A Rather Charming Invitation - third in a series of "Rather" mysteries

I did not even realize it had been nearly eight months since I read the previous book in this series, so it was definitely time to delve back into the world of Penny Nichols and her ever-so-charming fiance, Jeremy Laidley. I absolutely love these characters - not just because the title character shares the name of a vintage sleuth written by Mildred Wirt Benson (under the pseudonym Joan Clark), but also because Penny and Jeremy truly come alive on the page.  Their banter, their reactions, their choices - they are all filled with every normal human trait that we experience in real life - humor, fear, tenderness, anger, love, and pretty much every other emotion.  Author C.A. Belmont truly draws you into their lives and adventures, making each of these books a true page-turner that you literally cannot put down until you finish!

 

A Rather Charming Invitation takes readers on a wild ride leading up to Penny and Jeremy's wedding day.  (Which is rather amusing, since the most recent Posie Parker mystery I read also involved the main couple facing adventure and mystery leading up to their wedding day!)  It all starts with the surprise visit from a French cousin that Penny never knew she had.  It seems there is a whole side to her father's family of whom she had been unaware - until now.  With the arrival of Honorine, Penny's world widens all that much larger, as she comes to meet her very prim and proper aunt Leonora, her somewhat more relaxed uncle Phillipe, and her all-business cousin, David.  Much to her dismay, she quickly learns that her aunt expects her to have her wedding to Jeremy at their chateau - and Leonora even "allows" Penny to use a rather elaborate bridal tapestry for the backdrop of her wedding.  But who said she even wanted it?  Well, the more Penny studies the antique tapestry, the more she realizes there is more to it than anyone realizes.  The intricate designs, the exquisite details, and the beautiful images all form a rather unique message ... and more than that, they hide a map to a long-lost dowry that could change all of their lives!

 

Belmond takes Penny and Jeremy all over Europe in this adventure, as they travel from London to Mougins to Antibes to Paris to Grasse to Lake Geneva to Monte Carlo - so many cities, so many clues to follow up on, so much adventure, so much danger - so much fun!  Despite the trouble between the families (Jeremy's English relatives want the wedding in London their way, Penny's French relatives want the wedding in France their way, and Jeremy thinks they should just elope and avoid it all!), Penny and Jeremy manage to keep up the usual banter that will make the reader smile.  And while the mystery surrounding the tapestry and all the danger that comes with it once the tapestry is stolen and Penny learns the true message it holds, Belmond never lets the readers forget that Penny and Jeremy have a wedding to plan.  The question is - will they ever actually find time to sit down and plan it?  For that matter, does Penny even really want a wedding?

 

I enjoyed the fact that Belmond did not make it obvious from the get-go just what was so important about the tapestry.  It was obvious there was going to be some sort of secret it held, particularly once it is stolen.  For Penny's relatives, it is the historical significance and its potential high value if it were to be sold that made them so determined to get it back.  For Penny, it was simply her natural curiosity about the man who wove the tapestry and the history surrounding its creation.  But for someone, the tapestry held the clue that could lead them to a long-lost treasure that could be worth more than anything else in the world.

 

It is fun to see some of the previously introduced supporting cast make their appearances - even cousin Rollo seems to have turned over a new leaf - well, a little bit, at least.  Penny's parents are always a hoot, and Jeremy's mother and her beau (a clockmaker named Guy) are quirky in their own ways.  Even Penny's former co-workers, Erik and Tim, put in an appearance to help with the wedding plans.  But it is the introduction of Penny's French relatives and Jeremy's stern and controlling grandmother who really take center-stage in this book, and they help Penny grow as a character as she must find ways to not only satisfy both sides of the family, but to also stand up to them and not allow them to take control of a day that is meant to be hers and Jeremy's.  I think every reader will be thrilled with the final wedding adventure - oh, and believe me, it is an adventure!  It's the kind of wedding that middle-class people like us could only dream about, but the multi-million dollar American heiress who is living in London can afford to get married in style, and boy, does she!

 

The one new character that really packs a punch in this story is Parker Drake - an obscenely wealthy collector who is so crazy rich that his parties are the ones anyone who is anyone are dying to get invited to - and only so few are chosen!  Well, as fate would have it, Penny and Jeremy just have to get into one of his parties to follow up on a clue regarding the missing tapestry.  Needless to say, they manage to worm their way into some tickets, and they sneak onto the Drake property and manage to connive their way into a yacht party for some deadly snooping and tricks that nearly cost them their lives!

 

At more than 400 pages, this mystery is quite lengthy; yet, it is so engaging from the very first page, that it won't take long for you to work your way through it (I finished it in two days, I just could not put it down!).  The only sad thing about the book is the fact that this is the next to the last book in the series.  Book four concludes the adventures of Penny Nichols and Jeremy Laidley, and I do not look forward to seeing their sleuthing tales come to an end!

 

RATING:  10 gold Lunaire coins out of 10 for keeping the romance, mystery, adventure, suspense, and danger all so equally balanced as to make for superb reading!