A Sunlit Weapon by Jacqueline Winspear

On By BarbaraIn Barb's Reviews, Historical Mystery, Part of a Series, World War II Era (1939-1945)2 Comments

A Sunlit Weapon (Maisie Dobbs #17)

Barbara’s rating: 4.5 of 5 Stars
Series: Maisie Dobbs #17
Publication Date: 3/27/22
Period: 1942 – WWII
Number of Pages: 366

The previous books in this series have spanned 3 decades and two world wars. I will admit that I was not a fan of the first books in the series – not because they weren’t wonderful stories, but because Maisie seemed to have the saddest life of anyone I’ve ever seen and that just wasn’t for me. These later books have a more settled Maisie and the mysteries are just as good as those in the beginning. So, a win-win for me.

With Germany bombing England every evening, Maisie is spending most of her time away from London. Not just because of the bombings, but because she wants to spend more time with her newly adopted daughter and her handsome hunk of an American diplomat. While in London, Maisie is approached by a young woman who is a ferry pilot responsible for delivering planes among the various British bases. Jo Hardy was flying a Spitfire to Biggin Hill when she realized someone was shooting at her. Surely not! This comes on the heels of learning her beloved fiancé has died in a crash – with no apparent reason for it. Later, the young woman went back to the site where she had been fired upon and discovered a young American soldier bound and gagged in the barn.

Days later, a good friend of Jo’s – another ferry pilot – is killed flying the same route as Jo had flown. While the official ruling was ‘pilot error’, Jo was quite certain that it wasn’t – and that her fiancé’s crash, Jo’s incident, and her friend’s crash were all related somehow. At the suggestion of another friend, Jo seeks out Maisie Dobbs and lays out her case. Maisie, of course, is intrigued and begins her investigation.

As the investigation progresses, Maisie begins to think maybe there is more than one case – and one of those sets of circumstances seems to cross paths with Maisie’s American diplomat husband (Mark Scott) who is responsible for the American First Lady who will be visiting soon. Are the cases related? Is there more than one case?

Interwoven with the fast-paced mystery is a bit of a mystery and strife in Maisie’s homelife. That home life highlights the circumstances those within England must confront daily. Are there spies within their midst? Are those people who look different or have strange-sounding names sympathizers of Hitler?

I thoroughly enjoyed this story and the mystery contained within as well as the characters who are wonderfully relatable. The story also highlighted American racist attitudes. I don’t question those, and it makes me ill to have borne witness to the treatment of the black American soldier. I think the author took great pains to subtly portray American racism for the vile thing it is – but – when it came to the English prejudices, it was a few villagers who had lost sons/husbands, etc. and their prejudice was toward the Italians, French, etc. because of that.

This is a great story, with strong, compelling characters and I hope you will enjoy it as much as I did.

View all my reviews

A Matter of Temptation by Stacy Reid

On By TracyIn Part of a Series, Tracy's Reviews, Victorian Era (1837-1901)Leave a comment

A Matter of TemptationA Matter of Temptation by Stacy Reid

Tracy’s rating: 3/3.5 of 5 stars

Series: A Matter of Temptation, #1

Release Date: June 28, 2022

Seven years ago, Miss Wilhelmina “Mina” Crawford, the only daughter of Viscount Crawford, was the toast of the ton, but a foolish infatuation and a subsequent ill-advised elopement to Scotland left her marred by scandal and ruined, ending all hopes for a HEA. But ruin hasn’t stopped Mina from expanding her mind or helping her brother manage their failing estate. So when her brother confides that he is to take part in a duel with their neighbor, Simon Loughton, the Earl of Creswick, Mina insists on taking his place, even going as far as to drug him. And not only does she manage to best the earl in the duel, but he quickly realizes who she is and offers her a position as his secretary.

Simon is brilliant and uses that brilliance to better the country, he is a well-respected politician and it is even whispered that he may one day be prime minister. He was intrigued when he was bested by Mina and even more so after realizing that she was a woman, prompting him to act out of character and hire her as his secretary. He quickly discovers that Mina is not just a pretty face, she is intelligent, funny, and brings balance to his life. He tells himself he must remain aloof and resist her charms but soon learns it is impossible and gives into temptation.

They become lovers, neither expecting anything more than an affair, but when love finds them, will they have a HEA or will Mina’s past scandal keep them apart.

I have mixed feelings about this book, on one hand, it is an interesting story and Simon is not your typical rakish hero (which was refreshing) and Mina is not your standard-issue “ruined maiden” – they both exceeded expectations and broke the stereotype. But on the other hand, the book had some historical mistakes that make parts of the story implausible, if not impossible. There was also a threat that seemed important, that completely fizzled out and seemingly got forgotten, which I found a bit bewildering. Then there is the twist at the end which opened up the angst floodgates – OMG – the book was chugging along and then I was hit with a revelation that changed the entire tone of the book and one that I was pissed about – in the end, all’s well that ends well – but I was still upset and felt betrayed by the author. I don’t want to spoil the book, but for me, there is an unforgivable plot twist and even though another twist sets things to rights, I was not happy, which ruined what seemed to be one of the most believable and beautiful soulmate-type love stories I have read in a long time. So, Simon and Mina will stay with me for a long time and their love is epic – I just wish their journey hadn’t taken the path it did to find their HEA.

*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.*