I don’t remember how I was turned into this series, but I am certainly glad I was. A Rather Charming Invitation is the third book in this series by C.A. Belmond. The central character is a historical researcher who works for the film industry, helping to set up films to be historically accurate. Being the film industry, there are of course a couple of quirky characters who carry through the books. Penny has a mother and father who “escaped” their stuffy families and met and married in America. The first story surrounds a mystery set up by a relative for her and her “cousin” Jeremy to solve, the result of which is a nice fortune. This book surrounds a family mystery centering on a beautiful tapestry that was loaned to Penny and Jeremy for their wedding and the clues it holds to a cache of gold coins. It is an enjoyable read. I especially like how she sets the base story (the wedding and Penny’s fears about whether it could change their relationship) against the setting (Monte Carlo, Grasse and London) with a mystery thrown in for good measure. All of her books are set between France, Italy and England and they always leave me with a desire to go visit. A dash of fun, a dash of history, a dash unusual relatives, a dash of quirky friends, and a big dash of mystery. Highly recommended. I do hope she continues the series.
The first book is A Rather Lovely Inheritance and I do recommend starting at the beginning. www.cabelmond.com is the link to her site. I love this quote from her web site.
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