Vanessa Kelly

Emma encounters a murder!

Gentle, ironic rendering makes this new mystery spin-off from the Austen novel, Emma just so endearing. The tone Kelly sets melds so well with Austen’s classic work.
A cosy regency mystery set in the sleepy English village of Highbury.
Emma is now happily married to George Knightly. Her husband, her lifetime friends and her father are her immediate horizon.
Into this Eden slithers the destructive serpent of murder sowing seeds of mischief, fear, and distrust fed by show more gossip and rumor.
Emma and her young friend Harriet Martin are visiting the church and shockingly discover the lifeless body of Mrs Elton, the supercilious wife of the vicar. Mr. Elton had proposed to Emma previously, but that’s another story.
Emma miss that Highbury won’t be the same again. Never noted for her restraint, the indomitable Emma of course forges ahead to try to discover the identity of the murderer. George surrenders and resigns himself to his wife’s actions, given that this intrepidness is a facet of who Emma is.
There’s wonderful occasions that amuse. Too many to give a précis of.
There’s some fabulous lines. To note a few, there’s Miss Bates, “ fluttering like a demented moth between Emma and her mother.”
Or when Emma’s father Mr. Woodhouse, always irrationally concerned for his own health attends the inquest, Emma (fortunately in her head) ponders his uncharacteristic appearance as one she couldn’t have predicted. She muses that, “a volcano spewing forth in the middle of the town square was almost more likely than her father’s appearance at such a public event.”
Then there’s Vicar Elton obsequiously referring to Emma as “dear lady” on occasion (I can’t help but think of Humphrey in ‘Yes Prime Minister’)
A sharp, witty rendition by Vanessa Kelly, replete with wonderful moments in the best Austenian overtones, of an event that shockingly drops into the pond that is Highbury, sending all sorts of ripples throughout the village.
So enjoyable! I look forward to what’s next!

A Kensington ARC via NetGalley.
Many thanks to the author and publisher.
Please note: Quotes taken from an advanced reading copy maybe subject to change show less

Fun book about two people who need to overcome guilty feelings about past events before they can accept that they can have a happy future together. From the moment they met, the sparks flew between Logan and Donella. Logan wants the Earl of Riddick to enter into a business relationship with him, so he agrees to escort the man's grandniece from a convent to her family's home. He's stunned to find a beautiful and feisty woman instead of a plain and pious spinster. Donella entered the convent show more three years earlier after a series of events that caused a scandal. A month from taking her vows, the Reverend Mother has told her she's unsuited to being a nun (cue "How Do You Solve a Problem Like Donella?).

I liked both Logan and Donella. Donella is feisty and independent. She also loves her family and wants to keep them from having to deal with the fallout from her scandal. She can be brash and blunt and has no problem expressing her opinions to Logan. Having lost her place at the convent, she's not sure what's in store for her future. I ached for her as bits of her story were revealed throughout the book, leaving her doubtful of her worth. Logan is a good man with a painful past. He desperately wants to be a good father to his son, but events from his past make it awkward for him as he tries to reconnect with Joseph and the rest of his family.

I thoroughly enjoyed the development of the relationship between Logan and Donella. The banter between them was snappy and fun to follow. When their carriage was attacked by another clan who wanted to kidnap Donella, Logan refused to cooperate. I loved seeing them have to work together to escape. As the circumstances threw them together, the sparks between them flared hotter, but neither was willing to give in to them. Logan has no intention of marrying again, and Donella hopes to find another convent to go to. It was exciting to see their escape play out, especially with the lengths that Logan went to to disguise her identity. I laughed out loud when help finally arrived, and they had to do some fast talking to avoid a forced marriage. They parted, thinking they wouldn't see each other again.

But Fate wasn't done with them. Donella's uncle refuses to let her run away to another convent just yet and sends her off to Glasgow to help with family Christmas preparations. Since she needs a chaperone, she's sent to stay with her cousin Victoria - who just happens to be Logan's sister-in-law. From the moment they meet again it's evident to everyone around them that there is something between them. When Logan's son and grandfather arrive unexpectedly from Canada, Logan is surprised by how quickly Joseph and Donella bond. As Logan discovers that Donella brings light and laughter back into his life, he decides that he'd like to keep her in his life.

Meanwhile, Donella is surprised by the effect that Logan has on her, but she has secrets that keep her from believing that she is suitable for him. I enjoyed seeing them grow closer, first building something of a friendship in their mutual care of Joseph. The attraction also continued to build. I enjoyed seeing Logan try to work past Donella's walls. The scene at the ball, where he and Donella were caught together was pretty funny. I loved Logan's support of Donella when she finally confessed all of her secrets.

Though Logan and Donella are ready to embrace their future, her past isn't quite done with her. When a man with a grudge succeeds in kidnapping her, it's up to Logan to find her before it's too late. The final confrontation was both intense and funny, as the kidnapper's plans are foiled by a surprise twist. The actions of several highly volatile Highland men left me laughing and shaking my head, especially when it took a woman to bring them under control. I loved the epilogue and seeing the happiness that both Logan and Donella found together.

I will definitely go back and read the first book in the series as soon as possible and look forward to further books about the Kendricks. They are sure to be just as fun. The only issue I had with this book was the occasional use of anachronistic words or phrases, but it didn't diminish my enjoyment by much. show less

Dark deeds and second chance love

Bliss! I love Dr. Braden Kendrick. Great opening with the likeable doctor in trouble, the get your throat cut sort of trouble. He’s rescued by an unlikely couple. A huge man and a woman carrying a sword hidden in a walking stick. Curiously his rescuers showed no inclination to talk with him, they had him follow them through alleyways to safety, communicating with each other using some sort of sign language. They disappeared when the watchman drew show more near.
Meanwhile, children and a couple of young girls have been disappearing from the charity run by the widowed Lady Samantha Penwith. She’s worried. It’s unusual. Her Board ignores her. She’s also convinced her husband Sir Roger was murdered as he tried to get to the bottom of things. Samatha is determined to track down his murderer. Coincidentally, Braden is asked by his colleague Dr. John Blackmore to join the Board of the Penwith Philanthropic Foundation to help Samantha extend the vision of her husband.
Samantha has another problem. Her niece is deaf and is living with Samatha in Edinburgh attending a specialist school. Roger’s father, Lord Beath doesn’t see the need. He wants to hide Felicity away in the country, and now that Roger is dead he’s threatening to do that. Any excuse and it will be done.
Dark deeds pepper the story as love unfolds.
I love the Kendricks’ support of each other. The whole clan are a joyful gift. This is a sparkling addition to the series. Romance and mystery in an historical setting, brought to life with their struggles and derringdo attitudes.

A Kensington Books ARC via NetGalley.
Many thanks to the author and publisher. show less

Ooh, so close! Emma is my favourite Austen novel and I loved Carrie Bebris' Mr and Mrs Darcy detective series, so I couldn't resist Emma Knightley turning amateur sleuth. And for the first few chapters, I was hooked. Emma and George are both in character and suitably loved up, following their marriage at the end of Austen's novel, and the murder of Mrs Elton is both obvious and intriguing (everybody has a motive but who would actually kill her?)

I didn't mind that the story was lengthy - show more especially so when listening to the audiobook - and the pacing was slow, because Emma is equally lengthy and ponderous. But there just wasn't enough story in this case to warrant 14 hours or 400 pages - 300 tops would have been better. The discovery of Mrs Elton's body is shocking, and of course Emma is the very person to stumble across the slain socialite, and then Mr Knightley as magistrate gets involved - but then action is replaced by conversation and tea. So much tea. Some of the red herrings were more effective than others - Miss Bates, for heaven's sake? - but I found the motive of investment very dry and not very Highbury. I hate to say, after such a positive start, that I lost interest and kept speeding up the narration.

Speaking of which: the narrator, Polly Lee, had many characters and a lot of dialogue to cover, so I admire her range, but what was going on with Mr Knightley? He was so nasal and depressive, like Eeyore on weed, that I could barely stand to listen and the cute scenes between him and Emma were ruined. I had to sort of picture the words he was speaking and imagine reading them! Mr Woodhouse was also a bit grating, and I'm not sure why Mr Weston sounded like he was from Yorkshire. The female characters were fine, though, especially - thankfully - Emma's voice, which was very in character.

I was going to say, while listening to the early chapters, that the author also did well not to echo the events of the original novel and allow for character development, but that went by the by. Emma would have been sure to drop Harriet after their respective marriages, but here they are, traipsing around Highbury together like they're both still single and require chaperones. George is still somehow jealous of Frank and Mr Elton? And not forgetting the reason for Mrs Elton's death - Mr Elton is still in love with Emma, to the point where he can kill his wife and threaten to shoot Mr Knightley!

While I will forever appreciate the author's choice of characters for her detective series, I sadly found the first Emma Knightley mystery overlong and repetitive - this spin-off was brought to you by the misuse of 'dearest' and Mr Knightley's expressive eyebrows, not to mention gallons of tea. Maybe reading the book over listening to drawn-out narration would have helped, but I'll stick to Mr and Mrs Darcy, I think. show less