Saturday, October 15, 2016

Week 42 Reviews: Midsummer Night, Dark Road to Darjeeling, The Dark Enquiry, Silent Night, Twelfth Night, Bonfire Night







From Goodreads:
Readers everywhere have fallen for New York Times bestselling author Deanna Raybourn's intrepid amateur sleuth and socialite, Lady Julia Grey. Not to mention her devastatingly handsome partner in crime, Nicholas Brisbane. Midsummer Night is the long awaited novella of their wedding, a dashing—and potentially deadly—affair not to be missed…

Midsummer in Victorian England—an auspicious time for a wedding. Brisbane has taken charge of the music. Julia has, perhaps mistakenly, allowed her sisters to choose the dress. And Belmont Abbey is overflowing with guests awaiting the blessed day. What could go wrong?

Combine the close-knit chaos of village life, pagan traditions bursting through staid Victorian conventions, and the congenial madness that tends to swirl around Lady Julia's family and you get an unforgettable wedding. But add in a dangerous past nemesis who has come to wish them not-so-well, and their day to remember just might take a fatal turn...


From Goodreads:
After eight idyllic months in the Mediterranean, Lady Julia Grey and her detective husband are ready to put their investigative talents to work once more. At the urging of Julia's eccentric family, they hurry to India to aid an old friend, the newly widowed Jane Cavendish. Living on the Cavendish tea plantation with the remnants of her husband's family, Jane is consumed with the impending birth of her child--and with discovering the truth about her husband's death. Was he murdered for his estate? And if he was, could Jane and her unborn child be next?

Amid the lush foothills of the Himalayas, dark deeds are buried and malicious thoughts flourish. The Brisbanes uncover secrets and scandal, illicit affairs and twisted legacies. In this remote and exotic place, exploration is perilous and discovery, deadly. The danger is palpable and, if they are not careful, Julia and Nicholas will not live to celebrate their first anniversary.

From Goodreads:
Partners now in marriage and in trade, Lady Julia and Nicholas Brisbane have finally returned from abroad to set up housekeeping in London. But merging their respective collections of gadgets, pets and servants leaves little room for the harried newlyweds themselves, let alone Brisbane's private enquiry business.

Among the more unlikely clients: Julia's very proper brother, Lord Bellmont, who swears Brisbane to secrecy about his case. Not about to be left out of anything concerning her beloved—if eccentric—family, spirited Julia soon picks up the trail of the investigation.

It leads to the exclusive Ghost Club, where the alluring Madame Séraphine holds evening séances-…and not a few powerful gentlemen in thrall. From this eerie enclave unfolds a lurid tangle of dark deeds, whose tendrils crush reputations and throttle trust.

Shocked to find their investigation spun into salacious newspaper headlines, bristling at the tension it causes between them, the Brisbanes find they must unite or fall. For Bellmont's sake- and more-they'll face myriad dangers born of dark secrets, the kind men kill to keep….

From Goodreads:
'Tis the season for an investigation! Lady Julia and Nicholas Brisbane return for a Christmas caper at Bellmont Abbey—.

After a year of marriage—and numerous adventures—Lady Julia and Brisbane hope for a quiet, intimate Christmas together—until they find themselves at her father's ancestral estate, Bellmont Abbey, with her eccentric family and a menagerie of animals.

Nevertheless, Julia looks forward to a lively family gathering—but amongst the celebrations, a mystery stirs. There are missing jewels, new faces at the Abbey, and a prowling ghost that brings back unwelcome memories from a previous holiday—one that turned deadly. Is a new culprit recreating crimes of the past? And will Brisbane let Julia investigate—?

From Goodreads:
New York Times bestselling author Deanna Raybourn returns with a brand-new novella, starring her beloved heroine, the intrepid Lady Julia Grey

To mark the passing of another decade, the esteemed—and eccentric—March family have assembled at Bellmont Abbey to perform the Twelfth Night Revels for their sleepy English village. But before Lady Julia and her handsome, sleuthing husband, Nicolas Brisbane, can take to the stage, a ruckus in the stable yard demands their attention. An abandoned infant is found nestled in the steel helm of St. George. What's more, their only lead is the local legend of a haunted cottage and its ghastly inhabitant—who seems to have returned.

Once again, Lady Julia and Nicholas take up the challenge to investigate, and when the source of the mystery is revealed, they'll be faced with an impossible choice—one that will alter the course of their lives…forever.

From Goodreads:
Amateur sleuth Lady Julia Grey and her detective husband, Nicholas Brisbane, face their latest adventure in this novella by New York Times bestselling author Deanna Raybourn.

It's the autumn of 1890, and almost a year has passed since—much to their surprise—Lady Julia and Nicholas became parents. Just as the couple begins to adapt, a solicitor arrives with a strange bequest. Nicholas, it seems, has inherited a country house—but only if he and his family are in residence from All Hallows' Eve through Bonfire Night.


Neither Lady Julia nor Nicholas is likely to be put off by local legends of ghosts and witches, and the eerie noises and strange lights that flit from room to room simply intrigue them. Until a new lady's maid disappears, igniting a caper that will have explosive results…

My first review of Dark Road to Darjeeling, The Dark Enquiry
My Review:
I just loved reading this series again! Well, I didn't read the first 3 books again, but I've read them multiple times, and could go without. I wanted to read the novellas, since I never had, and yeah, I was so glad that I did!

It's funny, but I only noticed that the holiday novellas all had "Night" in their title when I was creating this post. I guess I just didn't connect the dots! But now I have, and it was a nice little discovery for me! Even if it's one because of my lack of attention!

I had read Silent night previously, though I hadn't marked it as such. So it was great to watch their first Christmas as a married couple with her family, since the one, they weren't married, and the first one, they were on their honeymoon. So yeah, that was great! I had remembered that the cat was the thief, so I was happy!

I just loved spending time with these characters! And the whole plot of Lucy and Black Jack was brought round with Twelfth Night and Bonfire Night, though I wish we'd gotten a few more details. Or even, another book! Oh, well!

Loved reading these, they were just so fantastic, loved the mysteries, and everything about these stories!

Author: Deanna Raybourn
Series: A Lady Julia Mystery #3.5, 4, 5, 5.5, 5.6, 5.7
First Read: February 18th, 2013, February 25th, 2013
Read: October 8th, 9th, 10th, 10th, 10th, 10th, 2016
Source: NetGalley, Own
Reason Why: Rereading! And they're Historical Fiction 2016 Books and Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2016 Books! And Bonfire Night is a End of Series 2016 Book!
Publisher: Harlequin Mira
Published: November 1st 2013, January 1st 2010, June 21st 2010, November 1st 2013, June 1st 2014, November 1st, 2014

Midsummer Night:
5/5 Hearts
5/5 Books
5/5 Stars










Dark Road to Darjeeling:
5/5 Hearts
5/5 Books
5/5 Stars










The Dark Enquiry:
5/5 Hearts
5/5 Books
5/5 Stars










Silent Night:
5/5 Hearts
5/5 Books
5/5 Stars









Twelfth Night:
5/5 Hearts
5/5 Books
5/5 Stars









Bonfire Night:
5/5 Hearts
5/5 Books
5/5 Stars


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