Flippin' Pages Book Reviews

The Beast and the Bookseller by Eva Devon

Tracy’s rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: Standalone Title

Release Date: June 5, 2023

Miss Elizabeth Sharpe is the only child of the owner of Sharpe and Son, a bookshop that opened in 1665 and that has been passed from father to son ever since. It has also boasted the patronage of the Dukes of Montrose for just as long. But now it appears that that connection may be coming to an end, as the Duke, a man who is known by all as a recluse, is coming to the shop in person to meet with Elizabeth’s father. This cannot be good and to make matters worse her father is not fit company for the duke, nor has he been for some time. Her father has taken the loss of Elizabeth’s mother and any hope for a son very hard, losing himself in drink and leaving the bookshop in Elizabeth’s hands. Elizabeth hopes that her father will see how capable she is and leave the shop to her, but if she cannot convince the duke to continue to give them his business, there will be no bookshop to inherit. Elizabeth is shocked to learn that the duke has not been receiving his weekly orders as she believed her father was performing that duty, the duke has demanded that Elizabeth perform the task herself or he will take his business elsewhere!

Garrett Edward Matthew Maximilian, the Duke of Montrose is annoyed that he had to interrupt his busy day to leave his home – something he rarely does – to visit his erstwhile bookseller. When Mr. Sharpe is nowhere to be found leaving his daughter to clean up the mess he made, Garrett is surprised by Elizabeth and instead of taking his business to another shop as he planned, he demands that Elizabeth take over the task of delivering his books from now on if she proves herself, he will continue to patronize the shop. Not only does she succeed in the task, but she also excels, and soon the two form an unlikely friendship. Garrett has a lot going on in his life, he is on the brink of avenging his mother, but the task takes him to a dark place and Elizabeth becomes a light in his life, keeping him sane and even happy. But when a well-meaning outing goes awry, their lives will change forever, but will their forever be happy??

This was a delightful Beauty and the Beast retelling with a dash of Pride and Prejudice thrown in for good measure. I loved Elizabeth and Garrett together, they have both known pain, yet they have reacted very differently to it. The story steadily unfolds and the reader is sucked into a tale filled with loss, books, new discoveries, changes, steamyish love scenes, great secondary characters, pain, and finally a very sweet declaration scene promising HEA. I was disappointed that there was no epilogue, because I really felt it was needed, considering the major changes they would both be dealing with, but overall it was an emotionally gripping story that was an enjoyable read.

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

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

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