(Fall Flurries) Lady Osbaldestone's Plum Puddings by Stephanie Laurens - 4.5 stars

[annapi]

I was delighted to find that this eagerly anticipated installment of the series does not disappoint - indeed, it's better than the previous two books! Lady Osbaldestone's five grandchildren all come for what now is their annual pre-Christmas visit to Hartington Manor. This year, I was glad to find that the mystery the children become involved in is not something "missing" in the same sense of the previous two books. A surfeit of plums has led Lady Osbaldestone to conceive the capital idea of gifting plum puddings to all the residents of the village. The villagers insist on contributing the silver pennies that are traditionally baked into the puddings for the diners to find. However, in the collection of donated coins the children find three unusual ones, which turn out to be ancient Roman denarii. The hunt is now on to find the hoard that they must have come from.

The romances that blossom among the characters seem to me to be much more mature and more engaging in this book, especially the bittersweet one of the teenaged Melissa. But the author in the afterword reassures readers that Melissa's story will continue in a book of her own, and I am keenly looking forward to that! As well, there are books planned for the characters of the other children when they become adults. I only hope that this does not mean the end of the Osbaldestone Christmas series, because there should still be a year or two left before the children become too old for this charming series to continue.

My rating is 4.5; I just can't give a full 5 stars to a frivolous romance despite my enjoyment of it so I will round down.

[Theresa]

Oooh you beat me to it! So glad it did not disappoint!