Dragonblade Publishing

Aviva Orr: Death at Villa De Lacey

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Series debut

The first in the De Lacey and Squires Mysteries, Death at Villa De Lacey by Aviva Orr, steps immediately into a great moment of change for both its main characters. Bridget’s safe and peaceful life at her ancestral home is shattered when she is told that her father killed himself. To add insult to injury, his last act was to lose the deed to their home in an ill-fated hand of cards. The rich victor, Edward Squires, very much intends to collect on the winnings.

He sends his brother, Nate Squires, to reside at the property. read more

E.L. Johnson: Winter’s Crown

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The Winter Murders #2

Winter’s Crown, the second in E.L. Johnson’s historical mystery series picks up where the first book left off, directly after heroine Bronwyn saved Empress Maud’s life.* Despite her heroic act, however, Bronwyn’s life doesn’t change too much. She remains a cook, serving the empress with dwindling supplies in their ramshackle campsite. Separated from her family, as well as her friend Lady Alice and crush Rupert, Bronwyn is lonely and listless. She doesn’t even know for sure if her family is alive. read more

E.L. Johnson: Winter’s Poison

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Winter Murders #1

There are not many mysteries set in the tumultuous court of King Stephen (1096-1154). A Winter’s Poison by E.L. Johnson is certainly the first I have personally read. It follows teenage Baker’s daughter Bronwyn, adept in the kitchen herself, as she is pulled into it making a fairly routine delivery. A nobleman named De Grecy orders fancy white rolls from her father’s shop on a whim, and Bronwyn discovers they are intended for the king and queen only when she arrives to drop them off. However, as she is departing, she sees a cloaked figure fiddling with the food and tries to report it to the head cook. It’s clear that someone has added mushrooms to the top of the rolls. read more