This sequel to the Mistletoe Countess was full of humor and romance. I enjoyed getting reacquainted with Frederick and Grace. Their honeymoon trip to Egypt doesn’t turn out exactly the way Frederick plans. Of course there’s a mystery in this completely exotic location. Read the first novel before reading this one to enjoy it more.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Barbour Publishing. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Will they have this time exhausted their number of extra lives…

I sadly missed the first book in this series but one thing is sure now, I definitely want to read it.
Just for more of Grace and Frederick.
But for now, I will have to do with getting to know them here and understand their dynamic.
Frederick is a new married man who dotés on his young spouse. A woman it appears he was not supposed to marry. Still with her landing in his life, his existence has taken a new turn. He loves his bride and her very peculiar persona has altered his own for the best.
Grace is a sort of a sprite who upon her arrival changed for the better her husband’s ordered if not stern life. But she comes with warmings as around her danger, body count and perilous situations seem to abound.

I did not learn a lot about Freddie’s past but he is presented as being now a very different man from his former self, all thanks to Grace’s influence.
Grace is happy with the hand fate has dealt to her, by leaving everything behind she has found a happiness she did not expect and with her supporting husband she leaves free rein to her imagination and love for books and adventures.

This affair is in the end more complex than I expected. Clues, possible culprits and bodies pile up and while parts of the whys and whos were easy to put together, the whole scheme when finally uncovered was quite well thought and built.
So with a Grace who can’t stay idle nor out of problems, a Freddie who stands proud by her side running to the rescue, a valet more of a friend than a servant and a street urchin saved for a dire future, they all make for a dashing team walking straight into danger and willing to do what they must to pinpoint the mastermind behind all the lies, attacks and thieveries.

Can’t wait for their next adventure.
5 stars

𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝗹𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹 kisses

I have been granted an advance copy by the publisher, here is my true and unbiased opinion.

ARC Review
4.5⭐️ Mysteries, mummies and romance filled the pages of this book. Anyone who loves PB books will love book 2 in the adventures of Fredrick and Grace. They’re going to Egypt and Grace can’t wait! It was fun and exciting with a who-dun-it feeling.
I definitely recommend this one.
Thanks Barbour Publishing via NetGalley.

The story being a follow up from a previous book made me a little bit confused about the whle universe at the beginning, but after that, with a fluid and compelling narrative, I got immersed in the story, and of course, I loved it! I' ve always been attracted to almost everything that has to do with ancient Egypt, since I love History subjects , so this book has everything I like to read.

This book is a fun read with just enough mystery to keep you turning the pages. The author brings the story to life with her words and you feel like you are there. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of Historical Christian fiction.
I received a complimentary copy from Barbour Publishing via NetGalley and was not required to write a review. All opinions expressed are my own.

This is book two in a series. I did think it started slow and it took me several chapters to get really interested in the story. There’s almost too many characters to keep up with.
I liked Grace, she’s tough and resourceful. It was an enjoyable story and I look forward to more with these two.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the early copy

*I was gifted a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley for my honest review*

I am so sad to say I am DNFing this one. I had high hopes because I LOVED the 1st book Mistletoe Countess and I love Pepper Basham but this one was not doing it for me.

I struggled to get through about 50% of the book then I started skimming until I learned who "did it" and then called it quits. Mysteries are a hit or miss for me personally. I think the first book had more romance and kept my interest where this one was all mystery and I just couldn't stay focused to it. I have it 3 stars because I believe that true lover's of mystery, like our heroine Grace, would absolutely love this book. But this just wasn't my jam.

Readers will enjoy this delightful romp of a mystery as newlyweds Frederick and Grace embark upon a delayed honeymoon. In this Agatha Christie meets Indiana Jones adventure, our swoony hero and intrepid heroine find more than just pyramids await in Egypt. With mysteries surrounding missing jewelry and hidden tombs, danger strikes close with murder stalking the members of their archeological party.
I absolutely love Grace's ability to see the best in everyone and everything. With a vivid imagination, inspired by her love of fiction,Grace's ability to court catastrophe reminds me a little of Anne Shirley. Yet her big heart wins everyone's devotion. Frederick and his loyal valet, Elliot, are kept busy keeping up with her and her antics. While there are many moments of danger and fast-paced action, I found myself laughing-out-loud several times.
I am so happy that Ms. Basham has chosen a married couple for the focus of this series. So many stories end at the beginning of a marriage, yet that is really the beginning of their story. Don't worry- fans of romance will still find their romantic chemistry delightful. Looking forward to reading more of their adventures.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the author/publisher. I was not required to write a review. All opinions expressed are my own.

1914 England to Egypt. I really enjoyed the storyline on this one, and it was a different way to write the mystery, with plenty of adventure, intrigues, a rich history, and culture. It makes for a witty, hilarious, page-turner, and romantic story.

Newlyweds Lord and Lady Astley have already experienced their fair share of suspense, but when a honeymoon trip takes a detour to the mystical land of Egypt, not even Grace with her fiction-loving mind is prepared for the dangers in store...seekers to a newly discovered tomb with a murderous secret......will Frederick and Grace’s attempts to solve the mystery lead to another death among the sands?

The characters were really engaging and the story certainly kept me entertained and wanting more. Grace and Frederick were kind, and honorable, and supported each other. They are the perfect duo Freddie is the cautious type and Grace is the finding danger type.... They will melt your heart with how much they adore each other. A historical mystery that will have you guessing until the end. All the historical details, artifacts, mummies, and tombs added a layer that make the story stand up even more.

Pepper Basham's writing is always captivating and always delivers, dimensional characters, wonderfully visual settings, rewarding plots, tender moments, perfect pacing, joy, and God's grace. You could read this as a stand-alone but I highly recommend reading The Mistletoe Countess.

"though a lovely figure may win the battle, a generous heart, strength of character, and quick mind win the war"

#NetGalley #TheCairoCurse
Thank you to NetGalley and Barbour Publishing for the eARC. I was not required to provide a positive review. All thoughts and opinions are entirely my own.

Freddie and Grace are set to spend some time in Egypt for a belated honeymoon trip. The adventure begins with Grace running off to save the day in the streets of Cairo. Throw in some mysterious going ons, ancient artifacts, pharaohs, and Grace’s detective skills; it makes for a witty, funny, adventurous and romantic story.

I loved the vivid picture Besham paints of Egypt. The rich history and culture make for a perfect backdrop to Grace and Freddie’s adventures! One of my favorite characters was Elliot, the valet. He was such an interesting character and his trajectory in the book. The story, the characters, the mystery, everything worked so perfectly! I would read Freddie and Grace’s stories forevermore! They quickly became one of my favorite fictional couples!

**Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for a copy of this book. All opinions expressed are own.**

Such a fun story!!
The Cairo Curse picks up 2 months after the ending of The Mistletoe Countess (love that book!) and this story follows Frederick and Grace as they go to Egypt for their honeymoon trip!

This story is a mix of Indiana Jones and Clue and Death on the Nile, all rolled into one fun adventure mystery!

There's theft! And murder! And disappearances! Secrets! Betrayals! And Egyptian tombs! All with a side of sweetness and humor that is Freddy and Grace's relationship🥰
Romance is not the main focus in this one, seeing how Frederick and Grace are already married, but you still feel all the love from them/between them and there's even a second mini romance that blossoms! Yay!

I love Pepper's writing - so lighthearted, yet also thought-provoking! And I love the Christian themes through-out.

Such a fun read! It would be BEST enjoyed if read after Mistletoe Countess, but this story is written in such a way that you could also read this story as a stand-alone.. but I also highly recommend Mistletoe Countess(:

Also Pepper Basham, if you're reading this, I NEED Blake's story!!(:

I was delighted when I realized that the main characters, Frederick and Grace aka Lord and Lady Astley, were characters I had already become acquainted with in an earlier book, The Mistletoe Countess. They were so different from one another and yet so perfect for one another. With Grace’s love for mysteries and adventure, it seemed quite fitting that she should fall into another adventure on her delayed honeymoon which began in Cairo. This book was like Downton Abbey meets Indiana Jones with a side of the board game Clue thrown in and I loved it! The married romance between Grace and Frederick and the suspenseful elements of the story that was set in the ancient culture of Egypt kept me turning pages. There were surprising moments that had me holding my breath, comedic moments where I laughed out loud, and a mystery that kept me guessing until the end. I hope that the author will favor her readers by giving us more adventures with Lord and Lady Astley. Highly recommend! I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and this voluntary review contains my honest opinions.

Fredrick and Grace are headed to Egypt as part of their honeymoon, but even fiction-loving Grace never expects to run into the adventures and mishaps that await them during their visit. Lord and Lady Astley thought they had had enough suspense just after their wedding, but can they find themselves in even more trouble than they ever dreamed?

Once again Pepper Basham had me glued to the pages and turning them as quickly as possible to see what was going to happen next to either Fredrick, Grace or the both of them. Will Fredrick be Grace's hero once again, and will Grace's love of suspense fiction help her to save Fredrick? Filled with humor, suspense, romance, villains, heroes and faith, Basham pens an all around great read that left me crying more, more more!! So I certainly hope she has more books planned for this amazing series.

Favorite Quotes:
"Though a lovely figure may win the battle, a generous heart, strength of character, and quick mind win the war..."

"God is slowly teaching me that I am not be defined by my past, my relations, or my station, but by Him."

"But keeping to the view that my identity in Christ helps place the proper importance in the proper places."

**I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions are mine alone. I was not compensated for this review.

I enjoyed this book, so...

First, let me say, Pepper spoke via Zoom to our local writer's group and she was great! So, I was predisposed to love anything she wrote.

Second, the research behind this book was amazing. I've read only a few books about historical Egypt so the level of detail astonished me. I am, coincidentally, listening to an audio book by G.K. Chesterton (one of CS Lewis' contemporaries) and he wrote about the heretic Pharoah (this is spelled correctly--I double-checked) and the overlap was eerie.

Not only was the research on Egypt wonderful, but the intellectual references to the literature of the time and so on was impressive.

I also enjoyed the whimsical nature of the characters--the hero and heroine were great--and I am definitely going to look up the preceding book.

Now, one thing I didn't particularly care for was the suspense--anyone who has read my reviews will learn that I'm not a big suspense fan, especially when one crime follows and another, several of which seemed senseless. I just don't understand why anyone would be so stupid, even a dastardly villain.

Having said that, I enjoyed the book and will definitely read more by this author. While I received this book free from Celebrate Lit reviews, my opinions are definitely my own--and I purposely sought out this book to review because of Pepper herself.

I wanted to like this book, but in all honesty, I couldn't finish it. Pepper Basham is a great writer. I've read other books by her that I enjoyed. But this one, for me, has too much detail about Egyptian history. Some readers may love it, but it's not for me. I received a free copy from NetGalley and opinions are my own.

To truly appreciate Grace and Frederick Astley, you should read The Mistletoe Countess before reading The Cairo Curse by Pepper Basham.

I love Grace and Frederick so much that I re-read The Mistletoe Countess (I am not a re-reader) before reading this one. I am glad I did because it was fun to pick up where The Mistletoe Countess left off. I was excited to see what their adventures in Cairo, Egypt, would entail.

However, I struggled with a good portion of the story. There were quite a few spots where it was too much description for me, bogging the story down. I also felt the story moved slowly, then all of a sudden, everything happened at once. 

The humor and light moments kept me reading. We get typical Grace moments that I adored (hello camel scene). I also really enjoyed getting to know Elliot more. I hope his story continues in the next book because we did not get a good resolution for him!

While this is not my favorite Basham book, I will always be a fan, and I can't wait to read the third book in the series (I am totally assuming there will be one!).

Thank you to Net Galley and Barbour Publishing for the opportunity to read this book. I was not required to provide a positive review. All thoughts and opinions are entirely my own.

The Cairo Curse by Pepper Basham
Release Date: February 1, 2023 by Barbour Publishing
Genre: Christian, Historical Fiction, Christian Romance

Description: Clue meets Indiana Jones with a fiction-loving twist only Grace Percy can provide.
Newlyweds Lord and Lady Astley have already experienced their fair-share of suspense, but when a honeymoon trip takes a detour to the mystical land of Egypt, not even Grace with her fiction-loving mind is prepared for the dangers in store. From an assortment of untrustworthy adventure-seekers to a newly discovered tomb with a murderous secret, Frederick and Grace must lean on each other to navigate their dangerous surroundings. As the suspects mount in an antiquities’ heist of ancient proportions, will Frederick and Grace’s attempts to solve the mystery lead to another death among the sands? The Cairo’s Curse is a delightful sequel to The Mistletoe Countess by Pepper Basham in the Freddie and Grace Mystery series.

The Cairo Curse is amazingly captivating and delivers a strong five-star rating! I highly recommend this book to everyone! The author, Pepper Basham, uses her remarkable writing skills to transport us to Egypt in such a way that we smell the fragrances, we see what the characters are seeing, and feel what each of the characters are feeling.

What did I love most about The Cairo Curse? The imaginatively strong fictional mind and lifestyle of the main character, Grace, and how her and Frederick’s relationship with God was first in each of their lives. Here are two terrific quotes from Frederick: (1) “It has been a hard lesson, and one I’m still learning, but God is slowly teaching me that I am not to be defined by my past, my relations, or my station, but by Him.” and (2) “… keeping to the view that my identity is in Christ helps place the proper importance in the proper places…”

The Cairo Curse is complete with adventure, mystery, love, romance, tenderness, surprises, redemption, grace, mercy, and love.

The author’s passion for creating stories with vivid settings, dimensional characters, and rewarding plot lines comes through excellently in The Cairo Curse.

I plan to re-read this captivating story to make a list of the mentioned authors, books, and associated characters because this list would make a challenging, yet fun and rewarding, readathon!

The Cairo Curse inspires me to laugh more than I have been, have peace that passes all understanding regardless of my circumstances, continually bubble with joy, and focus on how God sees me -- instead of being consumed with worry, fret, and fear.

I received an eArc of The Cairo Curse from Barbour Publishing through NetGalley.com. I was not required to write a review or paid to do so. The words above are my honest review of this terrific book.

#TheCairoCurse #NetGalley #BarbourPublishing #PepperBasham

Exciting new story featuring Freddie and Grace. This time they are on their way to a delayed honeymoon, with a stopover in Egypt to see Freddie’s cousins. Mysteries abound in between Grace’s excitement about so many new things to see and explore. We meet cousins Georgina and Timothy as well as Sydney, Amelia, Zhara, Mr Smallwood, Mr Andrews and a few others, as well as Elliott traveling with them. When jewelry starts missing and people start coming up injured, Grace and Freddie are in a race to figure the mystery out without anyone else getting hurt. Engaging, page turning story with these two fantastic characters.
A complimentary copy was provided by Barbour Publishing via NetGalley. A review was not required and all thoughts and opinions are my own.

I have never been so excited for a sequel as I was (and honestly still am) for this one! Grace and Frederick are two of my absolute favorite fictional characters ever. I will gladly take as many books in this series as Pepper Basham can write! First off, let's talk about the romance because let me just say that Pepper did a marvelous job of not losing any of the romantic spark even though the marriage took place in the previous book. Grace and Freddie still make my heart melt with how much they adore each other. Next, let's talk humor... all I'm going to say is CAMELS. My face still hurts from laughing. I was delighted with those scenes and cannot thank Pepper enough for putting them in there! (I have the biggest smile on my face even now just thinking about it) And the mystery!! Pepper may claim that writing mysteries is hard, but she certainly makes it seem easy. Just when you're certain you've figured it out, something comes along to convince you you've got it all wrong. The setting... I need to go to Egypt now more than ever because she brought this distant place to life. And honestly, Grace can sell me on anything with her enthusiasm for it. And the history we're provided with! I loved the details - they added a layer to this story that made it stand out even more. I simply cannot stop smiling because of this book and these characters. Do you know the scene in Despicable Me where Agnes yells "It's so fluffy" while shaking a stuffed unicorn ? Yeah, that's pretty much me whenever someone mentions this book. I love it and will make sure everyone knows it!

The Mistletoe Countess is a personal favorite of mine, so it was such a fun treat getting to read another story about Grace and Fredrick.

Pepper D. Basham has such a talent for crafting witty and original stories within the Christian fiction market, and I can wholeheartedly state I've never read anything quite like this lovely tale before. Freddie and Grace continue to be one of my all time favorite literary couples, and I loved getting to witness just how much their relationship has matured and strengthened since the first book.

This was one of those rare reads that truly had something for everyone, and the author has, once again, hit it out of the park. The characters were a hoot, the mystery was well crafted and kept me guessing right through to the end, the plot was genuinely engaging, and the faith element was blended in effortlessly.

Perhaps, however, my favorite part of all was the fact that I continue to love how this author writes characters that love the book world wholeheartedly. Grace's fascination with famous literary characters is pure brilliance, and added a whole other level of humor to an an already hysterically funny story. Rarely have I enjoyed reading about a character more, and I hope that there will be many more Freddie and Grace mysteries to come.

Basically the author took my two favorite characters and threw them right into the middle of a mystery in Egypt swarming around tombs, artifacts and mummies, and I could not possibly have enjoyed this any more than I did.

Final Rating: 5/5.

I have a feeling this one is going to end up near the top of my favorite books of the year, and I can't possibly recommend it enough.

Thanks so much to Barbour for allowing me to advance read and review this one!

I voluntarily read and reviewed a complimentary advance reader copy of this novel from the publisher (Barbour) via NetGalley. I was not required to give a positive review. All thoughts and opinions are my own, and this is my honest review.