Yvonne
I have these lovely new books to be added to my shelf this week.
I am still trying to be good and schedule all the books I receive, so as not to increase my toppling TBR pile, and so far it is working, although it’s quite a close call!
For this book, I have to thank Sarah, representing publisher Bookouture, also the NetGalley team for the download. I look forward to my spot on the Blog Tour.
MURDER AT THE FAIR – (Lady Eleanor Swift #6) by VERITY BRIGHT
Summer flowers, warm sunshine, a maypole dance and… is that another murder? A tricky case is afoot for Lady Swift!
Summer, 1921. Lady Eleanor Swift, the best amateur sleuth in the country, is delighted to be in charge of the prize-giving at her village summer fair. But the traditional homemade raft race takes a tragic turn when the local undertaker, Solemn Jon, turns up dead amongst the ducks. Jon was the life of any party and loved by the entire village. Surely this was simply an awful accident?
But when a spiteful obituary is printed in the local paper, Eleanor realises there may be more to Jon’s death than first thought. Despite handsome Detective Seldon giving her strict instructions not to interfere, Eleanor owes it to Jon’s good name to root out the truth. So with her partner in crime, Gladstone the bulldog, Eleanor starts digging for clues…
When another local dies in a riding accident, the police refuse to believe he was murdered. But a second vindictive death notice convinces Eleanor of foul play. Solemn Jon’s assistant, a bullish banker and a majestic marquess make her suspect list, but it isn’t until she finds a dusty old photograph that she knows the true culprit behind both crimes.
Then another obituary appears – her own! Can Eleanor nail the killer before she too turns up dead among the ducks?
Next up is another of those illusive ‘Read Now’ Netgalley options, so I have publisher John Murray Press to thank for this opportunity
THE MAKING OF MRS. PETRAKIS by MARY KARRAS
Cyprus in the run up to the civil war of the 1970s… the threat of it hangs in the atmosphere like a fine mist. A terrible thing, war. Against this backdrop of war and violence, the island’s inhabitants make the best they can of their lives, building friendships, falling in love, having children, watching people die, making mistakes.
Maria Petrakis, however, flees a brutal marriage on the island where she has always lived for London and a new start. She opens a bakery on Green Lanes in Harringay – the centre of the small Greek Cypriot community whose residents have settled there to escape the war and start again. Here she comes into her own as she heals and atones through the kneading of bread and the selling of shamali cakes and cinnamon pastries to her customers.
There are glimpses of the lives of her neighbours, friends and customers as they buy their bread and cakes. There’s Mrs Koutsouli, whose heart was broken when her handsome son married a xeni, an English woman with fish-eyes and yellow hair. There’s Mrs Pantelis, driven half-mad with the grief of losing her son, Nico, in the war. And there’s Mrs Vasili who claims to be related to Nana Mouskouri and grows her hair upwards so she can feel closer to God. Finally, there’s Elena, Maria Petrakis’ daughter-in-law, who has been suffering with the blackness since having a baby, and whom nobody knows quite how to help.
The Making Of Mrs Petrakis is a story about the limited choices women sometimes find themselves confronting. It’s a story about repression and mental illness and the devastation it can wreak on lives. But above all, it is a story of motherhood and love and of healing through the humble act of baking.
Finally this time, once again I have to thank Sarah, representing publisher Bookouture, also the NetGalley team for the download. I look forward to my spot on the Blog Tour.
THE LILY GARDEN by BARBARA JOSSELSOHN
Caroline remembered how her mother would head to the garden as the first signs of spring approached, rolling up her sleeves and planting wildflowers as the sun set. But there was a lot she didn’t know about her mother, and the family secrets hidden in her hometown that would change everything…
When Caroline left Lake Summers thirty years ago, she thought she’d never go back to the place where she lost her parents. But when she finds out that the town’s lily garden lovingly built by her mother is going to be destroyed, she knows she must return from Chicago to save it.
Welcomed by the warm smile of her mother’s best friend Maxine, and piles of pancakes at her cozy little restaurant in town, Caroline and her daughter Lee immediately begin their campaign to save the garden. And Caroline soon learns that she isn’t the only person invested in their plan: handsome historian Aaron is new to town but he sees how special the garden is too. As Caroline gets to know him, strolling along the sparkling lakeshore, she can’t imagine anywhere else she’d rather be.
But then Caroline learns a terrible secret about the day her mother died. If she continues fighting to save the garden, she may uncover more painful truths that will affect her whole family. But if she leaves now, she will have to give up a future with Aaron, and the beautiful town that has always been in her heart…
‘Mailbox Monday’ is a gathering place for readers to share links to the books that came into their house during the last week.
This is a great way to plan out your reading week and see what others are currently reading as well, after all you never know where that next “must read” book will come from!
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I like all 3 of them! The Making Of Mrs Petrakis is my favourite though. MURDER AT THE FAIR will be a nice break from my Wallander stories…can’t remember how many I have read..but I surely need a break :-)) variety is the DEFINITELY the spice of life.
Have a wonderful week ahead, Yvonne!
Hi Angie,
Having previously read a book from this series, I can guarantee that ‘Murder At The Fair’ will definitely lighten the tone between your darker ‘Wallander’ books!
‘The Making Of Mrs. Petrakis’ may not be a book I would have chosen for myself, however the storyline is intriguing and I have never travelled to Cyprus before on my reading journey.
As you say, variety is the spice of life and I do like to mix up my genres these days, something I would seldom have done in the past!
Thank you as always, for taking the time to comment, I look forward to your visits and hope that you have a good week 🙂
These all sounds like lovely reads and yay for snagging those ‘Read Now’ reads! I am horrible at staying on top of my NetGalley shelf, it is not even toppling anymore, it has just given up. Over the summer I’m going to try and make a serious dent in it! I hope you have a lovely week and do drop by my Monday post if you have the time! – Juli @ A Universe in Words
Hi Juli,
The problem with the ‘Read Now’ offers, (if I happen to be in the right place at the right time and am lucky enough to bag them), and the publishers who auto-approve me for their books, is that they are only making an already bad problem, even worse!
That in turn, sends my average of books reviewed so low, that when I do really want to read a book I need to request, I am almost always refused. Apparently publishers look for an 80% NetGalley review rate – pardon me whilst I spend some time rolling around with laughter!! 🙂 🙂
I do have all three of my books this time scheduled in, although those which aren’t in line for time critical Blog Tour Reviews, are likely to change! 🙂
Thanks for stopping by, it is great to chat and I hope that you have some good books lined up for this week 🙂
Love the look of Murder at the Fair. The Lily Garden sounds like one I’d enjoy as well. I hope you’re well and have a good week, Yvonne.
Hi Mary,
They are certainly three very different reads, so I am definitely going to be spoiled for choice, when it comes to which order to read them!
I already know what to expect from the writing of Very Bright and just know that I am going to enjoy ‘Murder at the Fair’.
I also really like the cover art of ‘The Lily Garden’ and the premise is just that little bit different too!
Thank for making time to visit and I hope that you too have some lovely new books to read 🙂
All of these sound interesting in one way or another. You may remember I have the first book in the Verity Bright series waiting on my Kindle. 😉
You don’t mention a blog tour entry for The Making of Mrs. Petrakis, so I hope you’ll feature it some other way for us. I’d like to know more. 🙂
Hi Kelly,
I am looking forward to the Verity Bright book, as I know the author’s style of writing and character building, and I have a feeling that this series is only going to get better with time. Not having read the early books in this series, I am looking forward to seeing what you think of them 🙂
‘The making Of Mrs Petrakis’ was one of those bluebird Netgalley ‘Read Now’ offers and so far this hasn’t been followed up by any communication from the publisher about a Blog Tour. I have definitely scheduled it for a review and, if time permits, I’ll try to either run a ‘first lines’ or ‘teaser extract’ post too, just to give a feel about the writing style and storyline. I am looking forward to my virtual journey to Cyprus, somewhere I have never visited before! 🙂
Hi Yvonne, these all look good especially Making of Mrs Petrakis. The cover on The Lily Garden is beautiful. Happy reading this week!
Hi Naida,
I too, really like the cover of ‘The Lily Garden’, and the unique storyline of ‘The Making Of Mrs Petrakis’. I think that all three books are going to afford me a different and individual reading experience and I do have all of them scheduled with review dates, so I shouldn’t be impacting my TBR pile in any way! – Famous last words 🙂
Thanks for taking the time to comment and I hope that all is well with you 🙂
These all look good but I am particularly drawn to Murder at the Fair.
Enjoy all of your reading!
Hi Martha
I am completely invested in Lady Eleanor Swift as a great amateur sleuth. Author Verity Bright, does an amazing job of keeping both dialogue and narrative in period too, so all in all this series is the complete package and I too am looking forward to reading ‘Murder At The Fair’
Thanks for stopping by and I hope you have had some success in your search for a third co-host for MM 🙂
All of them sound very interesting, but I think the one that I am most curious about is The Making Of Mrs Petrakis. I am looking forward to the review for this one.
Have a lovely week. xx
Hi Anca,
I just couldn’t resist ‘The Making Of Mrs Petrakis’, when it appeared in my NetGalley feed, especially as I didn’t need to get a “request to read” accepted. I haven’t read any books set in Cyprus, not have I ever visited the country, so it will be good to do a little ‘armchair travelling’, whilst reading an intriguing story.
Thanks for visiting and I hope that your week is going well so far 🙂
I love the cover of Murder at the Fair. It sounds like a great read. My TBR is out of control. I can’t read fast enough and it just keeps growing.
Hi Veronica,
I read the previous book in the ‘Lady Eleanor Swift’ series by Verity Bright and really enjoyed the style of writing and well developed characters, so I am looking forward to reading ‘Murder at the Fair’.
The trouble is, I am looking forward to reading all the books I have added to my TBR!! It’s all the fault of the authors, who are writing them at a far faster rate than I can ever hope to read them!
It’s a good challenge to have and I can think of far more harmful hobbies, however I also commit to too many Blog Tour Reviews for fixed dates, which ramps the pressure up even more. Maybe I really do need to concentrate on simply reading for fun 🙂
Thanks for stopping by and I hope that all is well with you 🙂