Author: Barbara

Avid reader/reviewer of historical romance and historical mysteries.

A Dead Herring by Helen Golden – #BlogTour

On By BarbaraIn Barb's Reviews, Blog Tour, Contemporary, Mystery, Part of a SeriesLeave a comment
Releases May 31, 2023

About The Book

BREAKING NEWS Urshall United FC Owner Dies at Drew Castle

 Details are sketchy at this stage, but it is believed businessman Ben Rhodes (38) was found dead in his bathroom at the king’s Scottish home by his twin brother Max, where the pair were guests at a shooting party hosted by Lord Frederick Astley (39), brother of Lady Beatrice (36). The cause of Mr. Rhodes’ death is not known, but he started receiving death threats from football fans after his controversial takeover of the club and had recently employed his own personal security.

How unlucky can a girl get? Is fate playing a cruel trick on her for boorish Detective Chief Inspector Richard Fitzwilliam to be the only person who can get to the snowed-in castle to investigate Ben Rhodes’s death? And with no other external resources available to him, he now needs her, her smart dog, and her best friends’ help to catch the killer. Can they put their issues behind them and work together to find the murderer before the weather improves and the perpetrator is free to leave?

Another page-turning cozy British whodunnit with a hint of humour from author Helen Golden.

Purchase Link – https://books2read.com/u/3GWBZ8

Barb’s Review

Series: A Right Royal Cozy Investigation #4
Publication Date: 5/31/23
Period: Contemporary
Number of Pages: 315

What do you call a book that has a member of the royal family, an interior designer, a popular crime writer, a gruff policeman, and the cutest little dog you’ve ever met? Delightfully entertaining, witty, engrossing, and suspenseful, that’s what. The characters are wonderfully crafted and their personal dynamic will keep you grinning – even when the going gets serious.

Lady Beatrice and Perry Juke, her business partner and best friend, have undertaken the re-design of several of the bedrooms at Drew Castle, the king’s Scottish home. Perry’s partner in life, Simon Lattimore, also agreed to accompany them as long as he could get the quiet time he needed to work on his next book. That all goes well until a death occurs – in the middle of a blizzard – where they are snowed in and totally isolated. Well, almost totally isolated. It seems Lady Bea’s frenemy, Detective Chief Inspector Richard Fitzwilliam is visiting friends close by and is able to make the trek to the castle.

The victim is a guest at the shooting party hosted by Lady Bea’s brother, Fred – and because they are snowed in, they know the murderer has to be a member of the shooting party or one of the staff. It definitely doesn’t make anyone feel all warm and fuzzy to know they are trapped inside the castle walls with a murderer. Who among them could have wanted the young man dead?

It seems there are many reasons to want the young man dead – and more than one person at the castle who might have a reason to do it – but did they? If so, which one was it? You might be surprised – and you might not. You’ll just have to read the book to see. Of course, as always, Daisy, Lady Bea’s West Highland Terrier, sniffs out an all-important clue and helps to save the day.

While this book is part of a series, it can easily be read as a standalone. However, if you want to really understand the dynamic between the character and much of their backstories, you’ll want to read at least the first book in the series.

This is a witty and entertaining book filled with characters you’ll quickly come to love. You’ll also wonder if there is going to be a romantic relationship at some point between Fitzwilliam and Lady Bea. We already have one lovely romance between Perry and his partner Simon – but I’d like to see Lady Bea and Fitzwilliam find a loving relationship as well – whether it is with each other or someone else. I just simply need a romance to go along with my mystery.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Author Bio

Hello. I’m Helen Golden. I write British contemporary cozy whodunnits with a hint of humour. I live in a small village in Lincolnshire in the UK with my husband, my step-daughter, her two cats, our two dogs, sometimes my step-son, and our tortoise.

I used to work in senior management, but after my recent job came to a natural end I had the opportunity to follow my dreams and start writing. It’s very early in my life as an author, but so far I’m loving it.

It’s crazy busy at our house, so when I’m writing I retreat to our caravan (an impulsive lockdown purchase) which is mostly parked on our drive. When I really need total peace and quiet, I take it to a lovely site about 15 minutes away and hide there until my family runs out of food or clean clothes

Social Media Links –

Insta: www.instragram.com/helengolden_author

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/helengoldenauthor

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@helengoldenauthor

A Lesson for All Time by Shannon Gilmore

On By BarbaraIn Barb's Reviews, Part of a Series, Regency Era (1811-1820)Leave a comment

A Lesson for All Time: Ruined Rakes Book Three (Ruined Rakes Series 3)Barbara’s rating: 5 out of 5 Stars
Series: Ruined Rakes #3
Publication Date: 5/23/23
Period: Regency
Number of Pages: 322

This book was a delight all the way through – from the ‘meet cute’ until the HEA, you couldn’t have found two people who were more perfectly suited to each other. He thinks she is a spoiled rotten, privileged product of the ton – and she is, but she is so much more. She thinks he is a stable master at the Duke of Foxwood’s country estate. How will very prim and proper Lady Constance manage to totally defeat Mr. Derek? Well, it certainly won’t be with demure patience because she has none. It will be with a full-on frontal assault – and he can run, but he can’t hide. The book was delightfully witty, humorous, and populated with characters who were very likable and relatable.

Lady Constance Whitmore, the only daughter of the Earl of Buckthorn, is definitely a product of the ton. She is proper, doesn’t misbehave, follows appropriate protocols and rules, and she’s learned how to make that work so she almost always gets what she wants. She usually tells the truth, but perhaps not all of it, or perhaps it is a tad stretched, or maybe she just totally misunderstands – but she doesn’t lie. Telling the flat-out, unvarnished truth – complete with inappropriate words – has gotten her into trouble and banned to Foxwood, the country estate of a family friend. OOPS! Perhaps, though, being banished isn’t necessarily a bad thing. She’s got freedoms she never has in London – and there is that very intriguing stable master who could give her some lessons . . .

Julian Derek Montgomery, son of a Marquess, grandson of a Duke, and carrying the courtesy title Earl of Westforde wants absolutely nothing to do with the ton. He avoids the ton like it was the plague, yet, here he is, being tempted by a female who is everything he despises about the ton. She is a tempting little morsel though, and he is a gentleman. But . . .

I loved it when we got to the obligatory big scene where they have the big breakup. While that scene in most books seems very contrived to get it into the story, It was very realistic and believable in this one.

I definitely recommend this book as an excellent read. For me though, I REALLY wanted there to be an epilogue – but we didn’t even get a wedding. Somehow, I never feel the story is complete until we get the wedding – for me, that makes the HEA believable. At any rate, it was an excellent story with wonderful characters and I just know you’ll love it. I sure did.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

View all my reviews