Below Stairs Mystery by Jennifer Ashley – Series Review

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5 stars, Anne-Marie Piazz, Book Review, historical, Jennifer Ashley, mystery, romance, series, Victorian England

The World of Kat Hollway

Highly sought-after young cook Kat Holloway takes a position in a Mayfair mansion and soon finds herself immersed in the odd household of Lord Rankin. Kat is unbothered by the family’s eccentricities as long as they stay away from her kitchen, but trouble often finds its way below stairs.  

Below Stairs Mystery Series summary adapted from the book blurb for Death Below Stairs.

Review

I was introduced to the Below Stairs Mystery series in 2018 when I read Death Below Stairs, the first book in a new series. The Victorian era historical mystery had a unique appeal because of its working class heroine, Kat Holloway, who solves mysteries while she whips up sauces, bakes seed cake and pours tea. Kat’s friend, Daniel McAdam, is another working class character whose mysteriousness is as appealing as it is annoying to Kat. Kat and Daniel help each other out – often – and enjoy a little very slow burning romance along the way.

The series is full of wonderful secondary characters that complement every aspect of the story. Lady Cynthia, who lives in the house where Kat works, is the eccentric, yet charming upper class cross dresser who always has Kat’s back. Daniel’s friend, Thanos, is super smart and is also awkwardly sweet on Cynthia. Daniel’s son James is the youth-nearly-a-man that wants to be like his father. With the second book, Kat takes on an assistant cook, Tess. Her rough beginnings lend her a charm that works because she devoted to Kat. Mr. Davis, the household butler is gruff, yet oddly helpful at times.

All the main and secondary characters are likable and intelligent. And of course, they all love to solve a good mystery.

The author’s attention to detail often includes mouth-watering dishes as prepared by one of the best cooks in London, along with colorful descriptions of the kaleidescope setting of London and the people that inhabit the city.

Typically, each book has an intricately woven plot that strings out details until the very end, sustaining the reader that likes to keep guessing but doesn’t really want to figure out the mystery until the very last page.

I listened to the audiobooks of books 2 and 3 (Scandal Above Stairs and Death in Kew Gardens). Anne-Marie Piazz is a fine narrator whose subtle voice changes for different characters were unaffected and perfect.

I was able to download the most recent installment, Death at the Crystal Palace, from my library’s digital collection, so check your library to save some $$$. I skipped #4, Murder in the East End, due to the unavailability of a low cost option, but I’ve put it on my TBR. Book #6, The Secret of Bow Lane, will be released in August and it is on my NetGalley review list.

A Soupcon of Poison is a series prequel and the e-book is currently free in the Past Crimes anthology.

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The Lady Loves Danger (The Maidens of Mayhem, #2) by Anabelle Bryant – Review

Tags

4 stars, Anabelle Bryant, Book Review, historical, mystery, romance, series

Review of The Lady Loves Danger

There’s plenty of mystery in The Lady Loves Danger.  Who kidnapped the child?  Who dognapped the Duchess’s dogs?  And what happened to the diamond collar?  Two people from very different walks of life work through these mysteries.  Lady Delilah Ashbrook, who has joined her Aunt in London after her father died, and Sebastian St. Allen, whose origins are a mystery. 

The series is called The Maidens of Mayhem.  While the Maidens, who believe women should have all the same advantages that men have, were a part of the story, it was a very small part.  Most of the story concentrated on St. Allen and Delilah both separately and together.  Also, there is an adorable child and a dog, giving the story cute appeal.

Historical mystery is combined with romance, but I found the combination to be awkward.  At a certain point, the mystery became predictable.  I did enjoy the story though and can recommend it to readers of historical mystery and romance. 

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing a copy of this book.  My review is my honest opinion.

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About The Lady Loves Danger by Anabelle Bryant

The society of daring women known as the Maidens of Mayhem dedicate their lives to protecting London’s most vulnerable citizens from injustice. Daring and discreet, their missions lead them to people and places they least expect, often putting their lives—and their hearts—in peril…

Lady Delilah Ashbrook is tirelessly searching the streets of London for a boy who vanished while under her care. Suspecting the child was abducted to be sold, Delilah hopes the Maidens can help find him before it’s too late. But Delilah’s mission brings her into the crosshairs of a mysterious man who is also looking for the boy. Sebastian St. Allen certainly cuts a dashing figure. But is he hoping to save the child—or harm him?

Sebastian has his own reasons for protecting the less fortunate. He has a gift for seamlessly navigating both London’s darkest corners and its most elite circles. But nothing prepared him for Delilah, whose delicate beauty belies an independence and sensuality he finds irresistible. Sebastian knows they can help each other, if only she’ll let her guard down. And, as they become entrenched in danger, they realize how strong their ties have grown—and how much they need one another.

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A Perilous Perspective (Lady Darby, #10) by Anna Lee Huber – Review

Tags

5 stars, Anna Lee Huber, Book Review, historical, historical mystery, mystery, romance, Scotland, series

Review of A Perilous Perspective

During a wedding party, artist Kiera Gage discovers forgeries in the collection belonging to the groom’s great-uncle, the Marquess of Barbreck.  As Kiera and Sebastian begin to look into the matter, a young woman is found murdered in the gallery.  Are the two things connected?  Readers of the Lady Darby series probably know the answer to that.  For anyone new to the series, you will have to read the book to figure that out. 

The mystery in A Perilous Perspective is tied up in a half-century relationship between the Marquess and his neighbor who he was once engaged to.  Some good, but mostly bad feelings between them have been complicated by things like forgeries and siblings.  Kiera and Sebastian will have to dig through all the unsavory family history to root out the forgers and killers.  Doing so will inevitably put Kiera in one or more precarious situations.

As a long-time fan of the series, I have grown to appreciate the give and take between Kiera and Sebastian as they work all the angles.  I am also familiar with several of the secondary characters such as Charlotte and Rye (bride and groom) and Sebastian’s brother Henry.  In this book, Henry is overcoming the challenge of becoming part of a family that did not know he existed until recently.  I look forward to Sebastian and Henry becoming closer.  The Gage’s new baby girl brings a delightfulness to what can become a dire situation. 

If you are new to the series, know that this book can easily be read as a standalone.  A Perilous Perspective is for mystery readers who want to step back in time, soak up the 1800’s Scottish countryside and test their wits solving a mystery.

Through Netgalley, the publisher provided a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

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About A Perilous Perspective by Anna Lee Huber

Argyll, Scotland. July 1832. After a trying few months in Edinburgh, Kiera and her husband and investigative partner, Sebastian Gage, are eager to escape to the Highlands with their three-month-old child. Kiera is overjoyed for her cousin Rye and her detractor-turned-friend Charlotte who are being wed in a private ceremony at the estate of Rye’s great-uncle, the Marquess of Barbreck, in what seems to be the perfect wedding party.
 
But when Kiera is invited to peruse Barbreck’s extensive art collection, she is disturbed to discover that one of his most priceless paintings seems to be a forgery. The marquess’s furious reaction when she dares to mention it leaves her shaken and the entire house shocked. For it turns out that this is not the first time the word forgery has been uttered in connection with the Barbreck household.
 
Matters turn more ominous when a maid from a neighboring estate is found murdered where the forged painting hangs. Is her death connected to the forgeries, perhaps a grisly warning of what awaits those who dare to probe deeper? With unknown entities aligned against them, Kiera and Gage are forced to confront the fact that they may have underestimated their opponent. For they are swiftly made to realize that Charlotte’s and Rye’s future happiness is not the only issue at stake, and this stealthy game of cat and mouse could prove to have deadly consequences.

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