Month: February 2025

Murder in an Irish Garden by Carlene O’Connor

On By BarbaraIn OtherLeave a comment

Murder in an Irish Garden (An Irish Village Mystery, #11)

Barbara’s rating: 4.3 out of 5 Stars
Series: Irish Village Mystery #11
Publication Date: 2/25/25
Period: Contemporary Ireland
Number of Pages: 304

Siobhan O’Sullivan is NOT in a good place at the beginning of this book. She’s studying for her Detective Seargent exam; she is having a big spat with her husband, Macdara; the five siblings she’s raised since their parents’ deaths are growing up and leaving home; and she doesn’t feel well. She doesn’t need a murder to investigate on top of all that, but that is what she gets.

Kilbane’s Top Garden Contest is going strong with the five contestants busily preparing their plots beneath concealing tents. The contestants are all very competitive, very secretive, and very diverse in the gardens they are preparing and everyone is excited to see who the winner will be once the gardens are revealed and judged. Siobhan is excited to receive a VIP ticket to accompany the judge to each reveal. Then, maybe she’s not so excited when strange events start at the first garden and continue through the rest – right up to a dead body.

We have suspects of every variety and it is up to Siobhan and Macdara to untangle the twisted clues. They keep circling and circling until one suspect stands out amongst the rest. Is that suspect for real or are they being set up? If not them, who? Everyone seems innocent – and everyone seems guilty – yet it can’t be both ways. I enjoyed this mystery and though I had a suspicion about the perpetrator, I wasn’t sure until the very end. I did think bits of it were far-fetched, but it didn’t detract from my interest in the mystery itself.

I did not enjoy the conflict between Siobhan and Macdara because it seemed very childish on her part. I would have expected a higher maturity level than she displayed with all she has gone through – especially in raising her 5 siblings. To me, it was just a very silly thing to go off the deep end about. I assumed that was to display her current emotional state with all that was happening, so I let it slide. Another thing I didn’t enjoy was the book blurb’s first paragraph where it says Eoin hires a landscape designer so he can participate in the contest and generate business for his new restaurant. He did not it is plain as you read, so I fail to see why that is intimated in the blurb. None of that kept me from enjoying the story – it just nipped at my attention. Also missing is the ‘glossary’ of pronunciations included in some of the previous books. I loved that, but maybe most didn’t. I love those beautiful Irish names and hated butchering them before I found the glossary.

The final chapter in the book is one of the sweetest and most heartwarming I have ever read. I loved it! As a matter of fact, it was so heartwarming that it scared me for a bit because I kept thinking – ‘Is this the last book in the series?’. I cannot find anything that tells me that is the case and with all of the changes and growth that has happened with the characters – ALL of the characters – I can see several ways the series can continue with new and invigorated stories. Or, it can continue right along as it has been and I’ll be perfectly happy.

I voluntarily read an early copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

View all my reviews

While the Duke Was Sleeping by Samara Parish

On By TracyIn Historical Rom-Com, Movie / Story Retelling, Part of a Series, Tracy's Reviews, Victorian Era (1837-1901)Leave a comment

While the Duke Was Sleeping (England's Sweethearts, 1)While the Duke Was Sleeping by Samara Parish

Tracy’s Rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Series: England’s Sweethearts, #1

Release Date: February 25, 25

Miss Adelaide “Della” Rosebourne, wants nothing more in life than a home and a family, but since the death of her father, she has had neither and when her work as an author of travelogues was no longer profitable, she decided to go into service until she could afford a cottage of her own, which is how she came to be the lady’s maid to Lady Cordelia Highwater, daughter of the Duke of Thirwhestle and fiancée of the Duke of Hornsmouth. When Lady Cordelia bolts on her wedding day, she drags Della into an adventure that will change her life. Cordelia demands that Della help her escape London, which leads to Della taking a dip in the Thames and meeting a man named Rhett, who affects her like no man ever has. When they are not able to secure passage to France, Della and Cordelia decide to lay low in the country until the scandal of Cordelia’s wedding dies down. But that plan is shot when Peter Montgomery, the Duke of Strafford proposes to Cordelia and she pushes him, causing him to trip and fall, hitting his head and falling into a coma. Cordelia insists that Della pose as her and makes the duke retract his proposal, offering her enough money to make her dream of a home of her own come true if she is successful. It seems pretty cut and dry, but that was before she meets his family, including his brother Rhett and falls in love.

Lord Everett “Rhett” Montgomery, the younger brother and heir presumptive to the Duke of Strafford has been summoned home from the continent, where he has been trying to find his purpose in life and having a very good time doing it. His return to England is marked by a dip in the Thames and a kiss from a beautiful woman named Della. Imagine his shock when a week later he comes face to face with the woman who has haunted his dreams and learns she is his brother’s betrothed! Rhett is sure she is not who she claims to be, but he can’t prove it. And the more time he spends with her, the more he wants her for himself. Rhett wants to trust her, but he has been used before and doesn’t know if he can risk his heart again.

While you were sleeping is hands down one of my favorite romantic comedies, so I was really looking forward to this Victorian Era retelling and unfortunately, I have mixed feelings about it. Overall, it was a cute retelling, that doesn’t follow movie exactly, although, there are key similarities such as “you are leaning” and “I object”. I found it disappointing that the author didn’t stay true to the era, the verbiage is very modern, the era’s etiquette is virtually ignored, and she incorporates things that didn’t even exist in 1893, like a car that has a clutch and needs keys. And despite the incredible attraction and sexual tension between Della and Rhett, this book was a very slow burn romance almost to the point of being frustrating to the reader. I did enjoy Della’s attempts to wake the duke, and his sisters were a delightful addition to the story – I definitely hope to read Meg’s story at some point. So, while this book wasn’t everything I had hoped for, it did have some amusing moments and was a quick read with a happy ending. If you are an historical purist, this book will annoy you, but if you can ignore the inaccuracies, this could be a fun read.

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that I requested and was provided to me by the publisher/author. All opinions in this review are my own. *