BOOK REVIEW: Pride Comes Before a Fall by Virginia Heath

I received this book for free from Netgalley. That did not influence this review.

 Pride Comes Before a Fall by Virginia Heath is the third book in the Miss Prentice’s Protegées series. In these novels, deserving young women are taught how to behave in society so that they can make more or less decent wages as ladies’ maids, chaperones, or governesses to aristocrats. Portia Kendall is one of these women. However, although she makes use of the skills she has learned, Portia has always been infuriated by injustice and has become a determined reformer. She dislikes aristocrats as a matter of course.

 It is now 1821, and Portia has moved to Bath to take on the role of assistant editor for a reformist newspaper, Equitas. It’s a position that excites her, as she has a way with words and a devastating pen, and she can’t wait to do her part for the cause. Unfortunately, when she arrives at the newspaper office, which is discreetly hidden away from the authorities, she learns that it is an unpaid position. In order to support herself, she must take another job working for the enemy.

Leo, the duke of Debden, is a handsome, 30-year-old duke with two exasperating sisters who seem determined to run headlong into scandal. He has brought them to Bath where he thinks he can better control them, but soon finds he needs help. When Miss Kendall applies for the position of chaperone, he is impressed enough to hire her. (Unfortunately, he is one of the authorities the reformers are hiding from.)

Portia is certain that the duke of Debden is just another entitled, overbearing aristocrat. His overprotectiveness with his sisters and quick temper convince her she is right. But she soon discovers he’s politically liberal, and they are on the same side of most issues. Moreover, they are intensely attracted to one another. Can two people from such wildly different backgrounds make a relationship work?

Pride Comes Before a Fall is an enjoyable romance that also delves into class differences in the mid-1800s and the struggle for equality. The protagonists are a likeable pair who deserve their happily-ever-after.

BOOK REVIEW: Lord of Scoundrels by Loretta Chase

I was curious about steam levels in historical romances from the past. (Not way in the past, but recent past, like the 1990s. I can’t believe that was 30+ years ago!) I was reading romance back then, but not as often, and whatever the steam levels were did not stick in my mind.

So I read Lord of Scoundrels by Loretta Chase, published in 1995, and based on this limited sample, I think steamy then is essentially the same as steamy now. Tropes, too, are familiar. This novel has an emotionally wounded MMC (Dain) who was shunned by his father and abandoned by his mother as a child. As an adult, he has made tons of money, but has lost himself in debauchery, convinced he is unworthy of love. His friends are all blackguards, and aristocratic society views him as the devil himself. The FMC (Jessica) is smart and determined, and refuses to be taken advantage of. But their desire for each other is instant and overpowering, and after a public indiscretion, they end up in a forced marriage. The storyline follows their road from lust to love.

There is wonderful emotional depth to the protagonists. Jessica, in particular, is a calm, pragmatic, take-charge kind of lady (even when she is shooting Dain.) Her responses to his cutting remarks are admirable, and her self-confidence make her the perfect foil for a man who lashes out to protect his own heart.

Loretta Chase is a USA Today Bestselling Author, and it’s easy to see why.

BOOK REVIEW: Isabella’s Rake by June Calvin

I received this book for free from Netgalley. That did not influence this review.

Isabella’s Rake by June Calvin is a closed-door Regency Romance adventure that will have you rooting for the strong-willed heroine and the infatuated rake.

Isabella is the granddaughter of a duchess who is determined to see her married well. Meaning to a respectable peer. But Isabella is a talented artist who wants to be mentored by someone who can teach her to do more than ladylike watercolors. She wants to paint bold landscapes. She enlists a new friend to help her dress as a boy to present herself to a famous London painter who takes students. That artist sees through her disguise and refuses to help, but another of his students, Harrison Curzon, a gentleman of the ton, is present at the encounter and agrees to take on the challenge. He understands her passion for painting despite the censure of high society because he suffers from society’s strictures as well. A gentleman might paint for entertainment, but not seriously, and definitely not to sell his artwork. Isabella comes up with a scheme so that they can meet in secret, but there is another problem: Curzon is a notorious rake. To be caught with him would be ruinous, even if painting is their most scandalous activity–and it might not be.

This delightfully entertaining novel was originally released in 1997, but has been updated for re-release on July 21. If you’re looking for a story with passion but no steam, have a look at Isabella’s Rake.

BOOK REVIEW: Lady Ferocity by Kate Archer

Lady Ferocity by Kate Archer is the first in a 7-book closed-door Regency Romance series, featuring the seven daughters of the Duke of Pelham, an eccentric nobleman living in the Yorkshire Dales. He has a poor reputation among his peers, who see him as something of a madman, which may be why he hasn’t gone to London in a long while. However, his eldest daughter is of an age to marry, and his sister, Lady Marchfield, has dragged the whole family to the city for Felicity’s season. Felicity is a naive, lovely young lady who does her best to be good-natured but is known, in her family, for having a quick temper. At her first social event, she is smitten by the handsome Earl of Rustmont and she decides he must woo her.

Mr. Percy Stratton is the only son of a newly-created viscount. His father wants him to marry  well to protect their new status. Percy, at 24 years old, sees no reason to marry any time soon. He hatches a scheme to court a lady who will soundly reject him. Hearing rumors that Pelham is “unhinged” and the daughters may be also, he resolves to make a pretense of courting Felicity. (His father will be appalled, given that the viscount cannot stand the duke.)  Seeing that she is taken with Rustmont, Percy offers to help her make the earl jealous by following her around like a lovesick swain.

Of course, readers know how the fake courtship trope turns out. But in this madcap rom-com, the journey is more than half the fun. There is a lovely supportive cast of sisters, who will each get their own stories. And there is a subplot involving their housekeeper, Mrs. Right, who rules the Pelham roost through farcical schemes of her own. There is also an encounter with a tiger!

This is a fun book, and I hope to read more in the series!

BOOK REVIEW: Corpse in the Canal by Mary Lancaster

 I received this book for free from Netgalley. That did not influence this review.

I’m an avid follower of Mary Lancaster’s historical mystery series, Silver and Grey. The latest release, Corpse in the Canal, continues the storyline of Constance Silver and Sebastian Grey, now a happily married couple, who investigate crimes in Regency England. Each story delves into different, evolving aspects of their relationship, and also brings in the love stories of some of the more peripheral characters. The emotional deep dives pull the plots along as much as the mystery.

In this novel, Silver and Grey are asked to look into the disappearance of the adult son of a wealthy gentleman from Buckinghamshire. The young man has not been gone long, but his father believes he is being lured into a relationship with a widow of whom the father (and mother) do not approve. The detecting duo are inclined to believe this is the son’s own business, but there is a suspicion of foul play and some urgency, so they agree to look into it. 

What they discover is that the young man is an awful person, with many enemies. He has left London to return home, so Silver and Grey also go to Buckinghamshire. There they find the young man has been murdered. Now, there is a true mystery to solve.

This series does not disappoint! I do recommend starting with book 1. The mysteries stand alone, but the relationship development is best understood by reading the novels in order.

BOOK REVIEW: The Dove and the Rogue by Harper St. George

 I received this book for free from Netgalley. That did not influence this review.

The Dove and the Rogue is the third book in Harper St. George’s The Doves of New York series, but it can also be read as a standalone.

The Dove sisters are three American heiresses who, by the terms of their father’s will, can only receive their inheritances if they marry into Britain’s aristocracy. Although the requirement is inconvenient, Jenny Dove, the middle sister, is less interested in the inheritance than in making her own way as an opera singer. However, her younger sister has fallen in love with a commoner and needs the money. Jenny feels if she fulfils the requirement, she can convince their guardian to release their inheritances.

Jenny has just the aristocrat in mind. Lord David, who is heir to a dukedom, is the worst rake in the ton. He has been flirting with her outrageously ever since she and her sisters arrived. So she offers him a deal. If he marries her, she’ll grant him one night in her bed. Then she’ll go off to Paris to star in a new opera, and he can continue living his life as he always has. In a short period of time, they’ll divorce, so that he will be free to marry someone more suitable for a future duke.

Lord David, who has grown obsessed with Jenny, agrees. But one passionate night together is not enough. Is it just lust they feel for one another, or something more?

This is an extra-steamy Victorian romance with the marriage of convenience and reformed rake tropes that should appeal to romance readers who like their stories hot. 

BOOK REVIEW: To Capture a Rebel's Heart by Madelyn Grey

I received this book for free from Netgalley. That did not influence this review.

To be released on April 23! To Capture a Rebel’s Heart by Madelyn Grey is the first book in a new historical romance series, Heart’s Rebellion.

This novel caught my attention because it is set not in Georgian, Regency, or Victorian England but in Revolutionary War-era New York. The war, with its neighbor-against-neighbor strife and family divisions, makes for an adventure-filled background to the romance and for a nice change of pace for historical romance fans.

Benjamin Hoskins is a young patriot eager to avenge the death of his older brother who was hanged as a rebel and traitor by the British forces. When he learns his brother had been a spy, Benjamin is willing to step into his shoes, even though spying is considered a dishonorable business. His task is to infiltrate the home of a wealthy Tory family, pretend to be a loyalist, and ferret out as much information as he can.

Clara Boyd is the beautiful redheaded middle daughter in that Tory family. Clara has always been the black sheep, and has a reputation for having loose morals, a reputation she plays up in her desperate attempts for attention. Her elder sister is the family favorite, but she is away in Philadelphia where she has met the man she wants to marry, Philip Ashby. When a handsome stranger appears at the Boyds’ home, Clara and her younger sister assume he is Ashby, coming to request their sister’s hand.

Benjamin had a different alias in mind when he came to call on the Boyds, but being mistaken for Ashby works just as well. He is invited to stay with them and gets down to business. The only problem is Miss Clara Boyd, who seems determined to scandalize him with her boldness and frank allusions to sex. His attraction to her makes it difficult to pretend to be her sister’s fiancé. And her guilty attraction to him causes her to run hot and cold.

Clara is a loyalist, and Benjamin a rebel spy. Being on opposite sides of the struggle, they cannot truly confide in or to trust one another. And yet, the attraction between them makes it impossible to keep apart. As he gathers and passes along secret information, the war heats up around them and sparks fly between them. But things really take off when Clara finds out that Benjamin is not who he claims to be. Furious, she agrees to help the British side. And then, Benjamin is captured...

This steamy romance will delight readers of historical romance looking for something a little different.

BOOK REVIEW: The Riddle of the Roses by Mary Lancaster

I received this book for free from Netgalley. That did not influence this review.

The eighth book in Mary Lancaster’s historical mystery/romance series is now available. The Riddle of the Roses continues the adventures of Constance Silver and Solomon Grey, a Victorian era private investigating team.

In this book, Constance and Solomon are asked to investigate the death of Caterina di Ripoli, a young opera singer. The request is made by Sebastian Kellar, who readers have met in a previous book, a diplomat with a shady background and shadier connection to Constance. He was an old family friend of the singer and he has a strong feeling the death was not natural. He blames the husband, who stands to inherit all her fortune.

However, the singer has a long history of heart disease, and there is no indication that the death was anything but a complication of that disease. Part of the mystery is why Kellar thinks there may have been foul play. The husband’s grief is convincingly sincere and deep.

Constance and Solomon resist taking the case, which appears to have no merit. But the presence of a bouquet of roses in the dead woman’s room, that seem to have appeared out of nowhere on the night of her death, draws them in. As they dig deeper, rather than having no viable suspects, they find too many, one of whom is Kellar.

The Riddle of the Roses is another gripping mystery that kept me guessing until the end. At the same time, it continues to explore the relationship between the (now married) investigating duet. There are also some intriguing love stories developing within the supporting cast.

BOOK REVIEW: A Shop Girl’s Guide to Wooing a Lord by Shana Galen

I received this book for free from Netgalley. That did not influence this review.

Shana Galen has a new series coming out: The Heiress Hunters. Book 1 is A Shop Girl’s Guide to Wooing a Lord.

The heiress hunters are the sons of the Earl of Glenister. When they learn of the family’s impending bankruptcy, and of their parents’ reluctant decision to marry off their fifteen-year-old sister to a significantly older wealthy lord to salvage their estates, the sons decide that one of them will have to marry an heiress instead. Being brothers, they turn it into a competition. Garrett Kildare, the second son, is determined to be the one to save the family. The only problem is, the heiresses he has been introduced to leave him cold.

Tamsin Archer is an impoverished commoner who lives with her twice-widowed mother in a tavern where their labor is exploited by the owner and where Tamsin is beaten by the owner’s wife. If this situation isn’t hopeless enough, Tamsin has two younger step-siblings who were sold to a man named Snoozer who runs a company of chimney sweeps. Tamsin has to turn over the little money she earns in order that they might be fed. She’s trying to save up to buy them back, but the price is forever out of reach. And so, she begins stealing. At an aristocrat’s party, she is caught mid-robbery by Garrett.

Tamsin knows what a kind person he is, because she met him once, years before. He bought violets from her when she was a desperate flower girl. She is even more desperate now. She manages to run off, but Garrett is determined to find her. When he does, and learns her story, he wants to help. 

Unfortunately, Garrett is also sticking to his plan to marry an heiress. He falls for Tamsin, but he can’t marry her. She’s a commoner and she’s poor. Tamsin in turn has been in love with Garrett since her flower girl days, but she also knows the class difference is insurmountable.

Or is it?

This steamy Regency Romance is a fun read that introduces spirited protagonists to root for as well as a host of brothers who will no doubt continue the hunt for heiresses. (And a sister who’ll get her own story, I hope!)

BOOK REVIEW: Remember That Day by Mary Balogh

I received this book for free from Netgalley. That did not influence this review.

I love Mary Balogh’s historical romances. Her newest release, Remember That Day, brings together the Wares and the Westcotts, families whose courtships are featured in the Ravenswood Series and the Westcott Series. I’ve enjoyed both series and was happy to see them all meet. However, this latest novel is not one of my favorites. 

The premise is wonderful. Nicholas Ware, the second son in the Ware family, has been a soldier since he turned 18. Now in his thirties, with the Napoleonic Wars ended, he is in the Horse Guard. Although traumatized in his youth by the discovery of his father’s infidelity, and thus suspicious of love, he is ready to settle down and start a family. He is close with his commander’s daughter, Grace Haviland, and has decided to propose to her. She’s beautiful and essentially perfect, but she doesn’t stir his heart.

Winifred Cunningham is the adopted daughter of Camille Westcott and Joel Cunningham. She is unattractive. She was abandoned as a baby at an orphanage and has no idea who her parents might have been. Although much of her youth was spent insecure and desperate to be loved, she has matured to be a woman comfortable in her own skin, despite her lack of good looks and the fact that everyone who sets eyes upon her must think or comment upon this lack, often more than once. She, too, has given up on love. However, she is good friends with Owen Ware, who has similar ideas about helping troubled youths, and she has begun to hope he might fall in love with her and propose. Owen is Nicholas’ younger brother.

Nicholas and Winifred meet in London. And then they spend time together at a house party of sorts, where the two families come together, as well as the Havilands. It is more or less expected by all attendees that by the end of the visit, Nicholas will be engaged to Grace and Winifred will be engaged to Owen.

The slow-burn love story is sweet and engaging. The characters are all generous, kind, and understanding. The emotion and interiority is all signature Balogh style. However, too much of the novel is taken up with reminding the reader who all the players are. While it is good to have some of the reminders, the detailed pedigrees and backstories slow the pace and intrude too much on the story. They also make some of the dialogues feel unrealistic. Moreover, readers don’t really need to have every character remind us that Winifred is unattractive. Very few pages go by without someone reminding us of that fact. Even when Nicholas asks Winifred’s adoptive father for her hand, the father finds it hard to believe someone as good-looking as Nicholas could have fallen for his ugly daughter, and essentially says that out loud. I appreciate that Winifred has inner beauty and everyone can see it, but I still get the sense that they all think outer beauty is more important. 

Nevertheless, I still admire Mary Balogh’s romances and will certainly read the next.

BOOK REVIEW: Death on the Doorstep by Mary Lancaster

I received this book for free from Netgalley. That did not influence this review.

I read one more book in 2025. Just released, Death on the Doorstep is the next book in Mary Lancaster’s Silver and Grey historical mystery series. I love this series. The books can all be read as standalones, but the development of the various relationships works best in order.

In this book, Constance Silver (now Mrs. Grey) and Solomon Grey have just returned from their honeymoon. They are ready to get back to work. Solomon is a wealthy shipping magnate. Constance runs a high-class brothel and charitable training school for women who were on the streets but who want to learn more respectable trades. And together, Constance and Solomon run an investigative agency.

Constance has come to check on her “establishment” and finds that there are two dead bodies on the back steps. One is a well-respected gentleman and the other is a consumptive vagrant. From the way the bodies are posed, it looks as though they might have been killed elsewhere and deposited on her stoop.

How did they die? What is the connection between the two, if anything? Or is this part of a ploy to drive Constance and her business out of the neighborhood?

The mystery unfolds at a quick pace as the couple starts from no motive and no suspects to too many suspects and a variety of potential motives. With their signature style and grace, Constance and Solomon solve another mystery while falling ever more deeply in love.

BOOK REVIEW: Death at Villa de Lacey by Aviva Orr

I received this book for free from Netgalley. That did not influence this review.

Death at Villa De Lacey by Aviva Orr is the first book in a new Regency mystery series with a budding romance between the sleuths.

Bridget De Lacey has just lost her father in the worst way possible. He took his own life because of insurmountable gambling debts, including the loss of the house in the Lake District where Bridget lives with her aunt. Now they can do nothing but wait until the home is claimed by the man who beat him at cards.

Nate Squires, younger brother of Edward, the Earl of Westerly, has been living a dissolute life, largely to spite his controlling brother. When he refuses to marry the lady of Edward’s choice, his brother threatens to cut off his allowance and strip him of his London home. The only alternative Edward offers is for Nate to leave London to reside in the Lake District villa that he (Edward) won gambling. Resentfully, Nate goes. It isn’t until he arrives at Villa De Lacey that he learns the house is occupied. He isn’t heartless enough to cast out two grieving women, but what is he to do with them?

Bridget suggests a plan. They should renovate the large home into an upscale inn. (Wordsworth’s travel guide to the Lake District has made it a popular spot for tourists.) She will act as hostess to earn her keep.

Unfortunately, the first guests include a few of Nate’s disreputable friends, a couple of nasty, controlling older women, and the young lady Edward wanted Nate to wed. Another guest is an actress/courtesan who is definitely not the type of upscale patron they want at their inn. When it seems things could not be worse, one of the guests is found dead. Was it an accident? Or murder?

As Bridget and Nate join forces to investigate, danger closes in around them.

This is a fine addition to the Regency Mystery genre with a slowly developing romance. It’s a quick read with likable protagonists and an unexpected villain. A wonderful set-up for the series.

BOOK REVIEW: The Sailor without a Sweetheart by Katherine Grant

Katherine Grant’s The Sailor without a Sweetheart is an angsty, steamy, second-chance Regency Romance set within the context of Britain’s (half-hearted?) attempts to end the slave trade.

Nate Preston is a captain in the Royal Navy whose remit is to capture foreign ships transporting enslaved people and free them. However, he is back on land, waiting for a court martial trial for being too vigorous in the pursuit of such ships.

Amy Lampugh is a twenty-eight year old gentlewoman seen by one and all as a spinster, destined to serve as nanny/governess to her younger sister’s children. She suffers from a goiter (enlarged thyroid and symptoms of hyperthyroidism) that has left her feeling older than her age and afraid she looks older too. 

Six years earlier, Nate and Amy (pre-illness) were in love. When Amy’s father refused permission for them to marry, they decided to elope. But on the night that they’d planned to run away together, Amy didn’t show up, breaking Nate’s heart. Knowing Nate would be away at sea for months at a time, she realized she had no resources to fall back on if her father disowned her, which he certainly would.

Now, Amy and Nate find themselves thrown together at her sister’s house, an estate near Portsmouth. Nate and his uncle are in Portsmouth to await Nate’s trial. This unexpected reunion forces them to confront the fact that they still have strong feelings for one another. But with so much heartbreak in their past, with Amy’s chronic illness, and with Nate’s career hanging in the balance, can they find their way back to one another?

This is the fifth book in The Prestons series, following The Charmer without a Cause. This is a delightful series with historical depth!

BOOK REVIEW: The Heart of Bennet Hollow by Joanne Bischof DeWitt

I received this book for free from Netgalley. That did not influence this review.

I thought the premise of this Christian historical romance was interesting, so I was pleased to have the chance to read and review it. The Heart of Bennet Hollow by Joanne Bischof DeWitt is a turn of the 20th century re-imagining of Pride and Prejudice, set in a small coal town in Appalachia. 

Lizzy Bennet is the second daughter of a mining geologist turned farmer. Her town’s economy is dependent on the local coal mine, and its owner is retiring and preparing to sell the mine. One of the bidders is William Blake, a wealthy investor who owns two mines already. He is determined to evaluate the value of the mine pragmatically, but when he meets Lizzy, he needs a new (though still financially justifiable) plan.

It’s a lovely story that echoes the original but takes period-appropriate detours. The conflicts are somewhat muted, which leads to a gentler tale. (For example, Mr. Blake is reserved, but not as prideful or obnoxious as Darcy. The George Wickham character, here called West, is unscrupulous and a liar, but his lies are not as complex and damaging as those of Wickham. And Mrs. Bennet is interested in marrying off her daughters, but is not as flighty as Austen’s Mrs. Bennet.)

It’s a sweet, closed-door read that does a lovely job of placing Austenesque characters in a unique setting.

 

BOOK REVIEW: The Marriage Method by Mimi Matthews

I received this book for free from Netgalley. That did not influence this review.

The Marriage Method by Mimi Matthews is the second book in the Victorian romance/mystery series, The Crinoline Academy Novels. (Book 1 was Rules for Ruin.)

Nell Trewlove is a teacher at Miss Corvu’s Benevolent Academy for the Betterment of Young Ladies, a school for orphans and castaways, where she was once a student. The Academy gives girls an education to prepare them for lives as governesses or other respectable positions. It also prepares them for life outside the school by teaching them self defense.

The school’s secret is that it also teaches girls of exceptional ability to be crusaders for justice for women. Nell, with her remarkable intelligence and stunning good looks, was intended to be one of Miss Corvu’s prize pupils, but a childhood accident has left her with a limp and chronic pain. Which is why Nell is most comfortable within the confines of the school.

However, Miss Corvu sends her on a mission to London, to be interviewed by a pesky journalist, Miles Quincey–the editor of a London newspaper--who has taken an all-too-particular interest in the school. Nell discovers him to be young, very handsome, and intense. Unfortunately, during their short interview, Nell becomes entangled with the stray cat Miles has taken in. And as they are disentangling her, they are interrupted by one of Miles’ employees and a clergyman acquainted with Nell. What they see is quite compromising. Setting the stage for a quick, necessary wedding to salvage both of their reputations.

Nell had another reason for going to London. A girl from the workhouse had been offered a place at Miss Corvu’s, but had disappeared at the London train station while en route. Fearing she had been abducted and likely taken to a brothel to be forced into prostitution, Nell is determined to find and rescue her. Miles also has a dilemma to solve. One of his journalists has gone missing, and is presumed to be in danger. Is it possible the two mysteries are related?

This is another wonderful book by Mimi Matthews. Although attracted to one another from the start, the romance is a slow burn. The mystery, and its attendant dangers, are what propel the plot. The book can stand alone, but I recommend starting from book 1. And I’m looking forward to book 3!

BOOK REVIEW: And Then There Was the One by Martha Waters

I received this book for free from Netgalley. That did not influence this review.

I enjoy a good historical mystery with a romantic subplot. And Then There Was the One by Martha Waters caught my eye, so I was pleased with the chance to review it.

Set in 1930s England, it plays with the genre, both embracing it and spoofing it.

The heroine is Georgiana Radcliffe, daughter of a country gentleman. Georgiana is resigned to spinsterhood, believing that her widowed father and younger sister can’t function without her. In fact, she’s convinced she’s indispensable to her whole tiny Cotswold village, Buncombe-upon-Woolly. This impression was reinforced over the past year when four murders were committed in the otherwise quaint village. Georgiana inadvertently solved the crimes before the constables, thanks to her superior knowledge of poisons. (She is an avid gardener.) 

However, four murders is too many. Now, the town is overrun with Murder Tourists. And when the town’s council chairman dies suddenly, Georgiana is determined to investigate, even though the cause of death was ruled a heart attack. This time, she doesn’t want to go it alone. With the approval of her best friend, Arthur, the town’s very responsible journalist, she invites a renowned investigator from London to help solve the murder (if, in fact, one occurred.) The detective declines, but sends his assistant (actually, his secretary) to help them, Sebastian Fletcher-Ford.

Sebastian is the most handsome man ever seen in the village. He unabashedly uses his good looks and charm to ingratiate himself with the villagers and Murder Tourists. Georgiana refuses to be charmed. She thinks he is annoying and none too bright.

And yet, as their investigation proceeds, she finds there is more to the man than a handsome face, glowing skin, and athletic physique.

This is a smart romp with an interesting mystery at its core, a delightful romance, and a fun supporting cast.

BOOK REVIEW: While You Were Spying by Shana Galen

While You Were Spying by Shana Galen is a steamy Regency Romance, the first book in the Regency Spies series.

Miss Francesca Dashing is the unconventionally beautiful daughter of a viscount, whose first engagement ended in disaster and left her emotionally scarred. Convinced that she is not worthy of love, she has determined never to marry. Back home on her father’s Hampshire estate, she tends to wounded animals, watches over her stunning younger sister, and puts up with her loving but silly mother. This all changes when Ethan Caxton, the Marquess of Winterbourne, mysteriously appears.

Winterbourne is an alpha hero who also has a traumatic love affair in his past. He is convinced all women are untrustworthy. But he hasn’t time for love anyway, since he is trying to flush out a ring of smugglers involved with France.

The attraction between the two is instantaneous, though they both deny it. However, when Francesca is attacked, and Winterbourne suspects the attack might be related to the smuggling, he assigns himself the task of keeping her safe.

Of course, one thing leads to another.

For fans of high-steam romance with a touch of mystery!

BOOK REVIEW: Vengeance in Venice by Mary Lancaster

I received this book for free from Netgalley. That did not influence this review.

Vengeance in Venice by Mary Lancaster is the 6th book in the Silver and Grey mystery series. Throughout the series so far, Constance Silver, a beautiful brothel owner and Solomon Grey, a handsome, very wealthy businessman, have fallen in love while solving murders, have married, and are now on their honeymoon in Venice.

They are charmed by the magic of the city, but unfortunately, they are not able to enjoy the peace for long. Witnessing a man being beaten by a group of thugs, Solomon goes to the rescue, and while he is busy, Constance is kidnaped. Although she is quickly released, it’s clear they have stumbled into the middle of a dangerous rivalry. This event is a segue into a murder. And even though they are supposed to be enjoying their wedding trip, the pair dive into the investigation.

The motive for the murder is unclear. Is it jealousy? Greed? Political rivalry? A combination of all three? It seems everyone they meet is a possible suspect. But every time they think they’ve solved the puzzle, they are proven wrong. When the actual culprit worries they are getting too close to the truth, they may be the next victims.

This is a roller-coaster ride of a whodunit that kept me guessing the whole time. The pace gets faster and faster as the story barrels along to its conclusion. The novel could stand alone, but the nuances of the relationship would be lost. If you’re a fan of historical mystery/romance, start with book one. The series does not disappoint!

BOOK REVIEW: A Lady's Guide to Scandal by Sophie Irwin

A Lady’s Guide to Scandal by Sophie Irwin is a funny, closed-door Regency Romance that kept me delightedly turning pages.

Eliza Balfour, now Lady Somerset, is a 27-year-old widow who will be extremely wealthy as long as she obeys the morality clause in her deceased husband’s will. The late Lord Somerset was a miserly, much older curmudgeon, who wants to continue to control her from the grave. Eliza doesn’t expect this to be a problem. She has never misbehaved in her life. However, her cousin Margaret tempts her to live a little. What could go wrong if they spend a few quiet months in Bath?

Eliza is willing, mainly because she needs to get away from the new Lord Somerset, her husband’s nephew. Eliza and this handsome young man were in love, long ago, before she was coerced by her parents to marry for title and wealth. She’s still in love with him, but he accused her of dooming them both to unhappiness because of her lack of spirit and she’s sure he still despises her.

In Bath, she is thrown into the company of Lord Melville, a Byronesque figure who dazzles her with his charm, wit, and kindness. Unfortunately, he has a reputation as a rake, and by spending time with him, her reputation is likely to suffer. If it does, she risks losing her inheritance. Even worse, the new Lord Somerset gets to be the judge of her behavior, and he comes to Bath on a weak excuse to see her. It seems he isn’t over her, either.

Suddenly, Eliza finds herself the object of two men’s attentions. Who is the right man for her? Readers will form their own opinions pretty quickly, but Eliza has good reasons for her bafflement. Can she be in love with them both?

This novel is sweet, well-paced, and well-plotted, but even if it wasn’t, I’d recommend it for Melville’s witty conversation alone.

BOOK REVIEW: Word of the Wicked by Mary Lancaster

 I received this book for free from Netgalley. That did not influence this review.

I love Mary Lancaster’s latest mystery series, Silver and Grey, so I’m trying not to fall behind. The latest (book 5) is Word of the Wicked.

Solomon Grey and Constance Silver are now engaged to be married, but they are prioritizing the private investigator business that brought them together. The business has grown so successful that the two have taken to divvying up the jobs, which is professionally satisfying but personally miserable. They miss each other, but are left wondering if the missing is mutual.

Fortunately, a case comes along that they both jump into in order to work together again. A physician from a small country town hires them to look into an anonymous letter sent to his wife. It is mildly insulting and lightly threatening. He can’t imagine who could have sent it or why. His wife is upset. And although he doesn’t truly think there is any danger, he wants to know who was behind it.

His wife is not the only one to have received a letter. In each case, it’s the same. A small chastisement followed by a vague threat.

Constance and Solomon go off to the countryside to investigate, but soon find themselves as baffled as the doctor. Questioning the townspeople, they uncover small-town secrets, but the identity of the letter writer continues to elude them.

At the same time, Solomon is caught up in the investigation of a murder at a London tavern that may or may not have been committed by his long-lost (and newly found) twin brother. 

The letter mystery is well-plotted and kept me guessing along with the detective pair. The relationships (Constance and Solomon; Solomon and his brother) continue to grow. I’ll have to wait for the next installment to see where they go next!