Skip to main content

Blog Tour: The Pryce of Conceit (The Arabella Pryce Historical Ghost Cozy Mystery #1) by Kari Bovee: A Book Review


 

Book Details:

Book Title:  The Pryce of Conceit - An Historical Ghost Cozy Mystery by Kari Bovee
Category: Adult Fiction (18 +), 270 
Genre: Historical Ghost Cozy Mystery
Publisher:  Bosque Publishing
Release date:   May 23, 2023
Source: This book was given to by iRead Book Tours in exchange for an honest review.
Content Rating:  G - Book has no bad language, sex, or violence on the page

Book Description:

     Someone’s trying to frame this ambitious theater performer for murder. Can she get back to her adoring public and escape the noose?

     1885. Arabella Pryce is struggling with heartbreak. And with her recently deceased husband’s will demanding she leave her celebrity behind and refurbish her namesake hotel in Colorado, the distressed actress is forced to board a westbound train. But she’s barely arrived at the haunted, broken-down lodge when the town beauty shows up dead in one of the rooms… and Arabella is named the prime suspect.

     Already feeling the sting of the community’s disapproval, she grits her teeth and works with a mischievous ghost to help prove her innocence. But with blood-stained evidence, handsome sheriffs, and libelous journalists turning her investigation into a dangerous drama, this determined thespian fears she’s missed her cue for survival.

      Can she shine the spotlight on a killer before more than her reputation dies a horrible death?

The Pryce of Conceit is the suspenseful first book in The Arabella Pryce Historical Cozy Mystery series. If you like driven heroines, atmospheric settings, and dashes of humor, then you’ll love Kari Bovée’s lighthearted twists and turns.

     Buy The Pryce of Conceit to put the guilty party at center stage today!

My Review:

Arabella Pryce is a successful actress. However, she leaves the stage in New York City and goes out West to run her late husband’s hotel. As soon as she arrives at the hotel, there is a murder. Arabella immediately becomes the prime suspect. Arabella teams up with a ghost that haunts the hotel to find the real murderer and clear her name. Could Arabella solve the murder before she is arrested for murder?


Arabella was a hard character to like. It took most of the novel to warm up to her. She is very self-centered and vain. It was not until two-thirds of the novel that she has more compassion and gratitude towards others. I did find Arabella to be very intelligent and inquisitive. She also learned to listen to good advice from those around her to help solve the mystery. Thus, Arabella was a very competent amateur sleuth. Even though I did not find her a compelling character, I believe that she has potential in future installments.


Overall, this novel is about friendship, belonging, and ambitions. I like how the story was set on the American Frontier. It was very refreshing from the Victorian and WWII mysteries that I usually read. I also like the characters, who seemed very real and complex. I also liked the roughing ghost. The mystery was very predictable. The romance was very cliché but could be developed more in the sequel. Despite these flaws, it was fun and fast-paced! I read the story in one sitting! The Pryce of Conceit was a very entertaining and light mystery! I can’t wait for the sequel, The Pryce of Deceit! I am excited to revisit the characters that Mrs. Bovee has created! I recommend this novel for fans of The Spirit of Grace, The Secrets of the Chateau, and Echoes of the Storm!


Rating: 4 out of 5 stars



BUY THE BOOK:
Amazon

Meet the Author:

     When she’s not on a horse, or walking along the beautiful cottonwood-laden acequias of Corrales, New Mexico; or basking on white sand beaches under the Big Island Hawaiian sun, Kari Bovée is escaping into the past—scheming murder and mayhem for her characters both real and imagined in her award-winning historical Annie Oakley Mystery series, Grace Michelle Mystery series, and Pryce Murder series.

​     In her past life, Bovée worked as a technical writer for a Fortune 500 Company, has written non-fiction for magazines and newsletters, and has worked in the education field as a teacher and educational consultant.


Connect with the author:  Website ~ Goodreads ~ Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Instagram
Pinterest
Enter the Giveaway:
THE PRYCE OF CONCEIT Book Tour Giveaway



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Magnificent Lives of Marjorie Post by Allison Pataki: A Book Review

The Magnificent Lives of Marjorie Post Author: Allison Pataki Genre: Historical Fiction Publisher: Ballantine Release Date: February 15, 2022 Pages: 381 Source: Netgalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis: Mrs. Post, the President and First Lady are here to see you. . . . So begins another average evening for Marjorie Merriweather Post. Presidents have come and gone, but she has hosted them all. Growing up in the modest farmlands of Battle Creek, Michigan, Marjorie was inspired by a few simple rules: always think for yourself, never take success for granted, and work hard—even when deemed American royalty, even while covered in imperial diamonds. Marjorie had an insatiable drive to live and love and to give more than she got. From crawling through Moscow warehouses to rescue the Tsar’s treasures to outrunning the Nazis in London, from serving the homeless of the Great Depression to entertaining Roosevelts, Kennedys, and Hollywood’s biggest stars, Marjorie Merriweath...

The Haunting of Hecate Cavendish (Hecate Cavendish #1) by Paula Brackston: A Book Review

The Haunting of Hecate Cavendish (Hecate Cavendish #1) Author: Paula Brackston Genre: Historical Fiction, Paranormal, Fantasy Publisher: St. Martin’s Press Book Release Date: 2024 Pages: 359 Source: Netgalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis: The Haunting of Hecate Cavendish is book one in New York Times bestselling author Paula Brackston's new, magic-infused series about Hecate Cavendish, an eccentric and feisty young woman who can see ghosts.          England, 1881. Hereford cathedral stands sentinel over the city, keeping its secrets, holding long forgotten souls in its stony embrace. Hecate Cavendish speeds through the cobbled streets on her bicycle, skirts hitched daringly high, heading for her new life as Assistant Librarian. But this is no ordinary collection of books. The cathedral houses an ancient chained library, wisdom guarded for centuries, mysteries and stories locked onto its worn, humble shelves. The mos...

The Ark and the Dove: The Story of Noah's Wife by Jill Eileen Smith: A Book Review

The Ark and the Dove: The Story of Noah’s Wife Author: Jill Eileen Smith Genre: Historical Fiction, Christian, Biblical Fiction Publisher: Revell Book Release Date: 2024 Pages: 328 Source: Netgalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis: Zara and Noah have walked together with the Creator for their entire lives, and they have done their best in an increasingly wicked and defiant world to raise their three sons to follow in their footsteps. It has been a challenge--and it's about to get much, much harder.        When the Creator tells her husband to build an ark to escape the coming wrath against the sins of humankind, Zara steps out with him in faith. But the derision and sabotage directed their way from both friends and extended family are difficult to bear, as is knowing that everyone she interacts with beyond her husband, her sons, and their wives is doomed to destruction. And when the ark is finally finished and the animals have bee...