The Dukes Undoing (G G Vandagriff)

Meet the Duke of Ruisdell, the unlikely hero of this traditional Regency Romance, after the manner of Georgette Heyer and Candice Hern.The duke has just returned wounded from the Napoleonic wars. He is weary, cynical, and very bored. Known as the worst rake in England, he finds he has no interest in upholding that distinction, when his friend, the Marquis of Somerset, proposes a bet: “Five thousand guineas says that seducing Miss Elise Edwards will cure your ennui.” Because his friend has just lost a packet to him, he agrees that the bet be posted in White’s famous Betting Book.The following day, while walking in Green Park, he spies a mysterious young woman, veiled, and obviously grieving. A disembodied voice, sounding strangely like that of his late adjutant, informs him, “The jig is up. That is the girl you are going to marry!” He scoffs, but is nevertheless intrigued by something about the slight figure. He even sketches her and asks if he can be of assistance to her. She declines his offer kindly.At the opera that evening, he is captivated by a beauty across the Opera Hall. He hears the same voice, saying the same thing. The marquis informs him that the woman in question is Miss Elise Edwards. When he meets her, he recognizes her voice as that of the woman in the park. Now she is surrounded by a surfeit of ex-fiance’s, one of them dangerously unbalanced. Ruisdell discovers an actual bond between them which renders him honor bound to protect her.Thus begins a train of unstoppable events–dangerous, humorous, devilish, and amorous–that carry his life along at such a pace that the duke soon knows not whether he is on his head or his heels. And then there is that bet . . .Enjoy this delicious romance that will carry you back to the Regency period in English history, where manners were dictated by strict rules of fashion. It is the Jane Austen era, populated by gentlemen and ladies of leisure. These books are best enjoyed with a box of chocolates, and are guaranteed to enliven any boredom (ennui) that you may be experiencing!

I was way excited to see that GG Vandagriff came out with another book.  She is one of my favorite authors.  This book was very different from her other books, but I still enjoyed it.  It is a very short book of only about 180 pages, so it is a good book if you only have a day or so to read.

Foggy with a Chance of Murder (GG Vandagriff)

What should have been a peaceful walk on the beach turns tragic when best-selling suspense author Chloe Greene fails to save a ten-year-old boy from drowning along the California coast. For Chloe, the boy's death is simply more evidence that God does not exist - that anyone or anything can be taken by random chance, just as her own father was taken five years earlier.Rob Stevens, the boy's grieving father and a recent widower, isn't sure he believes in God anymore, either, but when he becomes the target in a chain of violent attacks that are anything but random, he is forced to examine what he believes and what he has to live for.As the pair search for answers, Chloe is introduced to a new religion that offers her the first hope and peace she has felt in years. That peace is threatened, however, when Chloe's old boyfriend, Luke, reenters her life and stirs up old memories and old desires.Chloe finds herself at a crossroads of the heart as well as of the soul, but her chance for a new beginning could be destroyed when a dense fog provides the perfect cover for an unknown assailant and one final attack.

Pieces of Paris (G. G. Vandagriff)

Is it possible to forget who you once were?Annalisse and Dennis seem to be living the American dream until Annalisse's secret past threatens to destroy their family.This skillfully crafted novel from Whitney Award winner G. G. Vandagriff explores the long-term effects of personal tragedy in haunting flashbacks of Annalisse's former life--flashbacks that are interwoven with a passionate romance to reveal a person entirely different from the woman Dennis thought he had married.But as Annalisse struggles with long-buried memories, Dennis's investigation of a toxic waste incident ignites the wrath of a former political ally and an industrial firm that will go to any lengths to cover up a shocking crime.Can Annalisse reconcile her turbulent past with her present life before it's too late? And can Dennis find a way to save his family and the town they've called home?

I had a hard time will all of the flashbacks, trying to keep the present information seperated from the past. It had a great story, but it wasn't one of my favorite Vandagriff books.

The Hidden Branch (GG Vandagriff)

Paul Mardian is a shining example of the American dream. The grandson of an Armenian immigrant who fled to the United States during the genocide of 1915, Paul is a self- made industrial tycoon and one of the most eligible bachelors in the country. But the dream is shattered when Paul turns up dead and his valuable collection of ancient Armenian artificats goes missing. Hired to find the murdered man’s heirs, professional genealogist Alexandra Campbell and her sidekick, Briggie, are brought to the swanky beaches of Southern California and a community of Armenian relatives who all seem to be hiding a secret. When another family member is suddenly murdered, Alex discovers there is more at stake than an unclaimed fortune or missing antiques, but piecing together Paul’s complicated family tree may be more dangerous than she ever anticipated. Author G. G. Vandagriff combines mystery, suspense, and romance in this page- turning thriller!

This is book 5 of this mystery series. I am trully enjoying the adventures that Alex and Briggie have been taking us on. Curious to see if the author adds any more adventures to this series.

The Last Waltz (G G Vandagriff)

The heroine of The Last Waltz, Amalia Faulhaber, comes onstage as an innocent socialite with a strong personality in the nervous splendor of the last days of the Hapsburg Empire. It is the "Golden Age" of music, art, fashion, cuisine, and drama.
Amidst the sparkle and neuroses of Vienna, Amalia has been educated in the fine art of flirtation by her aristocratic grandmother and in matters of conscience by her socialist uncle. She shapes and is shaped by her relationships with the men in her life—a Prussian soldier, a Polish doctor, and an Austrian baron--always remaining faithful to her own growing ideals. The story of Austria's descent into fascism is counterbalanced by the developing love that she feels for her husband with whom she has a "marriage of convenience." As flawed characters are transformed, the theme of the piece emerges as the redemptive power of love.
The book is a virtual journey into the events before, during, and after World War I. An understanding of this period is critical for us to comprehend why democracy failed in Germany and Austria. This understanding lays the foundation for a true perspective of present domestic politics and international relations with the Western and Eastern European Countries.

This book is divided into multiple sections. I hard a really hard time staying focused in the first section, but it was necessary to build you up for the rest of the story and to give you an understanding of who each of the characters are. I enjoyed the book by the end.

Of Deadly Descent (G G Vandagriff)

Alex and Briggie go to France and then to Oxford, on the track of cousins Alex discovered in Cankered Roots who will possibly disinherit her. They scarcely arrive in Oxford before one of her cousins is killed. Was it murder? Did it have anything to do with their search? If so, who even knew they were coming? While trying to answer these questions, they uncover among her relatives a number of secrets someone would kill for. In the midst of her sleuthing, Alex attracts the attention of Charles Lamb, an impossibly handsome bachelor who is used to having women fall at his feet.

The Arthurian Omen (G G Vandagriff)

When a Celtic scholar finds a clue to a priceless fifth-century manuscript that will prove the real identity of King Arthur, she is brutally murdered. Determined to find the manuscript and avenge her sister's death, Maren Southcott begins a quest that puts her own life in danger. Overt and covert seekers weave in and out of the tale as she travels through the castles and monasteries of ancient Wales, seeking the document that could rival the The Book of Kells. Who are all these people? Which one is her psychopathic stalker plotting death and revolution? Which one wants her dead? Did the Celtic professor with the extraordinary eyes kill her sister? Can she risk death and find the manuscript before MI5, Scotland Yard, and impassioned Celtic scholars?

I don't know if it was just because I wasn't in the mood for this book or not, but I had a really hard time staying focused on it. The characters go by multiple names, so trying to keep them all straight was really starting to bother me.

Cankered Roots (G G Vandagriff)

Because I am a genealogy enthusiast, my mysteries naturally feature genealogy sleuths—Alexandra Campbell and Brighamina Poulson. Alex reunites with her parents for the first time in eighteen years, and the result is murder! In order to solve it, she and Briggie have to uncover the secrets in her own family tree, discovering in the process why she was sent away to Paris at age eighteen. A recent convert to the LDS church, she is still grieving over the death of her husband, but is powerfully attracted to Daniel Grinnell, a psychotherapist who knows just a little too much about her for comfort.

Tangled Roots (G G Vandagriff)

Accompany Alex on her attempt to unravel a family tree that proves to have more branches than she bargained for, not to mention a murderer, a misappropriated fortune, and a family secret someone is willing to kill for! As she grapples with this unwieldy job, she is also trying to learn to get to know her mother, whom tragedy separated from her as a teenager. A recent convert to the Church, she is still trying to trust God and discover the true essence of forgiveness. On top of all these issues, she also has serious conflicts in matters of the heart. Should she marry the charming Englishman Charles, who courts her so exquisitely, or the down-to-earth Daniel who knows her better than anyone?

Poisoned Pedigree (G G Vandagriff)

Once again, the author has managed to weave geneology tightly with the skeletons in the closet to create a murder mystery that will draw the reader into its plot. ...Poisoned Pedigree is as pleasant a way to spend a couple of hours as a murder mystery can be."-- Jaymie Reynolds, AML Review
Kerry McNee, a famous singer and songwriter, has enlisted the help of professional genealogist Alexandra Campbell and her sidekick, Briggie, to explore the star's pedigree. At the age of 37, Kerry wants to marry and have a family, but she is terrified by childhood memories that include whispers of a family curse and "bad blood." The investigation leads to a remote town in the Ozarks and a strange woman known as the Keeper, who seems to know secrets that no one else will share. But when the Keeper is suddenly murdered, Alex and Briggie are left to piece together the mystery from a 200-year-old scrapbook — a collection of writings that also includes cryptic references to the lynching of a Mormon missionary in the 1800s. Author G. G. Vandagriff combines mystery, suspense, and romance in this page-turning thriller!

I absolutely loved this book. I am a big family history junkie, so the genealogist work in this story was fun to follow. I was unable to put the book down once I started reading, because the murder mystery kept you in suspense. I need to get the other books from this series. I wish I would have known it was a series, so that I could have read them in order. It doesn't really matter because each book is a different genealogical case so it can be its own story also.