Book review : Christmas on the Home Front by Roland Moore

Christmas on the Home Front
Land Girls book #3
by Roland Moore
GENRE : #Christmas-war-time-fiction

My rating: ★★★☆☆
Actually 3.5 is my rating.

Looking for a historical romance? Then skip to another book!
Looking for a fiction with strong and stubborn women and a bit of suspense ? Then it could be the book for you.

__PLOT IN SHORT ___ England. Christmas 1944
All the land girls of Pasture Farm, Connie Carter, Joyce Fisher and Esther Reeves hope this could be the last Christmas of this dreaded war.
But as the day approaches, word spreads in sleepy Helmstead that two German Airmen are on the run.
With everyone on alert, the atmosphere is tense and at a certain point the situation becomes really heated because the girls will find themselves face to face with the enemy...

________ *** _______ *** ________

Usually this kind of book/series offers passionate love stories with a little drama, set in times of war... It was what I expected together with a Christmas atmosphere made of simple things, deep feelings and emotions and touching moments involving not only the couple protagonist, but also the other side characters.

None of this!
Unexpectedly, this book led me to experience an adventure made up of reckless women, suspense and danger alternating with a little action, two villains, one of whom is declared and the other sneaky and hidden in the shadows and a nice (and absolutely unexpected) surprise in the happy ending.
All of this made it an ENGAGING and exciting READ.

__ MAIN CHARACTERS ___ the protagonists of this book are 3 girls who work on a farm during the war, they were in fact "Land Girls" (those girls and women, coming from all social classes, who replaced male farm workers who had gone to war.)

I really liked the atmosphere of camaraderie that formed between these women and girls, of different ages, who found themselves united in a common effort to help their country.
I liked the atmosphere of sacrifice mixed with the anxiety of the uncertainty of the future, because nowadays (at least in Western countries and not at war) we take everything for granted and we complain about every little thing and every little lack, not thinking that life is just a flutter of wings.
I liked seeing how these women, despite everything, were animated by tenacity, good will and resilience and I liked seeing how they took the position head on, but always thinking first of not endangering the people they loved.

__ WHY ONLY 3 (actually 3.5 rounded down to 3 ) STARS THEN ? __
Some things that I didn't like :

1) If I choose to read a book with the word "Christmas" in the title, I expect to be enveloped in a warm Christmas atmosphere.
In this book the only Christmassy thing is the countdown of how many days until Christmas.
Each chapter begins with: 8 days until Christmas, 7 days until Christmas, 6 days until Christmas etc...
Then there is a scene in which characters talk about where everyone will spend Christmas, but there is nothing Christmassy here.

2) The writer while describing/narrating a certain scene, suddenly makes the characters go into their past memories and this even lasts for pages, which led me to forget what was happening in the current scene.
A very confusing writing style.

In the same way, the author goes from scenes on the farm with the girls to scenes of the German airmen or the doctor in the hospital, suddenly and without pauses between one topic and another.
The author divided the chapters according to the days left until Christmas, but in my opinion it would have been better to divide the chapters according to the two realities that were being told in the story (the one of the girls and that one of the pilots, at least until the moment which all these characters found themselves on the same scene).

3) I would have liked the author to delve more deeply into the characters, but probably, having dedicated each of the past books in the series to each girl, he didn't consider it necessary.
I think that giving more depth to the characters in each book, even if they are part of a series, is important, because each book is readable as a standalone (including this one) and it is obvious that not all readers read all the books in the same series (otherwise we wouldn't have time to explore other genres and authors).

Thanks for reading my opinion and for your patience with my text, I'm sorry for any errors but English isn't my native language.

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Book review : The Heiress Who Dared Me by Charlie Lane

The Heiress Who Dared Me: A Christmas novella
The Debutante Dares Book 8
by Charlie Lane
GENRE : #Regency-romance #Christmas-short-story

My rating: ★★★★★

5 FULL STARS WELL DESERVED!! :-D

A delightful read from start to finish !!!!

____ HERE THE PLOT IN SHORT___ Regency era, England.
A London heiress, Lady Georgiana Hunt, and the younger brother of an heir to the Earldom, Josiah Evans, meet at his family's party.

She is beautiful and he is enchanted by watching her while she eats a cake in a very sensual way.
Unfortunately Lady Georgiana is very bitter towards every man, she was taught by the aunt who raised her that suitors only chase her money and that it is better to keep it all away.

For his part, Josiah, although aristocrats usually don't work, has decided to dedicate himself to managing the lands that will be inherited by his brother and building every possible improvement for the villagers... therefore, he doesn't have time for a possible wife.

So when she addresses him harshly, he is not offended and responds in an ironic but also friendly and kind manner.
Georgiana, taken aback, laughs and as they continue to chat, teasing each other with irony, they lay the foundations for a solid friendship.
However, they don't see each other for a year and only in the following December will they meet again and make a pact: a sincere friendship through which they will make everyone believe they are courting each other, in this way she will be free from gold hunters and he from mothers, which will feature daughters looking for husbands.

******--------******

What follows is a nice and sweet story of friendship that slowly turns into love.

----> The FIRST PART of the novel could be defined as a CLEAN ROMANCE,
---> while in the SECOND PART there are more daring scenes and a LOVEMAKING SCENE, very sensual but NEVER ANYTHING VULGAR and that's one of the reason I really liked the story ( in fact I hate scenes that tell all the details of sex, mechanically without leaving room for emotions and true romance, turning only into a vulgar chronicle)

Another reason I like reading this little book:
Josiah and Gerogiana's relationship evolves progressively from friendship to love and every kiss and every love scene is described in the right way to make the reader dream.
Nothing too saccharine or far-fetched, on the contrary: every situation and every word is completely plausible even in reality.

The passion that slowly envelops them and the small jealousy that at a certain point touches Georgiana is completely normal in every person in love.

I hate when falling in love is described in a ridiculous way as if the couple has seen nothing else on this planet (the romance I read previously was like this and it was ridiculous!), I hate the ultra-possessive and jealous hero who takes it out on anyone who looks at the heroine.

I LOVED THIS ROMANCE BECAUSE THE CHARACTERS ARE NICE, SENSITIVE AND INTELLIGENT!!!

Yes, I really liked this couple!
Although it is not a long novel, the author was very good at making us get to know the characters in depth through dialogues and their small spontaneous gestures dictated by the heart.

OUR HEROINE : Lady Georgiana may seem cold at first sight, but in reality she hides the soul of a child wounded by her family and she's in need of sincere affection and to experience holidays and entertainment like any other person surrounded by a real family.

OUR HERO : Josiah is a good guy, willing, generous and enterprising, this can be seen immediately.
What prevents him from dedicating himself to the search for his own happiness is his sense of duty and the awareness that he loves living in the countryside and dedicating himself to work while Lady Georgiana is a city girl accustomed to every luxury and comfort.

Sometimes, however, it is enough to share small joys to understand that reaching compromises to enjoy happiness is not so impossible.

___SIDE CHARACTERS __
In the story we find other family characters, some of whom are protagonists in previous books, but this novella CAN ALSO BE READ AS A STANDALONE and I assure you that you will equally enjoy it.

The author's cunning was to complete the scenes with supporting characters, but without making them too intrusive in the story, so that the few pages available could give enough space to delve deeper into the protagonist couple and their feelings (doubts, hopes , old memories, dreams for the future and of course a new feeling that transports them more and more towards each other).

__CONCLUSION ___
Recommended for all those who love sweet and fun romances with a guaranteed happy ending.

This is the first time I've read a Charlie Lane romance and I'll happily read many more.

Thanks for reading my opinion, I hope it can be useful.
Please forgive any errors you may find in my text, I'm from Italy and English isn't my native language.

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Book review : A Minor Deception by Nupur Tustin

A Minor Deception
Joseph Haydn Mystery book #1
by Nupur Tustin
My rating: ★★★☆☆

I love mysteries that revolve around the most famous composers of the 18th century in the Austro-Hungarian Empire and around the great Habsburg dynasty.

That period fascinates me and if in addition to the mystery I also find historical notions and the setting is so well described that it's able to transport me to that place in that time, then the book is really good to me and I rate it 5 stars, especially if I become attached to the characters and miss them after finishing the story.

But this is not the case ! :-(  :-( :-( :-( :-( :-(

I had great expectations with this cozy mystery:
- to start it has an amazing cover, one of the best among the mysteries I've read starring great composers of the 18th century and with a similar setting.....
And THE PLOT IS SO PROMISING:
- the plot involving one of the greatest Austrian composers (Franz Joseph Haydn) and his family (wife and brother), the rich and sumptuous court of Prince Esterházy and the preparation of a musical event on the occasion of the visit of the great empress Maria Theresa. - the synopsis of the mystery also seemed very interesting: the disappearance of a very gifted but very grumpy violinist and with him the disappearance of a precious violin.

_____ WHAT I LIKED :
The only thing I appreciated about this "historical whodunit" is the author's initial introduction of the many characters who actually existed in the story.

For each of them, not only is the name written in full and with a real noble title (if they were aristocrats), but it is also explained what role they played in history and some character characteristics that distinguished them.

In addition to this, the author has added a short, but still interesting final HISTORICAL NOTE, which explains some things regarding the creation of the mystery, which is naturally purely fictional, but inspired by a real character and events that actually happened.

___ What I LIKED LESS and dampened my enthusiasm (hence 3 stars):

- THE CHARACTERS: although well introduced by the author in a long (but interesting) initial list, none of them were developed in the book.

Of each character I can understand who has a good nature and who doesn't, just through that list, while the dialogues they pronounce are only sterile phrases that do not convey any emotion to the reader nor are they able to give him the perception, in an in-depth manner, of the the soul of each character.

I know that Haydn's wife is an ungrateful shrew and that one of Haydn's brothers always tries to mediate between them and this is clear from the dialogues only because previously the author explained this in the list of characters...
The dialogues are always the same, very repetitive, the same sentences and the same situations.

- THE SCENES: the story is set in Eisenbach in 1766, but it could be anywhere and at any time... I didn't breathe the atmosphere of that place and that time as I did in many other good books.

- REPETITIVENESS and FLAT PLOT: the first 25% of the book took place between the rehearsal room where the violinist behaved rudely and at Haydn's house where he told about this and everyone wondered why.

The second 25% is Haydn's constant thinking about what he could have done differently and what he must do now that the violinist is gone...

When a kind, charming but mysterious character appeared 40% of the way through the book, I thought things were finally getting interesting but they didn't. It's all very boring. The characters always ask themselves the same questions and cannot find answers.

- SOME BIG MISTAKES that an author should pay more attention to when writing about historical settings.
I'll mention just one:
at a certain point the writer says that Haydn takes his pen out of his jacket pocket and corrects the score...
OH MY GOD!!!
Even the chickens know that in 1700 THEY WROTE WITH A NIB AND INK POT, they certainly couldn't keep it in their pocket.
------------------
IN CONCLUSION: Perhaps the series could be nice for young adults, but I don't recommend the series to adults who are fans of mystery books because they would be disappointed.
I have read many series of cozy mysteries with historical settings that are much more captivating and engaging and from which I have even learned historical notions that I didn't know.

Many thanks for reading my opinion and please forgive my English since it's not my native language. :-)

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Book review : Confessions of a Dangerous Lord by Elisa Braden

Confessions of a Dangerous Lord
Rescued from Ruin series book #6
by Elisa Braden
GENRE : #Regency-mystery-romance

My rating: ★★★★☆
Real rating : 3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

A regency mystery-romance, book #6 in a family saga, but perfectly readable as a standalone.

I rate the mystery part with 4 stars and while many readers who are passionate about regency romance would also be happy with the romantic part (lots of spicy kisses and hot sex scenes) I only rate it with 2.5 stars because it bored me to read continuously: "she loves him" ", "he loves her", "she needed his lips and tongue" etc... and how much they both were aroused by each other and to see them having sex everywhere.
My personal opinion: too much is unbearable !

__ THE PLOT IN SHORT __ Regency England.
Henry Thorpe, Earl of Dunston and Lady Maureen Huxley have been in love with each other for two years, but while she has openly declared herself, he remains ambiguous and plays the role of best friend, always joking and frivolous and not at all interested in marrying her.

Maureen is therefore on the hunt for a husband, but internally she continues to yearn for Henry.
Henry suffers because he cannot declare his love due to his secret life: he has been hunting his father's killer for 10 long years. A perverse and dangerous killer, who would surely harm Maureen just to get revenge on Henry.

However, love is too strong and at a certain point telling the truth becomes necessary.
Happiness is one step away but Maureen's whole world is turned upside down and everything is at stake: their love, their life and that of the people around them...

-------------****-------------

The book started out as a real mystery and I loved it straight away.
Action, murder, mystery, false identities, unstoppable good guys and elusive bad guys... Everything involved me so much that I was super excited.
Being a romance novel, I thought I would rate it 5 stars.
I love the suspense of mystery combined with the sweet emotions of romance.

The romantic past started in a fun and cute way, but then in my opinion it went on too long with Maureen's insistence... I can't stand it when women persistently run after men who don't want them (in reality he wanted her , but she doesn't know it and I don't like her way).

---> The first 50% of the book starts with action and mystery, but then the story focuses on romance.
Unlike other novels, here there is no part dedicated to conquest, because the two main characters are already mutually in love.
---> There are spicy kisses and hot scenes that last many pages, but the writer's style failed to excite me, on the contrary the continuous declaration of their love and their desire to have sex tired me.

At one point I was so tired of this saccharine, sex-hungry couple that I decided to abandon the book. I was already at 50%.

Two days later I decided to continue reading to the end:
----> luckily the second 50% of the book is mostly dedicated to the mystery, Henry's secrets, the new reality that Maureen finds herself facing and the action and discovery of new shocking truths.

---->You romantics and those eager for sex, don't worry, you will also have a good dose of sensual love-making in the second 50%.

In the book we met two interesting male characters who will be protagonists in the books following this one in the series.
Part of me would have liked to read them, but I find the author's style unbearable as far as the romantic part is concerned: everything is over-emphasized: Henry's jealousy, his desire to kill anyone who harms a hair of his wife's hair, Maureen's adoration for him, their mutual desire for sex even in the most unexpected and delicate moments when there are other important things at stake... and then certain Americanisms in the books set in the Regency era in England are unbearable.

I'm happy I managed to get to the end of the book, but I won't read the others in the series because it's not for me (I've been reading mysteries all my life, despising romances, only 2 years ago I started to appreciate reading them), but I recommend it warmly to all the passionate lovers of regency romances.

Thanks for reading my opinion and please forgive any errors in my text since English is not my language.

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Book review : Ghostly Lover by Mary Lancaster

Ghostly Lover
Crime and Passion Book #4.5
by Mary Lancaster
GENRE : #historical-mystery-romance
#Halloween-read
My rating: ★★★☆☆


Real rating : 2.5 rounded up to 3.

A short story, included in the Passion & Crime series (of which I really liked books #1 and #2 and  I will soon also read #3 + the short Christmas story) written by the author exclusively for Halloween.

The protagonist couple is the common thread throughout the series, Griz and Dragan in fact met in book #1 and after falling in love and getting married they continue to be present as a couple of amateur detectives.

In this short story they will have to shed light on a suicide that they suspect to be a murder and put a ghost to rest.

--PLOT IN SHORT---
Late 1800s, England.
  Dragan finds himself a guest with an aristocratic friend, whose stately home is built right next to an old ruined castle (belonging to the friend's family), which is said to be haunted by a female ghost.

The reason why Dragan was invited is to shed light on the death of his friend's girlfriend, but the only suspects are the family and the servants.

Unable to unravel the mystery on his own, Dragan invites his wife Grizelda to join him and she also brings their recently born child with her.

To complicate matters, the presence of the ghost in love with Dragan.

---------*******----------
The premises for a good Halloween story are all there but for many reasons the story didn't engage me and I didn't like the Dragan and Griz couple as much as in past books.

Since it is a short story I will be concise and essential in my personal opinion on the story:

1) I usually like the Dragan and Griz couple both as a romantic couple and as characters considered individually: both do not like conventions, they are in love and used to sharing everything but without being nauseatingly saccharine or ridiculous.

Unfortunately in this story the writer has transformed Griz into a clingy, petulant, jealous wife and in my opinion also rude in her manners and in asking investigative questions.
I didn't like it at all.

2) The plot is weak and this is obviously also due to the fact that it is a short story and not a novel, so there is no time to delve into situations, characters and investigations.

But the problem isn't just this, there are many things that don't make sense at all:

- Dragan is called to investigate and then once on site, the whole family is hostile to him and everyone insists that it was a suicide or an accident (BUT THEN WHY DID YOU CALL HIM?????)

- There is no investigation except a couple of questions asked rudely by Griz.

- The ghost seems to be included in the story only to make a connection with the Halloween holiday but seems to have nothing to do with everything else in the plot.
The ghost is seen at the beginning of the story, then at the end and is sent away in the blink of an eye in a very simple, easy and ridiculous way for a story.

The motivation for the murder doesn't make much sense, the motive and the culprit are ridiculous.

It's all very hasty, full of contradictions and not at all engaging.
All the supporting characters are unlikable and don't even seem to be part of the story itself.
They are extras who are given dialogue without content and without meaning.

The only reason why I gave 2.5 rounded to 3 stars (which for me means passable but not among those I would reread or recommend) is that I like the Dragan and Griz couple in the novels and the novels in the series are well written and very satisfying underneath all points of view (mystery, romance, ending).
If I had read this story without first reading the other books, my actual rating would have been 2 stars.

I 100% recommend the novels in the series, but don't waste your time with this short story.

Thanks for reading my opinion and please forgive my English since it's not my language.

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Book review : An Inquiry into Love and Death by Simone St. James

An Inquiry into Love and Death
by Simone St. James
GENRE : #gothic-mystery-romance
#Halloween-read

My rating: ★★★★★
5 FULL STARS WELL DESERVED!! :-D

An engaging and wonderful historical fiction ( especially in Halloween time ) from the first page to the last... and I loved it so much that I would re-start to read it again right now!

To me it has been a satisfying read from all points of view and while Goodreads allows me to give a full 5 stars rating, actually my rating is a 6 out of 5 stars!! :-D

I only give the 6th star to books that I thought about continuously even when I was at work and couldn't dedicate myself to reading and of which I reread all the salient points and the final chapter last night, because I just can't tear myself away from the characters and their story.

__ A GREAT MIX OF THEMES ALL WELL DEVELOPED __

This novel is a n amazing mix of mystery and suspense (ghost stories, strange phenomena in an isolated English village, a murder and investigation, old secrets and dark shadows of war, possible espionage) and a tender and sensual love story.

In my opinion, each of the themes mentioned above has been well developed without going to the detriment of the others.

Sometimes too many themes mean that the author is unable to develop any of them well enough, but this is not the case, I discovered an author I didn't know, Simone St. James and I think her narration is simply magnificent: her words created images and characters so real and vivid in my mind that I felt like I was watching a movie. I felt and still feel fully and pleasantly captivated by this novel.

But let's start with the _____ PLOT IN BRIEF:

1924 England.
Jillian Leigh, a brilliant Oxford student, receives the news of the death of her uncle whom she had not seen for many years. For work reasons, her parents refuse to go and recognize the body and leave the burdensome task to their daughter.

Just 22 years old and still inexperienced in life, Jillian finds herself having to drive alone to a remote village on the English coast, where her uncle was hunting for ghosts...because it is said that the village is haunted by many dark presences including the angry and restless soul of an old smuggler.

Initially skeptical about paranormal phenomena and her uncle's profession, Jillian suddenly finds herself immersed in the investigation of an alleged murder and in an aura of mystery and secrets, which hovers throughout the village.

The attractive and equally mysterious young inspector of Scotland Yard, former RAF pilot in the great war, Drew Merriken, will add further thrills to Jillian's heart and life.
While together they will try to unravel the tangle of intrigues, lies and murders and attempted murders present and past, they will also have to decide if it is even worth opening their hearts to each other.

_______**______**_______


__GOOD BALANCE BETWEEN DARKNESS AND LIGHT ___

Generally speaking, as I said above, mystery and love are intertwined in several aspects, each of which was well developed and had a satisfying resolution.

Another important thing that I want to add is that all the dramatic elements (such as the death of some people and the war) and dark elements (such as the malevolent presences, the mysterious and frightening noises) are perfectly balanced by other pleasant elements (such as the attraction and exciting intimate scenes between Drew and Jillian; friendly conversations with some characters in the village and moments of student life) and comforting elements (such as the friendly presence of the cat and also the dog, which give relief to both the characters and the reader on occasions of anguish and fear and of course the happy ending for all the good ones).

I'm not the type of person who loves horror or even overly gloomy themes, so this balance between darkness and light allowed me to fully enjoy the suspense without being saddened or depressed by it (as happens to me with books that only contain drama and which I avoid like the plague) and remaining with the desire to reread the book in the future.


____ THE 2 MAIN CHARACTERS ______

I loved the two main characters and while I hoped with all my heart that true love would blossom between them, I didn't know how it would actually go.
Indeed we often approach novels already knowing that they contain a love story that will have a happy ending, but here, despite the title, I was only expecting a mystery to be solved, some ghost that would turn out to be just a setup (seriously, I was really convinced it was a set up ) and just a hint of romantic interest (as in the old golden-age mysteries).

The two characters reflect real people so much, with strengths, weaknesses and internal fears (and consequent behaviors), in fact, that managing the attraction wasn't exactly easy and at a certain point it took a turn that almost made me think the worst.


---> DREW : Drew is charming, but like many guys I've met in my real life, he avoids serious emotional connections and bonds, plus he lives in 1924, he was a pilot in the war and the traumatic experience had a huge impact on his attitude towards life and people.
However, he is not one to give up on women or sex... he takes what he can while giving the minimum... all to the detriment of Jillian who is young, sensitive and easily hurt.

Like Jillian, I also felt attracted to Drew while reading, but not being Jillian, but the reader, I also occasionally thought: what an asshole he is!
Off course he also knows how to be very sweet and eventually how to correct his foolishness.

--> JILLIAN : Jillian was amazing.
So young, yet she didn't back down from any challenge: she faced unpleasant situations such as recognizing her uncle's body, in an unknown place, completely alone and without any emotional support, she spent days in a house where she spent traumatic experiences, she followed the emotions of her heart despite being afraid of them and managed to close a wrong situation with courage, when she would have liked to do the opposite.
She managed to be generous even when she suffered wrongs and extended a hand and a good word to everyone around her.

She faced a life upheaval with great intelligence and firmness, without feeling sorry for herself and without seeking pity from those around her.
An intelligent heroine, modern without being exalted or presumptuous, sensitive towards others and with the desire to find solutions where they are needed and offer forgiveness instead of definitively closing doors as people dear to her have done in the past.

I loved her sensitivity and affection for cats and dogs, I really liked this aspect included by the author, because I love all animals.

----> If you too are among those who, watching a film, are often exclaiming: "Oh God, what will happen to the cat/dog/horse/piglet etc..."?
Don't worry, in this novel the author has well underlined the happy ending for pets too.

___ SIDE CHARACTERS __
Although the supporting characters have minor roles, I found them all well drawn and essential to give the idea of the type of daily life you breathe in a small village where everyone knows everyone since early childhood and is aware of joys and misfortunes of others, where a stranger is noticed a mile away and where distrust towards strangers is the rule.

The writer was good at the deception that some of them perpetuate. For some, the friendly facade is just a mask under which the murderer or murderers hide.

I liked that the author, after solving the mystery, told a personalized ending for each of them.

___ SETTING and MYSTERY ___

The setting is perfect for Halloween, plus the mystery that unites the paranormal with the real human wickedness of the living takes place in autumn, in the month of October and the culminating event regarding the supernatural takes place on a stormy night on October 31st.

Dark places, mysterious sounds and noises, unexpected and shocking events are described so well that every sensation and emotion that arises goes straight to the reader's heart.
The same happens for the positive emotions given to us by Drew's touch and kisses for Jillian.

The mystery initially seems to only concern ghosts or the "supposedly suspicious" death of Jillian's uncle, but there is much more behind it.
The mystery is multi-layered and as the story unfolds, it deepens, confusing the shadows of the past with those of the present, both regarding the personal stories of the characters and something larger that could impact the entire nation.

The twists and heart-pounding terror alternate pleasantly with moments of sweetness and if the culprit is suspected at a certain point, it is actually difficult to understand if he/she/they is/are really guilty.
The ambiguity of some characters persists to the end and the culmination of the culprit's madness results in a truly breathtaking chapter.

:-) WHO DO I RECOMMEND THIS BOOK TO?

--> To those who love golden-age detective stories, because this one, despite being written in modern times, is similar in style and much better in certain points (more emotional impact, less slow pace, more romance).

--> To those who love clean romances (but who know how to excite the reader) made more intriguing by the aura of mystery.

--> To those who love suspense and tension, but who hate horror books and bloody scenes and prefer a type of clean and polite language (therefore also recommended for readers of cozy mystery).

--> ... Ultimately I'm so enthusiastic about it that I recommend it to everyone!

___**___**____

I will definitely try to read other novels by this author (Simone St. James)

Thanks for reading my opinion (too long perhaps, but I would continue to talk about this book for hours and hours... :-D ) and sorry for my English, it is not my native language.

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Book review : The Secrets of Wycliffe Manor by Patricia Rice

The Secrets of Wycliffe Manor
Gravesyde Priory Mysteries Book #1
by Patricia Rice
GENRE: slightly gothic #regency-mystery-romance

My rating: ★★★★☆
Actually 3,8 stars rounded up to 4.

An ancient, decaying manor received as an inheritance, a group of characters unknown to each other and with their own secrets, old diaries that have disappeared, a strange essence of jasmine in the air...

Set in the regency era the story has all the conditions to be a Gothic fiction, but overall the story gave me a feeling of a "cozy" atmosphere thanks to the emotional bond and mutual support that is created between the various characters and I liked it for this very reason.

___ PLOT___ 1815, England.
Orphaned 23-year-old Clarissa Knightley lives in London alone with her nephew, the son of her sister who died years before, in the company of a friend who was the victim of a violent husband and has now become pregnant.
When she receives a letter saying that she is among the heirs of an old manor, she sees a new opportunity for herself, her nephew and her friend for a new start in life.
She also needs to find new inspiration to write the novels she earns a living from.

The letter was sent by Captain Alastair Huntley, an American surveyor (whose mother is English and is among the descendants of the manor family) who was left limping and injured in one eye fighting in the war. With him is his best friend, a black young man who is also a surveyor.

The letter was sent by 30-year-old Captain Alastair Huntley, an American surveyor (whose mother is English and is among the descendants of the manor's family) who was left limping and injured in one eye fighting in the war. Together with him is his best friend and peer, a black boy who is also a surveyor.

The first meeting is quite chilling for Clare (Clarissa), but in the course of events, which also include the arrival of other strange (at least initially) characters, the collaboration between them, to find the means of subsistence and give new vigor to everything the village, gives rise to a feeling of esteem and affection.
---------------- * ------------- * ----------

IS IT AN ENGAGING STORY?
Secrets and suspicions overlap each other during the reading of the book and the dose of suspense both to know the name or names of the villains, and to see a romantic feeling flourish between the two main characters is so high that I was literally left glued to the pages of the book (or rather to the screen of my device).

At the end of the book we have a happy ending for the main plot, but we need to read the following books in the series to be able to see developed and resolved all the subplots cleverly inserted throughout the story and thus have full satisfaction by this read.

__ THE CHARACTERS __
I liked them all, but there are many of them and this did not give the author the opportunity to develop them in depth, who was instead able to trace only the main features and tell us, in alternating phases, the private thoughts of Clare and Hunt.
We get to know the other co-protagonist characters only superficially, while the supporting characters barely have a face and a name and a few lines of dialogue.

I therefore repeat that it will be necessary to read the next books to have a broader vision of their lives and their way of being.

__ MYSTERIES TO BE SOLVED ___ what I wrote above also applies to this theme: there are several things that need to be shed light on and if book #1 finds the solution to some questions, there are many other "whys and whos" that remain unsolved and which the reader will discover only by continuing to read the series.

This is why my rating isn't very high despite it being an enjoyable read that I couldn't wait to return to every time I had to break away.

IT IS DIFFICULT TO TAG THIS BOOK:
#romance? #mystery? #gothic? #historical ?

What is certain is that it is a fiction, for the rest we find a hint of everything but nothing so impressive as to be able to include it in that specific category, but I liked it very much.

It's a hybrid that will keep you in good company if you want a light but at the same time engaging read that helps your mood enter Halloween mode.

-- I can't recommend it to romance lovers, because although the attraction between the 2 main characters is palpable on almost every page, in reality the kisses that the two exchange are barely mentioned (so much so that in comparison a clean romance would appear hot), exactly as happens in cozy mysteries with a romantic subplot.

-- I can't even recommend it to "whodunit" fans, because in reality although our characters ask questions and go through old books in search of answers and although there is a dead person, there is no real investigation and the plot digresses towards many themes.

-- We are in the regency era and although this type of novel is called "historical fiction", here except for the mention of the era and fashion, there are no historical references or historical characters.

-- I can't even recommend the book to lovers of gothic readings because as I already explained at the beginning, despite creaks, dust and cobwebs, old cellars, dark corridors and crazy old women, the mutual support and affection that is created within the manor, among the characters is so cute and beautiful to read that it was really comfortable.

BUT I REPEAT : OVERALL I LIKED IT VERY MUCH!!!!

WILL I READ THE NEXT BOOKS IN THE SERIES? I really think so.
This was like eating a little spoon of a cake that I would like to eat a big slice of..I hope it doesn't disappoint me.

Thanks for reading my opinion and please forgive any error in my text, since English is not my native language. :-)

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