saving black-market artifacts from falling into the wrong hands, she is most often disguised as her alter ego, the Shadow Broker.
After eight years in India, Oxford’s most eligible bachelor, Edmund Price, has come out of the shadows to run for Parliament and is in search of an Egyptologist to value a newly acquired collection. Expecting a renowned Oxford professor, Edmund instead finds himself entangled with Ami, the professor’s determined daughter. As they delve into the treasures, their connection deepens, but trouble emerges when a golden griffin–rumored to bear the curse of Amentuk–surfaces, and they’re left to wonder if the curse really is at play, or if something more nefarious is hiding among the shadows. . . .
Michelle Griep in her won words: I hear voices. Loud. Incessant. And very real. Which basically gives me two options: choke back massive amounts of Prozac or write fiction. I’ve been writing since I discovered blank wall space and Crayolas. I seek to glorify God in all that I write–except for that graffiti phase I went through as teenager.
Happy Tuesday! Today’s TTT topic is Debut Novels. The books on my list really hit it out of the park! No way could they be first offerings by the authors, but they were. And the good news is that many of the authors on the list have other books to read when you finish their first. Hope you find one to love!
Genre: Christian Historical Mystery, Fairytale retelling
Release Date: November 7, 2023
When life already seems bleak, the Russians send her to Siberia.
Aircraft mechanic Katya Morozov longs for her beloved Mikhail, a Russian naval officer, to return from war. But when an unwanted work assignment takes her far from her home into remote Siberia, Katya faces threatsāperhaps because she and her father were engaged in covert protection for persecuted Christians.
A chance encounter with charming test pilot, Yuri Sokolov, turns into more than a passing acquaintanceā¦igniting the flames of a conflict between Katyaās faithfulness to Mikhail and her growing attraction to the enigmatic pilot. Will messages from a mysterious woman in the woods give her the wisdom and strength she needs?
Yuri, who has hidden battles of his own, must likewise make a decisionādoes he follow his dreams or pursue the lovely mechanic who has captured his heart?
To Love a Falcon, a retelling of the Russian fairy tale āFinist the Falcon,ā takes readers into the intrigues of Russian operatives, the stark landscape of Siberian winters, and the courage of those who risk death for faith and love.
Nancy C. Williams grew up on āNancy Drewā booksā¦and occasionally still tells people her middle name is āDrew,ā just to get their reaction. Following in the steps of the intrepid sleuth, Williams is an adventure enthusiast who loves hiking, snow-skiing, taking photos, sharing a good laugh, and enjoying a good mystery. Sheās a history buff, too, with an affinity for antiques and fascinating stories from the past. Her writing career began with five years in the āMad Menā world of ad agencies, crafting ads and commercials for ceiling fans, soft drinks, and pest control, among others. Then, during nearly a decade of editorial work at Federal Express headquarters, Williams traveled the globe (often in FedEx jet cockpits) and collected memories of international cultures. She also taught PR at a Christian college for a decade, sharing strategies and practices to the next generation of professionals. These days, blogs and novels are at the top of her āfun stuff to-doā list. Sheās serious, though, about serving Jesus Christā¦as a prayer warrior and writing for Godās glory, striving to encourage others on their spiritual journeys. When sheās not writing, look for her on the Appalachian Mountain trails with her beloved husband and mini-schnauzer.
My father-in-law, who served in the U.S. SeaBees for the top-secret mission, had shared some of the details about the murderā¦and, I knew an old Russian fairy tale called āFinist the Falconā that would serve as the perfect template for telling his story. I have my own personal story from Siberia (my husband and I adopted our son from there in 1999), but I learned many more interesting facts during research about this mysterious, challenging placeāstill largely uninhabited to this day. Our son, who is now a pilot, also helped tremendously in delving into the MiG-9, the first jet-powered fighter aircraft developed in Russia.
I hope youāll join me on this adventure into the risks of untested flightā¦the murderous threats of anti-religion zealotsā¦the relationship between a plucky female aircraft mechanic and a charming test pilotā¦and the possibilities of love and forgiveness in a snowy wilderness. Maybe youāll fall in love with Siberia, too!
Q & A with Nancy C. Williams
Many authors say that they have always been a writer ā making up stories as a child. When did you first become a writer?
My grandmother was an avid storyteller. I grew up hearing her tales about the Depression years in Appalachiaā¦and learned to love storytelling. In first grade, when I began forming letters and words into sentences, our teacher (Mrs. Hughes) had us write down complete stories. She gave us the liberty to use our imaginations. Even now, I find that to be a remarkable assignment! Iāve been a professional business writer for more than 40 years, but nowadays I write mostly for the sheer fun of it and for the blessing of seeing my work enjoyed by others.
Why did you choose the historical fiction genre?
I wound up majoring in history in my undergrad studies, even though I didnāt like it in high school. I found myself drawn to it, however, when I pored over every Saturday Evening Post magazine published in 1943 to write my history thesis on war-related advertisements. That college paper launched my career as an advertising copywriter and corporate editor, and my experience in historical research frequently came in handy. The same techniques apply to historical fiction, so itās been an easy fit for me. I especially love to dig into ways that everyday life changes during crisis periodsāprompting dangers that can be used in writing a mystery.
Can you tell us a little about what inspired your latest novel?
What do you want your readers to take away with them after finishing one of your novels?
A key theme for the novel is forgivenessāespecially when forgiveness is brutally difficult. I struggled with this issue myself while writing the book. There were so many atrocities committed during World War II, particularly in persecution of Jews and Christians, and I know it would be far beyond my own power to forgive someone for hurting a beloved family member. Only Jesus gives us strength enough to grant that depth of mercy. My hope is that readers would see how Christās forgiveness brings blessings to those who forgive.
Readers always want to know what is next for an author. Do you have any works in progress you can share about?
I would enjoy writing a time-slip novel about my hometown, Johnson City, Tennessee. We have an interesting history from the early 1900s, when Prohibition was in effect and moonshining was rampant. Did gangsters come through our region on the trains, looking for opportunities to stock their urban speakeasies? There are rumors of suchā¦and thatās all I need for a good mystery! Of course, thereāll be more to the storyāIāll add some suspense, romance, and a few unexpected twists!
Readers can find out more about my current novel, To Love a Falcon, through Celebrate Lit Publishingās website (http://www.celebratelitpublishing.com/posts/book/to-love-a-falcon/) or by going to Amazon where itās available on Kindle and in paperback. Readers can also follow my blog and news at my Lightbourne Creative website,https://lightbournecreative.comāI publish a weekly devotion blog to encourage other Christians in their daily life.
Newlyweds Lord and Lady Astley Finally Reach Their Honeymoon Destination Only to Encounter a New Mystery in Need of Solving
Frederick and Grace Percy finally make it to Italy to enjoy a delayed honeymoon and explore the beauties of the historic city of Venice. To their surprise, their friend, Detective Jack Miracle, is also in the city, investigating a series of art heists starting at the house of eccentric millionaire, Laraby Covington. Drawn into a world of boat races, mysterious houses, and parties of the rich and unusual in Venice, Frederick and Grace learn of the existence of the Juliet paintings, (Renaissance paintings feature Shakespeareās tragic heroine) rumored to hold a secret code to an underground vault of similarly treasured artwork assumed lost over the centuries. As Freddie and Grace are pulled deeper into the mystery and their beloved Detective Jack disappears, can they use their wits and work as a team to find the thieves and Jack before itās too late.
The Juliet Code is a Freddie and Grace Mystery, sequel to The Mistletoe Countess and The Cairo Curse.
I loved the first two books in Pepper Basham’s Freddie and Grace Mystery series. With unique settings, charming and often hilarious characters, sizzling sweet romance, and twisting mysteries, what’s not to like?! The Juliet Code continues the honeymoon travels of Lord and Lady Astley as they visit the romantic city of Venice. But Grace can’t seem to help stumbling into an investigation. This time Frederick isāwholeheartedly along for the ride. They join their friend and professional investigator Detective Jack Miracle in uncovering the missing Juliet paintings. Really, nothing is as it seems, and I enjoyed puzzling out just what was going on and who was actually who š . A treasure hunt, a curse, secret rooms, and dead bodies are the thrilling elements of this historical novel. Basham does a great job of bringing Venice to life. Her creation of a fictional island in the Lagoon is wonderfully done as well. As always Grace brings just the right amount of humor to balance tense situations, making her a favorite amateur sleuth. Her love of books and the references found in The Juliet Code will delight bibliophiles as well. Basham weaves spiritual threads naturally throughout the narrative. The broken world and God’s care are compared — there’s is always grace that accompanies hurt; hope that overshadows loss.
You’ll find well-written historical mystery and romance in The Juliet Code. Recommended!
Recommended.
Audience: Adults.
(Thanks to the publisher for a complimentary copy. All opinions expressed are mine alone.)
About The Author
Pepper Basham is an award-winning author who writes romance peppered with grace and humor with southern Appalachian flair. Both her historical and contemporary novels have garnered recognition in the Grace Awards, Inspys, and ACFW Carol Awards. Her historical romance, The Thorn Healer, was a finalist in the 2018 RT Awards. Her historical romance novels, My Heart Belongs in the Blue Ridge and The Red Ribbon, and her contemporary novels, the Mitchellās Crossroads and Pleasant Gap series, showcase her Appalachian heritage, as well as her love for humor and family. She currently resides in the lovely mountains of Asheville, NC where she is the mom of five great kids, a speech-language pathologist to about fifty more, and a lover of chocolate, jazz, hats, and Jesus.
More from Pepper
The Ever After
Iāve always loved fairytales.
Especially the romanticized version (#romancewriter).
The wonderful sense of a two people meeting, overcoming obstacles to be together, and then the happily-ever-after?
Well, those are some of my favorite reasons to read and write fiction. However, I didnāt realize the challenge I took on when I agreed to write a second and third book with the main characters staying the same!
You know what I mean?
In most series, the main characters from book one become secondary characters in the consecutive books so that the secondary characters in book one can become the main characters in book 2 (everybody still following along? )
One of my favorite book series that do this so well is the Amelia Peabody series. I fell in LOVE with Amelia and Emerson in book one, but just loved watching their continued dynamic as a couple grow with each new book. I felt as if I got to know them so much better in their āever afterā while they engaged in all sorts of adventures together.
Soā¦thatās what I hoped to accomplish with Freddie and Grace.
Where The Mistletoe Countess ends with a happily-ever-after, The Cairo Curse and The Juliet Code take over to show us more of theā¦ever after ā my attempt at showing how two main characters continue to grow beyond the end of book one.
I didnāt realize what a daunting feat it would be. Watching two characters meet, fall in love, and show some growth in book 1 was what I was used to doing. But how was I supposed to continue that character growth in consecutive books?
Well, I had to grow myself as a writer to understand how small changes can make lasting differences especially when writing about a beloved couple.
I think The Juliet Code shows a little of that growth ā of our Freddie and Grace have not only matured spiritually and, in Graceās case, experientially, but also as a couple.
Do you have a series that you love where the main characters stay the same?
Title: Jane and the Final Mystery Series: Being a Jane Austen Mystery (Book 15) Author: Stephanie Barron Genre: Historical Mystery, Austenesque Fiction Publisher: Soho Crime (October 24, 2023) Length: (312) pages Format: Hardcover, eBook, & audiobook ISBN: 978-1641295055 Tour Dates: October 16 ā 31, 2023
The final volume of the critically acclaimed mystery series featuring Jane Austen as amateur sleuth March 1817.
As winter turns to spring, Jane Austenās health is in slow decline, and threatens to cease progress on her latest manuscript. But when her nephew Edward brings chilling news of a death at his former school, Winchester College, not even her debilitating ailment can keep Jane from seeking out the truth. Arthur Prendergast, a senior pupil at the prestigious all-boysā boarding school, has been found dead in a culvert near the schoolgroundsāand in the pocket of his drenched waistcoat is an incriminating note penned by the young William Heathcote, the son of Janeās dear friend Elizabeth. Winchester College is a world unto itself, with its own language and rites of passage, cruel hazing and dangerous pranks. Can Jane clear Williamās name before her illness gets the better of her?
Over the course of fourteen previous novels in the critically acclaimed Being a Jane Austen Mystery series, Stephanie Barron has won the hearts of thousands of fansācrime fiction aficionados and Janeites alikeāwith her tricky plotting and breathtaking evocation of Austenās voice. Now, she brings Janeās final seasonāand final murder investigationāto brilliant, poignant life in this unforgettable conclusion.
PRAISE FOR JANE AND THE FINAL MYSTERY āPoignant . . . Elicits deep emotion out of Janeās struggles against her own mortality. This is a fitting send-off for a beautifully realized series.āā Publishers Weekly, Starred Review
āBarron developed Janeās narrative voice by reading Austenās collected and published letters, and it is neither spoiler nor surprise to say that series readers will be sorry to say goodbye to Jane Austen, amateur sleuth.āā Booklist
“[Barron] has brilliantly combined authentic historical and biographical details with skillful plotting and a credible evocation of Austenās wry, distinctive voice. She brings the English authorās final investigation to a poignant, unforgettable close. Fans of this historical series will not be disappointed.āā First Clue
Stephanie Barron is a graduate of Princeton and Stanford, where she received her Masters in History as an Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Fellow in the Humanities. Her novel, THAT CHURCHILL WOMAN (Ballantine, January 22, 2019) traces the turbulent career of Jennie Jerome, Winston Churchill’s captivating American mother. Barron is perhaps best known for the critically acclaimed Jane Austen Mystery Series, in which the intrepid and witty author of PRIDE AND PREJUDICE details her secret detective career in Regency England. A former intelligence analyst for the CIA, Stephanieāwho also writes under the name Francine Mathewsādrew on her experience in the field of espionage for such novels as JACK 1939, which The New Yorker described as “the most deliciously high-concept thriller imaginable.” She lives and works in Denver, CO.
I am so sad that the wonderful Being A Jane mystery series has come to an end. I was captivated by Jane Austen as an amateur sleuth from the very beginning. Stephanie Barron has always delivered a faithfully-drawn Jane as she navigates the more mysterious side of Regency England society. Accurate depictions of the time and place, as well as Jane and the Austen family and friends, bring authenticity to a thoroughly enjoyable mystery series. In Jane And TheFinalMystery, the reader and Jane know that her time is short. Though modern readers would consider her young, Jane is a spinster who depends on the meager revenue from her writing as well as a small stipend supplemented by her brothers and has few prospects for bettering her life. It would be easy to feel sorry for the historical Jane, but through Barron’s depiction we see a woman content with how her life has run. Jane And The Final Mystery finds Jane struggling with illness but still keen to discover just whodunit in the cathedral town of Winchester. I loved the historical details Barron uses — food, fashion, education, medicine, judicial practices — to bring early 19th century England to life. Characters, both historical and fictional, play a part in the story, making this book very believable. While there is no historical proof that Jane was a successful sleuth, this book (along with the entire series) makes my Jane-loving heart believe. š The pace of the mystery kept me turning the pages as I strove with our heroine to solve the case. Barron kept us both on our toes!
For those who have been faithful followers of this series, you will love the poignant ending. And if you are new to these mysteries, you are in for a treat — 15 books to savor! I recommend you start at the beginning of this wonderful mystery series.
Recommended.
Audience: Adults.
(I received a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions expressed are mine alone.)
What’s better than a mystery? A historical mystery!
Regency-era mystery, Murder in Drury Lane by Vanessa Riley, is available today! Vanessa will be a participant in the book festival in my hometown in January. I’m currently reading one of her books now, and am looking forward to diving into more. Find out all the details of her latest below.
Offering āa vibrant picture of the roles Black and mixedārace people played in Regency lifeā (Publishers Weekly), this unique historical mystery series, featuring a mixed-race heroine with a notorious past, will appeal toĀ BridgertonĀ fans who want a sharper edge to their drama.
Pressed into a union of convenience, Lady Abigail Worthing knew better than to expect love. Her marriage to an absent lord does at least provide some comforts, including a box at the Drury Lane theater, owned by the playwright Richard Brinsley Sheridan. Abigail has always found respite at the theater, away from theĀ tonās judgmental stares and the risks of her own secret work to help the cause of abolitionāand her fears that someone from her past wants her permanently silenced. But on one particular June evening everything collides, and the performance takes an unwelcome turn . . . Ā Onstage, a woman emits a scream of genuine terror. A man has been found dead in the prop room, stabbed through the heart. Abigailās neighbor, Stapleton Henderson, is also in attendance, and the two rush backstage. The magistrate, keen to avoid bringing more attention to the case and making Lady Worthing more of a target, asks Abigail not to investigate. But she cannot resist, especially when the usually curmudgeonly Henderson offers his assistance. Ā Abigail soon discovers a tangled drama that rivals anything brought to the stage, involving gambling debts, a beautiful actress with a parade of suitors, and the very future of the Drury Lane theatre. For Abigail the case is complicated still further, for one suspect is a leading advocate for the cause dearest to her heartāthe abolition of slavery within the British empire. Uncovering the truth always comes at a price. But this time, it may be far higher than she wishes to pay.
Vanessa Riley writes Regency Romances and Historical Fiction of dazzling multi-culture communities with powerful persons of color. Vanessa writes for historical romance readers who admire and acquire books that showcase women who find joy in sweeping kisses and strong sisterhoods. Even in the darkness, she promises to give you laughs and to show you how light always prevails and how love always, always wins.
Vanessa juggles mothering a teen, cooking for her military-man husband, and speaking at women’s and STEM events. She loves baking her Trinidadian grandma’s cake recipes and collecting Irish crochet lace. Sheās known for her sweeping romances and humorous delivery of poignant truths. You can catch her writing from the comfort of her southern porch with a cup of Earl Grey tea.
Just a couple more days and it’s FALL! Here in the sunny South, the temps are edging down, but the real Fall weather won’t show up for at least a month (sometimes more). But that doesn’t keep me from piling up a bunch of books to read for the season. I have had a ton of “required” reading the past few months, but I am happy that a lot of pleasure reads are in my future. I have more than 10, but I will keep the list to the next 10 books I will be enjoying in the coming weeks. I read across genres, so there should be something for everyone.
Many of the books I review are provided to me free of charge from publishers, authors, or other groups in return for a review. The opinions expressed in the reviews are mine and mine alone. No monetary consideration is given. This disclaimer is in accordance with FTC rules.
I am an Amazon.com affiliate, which means that I earn a small percentage of the sales from products purchased through links on my site. I NEVER recommend a book in order to receive a profit. Proceeds from affiliate sales help to defray operating costs of the blog.
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