Book Review: The Modiste Mishap by Erica Ridley

Miss Sybil Stamper is the least fancy member of the reading circle known as The Heist Club. To her friends, bespectacled Sybil is the Queen of Lists, but she’d rather be belle of the ball. When she finally acquires an evening gown, her life looks like it’s falling into place. But when a client’s valuable objects go missing, not only is Sybil’s happy ending in jeopardy—so are the futures of other young ladies just like her! 

With the help of the Wild Wynchesters—a uniquely talented family of caper-committing siblings who don’t let “laws” stop them from righting wrongs—Sybil and her club of delightfully bookish spinsters take on the heist of the Season.[summary via Amazon]

Prepare yourself for a "squee" alert, because I absolutely LOVED The Modiste Mishap, the second book in the Heist Club series!

Over the winter I read all the Bridgerton books by Julia Quinn, and fell in love with regency romances all over again. Fast forward to the summer when I spied The Modiste Mishap, and I knew I had to give it a try. This book combines my love of romance and mystery, and was a unputdownable read. I literally finished it in a day!

Miss Sybil is a devoted reader and part of a reading circle called The Heist Club. When she is re-stocking one of their lending libraries, she falls right in the middle of a mystery, involving miss ball gowns! With the help of The Heist Club, she must recover the gowns before it's too last.

Love, love, LOVE! This was such a fun mystery! While there were no dead bodies, although Elizabeth Wynchester might have wanted one, it was an interesting mystery, and kept me glued until the end!

Up until now, Penelope Featherington has been my favourite regency heroine, but I think Miss Sybil might have beaten her to the number one spot. She is plucky, loves to read and loved to organize with lists! What's not to love?

I cannot recommend this mystery enough. If you like romance with your mysteries, then this series is for you! If you love Bridgerton and Pride and Prejudice, then you need to read this series! This one is a great introduction to the Wynchesters, and I'm planning to pick up the other series next.

Book Review: Bayou Book Thief by Ellen Byron

Twenty-eight-year-old widow Ricki James leaves Los Angeles to start a new life in New Orleans after her showboating actor husband perishes doing a stupid internet stunt. The Big Easy is where she was born and adopted by the NICU nurse who cared for her after Ricki’s teen mother disappeared from the hospital.

Ricki’s dream comes true when she joins the quirky staff of Bon Vee Culinary House Museum, the spectacular former Garden District home of late bon vivant Genevieve “Vee” Charbonnet, the city’s legendary restauranteur. Ricki is excited about turning her avocation – collecting vintage cookbooks – into a vocation by launching the museum’s gift shop, Miss Vee’s Vintage Cookbooks and Kitchenware. Then she discovers that a box of donated vintage cookbooks contains the body of a cantankerous Bon Vee employee who was fired after being exposed as a book thief.

The skills Ricki has developed ferreting out hidden vintage treasures come in handy for investigations. But both her business and Bon Vee could wind up as deadstock when Ricki’s past as curator of a billionaire’s first edition collection comes back to haunt her.

Will Miss Vee’s Vintage Cookbooks and Kitchenware be a success … or a recipe for disaster?[summary via Amazon]

As readers of this blog will know, I absolutely love "book-themed" cozy mysteries. There is just something about books within books that is so tantalizing. Which is why Ellen Byron's new series, the Vintage Cookbook Mysteries, are perfect for me!

Ricki James-Diaz is originally from New Orleans, and after a disaster of a relationship in L.A., she decides to get back to her roots when she opens a vintage cookbook shop. However, not all is smooth sailing when a local curmudgeon is found dead and the police are determined to pin it on someone at "Bon Vee". Ricki quickly steps in to investigate and clear her new family!

I enjoyed this book so much! I've never been to New Orleans and the author instantly transports you through the pages. From the mouth-watering food, to the places and sounds, it was a festival of delight with every page!

The mystery surrounding Franklin's death was first class! Over the years I've gotten pretty good at guessing who the killer is, and with this one I had no clue! It was a mystery wrapped within a mystery, and the bibliophile in me was very fascinated!!

I simply loved everything about Bayou Book Thief. When the last page was turned, I was disappointed that I would be leaving Bon Vee. Although I know I will be back there very soon! If you're looking for a book-themed mystery that combines a culinary mystery, this should be right on the top of your list! I can't wait to visit with Ricki and her friends again!