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Susanna Kearsley, The Rose Garden

Grieving the untimely death of her sister, Eva Ward decides to scatter her sister’s ashes at Trelowarth House in Cornwall, where they’d spent many happy summers as children. When she gets there, Eva is pleased to reconnect with the Trelowarth family and help them maintain the estate by setting up some new tourist attractions. But she also has some strange experiences and eventually discovers that she’s been going back in time, seeing Trelowarth as it was in the early 1700s. She also meets the house’s former inhabitants, one of whom, Daniel, soon captures her heart. But Daniel’s world is dangerous, especially because of his illicit smuggling career and his Jacobite sympathies. Eventually Eva must decide where she truly belongs. I enjoyed this novel but didn’t love it as much as I loved A Desperate Fortune. I wasn’t particularly interested in the time-travel element or the contemporary storyline; I would have preferred a straightforward historical novel. Maybe that’s why it took me several days to finish the book, even though I liked the overall story, characters, and writing style. It was just missing that spark for me.

Richard Osman, The Thursday Murder Club

The Thursday Murder Club is a group of four residents of a senior living facility, who meet once a week to discuss — and hopefully solve — various cold cases. So when a present-day murder lands on their doorstep (literally; the victim is the boorish owner of the senior living facility), they’re eager to get involved. But as the bodies continue to pile up, the investigation becomes more dangerous, and one of the club members might even be the next victim. I really enjoyed this mystery novel; it’s clever and funny, and I liked all the main characters, pensioners and police alike. I do feel like the plot falls apart a little bit toward the end. But ultimately, it was just a pleasure to read, and isn’t that all you can really ask of a book? There’s at least one sequel planned (coming out this fall in the US), and it’s definitely on my TBR list.

Marisa de los Santos, Love Walked In

Cornelia Brown is a 30-something barista in a Philadelphia café, trying to figure out what to do with her life. Then one day, a Cary Grant look-alike walks into the café and changes everything. Meanwhile, an 11-year-old girl named Clare is having problems at home: her father is absent, and her mother is behaving strangely. As her mother’s condition worsens, Clare becomes increasingly terrified that something awful will happen and she’ll be separated from her mom. When Cornelia’s and Clare’s paths converge, they transform each other in surprising ways. I loved this book and stayed up way too late to finish it! But despite the romantic title and chick-lit-esque marketing, it’s a tough read at times. Clare’s situation with her mother is heartbreaking and difficult, so if you’re not up for reading about mental illness and child neglect/abandonment, maybe skip this one. But the book is certainly hopeful and uplifting overall, and there is even a romance, though it’s not my favorite part of the story. I’m eager to read more by this author!