Villainy in Vienna by Kelly Oliver (A Fiona Figg Mystery Book 3)

 

Publication Date:

January 20, 2022

Genre:

Cozy Historical Mystery

Series:

Fiona Figg Mystery Book 3

Length: 

260 pages

Book Description (GoodReads):

1917 Vienna.

File clerk turned British agent Fiona Figg is more comfortable wearing a fake mustache than a ballgown.
When a royal ball ends with a royal body in the middle of the dancefloor, Fiona trades her dancing slippers for practical oxfords and sets out to investigate.
As she tracks her nemesis, the Black Panther, from Vienna to the Austrian countryside, a hunting accident makes her rethink her loyalties.
Can Fiona prevent the Black Panther from striking again, save her own skin, and find a decent cup of tea, all before the enemy's emperor realizes she's a spy?

My Thoughts:

Having read these books in order (a feat for me!) book 3 was a lot of fun now knowing the characters better. While there wasn't a ton of murders or super intricate details going on to solve in this one, the political intrigue combined with the quirky personas involved made it a good book. Once again, Fiona is hot on the trail of her nemesis, notorious spy Fredrick Fredricks. He is always one step ahead of her though and continues to get in her head and see through her disguises. While Fiona is not the least bit interested in him romantically and only has eyes for fellow British spy Archie, she admits Fredricks is handsome and charming in his own way.

She is in Vienna to keep an eye on him and other players on the British side, and report any suspicious behavior to the British war office back home. When the story begins she attends a royal ball where a death occurs, setting things in motion. She befriends an eccentric woman, helps find the culprit in the kidnapping of the lady's dog, and eventually, has to outsmart some of the shady male diplomats around her while trying not to draw too much attention to herself. We meet the real Emperor and Empress of Austria which I found to be a wonderful side story.

I think that is what has kept me coming back to this series. The author does a good job of weaving in real historical characters and World War I information while keeping things light and humorous. I learned a bit about the war again, Vienna's royal society during the time, and was reminded that Fredrick Fredricks was indeed a real person. The next set of books in this series take on a second main character, Kitty, and I will pick up with it soon. They are a good break from serious books.

Can't Wait Wednesday: Last Twilight in Paris by Pam Jenoff

 

For this week's Can't Wait Wednesday, hosted by Tressa at Wishful Endings, I'm featuring, Last Twilight in Paris, by Pam Jenoff. It looks like an interesting mystery set just after WWII. I don't read many books set during this time period but I know it is an incredibly popular era in historical fiction. Happy reading ya'll! 

Historical Fiction/Mystery/WWII

February 4, 2025

 

Book Description courtesy of GoodReads:

A Parisian department store, a mysterious necklace and a woman’s quest to unlock a decade-old mystery are at the center of this riveting novel of love and survival, from New York Times bestselling author Pam Jenoff

London, 1953. Louise is still adjusting to her postwar role as a housewife when she discovers a necklace in a box at a secondhand shop. The box is marked with the name of a department store in Paris, and she is certain she has seen the necklace before when she worked with the Red Cross in Nazi-occupied Europe —and that it holds the key to the mysterious death of her friend Franny during the war.

Following the trail of clues to Paris, Louise seeks help from her former boss Ian, with whom she shares a romantic history. The necklace leads them to discover the dark history of Lévitan—a once-glamorous department store that served as a Nazi prison, and Helaine, a woman who was imprisoned there, torn apart from her husband when the Germans invaded France.

Louise races to find the connection between the necklace, the department store and Franny’s death. But nothing is as it seems, and there are forces determined to keep the truth buried forever. Inspired by the true story of Lévitan, Last Twilight in Paris is both a gripping mystery and an unforgettable story about sacrifice, resistance and the power of love to transcend in even the darkest hours.

Top Ten Tuesday: Bookish Goals for 2025

 

First off.....I am wondering if I can get one of my three cats to pose like this? Lol....but seriously I love this Top Ten Tuesday post each year. Looking back I don't necessarily do well with these goals but I try! 

So here again in January are my bookish goals I hope to accomplish this year and I am excited to see how many I have in common with my fellow readers and bloggers. They are in no particular ranking order, just my thoughts. Thanks to Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl for hosting this each week. Happy reading ya'll!

1. Read more history- I say this every year....I used to be such a straight up reader of history books. But darn if my fellow bloggers didn't get me hooked on historical fiction and now there are so many wonderful books out there I'm finding it impossible to read a dry history book.

2. DNF books after page 50- If I have devoted this much time and energy I need to stop. I'm 50 years old and have only so much time in life left to read...lol.

3. Stop starting so many series- This will be sooooo difficult for me. I love series books but I have to be choosy because I can't possibly read all the books in every series I come across.

4. Spend more time reading and commenting on others' blogs- I absolutely love reading book blogs but often get absorbed in them and forget to comment too. I need to work on this!

5. Whittle down my TBR pile- I know we all have this goal. Enough said. Pick a book and finish it each month is a good start!

6. Give a chance to some new authors- Another goal I always have. I truly want to do this but it's hard when I need a good book from a trusted author I know won't disappoint me and waste my time.

7. Finish my actual paper books- I don't have many as at my age and with my eyesight getting worse each year I'm an avid Kindle user. But I have some great paper books you can't get on Kindle so I want to try to start them this year.

8. Post more consistently- I do post weekly and often more than once. But I don't want just reviews. There are so many fun weekly post ideas and challenges I want to get more involved with. It is just lack of time that causes me to have whole weeks where I don't post with intention.

9. Devote more time in my week to actually reading- This is another goal I'm sure I share with my fellow bloggers and readers.....spending a lot of time looking at new books but not enough time actually reading them. It's just so relaxing to scroll and dream :) 

10. Work on collections- Lately I've been wanting to scour more bookstores for books that are worth keeping in physical form. I'd love to own all of Jean Plaidy's works as they are hard to find and many other authors I've grown up loving. Just for fun. Just because. 

Pirates and Patriots: A Tudor Naval Adventure by David Field (The New World Nautical Saga Book 1)

 

Publication Date:

June 2, 2023

Genre:

Historical Fiction

Series:

The New World Nautical Saga Book 1

Length: 

246 pages

Book description (goodreads):

The world is Drake’s oyster…

England, 1554

Fifteen-year-old Francis Drake is realising his dream of sailing on the open seas. After training with his cousins William and John Hawkins in their naval business, he takes his first commission upon the Bonaventure.

But when disaster strikes the ship and Francis saves the men with his quick-thinking, he makes an enemy of the captain, who threatens to charge Francis with mutiny.

Francis must seek a new path to make his fortune and he joins with the Hawkins brothers to search for glory in foreign lands.

But trading on the world stage is already being dominated by Spanish and Portuguese explorers and so Francis must act quickly if he wishes to make his mark.

And as one Tudor queen makes way for another, and Spanish relations grow ever tenser, Francis Drake may soon be needed to help save his country from the threat of war...

My Thoughts:

I have read most of Field's Medieval series and was not interested in this one at first. So glad I changed my mind because I absolutely loved this book and can't wait to read the next two in the three part series. 

Francis Drake is such a fascinating person and even though I know some of the story was crafted by the author, the basic facts as to how he rose through the ranks to defeat the Spanish Armada are solid. The love story between him and his wife Mary seemed plausible and her needing him to validate her as a wife and being distraught at how long he'd be away on his voyages felt very realistic. 

I loved the way he was portrayed as having a sense of humor about life too and wondered if this were something the author felt he had to add because it was something written in historical documents. His interactions with his cousins, Queen Elizabeth, and his crew members made the history come alive. I actually found myself wanting more detail as to how he handled his work life during the times he wasn't at sea.

Not needing or wanting books with detailed accounts of battles, this one was again a great balance of recreating the voyages to the West Indies and Americas, the navigating of the later named Drake's Passage, and the fateful day defeating Spain's formidable navy without so much detail one gets bored. Field's books don't feel like military books but they include enough to do justice to the important parts you have to learn. 

I will definitely be continuing with this series and all of his books. This is the way to learn history!

Can't Wait Wednesday: Two Weddings and a Murder by Alyssa Maxwell (A Lady and Lady's Maid Mystery) Book 9

For this week's Can't Wait Wednesday, hosted by Tressa at Wishful Endings, I'm featuring, Two Weddings and a Murder, by Alyssa Maxwell. Her Gilded Age series is very popular and I've read the first three. I have not read any from the Lady's Maid series but thought I'd feature it for those who have enjoyed them. Set in the 1920's it follows the goings on of lady's maid Eva Huntford.

Historical Cozy Mysteries

February 25, 2025

Book Description courtesy of Amazon:

As Lady Phoebe and her betrothed say their vows of holy matrimony, a killer has vowed unholy vengeance on the town’s chief inspector . . .

June 1922: The blessed day has finally arrived. Phoebe Renshaw and Owen Seabright are to be wed, and lady’s maid Eva Huntford could not be more delighted for her lady’s happiness. But she is disturbed by one notable absence from the ceremony—her beau, Police Constable Miles Brannock. When Miles finally does appear, breathlessly running into the reception at Foxwood Hall, he brings grim news: he’s found Chief Inspector Isaac Perkins murdered, shot in his home in his favorite parlor chair with his own gun.

A policeman naturally makes enemies, especially those of questionable character. In charge of finding his former boss’s killer, Miles reviews the details of the crime scene. The murder weapon has been wiped clean and left on the table next to the remnants of the chief inspector’s breakfast: sausage pasty and coffee reeking of a bit of whiskey. No sign of forced entry. A seemingly peaceful scene—other than the bullet hole in the victim.

Before Miles can make much progress in his investigation, a Scotland Yard detective arrives in Little Barlow to take over the case—and promptly focuses his suspicions on the constable himself, who he reasons had motive and opportunity. Coming to their maid’s defense, Phoebe and Owen postpone their honeymoon to join Eva in clearing her beau’s good name and unmasking the identity of the true killer . . .