BOOK REVIEW: Miss Morton Takes the Waters by Catherine Lloyd

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

Miss Morton Takes the Waters is the fifth book in the Miss Morton Mysteries series. If you like cozy historical mysteries, or think you might, these novels are must reads. Although the mysteries stand alone, you should start with book one, Miss Morton and the English House Party Murder, to fully appreciate the relationships between the characters.

Miss Caroline Morton is a gentlewoman by birth, but upon her father’s death, she was shocked to learn of his financial misdealings which left her penniless. Her fiancé dropped her. Aristocratic friends turned their backs. Caroline, very practically, went to work. She found employment as a companion to a very wealthy but lowborn woman in trade, Mrs. Frogerton. Mrs. Frogerton is a courageous, nosy, businesswoman who appreciates Caroline’s good sense. In each of the novels, they come across murders and solve them.

The relationship between the two sets the tone. However, as Caroline is a young, unmarried, pretty woman, she attracts male attention, and by this novel, she has collected two suitors. One is a gruff physician who has helped with her solving cases in the past. The other is a highborn second son who works as an inspector, who has joined in the detecting from the professional side.

However, in this novel, Mrs. Frogerton is recuperating from the frightening and disheartening events of book 4. Concerned for her health, Caroline accompanies her to Bath, where they are to take the waters. They soon meet Bath regulars who are eager for new people and who are great gossips. While some are pleasant, there are also two older women who treat their servants badly and cause a good deal of general misery. At one get together, one of these women brings up “poisoned pen letters.” These are letters written to various members of their social circle threatening to expose something scandalous in their past. This is disturbing enough. Then, shortly, one of these women is found dead.

With a mystery to solve, Mrs. Frogerton perks up. This time, without the help of either Dr. Harris or Inspector Ross, Caroline and Mrs. Frogerton set to work.

These novels are well-paced, well-plotted murder mysteries. I look forward to each new release. Highly recommended!

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: 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: 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: 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: 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: The Hidden City by Charles Finch

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

About two years ago, I stumbled upon a cozy Victorian mystery series, A Charles Lenox Mystery, and loved the first book, A Beautiful Blue Death. It was an older novel, and there are a dozen in the series, but even though I intended to go on with the series, book 2 never rose to the top of my TBR pile.

I saw the newest book in the series, The Hidden City by Charles Finch, on Netgalley and was eager to read it, even though I’ve missed the books in between. It was delightful to return to the world of the detective, Charles Lenox, a British gentleman with a nose for mysteries. The book can be read as a standalone without detriment to the plot. However, his private life has moved on, and I want to go back now and catch up on that.

Lenox is recovering from a stab wound received during the investigation of his most recent prior case. The brush with death and the ongoing pain have him out of sorts. He is hunkering down, avoiding his colleagues at the detective agency he started. He’s having trouble re-engaging with that part of his life. Maybe feeling his age.

It doesn’t help that a favorite cousin, who made his life in India and lost touch with the family, has recently died. Lenox is named as guardian to his cousin’s twenty-year-old daughter Angela. When Angela’s ship comes in, she is accompanied by a friend, Sari. The two are as close as sisters. They don’t expect to be greeted with the generosity and open-mindedness that Lenox, his wife, and his brother show them. It’s sweet to watch the way they are integrated into the family. Lennox’s wife undertakes the task of introducing them to society, because, of course, it’s important that they find suitable husbands.

At the same time, Lenox receives a letter from his old housekeeper, who is now retired and has returned to London to live near her nephew. The house she is living in was the site of an unsolved murder, years ago, and she has been plagued by strange events that make her worry she might be in danger. She asks him for help. This is not a case he can turn down.

Lenox is a clever investigator and the mystery is complex and intriguing. Tracking down the killer takes Lenox into parts of London that are generally hidden to men of his class.

The two plots progress alongside one another without significantly intersecting. Moreover, the reader gets to see Lenox’s physical and mental recovery from the trauma of his last case.

I enjoyed these books so much that I did go out and buy one of the others in the series and I requested book 2 from the library. So I hope to fill in the gaps! 

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: 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: 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 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: 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: 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 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.