Blurb:

Four young ladies at the side of the ballroom make a pact to help each other find husbands... no matter what it takes

Proud and beautiful Annabelle Peyton could have her pick of suitors—if only she had a dowry. Her family is on the brink of disaster, and the only way Annabelle can save them is to marry a wealthy man. Unfortunately her most persistent admirer is the brash Simon Hunt, a handsome and ambitious entrepreneur who wants her as his mistress.

Annabelle is determined to resist Simon's wicked propositions, but she can't deny her attraction to the boldly seductive rogue, any more than he can resist the challenge she presents. As they try to outmaneuver each other, they find themselves surrendering to a love more powerful than they could have ever imagined. But fate may have other plans—and it will take all of Annabelle's courage to face a peril that could destroy everything she holds dear.

Review:

About the Author:

Blurb:

London, 1923. Newly minted research assistant Saffron Everleigh is the first woman to hold the position at University College of London. When she attends a dinner party for the school, she expects to engage in conversations about the university's large expedition to the Amazon. What she doesn’t expect is for Mrs. Henry, one of the professors’ wives, to drop to the floor, poisoned by an unknown toxin.

Dr. Maxwell, Saffron’s mentor, is the main suspect, and evidence quickly mounts. Joined by flirtatious fellow researcher Alexander Ashton, Saffron uses her knowledge of botany as she explores steamy greenhouses, dark gardens, and deadly poisons to clear Maxwell's name.

Will she be able to uncover the truth, or will her investigation land her on the murderer’s list?

In this entertaining examination of society’s expectations, debut author Kate Khavari deftly sheds a light on the struggles of women in a male-dominated field, wrapped in mystery and murder.

My Review:

About the Author:

A former teacher, Kate has a deep appreciation for research and creativity, not to mention the multitasking ability she now relies on as an author and stay at home mom. She lives in the Dallas-Fort Worth area of Texas with her husband, children, and a lovely garden that contains absolutely no poisonous plants.

Trivia:

Saffron is a spice derived from the flower of Crocus sativus, commonly known as the "saffron crocus". The vivid crimson stigma and styles, called threads, are collected and dried for use mainly as a seasoning and coloring agent in food. The saffron crocus was slowly propagated throughout much of Eurasia and was later brought to parts of North Africa, North America, and Oceania. Saffron has a long history of use in traditional medicine. Saffron has also been used as a fabric dye, particularly in China and India, and in perfumery. It is used for religious purposes in India. (Wikipedia)
By Serpico - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, Link

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Blurb:

A reluctant lady sleuth finds she’s investigating her own family.

Step into Lady Helena Whitcombe’s world with the first novel in a series that will blend family saga and mystery-driven action with a slow-burn romance in seven unputdownable investigations.

1881, Sussex. Lady Helena Scott-De Quincy’s marriage to Sir Justin Whitcombe, three years before, gave new purpose to a life almost destroyed by the death of Lady Helena’s first love. After all, shouldn’t the preoccupations of a wife and hostess be sufficient to fulfill any aristocratic female’s dreams? Such a shame their union wasn’t blessed by children . . . but Lady Helena is content with her quiet country life until Sir Justin is found dead in the river overlooked by their grand baroque mansion.

The intrusion of attractive, mysterious French physician Armand Fortier, with his meddling theory of murder, into Lady Helena’s first weeks of mourning is bad enough. But with her initial ineffective efforts at investigation and her attempts to revive her long-abandoned interest in herbalism comes the realization that she may have been mistaken about her own family’s past. Every family has its secrets—but as this absorbing series will reveal, the Scott-De Quincy family has more than most.

Can Lady Helena survive bereavement the second time around? Can she stand up to her six siblings’ assumption of the right to control her new life as a widow? And what role will Fortier—who, as a physician, is a most unsuitable companion for an earl’s daughter—play in her investigations?

A new series by Jane Steen, author of the House of Closed Doors series that has delighted thousands of fans (over 300 5-star reviews on Amazon and over 700 5-star ratings on Goodreads.) If you’re looking for an unputdownable Victorian mystery saga, here’s where you start!

Trigger warning: implicit mention of incest
Peringatan: secara implisit menyebutkan hubungan inses

Review:

Overall, bagus. Tapi harus sabar karena bagian awalnya agak membosankan. Romance-nya tipis banget, nyaris nggak ada.

About the Author:

Jane Steen

Dear Reader,

Blurb:

English Version:
It's the Joseon dynasty, and a series of corpses have been discovered in the outskirt of the capital near Mt. Inwangsan. All of them have wide open eyes and five long, deep cuts across their chests. But who could be responsible? Gyeong-ho, a body handler from the coroner's office, has no leads until he is approached by a pair of long, flaming yellow eyes.

The tiger in the cover image is taken from the anonymous painting from Joseon Dynasty era, during which this story is set, titled Painting of a Ferocious Tiger (猛虎圖), Accession No. M67, courtesy of the National Museum of Korea.

Versi Bahasa Indonesia:
Dinasti Joseon. Serangkaian mayat ditemukan di pinggiran ibukota dekat Gunung Inwangsan. Semuanya ditemukan dengan mata terbuka lebar dan lima luka panjang di dada mereka. Siapakah pelakunya? Kyoung-ho, pengurus mayat dari kantor koroner, tidak memiliki petunjuk sama sekali... hingga saat dia didekati oleh sepasang mata kuning yang menyala dan tajam.

Ulasan:

Ini buku nggak ada di Goodreads, tapi ya nggak apa-apa lah. Sekarang aku lebih sering mendengarkan audiobook dari Storytel dan banyak sekali rekomendasi bacaan yang bagus-bagus.

Awalnya yang bikin tertarik baca buku ini adalah fitur gambar buku terjemahannya dan judulnya dalam Bahasa Indonesia. Pria Bersetelan Hitam. Mirip judul-judul buku karangan Agatha Christie dan langsung mengingatkanku ke salah satu judul bukunya, The Man in a Brown Suit yang diterjemahkan menjadi Pria Bersetelan Coklat (yang bukunya juga belum kubaca *ups).

Setelah membaca judulnya, aku melihat fitur gambar yang menjadi seperti covernya. Pria dengan setelan atau suit berwarna hitam dalam bayanganku adalah seperti dalam film Men in Black yang dibintangi oleh Will Smith dan Tommy Lee Jones, mirip dengan judulnya dalam Bahasa Inggris. Tapi gambarnya malah memperlihatkan siluet orang dengan pakaian tradisional Korea untuk pria. Hmm, menarik sekali, kan?

Judul yang misterius, ditambah fitur gambar yang tidak seperti dugaan, akan membuat siapa pun penasaran dengan isinya. Maka, aku yang penasaran pun kemudian membaca blurb-nya dan semakin tertarik lah aku untuk membacanya. Lihat saja kalimat pertamanya, "Dinasti Joseon". Oh, apakah buku ini akan bercerita tentang kisah misteri yang berlatar belakang di Dinasti Joseon? Wow, pasti seru, nih!

Tapi aku membaca versi Bahasa Inggris terlebih dahulu sebelum versi Bahasa Indonesia. Tentu saja alasannya "bersakit-sakit dahulu, bersenang-senang kemudian", yang artinya adalah biarlah aku bersusah-susah dahulu mendengarkan versi Bahasa Inggris yang notabene akan lebih susah karena bukan bahasa pertamaku, barulah mendengarkan versi Bahasa Indonesia yang kukuasai sebagai penutur asli. Padahal kalau dilihat dari gambar cover versi Bahasa Inggris-nya, sejujurnya bakalan kulewatkan saja karena tidak menarik. Hahahaa...

Apakah isinya semisterius judul, gambar, dan sinopsisnya? Yah, bagian awal hingga konflik-konfliknya yang disusun sampai ke klimaks, cukup membuat penasaran dan menarik untuk didengarkan. Sayangnya, bagian penyelesaiannya, menurutku memberikan kesan antiklimaks...

Karena penyusunan konflik yang sangat baik, aku berharap lebih dari penyelesaiannya. Bayangkan, ada kasus pembunuhan di Dinasti Joseon yang tentunya masih terbatas dalam ilmu pengetahuan seperti forensik dan penyelidikan polisi, banyak masyarakat yang mengait-kaitkan kemisteriusan suatu kasus pembunuhan sebagai akibat dari aktivitas supranatural.

Masyarakat Asia jaman dulu (dan mungkin juga sampai sekarang) masih dipengaruhi oleh kepercayaan tradisional dan klenik yang kental. Penyelidik yang harusnya berakal sehat dan logis, harus melawan arus kepercayaan masyarakat padahal mungkin pengetahuannya sendiri juga terbatas. Ini adalah premis yang sangat menarik.

Selanjutnya, penulis bisa mengarahkan lanjutan ceritanya ke dua pilihan: 1. Tetap mengedepankan logika dengan menceritakan si penyelidik melawan arus anggapan klenik (tapi sepertinya hal ini akan menjadi terlalu biasa dan klise), atau 2. Memasukkan unsur supernatural kebudayaan Korea sambil terus berusaha memecahkan kasus pembunuhan yang terjadi (ini cukup menarik). Penulis memilih pilihan kedua.

Si penyelidik merasa sangat bingung dengan kasus yang terjadi, apakah disebabkan oleh makhluk misterius, ataukah manusia kejam yang meniru legenda urban si makhluk supernatural dalam kebudayaan Korea? Ditambah lagi, ada kemunculan suatu karakter yang sangat misterius dan tidak bisa ditebak siapa dan apa tujuannya, membuat pelik situasi.

Sayang seribu sayang (halah lebay), penyelesaian logika yang sangat kusukai porsinya dibawah penyelesaian klenik. Di suatu titik persimpangan alur, penulis memilih untuk memperberat porsi kleniknya daripada logikanya. Karena itulah aku menyebutnya agak antiklimaks. Selain itu, penyelesaiannya juga agak sedikit terburu-buru.

Namun demikian, cerita yang cukup pendek ini sangat bagus... awalnya. Bagian akhirnya... not so much. Tapi recommended sekali untuk dibaca karena cepat selesai dan cukup page-turning.