Recent Reads - Oracle of Philippi

Oracle of Philippi by Catherine Ensley (ARC) - It was a real pleasure to be able to read an ARC of this novel from Catherine Ensley. The novel explores the possibilities around an encounter described in the New Testament book of Acts, when the apostle Paul sets a slave girl free from an evil spirit. What the Bible tells us is that the slave had been some kind of prophet and that her owners profited from her telling fortunes, so they were very angry to lose their source of income. We know that this confrontation led to Paul and Silas being imprisoned, and that the jailer and his family were baptized. And we know that the church in Philippi met in Lydia's home. If you're like me, you might know all these Biblical facts, but haven't considered that it's possible, or even likely, that all these Philippian believers knew each other.

In this story, Mynestra is the slave girl, a young woman brought up to be a Pythian prophet in service to the Roman gods. In an encounter with Paul and Silas, Paul sets her free from the dark spirit that speaks through her, and Mynestra finds her own voice for the first time. She becomes a believer in Jesus but knows little about the new faith and rarely has an opportunity to attend their meetings. She struggles to reconcile her position as a slave forced to give oracles from Apollo with her desire to serve and obey the one true God. 

Clement is the other main character, the son of Jewish parents who are Roman citizens. Clement is rising in the ranks of Roman government and is skeptical of the new faith, but when his mother and his close friend's  (Epaphroditus, the son of the jailer) whole family claim the faith, he is also curious and reluctant to carry out any Roman punishments against them. Clement is also a friend of Mynestra's, and has been saving to buy her freedom. The more he observes the faith, kindness, and mercy shown by the believers, the more he grapples with his own beliefs and whether he is willing to take a stand, even if it costs him security and position.

I loved how this story gave names to these early believers, and created very plausible connections among the characters mentioned in the Bible. Since we have only a few sentences of Scripture telling us about the slave girl and her owners, the jailer and other officials in Philippi, and the names of the believers in Philippi, it's tempting to think they encountered the gospel and became believers and that's that. But it's likely that they struggled with their roles within their community, their changing loyalties, and the steep learning curve about the one God. All the things the apostle Paul addresses in his letters to the churches are questions or conflicts that the real people in those early Christian communities had to address, and the answers weren't always easy. 

Beautifully written and well-researched, challenging and thought-provoking. I'm delighted when an enjoyable story also encourages me to dig into my Bible a little further and reminds me that the characters mentioned in Scripture were real people with real families and real feelings. The time and place they lived in is very different, but many of their experiences and dilemmas in living out their faith may not be all that different from ours.

From the publisher:

A Novel of Faith, Freedom, and the Cost of Truth

She was freed. But freedom cost her everything.

In first-century Philippi, a Roman colony built on power, loyalty, and control, a slave girl once valued for her visions loses the role that defined her―and the place she once held in the world. Mysnestra now stands between two worlds. Rejected by those she once served and uncertain among those she now follows, she must learn what it means to live without the identity that once shaped her―and discover whether her voice still has a place.

Clement, a rising Roman citizen, has everything to gain within the empire. But as he is drawn toward a truth he cannot ignore, he faces a choice that may cost him his future, his standing, and the life he has been trained to pursue.

As new faith begins to spread through Philippi, fear and resistance grow. Because in a city built on control, even a single transformed life can become a threat.

Oracle of Philippi is a richly layered historical novel of awakening, identity, and the cost of truth―for readers drawn to stories that linger long after the final page.

I received a digital ARC of this book from the author in exchange for my honest review.

This is a book set in an ancient civilization (#1) and has a title that starts with the letter O (#6) for The 52 Book Club's 2026 Reading Challenge.

#the52bookclub #the52bookclub2026

This post will be linked at the current BookWorms Monthly link-up hosted by At Home A Lot.

©2008-2026 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. This post was written by a human.  http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/ 

 This post contains affiliate links - using affiliate links from Just A Second helps supply books and coffee. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Recent Reads - An Unsuitable Job

An Unsuitable Job by Bonnie Hardy - Josie MacFarland is getting a second chance with the Harvey House, and in an unusual position. She was let go as a Harvey Girl, but she's been asked to return to the Castaneda Hotel in Las Vegas, New Mexico as a Harvey House detective after a travelling salesman and regular guest was found murdered in his room. Josie hopes she'll have the chance to make things right with the friends she abandoned when she had to leave abruptly just a short time before.

The sheriff has a dangerous sort of charm, but he dismisses Josie as an unserious amateur. Josie wonders how hard he is really trying to solve the case, or if he is protecting someone else. The Harvey House matron was never a favorite of Josie's to begin with, and treats her and her friend Lily with disdain, but is there something more to her meanness? Josie has only her instincts and courage to recommend her, but she's determined to find out exactly what happened, and when Lily is falsely accused of the murder, Josie doubles down on her efforts to save her friend and get to the bottom of the whole story.

I enjoyed the setting and story, and the straightforward narrative style. It's definitely more in the cozy mystery style, and a mostly fun read, but I felt there were some holes and some places where the story was disjointed or would have benefited from more character development. We don't really find out why Josie was let go, and while it's not really necessary to the story, it's a huge part of her need to prove herself so it seems relevant. We also don't really find out why she was chosen as a house detective, other than some hints that as a woman she could blend in with the Harvey Girls and have access behind the scenes, which felt a little unsatisfactory. At a few places, the narrative jumped abruptly from one setting to another in a way that made me wonder if I'd missed a page. To be fair, this could be partially due to formatting since I was reading an ARC - a visual break in the text could easily solve this problem, and I hope that's all it was. 

One other aspect I didn't care for was that when Josie dressed as her alter ego, Joe Mack, the narrative immediately shifted the description as if she had indeed become "him" with the male pronouns. Readers can follow the story quite easily and understand that this is still Josie, just in disguise. The shift in pronouns did not land for this reader and seemed like an effort to tell a story set in 1929 with a nod to the preferred pronouns trends of the 2020s. I did like Josie's independent spirit and her spunk, and that the story doesn't rely on a romance to move the events along. The historical notes at the end were very interesting, and introduced some insights about the setting and the way Harvey House Girls, and women in general, were viewed at the time.

From the Publisher:

In 1930s New Mexico, a Harvey Girl takes on a job she was never meant to survive.

In this multiple award winning historical mystery, readers find themselves immersed in 1929 Las Vegas, New Mexico. When a man is murdered at the Castaneda Hotel, Josie MacFarland is given an impossible role: the first Harvey House Detective. Armed with only her determination, Josie faces a dismissive sheriff, the cold shoulder of old friends, and the hardships of the Great Depression.

She can either return home in disgrace―or fight to prove she belongs in a world determined to shut her out.

I received a digital copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This is a book with an uneven number of chapters (#24), published in 2026 (#52) for The 52 Book Club's 2026 Reading Challenge.

#the52bookclub #the52bookclub2026

It's my first case in the March '26 Mini, kicking off the full Mystery Genre Challenge with Case #12 - An amateur sleuth.

This post will be linked at the current BookWorms Monthly link-up hosted by At Home A Lot.

©2008-2026 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. This post was written by a human.  http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/ 

 This post contains affiliate links - using affiliate links from Just A Second helps supply books and coffee. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Recent Reads - The Belle of Belgrave Square

The Belle of Belgrave Square by Mimi Matthews - Julia Wychwood is enduring another season in London. She is from a wealthy and respected family and has a generous dowry, but she is uncomfortable in ballrooms and dining halls, and would far rather be riding her horse or reading a novel. While her friends are out of town, she makes the acquaintance of Captain Jasper Blunt, a military hero looking for a wealthy wife. His gruff manner and wartime scars, along with the rumours of his haunted estate in Yorkshire and illegitimate children, have scared off most of the eligible young ladies. Julia is surprised to find that he can converse easily with her about books but still tells him that she doesn't think they would suit.

Jasper is captivated by Julia though, and compelled to come to her rescue in a couple of social situations, and they strike up a friendship. He is determined to pursue her, even going to talk to her father, but is rebuffed. However, when he learns of the cruel treatment Julia receives at home, and that she is weak and ill after her parents subject her to bloodletting, he comes to her aid and is shocked when Julia proposes to him a marriage of convenience if he will take her to Yorkshire.

Their friendship and the arrangement they agree to has the potential to grow into so much more, but Julia's trust in him is tested time and again as she finds out more about him and his secrets.

This story is based on the fairy tale Beauty and the Beast and the similarities are easy to spot. Jasper is a brooding hero full of contradictions and with many layers of secrets, and he struggles with how and when to share any of them with his new bride. Julia is a romantic soul with a kind heart, who has been dominated by her parents and her anxiety in social situations, but she begins to come alive once she has a home and some freedom. The development of their relationship is sweet and satisfying, and I liked the balance of the fairy tale trope with enough realism to make it work.

From the publisher:

A London heiress rides out to the wilds of the English countryside to honor a marriage of convenience with a mysterious and reclusive stranger.

Tall, dark, and dour, the notorious Captain Jasper Blunt was once hailed a military hero, but tales abound of his bastard children and his haunted estate in Yorkshire. What he requires now is a rich wife to ornament his isolated ruin, and he has his sights set on the enchanting Julia Wychwood.

For Julia, an incurable romantic cursed with a crippling social anxiety, navigating a London ballroom is absolute torture. The only time Julia feels any degree of confidence is when she's on her horse. Unfortunately, a young lady can't spend the whole of her life in the saddle, so Julia makes an impetuous decision to take her future by the reins―she proposes to Captain Blunt.

In exchange for her dowry and her hand, Jasper must promise to grant her freedom to do as she pleases. To ride―and to read―as much as she likes without masculine interference. He readily agrees to her conditions, with one provision of his own; Julia is forbidden from going into the tower rooms of his estate and snooping around his affairs. But the more she learns of the beastly former hero, the more intrigued she becomes . . .

By the same author: A Holiday By Gaslight, The Work of Art, The Matrimonial Advertisment, Fair As A Star, The Viscount and the Vicar's Daughter

This is a book featuring a character with a secret identity (#35), by an author whose first and last name start with the same letter (#40) for The 52 Book Club's 2026 Reading Challenge.

#the52bookclub #the52bookclub2026

This post will be linked at the current BookWorms Monthly link-up hosted by At Home A Lot.

©2008-2026 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. This post was written by a human.  http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/ 

 This post contains affiliate links - using affiliate links from Just A Second helps supply books and coffee. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Recent Reads - A Certain Darkness

A Certain Darkness by Anna Lee Huber - If Verity and Sidney thought they were going to get some downtime and a refreshing break from investigations and intrigue, they were mistaken. Verity has had a little time to recuperate after the injuries suffered in their last investigation, and agrees to go with Sidney when French authorities contact him saying that a prisoner has requested a meeting with him. A woman that had been an informant during the war had been imprisoned in France and specifically asked to speak to Sidney in an attempt to negotiate her sentence, and claimed she had information she would only pass on to him. Verity's experience in British intelligence comes into play as she recognizes Miss Baverel's ploys and suspects where she is speaking in "code" and where her weaknesses may lie. After their meeting with Miss Baverel, they consider what to do with the vaguely worded claims she made, but before they can see her again, she is assassinated and it's meant to look like a suicide and also casts suspicion on Verity.

Sidney and Verity decide to travel to Miss Baverel's home to follow up on a hunch, and find they are in danger - someone is following them and means them harm. About this time, Verity receives contact from her former British Intelligence superiors, asking her to investigate the murder of a Belgian lawyer who had also worked with British Intelligence. He had been carrying a report with shocking information and evidence of potential treason, and it is missing. British Intelligence wants Verity to find the portfolio and destroy it. Despite many qualms about the investigation, Sidney and Verity take on the challenge, and soon question whether the two situations are actually linked. Was the information Miss Baverel claimed to have related to the missing report, and is their nemesis Lord Ardmore involved in both?

This mystery involves more espionage and secret statecraft than the previous ones and I found it a challenge to follow the different threads and links in the chain as Sidney and Verity unravel it. The personal dangers and impossible choices they face, and the ramifications of the information in the missing report being made public are immense, and this adventure is fraught with suspense and intrigue.

From the publisher:

March 1920: Life has turned unsettlingly quiet for former British Intelligence agent Verity Kent and her husband, Sidney. But even that false calm is about to end. As threats remain, the French authorities soon request Sidney's help with a suspect who claims to have proof of treason―shortly before she is assassinated. And Verity, too, is called to investigate a mystery . . .

The murder of a Belgian lawyer aboard a train seems at first to be a simple case of revenge. But the victim was connected to British Intelligence, and possessed papers detailing the sinking of a gold-laden German ship during the war.

As Verity and Sidney dig deeper, they discover their cases are intertwined―and a lethal adversary persists. Officially, the Great War may be over, but this is a battle of nerves and wits they cannot afford to lose . . .

By the same author: The Anatomist's Wife, Mortal Arts; A Grave Matter, A Study in Death, A Pressing Engagement, This Side of Murder, As Death Draws Near, A Brush With Shadows, Treacherous Is The Night, An Artless Demise, Secrets in the Mist, Penny for Your Secrets, A Stroke of Malice, A Pretty Deceit, A Wicked Conceit, A Perilous Perspective, A Fatal Illusion, Sisters of Fortune, A Deceptive Composition, Murder Most Fair

This is a book featuring a conspiracy (#5) for The 52 Book Club's 2026 Reading Challenge.

#the52bookclub #the52bookclub2026

This is related to "crime" for Prompt #2 of the February Mini-Challenge

This is #8 in the Connections Challenge. The cover shares an item from the cover of the previous book (the railing). (I'm continuing the connections from the 2025 challenge)

This post will be linked at the current BookWorms Monthly link-up hosted by At Home A Lot.

©2008-2026 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. This post was written by a human.  http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/ 

 This post contains affiliate links - using affiliate links from Just A Second helps supply books and coffee. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Recent Reads - Secrets of the Maison Fournier

Secrets of the Maison Fournier by Amelia Pine - American Emma Greene is the owner of a small English-language bookshop in Paris, and her shop is in the shadow of the illustrious new Maison Fournier department store. She has heard rumors about the owner of the store, and is rather surprised to receive an invitation to the grand reception celebration Maison Fournier's opening. Along with her new friend Cècile, owner of a neighboring French bookshop, Emma attends the opening. While drinking celebratory toast to the success of his business, Henri Fournier dies, a victim of poisoning. Emma finds herself the most convenient suspect since she is a foreigner, but the detective Inspector Lefèvre also recognizes that Emma is a keen observer of details and a valuable witness. To Emma's great relief Inspector Lefèvre does not believe Emma is the murderer, but the rest of Paris is not so kind and business at her bookshop suffers.

At Cècile's urging, Emma hires an assistant, and soon Luc joins Emma and Cècile in their own investigation of the murder. After all, no one is more motivated to find the real killer than the one wrongfully suspected. Inspector Lefèvre repeatedly warns Emma to stay out of it and to not embark on her own investigation but also seems to understand that his warnings will not be heeded. Luc and Cècile constantly tease Emma that the Inspector's interest is very personal, and Emma admits - at least to herself - that she is drawn to the Inspector and hopes to know him better.

In the meantime, the investigation takes Emma and her friends to the offices of Maison Fournier, the studios of Fournier's associates, and to the opera, collecting valuable information and clues. Can they piece it all together before the murderer silences Emma or the suspicions swirling around her destroy her reputation beyond repair? 

I enjoyed these charming and quirky characters, the period details of the mystery and Paris setting, and the simmering attraction growing between Emma and Inspector Lefèvre. Although there's a murder and a bit of darkness, it still has the feel of a cozy mystery. Emma's background, and the circumstances that brought her to Paris, are revealed a little at a time, and Lefèvre's even more slowly, and I really liked him. Cècile is a character that is over-the-top and requires a bit more suspension of disbelief to accept. The writing is done well, though I felt that there were too many personification descriptions, especially in the first half or so. They were lovely and creative descriptors for the most part, but lost their charm when there were several per page for successive pages. This was noticeable to me, but didn't detract from my enjoyment of the story. And I will be looking for the next installment, eager to find out what is next for Emma, the brooding Inspector, and Emma's interesting friends. 

From the publisher:

Paris, 1888. A city of light, love, and deadly secrets.

When American bookseller Emma Greene opens a small English-language bookshop in the Latin Quarter, she hopes for a quiet life among books, not whispers and suspicion.

After the powerful owner of the glittering Maison Fournier department store dies under suspicious circumstances, Emma becomes a reluctant suspect. To save her reputation, she must untanble Parisian society secrets with the help of a guarded detective, a circle of found-family neighbors, and a slow-burn romantic tension that could be just as dangerous as the truth.

A Belle Époque historical cozy mystery with bookshop intrigue, a clever heroine, and romance under gaslight.

Perfect for fans of Miss Scarlet and the Duke, Rhys Bowen, Deanna Raybourn, and Tasha Alexander.

I received a digital copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This is a book featuring the literary device personification (#44), and has a diacritical mark on the cover (#47) for The 52 Book Club's 2026 Reading Challenge.

#the52bookclub #the52bookclub2026

This post will be linked at the current BookWorms Monthly link-up hosted by At Home A Lot.

©2008-2026 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. This post was written by a human.  http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/ 

 This post contains affiliate links - using affiliate links from Just A Second helps supply books and coffee. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Recent Reads - A Holiday By Gaslight

A Holiday By Gaslight by Mimi Matthews - Sophie Appersett's parents have been very supportive of Mr Edward Sharpe's courtship of her, despite his humble family background in the trades. Ned Sharpe is very successful and wealthy, and Sophie's father has spent all the Appersett family money on improvements and "progress" to the estate, even Sophie's dowry. Sophie has no objection to marrying below her class in order to benefit her family, but after they've been courting awhile she decides to break it off. After all, shouldn't they be able to speak of something other than the weather? Ned is so stiff and formal that Sophie feels they are ill-suited.

Ned is taken by surprise, and wonders where he has gone wrong. In his attempts to do everything right, he has relied on the advice in a book of etiquette for gentlemen, which was to remain very reserved, yet Sophie seems offended. Not long afterwards, Ned is surprised again, when Sophie comes offering a second chance by renewing the invitation for him - and his parents - to spend Christmas at their country home, Appersett House. They agree to put strict formality aside and truly get to know each other, to see if their courtship has a chance at success after all.

The Christmas house party at Appersett House has an unusual mix of classes among the guests, but Sophie is determined to make it a success, and hopes for a chance at happiness with Ned. Ned puts forth his best effort to show Sophie how much he truly cares for her. And Sophie's father goes all out to convince Mr Sharpe and his business partner that the improvements he has in mind for the estate are good investments for them. Will that pressure push Ned away, or will the growing affection and attraction between him and Sophie lead them to a happy marriage?

The story and romance in this novella were delightful, and Sophie and Ned are both very likeable and interesting characters. I wanted their happiness and success very much, but I also rather wanted Mr Appersett to get the wakeup call he needed. He's a secondary character, but his own unfettered spending has put his entire family at risk, and he remains selfish and unrepentant in the face of his foolishness. The references to Charles Darwin are timely, since his work was being published during the time period of the setting, but seems unrelated to the actual storyline, and so unnecessary to mention, in my opinion.

From the Publisher:

A Courtship of Convenience

Sophie Appersett is quite willing to marry outside of her class to ensure the survival of her family. But the darkly handsome Mr. Edward Sharpe is no run-of-the-mill London merchant. He's grim and silent. A man of little emotion―or perhaps no emotion at all. After two months of courtship, she's ready to put an end to things.

A Last Chance for Love

But severing ties with her taciturn suitor isn't as straightforward as Sophie envisioned. Her parents are outraged. And then there's Charles Darwin, Prince Albert, and that dratted gaslight. What's a girl to do except invite Mr. Sharpe to Appersett House for Christmas and give him one last chance to win her? Only this time there'll be no false formality. This time they'll get to know each other for who they really are.

By the same author: The Work of Art, The Matrimonial Advertisment, Fair As A Star, The Viscount and the Vicar's Daughter

This is a book that explores social class (#43) for The 52 Book Club's 2025 Reading Challenge.

#the52bookclub #the52bookclub2025

This post will be linked at the current BookWorms Monthly link-up hosted by At Home A Lot, and at  the Historical Fiction Reading Challenge 2025 hosted by The Intrepid Reader and Baker.

#histficreadingchallenge

©2008-2025 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. This post was written by a human.  http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/ 

 This post contains affiliate links - using affiliate links from Just A Second helps supply books and coffee. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Recent Reads - While the City Sleeps

While the City Sleeps by Elizabeth Camden - Katherine Schneider loves her life in New York, working a late shift as a dentist (one of the few women in the profession, and at a clinic that was open late to accommodate working people), living in an all-female apartment building, and relatively independent. She enjoys her walk home from work each night, because she's escorted by a handsome police officer that she has fallen for and hopes will return her feelings.

Lieutenant Jonathan Birch makes it a point to meet Dr Schneider each evening and make sure she gets safely back to her building. He'd like nothing more than to declare his feelings for her, but he is sure his shadowy past life would be unacceptable to her, and it's important to keep it hidden from everyone in the police force as well. 

As she follows the news, Katherine realizes that the ramblings of one of her patients while under the influence of laughing gas may have been details about a bombing plot, so she seeks out Jonathan to tell him what she remembers. The information turns out to be valuable, but it also puts Katherine in danger. Jonathan's extra attention to keep her safe means that their friendship blossoms into romance, even while Jonathan is working hard to unravel the bomb threats and identify the conspirators. He has to cooperate with his rival within the police force, and that rival undermines the relationship between Jonathan and Katherine every chance he gets.

In order to bring the bombers to justice and keep the city - and particularly Katherine - safe, the rivals need to cooperate and Jonathan and Katherine will both have their abilities to forgive and to trust tested. 

 There's actually a fair amount of suspense in this romance, and the glimpse into the time period was very interesting too. Katherine is a great character - she's mature and independent and gracious, but at the same time she's a bit naive in her idealism and expectations. Jonathan is a wonderful but flawed hero - an exceptionally good and honorable man, but with a real blind spot when it comes to his rival, Gallagher. Both he and Gallagher engage in childish one-upmanship and hold onto grudges, and it could put them and others in danger, so that is an additional tension in the storyline. 

From the publisher:

Amid the hushed city, two hearts must navigate danger and deception, bound by a love that outshines the stars.

Katherine Schneider's life as a dentist in 1913 New York is upended when a patient reveals details of a deadly plot while under the influence of laughing gas. As she is plunged into danger, she seeks help from the dashing Lieutenant Jonathan Birch, a police officer she has long admired from afar.

Jonathan has harbored powerful feelings toward Katherine for years but never acted on them, knowing his dark history is something she could never abide. Now, with her safety on the line, he works alongside her through the nights as they unravel the criminal conspiracy that threatens her . . . even as he keeps his deepest secrets hidden at all costs.

By the same author: The Lady of Bolton Hill, A Daring Venture, A Dangerous Legacy, Beyond All Dreams, To The Farthest Shores, Against the Tide, Summer of Dreams, From This Moment, Until the Dawn, Into the Whirlwind

This is a book that has a moon on the cover (#12) for The 52 Book Club's 2025 Reading Challenge.

#the52bookclub #the52bookclub2025

Since I read most of this in October, I counted it for Pick Your Costume in the October Mini-Challenge.

This is #7 in the Connections Challenge. The author shares a name with a character from the previous book (Elizabeth).

This post will be linked at the current BookWorms Monthly link-up hosted by At Home A Lot, and at  the Historical Fiction Reading Challenge 2025 hosted by The Intrepid Reader and Baker.

#histficreadingchallenge

©2008-2025 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. This post was written by a human.  http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/ 

 This post contains affiliate links - using affiliate links from Just A Second helps supply books and coffee. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Recent Reads - Murder Most Fair

Murder Most Fair by Anna Lee Huber - After wrappng up their last investigation, Verity and Sidney are enjoying a bit of a holiday and time to relax. But when Verity's Great-Aunt Ilse shows up on their doorstep, they have to confront the possibility that wartime enemies may still pose a threat. During the war, Tante Ilse lived in Germany and one of Verity's missions involved her, but now Tante Ilse claims a 'second deserter' had come to her home and that there had been threats made against her and her maid. They've come to England to escape the threats, but it seems to Verity and Sidney that the threats may have followed.

They all go to Verity's family home in Yorkshire, but some of their longtime neighbors are antagonistic and mistrustful of Germans and even of Verity. To make matters worse, Verity and Tante Ilse both think they've seen a familiar face and Tante Ilse says it is that mysterious 'second deserter'. As Verity and Sidney reach out to some contacts for more information, they must also continue to keep Verity's wartime service a secret from her family, and Verity fears Tante Ilse's memory is going. Then Ilse's maid is murdered, and it is up to Verity and Sidney to find the murderer before the people of the town take matters into their own hands in a vindictive search for a stranger that they claim is German. 

In addition to the mystery and worries for Tante Ilse that are on Verity's mind, this is her first visit back to the family home in five years . . . since early in the war when her brother was killed in action. Verity has avoided the memories and grief and emotion, and her fraught relationship with her mother, and now she can't put off facing it all any longer.

From the publisher:

All is far from quiet on the home front in USA Today bestselling author Anna Lee Huber's captivating mystery series, in which former Secret Service agent Verity Kent receives a visitor - who is being trailed by a killer . . .

November 1919. A relaxing few weeks by the seaside with her husband, Sidney, could almost convince Verity Kent that life has returned to the pleasant rhythm of pre-war days. Then Verity's beloved Great-Aunt Ilse lands on their doorstep. After years in war-ravaged Germany, Ilse has returned to England to repair her fragile health―and to escape trouble. Someone has been sending her anonymous threats, and Verity's Secret Service contacts can only provide unsettling answers.

Even deep in the Yorkshire Dales, where she joins Verity's family for the holidays, Ilse encounters difficulties. Normally peaceful neighbors are hostile, seeking someone to blame for the losses they've endured. When Ilse's maid is found dead, Verity must uncover whether this is anti-German sentiment taken to murderous lengths, or whether there is a more personal motive at work. Could Verity's shadowy nemesis, Lord Ardmore, be involved? And if so, how much closer to home will the blow land when he inevitably strikes again?

By the same author: The Anatomist's Wife, Mortal Arts; A Grave Matter, A Study in Death, A Pressing Engagement, This Side of Murder, As Death Draws Near, A Brush With Shadows, Treacherous Is The Night, An Artless Demise, Secrets in the Mist, Penny for Your Secrets, A Stroke of Malice, A Pretty Deceit, A Wicked Conceit, A Perilous Perspective, A Fatal Illusion, Sisters of Fortune, A Deceptive Composition

This is a book about  title with letter M (#) for The 52 Book Club's 2025 Reading Challenge.

#the52bookclub #the52bookclub2025

This is #5 in the Connections Challenge. It is within 30 pages in length, compared to the previous book.

This post will be linked at the current BookWorms Monthly link-up hosted by At Home A Lot, and at  the Historical Fiction Reading Challenge 2025 hosted by The Intrepid Reader and Baker.

#histficreadingchallenge

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Recent Reads - No Safe Harbor

No Safe Harbor by Elizabeth Ludwig - Cara Hamilton leaves Ireland and arrives in New York hoping to find the twin brother she'd thought dead. Eoghan's only communication with her was a few lines of a letter and he warned her not to trust anyone, so she is very guarded with what she shares. A kind stranger points her to a boarding house and she meets a fellow Irishman named Rourke who seems trustworthy and like a good friend to her. But she heeds her brother's warning and lets everyone believe she has no living relations. For now.

Rourke and his family have been looking for Eoghan Hamilton in order to take revenge, and Rourke senses that Cara must be a sister to the man he seeks. If he can get information from her, he can get to Eoghan, but he is finding it difficult to stomach seeing Cara come to any harm and his loyalties and instincts are torn.

Cara discovers that she may have an enemy within the boarding house, and realizes that whoever is hunting Eoghan probably wishes her harm as well. Her questions may be leading her to her brother, but is she also leading an enemy closer to him at the same time? She wrestles with whether to trust and believe Rourke, just as he is wrestling with his growing feelings for Cara and growing discomfort with the path of revenge he's on.

I really enjoyed this story and the suspense throughout. Cara's desperation to find her brother made her over-cautious to share information at times, and led her to make some reckless choices in her search, but both made sense in context. She and Rourke are both very likeable characters, even as Rourke's motives fluctuate and he seems to waffle between wanting vengeance for his father's death and wanting to live in an honorable way that would have made his father proud. Even Eoghan's character is in question at times, which adds to Cara's tension. The ending isn't quite what I expected, and did set up a sequel (it is Book One of a series, after all), but I was satisfied that it didn't leave too many loose ends that it shouldn't have.

From the publisher:

Lured by a handful of scribbled words across a faded letter, Cara Hamilton sets off from 1896 Ireland on a quest to find the brother she'd thought dead. Her search lands her in America, amidst a houseful of strangers and one man who claims to be a friend―Rourke Walsh.

Despite her brother's warning, Cara decides to trust Rourke and reveals the truth about her purpose in America. But he is not who he claims to be, and as rumors begin to circulate about an underground group of dangerous revolutionaries, Cara's desperation grows. Her questions lead her ever closer to her brother, but they also bring her closer to destruction as Rourke's true intentions come to light.

This is a book featuring a found family trope (#22) for The 52 Book Club's 2025 Reading Challenge.

#the52bookclub #the52bookclub2025

This is fourth in The 52 Book Club's Connections Challenge. It was published in the same year as the previous book, 2012.

This post will be linked at the current BookWorms Monthly link-up hosted by At Home A Lot, and at  the Historical Fiction Reading Challenge 2025 hosted by The Intrepid Reader and Baker.

#histficreadingchallenge

©2008-2025 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. This post was written by a human.  http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/ 

 This post contains affiliate links - using affiliate links from Just A Second helps supply books and coffee. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.