Barbara’s rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Series: Gravesyde Priory Mystery #3
Publication Date: 3/19/24
Period: Regency
Number of Pages: 322

I am really loving this series and I hope you will as well. I love the mysteries and I love the characters, but I think what I love best is the process of making a family from such disparate backgrounds – and, yes, they really do become a family. You really do need to read the series in order of publication to get a true appreciation for each family member and their relationships – and where they fit in within the whole. They are a delightfully eclectic mix of eccentric characters – and you will love them all. You see, the Earl of Wycliffe died and left Gravesyde Priory to all of his kin – and that certainly creates a tangled mess. After much searching of the family tree, invitations were sent out to the various and sundry members asking them to come to Gravesyde Priory, take up residence (or not), and join the clan. Those who do show up are in desperate need, in hiding, irritated, etc., and all of them – on whichever side of the blanket they were born – find a home, acceptance, and family. They also find a mystery, several dead bodies, and romance along the way. Yes, it is a lovely series – and now – something about this book.

Weddings! Yes, three couples are sorely irritated because – well – how can they be married when there is no church and no curate to read the banns or perform the ceremony? Then, miraculously, a curate and his family show up – and he claims to hold the tenancy as curate for life. Well – where the devil has he been? At first, the folks at Gravesyde Priory dismiss his claim, but when he and his family move into the parsonage and begin to restore it and the church – and the people of the village remember them – maybe the curate really is who he claims to be.

The curate doesn’t appear to be well-loved by many in the village, and the folks at the Priory soon discover why. Then, they discover the curate’s body. Oh, goodness. Now they have a murder to solve and no weddings to plan. Since the curate’s son is also a man of the cloth, he’s just there to get his parents and sister settled, perhaps they can convince him to stay on as curate. Or, is he the one who murdered his father?

With many very old secrets and lots of suspects, the residents of the Priory will have to tread carefully to solve the curate’s murder – and the others that came after. Yes, multiple murders, many secrets, unwilling witnesses, and a villain that will surprise you!

I loved the book. The writing, as always, was excellent, and the characters – old and new – are so very likable. We did finally get one wedding – and we got a new romance, so maybe there are three more weddings to come rather than just the two remaining. I can recommend this series and this book and I hope you will love them as much as I do. Happy Reading!

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

View all my reviews

Barbara’s rating: 5 out of 5 Stars
Series: Gravesyde Priory Mysteries #2
Publication Date: 10/6/23
Period: Regency
Number of Pages: 328

Oh! If you love mysteries, then this is the book for you because it is chock full of them! There are two overarching mysteries where the residents of Wycliffe Manor must manage to find the hidden family jewels in order to support themselves and the Manor, and the actual ownership of the Manor. Can they save the Manor from Snidely Whiplash the banker and continue with their hodge-podge family? With the additional mysteries of who is after their cook and why – as well as – will Oliver be taken away? Then, of course, there is the murder, who did that? Ah! Yes, mysteries aplenty, action aplenty, dastardly characters aplenty, and all of them seem to find their way to Wycliffe Manor.

What isn’t there plenty of? Weddings! Lots of romances, we just haven’t gotten around to a wedding yet. Soon – I’m sure there will be weddings soon! Perhaps we are going to wait and have some big group wedding in one of the books. I like weddings and I like HEAs and I can’t wait for these to start. Of course, I guess we’ll have to wait for some part of the HEA since the mystery of the Priory isn’t solved – and I’m sure that once it is solved, the series will end. Bummer! I can hardly wait to see who the next featured couple will be. I really hope there is a bang-up Epilogue in the last book that will show the Manor and its residents several years in the future. It will be so much fun to see how such a disparate group of folks will manage to make it all work. I really like all of these characters and want to be sure their HEA really is a lasting one.

Lieutenant Jack de Sackville is making a years-overdue delivery to Oliver Owen who is the seven-year-old nephew of Clarissa (Clare) Knightley (The Secrets of Wycliffe Manor) when he discovers the body of a man along the road. What in the world was Basil Culpepper doing this far away from London and in such a remote area? Needless to say, he’s welcomed with a bit of suspicion when he delivers a dead body to the village of Gravesyde Priory. However, someone at the Manor recognizes Jack and does her very best to keep him from recognizing her.

Lady Elspeth (Elsa) Villiers is a heiress who grew up in a family that didn’t value her and allowed her younger step-brother to torment and abuse her. Her escape from the abuse was the kitchen where she could lose herself in cooking. Elsa’s brother is now trying to force her into marriage with an odious man, so she escapes them all and finds refuge at Wycliffe Manor. At Wycliffe, she is welcomed with open arms and she finds the acceptance and family she never had.

Soon after Jack arrives, others begin to arrive. Elsa has been found! Will her new family manage to protect her from all of the villains who keep arriving at the door? Will Elsa have to flee yet again?

This book has something for everyone. There is murder and mayhem, kidnappings, and attempted murders along with an eclectic, diverse cast that will immediately endear themselves to you. Then, when you add in wounded soldiers returned from war, but not welcomed home and cute puppies – not to mention romance. Goodness! Yes, I can definitely recommend this book and I hope you’ll love it as much as I did.

Happy Reading!

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

View all my reviews