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!

BOOK REVIEW: The Trick of the Treasure by Mary Lancaster

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

Constance Silver and Solomon Grey are at it again in The Trick of the Treasure, Book 4 of Mary Lancaster’s new Victorian mystery series. 

Constance is the owner of high-priced brothel and safe place for disadvantaged women. Solomon is a hugely successful self-made businessman. And they have fallen in love.

They are also the detectives running the Silver and Grey Agency. Their latest assignment is finding a treasure that has gone missing from the safe room of an adventurer, Barnabas Lloyd. Lloyd is addicted to treasure hunting, to the point that he has nearly bankrupted his family. This treasure, literally discovered on a deserted island with the help of an old map, is desperately needed to pay off creditors and keep the family afloat. The family consists of a grown son who accompanied Barnabas on this latest trip, a sixteen-year-old daughter who is discovering suitors,  a twelve-year-old daughter who is wiser than her older siblings, and a wife who finds life more enjoyable when her husband is away than when he is home. There is also Barnabas’ spinster sister, who is ignored at home but finds her joy in charitable endeavors.

The treasure was unloaded from the ship, inspected by customs officers, then carried to the Lloyds’ home, where it was locked in an interior room with no windows and only one door. The next morning, when Barnabas went to show the treasure to his youngest daughter, the treasure chest was empty.

Someone stole it. But who? And how?

Constance and Solomon dive into the mystery with their usual conscientious flair. Along the way, they begin to question whether the danger of investigative work is worth it. Although each is willing to risk their own life, it’s different watching a loved one do so.

This is another intriguing, well-plotted historical mystery. The romance between the two leads is progressing apace. I recommend this series highly – but strongly suggest you start with book 1.

BOOK REVIEW: Look Before You Leap by Virginia Heath

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

Look Before You Leap by Virginia Heath is a delightful (moderately steamy) Regency Rom-Com.

Lottie Travers is a farmgirl whose family farm is failing, despite the efforts of her father and brothers. Lottie has been granted a great opportunity, education in Miss Prentice’s School, where she is to learn how to behave amongst wealthy aristocrats so that she can work as a governess, maid, or companion. She’s grateful for the opportunity because it allows her to earn wages to send home. Unfortunately, she is obsessed with fast horses, to the point that she can’t help flirting with stablehands in order to borrow mounts to go riding. And ultimately, in roundabout ways, getting herself fired. Fortunately, she is given the opportunity to be a companion to a crotchety old woman who seems amused by her escapades. Unfortunately, the lady is the aunt of a young lord with whom Lottie had collided in a park. The encounter was memorable for the lord’s rudeness and for his great good looks.

The lord, Viscount Wennington (Guy) is as grumpy as they come. Years ago, he made a fool of himself by making a very public proposal and being very publicly refused. Ever since, he has avoided female company, avoided polite society, and spent his time on his estate, taking care of his tenants. However, his 30^th birthday is approaching, and his grandchild-obsessed mother is plotting (along with her sister, Lottie’s employer, Lady Frinton) to throw him a birthday party filled with eligible ladies as guests. The party has to be kept secret because they know he’ll hate it.

While accompanying Lady Frinton, Lottie is repeatedly thrown into company with Guy. Their personality conflicts lead to a great deal of bickering and miscommunication, but the physical attraction is strong, and they are both good people at heart, so apologies follow the arguments and the two grow ever more enamored with one another. (Especially when Lottie is compared to the aristocratic competition!)

For fans of grumpy/sunshine romances, this one is fun!

BOOK REVIEW: Eliza and the Duke by Harper St. George

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

Eliza and the Duke is the latest Victorian Era Romance by Harper St. George, the second book in the series The Doves of New York.

Eliza Dove is an American heiress whose substantial dowry will only come to her if she marries a titled British gentleman. She has one waiting in the wings, but he’s a prosey bore with a nasty habit of frequenting prostitutes. All too aware of what it’s like to be poor, Eliza accepts that she will have to go through with the marriage, but first, she wants a bit of adventure. She finds it with Simon Cavell, a commoner, who currently works in a semi-respectable club. However, in the past, he survived as a prizefighter/brawler and as a “punisher” for a crime lord. (Duke is his prizefighting nickname.) Simon wants to break free of his old life, but the crime lord, Brody, has a hold on him. Brody knows about Simon’s very young niece, hidden away at a brothel. If Simon doesn’t keep paying up, something bad will happen to both Simon and the niece.

Enter Eliza. She first meets him in the aftermath of a prizefight when he is dopey from the fight. She meets him again when her brother-in-law hires him as a short-term protector for his wife’s sisters, Eliza and Jenny. Once Eliza sees him again, she knows what she wants: one night of adventure (not sex), with Simon for a guide. She wants to see London’s seamy side.

Of course, the more time they spend with one another, the more they both realize they want more than one adventuresome night. The novel gets steamy. And the protagonists have to figure out a way to be together.

It’s nice to read a romance where both characters are not aristocrats (though they operate on the fringes of the ton and have aristocratic friends.) And Simon is a character with depth. But this is not one of my favorite Harper St. George novels. Eliza came across as a bit too selfish, impulsive, and irresponsible. True, she needed to be headstrong to get out of a future that would have stultified her, but I came away with the impression that her infatuation with Simon was more instalust than instalove.

Nevertheless, the side characters are interesting and I suspect the other books in the series will appeal to me more.

BOOK REVIEW: Ghost in the Garden by Mary Lancaster

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

Ghost in the Garden, book three in Mary Lancaster’s Victorian Mystery series, Silver and Grey, is now available! I am hooked on this series.

Constance Silver, a notorious brothel owner and Solomon Grey, a wealthy, upright businessman from Jamaica have both learned enough about aristocrats to circulate along the fringes of the ton, but they both have complicated pasts that would prevent them from ever belonging in that crowd. Thrown together in the past while pursuing their own interests, Constance and Solomon have teamed up to solve murders before. Discovering themselves skilled at this, and adept as partners, they decide to open an inquiry agency as a sideline to their regular work.

It isn’t only an interest in solving mysteries that inspired the agency. They also wanted a way to keep and grow the connection between them. Although a romance is impossible—Constance doesn’t want to leave the brothel, 1) because she has created it as a lifeline for women who have no other place to go, and 2) neither Constance nor Solomon want that kind of relationship. Constance doesn’t sell her own body. And she doesn’t force the down-and-out women who come to her to enter the prostitution business unless they want to. The others, she works to place in respectable jobs.

But, impossible though it may be, there’s a spark between the two that grows hotter with each book.

The first official case the agency takes on is to investigate a ghost-like figure that has been seen in the foggy garden of a wealthy slum lord. The person hiring them is the man’s formidable wife. In order to get into the house, to investigate the ghost, Constance takes a pretend position as the wife’s lady’s maid. The pervasive sense of danger is justified when they find a dead body in the wine cellar. Now, it’s another murder investigation, not just a ghost hunt.

Constance and Solomon hunt for clues while the reader follows along. The identity of the murderer may not come as a surprise to the reader, but the maze of clues and urgency of solving the case makes a compelling story. And the deepening of the relationship between the two protagonists adds to the suspense.

I can’t wait for book four!

BOOK REVIEW: Rules for Ruin by Mimi Matthews

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

I’m a huge fan of Mimi Matthews, and I’m excited that she now has a new Victorian Romance series, The Crinoline Academy Novels. Book 1 is Rules for Ruin.

Effie (Euphemia Flite) is a graduate of Miss Corvu’s Benevolent Academy for the Betterment of Young Ladies, better known in the area as The Crinoline Academy. Effie doesn’t believe in the school’s benevolence. She’d been scooped up by the proprietress, Artemisia Corvu, when she was a very young street urchin, and had been denied any opportunity to learn about her past. She’d been educated, somewhat against her will, to the extent that she can now pass among the upper classes as one of them. But she’d also learned the means to take care of herself. When she was 18, after yet another infraction of the school’s rules, she’d been “cast out,” sent to Paris to be a lady’s companion. Now, five years later, she is called back to the school. Miss Corvu has a job for her. If she completes it to her benefactor’s satisfaction, her debt to the woman will be repaid with a bonus, enough for her to live independently, which is all that she thinks she wants.

Miss Corvu wants Effie to play the part of a debutante. She is to ingratiate herself with a man named Lord Compton, an influential politician, a man of (supposedly) spotless reputation. Then she is to find information that can ruin him. Lord Compton not only stands against an upcoming women’s property bill being brought before Parliament, but, years ago, he ruined a young lady and stole her fortune. It’s time to take him down.

Effie accepts the terms. Unfortunately for the plan, as she meets Lord Compton at a social event, she also meets Gabriel Royce. 

Gabriel was also born to the underclass, but he built a fortune for himself (in shady businesses) and adopted aristocratic manners in order to better go where the money is. He rules the Rookery, a slum, by way of a significant financial investment in a gaming house. He wants to reform the slum for the betterment of its inhabitants. In this, he is being thwarted by aristocrats who would rather take over the Rookery and push out the poor. Gabriel needs politicians on his side. So he leans on Lord Compton for introductions to persuadable men. Gabriel is able to influence Compton because he has damning evidence against him. Evidence that could destroy him.

Gabriel’s strength lies in keeping control of that evidence. Effie’s goal is to locate that evidence, though at first, she doesn’t know what it is or where it is. Gabriel and Effie are quickly attracted to one another, but soon find out they are working at cross-purposes. Effie wants to destroy Compton. Gabriel needs him to stay in power so that his own operation will be protected. So what happens when Effie learns that the evidence she needs is in Gabriel’s possession?

Mimi Matthews is a master of the closed-door romance, and Rules for Ruin is a thrilling story of intrigue, corruption, and a battle of wills. It’s a great start to a new series!

BOOK REVIEW: The Ladies Road Guide to Utter Ruin by Alison Goodman

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

The Ladies Road Guide to Utter Ruin by Alison Goodman will be released in 4 days. I’ve been waiting for this impatiently since reading book 1 in the series, The Benevolent Society of Ill-Mannered Ladies. 

Book 2 continues the Regency-Era adventures of Lady Augusta (Gus) Colebrook and her sister, Julia. They are 42-year-old twins of genteel birth and modest fortune. But they are spinsters, which puts them in an odd place in Society. They have some independence, but are not expected to use it.

They have already caused a stir by their rescuing of Lady Hester Belford from an insane asylum, where she had been imprisoned by her brother. Now they are hiding the lady so that her brother, Lord Deele, can’t try again to have her locked away elsewhere. (For the record, Hester is not insane.) The only reason Deele (a second son) has control over his sister is that their eldest brother, Lord Evan Belford, is supposed to be in exile for a murder he did not (he didn’t think) commit. Evan has sneaked back from exile to try to clear his name. In book 1, he and Gus met and fell in love. Unfortunately, he’s on the run from the law and they can’t be together. Awkwardly, the law includes Mr. Kent, a Bow-Street Runner, who is pursuing Evan, and who is enamored with Julia—the feeling is mutual.

Gus and Julia have to protect Lady Hester, Evan, and their own reputations while also dealing with their brother, Lord Duffield, who is mortified by their behavior and determined to make them behave so they’ll stop bringing shame upon the family name.

Along the way, they encounter a “thief-taker,” who is determined to catch Lord Evan and kill him. Someone, they don’t know who, wants Evan dead. They uncover a secret club devoted to sexual violence and depravity. And they become involved with government plots. All the while, they have to accept that their own sisterly relationship is changing.

This book is a worthy successor to book one. While entertaining in its own right, you should really read book one first to help keep all the players straight. If you enjoy historical adventure with a strong dose of romance, this series is not to be missed.

BOOK REVIEW: The Charmer Without a Cause by Katherine Grant

The Charmer Without a Cause by Katherine Grant is the fourth book in her Regency Romance series The Prestons. It brings together a sensitive hero (Benjamin Preston) and a passionate heroine (Lady Lydia Deveraux) in a marriage that Benjamin thinks is a love match, but Lydia thinks is a marriage of convenience.

Benjamin, who comes from a family that live their high principles, has just inherited ten thousand pounds from his uncle. He believes in helping the less fortunate, but wants to find his own cause, not simply follow the path forged by his father. More importantly, Benjamin wants to find true love. He’s known for repeated bouts of instalove, so his father is concerned that he’ll end up with a fortune hunter. In a way, he does.

Lydia’s family belongs to the Irish Protestant aristocracy. And while her parents and brother are glad of their top dog status, Lydia has more compassion for the Irish people who want their independence from Britain. She became a true fighter for Ireland when she fell for Seamus, an Irish Catholic activist who died for his beliefs. Now, Lydia wants only to continue the fight in his memory. She sees her role as marrying for money to funnel funds to the cause.

The first part of her plan succeeds quickly. Benjamin is easy to catch. And he is even more generous with his fortune than Lydia could have hoped. But the political situation is much more difficult to navigate than she anticipated. And it’s hard to keep Benjamin at a distance when he is so handsome and kind, and they are so good together in bed. 

This steamy romance brings together strong characters in a fascinating historical setting. I don’t usually jump into a series at book four, but this one stands very well on its own. However, now I have to go back and read books 1-3!

BOOK REVIEW: The Matrimonial Advertisement by Mimi Matthews

I really enjoy Mimi Matthews’ historical romances. Her characters have depth. The plots are compelling. And she is able to ramp up the sexual tension while the novels remain “closed door.”

While waiting for her new series to launch, I reached back to an older series, Parish Orphans of Devon. Book one of the series is The Matrimonial Advertisement.

Lady Helena Reynolds is in desperate straits. Her brother, an earl, is presumed dead. The title went to her uncle, but her brother left all his wealth to her. Naturally, her uncle thinks she should sign it over to him. To persuade her, he resorts to violence and the threat of locking her away in an institution for the insane. Battered and terrified, she escapes by fleeing London to answer an advertisement for a wife.

Justin Thornhill is tired of being alone in his isolated, rundown, seaside estate in Devon. An ex-soldier with physical and mental scars, he can’t imagine wooing a wife. At the suggestion of his secretary, he resorts to placing a matrimonial ad. To his surprise, the woman who answers is a beautiful, cultured lady. He knows she’s keeping secrets, but so is he. And he wants her.

Their marriage of convenience is anything but convenient when Helena’s uncle sends his henchman to retrieve her, with the argument that she is not mentally competent to consent to marriage. Helena and Justin return to London, risking it all to free her from her uncle’s control. But once Helena is safe, willl she still need Justin?

Although the “trapped in an insane asylum” trope is one of my least favorites, it is utilized well in this novel. The protagonists (and the secondary characters) are engaging. The chemistry is believable. And I’m eager to read the rest of the series.

BOOK REVIEW: Earl Crush by Alexandra Vasti

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

Alexandra Vasti, author of Ne’er Duke Well, has a new book out today in the Belvoir series, Earl Crush. This is an entertaining romp of a Regency Romance, a fine follow-up to the first.

Lydia Hope-Wallace is intelligent, beautiful, and passionate about social justice. Unfortunately, she suffers from an almost crippling social anxiety. This leaves her unable to attract a husband in the usual way. So she focuses her attention on the cause of equality for all. Men and women. She writes inflammatory pamphlets that are published and distributed by her friend Selena (who readers will have met in book 1, the owner of Belvoir library and publishers.) She signs the pamphlets only as “H.”

One of her readers has written back to her, repeatedly, through her publisher. They discovered a true meeting of the minds. This reader signed his letters as Lord Strathrannoch, an impoverished Scottish earl. Lydia, the possessor of a substantial dowry, decides to go to Scotland and propose. Unfortunately, when she arrives, the earl has no idea who she is. He didn’t write the letters. That was his brother, assuming his identity.

Arthur Baird, the Fifth Earl of Strathrannoch, is a gentle giant of a man. He’s very conscientious, caring for his tenants, but a recluse. He hasn’t been looking for a wife. Arthur is also an inventor. And one of his inventions was recently stolen by the same brother who has been writing to Lydia and using his name.

The two join forces to track down this brother. During their adventures, they find themselves lusting after one another increasingly. However, Lydia can’t forget that Arthur rejected her when she first proposed marriage. And Arthur can’t forget that Lydia proposed to him thinking that he was his brother. The steaminess of the novel soon ratchets up to high, especially after they have to pretend to be man and wife.

Readers know they’ll end up together, but there are plenty of surprises along the way. The novel stands alone, but book one will introduce you to Belvoir and to Lydia’s female friends, and they are not to be missed!

BOOK REVIEW: Ana Maria and The Fox by Liana de la Rosa

Ana Maria and The Fox by Liana de la Rosa is an adventurous Victorian Romance, the first in the series, A Luna Sisters Novel. It’s a slow-burn, but ends high-steam.

Set in 1863, Ana Maria and her two sisters are Mexican heiresses, sent to London for safety when France occupies Mexico, forcing her parents into hiding. Ana Maria’s father is a high official in the resisting Mexican government. Because of her father’s status, Ana Maria has spent her life being a perfect daughter, and suffers because of the impossibility of pleasing him. 

The novel turns the trope of the American “dollar princess” on its head.

In London, under the protection of their uncle, the three wealthy sisters are encouraged to disobey their father’s instruction to keep a low profile. Their uncle is an ambassador, and he sees the beautiful, vibrant sisters as perfect representatives for their country. Hoping they will win British sympathy for the Mexican cause, he gives them license to burst onto the scene and captivate the ton. Which they do.

One of the first people captivated by Ana Maria is Gideon Fox, an MP. Gideon is the grandson of an enslaved woman. His all-consuming goal is to win Britain over to complete abolition of slavery throughout their empire, throughout the world. He devotes all his time and passion to this cause. 

At first, Ana Maria and Gideon resist their strong attraction, each thinking that a romance will hurt the other’s cause and their own. (Plus, Ana is engaged to wed a man of her father’s choice back home.) However, their paths keep crossing and their interest in each other grows. At a house party in the countryside, a villainous nobleman with completely opposing political goals enters the scene—and Ana Maria and Gideon have to join forces for the protection of the Luna sisters. This is where things get steamy.

This is an interesting romance that incorporates diversity and more than the usual amount of history into more typical romance tropes. Readers will root not only for Ana Maria but for all three of the sisters. We can already see where Isabel and Gabriela’s romantic interests are likely to lie in books two and three, with heroes as interesting as Gideon.

BOOK REVIEW: Remember When by Mary Balogh

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

Remember When by Mary Balogh is the latest novel in The Ravenswood series. This warm, lovely Regency Romance is told in the signature Balogh style.

Clarissa Ware is the Dowager Countess of Stratton (met before in books 1-3). She has been a dutiful loving mother and had been a supportive wife up until her husband’s demise a few years earlier. She loved her husband despite his faults—which included serial infidelity. Now, at fifty, with her children grown, and for the most part, married off or otherwise settled, she wants time alone to rediscover herself. Who is she, besides a widow and mother?

She returns alone to Ravenwood, the estate where she was once the countess, a title that now belongs to her beloved daughter-in-law. She intends to enjoy her solitude. But one thing she is determined to do is to visit her old and once very dear friend, Matthew Taylor. They were children together and the most devoted of friends. They were both the offspring of respectable gentry, though Clarissa’s connections and expectations were somewhat better than Matthew’s, particularly since he was a second son. When she was 17, and Matthew 18, as the first sparks of possible romance were appearing between them, Clarissa had an offer of marriage from the Earl of Stratton. Excited by the possibilities and awed by the earl, she said yes. 

Matthew Taylor was a difficult child, understood only by Clarissa. When she wed the earl, he lost not just a woman he had begun to love, but also his only true friend. In quick fashion, he married another, but she died in childbirth. Matthew took himself away from the village and wandered (readers will discover where and why) for a decade, before returning to the village near Ravenswood to make his living as a carpenter and artist in wood.

Clarissa and Matthew renew their friendship. And despite their advanced ages (50! 51!) they discover their feelings go beyond platonic friendship. The problem is, now as it always was, Clarissa is socially above him. And much more so now. Moreover, they both value the lives they are leading, and aren’t sure what they are willing to risk.

The love story develops at a slow but steady pace, although it gets rather repetitive at times. There are no villains in this story, and in fact, little conflict, as everyone involved truly just wants what is best for the pair. It’s a soothing and angst free tale. The two deserve their happily ever after. 

BOOK REVIEW: A Holiday by Gaslight: A Victorian Christmas Novella by Mimi Matthews

I don’t generally read novellas, or seasonally-themed stories, but I love Mimi Matthews’ books so I read A Holiday by Gaslight: A Victorian Christmas novella.

Sophie Appersett is the older daughter of an impoverished baron, impoverished because of his passion for the renovation and innovation of his country home (among other extravagances.) In order to install gaslights in the house, he spent Sophie’s dowry. And he’s entirely unrepentant.

Sophie’s younger sister is just as impulsive and selfish as their father. She wears all the latest fashions, while Sophie and their mother content themselves with patched-up, made-over clothes. Sophie is resigned to this, but less resigned to the fact that she is supposed to marry for money to pay off the family’s debts. She is being courted by a wealthy, educated, manufactory owner, Edward Sharpe, but he is so cold and dull she breaks off the courtship.

Edward Sharpe is not as cold as he appears. Rather, he is truly smitten by Sophie, so much so that he has been following to the letter the advice in a book on gentlemanly behavior. When she breaks with him, he is hurt and peeved.

But Sophie has second thoughts. Not only because her father and sister are furious with her, but also because she thinks she didn’t give Edward a fair chance. She realizes they don’t know each other at all. 

The Appersetts are returning to their country home for a big Christmas celebration. Edward had been invited, and Sophie urges him to come despite their breakup. If he will talk to her, let her get to know him and him to know her, they might have a chance after all.

If you’re looking for a short and sweet holiday romance, this is a charming love story with likeable protagonists and a thoroughly happy ending.

BOOK REVIEW: The Wrong Lady Meets Lord Right by Suzanne Allain

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

The Wrong Lady Meets Lord Right by Suzanne Allain is a Regency Romance take on The Prince and the Pauper.

The orphaned Arabella (Bella) and her heiress cousin Lady Isabelle (Issie) have been raised together since toddlerhood by Issie’s demanding, overbearing mother, Lady Strickland, who makes it clear that her daughter is a disappointment and Bella is an unwanted burden. So it is somewhat of a relief to both young ladies when Lady Strickland suffers a stroke and dies.

After a year of mourning, during which they stayed hidden in the countryside, the two emerge to go to London for Issie’s planned season. Issie, who is painfully shy, doesn’t want to go, but Bella is more eager. Unfortunately, when they get to London, they are to stay with Issie’s great-aunt, Lady Dutton, who is every bit as bad as Lady Strickland.

However, Lady Dutton has poor eyesight and it isn’t long before Issie launches a scheme: taking to her bed, she claims she is too ill and frail to be presented to the Queen. And since Lady Dutton has been mixing them up anyway, why can’t Bella pretend to be her?

Good-natured and manipulable, Bella agrees, even though she can foresee all the potential consequences. The one she doesn’t foresee is falling for a handsome, kindly lord who courts her, thinking he is courting Lady Isabelle.

This sweet mistaken-identity romance is a delight to read (even if the reader will figure out what is going on with the hero long before Bella does.)

BOOK REVIEW: Home Is Where Your Bark Is by Debbie Burns

If you’re in the mood for some sweet contemporary romance, Home Is Where Your Bark Is by Debbie Burns is a new release from Sourcebooks Casablanca. (The title is a clue: there is also a lovable dog.)

Jenna Dunning has devoted far too much of herself to supporting her younger sister (just 15 months younger) ever since their mother died. Even the fact that her sister married the man Jenna had once been in love with couldn’t shatter their bond. But when her sister asks her to take the border collie she’d just adopted a couple weeks ago back to the shelter, this seems to be the last straw. Jenna had warned her the high energy dog was not the right fit for her family (two boys not even school age, a baby on the way, and a radiologist husband who spends more time working than at home, not to mention their expensively decorated house.) On the way to the shelter with the dog, Jenna is hit by a drunk driver and her car crashes into another.

Jake Stiles is the driver of the other car (not the drunk guy.) He rushes to help, holding her hand until the ambulance arrives. And then, he agrees to take the dog where it needs to go, not realizing the phone number he finds is for the shelter. Unable to surrender the trembling border collie, he finds himself fostering the dog.

A few of the chapters are in the voice of the dog, who comes to be named Seven.

Jenna and Jake bond over Seven, and despite their mutual decision to take things slowly, (Jake has just gotten out of a long-term relationship; Jenna is wary of jumping into a relationship with a stranger she met in a car crash when she had a concussion) there is strong momentum driving them along – especially when it seems they might have lost Seven.

This is a heartwarming love story, highly recommended if you need a lift.

BOOK REVIEW: The Muse of Maiden Lane by Mimi Matthews

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

The Muse of Maiden Lane is the fourth book in Mimi Matthews’s wonderful Victorian Romance series, Belles of London. The series centers around four women who come to London for the Season to find husbands. Initially, they find only each other, bonding over their love of and skill with horses. The series includes The Siren of Sussex, The Belle of Belgrave Square, and The Lily of Ludgate Hill. You don’t have to read them in order, but you might get to know the ladies best if you do.

The last of “the four horsewomen” to make a love match is Stella Hobhouse. When Stella’s father died, he left her a small inheritance, just enough to live on (with her horse) and to have two London Seasons to find a husband. If she doesn’t, she is doomed to live with her brother, a sour, self-righteous clergyman, who criticizes her constantly and keeps trying to control her and her money. Worst of all, he’s interested in marrying a woman who is even more critical than he is. 

But Stella has another problem. Although she is only twenty-two, her hair has gone completely platinum gray. She is seen as an oddity, and the ton is cruel to oddities. She hides in the background. But there is one man who sees her for the beauty she is.

Teddy Hayes is a young, very talented artist who burns to paint her from the first moment he sets eyes on her. Teddy has his own obstacle. An illness has left his legs paralyzed and he is confined to a wheelchair. He is accompanied everywhere by a manservant. And he is coddled by his sister and her husband, who infantilize him. But he is as determined to gain his independence as he is to paint Stella.

Stella can’t possibly pose for Teddy. Artist’s models are usually prostitutes or actresses, and Stella has enough trouble with her gray hair and judgmental brother. Still, the two are drawn together.

This is a beautiful story of two people overcoming society’s boundaries to fall in love and find their happily-ever-after. 

BOOK REVIEW: The Spinster's Last Dance by Mary Lancaster

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

Although this is contrary to my usual practice, I read The Spinster’s Last Dance, Book 7 of Mary Lancaster’s Regency Romance series One Night in Blackhaven, after having only previously read Book One, The Captain’s Old Love. The books are centered on the Vales, a large family of siblings who have returned, after their father’s death, to the family estate in Blackhaven, which is a spa town. The youngest of the group, the twins Leona and Lawrence, play matchmakers for their older siblings. The stories take place simultaneously, so I think it doesn’t really matter to read them out of order, though I do recommend reading book one first.

The Spinster’s Last Dance focuses on the eldest sister, Delilah. She has always been something of a motherly figure to her siblings. She also played the role of hostess/secretary/traveling companion to their father, who was a diplomat. However, she is an illegitimate sibling and she has just turned thirty, so she now expects to fade away into genteel spinsterhood. Before she does, she wants one last waltz at a local ball. She chooses her partner, the handsome Denzil Talbot, Baron Linfield, who she vaguely recognizes. He also recognizes her. He’d been a young friend of her father.

Denzil is a spy for the Crown, and he has come to Blackhaven to investigate Delilah, who is suspected of being a traitor.

The two are made for each other. However, they have to get past Denzil’s initial mistrust and Delilah’s certainty that his only interest in her is as a suspect. They also have to solve the dangerous puzzle of who is the traitor in their midst, and there is a clock ticking.

The protagonists are sympathetic and the love story sweet. Additional viewpoint characters are brought in, which is unusual for historical romance but becoming more common. The main villain is sufficiently villainous to keep readers invested in his downfall.

The other siblings have fairly small roles, but their love stories are hinted at, and make me want to read more of the series.

BOOK REVIEW: Much Ado About Margaret by Madeleine Roux

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

Much Ado About Margaret by Madeleine Roux is a Regency Romance homage to Shakespeare, and particularly to Much Ado About Nothing. The main characters, Margaret Arden and Bridger Fletcher, resemble Beatrice and Benedick. The main trope is enemies to lovers.

Margaret has wanted all her life to write novels. After her father’s death, she becomes more frantically determined to be published. She needs money. As the eldest daughter and with two younger sisters and a mother to support, she is being coerced by her aunts to marry soon and well. She wants to do right by her sisters, but not at the cost of sacrificing herself. She has a manuscript that she knows will succeed, but when she sends it to a publisher, it is ignored. And when she thrusts a copy into the hands of the publisher at a party, he pushes it back and insults not only the book, but female authors in general. The publisher is Bridger Fletcher.

Shortly, they meet again at Margaret’s cousin’s wedding. The cousin is Bridger’s closest friend. Bridger is dealing with troubles of his own, a dying demon of a father and an alcoholic older brother bent on ruin. All three men have terrible tempers, which partly explains Bridger’s cruel response to Margaret. However, Margaret’s manuscript is accidently scattered by the wind, and Bridger finds a few pages. He discovers he was horribly wrong about the book, and wants to publish it after all. Can Margaret forgive him for his initial rudeness? 

Likely, yes. Especially since they are both strongly physically attracted to one another and both share a love of literature. Unfortunately, they are surrounded by ill-intentioned family, friends, and ex-fiancees and a wedding drama that plays with plot themes from Shakespeare’s play.

It’s an interesting premise and fun to pick out where the plot might reference Shakespeare. However, I wasn’t caught up by any chemistry between the hero and heroine, primarily, I think, because of the dialogues, which didn’t ring true for me.

BOOK REVIEW: The Captain's Old Love by Mary Lancaster

The Captain’s Old Love by Mary Lancaster is a lovely regency romance by one of my go-to historical romance authors.

Captain Sir Julius Vale has just retired from the Royal Navy in order to care for his younger siblings after the death of his father. (There are a lot of them!) Julius has lost an eye and injured his leg in the war against France, but he would still be sailing in spite of these maladies if not for his obligations at home. The familial solicitousness is not all one-sided. His siblings are equally worried about him. They want to see him happy. They want to see him married. But Julius is not looking for a wife. Years ago, he was jilted by a lady he loved desperately. He has never gotten over her, and he carries a grudge.

Antonia Temple is the lady. Julius has the misfortune (or good fortune?) of coming across her at the first ball he attends back in Blackhaven (the town where his home and family are located.) She is as stunned to see him as he is to see her. And she gives every appearance of being as hurt and as resentful.

Who jilted whom?

Julius and Antonia are delightfully level-headed and quick to seek out the truth rather than wallowing in self-pity and anger. They might be able to find their way back to one another if they can hold onto a tenuous trust. But whoever was responsible for their earlier estrangement is still determined to keep them apart. And tenuous trust might not be enough.

The hero and heroine make this an entertaining read. The villain is a bit over the top, but needs to be if he’s going to be able to drive a wedge between a pair so right for one another. This is book 1 in the One Night in Blackhaven series, and I have book 2 queued up on my kindle!

BOOK REVIEW: A Governess Should Never Tempt a Prizefighter by Emily Windsor

A Governess Should Never Tempt a Prizefighter by Emily Windsor is an engaging (and steamy) romp through the world of prize fighting in the Regency Era.

Mathilda Griffin is a young lady in trouble. Her parents are dead and her guardian means to marry her off to an elderly lecher. Although her life up till now has been sheltered, she has the gumption to run away to save herself from a miserable future. She applies for the position of governess to the 13-year-old daughter of a famous prizefighter.

Seth Hawkins is a self-made man who climbed out of the Rookery by means of prizefighting. He was a renowned champion, so when he opens a boxing academy he has no trouble attracting members from up and down the social scale, even including a number of dukes. Despite the violence of his younger days and his profession, he’s a soft-hearted man, particularly when it comes to his daughter. And when Miss Griffin confesses the real reason she’s applying for the position of governess, he can’t help hiring her. (Her physical attractiveness is another reason.)

Mathilda is thrilled by the introduction to the world Seth inhabits, which is nothing at all like the world she comes from. Seth is enchanted by her enthusiasm. The reader is also introduced to a side of Regency London that is not usually seen in Regency Romance.

The protagonists progress from intense physical attraction to an appreciation of each other’s other qualities. And when Mathilda’s guardian finds her, Mathilda and Seth have to band together to protect each other and the love they have found.

This is an interesting take on the trope of “falling for the governess.” Generally, the MMC is a lord and the governess is either a commoner or a lady down on her luck. A male protagonist from the Rookery finding love with an impoverished gentlewoman is a fun twist.