Let me share some exciting news. Love is definitely in the air!
My new story Operation Scoundrel is out! It was published on October 5th in the anthology The Regency Abduction Club. There are passionate stories by eight other authors. If you prefer a sweeter story then The Regency K’nappers Club features seven charming stories.
So of course, I’ve been thinking and reading about love, but to keep things interesting I’ve read some cosy crime and a memoir.
My cats have been most offended as workmen have been in the house, and the cats had to be confined in the sunroom. TV didn’t have a lot of appeal, it was still chilly, so curling up with a good book and a cat on my lap was often how I spent my evenings.
The Perfect Match by Katie Fforde.
The wonderfully romantic new novel from the No. 1 Sunday Times bestselling author of Recipe for Love.
Three years ago Bella Castle left her home town nursing a broken heart over Dominic Thane, the man she fell in love with but couldn’t have …
Now she’s made a new life for herself in the country, working as an estate agent.
Bella loves her job and she loves her boyfriend Nevil. But recently he’s been preoccupied, and she’s starting to question if his future hopes and dreams are a perfect match for hers.
And when Dominic turns up unexpectedly in search of his dream house, she begins to wonder if home is really where the heart is. But she’s over him, isn’t she?
My Review.
This was on my bookshelves for ages and as I wanted to read something light but readable, I chose it. Likeable characters with problems you can relate to. Bella, an estate agent whose talent is to matchmake houses to house hunters. Engaged to her boss Nevil, who doesn’t seem to appreciate her or her talents. Jane, whose lovely home is too big for her, but who can’t bear to leave her garden. Alice, whose life has got a bit stale, until she meets a man on a train. Characters I cared about with relatable problems and of course a happily ever after.
Um, Where is Belize? By Rod Baker.
“Cars are the sculptures of our everyday lives.” – Chris Bangle
This very sentiment inspired me to sculpt my life differently — at least once — to use my car for something other than going back and forth to the grocery store, work, or favoured restaurant. We live in the era of the motorised carriage; we all have them. Ever fantasize about hopping into your car with a few sandwiches and a map, driving past your work, the grocery store, and beyond everything you know? Driving as fast and far as you can every day for a week and see where you end up? Leaving the safe parameters of your life to find the shape of your life? “Um, where is Belize” is that story.
As days of non-stop driving are unsafe, I talked my cousin, whom I had never met, into joining me. After I had sold him on the virtues of a trip to Belize, he gave me the title of the book. “Um, where is Belize?”
.My Review.
Bored with the Canadian winter and the sluggish workload at his boat repair yard, Rod decides to check out Belize. A small English-speaking country in South America. He’s heard that the climate is great and considers relocating his work and family there. After somehow convincing his wife it’s a good idea, Rod meets up with a long-lost cousin Nick to share the driving and expenses.
From then on, it’s a boy’s own trip accompanied by a George Michael and Abba soundtrack. The guys take the driving in shifts and are open to new experiences. They cross the USA and drive through Mexico, practising their almost non-existent Spanish. Huevos Rancheros is their standby meal. It’s the only one they know and can pronounce. El Presidente Brandy for breakfast? Sure! Why not? When Rod finds out that Nick doesn’t have any money, that carefree vibe becomes somewhat strained.
Finally, they reach Belize, and its laid-back charm and friendly people appeal. Rod’s visit to the boatyard dampens his enthusiasm, as does his limited cash and inability to make his phone card work to phone home. It’s not been the trip Rod expected. They take a detour through the jungle, explore the barrier reef, enjoy the hospitality of Hank and Jane try a Tarzan swing over a river and horse riding. Both of which are more dangerous than they imagined,
After three weeks, with money and interest running out they make the trip back home. An encounter with a portion of the Mexican army gifts them a hitchhiker armed with rifle. He leaves them, and then Nick leaves. Rod is determined to push on to home and family. An unforgettable trip, but one that reinforced his wish for home and stability.
The Real Katie Lavender by Erica James.
At 30, Katie Lavender thinks she is better than most when it comes to dealing with life’s surprises. But when she gets a request to visit a solicitor, she’s not expecting the dramatic turn her life is about to take. There, she receives a letter from her deceased mother that literally changes everything she ever knew about herself… The Real Katie Lavender is the delightful, sparkling new novel from Sunday Times bestseller Erica James.
My Review.
Katie Lavender receives a mysterious letter, which turns everything she knows on its head. At 30 she’s set to make life-changing decisions. The complexities of families are investigated. How a family dynamic is altered by the choices of family members. Although the tone is light-hearted, serious topics are explored sensitively, including suicide and infidelity. I enjoyed it.
The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels by India Holten
Book 1 Dangerous Damsels
A prim and proper lady thief must save her aunt from a crazed pirate and his dangerously charming henchman in this fantastical historical romance.
Cecilia Bassingwaite is the ideal Victorian lady. She’s also a thief. Like the other members of the Wisteria Society crime sorority, she flies around England drinking tea, blackmailing friends, and acquiring treasure by interesting means. Sure, she has a dark and traumatic past and an overbearing aunt, but all things considered, it’s a pleasant existence. Until the men show up.
Ned Lightbourne is a sometimes assassin who is smitten with Cecilia from the moment they meet. Unfortunately, that happens to be while he’s under direct orders to kill her. His employer, Captain Morvath, who possesses a gothic abbey bristling with cannons and an unbridled hate for the world, intends to rid England of all its presumptuous women, starting with the Wisteria Society. Ned has plans of his own. But both men have made one grave mistake. Never underestimate a woman.
When Morvath imperils the Wisteria Society, Cecilia is forced to team up with her handsome would-be assassin to save the women who raised her–hopefully proving, once and for all, that she’s as much of a scoundrel as the rest of them.
My Review.
The title held great appeal and I really wanted to like this book. It’s a steampunk madcap adventure, some of which made me chuckle. Ned is a likeable rogue of a hero and Ceceila is taken with his charms if only he wasn’t trying to kill her. Somehow, I couldn’t suspend my disbelief, so the book didn’t work for me, but it could for you.
Murder Most Royal By S.J Bennett.
324 pages, Paperback
First published June 15, 2021
December 2016 – A severed hand is found washed up on a beach next to the Queen’s estate at Sandringham. Elizabeth has become quite accustomed to solving even the most complex of murders. And though she quickly identifies the 70-year-old victim, Edward St Cyr, from his signet ring, the search for his killer is not so straightforward. St Cyr led an unconventional, often controversial life, making many enemies along the way in the quiet, rural world of North Norfolk, where everyone knows each other’s business.
But when a second man is found dead, and a prominent local woman is nearly killed in a hit-and-run, the mystery takes an even darker turn. With the Christmas break coming to an end, the Queen and her trusted assistant Rozie must race to discover how the pieces of the puzzle fit together. Or the next victim may be found even closer to home.
My Review.
It’s just too unsettling, while HM the Queen is at home in Norfolk for the Christmas break. All should be calm and ordered, just the way she likes it, until the unpleasantness of a severed hand turned up. Worse, it belongs to someone she knows. It calls for a little investigating and between them The Queen and Rozie manage to pre-empt the police to a solution.
Lady Amelia’s Scandalous Secret by Eva Shepherd.
Her rival in business…her suitor in Society!
When debutante Lady Amelia Lambourne is presented to self-made entrepreneur Leo Devenish at a Society dinner, he has no idea she has a scandalous secret: that she runs a magazine for women! He may be charismatic and handsome, but she knows he’s keen to take over her magazine. So, she permits him to court her, but only to keep her enemy as close as possible…
My Review.
The idea that a woman can have opinions is deemed ridiculous, while a woman owning a magazine is simply unheard of. Lady Amelia is keen to keep it that way, but when Leo accidentally gives her an idea to increase her magazine’s circulation, she simply cannot resist trying it. Sparks fly as these well-matched antagonists do battle for love and money. I wasn’t keen on this cover. What do you think?
A Week with the Best Man by Ally Blake.
One week……with the guy she’s desperate to resist! Returning home isn’t something buttoned-up businesswoman Harper Addison does often. She’s too focused on earning money to support her family. Now she’s back to be her sister’s maid of honour – which means spending a lot of time with the best man, her teenage crush Cormac Wharton. The laid-back billionaire sees far too much of the real her – but surely, she can resist his charms for just one week…
My Review.
Harper Addison has made it big; she’s determined and focused and wouldn’t take time out of her schedule for anyone but her younger sister. Unfortunately, this puts her closer to Cormac Wharton than she would like. But what could happen in a week, anyway? Had she got him wrong all those years ago?
Rescuing You for Christmas by Judy Leslie.
Paige dreams of a white Christmas in Leavenworth, Washington, with her five-year-old daughter, but those dreams are dashed when a treacherous spin on the icy road lands her car in a snowbank.
Fortunately, a handsome stranger stops to give her a lift to the cabin she rented. But the place turns out to be a dilapidated building with no electricity.
Matt Holloway is a bachelor who enjoys his space and freedom. But not wanting to abandon Paige in the snow, he reluctantly offers to let her, and her daughter stay with him until Paige’s car is repaired. However, their presence turns his life upside down.
As the snow falls, the fire crackles, and the smell of freshly baked cookies fills the air, a connection forms that neither Paige nor Matt can ignore. But a holiday fling is not what they want, and Paige has a daughter to consider. Besides, there’s no way Matt is getting involved with a city gal. He understands the risks of giving in to his growing desires.
Paige is leaving on Christmas day, and then they will return to their old lives. That’s what they both want—or at least that’s what they keep telling themselves.
Set against the backdrop of the magical winter wonderland of the mountains of Leavenworth, Washington, this charming Christmas story will have you curling up with a cup of cider by the fireplace, dreaming of being snowed in with someone you find irresistible.
Published September 2, 2023
My Review.
I loved this book; it gave me all the Christmas feels and it isn’t even Christmas! Devoted single mum Paige has promised her daughter a magical Christmas. Crashing her car isn’t in their plans, and when rescuer Matt drives her to the cabin she rented, it’s a wreck.
Forced together by circumstances, Matt offers Paige a place to stay. They get along surprisingly well. But this isn’t what either of them wants, is it? Both have their own reasons why it shouldn’t work. Even if their hearts are telling them that it does. I received an ARC of this book and I’m voluntarily leaving a review.
What else is happening? I’m doing a couple of courses, and have plans to read and write a lot more. In the mostly unexpected department,-I’m also writing a memoir as well as planning my next Regency story.
I submitted a story to the anthology Love for Maui that’s due out in November. All writers will donate their royalties to a charity in Maui.
Maybe it’s time to treat yourself or a friend to a little romance?
https://books2read.com/Abdu – Sexy one
https://books2read.com/knapp – Sweet one
“Two-much” Regency romance is barely enough….
May your hearts be full, your home full of love and may you always have time to read and enjoy a good book. Until next time.
Sonia Bellhouse- Author. 