BLOG TOUR - Murder at the Royal Palace

DESCRIPTION:

Lady Eleanor Swift has a special royal invitation. She’s got just the right dress and the perfect plus one… But wait! Is that a body by the throne?

Lady Eleanor Swift is at Buckingham Palace to see her new husband, Detective Chief Inspector Seldon, knighted. Brimming with pride, all she can hope is that Gladstone the bulldog behaves himself in front of the king.

But the happy day is overshadowed when Dilly Dalrymple, a royal guard, collapses. The head of the royal police asks Eleanor and Hugh to investigate the murder – unofficially. This is her first clue that there’s more to the story…

Donning a disguise as a journalist for a well-to-do magazine, Eleanor, with butler Clifford posing as her photographer interview the high-profile guests and residents at the palace. She wasn’t expecting gossiping wives, affairs aplenty and talk of long-lost treasure! Was Dilly killed to settle an old score or was he perhaps a little too close to someone else’s wife?

But when another soldier is murdered at midnight, hours after the palace gates are locked, Eleanor knows she needs to keep her wits about her… And when everyone seems to have a reason to lie, can Eleanor dig up the truth before it’s her head next?

A totally gripping royal whodunnit full of twists, set in 1920s London. Fans of T.E. Kinsey, Catherine Coles and Lee Strauss will be utterly obsessed!

 

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Title:   Murder at the Royal Palace

Author:  Verity Bright

Series:  Lady Eleanor Swift Mystery #23
Publisher:  Bookouture    

Genre:   Cozy Mystery

Format:  Kindle ARC 

No. of Pages:  349

Date of Publication: September 30, 2025

My Rating:   5 Stars

MY THOUGHTS: 

With its heartfelt dedication and acknowledgement, this book will always hold a special place in my heart. Lady Eleanor Swift and her butler and dear friend, Clifford, are at Buckingham Palace. Her husband, Detective Chief Inspector Hugh Seldon, is about to be knighted by King George. The momentous occasion has a rather abrupt interruption. A man falls, and soon dies. As the cause of death becomes apparent, so does the assumption that his death was intended. 

Eleanor, Hugh and Clifford jump right into action. Asked to do a quiet, rather unofficial, investigation, the three of them devise a plan and begin looking for the man’s murderer. In a rather lighthearted fashion, Eleanor poses as a journalist, with Clifford as her photographer. This gives them a lot of room to dig deeply into the murder, as well as what might be going on at the palace. I loved seeing another side of Clifford in this book as he really leaned into his role as “Birdie”. 

Also, I learned a bit of history! The Beefeaters, Ravenmasters, were something I hadn’t heard of. Their roles, and the esteemed royal ravens that they train and work with, might have seemed like a thing of legend, but their presence and symbolic purpose at the palace exists to this very day. 

The mystery itself is top-notch. Eleanor and Clifford particularly shine in this 23rd installment of the series, as well as the other enjoyable characters that were very much a part of the story. Not only do we have Hugh, but Mrs, Butters and the other ladies (lovingly referred to as “aprons”) as they all seamlessly work together as a loving family. Of course, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention Eleanor and Hugh’s lovable bulldog Gladstone and their tomcat Tomkins. I love their roles in this book especially with the ravens—one in particular, Rune—as they were interwoven into this story.

I’m sure that I’m not just speaking for myself, but this delightful cozy mystery series has been wonderful from the start, and never loses steam. I am hoping for many more stories with Eleanor, Hugh and Clifford. The loss of Laura, one half of Verity Bright, will undoubtedly be deeply felt by those who knew her. It is hoped that her husband will find solace and comfort in continuing this series.

Thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Verity Bright is the pseudonym for a husband-and-wife writing partnership that has spanned a quarter of a century. Starting out writing high-end travel articles and books, they published everything from self-improvement to humour, before embarking on their first historical mystery. They are the authors of the fabulous Lady Eleanor Swift Mystery series, set in the 1920s.

https://twitter.com/BrightVerity

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Review - Maid for Each Other

Title:   Maid for Each Other

Author:  Lynn Painter

Publisher:  Berkley 

Genre:   Romance

Format:  Kindle ARC

No. of Pages:  368

Date of Publication:  July 15, 2025

My Rating:   Stars

DESCRIPTION:

A millionaire and a house cleaner are a match maid in heaven in this sparkling new romantic comedy by Lynn Painter, #1 New York Timesbestselling author of Happily Never After.

As a professional cleaner, Abi Mariano never thought her apartment would have any sort of infestation, but because of a building-wide outbreak, she now needs somewhere to stay for a week. As a part-time student with two jobs, she doesn’t have many options. Then the solution presents itself: the owner of the penthouse she cleans is out of town for the week. She normally wouldn’t consider it, but he’s literally never around (she hasn’t even met him). It goes great…until one morning she finds two strangers in the kitchen. They’re the parents of the penthouse owner and they seem to think they’ve heard all about Abi—not as their son’s maid, but as his girlfriend.

Declan Powell has always put his career first, working his way up to become an executive at his company, but he still has his sights set on the next level. When his parents mention that they met his girlfriend, “Abby,” he all but chokes on his escargot. As wonderful as it sounds that she was just darling, he doesn’t actually have a girlfriend—he made her up to get everyone off his back. When Dex finds out who Abi really is, he makes her a proposition: pretend to date him, and he’ll provide everything she needs during their little arrangement. What harm would it do? It’s purely business, no pleasure…right?

Link to purchase the book

MY THOUGHTS:

Fake dating can lead to genuine emotions. Abi Mariano and Declan Powell are complete opposites when it comes to finances and lifestyle. Abi is temporarily without a place to stay while an infestation in her apartment is being dealt with. Declan, on the other hand, is facing his own dilemma. 

He needs to make a good impression and asks Abi, a professional cleaner at one of his homes, to pretend to be his girlfriend for the weekend. It’s definitely a transactional situation. Declan shows up with Abi, and she gets a temporary place to stay, all for a $40,000 fee that Declan readily agrees to. 

This Cinderella story definitely gives the Maid in Manhattan movie vibes. It was a cute story with a guaranteed happy ending. However, Abi and Declan have to get there first. It doesn’t hurt either of them that an unavoidable attraction between them becomes impossible to ignore. 

Many thanks to Berkley and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Lynn Painter lives in Omaha, Nebraska, with her husband and pack of wild kids. She is a community columnist for the Omaha World-Herald, as well as a regular blogger for their parenting section. When she isn’t reading or writing, she can be found eating her feelings and shotgunning cans of Red Bull.

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