Kourier and Ives Series by Sandra Sookoo

Things are not always what they seem—in life, love, and murder. Ennui has taken over Major Felix Kourier’s life. Retired from military service as well as Bow Street, which left him with an injury to his leg that required a prosthetic, he is missing the excitement and thrills he used to know... moreThings are not always what they seem—in life, love, and murder. Ennui has taken over Major Felix Kourier’s life. Retired from military service as well as Bow Street, which left him with an injury to his leg that required a prosthetic, he is missing the excitement and thrills he used to know. When his sister badgers him into attending a summer house party with her, he hopes it’s exactly what he needs to stave off boredom with the caveat that he won’t be matched; he doesn’t need a woman complicating his life. The Honorable Caroline Ives isn’t excited that her parents are throwing a house party to celebrate the Come Out of her youngest sister into society. Because she was never a popular choice within the beau monde, Caro has taken on pursuits that fuel her soul and feed her odd brand of quirkiness—namely poking her nose into places she doesn’t belong. As that sunny disposition and snooping brings her face-to-face with a grouchy major while he’s bathing, can she help if she gawks at his handsome form? When May Day festivities at Cartwell Manor are interrupted by a suspicious death, the party is thrown into confusion. Felix takes up the investigation, and unfortunately the curious but pretty woman who’d spied on him is the best candidate to assist. Sparks, tempers, and insults fly from the outset, but when danger threatens, who is he to deny passion to break the tension? And if they can manage to elude the killer before they are silenced, they might just have a chance to pursue something neither of them thought they wanted. less

Is it a bad omen when a dead body makes an appearance ahead of a nuptial ceremony? On the June morning of Major Felix Kourier’s nuptial ceremony, he’s walking the shore in Brighton to calm his nerves. After getting engaged at Christmastide the year earlier, he is finally taking the lovely, quirky Caroline to wife, yet when a corpse washes ashore not ten feet from him, he can’t help but wonder if fate is trying to intervene, for the body had clearly been stabbed... moreIs it a bad omen when a dead body makes an appearance ahead of a nuptial ceremony? On the June morning of Major Felix Kourier’s nuptial ceremony, he’s walking the shore in Brighton to calm his nerves. After getting engaged at Christmastide the year earlier, he is finally taking the lovely, quirky Caroline to wife, yet when a corpse washes ashore not ten feet from him, he can’t help but wonder if fate is trying to intervene, for the body had clearly been stabbed. And what was more, it was one of the guests. Dressed in her wedding finery, as the Honorable Caroline Ives stands at the window of the cottage her parents rented, she catches sight of her handsome, grouchy groom coming back with an expression on his face that meant something wasn’t right. The second she reaches the major’s side, and he speaks of murder, she’s wracked with dread. She has a feeling her impending nuptials might be in jeopardy, especially since the dead man was a previous suitor. This could go horribly wrong. Despite being tasked to investigate the peer’s murder as well as his connection to Caro, Felix insists the ceremony go ahead. She agrees, and though the wedding is sandwiched between detecting and doubt, it’s fraught with anxiety. But as danger creeps into the celebrations and shocking secrets become exposed that rock the newly wedded pair’s promises, the investigative couple must put personal feelings aside to solve the case before anyone else falls into peril, for murder—and the past—has no place in newlywed life. Hopefully. less