I’m loving this series! I’m still not a fan of how Kat treats her mother, Iris. However, the mystery is good and the characters and settings are very well done. I can’t wait to read the neat in the set. ( )

It has been awhile since I read Murder at Honeychurch Hall and now I am wondering what took me so long to read the second book in this series. Deadly Desires at Honeychurch Hall brings us back to the English for another mystery. Kat Stanford is planning head back to London shortly to open an antique shop, but with news of a high speed rail coming to the area, she decides to stick around to protect her mother's interests as well as to help with the campaign to "Stop the Bullet Train". Lavinia, has an old acquaintance who is an environmentalist and is willing to help them fight. As well a representative from the Transport Ministry has arrived in the village to talk to the villagers about their options. When he disappears, Kat is concerned something has happened to him. There are many things going on in this story. Of course Kat's mother, Iris, is still trying to keep Krystalle Storm, her pseudonym for her bodice ripping novels, a secret but reporters are lurking. Iris is also involved in some possible money smuggling from an offshore account, and her step-brother Alfred has been hired to look after the horses following his release from prison. Harry keeps running away from school and Eric is still a pain in the butt. Can they stop the railway? What happened to Valentine? Will Kat and David get back together? Will the public find out who Krystalle Storm really is? A lot of questions with answers in a well plotted story.

These characters are fantastic and a few like “Uncle” Alfred and Patty are quite eccentric. Kat and Iris are two very independent woman and butt heads on more than one occasion like typical mothers and daughters. We meet several new characters as the rail system would affect so many people plus there is a new maid at the hall. All of the characters have very different personalities and have a quirky side to them. The plot was entertaining with humourous spots as well as some suspense. I enjoy the way Kat thinks. She is able to spin realistic theories, but needs the proof before the police can act. A fun series that is quite character driven as well as entertaining. ( )

My dad is literally so good at picking out books for me! This cozy mystery series is extremely cute, and though I have a few technical issues with it, I love it! ( )

Kat is still planning to return to London and resume her life there, but she is reluctant to abandon her mother at Honeychurch. When a new high-speed train is rumored to be coming to the village, displacing homes and disrupting life there, Kat gets involved helping the villagers, almost accidentally. And when the proponent of the train goes missing and is presumed dead, Kat finds herself in the thick of the mystery. Also worrisome are the antics of her nemesis, Trudy, who seems bent on exposing Kat’s mother’s secret identity and her past as well as demeaning Kat’s reputation. Entertaining and interesting, these characters are delightfully enjoyable and amusing, though the plot does tend to wander a bit. ( )

I forgot how fun a lot of the dialogue in the first book was, so the readability of this one was a nice surprise. It's a light, entertaining read filled with eccentric characters and set in the requisite English village, but I really respected the author for taking a real-world current issue - the controversy of building a high speed train - and incorporating it into the plot, informing the reader without preaching to them.

The mystery itself was interesting if not shocking or complicated. I vacillated between liking the dynamic between the MC and her mother and wanting to smack the both of them for being so childish.

I'll definitely read the third one. ( )