One of Heyer's better mysteries IMO, the characters are enjoyable if not all likable and the plot clips along at a good pace. IThis kept me guessing!
One of Heyer's better mysteries IMO, the characters are enjoyable if not all likable and the plot clips along at a good pace. I did have pretty good idea as to who the murderer was, but it didn't spoil the story for me.
The romance was rather sudden starting in chapter one, but it worked and I liked the two of them. I really did enjoy this and you can't beat the imp Terrible Timothy, who goes about getting into mischief and helping the detectives solve the case.
Recommend if you like cozy mysteries that don't leave you confused if you need to put it down for other things.
G A few swears, murder and that's about it....more
Bedelia is the perfect wife, who makes the perfect home life and can do no wrong in her husband's eyes. Everyone adores her. So why is itWhat a book.
Bedelia is the perfect wife, who makes the perfect home life and can do no wrong in her husband's eyes. Everyone adores her. So why is it that things don't add up? She tells her past in little stories scattered throughout the years, each of them outstanding tales of the poor Bedelia who has lead a sorry life. Until she met her present husband who believes the sun doesn't shine without her. And now she claims she leads a lovely life and couldn't love him more or be happier. Her husband is completely happy, even though he has been strangely ill lately. Just like all Bedelia's mysterious husbands before him....
So, who is Bedelia? Is she the sweet housewife she seems? Is she just an unfortunate member of a tragedy or is she the tragedy? Did she kill her husbands, and will she do it again?
This book really stuck with me, I'm still puzzling everything out in my head, trying to find out who Bedelia truly is and why tragedy followed in her wake. And the more I think about the ending, the better I like it. Any book with such a perfect ending deserves five stars. Recommended 100%!
PG Some murders, a few swears nothing else....more
I don't know if I liked this or not. Parts of my loved the mountain theme but then I really hate feuding. And the I wasn't into the city parts. I'm noI don't know if I liked this or not. Parts of my loved the mountain theme but then I really hate feuding. And the I wasn't into the city parts. I'm not very interested in the uper class city dwellers version of feuding/assignation.
It's the covers fault! That beautiful, tantalizing cover.
If only the characters had been as lovely as the ones of thisI want my 12.00 bucks back. :(
It's the covers fault! That beautiful, tantalizing cover.
If only the characters had been as lovely as the ones of this cover, if only. But, By George, they were Idiots! I can't remember the last book I read with such stupid characters. The hero, or one of them, was so dumb he didn't know that the girl next door was in love with him. Even though he saw and spoke to her every day of his life. And she, poor thing new that he didn't know whether her wanted to like her or not.
Then an island princess comes, Tamea Queen of Riva. She, falls madly in love with the hero and decides that since she always gets what she wants and she wants him she will have him. And he, the dolt, becomes infatuated.
His best friend Mel, warns him and tells him exactly what he should do, but also what he knows he'll do. Mel was my favorite character, if the book had been about him I could have read, and enjoyed this whole book. He was the only on with sense.
The hero, was the type who relishes being a martyr. He wants to paint. But he can't because he must be a business man and save his fathers friend from bad business ventures. He wants to go on adventures. He can't because he must watch the business and everything would fall apart without him. He's a coward. He doesn't want to make any move that will change matters from how they've always been.
That is the plot. Pure romance, if you find that romantic.
PG a few swears, three kisses, nothing else. There is a common law marriage. (view spoiler)[ This common law marriage took place because the only man who could marry the couple was insane and refused to. Later, however, the "marriage" fell apart by mutual consent. Purely because the man discovered he didn't love her and she wouldn't live with a man who didn't love her. Gah, another thing I didn't like. Weak, wishy washy man. (hide spoiler)]...more
With a cast of characters both likable, unlikable to downright hateful this little English house Mystery sets it's alongsidThe coziest of who-dunits!
With a cast of characters both likable, unlikable to downright hateful this little English house Mystery sets it's alongside the likes of Agatha Christie, Georgette Heyer and other. There's a light romance, and plenty of busybody villagers who know how to eavesdrop.
I'm not doing a synopsis since its a mystery were the least said the better. But I can say that I just knew who had done it, I felt so sure and then, near the end I found out who it really was. If you can guess who the murderer is, you're much more intuitive than I am.
PG-G a very mild PG, I'm only marking it such since the murder was rather violent, but we don't ever get a close up of it. One or two swears, nothing else. ...more
I do enjoy this author's style and bright characters! She lets you see beyond what the characters say, and into what they feel. That said, I liked SarI do enjoy this author's style and bright characters! She lets you see beyond what the characters say, and into what they feel. That said, I liked Sarah's Story better, mainly because of the kind of person Sarah was. Frances is very different from her sisters. She lives in her own world made of paint and she tries to keep it that way, not letting herself become too bothered by the outside world.
She loves her family, and would do nearly anything for them. But she doesn't come out of her paint box often or long enough to completely understand them. That frustrated me, because I wanted her to SEE everything more like Julia, Understand more like Gwen and try to please people who mattered like Sarah. But she doesn't entirely understand herself, and puts paint above people and relationships thinking she didn't need them. So how could I expect her to do those things? I don't know, but I did.
That's part of the beauty of this book though, we see the four sisters grow up, we see them make decisions that change their lives and we see the grow mentally. When The Great War comes, Julia takes action, Gwen silently watches with open eyes and a steady hand, Sarah keeps working at school and Frances ignores it all as best as she can while everyone else's lives spin out of control.
That's the first half of the book in a nutshell, and to me it was good, but a bit unsatisfactory. The second half sees the war finally hits Frances right in the face, and at last she opened her eyes to see beyond her easel.
Then I really enjoyed the book. Frances came alive, she worked for something that meant more to her than making beautiful pictures. I love how she gained the trust of her friends who couldn't quite believe that this new Frances was real. Better, she came to understand what really made her tick, and it wasn't paint though that did mean a great deal to her.
Despite a happy ending I thought it was kind of depressing, I'm not sure why. Perhaps because it was almost too happy, too late?
PG Light swearing, one character is a bit bohemian. ...more
Well, this is the most unusual thriller I've ever read. I like that the big game hunter Sanger Rainsford learned to have fellow feeling for his 3 1/2
Well, this is the most unusual thriller I've ever read. I like that the big game hunter Sanger Rainsford learned to have fellow feeling for his prey, when he himself became prey.
Otherwise, it was a very odd story about a bored hunter who wanted to match his wits against Rainsford. It ends quite suddenly, I'd have liked another paragraph to polish it up a bit. Despite that, it ended chillingly and has a creepyness bound to make it a must read before bed. I personal wouldn't read it before bed, I'd end up with nightmares.
G rating, several murders, but they are off screen. I wouldn't read it to sensitive kids, we wouldn't want to traumatize them....more
I don't know what it is, but I keep reading books with abrupt endings this week. :/
But I still loved this book. Dolly was hilariously witty, I love hoI don't know what it is, but I keep reading books with abrupt endings this week. :/
But I still loved this book. Dolly was hilariously witty, I love how she teased and poked fun at Joe, and how he responded, giving her a taste of her own medicine. The two of them were perfectly matched, Dolly the pickpocket with shady followers and Joe, an expert forger. Dolly, an Eliza Doolittle and Joe the gent, bent on protecting Dolly from her scrapes. Some of the things these two said and did had me nearly dying of laughter.
Though this book does have plot, you really read it for the characters because, it ends so suddenly that I was like, "Wait, what? This can't be the last page!"
Despite it not being hugely plot driven, there were plenty of twists I didn't see coming, even if I probably should have. Sergeant Joe was truly on of the best palate cleansers I've read in a while, if only we had had one more page!
Would I reread this? Yes, a thousand times, yes!
G to Mild PG were have some swearing, (very light) a murder and a few innuendos, which even I saw....more
This book was so good. There is a magical quality about the first half, it's shrouded in a haze of summer and childlike simplicity.
The Wi*happy sigh*
This book was so good. There is a magical quality about the first half, it's shrouded in a haze of summer and childlike simplicity.
The Willowby's and Barshinskey's lives mingled ever since that perfect summer of 1904, and what people were like when they were little, it what they were like when they become big. Each family has three children, and both families find something fascinating in the other.
We have the adventurous Sophie Willowby and the quiet home-body Daisy May Barshinskey who ever since the first night they met have been friends through thick and thin. And they stay that way, even when they don't understand each other.
Galina Barshinskey was from beginning to end an undisciplined child, likable in moments and horrible in most others. Instead of likable I shout really say I felt sorry for her, because she didn't realize what she was doing, at least she didn't see what was wrong with it. She acted partly from selfishness and partly from fear of living like her family had.
Edwin Willowby had me gripping my seat, terrified that he'd go and do something stupid. I don't know if I like him or not, he's someone I just don't get. Weak, that's what he was.
One thing I've just got to say, and I'll echo Sophie, "My God, Lillian, sometimes I hate you, really hate you!" I actually disliked Lillian far more than that vixen Galina. Lillian was a foolishly proud, stuck up brat who didn't really care about or love anyone, all she cared about was "What would everyone SAY?!" The woman didn't care about how anyone felt, it was all her. She was so self righteous that she made me wish I could just give her one, well timed smack on the head. It's a shame Ivan didn't do it for me, I'd have cheered him on.
Which reminds me, I really liked Ivan I wish we could have seen more of him. I think he was often blinded by a dream, a dream that had a tidy, sweet smelling house with a princess there to look after him. In fact, his dream was the life he never had but got to see the Willowby's living. Somehow, I don't think he'd have been happy with that life, though. Ivan Barshinskey was irresistible, he was a stubborn imp as a child and all grown up he wasn't much different, except that a war and a hard childhood messed him up a bit.
(view spoiler)[ My one, irritation, I wish Diane Pearson hadn't made the ending so bitter sweet. Why did she have to say Ivan never told Sophie he loved her? One line was all I needed, I could leave the rest. And then we have Edwin. He was so, infuriating! Nearly as bad as Lillian, what would it have taken for the author to say he gave up his dancing girl dream and become happy with his good, sweet wife? It would have taken the same amount of space as it did for her to tell us he never did! So, everyone gets what they want, and none of them are happy. Well, maybe somewhat. But still... (hide spoiler)]
PG-13 Several rapes, not graphic, a murder and mild swearing, anywhere from Ds, Hs and Bs. One character is a whore and we see quite a bit of her....more
Loading...
