Wilful Changes in Lower Dimblebrook by Julie Butterfield

On By BarbaraIn Barb's Reviews, Contemporary, MysteryLeave a comment

Wilful Changes in Lower Dimblebrook: A delightful cozy mystery about gossip, village life and murder! (Isabelle Darby Cozy Village Mysteries Book 2)Barara’s rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: Isabelle Darby Cozy Village Mysteries #2
Publication Date: 12/16/20
Period: Contemporary – Cotswolds
Number of Pages:220

I’ve read this series out of order, but that hasn’t been a problem. I read the first book, Deadly Whispers in Lower Dimblebrook, and then I read the third book, Key Mishaps in Lower Dimblebrook, before I read this one. What I have learned so far is that this is a delightfully entertaining series, with great mysteries with a bit of a romance included. The romance is definitely secondary to the mystery, so don’t think it is a romance series. For me personally, I really want a bit of romance to go along with a great mystery.

The characters who inhabit the small Cotswold village of Lower Dimblebrook are delightful. From Doris Stokes, the village’s gossip machine, to Miriam Hollier, the serene and helpful wife of the vicar, to the intrepid octogenarian, Madeline Halesowen, and everybody in between, you’ll quickly come to love them all. DI Dave Wainwright was promoted and moved to the Cotswold area from Manchester. He was fully attuned to the fast-paced, hard-knocks policing of Manchester, and is having a really hard time adjusting to policing in the Cotswolds. Who serves tea and discusses the weather with a police inspector prior to getting down to telling what you know? Well – the answer to that is everybody in Lower Dimblebrook! The one person I have a tad of trouble with is Isabelle (Issie) Darby. As the female lead, I want her to be intelligent, astute, strong, etc. – someone to look up to. Instead, she seems terribly naïve and often TSTL. Some of the decisions she makes – and the internal dialogue that goes along with them just make me cringe. She usually, totally by accident, comes across some vital piece of evidence and decides it isn’t important and that she doesn’t need to share it with DI Wainwright. She then ends up in a life-or-death situation and Wainwright has to save her. Don’t get me wrong – I sort of like her a bit ditzy – I just don’t like her being TSTL. I still thoroughly enjoy the books – I just wish she were a bit wiser.

Issie moved to Lower Dimblebrook a couple of years ago to heal from the break-up of her marriage. She spent the first year living in her own little world, but the citizens have slowly brought her out of her shell with their friendly greetings, invites to tea, and lovely visits. A few months ago, Issie met Della Burrows in a bookshop in a nearby village. She liked the woman and they became – not exactly friends – but better acquaintances – since both of them lived in Lower Dimblebrook.

When Della is found stabbed to death in her bedroom, Issie is shocked. Issie had just been in her home that very morning watering her tropical plants because Della was supposed to be out of town. Poor Della! Poor Issie – it seems if she befriends someone, they end up murdered and that certainly doesn’t recommend her to all of her neighbors!

Issie tries to stay out of Wainwright’s investigation, but, as always, she ends up landing right in the middle of it with both feet. I mean – she can’t help doing at least a little internet sleuthing with all of the gossip that is going around. Goodness, what can it hurt? She’ll definitely get the answer to that question! It seems there was a whole lot more to Della that Issie had realized – and some of that just might get Issie killed.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I hope you will as well. BTW – I love the name of the village Lower Dimblebrook – however – I always want to call it Dumbledor, so if you see me use that in a review, you’ll know I like Harry Potter.

Undercover Duke by Sabrina Jeffries

On By TracyIn Georgian Era (1714-1837), Historical Mystery, Regency Era (1811-1820), Tracy's ReviewsLeave a comment

Undercover Duke (Duke Dynasty, #4)Undercover Duke by Sabrina Jeffries

Tracy’s rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: Duke Dynasty, #4

Release Date: May 25, 2021

This series started when after the deaths of 3 husbands and her brother-in-law, the Duchess of Armitage’s children begin to wonder if foul play was involved and set out to discover the truth. After a lot of frustration and dead ends, the siblings have narrowed their suspects down to three ladies that were present at the time of the deaths of the duchess’s first two husbands. One of the ladies is the Duke of Greycourt’s aunt, but with his wife entering confinement with their first child, Grey tasks his half-brother Sheridan Wolfe, the Duke of Armitage with interviewing his aunt, Lady Eustance. With no real reason to call on her, Sheridan forms a plan to pretend to woo her daughter, Vanessa Pryde. An idea that takes wings when Vanessa agrees to play along if Sheridan will help her make the playwright, Konrad Juncker jealous enough to offer for her.

Vanessa has no interest in Mr. Juncker, Sheridan has always been the man she wanted, but he has never paid any interest in her at all and has made it clear that he is not looking to marry any time soon. She is hopeful that if he spends time with her, she can change his mind. But what she doesn’t know is that Sheridan’s heart was broken years ago and he refuses to risk it again – no matter how much Vanessa tempts him. But when they are caught in a passionate embrace, the only way to protect Vanessa is to marry her. Sheridan rationalizes his eagerness by thinking that he is keeping her out of the clutches of the rakish Mr. Juncker, that her dowry will help shore up his failing estate and he will have credible access to her mother for questioning – that is his story and he is sticking to it!

After they marry, Vanessa learns the real reason he started wooing her and is hurt, but she wants to clear her mother’s name and offers to help. But Sheridan was not the only one with secrets and these two will have to come clean and open their hearts to get their HEA, assuming that the killer doesn’t strike again before they get the chance!

This was a good book, well-written and nicely paced with wonderful characters and the conclusion to a series-long, well-thought-out, and perfectly executed murder mystery. The book is full of secrets, steamyish love scenes, great characters, cameos from previous heroes/heroines, a hero with a broken heart, a heroine who knows what she wants, and a nail-biter ending as well as a very sweet and satisfying epilogue. I enjoyed this book and am happy to recommend it. This is the fourth book in the series and while it could be read as a standalone, I would strongly recommend reading the series in order for the best reader experience.

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