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Penny Nichols #3
A Rather Charming Invitation by C.A. Belmond
Her work has been hailed as "a return to the golden age of romantic suspense," and Belmond is back with her beloved characters and their search for a missing bridal tapestry. London, Paris, Antibes. It's time to get down to wedding planning. But while heiress Penny's distant relatives insist that the nuptials be held in their native France, Jeremy's kin won't have it anywhere but England. And either choice might just re-ignite the Hundred Years' War... Then, in a family château high above the perfume fields of Grasse, Penny's French cousin offers her the loan of an ancient bridal tapestry. But Penny has barely begun to crack its perplexing imagery before a series of strange events unfolds, threatening to derail the wedding. From a secret chalet on Lake Geneva, to a nostalgic stop at the opulent Train Bleu, to a winner-take-all gamble in Monte Carlo, Penny and Jeremy are off on another romp...while the clock is ticking down until they say, "I do."
Paperback
First published February 1, 2010
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About the author
C.A. Belmond
8 books133 followersC.A. (Camille Aubray) Belmond is an Edward Albee Foundation Fellowship winner.
A member of the Writers Guild of America, Belmond has written, directed and produced award-winning television drama and documentary, for CBS, PBS, ABC and A&E.
Belmond has taught writing at New York University. She is also a featured blogger for The Huffington Post.
A member of the Writers Guild of America, Belmond has written, directed and produced award-winning television drama and documentary, for CBS, PBS, ABC and A&E.
Belmond has taught writing at New York University. She is also a featured blogger for The Huffington Post.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 125 reviews
August 10, 2025
C.A. Belmond writes another luxe mystery for readers who want a wonderful escape interlude. Seriously, I feel I should read this while reclining on an elegant art deco chaise lounge like you might find on a movie set for Carole Lombard or Myrna Loy. Truly escapist literature that takes you from the London Bloomington-area style salons to the French Riviera aboard an antique roadster or a one-of-a-kind train journey. In fact, I actually read this during one of the dreariest February winter weeks in recent memory and really enjoyed not only the journey that Penny takes from one PLACE to another, but also the journey her fears travel while deciding if marriage is the culmination or the end of romantic love. It made me remember my own sense of concern - not whether my husband (of 35 years now!) might not be right for me, but whether marriage itself was a doomed character.
This is a fun book. Lighthearted, romantic, makes-you-wish-you-could-be-there reading which follows two equally enjoyable novels with the same characters. If you haven't read the first two books yet, READ THEM. And Ms. Belmond, do keep writing! So many novels today are just DREARY, they have no fun, and the characters aren't anyone with whom I'd care to spend my time. I really like Penny's optimistic attitude toward people and I love vicariously experiencing her lovely, curious, and charming adventures.
This is a fun book. Lighthearted, romantic, makes-you-wish-you-could-be-there reading which follows two equally enjoyable novels with the same characters. If you haven't read the first two books yet, READ THEM. And Ms. Belmond, do keep writing! So many novels today are just DREARY, they have no fun, and the characters aren't anyone with whom I'd care to spend my time. I really like Penny's optimistic attitude toward people and I love vicariously experiencing her lovely, curious, and charming adventures.
January 15, 2019
Penny and Jeremy’s wedding is looming ahead, but Penny is having a hard time setting any of the details. Is it cold feet? When a family heirloom disappears amidst all of the preparations, Penny and Jeremy embark on solving another mystery, this one perhaps even closer to home than their earlier cases.
Readers looking for mystery stories will probably be disappointed with these books, which I continue to find charming but difficult to classify. In this particular book, the plot moves at a leisurely pace early on, but picks up momentum in the second half. Once again, I highly recommend the audiobook version, narrated by Katherine Kellgren.
Readers looking for mystery stories will probably be disappointed with these books, which I continue to find charming but difficult to classify. In this particular book, the plot moves at a leisurely pace early on, but picks up momentum in the second half. Once again, I highly recommend the audiobook version, narrated by Katherine Kellgren.
August 8, 2010
This book was just as fun as the first two Penny Nichols books - although it was a little heavy on the girly-romance and light on the mystery/suspense.
This book did not live up to expectations in two ways, however:
1. For the first time, in this book I did not feel like I could relate to Penny. In the other books (when she gains a surprise inheritance) everything is shiny and new and awe inspiring. The townhouse in London, the yacht, the villa on the Rivera. These books were the perfect - if only it could happen to me - kind of books. In this book, that was gone, Penny seemed to be reconciled to her newly rich life, and I just couldn't relate.
2. In addition to not being able to relate to Penny, she annoyed me with her...oh I just have cold feet about marriage throughout the entire book. She had this song and dance going on about married people being unhappy, married people giving her advice, married people this...oh I have cold feet. It just got old - especially considering she had NOTHING to complain about (and loving parents who would have acted as role models). The made me fed up.
Still - an easy read. Great for a lazy weekend without much to do!
This book did not live up to expectations in two ways, however:
1. For the first time, in this book I did not feel like I could relate to Penny. In the other books (when she gains a surprise inheritance) everything is shiny and new and awe inspiring. The townhouse in London, the yacht, the villa on the Rivera. These books were the perfect - if only it could happen to me - kind of books. In this book, that was gone, Penny seemed to be reconciled to her newly rich life, and I just couldn't relate.
2. In addition to not being able to relate to Penny, she annoyed me with her...oh I just have cold feet about marriage throughout the entire book. She had this song and dance going on about married people being unhappy, married people giving her advice, married people this...oh I have cold feet. It just got old - especially considering she had NOTHING to complain about (and loving parents who would have acted as role models). The made me fed up.
Still - an easy read. Great for a lazy weekend without much to do!
February 17, 2018
DNF. Boring. Couldn’t get into it.
June 6, 2020
2020 bk 187. This is another find adventure and Jeremy and Penny find themselves in another mystery. When a family tapestry is stolen from their home (after being loaned to them by Penny's cousins), Rollo joins the crew as they search from the France to England and back again in order to find the tapestry before Penny and Jeremy's wedding. This book gives us insights into the world of Horology, Numismatics, Perfumery, and 17th century Tapestry.
November 28, 2020
4/5. Another solid book in this mystery series. The more I read of them, the more I enjoy them. Fun, light-hearted, and intriguing. Perfect for this time of year.
October 18, 2010
I really enjoyed the first couple books in this series of a young American woman who inherits a villa in France and becomes a heiress of great wealth falling in love with a distant English cousin. This is the book that covers her marriage and has some suspense surrounding a tapestry that is loaned to her for her wedding. It plods a bit and doesn't always hold my attention well, but it is a gentle story that has some quiet appeal. Not the best of the 3 books.
May 8, 2013
They call it a return to the Golden Age of Romantic Suspense. These are wonderful books. I rec. them to my Grandma who is 89 and still loves to (and can, blessedly) read. She can never find books that suite her. She wants romance but not sex. This is a book I could read, my grandma could read, my daughter could read, and we would all enjoy it.
May 29, 2017
This is #3 in the series. As in the first two books I found the dialogue weak in places but I wasn't expecting anything more so it was fine. The books are light and a fun distraction from daily life, a little like a European vacation without the airports or the expense. By the end of this one I was getting bored but I only have one more to go so I'll finish the series.
June 7, 2017
This continues to be one of my very favourite series'. Book 3 and I am enjoying Penny and Jeremy's adventures and shenanigans just as much as the first book.
This series is a combination of several things that work so well together. There is world travel, light romance, mystery, intrigue, scavenger hunts and the family dramas that anyone can relate to. The writing in this series is so good, and the meshing of all these elements so smooth and seamless that they all feel completely natural and appropriate as part of the story.
The feel of all the books in this series thus far is very much of a "golden age" film. I feel like Penny and Jeremy could be Audrey Hepburn or Grace Kelly, and Clark Gable or Cary Grant. Even though the story is contemporary, the "feel" is very much days gone by, with the smoothness and classy style that those old movies always had. It is partially because the books are set in various places in Europe that the old world feel is more easily invoked, but it is also the plot that the author has created, which easily lends itself to the caper movies of that bygone era. Even when things get exciting, everything still somehow feels "polite" rather than aggressive.
The combination of - finally! - Penny's and Jeremy's wedding happening, along with the treasure hunt related to the wedding tapestry offered by Penny's French relatives for their ceremony makes for enough, but not too much, of both the romantic comedy aspect, and the caper/romp aspect. Both get their due, but you never feel like you get to the point where you are wishing for something else to become the focus. The pacing of all the books in this series is just perfect.
I still love the pluckiness of Penny - an American who is suddenly a European-based heiress - as she navigates her wonderful, if slightly overwhelming, new life. Penny is clever and sensible, but also has that "let's jump off the cliff and see what happens" approach to adventures that gets her and Jeremy into all sorts of problematic situations that make for lots of fun for the reader.
I see there is one more book in this series available, and I will absolutely be reading it. There is literally nothing about this series that I don't love.
Format note: I have listened to all the books in this series in audio book format, and the woman who narrates them is excellent. She handles all the various accents - and there are many - perfectly, as well as bringing the character fully to life by voicing all of them in unique and entertaining ways. If you like audio books, this is a great series to listen to.
This series is a combination of several things that work so well together. There is world travel, light romance, mystery, intrigue, scavenger hunts and the family dramas that anyone can relate to. The writing in this series is so good, and the meshing of all these elements so smooth and seamless that they all feel completely natural and appropriate as part of the story.
The feel of all the books in this series thus far is very much of a "golden age" film. I feel like Penny and Jeremy could be Audrey Hepburn or Grace Kelly, and Clark Gable or Cary Grant. Even though the story is contemporary, the "feel" is very much days gone by, with the smoothness and classy style that those old movies always had. It is partially because the books are set in various places in Europe that the old world feel is more easily invoked, but it is also the plot that the author has created, which easily lends itself to the caper movies of that bygone era. Even when things get exciting, everything still somehow feels "polite" rather than aggressive.
The combination of - finally! - Penny's and Jeremy's wedding happening, along with the treasure hunt related to the wedding tapestry offered by Penny's French relatives for their ceremony makes for enough, but not too much, of both the romantic comedy aspect, and the caper/romp aspect. Both get their due, but you never feel like you get to the point where you are wishing for something else to become the focus. The pacing of all the books in this series is just perfect.
I still love the pluckiness of Penny - an American who is suddenly a European-based heiress - as she navigates her wonderful, if slightly overwhelming, new life. Penny is clever and sensible, but also has that "let's jump off the cliff and see what happens" approach to adventures that gets her and Jeremy into all sorts of problematic situations that make for lots of fun for the reader.
I see there is one more book in this series available, and I will absolutely be reading it. There is literally nothing about this series that I don't love.
Format note: I have listened to all the books in this series in audio book format, and the woman who narrates them is excellent. She handles all the various accents - and there are many - perfectly, as well as bringing the character fully to life by voicing all of them in unique and entertaining ways. If you like audio books, this is a great series to listen to.
February 22, 2021
I enjoyed the 3rd book of the series. Penny and Jeremy are planning their wedding. well mostly penny is avoiding planning the wedding. She is invited to go to her great aunt's Chateau in France. Her great aunt's family has a tapestry which ends up being at the root of the mystery. The French side of the family wants penny to get married in their Chateau. The French side of the family has been in the perfume making business for centuries. Meanwhile Jeremy's grandmother is also trying to get jeremy and penny to have the wedding in England. Eventually the tapestry is stolen and penny and Jeremy need to figure out why. They realize the tapestry is a treasure map!! Eventually the wedding plans and solving the mystery of the tapestry are related, they end up planning a lovely wedding at the villa with the tapestry and their families. I know there is a 4th book in the series, I hope it gets on hoopla, or I might have to buy it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 31, 2018
This is my first of the Penny Nichols series... while I clearly didn't read them in order, it was still easy to understand the characters and the history. I did find the first 100 + pages a little boring. I definitely could relate to wedding planning and having everyone (especially family) wanting to put their two cents in on everything... but I found Penny pretty bland the first 100+ pages. Then it jumps into a family heirloom being stolen and the mystery of finding out what happened to it kicks in. I felt it was kind of random, and felt the book was divided into two different stories. While the author tried tying it all together, it was still weird to me. Overall it was an okay book! Possibly could've been a little shorter, but it was a quick read and would be perfect for a day at the beach!
September 26, 2023
Just lovely. Like a mini vacation. So much fun! Yet with plenty of suspense and some real heartfelt moments. The real reason to read these books is the writing. I don’t even know how this book is set in modern times, yet feels as though it’s set in the early 20’s. The settings, the history, the accents, the characters are all so interesting. Wrapped up in some really cool stuff that I didn’t even know I wanted to know, like tapestries and an ancient coins, and yachts, and the origins of Monte Carlo. Even model trains. There’s a train scene that really made me smile. I’m not sure what the author will have to do to get five stars from me. The series as a whole is definitely five stars. Can’t wait to spend more time with Penny and Jeremy.
September 8, 2017
Penny is getting ready to marry Jeremy when she reconnects with her father's French relatives. Her aunt Lenore has a wedding Tapestry that she offers to let Penny and Jeremy be married near.
The Tapestry is stolen and Penny and Jeremy kick into gear to find it.
It is rather long with lots of extra details and life going on beyond the immediate story. It's enjoyable to listen to the narrator on the audio. I probably would have not made it through if I had been reading it in written book form due to the length and how it took a while to get where it was going.
The Tapestry is stolen and Penny and Jeremy kick into gear to find it.
It is rather long with lots of extra details and life going on beyond the immediate story. It's enjoyable to listen to the narrator on the audio. I probably would have not made it through if I had been reading it in written book form due to the length and how it took a while to get where it was going.
April 18, 2020
The third book in this delightful series, it moves in a direction that will surprise none of the readers: the wedding. The first half of this book sees Penny dealing with French and English relations who attempt to mold her wedding into their own vision for the event. Then, at the halfway point in the book, we finally get a major mystery thrust upon us. The resolving of the mystery brings the extended family together, allowing the wedding to finally occur (no surprise there in the closing chapters of this highly enjoyable book.
September 11, 2021
A satisfying book that finally brings our hero and heroine to their wedding vows. I love the details of the clothes, food, travel, furnishings! Probably too much for some people but just the right amount for me, with plenty of mystery and sleuthing too. I love the recurring characters and there were some new ones that I hope continue to appear and some villians that I hope don't.
Light and charming, with an old-fashioned feel, I love this series as a bright, palate-cleansing escape to how Europe seems in my mind. The wedding was amazing!
Light and charming, with an old-fashioned feel, I love this series as a bright, palate-cleansing escape to how Europe seems in my mind. The wedding was amazing!
February 22, 2020
Once again Penny Nichols does not disappoint. A wonderful escape from the business of life. When life is stressful and you just want to relax this book and this serious provides you with a bit of romance and a mystery all in the high society of life.
June 10, 2020
The term “charming” is the word I can think of for A Rather Charming Invitation. The romance continues while romping between London, France, and a quick trip to Lake Geneva...Switzerland...
It’s another easy read and perfect distraction in a world gone crazy. On to book #4!
It’s another easy read and perfect distraction in a world gone crazy. On to book #4!
September 13, 2024
I love these sweet mysteries. Penny Nichols has an eye for historic artifacts and as her wedding approaches she is loaned a bridal tapestry from her French relatives, then it disappears. Penny and Jeremy go on the case and must solve it in time for the big day. Can't wait to read the next one!
March 16, 2018
A fun addition to the Rather Charming series. The mix of mystery, suspense, romance, and history makes for a rather enjoyable story.
April 28, 2018
A nice continuation of the series. New characters introduced as the wedding is planned were good fun.
July 14, 2018
This third installment of the "A Rather" series doesn't disappoint. It continues to unpack international intrigue and family drama with humor and fun.
September 17, 2018
Such a fun series. I think this one is the best yet. Can't wait to get book #4.
November 20, 2018
This as been an overall cute, very light series. This one however started to feel dull. It got better towards the end. The main characters are maybe a little too flawless to be actually interesting.
February 5, 2019
I just really enjoy these books. These characters. The places they go. The things they do. It’s such a perfect escape!
April 7, 2019
This book was slloooooow to start and then I was already committed to I soldiered on. I’ll finish the series however I’m glad I didn’t start with this one.
June 4, 2019
Started sooooo slooow. Decent mystery when she finally got around to it.
August 3, 2019
excellent read this book kept my attention from the very beginning loved it want to read more like it.
November 30, 2019
breezy worth it
Displaying 1 - 30 of 125 reviews