A Victim at Valentine’s by Ellie Alexander

 

Title: A Victim at Valentine’s

Author:  Ellie Alexander

Narrated by:  Ellen Quay

Publisher: Dreamscape Media

Length: Approximately 6 hours and 25 minutes

Source: Review Copy from NetGalley.  Thank you!

How did you celebrate Valentine’s Day?  Did you have a cozy night in or go out on the town?  Or not celebrate at all?  My husband and I went out for dinner.

Annie Murray is celebrating Valentine’s Day at the Secret Bookshop by putting together a matchmaking event.  Annie’s friend Scarlett was murdered in the past and she is still trying to put together the clues to solve her death.  When someone else is murdered at the bookstore, Annie helps investigate who the killer could be in their small town.  Will they find the killer before they strike again?

My thoughts on this novel:

·       This was a perfect cozy read for Valentine’s Day.  I loved how there was a slight romance with Annie and Liam and the event that was put together for the holiday. The murder was tied in with the holiday as well.

·       This is the fifth book in the A Secret Bookcase Mystery series.  I read it as a standalone, but I feel like it would have been even better if I had read the first books in the series.

·       I enjoyed that the bookstore was an Agatha Christie themed bookstore.

·       There were many red herrings in the mystery which made it fun as Annie put together the pieces to find the killer.

·       Ellen Quay was a great narrator, and this was an enjoyable audiobook.

Overall, A Victim at Valentine’s Day by Ellie Alexander was a perfect cozy mystery for the holiday.

Mr. Darcy’s Valentine by Heather Moll (Book Tour)

 

Do you exchange Valentine’s Day Cards?  Have you ever written a rhyme or verse for anyone?  I love exchanging Valentine’s Day Cards.  I send them to my family and friends as well as my husband and kids.  I really love old fashioned Valentine’s Day Cards.  My mother has some of my Great Grandparents cards from the early twentieth century and they are so cute!  I am terrible at writing poetry so I have never tried my hand at that.

I love holiday books and I love Pride and Prejudice variations.  Mr. Darcy’s Valentine is a great combination of them both!  In this variation, Elizabeth Bennet is invited to town by her Aunt Gardiner to join Jane in her visit.  Mrs. Gardiner is trying to put distance between Elizabeth and Mr. Wickham.  After Mr. Darcy and Mr. Bingley meet the Bennet sisters by chance at a concert, Mr. Darcy can’t help but notice that Mr. Bingley has feelings for Jane Bennet.  He apologizes to his friend and helps him to pursue Jane Bennet.  As he spends more time with Elizabeth Bennet, his feelings for her grow. After an evening’s entertainment of writing valentine’s verses to each other, Mr. Darcy accidentally offends Elizabeth and her family.  How can he put things to right?  What will he do when a rival suitor enters the picture?

Mr. Darcy’s Valentine was a quick and a very enjoyable read.  I loved getting to read a new story with some of my favorite characters.  I loved the new twists and turns.  I also loved that Heather Moll really knows the characters well and that they acted true to the original Pride and Prejudice story.  The story was told from both Elizabeth and Darcy’s perspectives, and I enjoyed getting to know the thoughts of both characters.  I also enjoyed the friendship between Miss Georgiana Darcy and Elizabeth.  It was also fun to get to see more the courtship between Mr. Bingley and Jane play out in this story.

I enjoyed all of the Valentine’s Day verse that author Heather Moll wrote for this novel as well.  Especially since I am so bad that the verse!  I felt like Colonel Fitzwilliam who was not that good at it.    Colonel Fitzwilliam provided many lighthearted moments in this novel from his valentine to his discussions with Mr. Darcy.

Mr. Darcy’s Valentine is a clean read with a very passionate kiss at the end.  I felt like I really wanted this to be a movie.

Favorite Quote:

“She escaped from the worst and most irremediable of all evils a woman can suffer:  a marriage to an unprincipled man.”

Review Copy from author Heather Moll as part of the Book Tour.   Thank-you! I received a complimentary copy of this book.  Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

About the Author

 Heather Moll writes romantic variations of Jane Austen's classic novels. She is an avid reader of mysteries and biographies with a masters in information science. She found Jane Austen later than she should have and made up for lost time by devouring her letters and unpublished works, joining JASNA, and spending too much time researching the Regency era. She is the author of An Appearance of Goodness, An Affectionate Heart, Nine Ladies, and Mr. Darcy's Valentine. She lives with her husband and son, and struggles to balance all the important things, like whether to buy groceries or stay home and write.

About Mr. Darcy's Valentine

WILL AN EXCHANGE OF SECRET VALENTINES LEAD TO LOVE?

After her aunt notices her partiality for Mr Wickham, Elizabeth Bennet is invited to town for the winter along with her sister Jane, and February in London gives Elizabeth the chance to become better acquainted with the Gardiners’ friend Mr Elgin.

When Mr Darcy and Elizabeth cross paths at a concert, Darcy must account for how Bingley left Hertfordshire as he considers his deepening feelings for Elizabeth. Bingley is determined to renew his attentions to Jane, and an evening’s diversion of writing valentines leads to disastrous results for Darcy. 

When Valentine’s Day arrives, who will Elizabeth want to receive a valentine from: the lively man she just met or the man whose proposal she already refused?

On sale Feb 1, 2023 by Excessively Diverted Press in ebook and paperback, 160 pages

https://mybook.to/MrDarcysValentine

Content note: this is a 50,000 word kisses-only variation

Social Links

website: heathermollauthor.com

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Book Bub: bookbub.com/authors/heather-moll

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Twitter: @HMollAuthor

Giveaway 

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Valentines from Bath: A Bluestocking Belles Collection by Jessica Cale, Sherry Ewing, Jude Knight, Amy Quinton, and Caroline Warfield

This is the first book I’ve read by the Bluestocking Belles and it won’t be my last.  It is no secret that I am a huge fan of regency romance.  This collection of regency tales all center on a ball that is taking place on Valentine’s Day in the Upper Assembly rooms in Bath.  I loved that different characters and circumstances appeared in various stories to create different threads that wove together to create a great overall story of the ball.

Beauty and the Bounder by Jessica Cale.  Lady Emilia is at an age where people are starting to talk about why she is still single even thought she is a beauty with a large fortune.  Emilia wants adventure in her life and someone that loves her for herself.  When she meets Seb, she realizes he is a man with secrets who is looking to marry wealth.  He may just be just what she needs.

The Earl Takes a Wife by Sherry Ewing - Celia loves Adrian, but how will she convince him that she is more than a school girl?

The Beast Next Door by Jude Knight – Charis has always taken refuge at the estate next door with her friend Eric, who others have nicknamed “the beast”.  She is happy that Eric has finally returned from a long trip abroad.  When her mother tries to force her into an unwanted marriage, will Charis be able to convince others that the “Beast” is really the man for her?

The Umbrella Chronicles by Amy Quinton – Miss Emma Merryweather is a messy young woman, but for whatever reason, when the buttoned-up professor Dr. John Hartwell comes for a visit, he can’t stop himself from wanting to be near her at all times.  Will these two different souls find a way to be together?

Candles in the Dark by Caroline Warfield – Doug Marsh is a veteran of the Napoleonic wars and is trying to get a contract for making candles for the Assembly Rooms.  Doug also tries to help out others in need, especially veterans. When he meets the mysterious Esther, he tries to help her as he can, but he also finds himself drawn to her.  What is Esther’s secret and can she and Doug find happiness?

Overall, I enjoyed all of the tales in Valentine’s from Bath.  Just when I would decide that one story was my favorite, I would read another and find a new favorite.  I love short stories and I just loved that this collection brought together a great assortment of people attending or providing supplies for a regency ball in Bath.  It was a delightful romance collection.

Book Source:  E-book Review Copy