Enola Holmes and the Clanging Coffin (#4) by Nancy Springer

I’ve been enjoying watching Enola Holmes on Netflix and I saw this title come up on Net Galley. I love Enola! She is so smart and intrepid. I like how these novels have many of the elements of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Sherlock Holmes stories. I’ve always been a huge fan of Sherlock and his quirky personality and keen acumen.

Here’s the overview:

Description

Enola Holmes—international bestselling and Netflix streaming sensation—returns when the rescue of a young woman sends her into battle with her brother Sherlock against his most deadly, implacable enemy – Professor Moriarty.

In February 1891, London, Enola Holmes—the much younger sister of Sherlock and Mycroft Holmes—is attending a burial when she hears the faint sound of a handbell in the graveyard. It is not in Enola’s nature to ignore such oddities, no matter the occasion and when she investigates further, as is the Holmes’ family instinct, she discovers something absolutely chilling. The ringing bell is attached to the tombstone erected over a recent gravesite and someone, buried within, is pulling the string to ring the alarm.

Galvanized into action, Enola and her companions swiftly and successfully unearth the coffin within, freeing a still-living young woman, one Trevina Trairom. Enola, by predilection and by trade a Scientific Perditorian, a finder of lost things, finds herself comforting and protecting this young girl. The girl herself is a mystery – she remembers very little, including her identity, and has no idea who has buried her alive, much less why. While protecting this mysterious girl from an enigmatic enemy, she discovers that Sherlock is engaged in a related mystery. Enola joins Sherlock in his battle against the scourge of London, the Napoleon of Crime himself, Professor Moriarty. Facing her most brutal foe ever, determined to protect and unravel the secrets surrounding the mysterious Trevina, Enola takes her place more fully than ever as a proud member of the Holmes family.

Thank you for my copy!

Bookouture Blog Tour for The Vicar’s Daughter at the Lodging House by Natalie Meg Evans

London, 1940. When Jess Gresham arrives in the capital, she’s completely out of her depth. With bombs falling and a heartbreaking family lie about her beloved sister to get to the bottom of, can she find the help she needs at a Mayfair lodging house?

When Jess discovers the letter from her older sister Charlotte tucked into an old typewriter, her world is shaken. It’s dated two days after their father, the vicar, said she died. How could he lie about that? Desperate to uncover the truth, Jess must find her sister. The London location in her sister’s letter is her only clue…

Leaving her quiet life in the country as a vicar’s daughter behind, now Jess is in the city in wartime, her gas mask slung around her shoulder. Her one refuge is her room at a Mayfair lodging house with two other girls. Wealthy Betony is all style and charm, but she’s trying to shake her aristocratic airs and graces. Irish nurse Grace with her easy smile is much more down to earth, but Jess is certain she’s keeping a secret…

With war throwing the three girls together, can Jess’s new friends help find her missing sister, despite the secrets between them? Or will they be torn apart for good?

An totally emotional and gripping historical novel, perfect for fans of Jean Grainger, Lisa Wingate and Diney Costeloe.

I’m here today to dish about the second book in a historical fiction by Natalie Meg Evans, The Vicar’s Daughter at the Lodging House, a follow up to last fall’s The Irish Nurse at the Lodging House.

I really enjoyed the first book in this series, and I was a little upset at the ending. What was going to happen?? Then I realized it was part of a trilogy and each book has a focus on one of the characters. These books are a blend of WWII historical fiction, women’s friendships, and even romance. It kept me engaged and was not too gritty or disturbing (always hard for me). I’m looking forward to the next book in this series. I really thought Grace was my favorite character, but now I’m thinking Jess is! I do like a good protagonist I can root for while reading.

Thank you for my copy and for making me part of the tour!

Here’s a bit about the author:

Natalie Meg Evans has been an art student, actor, PR copywriter, book-keeper and bar tender but always wanted to write. A USA Today best-seller and RITA nominee, she is author of four published novels which follow the fortunes of strong-minded women during the 1930s and 40s. Fashion, manners and art are the glass through which her characters’ lives are viewed. Each novel is laced with passion, romance and desire. Mystery is never far away.

An avid absorber of history – for her sixth birthday she got a toy Arthurian castle with plastic knights – Natalie views historical fiction as theatre for the imagination. Her novels delve behind the scenes of a prestige industry: high fashion, millinery, theatre, wine making. Rich arenas for love and conflict. Most at home in the English countryside, Natalie lives in rural Suffolk. She has one son.

Bookouture Blog Tour for The Last Dinner at Wisteria House by Sue Roberts

Oh, I loved this sweet story of the many people who live in Wisteria House and the older woman who brings all their stories together. It felt like a Maeve Binchy novel – warm and reassuring, and satisfying at the finish!

Thank you for my copy and for making me part of the tour.

Here’s the scoop:

Description

On a peaceful avenue stands the once-grand Wisteria House. Now it’s split into apartments, occupied by strangers who rarely say hello. Could one last dinner party bring it to life again?

Ninety-year-old Alice has one last wish: to fill her new home with light and laughter, just like when her husband was alive. So she sets out her favourite plates, opens an old recipe book, and sends invitations to the neighbours she’s certain need friendship just as much as she does…


Declan hasn’t believed he deserves to follow his dreams since he tragically lost his sister.

Jess has been working herself to the bone to provide for her little daughter and has no time for joy in her own life.

Mark, a widower, has been isolated in his grief for so long.

Over a shared meal, Alice reminds each of them that sharing stories keeps those we love alive, and that time is our most precious gift. As they hug goodbye, everyone feels lighter than they have in years. Little do they know Alice has her own secret reason for gathering them together…

The next morning the tenants receive terrible news. Is their first dinner party destined to be the last? With Wisteria House under threat, can they come together to save the one place that has only just started to feel like home? Or will they lose their little community just when they need it most?

This absolutely gorgeous, emotional and uplifting novel of finding friendship in the most unexpected of places is perfect for fans of The Last List of Mabel Beaumont, Sally Page and Kate Storey.

What readers are saying about Sue Roberts:

OMG I loved this!! Gorgeous and glorious. I simply adore this… So absolutely beautiful… Perfect book!’ Loris2littlelibrary, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Absolutely fantastically gorgeous… I was absolutely devastated when I came to the end… I was truly whisked away… An absolutely gorgeous book!!… I absolutely adored.’ Bookworm86, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I absolutely LOVED, no make that ADORED reading… I was hooked… I was so addicted… I stayed up reading the book until the early hours of the morning… Made me laugh out loud and I got some strange looks on the bus for it.’ Ginger Book Geek, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘I simply loved this book! A ray of sunshine during the two cloudy days that I read it… One of the best books I have ever read… I adored this.’ Bibbidi Bobbidi Book Reviews, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Gorgeous… Fantastic… lots of laugh-out-loud moments… I literally flew through the pages… I loved every minute I was literally glued to my eReader for 3 consecutive days… Brilliant.’ The Cosiest Corner

Nothing is better… Fabulous, light-hearted fun.’ Goodreads reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

About Sue Roberts:

Sue was born in Liverpool and moved to Lancashire as a teenager where she has lived ever since. Her twelfth book ‘Theres something about Greece.’ was published on June 15, 2023, with another sunshine book published for August!

When not busy writing, Sue spends her time with her husband Derek, and her ever-growing brood of grandchildren! In her spare time, she enjoys walking, watching films, and travelling. Her first book, ‘My Big Greek Summer,’ was inspired by frequent visits to the Island of Rhodes in Greece. All Sue’s books are available from Amazon in kindle and paperback format.

Blog Tour for Murder on a Frosty Night by Verity Bright

I do love this series and this installment was a fun one to read while we were dealing with frosty weather ourselves, here in New England. Number 24 in the series, and yet the plots never get boring!

Here’s the scoop:

Wrapping presents and singing at midnight mass on a frosty night… Lady Swift is determined to enjoy Christmas at home this year, until another body turns up!

Winter 1925Eleanor and Hugh are decking the halls for their first married Christmas together when butler Clifford arrives with a mysterious telegram. A lucrative case awaits their new detective agency… but in the most remote county in England. The note insists they must be there by midnight to accept the job.

After a snowy journey, they arrive at the tiny hamlet of Yorelow to find their client, Osmund Unwin, dead in the churchyard as midnight mass ends. They realise they are now in the absurd situation of having to solve the murder of their client – who they never met – to solve a case they know nothing about and officially never accepted!

There is very little festive goodwill to go around, as it seems half the village had a grudge against the rich man. Was it one of the Frisham sisters, owners of the tavern and rumoured to be in a love triangle with Unwin? Or perhaps his maid, who never had a nice thing to say about him?

When another body is found in the ruins of the castle overlooking the town, Eleanor is baffled. Clearly there’s more to this nightmare before Christmas than the gang first thought…

A totally unputdownable historical murder mystery set in an English village at Christmas, perfect for fans of Agatha Christie, T.E. Kinsey and Catherine Coles!

About the Author:

Verity Bright is the pseudonym for a husband-and-wife writing partnership that has spanned a quarter of a century. Starting out writing high-end travel articles and books, they published everything from self-improvement to humour, before embarking on their first historical mystery. They are the authors of the fabulous Lady Eleanor Swift Mystery series, set in the 1920s.

Thank you for my copy and for having me as part of the tour!

The Woman Downstairs by JD Kirk

Bookouture publishers in the UK always sends me the most tantalizing books! I love psychological thrillers and this was a great one.

Here’s the scoop:

‘Hi,’ she says, ‘I’m your new neighbour.’ Her smile is bright but her shoulders are tense as she stands on the leafy green Edinburgh street. She seems friendly. But soon I’ll discover her dangerous secret…

On the first day I meet my new neighbour, we share a glass of wine and talk into the night. We swap numbers and I vow to get to know her better. But as I get closer to her, I discover something about her past that changes everything. She isn’t who I thought she was.

Then when I step into her home, my jaw drops. Everything in here is identical to my own flat – every cushion, every picture on the wall.

Except for the knife, covered in blood. My heart pounds in my chest. What has she done? What is she capable of?

I should never have come here. I should never have got close to her. I need to run.

But then I hear a creak outside the door. And I realise, it may be too late…

An absolutely gripping psychological thriller from multi-million-copy, bestselling author JD Kirk. This book will have you flipping the pages until the final jaw-dropping twist! For anyone who loves Freida McFadden, John Marrs and T.M. Logan.

This was SO GOOD – I could not put it down!

Thank you for my review copy!!

Bookouture Blog Tour for MURDER MOST BRITISH by Helena Dixon

I truly enjoy this “Secret Detective Agency” series, so I was thrilled to be part of the blog tour for the latest installment, Murder Most British.

Here’s the scoop:

Big Ben chiming in the distance, chilly walks along the river Thames, cocktails at the Ritz… and a government secretary dead? Only Jane Treen can solve the case!

London, 1941. Miss Jane Treen is faced with another mysterious disappearance within her Secret Detective Agency’s team. Tabitha Moore, a government typist, was on her way to meet Jane with vital information about some secret codes. But she didn’t turn up for work and has seemingly vanished without trace. Then Jane and her colleague, handsome codebreaker Arthur Cilento, receive a call: a body has been found, and it matches Tabitha’s description…

It quickly becomes clear that Tabitha’s death was not due to ongoing air raids on the city: the silk scarf tied tightly around her neck suggests otherwise. The prime suspect is Tabitha’s fiancé Leo Cavendish, a dashing government official, but there are plenty of others with a motive too. Jane and Arthur scrutinise those around Tabitha at work and at home, including a charming newsreader reporting on government affairs, a jealous pianist in love with Leo, and a known womaniser and gambler fond of causing trouble.

Together, Jane, Arthur and her fluffy ginger cat Marmaduke hole up in her London townhouse, with black coffee in plentiful supply and a roaring fire in the grate. But just as they begin to piece together the puzzle, someone else is found dead. It’s clear they need to step up and catch the killer on the loose in the big smoke, before it’s their turn next…

If you love twisty crime novels, top-secret intrigue and the very best of Golden Age mysteries, then you will adore Helena Dixon’s totally gripping cozy novel, perfect for fans of Agatha Christie, T.E. Kinsey and Verity Bright!

Here’s a bit about Helena Dixon:

Helena Dixon is a Black Country woman living in Devon. Married to the same man for over forty years she has three daughters, two grandsons, a cactus called Spike, and a crazy cockapoo. She is allergic to adhesives, apples, tinsel and housework. She was winner of The Romance Prize in 2007 and Love Story of the Year 2010 as Nell Dixon. She now writes historical 1930’s and 40’s set cozy crime. Helena enjoys hearing from readers and you can read her news and contact her via her website, visit her blog, find her on Twitter/X @NellDixon and friend her on Facebook or follow her on instagram or Threads.

I think I love this series so much because it, in part, reminds me of the Maggie Hope series by Susan MacNeal. I always love a plucky, intelligent heroine!

Thank you for my copy and for making me part of the tour!

Bookouture Tour for The Irish Nurse at the Lodging House by Natalie Meg Evans

I’m here today as part of the blog tour for a new historical novel by Natalie Meg Evans – The Irish Nurse at the Lodging House – the first in a new WWII series highlighting different women’s stories.

Here’s the scoop:

London, 1940. Walking up the steps of the lodging house at No. 34 Hill Street in Mayfair, Grace Whelan is full of hope, despite the bombs raining down on London every night. But is this the fresh start she craves, or will the family she’s desperately running from catch up with her?

Nurse Grace Whelan’s Irish accent isn’t out of place on the hospital wards in the East End. But she hides it, and so much more, when her work takes her to the other side of the city. Her roommates at the lodging house and her potential beau, RAF pilot Owen, can never know the secrets she’s keeping about her family…

The three girls may share a room in the cosy lodgings, but they are very different. Jess is a country girl not used to the city, and Betony is adjusting to life without her aristocratic father’s money. But as they go through terrifying air raids and family heartbreak together, a sisterhood starts to form.

Until Grace’s criminal brother tracks her down, looking for money. And when it’s revealed she’s not the only one involved with Owen, the scandal threatens to tear the three apart for good.

Devastated, Grace is torn. Will she lose her new friends as quickly as she found them? Or can confessing all her secrets bring them closer together, as the war comes to their doorstep?

A heart-wrenching story full of love, loss and friendship during the darkest times. This wonderful new series is perfect for fans of Jean Grainger, Lisa Wingate and Diney Costeloe.

I liked this one a lot but just know that it’s part of a larger series, so don’t expect resolution for everyone on the last page!

Thank you for having me as part of the tour and for my copy. I look forward to the next book in the series and seeing these characters’ stories continue.

About the Author:

Natalie is a RITA nominated, USA Today best-selling author of ten historical novels: The Dress Thief, The Milliner’s Secret, The Wardrobe Mistress, A Gown of Thorns, The Secret Vow and The Paris Girl (featuring sisters, Katya and Tatiana.) Two further novels are set in southern Italy: Into the Burning Dawn and The Italian Girl’s Secret, both featuring young women facing tough choices.

The Girl with the Yellow Star takes the reader to wartime Cornwall and introduces Gwenna and little Lotti, the motherless child who comes unexpectedly into her life. The Locket is a split timeline novel featuring Irene, a country girl living next door to a new American airbase and her grandaughter Ruby who uncovers Irene’s lost past. The Paris Inheritance is her latest novel, a split timeline between an English painter caught in Paris by enemy occupation and Hope, an Englishwoman who comes to France looking for a new life. Both women are on the knife edge of life-changing events. Natalie writes page turning stories of wartime, love and challenging choices.

From February 2025, look out for Natalie’s country house crime novels under the name Kay Blythe. One and the same, Natalie/Kay aims to delight the reader with immersive, twisty historical adventure. Happy reading!

Bookouture Blog Tour for Murder at the Royal Palace – a Lady Eleanor Swift Mystery – by Verity Bright

Where oh where would I be without my beloved British (the best!) cozy mysteries? They are like a warm cup of tea and an escape from the world. I adore the protagonists (often smart, bold women – and many own dogs). This series is a historical one which adds to my delight. And honestly, you can read these books out of order or just read a few, but I’ve read them all, I believe, and I am always in awe that I could have read over 20 of these books and never found them predictable or boring.

This one was fun as it starts with Eleanor at the Palace. She is a bit cheeky and certainly never a shrinking violet. She gets involved in yet another murder. I thought this one was particularly well-plotted – and, as always, fun!

Thank you for having me as part of the tour and for my copy.

Book Description:

Lady Eleanor Swift has a special royal invitation. She’s got just the right dress and the perfect plus one… But wait! Is that a body by the throne?

Lady Eleanor Swift is at Buckingham Palace to see her new husband, Detective Chief Inspector Seldon, knighted. Brimming with pride, all she can hope is that Gladstone the bulldog behaves himself in front of the king.

But the happy day is overshadowed when Dilly Dalrymple, a royal guard, collapses. The head of the royal police asks Eleanor and Hugh to investigate the murder – unofficially. This is her first clue that there’s more to the story…

Donning a disguise as a journalist for a well-to-do magazine, Eleanor, with butler Clifford posing as her photographer interview the high-profile guests and residents at the palace. She wasn’t expecting gossiping wives, affairs aplenty and talk of long-lost treasure! Was Dilly killed to settle an old score or was he perhaps a little too close to someone else’s wife?

But when another soldier is murdered at midnight, hours after the palace gates are locked, Eleanor knows she needs to keep her wits about her… And when everyone seems to have a reason to lie, can Eleanor dig up the truth before it’s her head next?

A totally gripping royal whodunnit full of twists, set in 1920s London. Fans of T.E. Kinsey, Catherine Coles and Lee Strauss will be utterly obsessed!

Author Bio:

Confident woman at office with laptop computer, mobile phone, and schedule notebook.Gradients, Blending tool, Clipping mask is used.

Verity Bright is the pseudonym for a husband-and-wife writing partnership that has spanned a quarter of a century. Starting out writing high-end travel articles and books, they published everything from self-improvement to humour, before embarking on their first historical mystery. They are the authors of the fabulous Lady Eleanor Swift Mystery series, set in the 1920s.

https://twitter.com/BrightVerity

Sign up to be the first to hear about new releases from Verity Bright here: https://www.bookouture.com/verity-bright

Buy Link: NOT affiliated with BBNB

Amazon: https://geni.us/B0FF4WTC8Lsocial

You can sign up for all the best Bookouture deals you’ll love at: http://ow.ly/Fkiz30lnzdo

Bookouture Bog Tour for Murder in the Winter Woods by Katie Gayle – A Julia Bird Mystery

I absolutely adore this cozy mystery series! Julia is of “mature age” and has started a new life in the English countryside, but she keeps coming across murders. She has a good friend/boyfriend, a cute Labrador companion, extended family, and a former career in social work. There are many interesting things going on in these books alongside the mysteries!

Here’s the scoop on this installment:


Julia Bird adores a walk on a winter’s day. The crunch of fresh show under your feet and the promise of hot cocoa by a roaring fire afterwards… But she’s not expecting to find a body in the woods!

It’s Christmas in Berrywick, the busiest time of year for dashing taxi driver Lewis. But when he’s killed in a road accident, the entire village is shaken. Julia Bird, recently appointed to the Road Safety Committee, visits the site so that no other villager suffers the same fate. But when she spies a pendant left in the bushes, she feels certain Lewis’s death was no accident…

As the festive lights twinkle in the village square, Julia vows to uncover the truth. She soon learns not everyone found Lewis’s charm appealing. Sweetshop owner Dora says he had an eye for the ladies, much to his wife’s frustration. Lewis recently gave his life savings to a mysterious businessman who proves difficult to track down. But could these be reasons enough to want him dead?

Then, local beekeeper Matthew is struck by a car near the Christmas market. Julia believes the two deaths must be linked, but contrary to Lewis, Matthew was as sweet as the honey he sold. Who could possibly want to hurt Berrywick’s kindest man?

With no obvious leads, Julia stumbles upon an old picture that finally links Lewis and Matthew. Many years ago they were in a band poised for stardom, but when the bubble burst, their chance at fame vanished quicker than a glass of festive eggnog. Could someone be targeting the band members one by one? And can Julia track them down before the killer strikes again?

An utterly gripping and totally charming cozy mystery set in the English countryside. Fans of M.C. Beaton, Faith Martin and Betty Rowlands will love the Julia Bird Mysteries!

Author Bio:

Katie Gayle is the writing partnership of best-selling South African writers, Kate Sidley and Gail Schimmel. Kate and Gail have, between them, written over ten books of various genres, but with Katie Gayle, they both made their debut in the cozy mystery genre. Both Gail and Kate live in Johannesburg, with husbands, children, dogs and cats. 

Sign up to be the first to hear about new releases from Katie Gayle here: https://www.bookouture.com/katie-gayle

Buy Link: NOT affiliated with BBNB

Amazon: https://geni.us/B0DZRKHXF6social

You can sign up for all the best Bookouture deals you’ll love at: http://ow.ly/Fkiz30lnzdo

Thank you SO much for letting me take part in this tour and for my copy. As always, these books are a comfort read for me and fun to boot!

Harper-Collins Blog Tour for The Dead Come to Stay by Brandy Shillace

So many books, so little time…

I have SO MANY books that I’m trying to read this summer and Harper-Collins has a lot of great reads out this summer under their HTP imprint.

Today I’m covering The Dead Come to Stay by Brandy Stillace. This was a solid cozy mystery that I did NOT figure out! I liked the characters, especially the protagonist Jo, and this book is part of a series (though I read it as a standalone, which was fine). Jo is neurodivergent, a characteristic which is often underrepresented in adult novels, so this made this novel stand out to me even more.

Here’s the scoop:

The Dead Come to Stay

By Brandy Schillace

On Sale: August 5, 2025

Imprint: Hanover Square Press

Hardcover 

Buy Links: NOT affiliated with BBNB

HarperCollins https://www.harpercollins.com/products/the-dead-come-to-stay-brandy-schillace?variant=43118709571618 

Amazon:  https://www.amazon.com/dp/1335121870/keywords=mystery%2Bbooks?tag=harpercollinsus-20 

Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-dead-come-to-stay-brandy-schillace/1146233457 

Social Links:

Author Website: https://brandyschillace.com/ 

BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/bschillace.brandyschillace.com 

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/PeculiarBookClub

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/PeculiarBookClub/

About the book: 

A delightful new cozy crime novel from the award-winning author of the “twisty, engaging, and thoroughly unexpected” (Deanna Raybourne) The Framed Women of Ardemore House

An amateur autistic sleuth. A wry English detective. A murder case that thrusts them both into the wealthy world of the rare artifacts trade…

Jo Jones can’t seem to catch a break. Trading in city life for the cozy, peaceful hills of North Yorkshire to take over her family estate should have been a chance for a “fresh start.” Instead, she’s been driven further into the past than she thought possible — and not just her own. The estate property is littered with traces of ancestors that Jo never knew existed, including the mysterious woman in a half-destroyed painting – and hints about Jo’s late uncle, who may hold the key to her cryptic family history. Then there’s the gossipy town politics Jo must constantly navigate as a neurodivergent transplanted American… And of course, the whole murder business.

When prickly town detective James MacAdams discovers a body in the moors with coincidental ties to Jo Jones, they’re forced to team up on the case. The clues will lead them into the wealthiest locales of Yorkshire, from sparkling glass hotels to luxury property sites to elite country clubs. But below the glittering surfaces, Jo and MacAdams discover darker schemes brewing. Local teens, many of them international refugees, are disappearing left and right, and each case is somehow linked to a shady architectural firm — which also happened to employ the dead man from the moor-side ditch.

What begins as  bizarre murder case quickly plunges them both into the black market world of rare artifacts and antique trading… and a murderer who will do anything to cover it up.

About the Author:

BRANDY SCHILLACE is the author of several works of nonfiction, including Mr. Humble and Dr. Butcher. She is the creator of Peculiar Book Club, a twice-monthly live-streamed YouTube show. A former professor of English and gothic literature, she writes about gender politics and history, medical mystery, and neurodiversity for outlets such as Scientific AmericanWired, CrimeReads, and Medium. She is also autistic, though has not (to her knowledge) been a suspect in a murder investigation.

Thank you for my copy and for making me part of the tour!