Gina Parrish

I wanted to read a Christmas mystery and I didn’t want it to be cheesy. This one met my expectations.

It is a classic English country house mystery, very much in the golden age style of detective fiction. The writing is witty and the characters are lively, which made it an entertaining read, but the plotting is slow and repetitive and the reader stays far ahead of the detectives for much of the novel.

I usually don’t mind having it all figured out by the end, but in this one the answer is so obvious and yet the detective keeps saying, “What can the answer be? I feel like it’s staring me in the face!”Tell me about it. Overall, it was a fun read but nothing exceptional.

On a side note, I have read a couple of Georgette Heyer’s romances too, and she’s a good writer of both romance and mystery, but one theme she seems to favor (spoiler?) is cousins getting together romantically, which bothers me since she wrote this in the 1940s. There’s an ick factor there and I don’t understand why they had to be related at all.

I read this as a horror pick for October. It was well-written, though not particularly enjoyable to read because of the subject matter. It was more sad and disturbing to me than scary. I think if the author would’ve emphasized the whispering element more, which was probably the scariest element, it would’ve been a lot creepier. Still a good book though.

I think that this may have been the best in this series so far, despite the fact that it lulled in the middle and I guessed the ending. The plot was satisfying and the author actually laid out clues along the way so that you could try to solve the mystery too, which hasn't been the case for a few of the other books. It was also fun to read how the denouement played out. I went back and forth about whether or not I was satisfied with the motive for the murder. I think I landed on it as interesting. As usual, the relationship between the protagonists was frustrating but maybe it would be boring otherwise.

This was a well-written addition to the series. It had a strong plot and mystery and the characters had some development, which makes it a strong read, but the subject matter didn't capture me as much with this one. I have never been a fan of the gangsters in the series and this one felt like all gangsters. I just don't root for Archie and Iris, no matter how much I am supposed to. As a matchmaker, I think she should choose better for herself. That plus the amount of detailed snooker games I had to read about (I read another snooker themed mystery not too long ago... had the same reaction but can't remember which it was) and this wasn't the book for me. Still, I enjoyed it. It just didn't thrill me the way I want a mystery to.

This was one of the better mysteries in the series but it remains frustrating how the author doesn't give you much to go on. I wanted more clues, more red herrings. Amory's false “solve” at the end was frankly ridiculous, especially considering she had no real evidence. Sometimes she comes off as stupid and completely oblivious. And the relationship between Milo and Amory... it was as if the author was determined not to put them on rocky ground this time, but then it wasn't as engaging as it could've been. Milo lies to Amory the whole novel but she's determined to trust him.

This was a lightly entertaining short story that took place in Capri. It was okay, but didn't give any special insight into the characters or anything. The mystery itself was okay. It was too short to really create layers. Usually with stories like these I hope to get deeper with the characters or learn something about them but that wasn't the case here.

As per usual with this series I really enjoyed reading it but I found the mystery elements to be a tad lacking. I want more clues, red herrings, details about the suspects, etc., so I can suss out the mystery myself. Of course, I guessed the murderer in this one a long way off, despite the layers of complications. Still, it may have been the best mystery of the ones so far, only I didn't find the romance elements as compelling in this one. Armory and Miles were charming together as usual, but their relationship wasn't much of a plot point in this one. I did find that having some of Amory's old school friends there was a bit of a missed opportunity as well, since we didn't get many more insights into her character.

I enjoy this series, though I have to admit this one had some bumpy parts. The romance elements worked for me, even though I prefer my ratio of mystery to romance to be more like 80/20 and this series tends to feel more like 50/50.

The mystery part in this one could've used some work. There were more clues than the last installment, which I liked, but it was also fairly obvious who committed the murder. I don't always hate guessing the murderer, but in this case it felt like the protagonist was an oblivious idiot to not piece it together.

Speaking of, this time I went back and forth between the print version and the audio book. The narrator in the audio book does some voices well, but not the voice of the protagonist. Since the book is in first person, that made things rough. Her voice sounded fake and annoying most of the time, and the narrator seemed unable to voice the subtext in a lot of the banter.

So I enjoyed it but I wanted it to be even better.

I struggle to rate this series because, while I enjoy it, I am not a fan of the writing itself so I find myself torn. The history, plots, and characters I love. The words I read on the page? Meh.

The text tends to be redundant, with some exceptions grades and concepts being repeated over and over ad nauseum, like Latin phrases (see what I did there?), the power of love and friendship, and the war between logic and intuition. Sometimes different characters think the exact same thing in almost the exact same wording, which seems odd. They can't all have the same perspective and it would be nice to have some disagreement.

Nonetheless, I rated this one four stars because, of all the ones I've read in this series, this one felt like the best. Still, I only pick this series up when I am looking for an easy read to pick up next.

I'm a fan of the Electra McDonnell novels so I thought I'd give this series a try. I must say I think the author has come a long way in her writing since her debut novel. Not that it wasn't worthwhile reading, but I felt this one could've used some more aggressive editing, cutting unnecessary sentences and paragraphs, as well as some better mystery plotting.

It was about 50-50 mystery and romance but the romance bits were much more engaging than the mystery—and I am reading it more for the mystery.

I particularly felt like the author held her cards too close to her chest with regard to the characters. I didn't really learn anything notable about them until the reveal at the end. Up until then I didn't have many theories about who did it because I didn't know enough backstory about the characters to feel like they had any motive, and she didn't really create a distinct path of clues to follow.

I am always skeptical when authors are compared to Agatha Christie because they are almost never like her at all—her name is just a buzzword—but one way the author differs from her predecessor is that Christie much more focused on stringing together the mystery plot. It pieces together like a puzzle. This one didn't.

I engaged with the protagonists and the relationships so I intend to keep reading the series. I am hoping the mystery elements improve over time.

I enjoyed it but I wanted more from it. Many of the characters' problems could've been solved with a simple conversation. Though I liked them, the main couple didn't get many sweet moments. We did get several surprising moments detailing the horrors of poverty in London in the Regency period, animal and child cruelty, and the perils of gambling addiction. I felt there was a huge double standard there as well between Arabella and her brother that didn't get explored. Anyway, it was good but not outstanding.

I love this series so this one was another great addition for me. My only complaint would be that the plot was not as action packed as the last ones. In fact, it really felt like a set up for the next book more than anything. But since I am so invested with the characters I didn't mind all that much. Looking forward to continuing.

Great book, great addition to the series. It kept me on my toes the whole time. I particularly loved all the action.

Loved the last one, loved this one. I like the pacing, the characters, the writing style, and the subject matter. It's not overly dramatic but holds tension. The romance in this one was less at the forefront and I liked that too. Overall, I'm hooked!

Another great addition to the series. Bulgaria was an interesting locale and I liked the cast of characters. Fun and short, great for bookclub.

This novel ticked a lot of boxes for me. I usually read mysteries but I love a good heist too so the idea of a safe-cracking spy appealed to me. The espionage parts of the book were really fun and kept the plot moving, and the romantic bits, while I didn't expect them, weren't too over the top so I got on board. The only things that bothered me were how ridiculously good-looking all the characters were and how the major had color-changing eyes... once I noticed the pattern I burst out laughing every time she mentioned how they turned a different nonexistent shade. I'm looking forward to continuing with the series.

I keep reading these books because they are easy and not too gritty but they are just okay. This one didn't hold my attention as much. The history was interesting but the explanations about economics were dry and complicated and lecture-like. I'll probably read the next one out of laziness more than anything but this series doesn't have me hooked as much as I would like.

This is the kind of book that I wish I could give a five star review to, but something about it fell short for me.

I picked it up for the action and adventure since that is a genre that seems difficult for me to find in books and it delivered. It was exciting and full of fights and flights and drama. But something about it also felt artificial, like the author was catering to the publisher more than the readers.

It also fell short in its treatment of women. While having a decent amount of women characters, they seemed to all fall within the well-worn stereotypes (e.g. prostitute with a heart of gold, crazy old hag, evil witch, beautiful and naive virgin, victim wife). This may have also added to why it felt artificial. Many of the female characters served a purpose to the story but lacked nuance.

Then there was that (approved by the author) nonconsensual sex scene. The very idea that forcing someone into sex could heal them of deep emotional wounds riled me. Gender does not matter, if someone says “stop” over and over again, you stop. You do not tie them up, force them to comply, then claim you did them a favor.

Add in the animal cruelty (not approved by the author, but still very disturbing) and I finished off reading a well-written book feeling a tad disappointed. Still, I may read the second one.

I found this one more entertaining and less complicated than the last one, though the solution wasn't all that interesting. I particularly liked the setting and the introduction of Teddy Quillfeather.

It may be because I am on a deadline to finish this series before my kindle unlimited trial runs out, but this one wasn't my favorite. The plot felt over complicated and relied too much on a single detail (who was where over the course of three minutes). In order to fit in so many red herrings and plot twists, there wasn't as much character development, so I didn't care much about solving the murders. Despite it being as long as the others, I kept thinking “get on with it already.” It wasn't bad, just the best in the series.

I don't usually read these for the mysteries as much as the light entertainment but I did enjoy the mystery of this one more than the others. Most of them feel too complicated to solve myself but this one felt more balanced. I am not a whiskey drinker but I still stayed interested. By now I am not so captivated by the cutesy titles and ridiculous sobriquets but I enjoy the tone and voice of the stories and I am a sucker for a mystery.

This may be my favorite in the series so far. I didn't find myself getting confused by the names or the overcomplicated plot. The setting was lovely and I enjoyed meeting some new characters.

The circus theme... was fine. Unfortunately, for anybody reading this that doesn't know, there was a real electrocution of an elephant named Topsy at Coney Island in 1903. She killed a drunk spectator who reportedly abused her and the circus decided they could no longer handle her “bad” behavior. The event was by invitation only and filmed by the Edison company in one of the first early films. I had to watch it for one of my classes in film school and I am still scarred by it. Spoiler alert, no harm comes to the elephant in this book, on page at least, but I kept reliving that film in my mind, which I didn't like.

Other than that I am happy with this installment in the series and look forward to continuing.

I liked this one better than the last, though I found it difficult keeping the characters straight at times. Every one of them has a silly name and then a silly nickname to go with it and it was hard to keep them straight. I did enjoy the setting and the dip into the supernatural and the plot followed more seamlessly than the last one.

On the surface this one should have kept my attention but I found it slow and needlessly complicated. I had trouble keeping focused and getting into the story because I didn't feel emotionally involved.

I really like this author's writing style and she does an excellent job with plotting and character development, even if it is occasionally predictable. I liked the first in the series better than its sequel but I still felt engaged and curious. I particularly liked that it took place in Bath because I have visited there on my travels.