To paraphrase the words of Belle, I have just finished the most magnificent book. I LOVED this book!

Anthony hires Laura as his housekeeper. Laura is divorced and lonely. She needs something different to do. Anthony has been a finder of lost items which he brings home and meticulously records when and where he found them. Upon Anthony's passing, Laura is left his home with instructions to find the owners of the lost things he has found through the years. Can she do it?

These characters are wonderful. I laughed. I cried. I saw things come full circle. There are three stories in these pages. Anthony and Therese's story is the first and, for me, maybe the most tragic. Eunice and Bomber's was, perhaps, the funniest though it also brought me to tears. His sister, Portia, made it both funny and sad. Laura and Freddy, the gardener, was the most recent. Each story has its highs and lows. Each person must determine what is right and best for them. At times I was not sure if the choice was right. But I grew to love these characters.

Another character, Sunshine, Anthony's neighbor girl was a bright spot. She saw with the heart. She was honest, even when people did not want her to be so honest. Her openness was wonderful as she knew stories of the things Anthony found.

Stories came full circle at the end. My heart ached for the endings at times. Other times I was cheered by those endings.

This is not a book to be overlooked or forgotten. It is a wonderful story full of magic and love. It is a keeper!

[Because facebook has very unfairly blocked my blog, Punya Reviews..., from being promoted on their platform, I'm using booklikes as a "gateway" of sorts so I have a link to promote. It's been over 7 months but I tried for the first 4 months to reach them through any means I could find without any luck whatsoever. Doesn't look like I'll get the block removed anytime soon, if ever. More on what happened can be found here.]

LINK to my promo spotlight post for Daughters of the Sea on Punya Reviews...:

https://punyareviews.blogspot.com/2021/05/promo-spotlight-daughters-of-sea-by-hr.html

Charming Books is handling a book signing at Morton Vineyards with a famous wine reviewer and author. A murder happens and Violet stumbles upon the body. Mrs. Morton, of course, blames Violet for the bad publicity at the winery. So Vi does as she always does. She investigates especially when one of the suspects is her best friend, Lacey.

This book was really good. The story was realistic. I had a hard time putting it down. Things happen in the bookstore when David is there and Violet needs to decide to trust him or not. She also learns much about Nathan that she can use to help her close her past. I did not figure out who the murderer was until the murderer comes out at the end of the book. This is the best book of the series so far. I cannot wait to read the next book and I hope more are coming.

Once again Violet stumbles over a body. This time it is a Red Inker who is to read during the Poe-try Reading during the Wine and Food Festival in Cascade Springs. Violet feels it is up to her to solve the murder so a friend won't be arrested on circumstantial evidence. David Rainwater keeps telling her to mind her own business but she doesn't listen and harm comes to her. Now there are more questions than answers in Violet's life and in the murder and secrets are revealed.

I am enjoying this series. I like Violet and adore Emerson. That is one cat who has a mind of his own. I am also enjoying the triangle of Violet, David, and Nathan. I know which way I want that to go. The recurring characters are great and a few new ones are introduced. The mystery was good. I, once again, did not figure it out until it was spelled out for me at the end! I look forward to more in this series.

Violet's grandmother devises a way to bring Violet home. Needless to say, Violet is not happy about being back home. There are several things Grandmother Daisy neglected to tell her. One of the things is that she has a boyfriend who Violet finds dead the next morning in their driveway. Remembering the past, Violet is determined to solve the murder and to protect her grandmother from the police. So she stays and learns more about her family's past as well as the town's past and others' pasts.

I loved this! I had a lot of questions which were answered through the story (not always as quickly as I wanted them answered.) I had a hard time putting this down. I loved Violet and Grandmother Daisy as well as Emerson, the cat. The bookshop is fantastic! I want one like that. The secondary characters have good guys and bad guys. How many will stay throughout the series remains to be seen. I'm liking the triangle with Violet, Nathan, and David. This will be interesting to see how it plays out. I'm wondering how some of the confessions at the end will affect future stories. I'll have to read more to find out.