In The Bleak Midwinter...

My last post on Christmas romances brought about a few requests from you all asking for some Christmas mystery recommendations. While I am always thrilled that you think enough of my taste in books to make those sorts of requests, this one made me slightly queasy. It's truth time folks, while I am an avid reader of mysteries of all sorts, I don't really like Christmas mysteries. There.  I said it. Or rather, I wrote it, but you get the drift.

Perhaps it is just too difficult to mix murder and mayhem and making merry! Christmas is a time when we want to think about what is good and right with the world and crime and punishment do not happily blend with those sentiments. Another issue with holiday mysteries is that most tend to be found in cozy series and that is, frankly, my least favorite sub-genre. Oh, I read cozies, but I think we have established that I read almost everything including cereal boxes, so that alone doesn't mean much. Having stated the fact that I don't really care much for holiday mysteries, never let it be said that I can't offer up a few suggestions when I have loyal blog readers looking to mix some murder in with their holiday cheer.

In The Bleak Midwinter - Julia Spencer-Fleming
Rev. Clare Fergusson/Russ Van Alstyne Mysteries 
The first book in this amazing series and it just happens to be set at Christmas!  I've raved about this series before and it is well-deserved. If someone had told me that one of my favorites would involve the exploits of a female, ex-chopper pilot, episcopal priest and an ex MP, current police chief in a small upstate NY town, I'd have been doubtful to say the least. Thanks to Ms. Spencer-Fleming's talent, I fell in love with these characters. The series is a strange mix of cozy elements with much more bleak and hard-boiled plotlines. The chemistry between the two main characters is off the charts and the setting in a small upstate New York town certainly provides plenty of winter charm!  If you have not tried this series, you really must, it is one of my favorites.

The Thin Man -Dashiell Hammett

Nick and Nora Charles

There are worse ways to spend Christmas than hanging with the ever urbane and witty Nick and Nora Charles in NYC. One of my favorite classic mysteries and even though the Christmas setting isn't a major component, you really can't lose with this one.  

Midnight Clear - Kathy Hogan Trocheck

Callahan Garrity series

Before she hit it big writing hilarious southern chick lit mysteries Mary Kay Andrews was Kathy Hogan Trocheck and she wrote a couple of really excellent mystery series including the Callahan Garrity books.  The House Mouse mysteries featured an ex Atlanta cop turned house cleaning service owner. Callahan was a charming and capable woman and I loved the secondary characters in the books as well.  It pains me that this series is no more, I miss Callahan and the gang at the House Mouse.  Oddly enough, some of the books in this series don't seem to be in print, but others, including Midnight Clear are available on kindle and in print.  Take advantage of the ones that you can find, you won't be sorry.

The Body in the Sleigh - Katherine Hall Page

Faith Fairchild series

While I haven't read all of the books in this cozy series set in Massachusetts, I've enjoyed the ones that I have read including The Body in the Sleigh. This book finds the Fairchild family taking a holiday vacation in Maine and I love Maine almost as much as I love mysteries, so this really worked for me. I like the characters in this series and I really need to get back to it and get caught up.

So, my dears, there you have it. A few suggestions for those who wish to lose themselves in a mystery during their holiday break. I hope you enjoy them and I also beg of you to leave your suggestions in the comments area.  I'd love to hear about your favorite holiday book, no matter the genre, so c'mon, it's the season for giving...

Christmas Time is Here...

I've been in sort of a reading slump lately.  I'm sure this happens to you guys, you keep picking up new books and they are OK or not so great and you find nothing to get excited about in anything you are reading. Unfortunately, the stuff I've been reading lately has not inspired me to want to get on the blog and rave about it, unless it is to complain. This weekend I finally picked up a book that I enjoyed enough to want to get on here and crow about it and wouldn't you know, it's a Carla Kelly book!

For those who may not be familiar with Kelly, she has been writing truly amazing historical romances for a zillion years. Her specialty is Regencies and she is one of the best when it comes to telling an interesting story and staying true to the historical period. When I am asked to recommend a regency romance, you can bet one of Kelly's will be at the top of the list. Unlike many historical romance writers, Kelly isn't afraid to step outside the rarified world of the nobility and make her heroes working men, often military. Her heroes are strong, steady, smart and witty.  Her heroines are also strong and smart and I have yet to apply the TSTL acronym to a Carla Kelly character.  There is a down-to-earth realism to Kelly's books that makes the reader feel as if they are getting a true glimpse into the lives of her characters.  Even the sexual relationships are presented with an earthy quality that makes them feel very intimate, very realistic and very, very sexy.

One of the things Kelly does well is the always popular Christmas story. Her work has appeared in various anthologies and I suggest that you get a hold of as many of these as you can, because they are all vastly superior to much of the typical stuff that is out there. As a nifty gift this Christmas, Harlequin has published a book with three new Christmas romances by Kelly. The stories span a time period from 1812 through 1877 and once again, we meet up with Kelly's amazing military heroes and their strong, capable heroines. Christmas and all of the best spirit of the season certainly serves as a nice backdrop here, but these stories would hold up without the holiday elements.

So for those of you who haven't experienced the wonder of a Carla Kelly romance, do yourself a favor and get this book.  It is an excellent introduction to her style and I am willing to bet, that after reading it, you will spend a lot of time tracking down her backlist and glomming everything you can find. I suggest you start with Marrying the Captain, which remains one of my top 5 favorite regencies of all time! I have re-read that book so many times I practically have it memorized and every time I read it I find something new to love about it.  Kelly is one of the few writers left on an ever diminishing auto buy list for me, because, frankly, even her lesser efforts are better than most.

So grab this wonderfully romantic book and settle down with a nice cup of tea and some christmas cookies and enjoy the work of a master!

Blame it on the Mistletoe...

I'm so excited about this review, mainly because I didn't have to write it. Yes, IRR, is featuring the first guest posting!  YAY, guest posting!  What is the point of having a zillion, funny, smart and well-read friends, if you don't use them to make your life easier?  Our guest blogger today is Jessie, a fellow librarian and avid reader who is going to give us the low down on Lauren Willig's newest installment in her Pink Carnation series, The Mischief of the Mistletoe!  This series seems to grow in popularity with each book and according to Jessie, the praise is justified...  

The Mischief of the the Mistletoe by Lauren Willig is part of the Pink Carnation Series. It’s set between the fourth and fifth novels in the series, and the reader will see some of the intersecting stories from the 4^th and 5^th book interwoven in the story. As usual, spies and romance are involved and in this book a few Christmas puddings are thrown about as well. To really enjoy this book, you would need to have read at least the first 4-5 novels in the series (in my opinion).

The story begins with Arabella Dempsey, a young woman of good family who had lived with her aunt for many years after the death of her mother. When the young man she thought would ask her to marry him, asks her elderly aunt instead, Arabella goes home to her father and 3 younger sisters. She knows she can’t stay there indefinitely, so she decides to take a position in a school for young ladies. Turnip Fitzhugh’s (readers will remember him from previous novels) younger sister is at the school where Arabella will teach. An errant   Christmas pudding is given to Turnip and he and Arabella discover a message written on the muslin wrapper. An investigation ensues and is continued at a Christmas party in the country. The relationship developing between Turnip and Arabella is sweetly done and fun to watch. As usual, Willig’s dialogue is witty and well done. I don’t want to give too much away as to the plot, since it is a bit of a mystery and that’s half the fun of reading this series.

One part of the book that I’m still not sure about is Jane Austen is written in as an old family friend of Arabella’s and she pops up occasionally throughout the story. Although I usually dislike things like this, Willig does this well, and with a light touch. The interactions between Austen and Arabella are brief and fairly neutral. Willig has a nice note at the end of the book about Austen and how a character from The Watsons inspired the character of Arabella.

The Pink Carnation series is one of my favorites. I love historical fiction, mysteries, and romances and this series combines all three with really great stories and characters. I read The Scarlet Pimpernel when I was about 14 and this series really plays into that type of novel. The premise of the novels is very clever. Eloise Kelly is a Ph.D candidate doing her dissertation on a network of British spies at the beginning of the 19^th century (so 1805-ish) fighting Napoleon. The spies have flower codenames (hence the titles of the books). The story jumps between Eloise in present-day London and Regency England. Throw in some French spies (also with floral names), some younger sisters, society ladies, Regency society, and one hot Brit in present day and you’ve got a really great plot. Each novel tells the story of different characters that belong to this band of spies. There’s always a romance and a mystery. The characters are fantastic. Minor characters from earlier books in the series are highlighted and given their own story, giving them more depth and rounding them out. The ongoing relationship between Eloise and Colin in present-day makes it fun because you’re never sure when Willig is going to pop back to present-day to their story. I look forward to the next installment in the series, The Orchid Affair, due out on January 20, 2011.

For the record, the Pink Carnation series is not one of those you can pick up in the middle or read out of order.

Well, I have a copy of Mischief sitting on my desk, but I'm going to take Jessie's advice and start at the beginning with this series.  I plan to read them over the holiday break and I'm eagerly anticipating the thrill of finding a new historical fiction series to love!  Thanks Jessie for the inspiration and the review.  Great job!

We Need a Little Christmas Now...

A recent conversation with some friends started me thinking about Christmas romances. Whether they are anthologies or stand alones, I know tons of readers who love and collect this sub genre.  The idea is that all of the emotion of a romance novel is heightened when the setting is a sentimental holiday like Christmas.  I've read quite a few of these, some very good, some beyond dreadful and in the spirit of the season, I'm going to suggest my top 5 so that the uninitiated can (hopefully) be spared the latter. Let's get that holiday spirit in gear!

A Christmas Promise - Mary Balogh
Let's start with the best!  Thanks to Balogh's talents, this story never becomes maudlin, although it deals with very strong characters and emotions.  Luckily for all of you too young to have read it the first go round, this has just been reissued.

Christmas Angel - Jo Beverley
One of her Company of Rogues series, this Christmas story by Beverley is simply wonderful!  It features a really unique heroine and an unusual plot.  Beverley is so good, if you haven't read her go and get this one now and then plan on enjoying the rest of an excellent series.

 A Christmas Bride - Mary Balogh
Surprise!  Balogh again.  Actually all five of these could have been Balogh, since she writes some really wonderful Christmas stuff.  This one is quite a bit darker than most Christmas themed books, but you can trust Mary to make it one of the most fulfilling as well.  No empty sentiment here.

Marian's Christmas Wish - Carla Kelly
Anything by Carla Kelly is worthwhile reading.  Really.  Anything.  This is an older, out of print title, but worth it if you can snag it secondhand.

A Wallflower Christmas Lisa Kleypas
Not Kleypas's best and way too expensive because of the hardcover, still it gave me a chance to experience the magnificence that is Sebastien, from A Devil in Winter again and that is justification enough to include it on this list.

Now, in the spirit of giving, let's hear your suggestions for holiday reading.  C'mon, remember, it is better to give than to receive!