This book toured with Great Escapes Book Tours.
I was in the hospital on my assigned date.
Today, I am posting the review I should have posted on that day.
Antiques and Adversity in the Azores (A Treasured Journey Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Setting – Azores, Portugal
Publisher : Kanga Press (March 14, 2025)
Number of Pages c. 240
Digital ASIN : B0DRY16XMQ
Beneath a tranquil island’s charm, a deadly mystery emerges from the lake. Can an amateur sleuth uncover the truths hidden within decades of tradition before the past claims another victim?
Troubled antiques expert, Georgina Carey, is reeling from the loss of her husband, her job, and her self-assurance. When she’s offered a commission to value the estate of a deceased Portuguese collector in the Azores—wherever that is—she reluctantly accepts.
A lakeside house nestled in the lush greenery of São Miguel Island seems like the perfect retreat to confront her past and prepare for her future. But her tranquillity is shattered when a body is found floating in the lake, echoing a mysterious death from over 30 years ago.
Despite her best intentions to focus solely on the commission, Georgina finds herself drawn into the secrets of the local town as residents unexpectedly confide in her. As she pieces together their stories, she starts to wonder if the deaths were as accidental as they seemed or if something more unsettling is at play.
Can Georgina stay on task, find an heir to the estate, and uncover the truth behind two mysterious deaths on this beguiling island in the Atlantic?
If you enjoy enchanting locations, small-town mysteries, and an intelligent sleuth grappling with self-doubt as she finds the strength to reshape her future, then you’ll love Victoria Tait’s Antiques and Adversity in the Azores, the captivating first book in The Treasured Journey Mystery series.”
Traditions, secrets, and a deadly mystery. Buy Antiques and Adversity in the Azores today!
Dollycas’s Thoughts
This book is the first in a spin-off series of Victoria Tait’s Dotty Sayers Antique Mysteries.
Following the death of her husband and job, antiques expert Georgina Carey needs to move forward with her life and get her confidence back. An offer to inventory and value a deceased Portuguese collector’s estate in the Azores may be what she needs to start to get her life on track, so she accepts. São Miguel Island is beautiful, and the lake estate where she will be staying feels more like a retreat than work. But before she can enjoy any of it and start the job she was hired to do, a body is found in the lake. Georgina learns there was a similar death over 30 years ago.
While Georgina wants to concentrate on the job she has been hired to do, the man who hired her is pretty laid back and encourages her to enjoy all the festivities happening in the small town of Furnas. Doing this, she meets several locals who are anxious to explain the events and island lore, and even disclose long forgotten secrets and details. Can she put all the clues together and solve two suspicious deaths? Will the information uncover a true heir of the deceased Portuguese collector’s estate?
As a fan of Victoria Tait, I was delighted to see Georgina (George) star in a series of her own. Her life has been ripped apart, and she is at a crossroads. Getting away from the Cotswolds may help her find the clarity she needs. She is a complex character, the author has done an excellent job of developing her, peeling back layers while leaving space for growth as the series continues.
The mysteries within the story are very intriguing. While George is traveling around the island, trying to pull clues together, getting information from key individuals, and keeping her eyes and ears open, readers are taken on a tour around the island and its events and activities. – Yoga in a beautiful garden, parades with narrow streets filled with flowers, trips through the artisan market, and more. Whether working on the estate inventory or other activities, the deaths are always on George’s mind. I truly enjoyed tagging along with her as she found items that solidified her theories.
Antiques and Adversity captivated me in so many ways. A secondary character from another series breaks out in believable ways to come to grips and find herself, a complicated mix of mysteries to solve, all set in a “Calgon take me away” locale that was so clearly envisioned by the author’s prose, grabbed me and held on. It was a perfectly marvelous escape, and I am excited to read the next Treasured Journey Mystery, Mystique and Murder in Morocco, set to be released in October.
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. Thank you to the author for providing me with an ARC.
Your Escape Into A Good Book Travel Agent
About Victoria Tait
Victoria Tait was born and raised in Yorkshire, England, where she developed a lifelong love of tea and British traditions. Inspired by the works of Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, and Murder, She Wrote, she writes cozy mysteries infused with her signature British charm.
Her determined and hard-working female sleuths are joined by colourful but realistic teams of helpers, and her settings are vivid and evocative. With intrigue, surprises, and gentle humour, Victoria’s page-turning stories are the perfect blend of mystery and charm—best enjoyed with a cup of tea and a slice of cake.
Read the FREE prequel to her Dotty Sayers Antique Mystery series at her website.
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Find all of Victoria Tait’s books HERE.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. Receiving a complimentary copy in no way reflected my review of this book. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.” “As an Amazon Associate, I earn a commission from qualifying purchases.” I am also an affiliate of Bookshop.org and I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.”