The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O’Farrell

This was the historical fiction murder mystery/ thriller. It centers around Lucrezia Medici of Florence in the 1560s and how she is betrothed to an older man that she thinks is going to murder her and make it look accidental. It toggles back and forth between her “present” life (like up to the point she dies), and her early childhood and upbringing. The writing of this was just gorgeous, which I know is an odd thing to say, but truly, the author’s language throughout was just beautiful, and the audiobook had a fantastic narrator (I flipped back and forth between listening and reading). The mystery element kept it interesting, and I was curious to learn more about this family after I finished. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️, would recommend!

The Last Devil to Die by Richard Osman

This is the fourth book in the Thursday Murder Club series, which I adore. My fave retiree detectives were at it again, and got it done like only they can. I just love the humor and preciousness of this idea, these sweet people of the retirement village looking for something to do and getting involved in things they shouldn’t, and it all working out for them. Despite it being the fourth book, I really don’t feel like I’ve seen any decline in story- I’ll read these as long as Richard Osman puts them out! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️, love this series!

The Golden Spoon by Jessa Maxwell

This is an interesting concept- it was basically a murder happens at the American version of The Great British Bake Off. It wasn’t really a cozy mystery- more gritty than that. The hosts hated each other, and the female host (who owns the estate where the competition is being held) has a fairly sinister past that is revealed. It felt very slow to begin with, and I honestly don’t feel like the characters were easy to root for, but it took a few unexpected turns and was more interesting in the back half. ⭐️⭐️⭐️, could take or leave.

The Brothers Hawthorne by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

This is the fourth book in the Inheritance Games series, and I thought it fit well with the rest of the series, and was a quick, captivating read. The first few focus more on the main female character of Avery as the outsider who has mysteriously inherited the enormous Hawthorne estate instead of the four grandsons, but it seems all of that is settled, and this was two storylines for two of the grandsons. My only complaint was on my end- it’s been apparently long enough since I read the previous ones that there were a few plot points that I couldn’t remember/ place the importance, but the author does a good job of giving context to help you remember without completely rewriting the storylines. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️, would recommend!