"Well, I am going to be That Person. That Person who does not rate the book everyone is raving about 5 stars. I just can’t. And here’s why�

First of all, I do want to say that I very much appreciate that Kristin Hannah chose to write a novel about something other than World War 2. It was refreshing to read about the Vietnam War, a war about which very few novels have been written. Furthermore, I appreciate that she focused on the women. Women’s contributions and experiences in history are often overlooked and probably more so in regards to the Vietnam War. I, for one, honestly never thought about it.

Secondly, Hannah does capture the setting very vividly. There are a lot of gory war scenes, you can feel the heat of the jungle, the stress, the exhaustion, etc. Similarly, she captured the experience of PTSD well (as far as I know, not having experienced it myself). I think it’s important to have this experience vividly exposed both for the sake of empathy as well as for those who have gone through it to feel heard and seen. She clearly did a ton of research on PTSD as well as on the war and the time period.

So why not the raving 5 stars? Quite simply, because Kristin Hannah likes to jerk people around emotionally and because the romance in this is obnoxiously awful.

First things first - and I don’t have anything else to say about this - I despise the title. Moving on�

**A few spoilers ahead.**

Emotionally, this book is seriously “everything but the kitchen sink�. Just throw in every tragic thing you can think of, it’s there. Just when you think something good might happen, nope. The tragedy gets almost repetitive and boring. Like, how many times do I want to read about wanting her father’s approval or about how cold her mother is? How many times do I want to read about her bloody clothes and the mud and men’s gaping wounds? How many times do I want to read about her drunken pill popping à la Valley of the Dolls? In a few cases, tragedy conveniently disposed of some plot points and characters which I found annoying. For instance, rather than Frankie having an honest conversation with another character, something traumatic occurs so she doesn’t have to. Do I get that the war trauma (both during and at home)was unending? Absolutely. That’s not really my issue. Kristin Hannah likes to pile on the tragedy and trauma in many of her books; it’s her formula and it gets tiresome after awhile.

And the romance. Ugh, don’t get me started. I predicted basically what would happen every single time a love interest was introduced and I was right. She falls in love suddenly with no real reason other than feelings like “he brought her back to life�. Gag me. That’s not real, especially not after a 5 minute conversation. Why do any of these men deserve to be adored? I can’t see it. None of them were particularly stellar specimens. You can tell me these relationships were realistic all you want but I’m not obligated to like these guys or just gloss over the repeated adultery (that continues after the war). Hannah’s presentation of the romances is sentimental, cheesy and predictable. She does this in her books a lot. And I’m sorry but nothing will compel me to be ok with not one but two men coming back from the dead.

This is a highly readable book and you’ll be turning the pages fast. I hope that we continue to hear more about underappreciated women in history (and this book did make me want to know more). However, I would have preferred less piled on tragedy and fewer contrived, sentimental plotlines.

Pub date: Feb 6, 2024"

"When Jane Austen’s delightful Matchmaker stumbles on a body, Emma finds a new interest to devote her time. Vanessa Kelly has written some engaging historical romantic suspenses, but I was over the top thrilled when she took up her pen to write a murder mystery and sequel set in the world of Jane Austen’s Emma.

Attractive to both devotees of Austen or those who have never picked up one of her books or the movie adaptions, Murder in Highbury, takes readers into the Regency Era world of the classic novel Emma. The time is about a year after the final events of that book and Emma Knightley has settled into newly married life as leading lady of Highbury village and looking after her hypochondrial aging parent. She gave up her matchmaking ways, but now she and her friend, Harriet Martin stumble across the body of the vicar’s wife, Mrs. Elton, and her death was no accident. Emma’s keen observations and quick wit note evidence that her admiring husband who is magistrate gladly accepts and the coroner and the local constable don’t appreciate. George Knightley would rather Emma stay out of the investigation, but he can’t deny his wife is a good investigator since she knows all the principle people and can get more from the witnesses and suspects just being her sunny, caring, and interested self.

It didn’t take me long to cotton to the truth, but that didn’t diminish my enjoyment of being along as Emma poked into the lives of the locals and slowly worked the evidence and witness accounts to the surprising truth. Vanessa Kelly did an outstanding job creating the authentic historical backdrop, but also recreating Austen’s characters and world of her novel. She claimed to love this novel best and this shines through the story as Emma shows she has come into her own after the missteps she experienced before her marriage and she has a true loving and respectful partnership with George Knightley who balances out wanting to keep her safely out of danger and out of the official investigation, but acknowledging and using her superior skills that the official investigators lack.

Murder in Highbury was all I was hoping it would be and I really hope this becomes a series with more Emma the detecting Matchmaker in it. Those who enjoy historical cozy mysteries and also those who want an Austen novel sequel with a murder included should add this to their reading lists.

I rec'd an eARC via NetGalley and a finished print copy from Kensington Books and Austenprose to read in exchange for an honest review.

My full review will post at Books of My Heart on Oct 23, 2024 for the Austenprose Tour."

"I absolutely adored this first in a new Regency historical mystery series featuring beloved Emma Knightley as an amateur detective. I cheered for her as she searched for the murderer of the vicar's wife, Mrs. Augusta Elton, so annoying many would want to off her. Emma uses her innate charm and strong social network to crack the case as chaos ensues across the village of Highbury. Highly highly recommended for all mystery loving Janeites and anyone who digs fine Regency historicals. "