Review: A Dowager is Done In

 

A mysterious summons. A fatal hot chocolate. And a duchess who never expected mourning to be this dreadfully dull.

 

Hampshire, 1891. Six months into widowhood, Alice, Duchess of Stortford, is restless. Black gowns and seclusion in the country have their limits, so when Clarissa, Dowager Countess of Romley, sends a personal summons asking for her discreet assistance with a troubling matter at Lawrence House, Alice seizes the excuse for a change of scene.

But what begins as a family gathering to welcome home the Dowager’s once-disgraced son ends in shock. Clarissa is discovered dead, her passing swiftly dismissed as a heart attack. Alice knows better. The Dowager had been afraid — and had trusted her to uncover the truth. Someone silenced her, but why? Was it to do with the announcement she made over dinner, or something even more dangerous?

Now everyone in the house is a suspect: the resentful heir, the returning prodigal, the mysterious guest with a too-familiar face. With her sharp-witted maid Maud, steadfast footman George, and her reluctant ally Lord Rushton at her side, Alice must act quickly. If the Dowager was murdered to keep her secrets buried, the killer will not hesitate to strike again.

The Dowager is dead. The clock is ticking. And the duchess is about to discover that country house parties can be murder.

Full of clever twists and a heroine who won’t give up until she finds out the truth, A Dowager is Done-in is the perfect escape for fans of historical mysteries wrapped in wit and warmth.

 Review

Another delightful story by Helen Golden! With the good humor of Miss Marple and the twists of Hercule Poirot, cozy mysteries fans will find so much to love in this series. I reviewed a book previously and I'm thrilled to say that I found this one even better than the first! 

Helen Golden has collected a cast of characters that make you wish your butler were found foot-up in the pantry. I was having so much fun that I didn't really try to figure out the mystery. The ride was as delicious as scones with cottle cream and jam at afternoon tea.

I do have one last thing to say in this review. Lady Alice may say that it's the small things that matter in solving a mystery, but I have gained more appreciation for the large things in life -- such as a large print edition that doesn't leave me with a stress headache. Deep appreciation to Helen Golden for being aware of us readers who have entered our bifocal era. So, no matter your age, find a cozy blanket, some shortbread cookies, a pot of your favorite tea and spend the afternoon with Lady Alice and her mystery squad.

Purchase Links

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dowager-Done-Duchess-Stortford-Mystery-ebook/dp/B0FNR838B8/

https://www.amazon.com/Dowager-Done-Duchess-Stortford-Mystery-ebook/dp/B0FNR838B8/

About Helen Golden

Helen Golden spins mysteries that are charmingly British, delightfully deadly, and served with a twist of humour.

With quirky characters, clever red herrings, and plots that keep the pages turning, she’s the author of the much-loved A Right Royal Cozy Investigation series, following Lady Beatrice and her friends—including one clever little dog—as they uncover secrets hidden in country houses and royal palaces. Her new historical mystery series, The Duchess of Stortford Mysteries, is set in Victorian England and introduces an equally curious sleuth from Lady Beatrice’s own family tree—where murders are solved over cups of tea, whispered gossip, and overheard conversations in drawing rooms and grand estates.

Helen lives in a quintessential English village in Lincolnshire with her husband, stepdaughter, and a menagerie of pets—including a dog, several cats, a tortoise, and far too many fish.

If you love clever puzzles, charming settings, and sleuths with spark, her books are waiting for you.

 

​Follow Helen Golden

Insta: https://www.instagram.com/helengolden_author

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/helengoldenauthor 

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@helengoldenauthor 

https://twitter.com/HelenGoldenAuth 

 

Review: The Silent Resistance

 

Occupied Norway, 1944. Anni endures the war alone, aiding the resistance while longing for news of her sailor husband. Her daughter, Ingrid, is her joy, and Anni is determined to keep her safe. But when a German official is billeted at their home, danger escalates, and Anni faces an agonizing dilemma.

London, 1952. Ingrid has been trying to understand her mother’s mysterious disappearance at the war’s end. Clinging to Anni’s promise that she would always come back for her, Ingrid sets out to discover what happened all those years ago.

Review

Readers of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society will find a new favorite in Silent Resistance by Anna Norman. This beautiful story of war, deprivation and shared humanity will leave you in tears for all the right reasons. 

I enjoy a story that looks at WWII from a perspective I haven't considered. This story is set in Norway and, while I knew the basics, the reality of being a people abandoned by their government as enemies descended was fascinating. Most people are pawns in a game played by those unaffected by the outcome -- a fact well-described in this work.

The intergenerational relationships of the three women were a real highlight for me. My heart was broken from the start knowing that Anna wasn't going to make it through the war as the mother she hoped to be. Anna Normann has created characters with real depth that speak from the page. The tragedy of war can't be avoided as we look at how the war destroyed the lives of people nowhere near the front lines. 

This is a beautiful story that will remind you that there are no winners in war. It's an easy read but well-written enough to have impact. 

Purchase Link - http://tinyurl.com/2n6sr5b6

Author Bio –

Anna Normann is the pseudonym of authors Anan Singh and Natalie Normann, and it all happened because of a bet. Sometime in the nineteen eighties, while watching a movie with a so-so plot, they started arguing about improving the plot and how they could write a better story than that mess. And then Anan’s wife said ‘I bet you can’t’ …

Since then, they have published seven books together in Norwegian, exploring different genres. Their first novel, set in WW2, won a competition in 1995 for ‘Norway’s best entertainment novel’.

 

Social Media Links –  https://linktr.ee/NatalieNormann

Review: Under Vixens Mere

 

If poor Harry Jones hadn't lowered himself into the water one freezing winter's night, a long-buried secret would never have come to the surface.

If …

Big Ed and Milly had been able to have children,

Karen hadn’t longed for love and romance,

Lorrie hadn't finally ditched Petra,

Dinah hadn’t found out the truth about Barry,

Jed hadn't dealt drugs and got Anna pregnant,

Carl Thomson hadn't come looking for him,

and Moses hadn't heard the commotion …

 

then there would be no story of Vixens Mere to tell.

Review

First...deepest of apologies to the author. We went to Japan and had travel issues. By the time we got back, the date had passed and I am woefully late getting this posted.

Under Vixens Mere is a delightful blend of interwoven stories with memorable characters. Kit Fielding has drawn a complex emotional drama from a tight-knit marina community that runs as much on secrets as sea life. The emotional dramas can be heavy - suicide, PTSD, survivor guilt, grief, and addiction. However, the heavy themes are balanced by emotionally-resonating character arcs and satisfying relationships between characters.

Second-person POV is not for everyone, so reader beware. I did find that it made following the plot a little difficult. There are so many characters - I did have to flip back through pages on occasion to figure out who was who in the plot. 

Overall, this is a very satisfying slow-burn human drama that pulls on the experiences of life in a small town to create a believable and immersive story that is likely to resonate with readers. Fans of The Light Between Oceans and The Shore are likely to fall in love with this one. 

Purchase Link - https://amzn.to/4hMNDDR

Author Bio – Kit Fielding plans and writes his novels in a motorhome at various locations around the country. 

The feeling of impermanence is natural to him due to his mother’s traveller roots and a childhood succession of tied-cottages accommodation in different parts of England. 

Kit Fielding says that there was always a curiosity about what was waiting, or was lurking, just around the corner. This legacy has stayed with him to the present day and it feeds into his work.

Social Media Links – Insta: @inkspotpub FB: Inkspotpublishing

Review: A Siege on her Heart

 

Cover art by Liz Kazandzby

Book blurb (from Amazon):

Ana María Bailon believes her heart is as shattered as the burning city she flees. Once bold and brilliant in her father’s war councils, she now carries a secret child and a soul scorched by the siege of San Sebastián. When an English captain offers a hurried marriage and safe passage to a foreign land, Ana wonders if she is walking toward healing or a new form of heartbreak.

Captain Peter Ashmore lives with memories that stalk him like smoke from a burning town. Honor compels him into a marriage of convenience, yet every glance from his Spanish bride stirs a longing he fears he does not deserve. As they travel to his English estate and step into a world of drawing rooms and whispered judgments, Peter grapples with guilt, desire, and a God he worries has turned away.

In the quiet rooms of Abbeygate, Ana starts to trust the gentle man beneath the scarlet uniform, but nightmares, secrets, and grief threaten every fragile step. Peter feels himself falling for the courageous woman he vowed to shield, even as the truth of her past and his role in the siege loom over them both.

Can Ana and Peter confront the ruin behind them and choose a love that rebuilds what war tried to destroy?

Review:

The best part of this book is the unique setting that provides an unexpected and well-done history lesson. The author places her characters inside their world with wisdom and compassion. The Battle of San Sebastian is interesting enough that I ended up down a rabbit hole to explore this piece of European history. What a mess it was. 

Ana and Peter make for good protagonists. I loved that Peter got in a mess made out of his own chivalry. Their merging of culture and belief in a complex, war-torn world is likely to resonate with readers.

Parts of this book are very toned-down for the intended audience. Most of the terrors of war happen off page. We start the book well into the story in order to avoid what might make readers uncomfortable, which ignores a lot of the history that Ana would've experienced. I have mixed feelings about marketing this book as a romance. To me, it is an historical fiction with a romantic subplot. I understand that romance sells better, but I think categorizing it that way undersells this story where the times they are set in largely drive the drama. Fans of historical romance won't be disappointed - but fans of historical fiction might pass this by when they would otherwise have picked it up.

While I'm being nitpicky, the cover art is lovely but mundane. I have seen something similar on dozens of books. For such a unique story, it was not given quite the cover it deserved.

However, for the intended audience, this is a lovely story. It has more depth than most Regency romance. The characters deserve their happy ending. It is a lovely book for a Sunday afternoon.

Purchase Information:

Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/Siege-Her-Heart-Jessica-Brousseau-ebook/dp/B0G5292ZJ4 

This book is widely distributed online and in local bookstores.

Thanks to Cedar Fort Publishing for the Advanced Reader copy of this novel. 

Cover reveal: The Heart-Shaped Box

 Cover reveal goes here

Review: Dark Is the Night

In Nazi-occupied Holland, a mother and son fight to survive.

When his sister Lotte dies of blood poisoning, Casper Van Doujke leaves his island home of Terschelling for Amsterdam. Blaming himself for Lotte’s death, he studies to become a doctor.

Meanwhile, his mother Elske Van Doujke’s quiet mourning for her daughter is interrupted when the Nazis occupy Terschelling. When a face from the past returns to the island, Elske has a final chance of happiness. But can she take it?

Mother and son join the Dutch resistance, risking everything for their people as they live through occupation and famine. In her remote cottage, Elske shelters young Dutch men trying to escape to England and Allied airmen attempting to avoid capture. In Amsterdam, Casper works as a doctor for the resistance and falls in love with the fiancée of his cell’s leader.

But when the war threatens those closest to them, Elske and Casper are forced to make impossible choices just to survive.

Review

First, I love this book art. So beautiful. I want it to have enough readers that they can publish a version where the green and vines bleed onto every page. The space between the characters is also *chef's kiss* for echoing the feel and complexity of the story. Absolutely gorgeous. My inner book dragon wants a copy on my shelf to love forever.

This story of Elske and Casper Van Doujke is heartbreaking. Set in occupied Holland during World War II, there aren't many happy stories to tell. This mother and son team desperately tries to stay on the kinder side of humanity while the world falls apart around them.

Expect a slow read that aims for you to love the characters before you endure the torture of what evil times do to good people. The author does not shy away from the terrifying troubles of the day - and the horrible deeds done by devils and man. This is a fairly dark tale though the author allows goodness to shine through when it can.

Purchase Links

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dark-Night-Nazi-occupied-Holland-survive-ebook/dp/B0FR4XTW45

https://www.amazon.com/Dark-Night-Nazi-occupied-Holland-survive-ebook/dp/B0FR4XTW45

Author Bio – Since I was a little girl, I’ve always written stories (which I kept in a shoe box beneath my bed). Having cerebral palsy, I found an escape in writing and I still do. After doing a BA (Hons) in English and French and an MA in Modern Languages Research, I trained to be a newspaper journalist. I now work as a teaching assistant in a primary school where I share my love of writing with the children I teach. In my free time, I spend every moment I can writing. Escaping to the past, especially World War II, helps me cope with the stresses of life in the present. 

https://www.instagram.com/rachelevansauthor/

Review: Celebrations at the Beach Hotel

 

Sisters Alice and Annie have always been close but will a man come between them?

Annie and Alice love their life working at the Beach Hotel together and each is thrilled to have finally found a sweetheart. Yet the path of true love never did run smooth, and they soon find themselves facing conflict and strife. Could love come between them and the bond they share?

Meanwhile, as men start to come home from the war, the women have to work out how to keep their jobs, although they are delighted to be back with their beaus. Soon, wedding bells ring out in Littlehampton.

Will everything be made right in time for Christmas?

Review

Francesca Capaldi writes captivating historical fiction sagas. I recommend taking the time to read the Beach Hotel saga. The rich historical detail, complexity of characters and sweet romances are sure to delight most of my followers. In this finale, the Great War has ended and the characters look forward with hope to a world of peace and prosperity. But first, they have to figure out who want in that future. I enjoyed the story - it's sweet and a good conclusion for the characters - though I agree with other reviewers that it felt a little rushed. This could simple be because I didn't want it to end!

This book is the conclusion to the Beach Hotel saga. While you can read it as a standalone, it will lack some of the emotional satisfaction that comes when you have known and loved these characters throughout the series.

Purchase Link:

Amazon https://amzn.to/4gTi5fj

Kobo: https://bit.ly/4765y3M

If you are interested, here are the titles in this saga:

A New Start at the Beach Hotel

 (2023) – Set in 1914, following chambermaid Edie Moore.

All Change at the Beach Hotel

 (2023) – Set in 1915, following waitress Lili Probert.

Dark Days at the Beach Hotel

 (2024) – Set later in the war, following manager's wife Helen Bygrove.

Love and Loss at the Beach Hotel

 (2024).

Stormy Skies at the Beach Hotel

 (2025) – Following chambermaid Fanny.

Celebrations at the Beach Hotel

 (2026) – The series finale set in 1919. 

Author Bio –

Francesca Capaldi has enjoyed writing since she was a child, largely influenced by a Welsh mother who was good at improvised storytelling and an Italian father who loved history. She is the author of historical sagas, short stories and pocket novels.

The first novel in the Beach Hotel series, A New Start at the Beach Hotel, won the Romantic Saga Award at the Romantic Novelists' Association Awards in 2024. The first novel in the Wartime in the Valleys series, Heartbreak in the Valleys, was shortlisted for the Historical Romantic Award in the RoNAs in 2021.

Francesca was born and brought up on the Sussex coast, went to London to do a history degree, but has lived for many years in Kent with her family and a cat called Lando Calrission.

Social Media Links –

Facebook: @ FrancescaCapaldiAuthor

Twitter: @ FCapaldiBurgess

Instagram: @francesca.capaldi.burgess

Tiktok: @francesca.capaldi.author

Website: francesca-capaldi.com