A Botanist’s Guide to Parties and Poisons (Saffron Everleigh, #1) by Kate Khavari – Review

Tags

5 stars, academia, audiobook, Book Review, botany, feminism, historical, Kate Khavari, mystery, romance, series

Review of A Botanist’s Guide to Parties and Poisons

This historical Jazz Age mystery features botanist Saffron Everleigh.  She is the research assistant to a Professor Maxwell.  As the only woman in the department, Saffron struggles to make her mark in an academic world where women are not overly welcome, and must put up with bias, and even sexual predation.

Alexander Ashton, is a microbiologist. (That means, he is into bacteria.)  Both Saffron and Alex attend a party where a murder occurs.  When it is determined to be poison, Dr. Maxwell is the prime suspect because of a poison plant he discovered on one of his expeditions.  

Saffron will make it her mission to make sure the true culprit is found.  Alex comes along for the ride, I suspect because he has a thing for her.  The investigation leads the pair to several suspects and takes them on all sorts of adventures, otherwise known as exercises in snooping.  One of my favorites was when, under cover of darkness, they sneak into a garden to obtain a plant that may or may not be the source of the poison.  You may imagine this is not a dirt-free exploit.

A large cast of characters made it a little challenging to follow, especially since I was listening to the audiobook.  But soon, the major players sorted themselves out.   As Saffron and Alex investigate, they uncover all sorts of secrets and shady academic types.  Which means there are multiple suspects in the murder.  I loved the mystery and the adventurous mystery solvers.

The book has a little bit of romance and lot of mystery, adventure and danger.  Historical mystery readers might want to check this one out. Kate Khavaris is new to me, but her next Saffron Everleigh books is on my TBR list!

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A Botanist’s Guide to Parties and Poisons by Kate Khavari

Newly minted research assistant Saffron Everleigh is determined to blaze a new trail at the University College London, but with her colleagues’ beliefs about women’s academic inabilities and not so subtle hints that her deceased father’s reputation paved her way into the botany department, she feels stymied at every turn.

When she attends a dinner party for the school, she expects to engage in conversations about the university’s large expedition to the Amazon. What she doesn’t expect is for Mrs. Henry, one of the professors’ wives, to drop to the floor, poisoned by an unknown toxin. 

Dr. Maxwell, Saffron’s mentor, is the main suspect and evidence quickly mounts. Joined by fellow researcher–and potential romantic interest–Alexander Ashton, Saffron uses her knowledge of botany as she explores steamy greenhouses, dark gardens, and deadly poisons to clear Maxwell’s name.

Will she be able to uncover the truth or will her investigation land her on the murderer’s list, in this entertaining examination of society’s expectations.

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Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries (Emily Wilde, #1) by Heather Fawcett – Review

Tags

5 stars, academia, Book Review, cold, fairies, fantasy, Heather Fawcett, historical, humor, ice, mystery, romance, series, snow

Review of Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries

The setting for Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries, is a Hrafnsvik, a small town that lies far to the north where cold, snow and ice are ever present.  Emily Wilde has travelled to this frigid, wild place to study and classify the local faery folk for inclusion in her important Encyclopaedia of Faeries which she plans to publish in the near future. 

Emily’s introverted nature makes it hard for her to connect with the locals.  Combing that with the intensely cold environment and the reader is left with an acute sense of isolation for Emily.  She struggles with everyday life because the people of Hrafnsvik are not helpful.  Cold and hunger may doom her mission before she even gets started.

Then Wendell Bambleby arrives.  Emily’s friend and academic rival is the complete opposite of her.  Outgoing and charming, he soon has the townsfolk eating out of his hand.  The house Emily was renting goes from cold and stark to warm and cozy overnight.

The difference between the two researchers is so extreme that it becomes charming.  The phrase “opposites attract” is colorfully and precisely depicted. The romance is understated and perfect. 

Just when one thinks the story is about the relationship between Emily and Wendell, the author throws in complications.  Malicious faeries harassing the locals in various ways become ever more threatening.  When they ask the scholars for help, Wendell is not interested.  But Emily believes helping these people will also help her in her search for knowledge. 

Exploring faerie worlds to help the village folk proves to be academically enriching but it also proves to be mortally dangerous.  For Emily and Wendell, these adventures will require every bit of knowledge they have acquired throughout their years of faery research. I was enchanted by Emily, Wendell and the people of Hrafnsvik.  I was captivated by the story of their adventures and thrilled with how they conquered the evil faery folk.  This is book one of the Emily Wilde series, but rest assured, this is a complete story with a satisfying ending.

Through Netgalley, the publisher provided a copy of this book. My review is my honest opinion.

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About Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett

Cambridge professor Emily Wilde is good at many things: She is the foremost expert on the study of faeries. She is a genius scholar and a meticulous researcher who is writing the world’s first encyclopaedia of faerie lore. But Emily Wilde is not good at people. She could never make small talk at a party–or even get invited to one. And she prefers the company of her books, her dog, Shadow, and the Fair Folk to other people.

So when she arrives in the hardscrabble village of Hrafnsvik, Emily has no intention of befriending the gruff townsfolk. Nor does she care to spend time with another new arrival: her dashing and insufferably handsome academic rival Wendell Bambleby, who manages to charm the townsfolk, get in the middle of Emily’s research, and utterly confound and frustrate her.

But as Emily gets closer and closer to uncovering the secrets of the Hidden Ones–the most elusive of all faeries–lurking in the shadowy forest outside the town, she also finds herself on the trail of another mystery: Who is Wendell Bambleby, and what does he really want? To find the answer, she’ll have to unlock the greatest mystery of all–her own heart.

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A Hard Day for a Hangover (Sunshine Vicram, #3) by Darynda Jones – Review

Tags

5 stars, Book Review, Darynda Jones, humor, mystery, New Mexico, romance, series

Review of A Hard Day for a Hangover

A Hard Day for a Hangover is perfect!  The things I look for in a perfect novel are: 1) great characters, 2) sweet relationships, 3) conflict to bring everyone together, 4) a little bit of complexity and 5) a happy ending.  Ms. Jones adds laugh-out-loud humor, irreverence and a (sort of) slow burn romance.  Perfection!

They main players work together and separately to solve a very odd mystery involving a series of missing women.  Only they don’t know it is a series at first.  As all the pieces come together the group will face a very dangerous situation.  

There were so many great heartwarming moments involving just about every major and secondary character.  Sunshine and love interest Levi, Sunshine and daughter Auri, Sunshine and partner Quincy, Auri and Levi, Auri and boyfriend Cruz, Quincy and Cruz, Sunshine and her dad, and even Auri and her archnemesis Lynelle.  So basically, the entire cast ends up a) getting involved in the mystery solving and b) getting involved in each other’s lives.

This book is going to make you laugh, cry, and, finally, end up with a big smile on your face!  Fans of the author and this series don’t need to be told that this book is one of the best ways to spend a few hours.   If you are new to the series, reading this book will likely make you want to back track to book 1.  I recommend starting at the beginning just because all three books are so good! 

Through Netgalley, the publisher provided a copy of this book. My review is my honest opinion.

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About A Hard Day for a Hangover by Darynda Jones

Some people greet the day with open arms. Sheriff Sunshine Vicram would rather give it a hearty shove and get back into bed, because there’s just too much going on right now. There’s a series of women going missing, and Sunny feels powerless to stop it. There’s her persistent and awesomely-rebellious daughter Auri, who’s out to singlehandedly become Del Sol’s youngest and fiercest investigator. And then there’s drama with Levi Ravinder—the guy she’s loved and lusted after for years. The guy who might just be her one and only. The guy who comes from a family of disingenuous vipers looking to oust him—and Sunshine—for good.

Like we said, the new day can take a hike.

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