Book Review: Demon Daughter & Penric and the Bandit by Lois McMaster Bujold

Demon Daughter & Penric and the Bandit
Author: Lois McMaster Bjuold
Series: Penric and Desdemona series
Publication: DD (Spectrum Literary Agency, January 7, 2024); PB (Spectrum Literary Agency, June 30, 2024)

Description: Demon Daughter: A six-year-old shiplost girl draws the kin Jurald family of Vilnoc into complex dilemmas, and sorcerer Learned Penric and his Temple demon Desdemona into conflict—with each other. It will take all of Penric’s wits, his wife Nikys’s wisdom, and the hand of the fifth god’s strangest saint to untangle the threads of their future.

My Thoughts: When Penric is called in to handle a demon who is setting fires in a small seaside village, he discovers a six-year-old girl who has a brand-new demon. Penric knows that he should bring the girl to the local saint and have the demon removed, but he takes the child home first.

Penric brings young Otta to live with his family and try to teach her some things about her relationship with her demon so that she will no longer be a danger to those around her. As she is learning the language and learning to control her demon, she becomes friends with Penric's daughter Rina who is just a year older than Otta and who has always wanted a demon of her own. 

But Penric is conflicted and so is his demon Des. He has never heard of a child so young being able to successfully manage a demon. For most people, there are years of training before they are entrusted with a demon. Penric feels that the best thing to do would be to take Otta to Iroki who is a saint and whose task is to remove dangerous demons. Des is correct in saying that removing a demon is just another word for destroying it. 

This was an engaging novella filled with lots of dilemmas. Bujold's ability to bring characters to life is evident here. 

Penric and the Bandit: Strange company…

When Rozakajin, road-weary bandit and army deserter, spots a hapless blond young man in a country inn with an intriguing treasure map, he thinks he’s scouted an easy and lucrative victim. Attaching himself to odd traveler Penric seems simple enough, but when Roz’s old enemies catch up from behind, his plans take a turn for the much worse. When Pen’s claim that I never travel alone proves true in ways Roz never imagined, his world becomes more frightening still—but also much wider than he’d ever dared to dream.

My Thoughts: Penric is on a journey to locate an old, abandoned monastery which might have rare manuscripts - a real treasure. One evening he meets a man named Roz who is a bandit running from his old life and who hasn't yet chosen a new life. 

Roz is intrigued by the idea of treasure, because whatever comes next for him, ample funds would be necessary. Unfortunately for Roz, his old life in the form of the bandit troop he is running away from isn't as far behind him as he would wish.

When they catch up to Roz, he sees the only option to save his life is to have them follow him to Penric's treasure which he offers to give them. After all, they are dangerous men. 

Fortunately, Penric and his demon Desdemona are more than equal to the task of dealing with a bandit troop though it costs him. He's not the mild-mannered clerk that he appears to be. 

I enjoyed this story which was not only a treasure hunt but a journey of great change for Roz who has his universe expanded after being with Penric. 

Both of these novellas were excellent. Bujold's writing always entertains and is always thought-provoking. 

I bought these in January and July, 2024. You can buy your copy of Demon Daughter here and Penric and the Bandit here.

Friday Memes: The Gift by Nora Roberts

 Happy Friday everybody!

Book Beginnings on Friday is hosted by Rose City Reader. The Friday 56 is hosted at Freda's Voice. Check out the links above for the rules and for the posts of the participants each week. Don’t dig for your favorite book, the coolest, the most intellectual. Use the CLOSEST.

Beginning:

So much can change in ten years. He was prepared for it.

Friday 56:

Quiet valley bustled with Christmas energy. From a jerry-rigged loudspeaker on top of the hardware store roof carols rang out.

This week I am spotlighting The Gift by Nora Roberts. This is the last book in my LibraryThing account that I added in 2008 and hadn't read. It is a collection of three Christmas themed novellas. Here's the description from Amazon:

Home for Christmas

After years spent abroad, reporter Jason Law returned home determined to win back the heart of the girl he left behind. It would take all his skills—and then some—to convince Faith Monroe that he was the man for her. But this time, nothing would stand in his way. All he needed was a little faith!

All I Want for Christmas

Identical twin boys Zeke and Zach wished for only one gift from Santa this year: a new mom! But convincing their love-wary dad that their music teacher, Miss Davis, was his destiny and part of Santa's plan wasn't as easy as they'd hoped….

Gabriel's Angel

All Gabriel Bradley wanted was solitude. But when a very pregnant—and very beautiful—woman ended up at his remote cabin during a blizzard, desperate, alone and on the run, the modern-day Scrooge couldn't turn her away. For Laura brought him the gifts of passion, hope and life—he needed only the courage to reach for it.

Book Review: Widow's Island Novellas 5 & 6 by Melinda Leigh and Kendra Elliot

Below the Bones
Author: Kendra Elliot
Series: Widow's Island Novella (Book 5)
Publication: Montlake (October 27, 2020)

Description: A former FBI special agent must come out of retirement to solve a murder in the fifth novella in the Widow’s Island series from Wall Street Journal bestselling author Kendra Elliot.

Former FBI special agent Cate Wilde is a new bakery and bookstore owner—and retirement is now complete with a doctor boyfriend. Although she struggles with PTSD, the sweet life she’s living is a far cry from the gruesome work she left behind six months ago.

But when skeletal remains turn up on Widow’s Island—and the MO of the killer is too familiar to Cate—the dream comes to an abrupt end. What if the case she solved eight years ago isn’t as closed as she thought? Her hometown needs her, and despite her mental health and her boyfriend’s protests, she has no choice but to return to her dangerous past life.

Soon Cate is in a desperate race to stop a cold-blooded murderer from killing again, once and for all…only this time, she’ll have so much more to lose.

My Thoughts: This mystery, with ties back to an earlier case, lets Cate Wilde finally find closure and realize that her career as an FBI agent was yesterday's dream job. Now, she's happy as a bookstore and bakery owner on Widow's Island. She does have a few pangs when some bodies are discovered that bring back on earlier case. 

Her FBI boss isn't sure she should quit and tries to pull her back in. So does a former boyfriend who's also an FBI agent. But Cate is happy with her doctor boyfriend and happy not to be in tense situations like she found herself in as an agent.

She does use her investigative skills to figure out who is copying the murders. The first murderer was found and convicted and is now in prison. Somehow, he's still fixated on Cate and seems to know too much about her current life. 

The story packed a lot of activities into its short length. I liked that Cate and Henry affirmed their relationship and that Cate found closure. 

Favorite Quote:

She'd left the FBI last winter and moved back to the island, her childhood home. Now she owned a bakery and a bookstore.

A much quieter, less stressful life.

But sometimes a little dull.

I bought this one. You can buy your copy here.

A Broken Bone
Author: Melinda Leigh
Series: Widow's Island Novella (Book 6)
Publication: Montlake (November 3, 2020)

Description: The mysterious death of a local teen leads to a hunt for a killer in the sixth Widow’s Island novella by #1 Wall Street Journal bestselling author Melinda Leigh.

On Widow’s Island, the secrets are dark…and everybody has one. So when Deputy Tessa Black responds to a call about an explosion in a quiet neighborhood, she gets more than she bargained for: the body of a teen who went missing weeks ago.

Until recently, Gavin was living in a reputable foster home. But now that he is found dead—Tessa can’t help but wonder if sinister forces are at play. Who would want to hurt him, and why?

With the help of her partner, Park Ranger Logan Wilde, Tessa tries desperately to decipher what happened to Gavin before another life is cut short. Someone on Widow’s Island knows the explosive truth. Will Tessa find the answers she needs before someone else turns up dead?

My Thoughts: Tessa Black responds to a suspected explosion and finds a dead body covered in debris. She also finds that someone has been squatting in the abandoned and derelict house. She soon learns that the body belongs to a teen named Gavin who was in foster care on the island. It had been assumed that he had run away since he had done so previously.

Now Tessa and her boyfriend Forest Ranger Logan Wilde become involved in the investigation to find out who murdered Gavin. Tessa is already under a lot of pressure since she gave up her job as a police detective in Seattle to come home and care for her mother who has dementia. She also has a minor half-sister who needs her care. She feels guilty that she stopped looking for Gavin too soon.

Their investigation leads to the foster home where Gavin was living where they encounter allegations of abuse by the foster father which leads to removing the other three boys from the home. But something isn't sitting right with Tessa about the allegations and the truth is found once she and Logan manage to catch up with the squatter.

I liked the action in the story and liked the way Tessa's relationship with Logan is growing.

Favorite Quote:

"What--or who--was our squatter afraid of?" Tessa asked.

"There aren't any dangerous animals on the island. Humans are the most dangerous species here."

I bought this one. You can buy your copy here.

Book Review: Widow's Island Novellas 3 & 4 by Melinda Leigh and Kendra Elliot

Whisper of Bones
Author: Melinda Leigh
Series: Widow's Island Novella Book 3
Publication: Montlake Romance (October 22, 2019)

Description: Dark secrets surface in the third Widow’s Island novella by #1 Wall Street Journal bestselling author Melinda Leigh.

When a body washes up on the state park beach, Deputy Tessa Black’s experience as a former Seattle detective tells her that the death was not an accident. All evidence points to another murder on the remote island.

The victim is a local contractor with a shockingly long list of enemies. The more locals Tessa interviews, the more people she suspects—from the bitter ex-wife and estranged current wife to disgruntled former clients and employees. They all have different reasons to want him dead.

As Tessa’s investigation heats up, arson and a vicious assault convince her the killer is desperate to hide his crime—and that she’d better solve the case before he claims another victim.

My Thoughts: Tessa Black is back home on Widow's Island from her job as a police officer in Seattle. She had to return home because her mother is suffering from dementia and she has a younger sister to take care of. She's working as a Deputy on the island which should be a quieter, low-stress job except bodies keep turning up.

When the body of a local contractor is found washed up on the beach, Tessa and her boyfriend Forest Ranger Logan Wilde need to find the killer. The contractor had lots of enemies including his ex-wife, a disgruntled former employee, and a dissatisfied customer. But which of them is the killer?

Tessa is also trying to work on a very cold case. She and Cate Wilde are trying to discover what happened to their good friend Samantha who disappeared when they were all fourteen. Along with the murder investigation, a clue is found to Samantha's disappearance.

This was a fast-paced story with a nice romance and a good mystery too. I liked getting to know more about Logan's background in this story.

Favorite Quote:

"I guess." Logan didn't like the way she was looking at the other man. But the guy did look like he could bench-press a Chevy. "You're staring."

Tessa's mouth quirked, and her eyes were laughing. "Just making a professional assessment."

"Uh-huh."

I bought this one. You can buy your copy here.

Bred in the Bone
Author: Kendra Elliot
Series: Widow's Island Novella Book 4
Publication: Montlake Romance (October 29, 2019)

Description: In the fourth Widow’s Island novella by Wall Street Journal bestselling author Kendra Elliot, the truth of a twenty-year disappearance will finally come to light.

When the town drunk ends up dead in a hit-and-run, FBI special agent Cate Wilde expects that solving the case will be cut and dried. But evidence quickly surfaces that the victim was involved with another crime. A crime that has gone cold for twenty years. A crime of personal importance to Cate.

Cate’s best friend, Samantha, went missing at fourteen, leaving behind nothing except a jacket and an island full of unanswered questions. Samantha’s disappearance has haunted Cate for more than half her life, and she might finally be able to find some closure.

But not everything is as it seems. As Cate unravels what happened on that fateful day, she’ll discover that the community of Widow’s Island is full of secrets. Betrayed by someone she thought she knew, Cate will need to piece together the truth…before someone else gets hurt.

My Thoughts: A hit-and-run accident leaves a man dead and clues to a long unsolved mystery are revealed.

FBI Agent Cate Wilde is back on Widow's Island on medical leave as she heals from a bullet wound and tries to get over the events that killed her partner and left her with anxiety attacks. She and her childhood best friend Deputy Tessa Black are trying to solve the disappearance of their friend Samantha who disappeared without a trace when she was fourteen.

Finding the driver of the hit-and-run car seems to solve the case of Samantha's disappearance but not in a happy way. It seems to lead to closure but tracking down the man who was supposed to have accidentally killed Samantha leads to a somewhat happier result.

I liked that Cate had to make some life decisions about her future. I liked her relationship with her friend Tessa and her new boyfriend who is the island doctor. The story was action-packed and filled with tension.

Favorite Quote:

"I know exactly what you're thinking," Phillip said. "Get over it It takes time. You're not Wonder Woman."

"I could be if I tried," she muttered.

I received this one for review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.

Book Review: The Harwood Spellbook Stories by Stephanie Burgis

Spellswept
Stephanie Burgis
Five Fathoms Press (October 30, 2018)
90 pages

Description: In the world of the Harwood Spellbook, 19th-century Angland is ruled by a powerful group of women known as the Boudiccate - but in order to become a member of that elite group, any ambitious young politician must satisfy tradition by taking a gentleman mage for her husband.

Amy Standish is a born politician...but Jonathan Harwood is her greatest temptation. On the night of the Harwoods' Spring Solstice Ball, in an underwater ballroom full of sparkling fey lights and danger, Amy will have to fight the greatest political battle of her life to win a family and a future that she could never have imagined.

It will take an entirely unexpected kind of magic to keep everything from crashing down around her.

My Thoughts: Amy Standish is a well-to-do orphan who has been passed around her family like some unwanted parcel. She's never been neglected but no one has ever loved her either. Now she has a change to further her political ambitions as the secretary to Miranda Harwood who is one of the most respected members of the Boudiccate.

Her path is clear. Learn everything she can from her mentor, make the contacts she needs to further her political career, and find a magician to marry. But Miranda's son Jonathan is a possible roadblock on her path to success. He has stubbornly refused to follow the path set by generations of Harwood men before him. He refused to study magic and is instead a notable historian.

Now that the time has come for the annual Harwood ball in the underwater ballroom created by Miranda's late magician husband. Amy has planned every detail including her proposal to Lord Llewellyn, a promising young magician. But before that can happen, she has to deal with a possible failure of the spell that created the ballroom and the political upheaval of discovering that Miranda's thirteen-year-old daughter Cassandra is the one who has inherited the family's magic.

This is a story about love and the things one must be willing to do for it, magic, and politics. It was witty and exciting and romantic. In 90 pages, Burgis manages to create an alternate England with gender role reversals and magic. It was engaging and fascinating.

Snowspelled
Stephanie Burgis
Five Fathoms Press (September 4, 2017)
168 pages

Description: Four months ago, Cassandra Harwood was the first woman magician in Angland, and she was betrothed to the brilliant, intense love of her life.

Now Cassandra is trapped in a snowbound house party deep in the elven dales, surrounded by bickering gentleman magicians, manipulative lady politicians, her own interfering family members, and, worst of all, her infuriatingly stubborn ex-fiancé, who refuses to understand that she’s given him up for his own good.

But the greatest danger of all lies outside the manor in the falling snow, where a powerful and malevolent elf-lord lurks...and Cassandra lost all of her own magic four months ago.

To save herself, Cassandra will have to discover exactly what inner powers she still possesses – and risk everything to win a new kind of happiness.

A witty and sparkling romantic fantasy novella that opens a brand-new series for adults from the author of Kat, Incorrigible, Masks and Shadows and Congress of Secrets

My Thoughts: Cassandra isn't at all eager to attend the Winter Solstice party hosted by Lady Cosgrave. Since she behaved recklessly and almost died, she can no longer do even the simplest spell. The loss of her magic caused her to break her engagement to Wrexham and is leaving her at a loss about what she will do for the rest of her life.

She arrives at Lady Cosgrave's estate in the middle of a raging snowstorm only to find out that a small group of other guests have gotten lost in the snow. She is one of the people who are tasked to go out to see if she can find them.

While searching, she runs afoul with an arrogant, anti-human elf lord. Lord Ihlmere tricks Cassandra into making a promise to find out who is causing the magical storm which is hurting the elves' pets and ruing their hunt. She has a sennight to find the answer or become the object of the next hunt.

Just when she is rebuilding her relationship with Wrexham, her life might be coming to an end. Of course he agrees to help her and together they interview the extremely quirky weather mages in attendance at the party. But none of them have the capability to do such a complex spell.

It isn't until she finally confides in her politician sister-in-law and her historian brother that she finds an answer to her question. She also finds a new course for her life.

I love the relationships in this story. I like the gender reversals with Wrexham in danger of being compromised by Cassandra and women running politics because men are too emotional. I liked the world building in the story which includes an interesting social order, interesting magic, and treaties with elves.

Thornbound
Stephanie Burgis
Five Fathoms Press (February 25, 2019)
186 pages

Description: Cassandra Harwood scandalized her nation when she became the first woman magician in Angland. Now, she's ready to teach a whole new generation of bright young women at her radical new school, the Thornfell College of Magic…

Until a sinister fey altar is discovered in the school library, the ruling Boudiccate sends a delegation to shut down Thornfell, and Cassandra’s own husband is torn away from her.

As malevolent vines slither in from the forest and ruthless politicians scheme against her, Cassandra must fight the greatest battle of her life to save her love, her school, and the future of the young women of Angland.

My Thoughts: Things don't go easily when Cassandra Harwood tries to set up a school for magically inclined young women. The Boudiccate has very reluctantly given permission for the school but has sent a investigative team including Cassandra's greatest enemy to give final approval.

That is only one of the problems though. Cassandra has been plagued with nightmares of thorn strewn vines entangling and strangling her, her husband has been kept so busy by the Boudiccate that they haven't been able to spend any time together since their marriage, and someone has created an altar and made a bargain with the fae in her library. Oh, and the only wizard she could convince to take a role as a teacher in her school is an arrogant blowhard who couldn't find a job anywhere else.

Cassandra does have the support of her brother Jonathan and his wife Amy but fears that her goal of starting a magic school for young women has wide consequences for their future. Amy has already lost her political career. Cassandra's afraid that her goal will ruin her husband's bright future too. And when he goes missing, Cassandra learns that she doesn't have to do everything herself. It is okay to rely on her family and her young students for help.

This was an entertaining and quite emotional story about love, family, and ambition. I loved a further look into this alternate history world and look forward to more stories set there.

ARC Review: Widow's Island Novellas 1 & 2 by Kendra Elliot and Melinda Leigh

Kendra Elliot and Melinda Leigh have teamed up again to write a series of four novellas telling a larger story. These are the first two in the Widow's Island quartet.

Close to the Bone
Author: Kendra Elliot
Publication: Montlake Romance (October 23, 2018)

Description: FBI Special Agent Cate Wilde is back home on a remote Pacific Northwest island when she gets the call: a teenager’s skeletal remains have been found on a nearby island.

Together with Tessa Black, a childhood friend turned local deputy, Cate confronts dreary weather and bleak leads to make sense of the death. The complications pile up as Cate is distracted by the coroner on the case—and by nagging memories that draw her twenty years into the past. The remains suggest eerie similarities between this victim, and Cate and Tessa’s friend Samantha, who disappeared when she was fourteen.

Cate finds herself up against closemouthed locals, buried town secrets, and even her own heart. As the case unravels, will she be able to cut through the fog and find justice for the missing and the dead?

My Thoughts: FBI Special Agent Cate Wilder is back home on Widow's Island recovering from a gunshot wound to the shoulder and the loss of her partner when she gets a call to check out some bones on Ruby's Island. Since the ferry isn't running, no other agent can get there.

This is rather traumatic for Cate since her best friend disappeared when she was fourteen and Cate and Tessa have been feeling guilt ever since. Both Cate and Tessa went into law enforcement and now Tessa is back home working on Widow's Island as a deputy.

The bones might be of their friend Samantha but it is more likely that the bones belong to Becca Conan who disappeared a few years earlier. Her father is the only one who lives on Ruby's Island. He's a best selling mystery author who has taken his daughter's disappearance badly. His wife headed back to New York but he won't leave because he is still holding out hope that Becca will come home some day.

The story, for all its brevity, builds a lot in. Widow's Island is a unique place. Many, including Cate and Samantha, are descendant's of the original settlers and still recall the scandal of Elias Bishop, wealthy shipbuilder, who betrayed his wife Camilla with Ruby. Elias and Ruby died together and many thought that Camilla was responsible. Cate is the great-great-granddaughter of Ruby and Elias. She feels certain that she's seen Ruby's ghost but that isn't something she's shared with many. Also, Widow's Island is unique in that some feel at home there and find it a healing place while others can't get comfortable there and quickly move on. Cate's mother is one of those who moved on leaving her son and daughter to her own mother to raise.

There's a budding romance between Cate and the new doctor on the island. The main mystery in this one - the identity of the bones and who killed her - is solved. But the bigger mystery of Samantha's disappearance is still unsolved and Tessa and Cate decide that they need to look into it.

A Bone to Pick
Author: Melinda Leigh
Publication: Montlake Romance (October 23, 2018)

Description: Deputy Tessa Black gave up her career as a detective with the Seattle PD and returned to the Pacific Northwest island she calls home to care for her ailing mother. Tessa thinks her mother’s illness is the worst thing she’ll face—until she responds to a routine call in the state park and discovers a local man harpooned to a sign.

As the murder investigation unfolds, it becomes clear that the victim harbored secrets. Together with her FBI agent best friend, Cate, and park ranger Logan Wilde, Tessa must connect the pieces before the murderer strikes again. But the closer she gets to the truth, the more she finds herself—and the ones she loves—in harm’s way.

Pressure mounts as Tessa attempts to juggle the current case with her search for the truth behind her childhood friend Samantha’s disappearance twenty years ago. Can Tessa find the murderer and uncover answers about Samantha without jeopardizing everything she holds dear?

My Thoughts: Tessa Black has left her job with the Seattle police department and taken a job as a deputy on Widow's Island. She needs to take care of her mother who suffers from dementia. She answers a call from a woman who hears screaming in the nearby forest. Because the other deputy's are off the island or already on duty, she calls local park ranger Logan Wilde to go with her. He's her best friends older brother and the object of her childhood crush. Logan has left the Army Special Forces to take this job because he couldn't deal with the situations he was forced to handle anymore. He's hoping that Widow's Island will be a quiet healing place for him.

Together, they discover the body of a young local artist who has been harpooned. He's only been on the island for about a year and no one knows him well. Almost the first thing that they discover is that he is living under a false identity. Tessa is attacked by a stranger when she goes to investigate the artist's house, but she also discovers a dufflebag with about $100,000 which is much more money than an artist painting landscapes for tourists should have and four nude portraits of older women. More searching also discovers a portrait of Tessa's mother.

Tessa and Logan investigate wondering if the killer is someone from the artist's past or perhaps one of the husbands of the women the artist painted. Meanwhile, Tessa's mother has taken to wandering away. One time, Tessa's friend Cate finds her and brings her back. Another time it takes an organized search before she is found. Tessa doesn't know what she is going to do, but the local Widow's Knitting and Activist group and Logan come up with a plan that will work for now.

The story was suspenseful and fast-paced. The mystery in this episode was solved. The larger mystery begun in the first book of this quartet takes the backburner here. FBI files about their friend's disappearance are located and are surprisingly thin.

I can't wait to read the next two books in this quartet of novellas.

Book Review: The Lady Julia Grey Novellas

Midsummer Night 
Series: Lady Julia Grey Mysteries (Book 0.5)
Publication: MIRA (January 16, 2017)

Description: Midsummer in England—an auspicious time for a wedding. Brisbane has taken charge of the music. Julia has, perhaps mistakenly, authorized 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…

My Thoughts: This novella tells about Julia and Brisbane's Midsummer wedding. Having turned over the arrangements to her sisters, the plans for the ceremony are rapidly getting out of control. Between Brisbane's deaf and outrageous great-uncle who happens to be a Scottish duke and his gypsy aunt who deeply resents that he has more gypsy powers than she does, Brisbane's side of the family adds a lot to the chaos that is already the March family. Throw in a fire and a jewel thief trying to recover stolen loot and you have a madcap adventure.

Silent Night
Series: Lady Julia Grey Mysteries (Book 5.5)
Publication: MIRA (September 14, 2015)

Description: 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—?

My Thoughts: This novella takes place at Christmas at Bellmont Abbey. Julia has been looking forward to spending time with her new husband in the Rookery, a dower house given to her by her father, but a fallen tree means they are housed in the Abbey. With only half of his children able to attend and a romantic disappointment, the Earl is a picture of gloom. Throw in missing jewels and a return of the ghost from an earlier mystery and Julia and Brisbane have a number of things to investigate.

Twelfth Night
Series: Lady Julia Grey Mysteries (Book 5.6)
Publication: MIRA (February 1, 2017)

Description: 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.

My Thoughts: The March family is all present at Bellmont Abbey for the traditional Twelfth Night mummers play. Every ten years the family gets together to perform the play written by Shakespeare. This year's performance has the addition of a foundling baby which opens an investigation by Brisbane and Julia to find out who he is. Julia is also dealing with some of her sibling's attitudes toward her new half-gypsy, private inquiry agent husband who is not their kind of people. This was has returning characters from earlier books in the series who bring their problems home with them and with Julia and Belmont winding up with a child when they never expected to have one. 

Bonfire Night
Series: Lady Julia Grey Mysteries (Book 5.7)
Publication: MIRA (March 1, 2017)

Description: It’s the autumn of 1890, and almost a year has passed since—much to their surprise—Lady Julia and her detective husband, Nicholas Brisbane, 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 Thoughts: This novella takes place on All Hallows' Eve when Brisbane inherits a haunted manor from a man he has never met. Julia, Portia, and Plum accompany him and all of them investigate the many hauntings and happenings. They bring along Portia's daughter Jane the Younger and their child John Nicholas Brisbane. It is all a complex plot orchestrated by Brisbane's very disreputable father which puts both Nicholas and Julia in danger but does finally cement the place of John Nicholas in their lives.

I bought these. The titles link to their Amazon pages.