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.

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.

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. 

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. 

Stacking the Shelves #71

 

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!

Last Dance in Salzburg by Vivian Conroy (Miss Ashford Investigates #4)

Kindle Sale: 99 cents this week 

I have read the first two books in this series and enjoyed them. I have to read book three first but this is book 4 so I got it while it was only a dollar. The covers are beautiful and I love the unique location settings. Atalanta tries to uncover the truth behind the death of a convicted jewel thief. She has to sleuth among the European elite in 1930's Austria. 

A Perilous Premiere by Gail Meath (Stone and Steele Mysteries #1)

Kindle Points

Growing up with the old movies this series looked really charming to me. The author has written another successful one called Jax Diamond Mysteries, and this is her newest one. It's set in the 1930's Golden Age of Hollywood and the heroine is friends with Carole Lombard, owns a fashion boutique in Beverly Hills, and is trying to solve the recent murder of her banker husband. She has the unwanted help of Preston Stone, a man she doesn't care for at all. Should be a fun series set in an iconic period. 

Death at a Paris Hotel by Verity Bright (Lady Eleanor Swift #22)

Kindle Sale: 99 cents this week

I grab all of this series as I can. I am not up to this one yet but it was super cheap this week. Lady Eleanor and Hugh are honeymooning in Paris but just can't seem to avoid being drug into another case of murder. This time Eleanor thinks she knows the victim but isn't quite sure who he is. 

Stacking the Shelves #70

 

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 Doctor's Wife by Myra McIlvain (A German Family Saga Book One)

Kindle Points: 99 Cents

This just looked interesting. It's about a woman who travels to Galveston, Texas and is abandoned by her employer. She ends up marrying the ship's physician and settles into the German population. Being from Texas myself and loving Galveston I thought I'd enjoy this. The author has written for many Texas publications and is a several generations Texan. It just looked unique and full of history. It's also part of a series which appeals to me. 

A Precarious Homecoming by D.S. Lang (Arabella Stewart Historical Mystery Book One)

Kindle: Free this week

This is part of a series and I hadn't heard of the books or the author. The covers are really unique and pretty and the story looks interesting. Arabella, the heroine returns to her hometown to save her family resort and ends up working on a murder with her childhood friend who is now the Constable. It is set just after WW1 which I prefer over WW2 stories. There is another series by the author called Doro Banyon which she says is a little cozier than this more serious one. 

The Virgin Widow by Anne O'Brien

Kindle: Free with points

I know this author well but hadn't heard of this book. It is about Anne Neville, Richard III's wife and Queen of England. I don't know why but I just love anything about her and really enjoyed my last book I read by Jean Plaidy. This is a popular author so I'm hoping I like this one. With my huge TBR file I don't know when I'll get to it but I'm glad to have it. 

Stacking the Shelves #69

 

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 Big Four by Agatha Christie (Hercule Poirot Book Five)

LIbby Audiobook Borrow: Free

I have decided to just continue with Hercule Poirot books in order. I have read so many for the Read Christie challenges but there are gaps and he's my favorite of them all! In this one he tries to figure out the identity of a mysterious man who appears in his bedroom covered in dust and then falls. Sounds very strange but I have to find out how on earth she makes a story out of that!

Nemesis by Catherine Hanley 

Sample: Free (will buy if I read the sample and love it!)

I absolutely love Catherine Hanley's books and when she's on a podcast featuring a new one I always listen. This is her latest and as always she picks unique subjects and topics. I confess this is just a sample as the book is expensive even on Kindle but if I love it I will buy it or try to get it at the library. It is about Phillip II of France and his interaction with the Plantagenets. There aren't many books devoted entirely to him so I will learn a lot. She is a great writer of medieval history.

The Last Queen: A Novel by C.W. Gortner 

Kindle Purchase: $1.99 with digital points

This is a novel about Juana of Castile. I find her fascinating. Way more interesting honestly than her sister Catherine (probably because there is so much written about her and I've read a lot!). Juana's story is tragic and whether or not she really was "mad" is still up for debate. Some say her circumstances drove her to insanity as she navigates court politics in Flanders. I hope this is a good, historical read as I've heard good things about Gortner's books before. 

Stacking the Shelves #68

 

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!

Royal Blood by Rhys Bowen: Her Royal Spyness #4 

LIbby Borrow: Free

I have borrowed and started this one before but didn't get far. I was reading too many other books at the time. I am ready to continue with the series and love that this one takes place in Transylvania. I think cozies are more fun when they take place in exotic or historic places. This time Georgie is invited to represent the royal family at a wedding there and of course one of the guests turns up poisoned. Georgie is on the case while dodging possible vampires! Looks like a fun read. 

A Body at a Boarding School by Benedict Brown: Lord Edgington Investigates Book Two

LIbby Borrow: Free

I have read two Lord Edgington books, the first in the series and a Christmas one. Both are enjoyable and I would like to move to book two. This is the audio version so I can listen on the way to work. Edgington and his grandson Christopher investigate unruly staff and students at the boy's boarding school and find themselves involved in another murder investigation. They have a sweet, heartwarming relationship that forms the basis of these books. 

Murder at Rough Point by Alyssa Maxwell: Gilded Newport Mystery Book Four

LIbby Borrow: Free

It's been awhile since I've read one of these. Watching Season 3 of The Gilded Age on HBO Max this weekend got me thinking about them. I really wish Hallmark would get on with another movie too! The first one was great. In this story, reporter Emma Cross is sent to cover a story at the home of her Vanderbilt cousin who is having a party for the upper crust society set and artists. Her estranged parents arrive and when a body is found they become suspects. Should be a good one! I guess this week is just cozies for me. And I'm just fine with that.