Category: Historical Mystery

#Blog Tour – Flora Flowerdew and the Mystery of the Duke’s Diamonds by Amanda McCabe

On By BarbaraIn Barb's Reviews, Blog Tour, Historical Mystery, Paranormal / Fantasy, Part of a Series, Victorian Era (1837-1901)Leave a comment
Release Date: 8/16/22

About the Book:

Flora Flowerdew has a secret. The former Florrie Gubbins, music hall dancer, is now Madame Flowerdew, one of London’s most renowned spirit mediums. But it’s actually her beloved Pomeranian dog, Chou-Chou, who can see the ghosts.

One of her most lucrative seances, for the wealthy Petrie family whose daughter is about to marry a handsome young duke, goes chaotically awry. The duke’s late, and very irate, grandfather demands Flora and his grandson Benedict find the long-missing family diamonds—even the search becomes littered with mayhem and murder! Can Flora discover the jewels before she loses her career, her sanity—and her heart?

Sparks fly as Flora, Benedict, and Chou-Chou pursue the truth of the diamonds’ disappearance in this lighthearted, cozy historical mystery set in foggy, gas-lit London

Purchase Links

Giveaway

Giveaway to Win an e-copy of Flora Flowerdew and the Mystery of the Duke’s Diamonds & a Victorian necklace (Open to US Only)

*Terms and Conditions –US entries welcome.  Please enter using the Rafflecopter box below.  The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then Rachel’s Random Resources reserves the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over.  Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will be passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfillment of the prize, after which time Rachel’s Random Resources will delete the data.  I am not responsible for the despatch or delivery of the prize.

Click the Link Below To Enter

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Barbara’s Review

I wanted to read this book because, with a name like Flora Flowerdew, I just knew it was going to be humorous. While it didn’t turn out to be really laugh-out-loud humorous, it was still entertaining and I enjoyed the read. How could you not find a former showgirl who decides to be a ‘medium’, a Pomeranian who really does sense ghosts, a girl who wants to get out of a betrothal to a duke, and a duke whose family diamonds are missing – to be totally entertaining?

Flora Flowerdew, formerly chorus girl Florrie Gubbins, has made a good life for herself as a medium. She makes enough money to afford a nice flat in a good neighborhood and she genuinely helps her clients. Her Pomeranian, Chou Chou sometimes gets a hair-raising when a real ghost might be present, but Flora hasn’t seen one – yet. That all changes when she agrees to do a séance for the Petrie family – A baron, his wife, his pretty daughter, and his spinster sister. The baron wants some assurance that his daughter will have a happy life if she marries the duke who has been courting her.

The séance goes well – until – a REAL ghost makes an appearance. It is the very angry ghost of the duke’s grandfather. He is whirling around the room upsetting tables, candles, glassware, etc., and shouting that his family is cursed and the diamonds must be found. Then – whoosh – he’s gone and the room is quiet again.

Flora realizes she is going to have to solve the mystery if she wants to save her reputation and continue to make a good living as a medium. After all, what client would want to do a séance with a medium who can’t control her ghosts?

The duke and Flora begin visiting anyone who knows any of the duke’s family history. The more they learn, the more confused they become. Is the duke’s father really dead? Then, there is a murder and they know things have to speed up. There are hints dropped throughout the book that will tell you who the villain is – if you follow them and put them together.

There is a nice supporting cast of characters in the book, and I would hope they will continue throughout the series. There is the duke, of course, and I really liked him; Mary, Flora’s maid started on the East End streets just as Flora did; and Evie a reporter who is a whiz at digging up information from old newspaper files. It will be interesting to see if a romance develops between Flora and the duke because they seem attracted to each other despite the differences in their stations in life.

I certainly enjoyed this nicely written story and will be looking forward to the next one in the series.

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

About the Author:

Amanda McCabe wrote her first romance at the age of sixteen–a vast historical epic starring all her friends as the characters, written secretly during algebra class (and her parents wondered why math was not her strongest subject…)

She’s never since used algebra, but her books (set in a variety of time periods–Regency, Victorian, Tudor, Renaissance, and 1920s) have been nominated for many awards, including the RITA Award, the Romantic Times BOOKReviews Reviewers’ Choice Award, the Booksellers Best, the National Readers Choice Award, and the Holt Medallion. She lives in New Mexico with her lovely husband, along with far too many books and a spoiled rescue dog.

When not writing or reading, she loves yoga, collecting cheesy travel souvenirs, and watching the Food Network–even though she doesn’t cook. She also writes as Amanda Allen…

Please visit her at http://ammandamccabe.com

Social Media Links –

Lady Violet Investigates by Grace Burrowes

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

Lady Violet Investigates (The Lady Violet Mysteries, #1)Barbara’s rating: 4 of 5 Stars
Series: The Lady Violet Mysteries #1
Publication Date: 2/22/22 (First Published 11/25/21)
Period: Regency
Number of Pages: 222

I was intrigued to see Grace Burrowes had written a mystery series, and couldn’t wait to begin. As always, the writing is excellent and the characters are well developed and very relatable. Being a Grace Burrowes series, I was sure there would be a romance – which is a good thing because that is one of my requirements for any book I read. There is – or I guess will be – a romance I’m sure, but it didn’t happen in this book. At the moment, it appears to be a triangle, and that just won’t get it for me. So, if it takes very long for the resolution to the triangle to happen, I’ll just forego the series. Just as an FYI, I have read the book blurbs through book seven, and it doesn’t look like the triangle is resolved at that point. Since I have already purchased book two, I’ll read it, but won’t purchase more until at least book seven or eight. If the triangle is resolved by then, I’ll continue. If not, I’ll stop with the series. That, however, is just one of MY personal things – you may not need a settled romance and if you don’t then this will be a very enjoyable series for you.

Lady Violet Belmaine did not have a happy marriage. It was one arranged by her father and she wasn’t given a choice. With her husband deceased, she is now a very wealthy widow who is free to do as she pleases. However, she’s had a hard time dealing with that and had become a near recluse until Dr. Hugh St. Sevier begins to coax her to come out of her shell. He advises tiny steps – a short walk, then a long walk, then a carriage ride, accept one invitation a week, etc. – until he finally convinces her to attend a house party at Bathvale Abbey. Violet loves her newly found freedom and independence – at least there is one thing she can appreciate about her husband.

Dr. Hugh St. Sevier is a French émigré who served with the English in the wars against Napoleon. It hurt him beyond belief to serve on the side against his countrymen, but he couldn’t support Napoleon. As a physician in the wars, he did his best to heal soldiers from both sides.

Sebastian, Marquess of Dunkeld was a Colonel in the English army – a war hero. He also had a history with Violet. Sebastian was totally besotted with Violet and asked her father if he could court her. Her father refused – and did even worse – he belittled Sebastian and told him Violet did as well.

At the house party, things begin to disappear. At first, it is small inconsequential items, but it quickly escalates. When the finger is pointed at Sebastian’s new valet, Upjohn, who has just gone through a severe trauma with severe head injuries, Violet knows they have to solve the mystery themselves.

The mystery and solution are convoluted with a perpetrator who has a Machiavellian bent and it begins to seem as if it won’t be solved. That is especially the case when the magistrate is bent on taking things at face value and carting Upjohn off to the Assizes. Luckily for Upjohn, Violet isn’t one to take things at face value and she has a very well-functioning curiosity.

I will say, I wasn’t a fan of the resolution, but at least Upjohn wasn’t hanged for the thefts.

I enjoyed this book and look forward to reading the second one in the series. Then, I’ll wait for the seventh to release to see if the triangle is resolved. That resolution, or not, will determine whether I continue. Again – that may not be important to you – and if it isn’t, you’ll love the entire series.

View all my reviews