Tag: ICYMI

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ICYMI: Benni Harper series by Earlene Fowler

ICYMI: my quest to highlight books you may have missed

The Benni Harper series by Earlene Fowler consists of fifteen books published between 1994-2011. The protagonist, Benni Harper, has moved to fictional San Celina, California after losing her husband a few months earlier and is managing an artist’s co-op and art gallery. When she encounters a fellow artist’s dead body, she decides to play amateur sleuth and try to solve the mystery.

I really enjoyed these cozy mysteries. I liked the main character a lot, even though she is quite headstrong, and appreciated the inclusion of the arts. Each book title was taken from the name of a quilt pattern, which I found really charming.

The book names in order:

  • Fool’s Puzzle
  • Irish Chain
  • Kansas Troubles
  • Goose in the Pond
  • Dove in the Window
  • Mariner’s Compass
  • Seven Sisters
  • Arkansas Traveler
  • Steps to the Altar
  • Sunshine and Shadow
  • Broken Dishes
  • Delectable Mountains
  • Tumbling Blocks
  • State Fair
  • Spider Web

Have you ever run across these? Are you familiar with any of the quilt patterns?

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ICYMI: Pink Carnation series by Lauren Willig

ICYMI: my quest to highlight books you may have missed

The Pink Carnation series by Lauren Willig contains twelve books, which were published between 2004 and 2015. I learned about the series in 2013 from my former college roommate and quickly became enamored with them.

The series starts out with present day doctoral student Eloise Kelly, who travels from America to England to study the Scarlet Pimpernel and the Purple Gentian, two spies from the Napoleonic Wars. As she digs into her research, she discovers the secret history of the Pink Carnation, an elusive spy who saved England from Napoleon. From there, the story focuses on the intrigues of the Pink Carnation, occasionally coming back to the present to follow Eloise’s journey. 

I thoroughly enjoyed this series with its mix of mystery and romance. Highly recommend checking it out!