Ilil Arbel

A story to fill in an interval in Angela Thirkell's Barsetshire novels... amusing for one who's read that series. The story here is cute, though the tone differs somewhat from Angela Thirkell. It centers around the arrival of Glamora Tudor, the actress often mentioned but never seen in the original books. She has released dozens of movies, each with a new leading man, and by now must be the other side of 40 but is still trying to fit into the roles of an ingenue. Her producer, a big-time American with GMG motion pictures, comes to England to film "Send Me No Lilies," the latest tripe from the pen of Mrs. Rivers (also known to fans of AT's books). Along the way young and older people will fall in love and life courses will alter direction, but all in a pretty cute, cozy way. Not bad.… (more)

Great fun and a good mystery! Mme Koska flawlessly mimics the Russian accent but doesn't really speak a word of it. But she is a gifted designer of haute couture with a real knack for handling customers and choosing the perfect seamstresses. She has come up with a design scheme for the 1920s with a classic Russian twist and is aided by a friend who has this young woman whose beading skills are incredible. But don't forget about intrigue, others with spurious identities, thefts, and interesting law enforcement personnel. I absolutely loved it!
I requested and received a free ebook copy from BHC Press via NetGalley. Thank you… (more)

This is a mystery set in the years after the first World War; it is the first in a series. Madame Koska, supposedly Russian royalty who has fled from the revolution, is opening a couture house. She seems to have money, or money behind her. In the middle of opening the shop and creating a whole new line to display, she gets involved in solving the theft of a brooch that belonged to the Romanovs. No one seems to be who they claim to be, so who is telling the truth, and who has the jewels?

It wasn’t bad for a first in a series; it was short and fluffy but the plot seemed sound. Being a fashion/beading/sewing/vintage nut, I loved the descriptions of the clothing and the work the seamstresses and beaders were doing. There were a lot of characters, though, and they were very lightly touched on and I found myself getting confused as to who was who. I assume that Koska and her crew will get some character development as the series goes on. Most ‘origin stories’ are rather clumsy, being short of depth and an interesting plot, and this book does better than average.… (more)