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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2611 KP) rated The Paris Mistress in Books

May 16, 2024 (Updated May 16, 2024)  
The Paris Mistress
The Paris Mistress
Mally Becker | 2024 | Mystery
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Who is Bribing Dr. Franklin?
It’s been 10 months since Daniel Alloway went to Paris for his new employer, and Rebecca Parcell is thrilled to finally be joining him, with plans to wed while they are there. Daniel has been staying with Benjamin Franklin, and, not too long after Rebecca arrives, Dr. Franklin receives a note bribing him to end the Revolutionary War in England’s favor. When Daniel and Rebecca start to investigate, a dead body soon turns up. Can they figure out what is going on?

While I love the time period, I usually prefer to focus on what was happening in the colonies at the time. I am glad this book was set in France, however, since it allowed me to see how our war as impacting them. I really appreciated that insight. The plot is good. I was beginning to suspect where things were going, but there were so many secrets that I really wasn’t sure. Daniel and Rebecca are still a great team, and I enjoyed seeing them in action again. The characters, whether real or fictional, were just as good. If you enjoy this period of history, you need to read these books.
  
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ClareR (6256 KP) rated The Tarot Reader of Versailles in Books

Jul 8, 2025  
The Tarot Reader of Versailles
The Tarot Reader of Versailles
Anya Bergman | 2025 | Fiction & Poetry, LGBTQ+
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
This was one of my most anticipated reads this year, and it’s a NetGalley book. But I knew I was never going to be able to read it anytime soon, so I just Xigxagged it! And I’m really glad that I did. When a book is from more than one perspective, it’s good to hear the characters in their “own” voices, I always think. I don’t know if I an even explain the storyline of this one – there’s a lot going on. French Revolution, a tarot card reader (Marie Anne Adelaide Lenormand) discovers an Irish woman (Cait) on the streets of Paris who also has extraordinary powers. Lenormand reads futures, Cait sees their pasts. Cait wants to return to Ireland and help free the Irish from the yoke of British rule, and this is how she goes about getting there. There’s a lot of detail about the French Revolution, and Lenormand has a close relationship with those around Marie Antoinette (unfortunately for her). It’s pretty brutal at times, but those were the times in which these people lived. It’s a real adventure story, with magic and sapphic love thrown in to the mix as well. I loved this one – highly recommended!
  
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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2611 KP) rated In the Spirit of French Murder in Books

Apr 29, 2026 (Updated Apr 29, 2026)  
In the Spirit of French Murder
In the Spirit of French Murder
Colleen Cambridge | 2026 | Mystery
5
5.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Nine Bluets Gathered for Dinner
One March afternoon, Tabitha Knight is returning home from Julia Child’s when she sees a strange woman leaving the house where Tabitha lives. It turns out that she is a medium, and her warning to Grand-pere has left him shaken. But the next night, when Tabitha’s messieurs are hosting a dinner for the seven other members of their old resistance network, the evening ends with a murder. Should Tabitha be taking the warning seriously?

I tend to avoid the paranormal in the books I read, and I was disappointed to see it was a major part of this book. Worse yet, it really slowed down the beginning of the mystery. Fortunately, we did get a decent mystery with some good twists and a nice climax. And the book, at least the ARC I read, could never decide which part of March the story was set in. However, I was interested to see what happened to the characters next. And I appreciated the look at what life was like in the resistance in Paris during World War II. All told, this was a mixed bag that fans of the series will still appreciate.