Stacking the Shelves #67

 

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!

What Angels Fear by C.S. Harris (Sebastian St. Cyr Book One)

LIbby Audiobook Borrow: Free

I have finally, finally started this series. I have been intending to for a very long time. Set during the Napoleonic Wars and sounding similar to the Anne Perry style of mysteries it looks like one I will enjoy.

I admit there is so much going on at work my blog and book life is suffering greatly so I am listening to this one in the car. So far I'm loving it and the narrator is fabulous. It's Davina Porter, the same lady who reads the Outlander series. So for those of you who've recommended this book series to me I thank you and look forward to continuing with it!

Murder in an Irish Castle by Verity Bright (Lady Eleanor Swift Book 12)

Kindle Purchase: Free with digital points

My next book in this delightful series! I have so many yet to go and just keep buying them when I can. This one looks like a Christmas/Winter one but I think I'll go ahead and start it. There is already a new one out I'm featuring on Can't Wait Wednesday this week. In this book Lady Eleanor is expecting a fun vacation at her late Uncle's estate in Ireland exploring her heritage and instead finds another body! Should be a fun read and I love that it is set in Ireland.

Mayhem in the Mountains by Kelly Oliver (A Fiona Figg and Kitty Lane Mystery Book 3)

Libby Borrow: Free

I think this series is really cute and this is the 6th book for me so far. The first three books were just Fiona but now her sidekick Kitty has been added along with her love interest Archie and villain Fredricks. I'm always trying to figure out if he is really a villain and suspect that when the series comes to an end he will turn out to be a secret spy good guy. I am excited to catch up with them!

Stacking the Shelves #66

 

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 Strange Fate of Kitty Easton by Elizabeth Speller

Hoopla borrow: Free

This one just looked unique and interesting to me. It is number two in the Laurence Bartram series but the first book doesn't seem as exciting. This one involves the disappearance of a young girl in a village during 1916. The synopsis of the book sounds like it will have a lot of WW1 as the background and how the village is coping with it all. 

The Families of Eleanor of Aquitaine by J.F. Andrews

Amazon Kindle: Free with points

I just can't seem to resist any books about Eleanor of Aquitaine. And this one focuses on her daughters. The male line gets so much attention and I know her daughters had amazing lives as well. Can't wait to learn more about them!

A Sunless Sea by Anne Perry (William Monk Book 18)

Libby Borrow: Free

This is one series I have remained faithful to and love. And Libby has them all. I've been reading my way through the Monk series for 20 years and love everything Perry has written. It's time to catch up with the next one. Here Monk investigates the death of a woman who has been seeing a mysterious guest with possible ties to the government. Perry books are always great mysteries! You can't go wrong.

At Bertram's Hotel by Agatha Christie (Miss Marple Book 10) Read Christie Selection September 2025

 

Publication Date:

January 1, 1965

Genre:  

Cozy Mysteries/Historical Mysteries

Length:   

 223 pages

Series: 

Miss Marple

Book description courtesy of Goodreads

This old-fashioned London hotel may not be quite as reputable as it makes out! When Miss Marple comes up from the country for a holiday in London, she finds what she's looking for at Bertram's: traditional décor and impeccable service. But she senses an unmistakable atmosphere of danger behind the highly polished veneer. Not even Miss Marple can foresee the violent chain of events set in motion when an eccentric hotel guest makes his way to the airport one day late.

My Thoughts

I thought it was a bit of a stretch to call this a Miss Marple mystery. She is not in the story very much and her usual expertise in solving the mystery is not in depth. Rather, I think she is there more to be the one who slowly realizes the hotel is not old world charming but rather sinister and jaded. In that respect, her character shines through. But she is not in the novel enough to be as memorable as the other Marple mysteries I've read. 

Bertram's Hotel is pitched as an old style, full service hotel that aims to please its patrons by being a classic London lodging of old. Everyone assumes there is nothing going on but the usual. As the story unfolds we get glimpses of things not being quite right. Shady dealings and train robberies add to the confusion and make the story suspenseful and exciting. The seeming disappearance of a hotel guest and their fate are unexpected and add a lot to the drama; I didn't guess what was actually happening to him at all!

Most of the time we hear from the detectives on the case. Their thoughts, interviews, etc. This felt more like a Hercule Poirot type of story in that respect. It was enjoyable and I came to like the character of Inspector Davy, even though he didn't spend a lot of time with Miss Marple.

The story was unique and worth reading even though I wished we'd seen more of her. Unlike other Christie novels, this one didn't focus as much on murder as it did other crimes but that was a nice change. This one definitely stands out as a departure from her typical mysteries. 

Murder On a Scottish Island by Lydia Travers (Lady Poppy Proudfoot Book Two)

 

Publication Date:

September 8, 2025

Genre:  

Cozy Mysteries/Historical Mysteries

Length:   

 364 pages

Series: 

Lady Poppy Proudfoot 

Book description courtesy of Goodreads

A dead body and a missing sapphire pendant? Lady Poppy Proudfoot is on the case!

Scotland, 1924: When Lady Poppy Proudfoot is invited to her friend’s hotel on the Isle of Skye, she is looking forward to a holiday. But all thoughts of relaxing vanish when she discovers the body of a strangled woman in a church.

The police believe the widow’s death was a robbery gone wrong, as a pendant was stolen from the scene. But Poppy is sure it’s murder. Ignoring the police’s warnings to keep her nose out, she enlists her friend Inspector MacKenzie, and her loyal Labrador, Major, to unpick the case.

Poppy suspects one of the hotel’s guests knows more about the murder than they are willing to admit. Could it be Miss Buccleugh, the avid button collector? Or the travelling guru, who conveniently disappeared just after the murder? Or was it Mr Henderson, so desperate for money he was driven to murder?

When Poppy sees the victim’s sapphire pendant on the neck of another guest, she is convinced the killer is targeting widows in the hotel, and luring them in with jewellery. But to prove her theory, she will have to offer herself up as bait. It’s risky, but her only way of catching the killer… Can Poppy con a con-man, and make it out alive? Or will she be the next wealthy widow on the killer’s list?

My Thoughts

I read book one and this one is an ARC from NetGalley. I like getting in on a new series and reading in order so I wanted to read this one before it came out and review it. It is a cute cozy and continues the story of the characters from book one, Lady Poppy and her love interest, Inspector MacKenzie. Poppy thinks she is going to just have a lovely, relaxing time in Scotland on the Isle of Skye but of course she gets tangled up in another murder mystery. This time it is one of the hotel's long standing guests who seemingly has no past to warrant anyone harming her. When Poppy finds her body she is determined to get to the bottom of things.

The plot is not terribly intricate or detailed but the author does the usual job of creating eccentric characters who seem shady and maybe probable suspects. Lady Poppy pokes her nose where it doesn't belong and MacKenzie chides her involvement. As she delves deeper into the mystery she wonders if she is being targeted as well as she is a widow and it seems the killer is preying on them in particular. Along with her dog, Major she investigates while putting herself in danger sometimes. Her status allows her into places and situations she might not normally go without the title of "Lady." 

In order to create a sense of time and place, the author adds some touches that speak to the 1920's. I liked learning the historical facts she inserted although sometimes in these cozies it feels a bit forced....like they are adding it just to prove the book is historical and not modern day. That is my only complaint that authors of these mysteries could work on. Making the time and place flow a bit better. But the things discussed like fashion etc. were definitely interesting.

I enjoyed this cute cozy and it was easy to read when exhausted from the start of school. I will continue with the series as it evolves. 

Can't Wait Wednesday: The First Witch of Boston: A Novel by Andrea Catalano

For this week's Can't Wait Wednesday hosted by Tressa at the book blog, Wishful Endings, I'm featuring, The First Witch of Boston by Andrea Catalano. This is an author I've never heard of so I wanted to mention her here and promote the book. 

It is a novel based on the true story of Margaret Jones, the first woman to be found guilty of witchcraft in 17th Century Massachusetts. While I have not always been super interested in this subject, this is a person I'd never heard of and a story I don't know about so that makes it more likely I'll read it. The author uses diary entries and court records throughout the novel which I love for historical accuracy. 

I hope you've found something to read that you can't wait for! Happy reading ya'll!

Historical Fiction

 

September 1, 2025

Book description courtesy of Goodreads

A gripping and intimate novel based on the true story of Margaret Jones, the first woman to be found guilty of witchcraft in seventeenth-century Massachusetts.

Massachusetts Bay Colony, 1646. Thomas and Margaret Jones arrive from England to build a life in the New World. Though of differing temperaments, cautious Thomas and fiery Margaret, a healer, are bound by a love that has lasted decades. With a child on the way, their new beginning promises only blessings.

But in this austere Puritan community, comely faces hide malicious intent. Wrong moves or words are met with suspicion, and Margaret’s bold and unguarded nature draws scorn. Soon, Margaret is mistrusted as more cunning woman than kind caregiver. And when personal tragedies, religious hysteria, and wariness of the unknown turn most against her, even the devotion Margaret and her husband share is at risk.

Inspired by actual diary entries and court records, The First Witch of Boston is at once the riveting story of a woman unjustly accused and a love story set amid the political and social turmoil of both Old and New England. Harrowing, and with a deep understanding of the human heart, history is brilliantly imagined.