My Reading Itinerary Monday! – Week #29 – 2022

My Reading Itinerary Monday! – Week #29 – 2022

Welcome to My Reading Itinerary Monday! My reading time took a hit this week when I just couldn’t keep my eyes open. I am hoping to get back on track because I have a full calendar of books this week I need to read. Where are your books taking you this week? I will be traveling to Vermont, South Dakota, and Connecticut! Here’s what I read and what I have planned for this week. Escapes…

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2024 Fantasy Books

This post concentrates on adult fantasy. There will be a separate one for YA. And there will be a second to cover even more at a later date. The Witch and the Rose (Mia Graves #1) by Trae Dorn | 19 / 01 / 24 The Rose House, a Victorian relic in the quaint college town of Parrish Mills, harbors a dark secret. A malevolent spirit haunts its halls, and seeks to claim the home’s newest owner, young…

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#BookReview #TheNubian'sCurse by Barbara Hambly #NetGalley

Publisher: Severn House Publishing date: January 2, 2024 NetGalley Description A cursed statue . . . A haunted house . . . A seemingly supernatural death . . . The unexpected arrival of a friend from his past plunges musician, sleuth and free man of color Benjamin January into an old, unsolved case in this historical mystery set in New Orleans “Outstanding . . . fastidious period detail, and…

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#Blogtour Deach Comes to Santa Fe by Amanda Allen

It’s my turn on the Blogtour Death Comes to Santa Fe by Amanda Allen. About the Author Amanda wrote her first romance at the age of sixteen–a vast historical epic starring all her friends as the characters, written secretly during algebra class (and her parents wondered why math was not her strongest subject…) She’s never since used algebra, but her books have been nominated for many awards,…

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Death Comes to Santa Fe by Amanda Allen (Santa Fe Revival Mystery #3)

Former New York darling turned amateur sleuth Madeline Vaughn-Alwin is once again thrown into a colourful yet deadly web of secrets, lies and soirees to die for!

It's the week of Fiesta in Santa Fe and Maddie is looking forward to enjoying the celebrations. But as 'Old Man Gloom' Zozobra goes up in flames, so too do Maddie's hopes for a carefree life . . . Human remains are found in the dying embers of Zozobra, and then Maddie and her dashing beau Dr David Cole find a body washed up in the arroyo at the edge of town. Soon identified as Ricardo Montoya, a wealthy businessman and head of one of the most affluent families in Santa Fe . . . the plot starts to thicken. While his beautiful wife Catalina and her complicated children seem less than heartbroken at his untimely demise, and with many disgruntled locals crawling out of the woodwork, Maddie is surrounded by suspects. With the celebrations of Fiesta continuing around them, Maddie and her 'Detection Posse' get busy infiltrating the best parties and hobnobbing with old and new faces - but can they bring the murderer to justice before they strike again?

Purchase Links https://www.amazon.com/Death-Comes-Santa-Revival-Mystery-ebook/dp/B0BXPZ9C8P https://www.amazon.co.uk/Death-Comes-Santa-Revival-Mystery-ebook/dp/B0BXPZ9C8P

My Review: This is the third novels in this entertaining series, and it can be read as a stand-alone as there’s a lot of backstory, you will surely want to read the previous novels and I guarantee they’re as likeable as this one. I found the Santa Fe setting intriguing as there’s a lot of info about the history, the places, and the people. There’s a mix of historical and fictional characters and the mix works well. If you want to learn more about the Fiesta or the artists there’s a bibliography at the end of the book. I enjoyed this book as I like Maddie and the cast of characters, there’s a lot of world building and we are introduced to the characters, their relationship, and the atmosphere of the city before the Fiesta. I enjoyed this part, but I think that some less details would have helped and start the proper mystery part sooner. The mystery is solid, twisty, and full of surprises. I couldn’t guess the culprit and enjoyed the storytelling and the story. This is a lovely series, and this is the best instalment so far. I read it as fast as I could, and I can’t wait to read the next story as there could be some big news. Highly recommended Many thanks to Amanda Allen, Severn House and Rachel’s Random Resources for this digital copy, all opinions are mine.

The Author: Amanda wrote her first romance at the age of sixteen--a vast historical epic starring all her friends as the characters, written secretly during algebra class (and her parents wondered why math was not her strongest subject…) She's never since used algebra, but her books have been nominated for many awards, including the RITA Award, the Romantic Times BOOKReviews Reviewers' Choice Award, the Booksellers Best, the National Readers Choice Award, and the Holt Medallion. She lives in Santa Fe with two rescue dogs, a wonderful husband, and a very and far too many books and royal memorabilia collections. When not writing or reading, she loves taking dance classes, collecting cheesy travel souvenirs, and watching the Food Network--even though she doesn't cook.

Social Media Links : https://ammandamccabe.kmcb.site/index.htm Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/amandamccabeauthor/ ) FB https://www.facebook.com/amandamccabebooks TikTok (https://www.tiktok.com/@amandamccabeauthor )

Book Tour: The Dead Will Rise by Chris Nickson

Book Tour: The Dead Will Rise by Chris Nickson @severnhouse @RandomTTours #BookBlog #BookTwt #BookReview #Mystery #HistoricalFiction #HistoricalMystery #Leeds

Thank you Random Things Tours for the chance to read and review The Dead Will Rise by Chris Nickson!  Onto my review: The title should sound familiar to most people. “The dead will rise again” is to quote the bible literally and invokes the Abrahamic concept of how the dead will be brought back to be judged on the day of judgment. You’d be forgiven for thinking that this implies the book may…

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The Man in the Shadows by Alys Clare

The Man in the Shadows by Alys Clare

A World’s End Bureau Victorian Mystery Private investigators Lily Raynor and Felix Wilbraham tackle a puzzling miscarriage of justice and the curious case of a missing child, in the new, gripping World’s End Bureau Victorian mystery. London, August 1881. After a difficult few months, the World’s End Investigation Bureau is thriving. Affairs, sex scandals, divorces . . . Lily Raynor is delighted…

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#MidweekMystery: The Fragrance of Death by Leslie Karst

Restaurateur Sally Solari has a nose for trouble, but when her sense of smell goes missing, it’s not just her career on the line . . . it’s her life. @LeslieKarst

Restaurateur Sally Solari has a nose for trouble, but when her sense of smell goes missing, it’s not just her career on the line . . . it’s her life.The Fragrance of DeathTweet After getting mixed up in one too many murders, Sally Solari has noticed her nonna’s friends have taken to crossing themselves when they see her in the street. Adding to her woes, a sinus infection has knocked out her…

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The Abdication of Mary, Queen of Scots. By Joseph Severn.

this isn't a question i've been specifically asked, but people have sent in questions about keats's appearance before, so i thought i'd share these little tidbits i recently learned at the keats-shelley house :') someone did ask about people going a little bit insane about keats's hair, so as an add-on to that, here's a bit of what bailey described as feeling like "the rich plumage of a bird":

someone also once asked about his proportions (spoilers: he was Small), and these are two little sketches i'd never seen before made by severn of keats reading. they were dated at around 1818, so he was healthy then, and appears to have been a "no two feet on the floor at any given moment" kind of person.

Pathology

Photograph © Maria Stadnicka August 2023. River. Traces of Life. Pathology In early autumn, mornings begin with the same letter and most things go on so suddenly, they strike you as brutal. You forget names and places where both, the self and the other, stood counting insect bites. The ashes of summer wakefulness, squeezed between palms pushing against low skies.    One is taller, one…

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The Fragrance of Death (A Sally Solari Mystery) by Leslie Karst #Spotlight / #Giveaway - Great Escapes Book Tour @LeslieKarst

The Fragrance of Death (A Sally Solari Mystery) by Leslie Karst #Spotlight / #Giveaway – Great Escapes Book Tour @LeslieKarst

The Fragrance of Death (A Sally Solari Mystery) by Leslie Karst I am very happy to shine my spotlights on The Fragrance of Death today! About The Fragrance of Death The Fragrance of Death (A Sally Solari Mystery) Cozy Mystery 5th in Series Setting – California Severn House; Main edition (August 2, 2022) Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 224 pages ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1448309034 ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1448309030 Digital ASIN…

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Haughmond Castle, Uffington, Shropshire

Sundorne House in Shropshire was the seat of the Corbet family and the estate included the picturesque ruin of Haughmond Abbey. In 1774 John Corbet added a dramatic eye-catcher to the ensemble – a sham castle on the summit of Haughmond Hill. (more…) “”

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Blogtour A Dark Steel Death by Chris Nickson

Blogtour A Dark Steel Death by Chris Nickson

It’s a pleasure to take part in the BlogTour A Dark Steel Death by Chris Nickson. About the Author Chris Nickson is the author of nine previous Tom Harper mysteries, seven highly acclaimed novels in the Richard Nottingham series, and four Simon Westow mysteries. He is also a well-known music journalist. He lives in his beloved Leeds. Follow @ChrisNickson2 on Twitter About the book Tom Harper…

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In the Shadow of the Bull by Eleanor Kuhns (An Ancient Crete Mystery #1)

ANCIENT CRETE, 1450 BC. IN A WORLD OF GODDESS WORSHIP, SACRED SNAKES AND SACRIFICE, HUMAN JEALOUSY, RESENTMENT, AND BETRAYAL STILL RUN WILD . . .

When her sister Arge drops to the floor in convulsions and dies at her wedding, fifteen-year-old Martis, a young poet and bull leaper in training, is certain she was murdered. The prime suspect is the groom, Saurus, from the Greek mainland, but when Arge’s shade visits Martis, swearing Saurus is not the murderer, Martis vows to uncover the truth.

As Martis begins asking questions, she discovers that while Arge may have had no secrets, many of the people around her certainly do.

MY REVIEW:

This is the year of Crete: a blog tour made me organise a travel to Heraklion and another blog tour makes me travel to those places I recently visited. It was a pleasure to read this book as the images of the places, the smells and the atmosphere are still fresh in mind and it was like visiting the places and travel back in time. This a good historical novel as there’s a vivid and well researched historical background. It bring us to an age when the Minoan civilization was at the top and we get to know Martis, a young women who is poet and a bull leaper in training. One of Martis’ sister is killed on the day of her wedding and Martis will start to investigate trying to understand who-did-it. Eleanor Kuhn writes solid mysteries and this was quite good. Martis is a clever woman and she’s able to investigate without being too reckless. The historical part plays a relevant role as the different people of the Mediterranean area and the continental Greece are featured with their customs and their prejudices. It’s hard to imagine how it was 3500 years ago, the Minoan civilization is still a bit mysterious as the Linear A, their way of writing, is not deciphered yet. I liked how Ms Kuhn developed her version of this civilization keeping track of what we know. One note: Martis is 15 and, I suppose, a woman of 15 was a grown-up woman even if she acts like a very young woman at times. I hope to read soon other books in this series and catch up with Martis. This one is highly recommended. Many thanks to Eleanor Kuhn, Severn House and Partners In Crime Tours for this digital copy, all opinions are mine

Genre: Historical Mystery Published by: Severn House Publication Date: July 2023 Number of Pages: 224 ISBN: 9781448310869 (ISBN10: 1448310865) Series: An Ancient Crete Mystery (#1) Book Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | BookShop.org | Goodreads | Severn House

The Author:

Eleanor Kuhns is the 2011 winner of the Minotaur/Mystery Writers of America first mystery prize for A Simple Murder. That was the first in the Will Rees series. She went on to write ten more. In the Shadow of the Bull is the first in the Ancient Crete Mystery series.

Catch up with Eleanor Kuhns

WWW.ELEANOR-KUHNS.COM

GOODREADS

BOOKBUB

INSTAGRAM – @EDL0829

TWITTER – @ELEANORKUHNS

FACEBOOK – @WRITERKUHNS

GET MORE GREAT READS AT PARTNERS IN CRIME TOURS

Clevedon Somerset Via Flickr: Clevedon is a small seaside town of approx 25,000 population. It grew in the Victorian Era as a popular seaside resort, and has many fine Victorian Villas along it's hillside location. This shot shows the small yachts of the Clevedon Sailing Club and some of the hillside houses. The word 'seaside; is perhaps a litttle ambitious as its coast is really the Bristol Channel, River Severn estuary, which has a massive tidal range and is the reason why the "sea" is always a brown silty colour, but despite this, fishing from it's famous victorian pier is very popular and several species can be caught.