Jolly Foul Play by Robin Stevens (Book Beginnings & Friday 56)

I have an enormous amount of NetGalley ARCs waiting for me right now ... but Hazel Wong is my spirit animal and I need to spend some quality time with her, Daisy and the rest of my Deepdean girls.
The last two books saw Daisy and Hazel off campus, but they're back in Jolly Foul Play and the school has been commandeered, as it were, by a nasty group of Big Girls. When the head of the group, who also happens to be the school's Head Girl, dies at a Guy Fawkes Night celebration, the Detective Society jumps into action.
This time, Daisy and Hazel have accepted help from their friends and suite-mates, Lavinia, Kitty and Beanie. Oh, and Hazel is also secretly corresponding with a boy detective they met in First Class Murder and is enlisting his aide, as well. It's all so delightfully scandalous!

As always, Friday 56 is hosted at Freda's Voice & Book Beginnings is at Rose City Reader. 

This week my "56" comes from page 56 of the UK paperback.

Rambling About.. The House of Memory by Carolyn Haines

Oh. My. Gosh. If I thought that The Book of Beloved had knocked my socks off, then the follow up has taken my knickers, too. Raissa James and Reginald Proctor have teamed up to form the Pluto's Snitch private investigation agency which specializes in supernatural spooky stuff. She can communicate with the dead and he's quite gifted at reading the living (don't ever get into a card game with the man unless you want to lose!). Together they've earned quite a reputation and are summoned to consult with Zelda Fitzgerald about a friend of hers in trouble. We get to see a psychiatric hospital practicing treatments worthy of gothic horror movies, possible evil possessions, ghosts galore, and Raissa being awesome. Reginald isn't bad, but Raissa is pretty dang kickass. It's 1920 and she smokes, drinks, drives, protests, investigates the seedy underbelly of society and communicates with ghosts? I would love to see a movie or tv series made out of these!

First line: The bow of the steamboat Miss Vandy cut through the dark water of the Alabama River as we moved north against the current.

Faves on 4s:
4% - "Have you ever considered that maybe your dead don't want you pining for them? Maybe that's why they don't show up." It wasn't a thought that had occurred to me, but I liked it.
24% - Unbelievable. Nurse Brady was no one's fool, yet Reginald had charmed her into doing exactly as he wanted.
44% - I walked the perimeter of the room, calming myself, opening up to the possibility of some other entity in that space. My mouth was dry, and my heart beat furiously -- I was afraid.
64% - "Curses don't always work the way they're intended."
84% - Their eyes rolled up in their heads, revealing only the whites. "Go away." Jagged red lines appeared at their throats. They widened into horrible gashes, and blood poured out.

Bad Housekeeping by Maia Chance (Book Beginnings)

I normally pair Book Beginnings with Friday 56, but today I'm only doing the beginning. I didn't want to snip the first paragraph down and, really, it's all I needed to know that I had a great book on my hands!

Bad Housekeeping is fourth Maia Chance book that I've read and the first in her new Agnes and Effie Mystery series. Unlike her other two series, this one has a contemporary setting and stars 28-year-old Agnes (who is definitely a kindred spirit for me) and her great-aunt, Effie. They live in a fictional town on a fictional lake in the not-at-all fictional Finger Lakes region of New York. (Instant love for me here since I live oooh so close!)  The two of them are hilarious and their blossoming relationship is far from boring. They snark at each other and practically everyone else on a regular basis and while I can see how this could get on some people's nerves, I love the snark. It's almost like a satirical cozy with so many over-the-top situations and shout-outs to some of the great pop culture mysteries -- Nancy Drew, Murder, She Wrote, Magnum PI, and my beloved Velma Dinkley. In fact, with the addition of Agnes' cousin and high school crush, it's almost like a dogless Scooby gang!

From the very beginning I knew that this was going to be another hit for Maia Chance. By the time I reached the end, I was anxious for the next book in the series! Of course, I'll have to wait a while... Bad Housekeeping comes out on June 13th!

Amazon Description

When 28-year-old Agnes Blythe, the contented bifocals-wearing half of an academic power couple, is jilted by her professor boyfriend for the town Pilates instructor, her future is suddenly less than certain. So when her glamorous, eccentric Great Aunt Effie arrives in town and offers a job helping to salvage the condemned Stagecoach Inn, what does Agnes have to lose? But work at the inn has barely begun when the unlikely duo find the body of manipulative Kathleen Todd, with whom Agnes and Effie both have recently had words. Words strong enough to land them at the top of the suspect list. 

The pair have clearly been framed, but no one else seems interested in finding the real murderer and Agnes and Effie's sleuthing expertise is not exactly slick. Nevertheless, they're soon investigating a suspect list with laundry dirtier than a middle school soccer team's and navigating threats, car chases, shotgun blasts, and awkward strolls down memory lane.

In Bad Housekeeping, the first novel in the Agnes & Effie cozy mystery series by Maia Chance, danger mounts, deadlines loom, ancient knob-and-tube wiring is explored, and the ladies learn a thing or two about the awful, wonderful mistake that is going back home.

Book Beginnings is hosted at Rose City Reader. 

Chocolate Chocolate Moons AND Sherlock Mars by Jackie Kingon (Book Beginnings & Friday 56)

Once upon a time, not very many years ago, I found myself more-or-less begging some of my author "friends" on Facebook for at least one of them to come up with a fun cozy mystery series set in space. What could be better for a geek like myself? I had several "well, that would be interesting" ... but none of them took me up on the idea. One suggested that I write one myself, but my brain just isn't quite that creative. I took a creative writing class or two in college and had one short story published in a magazine when I was in high school, but I'm apparently far more suited to just rambling on about other people's creative leanings.

Imagine my delight, then, when I was poking around NetGalley and came upon something called Sherlock Mars. A comedic mystery set ... you betcha ... on Mars! Even better? It's the second in a series following Chocolate Chocolate Moons! Comedy, mystery, space AND chocolate?!? I grabbed myself a copy of CCM, sat back, and laughed through Kington's glimpse of the 24th century. And then I continued the ride straight into the next book. 

The heroine, Molly, is kind of like the love-child of Veronica Mars and Arthur Dent -- with more than a little bit of Sara Lee mixed in (as in the cheesecake I'm now craving).  There are definitely aspects of this that I can see not appealing to some. The humor is absurd and punny, much like Piers Anthony's Xanth books. Even for me -- a great lover of puns and Xanth -- it was a bit much to take sometimes and I found myself skimming here and there. (Enough so that I plowed through most of both books in less than 24-hours.) 

Is there such a thing as a book hangover?

As always, Friday 56 is hosted at Freda's Voice & Book Beginnings is at Rose City Reader. Both of the "Friday 56" quotes this week are from the 56% marks of the ebooks.

Amazon Description

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Amazon Description

Friday Two-For-One (Book Beginnings, Friday 56, #boutofbooks 4 & 5)

I've decided to share two books this week for Book Beginnings & Friday 56 -- the one I've just finished and the one I'm just beginning (well, beginning again as it's a re-read). These are the 4th & 5th (and probably last) books I'm reading for the BoutOfBooks readathon. I've had a blast doing it ... have gotten to "know" quite a few more readers ... and already can't wait until the next one!

As always, Friday 56 is hosted at Freda's Voice & Book Beginnings is at Rose City Reader.

from Amazon:

Rambley Bits

This is the third of Beaton's Hamish Macbeth books. I think right now there are over thirty in the series so it should take me a while to catch up .... unless I stop taking so much time in between books (I read the second in February ... of 2016!). Really? I could catch up in about a month if I wanted to as they're delightfully fast reads. 

Anyway, this installment sees Hamish (and trusty canine Towser) away from home covering for another vacationing officer. Of course, a murder occurs shortly after Hamish arrives and Hamish has to do what he does best -- solve the mystery while annoying the inspector in charge. The wit I loved from him in the first two books are present yet again and even though he and Priscilla are separated for the vast majority (she's in London -- he's in the middle of nowhere), I'm still rooting for them to figure it the heck out already. 

Maybe I'll make a new goal of reading at least 2 Hamish's a month .... which will still take me over a year to catch up .... dangit.

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I believe I've only read Emma once before -- about a million and three years ago in high school. Hence, I probably only half paid attention to it and likely only half understood it. Of course, in the years since I've seen the movies and mini-series and have absolutely fallen in love. This, therefore, will be my weekend (aside from a trip to the dentist for the kid) : pjs, Emma and oooooh Mr Knightley. 

Rambling About.. Charlotte MacLeod's Vane Pursuit (#boutofbooks book 3)

Author: Charlotte MacLeod

Title: Vane Pursuit

Publication: 1989 - The Mysterious Press

First Lines: "Hey, you! You kid! Get the hell down off that cannon."

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This is my third book for the BoutofBooks readathon and the seventh book in the Peter Shandy mystery series by Charlotte MacLeod. The first book in the series was the very first book reviewed here and I've loved every one of them. I was actually thinking that this wouldn't be as wonderful as the others as there is very little mention and no sighting of my beloved President Svenson (vacationing with the family in Sweden) ... but I was happily mistaken. 

Charlotte MacLeod's Peter Shandy books are kind of like the tv series Midsomer's Murders. There's always some whacked out mystery involving something you would never think would be interesting and a cast of characters that make you shake your head at how in the world they could be interesting ... and it all makes sense somehow. This time around, the local soap factory is burnt down just hours after Helen has taken photos of the antique weathervane for a historical society project and the weathervane disappears (as has been the case after a few other local fires). While Peter's wife, Helen, and Iduna Stott head up to stay with a friend in Maine and do some more weathervane research, Peter stays behind to help local journalist Cronkite Swope clear his brother's name in the arson of the factory.

Sure. Soap factory arson and weathervane theft. Call me riveted.

No, really! I was!

And, in the end, it all made sense.

 I loved getting to see more of Cronkite and Iduna and fell in even more in love with Peter and Helen. (And, seriously, if I ever get thrown off of a boat I hope I have someone like Iduna with me!) I really think that one of the reasons this series is one of my favorites is that in spite of the "yeah, right ... like that would make a decent book" feel some of the storylines might initially have, the way MacLeod told them makes them feel so much more real than a lot of cozy mysteries. These people feel like family and all of their strange little stories and acquaintances along the way totally remind me of listening to my grandparents, their siblings, and various second/third/whatever cousins over the years. 

I'm crushed that I only have three more books left in the series, but absolutely know that it'll be a series I'll re-read. 

These Vicious Masks by Tarun Shanker & Kelly Zekas (#boutofbooks, Tuesday Intros & Teaser Tuesday)

I started reading These Vicious Masks on my way in to work on Sunday night. About 5am Monday morning I signed up for this week's Bout of Books readathon and, at that point, I had only managed to get to page 30. Silly distractions and work stuff..... but slap "athon" onto my reading and it's like my own superpower is activated. I finished the book at 1:35am Tuesday and didn't even skip sleep to do so.

And it's amazing.

I had read on Amazon that it's like Jane Austen meets X-Men. Whoever wrote that clearly doesn't know their time periods very well, but enough nitpickiness about Regency versus Victorian.... this book is still amazing. I immediately fell in love with Evelyn. From the very first page I knew she was my kind of spunky. And her male counterparts? Oooooh I'm having trouble picking between the two! What I do know is that the ending almost made me fall out of my chair and that I'm super excited to get my hands on the sequel.

"First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros" is from the first paragraph or two of a book being read now (or in the future) and is hosted by Bibliophile by the Sea. "Teaser Tuesday" at The Purple Booker asks for a random line or two from anywhere in the book currently being read.

from Amazon:

Except the Dying by Maureen Jennings (Book Beginnings & Friday 56)

Except the Dying is the first of Maureen Jennings' book about Detective William Murdoch in Victorian Toronto. Yes, the same William Murdoch of the hit tv series Murdoch Mysteries ... sort of. I say "sort of" because although the show is based on the characters and set in the same time period and location, the similarities between the show (now in its tenth season) and the books (at least this first one of seven) are few and far between. I'm pretty sure that if I had read the books first, I probably wouldn't have continued to watch the show past the first episode or two. They're that different. The book is beautifully dark and gritty and far more serious. Jennings has a way with words that, now, almost seem to be satired in the show. I'm greatly looking forward to picking up the next book in the series ... and now not so excited for the next episode.

Friday 56 (today is page 156 from the paperback) is hosted at Freda's Voice & 

Book Beginnings (share the first few sentences) is at Rose City Reader.

From Amazon:

The White Feather Murders by Rachel McMillan (Book Beginnings & Friday 56)

My son has been on Spring Break all week and I've still had to work my usual full-time overnight gig so, as you can imagine, I'm oh-so-very thankful that my work week is coming to a close. My plan for the next 2 1/2 days? Pajamas, blanket, and The White Feather Murders by Rachel McMillan! I absolutely adore Rachel and the dynamic duo of Merinda and Jem (and, of course, Ray and my dear sweet lovable Jasper). I already know that I'm going to love it, but I'll be sure to verify as much once the weekend lovefest comes to a close! 

Friday 56 (today is 56% from the digital ARC) is hosted at Freda's Voice & 

Book Beginnings (share the first few sentences) is at Rose City Reader.

From Amazon:

*** UPDATE -- 24 April 2017 ***

It took me a bit longer than usual to really sink my teeth into this one but I'm blaming that largely on the lack of sleep & focus thanks to my son being on break from school this whole past week. Once I was rested up some, though, I started again and couldn't put it down willingly until it was finished.

The world is changing rapidly around our wonderful quartet of Merinda, Jem, Ray and Jasper (my dear, beloved Jasper). It's the summer of 1914 and World War I has begun in Europe. Toronto's large immigrant population (Ray included) is under constant scrutiny and harrassment from those who fear they may side with the enemy. (Gee, sound familiar?) There is a group, known as the Cartier Club, that is trying to fight for the rights of the immigrants. When the members start getting murdered (with white feathers left behind -- used to symbolize cowardice), our foursome gets shaken to the core.

While the mystery part of this outing was gripping and kept me guessing, the real treasure here is the interaction and introspection of our main characters. Each of them struggles with who they've been, who they are, and who they want to be in the world. It's simultanteously heartbreaking and uplifting.

The Secret Life of Anna Blanc by Jennifer Kincheloe (Tuesday Intros & Teaser Tuesday)

There are so many things you could dislike about Anna Blanc. She's a spoiled rich girl who's more than a bit flippant, rarely thinks things through, and when she does think things through those thoughts are often only of herself. She's a right pain in the rear .... and I love her to bits.

Anna Blanc doesn't really mean to be a spoiled rich girl. It's not as though she could have chosen which family she born into, right? In fact, she tries really hard to break free from it -- including following her passion for crime novels (which she brilliantly hides from disapproving eyes in the covers of "more suitable" books) and secretly getting a job as an assistant police matron. (It's rather hilarious watching her and her "chaperone" manipulate each other in order to get this to work!)

She uses an alias, Anna Holmes, to secure the position ... and also lies about her background, her familiarity with places that aren't her upper-crust norm, and even her typing skills (of which she has none). When prostitutes start disappearing and/or turning up dead, though, she decides to investigate because no one else will.

I'm so immensely glad that Jennifer Kincheloe somehow started to follow me on Twitter early in March which, in return, made me follow her and buy The Secret Life of Anna Blanc. In her description on Twitter, Kincheloe refers to herself as a "serious Miss Fisher and Amelia Peabody fan" and that shines through Anna Blanc. There's humor galore, characters I both love to love and love to hate, and a mystery that has kept me turning the pages to find out what's going to happen next.

"First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros" is from the first paragraph or two of a book being read now (or in the future) and is hosted by Bibliophile by the Sea. "Teaser Tuesday" at The Purple Booker asks for a random line or two from anywhere in the book currently being read.

Duels & Deception by Cindy Anstey (Book Beginnings & Friday 56)

Friday 56 (today is page 156 from the paperback) is hosted at Freda's Voice & 

Book Beginnings (share the first few sentences) is at Rose City Reader.

I have a confession to make : I stopped reading the ebook I received from NetGalley of this on Thursday morning. (Well, except for the bus-ride in to work Thursday night. I just couldn't NOT read a little bit more.... Anstey is positively addictive!) BUT I did so because I knew that on Friday I'll be receiving the actual book in the mail from Amazon and it's so flipping good that I know I'll want to finish it up with it actually in my hands flipping the pages in the comfort of my recliner and pajamas.

That's a good reason, right?

(The page 156 above is thanks to the "Surprise Me!" preview pages on Amazon. I can't wait to find out what's going on!!! But, of course, I can ... because I need that book in my hands!)

Oh, and in case you were wondering, it's a standalone novel. It has the same general feel and era as Love, Lies and Spies, but it isn't necessary to read one before the other. You know that I'm a bit obsessive about reading things in the proper order and here it's really okay if you don't!

***UPDATE -- 16 APRIL 2017***

I was spot-on over needing this book as an actual book. I even took it to Easter lunch at my sister-in-law's to read and had a good chuckle over the amazement that I had my head in an actual book instead of just my phone or tablet.

This book is needed on my shelves and will, without a doubt, be re-read over the years just as my Jane Austens have been and will be. Anstey, once again, has penned a delicious Regency romance with a tinge of intrigue -- this time around Miss Lydia Whitfield. Her father had passed on years earlier and she has been managing her family estate with the assistance (or lack thereof) of her mother's brother. When a disagreement about the management forced the involvement of her solicitor to get involved, the solicitor's clerk (and soon-to-be apprentice) Mr Robert Newton entered the picture.  

Oh, Robert. 

My adoration of this man so far surpasses my previous longings for a Mr Darcy or a Colonel Brandon. From this day forward, all of my Regency daydreams will be his... at least, until Anstey's next book is released.

Rambling About.. Secrets of Hallstead House by Amy M Reade

I wasn't able to really devote time to this gem until Sunday morning and once I really started I found that I couldn't/wouldn't put it down willingly! Secrets of Hallstead House is a beautiful tale set in one of the most beautiful places there is -- the Thousand Islands. I was born at the eastern end of the Thousand Islands region and while we moved from the area before I was old enough to really know anything of it, it's still near and dear to my heart.

Credit: New York Times

It's the story of Macy Stoddard who has accepted a job as the personal nurse to an elderly woman recovering from hip surgery. It's a bit of a dreary place and several of the inhabitants and frequest visitors make it known that they don't want Macy there, but she has a job to do and intends to do it. She does bond with her patient, though, as well as with the keeper of the boathouse and falls in love with the locale (as well she should!). 

Before long everything Macy thought that she had known about everything gets turned upside-down. It's part gothic, part cozy mystery, and all wonderful. Well, almost all. 

The only nit-picky thing I had with it was Macy's age. She's supposed to be 20 years old but seems older and that boathouse guy? She figured him to be in his mid-30s (I can't recall if we ever did get an exact age on him). Call me horribly old-fashioned, but she isn't even able to legally drink unless she crosses the border! If she had been, say, 25 and him mid-thirties I likely wouldn't have been as skeeved about it. Much. Maybe. Still, it's only a mild irritant in an otherwise wonderful book full of secrets and mystery and twists that I totally didn't see coming.

A June of Ordinary Murders by Conor Brady - #readireland2017 #begorrathon2017 (Tuesday Intros & Teaser Tuesday)

A June of Ordinary Murders is the first book in Conor Brady's series featuring Detective Sergeant Joe Swallow. The story begins 17 June 1887 -- just a few days before Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee. (At this point in history Ireland was still under British rule.) Swallow is called in to investigate after a man and child have been found murdered in a park and, while puzzling, he feels it to be just an "ordinary crime." Of course, the further he digs the less ordinary it is.

I started reading this Sunday night at work after accidentally leaving Black Rabbit Hall at home.  Right now I'm about a third of the way through and I'm enjoying it immensely. Brady has a very similar style as Charles Finch (in fact, Finch wrote a blurb for the book which almost never happens), and since I was just thinking to myself last week that I need to dive back into the Charles Lenox series this came as great timing to scratch that itch (which, you probably know, only makes it itch more). I've read and loved quite a lot of books based in and around London during this time period, but I believe this is my first set in Ireland (thanks, Begorrathon!). It definitely won't be my last.

"First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros" is from the first paragraph or two of a book being read now (or in the future) and is hosted by Bibliophile by the Sea. "Teaser Tuesday" at The Purple Booker asks for a random line or two from anywhere in the book currently being read.

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See more Begorrathon posts HERE.

Blog Tour! Mystery at Maplemead Castle by Kitty French

I have made absolutely no secret as to how much I adore Melody Bittersweet so when I was asked to participate in the blog tour for the second Chapelwick Mysteries book I jumped at the chance. The whole gang from the first book is back for another hauntingly hilarious tale that, once again, is as full of heartfelt "awwws" as it is belly laughs. It's always a joy to find a book that can make me laugh until I cry and then turn right around and break my heart. I honestly didn't think it would be possible to love this as much as I loved the first one. Truth of the matter is, I may have even loved it more!

Too many times a series can go on without much in the way of character development. Here, though, everyone has had a bit of a boost. (Well, except for Leo's maniacal fembots. I don't think they can get a boost without plastic surgery or Victoria's Secret being involved!) Artie is truly coming into his own even though he's still living at home with his mum; Marina is even more terrifying when she's in her defend-the-bestie mode; even the one-eared pug, Lestat, is becoming an actual part of the team! 

 
And then there's Melody. 

 
Dear, sweet, slightly messed up Melody. 

Melody Bittersweet, of course, is my BBGBFFL (best book ghostbusting friend for life). She's a geektastic spitfire full of spunk ... and pancakes ... and biscuits ... and cake ... and she has rather interesting taste in clothing and men. Of course, both her ex-boyfriend Leo AND her ... ummm ... well ... Fletch are back for this latest adventure. Her relationships with both go through quite a lot and it's really no surprise at all (to me, anyway) that a biscuit tin is almost at the ready. 

This time the three of them (plus respective teams) are at Maplemead Castle in order to assist the new owners with their not-so-little ghost problem that includes an all-too-lifelike (for those who can see it) lion. Yes, ladies and gentlemen and children of all ages .... the circus is in town! 

There are twists and turns galore -- of both the physical and metaphorical variety. It took a while to know what the real issue being investigated was and I totally did not guess the outcome until it was right in front of my face in all of its glory. I think maybe I was too delighted to just lose myself in the story to bother trying to get a step or two ahead of it. Or, maybe I was distracted by the latest love polygon to have put all of pieces together in the right spots. Or, just maybe, I was too busy expanding my vocabulary (I found myself calling someone a "hippocrocotwunt" the other day with great delight!).

Whatever. 

I am ever-so-grateful to Kitty French for writing such phenomenal stories, to Bookouture for being brilliant enough to publish them, and to NetGalley for existing so folks like me have an easier time getting our grubby little mitts on the awesomeness in advance. 

The world needs more awesomeness like all of them and, most of all, more Bittersweet! 

More books... 

A TV series... 

A t-shirt line... 

Action figures... 

Cartoon knickers... ???

All of it!

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Buy from Amazon UK  http://amzn.to/2kQqows

Buy from Amazon US  http://amzn.to/2kd2Qjp

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Welcome to Chapelwick, a leafy English town in the hills of Shropshire, where chocolate pecan cookies come with a helping of sabotage.

Maplemead Castle is crawling with ghosts, and the new owners need them gone. When Melody Bittersweet and the Girls’ Ghostbusting Agency arrive on scene, they quickly identify the troublemakers swinging from the chandeliers… literally.

A century ago, stunning trapeze artist Britannia Lovell plunged to her death, and has done every night since. But did she really just fall, or was there something more to her demise?

Forced to work with Leo Dark, her scoundrel ex, and infuriating, irresistible reporter Fletcher Gunn, Melody’s investigative powers are under strain (i.e. lost in a pink mist of lust and confusion). She needs her team on top form, but best friend Marina’s cake pipeline goes AWOL, assistant Artie’s distracted by a giant sausage roll, and the pug is scared witless by a lion.

Somewhere, hidden in the castle, is a heart-breaking secret, but what will it take to find it? And is there a chance it could set Britannia free, or is she doomed to repeat her last fateful act forever?

An utterly hilarious, gripping, spooktastic read for fans of HY Hanna, MC Beaton, Gina LaManna and Jana DeLeon.

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Buy from Amazon UK  http://amzn.to/2kQqows

Buy from Amazon US  http://amzn.to/2kd2Qjp

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Be sure to visit the other tour stops, too!

Elementary, She Read by Vicki Delany (Tuesday Intros & Teaser Tuesday)

I took the majority of this most recent weekend "off" from reading. There were basketball games to be watched, a Wing Walk to go on with my son, bookshelves to work on rearranging, and lots of television to be caught up on thanks to my recent renewal of my Acorn.tv account. 
I started Vicki Delany's Elementary, She Read on the bus trip in to work Sunday night and by the time my shift was over I was more than half-way finished. (Had I not had to also actually work I may have finished it!)

When I saw the description on NetGalley I knew that it would be one I would need to request:

Gemma Doyle, a transplanted Englishwoman, has returned to the quaint town of West London on Cape Cod to manage her Great Uncle Arthur's Sherlock Holmes Bookshop and Emporium. The shop--located at 222 Baker Street--specializes in the Holmes canon and pastiche, and is also the home of Moriarty the cat. When Gemma finds a rare and potentially valuable magazine containing the first Sherlock Homes story hidden in the bookshop, she and her friend Jayne (who runs the adjoining Mrs. Hudson's Tea Room) set off to find the owner, only to stumble upon a dead body. 
The highly perceptive Gemma is the police’s first suspect, so she puts her consummate powers of deduction to work to clear her name, investigating a handsome rare books expert, the dead woman's suspiciously unmoved son, and a whole family of greedy characters desperate to cash in on their inheritance. But when Gemma and Jayne accidentally place themselves at a second murder scene, it's a race to uncover the truth before the detectives lock them up for good.
Fans of Sherlock Holmes will delight in the sleuthing duo of Gemma and Jayne in Elementary, She Read, the clever and captivating series debut by nationally bestselling author Vicki Delany.

See, for as long as I can remember I have adored Sherlock Holmes and stories inspired by Doyle and his beloved duo. I even got craftastic enough to make myself Holmes & Watson dolls for the Sherlockian part of my bookshelves!

I have read some rather awful Holmes & Watson-related stories over the years. This is definitely not one of them. Even without the fact that the main character pretty much has my dream job of a bookshop and cafe, there's an abundance of humor and sass and Gemma is very Holmes-esque in how she sees and relates to the world around her. It's a great book to curl up with in your favorite easy chair (or bus seat ... or rolling computer desk chair ...) and lose yourself in for a handful of hours. It was fun to keep flip-flopping over who I was certain was the guilty party and I eagerly await more visits to West London!

"First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros" is from the first paragraph or two of a book being read now (or in the future) and is hosted by Bibliophile by the Sea. "Teaser Tuesday" at The Purple Booker asks for a random line or two from anywhere in the book currently being read.

Elementary, She Read is being released on March 14th. Once I can get my hands on the paperback it will definitely be added to my Sherlock shelf!

A Knightsbridge Scandal by Anita Davison (Book Beginnings & Friday 56)

Please do yourself a favor and start this wonderful series at the beginning with Flora's Secret (originally titled Murder on the Minneapolis)! Unlike some series where book after book go by with little change in the main character, Davison's Flora has the kind of life that you really don't want to just jump in at with the third installment. 

The year is 1903 and Flora is visiting London where she gets wrapped up in society, the suffragist movement, international affairs and, of course, murder. There are a lot of other things going on, as well, but we'll not get into those just in case you're a book or two behind. The long and the short of it, though, is that this remains one of my favorite historical mystery series and each installment is better than the last. Considering I gave the first one five out of five stars, we must be up to at least seven stars for A Knightsbridge Scandal -- and I feel that at least one extra star needs to be given for the addition of the spunky lady's maid, Sally! 

Friday 56 (today is 56% from the ebook) is hosted at Freda's Voice 

& Book Beginnings (share the first few sentences) is at Rose City Reader.

Finding Secrets by Lauren Westwood (Tuesday Intros & Teaser Tuesday)

When I realized that Lauren Westwood's Finding Secrets would likely be my Tuesday Intro/Teaser Tuesday book this week I kept my eye out for the perfect lines for the teaser. I soon discovered that there are just far too many perfect lines to choose from. This book. Oh my ... this book. By the half way point (thanks to sleep and work getting in the way of things), I had already found myself laughing and crying and audibly gasping and "omig_d"ing repeatedly. On Amazon it's listed as Finding Secrets: An uplifting romance where love conquers all, but it's so much more than just another romance book. Sure, there is that aspect to it ... but it's also full of history and intrigue and the journey of self-discovery.  There's so much going on and rather than try to figure out what's going to happen several steps in advance, this time I just went along on the journey with great delight (even when there are tears involved). It's only February and I already have a feeling it'll remain one of my top books of 2017.

"First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros" is from the first paragraph or two of a book being read now (or in the future) and is hosted by Bibliophile by the Sea. "Teaser Tuesday" at The Purple Booker asks for a random line or two from anywhere in the book currently being read.

Finding Secrets is set to be published on March 1st 2017 by Aria.

I received my copy for free through NetGalley. 

The freeness, of course, has had no influence on my opinion. 

Ann Granger's The Companion (Book Beginnings & Friday 56)

I'm only just into the third chapter so I can't say much about it yet other than that the first three chapters have been enjoyable! I'm awfully glad that I have this as an e-book as it will make it easier to fly through since it'll make it easier to read it while in bed or walking to the grocery store or during half-time at this weekend's basketball game ...

Amazon Description

"In the corners of the room the shadows cast velvety veils. It would not be too difficult to imagine someone stood there and watched. I thought of Madeleine Hexham.... I glanced around me. It was likely that I'd been given my predecessor's room and that it was here she had planned her flight into the arms of her mysterious lover."

When Lizzie Martin arrives in London in 1864 to become a lady's companion, her first impressions are disturbing. She's barely out of the station when her cab encounters a wagon carrying the remains of a young woman recently dead.

At her new home, Lizzie learns that her predecessor, Madeleine Hexham, disappeared without a word of warning. Despite rumors of immoral behavior surrounding the girl's departure, Lizzie is soon persuaded that there's a deeper mystery here. Her suspicions are tragically confirmed when Inspector Benjamin Ross delivers shocking tidings.

Lizzie is determined to unravel the truth about the lost Miss Hexham. As, too, is Ben Ross: a man who cares about justice, whatever the class of victim. But they must tread carefully, as a cornered killer is the most dangerous of all...

Friday 56 (today is 56% from the ebook) is hosted at Freda's Voice 

& Book Beginnings (share the first few sentences) is at Rose City Reader.

***Update -- 19 February 2017***

So ... if any of you go ahead and try The Companion I hope you have more luck with it than I've had. It started strong but I've actually been opting to watch mindless reruns over reading ... which is a pretty good sign to me that a book belongs on the DNF pile

A Meditation on Murder by Robert Thorogood (Tuesday Intro & Teaser Tuesday)

I absolutely adore the BBC show Death in Paradise and have been watching it since the beginning (thanks to the wonderful world of the internet). We're currently in the final stretch of the sixth season and while I wait for the next episode to air I found myself missing Saint-Marie. I could rewatch episodes ... but I decided that it would be even more fun to read a new story featuring the characters from the first season! 

Of course, I was beyond thrilled when I first found out that there were actually books written by the show's creator/writer that weren't just novelizations of cases I had already seen. Having watched (and rewatched) the show, the characters really jump off the page -- accents, idiosyncracies and all. Even if you haven't seen the show, though, I bet you would still love the book if you enjoy classic mysteries. It's very much a modern story with a Golden Age feel -- complete with the locked door murder (kind of)! Even better? Harry is around to wreak his own particular kind of havoc ... which, at this point, is going over the heads of those new to Saint-Marie. I highly suggest that you read the book.

"First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros" is from the first paragraph or two of a book being read now (or in the future) and is hosted by Bibliophile by the Sea. "Teaser Tuesday" at The Purple Booker asks for a random line or two from anywhere in the book currently being read.

Rambling About.. Kneaded to Death by Winnie Archer

Title: Kneaded to Death
Author: Winnie Archer
Publication: 28 February 2017 - Kensington
Amazon Description:
Everyone swears by Yeast of Eden, the Mexican bread shop in town. But tonight, the only thing on the menu is la muerte . . .

Struggling photographer Ivy Culpepper has lots of soul-searching to do since returning to seaside Santa Sofia, California. That is, until the thirty-six-year-old enters a bread making class at Yeast of Eden. Whether it’s the aroma of fresh conchas in the oven, or her instant connection with owner Olaya Solis, Ivy just knows the missing ingredients in her life are hidden among the secrets of Olaya’s bakery . . .

But Ivy’s spirits crumble when a missing classmate is suddenly discovered dead in her car. Even more devastating, the prime suspect is Olaya Solis herself. Doubting the woman could commit such a crime, Ivy embarks on a murder investigation of her own to prove her innocence and seize the real killer. As she follows a deadly trail of crumbs around town, Ivy must trust her gut like never before—or someone else could be toast!

First Lines: Santa Sofia is a magical town, nestled between the Santa Lucia Mountain Range and the Pacific Ocean on California's Central Coast. I've always seen it as the perfect place.

Faves on 4s:
(text from Advanced copy -- final print may vary)

4% - I listened, enthralled. Her words seeped into me, and I understood completely. It was all about passion.

24% - I'd bet my life that she was the most self-sufficient, organized, and capable eighty-six-year-old woman on the planet. In fact, if she were pitted against any woman of any age, I'd lay odds on Penelope Branford.

54% - I waited for the tug of sorrow I'd grown accustomed to feeling whenever my mom was mentioned, but for the first time it didn't come. Instead, I felt pride. It started as a sliver of a feeling in my heart and spread outward, giving each of my limbs a pleasant sensation of warmth.

84% - Billy and I had spent our childhoods climbing fences, sneaking through backyards, and being as stealthy as we could to stay out as late as we could. Now, nearly twenty years later, I was reliving those moments on Pacific Grove Street.

Ramble: 

Ivy Culpepper's mother was killed in a hit-and-run accident about 6 months ago, crushing herself, her brother and her father. Soon after Ivy returned to Santa Sofia and is still struggling to pick the pieces of her life back up and put them together. She signs up for a baking class at the local bread shop, Yeast of Eden, and on the first night of class not only does she find out that her high school sweetheart who cut-and-run on her almost twenty years ago is also back in town ... but one of her baking classmates is murdered in the shop parking lot.

Ivy doesn't believe that the prime suspect had anything to do with the girl's demise and is determined to help prove her innocence. Her best friend is the Deputy Sheriff so that makes it a bit easier to butt her nose into things. Through it all, she's also helping a new friend (the amazing elderly spitfire, Penny Branford) investigate a neighbor and questioning whether her mother's "accident" was an accident at all. 

The girl has a lot going on.

Luckily for readers, Winnie Archer never lets the chaos in Ivy's life distract from a good story being told. Too often an author tries to add too much and it ends up a muddled mess. Somehow, though, it never gets overwhelming -- as though she has just the right recipe and knows when to let things settle on their own and when to give them an extra little punch.

I don't want to give too much away but I will say that this is definitely a 5-star series debut for me. 

Great characters? Check. 

Steady pacing? Check.

Twists and turns that kept me guessing? Check and check.

Am I already looking forward to book 2? CHECK!

(Just an FYI : "Winnie Archer" is also Melissa Bourbon, Melissa Bourbon Ramirez & Misa Ramirez, so there are more books and series already out there!!! HOORAY!)