Books from the Backlog - If You've Got It, Haunt It

Today I'm linking up with Carole from Carole's Random Life of Books for Books from the Backlog.  I really enjoy the chance to feature a book that's been hiding in the piles of books for far too long!

Goodreads:  If You've Got It, Haunt It (Haunted Vintage #1) by Rose Pressey

Blurb:  Cookie Chanel has a passion for fashion--and a murder mystery to solve!

Cookie Chanel has opened her own vintage clothing boutique, It's Vintage, Y'All, in the charming town of Sugar Creek, Georgia. Always on the lookout for stylish second-hand steals, she attends the estate sale of deceased socialite Charlotte Meadows. But she gets a lot more than she bargained for when Charlotte's ghost appears before her--offering fashion advice and begging Cookie to find out who murdered her.

As the persistent poltergeist tags along and a possibly psychic pussycat moves into the shop, Cookie sorts through racks of suspects to see who may be hiding some skeletons in the closet. Do a clothing store owner and a disembodied socialite have a ghost of a chance of collaring a killer--or will Cookie's life be the next one hanging by a thread?

Why It Needs to Come Off the Shelf:  I've had a review copy of this since before it came out (which was Dec of 2014) and it has so many of my favorite things - ghosts, vintage clothes, and estate sales.  No idea why I haven't read it but it looks like something I'd love and that's what I'm looking for this year!

A Murderous Relation - Historical Mystery Review

Goodreads:  A Murderous Relation (Veronica Speedwell #5) by Deanna Raybourn

Rating: Really Liked It
Source:  Publisher

Description:  Veronica Speedwell and her natural historian colleague Stoker are asked by Lady Wellingtonia Beauclerk to help with a potential scandal so explosive it threatens to rock the monarchy. Prince Albert Victor is a regular visitor to the most exclusive private club in London, known as the Club de l'Etoile, and the proprietess, Madame Aurore, has received an expensive gift that can be traced back to the prince. Lady Wellie would like Veronica and Stoker to retrieve the jewel from the club before scandal can break.
Worse yet, London is gripped by hysteria in the autumn of 1888, terrorized by what would become the most notorious and elusive serial killer in history, Jack the Ripper--and Lady Wellie suspects the prince may be responsible.

Veronica and Stoker reluctantly agree to go undercover at Madame Aurore's high class brothel, where another body soon turns up. Many secrets are swirling around Veronica and the royal family--and it's up to Veronica and Stoker to find the truth, before it's too late for all of them.

Genre: Mystery - Historical

Why I Picked This Book:  I've really enjoyed previous books in this series and I love the author.  Plus, I can never resist a mystery that's connected to Jack the Ripper!

My Impression:  Insomnia decided to pay me a visit last week and over the weekend and while I'm not usually a fan of this particular visitor I have to admit that I wasn't too terribly sad because it gave me time to fly through this book.  What fun it was! 

There's abduction, intrigue, treason, madness, blackmail, jewels, and royal politics.  It's quite the ride and I couldn't wait to see just how Veronica and Stoker could possibly get themselves out of some of the spots they landed in.  Throw in a fantastic collection of side characters and it's impossible to resist.

I've read a few books set during this time period and I've read a few books that deal with Prince Albert Victor and I must say this was my favorite.  I felt like I knew poor Prince Albert and this was one of the few portrayals that I've seen that felt based on fact as well as sympathetic.  After finishing the book I really wanted to read more about both the Ripper victims and poor Eddy himself.

While I enjoyed this quite a lot I did have a complaint or two.  The primary one being the attraction between Stoker and Veronica.  Their lack of communication drove me crazy at times and Veronica's distracting lusting over Stoker in the first half got a bit much.  I get she's attracted to him but either act on it or let it go!

Minor complaint aside this was a fun book with an entertaining mystery and likable and sympathetic characters.  If you enjoy historical mysteries this is a must read.

Would I Read More of this Series/Author?  Absolutely!  I have never read a book by Raybourn that I did not enjoy.

Would I Recommend this Book?  I would!  If you enjoy historical mysteries you couldn't do better with this series.  If you're not a big mystery fan Raybourn has a number of historical fiction titles that are equally amazing.

* I received this book in exchange for an honest review.  As always my opinions and impressions are completely my own. *

Books On My TBR That Are Set in Ireland

I've been spending lots of time shopping my TBR and picking out books to read from that instead of the bookstore.  As I've been doing that I've noticed some themes!  I've talked about books involving bookish characters and today I'm looking at books that are set in Ireland.

1.  An Irish Country Doctor by Patrick Taylor - I picked this up on  a whim at a used bookstore.  I know very little about it but the cover was pretty and the book just felt nice.

2. The Likeness by Tana French - This isn't exactly a book that's going to make me want to jet off to Ireland but I'm intrigued by this this story - especially after watching The Dublin Murders earlier this year.

3.  The Faraday Girls by Monica McInerney - This sounds like a good family secrets novel and I do love family secrets.

4.  The Music Lesson by Katharine Donovan - I know very little about this one other then there's a stolen Vermeer and of course some family secrets!

5.  The Green Road by Anne Enright - Another one I don't know much about but the cover and setting sold me.

6.  Scandal in Skibbereen by Sheila Connolly - I read the first book in this series enjoyed it, then enjoyed a later book in the series, and then trudged through the last book in this series.  I'm hoping to get back the positive feeling!

7.  The Summer of Serendipity by Ali McNamara - This book sounds really sweet and cozy.

8.  Murder at an Irish Wedding by Carlene O'Connor - I read the first book in this series and really enjoyed it but somehow have never continued with the series.

9.  Born in Fire by Nora Roberts - I read this one ages ago and really would like to reread it.

10. The Lilac Bus by Maeve Binchy - Of course I have to include a Binchy book on this list and this one has been calling me for years!

What books have you loved that are set in Ireland?  Any favorite books with an Irish setting?

Death with a Dark Red Rose - Cozy Mystery Review

Goodreads:  Death with a Dark Red Rose (A Writer's Apprentice Mystery #5) by Julia Buckley

Rating: Liked It
Source: Publisher

Description:  Writer's apprentice Lena London is enjoying life in Blue Lake and being newly engaged, but is soon drawn into the terrifying disappearance of one of her closest friends....
Lena is starting to feel like having it all may actually be possible! She and suspense novelist Camilla Graham are busily plotting their next novel and she's got a brand-new diamond ring on her finger thanks to her fiancé, Sam West. The only blot on her Blue Lake life is a strange new corporation that has come to town called Plastisource. They seem to be intent on gobbling up prime real estate and changing the landscape of Lena's lovely adopted home.

When she and Sam get a call from their good friend (and Blue Lake detective) Doug saying that his girlfriend--and Lena's pal Belinda--isn't answering her phone and missed a date with him, they all head out to her home. The trio is shocked to discover that Belinda's purse and phone are at her house, along with a single red rose on her countertop--but Belinda herself is missing. Has she been abducted? Could the strange new corporation play a role in her disappearance? Lena is determined to find out and rescue her friend because she knows that the truth can be stranger and much more deadly than fiction....

Genre: Mystery - Cozy

Why I Picked This Book:  I really enjoyed the previous book in the series and I do love a mystery involving a missing person.

My Impression:  You know those books where after you finish reading the book itself you wonder if the person who wrote the blurb was even in the same room as the book?  Yeah this is one of those.  Basically the blurb sums up the first chapter or two and then they split never to meet again.  That doesn't mean it was a bad book it just wasn't the book I was expecting.  Once I got past that I did really enjoy this book. 

There are a lot of characters in this book.  Lena and Sam have a lot of friends which in some ways is great.  I love the community feel and I really enjoyed a lot of the dialogue but at times it can take some effort to keep up with all the different names.  The mystery is intriguing and while it isn't the mystery I thought I was getting there's still a missing person and a sinister mysterious company.  I loved the Gothic elements that are woven into both Camille's book and the actual book we are reading.  The mystery itself kept me guessing and definitely turning pages.  And at the end I hate to turn that last page because I know that means it will be a little while before I can spend time with these characters again. 

If you're looking for a good cozy with a great community feel then this is a great series to pick up!  Given the cast of characters it might be a bit of an easier read if you start at the beginning.

Would I Read More of this Series/Author?  Absolutely!  I enjoyed this book and I really enjoyed the previous book so I'm looking forward to continuing the series.

Would I Recommend this Book?  If you enjoy cozies - especially bookish cozies - this would be a good choice.  But with all the characters it might be better to start at the beginning of the series.

* I received this book in exchange for an honest review.  As always my opinions and impressions are completely my own. *

This Week in Reading - March 8

It's Sunday Post time!  This is hosted by the awesome Caffeinated Book Reviewer and gives us all a chance to recap our week.

What I Got:

One Perfect Summer by Brenda Novak - I was going to be good and get no books but then I got an email about this one and couldn't resist.  It's about a woman who does a DNA test and it turns out she has siblings she didn't know about and mayhem and hijinks ensue.  This actually happened to a cousin of mine and I love anything involving family relationships and genealogy so how could I pass it up? (Publisher)

Currently:

Reading:  A Murderous Relation by Deanna Raybourn, Lavender Blue Murder by Laura Childs, and The Read-Aloud Family by Sarah Mackenzie

Listening: The Storm Sister by by Lucinda Riley

Watching:  I'm catching up on Doctor Who and really enjoying it

Off the Blog:

I've been really loving The Read Aloud Family and it has really made me a convert (not that I had all that far to go).  We are homeschooling the Tornado (he's 10) and this is our first year.  So far it's going really well and one of my favorite things is the fun of reading aloud together.  With that in mind I'm trying to make a list of all the must read books that I want him to read before he graduates high school and I need your help! 

What classics did you read that you loved and think everyone should read?  What books did you read that taught you something about the world and really stuck with you?  What books did you read that are just flat out good reads?  It's amazing how varied literature education is and I'm trying to get the best of everything.

My one caveat is no animal cruelty.  We are both incredibly sensitive to that.  I don't enjoy human cruelty but there are some lessons to be learned there so I think that's worth pushing past.

On the Blog:

What Happened:

Monday:  Reviews from the Children's Section - The Tale of Despereaux
Tuesday:  Top Ten Tuesday - Ten Books with One Word Titles
Wednesday:  Who Slays the Wicked - Historical Mystery Review
Thursday:  Books from the Backlog - Waking the Dead
Friday:  Friday Fives - March Reads
Saturday:  February Reading Recap

What's Coming Up:

Monday:  Death With a Dark Red Rose - Cozy Mystery Review

Tuesday:  Books Set in Ireland On My TBR

Wednesday:  A Murderous Relation - Historical Mystery Review

Thursday:  Books from the Backlog

Friday:  Friday Fives

Saturday:  Winter Non-Bookish Favorites

Have a great week and happy reading!

February Reading Summary

Number of Books Read:  12

This was surprising because February was a short month and one week of it I was on vacation and got basically no reading done.

7 Print Books
3 Ebooks
2 Audio Books

5 Review Books
2 Library Book
2 Rereads
2 Books Off My Audible Shelf
1 Books from the Backlog Book


My Favorite Book:

Little Beach Street Bakery by Jenny Colgan - This was a Books from the Backlog (meme hosted by Carole over at Carole's Random Life in Books all about the books that have been on our shelf for far too long.  I was so excited to finally get to this one and I absolutely adored it.

Least Favorite Book: Where We Belong by Shann McPherson - It wasn't a bad book but I didn't enjoy it quite as much as the other books I read in February.

Books I'm Still Reading: 

Who Slays the Wicked by C.S Harris (almost done)
The Read-Aloud Family by Sarah Mackenzie
The Storm Sister by Lucinda Riley
Laetitia Rodd and the Case of the Wandering Scholar by Kate Saunders
The Lost Carousel of Provence by Juliet Blackwell (the last two I'm reading bit by bit in between other review books)

Goals for Next Month:  Finish the Kate Saunders and Juliet Blackwell and read a book that is either set in a state I haven't "visited" or a letter that I haven't come across yet.

Friday Fives - March Reads

I'm taking a bit of a break from my usual Friday Linkups to try something a little different.  Michelle over at Because Reading is Better Than Real Life   used to do a Five on Fridays that I always enjoyed and I've seen a few other variations on the theme.  As well I'm in a list making kind of mood so I thought I'd give start making random five lists.  Sometimes they'll be bookish other weeks not so much.  Since this is the first Friday in March I'm looking at the five books I hope to read this month.

1. The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend by Katrina Bivald - This has been on my TBR for ages and this is the month I'm going to read it.

2.  Night of a Thousand Stars by Deanna Raybourn - I have a review copy of this that I haven't read and it came out YEARS ago.  However, I just discovered it's on Audible Escape and that feels like a sign.

3.  Cat Among the Pigeons by Agatha Christie - I've only read one Agatha Christie this year and I need to read another one.

4.  A Killing in Antiques by Mary Moody - This was on my "Must Read" list last year and I never got around to it but it's still on my desk and it sounds fun.  Plus, I like the spring-y colors on the cover.

5.  Microphones and Murder by Erin Huss - This was a February review book that I didn't quite get to but I'm still really looking forward it and hoping to start it in the next few days.

What are you wanting to read this March?