Of Manners and Murder by Anastasia Hastings

Of Manners and Murder
by Anastasia Hastings

ISBN-13: 9781250848567
Hardcover: 304 pages
Publisher: Minotaur Books
Released: February 7th 2023

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
1885: London, England. When Violet's Aunt Adelia decides to leave on a vacation with her newest paramour, she leaves behind her role as the most popular Agony Aunt in London, "Miss Hermione," in Violet's hands. And of course, the first letter Violet receives is full, not of prissy pondering, but of portent. Ivy Armstrong is in need of help and fears for her life. But when Violet visits the village where the letters were posted, she finds that Ivy is already dead. Since Ivy's letter listed people she suspected of trying to kill her, Violet decides to solve whodunit.


My Review:
Of Manners and Murder is a mystery set in 1885 in London. The historical setting seemed more of a backdrop than something influencing how people behaved. And while Violet was likable enough, I sincerely wished that her sister's viewpoint--showing just how truly self-centered, foolish, and stupid the girl was--had been dropped. Her every action was thought out and manipulative, and she was melodramatic to the point of being a caricature. Actually, none of the characters really came across as acting naturally and seemed more like people playing roles to deliver clues and misdirection.

Everyone seemed happy to gossip with Violet, a complete stranger to them. She asked questions and poked around, including sneaking into private parts of a house to find and take Ivy's diary. Violet was generally practical and logical in her mindset. She fell for some lies and overlooked certain possibilities, but she eventually figured out "whodunit" for two crimes. There were enough clues that whodunit was guessable, but enough misdirection and lies than it wasn't simple to guess. There was no sex. There were only a few uses of bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this novel to those more interested in the mystery than in the history or characters.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.

A Match in the Making by Jen Turano

A Match in the Making
by Jen Turano

ISBN-13: 9780764240201
Paperback: 368 pages
Publisher: Bethany House Publishers
Released: February 21st 2023

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
Miss Gwendolyn Brinley accepted a temporary paid companion position for the Newport summer season, believing it would be a lark to spend the summer in America's most exclusive town. She suddenly finds her summer turning anything but amusing when her employer expects her to take over responsibilities as an assistant matchmaker. Tasked with the daunting prospect of attaining advantageous matches for her clients, Gwendolyn soon finds herself in the company of Mr. Walter Townsend, the catch of the Season, but a gentleman Gwendolyn finds annoyingly set on following society's expectations.

Walter is reluctantly in search of a wife for his unruly motherless children. What he wasn't expecting was Miss Brinley, who turns to be much more interesting the the debutantes that she has lined up for him to get to know. The more time they spend together throughout the Newport Season, the harder it is for Gwendolyn to find Walter a wife as he realizes his perfect match might be her.


My Review:
A Match in the Making is a romantic comedy set in 1882 in Newport. This is my favorite novel by this author. Gwendolyn's parents married for love, and she learned from them that the best marriages are based on shared interests, compatible personalities, and affection for one another. When tasked to find matches for an increasing list of clients, she challenged them to look for more than lots of money, social standing, or simply being able to get along. She had remarkable success at finding love matches for her clients.

The characters got into funny situations, adding light-hearted comedy to the events. Unlike some of the author's previous novels, the situations happened more naturally rather than being created by the characters doing unrealistic or absurd things. An example from this story: a clueless gal gave a stubborn pony as a gift to three young kids, leading to several funny situations (like the kids fighting over what silly names to name him).

The main characters were nice, interesting people with a good sense of humor. Walter and Gwendolyn got to know and care about each other as they spent time together. Their attraction was based on admiration of each other's character and looks and on how they brought out the best in each other. The characters acted reasonably accurately for the time period, and details about the time period and setting were woven into the story. There was no sex or bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this humorous novel.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.

Wined and Died in New Orleans by Ellen Byron

Wined and Died in New Orleans
by Ellen Byron

ISBN-13: 9780593437636
Paperback: 304 pages
Publisher: Berkley
Released: February 7th 2023

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
It’s hurricane season in New Orleans and vintage cookbook fan Ricki James-Diaz is trying to shelve her weather-related fears and focus on her business, Miss Vee’s Vintage Cookbook and Kitchenware Shop, housed in the magnificent Bon Vee Culinary House Museum.

Repairs on the property unearth crates of very old, very valuable French wine, buried by the home’s builder, Jean-Louis Charbonnet. Ricki, who’s been struggling to attract more customers to Miss Vee’s, is thrilled when her post about the discovery of this long-buried treasure goes viral. She’s less thrilled when the post brings distant Charbonnet family members out of the woodwork, all clamoring for a cut of the wine’s sale.

When a dead body turns up in Bon Vee’s cheery fall decorations, the NOPD zeroes in on Eugenia Charbonnet Felice as the prime suspect, figuring that as head of the Charbonnet family, she has the most to gain. Ricki is determined to uncover the real culprit, but she can’t help noticing that Eugenia is acting strangely. Ricki wonders what kind of secret her mentor has bottled up.


My Review:
Wined and Died in New Orleans is a cozy mystery. Ricki's the bumbling detective who managed to stumble across a few clues, but it's not really a clue-based mystery. Her boss is the top suspect for the murder, so Ricki's determined to find as many people as possible with motives and to tell the detective about them. Then she's determined to prove that one of the Charbonnet relatives that have shown up isn't really a Charbonnet. It won't save her boss from a murder charge, but, hey. Ricki tried to sneak a used cup to get that person's DNA, yet she's upset when someone else did the same thing to her. Lots of double-standards in this book. A man who drives drunk and cheats on his wife was basically given a pass because 'his wife drove him to it.'

Things really turned absurd by the end. Whodunit's motive didn't make logical sense as a motive for murder. And rather than pass on information to the police like Ricki had been doing all along, she decided to withhold critical information from the police (who were present and better equipped to handle the situation) and instead confronted the armed killer by herself, without a weapon or backup. Seriously foolish woman.

It's the 2nd book in a series. You don't need to read the previous book to understand this one, and this one didn't spoil the first mystery. There was no sex. There were a few uses of bad language.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.

High-Stakes Blizzard by Rebecca Hopewell

High-Stakes Blizzard
by Rebecca Hopewell

ISBN-13: 9781335555977
Paperback: 240 pages
Publisher: Love Inspired
Released: February 21st 2023

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
Rain Jordan doesn’t know what really happened during her troubled brother’s final days. But someone is hunting her through a mountain blizzard. Rain’s only hope is her firefighter ex, David Hernandez, who’s determined to protect his heart this time. Together, they must battle killer conditions and lethal surprises.


My Review:
High-Stakes Blizzard is a romantic suspense novel. Though the snow storm was never bad enough to threaten their lives, the danger from their desperate pursuer and Rain's questionable decisions did keep the suspense high. David would live a much longer, happier life if he stayed far away from Rain. There were several issues that stood in the way of Rain and David having a good relationship, and Rain only started to work on one of them. All of her family members died suddenly on her, so she's terrified of losing David to his dangerous firefighter job. By the end, she decided to "trust God's plan" and realized that David hadn't died in the last five years, so she'd lost all of that time with him and staying away hadn't stopped her from worrying. Ok, good start! But...other issues.

David appreciated the confidence Rain had, but she want to do everything her way. David realized that constantly fighting over who got to lead would probably ruin their relationship. Rain even undermined his efforts to help her rather than trust that he might have a good plan even if he didn't explain it to to her first.

Rain also had contempt for him, a strong, fit firefighter. She literally threw herself off the cliff where her brother fell to his death...and she only sprained her ankle. It was bad enough that she had to call him for help, but then she was skiing for hours with no problem. Yet when a bullet "just skimmed" his arm, she's certain that he won't be able to keep up with her, let alone think straight. David even caught hints of this contempt later on but dismissed it. Anyway, Rain didn't trust his judgment, skills, or physical endurance. David rightly questioned some of her actions but decided he had to blindly trust her if their relationship was going to work. The main reason for their getting back together was that they couldn't resist each other.

Add to this, the author seemed to lose track of things she said. Rain thought about how badly in debt she and her brother still were and how tempting the illegal money was. But when asked at the end, she claimed she had a good savings with enough money to spend on buying a house. Someone got a minor injury, but at the end, it suddenly was a life-threatening injury and was described differently, too. And Rain was an ER nurse. But outside in the freezing cold, she cut open David's coat and poured a bottle of cold water on his arm (and coat). This action wasn't even necessary, and they had both previously thought about how just sweating could cause hypothermia! Grr. Anyway, there was no bad language or sex.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.

The Weight of Air by Kimberly Duffy

The Weight of Air
by Kimberly Duffy

ISBN-13: 9780764240386
Paperback: 384 pages
Publisher: Bethany House Publishers
Released: February 7th 2023

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
In 1911, Mabel MacGinnis is Europe's strongest woman and has performed beside her father in the Manzo Brothers Circus her entire life. But at his unexpected death, she loses everything she's ever known and sets off in the company of acrobat Jake Cunningham for America in hope of finding the mother she's just discovered is still alive.

Isabella Moreau, the nation's most feted aerialist, has given everything to the circus. But age and injury now threaten her security, and Isabella, stalked by old fears, makes a choice that risks everything. When her daughter Mabel appears at Madison Square Garden alongside the man who never wanted to see Isabella again, Isabella is forced to face the truth of where, and in what, she derives her worth.


My Review:
The Weight of Air is a Christian romance set in 1911 in Europe and New York. The first half of the story felt so hopeless because the main characters (Isabella, Mabel, and Jake) seemed so determined to be unhappy. Jake lost his wife to a stunt meant to bring her fame and felt like he couldn't let himself be happy. Isabella was told by her strongman husband that she's weak despite her physical strength because she suffered postpartum depression. He convinced her that she brought only weakness to any relationship and would make their daughter weak. Mabel's the world's strongest woman, but her father and the circus owner convinced her that she's weak without her father and had no value beyond her oddness (her height and strength). They made her dependent on them. But Jake supported Mabel and did what he could to convince her that she's beautiful, lovable, and able to be strong on her own. Isabella's old friend and admirer tried to convince her that she's lovable, forgiven, and didn't have to do life alone.

It's Isabella's man who pointed out that God gives strength and was with her, so she's never alone. That she didn't have to live as though the lies that were told to her were true. My only complaint is that the three main characters seemed to have little knowledge about God and less about Christ, so they assumed everyone goes to Heaven, God is with everyone, etc. There was no mention of our need to accept Jesus' saving work as the basis for our relationship with God. There was no sex or bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this novel with complex, realistic characters and interesting historical details woven into the story.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


Excerpt: Read an excerpt using Google Preview.

Alaskan Avalanche Escape by Darlene L. Turner

Alaskan Avalanche Escape
by Darlene L. Turner

ISBN-13: 9781335587565
Paperback: 224 pages
Publisher: Love Inspired Suspense
Released: February 21st 2023

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
After surviving a sudden avalanche, mountain survival expert Jayla Hoyt and her search-and-rescue K-9 discover that it was no accident—someone deliberately triggered the mountain explosion. To uncover the culprit, she’ll have to partner with Alaska park ranger Bryson Clarke, a man she doesn’t trust, who insists they can't trust anyone else.


My Review:
Alaskan Avalanche Escape is Christian romantic suspense. Ex-cop Bryson's attracted to Jayla's beauty (it's her defining, much-mentioned characteristic) even though his last girlfriend betrayed him. Jayla didn't trust Bryson because his inaction at a critical moment left her friend crippled. I guess he's determined that will never happen again because he kept knocking Jayla down and covering her body with his when they're shot at. He had a gun and played protector while ex-army Jayla willingly went around unarmed, unarmored, and acted like she never had combat training. Bryson even told her how to do something she's supposedly an expert in. She's just grateful that someone cared enough to rescue her even though it's his bad decisions that were putting her in danger. When she finally spoke up and said they needed help and could trust some people, he got angry that she questioned his game plan.

Jayla trusted everyone even when she ought to be suspicious. Bryson trusted no one except her, because, well, she's beautiful? People were being killed left and right from guns, assassination, overdoses, grenades, explosions, fires, avalanches, and more, yet they didn't protect themselves better. So many things didn't make sense or didn't seem realistic.

Jayla was willing to risk human lives to save her dog. She kissed her dog a thousand times but physically pushed Bryson away until the very end. Bryson didn't seem to care that he was second place to the dog. Jayla didn't think God listened to her prayers and Bryson was raised agnostic, but both prayed to God for help on several occasions. There was no sex or bad language.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.

In Spotlight and Shadow by Rachel Scott McDaniel

In Spotlight and Shadow
by Rachel Scott McDaniel

ISBN-13: 9781636094762
Paperback: 256 pages
Publisher: Barbour Fiction
Released: February 1st 2023

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
Elise Malvern wants to fulfill her mother's wish of becoming a professional violinist, but she's been rejected so many times that she's scared to audition for a seat in the Pittsburgh Symphony. Her internship at the elegant Heinz Hall is more her style, where her photographs tell the story of the building. She's sent an old stage prop and finds a valuable necklace inside. She wants to return the necklace to the rightful owner. She accepts help from a childhood friend, who happens to be country music megastar—Peirson Brooks. Peirson was once Elise's best friend, but he let her down in a big way.

A century earlier… Sophie Walters is happy to return to Pittsburgh and accept an insignificant role in a popular production at the illustrious Loew’s Penn Theatre. She finally gets the coveted spotlight, but not for her talent. No, her surge to fame is because she’s suspected to be a notorious jewel thief. The man she pleads for help is none other than the man she jilted at the altar five years before, Sterling Monroe.


My Review:
In Spotlight and Shadow has two stories, one set in present day and one set in 1927 in Pittsburgh. Elise's mother died when she was young, and she never knew who her father was. Sophie's actress mother doesn't want news of her affair getting out, so she won't acknowledge Sophie as hers or identity Sophie's father. This has left both women feeling unwanted, unworthy, and like the people they love will abandon them. Elise's childhood best friend also abandoned her. She understands why he had to leave so suddenly but not why he shut her out.

Sophie left her love at the altar to save his life and only recently returned. She plays a jewelry thief in a play, but then audience members have jewelry stolen and her ex is hired to discover the thief. They ended up working together to uncover the thief and stop a major criminal. She finally explained why she left him, and their relationship slowly mended.

Elise loves telling stories with her pictures. A current project on the history of (Sophie's) theater leads to her receiving an anonymous donation of an old prop coat with a valuable necklace hidden inside. Her childhood best friend helps her track down the owner of the necklace and the identity of her unknown father as a way to help her learn how to move outside her comfort zone. As they spent time together, they worked through old hurts. He was more concerned with Elise's healing than in justifying his behavior. He showed her through actions that he's changed.

Both couples were good for each other and built each other up. They were likable and acted realistically. They had relationship challenges that they worked through which helped them grow as people. The women learned to find their worth in God's love rather than feeling like they had to prove their worth through their skills. They also learned that God's the best father and won't leave them. There was no sex or bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this enjoyable novel with an interesting mystery and realistic relationships.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.

Post After Post-Mortem by E.C.R. Lorac

Post After Post-Mortem
by E.C.R. Lorac

ISBN-13: 9781728267609
Paperback: 320 pages
Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press
Released: February 7th 2023

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description from Goodreads:
The Surrays and their five children form a prolific writing machine, with scores of treatises, reviews and crime thrillers published under their family name. Following a rare convergence of the whole household at their Oxfordshire home, Ruth – middle sister who writes 'books which are just books' – decides to spend some weeks there recovering from the pressures of the writing life while the rest of the brood scatter to the winds again. Their next return is heralded by the tragic news that Ruth has taken her life after an evening at the Surrays' hosting a set of publishers and writers, one of whom is named as Ruth's literary executor in the will she left behind.

Despite some suspicions from the family, the verdict at the inquest is suicide – but when Ruth's brother Richard receives a letter from the deceased which was delayed in the post, he enlists the help of CID Robert Macdonald to investigate what could only be an ingeniously planned murder.


My Review:
Post After Post-Mortem is a mystery set in England and was originally published in 1936. The characters were so little developed that I mostly told them apart by their names and the clues as to who was where and had opportunity. Figuring out the motive was a bit murky going, even at the end. Despite the witnesses repeatedly lying to or refusing to answer him, the detective asked good questions, carefully followed up on investigating the suspect's movements, and found clues. However, a critical clue was hinted at but not fully exposed until we're told whodunit and why. While this clue-based mystery was guessable, I didn't really feel like the author fully played fair with the reader. There was a fair amount of bad language. There was no sex. Overall, I'd recommend this mystery.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.

Playing Dead by Peggy Rothschild

Playing Dead
by Peggy Rothschild

ISBN-13: 9780593437117
Hardback: 304 pages
Publisher: Berkley
Released: February 7th 2023

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
Molly Madison has barely had a moment to catch her breath after moving to the sleepy beach town she now calls home. But as a former PI, she can’t help but notice the odd chemistry between members of Playtime Academy on the first day she and her loyal Saint Bernadoodle, Noodle, and golden retriever, Harlow, visit. A body is found on-site. When Molly’s friend is arrested for the murder, Molly knows it’s her duty to put her ex-police skills to use. She can’t say no to temporarily taking in the deceased woman’s dog, either.

Relationships at the training facility are not as clean as the prize-winning agility runs, making it difficult for Molly to get a leash on potential suspects. And her personal life is just as messy—her boyfriend is hiding something, her agoraphobic neighbor needs help, and her number of four-legged friends keep growing as she agrees to dogsit a wriggly local French bulldog.


My Review:
Playing Dead is a cozy mystery. It's the second book in a series. You don't need to read the previous book to understand this one, but this story gave pretty strong clues about whodunit in the previous novel.

Molly's an ex-cop and retired private investigator, and she still has access to P.I. research tools. She's currently training dogs, mostly her own on agility runs during this story. The details about what goes into dog agility training was interesting. Molly's scent dog found a murdered woman near a scent-finding course. She stayed out of the investigation until a new friend was arrested for that murder. Then she looked around and asked questions, then passed this information on to the police so that any evidence could be properly collected. You can guess whodunit from the clues, and Molly generally understood the clues as quickly as the reader might. The main characters were engaging and acted realistically. I love the young, smart girl, and there's plenty of dogs.

There were no graphic sex scenes (implied but not shown). There was some bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this engaging, interesting mystery.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.

The Sound of Light by Sarah Sundin

The Sound of Light
by Sarah Sundin

ISBN-13: 9780800736385
Paperback: 384 pages
Publisher: Revell
Released: February 7th 2023

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
When the Germans march into Denmark, Baron Henrik Ahlefeldt exchanges his nobility for anonymity, assuming a new identity so he can secretly row messages for the Danish Resistance across the waters to Sweden. He poses as a slow-minded, hard-working shipyard worker while staying at a boardinghouse full of students and scientists.

American physicist Dr. Else Jensen refuses to leave Copenhagen and abandon her research--her life's dream. While printing resistance newspapers, she hears stories of the movement's legendary Havmand--the merman--and finds herslef unexpectedly falling in love with Henrik without knowing he's the Havmand.

When the Occupation cracks down on the Danes, these two passionate people will discover if there is more power in speech . . . or in silence.


My Review:
The Sound of Light is a Christian romance set in Denmark starting in 1943. Else's a brilliant physicist but didn't stand up against authority even when unjust. When her new boss gave her only busywork and bad-mouthed her, she gracefully accepted it as a way to learn humility...though he's out to ruin her career. Henrik (posing as Hemming, an uneducated manual worker) encouraged her to speak up against this injustice. Else also found the courage to fight injustice by helping print resistance newspapers. They began to fall in love despite their secrets, but Henrik worried that she was falling in love with a man that didn't exist. He's also worried that he's harsh like his father and unsuited to leadership, but Else helped him to see how much he's changed.

Since both were doing resistance work, there was the constant danger that one or both could get arrested, tortured, and executed. The historical details were woven into the story and brought the story alive in my imagination. It was interesting to see how differently things went for the Danish people. The characters were well-developed, had complexity, and acted realistically to events. They felt like real people who really lived through these events. Henrik and Else were engaging characters who helped others and supported each other. There was no sex or bad language. Overall, I'd highly recommend this enjoyable historical romance.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.

The Cairo Curse by Pepper Basham

The Cairo Curse
by Pepper Basham

ISBN-13: 9781636094724
Paperback: 320 pages
Publisher: Barbour Fiction
Released: February 1st 2023

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
Newlyweds Lord and Lady Astley have already experienced their fair-share of suspense, but when a honeymoon trip takes a detour to the mystical land of Egypt, not even Grace with her fiction-loving mind is prepared for the dangers in store. From an assortment of untrustworthy adventure-seekers to a newly discovered tomb with a murderous secret, Frederick and Grace must lean on each other to navigate their dangerous surroundings. As the suspects mount in an antiquities’ heist of ancient proportions, will Frederick and Grace’s attempts to solve the mystery lead to another death among the sands?


My Review:
The Cairo Curse is a Christian mystery set in 1914 in England and Egypt. This is the second book in a series, and you can understand it without reading the first book. However, this book did refer to many events in the first book, including potentially spoiling that mystery.

Grace is full of enthusiasm and a lively imagination fueled by books. She gets a thrill from adventure, and I love how resourceful she is in the face of unexpected adventures. However, a couple of times, she came across as unexpectedly lacking in common sense. Near the beginning, she dashed off by herself into a crowd of Egyptians rather than taking the simple precaution of bringing one of the servants with her or taking a moment to step inside a shop to tell her husband what's going on. I'm not as adventurous as Grace, but having been in Cairo once, it felt unrealistic and foolish for her to dash off like that. I wasn't even clear as to why the carriage didn't just take her on to the hotel, which would have made sense. On the other hand, the bit near the end where Grace tried to bind a wound like in a novel (showing how novels aren't always realistic) was pricelessly funny to me.

The main characters were engaging, kind, and honorable. Grace and Frederick built each other up and supported each other. Both asked questions and looked for clues--Grace in ways reflecting the novels that she's read while Frederick did more based on life experience and trying to keep Grace safe while having her adventure. There were clues and whodunit was guessable, though who was responsible for exactly what wasn't always obvious until revealed.

Grace referred to God throughout the book in little comments related to what they were seeing or doing. She had confidence in what would happen to her if she died. There was no bad language. There were no sex scenes, though there was some extending kissing and undressing at the very end. Overall, I'd recommend this enjoyable, humorous novel.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.