Whilst happily celebrating my 9th Blog Birthday for #JLASblog today!🥳Of the years I've been blogging, I found 2022 the hardest by far and I'm grateful after a rough start to Summer, I can start to return to both #amreading & #amblogging!😁💜🦝 pic.twitter.com/cWfvrp25wc
— Jorie, the bookish #WyrdAndWonder elf 📖🧝 (@joriestory) August 6, 2022
This particular series has been on my radar for the past few years – it was a series I was grateful to have found as I love finding Cosy Historical Mysteries! I have enjoyed tucking into Historical Mysteries moreso than Contemporaries (with a few exceptions) as I love getting the chance to see the historic past as a portal of a glimpse into what it might have been like to live during the moments bursting to life whilst being explored through the setting of the mysteries. Mysteries are a lot of fun to read as well – seeing if I can keep pace with the sleuths and their methodologies of uncovering the truth whilst seeing which of the characters I feel left the strongest impression on me.
I have the tendency to seek out more stories featuring strong women as lead sleuths than men but there are some series out there where a male is in the lead role and I love it as dearly as the women I’ve found over the years who are giving me a charming dose of mystery with a setting and/or a plot that gives me a heap of joy to be reading!
What I find endearing about the Lady Evelyn series is how she has a fiancé and how he worries after her as she seems to have the luck of placing herself in pickles of danger! I know I haven’t yet had the joy of reading one of these lovelies – but from the prior blog tour and this one, I’ve been gaining more information about the series and am finding it a sweet fit as a #mustread! I love when Mysteries can afford themselves a secondary thread of connection – such as through a romance and/or a relationship which continues to build through the different installments.
The full rounding of a character’s life and their motivations is what inspires me the most to be reading these kinds of stories. I like seeking out Mysteries which are charming to read and give me a healthy dose of mystery which isn’t easily resolved and/or solved. I truly look forward to gathering these stories in print (although the inventory seems to be quite low right now) and starting to read them from start to finish. For this conversation I wanted to dig into the heart of the story whilst pulling forward the author’s writerly process and for her to talk about the different components of both this latest release and the series overall.
Be sure to brew yourself a cuppa
and let’s discover more about this series together!
The Quality of Mercy Subtitle: A Lady Evelyn Mystery by Malia Zaidi
After years spent away, Lady Evelyn is at long last back in her home city of London and she has returned with a rather controversial plan. The Carlisle Detective Agency is born, and it does not take long for the bodies… ahem, cases, to start piling up. With her friend and assistant Hugh, Evelyn embarks on the quest to solve the crimes. Yet the London she encounters is not the London of her coddled youth, and she is forced to learn that there is more to discover than the identity of a murderer. It isn’t only her city which reveals it is not what she always believed it to be, but the people she encounters as well. Secrets are revealed that have her thinking twice about everything she thought she knew about the society in which she grew up.
Evelyn’s love for her hard-won independence confronts her with yet another mystery, whether she is ready or willing to give up any of it for marriage. And then there is the arrival of rather a familiar face in London, one Daniel is none to pleased to see. Evelyn must find not one but two murderers, as well as make a decision that could determine her future. From the mansions of Mayfair to the dark alleys of Whitechapel, can Evelyn catch the killers before another life is taken?
I was hoping to share my ruminations about the third Countess of Harleigh novel with you today, however, the truth of it is I have been reading at a far slower pace recently due to having 3x migraines in 3 weeks and nearly succumbing to a fourth this past weekend. It takes quite a bit out of me to transition out of these more severe migraines (what I refer to as supernovas) and despite my earnest intentions to read on the schedules of my blog tours, sometimes I fall a bit short, which is why I’m going to be featuring a lovely Guest Post by Ms Freeman today and share my review with you about this delightful third novel during my latest #CrimeFicFridays review on the 21st which is the final day of the tour.
I should also mention, I originally was going to interview Ms Freeman about this latest release and tie it back together with the previous two installments as I had previously interviewed her during the first blog tour I hosted of hers wherein I discovered this most charmingly intriguing character and found a wicked new Cosy Historical Mystery series in which to love devouring! I loved this series so dearly much that I also had her as a guest author on my chat @SatBookChat!
However, after having a clustering of severe migraines I simply ran out of time to gather my thoughts and put forth a conversation which would honour the series. I was thankful Ms Freeman didn’t mind switching to a guest post and this topic was one of her choosing. When I read the essay I was quite charmed and think you will be too because it discusses the curious manners of ‘house parties’ and what was keenly interesting is how *structured!* and *regulated!* they were despite the illusion that it was a causal get together amongst friends!
I look forward to sharing more with you at the close of the week but for now, if this is your first introduction to the series, I hope it will whet a thirst of interest to begin reading the stories!
On why I love reading this series:
Rather immediately, I found myself drawn into the life of Frances – not just because her husband was a cad and a louse of a husband but because of how Ms Freeman endeared us to champion her cause as a woman exiting her mourning period and getting on with her life! It was quite horrid for women in the 19th Century – still attached to that tradition of wearing dearly depressing hues of black and grey (in different increments which were rather strictly enforced!) for at least a year after becoming widowed. It was only then, where she could ‘re-emerge’ into her colours and start to make her presence more widely known in society. How those women managed it, I’ll never know not – as in the case of Frances, it most have truly become a chore knowing her her husband departed his life! Oyy, vie such a rat!
Her in-laws were quite typical – only out for themselves, more concerned with the affairs relating to their estate and less enthused to even entertain a thought of concern over Frances. For her benefit, she was made of stronger stock than they would have believed and she took her daughter (Rose) and herself off to the city to carve out their future elsewhere from the throes of the Harleigh family and the responsibilities therein. Freeman gave you such a hearty and joyful introduction to her character – part of her antics reminded me of why I have such cheeky joy in reading the Anna Blanc series and part of the exchanges also reminded me of my recent over the Discreet Detective Agency – there is something to be said for well-timed satire and humour in the Cosy Historical Mysteries your reading! The appeal of course is being able to burst into giggles alongside the allure of moving deeper into the context of the building mystery!
Of course, not all is ill for Frances – she has enough resources within her means to purchase a least outright for a house which still has eighty years to be lived inside! Imagine? She might have sparse furnishings and staff but something told me her and Rose would thrive here rather than having stayed on with the relatives at the estate. One of my favourite moments is when she bribes one of the maids not to spoilt her news by giving her the chance to make haste and away with her once she moves out. It was a ploy to cover-up the fact she had a bit of a rebellious nature inside her to where she did not like to leave things to fate if there was a loophole round the unknown! Smartly written, Freeman keeps you entertained from one chapter to the next to where it is just a delight to overhear what Frances will say next and what her next actions might be which become the new concerns of the family she’s left behind!
As fate continued to give Frances more headaches than smiles, you had to give it to her – she chose to set her attitude on the positive and despite the arduous circumstances alighting towards her at an alarming speed of haste from her brother-in-law, Frances wouldn’t let her resolve falter. There was much more at stake than inconvenient delays in the normality of her life – no, she simply turnt her chin up with a strength she might not have entirely felt but one which would see her through with the kindness of her friends. This was another instance where you could see how lovely it was for her to have Fiona in her life – the kind of huckleberry friend everyone needs and is blessed to have found.
Part of the joy of reading this series are the layers of etiquette permeating into the fabric of the story-line – fitting for this debut of the series itself as it lends a certain view of the absurdity of tradition these lords and ladies were put through when their era was in its heyday! All the confining points of societal regulations and the fact, you couldn’t just remove yourself from the obligations as that would be lent to scandal and gossip; Freeman takes you through the motions of how frivolous the ton can be and how determined you must become to outwit them all the same! Frances shows this by her unwavering belief that if you lead with strength and a resolve to overcome whatever befalls you, society will either a) move on to the next lead story or b) forget you completely; which I felt was her preference. Frances wasn’t the kind who welcomed notoriety – quite the opposite, I believed she wanted to live a more ordinary life without all the pops and poms of the elevated class.
I was endeared to the plot long before I caught-on to the mysterious events happening in the background – for me, this series is wickedly driven by its characters – specifically everyone related into the personal orbit and sphere of Frances! You can’t help but feel caught inside her life – seeing how even the most ordinary of lives can suddenly become a feast of trouble yet with a sturdy circle of friends and family; any obstacle can surely become defeated! I must admit, by the time I unearthed the actual crime and the person behind it – I was quite somber! I hadn’t expected the villain in the story to be whom they were as I was expecting it be someone else completely! The way in which Freeman related those finer details of the whys and hows lead me to believe the rest of this series is going to be as charmingly cosy to read as its debut!
In Dianne Freeman’s charming Victorian-era mystery series, Frances Wynn, the American-born Countess of Harleigh, finds her sister’s wedding threatened by a vow of vengeance.
London is known for its bustle and intrigues, but the sedate English countryside can host—or hide—any number of secrets. Frances, the widowed Countess of Harleigh, needs a venue for her sister Lily’s imminent wedding, away from prying eyes. Risings, George Hazleton’s family estate in Hampshire, is a perfect choice, and soon Frances, her beloved George, and other guests have gathered to enjoy the usual country pursuits—shooting, horse riding, and romantic interludes in secluded gardens.
But the bucolic setting harbors a menace, and it’s not simply the arrival of Frances’s socially ambitious mother. Above and below stairs, mysterious accidents befall guests and staff alike. Before long, Frances suspects these “accidents” are deliberate, and fears that the intended victim is Lily’s fiancé, Leo. Frances’s mother is unimpressed by Lily’s groom-to-be and would much prefer that Lily find an aristocratic husband, just as Frances did. But now that Frances has found happiness with George—a man who loves her for much more than her dowry—she heartily approves of Lily’s choice. If she can just keep the couple safe from villains and meddling mamas.
As Frances and George search for the culprit among the assembled family, friends, and servants, more victims fall prey to the mayhem. Mishaps become full-blooded murder, and it seems that no one is safe. And unless Frances can quickly flush out the culprit, the peal of wedding bells may give way to another funeral toll…
Converse via: #CosyMystery OR #Cosy #HistoricalMystery
and #CountessOfHarleighMystery
Available Formats: Paperback, Audiobook and Ebook
For those on Scribd: Happily the first two audiobooks of this series are available!
About Dianne Freeman
Dianne Freeman is a life-long book lover who left the world of corporate finance to pursue her passion for writing. After co-authoring the non-fiction book, Haunted Highway, The Spirits of Route 66, she realized her true love was fiction, historical mystery in particular. She also realized she didn’t like winter very much so now she and her husband pursue the endless summer by splitting their time between Michigan and Arizona. She’s been nominated for an Agatha and the prestigious Mary Higgins Clark Award, and won the 2019 Lefty Award for Best Debut Mystery.
I have decided to start participating in this book blogsphere meme with a few small changes of how it’s regularly blogged about by my fellow book bloggers. I will either be introducing my current reads of upcoming releases as I am in the process of reading them and/or I might be releasing a book review about a forthcoming title by which I had been blessed to read ahead of publication. The main purpose behind the meme is to encourage readers and your fellow book bloggers to become aware of new books being released which caught your eye and which held your interest to read. Sometimes if your still in the process of reading the books, its the titles which encouraged your bookish heart. I look forward to spending the next seasons of the year, talking about the books I have on hand to read, the books I’ve been reading and the books I might not even have a copy to read but which are of wicked sweet interest to become a #nextread of mine.
As you might have inferred by my JOY in having Vivian Conroy visiting with my chatters during @SatBookChat last year (see #SatBookChat’s archives – One & Two) and how much I *loved!* reading her Cosy Historical Mystery “The Butterfly Conspiracy” (see also Review) – it will not come as a surprise how much I have been wanting to start listening to her Murder Will Follow Cosy Mystery series! This is her Digital First book series released by Canelo I’ve been wanting to dig inside ever since we first crossed paths on #bookTwitter and became united through the #bookcommunity we both frequent therein.
This is why this morning I have a special announcement to make in regards to the Murder Will Follow series as the fourth novel will release this forthcoming March – making me grateful she reached out to me to help host (and there are several other book bloggers hosting today as well!) her Cover Reveal! Being a part of her Cover Reveal Team also helped me re-seek out this series – to see where the audiobooks are available and I have the delightful news in sharing I found the first two novels are already being featured on #Scribd! How wicked lovely is that?! I’ll be returning to #Scribd in March and I am going to be happily listening to the first novel “A Testament to Murder” when I do!
On my connection to Vivian Conroy:
I am quite active on the socially bookish side of the twitterverse (ie. #bookishTwitter); a lot of the writers and readers I enjoy conversing with on a yearly basis were first ‘met’ somewhere in a chat or a serendipitously lovely convo – either organised through a Twitter chat or a randomly engaged convo between them and I. I do not recollect how I first came to find Vivian Conroy or if in fact, she originally found me – I do know I immediately took to liking her Historical Fiction focused Twitter chat: #HistFicChat. Similar to my passion for #HistoricalFix (hosted and founded by Erin Lindsay McCabe – of which, due to her return to writing has been on sabbatical for three years) – this is a chat where Historical readers and writers can happily find each other, interact and chatter their bookish hearts out about the historic past whilst discovering new #mustreads!
I am disclosing this, to assure you that I can formulate an honest opinion, even though I have interacted with her through Twitter and have reviewed her novels; as I treat each book as a ‘new experience’, whether I personally know the author OR whether I am reading a book by them for the first time. And this extends into sharing my honest impressions, thoughts and views whenever I am hosting a guest feature or a promotional post on their behalf.
Ooh, I nearly forgot – as I have been actively requesting Ms Conroy’s collective works at my local & regional libraries (as one encourages print & the other encourages audio requests) – I put in a new request for the very first installment of the #MurderWillFollowMysteries in audiobook – they graciously accepted my last request for her Stationery Shop Mysteries (“Last Pen Standing”) and I am hopeful they can source “A Testament to Murder”. Otherwise my plans to listen to this lovely via #Scribd is right on track for Spring!
Speaking of my past two purchase requests – “Last Pen Standing” has been such a hit with other patrons I’ve not been able to get it back yet to listen to myself and “A Valentine Proposal” is still in processing which means I am unsure if I will have it in my hands to read ahead of St Valentine’s Day despite having requested it in January! This series Little Shops on Heart Street are under her Viv Royce pen name and are published via Entangled Publishing.
Before I share my first thoughts & reactions to the audiobooks themselves (via their samplers provided by #Scribd) I want to reveal the Cover we’re all wicked thrilled to be sharing on our social & blog spaces today – help us celebrate and spread the word to your fellow Cosy Mystery enthusiasts in your life! Don’t forget to let me know why you love reading these lovelies yourself!
You might remember how much I enjoyed reading the Countess of Harleigh novels last July? I had the pleasure of interviewing Ms Freeman during the blog tour as well – as I was blessed to cross paths with this Cosy Historical Mystery novelist whilst hosting her tour as it routed through the book bloggers who like me have a fierce passion for Historical Fiction; hosting with Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours.
I remember when the books first arrived by #bookpost and how curiously I had looked upon them before I began reading the stories – the cover art danced in front of my eyes, a bit on the cheekier side and definitely with a keen eye for drawing your attention to their design! You had to wonder about the Countess of Harleigh and how her life and this Cosy Historical Mystery was going to resonate with you as you dug into her story and sorted out a new author’s cosy style of relating a mystery set during an era you rather enjoy visiting.
If you’ve missed my previous ruminations about this series let me share this ahead of #SatBookChat this Saturday morning:
Part of the joy of reading this series are the layers of etiquette permeating into the fabric of the story-line – fitting for this debut of the series itself as it lends a certain view of the absurdity of tradition these lords and ladies were put through when their era was in its heyday! All the confining points of societal regulations and the fact, you couldn’t just remove yourself from the obligations as that would be lent to scandal and gossip; Freeman takes you through the motions of how frivolous the ton can be and how determined you must become to outwit them all the same! Frances shows this by her unwavering belief that if you lead with strength and a resolve to overcome whatever befalls you, society will either a) move on to the next lead story or b) forget you completely; which I felt was her preference. Frances wasn’t the kind who welcomed notoriety – quite the opposite, I believed she wanted to live a more ordinary life without all the pops and poms of the elevated class.
I was endeared to the plot long before I caught-on to the mysterious events happening in the background – for me, this series is wickedly driven by its characters – specifically everyone related into the personal orbit and sphere of Frances! You can’t help but feel caught inside her life – seeing how even the most ordinary of lives can suddenly become a feast of trouble yet with a sturdy circle of friends and family; any obstacle can surely become defeated! I must admit, by the time I unearthed the actual crime and the person behind it – I was quite somber! I hadn’t expected the villain in the story to be whom they were as I was expecting it be someone else completely! The way in which Freeman related those finer details of the whys and hows lead me to believe the rest of this series is going to be as charmingly cosy to read as its debut!
I’ve been listening to the audiobook version of the first novel in the series The Lady’s Guide to Etiquette and Murder finding myself re-attached to the world Ms Freeman alights us inside and cheekily finding myself smirking into ready smiles all over again as I had when I first read the novel in print!
The narrator Sarah Zimmerman is a good match for bringing Frances to life – she has her sensibility and her personality perfectly perfected. I would imagine this might have been a hard role to fulfill because as soon as you begin reading these Mysteries you’ll notice the curiously brilliant styling of Freeman – she has the marked fixures of the era she’s writing but with the added bonus of giving us a heroine who reminds me of Lady Emily Ashton (from Tasha Alexander’s Lady Emily series) and Lady Darby (from Anna Lee Huber’s Lady Darby Mysteries).
The audio versions are a brilliant entrance and revisit of the series – Zimmerman has a tone of delivery I felt resonated with how I felt Frances would talk and relate her life to her listeners whilst at the same time, Zimmerman has one of those hypnotic voices which implores you to listen and to see how she delivers the story until the very end. I look forward to re-listening to these prior to the forthcoming third release A Lady’s Guide to Mischief and Murder this Summer!
I hope you’ve brewed a cuppa to enjoy the information on this spotlighted post in conjunction with @SatBookChat whilst taking time to visit our past chats archived via the Moments on the chat’s feeds via Twitter. This chat will be archived after it concludes and a bit lateron from there to allow everyone the chance to interact, share and respond.
Without further adieu,
I give you the latest #SatBookChat spotlight
wherein you can learn a bit more about the author & her story.
The 3rd novel releases 28th July, 2020!
The Synopsis for A Lady’s Guide to Mischief and Murder:
London is known for its bustle and intrigues, but the sedate English countryside can host—or hide—any number of secrets. Frances, the widowed Countess of Harleigh, needs a venue for her sister Lily’s imminent wedding, away from prying eyes. Risings, George Hazleton’s family estate in Hampshire, is a perfect choice, and soon Frances, her beloved George, and other guests have gathered to enjoy the usual country pursuits—shooting, horse riding, and romantic interludes in secluded gardens.
But the bucolic setting harbors a menace, and it’s not simply the arrival of Frances’s socially ambitious mother. Above and below stairs, mysterious accidents befall guests and staff alike. Before long, Frances suspects these “accidents” are deliberate, and fears that the intended victim is Lily’s fiancé, Leo. Frances’s mother is unimpressed by Lily’s groom-to-be and would much prefer that Lily find an aristocratic husband, just as Frances did. But now that Frances has found happiness with George—a man who loves her for much more than her dowry—she heartily approves of Lily’s choice. If she can just keep the couple safe from villains and meddling mamas.
As Frances and George search for the culprit among the assembled family, friends, and servants, more victims fall prey to the mayhem. Mishaps become full-blooded murder, and it seems that no one is safe. And unless Frances can quickly flush out the culprit, the peal of wedding bells may give way to another funeral toll. . . .
The Quality of Mercy
A Lady's Guide to Mischief and Murder
