Author: Barbara

Avid reader/reviewer of historical romance and historical mysteries.

Dying To Bake by Helen Golden – #BlogTour

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Book Blurb

Bake Off Wars is back! Get your aprons on and let the sleuthing begin!

Vera Bolt, Queen of Bakes, dies unexpectedly aged 66

In a shocking announcement this afternoon, Vera Bolt’s agent confirmed that the Bake Off Wars judge and national treasure died yesterday. Ms Bolt was in the process of filming the next series of the hugely popular television show at Francis Court, the home of the King’s sister and her family. It’s believed that the renowned pastry chef was stabbed in the heart, and the main suspect is rumoured new royal girlfriend, Summer York. What am I supposed to do? Lady Beatrice has promised DCI Richard Fitzwilliam that she won’t get involved in the investigation into Vera Bolt’s death. But when her brother’s new love interest, Summer York, becomes the top suspect in Vera’s murder, Fred begs Bea to find out who the real killer is. In a race against time, can Bea navigate a labyrinth of secrets and lies, evade danger, and safeguard her friendship with Fitzwilliam? The answer may determine not only Summer’s innocence but also the fate of Bea’s and Fitzwilliam’s burgeoning feelings for each other.

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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 stepdaughter, her two cats, our two dogs, sometimes my stepson, 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.

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Barbara’s Review

It seems those Bake Off shows just can’t catch a break.  The latest series of Bake Off Wars is being filmed at Francis Court estate, a compound that is home to Her Royal Highness Princess Helen and her husband, their son Fred, and their daughter Beatrice, widowed Countess of Rossex.  The filming has only made it through one episode before one of the judges is murdered.  Oops!  The victim, sixty-six-year-old Vera Bolt, is not well-loved on the set, so there is a plethora of suspects.

With Richard Fitzwilliam still recuperating from the gunshot wound he received in an earlier case, a new detective is assigned from the special force that is responsible for protecting the royals.  DCI Hayden Saunders is a man with a chip on his shoulder and he doesn’t appreciate help or input from anyone – even a royal.  Oops!

Bea and her best friend and business partner, Perry Juke, swear to stay out of the investigation – and they keep to that vow until it becomes personal.  The disagreeable DCI Saunders almost immediately zeroes in on Summer York who is a presenter on the show – and Bea’s brother’s girlfriend.  When Fred asks for help – how can they say no?

This is another excellent addition to this author’s A Right Royal Cozy Investigation series.  The characters are warm and inviting and feel more and more like family with each new book – especially with the lovable West Highland Terrier, Daisy.  I was so excited to see the relationship between Fitzwilliam and Bea take a significant step forward and I will be looking forward to the next book to see the progress there.  The mystery was excellently plotted and there were plenty of red herrings to keep you guessing until the end.  While this can be read as a standalone book, I highly recommend reading the series in order from the beginning to get the full feel for the characters and their relationships.

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

    Revenge in the Rogue’s Hideaway by Deb Marlowe

    On By BarbaraIn Barb's Reviews, Historical Mystery, Part of a Series, Victorian Era (1837-1901)Leave a comment

    Revenge in the Rogue's Hideaway (The Kier and Levett Mystery Series Book 4)

    Barbara’s rating: 5 out of 5 Stars
    Series: The Kier and Levett Mysteries #4
    Publication Date: 4/3/24
    Period: Victorian London
    Number of Pages: 254

    Yet another outstanding entry into this author’s cozy mystery series, The Kier and Levett Mysteries. It has the perfect balance of mystery and romance and will keep you glued to your chair throughout. If you read the last book, you will know there was a shocking revelation about Niall’s parentage. Well, there is a shocking revelation in this book as well, but I won’t tell you what it is – you’ll just have to read it to see.

    Josie Lowe, who helped save Niall’s bacon when he was captured by those nasty League men weeks ago, now needs saving. Josie’s riveting voice has been pulling patrons into the Rogues Hideaway for a while now and when she sings, the audience is rapt. They love her, and her wealthy patron, Mr. Frederick Cole, attends every performance. However, things change swiftly when, directly after her performance, Mr. Cole dies of poisoning and Josie is arrested for his murder.

    With his ruthless business practices, Mr. Cole had no shortage of enemies, but would they be willing to kill? One of them must have because it surely wasn’t Josie. Could it be the wife who isn’t grieving at all? Perhaps it was the business partners whom he had made insanely rich, but who wanted more/different things? Could it be his illegitimate son who owns the Rogues Hideaway? With his acerbic personality, it could be anyone in London!

    Kara and Niall have their work cut out for them when it comes to solving the mystery – but what of their romance? Well, Kara is ready to go forward, but Niall is still dragging his feet. Not that he doesn’t love Kara and wants to marry her – NO – it is that after the revelations about his parentage, he is afraid there may be reprisals against him and he doesn’t want anyone coming after Kara. So, no wedding in this book and I’m beginning to think there is a ‘no wedding’ theme here. 😊 I’m sure they’ll marry – I’m just not sure when. Do you realize Kara will become Kara Kier when they marry? Try saying that name quickly several times without putting a smile on your face. 😊 It sort of sounds medicinal, doesn’t it? 🙂

    I would love it if this became a long-running series, but that is up to the author and the publisher. I do wish they would get on with the wedding though as I would love to see them work on cases as a married couple and see how the dynamics of that relationship will work. I’d also like to see some stories where Niall’s past isn’t an issue woven throughout. However – none of that keeps me from absolutely loving the series. The writing is excellent, the mystery is engrossing and will keep you guessing, and we get to know the characters better and better with each new entry. I can hardly wait for the next book in the series – Carnage From The Cursed Crown. Oh! Doesn’t that sound exciting?

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