The Crime Brulee Bake Off by Rebecca Connolly

 

 The Crime Brulee Bake Off by Rebecca Connolly. Shadow Mountain Publishing, 2025. A Claire Walker Mystery. Adult fiction. Mystery.

Baker Claire Walker accepts an opportunity to be on Britain's Battle of the Bakers which means several weeks at a beautiful castle. The local viscount has reluctantly agreed to the show taking over, but when one of the bakers is killed and it resembles a long ago murder in his family, he must get involved to help solve the crime. It doesn't hurt that Claire also attracts his attention and the two become partners to help the police...and maybe more.

A cute cozy mystery, the first in a series, this novel has touches of humor as well as mystery. Claire's use of food and baking terms instead of "bad" language is contagious! 

The Miniaturist's Assistant by Katherine Scott Crawford

 

The Miniaturist's Assistant by Katherine Scott Crawford. Regal House Publishing, 2025. Adult fiction. Historical fiction.

 When art conservator Gamble Vance sees a young woman in 2004 Charleston, she realizes the young woman looks like a miniature portrait Gamble has worked to restore. With a recent miscarriage and divorce, Gamble feels fragile and uncertain and leans on her handsome friend and art professor Tolliver Jackson for support. But, nothing is as it seems when Gamble's work and life collide in 1804 style. For witty, sexy, smart Gamble is a time traveler. 

The descriptions of Charleston make the old city come alive. The problems of slavery and the interracial love story at the novel's center provide a historic context to Gamble's life. A lovely fairy tale of a book that readers will not want to end, fans of the Outlander series will enjoy this very different look into the past and present.