Garters and Gargoyles: Vampire Knitting Club, Book 10

GARTERS AND GARGOYLES is a standalone read in a cozy mystery series. A cozy mystery is a murder mystery that is not the thing of nightmares. There is humor, maybe a little light flirting and fun. In this case, Lucy, the owner of the knitting shop in Oxford has volunteered to help William at a big dinner party. You will remember that William is Rafe's butler. He has a passion for cooking so he has opened a catering business. On this night they will be serving a group of very wealthy young men. Hopefully one day they will run England. At the present time they are a bit full of mischief and have destroyed a couple of restaurants in town so now no one will book their reservations. Their dinner will be served in the private home of a very wealthy, respected man of government.William has stopped by the shop to go over all the details with Lucy. The bell on the door rings signaling a new customer. When Lucy looks up it is to see her worst nightmare. We all had a Pamela from high school. Pamela was a perfectly put together, beautiful, vicious young woman. One of the mean girls. At one time they were sort of friends. But then Pamela decided she wanted Lucy's boyfriend. He wasn't anything special but they were friends so Pamela took him. That ended both friendships. Of course, the next week Pamela moved on to the next taking. She recognizes William and goes on and on about how much she loves William's work, etc. Thinking she is a close friend of Lucy's from America he invites her to serve at the big, secret dinner party. Lucy is horrified and Pamela is all over it.Pamela had married quite well, divorced when looking for bigger prey, and was in Oxford studying for her higher degree in the art world. She had been in town for a while but was acting like she just arrived. The night of the party they all show up at the shop and wait for William to give them a ride. At the house they get a mini tour and end up in the kitchen and start to work. Everyone seems to be doing their job except for Pamela. Pamela made a beeline for the study where a few men were having drinks. Pamela being Pamela starts to flirt with the gentlemen and make herself one of the party. Lucy is on top of it all. Instead of helping the servers she seems to be casing the house, which houses several very famous works of art. Something is not right.Things are progressing as dinner parties usually do. The young men are getting louder and louder and demanding more wine. It isn't long before they are out of control. Lucy continues to work wondering where Pamela is and what she is up to. And then she hears a scream. They all go running only to discover Pamela in the billiards room, very dead and laid out on the table in a rather weird pose. And then it all hits the fan.This is one of the best messes Lucy finds herself in. Of course she would be a server at a dinner party that served up a murder as the main course. The police arrive and are not really surprised to find Lucy right in the middle of things. Now Lucy feels like she has got to solve the murder so that it gets her name out of things. This could ruin William's new business so she must work fast. She calls on her vampire friends living in the nest in the tunnels below her shop. They all get to work. Of course our friend Rafe is right in the middle of things. And of all people he invited his house guest to be at the dinner is well. It is Lochlan Balfour from Scotland and the Vampire Book Club series. He is a member of this elite group. Fun to have him show up.In this story we are reminded that Rafe and Lucy's gran traveled to Scotland to see Lochlan about opening a knit store in his town so that Lucy's gran can open a knit shop and get her out of Oxford where so many people know her. As a gift for Lucy she buys her a beautiful silver bracelet with the Claddagh on the front. It is two hands with a heart and represents love, loyalty and friendship. Lucy was thrilled with the bracelet. You may remember that the author gave this bracelet as the prize in a contest. I WON that bracelet, now it has a part in one of the books! I loved it as much as Lucy did.This is a fun story and you won't see the ending coming. This is a fun mystery and another adventure for Lucy. Rafe had a small role but he seems to be getting very serious about Lucy and she is troubled as to what she wants to do with that information. Lucy is also playing matchmaker for William. She really likes William and wants to see him with his own love. Could it be her cousin? That match could solve a lot of issues that Lucy is working through as she searches for the perfect girl for William. A great, fun series and I definitely recommend this book as well as all the others. Very entertaining.I was not paid for this review. I am not a writer nor do I know one. I am not kin to this author. I am a reader and this is my opinion, nothing more, nothing less. 6/10/2020

Lucy Swift's life is chugging along pretty well now. She's settled into life as an Oxford shopkeeper, she's making friends, she still gets to see her beloved grandma if she needs advice or a shoulder to cry on....even if Grandma is a vampire. And she has the weekly Vampitre Knitting Club to enjoy with her other vampire friends, too. Not to mention, she's starting to get the hang of her witch powers. If only her Knitting didn't still suck! Oh, well, except for that one little glitch, life is pretty darn good......until the day. SHE blows into Lucy's shop. She is Pamela, a girl Lucy had gone to school with, and hadn't seen in well over a decade, and would hff have been perfectly content never seeing again. Social climbing Pam has one agenda- get into Lucy's good Grace's so she can be invited along to help host a party for a wild group of college boys belonging to a secret society called the Gargoyles.(think the British version of Yale's Skull and Bones) Lucy is none too keen on having her old frenemy back in her life, but when her caterer pal William eagerly takes Pam up on her offer, what can Lucy do?The party starts off well enough, though William's soon discovers Lucy's right- Pam is terrible in the waitress department! - but things take a sudden turn for disaster when later that night, a dead body is discovered downstairs in the billiard room. Who did the dastardly deed? Will Lucy be next? Not if Rafe can help it! Guess starring Lucien Balfour from the Vampire Book Club! Another great read from Nancy Warren!

Lucy Swift is having a normal day at Cardinal Woolsey's Yarn Shop, her inheritance in Oxford. Originally from Boston, Mass., her past breezes in with Pamela, her high school frenemy. Although Pamela betrayed Lucy back then, she gushes about being best friends catching up. When William, caterer extrodinaire & Lucy's friend, pops in to ask her help waitressing at Lord Hugo Percival Brown's dinner for the exclusive Gargoyle Club, Pamela wangles a job too. Lucy's bad feeling about this is spot on when Pamela disappears only to be found dead in the billiards room.WhoWhen the rich & titled are suspects in a murder, who holds them to account? One of the best of the Vampire Knitting Club novels, there's a surprise at the end. Read the whole series to get the best enjoyment

This is the tenth book in The Vampire Knitting Club. Seems that Rafe belongs to the Gargoyles, a club for up and coming rich boys from rich families. The up and coming power of London so to speak. The only thing is they have been kicked out of every restaurant in Oxford, and ban from having parties at Oxford. So what do they do? They have a party at one of the parent's homes. Throw in Willian catering and needing a waitress, and low and behold one of Lucy's old friends shows up. The one that stole her boyfriend in high school, married up, left her husband, and came to England for an art degree. Who mysteriously showed up in time to get hired as a waitress. And the mystery is on.Love the back and forth of Lucy and Rafe, a must-read if you are a fan of the Vampire Knitting Club. Can't wait for fo the next book, which I will start today.

We've all read series that we loved...until after several books, it begins to go flat. That's definitely NOT the case here. Gargoyles and Garters is book 10 in the Vampire Knitting Club series and it's just plain wonderful. From the moment Lucy's old frenemy walked into her knitting shop to the final surprise ending, I was captivated. Great story, great writing. A five star book for sure, and thank you Ms. Warren. Keep them coming!

I truly love this series, A Bitch ex friend from the past turns up in Lucy’s knitting shop. She just happens to turn up as William a friend asks her to help wait on a function he is doing and the bitch gets include in the job offer. Add a set of supper spoilt rich uni students mix well and you will get a dead body. Add Rafe Lucy’s boyfriend and the rest of the Vampire knitting club to the mix. Don’t forget DCI Ian Chisholm, a bit of witchcraft and before you know it the murderer is left spilling his guilt for all to see.This series just gets better and better like a good bottle of wine.

Well another good book kept me reading to the end love the stories and how they pan out have already received next one book 11. How many more. Do we know

Knitting and vampires really what more could a woman want on yes a cosy death mystery on our hands. I just love these books

I love this series and this one is definitely one of my favourites! I love Nancy’s style of writing, the regular characters are so likeable. I really feel like I want to join in their knitting club! Can’t wait for the next one!

Easy addictive light reading