Patricia Rice

The Bones in the Orchard by Patricia Rice
Graveside Pryory Mystery #3

Love, LOVE, L O V E this author and everything I have read that she has written. This series is brilliantly crafted and filled with wonderful characters that I feel would be good friends if we could meet in real time. Sadly, book friends are on a plane we can only reach through reading. That said, they are always available to spend time with us by opening the book they reside in and rejoining them in their stories.

What I liked:
* Patience Upton: curate’s daughter, prefers not to be in the limelight, quiet – till she’s not, has a beautiful voice, loves gardening, capable, good with children, rather taken with Henri
* Henri Lavigne: younger son of a French count, peddler, grew up part of his life in England, glib, sees what people need, good at arbitration, might be ready to settle down…with Patience?
* Getting to see how couples Hunt & Claire, Walker & Meera, and Jake & Elsa are doing
* Wondering if and/or when the others will have their stories told – so many that I won’t name them all but I am curious.
* Paul Upton and his mother Nettie – both learned much about their pasts
* The murder mystery and how it was unraveled – so glad that two of the potential murderers were exonerated
* The plot, pacing, setting, character development, and writing
* That I cared about the characters and the outcome – I am almost as eager for the nuptials to be said as I believe the characters might be!
* Thinking about where the treasure might be and when it will be found
* Knowing that there is another book to look forward to

What I didn’t like:
* Who and what I was meant not to like
* Having to wait for the next book

Did I enjoy this book? Yes
Would I read more in this series? Definitely

Thank you to the author for the ARC – This is my honest review.

5 Stars… (mere)

I am really loving this series and I hope you will as well. I love the mysteries and I love the characters, but I think what I love best is the process of making a family from such disparate backgrounds – and, yes, they really do become a family. You really do need to read the series in order of publication to get a true appreciation for each family member and their relationships – and where they fit in within the whole. They are a delightfully eclectic mix of eccentric characters – and you will love them all. You see, the Earl of Wycliffe died and left Gravesyde Priory to all of his kin – and that certainly creates a tangled mess. After much searching of the family tree, invitations were sent out to the various and sundry members asking them to come to Gravesyde Priory, take up residence (or not), and join the clan. Those who do show up are in desperate need, in hiding, irritated, etc., and all of them – on whichever side of the blanket they were born – find a home, acceptance, and family. They also find a mystery, several dead bodies, and romance along the way. Yes, it is a lovely series – and now – something about this book.

Weddings! Yes, three couples are sorely irritated because – well – how can they be married when there is no church and no curate to read the banns or perform the ceremony? Then, miraculously, a curate and his family show up – and he claims to hold the tenancy as curate for life. Well – where the devil has he been? At first, the folks at Gravesyde Priory dismiss his claim, but when he and his family move into the parsonage and begin to restore it and the church – and the people of the village remember them – maybe the curate really is who he claims to be.

The curate doesn’t appear to be well-loved by many in the village, and the folks at the Priory soon discover why. Then, they discover the curate’s body. Oh, goodness. Now they have a murder to solve and no weddings to plan. Since the curate’s son is also a man of the cloth, he’s just there to get his parents and sister settled, perhaps they can convince him to stay on as curate. Or, is he the one who murdered his father?

With many very old secrets and lots of suspects, the residents of the Priory will have to tread carefully to solve the curate’s murder – and the others that came after. Yes, multiple murders, many secrets, unwilling witnesses, and a villain that will surprise you!

I loved the book. The writing, as always, was excellent, and the characters – old and new – are so very likable. We did finally get one wedding – and we got a new romance, so maybe there are three more weddings to come rather than just the two remaining. I can recommend this series and this book and I hope you will love them as much as I do. Happy Reading!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.… (mere)

Received from LibraryThing's January 2013 Early Reviewers batch

This is the second in the "California Malcolms" series, and i did suffer for not having read the first in the series. Characters and events from book 1 see to have carried over into book 2 (or perhaps not, I dont know) so bits were a little confusing - what's the deal with Pippa's voice, and why did Magus' wife commit suicide for instance?

Anyway it's a different take on a romance story with a novel twist of many people having some form of paranormal skills - Dorrie is into Fung Shiu, and has inherited Chi skills from her Chinese mother. I did feel that this was over-egged in some parts and it did put me off a little

However, overall I enjoyed the book, it was a relatively quick read (which is good in my book). Might consider reading another book in this series… (mere)

Received from the publisher via Librarything's Early Reviewers August 2013 batch.

I dont know whether I've read too many historical romances recently - and therefore a little weary of the genre - or whether it was this book in particular, but I have to admit I was struggling to complete near the end. There are lots of twists and turns in the story, and the need to keep track of who knows what about whom.

10 years after retiring from the Navy (it's late in the book before we get an indication of what really happened) and a time where he was a borderline pirate, Nick has set himself up as a ladies man, looking after his many younger sisters whilst he's not trying to bed the latest piece of "tottie".

He finds himself playing bodyguard to Princess Elena from a small European state, who has arrived unexpectedly in England and is reporting threats and blackmail from the French in order to secure her throne. On her first night in town Elena has managed to swap places with her cousin Nora, who knows enough about the family intrigue to pull things off for a day or two, and escapes to who knows where?

The next two weeks is a blur, with lots of physical threats, misdirections and moving around the South of England, as Nora continues to pretend she's the princess, whilst people are on the search for the real princess.

It turns out that she's been betrothed to a prince she doesnt want (but who seems a decent enough man in reality) by Bonaparte, despite being in love with someone else. This was her opportunity to escape in order to elope, whilst knowing that Nora would likely be able to pick up the pieces if she never returned. There are in fact 4 potential heirs to the throne, not one, and it requires the agreement of all to decide who is going to be the next on the throne.

Nora has been married before, to a Navy man and is also the daughter of another sailor. As such, and having spent several years as a widow on limited funds, she is able to do things that the women Nick has previously bedded would never have known about or done. He therefore realises that she's the type of woman he really needs in his life. Nora realises that there is more to Nick than the wastrel flirt he's made out to be, and he knows the right end of a sword too well. With Nora being a widow, it also means that there is little objection from either of them when they decide to do the down and dirty (which is on the clean side of things for once). It takes a conversation with Nick's dying father to realise just how different Nick is from his society persona, and that perhaps he really is the man she wants to spend the rest of her life with.

In the end, everything is sorted out to everyone's satisfaction, as is needed from a romance. This is number 3 in the "Rebellious Sons" series, and the first I've read. I dont know therefore, which characters appeared in the previous books, but suspect that several of the secondary characters in this book have appeared previously - many were lightly sketched to the point of non-existance in this book.

In Summary: decently plotted story, not too overtly sexual, but suffering slightly from the reader being over exposed to Historical Romances. I would read another book in this series (maybe even this one again) at another point… (mere)