Publishers Weekly
American heiress Penny Nichols is supposed to be planning her nuptials to dashing barrister Jeremy Laidley in this pleasant if underplotted installment to Belmond’s Rather series (A Rather Curious Engagement), but she keeps dithering. Complications quickly arise when Penny and Jeremy visit her aunt Leonora and uncle Phillipe, who offer them use of a family heirloom at the wedding—a valuable antique bridal tapestry—and their chateau for the ceremony. But while the happy couple is away trying to convince Jeremy’s overbearing British grandmother that the French wedding they are planning will meet her exacting standards, the tapestry is stolen, and Penny and Jeremy put on their detective caps. Family secrets involving Penny’s French and Jeremy’s English relatives are revealed, but the couple’s investigation into the missing tapestry isn’t handled very well, with obvious details overlooked until the plot requires the simpatico duo to piece things together. Series fans may find this outing agreeable if slow; the uninitiated will have a hard time sussing out the backstory and should read the earlier books first. (Feb.)
Romance Reviews Today
Imagine you are able to bounce between your homes in England and the South of France, to enjoy all there is to see and do without worrying about the cost, and with the one you love by your side. Hard to imagine? Not with Penny and Jeremy as inspiration. They are good people prepared to make the most of their inheritances with natural good taste and innate kindliness.?... Writing well in the first person from a singular point of view must be difficult-it's so often awkward-but Ms. Belmond pulls it off beautifully. And with fascinating glimpses of Europe past and present, and a gentle romance between a likable pair, she has produced an enchanting read. I highly recommend "A Rather Charming Invitation" for its combination of charm, liveliness, and suspense.?
If you were lucky enough to have read A Rather Lovely Inheritance, [the first novel in the "Rather" series] you would have met American Penny Nichols on the French Riviera... [and] that meeting led to "A Rather Curious Engagement", the second delightful installment in Penny and Jeremy's adventures. You needn't have read the earlier titles to enjoy "A Rather Charming Invitation", but they are both treasures.
ChickLit Club
A Rather Charming Invitation is written in such a fascinating way, with characters that will both charm and entertain. It is a book that you don't want to miss!
Night Owl Review
C.A. Belmond's entertaining duo of Penny Nichols and Jeremy Laidley are back in the spotlight in her novel, A Rather Charming Invitation. A wonderful cozy mystery that weaves together pictures of relationships among a variety of couples while Penny ponders the life-changing ceremony that she is about to participate in. Beautifully lyrical descriptions of multiple European locales are juxtaposed with the painstaking search for clues in the tapestry, which in turn gives rise to vivid descriptions of the past lives of those whom the tapestry has touched. Trains and clocks provide additional threads which embellish the story and enrich the glimpses of affluent society in this charmingly lighthearted mystery that also provides a look at the intricacies of planning a wedding that often become a lesson in strategic diplomacy. A Featured "Top Pick"
Night Owl Reviews
C.A. Belmond's entertaining duo of Penny Nichols and Jeremy Laidley are back in the spotlight in her novel, A Rather Charming Invitation. A wonderful cozy mystery that weaves together pictures of relationships among a variety of couples while Penny ponders the life-changing ceremony that she is about to participate in. Beautifully lyrical descriptions of multiple European locales are juxtaposed with the painstaking search for clues in the tapestry, which in turn gives rise to vivid descriptions of the past lives of those whom the tapestry has touched. Trains and clocks provide additional threads which embellish the story and enrich the glimpses of affluent society in this charmingly lighthearted mystery that also provides a look at the intricacies of planning a wedding that often become a lesson in strategic diplomacy.
