A Peculiar Combination by Ashley Weaver ~ a Review

by Donna Huber

I was excited to see that Ashley Weaver had a new series coming out. That it was set during one of my favorite time periods to read about - WWII - was a bonus. While I enjoy her Amory Ames series, I liked A Peculiar Combination a bit more.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

May 2021; Minotaur Books; 978-1250780485
audio, ebook, print (304 pages); historical cozy

It's not just because it is set during WWII that I enjoyed it more. I loved the characters. I saw similarities to Amory Ames in the main character Electra "Ellie" McDonnell but by the end of the book she was her own character and I definitely wanted to read more about her adventures.

The supporting cast was great, too. When I read an Amory mystery I don't feel there are a lot of supporting characters. There's her husband, of course, but they have an odd relationship. In A Peculiar Combination, there are a number of characters surrounding Ellie. There's her Uncle Mick and Major Ramsay. You can see early on that Weaver is setting up a love triangle with Ellie, the major, and Ellie's long-time friend Felix. At this moment, I'm rooting for both of them.

So we have great characters, but we also get a great plot. I love spy books. Weaver did an awesome job with the plot. You will be guessing to the end who the traitor is. I was totally shocked, It came out nowhere but made perfect sense on the person was revealed. I loved the whole espionage scenario. I read a lot of spy thrillers but this is only my second spy cozy. I loved it. Weaver was able to perfectly balance the tension of a spy story with the lightness of a cozy mystery. 

The cover is quite eye-catching, don't you think? It matches the story so well. It signals right off the bat that this is going to be a bit edgier than a typical cozy mystery, but you can subtly see the elements that are often associated with cozy covers. 

I can't wait until there is another book in this series. 

Buy A Peculiar Combination at Amazon

Donna Huber is an avid reader and natural encourager. She is the founder of Girl Who Reads and the author of how-to marketing book Secrets to a Successful Blog Tour.

Get even more book news in your inbox, sign up today! Girl Who Reads is an Amazon advertising affiliate; a small commission is earned when purchases are made at Amazon using any Amazon links on this site. Thank you for supporting Girl Who Reads.