When lawyer Benjamin Booker and his senior partner Robert Harvey stumbles upon a crime scene, they are horrified the victim is longtime friend and company founder Percival Norris. The case seems connected to Isabella Wilder of Belle Island. Benjamin agrees to pay her a visit to investigate the murder under the cover of giving her legal advice.

The victim, Mr. Norris, has served as trustee of the Wilder estate in a way which increasingly worries and angers his charge Isabella. He is trying to use his power to pressure Isabella into allowing a shipbuilding company onto the beautiful and secluded Belle Island. For the last ten years she has not left the island even once because she believes in a curse on her family. She is adamant on keeping everything as it is, stay on the island and run her willow basketry business as usual. Only trouble is, she has this strange and vivid dream of being present in the Wilder’s town house at the time of the murder.

When Benjamin arrives at Belle Island, he is eager to both please his employer, Mr. Hardy, and regain confidence in himself after a very public and humiliating loss in court. He is trying to quietly dig up additional evidence in the murder case and figure out what Isabella has to do with it all. Could it be she or another family member is the actual murderer?

Isabella’s niece Rose Wilder is betrothed to Christopher Adair. He lies about his whereabouts at the time of the murder. He acted entitled and arrogant, and I disliked the way he tried to cover up and obstruct the investigation.

Evan Curtis is Isabella’s childhood friend and youth love interest. He was sent away to the most dangerous of war zones because it was in Mr. Norris’ best interest as trustee that Isabella didn’t marry. He is very angry with Mr. Noris and suspects him of picking the most dangerous posting of all hoping he would be killed in the Peninsular war. I found him odd and secretive, maybe even dangerous with his experience of weapons and war. Why is he back a Belle Island after so many years?

Dr Theodore Grant also Isabella’s childhood friend. Even though he is a very talented doctor meant for big things in some city, he stays on as country doctor. Isabella expects him to propose to her at some point. She waits, but nothing happens. Instead he seems to act over-protective, possessive and patronizing towards her. She considers him a friend, but has no real feelings for him. A strange display of reactions show everything is not as it seems with him.

The vivid writing of this story draws me into the plot. It feels like I’m actually there in the beautiful English hamlet Riverton with the old village church, thatch roofed cottages and the Thames River lazily floating by. I love the descriptions of life on the river at the time. A lot of activity seemed to be going on with fishing boats and net makers trying to make a living.
Weeping willow trees and lush greenery add to the lovely nature scene. I can almost hear birds chirping in the trees and feel the sun on my face, while I visualize the story. Who could imagine bad things happen in a beautiful place like this.

I found the menu descriptions of the dinner party at Belle Island as thorough as they were impressive. People really did know how to eat and party at the time. The dancing part an issue in it’s own right.

This plot had great build up of tension. I was kept busy suspecting a number of characters of some kind of foul play throughout the story. The relationship between Isabella and Ben I felt grew slowly but surely amidst all the drama in a way that complimented the story without overpowering it.

The Bridge to Belle Island is recommended for fans of Julie Klassen’s other works and for readers of historical fiction.

My rating 5 stars / 5
(All opinions in this review are my own)

Following an accident as a child, Neville Cross is speech impaired and that holds him back from fulfilling his dreams of a good life. When he meets Clara Hartwright, lady’s companion with a shockingly unladylike secret, he feels forced to challenge his low self-esteem to forge an independent life.
In the Parish Orphans of Devon Series we follow the orphan boys Justin Thornhill, Tom Finchley, Alex Archer and Neville Cross. Installment #4 is featuring Neville Cross, who is apprentice steward at Greyfriar’s Abby owned by his friend Justin. He finds it hard to do the paper work part of the position and prefers to work outside, particularly tending to the horses. Having had a troubled background, Neville is grateful to Justin for the opportunity to work and live on the estate. He doesn’t think he is able to do anything else and is afraid to venture out among people. He expects to be ridiculed for his trouble expressing himself. The parts of the story where we get a glimpse into his thoughts about himself and his life are heartbreaking. Neville’s confidence and outlook on life has really taken a toll. He is convinced he has to isolate himself at the Abbey for the rest of his life. There is not really anybody in his surroundings who challenges him to make a change until he meets Clara.

Clara Hartwright, comes for a Christmas visit together with her employer Mrs Bainbright. She needs her position to save enough money, so she tries to be as good a lady’s companion as she can be. She doesn’t feel she has the knack for staying silent and acting like a living ghost, but she has this shockingly unladylike project that needs funding and be kept an absolute secret. Clara seems an assertive and outspoken young woman, so slowly but surely she manages to challenge Neville’s preconceptions. With her help his mind is opened to dreams and opportunities he previously believed was out of his reach.

I really appreciated Clara’s desire to rid herself of some of the feminine constraints of the time, and there certainly were a lot of them to deal with and find creative ways around. I found it refreshing that the plot includes a mix of what might have been forward thinking or even revolutionary ideas at the time. Darwinistic ideas are balanced out with, to us, very old fashioned views.

Neville loves horses and the knowledge and interest in horses and dogs shines through in this work, which I find very enjoyable. Clara rescues old pug Bertie from being put down and secretly takes him with her to her new position. He seems to find a new and happier life in the country playing with his two new mastiff friends. I found him an enjoyable and funny supporting character in his own right.

There seems to have been thorough research ahead of writing this story into how Christmas decorations were made and what games and activities were played at the time. Some of the activities I even recognize as being done today as part of pre Christmas crafting or Christmas Workshops. As the plot is set at a Christmas gathering of friends and family in Devon, I found this part of the story entertaining and enjoyable adding to the Christmas vibe.

I read A Winter Companion (Parish Orphans of Devon #4) as a standalone. It worked well, but I think I would recommend reading the series starting with #1, gradually getting up to speed with characters and events. I found this to be a sweet, entertaining read and I would recommend it to fans of Mimi Matthews other works and readers of historical romance fiction.
Thank you to NetGalley and Victory Editing for this ARC in return for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Emily Prescott, expert baker, is in a dwindling relationship with firefighter boyfriend when she finds out he cheated on her. She doesn’t know how to handle the complicated mess of her life, so she flees to her childhood home in Scotland to serve as bridesmaid and make the wedding cake for her friend Beth’s wedding. The drama intensifies as even more issues come to light.

This is an enjoyable and relaxing read that gives me all the feelings I wish for in a book of this genre. I loved that this story has such a light, happy and sometimes funny vibe to it. There are patches of life wisdom scattered about, which I find an added bonus. I feel drawn in by plenty of descriptions of life in Glendale, which reminds me of rural life of my childhood in northern Norway. I always seem to enjoy stories set in Scotland. There’s just something about descriptions of relationships and the rural community feel that that appeals to me so much.

Beth Williams, bride and small town power house, is working to breathe new life into the community using her grandmother’s inheritance. She has chosen to make her wedding a major community rally to both make the wedding perfect and to add business and activity to the Glendale area.

I am pleased to see Emily has support of her close Scottish friends and family at a time when she feels life is tough and she doesn’t know what the next step is. There is a whole cast of background characters in this story who are all Emily’s friends and family. Most important is commitment phobic boyfriend Greg, who fortunately goes through a major development throughout and is essential to the plot. Also vital to this story is handsome minister Brodie Stewart. His presence intensifies the drama and complications even more.

I really appreciate how the writing relates a cozy vibe despite the complexities and drama of the plot. Relaxing summery weather descriptions add to a relaxed holiday feel. Wedding preparations get a distinct place in the story. We get to follow planning of the color scheme, bridesmaid’s dresses and wedding cake as well as the outdoor arrangement of flowers and lights on the gazebo in the grounds of Glendale Hall.

This was an enjoyable and relaxing read, just as I was expecting. I would recommend it to fans of Victoria Walters and readers of romance woman’s fiction. This is book 2 in the Glendale Hall series. I read it as a standalone, which worked out just fine, and will be on the lookout for future installments.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher, Hera, for this ARC in return for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

When Pearl MacFarland is forced by Confederacy to take in seriously wounded Federal prisoners to give makeshift nursing care, she resists with everything she’s got. Meeting Federal Sergeant Joshua Wheeler who fights to end secession and slavery, they are both in for an eye-opening experience becoming aware of the not so black and white elements of war. While suffering under the weight of enormous responsibility, hardships and occasional experiences of danger, Pearl learns to still show compassion towards the enemy soldiers.

This makes for a very interesting story for readers who are interested in how nursing might have been carried out in a makeshift hospital during the war. We get to follow Pearl as she tries to nurse the heavily wounded, sometimes dying enemy soldiers, with little or no supplies relying on the simplest activities of care. Having no medicines, main task would be to keep wounds clean and pray patients would survive. Food supplies were scarce and irregular at best, so Pearl had to dip into the family’s emergency rations to feed soldiers.

In spite of all her everyday hardships nursing the ever increasing number of patients, Pearl’ is thankful. It impresses and humbles me that she is able to feel like that in her situation. While reading this story, I felt my appreciation for running water increase. How labor intensive it would have been to take a bath, which we all take for granted nowadays, is quite eye-opening. As is descriptions of the labor that went into changing bed sheets and do laundry by hand to keep all her patients clean to get better.

Pearl and Joshua’s relationship gets off to a really rocky start as they find themselves on opposite sides of the Civil War. Pearl blames Joshua for her loss of 3 brothers to the war and thinks the Federals are invaders who do not care about the slaves at all. That it’s all about politics. Joshua is equally adamant that the war is all about ending secession and slavery. However reluctant they both are to admit it, it cannot be denied that a closer relationship between them is developing.

I found this story to be a bit of a learning experience about American geography in addition to the Civil War history. As the story is inspired by real events, I feel there are plenty of facts to be picked up along the way. I think that is why I like historical fiction genre so much. The mix of fact and fiction spikes my interest in learning more about the issues being dealt with in the story. As a nurse there was the added bonus of learning more about makeshift nursing during the war, which I found sad, scary and entertaining in a curious mix. I wish Pearl had an easier time of it.

The faith element was an added bonus running like a read thread through the story. Pearl’s father quotes scripture, insisting Pearl should feed the enemy. Patients are also comforted by Bible reading sessions. There are quite a bit of space used for scriptures quotes which I found probably realistic, as the MacFarlands lived a quite hard life where they leaned on the Bible for strength and hope. Feeding the enemy was quite essential to the plot.

The Rebel Bride is book #10 in the Daughters of The Mayflower series. I read this as a standalone, which worked well. I would recommend this work to fans of Shannon McNear, to readers of historical fiction in general or those interested in Civil War History.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in return for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

When Abigail Bracey’s father tries to get out of his involvement with a counterfeiter ring, he gets killed, and the world as Abby and her mother knows it falls apart.. She reluctantly has to work with ex boyfriend and Secret Service Agent Dashiell Lassiter.

Four years after the scandal Secret Service makes contact. She is asked to help them in their search for the criminal counterfeiter known as “The Artist” – Fletcher Pitch who killed her father. He keeps moving from place to place disguising himself and making sure nobody knows what he looks like, making it difficult to apprehend him.

Abby agrees to go to Wells Nebraska to work undercover to bring her father’s killer to justice. Pitch is searching for his son, who is in hiding from his criminal father, so Abby needs to uncover both father and son’s identities. Agent Dashiell Lassiter of Secret Service is assigned to keep her safe. He is Abby’s ex boyfriend and she finds it very hard to be around him again. She is angry and feels he abandoned her six years ago when he left town without a word.

I find it touching how Abby finds her way back to her faith and manages to forgive and let go of the hurt she has been carrying around for years. She stopped praying as she feels God doesn’t hear her after her father’s death. When leaving for Nebraska, she purposely leaves her Bible behind. After a time she realizes she misses her relationship with God. Throughout the story she is in a process of reigniting and strengthening her faith, which I felt ended up being a great value to the plot.

I felt this story gave me Little house on the Prairie feel with descriptions of small town environment where everybody knows everybody else and Abby soon becomes a respected part of the community. The need for constant considerations of propriety within school hours I found entertaining and funny. In small town rural Nebraska there would have been countless events that could get tongues wagging, which Abby needed to take seriously to keep her job.

The plot of this story moved gradually in the first half, tension increasing in the second half and ending with a dramatic conclusion. The real historic event of the blizzard of 1888 in Nebraska added an intense and drama to the story, really putting Abbey’s faith and perseverance to the test.

This is book #11 in the Daughters of Mayflower Series, and the first one I have read in this series. I would recommend it for fans of Susanne Dietze and for readers of historical fiction.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC in return for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

My rating: 4 stars / 5

Ingrid Chastain is on an excruciating quest to get vaccines to remote areas of the vast Montana Territories where people are suffering a major outbreak of smallpox. Being the only survivor from a wagon crash she still tries to get the vaccines delivered. Only trouble is she has broken the femur bone in addition to a couple of ribs, so she can’t really move.

For five years Dr Micah Bradley has lived in the outback trying to deal with grief after the loss of his wife and daughter to smallpox. He blames himself that he was unable to use his skills to save them. Following their deaths he stopped doctoring and moved to the Montana outback where he kept to himself trying to deal with his loss as a husband, father and doctor.

A wounded donkey-cry alerts Micah to the wagon crash site where he finds three dead men and one wounded woman. He learns this is the life saving smallpox vaccines’ transport Ingrid’s father has promised to deliver to outback town Settler’s Fort. Now Ingrid is the sole survivor of the accident and she is determined to deliver the vaccines come hell or high water, but her leg and ribs have to heal first. In spite of the lack of confidence in himself and his doctoring skills, Micah takes care of Ingrid the best way possible without any medical supplies available. He is adamant to save her even though he was not able to save his family.

The relationship between Ingrid and Micah develops in spite of all the hardships they go through trying to move ahead in the snowy and bad weather, while at the same time caring for Ingrid’s injuries. Reading this story I sometimes got frustrated and thought “is anything ever going to work out for them”. Difficult and dangerous events just seemed to be piling up one after the other. But, as in real life, going through difficult situations may lead to stronger relationships. Ingrid is a strong woman with a strong faith and that seems to rub off on Micah. She trusts that God will help them survive the journey and get the vaccines delivered safely to help people of Settler’s Fort. Micah worries a lot about Ingrid’s health but sees how steadfast she is in her faith. She becomes a role model of sorts for him as his faith grows stronger. Together they stay strong and maintain their courage. The romantic relationship between them seems to grow slowly but surely in moments when the danger and drama quiets down a bit. It takes on a backdrop position which I found added to the story instead of being a disturbing element of the plot. I think it would have felt unrealistic for romance to have taken center stage in with all the danger and drama going on.
I really enjoyed the thorough research into how medical treatment might have worked out in rural areas in the 1860s. The story includes quite detailed descriptions of Dr Bradley’s considerations and careful ministrations as he treats Ingrid’s injuries. How he goes about moving her, treating her pain and avoiding infection without any kind of supplies, crutches or a wheel chair. I find this really interesting from a 2020 perspective.
An element which lightens the mood of the story is descriptions of the Chinook warm winds. As I live on another Continent I didn’t know about this weather phenomenon. It seemed to thaw some of the snow and generally make conditions easier when they tried to move as quickly as they could through the wintery mountain wilderness.
The outdoors descriptions I found very enjoyable and relatable as I have grown up close to nature in harsh winters of Northern Norway. Even though most outdoor activities from my childhood were during summer, I feel the descriptions of the cold, winter conditions stir up memories of playing in the snow.
This is my first book by Misty M. Beller, but probably not the last. I think she managed to balance the faith element and romance with the danger and drama in a way that overall worked out quite well. Fans of Ms Beller will enjoy this work. It is also recommended for readers who like historical romance fiction.
My rating: 4 stars / 5
(All opinions are my own).

When two women are found brutally murdered in an artist’s apartment, private detective William Monk and his wife Hester team up with well connected and wealthy Lady Callandra Daviot to find out what happened to them. It seems very hard to know who the intended victim was and who just was at the wrong place at the wrong time. One is an artist’s model and the other doctor’s wife Elissa Beck. Elissa Beck’s husband is very soon charged with the murder of the two women. He is Hester Monk’s colleague and friend. She believes him innocent, so she desperately wants to help clear his name. As Hester and William investigate, secrets start to unravel relating to the victims’ pasts. As the Becks used to passionately battle for reform in the Austrian Revolution of 1848, it becomes vital for William to travel to Vienna to gather additional information about the Beck’s role in the Vienna Uprising.

Main Characters
Hester Monk is an ex Crimean War nurse who now volunteers at a hospital. She is married to William Monk who investigates cases privately as he has resigned from the police force under a bit of a cloud. They enjoy a close and happy marriage and are able to read each other very precisely, which is both a blessing and a curse while investigating this case. Hester is friends with both hospital surgeon dr Beck and member of the hospital board Lady Callandra Daviot. William feels he has to tread very carefully to protect his wife’s feelings when he discovers potentially hurtful facts. I enjoy the considerations of both William and Hester when they try to keep each other safe from emotional hurt throughout the investigation.

Lady Callandra Daviot is a wealthy widow and a member of the hospital board. She tries to keep a secret that she loves surgeon Kristian Beck. She officially takes an interest in the doctor’s case and gets Head of the Board to approve her as the doctor’s employer. In reality, she tries to do everything she can to help him without being judged by society.

Elements I Enjoyed:
I so much enjoy the emotional care the Monk’s take when they investigate; both towards each other as well as towards other persons involved. They seem to experience a lot of fear as the investigation progresses and are constantly considering who to tell what and when. This makes me exited to know what happens next. I get to know the relationship between the characters while the plot develops and I feel invested in them. Descriptions of the characters being wet and cold while moving around London in the rain and fog add to the gloomy feel of the story. As does descriptions of dark and unheated rooms. It is expertly balanced out with tea breaks in cozy withdrawing rooms in front of fires, or the eating of hot stews in a warm kitchen. I like that Anne Perry creates a universe with a vast number of characters who make appearances in different stories. It’s like brief visits from old friends.

Overall Thoughts
The historical events description sets the plot at approximately1860. The story develops gradually through the first half. In the second half the plot seems to bounce around a little bit. New information comes to light and a major twist adds up to a quite surprising conclusion. I find there is a lot to enjoy in this work. Fans of Anne Perry would love this novel, and I think readers of crime fiction would too.

My rating: 4 stars / 5
(All opinions are my own)

Starting out, I found that this story had a bit of a Cinderella vibe to it. Abigail, Abby, has a step mother who hates her. Although her biological father is still alive, that doesn’t seem to help Abby much. Her mother still manages to physically and verbally abuse her, so Abby can’t wait to get away from the family. Her betrothed lives far to the north of the country, Abby’s family is set to travel abroad and can spare no footmen, so Abby has to travel unaccompanied by males across some regions controlled by highwaymen. She only gets to take Fanny, the maid her stepmother doesn’t want in her employ. This setup is bound for disaster, and soon Abby finds herself in a life threatening situation, from which she is saved by world-weary police Captain Samuel Thatcher. Abby realizes she needs protection and persuades the Captain to help her. He agrees to deliver her safely to her betrothed in return for a hefty sum of money he will use to fund his retirement.

There are plenty of dramatic events mixed up with humor, especially in the beginning of the story. Later the drama intensifies and takes over. The plot feels more like a somewhat predictable thriller with the occasional moment of closeness between Abby and Captain Thatcher. I enjoyed the sweet situations as the relationship develops between them, however brief and somewhat casual they felt.

Main Characters
Abigail, Abby, Gilbert has suffered the loss of her mother in her earlier years. Growing up she has suffered abuse by her stepmother without her father having interfered much. She has tried to be a good daughter to no avail, and carries around a lot of grief. Apart from trying to be tough and deal with whatever comes in life, I felt her character seemed a bit one-sided. I had hoped to find descriptions of a more complex personality and connect with her feelings more. However, I enjoyed that we got a glimpse into the real Abby when she suffered feverish nightmares.

Captain Samuel Thatcher seemed the most developed character in this story and he went through the most change and development throughout. To begin with he seemed to carry a lot of baggage having been through a lot in his life. As the story progresses he goes through a positive change, although he still remains this justice conscious police man trying to make the world a safer place. As he seems so closed off and cold, he seems to have his work cut out for him developing into a person who is able to connect to a woman at all.

The maid Fanny I found was a funny supporting character who focuses on eating and taking naps. She seems to not quite understand her role as a maid silently doing as she’s told. Instead Fanny talks back and generally makes a disruptive nuisance of herself. That’s why Abby’s stepmother prefers to get rid of her.

Overall Thoughts
This is book #3 in The Bow Street Runners Trilogy. Usually I try to read trilogies as they come, but decided to read this as a standalone. As expected there were characters from the previous installments that I didn’t know. There were brief explanations as to who they were, so on the whole I thought #3 worked out quite well as a standalone. The plot, I felt, became somewhat predictable and I would have enjoyed more complex and further developed characters. I enjoyed the mention of places they travel past and the mixing in of entertaining facts about them as well as the Historical Notes at the back of the story. Fans of Michelle Griep will enjoy this as the final installment in The Bow Street Runners Trilogy.

My rating: 3 stars / 5
(All opinions are my own)

About This Book

A Courtship of Convenience

Sophie Appersett is quite willing to marry outside of her class to ensure the survival of her family. But the darkly handsome Mr. Edward Sharpe is no run-of-the-mill London merchant. He's grim and silent. A man of little emotion--or perhaps no emotion at all. After two months of courtship, she's ready to put an end to things.

A Last Chance for Love

But severing ties with her taciturn suitor isn't as straightforward as Sophie envisioned. Her parents are outraged. And then there's Charles Darwin, Prince Albert, and that dratted gaslight. What's a girl to do except invite Mr. Sharpe to Appersett House for Christmas and give him one last chance to win her? Only this time there'll be no false formality. This time they'll get to know each other for who they really are.

Review

Sophia Appersett, daughter of a baronet in dire financial circumstance, has no real interest in getting married. She agrees to court Edward-Ned Sharpe, a wealthy businessman Sophia’s family approve of because he has money.

The courtship
I found it funny and entertaining that Sophia and Ned’s courtship gets messed up by his reading of the Gentlemen’s Book of Etiquette where he gets some very bad advice indeed. It does nothing but muddy the waters between them. Sophia doesn’t get to see Ned for who he really is at all, but somehow he gets to know her. I enjoyed following what goes on between them throughout the story. She is not exactly the delicate lady he initially thought her to be.
Being a believer in Darwin’s new ideas, she harbors some quite progressive views for a Victorian woman.

Christmas theme
Descriptions of the holiday gathering added a very nice Christmas vibe to the story, which I enjoyed a lot. I felt it was a shame really, that it was only 174 pages long. I flew through it in a couple of hours. Really enjoyable to read about the gathering of greenery when the host invited guests to go into the estate’s woods looking for Mistletoe and Holly branches to decorate the house with.

The Changing World
In this story there is a vibe similar to Downton Abbey where people were worried about the changes in society. The landed gentry’s members, like the Appersetts, really wanted things to stay the same but had to adapt to the changing world. Even though they really wanted to look down their noses at Ned and his family, they had to accept him as suitor for their daughter.

I enjoyed the references to historical facts of the time and to technical inventions like the sewing machine. Sophie spent years of her life trying to cover up the family’s difficult financial circumstances. Trying to find ways to make money stretch and have the appearance and lifestyle of a wealthy family. The way this was done, I found interesting and unusual in today’s perspective. Don’t think I have read about women of that era trying to be thrifty.

My Overall Thoughts
This is the first of Mimi Matthews’ works I have read, and I found it both entertaining and enjoyable. It had plenty of interesting elements of facts and references to what might have influenced the characters’ mindset at the time. I also found the Christmas theme well covered, adding to a great vibe throughout. All in all I would recommend A Holiday by Gaslight to fans of Mimi Matthews’ works and for readers of historical fiction in general.
(All opinions are my own)

About The Book
When Sarah Gooding returned a valuable brooch to the elderly Dowager Countess of Densbury, she had no idea it would lead to a job as the lively woman's companion. Nor did she expect to admire the Dowager's youngest grandson so much, even though the difference in their stations means nothing will ever come of her daydreams.

Review
Grown-up foster child Sarah Gooding once did The Dowager Countess of Densbury a huge favor finding her most prized possession, a large amethyst brooch she had lost in the snow. This resulted in securing her a position as the countess’ companion. One of the tasks of this job is accompanying the countess to the weekly dinner with her family. During the event she sits behind the piano hidden from view playing music to entertain the family. Sarah dislikes them all, save for one, Randall Everard who is The Countess’ grandson. Hidden behind the piano she gets to listen in on quite the unsavory discussion when The Earl of Denbury is trying to direct wealth towards his oldest son and heir at the expense of his mother The Dowager Countess and later also his son, Randall.

We discover early on that the Dowager Countess has a good heart, and that her grandson is her favorite. She tries to encourage him to stop working for his father’s estate, which will never be his, and start working for something of his own. Whenever he spends time with his grandmother he tries to talk to her companion, but Sarah seems meek and shy so he doesn’t know quite what to make of her. The Dowager Countess, however, encourages them to spend time together even if Sarah is of a much lower standing than Randall and any serious connection between them seems out of the question.

This story can be read as part of the Christmas Heirloom collection or, like I did, as #1.5 in the Heaven Manor series. Either way you are in for a treat. It is a quick and sweet read that will easily get you into the Christmas mood. It is recommended for fans of Kristi Ann Hunter’s other works and for readers of historical fiction in general.
My rating: 4 stars /5
(all opinions are my own)

As a recent widower, Charles Latterly decides to take a vacation to Italy where he plans to spend 3 relaxing weeks walking and thinking. This is not exactly what happens. He is staying in a hotel at the volcanic island of Stromboli, where a group of other British people is also gathered. The innkeeper, Stefano, assures them all that the volcano will not erupt. He says it merely rumbles and sputters a bit from time to time. He is totally proved wrong.

The story focuses heavily on the relationships between the guests, although there is no explanation as to why they are visiting the island. If they are previously connected remains a mystery throughout only to be revealed at the very end.

Charles becomes friendly with the lively 14 year old girl, Candace Finbar. She stays at the hotel with her slightly old and ailing uncle, Roger Finbar. They just seem to “be there” without any explanation or view into their thoughts before taking the trip. Why Stromboli? Why this particular inn? This is also lacking for all the different guests, save for Charles himself. What seems strange is that Roger persuades Charles, a perfect stranger he has just met, to take care of Candace if something should happen to him. It’s like he expects to be dying soon and seems quite desperate to find someone to care for her. As he seems such a nice and caring man, it seems strange that he would put his nice in a vulnerable circumstance? The story doesn’t seem consider that she might not be safe.

Wealthy Isla Bailey is there with her husband Walker-Bailey. Theirs is a difficult marriage. He is unkind, insensitive and cruel to her. She is frustrated and angry about his heavy handedness, but finds some support in Colonel Bretherton, who admires her. That just makes Walker-Bailey even more angry and cruel. He is generally negative to the other guests who dislike him and spends his time walking in the area on his own.

Percival Quinn is a writer with some success. He has written a bestseller but suffers writer’s block as he is trying to write book number two. Walker-Bailey seems to be intensely jealous of him and Quinn doesn’t like Walker-Bailey much either.

Main character, Charles Latterly, takes on a bit of an observer role in this story. After the volcano has erupted and a body is found, he takes charge of leading the group to safety a few hours walk down to the coast.

The famous, rumbling volcano seems to be a character in itself contributing to the sense of danger. It represents the backdrop which drives the plot, and maybe it also adds a distraction to avoid finding out what really happens. They are too focused on staying safe to consider what happened to the victim. The story seems to be focusing on the main characters. The supporting characters of the group seem less developed.

I felt there was little explanation as to what had happened to the victim, just some brief facts.
The person suspected of the murder was sprung out on me towards the end of the story. I had not noticed a buildup of clues along the way, so it surprised me. I suspected some fishiness about the murderer, but had not foreseen exactly how it all panned out. I had not picked up on this person having a motive. It was explained briefly towards the end but the whole thing felt a bit unfulfilled.

There were very little of the Christmas theme in this story, only a few lines at the end. I have read quite a few of Anne Perry’s Christmas novels before, and she usually manages to create Victorian Christmas cheer mixed up with the crime element. Not so much this time. I realize it would be difficult to add a Christmas vibe to this plot, but I can’t help feeling a bit disappointed.

Overall the story felt a tad rushed, but I realize there are only 150 pages to do elaborations. I’m sure there would have been strict priorities as to what to emphasize and what to leave out.. Fans of Anne Perry’s work would find this an ok read.
My rating 3 stars /5
(all opinions are my own)

Setting of the story
This story is set in Victorian London, even though the year is not specified in this one. It is about Claudine Burroughs, a wealthy woman volunteering in Hester Monk’s charity run Clinique for sick or injured prostitutes. As she has no children of her own, she is trying to find something meaningful to do with her time. She lives in a desperately unhappy marriage, so the work becomes a means to get away from her husband who tries to make her stop volunteering.
Claudine and her husband take part in a ball as usual, only this time there is a serious incident taking place in the garden of the manor house. 4 drunken men and a prostitute are involved. She has been attacked, is unconscious and bleeding badly. Claudine sets out to help her and to discover what really happened. The prostitute suffered a serious blow to parts of her head and face, but there are no witnesses as to who actually struck her. When Claudine arrives to help, poet Dai Tregarron is bending over her trying to revive her, and is subsequently blamed for the sinister deed. However, he denies having attacked her. Claudine believes him and tries to carve out information about what really happened. Who did actually strike the victim Winnie Briggs?
The endless work Claudine has done for years keeping in contact with members of society has resulted in her having a substantial social capital which becomes crucial as this story progresses. She uses her connections for all they are worth to carve out information. Backdrop to the story is the extensive Christmas celebrations, and the fun and games which are on everyone’s mind. All members of society feel it important that nothing gets in the way of all the partying planned for the Christmas season.

The Characters
Claudine has a difficult, unhappy, arranged marriage to her husband. The volunteer work at Hester Monk’s Clinique for sick and injured prostitutes gives her a sense of accomplishment and positive input she certainly does not get at home, or when going to charity committees like her husband wants her to.
Husband Wallace doesn’t love his wife. He is consumed with the craving for more and more wealth, power and standing in society and treats his wife as a tool to help him achieve this. He tries to prevent Claudine from doing charity work, having relationships with people he doesn’t know and generally having a life and a mind of her own. I really found him an appalling person. I could notice no positive traits whatsoever, save for the fact that he did not drink or gamble. Maybe Perry made him a bit one-dimensional, but he was probably perfect for the husband role in this story.

My Overall Thoughts
I have read quite a few of Anne Perry’s Christmas stories and find them enjoyable and interesting each in their own unique way. This one I felt kept quite a bit of focus on the importance of nothing interfering with the fun and games of Christmas celebrations. Not even a murder. Society are trying their best to cover up the attack on the prostitute as she is not wealthy, important or connected and therefore in their heads it would be best to forget about her and let fun and games of the Christmas season have priority. It all becomes a curious and shallow mix of Christmas cheer and murder investigation. Short as it is, only 154 pages, this story manages to unsettle me. I feel sad and angry about the total disregard for the victim, but pleased to see that there seems to become a sense of urgency to do the right thing and tell the truth towards the end.
I enjoyed reference to the quite new custom emerging which was the sending of Christmas cards. This would probably set this story around 1843 when the first Christmas card was sent. A Christmas Hope - Christmas Story #11 is recommended for fans of Anne Perry’s previous extensive number of works and for readers of crime fiction in general.
My rating: 4 stars / 5
(All opinions are my own)

All Hearts Come Home for Christmas
I have read all the books in the Lancaster Family series and feel I know the universe of characters well, but I found it helpful that this story begins with a map of family names and spouses. It made the transition into her universe of characters from previous books quick and easy. I appreciated that.

This story is about family coming together for Christmas, some in need of ironing out their strained relationships, others to just enjoy each other’s company. I found it a sweet Christmas story building on the Lancaster Family characters. As I have enjoyed Sarah M. Eden’s works so much, I had quite high expectations starting this read, but I felt it delivered and might even have been a little longer. It made a very nice start to this Christmas themed novella. It managed to put me in a pre-Christmas-mood.

Leading up to Christmas, Harriet, dowager Duchess of Kielder doesn’t know where to spend the holidays. Even if she doesn’t exactly feel welcome as the mother of Adam, Duke of Kielder, she decides to go to Falstone Castle. She is determined to work on her relationship with Adam and the family and get to know her grandson Oliver. She feels nervous but wants to get back with the family more than anything. Together with the local vicar, she makes a plan she hopes will show Adam that she seriously wants to make amends and that she wishes the Christmas celebrations to be happy for everyone.

The Heart of Christmas
I had not read anything from this author before, so I was curious starting this read. It included all the ingredients I expect to find in a Christmas story. We get to follow Adelaide Moore who has fallen on hard times following her father’s death. She is working for room and board while dreaming of a better life when local banker Theodore Hardwick shows up in the dressmaker’s shop having lost a button in his coat. This proves to be the answers to Addie’s prayers as he offers her a job running his house and caring for his daughter Becky and ailing Aunt Marla.

The house is in a state of neglect. No tidying up or cleaning has been going on there in a long time, but little by little Addie manages to bring it in order and settle into a routine in the family. She gets to know Aunt Marla and they both enjoy each other’s company having meals together during the day. As days go by it becomes clear to Addie that there are serious underlying issues in this family that need attention, but they have to be handled delicately if she is to discover exactly what they are and how to deal with them. She takes on this challenge with the help of the daughter Becky. I really enjoyed this story and will be checking out other releases by this author very soon.

’Tis the Season to Be Daring
Elizabeth Davenport finds it humiliating to be paraded around ballrooms of the London Season, while her mother tries to attract husband for her. –Preferably one with a title. She plans to chock her and Society just enough that she will be able to avoid the rest of the balls of the season without destroying her reputation entirely. For that she teams up with Lord Charles Hawthorne. He is known as the worst rule breaker who doesn’t care a toss what other people think of him and is the perfect ally for this plan. He makes sure to do whatever he wants. Rumor has it he is not interested in marriage at all. They play their tricks in public in the hopes that Elizabeth will become unsuitable as marriage material for titled men of that The Ton and her mother will give her a break from Society until next Season. Elizabeth and Charles spend quite a bit of time together to achieve this goal, but their plan starts to pan out differently than they expected….

Esther Hatch is another author of whom I have not read any previous releases, but I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it. It was light and sweet with quite a few funny situations throughout. -Just my cup of tea. It managed to get me into the warm and fuzzy feeling of Christmas too. I will definitely check out other works from Esther Hatch in future.

The Christmas Dress
Nell Addington is works for demanding dress shop owner Mrs Shaw. She has received a commission for a dress to Rachel Hammond so Nell is on her way to the dress fitting at Oakhurst Park when she meets her childhood friend Jacob Hammond, now the owner of the estate. Nell spends quite some time fitting Rachel’s dress in time for Christmas. They have a lovely time together and Nell gets to rekindle her relationship with Jacob, only now in a new way.

This is a sweet Christmas story with an unexpected snowstorm thrown into the mix. I quite enjoyed it. Entertaining read leading up to Christmas.

(All opinions are my own)

A quick and easy read which is perfect when you want to take a break from your Christmas preparations.
Lady Vespasia and Victor Narraway are invited to spend Christmas at a beautiful country estate in Kent. What seems on the outside to be a pleasant holiday with Vespasia’s society acquaintances ends up being a rather less pleasant affair. There is a secret backdrop to the house party which pans out in a in a rather sinister and dangerous way with Victor and Vespasia in the centre of the whole ordeal.
Main characters Lady Vespasia’s and Victor Narraway’s relationship is vividly described, taking ample time to describe the fact that they are newlyweds. I feel Vespasia’s experience helping with solving previous murder cases shines through in the confident way she deals with events throughout the story.
When choosing to read Anne Perry’s work, I am not expecting the plot to be simple, sweet and uncomplicated. On the contrary, I expect twists and turns throughout, and that is exactly what I got in this story. Must say I would have enjoyed a little bit more Christmas feel, especially in the beginning, but no major issue. It is after all a crime story, which has the murder in the center of it.
A Christmas Gathering is highly recommend for readers of Anne Perry’s other works and for fans of historical crime fiction in general.
My rating: 4,5 stars /5
(All opinions in this review are my own)

The focus is on Christmas celebrations in the rich Lee family where complicated relationships go back years and where certain surprises are thrown into the mix. Hercule Poirot is asked to assist the police when head of the family, Simeon Lee, is murdered on Christmas Eve.
This story was originally published in 1938. The writing itself and the way the characters express themselves and is quite formal and adds to the old fashioned feel of the story. I find the writing fabulous. As I enjoy historical fiction so much, I very much enjoyed how this trait sets Agatha Christie’s writing apart from the more contemporary fiction. She does thorough and believable character creations and descriptions. I feel invested in the life of this rather large and wealthy family in the nineteen thirties Midlands.
I felt Simeon Lee was a believable yet Agatha Christie makes him out to be a very unsympathetic character. In spite of his ailing health, he enjoyed controlling his adult children by threatening to take their funding away. Because of the way he acted towards his children, the number of people suspected of having murdered him seemed to increase by every page I read. That kept the story alive until Poirot made his appearance.
The plot of this story builds quite slowly considering it’s just 200 pages long. Must say I worried along the way that some parts would feel rushed, but Christie managed to tie it up nice and evenly. Poirot turned up quite late. Felt I kept waiting for him throughout the first 30, or so, pages. I have seen quite a few of the tv episodes of Poirot, including this one, and I found that the book gave much more depth to the story. Exactly what I expected as it has always been the case when I have read a story and seen a film version.
Even though the story is called Poirot’s Christmas, there is not a lot of of Christmassy vibe to it. The murder takes place on Christmas Eve. Other than that it’s business as usual for Poirot and the police. This is a crime story, so it makes sense that solving the case takes center stage. The murder on Christmas Eve put celebrations on hold before they could even start.
Hercule Poirot’s Christmas is a great story and would be recommended for Agatha Christie fans and for readers of crime fiction.
(All opinions in this review are my own)

Mary Beckwith is trying to renovate Whitefriars castle, her childhood home. It’s a huge undertaking and she is trying to do it on her own with occasional advice and yearly allowance from American businessman Everett Wooten. The funding never seems to be enough and Mary plans to rent out rooms to earn extra money. She is working hard to get the rooms ready for the paying guests. Going through mail, she discovers that Mr Wooten is in York, an hour’s carriage ride from the castle, waiting to speak to her about a possible breach of contract with his luxury food supply company. He considers the taking in of paying guests to be destroying his company’s exclusive food label named Whitefriars.
In the running up to Christmas, Mary and her brother Colin Beckwith, goes to York to meet with Mr. Wooten. She finds it very challenging to go anywhere outside the castle grounds because of her anxiety disorder. Surprisingly she finds Mr. Wooten to be very understanding and supportive as she has an anxiety attack in the York hotel lobby. After the meeting, she invites him to Whitefriars to look at his investment and the state of the castle after nine years of renovation. He is unimpressed with his first impression of the castle and totally opposed to taking in paying guests.
Christmas is Mary’s favorite time of year because this is when her family comes from America for their once-a-year holiday. I am thrilled to be back in the Beckwith and Drake family universe which I got to know in The Empire State Series. I get to learn more about what has happened to them all since my last read. I enjoy the Christmas theme and the development of relationships, especially between Mary and Everett Wooten, but also between secondary characters.
Christmas at Whitefriars is highly recommended for fans of Elizabeth Camden’s works, especially for readers of The Empire State series. This story is also highly recommended for readers who enjoy historical fiction.
(All opinions in this review are my own)

Gracie Phipps goes on a quest together with Minnie Maude Mudway to find the rag-and-bone donkey named Charlie which has vanished after its owner suffered a fatal incident. The children try to find the donky themselves, but eventually realize they need help from an adult.
I found it touching that Gracie decides to confide in her old neighbor, Mr. Wiggins, who gives her advice on who she can trust with her information.

There is, for me, a Dickensian feel to the story as the plot is set in the poorest areas of London where people are trying to scrape by on next to nothing. The general living conditions in London’s East End did not exactly seem comfortable, to put it mildly. Descriptions of how Christmas was celebrated I feel are similar to those in the Scrooge story written in 1843. There seemed to be a village feel in the local areas of the city. It makes sense as it consisted of villages already grown together.

8 year old Minnie Maude, whose uncle died, is touchingly innocent and vulnerable at the same time as she has to deal with the serious accident that happened to her uncle. She is lucky to meet Gracie who looks out for her in spite of her own tight schedule doing chores and errands every day, all day, which was the normal thing for children at the time. It brings me close to tears that Gracie’s dream is to learn how to read, which we all take for granted today.

I get a Christmas feel reading about the snow, sleet and wind the children have to deal with while they walk past the more well-to-do households who have Christmas decorations up. Trying to stay warm and dry in their thin clothing and bad shoes didn’t seem easy. The story has an interesting mix of serious issues and Christmas theme which Anne Perry does so well in these Christmas novellas. The constant tea-drinking lightens the mood of the story somewhat. Must say I quite enjoy that whenever I read stories set in Britain. Sometimes I found it an entertaining puzzle to work out the meaning of the written cockney dialect. I felt it added an authenticity to the story.
A Christmas Promise is recommended for fans of Anne Perry’s work and readers of Crime Fiction in general.

Becky's måte å være søster på er hysterisk morsom.

A quick and easy read which is perfect when you want to take a break from your Christmas preparations.
Lady Vespasia and Victor Narraway are invited to spend Christmas at a beautiful country estate in Kent.
What seems on the outside to be a pleasant holiday with society acquaintances of Vespasia ends up being rather a rather less pleasant affair. There is a secret backdrop to the house party which pans out in a in a rather sinister and dangerous way with Victor and Vespasia in the centre of the whole ordeal.

Main characters Lady Vespasia’s and Victor Narraway’s relationship is vividly described, taking ample time to describe the fact that they are newlyweds. I feel Vespasia’s experience helping with previous cases shines through in the confident way she deals with events throughout the story.
When choosing to read Anne Perry, I am not expecting the plot to be simple, sweet and uncomplicated. On the contrary, I expect twists and turns throughout, and that is exactly what I got in this story. The Christmas theme was expertly mixed into the crime plot in a way I found very enjoyable, maybe even a little bit addictive. Must say I would even have enjoyed a little bit more Christmas feel, especially in the beginning, but no major issue.

A Christmas Gathering is highly recommend for readers of Anne Perry’s other works and for fans of historical crime fiction in general.
(All opinions are my own)

En absolutt klassiker som alle norske barn har hørt om og fått lest fra.