The Lost Passenger by Frances Quinn

March 12, 2025

The Lost Passenger by Frances Quinn

Elinor is a young woman from a very wealthy Manchester manufacturing family. So she is surprised when she and her father are invited to attend an elegant ball given by one of the local aristocrats that they barely know. At the ball, Elinor meets a charming young man who turns out to be the heir to a title and an estate. After a whirlwind courtship, they marry and move to his family's home, where Elinor quickly learns that her real attraction was her father's money to save their crumbling estate. Furthermore, she is told that people of the upper classes don't marry for love and to learn to "rub along" with the husband she now detests. But a few years after her marriage, Elinor is delighted when her father purchases tickets for himself, Elinor, her husband, their son, and Elinor's maid on the maiden voyage a grand new ship: The Titanic.

Have you heard the old saying "marry in haste, repent in leisure?" Yeah, that's this story. When the opportunity arises, the main character Elinor makes a brave decision to take control of her life. I love a good Titanic book and while the Titanic is the setting, the most compelling part of the story is Elinor's struggle to build a new life in New York as she deals with the constant fear of discovery of her deception as well as survivor's guilt. Years ago, I read a terrific book called Amanda/Miranda by Richard Pec, also set on the Titanic. Unfortunately that book has been diluted down to a short novel for young adults, but if you can find a copy of the original novel, I highly recommend it.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an eARC for review.

RMS Titanic, probably the most famous ship in the world

The Hazelbourne Ladies Motorcycle and Flying Club by Helen Simonson

October 18, 2024

The Hazelbourne Ladies Motorcycle and Flying Club by Helen Simonson

Constance Haverhill travels to the seaside as a companion to Mrs. Fog who has just recovered from influenza. Since she is still convalescent, most of the time she leaves Constance on her own. Constance soon meets a young woman named Poppy Wirral who rides a motorcycle and sweeps Constance into her circle of friends.

Part of the problem that I had with this novel is that I had just finished reading four really excellent books (The Women, Forgotten on Sunday, The God of the Woods, and The Song of Achilles), and this one didn't compare to any of those. Another part of the problem is that it was just a silly premise: a group of young society women in 1919 who rode around on motorcycles when they weren't going to tea dances or picnicking with eligible bachelors. There were a lot of characters and the story got bogged down somewhere in the middle. Took me forever to get through it, and I gave up and started skimming. I read and enjoyed the author's previous book Major Pettigrew's Last Stand, but this wasn't her best effort.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an eARC for review.

Motorcycle with sidecar, circa 1919

An Assassination on the Agenda by Karen Baugh Menuhin

July 16, 2024

An Assassination on the Agenda by Karen Baugh Menuhin

Lady Emily Hardcastle and her faithful maid and sometimes deadly companion Florence Armstrong are enjoying a summer lunch with their good friends the Farley Strouds, when Emily's brother Harry summons them, because their unique skills are needed first in Bristol, and then in London. The heir to the Austrian throne and his wife are due to visit England with a trade delegation, and Harry has heard rumors of a planned assassination attempt that his department needs to stop. He enlists Emily and Flo to evaluate the security arrangements, since who would suspect a society lady and her maid to head up a security team?

Lady Hardcastle and Flo are back for their 11th adventure, an entertaining mystery filled with charming characters, punny language, malapropisms, and dry British humor. It's best to read the series in order to understand the various characters' backstories, but also for the sheer fun of the series. Perfect vacation or summer reading. Recommended for readers who enjoy cozy light-hearted British mysteries.

Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie - although they survive the assassination attempt here, they are not so lucky some years later in Sarajevo

Little Souls by Sandra Dallas

December 28, 2022

Little Souls by Sandra Dallas

Denver, 1918 - as World War II is winding down and the Spanish flu epidemic is ramping up, sisters Helen and Lutie Hite are coping the best they can. Helen is a nurse, caring tirelessly for influenza victims while Lute works as a graphic artist for one of Denver's leading department stores. Both sisters are engaged to be married. But their pleasant lives are shattered when Lutie returns home from work to find Helen crouching over a dead man with an ice pick in her hand. More disasters await them as they struggle to hide the man's murder.

I have mixed reactions to Dallas' historical novels. I have really enjoyed some of them, others not so much. This is one of the not so much novels. It's not terrible but the characters didn't engage my interest. I figured out the romance angle way in advance of when it actually happened. Also, the child abuse storyline is difficult to read. "Little souls" was a slang term for child prostitutes. Not recommended unless you are a die-hard historical novel fan.

A warning sign from the 1918 Spanish Influenza epidemic, much like the advice we received in 2020-2021

Last Christmas in Paris by Hazel Gaynor and Heather Webb

December 16, 2021

Last Christmas in Paris by Hazel Gaynor and Heather Webb

Evie, her brother Will and Will's friend Tom have been friends since childhood. When Will and Tom are shipped off to serve in France during World War I, Evie promises to write to both of them. Evie is a prolific letter writer, and she also writes to her BFF Alice. Both Alice and Evie want to do more for the war effort than knit socks for the soldiers (despite the protests of their families). Evie gets a job delivering mail and the dreaded telegrams to her community, and she also begins to write a column for the local newspaper about life on the home front and the hardships that the soldiers are enduring in France. Along the way, she and Tom realize that their feelings for each other are stronger than just friendship.

Told through letters between the characters, the book's themes focus on the roles of women during wartime, PTSD (or "shell shock" as it was called then), and the realities of trench warfare. I usually enjoy epistolary fiction (who doesn't like reading someone else's letters?), but this had a little too much romance for me and I found the storyline predictable. But romance readers will love it, especially if they like historical romances.

Epistolary fiction has been around for a long time. Dangerous Liaisons was one of the very early books written in this style. If you want to try another epistolary novel, try The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, which is set during and just after World War II and is a much better book, IMHO.

Rotten to the Core by T. E. Kinsey

August 25, 2022

Rotten to the Core by T. E. Kinsey

Lady Hardcastle and Flo are back for another adventure. It's the day after the village fete and there is a heatwave across all of England. Walking to the village pub for refreshment, Lady H. and Flo encounter a stranger, a young and attractive woman, who is looking for a room in the village. When they arrive at the pub, all of the patrons are sitting or standing outdoors, while the pub itself is empty except for one group of men. They are the Weryers of the Pomary (aka, keepers of the orchard) having their regular meeting. Tradition states that they get the pub to themselves when they meet.

But the next morning, the village constable is at Lady Hardcastle's door early, to tell them that there has been a murder and Inspector Sunderland would like them to come round and take a look. One of the Weryers (who happens to own the orchard) has been found dead with a stab wound to the heart (there are an awful lot of murders in a town as small as Littleton Cotterell). Who would do such a thing to a charming, handsome man? Does it have anything to do with the Weryers? Or is the young lady staying at the pub involved? It's up to Lady H. and Flo to snoop around and find out.

This is #8 in the Lady Hardcastle and Flo series. Great fun, lots of puns and malapropisms, plenty of local color, and good mysteries. Highly recommended.

 A cider press

Death Beside the Seaside by T. E. Kinsey

July 28, 2020

Death Beside the Seaside by T. E. Kinsey

July 1910 – after two years of prodding, Lady Hardcastle has agreed that she and Florence Armstrong, her faithful sidekick and maid, should take a holiday at the seaside.  They choose the holiday town of Weston-super-Mare, a couple of hours’ drive from Bristol.  In their new and improved automobile, they set out for traditional English holiday fun, including toffee apples, donkey rides, and Punch-and-Judy shows.  When they arrive at their elegant boutique hotel, they are surprised to find an international group of guests, while the sea is noticeably absent (the tide goes out about a mile at low tide).  But more surprises await Lady H. and Flo as their fellow guests begin to vanish one by one, and they are once again pressed into service to solve the mysterious goings on at the hotel, while at the same time not generating any unfavorable publicity.

Interesting that I picked up two books in a row set in an English seaside towns.  But the tone of T. E. Kinsey’s mystery is totally different from the previous title, much lighter and more humorous.  No one at the hotel is who they appear to be, except for the manager and some of the staff.  We also learn more about Flo and Lady Hardcastle's backgrounds and past exploits.  Characters from previous Lady Hardcastle mysteries make appearances, and there is a great deal of fun and wit as always.  I suggest starting with the first book in the series if you are looking for a light read to relax with.

The Burning Issue of the Day by T. E. Kinsey

August 15, 2019

The Burning Issue of the Day by T. E. Kinsey

When a young suffragette is accused of arson and murder, Lady Hardcastle and her faithful maid/companion Florence Armstrong are asked to investigate by one of her fellow suffragettes.  Working with Miss Dinah Caudle, their adversary in the previous title in the series, they uncover not just a plot to frame the suffragette, but a much larger plot to steal a shipment of South American gold.

I really enjoy the Lady Hardcastle/Florence Armstrong mysteries!  If you are a frequent reader of mysteries (especially cozy mysteries), the plot becomes fairly obvious about 2/3 of the way through the book.  But these are mysteries that you read for the characters and the dialogue, not an intricately formulated plot.  With each new book in the series, the reader learns more about Lady Hardcastle and Flo's backgrounds.  The only disappointment was that the Farley-Strouds appear only once - I do like Lady H.'s eccentric neighbors.

Another good thing about the series is author T. E. Kinsey's attention to historical detail, as noted in the afterword.  There really was a chapter of the WSPU in Bristol in 1910; there is a difference between suffragists and suffragettes; even the key to the cipher in the text is explained. 

This is a series that should really be read in order, beginning with the first title in the series, A Quiet Life in the Country.  The next title is due to be released in October 2019.