Carol's Notebook – Page 164

Christmas at the Chateau by Lorraine Wilson (with giveaway)

December 5, 2019December 5, 2019 by CarolNo Comments

I love Poppy. She's an artist who has followed her dream to France, has adorable puppies and is in love with the perfect man. Christmas at the Chateau is a sweet romance, perfect for holiday reading. It's short, but the characters are charming and kind. The treasure hunt was cute even if the treasure itself was a bit predictable. I do love a Christmas romance with a happy ending. Giveaway to Win a Signed paperback copy of ‘Poppy’s Place in the Sun’ (1st book in the ‘A French Escape‘ series), hand-embroidered makeup bag (made by the author) and some artisanal French chocolates (Open INT) a Rafflecopter giveaway *Terms and Conditions –Worldwide entries welcome. Please enter using the Rafflecopter box below. The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then Rachel’s Random Resources reserves the right to select an alternative...

Lord James Harrington and the Christmas Mystery by Lynn Florkiewicz

December 3, 2019December 3, 2019 by Carol4 Comments

The Christmas Mystery is the first of the Harrington series I've read. James and his wife Beth live in the small village of Cavendish and have converted the Harrington manor house into a hotel catering to the well-to-do. It's Christmas time and the Harrington's are hosting their annual Christmas dinner and participating in events around the village. Then one of their guests is killed, poisoned, and James, along with I assume are the regulars, decide to investigate. After all, they can't have people worry about ending up dead if the stay or eat at the hotel. This was fine. I enjoyed the Christmas in a small town setting. The solution to the mystery reached back to the Great War. A lot of folk in town either fought themselves or had relatives who did. It looks at PTSD and acknowledges that not everyone who was on the right side was a hero. Overall though, it was just fine. It works as a...

Sunday Salon – 12/1

December 1, 2019December 2, 2019 by Carol6 Comments

Thanks to Deb at Readerbuzz for hosting The Sunday Salon. Stop over there or at the Facebook Group to participate. Thankfully Reading Wrap-up Thanks again to Jenn for hosting the Thankfully Reading Weekend. I didn't get as much reading done as I'd hoped too, but that's because I spent a lot of time hanging out with family and friends. I did finish Lord James Harrington and the Christmas Mystery. I read a couple of stories in The Christmas Card Crime and Other Stories and started An Ale of Two Cities. I finished several squares on Deb's Bingo Card. Technically I didn't get Bingo, but I think it still counts. I listened to an audiobook, read a recipe, read under the covers and when it was dark outside, and I ate a healthy snack (brownies are healthy, right)? Week’s Highlight: Amber was home and we went to my mom's for Thanksgiving. Watching: We saw Knives Out yesterday. I loved it. Playing: We played Scythe a couple of times this weekend....

Black Friday Book Bonanza Giveaway Hop

November 29, 2019December 1, 2019 by Carol12 Comments

Welcome back to the Ninth Annual Black Friday Book Bonanza Giveaway Hop. The event is hosted by Marlene @ Reading Reality and Kimberly @ Caffeinated Reviewer. I’m giving away a book of your choice, up to $20 value. The contest is open through 12:01 am on December 2 and the winner will be announced later that day. The contest is open to anyone the Book Depository will ship to. a Rafflecopter giveaway Black Friday Giveaway Hop Participants 1. Reading Reality (INT)2. Caffeinated Reviewer (INT)3. Angel’s Guilty Pleasures (INT)4. Read Your Writes Book Reviews (US)5. Samantha The Book Disciple6. Nicci @ Sunny Buzzy Books (INT)7. Tanya @ Girl Plus Books8. Gretl@ Goldilox and the Three Weres (US)9. Ilovebooksandstuffblog 10. Beauty Info Zone (US/Can)11. The Mommy Island12. Dashing Bling Read13. The Attic Girl14. Maureen @ Maureen’s Books15. For What It’s Worth16. Suzie Olsen (US)17. Tabatha @Broken Soul Reviews18. Carol’s Notebook (Int)19. Readeropolis (US)...

Thankfully Reading Weekend

November 27, 2019November 27, 2019 by Carol4 Comments

Thankfully Reading Weekend, hosted at Jenn's Bookshelves, starts today. Yes, I'm working today, but it's quiet here and I can probably spend some time listening to an audiobook. There are no rules to the weekend, we’re simply hoping to devote a good amount of time to reading, and perhaps meeting some of our reading challenges and goals for the year. And any amount of time reading is fine, whether it's one hour or all day. Our hashtag is #thankfullyreading. I don't know how much time I'll have for reading this weekend, but I'm sure I'll be able to fit in some. Amber comes home tonight and we'll drive her back to college on Sunday afternoon. In between, there's Thanksgiving dinner at my mom's and decorating for Christmas. We may even get some Christmas shopping in. I'm starting in the middle of Lord James Harrington and the Christmas Mystery by Lynn Florkiewicz on audio and The Christmas Card Crime and Other...

A Murderous Affair by Leighann Dobbs and Harmony Williams

November 26, 2019November 25, 2019 by Carol2 Comments

Lady Katherine is a non-traditional woman for her time. Her passion is solving murder mysteries, and only a few people know that's what she does. Most people believe she's a matchmaker. A Murderous Affair is the first I've read in the series. It works fine as a stand-alone, but I would probably know the characters better if I had started at the beginning. It's the Christmas season, but Katherine, along with a set of I presume recurring characters, is asked to investigate a more or less cold case. A maid was murdered six months ago, the same night as a terrible thunderstorm and a fire at the Hound and Ale Pub. Bow Street has dismissed is a random case of violence, and in all honesty, they're not terribly concerned about the death of a servant anyway. Two teams form, the men, Captain Dorian Wayland, Lord Annondale and Annondale's valet, Mctavish on one side with Lady Katherine, Prudence Burwick (Lord Annondale's...