strange and random happenstance

The Cyprian by Mercedes Lackey
Published by: DAW
Publication Date: December 30th, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 352 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A cozy, cottage-core Regency fantasy perfect for fans of Bridgerton.

Elena Whitstone and her seven brothers, abandoned by her mother, find themselves with a new stepmother. At first she seems more neglectful than evil, until just after Christmas she proves herself to be worse than evil; she is an actual magician, a Master of Water, who attempts to murder Elena's seven brothers when they are skating. When they survive that attempt by transforming into swans, she drives them away.

But the shock of having all of his heirs perish in a frozen pond is too much for Elena's father. He dies, and his widow is abruptly confronted with the inconvenient truth that the estate is entailed, and she not only must leave, she is lawfully in charge of Elena.

Furious, and possessing "only" what was gifted to her during her marriage, the stepmother retreats to Bath, to take up residence in the luxurious townhouse that was bought for her, and resume her former profession as a "Cyprian," a very exclusive courtesan, with Elena reluctantly posing as a page-boy and her servant. Nothing lasts forever, of course, and three years later, Elena is rapidly maturing too much to continue that ruse - and the stepmother is facing the ravages of time. The stepmother concocts a plan to establish an exclusive brothel and regain her wealth by selling Elena to the highest bidder.

Alone, Elena must not only find a way to save herself, but to reverse the spell that has transformed her brothers.

The latest in Mercedes Lackey's Elemental Masters series is a stand-alone romantasy based on Hans Christian Anderson's The Wild Swans."

To end the year with some new Regency Magic is just the kind of good omen I need for the coming year.

Tea and Alchemy by Sharon Lynn Fisher
Published by: 47north
Publication Date: December 30th, 2025
Format: Paperback, 299 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A tea leaf reader in nineteenth-century England falls in love - and in danger - with a reclusive alchemist in an enthralling historical fantasy by the author of Salt and Broom and Grimm Curiosities.

Cornwall, 1854. The people of Roche have always whispered about the recluse in the black granite tower that looms above the moorland. But one young woman is driven to discover the truth behind the old tales.

Her life overshadowed by family tragedy, Mina Penrose escapes her lonely days by working at The Magpie, a cozy tearoom on the village's edge. Lately she's been seeing shapes in the sodden leaves that hint at the future. After one such omen, Mina stumbles upon a murdered man on the heath. Villagers immediately suspect Harker Tregarrick, a living, breathing mystery who never ventures beyond the bounds of his centuries-old estate.

Until the day after the murder, when the handsome and compelling recluse visits The Magpie...leading to a meeting that will change both their fates. Captivated by a man around whom danger and rumors of death swirl, Mina has never felt more alive. Can she uncover Harker's heartbreaking history - and the truth about the murder - before tragedy strikes again?"

Gothic Cornwall? Daphne du Maurier would approve!

An Arcane Inheritance by Kamilah Cole
Published by: Poisoned Pen Press
Publication Date: December 30th, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 432 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A modern-day dark academia fantasy with a twist, perfect for fans of Babel and A Deadly Education.

Warren University has stood amongst the ivy elite for centuries, built on the bones - and forbidden magic - of its most prized BIPOC students...hiding the rot of a secret society that will do anything to keep their own powers burning bright. No matter who they must sacrifice along the way.

Ellory Morgan is determined to prove that she belongs at Warren University, an ivy league school whose history is deeply linked to occult rumors and dark secrets. But as she settles into her Freshman year, something about the ornate buildings and shadowy paths feels strangely...familiar. And, with every passing day, that sense of déjà vu grows increasingly sinister.

Despite all logic, despite all reason, despite all the rules of reality, Ellory knows one thing to be true: she has been here before. And if she can't convince brooding legacy student Hudson Graves to help her remember a past that seems determined to slip through her fingers as if by some insidious magic...this time, she may lose herself for good."

Dark academia with déjà? Yes please and more!

Crime Rangoon by Vivien Chien
Published by: Minotaur Books
Publication Date: December 30th, 2025
Format: Paperback, 320 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"It's stranger than fiction when Lana Lee investigates a murder that mimics the plot of a bestselling mystery, working together with her detective boyfriend for the first time ever.

Cindy Kwan, owner of Asia Village's bookshop, The Modern Scroll, is privileged to host best-selling author, Charlene Chan for a signing in honor of the writer's latest book, The Mystery of General Tso.

Lana Lee is equally excited for the appearance of her favorite author and even more so when Cindy asks her to be Charlene's "handler" for the event. Taking her duties very seriously, Lana stays by the side of the prominent author to assist in anything that she might need.

With a line out the door and stretched through the plaza, Cindy is overjoyed at what a success this is for her shop. But, unfortunately for Cindy, her success comes with a price: the author is found dead in the mystery aisle, clutching a copy of her own book. Coincidentally the book's plot matches the details of the murder.

Lana's boyfriend, Detective Adam Trudeau, is charged with leading the case investigation, but finds himself overwhelmed when he realizes just how much of the book series is mimicked in reality. For the first time in their relationship, Adam calls on Lana to partner up with him to help solve the case. The couple must work through the novel to outwit the murderer, stay one step ahead, and beat the die-hard fan to the last chapter."

I really think Jessica Fletcher would approve of this one.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Bath, Cornwall, Crime Rangoon, Daphne Du Maurier, Dark Academia, Gothic, Hans Christian Anderson, Kamilah Cole, Mercedes Lackey, Noodle Shop Mystery, Regency Magic, Sharon Lynn Fisher, The Cyprian, The Wild Swans, Vivien Chien

The Serpent Dance by Sofia Slater
Published by: Swift Press
Publication Date: June 6th, 2024
Format: Hardcover, 214 Pages
Rating: ★★★★
To Buy

Audrey and Noah are coming up on their one year anniversary. The only problem is that it happens to coincide with a big launch at Noah's art gallery. So instead of waiting they decide to celebrate on their ten month anniversary. In retrospect, this could have been inviting bad luck. Audrey is convinced that Noah has taken her copious hints and that they are going to Paris. Instead of working on the illustrations to the followup of her children's compendium of extinct animals which The Times called "equal parts urgency and enchantment" she has spent the last few weeks creating itineraries for Paris while obsessively checking that her passport is still valid and ignoring her looming deadline. The day of their getaway arrives and they head west to Paddignton, not north to St. Pancras. They are going to Cornwall. And maybe things would have worked out had she not thought they were going to Paris, but it's like Noah doesn't even know her and has some notion of recapturing the memories of a favorite childhood vacation of his instead of celebrating their relationship. Audrey spends the train journey to Trevennick for the midsummer festival mentally cataloging how her life has gone wrong. She wanted to be an artist, but was pushed by her parents to take the more sensible route and study graphic design. Her relationship with Noah was meant to open the door for her into the art world, instead he's constantly closing it. And now he's taking her to the country. She hates the country. She hates the dark. Does she secretly hate Noah? When they arrive they are taken up to the big house through the village with disturbing statues made of withies in the shape of amorphous animals being assembled on the green. Luckily their hostess is able to fill them in on these obby osses because she is none other than Stella Penrose, a tellie historian, who will be staying in her home with them. A home that is completely made of glass. They can literally see everything. This isn't the romantic weekend Audrey planned as she spends dinner getting drunk while Stella shamelessly flirts with Noah. Audrey goes to bed early and is wakened by Noah. He thinks something bad has happened. And he's right. Stella is dead. In a locked room in a completely glass house. But suicide doesn't sit right with the police or Audrey. And when Noah is arrested, perhaps this is the sign she needed that they are officially over. But the killer isn't. The town is backwards in more ways than one and the river will have its due.

The Wicker Man is one of the movies that will forever be a classic. It's camp, it's creepy, and it taps into our communal love of folk horror that we as viewers, and readers, can't get enough of. I love me some folk horror. But not Midsommar. Never that. Having discovered Sofia Slater when I read Auld Acquaintance I couldn't wait for this book being touted as folk horror with wicker man vibes to be released stateside and ordered it from England. It would be the book to usher in summer 2025. And, while yes, the obby osses bring a nice Summerisle vibe to Trevennick, that isn't what makes the book work. In fact I wouldn't even label it as folk horror, it's just a good old fashioned murder mystery with the trappings you might see on an episode of Midsomer Murders. In fact I'm thinking of the one where Nicholas Rowe is killed by an arrow while attempting a rite that would allow him to sleep with his sister/wife. But enough about my love for Nicholas Rowe, what makes this book work is that Sofia Slater is a writer that just makes her people and locations come alive. They are fully three-dimensional. I can picture myself going to Trevennick and walking into the Sacacren's Head and being served by the Kingcups. I am there. I am a part of this ill-fated getaway. But most importantly, it's the journey of Audrey that draws you in. She's on a legit heroine's journey. She is confronting the dark abuses of her past in a similar milieu which she has been forced into. This is full immersion therapy and I am here for it. She's figuring out who she is and what she wants and confronting how her expectations don't meet reality and it's a struggle so many of us have to face, thankfully without usually having to endure a trial by literal fire. When she tells Morwenna Kingcup things she hasn't even told Noah, you know this place is literally healing her. It also allows her to open up artistically. What starts at first as a way to make sense of the crime as well as appease her editor, she draws the crime scene and her surroundings in detail. Just remove a dead body here and add a cute bunny there, and her sequel about vanishing Britain is almost done! But the fact that what she uses for therapy helps to reveal the truth is delicious. Her artist's eye catches something that the normal person wouldn't notice and this thrills me as an artist. I am always looking at things differently, and when I go on walks with my Dad I'm pointing out all the ways to look at the world and this artistic sensibility is what saves the day. To me, as an artist, I can't explain my glee. But also, the fact that she releases her inhibitions and Noah finally see's in her art something worth exhibiting proves that our demons, our outlets, our deliverance, brings us to our true selves and only then can we achieve our goals.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Artist, Auld Acquaintance, Cornwall, Graphic Designer, Locked Room, Midsomer Murders, Midsommar, Murder, Murder Most Foul, Nicholas Rowe, Paris, Sofia Slater, The Serpent Dance, The Wicker Man, Vacation

Aunt Dimity and the Duke by Nancy Atherton
Published by: Penguin
Publication Date: 1994
Format: Paperback, 464 Pages
Rating: ★★★★
To Buy

Emma is forty. Emma is forty and alone. Her "boyfriend" has just married a lithe young thing in an obvious midlife crisis. So Emma is off to England to take a much needed holiday from her high tech job. She is there to indulge in her passion, gardening! She might not know much, but she does love plants and soil. At an out of the way public garden Emma runs into an odd duo. Two elderly identical twins who tell her that she must visit Penford Hall, further down the Cornish coast. Emma is intrigued and heads there. Only the house is more than off the beaten track and once there the Duke, Grayson, is under the impression that she is the new gardener. She tries to explain that she was just there to see the gardens not to prepare them for a giant fete in a few months time. Yet Grayson insists that the twins were doing the bidding of Aunt Dimity, so that's that, she must stay. Her fellow inmates at the house are Grayson's washed up cousin Susannah, who used to be a model, and Susannah's manager. Yet all Susannah talks about is the late rock star Lex Rex who died off the coast in Grayson's boat. There are a plethora of the usual taciturn servants but more importantly there is the widower Derek and his two children, Nell and Peter. Derek has been hired by Grayson, whom he knew peripherally in college, to restore the stained glass window in the church on the grounds. Susannah soon falls prey to an accident, or perhaps an attack and is rushed to the hospital. Grayson fears that it will be the Lex Rex incident all over again. If he can just get everything put to rights and get the celebrations underway, the house will be safe and perfect forever... or so he hopes. Aunt Dimity did promise him. If Dimity has her way perhaps Derek and Emma's broken hearts will mend together and there will be happy endings for all.

I found this second book in the Aunt Dimity series far more enjoyable than the first because Cornwall. Seriously Cornwall people. What drew me to this story and kept me interested was the Cornish Coast with dreams of Daphne Du Maurier and death on the jagged rocks. Yes, I know it was a lot of my own romanticism that made this book work for me, but there you have it! But also, the gardens! The descriptions of these gorgeous and abundant gardens built in and around the remains of a great house made me want this place to truly exist so that I could go there. Like ruins overrun with flora. The Secret Garden on crack. I want to go to there! Aside from that, there really wasn't much else. This prequel follows Emma and the ordeals her and Derek go through on their way to wedded bliss. Because it isn't even a surprise that they will be the couple matched, they're already married to each other when we meet them in the first book! Not to say that Aunt Dimity won't match a few more along the way, it's what she does. There was something actually resembling a mystery in this "mystery" series, which was a nice change of pace, but still, the romances seem to be the thrust of the series and were too contrived. The children and their belief in their father's happiness and the weird and convoluted theories about their dead mother's soul and the stained glass window that their father was there to repair bordered on the ludicrous. I will say this one did make me want to pick up the next in the series... but only if it was with these characters, not Lori and Bill from the previous installment. Emma and Derek made this book work, so perhaps I might skip the rest if it's just bland Bill and wet rag Lori. So perhaps I should thank this omnibus because if it wasn't for the fact I wanted to finish the whole book I wouldn't have read the enjoyable second story. So even if the next one doesn't work, at least I'll always have the one with the Duke. It's all about Dukes these days!

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Aunt Dimity, Aunt Dimity and the Duke, Cornish Coast, Cornwall, Country Estates, Daphne Du Maurier, England, Gardening, Matchmaking, Murder Most Foul, Nancy Atherton, Penford Hall, Prequel, Ruins, The Secret Garden

All Good People Here by Ashley Flowers
Published by: Bantam
Publication Date: August 16th, 2022
Format: Hardcover, 320 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"In the propulsive debut novel from the host of the #1 true crime podcast Crime Junkie, a journalist uncovers her hometown's dark secrets when she becomes obsessed with the unsolved murder of her childhood neighbor - and the disappearance of another girl twenty years later.

You can’t ever know for sure what happens behind closed doors.

Everyone from Wakarusa, Indiana, remembers the infamous case of January Jacobs, who was discovered in a ditch hours after her family awoke to find her gone. Margot Davies was six at the time, the same age as January - and they were next-door neighbors. In the twenty years since, Margot has grown up, moved away, and become a big-city journalist. But she’s always been haunted by the feeling that it could've been her. And the worst part is, January's killer has never been brought to justice.

When Margot returns home to help care for her uncle after he is diagnosed with early-onset dementia, she feels like she's walked into a time capsule. Wakarusa is exactly how she remembers - genial, stifled, secretive. Then news breaks about five-year-old Natalie Clark from the next town over, who's gone missing under circumstances eerily similar to January's. With all the old feelings rushing back, Margot vows to find Natalie and to solve January's murder once and for all.

But the police, Natalie's family, the townspeople - they all seem to be hiding something. And the deeper Margot digs into Natalie's disappearance, the more resistance she encounters, and the colder January's case feels. Could January's killer still be out there? Is it the same person who took Natalie? And what will it cost to finally discover what truly happened that night twenty years ago?

Twisty, chilling, and intense, All Good People Here is a searing tale that asks: What are your neighbors capable of when they think no one is watching?"

Who better to write a book about someone going home a solving a cold case than a true crime podcaster?

Love in the Time of Serial Killers by Alicia Thompson
Published by: Berkley
Publication Date: August 16th, 2022
Format: Paperback, 352 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Turns out that reading nothing but true crime isn't exactly conducive to modern dating - and one woman is going to have to learn how to give love a chance when she's used to suspecting the worst.

PhD candidate Phoebe Walsh has always been obsessed with true crime. She's even analyzing the genre in her dissertation - if she can manage to finish writing it. It's hard to find the time while she spends the summer in Florida, cleaning out her childhood home, dealing with her obnoxiously good-natured younger brother, and grappling with the complicated feelings of mourning a father she hadn't had a relationship with for years.

It doesn't help that she's low-key convinced that her new neighbor, Sam Dennings, is a serial killer (he may dress business casual by day, but at night he's clearly up to something). It's not long before Phoebe realizes that Sam might be something much scarier - a genuinely nice guy who can pierce her armor to reach her vulnerable heart."

That old story of is he a killer or is he my perfect man...

A Cornish Recipe for Murder by Fiona Leitch
Published by: One More Chapter
Publication Date: August 16th, 2022
Format: Kindle, 263 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Jodie 'Nosey' Parker is back!

When popular TV baking contest and national institution 'The Best of British Baking Roadshow' rolls into town and sets up camp in the grounds of Boskern House, a historic stately home near Penstowan, former police officer Jodie 'Nosey' Parker finds herself competing to represent Cornwall in the grand final.

But with a fellow contestant who will stop at nothing to win and a drag queen host with secrets of their own, Jodie discovers that the roadshow doesn't just have the ingredients for the perfect showstopper cake, but also for the perfect murder...

And when a body is found in the grounds of the house, Jodie is drawn into another high-stakes case along with local DCI Nathan Withers.

Can Jodie expose the culprit? Or will the murderer become the real showstopper?"

Anything vaguely Bake Off themed with murder is my jam. Or should I make that jam roll?

The Life of Crime by Martin Edwards
Published by: Collins Crime Club
Publication Date: August 16th, 2022
Format: Hardcover, 599 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"In the first major history of crime fiction in fifty years, The Life of Crime: Detecting the History of Mysteries and Their Creators traces the evolution of the genre from the eighteenth century to the present, offering brand-new perspective on the world's most popular form of fiction.

Author Martin Edwards is a multi-award-winning crime novelist, the President of the Detection Club, archivist of the Crime Writers' Association and series consultant to the British Library's highly successful series of crime classics, and therefore uniquely qualified to write this book. He has been a widely respected genre commentator for more than thirty years, winning the CWA Diamond Dagger for making a significant contribution to crime writing in 2020, when he also compiled and published Howdunit: A Masterclass in Crime Writing by Members of the Detection Club and the novel Mortmain Hall. His critically acclaimed The Golden Age of Murder (Collins Crime Club, 2015) was a landmark study of Detective Fiction between the wars.

The Life of Crime is the result of a lifetime of reading and enjoying all types of crime fiction, old and new, from around the world. In what will surely be regarded as his magnum opus, Martin Edwards has thrown himself undaunted into the breadth and complexity of the genre to write an authoritative - and readable - study of its development and evolution. With crime fiction being read more widely than ever around the world, and with individual authors increasingly the subject of extensive academic study, his expert distillation of more than two centuries of extraordinary books and authors - from the tales of E.T.A. Hoffmann to the novels of Patricia Cornwell - into one coherent history is an extraordinary feat and makes for compelling reading."

Who doesn't want to read a history of crime fiction?

The Manhattan Girls by Gill Paul
Published by: William Morrow Paperbacks
Publication Date: August 16th, 2022
Format: Paperback, 416 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"It's a 1920s version of Sex and the City, as Dorothy Parker - one of the wittiest women who ever wielded a pen - and her three friends navigate life, love, and careers in New York City. Perfect for fans of Fiona Davis, Beatriz Williams, and Renée Rosen.

NEW YORK CITY 1921: The war is over, fashions are daring, and bootleg liquor is abundant. Here four extraordinary women form a bridge group that grows into a firm friendship.

Dorothy Parker: renowned wit, member of the Algonquin Round Table, and more fragile than she seems. Jane Grant: first female reporter for the New York Times, and determined to launch a new magazine she calls The New Yorker. Winifred Lenihan: beautiful and talented Broadway actress, a casting-couch target. And Peggy Leach: magazine assistant by day, brilliant novelist by night.

Their romances flourish and falter while their goals sometimes seem impossible to reach and their friendship deepens against the backdrop of turbulent New York City, where new speakeasies open and close, jazz music flows through the air, and bathtub gin fills their glasses.

They gossip, they comfort each other, and they offer support through the setbacks. But their biggest challenge is keeping their dear friend Dottie safe from herself.

In this brilliant new novel from the bestselling and acclaimed author of Jackie and Maria and The Secret Wife, readers will fall right into Jazz Age New York and into the inner lives of these groundbreaking, influential women."

While I can't wait to read this, I will point out that if she knew what Sex and the City was Dorothy Parker would not be pleased by the comparison.

Second Spear by Kerstin Hall
Published by: Tordotcom
Publication Date: August 16th, 2022
Format: Paperback, 288 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Kerstin Hall's Second Spear is the thrilling follow-up to the Nommo Award finalist, The Border Keeper.

After surviving the schemes of a vengeful goddess and learning some shattering truths about her former life, the warrior Tyn feels estranged from her role guarding her ruler. Grappling with knowledge of her identity, she unleashes her frustrations on all the wrong people.

When an old enemy returns wielding an unstoppable, realm-crushing weapon and Tyn is swept up in the path of destruction, she must make a choice about who she is and who she wants to be."

To break your fantasy funk!

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Alicia Thompson, Ashley Flowers, Cornwall, Crime Fiction, Crime Junkie, Dorothy Parker, Fiona Leitch, GBBO, Gill Paul, Jane Grant, Kerstin Hall, Martin Edwards, Podcast, Serial Killer, The New Yorker, True Crime

The House of Whispers by Laura Purcell
Published by: Penguin Books
Publication Date: June 9th, 2020
Format: Paperback, 336 Pages
Rating: ★★★★★
To Buy

Hester Why isn't really Hester Why. But who she was had too much baggage. Too much pain. Too many secrets. In fact, she might just be cursed. So she is making a new start, or more accurately, a new start is being foisted upon her. So why not take a new name in the process as an extra level of protection? With only a handful of belongings and a hip flask she heads to Cornwall and Morvoren House. She is to be nurse to the elderly Louise Pinecroft. When Hester arrives at Morvoren the winter is harsh and bleak, there is a sense the snow is finally coming, and the sea is ominous. Hester always thought she'd like to see the sea, now she's wondering if she'll regret this desire. Miss Pinecroft's house perches precariously above the churning waves. She spends her days in an unheated room with all the curtains drawn keeping vigil over bone china. Big vases, small figurines, plates, teacups, all this, as well as Miss Pinecroft, are now Hester's bounden duty. The nurse in her rebels. This elderly woman needs warmth and sustenance and proper clothes, not a drafty room where she wallows in her own filth and myopically watches knickknacks! But just as Hester has her secrets, so does Morvoren House. Bought by Louise's father after their family was ravaged by consumption, he was going to regain his medical renown by finding the cure to the disease that carried away his family. But forty years later there is no cure. Louise is an old woman consumed by the horrors of the past and the uncanny. Morvoren House might have meant to foster in a new age of medical understanding, instead it's caught in the old ties of folklore and fairy tales. Something is happening in the house. Locked doors are being opened without a key, salt borders doorways, clothes are wore inside out, young fertile women are in danger, and the bone china must never be left alone.

Whenever someone tells me to read a book because it reminds them of Daphne Du Maurier I gird my loins. Because if there's one thing this has proven to me time and time again is that people haven't actually read Daphne Du Maurier. They think they know what her writing is like, probably because they watched Rebecca, and have therefore jumped to conclusions. So let it be known when I say a book reminds me of Daphne Du Maurier I actually mean it. I've done my research. Meaning I've read more than one of her books. In fact I've broken double digits not counting re-reads. So yes, The House of Whispers doesn't let you down on the Du Maurier vibe. Now I won't go as far as Natasha Pulley and say it might be better than Du Maurier, because it's different, and that makes it it's own wonderful thing. This is part Poldark part Du Maurier part Fairy Tale and it's bloody brilliant. Pushing aside her first two Georgian books, once Purcell embraced the Gothic aesthetic, her next two books, The Silent Companions and The Poison Thread, could, in a way, be interchangeable in their narrative structure, drawing out the supernatural reveal until right at the end. It felt rushed to have the reveal and then the curtain drop literally within the span of a handful of words. This was gimmicky, and I was fully prepared to have it repeat here, but it didn't. I wouldn't necessarily say I was pleasantly surprised, more in awe. Laura Purcell has grown so much as an author it's almost like this book is separate from the rest of her body of work. I can't put my finger on any one thing that made this book better except that everything is better. Her character development, her plotting, her structure, every little thing kept me invested as I devoured this book. She has always had a well developed sense of place, almost at the cost of the characters, but here the characters, even those I didn't like, were fully rounded and fascinating. This is a tale of tragedy and otherness and obsession, and I can't wait to see what Laura Purcell will do next!

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Bone China, Consumption, Cornwall, Daphne Du Maurier, Fairy Tales, Gothic, Laura Purcell, Natasha Pulley, Poldark, Rebecca, Regency, The House of Whispers, The Poison Thread, The Silent Companions

The Death of Mrs. Westaway by Ruth Ware
Published by: Gallery/Scout Press
Publication Date: May 29th, 2018
Format: Hardcover, 384 Pages
Rating: ★★
To Buy

Hal is destitute. She has been eking out a living reading Tarot cards for the punters on Brighton Beach but she's nowhere near as good as her mother Maggie was at this. But Maggie died tragically before Hal's eighteenth birthday and Hal had to take out some loans from some disreputable people and they won't let her forget that. Even if she's paid it all back, with interest. Then a letter arrives that could change everything. Hal has somehow been "identified" as the granddaughter of a Mrs. Westaway and stands to inherit, well, something. Really, anything would be fine. Only, Hal knows this woman couldn't possibly be her grandmother. Her whole family was Maggie and Maggie is gone. But what's the harm in getting out of town for a few days and seeing if she can convince the family that she's a Westaway long enough for her to make off with a few hundred pounds. Just enough to help ease her situation. Maybe relocate away from Brighton? It's not like she'd be taking advantage of them, they're probably wealthy and what's a few hundred pounds to them when to her it could change her life? The only problem is she hasn't been left a few hundred pounds, she's been left everything. Knowing that she isn't the missing granddaughter Mrs. Westaway was looking for Hal is ready to pack it all in until she is given a picture. A picture that proves that her mother knew the Westaway siblings. Could she really be related to Mrs. Westaway? Could the inheritance be rightfully hers by some quirk of fate? But the grand estate of Trepassen has many secrets. Maggie came to Trepassen an innocent and ended up pregnant with Hal. Unwilling to divulge the name of Hal's father, whom Hal was always told was a one-night stand, Maggie was locked away in the attic. She was in fact locked up in the same room that Maggie is staying in. That can't be a coincidence. What was the reason Maggie never returned to Trepassen and does that put Hal in danger now?

Tarot cards, check. Mysterious letter bequeathing an inheritance, check. Stately, if slightly run down, manor house, check. Right there are the official bullet points that made me sit up and take notice of The Death of Mrs. Westaway. Well, that and the fact that it kept being compared to Daphne Du Maurier, a trap I fall for way too often. She is without equal and I need to keep reminding myself of that. But while none of those bullet points are wrong, they are also very misleading. This book isn't the least bit charming or Gothic, it's prosaic. Hal barely makes a living reading Tarot cards for the tourists. She gets a letter about an inheritance that she's sure is mistaken while obviously it's not. But she assumes she can pull off the con because she's so good at reading people. It's like a boring heist but with snow. I'm sorry, but if you're going to go for the grab bag of Gothic goodies could something have been at least slightly menacing? Even throwing Hal up into the creepy neither regions of the house elicited barely a shudder from me. What's more is that I figured out everything too easily. I'm not saying I'm a savant when it comes to crime solving, but I am knowledgeable enough that if you're a writer who isn't very good at disguising your clues, leaving them a little too open to the elements, well, I'll pounce on them like a cat on catnip. I had the killer down within five minutes of them appearing on the scene. What's more, I was able to pick out the motive way too easily. There are some "tricks" that work only in literature because there's wiggle room for mistaken identities that aren't there in a visual medium. The most successful use I've seen of this in recent years was in Kate Morton's The Secret Keeper. She nailed it. This, this doesn't nail it. What's also annoying is that during the reveal there is a major blunder. Hal's mother Maggie is trying to escape a dangerous situation in a flashback and runs out onto the iced over lake. In July. Yes, watch out for that dangerous July ice everyone. And there's no way it could have been a mistake because the whole scene is set in summer and there's flowers and a picnic and ICE! Yeah... just... whatever. In fact, whatever is kind of my general feeling for this book overall. I was entertained but that was all.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Brighton, Cornwall, Country House, Daphne Du Maurier, Going Gothic, Gothic, Inheritance, Kate Morton, Loan Shark, Money, Murder, Ruth Ware, Tarot, The Death of Mrs. Westaway, The Secret Keeper, Trepassen, Whodunit

Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Published by: Del Rey
Publication Date: June 30th, 2020
Format: Hardcover, 320 Pages
Rating: ★★★
To Buy

Noemí Taboada's is the life of the party. A wealthy socialite, she loves her modern life and all the men she's stringing along. With her red lipstick firmly affixed she feels like she could tackle anything the world can throw at her. Everything changes when she gets a letter from her cousin Catalina. Catalina is recently married and is convinced that her husband is trying to kill her. Noemí and her father worry that the once wealthy Virgil Doyle only married Catalina for her money and is now going to get rid of an inconvenient wife. Therefore it is up to Noemí to suss out the situation. She packs her bags and heads to High Place. The home is high in the mountains and shrouded by mist. It feels as if she's stepped back in time to a forgotten world where they can't even rely on the electricity and instead live by candlelight. The household consists of four Doyles and Catalina. There is Catalina's husband Virgil, and his father Howard, and Howard's first cousin Florence, and her son Francis. Florence rules the house with an iron first, but Howard is the power behind the throne. But the one thing they all seem agreed on is that Noemí should be allowed to see her cousin as little as possible. They hope they can dissuade her and she'll leave them alone. They obviously don't know Noemí. When Noemí can finally speak to Catalina her cousin begs her to seek out a healer, Marta Duval, in the small village of El Triunfo. Catalina says that despite what the family physician says, this medicine is the only thing that can help her. It helps her right into a seizure and Noemí is banned from seeing her cousin. But not that that concerns her too much, as she's started to have ghostly dreams and is sleepwalking. She's befriended Francis and along with information she has dug up it all points to the Doyles being dangerous. She decides she must leave. She can return home, get her father, and return for Catalina. Only the Doyles say she is not allowed to leave. She is to stay. She is to marry Francis. She is going to be one of them now.

The first, and in my mind, most important aspect of a good Gothic novel is location. If you get the location right it's hard to mess up the rest. Mexican Gothic nailed the location. High Place has oodles of Gothic atmosphere. There is this wonderful Crimson Peak vibe that just engulfed me and made me want to stay. I could picture every nook and cranny of that forbidding and compelling house and felt like I was there. Much like Daphne Du Maurier, Silvia Moreno-Garcia has created a memorable place and therefore Mexican Gothic is one of those rare occasions when I don't throw up my arms in protest when comparisons are made to my favorite Cornwall obsessed author. And yet... For once the location just wasn't enough... For me I think Mexican Gothic suffered from too much hype. Summer of 2020 it was THE BOOK everyone was talking about and recommending. Every online book club was reading it and it was flying off the shelves. Perhaps this was just because we hit the book club phase of Covid? I've been in a book club for years so I didn't experience this phase of the pandemic. Because while I enjoyed the book I didn't love it. But who knows, this could change, much like my opinion of Crimson Peak. I did not like that movie at first and learned to appreciate it in time once I got over what I expected it to be and accepted it for what it was; a Gothic love story, not Gothic horror. This here also has the love story elements and the horror elements, but oddly, despite the Gothic trappings, I felt this adhered more to magical realism. I mean, yes, we could even argue that we have science fiction elements similar to The Expanse, but I'm sticking to my guns with magical realism just because of the feeling from beginning to end. And as for the "villain" of the piece, the fungus amongus? I saw where she was headed too early and I didn't find it compelling enough for me to care about how it played out. That last act needed another polish because it felt too cobbled together and disjointed making me even more disinterested. But a real solid first act! Too bad it didn't last.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: 2020, Book Club, Cornwall, Covid, Crimson Peak, Daphne Du Maurier, Going Gothic, High Place, Hype, Location, Magical Realism, Mexican Gothic, Money, Noemí Taboada, Science Fiction, Silvia Moreno-Garcia, The Expanse

The House of Whispers by Laura Purcell
Published by: Penguin Books
Publication Date: June 9th, 2020
Format: Paperback, 336 Pages
Rating: ★★★★★
To Buy

Hester Why isn't really Hester Why. But who she was had too much baggage. Too much pain. Too many secrets. In fact, she might just be cursed. So she is making a new start, or more accurately, a new start is being foisted upon her. So why not take a new name in the process as an extra level of protection? With only a handful of belongings and a hip flask she heads to Cornwall and Morvoren House. She is to be nurse to the elderly Louise Pinecroft. When Hester arrives at Morvoren the winter is harsh and bleak, there is a sense the snow is finally coming, and the sea is ominous. Hester always thought she'd like to see the sea, now she's wondering if she'll regret this desire. Miss Pinecroft's house perches precariously above the churning waves. She spends her days in an unheated room with all the curtains drawn keeping vigil over bone china. Big vases, small figurines, plates, teacups, all this, as well as Miss Pinecroft, are now Hester's bounden duty. The nurse in her rebels. This elderly woman needs warmth and sustenance and proper clothes, not a drafty room where she wallows in her own filth and myopically watches knickknacks! But just as Hester has her secrets, so does Morvoren House. Bought by Louise's father after their family was ravaged by consumption, he was going to regain his medical renown by finding the cure to the disease that carried away his family. But forty years later there is no cure. Louise is an old woman consumed by the horrors of the past and the uncanny. Morvoren House might have meant to foster in a new age of medical understanding, instead it's caught in the old ties of folklore and fairy tales. Something is happening in the house. Locked doors are being opened without a key, salt borders doorways, clothes are wore inside out, young fertile women are in danger, and the bone china must never be left alone.

Whenever someone tells me to read a book because it reminds them of Daphne Du Maurier I gird my loins. Because if there's one thing this has proven to me time and time again is that people haven't actually read Daphne Du Maurier. They think they know what her writing is like, probably because they watched Rebecca, and have therefore jumped to conclusions. So let it be known when I say a book reminds me of Daphne Du Maurier I actually mean it. I've done my research. Meaning I've read more than one of her books. In fact I've broken double digits not counting re-reads. So yes, The House of Whispers doesn't let you down on the Du Maurier vibe. Now I won't go as far as Natasha Pulley and say it might be better than Du Maurier, because it's different, and that makes it it's own wonderful thing. This is part Poldark part Du Maurier part Fairy Tale and it's bloody brilliant. Pushing aside her first two Georgian books, once Purcell embraced the Gothic aesthetic, her next two books, The Silent Companions and The Poison Thread, could, in a way, be interchangeable in their narrative structure, drawing out the supernatural reveal until right at the end. It felt rushed to have the reveal and then the curtain drop literally within the span of a handful of words. This was gimmicky, and I was fully prepared to have it repeat here, but it didn't. I wouldn't necessarily say I was pleasantly surprised, more in awe. Laura Purcell has grown so much as an author it's almost like this book is separate from the rest of her body of work. I can't put my finger on any one thing that made this book better except that everything is better. Her character development, her plotting, her structure, every little thing kept me invested as I devoured this book. She has always had a well developed sense of place, almost at the cost of the characters, but here the characters, even those I didn't like, were fully rounded and fascinating. This is a tale of tragedy and otherness and obsession, and I can't wait to see what Laura Purcell will do next!

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Bone China, Consumption, Cornwall, Daphne Du Maurier, Fairy Tales, Going Gothic, Gothic, Laura Purcell, Natasha Pulley, Poldark, Rebecca, Regency, The House of Whispers, The Poison Thread, The Silent Companions

From hearing the first strains of music as the picture faded in I fell in love with Poldark. The sweeping Cornish coastline coupled with the theme music created an ache in my heart that made me nostalgic for a place I have never been. While I enjoyed the complete series, especially the encroaching Regency fashions, and hope that it will one day return to continue the story when they are older, the first series remains my favorite. This show wallows in star-crossed lovers, from Elizabeth and Ross to Verity and Captain Blamey to Dwight and Keren these are just the tip of the iceberg before Demelza's broody brothers were introduced. But to me what makes the show work is coupling the heart with the humor. The overly melodramatic Ross needs someone as pragmatic and blunt as Aunt Agatha to balance his histrionics. Also George and his fantasies are always blunted by his Uncle, the magnificent Pip Torrens. Though the humor of the series can be summarized in one person, Jud. When Phil Davis left the show they lost a comic genius and one of the checks and balances that kept this show sailing smoothly. There's a reason why the show was good but never quite as good after that first season. George had more depth, the plots seemed more personal, and there was Ross and Demelza falling in love. The way Demelza healed Ross's heart after Elizabeth shredded it to bits (and yes I'm fully ignoring what happened later.) Oh my, be still my heart. The scullery maid got the guy! Yes, she did force his hand a little but he grew to love her and she became his rock. The forth episode of series one might just be ranked among my favorite television episodes of all time. In the episode Demelza and Ross go to Trenwith for Christmas. This could be disastrous. On so many levels. But Demelza shines and not only do the other guests see what Ross saw all along, but Ross also sees Demelza anew and realizes how lucky he is. This was the pinnacle of the Poldark passion and romance for me. The dress, the singing, the pregnancy, the love, oh, I feel a great need to go rewatch the whole first season again and perhaps this episode more than once.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Aunt Agatha, Christmas, Cornish, Cornwall, Demezla, Fifty Years a Masterpiece, George Warleggan, Passion, Phil Davis, Pip Torrens, Poldark, Regency, Romance, Ross Poldark, Scullery Maid, Star-Crossed Lovers, Trenwith

Marion Lane and the Midnight Murder by T.A. Willberg
Published by: Park Row
Publication Date: December 29th, 2020
Format: Hardcover, 336 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The letter was short. A name, a time, a place.

Marion Lane and the Midnight Murder plunges readers into the heart of London, to the secret tunnels that exist far beneath the city streets. There, a mysterious group of detectives recruited for Miss Brickett's Investigations & Inquiries use their cunning and gadgets to solve crimes that have stumped Scotland Yard.

Late one night in April 1958, a filing assistant at Miss Brickett's receives a letter of warning, detailing a name, a time, and a place. She goes to investigate but finds the room empty. At the stroke of midnight, she is murdered by a killer she can't see--her death the only sign she wasn't alone. It becomes chillingly clear that the person responsible must also work for Miss Brickett's, making everyone a suspect.

Marion Lane, a first-year Inquirer-in-training, finds herself drawn ever deeper into the investigation. When her friend and colleague is framed for the crime, to clear his name she must sort through the hidden alliances at Miss Brickett's and secrets dating back to WWII. Masterful, clever and deliciously suspenseful, Marion Lane and the Midnight Murder is a fresh take on the Agatha Christie-style locked-room murder mystery, with an exciting new heroine detective."

HERE FOR ALL THE LOCKED-ROOM MYSTERIES!

To Fetch a Felon by Jennifer Hawkins
Published by: Berkley
Publication Date: December 29th, 2020
Format: Paperback, 336 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Emma Reed and her beloved Corgi move from London to Cornwall with the dream of opening a tea shop - but first they’ll have to collar a criminal in the first book in a charming new series.

Emma leaves London and her life in high finance behind her and moves to an idyllic village in Cornwall, with its cobblestone streets and twisting byways. She plans to open a village tea shop and bake the recipes handed down to her from her beloved grandmother, and of course there’ll be plenty of space for her talking corgi, Oliver, to explore. Yes...talking. Emma has always been able to understand Oliver, even though no one else can.

As soon as Emma arrives in the village she discovers that the curmudgeonly owner of the building she wants to rent for her shop hates dogs and gets off on the wrong foot with Oliver. Although some might turn tail and run, Emma is determined to win her over. But when she delivers some of her homemade scones as a peace offering, she finds the woman dead. Together, Emma and Oliver will need to unleash their detective skills to catch a killer."

FINALLY! Corgis coming into their own in cozies! Also, That corgi on the cover is beyond adorable which goes into cuteness overload when you see the fox.

The Dark Archive by Genevieve Cogman
Published by: Ace
Publication Date: December 29th, 2020
Format: Paperback, 352 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A professional spy for a mysterious Library which harvests fiction from different realities, Irene faces a series of assassination attempts that threaten to destroy her and everything she has worked for.

Irene is teaching her new assistant the fundamentals of a Librarian's job, and finding that training a young Fae is more difficult than she expected. But when they're the targets of kidnapping and assassination attempts, she decides that learning by doing is the only option they have left...

In order to protect themselves, Irene and her friends must do what they do best: search for information to defeat the overwhelming threat they face and identify their unseen enemy. To do that, Irene will have to delve deeper into her own history than she ever has before, face an ancient foe, and uncover secrets that will change her life and the course of the Library forever."

I'm always reading for the next Invisible Library book! 

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Corgis, Cornwall, Cozies, Foxen, Genevieve Cogman, Jennifer Hawkins, Marion Lane and the Midnight Murder, T.A. Willberg, The Dark Archive, The Invisible Library, To Fetch a Felon, Tuesday Tomorrow

Skywatchers by Carrie Arcos
Published by: Philomel Books
Publication Date: August 18th, 2020
Format: Hardcover, 368 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"From National Book Award Finalist Carrie Arcos comes a thrilling, genre-bending mystery about the history of the Cold War and the UFO phenomenon. Perfect for fans of In the Woods by Tana French and Netflix's Stranger Things.

The year is 1952. The threat of invasion from the Soviet Union has people in a panic. The government has issued a call to civilians to act as radar - and Teddy, John, Caroline, Eleanor, Bunny, Frank, and Oscar eagerly answer. As members of their high school's "Operation Skywatch" club, they, along with others across the country, look to the sky in an effort to protect the country from attack.

But they're not prepared for the strange green light they see when on duty, which looks like nothing they've been trained to look out for. So when the mysterious object lands in the forest, Teddy, John, Caroline, and Bunny go in to investigate. Then, they disappear.

In this thrill of a novel inspired by real events, one group of teens will come face to face with the UFO phenomenon and the vastness of the unknown as they try to save one another, and possibly, the world. A powerful exploration of what if."

YA Project Blue Book!

Strange Skies of East Berlin by Jeff Loveness and Lisandro Estherren
Published by: BOOM! Studios
Publication Date: August 18th, 2020
Format: Paperback, 112 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A chilling and intense thriller about an American spy who encounters a terrifying inhuman threat at the heart of the Cold War.

East Berlin, 1973. Herring, a disillusioned American spy, has spent the entire Cold War infiltrating the inner circles of East German intelligence for a cause he barely believes in anymore. He’s seen everything and done anything his government asked, but his latest mission pits the brilliant, embittered operative against an enemy force so vast it could obliterate all of humanity.

The Space Race had greater consequences than even the Soviets could have guessed, and when they sent the first human ever to the stars, something not quite human followed them back. When a mysterious alien probe lands outside East Berlin and into Soviet control, the Americans send their top spy in to investigate. But as Herring gets ever closer to the truth at the heart of the conspiracy, he may find that the power he so desperately seeks is too dangerous for anyone to control or contain.

Writer Jeff Loveness (Judas) and artist Lisandro Estherren (Redneck) present a chilling and intense thriller about a terrifying inhuman threat at the heart of the Cold War - and the one American spy who can save the world...if he can save himself first."

Because aliens and the Cold War go hand in hand! 

Cruel Summer by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips
Published by: Image Comics
Publication Date: August 18th, 2020
Format: Hardcover, 288 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Brubaker and Phillips' Criminal epic, collected in a gorgeous hardback edition.

In the summer of '88, Teeg Lawless comes home to plan the biggest heist of his career. But Teeg's son Ricky and his friends are starting down the same dark path their fathers are on, and this is about to become the worst summer of their lives.

An epic tale of tragedy handed down from generation to generation, Cruel Summer is a crime comic masterpiece from the most celebrated noir masters in the industry, creators of Criminal, Fatale, Kill or Be Killed, and The Fade Out.

Collects Criminal #1 and #5-12 in a beautiful new hardback edition with additional behind-the-scenes material."

While this arc of Criminal had high and low points I guarantee you you'll be kicking yourself if you don't pick this edition up before it goes out of print.

Vicious Spirits by Kat Cho
Published by: G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: August 18th, 2020
Format: Hardcover, 416 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"New romance and dangers abound in this companion to the crowd-pleasing Wicked Fox.

After the events of Wicked Fox, Somin is ready to help her friends pick up the pieces of their broken lives and heal. But Jihoon is still grieving the loss of his grandmother, and Miyoung is distant as she grieves over her mother's death and learns to live without her fox bead. The only one who seems ready to move forward is their not-so-favorite dokkaebi, Junu.

Somin and Junu didn't exactly hit it off when they first met. Somin thought he was an arrogant self-serving, conman. Junu was, at first, amused by her hostility toward him until he found himself inexplicably drawn to her. Somin couldn't deny the heat of their attraction. But as the two try to figure out what could be between them, they discover their troubles aren't over after all. The loss of Miyoung's fox bead has caused a tear between the world of the living and the world of the dead, and ghosts are suddenly flooding the streets of Seoul. The only way to repair the breach is to find the missing fox bead or for Miyoung to pay with her life. With few options remaining, Junu has an idea but it might require the ultimate sacrifice. In usual fashion, Somin may have a thing or two to say about that.

In Vicious Spirits, Kat Cho delivers another beguiling and addictive read full of otherworldly dangers and romance."

Sometimes I wish authors didn't get books out so fast because I have yet to read Wicked Fox! Also GRRM doesn't apply to this theory. At. All. Neither does Patrick Rothfuss.

Death at High Tide by Hannah Dennison
Published by: Minotaur Books
Publication Date: August 18th, 2020
Format: Hardcover, 304 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Death at High Tide is the delightful first installment in the Island Sisters series by Hannah Dennison, featuring two sisters who inherit an old hotel in the remote Isles of Scilly off the coast of Cornwall and find it full of intrigue, danger, and romance.

When Evie Mead’s husband, Robert, suddenly drops dead of a heart attack, a mysterious note is found among his possessions. It indicates that Evie may own the rights to an old hotel on Tregarrick Rock, one of the Isles of Scilly.

Still grieving, Evie is inclined to leave the matter to the accountant to sort out. Her sister Margot, however, flown in from her glamorous career in LA, has other plans. Envisioning a luxurious weekend getaway, she goes right ahead and buys two tickets - one way - to Tregarrick.

Once at the hotel - used in its heyday to house detective novelists, and more fixer-upper than spa resort, after all - Evie and Margot attempt to get to the bottom of things. But the foul-tempered hotel owner claims he's never met the late Robert, even after Evie finds framed photos of them - alongside Robert's first wife - in his office. The rest of the island inhabitants, ranging from an ex-con receptionist to a vicar who communicates with cats, aren't any easier to read.

But when a murder occurs at the hotel, and then another soon follows, frustration turns to desperation. There’s no getting off the island at high tide. And Evie and Margot, the only current visitors to Tregarrick, are suspects one and two. It falls to them to unravel secrets spanning generations - and several of their own - if they want to make it back alive."

I was sold at the mention of "remote Isles of Scilly off the coast of Cornwall."

An Old Money Murder in Mayfair by Sara Rosett
Published by: McGuffin Ink
Publication Date: August 18th, 2020
Format: Paperback, 282 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Midnight treasure hunts, fancy-dress parties, and a blue-blooded murder...

November, 1923. Olive's school chum, Gigi, invites Olive to London because Gigi's dotty grandmother fears for her life - or so she's said to Gigi. However Olive is surprised to find that the dowager is far from muddled. The sharp and imperious matriarch refuses to admit to her worries and sends Olive on her way.

Without a client or case, Olive is swept into the glittering lifestyle of the "fast set," and their decadent excess. But then among the cocktails and champagne, a murderer strikes during a frivolous party game, and Olive realizes the dowager's fears were well-founded.

Can Olive unmask the upper crust culprit before the party's over for a Bright Young Person?

An Old Money Murder in Mayfair is the fifth installment in the popular High Society Lady Detective series from USA Today bestselling author Sara Rosett. Join Olive and her dapper sleuthing partner, Jasper, as they navigate the extravagant parties of the Bright Young People as well as their own budding relationship..."

Because right now I literally can not get enough of the 1920s!

Who's That Earl by Susanna Craig
Published by: Kensington Publishing Corporation
Publication Date: August 18th, 2020
Format: Paperback, 204 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Will scandalous secrets stand in the way of a second chance at love?

Miss Jane Quayle excels at invention. How else could the sheltered daughter of an English gentleman create lurid gothic novels so infamous someone wants their author silenced forever? Fortunately, Jane has taken steps to protect herself, first by assuming a pen name, and second, by taking up residence at remote Dunnock Castle, surrounded by rugged scenery that might have been ripped from the pages of one of her books. Her true identity remains a secret, until one dark and stormy night...

After years of spying for the British army, Thomas Sutherland doubts the Highlands will ever feel like home again. Nevertheless, thanks to a quirk of Scottish inheritance law, he's now the Earl of Magnus, complete with a crumbling castle currently inhabited by a notorious novelist. When the writer turns out to be the woman Thomas once wooed, suspicions rise even as mutual sparks reignite. As danger closes in, can Jane and Thomas overcome their pasts to forge a future together?"

Anyone else rewriting a certain Eurythmics song in their head to fit with the plot of this book? It can't be only me! 

Grown Ups by Emma Jane Unsworth
Published by: Gallery/Scout Press
Publication Date: August 18th, 2020
Format: Hardcover, 352 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Fleabag meets Conversations with Friends in this brutally honest, observant, original novel about a woman going through a breakup...but really having more of a breakdown.

Jenny McLaine’s life is falling apart. Her friendships are flagging. Her body has failed her. She’s just lost her column at The Foof because she isn’t the fierce voice new feminism needs. Her ex has gotten together with another woman. And worst of all: Jenny’s mother is about to move in. Having left home at eighteen to remake herself as a self-sufficient millennial, Jenny is now in her thirties and nothing is as she thought it would be. Least of all adulthood.

Told in live-wire prose, texts, emails, script dialogue, and social media messages, Grown Ups is a neurotic dramedy of 21st-century manners for the digital age. It reckons with what it means to exist in a woman’s body: to sing and dance and work and mother and sparkle and equalize and not complain and be beautiful and love your imperfections and stay strong and show your vulnerability and bake and box...

But, despite our impossible expectations of women, Emma Jane Unsworth never lets Jenny off the hook. Jenny’s life is falling apart at her own hands and whether or not she has help from her mother or her friends, Jenny is the only one who will be able to pick up the pieces and learn how to, more or less, grow up. Or will she?"

I was intrigued by the Fleabag comparison and sold on the different prose style.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: 1920s, Aliens, Carrie Arcos, Cold War, Cornwall, Cruel Summer, Ed Brubaker, Emma Jane Unsworth, Fleabag, Hannah Dennison, Jeff Loveness, Kat Cho, Project Blue Book, Sara Rosett, Sean Phillips, Susanna Craig

The House of Whispers by Laura Purcell
Published by: Penguin Books
Publication Date: June 9th, 2020
Format: Paperback, 336 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A new gothic Victorian tale from Laura Purcell, set on the atmospheric Cornish coast in a rambling house by the sea in which a maid cares for a mute old woman with a mysterious past, alongside her superstitious staff.

Consumption has ravaged Louise Pinecroft's family, leaving her and her father alone and heartbroken. But Dr. Pinecroft has plans for a revolutionary experiment: convinced that sea air will prove to be the cure his wife and children needed, he arranges to house a group of prisoners suffering from the disease in the caves beneath his new Cornish home. While he devotes himself to his controversial medical trials, Louise finds herself increasingly discomfited by the strange tales her new maid tells of the fairies that hunt the land, searching for those they can steal away to their realm.

Forty years later, Hester arrives at Morvoren House to take up a position as nurse to the now partially paralyzed and mute Miss Pinecroft. Hester has fled to Cornwall to try to escape her past, but surrounded by superstitious staff enacting bizarre rituals, she soon discovers her new home may be just as dangerous as her last."

I am ALWAYS waiting for the newest Laura Purcell with an expectant hush, but the fact that this one is in Cornwall and has fairies!?! The wait isn't so quiet! 

The Secret of Mowbray Manor by Jude Bayton
Published by: Wild Rose Press
Publication Date: June 9th, 2020
Format: Hardcover, 314 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Kathryn Westcott, masquerading as a tutor, accepts a position at the Clayton ancestral home of Mowbray Manor with one objective - to discover the fate of her friend, Lady Aramintha Clayton. Kathryn is horrified when she learns of Aramintha's death and the dubious circumstances surrounding how she died.

Suspecting the family knows more than they are prepared to say, Kathryn forms an alliance with both Clayton sons and a tenuous friendship with their aloof half-brother Benedict. One of them holds the key to solve the puzzle of Aramintha's demise.

No one is who they pretend to be in this house full of secrets. Someone does not want their villainy exposed and will use everything within their power to stop Kathryn from revealing the truth. Even if it means murder."

Seriously, just say "ancestral home" and I want to know more!

The Summer House by James Patterson and Brendan DuBois
Published by: Little, Brown and Company
Publication Date: June 9th, 2020
Format: Hardcover, 448 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"When seven murder victims are found in a small town, the homicide investigation shakes a small-town sheriff to her core in James Patterson's tense thriller.

Once a luxurious southern getaway on a rustic lake, then reduced to a dilapidated crash pad, the Summer House is now the grisly scene of a nighttime mass murder. Eyewitnesses point to four Army Rangers - known as the Night Ninjas - recently returned from Afghanistan.

To ensure that justice is done, the Army sends Major Jeremiah Cook, a veteran and former NYPD cop, to investigate. But the major and his elite team arrive in sweltering Georgia with no idea their grim jobs will be made exponentially more challenging by local law enforcement, who resists the Army's intrusion and stonewall them at every turn.

As Cook and his squad struggle to uncover the truth behind the condemning evidence, the pieces just won't fit - and forces are rallying to make certain damning secrets die alongside the victims in the murder house. With his own people in the cross-hairs, Cook takes a desperate gamble to find answers  - even if it means returning to a hell of his own worst nightmares..."

It's June so it's time for the beach reads! Though I want to make clear none of us should actually be on beaches. So this is you stay at home beach read!

A Study in Murder by Callie Hutton
Published by: Crooked Lane Books
Publication Date: June 9th, 2020
Format: Hardcover, 320 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A mystery author is charged with murder - and the plot thickens faster than anyone can turn the pages - in USA Today bestselling author Callie Hutton's new series debut, perfect for fans of Rhys Bowen and Ellery Adams.

Bath, England, 1890. Mystery author Lady Amy Lovell receives an anonymous letter containing shocking news: her fiancé, Mr. Ronald St. Vincent, has been dabbling in something illegal, which causes her to promptly break their engagement.

Two evenings later, as Lady Amy awaits a visit from Lord William Wethington, fellow member of the Bath Mystery Book Club, her former fiancé makes an unexpected and most unwelcome appearance at her house. She promptly sends him to the library to cool his heels but later discovers the room seemingly empty - until she stumbles upon a dead Mr. St. Vincent with a knife in his chest.

Lord Wethington arrives to find Lady Amy screaming and sends for the police, but the Bobbies immediately assume that she is the killer. Desperate to clear her name, Lady Amy and Lord Wethington launch their own investigation - and stir up a hornet's nest of suspects, from the gardener who served time in prison for murder to a vengeful woman who was spurned by St. Vincent before he proposed to Lady Amy.

Can they close the book on the case before the real killer gets away with murder?"

Victorian murder mystery in BATH!

The Ghosts of Sherwood by Carrie Vaughn
Published by: Tor.com
Publication Date: June 9th, 2020
Format: Paperback, 112 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Carrie Vaughn's The Ghosts of Sherwood revisits the Robin Hood legend with a story of the famed archer's children.

Everything about Father is stories.

Robin of Locksley and his one true love, Marian, are married. It has been close on two decades since they beat the Sheriff of Nottingham with the help of a diverse band of talented friends. King John is now on the throne, and Robin has sworn fealty in order to further protect not just his family, but those of the lords and barons who look up to him - and, by extension, the villagers they protect.

There is a truce. An uneasy one, to be sure, but a truce, nonetheless.

But when the Locksley children are stolen away by persons unknown, Robin and Marian are going to need the help of everyone they’ve ever known, perhaps even the ghosts that are said to reside deep within Sherwood.

And the Locksley children, despite appearances to the contrary, are not without tricks of their own..."

Summer to me is a time when I think of Robin Hood and King Arthur, so this book is released just at the right time!

Crush and Color: Keanu Reeves by Maurizio Campidelli
Published by: Castle Point Books
Publication Date: June 9th, 2020
Format: Paperbacks, 80 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Maurizio Campidelli's Crush and Color: Keanu Reeves is a fangirl dream's coloring book featuring the star of John Wick..."

Because you're stressed and what better way to relax than coloring and Keanu?

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Bath, Beach Read, Callie Hutton, Carrie Vaughn, Coloring Book, Cornwall, James Patterson, Jude Bayton, Keanu Reeves, King Arthur, Laura Purcell, Robin Hood, The House of Whispers, Tuesday Tomorrow, Victorian

The Queen of Nothing by Holly Black
Published by: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: November 19th, 2019
Format: Hardcover, 320 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"From the #1 New York Times bestselling author Holly Black, comes the highly anticipated and jaw-dropping finale to The Folk of the Air trilogy.

He will be the destruction of the crown and the ruination of the throne.

Power is much easier to acquire than it is to hold onto. Jude learned this lesson when she released her control over the wicked king, Cardan, in exchange for immeasurable power.

Now as the exiled mortal Queen of Faerie, Jude is powerless and left reeling from Cardan's betrayal. She bides her time determined to reclaim everything he took from her. Opportunity arrives in the form of her deceptive twin sister, Taryn, whose mortal life is in peril.

Jude must risk venturing back into the treacherous Faerie Court, and confront her lingering feelings for Cardan, if she wishes to save her sister. But Elfhame is not as she left it. War is brewing. As Jude slips deep within enemy lines she becomes ensnared in the conflict's bloody politics.

And, when a dormant yet powerful curse is unleashed, panic spreads throughout the land, forcing her to choose between her ambition and her humanity..."

I will be (fingers crossed) finally seeing Holly Black this week... but there is A LOT of things up in the air at the moment... I feel like I should put a Folk of the Air joke in here somehow...

The Dark Days Deceit by Alison Goodman
Published by: Penguin Books
Publication Date: November 19th, 2019
Format: Paperback, 544 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Bath, 1812. As Lady Helen prepares for her grand wedding to the Duke of Selburn, she must juggle her new responsibilities with her duties as a demon-hunting Grand Reclaimer. Now a dyad with Lord Carlston, bonded in blood, the two prepare to confront their nemesis, the Grand Deceiver. Set against the glittering background of Regency society, Helen and Carlston's story hurtles to a shocking conclusion full of passion, betrayal, and heartbreak."

If you're one of those crazy people who waits for books to be in paperback, you're in luck because the final book in the Regency Magic series by Alison Goodman which I DEVOURED earlier this year is out now. Go go, get it!

The Mermaid's Call by Katherine Stansfield
Published by: Allison and Busby
Publication Date: November 19th, 2019
Format: Hardcover, 320 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Cornwall, 1845. Shilly has always felt a connection to happenings that are not of this world, a talent that has proved invaluable when investigating dark deeds with master of disguise, Anna Drake. The women opened a detective agency with help from their newest member and investor, Mathilda, but six long months have passed without a single case to solve and tensions are growing. It is almost a relief when a man is found dead along the Morwenstow coast and the agency is sought out to investigate. There are suspicions that wreckers plague the coast, luring ships to their ruin with false lights - though nothing has ever been proved. Yet with the local talk of sirens calling victims to the sea to meet their end, could something other-worldly be responsible for the man’s death?"

I know, like me, you are keenly feeling the loss of Poldark and the siren call of Cornwall. May I offer you this series as a humble suggestion? 

Firefly: The Sting by Delilah S. Dawson
Published by: BOOM! Studios
Publication Date: November 19th, 2019
Format: Hardcover, 128 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Saffron unites the women of the Serenity crew to join her on a heist in this all-new original Firefly graphic novel.

Saffron - the enigmatic rogue who captured the hearts of Firefly fans worldwide, as well as the heart of Capt. Malcolm Reynolds - returns to the Serenity. But this time, she’s got no time for Mal, as she’s there to recruit the women of the ship to join her on a heist that has personal stakes for all involved.

New York Times Bestselling writer Delilah S. Dawson (Sparrowhawk, Star Wars: Phasma), along with a team of artists including Pius Bak, Rodrigo Lorenzo, and Taj Tenfold, enter Joss Whedon’s Firefly to reveal an untold chapter of the fan-favorite saga."

Beloved shows turned into comics are rather hit-or-miss, but the newest incarnation of Firefly has been more on than off, so I'm hoping that the continuing journey of Yo-Saf-Bridge is entertaining.

Greta and the Giants by Zoe Tucker and Zoe Persico
Published by: Frances Lincoln Children's Books
Publication Date: November 19th, 2019
Format: Hardcover, 32 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"This inspiring picture book retells the story of Nobel Peace Prize nominee Greta Thunberg - the Swedish teenager who has led a global movement to raise awareness about the world’s climate crisis - using allegory to make this important topic accessible to young children.

Greta is a little girl who lives in a beautiful forest threatened by Giants. When the Giants first came to the forest, they chopped down trees to make houses. Then they chopped down more trees and made even bigger homes. The houses grew into towns and the towns grew into cities, until now there is hardly any forest left. Greta knows she has to help the animals who live in the forest, but how? Luckily, Greta has an idea…

A section at the back explains that, in reality, the fight against the “giants” isn’t over and explains how you can help Greta in her fight."

And if you want to read about a REAL woman kicking ass, I give you Greta Thunberg! 

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Alison Goodman, Cornwall, Firefly, Great and the Giants, Greta Thunberg, Holly Black, Katherine Stansfield, Poldark, The Dark Days Deceit, THe FOlk of the Air, The Mermaid's Call, The Queen of Nothing

So I have a confession... I have yet to read any of the novels by Winston Graham that make up the Poldark Saga. Yes, I know! This is SO unlike me it's baffling! I've had most of the books for years, after watching Ioan Gruffudd as Jeremy Poldark in the 1996 Poldark TV movie I bought the ones then available and scrounged up the rest of the epic twelve volume series at library sales, only to watch them languish on my bookshelves. But once the new adaptation was announced, and before you ask, no I haven't seen the seventies version, I thought, heck, I'll give it a read because I KNEW I'd watch the series what with my love of Aidan Turner... and then that never happened, and I watched Poldark and I loved it and oh my yes, it was epic sweeping romance, the strains of the music perfectly matching the Cornish coast and the ache in my heart, what could be better? Therefore I have given myself over to this adaptation. I've decided not to read ahead, I've decided to remain in the dark. This led to me being unaware of some issues that came about in season two, with Ross basically leaving his perfect wife Demelza played by the gifted Elinor Tomlinson and going to his first love Elizabeth. Never have I hated my name more! That season's mullet haircut barely warrants a mention except for the fact I think it is the symbol of all that was wrong with season two. How grateful am I that season three is like season one good? Immeasurably! Warleggan up to no good! Demelza's eye roaming, let's teach Ross a lesson! Daring French escapades! And a whole slew of new characters who came to hold special places in my heart. This might just be my show of the year... I did save the best for last after all.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Adaptation, Aidan Turner, And the Emmy Goes To, Cornwall, Demelza, Elinor Tomlinson, France, Ioan Gruffudd, Jeremy Poldark, Poldark, Ross Poldark, TV Movie, TV Show, Warleggan, Winston Graham