I always enjoy these books; they're soothing reads in many ways, as Stewart doesn't try to over dramatise or create more suspense than history dictates.  (This series is based on the real events and life of Constance Kopp.)  This 4th instalment surrounds the election for Sheriff, a pivotal point for Constance, because the sitting sheriff - the one that was bold enough to hire a woman - has hit his term limit and can run.

It's a bittersweet story with an interesting ending.  I look forward to finding out how the Kopp sisters fare.

I was in the mood for a light read and while I was perusing my TBR piles, boxes, and shelves, I came across this and remembered that Lillelara had recently read it and enjoyed it.

I definitely enjoyed The Grand Sophy better, but this one got me through without complaint.  I struggled to really feel invested in the story or any of the characters though; it seemed to missing just that little bit of depth - or else my reading slump had dulled my reading sense, rendering everything a bit duller.  Given Heyer's hit and miss record, either is possible.  Or perhaps a bit of both:  the final scene at Rattray's rectory perked me right up; in that moment, the characters popped to life for me and I cared about what happened next.  

I haven't read even close to Heyer's entire backlist, but I'd firmly place this midway on a scale of those I've read so far.

I had a bit of genre whiplash with this one, as I'd picked it up after a month of binge re-reading urban fantasy.  To say that the change in pace required an adjustment is an understatement.  So it's possible that this book deserves a higher rating even than the 4 stars I gave it, but the fact remains that as much as I loved the writing, it felt like it was taking forever.

I can think of a few authors who try to use the structure of the book to build up suspense, but I'm not sure I've seen it so effectively done as Ellis has here.  Breaking each day into it's own section doesn't sound like much, but - in my edition at least - each day is announced on it's own page, free of any other text; the result was a quiet tension.

Unfortunately, as effective as it was, I still found that the bad guy was telegraphed by virtue of the cast of characters; the person served no apparent use to the plot.  The character wasn't the only one I suspected, nor the only one that was seemingly useless, but he was the one that felt the most obvious.

Nevertheless, it was an excellent mystery and brilliant writing.  I'm giddy, having so many more adventures with Brother Cadfael to look forward to.

I read this for Halloween Bingo, Murder Most Foul square

I was so interested in this book, I actually started it before I'd finished the second book.

Unfortunately, though it was a good read overall, it didn't quite meet my expectations.  Though the first two books contained an element of romance, this one was almost exclusively a romance from almost the beginning, and the big plot twist concerning the abbess was telegraphed rather early on, so that didn't work all that well for me.

But I did enjoy the interactions between Annith and Balthazar, and oddly, the part of the story that centered on the Hellequins was the part I found the most interesting.  I could have happily spent a few more chapters running around the woods with them on the hunt.

I read this as part of Halloween Bingo, and though the story is centered on Anne of Brittany and her struggles against the French, at least half the book takes place in the woods and forests of Brittany, where Annith meets up with Balthazar and the hunt, fights more than a few battles, and seeks refuge amongst the trees several times throughout the book.  So, I'm using this for In the Dark, Dark Woods square.

When I was putting together my possible Bingo reads, I went to my shelves for Simone St. James' Silence for the Dead as a re-read for the Psych square (a ghost story in an asylum), and I saw this title next to it.  I remembered not one thing about this book, though I vividly remember all her others, so I grabbed it for the Ghost Story square.  As I had my first lazy weekend in recent memory, I cracked it open in the broad light of day yesterday (Sunday).

Nice timing on my part!

Once I started reading it, it all came back, and I stand by my original review.  Not one of St James' best, but still a good ghost story - especially for those that like their hauntings on the less intense side.