SEASON OF STORMS (Susanna Kearsley)

This is one of Kearsley's earlier books (2001), recently reissued in trade paperback in the United States.  The copy that I have is a mass-market paperback that I found on Amazon a while ago.  One of the things I love about Kearsley's writing is that you can always count on it being superb.  While I can sense her development as a writer comparing this novel versus her more recent works, such as The Winter Sea, it is more a question of maturing rather than improving.  I enjoyed Season of Storms from start to finish.

The principle character is a young British actress named Celia Sands, whose mother, a beautiful, self-involved actress, has left Celia to be raised primarily by her close friends, a gay couple named Rupert and Bryan.  They have for years served as replacements for the father that Celia never knew (and suspects that her mother can't quite identify, either).  Rupert is a prominent theatrical director who has been invited to Italy to direct the first and only production of a recently discovered play written nearly a century ago by the famous poet Galeazzo D'Ascanio for his lover, the first Celia Sands.  The play will be performed in the restored outdoor theater of Il Piacere, the estate that D'Ascanio built for Celia, who disappeared before the play could be produced.  D'Ascanio's grandson, Alessandro, intends to donate the estate and its contents to the Forlani Foundation Trust so it can be preserved and enjoyed by the public for years to come.  His only stipulation concerning the production of the play is that modern-day Celia Sands, who has been acting under the name Celia Sullivan, play the lead role.

So begins a tale that offers the reader mystery, intrigue, romance, backstage gossip, ghosts, and some wonderful glimpses into the history of Italian art.  As she has in all of her novels since, Susanna Kearsley has crafted a beautiful, well-researched novel full of interesting characters.  As usual, events of the past figure prominently in the unfolding of this modern-day tale.  Enjoy!

WICKED AUTUMN (G.M. Malliet)

I'm not sure how I missed blogging about this gem of a mystery before (I know I've read it!), but I can't find it among my Bibliophily posts!  As this month's selection for our Christie Capers discussion, it is perfect both for the time of year and the wonderful characters of Nether Monkslip. 

Wicked Autumn is the first in Malliet's Max Tudor mysteries.  Surprisingly, some of the people in Christie Capers didn't enjoy the book.  They found all of the descriptions off-putting, while others, like myself, LOVED all of the character introductions and village quirkiness and found them absolutely wonderful to read!

Max Tudor is an attractive Anglican priest whose previous career was as an MI5 agent.  After his partner and close friend, Paul, is killed in a car-bombing ambush, Max reassesses his life and career, deciding after much soul-searching to follow a new calling to religious life.  His assignment to Saint Edwold's in Nether Monkslip, a charming English village, is met with both disappointment (some of the villagers wanted a woman vicar) and admiration and he soon becomes both a purveyor of spiritual guidance and inspiration for many a romantic fantasy.  When the thoroughly obnoxious and universally disliked president of the local Women's Institute is found dead at the annual Harvest Fayre, it is initially assumed to her severe peanut allergy.  Max believes, however, that events surrounding the  untimely death may not be as simple at they appear.  The police agree.  Investigation reveals that nearly everyone in the village has been a victim of Wanda's bullying  and badgering, so suspects abound.

This is a great series for any reader who loves village cozies.  Demon Summer (the 4th in the series, after Fatal Winter and Pagan Spring) is just coming out and I am looking forward to reading it soon!

MEET ME AT THE CUPCAKE CAFE (Jenny Colgan)

I enjoyed escaping into the Jenny Colgan novel that I read last week, so I thought I'd try another!  I wasn't disappointed because I loved this one, too.  I have outgrown the shoe-buying, man-hunting sort of chick-lit that used to be ubiquitous.  That doesn't mean that I would never read another (what a great escape they can be under certain circumstances!), but I really enjoy stories about nice young women who put hard work into building a life and a business and, yes, find love along the way.  I'm not going to apologize for enjoying a little romance in my reading.  I actually like it in my life, too!

After Issy (Isabel) is downsized by her company and by her boyfriend, who also happens to be the boss, she decides to follow in her beloved grandfather Joe's footsteps and open a bakery in a quiet Street called Pear Tree Court.  Colgan takes us through Issy's anguish at being so wrong about her relationship, her dealings with financing her new business (with a handsome but scruffy banker who is raising his little brother), her wonderful relationship with her rapidly failing grandfather, who shares personally annotated recipes throughout the book, and the development of new friendships and growing confidence in her ability to succeed on her own.  I think that what attracts me most about this is that it features the good side of people, some of whom start out not all that nice on the surface.  Issy is the type of person I like to have in my own life: not perfect, not overly confident, but caring and compassionate and with an ability to bring out the good in people.  I'm going to be reading another of Colgan's books soon, so don't be surprised when you see the review!  She is the perfect eventual heir to Katie FForde's young-women-of character-and-substance-pursuing-interesting- careers-while-also-hoping-to-meet-a-man legacy.

A DEATH IN THE ASYLUM (Caroline Dunford)

I accidentally picked book #3 in this series, but I still enjoyed it! Euphemia Martins (or St. John - I'm actually not sure which is her real name, but I think St, John is the alias she uses to conceal her true identity) is the disowned granddaughter of an earl now working as a housekeeper for Bertram Stapleford.  After Bertram's new home shows signs of imminent collapse he moves temporarily with some of his staff to the family estate, home of his brother Richard and scene of some previous evil doings involving murder and mayhem involving Euphemia and handsome butler Rory, who has strong feeling for Euphemia and is happy to see her back at Stapleford Hall. 

After an unfortunate séance, mayhem begins again with an attack on Lord Richard's housekeeper, Mrs. Wilson, who had a very strange reaction to a "spirit" communicating a message to "Mummy." Euphemia is injured by the blue-eyed attacker when the household responds to Mrs. Wilson's cries of alarm in the night.  She, Bertram, and Rory, along with self-serving society gossip columnist Beatrice Wilton begin an investigation of what may have led to Mrs.Wilson's assault.  Miss Wilton is trying to advance her career by exposing improprieties at local asylums, but she also has her cap set at the malleable and somewhat clueless Bertram, who also seems to hold Euphemia in great esteem (a mutual feeling, it appears).  Eventually Euphemia, Bertram, and Rory (sans the unfortunate Miss Wilton) ramp up their efforts to track down the family secrets that seem to be tied to 2 local asylums.

I would definitely recommend reading this series in order.  While Dunford adds footnotes to explain some of the references to he previous 2 novels in the series, there is a bit too much background information that relates to the current story.  You can enjoy them on their own, because she does do a good job of trying to cover all of her references to previous goings-on, but the best idea would be to just read them in order.  You'll like them!

SWEETSHOP OF DREAMS (Jenny Colgan)

I have to confess that I picked up this book only because (1) the cover is a pretty lavender color and (2)  it is about a candy shop.  It turned out to be very enjoyable traditional chick lit, but without an air-headed heroine who loves to shop for designer shoes.  Rosie Hopkins reminds me a bit of a Katie Fforde character, unlucky, perhaps even a little stupid, in love, but intelligent, hard-working, and very compassionate.

When Rosie is asked by her mother to travel from London to "the country" to help out her elderly Aunt Lilian, she doesn't hesitate.  Rosie's relationship with her live-in boyfriend, Gerard, seems to be going nowhere after 7 years and she is currently between jobs as an auxiliary nurse in London, so she boards a bus with the intent of installing Aunt Lilian in a nursing home and selling the sweet shop that Lilian has been running for years in the village of Lipton.  On arrival she discovers that her 87-year-old aunt is both feisty and beautiful, albeit weak and malnourished, and that the sweet shop obviously has not been open for a very long time.  Rosie immediately sets about restoring her aunt's health and cleaning and reopening the sweet shop, all while coping with villagers who believe she is (1) ridiculous or (2) slutty and the realization that perhaps Gerard's lack of interest in visiting doesn't really bother her so much.

Colgan's novel is a sweet read for a weekend or a lazy vacation, or just a good opportunity to escape the tribulations of every day life and watch someone else mess things up for a change!
  But don't worry, it all turns out fine for Rosie and Aunt Lil in the end!