Stacking the Shelves #75

 

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 ya'll!

Shades of Death: Murder at the Court of Elizabeth I by Angela Ranson

Kindle Purchase: 99 cents with points

I'm normally really burnt out on anything related to the Tudors but this mystery focuses on the death of Lord Dudley's wife Amy and the scandal involving the queen, which does interest me. I don't know the story at all but I really should! This historical fiction mystery setting might explain it in an entertaining way. Two of the queen's ladies-in-waiting investigate at Amy's home and try to find Lord Dudley innocent. 

The Forest Laird: A Tale of William Wallace by Jack Whyte

Kindle Purchase: Free with points

You don't find too many good books about Scottish heroes. William Wallace is probably written about more than others but this book just really caught my eye. Reading the author's note at the beginning hooked me too because he seems so heartfelt to tell the story accurately. I want to get around to this one soon.

Pilfered Promises: A Victorian San Francisco Mystery by M. Louisa Locke

Kindle Purchase: 99 cents

I remembered I have book one of this series already but haven't read it. I don't know why, they look interesting enough. I just have so many series already to get through. These are set during a time and place I'm not as eager to read about but I still think they are worth a shot. In this one, book 5, it is Thanksgiving and Christmas time so I really like to read those in season.

Cat Among the Pigeons by Agatha Christie (Read Christie November 2025 Selection) Hercule Poirot Book 36

 

Publication Date:

November 2, 1959

Genre:  

Cozy Mystery/Historical Mystery

Length:   

352 pages

Series: 

Hercule Poirot

Book description courtesy of Goodreads

Late one night, two teachers investigate a mysterious light in the school Sports Pavilion. Among the tennis racquets and lacrosse sticks, they find the body of the unpopular games mistress – shot through the heart. Schoolgirl Julia Upjohn knows too much, and begins to worry that she might be the next victim. Can detective Hercule Poirot find the killer before the ‘cat’ strikes again?

My Thoughts:

I was intrigued by the title of this book before I even started reading it. It sounded sinister and a good title for a mystery. The first part concerns a fictional Middle Eastern city, Ramut, in which there is a revolution going on. Two men end up dying in a plane crash and one of them decides to hide a stash of gems in a place only very few would know to look. It makes for a cliffhanger beginning and I definitely wanted to continue. I like novels and mysteries that make you a bit confused in the beginning as then there's much to figure out as you go.

The story then shifts to three months later at an English boarding school where we become involved in the day to day lives of student Jennifer and her friend Julia, as well as the staff. There are a vast array of characters so I won't list them all but I did have to work hard to keep everyone straight. This was complicated at times.

Can't Wait Wednesday: Murder at Midwinter Farm by Helena Dixon (A Kitty Underhay Mystery Book 22)

 

For this week's Can't Wait Wednesday hosted by Tressa at the book blog, Wishful Endings, I'm featuring, Murder at Midwinter Farm, by Helena Dixon. Such a gorgeous cover and it has all that winter vibe going for it. I think it will be a great addition for a December/holiday read. 

Hope you have found something you can't wait for! Happy reading ya'll!

Cozy Mystery/Historical Mystery

November 24, 2025

Book description courtesy of GoodReads

A frosty country lane, snow dusted Devon hills as far as the eye can see… and a local farmer vanished without trace. Can Kitty Underhay solve this chilling mystery?

Devon, 1937. Kitty Underhay is enjoying a crisp winter morning walk with her best friend, Alice, and her fiancé, Robert, who have recently bought the mysterious Midwinter Farm. The previous owner vanished one night, his dinner still on the table and the front door left wide open. But as work is carried out on the farm, a body is found on the grounds. How was the man murdered? And who is responsible?

Robert trusts the local police even less than Kitty does, so she is immediately on the case, with her husband Matt by her side. As the pair take the bull by the horns and begin to gather clues, several suspects emerge. Though he seems gentle as a lamb, is the victim’s son as innocent as he appears? Why does the local pub landlord have an axe to grind, and does his daughter seem suspicious?

The waters become muddied by a robbery, with valuable jewels stolen at neighbouring Seacliffe Hall. Is the thief also the murderer Kitty is looking for? Or are the two crimes entirely unconnected?

With the weak winter sun setting over the fields and danger mounting fast, Kitty and Matt need to find the killer, before they meet their own icy end in the dead of winter.

Murder Among the Pyramids by Sara Rosett (Lady Traveler in Egypt Book One)

 

Publication Date:

October 16, 2024

Genre:  

Cozy Mystery/Historical Mystery

Length:   

316 pages

Series: 

Lady Traveler in Egypt 

Book description courtesy of Goodreads

Escape on an Egyptian excursion to the land of the Pyramids.
Tour highlights include Hieroglyphics and high tea in the desert, followed by murder after sunset.

It’s 1924 and Blix Windway has made a career out of her wanderlust, giving lectures to ladies’ groups about everything from the flora of the American desert to the beauty of the Swiss Alps, but she needs new material for her talks.

She strikes what seems to be an ideal agreement with an eccentric older lady. Blix will be her travel companion during a journey to Egypt, helping to smooth the way through customs and coordinate sightseeing tours. The arrangement will provide Blix with the perfect opportunity to photograph the pyramids and gather material for her next lecture series.

But they’ve barely left England before the trouble begins; rough seas and an attempted robbery. Then a murder occurs during a tour of the pyramids.

Despite the attempts of the British officials to sweep the death under the rug, Blix becomes increasingly convinced that one of their tour party is a murderer.

Blix’s search for the truth takes her from the posh sporting clubs and lavish gardens of Cairo to the narrow, twisting lanes of the city’s centuries-old bazaar and the vast desert around the Giza Plateau. Can Blix unearth the truth before the killer makes this journey her last?

Join Blix on this classic murder mystery from Sara Rosett, author of the beloved High Society Lady Detective series.

My Thoughts:

I had not read any Sara Rosett books before this one but have several of her samples in my Kindle. This one was available on Libby. It was cute. Very similar to some Agatha Christie type books and the author says Elizabeth Peters was an inspiration for the Egyptian setting.

The main character, Blix is smart and resourceful and brave in her quest to find the killer of one of the tourists she is involved with, Vita Duncan.  With her travel companion and the woman funding her vacation, Hildy Honeyworth, and others, she works the clues including a mysterious package she was asked to deliver to someone in Egypt. 

Can't Wait Wednesday: Queens at War: England's Medieval Queens by Alison Weir (Book Four)

 

For this week's Can't Wait Wednesday hosted by Tressa at the book blog, Wishful Endings, I'm featuring, Queens at War: England's Medieval Queens, by Alison Weir. I have read the first two books in this series. Weir is a superb historian and storyteller. This book features the queens from the 1400's who found themselves caught up in the Hundred Years War and the Wars of the Roses. This includes Joan of Navarre, Katherine of Valois, Margaret of Anjou, Elizabeth Woodville, and Anne Neville. I can’t wait to read it. 

Hope you have found something you can't wait for! Happy reading ya'll!

History/Medieval History

December 2, 2025

Book description courtesy of GoodReads

Triumph and tragedy, love and loss, murder and malice in the lives of five fifteenth-century queens. The fifteenth century was a turbulent the Hundred Years War between England and France, and the Wars of the Roses dominated the lives of people both inside and out of the royal courts.

Joan of Navarre, Katherine of Valois, Margaret of Anjou, Elizabeth Wydeville and Anne Neville were the queens who stood by England's sovereigns, caught up in wars that changed the course of their lives, and the course of history. They were also formidable women who defied the limitations of their times, often living out the brutal consequences of their determination.

Alison Weir uncovers their stories in this final volume of her ground-breaking series on the queens of medieval England. Queens at War is a stunning culmination of research by a historian at the full extent of her powers and gripping account of five women on the throne.

Stacking the Shelves #74

 

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 ya'll!

The Seaside Murders by Helena Dixon (The Secret Detective Agency Book Two)

Kindle Purchase: 99 cents today 

I have book one from this series but haven't started it yet. This was so cheap I went ahead and got it. It looks like a cute series and I had started her other one awhile back and liked it. This continues Jane Treen, government agent in 1940's WW II and her cat. Always a plus when you add a cat :) 

Good Man Friday by Barbara Hambly (Benjamin January Book Twelve)

Kindle Purchase: Free with points

This series is unique. I have the second book, Fever Season. The books feature a free Creole man, Benjamin January in early 1830's New Orleans who is also a physician and music teacher. I think the setting and character make it unlike any other historical mystery I've read before. It's a long running series with twenty-one books, the latest published July 2025.  I still need to get book one to see how it all begins. 

Murder at the Highland Castle by Helena Dixon (Miss Kitty Underhay Book 14)

Kindle Purchase: 99 cents

Another Helena Dixon cozy, this one is part of the series I started awhile back. I can't resist the Christmas vibes and beautiful cover. Add in the Scottish highlands and you have a fun read. Might need to start this one to review for December.

Can't Wait Wednesday: Murder at Donwell Abbey by Vanessa Kelly (An Emma Knightley Mystery Book Two)

 

For this week's Can't Wait Wednesday hosted by Tressa at the book blog, Wishful Endings, I'm featuring, Murder at Donwell Abbey, by Vanessa Kelly. It looks adorable, featuring the character Emma from the beloved Jane Austen books. Combining a classic with a beautiful cover and cozy mystery with a Christmas/winter vibe is my cup of tea. I have yet to read book one but will have to find it first. Or maybe not! I might just read this one for a December book.

Hope you have found something you can't wait for! Happy reading ya'll!

Historical Mystery/Cozy Mystery

November 25, 2025

Book description courtesy of GoodReads

In this latest Regency era mystery, Jane Austen’s clever Emma Knightley navigates shocking changes in her family, while meeting her match in a deadly adversary.

Emma’s spirits are elevated after she and husband George Knightley host a joyful holiday celebration at the Hartfield estate. But it’s instantly a bitter January when her father makes an unexpected announcement. He and Miss Hetty Bates have decided to marry. Not only must Emma relinquish her role as mistress of the household, but she must also accept the reality that the excitable Miss Bates will become her stepmother.

More unwanted news arrives during an extravagant betrothal ball at Donwell Abbey, the grand Knightley estate where Emma and George will soon permanently reside. Nearly every villager in Highbury revels in the dazzling affair, except Emma’s hardworking lady’s maid, Prudence Parr. To Emma’s horror, Prudence is found dead, sprawled across the stones of the library terrace.

The woman’s tragic fall is quickly ruled a terrible accident and whispers circulate around personal troubles leading up to her untimely demise. But Emma’s instincts tell her that something far more sinister is at play. Now, Highbury’s matchmaker turned sleuth vows to outwit a cunning criminal before an innocent man loses his freedom, or Donwell Abbey plunges into a darker mystery.

Stacking the Shelves #73

 

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 ya'll!

Lady Helena Investigates by Jane Steen (Scott DeQunicy Mysteries Book One)

Kindle Purchase: Free today (Book Bub newsletter)

I'd come across this series before and today the first was free on Kindle. In 1881 Sussex, Lady Helena mourns the death of her second husband (her first also dying under mysterious circumstances) and works with a French physician to find out if it was murder or not. In doing so she becomes more aware of her own family's secrets and realizes there is a lot she doesn't know. Looks like romance, mystery, and family drama in one novel.

Bones at the Manor House by Emma Jameson (Dr. Benjamin Bones Mysteries Book Two)

Kindle Purchase: 99 cents this week 

This one doesn't take place in a favorite era of mine (1939) but it is in a small Cornish village and involves a ghost, love triangle and a dead body. It is book two and I'm always averse to starting that way but it was cheap and I'll just look for book one eventually. It is unique and so I wanted to go ahead and grab it! As if I don't have enough cozy historical mystery series to read, lol.

Marguerite: The Story of Marguerite of Anjou by Judith Arnopp

Kindle Purchase: 99 cents this week 

I had seen this book advertised heavily lately and was intrigued. I love Marguerite as a subject of history but I admit the subtitle "Hell hath no fury!" kept me away. It just seemed a little too theatrical. But I'm going to give it a try because it may turn out to be a great. The author has written several books about other historical figures and people seem to have enjoyed them. 

The Formidable Women Who Shaped Medieval Europe: Power and Patronage at the Burgundian Court by Susan Abernethey

 

Publication Date:

December 30, 2025

Genre:  

History/Medieval History

Length:   

 224 pages

Series: No

Book description courtesy of Goodreads

The formation of the Burgundian Empire by the four Valois Dukes of Burgundy would not have happened without the formidable royal and aristocratic women in their lives. These women, the wives, daughters, nieces, granddaughters and great-granddaughters, were vigorously engaged in the administration of the Burgundian empire, acting as governors and regents, making appointments, securing and making strategic marriages, raising taxes, negotiating treaties, engaging in cultural, religious and political patronage, giving birth to heirs and aiding in the military endeavours of their husbands. The history of these women involves numerous countries in Europe, including England, Scotland, France, Brittany, the Low Countries, Italy, Spain, the Holy Roman Empire, and many others.

Some of these women lived in luxurious comfort, and others were bullied and badgered into turning over some or all of their patrimony, allowing these all-powerful men to build an influential and powerful new state comprised of a numerous and varied collection of territories in Western Europe that existed from the late fourteenth century until the early sixteenth century.

We will meet women who were the daughters of kings, emperors, dukes and counts and even a queen regnant and a saint. The Valois dukes fully entrusted their wives with ruling in their stead while away fighting military and political wars. They used a deliberate policy of making marriages for their daughters and other female relatives into the many houses of Europe for political and territorial gains. In the end, the last Valois duke, Charles the Bold, put in motion a marriage for his daughter Mary, which would eventually bring about the end of the mighty Burgundian state, allowing it to be ruled by the House of Habsburg and absorbed into the Holy Roman Empire.

My Thoughts:

This was an ARC I was lucky to receive and has yet to be published. Focusing on first the history of the Burgundian Empire, the author establishes great background information to help the reader understand the formation of the country up to the reign of Charles the Bold. This wasn't the most interesting part for me but it did give me facts about Burgundy I'd never have found otherwise. Then she shifts her focus to the women who were either influential or reigned. This picks up in an era I'm more familiar with but wanted to know much more about. People like Margaret of England and Isabeau of Bavaria. She is especially fascinating as the wife of Charles the Mad King and mother of Henry V's wife, Catherine of Valois.

Can't Wait Wednesday: The Holly Village Murders by Benedict Brown (A Marius Quin Mystery Book Six)

 

For this week's Can't Wait Wednesday hosted by Tressa at the book blog, Wishful Endings, I'm featuring, The Holly Village Murders, by Benedict Brown. I have yet to start this series and this is the "cozy Christmas mystery" one. I really am enjoying the other series by Brown, Lord Edgington Investigates. I have no doubt this one is great too. 

Hope you have found something you can't wait for! Happy reading ya'll!

Historical Mystery/Cozy Mystery

November 10, 2025

Book description courtesy of GoodReads

The snow falls, carolers sing, and a killer plots his next move.

London, 1928. Marius Quin and Lady Bella Montague are ready for a quiet Christmas when they learn that Bella’s beloved Aunt Adele has met a shocking end in her picture-perfect cottage. Immediately heading for Holly Village, the enclave of retired aristocrats and eccentric pensioners where Adele lived, they discover that her death was far from natural.

The dead woman’s priceless Manet painting has vanished, and a cryptic note she left hints at scandalous goings-on among her neighbors. When another resident is murdered during the village Christmas party, it’s clear that a devious killer is preying on the sleepy community. Marius and Bella must navigate a web of village intrigue, false identities, and long-buried scandals to stop this from being a Christmas to remember for all the wrong reasons.

Stacking the Shelves #72

 

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 ya'll!

 

They Came To Baghdad by Agatha Christie 

Libby borrow: Free

This one looks great because of the location.  It just adds to the intrigue. In this one a spy dies in a young girl's hotel room and she is in for an adventure figuring out why. Add in a secret superpower summit and a shady underworld and I'm in! Should be a good one. If you've read it, no spoilers :) 

A Lady's Guide To Etiquette and Murder by Dianne Freeman (Countess of Harleigh Mystery Book One)

Amazon Prime borrow: Free

Frances Wynn, Countess of Harleigh, is happy to be free of her unfaithful husband who has died and is looking forward to the future with her daughter in London. Then she is implicated in his death and along with her handsome neighbor, George, she has to find out the truth before it ruins her life and her daughter's social London season. This looks cute and is book one so I'm interested.

 Murder at Morrington Hall by Clara McKenna (Stella and Lyndy Mysteries Book One)

Amazon Prime borrow: Free

American heiress and horse trainer Stella Kendrick is called from Kentucky back to England by her Father who then announces he is giving her away in marriage to a stranger, the Earl of Atherly's son, who will benefit financially from the match.  She becomes involved in the murder of the vicar who is to marry them and also more interested than she planned in her new fiance. 

Virgins by Diana Gabaldon (Outlander 0.5)

 

Publication Date:

December 3, 2013

Genre:  

Historical Fiction

Length:   

 86 pages

Series: Outlander 

Book description courtesy of Goodreads

A young Jamie Fraser learns what it really means to become a man in this Outlander prequel novella. Featuring all the trademark suspense, adventure, and history of Diana Gabaldon’s #1 bestselling novels and the Starz original series, Virgins is now available for the first time as a standalone ebook.
 
Mourning the death of his father and gravely injured at the hands of the English, Jamie Fraser finds himself running with a band of mercenaries in the French countryside, where he reconnects with his old friend Ian Murray. Both are nursing wounds; both have good reason to stay out of Scotland; and both are still virgins, despite several opportunities to remedy that deplorable situation with ladies of easy virtue. 

But Jamie’s love life becomes infinitely more complicated, and dangerous, when fate brings the young men into the service of Dr. Hasdi, a Jewish gentleman who hires them to escort two priceless treasures to Paris. One is an old Torah; the other is the doctor’s beautiful daughter, Rebekah, destined for an arranged marriage. Both Jamie and Ian are instantly drawn to the bride-to-be, but they might be more cautious if they had any idea who they’re truly dealing with.

My Thoughts

I read Virgins years ago. But never reviewed it because it was long before I had my blog! It has always been a goal of mine to review all the books from favorite authors that I've read in the past. So a re-read was in order for this one. It is a novella, short and easily read when I'm busy. While not my favorite of her stories, it grew on me over time as I wanted to know more about the back story of Jamie and Ian.

The main story is not terribly relevant. Jamie is recovering from wounds inflicted on him back in Scotland and grieving the death of his beloved Father. Ian is working in France with dangerous mercenaries and Jamie decides to join him. The story follows their reconnection, and involvement with the devious Rebekah and throughout we are privy to things about Jamie that we might not have discovered in the main Outlander book. There are many thoughtful conversations to be read between him and Ian and I liked learning more about the relationship between them. It showcases their youth and innocence and feels like a great way to see them both before life hardens them.

The immediate story involving the Jewish man and his daughter is quick and not necessary to further Outlander plot lines. But as someone who loves mystery and intrigue I thought it was engaging enough to want to figure out what was happening. Gabaldon is such a great writer that she can turn 86 pages into something thoughtful and suspenseful with ease. 

I liked Virgins much better the second time around. Having invested more time and thought into the characters made it more personal. If you are a fan of the series get the novellas and read them as stand alone books. They will give you more insight into the people she's created.