A SKETCHY FRENCHMAN AT THE WEDDING…ALONG WITH A FEW DARK SECRETS!
Wedding bells sound in the Scottish countryside as the Bennett sisters travel across the pond to celebrate a very special occasion… A week littered with an unexpected torrential rainstorm, a recalcitrant housekeeper, a sister who tipples, and another who chases after sketchy Frenchmen. In spite of her bohemian tendencies and … her bohemian tendencies and protestations, Annie—the eldest Bennett sister—is finally getting hitched to Callum Logan, the man of her dreams, in the picture-postcard idyllic Scottish Highlands. The mother of the groom has generously put up the Bennett family in her Kincardie House estate, a gorgeous hunting lodge that’s been in the Logan family for generations. Annie knew Callum’s family was well-off, but she didn’t know they lived like European royalty. And the fact that Annie is fourteen years older than her husband-to-be isn’t exactly a tidbit “Mother” Logan is too fond of. That said, Annie has reservations of her own. Is it just pre-wedding jitters? Or is she really willing to relinquish her much-loved independence in her mid-50s?
Merle’s brought Pascal along for the week of jubilee, which she finds to be simultaneously thrilling and incredibly romantic… but is it excitement she’s feeling for her sister? Or doom? For his part, Pascal’s relieved to finally spend time with Merle after six long, dry months apart. But how can they continue like this, an ocean between them—his policeman’s salary hardly permitting flying over to see her on every whim… Does he have to give her up? Or should he find a new job in the States?
Meanwhile, Francie frets about her seemingly perpetual third wheeling in coupledom, a thought she finds herself dulling with a little too much Scotch. Elise plans to dive into exotic Scotland head-first, casting aside previously-upheld polite female lawyer niceties: overseas, all bets are off, and she’s got her roving eye on Bruno, a mysterious man from Paris she met at the Edinburgh railway station—a man whose Napoleonesque looks and furtive behavior put Pascal’s investigator instincts on high alert.
And amidst the Highlands’ signature fog, rain, sheep, and heather—not to mention the festivities’ decadent five course meals, Scottish whisky, fine sparkling wines, and family drama—a rare rainstorm with hurricane-force winds is heading right for the wedding party. And Jinty Arbuckle, the high-strung estate housekeeper, struggles to keep the Kincardie House in order and its brash American guests happy, all the while guarding secrets of her own.
A little bit chick lit, a touch of cozy mystery, a whole lot of humor, romance, suspense, and downright excellent writing. Guaranteed a rollicking ride for fans of all of the above!
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Once again the Bennet sisters deliver an exciting and thrilling mystery. This book kept me on the edge of my seat and guessing wrong left and right! I thoroughly enjoyed this book! Lise McClendon is on my list of favorite authors!
The Bennett sisters are at it again, sharing life and fighting with each other, rebelling and running away. This one they share with their parents too. They are all off to Scotland to celebrate the marriage of their oldest sibling Annie. However, at 55 years old, Annie isn’t sure she really wants to be married. But everyone goes to Scotland. The groom’s mother Fiona vacates her own bedroom in the castle to put up most of the family there. We find out that Fiona has planned the itinerary almost to the minute, up to and including designing and buying the bridesmaid’s dresses for the sisters. Then there is the weather bomb, similar to a hurricane but coming from the wrong direction. The weather man had said it would be a day or two before it hit, but he was wrong. When it happens, half the family is in the castle and the other half is caught in the village. From there, things get complicated. I really enjoyed myself reading this, and I think you will too.
Blackbird Fly #1 – This is my first read by this author and it was not what I expected. A good story filled with plenty of storylines that did keep my interest. Merle has so much happen to her with the death of her husband; her discoveries are many and varied. I like that the characters are real and do not follow the stupidity formula so commonplace today. There are several mysteries ongoing and while you know some of the endings, there is more depth than expected. I did find too much wordiness with quite a few unnecessary details, which proper editing would have reduced the page length and corrected the possessive vs. plural usage and other errors. There is infrequent vulgar language, which I did not find necessary. 4*
The Girl in the Empty Dress #2 – This book begins a year after Blackbird ends. I like the way the blog told parts of the story without the wordy descriptions that are too much in these stories. There’s an increase in the vulgar language. Editing is needed for the misuse of words, for example: guano, the improper use of God and expressions with God, and the wordiness with unnecessary details. I was confused by the chauvinist label when a policeman told Merle to be careful with the kidnappers; that was not being a chauvinist, that was common sense. There is not much of a mystery, but the other storylines are still interesting, especially the relationship between Merle and Pascal. The regular characters are growing with each addition to the series and are still interesting. 3.5*
Give Him the Ooh-La-La #3 – This starts five months after Girl ends. I do not understand why someone is in love and yet distrusts or resorts to secrecy without good reason, instead of communicating their concerns to their beloved. Merle disappoints me with her avoidance and bad thoughts of Pascal, and the way she thought about the Christmas gift. She is definitely following the stupidity formula so common today; I am losing respect for her. There is not much of a mystery in this story. Needs the same type of editing as the previous books. 3*
The Things We Said Today #4 – This book starts six months after Give ends. The same as the last two, but this one is heavily against marriage – not modern, but the old traditional one of man is obeyed. Gee, the intolerance and prejudice by supposedly intelligent, older women who act so stupid about men and marriage. Merle does act better in this addition. There’s not much mystery but a lot of worries and doubts by many of the characters. This is mainly about the lives of the sisters. Pascal still shines in his role. Needs editing; has the modern trend usage of God, which reeks of intolerance and prejudice. 3*
Blame it on Paris #7 – I read the first four books because I had them a while in my library and volunteering to review Blame made me clean out my library of these books; I do not find them worth keeping, not even the first and I liked it. But I promised to review this book; the others were purchases I never made time to read. This book starts since one year after Things ends. The emphasis is on Francie and her woes; sexual harassment charges at work from a younger man, which allows her three weeks in Paris to help an American in prison facing drug charges.
With her involvement with the American there is finally an involved mystery, which the other books just attempted as a sideline. Unfortunately, the culprits were easy to figure out in both the harassment and the drug charges. Merle and Pascal are still a good part of the storylines, which I was happy to see them involved so much with Francie. Francie was not an interesting character for me, but M and P were my favorite characters throughout this series. I still have a problem with the lack of basic editing: God; proper names lowercased; etc. I found this book on Booksprout; the others are purchased. 3.5
Bennett Sisters French Cookbook #8 – This cookbook consists of basically 25 well known French recipes and depending on where you live some ingredients will be difficult to find. There are histories behind the recipes; the books in which they appear; and some excerpts from those stories.
Those already knowledgeable about the recipes and Bennett Sisters books will not find this book a good addition to the series or cookbook collection. Many of the recipes are better written from other sources; Julia Child is the go to for these recipes, but they are available everywhere. For those who are absolutely in love with this series and do not care that the author has her personal opinions infused in the recipes and/or may never try a recipe, this book is for you. Gee, you can boil potatoes in cold, salted water? Silly me, I always used fresh water brought to a boil; all that Swiss chef school training wasted on me. Be careful, there were mistakes. 4*