REVIEW
A very big thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this wonderful ARC.
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This genre is one of my favorites and I loved these books. I read all three in one day!
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I loved the storyline, I've never seen ghosts or the supernatural described in this realistic way, this series has the best supernatural world building.
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I really liked Madame Chalamet too, she's such a wonderful woman and you can't just help but like her. I love the chemistry between her and the Duke, it's so cute!
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I also loved the mystery, Suspense and other characters. Although the books are short, they were still very good
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My only problem is that I'd have loved it if there was a year listed and a glossary because I was not familiar with some terms and the places
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All in all, the author did a wonderful job and I'm definitely looking forward to reading the next books in the series, I can't wait for their release! You should also read them now!

I hadn’t had the pleasure of reading the first book in the series – indeed, I wasn’t aware that this was the second book until I opened it. But I decided to plunge in, anyway. And I got away with it, as at no stage was I foundering. I always enjoy reading tales featuring strong-minded, experienced protagonists who know what they’re doing – and Elinor Chalamet is just that. The era is sort of Regency and the setting is very loosely based upon Europe at that time, with the country an approximation of France. I liked the appendix at the back with the cast of characters and details of the world – it’s a growing trend that works well, particularly in shorter books where there often isn’t the length to add all those reminders throughout the story without coming across as repetitious.

There is plenty of humour within the story – in addition to some poignant moments, as befitting a tale where ghosts who cannot cross into the Afterlife are somehow stuck, often due to a trauma or unhealthy emotional tie. Nash’s smooth prose style kept the story barrelling along at a nice clip and the very slow-burn romance (my favourite sort!) simmered gently without impeding the mysteries – there’s more than one enigma to solve in this eventful tale. All in all, this was a thoroughly enjoyable tale, well written and executed in a length that is technically challenging. And best of all – there are five other books to get hold of and enjoy in this entertaining series. Yippee! While I obtained an arc of Delicious Death from the publisher via Netgalley, the opinions I have expressed are unbiased and my own.
9/10

I received a copy of this book for a fair and honest review. I am loving this novella series. The tension between Tristian and Elinor is wonderful. She is off to an event with wonderful and amazing food, but that is all spoiled when someone targets the King. I love steampunk and this takes me to that type of work and they are hard to put down. I am looking forward to the next one. Elinor is an amazing character with her unique set of skills. I am enjoying the relationship between Duke and Elinor.

Delicious Death the second in the Madame Chalamet Ghost Mysteries by Byrd Nash finds Elinor Chalamet at the king’s Winter Revels, a competition of the region’s finest chefs. Of course, Elinor encounters and assists a few ghosts along the way, all while helping Tristan Fontaine, the Duke de Archambeau solve an attempted assassination of the king.

An interesting cast of quirky characters with a feisty, independent protagonist. Many twists and turns in pursuit of the solution. (I reviewed an advance reader copy and all opinions are my own.) A quick read and an enjoyable new concept for a cozy.

This is the second book in the series, and I read the first one and loved it so much, I immediately requested this one. I’m happy to say I enjoyed this one as much as, if not more, than the first one. Elinor and Tristan are yet again on the case to try and catch an attempted murderer, and the chase is so much fun. They are getting closer in this one, but poor Elinor is thrown for a loop at the end of this one with an added character. I’m off to start the third one, that’s how much I love this series. Highly recommend. I was provided a complimentary copy which I voluntarily reviewed.

This second episode in Byrd Nash’s paranormal mystery series was just as much fun as the first. The main character, Madame Elinor Chalamet lives in fictional country with the feel of somewhere in 19th century western Europe. As a trained Ghost Talker, she can talk to the newly dead before their spirit depart, which is very helpful in murder cases, and she can find out what ghosts haunting people and places need to help them move on.

With no recent murders to investigate, Elinor has managed to get herself and her best friend coroner Dr Charlotte LaRue (also currently underemployed), invited to the King’s Winter Revels in the southern town of Vouvant. Every year the King holds a competition for different professions and this year it’s the turn of the country’s top Chefs. Elinor’s favourite Chef will be competing in a number of events which will be voted on by the guests for the top award. The handsome Tristan Fontaine, Duke de Archambeau will be there, as he in charge of the King’s security, as well as the Duke’s mother and sister, Lady Valentina who treats Elinor with disdain.

On the first night of the revels Elinor finds herself a distraught ghost who needs her help to pass on, if only she can convince his widow to let him go. However, she also has a bigger mystery to solve when someone tries to poison the King and finds herself competing with the Duke to discover the culprit.

This is an entertaining, light mystery with Elinor using her wits to solve several puzzles, interspersed with eating several delicious meals. The slow burn romance between Elinor and Tristan is also warming up, despite the best efforts of his sister. They are both excellent characters who clearly enjoy each other’s company and banter. They also worked well together to not only help a wealthy young woman being pursued by a lecherous man trying to force her into marriage, but also discover and catch the poisoner. Can’t wait to see what Elinor (and Tristan) get up to next.

Another really good read from this author. Great characters. Great world building. Interesting plot with a decent amount of action. Slow burn romance with a paranormal setting. I enjoyed this read quite a bit.

Series Info/Source: This is the 2nd book in the Madame Chalamet Ghost Mysteries. I got an eGalley of this book through NetGalley to review. This is planned to be a six book series.

Thoughts: I thoroughly enjoyed this second installment in the Madame Chalamet Ghost Mysteries. There's a lot of humor in here and the mystery itself is well done. The main characters are very entertaining as well.

This book again follows Elinor but this time she is attending a special Chef's competition at an elite estate. There she gets drawn into another ghost mystery as well as a plot on the king's life.

Although the setting feels a lot like Victorian London, this takes place in a fantasy world. The world isn't that well fleshed out since this is a more character driven story. All of the characters in here are highly entertaining and I love the witty banter between them. This time Elinor is traveling with Dr. Charlotte (who runs the morgue) and Charlotte was incredibly fun to spend time with. Of course, Tristan (the Duke de Archambeau) makes a number of appearances as well.

This is just a flat-out guilty pleasure read for me. I loved the plot and mystery, the ghost talking elements are intriguing, and the characters are loads of fun. I can't wait to read future books in this series.

My Summary (4/5): Overall I have really been enjoying this series. It is a humorous historical paranormal fantasy series with a tough heroine who is whip smart and very blunt. There is a good mystery here and very entertaining characters and banter. I look forward to future installments in this series and am happy that I picked up the first two books in this series for review!

How do I describe this novel? Delicious was the only word that came to mind. The author mixed together a worrisome game of Clue with the Victorian equivalent of Iron Chef US and both aspects of this story were delicious. The slowly developing romance between Madame Chalamet and her duke only made it more so.

I received an ARC from the author and I am voluntarily leaving a review.

4.5 stars for "Delicious Death"!!!^_^

First of all, I want to thank Netgalley and Rook and Castle Press for the opportunity to read "Delicious Death" by Byrd Nash!
This novella was such a joy to read! Still cannot believe what Byrd Nash is capable of doing in 150ish pages! 0_0

We continue to accompany Madame Chalamet as she's invited to the Winter Revels as a gift for her contribution for the nation of Sarnesse and king Guenard's. So..as you have guessed, her holiday (which involves one of her favorite past-times...eating extravagant dishes) is cut short by another mystery! ^^ This time, things get more complicated, as a lot of other revellers have motif and means for the crime! >..>

CW: mention of suicide;

In my opinion, this book was near perfect: it got character development with our MC and our love interest, Duke de Archambeau; we have some underlying unrest in the duke's family and also in regards to the state affairs....>..>..interesting; we have peculiar and funny moments (Claude Frossart was great- or as great as a ghost can be stuck on Earth! I loved to see a gay relationship represented after it was consumed! I don't remember to have ever seen a book discussing queer couples after the breakup, and this short novella did it! ^^) ; we have 3 ghost stories going on in the same time..if you count the carry-on from the last novella...Claude, Minette and our newest case...>..>

As usual, I love when authors discuss women positions in society and rules applied to them when they set their stories in the past...here we have several types of women...academic/researchers like Madame Chalamet friend and colleague, Mrs. Charlotte LaRue; we have Lady Tulip Langenberg - distantly related to the king, we have Duchess Chambaux and her daughter Valentina, AND Mrs. Marson -a genteel widow. Madame Chalamet concludes this diverse representation of women and their constrains imposed by their place in the world.
Regarding men...the duke was greatly portrayed for a male character(Nash deliberately creates more complex female characters to impose her point across)..we have more sentiment and cold logic on the page than in the first novella..and that gives us more insight in his personality and way of thinking! Gerhard Pedersen- Madame Chalamet favorite chef, competes in this Winter Revel's cooking battle and I find it interesting that we have both an explenation why Elinor stays at the Royal Hotel AND a funny case of haunting due to Claude's presence :))))
The last two men I found interesting...were Mr. Marson - the son of Mrs.Marson...he was very much a desperate person...loved that!:))...and Count Christoffer Westergaard...very peculiar, stuck-up and in love with history...>..>.

After all these mentioning I did that is meaningless for you if you haven't read the first instalment, my thoughts: great character building, great alternation between funny and sober moments; good mystery; great discussion regarding women's role in the society; nice romantic development of the main relationship ^_^; juicy family drama at every corner and a cooking competition!

0.5 stars were taken away due to a little conveniently placed things in one scene for Madame Chalamet.

I highly recommend you pick up this novella series if you haven't done it yet!! (come here if you love Cozy Mystery, slow-burn romance with lots of funny moments and a historical setting!)
I cannot wait to see what implications this novella has for the rest!

Enjoy

With this second book in the "Madame Chalamet" mystery series, our bright, empathetic and plucky protagonist is off to Vouvant for the annual "by invitation only" king's Winter Revels. This year features a competition among the country's finest chefs and Elinor, accompanied by her coroner friend Dr. Charlotte LaRue, is pulling for her favorite, Chef Gerhard Perdersen. Elinor has the Duke de Archambeau to thank for the king's kindness and sure enough, he's there in Vouvant too, looking as handsome as ever. The competition is off to a great start until someone make an attempt on the king's life. There's a number of possible suspects. The Duke is on the case and engages Elinor's assistance in the matter. Can they identify and catch the perpetrator before someone really gets hurt, including themselves? Only time will tell.

This was a delightful addition to this series. Elinor's empathetic and kind handling of the spirits in transition along with those left behind on the earthly plane is charming and endearing. The dialogue is terrific, humorous and engaging. The world building is imaginative and cinematic in scope. The budding romance is chaste and a slow burn. All in all, this was a thoroughly enjoyable read.

I am grateful to author, Byrd Nash and her publisher, Rook and Castle Press for having provided a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. Their generosity, however, has not influenced this review - the words of which are mine alone.

This book was interesting for one thing, especially the screaming ghost part, but I wasn't a fan of its silly meandering. I liked the budding attraction between the Duke and Chalamet. They worked well together as an investigating team. With mild intrigue and excitement, it makes a good afternoon tea read.

I picked up the first of this series on a whim and fell in love immediately. I was excited to dive back into this world. Elinor is still doing her spirit work and trying to keep the Duke off her mind. That all changes when he finagles her an invite to the chef compeition at a luxurious estate. Elinor loves her food, and her favorite chef is competing (while dodging a ghost love triangle). There is a mystery afoot when someone tries to poison the King. Can Elinor solve the case or will the Duke beat her to it.?

Delicious Death
By Byrd Nash

I loved book one so much and I was so glad to get book two! Elinor is a Ghost Talker and trained to be so. This is in an alternate 1800s sometime. Her best friend is a Doctor and a woman. Incredibly as that is, she also wears trousers! Scandalous! Elinor doesn't care what her friend wears. They are dear friends. They are both stared at funny because Elinor is often recognized as a Ghost Talker.

The Duke gets Elinor an invitation to the King's Winter feast where chefs compete. Someone tries to kill the King. The Duke and Elinor try to find out who the guilty party is before they succeed. Great mystery, characters, world building, fun dialogue, and ghost stories!

There's a sweet, innocent, and forbidden love starting to brew between Elinor and the Duke. Elinor is below the Duke's station and the Duke's sister reminds him often.

I love these stories with ghosts, mysteries, sweet romance, daring women of their times, and great characters!
I want to thank the publisher and NetGalley for letting me read this terrific book!

Another excellent entry in the Madame Chalemet Ghost Mysteries novella series by Byrd Nash.

In this second installment of what is fast becoming one of my favorite series, Madame Chalamet and Dr. Charlotte LaRue brave the country for a houseparty and cooking competition at a nearby villa. Also attending is the dashing Duke de Archambeau.

I love historical fantasy mysteries with a touch of romance, and this series hits all the buttons. Taking place in a fantasy England-analogue, the books occur in the equivalent of Sherlock Holmes' time.

Madame Chalemet is an amazing character. She a medium who can see and communicate with ghosts. She supports herself through this profession in comfortable luxury and uses her observations and talents to help people and solve crime.

This story was enhanced by the inclusion of Dr. Charlotte, the city coroner, as Madame's companion. I loved Charlotte in the first book and spending more time with her in this one was a boon. She makes an excellent side-kick providing both medical and sartorial expertise as well as comic relief.

The one person who was left out of this adventure was Madame's maid and assistant, Anne-Marie. I hope to learn more about her in the next novella.

Recommended to lovers of historical cozy mysteries and ghosts.

Thanks to NetGalley and Rook and Castle Press for access to a copy of this ebook for review.

This is the second book in a series, and one in which it would be a good idea to read the first one first, rather than starting with this volume. There are quite a few references to events in the previous book; as well, a lot of the scene-setting/world-building was established there, and taken for granted here. There are quite a few things to enjoy here: more than one mystery, a cooking competition, the continuing interactions between Elinor and Archambeau, the interactions between Dr. Larue and her students.

Right at the end, we get a new character introduced to the mix, which I expect will be important in the third volume, _Spirit Guide_, due out in February 2023.

My thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of this book; I look forward to the next one in the series!

I received the first two novellas in Byrd Nash´ new series through Netgalley, and was ever so excited to read them. I believe this series will consist of six books, and all of them are released very close to each other (like every 2-3 months) so that is just perfect. These stories are historical mysteries but with a fantasy twist to them. We follow Elinor who is in her late twenties and single (though I can't imagine she will be much longer). Elinor is a ghost talker... the name says it all, she can talk to ghosts. So now and then she is asked to help out the police to find out about the final memories of found bodies. But she also has her regular clients who come to her for seances. I am very impressed by these novellas, because even though they are only 140-150 pages long, they have everything you could want. It is set in a fantasy world that is similar to our 19th century (but there were dragons...). We get a look at the politics, we get to travel, we learn a bit about the ghost talker society. All in all, some interesting and easy to grasp world building. The mysteries are intriguing, especially in the second book, and we also leave some space for minor adventures (like the gay chef who is still hunted by his lover during a cooking competition for the king). Elinor is a great character! She is cheeky, blunt, determined and very capable. She is the daughter of a jeweller and is trying to find out who murdered him (which I guess we will find out by book 6?). Because of her job she has to mingle with the aristo's, and their cruelty and ignorance is on full display. It also means though that she works closely together with the duke... and that is one romance I do not mind. It is very much a slow burn, which is the only way you will ever convince me to not be annoyed and roll my eyes at a romance. Overall, these were cosy and fun fantasy/mysteries in a series I will most definitely continue.

Another great hit! I really enjoyed reading the second instalment to the Ghost Talker series.

Elinor was still as fierce and quick witted as I remembered and I loved reading about her in a new environment. I especially enjoyed her friendship with Doctor LaRue, as their banter was a source of entertainment.

Another great mystery with ghostly undertones, I couldn’t put this book down!

Here is what I posted on Goodreads :)

** I’m not a native speaker 😊 **
Thanks to #Netgalley for offering me the chance to read a free copy of this book.

Madame Chalamet is a famous ghost talker. She uses her strange abilities not only to help stuck souls but also to solve mysteries. In DD, we follow her to the countryside, where she'll take part in the King's Winter Revels.

The author offers a delightful world - a Victorian society with ghosts (kudos for the LGBT openness) - with many enjoyable details.

Unfortunately, it doesn't look like the author put as much effort into the story itself. The way the main investigation and the secondary plots were solved felt rushed, which is a real pity, as I enjoyed the way they were carefully set.

I would also have loved to read more about the main characters' history and motivations since I didn't have the opportunity to read the first book of Madame Chalamet Ghost Mysteries. DD left me wanting more information.

Delicious Death by Byrd Nash
Madame Chalamet 2

Stepping back into the kingdom of Sarnesse that has a historical fantasy Gaslamp world that isn’t really REAL in time but oh so very real when reading this story set there. The story picks up a couple months after the first book in the series ended and continues with Madame Chalamet seeing ghosts and helping both ghosts and humans to move on when she can. It was a delight to see her interacting with the Duke de Archambeau while hoping that their slow burn romance might become more as they worked together to solve another mystery.

This series has hooked me with its characters, intrigue, ghosts, and world building. This story gave peace to ghosts and humans, dealt with a plot to kill the king, furthered a potential romance or two, saved a woman from a brute, included a cooking competition, increased information about dr. charlotte LaRue, coroner and Chalamet’s friend, and was a joy to read.

Thank you to the author and NetGalley for the ARC – this is my honest review.

5 Stars