I love to read, recommend books and open the world of reading to others. I tutor to ensure that the next generation of readers will know the joys of a good book because their reading skills have improved. I am an avid reader, especially of mysteries and fiction. I believe that two of the world's greatest inventions were the public library and eyeglasses!
One’s wedding day is supposed to be a happy and memorable one. However, in this latest entry in Penney’s series, instead there is murder and mayhem when a Shakespearean themed wedding goes awry. How will a murder be solved? Will the weddings take place?
Readers of traditional mysteries know the answers but the fun is in getting there. It was enjoyable to spend time with these characters and their lives in Cambridge, England. Those who have read other titles in the series will want to look for this latest entry while, those new to the series, may want to read every one.
Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press-Minotaur Books for this title. All opinions are my own.
Pub date: 25 November 2025
Review written on 16 December 2025
Description:
from the publisher
Vows and Villainy is the fifth book in Elizabeth Penney’s delightful Cambridge Bookshop series set in Cambridge, England, where celebrations are about to commence.
It’s wedding season in Cambridge, and Molly Kimball is thrilled that it’s almost time for her best friend’s special day. With the help of her boyfriend Kieran Scott, she is determined to be the best maid of honor for Daisy and Tim. Daisy’s heart is set upon a Shakespeare-themed wedding to be held at Hazelhurst House, Kieran’s family’s home. The Scotts are also hosting a Shakespeare troupe for the summer, and the actors have kindly agreed to be part of the festivities.
But all goes awry with the discovery of Sir Nigel Peck, a famous actor with a checkered past and present-day misdeeds, floating dead in the moat with flowers strewn around him, à la Ophelia. When Kieran’s brother Alan becomes a top suspect, Molly and company must investigate to uncover the ugly truth behind this picturesque scene . . . before more bodies pile up.
Can Molly solve the murder before Daisy and Tim say “I do”?
About the Author:
from Amazon
ELIZABETH PENNEY is the author of more than two dozen cozy mysteries, including the Apron Shop, Cambridge Bookshop, and Ravensea Castle series. The first in the Cambridge Bookshop series, Chapter and Curse, was a 2022 Mary Higgins Clark Award nominee. Elizabeth spent her early years in England and France and now lives in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, where she pens novels and tries to grow things.
Praise for the Cambridge Bookshop series:
“A complex mystery featuring the historic charms of Cambridge and a likable, clever sleuth.”―Kirkus Reviews
“Penney adds to her list of popular, feel-good reads with the start of a new series . . . will please her fans and everyone looking for a diverting read with a pleasantly nostalgic British cozy, a keep-’em-guessing murder mystery, and a lighthearted romance.”―Booklist
Readers who enjoy a Gallic mystery with a British protagonist may well enjoy this second food titled mystery following on the author’s Death and Croissants. It is written by a British comedian who brings a certain sensibility to the genre.
Richard has gone out for dinner. The menu is a tasting one and he has not tasted enough (he is still hungry). The beginnings of a mess emerge with the goat cheese parfait that is the dessert course.
Soon, there is, of course, a murder. It takes place in a cheese related locale. Will Richard, a local B and B owner figure out what has happened? How will his amie, Valerie, contribute? Read this one to find out. It will especially be enjoyed by Francophiles.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Poisoned Press for this title. All opinions are my own.
This series began with last year’s Mastering the Art of French Murder. This second title is every bit as delightful.
Here is an historical mystery set in post WWII Paris. It features a fictional protagonist, Tabitha, and a friend of hers. That friend is the larger than life Julia Child. Together the two become involved in murderous situations.
This time, chefs should beware what they drink. Not too far into the novel, two have died after imbibing what should have been very special vintages. Tabitha and Julia are on the case even if the police inspector (and possible romantic interest for Tabitha) does not want their help.
What I like best in this book (and in the first one) is the evocation of Paris. When Tabitha and Julia visit a market it is easy to visualize the food and want to start cooking. And speaking of which, every time Julia is around food, and that is often, the book is so much fun.
Highly recommended to those who are foodies, those who love Paris and those who like historical mysteries. I hope there will be a third book soon
Many thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Books for this title. All opinions are my own.
I was so very excited when Berkley approved me for this title as I have enjoyed Libby Page’s novels ever since I came across The Lido. Picking a favorite book of hers is not easy but this one might just be it. It was sooo good.
This is a story for anyone who can imagine a tragic loss and the need to find a way forward. It is also for anyone who loves books. The intersection comes in this novel when the books lead to healing for Tilly Nightingale.
Not a spoiler because readers know this almost immediately, Tilly is a young widow. She desperately misses her husband Joe. He is very much a presence throughout this story.
Joe has left a unique gift for Tilly. Every month for a year, there will be a book waiting for her at a local bookshop. I do not want to spoil the fun by revealing any of these (real) book titles.
Each book leads to something for Tilly. There is growth through travel, for example. Again, I don’t want to spoil the reader’s pleasure by saying more.
For each month of the year, Page also has a list of books by topic. Readers will get some good suggestions in these.
Even though this title is predicated on loss, in some ways it felt like a fairy tale to me. Readers will hope for something of a happy ending by the novel’s end.
Meet Tilly and a rather special bookshop owner. Spend time with Tilly’s family and friends. Finish this book and start asking when will a new book by Libby Page come out?
I highly recommend this title. I loved it.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for this title. All opinions are my own.
Pub date: 03 February 2026
Post first published on 15 December 2025
About the book:
from the publisher
A woman receives an unexpected gift from the man she loved and lost—a year of books, one for every month—launching a reading-inspired journey to live, dream, and love again in this glimmering and heart-stopping novel.
Twelve books. Twelve months. One chance to heal her heart…
When Tilly Nightingale receives a call telling her there’s a birthday gift from her husband waiting for her at her local bookshop, it couldn’t come as more of a shock. Partly because she can’t remember the last time she read a book for pleasure. But mainly because Joe died five months ago….
When she goes to pick up the present, Alfie, the bookshop owner with kind eyes, explains the gift—twelve carefully chosen books with handwritten letters from Joe, one for each month, to help her turn the page on her first year without him.
At first Tilly can’t imagine sinking into a fictional world, but Joe’s tender words convince her to try, and something remarkable happens—Tilly becomes immersed in the pages, and a new chapter begins to unfold in her own life. Monthly trips to the bookstore—and heartfelt conversations with Alfie—give Tilly the comfort she craves and the courage to set out on a series of reading-inspired adventures that take her around the world. But as she begins to share her journey with others, her story—like a book—becomes more than her own.
Reviews:
“A beautifully crafted tribute to books, booksellers, and the transformative power of reading… Readers of all kinds will be captivated by this tender exploration of loss, healing, and the enduring connections that books create.”—Library Journal (starred review)
“Page creates a cozy world that shimmers with whimsy even as she delicately explores grief… The novel serves as a reminder that books have the power to shape lives… The perfect cozy read for book lovers, sure to break and heal hearts.”—Kirkus (starred review)
About Libby Page:
from Amazon
Libby Page is a Sunday Times bestselling author whose work has been published in over 20 territories around the world. Before becoming an author, she worked in journalism and marketing. She is a keen outdoor swimmer and lives in Somerset with her husband and young son.
by Adriana Trigiani; Sarah MacLean; Eloisa James; Elinor Lipman; Audrey Bellezza; Karen Dukess; Emily Harding; Nikki Payne; Diana Quincy
There has been a great outpouring of love for Jane Austen in this anniversary year of her birth. This collection adds yet another welcome homage to a great writer.
Here eight authors tell stories about characters in the novels. The protagonists in these stories are not always the most well-known, but it is lovely to get to know them better in these pages.
I liked how each story was introduced with a quote from one of the novels. I also enjoyed each author’s note on their tale.
This book, at nearly 400 pages, offers lots of good reading to Austen fans. I most definitely recommend it.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Gallery Books for this title.
Pub date: 04 November 2025
This post was first written on 14 December 2025
Description:
from the publisher
Celebrate Jane Austen’s classic novels with this short story anthology starring forgotten characters as they experience their own happy endings.
In honor of her 250th birthday, eight authors have come together with wildly imaginative reboots of the lives of several of Jane Austen’s minor characters. Written with plenty of love and wit, these clever stories star everyone from Pride and Prejudice’s snobbish Caroline Bingley to the modern descendant of Sense and Sensibility’s Eliza Williams and much more. Blurring genres and taking us across the oceans, Ladies in Waiting is a heartfelt celebration of Jane Austen and her timeless masterpieces.
Editorial Reviews
Review
“Nearly any romance reader with even a passing familiarity with Austen should find at least one or two stories that they adore—and there isn’t a weak one in the bunch… Janeites and casual fans alike will smile and sigh happily at these clever stories that capture the spirit of Austen for a new era.” — Library Journal
“Each writer has created vivid settings and thoughtful inner lives to infuse these secondary characters with the main-character energy they deserve… This smart and lively anthology is a fresh and vibrant homage to Austen.” — Booklist
“The collection will have tremendous appeal to Austen’s legion of devoted readers… A joyful celebration of one of the most important writers in English literature.” — Kirkus
“In honor of Jane Austen’s 250th birthday, an all-star lineup of nine romance authors charmingly reimagine the stories of some of the author’s best loved supporting characters… Expertly crafted, with the authors’ deep understanding of the original texts on clear display even as they take Austen’s work in new directions. Austenites will be thrilled.” — Publishers Weekly
About the Authors:
from Amazon
Adriana Trigiani is the New York Times bestselling author of twenty books of fiction and nonfiction, including the instant New York Times bestseller The Good Left Undone. Her work has been published in thirty-eight languages around the world. An award-winning playwright, television writer/producer and filmmaker, Adriana’s screen credits include writer/director of the major motion picture of her debut novel, Big Stone Gap, the adaptation of her novel Very Valentine and director of Then Came You. Adriana grew up in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia where she cofounded The Origin Project, an in-school writing program serving over 1,700 students in Appalachia. She is at work on her next novel.
Sarah MacLean, a life-long romance reader, wrote her first romance novel on a dare, and never looked back. She is the New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author of romances translated into more than twenty languages, a romance columnist, and the cohost of the weekly romance novel podcast Fated Mates. A graduate of Smith College and Harvard University, she lives in New York City.
Eloisa James is a New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author of historical romance novels. Her books have been translated into twenty-six languages with sales worldwide of seven million. As Mary Bly, she is a Shakespeare professor at Fordham University. She lives in New York City and Florence, Italy. Find out more at EloisaJames.com.
Elinor Lipman is the award-winning author of several books of fiction and nonfiction, including The Inn at Lake Devine, Isabel’s Bed, and more. Her first novel, Then She Found Me, was adapted into a film directed by and starring Helen Hunt, with Bette Midler, Colin Firth, and Matthew Broderick. She divides her time between Manhattan and the Hudson Valley.
Audrey Bellezza is a two-time Emmy Award–nominated TV producer who has spent over twenty years writing, developing, and executive producing nonfiction television shows for a number of networks and streaming platforms. Audrey lives in New Jersey with her husband and two children.
Karen Dukess is the author of The Last Book Party and Welcome to Murder Week. Karen has been a newspaper reporter in Florida, a magazine publisher in Russia, and a speechwriter on gender equality for the United Nations. She has a degree in Russian studies from Brown University and a master’s in journalism from Columbia University. She lives outside of New York City and in Truro on Cape Cod, where she interviews some of today’s most acclaimed writers as host of the Castle Hill Author Talks for the Truro Center for the Arts. Find out more at KarenDukess.com.
Emily Harding is one-half of the writing duo behind the For the Love of Austen series, including Emma of 83rd Street and Elizabeth of East Hampton. She is a graduate of Emerson College with degrees in both creative writing and film. After working over fifteen years in television development and production, she found her way back to writing. Emily lives in Dallas with her husband, two children, and an incredibly spoiled Texas heeler.
Nikki Payne is the author of Pride and Protest and Sex, Lies, and Sensibility. By day, Nikki Payne is a curious tech anthropologist asking the right questions to deliver better digital services. By night, she dreams of ways to subvert canon literature. She’s a member of Smut U, a premium feminist writing collective, and is a cat lady with no cats.
Diana Quincy is the bestselling author of the Accidental Peers series. As a US Foreign Service brat, Diana grew up all over the world but is now happily settled in Virginia with her husband and two sons. When not bent over her laptop, Diana spends time with her family, reads, practices yoga and plots her next travel adventure.
Julia Child has been having a fictional moment. She has been a detective in Paris in the new series by Colleen Cambridge and has been in a TV series as well. In The Secret War of Julia Child, Diana R. Chambers nimbly lets readers into Julia’s world.
In these pages, readers get a sense of how Julia felt about herself (too tall, for one), her parents, her hopes to do something with her life, her wishes for a relationship and more. Readers also find out about Julia’s experiences in WW II. She worked for “Wild” Bill Donovan and was stationed in India and Ceylon, among other places. Some of her work was clandestine. Some of it led to her meeting Paul Child-of course, Julia McWilliams became Julia Child in time.
This story is about much that happened before Child became known for her cooking. It offers an immersive look at her life and WWII. I recommend it highly to fans of Child and historical fiction.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks-Landmark for this title. All opinions are my own.
My first impression is that Kate Atkinson must have enjoyed herself when writing this book. In this novel, she has created unique, over the top and idiosyncratic characters who often, in my opinion, require some suspension of disbelief on the reader’s part. The plot here includes a number of tropes, including the murder mystery weekend, the small English village, the snowstorm that isolates characters, stolen art, family relationships and more.
Readers who have read other Jackson Brodie mysteries will be delighted to meet up with him, his family and his police contacts once again. This time, he has been hired to look into stolen art but stumbles on much more.
There were times when I felt that Atkinson was going for the comic, even farcical, effect. That said, some of her portraits of the characters, were quite moving. While many jokes were made, often by Ben, about his war experiences, he is very sympathetically presented. Ben reminded me of Strike in the JK Rowling series. Their situations are similar in dealing with the loss of a limb. He is just one among a group that includes a vicar, actors, down on their heels aristocrats and others.
This book just gallops along. Events and situations pile up on one another. Atkins fans will rejoice!
Many thanks to NetGalley and Doubleday for this title. All opinions are my own.
Joyce's mystery and fiction book reviews with some non-fiction too! 