The last few years I've made a list of 10 books - 5 books off my shelf, 5 books from the library - that I'm really wanting to read. There's no real rhyme or reason. I just go through my library list and my shelves and pick the books that are calling to me. Here are two that I've read recently.
Goodreads: The Siren of Sussex by Mimi Matthews
Blurb: Evelyn Maltravers understands exactly how little she’s worth on the marriage mart. As an incurable bluestocking from a family tumbling swiftly toward ruin, she knows she’ll never make a match in a ballroom. Her only hope is to distinguish herself by making the biggest splash in the one sphere she on horseback. In haute couture. But to truly capture London’s attention she’ll need a habit-maker who’s not afraid to take risks with his designs—and with his heart.
Half-Indian tailor Ahmad Malik has always had a talent for making women beautiful, inching his way toward recognition by designing riding habits for Rotten Row’s infamous Pretty Horsebreakers—but no one compares to Evelyn. Her unbridled spirit enchants him, awakening a depth of feeling he never thought possible.
But pushing boundaries comes at a cost and not everyone is pleased to welcome Evelyn and Ahmad into fashionable society. With obstacles spanning between them, the indomitable pair must decide which hurdles they can jump and what matters making their mark or following their hearts?
My Thoughts: It's been awhile since I picked up a new to me historical romance and this is one I'm very glad I tried. The clothing is always an element in historicals but this book it is a central focus and I really enjoyed seeing that the way trends develop is not that much different between modern day and the 1800s. Evie was an interesting female lead. She's a bit naive but is aware of the limitations her gender creates. Ahmad is faced with limitations as well not because of his gender but because of who he is. I enjoyed learning about both of them and their families (though if I was Evie I'd cut the older sister off without a thought). The romance was believable though one I struggled with at first to see how it could truly end in an HEA. I enjoyed how the author played the story out and I'm looking forward to reading more from this author in general and this series specifically. My Rating: Really Liked It (4 Stars)
Goodreads: Murder on Mustique by Anne Glenconner
Blurb: A storm. A disappearance. A race against time . . .
Mustique is in a state of breathless calm as tropical storm Cristobal edges towards it across the Atlantic. Most villa owners have escaped the island but a few young socialites remain, unwilling to let summer's partying end. American heiress Amanda Fortini is one such thrill-seeker - until she heads out for a morning swim and doesn't return.
Detective Sergeant Solomon Nile is just 28 years old and the island's only fully trained police officer. He quickly realises he needs to contact Lord and Lady Blake, who bought the island decades ago and have invested time, money and love creating a paradise. Jasper is in St Lucia designing a new village of luxury villas but Lady Veronica (Vee to her friends) catches a plane immediately. Her beloved god-daughter, Lily, is on the island and this disappearance has alarming echoes of what happened to Lily's mother many years ago. Lady Vee would never desert a friend in need, and she can keep a cool head in a crisis.
When Amanda's body is found, a murder investigation begins. Nile knows the killer must be an islander because flights and ferry crossings have stopped due to the storm warning, but the local community isn't co-operating. And then the storm hits, and someone else disappears . . .
My Thoughts: This was an entertaining and atmospheric read. Life on Mustique with the rich and famous residents has its challenges and luxuries. Now that a young woman has gone missing things have shifted from a lazy pace to an ominous claustrophobic one. I was unaware that the author was a former Lady in Waiting to Princess Margaret (and has written a book on it) and that this book is a fictional story set in an essentially real world as Glenconner and her husband do actually own the island of Mustique. That explains the tone of the book since while it is essentially a mystery involving the rich and famous it doesn't have a gossipy feel but more of a part of the world feel. Overall, the pacing is a bit slow and there was a feel of detachment even as the main characters are devastated at events that are unfolding. I enjoyed the read and the atmosphere on the island and while I would probably pick up Glenconner's nonfiction book I don't know that I would search out her fiction again - though I would read it if it fell in my lap. My Rating: Liked It (3 Stars)
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