Happy Valentines Day 2026!

I hope everyone has a wonderful day celebrating in your own way. I plan to cook some nice things for my son and husband and enjoy the rain headed our way. And of course, read. Happy Valentines Day to all my blogger friends and fellow readers out there!

 

Can't Wait Wednesday: Murder At Sea by Helena Dixon (A Miss Underhay Mystery Book 23)

For this week's Can't Wait Wednesday hosted by Tressa at the book blog, Wishful Endings, I'm featuring, Murder At Sea, by Helena Dixon. This series is on my list of wanting to continue even though I haven't gotten far with it. Gorgeous covers, cute characters, and cozy plots. 

In this story, Kitty Underhay goes on an ocean cruise adventure to solve the murder of her cousin’s love interest as well as the jewelry he apparently has stolen. They must find the murderer who is on the ship before he kills again. Set in the 1930's this is a cozy series that is long running, this being book 23. 

Historical Mysteries, Cozy Mysteries

February 23, 2026

Book description courtesy of Goodreads

Devon, 1938. Kitty Underhay is enjoying a well-deserved rest when her very upset cousin Hattie suddenly bursts in. She sobs that the gentleman she had been seeing, Richard Westonholme, seems to have vanished, taking all of her jewelry with him. As Hattie describes Richard, he sounds eerily familiar, and Kitty and her husband Matt board a ship in hot pursuit – only to find him lying in a lifeboat… dead.

As they’ve set sail, the murderer has to be on board too, but there are suspects as far as the eye can see. Could Richard’s wife have something to do with the murder? What about the rich heiress and her guardian? And is the steward hiding something fishy?

Kitty and Matt are all too aware that the clock is ticking while the suspects are trapped with no escape. Can they net the killer before the ship docks? Or will one of them be dead in the water before they reach dry land?

Stacking the Shelves #86

 

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Reading Reality. It's a place to showcase any books I have purchased, borrowed, or been lucky enough to have been given an advance copy of. 

Hope you find something that looks interesting to you or that makes you remember a favorite book you need to finish. Happy reading y'all!

A Gambling Man by Jenny Uglow

Free with Kindle points

I do not know much about the Stuart Restoration. That whole period of the James/Charles' is murky to me at best and anything concerning Oliver Cromwell forget about it, lol. So I saw this and thought it looked interesting. I probably won't get to it for awhile (I've been sucked back into a book on The Anarchy again) but eventually it's a time period I'd like to know more about. 

Murder Under the Mistletoe by Erica Ruth Neubauer (A Jane Wunderly Mystery Book 4.5)

Free: Libby Audiobook borrow

Yes, the holidays just ended but.....this is book 4.5 of this series and I'm ready to read on so I don't want to skip this one. From reading the summary it will include things I won't want to skip with the next full book. I don't necessarily want to read a Christmas book in February but this one is short and on audio. I'm sure it will be fun. Jane is spending the holidays at her fiance's home, Barnard Castle. Of course a murder occurs and they must work to find out who is responsible. How can you go wrong with castles, snow, Christmas, and a murder mystery?

The King's Coat by Dewey Lambdin (An Alan Lewrie Naval Adventure Book One)

Free with Kindle points

I love books set at sea and this looks good. The first in a series started in 1989 so almost an "old" book, lol. It is about a young man,  seventeen year old Alan Lewrie who is sent to sea in the year 1780 by his father who is hoping to instill a sense of discipline in him. He is headed to America and finds he loves being on the ship and the life of a sailor. The summary eludes to a "surprise," but no hint of what that is. I am intrigued!

An Uncivil War by David Field (The Medieval Saga Book Three)

 

Publication Date:

June 17, 2022

Genre: 

Historical Fiction, Medieval Fiction

Length:  

271 pages

Series:

The Medieval Saga Series

Book description courtesy of Goodreads

England is at war – with itself!

England, 1120

When Henry I dies with no legitimate male heir, the nation is thrown into chaos.
The two rivals for the crown are Henry’s daughter Matilda and his nephew Stephen of Blois, both of whom are determined to emerge victorious.
A bitter struggle ensues which threatens to reduce England to a barren wasteland and many ordinary people find themselves torn apart from each other in the confusion of deciding which side to fight for.

One of those caught up in the fray is young soldier Richard Walsingham who is fighting alongside Stephen. But his sister Elinor is employed as a companion to Matilda.  As the family members come to terms with being on opposite sides of a treacherous dynastic conflict a new contender for the throne enters the picture. Which of the rivals will emerge triumphant? Can the nation be pieced back together again?

Or will more than lives be lost in this uncivil war…?

My Thoughts

Another great read from David Field....it covers The Anarchy period in England between Empress Matilda and the future King Stephen and although it didn't give me a whole lot of new information I hadn't read on this subject before, it did a great job of using fictional characters on each side of the conflict to both inform and entertain. I just love this series and now have only two left to finish. The next book covers King Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine and the book after that covers the reign of King Richard I, their son. I skipped these middle books awhile back because I already had so much knowledge of the time from reading the Sharon Penman books. But I think this year I'm going to finish them and then move on to his Tudor or Australia focused books. 

This story continues with the saga of the family from book one who are fictional characters, always placed into the drama and court royalty involved in the real history. I usually don't like this and prefer to stick to historical fiction with real people but I don't seem to mind in the Field books. He uses their story in a way that is readable and always sticks with what really happened. 

Can't Wait Wednesday: On the Wings of the Storm by Maggie Craig (Storm Over Scotland Book Four)

 

For this week's Can't Wait Wednesday hosted by Tressa at the book blog, Wishful Endings, I'm featuring, On the Wings of the Storm, by Maggie Craig. I subscribe to her newsletter and I have read the first book in this series and although it was a bit more in the romance department than I usually like it was still good. 

I had forgotten about the series until I read the newsletter and saw book four was coming out. Of course now I'm behind, lol....always behind in my series reads. I love all things Scottish, Jacobite, Outlander-like, so I may need to start book two soon. If you want a good read about the lost Stuart cause with some romance thrown in, you will like this series. 

Historical Fiction, Scottish Historical Fiction

February 12, 2026

Book description courtesy of Goodreads

Summer 1745: Prince Charles Edward Stuart has landed in the Highlands, igniting a rebellion that will set Scotland ablaze.

Redcoat Captain Robert Catto has painful personal reasons for hating all Jacobites with a passion. Except for one. Christian Rankeillor is a fiercely intelligent apothecary in Edinburgh. Her loyalty to the Jacobite Cause is unshakeable.

Now, as the Rising gathers force and loyalties harden into life-or-death choices, Catto must confront enemies on and off the battlefield as well as the ghosts of his troubled past.

On opposite sides of a brutal conflict, can Robert and Kirsty dare to hope against all the odds they might have a future together? Or will the coming storm destroy their last chance at love?