Year of the Projects - The Girl From the Savoy + The Inspector and Mrs. Jeffries + Rest Ye Murdered Gentlemen

 I do love a good list.  It gives a nice sense of order and focus and I love making lists about the books I want to read.  Last year I focused just on series I was behind on.  The project went great and I caught up on a ton of series but I felt like I was neglecting other books on my shelf and books at my library.  This year I have a few lists going - Series, Library, Clear Off My Shelves, and a random TBR Bingo where I pull books off my Goodreads TBR.  Here are a few of my most recent reads.

Goodreads:  The Girl From the Savoy by Hazel Gaynor

Project:  TBR Bingo List

My Thoughts:  I have loved every book I've read by Hazel Gaynor and I really enjoyed this one.  I loved the story of Dolly Lane and her big dreams and her practical nature.  I loved Loretta May/Virginia Clemmons and her brother and poor sweet Teddy and all the friends Dolly made along the way.  Her time as a maid at the Savoy was at times funny, at times heartbreaking, and at times maddening.  I do feel like the book kind of started too soon.  There was so much focus on the first half of her time at the Savoy and the rest of her life was at best glossed over and mostly skipped all together.  I wanted to know more about these characters that I had come to love so much.  My Rating:  Really Liked It!

Goodreads:  The Inspector and Mrs. Jeffries by Emily Brightwell

Project: Library List

My Thoughts:  I was so excited when I pulled this book randomly off my library list.  I have thoroughly enjoyed the more recent books in this series and have been wanting to go back to the beginning.  This is a fun historical mystery series involving a Scotland Yard Inspector who is doing his legitimate investigation and his household staff led by his housekeeper Mrs. Jeffries who are helping him without his knowledge.  I really enjoyed this which did not surprise me as this has been a series I've looked forward to for the last few years.  My only complaint is that in this book Inspector Witherspoon is definitely on the bumbling clueless side where in the later books he's a competent investigator in his own right.  That said I really enjoyed this and when I have a blank spot in my series project I will be rolling this in.  My Rating: Really Liked It

Goodreads: Rest Ye Murdered Gentleman by Vicki Delany

Project: Series

My Thoughts:  I have read the last few books in this series about a store owner in a little town that is all about Christmas all year round.  Merry is a fun main character running a shop that I dearly wish was real as it is full of artisan and one of a kind Christmas decorations and gifts.  This mystery introduces the town of Rudolph, New York and asks the question - just who is trying to ruin Christmas in Rudolph.  I really enjoyed getting to know Merry and her family a bit better (especially her giant St. Bernard puppy Mattie) and spending some time in Rudolph.  The mystery kept me guessing and the reveal was even a bit of a surprise.  This is a series I will definitely be continuing.  My Rating: Really Liked It