Book After Book

Publication: 15th August 2024 – Gollancz

Werewolf Ben Rosewood is happy with his life. One hundred percent. Everything is fine. His business, Ben’s Plant Emporium, is thriving, and he’s even expanding the shop. His anxiety disorder is…well, it’s been better, but that comes with the territory of running a business and having beastly urges every full moon, right? As for romance-who has the time? Though his family is desperate to see him settled, Ben is fine approaching forty as a single werewolf. But after drunkenly bidding on and winning a supposedly-possessed crystal on eBay one night, he finds himself face-to-face with a beautiful yet angry vampire.

Eleonore Bettencourt-Devereux is a rare breed-a vampire succubus born from two elite European bloodlines during medieval times. Thanks to an evil witch, she’s been stuck in a crystal since she was thirty, forced to obey orders from the possessor of the rock. Eleonore’s been dreaming of breaking the spell and severing the witch’s head for centuries. But did this witch really sell her to someone new, and for only ninety-nine cents?

Eleonore would claw this werewolf’s heart out and eat it, if only the binding spell would allow her to. But Eleonore and Ben soon realize they can help each other with both vengeful and less hostile needs. And why not have a little fun along the way?

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Gentle, sweet, never-able-to-say-no werewolf Ben Rosewood is mostly happy with his life. Of course, he wishes he has more time for himself, especially now that he’s opening a new activity and he is also helping his sister running for mayor of Glimmer Falls. Also, he hates turning into a werewolf and chasing animals. And, while his friends around him are all happily in love, he is still single. 

One night, Ben returns home drunk and buys a crystal off eBay and then forgets about it. Until the crystal is delivered to his home and a very angry and beautiful vampire succubus named Eleonore Bettencourt-Devereux comes out from it.

A Werewolf’s Guide to Seducing a Vampire is such a fun read!!! I loved Ben and Eleanor. He is so adorable, genuine and shy, always ready to help others, even if that means staying up all night. Eleanor, on the other hand, is not at all gentle. Sassy, Star-Trek lover, and very very angry after being stuck for centuries inside the crystal, she is looking for revenge against the witch who trapped her there and Ben promises to help her break the curse so she can finally be free. Eleanor was such a fun and intriguing character and some of my favourite scenes were her attempts to adapt to the modern world.

I can’t recommend the Glimmer Falls series enough. Set in a town where magical creatures live mostly harmoniously, from witches to demons, from werewolves to pixies, it is such a fun and delightful series and A Werewolf’s Guide to Seducing a Vampire is my favourite story. Steamy, romantic, and hilarious, it will keep you quite entertained!

A huge thank you to Gollancz and NetGalley from providing me with a proof of this wonderful novel.

Sarah Hawley lives in the Pacific Northwest, where her hobbies include rambling through the woods and appreciating fictional villains. She has an MA in archaeology and has excavated at an Inca site in Chile, a Bronze Age palace in Turkey, and a medieval abbey in England. When not dreaming up whimsical love stories, she can be found reading, dancing, or cuddling her two cats.

Publication: 14th August 2024 – Boldwood Books

Autumn, 1816…

Lady Ashby is grieving the death of her beloved husband, just two years earlier. Although still young and beautiful, Isabella is resolved never to marry again, and plans to leave London, return to her parents’ Yorkshire house, and resign from society before the year is over. But first, she wants one more taste of life…

Isabella has written a list, the contents of which, if discovered, would create a scandal that neither she nor her family would recover from. A list of things she would like to experience, just once more, before she surrenders herself to the life of a widow. And she knows just the man to help her: her friend, handsome and honourable Captain Leo Winterton.

But Captain Winterton has a secret of his own. He is in love with Isabella – and when she makes her most improper proposal to him, he is powerless to resist her, even if she is resolved never to love again. Can he persuade her they are destined to be together? Or will their impropriety be discovered, to the ruin of both?

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Lady Isabella Ashby is only twenty years old, but she’s already a widow and, two years later, she is still grieving the death of her husband, whom she loved deeply. She knows she will never love somebody as she loved him and she is resigned to a life alone with her parents in Yorkshire, but, before retiring from society once and for all, she is determined to have one last fun adventure and she makes a list of things she wants to experience. The activities on her list all require the “help” of a man and for that she has chosen the kind, handsome, and noble Captain Leo Winterton. What Isabella doesn’t know is that Captain Winteron has been in love with her for the last two years, so he is very happy to help her with her list, even if he knows that, at the end, he will have to give her up.

I really enjoyed What the Lady Wants. It is swoony, spicy, entertaining, and so romantic. There are a series of misunderstandings, interfering relatives intent on match-making, sexy and steamy scenes, lots of fun and witty banter, and two fantastic protagonists. Isabella is a strong female protagonist who, throughout the novel, goes through a journey of rediscovery and development: her grief for her husband and her conflicted feelings for Leo are relatable and authentic. And Leo is a good man who would do anything for the woman he loves, even if that love is unrequited. Their love story is beautiful, exciting, and very-well written and I loved it from starting to finish!

A huge thank you to Boldwood Books and NetGalley for providing me with a proof of the novel.

Emma Orchard grew up in Salford and was given tickets to the grown-up library at the age of 11 because she’d read all the children’s books and the librarians were sick of the sight of her. She became obsessed with Georgette Heyer and hasn’t stopped reading her novels since. She studied English Literature at university and went on to work at Mills & Boon and behind the scenes in television and in publishing.

Emma’s first two Regency romances – The Second Lady Silverwood and The Runaway Heiress – were published in 2023. A Duke of One’s Own is published on 22nd April 2024, and What the Lady Wants follows on 14th August.

Publication: 1st August 2024 – Penguin UK

For all of Kat’s life, it’s been her and her mother, Jamie – except for 12 years ago, when Jamie was married for two days and Kat had a stepbrother, Liam. But all that ended in a swift divorce.

Now Jamie is a jewel thief trying to go straight, but she has one last job, at a billionaire’s 80th birthday party. Neither Kat nor her mother know about two surprise guests: Liam and his father, a serial scammer with his own sights set on Ross Sutherland’s family.

Kat and Liam are on a collision course to disaster, and when someone dies, the two teens realize they might be in the killer’s crosshairs. They can’t trust anyone except each other. Or can they? Because if there’s one thing both of them know, it’s how to lie…

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Sixteen-year-old Kat and seventeen-year-old Liam have more in common than the fact that they were step-sibling for forty-eight hours when their parents married in Las Vegas and then quickly divorced twelve years earlier. Kat’s mother is a thief, while Liam’s father is a con-man and they are both headed to the birthday party of billionaire Ross Sutherland. For Kat’s mother, this is her last job before retiring as a thief and starting a new normal life as an accountant. The plan is to infiltrate the party as a waitress to steal a ruby necklace. 

Liam’s father has his eyes on Annalise Sutherland, Ross’s daughter, and has been invited to the party as his boyfriend. Following his mother’s death six months earlier, Liam has been living with his father, doing his best to protect the women he tries to con, so he tags along to the party to make sure that Annalise doesn’t become another one of his victims. Things take a turn for the worse when one of the Sutherlands turns up murdered and someone seems to be after Kat’s mother. As things take an unexpected turn, it seems that Kat and Liam can only trust each other.

Karen M. McManus is back with another smart and gripping YA novel. The story is told from the perspective of the two protagonists, and, even though I didn’t agree with many of the decisions Kat made, I adored the character of Liam. Kind, sweet, not-able-to-lie Liam was my favourite character and, as the story progresses, I started to like more the character of Kat who would do anything to protect her mother, including foolish and dangerous decisions.

Such Charming Liars is fast-paced, addictive, and well-developed and it’s the perfect read for all YA readers!

A huge thank you to Penguin and NetGalley for providing me with a proof of the novel.

Karen M. McManus is a #1 New York Times and international bestselling author of young adult thrillers. Her work includes the One of Us Is Lying series, which was turned into a television show on Peacock and Netflix, as well as the standalone novels Two Can Keep a Secret, The Cousins, You’ll Be the Death of Me, and Nothing More to Tell. Karen’s critically acclaimed, award-winning books have been translated into forty-two languages and have sold more than seven million copies worldwide. To learn more, visit www.karenmcmanus.com or @writerkmc on Twitter and Instagram.

Publication: 18th July 2024 – Abacus

FORGET WHAT YOU THINK YOU KNOW
THIS IS NOT THAT CRIME NOVEL

You know Penny Coyne. The little old lady who has solved multiple murders in her otherwise sleepy village, despite bumbling local police. A razor-sharp mind in a twinset and tweed.

You know Johnny Hawke. Hard-bitten LAPD homicide detective. Always in trouble with his captain, always losing partners, but always battling for the truth, whatever it takes.

Against all the odds, against the usual story, their worlds are about to collide. It starts with a dead writer and a mysterious wedding invitation. It will end with a rabbit hole that goes so deep, Johnny and Penny might come to question not just whodunnit, but whether they want to know the answer.

A cross-genre hybrid of Agatha Christie and Michael Connelly, The Cracked Mirror is the most imaginative and entertaining crime novel of the year, a genre-splicing rollercoaster with a poignantly emotional heart.

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The Cracked Mirror is a gripping and twisty story, and, hopefully, I will manage to talk about it without giving too much away. In Los Angeles, LAPD detective Jonathan Hawke and his new partner are investigating what it appears to be the suicide of a screenwriter. The body was found inside a room locked from the inside and with no other exits, then why Hawke is convinced that there is more to this death and continues to investigate despite his boss’ protests?

Meanwhile, in Scotland, Penny Coyne is the Miss Marple of her little village where murders seem to be an everyday occurrence. She gets a mysterious invitation to an exclusive wedding which ends up with what appears to be another suicide. As Penny and Hawke’s paths cross, they will have to figure out what is going on as things are not at all what you expect.

This book took me completely by surprise. Action-packed, fast-paced, multi-layered, and suspenseful, nothing is what I expected and it kept me on my toes, although there were a few things that I found slightly difficult to follow. This is not my first Chris Brookmyre’s novel and I love his writing style and I enjoy how he manages to perfectly connect everything together.

The Cracked Mirror is described as “a cross-genre hybrid of Agatha Christie and Michael Connelly” and I think there couldn’t be a more apt description for this gripping page-turner! 

A huge thank you to Abacus and NetGalley for providing me with a proof of the novel.

Chris Brookmyre was a journalist before becoming a full-time novelist with the publication of his award-winning debut Quite Ugly One Morning, which established him as one of Britain’s leading crime writers. His 2006 novel All Fun And Games Until Somebody Loses An Eye won the Everyman Bollinger Wodehouse Prize, and his 2016 novel Black Widow won both the McIlvanney Prize and the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year award. He also co-writes historical crime fiction with his wife, Marisa Haetzman, under the pen name Ambrose Parry..

Publication: 1st August 2024 – Headline

Ruby Johnson is a nanny and maid to wealthy families in Manhattan’s West 74th Street.
She knows their routines. Their secrets.
One night, on her way home, Ruby witnesses a neighbour’s murder.

She knows the victim. She knows the killer.
She makes an anonymous call to the police and names the murderer.
But Ruby didn’t tell the truth…
Because there’s something wrong with Ruby Johnson.

Eddie Flynn, conman turned trial lawyer, must defend an innocent man accused of this terrible crime.
As Ruby’s deadly game begins, one thing is certain.
It won’t be the last murder this witness is involved in…

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I love the Eddie Flynn series. The complex cases, the con man turned defendant lawyer with always a trick up his sleeve, the twists that you won’t see coming, and the suspense that keeps you on the edge of the seat from start to finish.

In Witness 8, Eddie has a new case. Ruby Johnson works as a nanny and maid for the rich and wealthy of an exclusive residential street in New York. One night, while returning home from a babysitting job, she witnesses the murder of one of the residents. She makes an anonymous call to the police, but she doesn’t tell them what she really saw. The man accused of the murder is a renowned surgeon and Eddie and his team are convinced of his innocence, but it is going to be difficult to prove it when the gun used for the murder is found hidden in his closet and his fingerprints on it. In the meantime, Eddie’s life is in danger after a group of corrupted NYPD officers puts a price on his head.

I love the character of Eddie. He takes on cases only if he’s convinced of his client’s innocence and fights for them with everything he has. He doesn’t mind getting his hands dirty, often using the skills he acquired in his previous life as a conman. I also found quite interesting the character of Ruby. She is smart and devious, often playing on the fact that she is underestimated and simply considered invisible as one of the help, so people don’t notice what she is planning until the end. Quite a complex character that I hope we’ll see again in the future in this series.

Fast-paced, intriguing, and very suspenseful, Witness 8 is another fabulous addition to this addictive series.

A huge thank you to Headline and NetGalley for providing me with a proof of the novel.

Steve Cavanagh has sold over a million copies of his novels in the UK alone. His nine books have all been nominated for major awards and many are international bestsellers. His third novel, The Liar, won the CWA Gold Dagger for Crime Novel of the Year 2018. Thirteen won the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year 2019. Fifty-Fifty was a Richard and Judy Book club choice and was also selected for the BBC ‘Between the Covers’ book club. Twisted, Fifty-Fifty, The Devil’s Advocate, The Accomplice and Kill For Me Kill For You were all Sunday Times Top 10 bestsellers.

Publication: 30th July 2024 – Perfectly Proper Press

A Victorian bluestocking with a passion for lost causes attracts the unwilling attention of a frost-hearted viscount during her tumultuous debut season in Bath in USA Today bestselling author Mimi Matthews’s fifth book in her acclaimed Somerset Stories series.

West Country beauty Hannah Heywood may be quiet with fashionable strangers, but when it comes to animals in need, she has no trouble finding her voice. Newly arrived in Bath for her very first season, all she desires is to find one like-minded gentleman. A man of warmth and compassion, as sensitive to animals as he is to people. But if such a man exists, he dare not approach her. Not with the tall, blond, and menacing Viscount St. Clare standing in the way.

James Beresford, Viscount St. Clare has often been described as a sentient block of ice. A man so cold and dispassionate, he would never suit a young lady of Hannah’s disposition. And she would certainly never suit him. Focused on repairing his family’s infamous reputation, James requires a diamond of the first water. The daughter of a duke or a marquess, at least, not a simple country girl with a passion for four-legged creatures.

And yet, there’s something about conscience-driven young Hannah that draws James, first to Bath, and then into one increasingly hare-brained scheme after another. She confounds him at every turn, subverting his expectations and threatening to do what no lady has succeeded in doing before—thawing his ice-cold heart.

BUY THE BOOK

A Lady of Conscience is the fifth book in the Somerset Stories series by Mimi Matthews and I have been waiting for it since I read the third book, Return to Satterthwaite Court, where Hannah and James first met.

I was very curious about their story because since the beginning it is clear that Hannah and James are looking for different things and make an unlikely pair, except that they are attracted to each other.

Hannah is sweet, soft-spoken, and kind. She inherits her love for animals from her mother, writes articles for a magazine dedicated to them, and she doesn’t eat meat. She is also extremely shy, but also very protective of those she loves. On the other hand, James Beresford, Viscount St. Clare, thinks that, as the eldest son, it’s his duty to restore the family reputation. Cold and determined, he thinks he needs to marry someone of high reputation and standing and Hannah, the timid daughter of a country gentleman, is not what he needs. Then why is he not in London, courting the daughter of a duke or earl, but he travels to Bath where Hannah is making her debut in society? 

I loved this book so much and I never wanted it to end. Mimi Matthews is one of my favourite authors and the Somerset Stories series is one I enjoy rereading because of the wonderful cast of characters and their beautiful and immersive stories. I loved everything about A Lady of Conscience: the addictive and beautiful writing, the engaging cast of characters, the swoony romance, the marriage proposal perfectly borrowed by Mr. Darcy, an entertaining fist fight at the end, and the two protagonists that I loved from start to finish!

A huge thank you to the author for providing me with a proof of this beautiful novel.

USA Today bestselling author Mimi Matthews writes both historical nonfiction and award-winning Victorian romances. Her novels have received starred reviews in Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, Booklist, Kirkus, and Shelf Awareness, and her articles have been featured on the Victorian Web, the Journal of Victorian Culture, and in syndication at BUST Magazine. In her other life, Mimi is an attorney. She resides in California with her family, which includes an Andalusian dressage horse, a miniature poodle, a Sheltie, and two Siamese cats.

Publication: 1st August 2024 – Corvus

STRATAGEM FOR THE RESTORATION OF RESPECTABILITY TO THE DUKE OF STANHOPE:

Step 1: Find perfect wife
Step 2: Save reputation from ruin
Step 3: Do not, at any cost, fall in love with Selina Ravenscroft

Peter Kent, newly inherited Duke of Stanhope, has developed quite the scandalous reputation – which must be overturned if he is to win the guardianship of his young half siblings.

For help he turns to Lady Selina Ravenscroft, society’s most proper debutante (save one tiny secret…). She suggests courtship and marriage to a lady of unimpeachable character – which due to the aforementioned secret is definitely not Selina herself.

But her matchmaking goes awry when the scorching chemistry between them proves impossible to resist. For the disreputable duke and his unpredictable matchmaker, falling in love might just be the ultimate scandal…

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If you are looking for a new historical romance author, then I highly recommend Alexandra Vasti. Her debut novel, Ne’er Duke Well is entertaining and immersive and I can’t wait to read more from this author.

The protagonists are Peter Kent, the Duke of Stanhope, and Lady Selina Ravencroft. Raised in Louisiana, Peter inherited the title a few months back, but he has already made a name for himself arguing in parliament against slavery, making an enemy of the man who will decide whether he will get custody of his half-brother and sister. He asks Selina for help, since he’s seen her matchmaking and resolving problems for many people of the ton. Selina’s solution is that Peter should marry a respectable woman who will put him in a positive light and she finds him three perfect candidates. However, the more time they spend together, the more Peter and Selina are attracted to each other, but Selina is hiding a secret: for the last two years, she’s been managing an erotic library destined to women and, if it is discovered that she’s the one behind the publication of books that half the ton is secretly reading, the scandal would affect not only her, but also those close to her.

I loved this book so much that I read it one day. There is humour, spicy scenes, two entertaining children who often get into trouble, and a cast of secondary characters that I couldn’t help but adore. Peter and Selina are two fantastic protagonists. I loved the chemistry between them, their easy relationship and how they are ready to do anything for the custody of the children. 

Ne’er Duke Well is a well-written, witty, steamy slow-burn romance and I couldn’t put it down!

I huge thank you to Corvus and NetGalley for providing me with a proof of this beautiful novel.

Alexandra Vasti loves coffee, beignets, and books, in no particular order. She is the author of the Halifax Hellions series. In between writing swoony Regency romances with hijinks and heart, she teaches British and Caribbean literature in New Orleans.

Publication: 11th July 2024 – Tor UK

Every home needs a little magic . . .

Kiela has always had trouble dealing with people, and as librarian at the Great Library of Alyssium, she hasn’t had to.

She and her assistant, Caz, a sentient spider plant, have spent most of the last eleven years sequestered among the empire’s precious spellbooks, protecting the magic for the city’s elite. But a revolution is brewing and when the library goes up in flames, Kiela and Caz steal whatever books they can and flee to the faraway island where she grew up. But to her dismay, in addition to a nosy – and very handsome – neighbour, she finds the town in disarray.

The empire has slowly been draining power from the island, and now Kiela is determined to make things right. But opening up her own spellshop comes with its own risks – the consequence of sharing magic with commoners is death. And as Kiela starts to make a place for herself among the townspeople, she realizes she must break down the walls she has kept so high . . .

From award-winning author Sarah Beth Durst, The Spellshop is a cottagecore cosy fantasy following a woman’s unexpected journey through the low-stakes market of illegal spell-selling and the high-risk business of starting over.

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When the revolution breaks out, Kiela, an introverted librarian, thinks only of saving the books from the library where she works and returns to the island where she was born in the company of her best friend, Caz, a sentient spider plant. She plans to lead a quiet and inconspicuous life, just her, Caz, and the spell books she shouldn’t have taken, but things don’t go accordingly. First, her kind and handsome, but, too curious neighbour doesn’t leave her alone, offering her food and help fixing the house, and then the other islanders seem eager to welcome her and become her friend. And that’s how she finds herself opening a jam shop, which is actually a spell shop, as she covertly uses the spells in the books as remedies to help heal the island.

The Spellshop was such a fun and immersive read. A cozy fantasy with a little magic and the right amount of romance, friendship and found family, and even some suspenseful moments that kept me completely immersed in the story. I loved the atmospheric setting of the small village, the plot is well-developed, intriguing, and engaging, and the cast of characters is interesting and delightful. Larran, the helpful neighbour, is adorable. I liked Bryn, Eadie, and Ulina with their Pine Cone Coven and how they all become close friends. And I loved Kiela, her love for her books, her wish to help others, and her bond with Caz, who was my favourite character. 

A witty and heart-warming novel, I can’t recommend The Spellshop enough!

A huge thank you to Tor and NetGalley for providing me with a proof of this beautiful novel.

Sarah Beth Durst is the author of over twenty-five fantasy books for adults, teens, and kids, including The Queens of Renthia series, Drink Slay Love, and Spark. She has won an American Library Association Alex Award and a Mythopoeic Fantasy Award and has been a finalist for the Andre Norton Nebula Award three times. She lives in Stony Brook, New York, with her husband, her children, and her ill-mannered cat. Visit her at www.sarahbethdurst.com.

Publication: 18th July 2024 – Pushkin Children’s Books

Chrysantha Stathos has won. By hiding her intelligence and ambition behind the mask of a beautiful air-headed girl, she has become a wealthy duchess. And, once her elderly husband dies, she will have all the freedom, money, and safety she’s ever wanted. Or so she thought. A man claiming to be the estranged grandson of Chrysantha’s lecherous late husband has turned up to steal her inheritance. To make matters worse, her little sister is going to be queen and is rubbing it in her face. Chrysantha decides that the only thing to do is upstage Alessandra at her own wedding. And as for this grandson, he has to go. Never mind that he’s extremely handsome and secretive with mysterious powers… No, Chrysantha wants Eryx Demos dead, and in the end, a Stathos girl always gets what she wants.

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Chrysantha Stathos thought she had won against her younger sister Alessandra. She married a rich old duke who will die soon – although he is taking his sweet time – leaving her wealthy and free to do whatever she wants. And then her sister announces her wedding to the Shadow King. Luckily, Chrysantha is finally rid of the odious duke and Alessandra may be the future queen, but Chrysantha is now free and happy at her country mansion with her books and her friends. Also, she has every intention of making a memorable appearance at the royal wedding, probably on the arm of a handsome young man. And then Eryx arrives. He claims to be the old man’s grandson and heir and the current duke, but Chrysantha is convinced that he is hiding something. And she’s determined to find out what it is and to get rid of him, too. 

I read The Shadow Between Us a few years ago and I loved how ruthless and determined Alessandra was. And Chrysantha is the same. In fact, despite their rivalry, the two sisters are quite similar. All her life, Chrysantha has pretended to be someone she was not: invisible, underestimated, men noticed her only for her beauty, never for her brain. But all this time, she’s been plotting for her independence and she has no intention to give it up for a young big man, no matter how handsome and charming he is. 

The Darkness Within Us is an intriguing and entertaining read. You don’t need to have read The Shadow Between Us to enjoy it, but I highly recommend them both as they feature two strong female protagonists who stop at nothing to get what they want, including murder!

A huge thank you to Pushkin Children’s Books and NetGalley for providing me with a proof of the novel.

Tricia Levenseller is from a small town in Oregon and now lives next to the Rocky Mountains in Utah with her bossy dog, Rosy. When she’s not writing or reading, Tricia enjoys putting together jigsaw puzzles, playing Overwatch, and watching her favorite TV shows while eating extra-buttered popcorn. Her books include Daughter of the Pirate King, its sequel Daughter of the Siren Queen, Warrior of the Wild, The Shadow Between Us, Blade of Secrets and its sequel Master of Iron, all published or forthcoming from Pushkin Press.

Publication: 27th June 2024 – Storm Publishing

When intrepid reporter Abigail Dixon swaps Paris for an English manor to cover the wedding of the year, she expects afternoon tea on the lawn and cocktails in the drawing room, not a man lying dead in a stream and a woman strangled by her own silk stockings.

Spring 1925. Abigail Dixon arrives in Somerset to report on the high-society wedding of an American car tycoon’s son and an English aristocrat’s daughter. But when a man is murdered on a trout-fishing expedition, and with the quaint village abuzz with gossip of a local woman discovered dead in London, Abigail quickly finds herself entangled in a web of murder and scandal.

As she investigates, Abigail unearths some dark secrets lurking within Darrington Manor and clues linking the two murders. From the lovelorn estate manager to a tight-lipped butler and local mechanic with an axe to grind, everyone is a possible suspect.

Determined to expose the culprit, and with danger lurking at every turn, can Abigail unveil the truth before the ‘wedding of the year’ becomes the obituary column?

Fans of Agatha Christie and Downton Abbey will devour this page-turning 1920s whodunit brimming with twists, red herrings, and charming period detail.

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I am a big fan of 1920s historical mystery novels and I think I’ve found a new favourite in the Abigail Dixon series by Nancy Warren. The protagonist of this series is a twenty-something American journalist expatriated to Paris to work for the Chicago International Post. Abigail dreams of being an investigative reporter, but her editor wants her to write for the women’s section about society and fashion. Her latest assignment takes her to Somerset to cover the wedding between the daughter of a duke and the son of an American car magnate. Abigail expects a week of dull festivities and writing about food and wedding clothes, not a series of mysterious and unfortunate “accidents” followed by the murder of one of the guests. Who would have wanted the victim dead? Is there a killer among the residents of Darrington Manor? And is this murder linked to the death in London of a former maid a week before? Abigail has every intention to find out.

I haven’t read the first book in the series, yet, so I can tell you that it can be easily read as a stand-alone. The story is very well-written and developed and the characters are quite intriguing. Abigail is not interested in writing about weddings and fashion and she doesn’t let her editor’s objections stop her from reporting a murder. She involves herself in the investigation and teams up with Inspector Henri Dechamps (who she first met in the first book and is a guest at the wedding) to solve the murder. I enjoyed her relationship with her flatmate and close friend Vivianne who, in time of need, turns into a personal maid and informer for her and the appearance from fashion designer Coco Chanel.

Death at Darrington Manor is an immersive and enjoyable cozy mystery and I am looking forward to reading more of Abigail’s adventures!

A huge thank you to Storm Publishing and NetGalley for providing me with a proof of the novel.

Nancy’s a USA today bestselling author of more than 100 novels. Nancy’s originally from Vancouver, Canada but she tends to wander. When she’s not writing, she’s hiking, skiing, traveling or sipping wine. She’s appeared on the front page of the New York Times (when her book, Speed Dating launched Harlequin’s NASCAR series), has been a clue in a crossword puzzle (National Post, Canada) and she’s been a finalist for the RITA award three times, honored by Romantic Times Magazine. She started her career as a romance author but lately is best known for her quirky cozy mysteries like The Vampire Knitting Club.