ARC Review - The Art of Theft by Sherry Thomas

The Art of Theft by Sherry Thomas
The Lady Sherlock series, book four
Published Oct 2019 by Berkley

Format Read: Print ARC provided by publisher for review

Description from Goodreads:
As "Sherlock Holmes, consulting detective," Charlotte Holmes has solved murders and found missing individuals. But she has never stolen a priceless artwork—or rather, made away with the secrets hidden behind a much-coveted canvas.

But Mrs. Watson is desperate to help her old friend recover those secrets and Charlotte finds herself involved in a fever-paced scheme to infiltrate a glamorous Yuletide ball where the painting is one handshake away from being sold and the secrets a bare breath from exposure.

Her dear friend Lord Ingram, her sister Livia, Livia's admirer Stephen Marbleton—everyone pitches in to help and everyone has a grand time. But nothing about this adventure is what it seems and disaster is biding time on the grounds of a glittering French chateau, waiting only for Charlotte to make a single mistake...

My Review: 

As some of you know I read a lot of cozy mysteries for both work and fun and I LOVE a good historical mystery. I'd been intrigued by this series for a while, after hearing amazing things about author Sherry Thomas's skill as a writer. I also love the imagined twist on the character Sherlock Holmes.  So, when given the opportunity to read The Art of Theft, I couldn't pass it up, even though it is book four in the series.  

As such, my review will be more of a teasing spotlight, as like I will recommend to you, I intend to go back and start this series properly with book one, A Study in Scarlet Women. The writing in this series is wonderful, full of rich historical detail, flirtations with "current events" of the time and character development that leaves no character as simply a caricature of themselves. The mystery unfolds well, and though I've heard it is not the most exciting in the series, I thoroughly enjoyed it.  I did feel as though I were missing pieces of the characters' interactions with each other, though, having not read the previous books. This is a series that truly should be read in order.  

So, book one is highly recommended for readers who enjoy a good historical mystery and like the idea of a female behind the incredible mind of the infamous Sherlock Holmes. 

The Vanished Bride

The Vanished Bride by Bella Ellis
Bronte Sisters Mysteries, book one
Published Sept 2019 by Berkley Books

Physical book received in exhange for an honest review

Description from Goodreads:

Yorkshire, 1845. A young wife and mother has gone missing from her home, leaving behind two small children and a large pool of blood. Just a few miles away, a humble parson's daughters--the Brontë sisters--learn of the crime. Charlotte, Emily, and Anne Brontë are horrified and intrigued by the mysterious disappearance.

These three creative, energetic, and resourceful women quickly realize that they have all the skills required to make for excellent "lady detectors." Not yet published novelists, they have well-honed imaginations and are expert readers. And, as Charlotte remarks, "detecting is reading between the lines--it's seeing what is not there."

As they investigate, Charlotte, Emily, and Anne are confronted with a society that believes a woman's place is in the home, not scouring the countryside looking for clues. But nothing will stop the sisters from discovering what happened to the vanished bride, even as they find their own lives are in great peril...

My Review: 

As some of you may know, I read a lot of cozy mysteries. I lead the cozy mystery book club at my Library.  So, I was really excited when Berkley Books (Penguin Random House) offered to let me read this book as part of the release tour.  And while this book is truly a love letter to the Bronte sisters, the actual mystery itself was a little disappointing.

So, the positives - each Bronte sister has her own distinct personality and watching them interact was not only fun and interesting, it made me want to go research them more on my own.  The author is obviously very familiar with both their lives and their works.  Seeing the relationship they had with their father and brother was also illuminating.  I loved that these smart, independent women would be brave enough to go out "detecting."

What I didn't love, as I said, was the mystery itself.  It was messy. There were a lot of bits and pieces and while some of it seemingly tied into how the sisters developed their published works later, which was an intriguing concept, there was just too much going on sometimes.  That was what led to me pretty much losing interest in the mystery itself. I honestly didn't care by about two-thirds of the way into the book what had happened to the young bride who disappeared.  Which... was about when things circled back around and I figured out what happened before the sisters did.

So, overall, I was not really impressed with this book as a mystery per se.  I did, however, thoroughly enjoy it as a piece of fictionalized history focusing on three famous women authors.  I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys the Bronte sisters' works, but if you purely want a cozy mystery, sadly, this would not be at the top of my recommendation list. 

The Bookish Life of Nina Hill

The Bookish Life of Nina Hill by Abbi Waxman
Published July 2019 by Berkley Books

Physical ARC received in exhange for an honest review

Description from Goodreads:
The only child of a single mother, Nina has her life just as she wants it: a job in a bookstore, a kick-butt trivia team, a world-class planner and a cat named Phil. If she sometimes suspects there might be more to life than reading, she just shrugs and picks up a new book.

When the father Nina never knew existed suddenly dies, leaving behind innumerable sisters, brothers, nieces, and nephews, Nina is horrified. They all live close by! They're all—or mostly all—excited to meet her! She'll have to Speak. To. Strangers. It's a disaster! And as if that wasn't enough, Tom, her trivia nemesis, has turned out to be cute, funny, and deeply interested in getting to know her. Doesn't he realize what a terrible idea that is?

Nina considers her options.

1. Completely change her name and appearance. (Too drastic, plus she likes her hair.)
2. Flee to a deserted island. (Hard pass, see: coffee).
3. Hide in a corner of her apartment and rock back and forth. (Already doing it.)

It's time for Nina to come out of her comfortable shell, but she isn't convinced real life could ever live up to fiction. It's going to take a brand-new family, a persistent suitor, and the combined effects of ice cream and trivia to make her turn her own fresh page.

My review: 

So, I've discovered lately that there are a lot of really GREAT romantic comedies being published right now.  They are fun, easy to read, and yet still completely heartfelt.  This book is most definitely a prime example of the genre. I LOVED this book. I shared quotes with friends. I cried, just a little, and I hugged the book when I was done.  

Abbi Waxman did an excellent job building a believable book worm.  Nina is an introvert, who also leads a competative trivia team.  She is excellent at reader's advisory, and also has a wry sense of humor.  She completely fits the book nerd mold, while at the same time breaking it wide open.  I felt so much kinship with this character it made my heart go a little fuzzy.

The storylines of Nina trying to both navigate a newly discovered, LARGE family that rocks her world's foundations and a love interest kept me rooting for her each step along the way.  The way the author dealt with anxiety felt completely real.  The interactions between characters felt genuine and believable.

In short, I devoured this book, want to read it again, and kinda hope that Abbi Waxman might write a follow-up that somehow involves these characters again.  I miss Nina, her family and friends already.
Highly recommended for anyone that wants a great beach read, a romantic comedy with heart, or just needs a funny book to take on a commute to and from work!! 

The Veronica Speedwell Mysteries - series highlight

I want to wish the happiest of book birthdays to A Dangerous Collaboration by Deanna Raybourn today!

This is book four in an amazingly fun historical mystery series that I recently discovered and found such JOY in reading. Veronica Speedwell, our intrepid heroine, is a professional lepidopterist (butterfly scientist) and adventuress. Ahead of her time, she travels the world, has affairs when she wants to, and accidentally gets embroiled in murder mysteries and other dangerous situations more often than one might expect. 

Description from Goodreads:
Victorian adventuress Veronica Speedwell is whisked off to a remote island off the tip of Cornwall when her natural historian colleague Stoker's brother calls in a favor. On the pretext of wanting a companion to accompany him to Lord Malcolm Romilly's house party, Tiberius persuades Veronica to pose as his fiancée--much to Stoker's chagrin. But upon arriving, it becomes clear that the party is not as innocent as it had seemed. Every invited guest has a connection to Romilly's wife, Rosamund, who disappeared on her wedding day three years ago, and a dramatic dinner proves she is very much on her husband's mind.
I'm very much looking forward to reading this newest Veronica and Stoker adventure! 

I recommend starting the series from the beginning, though! So you should start with A Curious Beginning to get to know the secret of Veronica's real identity and meet the enigmatic (and sexy) Mr. Stoker. Then, you can also check out A Perilous Undertaking and A Treacherous Curse. (Each title links to the book's description on Goodreads)

This series features a strong heroine, fascinating plots, with mysteries that will leave you guessing and a male counterpart that will keep both you and Veronica on edge... (and aren't these covers gorgeous???)

I'll have some individual reviews of the books in the series coming up soon, so keep an eye out! And if you follow me on Instagram (instagram.com/ireadtorelax) I'm lucky enough to have partnered with Berkley Books to be hosting a US Giveaway for A DANGEROUS COLLABORATION!