ARC Review: Death Among Rubies by R. J. Koreto

Death Among Rubies
Author: R. J. Koreto
Series: A Lady Frances Ffolkes Mystery (Book 2)
Publication: Crooked Lane Books; Reprint edition (October 11, 2016)

Description: Lady Frances Ffolkes is incensed when she finds out that her dear friends Gwendolyn and Thomasina have been subject to vicious threats. Promising to uncover their attacker, she travels with them to Kestrel's Eyrie, the fabled estate belonging to Gwen's family. But soon Frances faces an even greater problem, when Gwen’s father, a powerful diplomat, is stabbed to death with his prized ruby dagger.

Frances, with her loyal maid June Mallow at her side, jumps right into interrogating the estate's numbered guests: a charming Turkish diplomat with a habit of sneaking off into the night, a brash American heiress with lofty dreams of becoming mistress of the Eyrie, two gossiping widows with their own scandalous secrets, and Gwen's own aunt tasked with keeping the affairs of the estate in order among the chaos of the investigation. But as the case unfolds, Frances's righteous conviction might just be the very thing that leads danger--and even more death--to her own doorstep.

Old sins do indeed cast long shadows in Death Among Rubies, a delightful closed-room mystery in the vein of Agatha Christie and the second in R.J. Koreto's effortlessly charming historical series.

My Thoughts: Lady Frances Ffolkes and her loyal maid Mallow are off on another adventure. This time Lady Frances is going to a house party with her friends Gwendolyn and Thomasina. The party is being held at Gwendolyn's father's estate. He is a noted diplomat and among the guests are the French Ambassador and his wife, a Turkish man named Mr. Mehmet, and an American father and daughter, along with a variety of notable locals.

When Gwendolyn's father is found stabbed to death with a Turkish dagger from his collection, the mystery begins. Who wanted him dead? Lady Frances is also dealing with some rumors that say that Gwendolyn and Thomasina have an improper relationship which could be damaging to their reputations if if spread. Lady Frances has to deal with the rumor while trying to solve the mystery. She is up against the mores of the day which say that a woman should not even be interested in that sort of thing. She has to battle a local police inspector who wants to blame the crime on a roving gang of strangers but who is led to suspecting Thomasina.

Lady Frances calls in a policeman from the Special Branch in London who worked with her on her first case but who doesn't really have jurisdiction until the local police call him in. The local police have no desire to do that. Lady Frances also calls in her boyfriend who is a noted London lawyer to protect Gwen's interests.

Soon another couple of murders happen and Lady Frances has a more difficult case to solve. She has quite a number of suspects and a wide variety of motives to sort through too. But Lady Frances is up to the task. Assisted by her loyal maid Mallow she sorts through all the possibilities and brings the culprit to justice - sort of.

This historical mystery is firmly set in the Victoria era where women's' rights are just a hope for the future and where class distinctions are just beginning to blur. This was an engaging story and an enjoyable read.

Favorite Quote:

"You also deeply insulted the inspector, Lady Frances. You publicly embarrassed him."

Frances took a breath. "I am also sorry for losing my temper and calling the inspector an imbecile and coward." She paused. "It was rude of me to publicize those facts."

I got this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.

Friday Memes: Death Among Rubies by R. J. Koreto

Happy Friday everybody!

Book Beginnings on Friday is now 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:

Hal took a step back to contemplate the flesh tones on the canvas, the lovely pinks and peaches of his model's skin, the copper sheen of her hair lit to flame by the afternoon sun as it poured over the white robe that left one shoulder tantalizingly bare. He smiled in satisfaction and resumed painting.

Friday 56: 

"Mrs. Sweet? We're very sorry to disturb you, but - oh!" Mrs. Sweet was slumped in her chair with her jaw and eyes open and a box of candy on her lap. Mallow could see a hole in the bodice of her dress, and what appeared to be dried blood surrounding it.

This week I am reading Death Among Rubies by R. J. Koreto. This is the second in the Lady Frances Ffolkes Mystery series. I got this one to review from NetGalley. Here is the description from Amazon:

Lady Frances Ffolkes is incensed when she finds out that her dear friends Gwendolyn and Thomasina have been subject to vicious threats. Promising to uncover their attacker, she travels with them to Kestrel's Eyrie, the fabled estate belonging to Gwen's family. But soon Frances faces an even greater problem, when Gwen’s father, a powerful diplomat, is stabbed to death with his prized ruby dagger.

Frances, with her loyal maid June Mallow at her side, jumps right into interrogating the estate's numbered guests: a charming Turkish diplomat with a habit of sneaking off into the night, a brash American heiress with lofty dreams of becoming mistress of the Eyrie, two gossiping widows with their own scandalous secrets, and Gwen's own aunt tasked with keeping the affairs of the estate in order among the chaos of the investigation. But as the case unfolds, Frances's righteous conviction might just be the very thing that leads danger--and even more death--to her own doorstep.

Old sins do indeed cast long shadows in Death Among Rubies, a delightful closed-room mystery in the vein of Agatha Christie and the second in R.J. Koreto's effortlessly charming historical series.

ARC Review: Otherworld Chills by Kelley Armstrong

Otherworld Chills
Author: Kelley Armstrong
Series: An Otherworld Novel
Publication: Plume (October 4, 2016)

Description: Embrace the obscure. In the final installment of the Otherworld anthology series, New York Times bestselling author Kelley Armstrong once again opens the gates to the Otherworld. This collection of rare and never-before-published novellas and short stories brings the clever wit, dark twists, and intense suspense Otherworld readers have come to expect. Favorite characters return, secrets are revealed, and several important storylines reach their conclusions.

My Thoughts: This anthology contains Brazen, Chaotic, Amityville Horrible, Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word, Off-Duty Angel, The Puppy Plan, and Baby Boom.

Brazen gives Nick a chance to shine. Chaotic chronicles Hope and Karl's first meeting. Amityville Horrible stars Jaime with a guest appearance by Jeremy. Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word stars Zoe Takano and Cassandra DuCharme. Off-Duty Angel has Eve fighting boredom. The Puppy Plan stars Logan and includes also Kate and their parents. Baby Boom stars Paige and Lucas with Savanah and Adam making guest appearances.

What I especially liked about this anthology was that most of the stories were longer - almost short novel length. I also like to have the convenience of this collection which gathers together stories that had appeared in a variety of publications.

It is always good to revisit the Otherworld and its characters. These stories helped fill in the gaps and bring closure to many characters and plot threads.

Favorite Quote:

In the movies, ventilation shafts are the escape route of choice for heroes trapped in industrial buildings. They’re clean and roomy and soundproof, and will take you anywhere you want to go, like a Habitrail system for the beleaguered protagonist on the run.

I got this one in exchange for an honest review from Penguin's First to Read program. You can buy your copy here.

ARC Review: Follow Me by Tiffany Snow

Follow Me
Author: Tiffany Snow
Series: Corrupted Hearts
Publication: Montlake Romance (October 4, 2016)

Description: Brilliant, quirky twenty-three-year-old China Mack is totally satisfied with her carefully ordered, data-driven life. A computer prodigy who landed a coveted programming job at the cutting-edge tech company Cysnet before even graduating from MIT, China is happiest when following her routine: shower before coffee, pizza only on Mondays, bedtime at ten thirty sharp.

But then things start to get a little…unpredictable.

First Jackson Cooper—Cysnet’s rich, gorgeous, genius CEO—assigns China to a dangerous and highly classified project for a government defense contractor. Her sixteen-year-old runaway niece suddenly arrives in town, begging to move in with China. And then there’s her sexy but oddly unsettling new neighbor, Clark…

Quickly the Cysnet assignment becomes disconcerting—and then downright scary—as key staffers turn up dead. China suspects she’s being followed and isn’t sure whom she can trust. For the first time ever, she’ll have to follow her instincts, rather than logic, if she’s going to survive.

My Thoughts: China is a genius who works for Cysnet which is a cutting edge tech company. She is only twenty-three but already has three college degrees. She is a complete nerd and also has OCD tendencies. More than that, she has a massive crush on her boss Jackson Cooper who is rich, gorgeous, and also a technical genius. Unfortunately, her crush makes her unbelievably awkward whenever she is in Jackson's presence.

When Jackson taps her to work with him on a special project, China is both pleased and dismayed. She becomes even more dismayed when other people on her team start dying. It turns out that the software they are developing is incredibly valuable to a wide variety of people inside and outside our government. Adding to China's confusion is the sudden arrival of her sixteen-year-old niece Mia who is a math genius and who is ready to shake up China's orderly life. Her new neighbor Clark is also a disruption to China's routine.

I enjoyed the rivalry between Jackson and Clark for China's affections. I especially enjoyed China's confusion as she tried to figure out why either of them would want to be with her. China was a great, geeky character who wasn't as naive as she thought she was.

The plot was fast-paced and the romance was engaging. This is the first book in a new series and I am eager to see what happens next for China, Clark and Jackson.

Favorite Quote:

I kissed him.

Not just any kiss. Nope. Not me. I threw myself at him, locking my lips to his and wrapping my arms around his neck. This had the unfortunate effect of causing him to stumble backward, unbalanced by my sudden attack. For once, luck was actually on my side because his leg hit the couch and he abruptly sat. Since I was attached to him like a barnacle to a sinking ship, I went down, too.

I got this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.

Teaser Tuesday: Otherworld Chills by Kelley Armstrong

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Books and a Beat. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Teaser:

These guys looked like they were in a mercenary role-playing game. They were physically suited to the role, at least the stereotype of it. None over forty years old or under six feet tall. All squarejawed and bristle-haired. It’d be an amusing spectacle, actually, if they weren’t standing over the corpse of a woman he’d known.

This week I am reading Otherworld Chills by Kelley Armstrong as an eARC. Here is the description from Amazon:

Embrace the obscure. In the final installment of the Otherworld anthology series, New York Times bestselling author Kelley Armstrong once again opens the gates to the Otherworld. This collection of rare and never-before-published novellas and short stories brings the clever wit, dark twists, and intense suspense Otherworld readers have come to expect. Favorite characters return, secrets are revealed, and several important storylines reach their conclusions. 

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (Oct. 3, 2016)

It's Monday, What Are You Reading? is now hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date.

It’s Monday!  What Are You Reading is where we gather to share what we have read this past week and what we plan to read this week.  It is a great way to network with other bloggers, see some wonderful blogs, and put new titles on your reading list.

Other Than Reading...

I made a quick trip up to Duluth after work on Tuesday to attend the Celtic Thunder concert. It was excellent and well worth the drive. I came back home on Wednesday. While it was fun, it really cut into my reading time this week. It also doesn't help that the book I am currently reading has over 700 pages. 

When I got back, I had to catch up the The Voice episode I missed. This is also the last week of my Braves' Baseball season. I'm busy watching the last games of the year. My television viewing will be primarily The Voice from now until Spring. I haven't watched anything but that the things on the Food Network or HGTV in recent memory.

I did watch the Presidential Debates on Monday evening. Well, sort of... I would frequently turn off the sound and check to see what Twitter was excited about. I've already made up my mind about who I would prefer as President and nothing I heard or saw changed my mind. I really can't wait until this endless election season is finally over.

Read Last Week

Stealing Jason Wilde by Dee Ernst was a fun romance. I liked that the main characters were nearer to my age and dealing with problems suitable to their ages. My review will be posted sometime in December. Right now it is on the calendar for Dec. 7

Once a Gypsy by Dannica Winters was a disappointing fantasy from NetGalley. It was pitched as an urban fantasy but missed the mark there. It did have some fantasy elements but was more about a young woman who had to make some tough decisions about whether or not to follow the rules of her culture or follow her heart. My review will be posted on October 27.

Currently

I am currently reading Shadow of Victory by David Weber. This is the latest epic fantasy in a long-running series. At 768 pages, it is taking forever to read since it follows and interweaves multiple storylines.

Next Week

Next week brings more November 1 releases from my Review Stack.

• Living Spectres by Chelsea Quinn Yarbro - a historical mystery with ghosts
• Explosive Forces by D. D. Ayres - a contemporary romantic suspense title
• Venom & Vanilla by Shannon Mayer - an urban fantasy

Reviews Posted

• The Lure of the Moonflower by Lauren Willig
• In Safe Hands by Katie Ruggle
• All the Little Liars by Charlaine Harris

Want to See What I Added to My Stack Last Week?

The Darwath Series by Barbara Hambly for my Kindle. I have the print books and have read this series a number of times. I can get rid of the print copies when I do my next book shelves purge which should be soon.

The Elizabeth Papers by Jenetta James is a book sent by the author for review. It was released this past June.

Venom & Vanilla by Shannon Mayer is my October Kindle First pick. It will be released Nov. 1.

When All the Girls Have Gone by Jayne Ann Krentz is her latest romantic suspense title. I got this one from Penguin's First to Read. It will be released Nov. 29.

To see what Young Adult books I have been reading and plan to read, check out Ms. Martin Teaches Media - my other blog.

ARC Review: All the Little Liars by Charlaine Harris

All the Little Liars
Author: Charlaine Harris
Series: Aurora Teagarden Mysteries (Book 9)
Publication: Minotaur Books (October 4, 2016)

Description: Aurora Teagarden is basking in the news of her pregnancy when disaster strikes her small Georgia town: four kids vanish from the school soccer field in an afternoon. Aurora’s 15-year-old brother Phillip is one of them. Also gone are two of his friends, and an 11-year-old girl who was just hoping to get a ride home from soccer practice. And then there’s an even worse discovery―at the kids’ last known destination, a dead body.

While the local police and sheriff’s department comb the county for the missing kids and interview everyone even remotely involved, Aurora and her new husband, true crime writer Robin Crusoe, begin their own investigation. Could the death and kidnappings have anything to do with a group of bullies at the middle school? Is Phillip’s disappearance related to Aurora’s father’s gambling debts? Or is Phillip himself, new to town and an unknown quantity, responsible for taking the other children? But regardless of the reason, as the days go by, the most important questions remain. Are the kids still alive? Who could be concealing them? Where could they be?

With Christmas approaching, Aurora is determined to find her brother…if he’s still alive.

After more than a decade, #1 New York Times bestseller Charlaine Harris finally returns to her fan-favorite Aurora Teagarden series with All the Little Liars, a fabulously fun new mystery.

My Thoughts: This ninth Aurora Teagarden mystery takes up right after the eighth which was published in 2003. Aurora is recently married to mystery writer Robin Crusoe and they two have just learned that they are expecting a baby. Thoughts of being recently married and expecting a first baby at age 37 would be enough to throw anyone off stride. Add to that the disappearance of Philip, Aurora's much younger half brother, along with two of his friends and a younger girl who had a crush on Philip and you have all the stress any one character should have to bear.

Of course, Aurora and Robin are determined to find Philip. Aurora begins investigating and learns all sorts of interesting things before events get even more fraught. Another young girl is found dead behind the beauty parlor. It turn out that she was the girlfriend of Joss who also disappeared. Then Aurora learned that the youngest girl Liza had been the victim of bullying both in person and online. Aurora also learned that another boy, Clayton Harrison, was also missing and that his parents had been asked for ransom for him.

Adding to Aurora's stress is the fact that her father and his current wife come to town looking for Philip too. Aurora and her father do not get along at all since she blames his infidelities for ending her parents' marriage. She also blames him for causing Philip to run away from home in California and hitchhike his way to her in Georgia. His wife had also disappeared and apparently couldn't find room in her new life to contact her fifteen-year-old son.

This was a small town cozy that felt a little old-fashioned to me despite timely references to online bullying. I think that it was likely because of Aurora's personality and old-fashioned manners that I felt the story seemed dated.

This would be a great story for people who remember the earlier Aurora Teagarden books fondly or who enjoy small town cozies.

Favorite Quote:

If I'd thought things had been bad, the next day was worse. Way, way worse.

The press arrived. In droves.

I got this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.