Author: Barbara

Avid reader/reviewer of historical romance and historical mysteries.

The Shadow of Memory by Connie Berry

On By BarbaraIn Barb's Reviews, Contemporary, Mystery, Part of a SeriesLeave a comment

The Shadow of Memory (Kate Hamilton Mysteries, #4)

Barbara’s rating: 4 of 5 Stars
Series: Kate Hamilton Mysteries #4
Publication Date: 5/10/22
Period: Contemporary Suffolk, England
Number of Pages: 352

When the past comes back to haunt us, it can leave a twisted trail of dead bodies. American antiques dealer, Kate Hamilton, and her friend Vivian Bunn are returning home from a ‘Hen Party’ when they discover a man’s body. The man is a stranger in their quiet village of Long Barston because nobody recognizes him. So, why is he laying dead on a pathway in their cemetery? He’s in his seventies, maybe he had a heart attack – or not.

When Kate’s fiancée, DCI Tom Mallory shows up to investigate, they can’t find any identification on the man, nor any sign of his car. Yet, the autopsy shows he died from a bee sting – natural causes then – or not.

While Tom is busy investigating the man’s death, Kate and local fine antiques dealer Ivor Tweedy head to the coast to do some appraisals and perhaps secure a commission to auction off some of those antiques – including an almost priceless painting. Unless that painting is really genuine – or is it?

When the body is identified as someone who had been a friend of Vivian’s sixty years ago, Kate and Vivian want to know more about him and why he was in Long Barston. Over sixty years ago, a teenage Vivian and her family spent time at a coastal resort each summer. There, Vivian, along with four other friends, discovered an abandoned house that appeared to be the scene of a crime. The friends went back to the home several times collecting ‘evidence’ and trying to deduce what had happened. Vivian had a crush on the boy who had found the abandoned house and who acted as their leader. Vivian had never forgotten him – and now – he was lying dead in the local morgue.

As Kate begins to try to learn more about the man, she learns that others from that group have just recently met their end. Could all of those current deaths be related to the events of sixty years ago? They were just kids – and they certainly didn’t learn anything – why would someone be coming after them now? Kate didn’t know, but she did know she had to keep Vivian safe.

Tom and Kate are trying to plan their wedding and decide where they’ll live – in the US or England – while also trying to solve the many mysteries that are cropping up in this case.

I can highly recommend this read. The characters are so very likable and I’ve come to love them as I’ve learned more about them. I love that Tom and Kate are older and have an appreciation for the life they have and the love they now share. You’ll love the mystery because it really is filled with twists and turns and you won’t guess the culprit until the end.

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

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To Yield to a Highlander by Callie Hutton

On By BarbaraIn Barb's Reviews, Jacobean/Stuart Era (1603-1714), Part of a Series, Scottish/HighlanderLeave a comment

To Yield to a Highlander (The Sutherlands of Dornoch Castle Book 3)7Barbara’s rating: 4 of 5 Stars
Series: The Sutherlands of Dornoch Castle #3
Publication Date: 5/6/22
Period: Jacobean/Stuart Era (1656) – Scottish Highlands
Number of Pages: 193

Lady Elsbeth Johnstone has been restless and feeling useless for the last couple of years. Now, she’s finally decided what to do about it – she’s going to become a nun. Three years ago (To Deceive a Highlander) Elsbeth’s father betrothed her to Laird Haydon Sutherland, but he scared her to death, so her twin sister Ainslee changed places with Elspeth and married Sutherland instead. Now, Ainslee and Haydon are blissfully happy and Elsbeth has been living with them at Dornoch Castle. Then, Elsbeth began to develop tender feelings for Haydon’s brother Conall even though Conall loved every woman he saw and swore he’d never marry – until he did (To Marry a Highlander). Now, there are two strong women living in the castle and Elsbeth feels there is no place for her. She’ll never marry unless she can have what her sister Ainslee and Maura (Conall’s wife) have with their husbands. Since no man she’s ever met stirs the slightest feeling within her, she’ll become a nun where she can do good for others. Now, to convince Haydon and her sister to allow her to go to Perth to join the nunnery there.

Laird Duncan Grant doesn’t want his two neighboring clans to form an alliance through marriage – nor does he want to go to the trouble to search for a bride. So, the easy answer is to just steal the bride who is to seal the alliance between those neighboring clans. He’ll actually be doing the woman a favor because the man she is set to marry is a brute. So, he’ll kidnap her, bring her back to his castle and marry her. Yep – problem solved. Until – they kidnap the wrong lass. OOPS!

The attraction between Elsbeth and Duncan is immediate, but both are stubborn and set on their goals – for her, it is to become a nun, and for him, it is to never, ever, love his wife because it killed his father. Can they give up their stubbornness and find happiness with each other? What happens when her father shows up in Perth with her betrothed in tow? The man is odious – but – the contracts are signed. Will Elsbeth once again become the obedient daughter and do her father’s bidding?

This was a fun, entertaining read and I hope you’ll enjoy it as much as I did. The characters are lovely – and the ending is smile-worthy – and there is a nice setup for the next book as well.

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

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