Week 1 Review: A Murderous Relation

From Goodreads:
Veronica Speedwell navigates a dark world of scandal and murder in this new adventure from New York Times bestselling and Edgar Award nominated author Deanna Raybourn.

Veronica Speedwell and her natural historian colleague Stoker are asked by Lady Wellingtonia Beauclerk to help with a potential scandal so explosive it threatens to rock the monarchy. Prince Albert Victor is a regular visitor to the most exclusive private club in London, known as the Club de l'Etoile, and the proprietess, Madame Aurore, has received an expensive gift that can be traced back to the prince. Lady Wellie would like Veronica and Stoker to retrieve the jewel from the club before scandal can break.

Worse yet, London is gripped by hysteria in the autumn of 1888, terrorized by what would become the most notorious and elusive serial killer in history, Jack the Ripper--and Lady Wellie suspects the prince may be responsible.

Veronica and Stoker reluctantly agree to go undercover at Madame Aurore's high class brothel, where another body soon turns up. Many secrets are swirling around Veronica and the royal family--and it's up to Veronica and Stoker to find the truth, before it's too late for all of them.

My Review:
Wow, I loved reading this book so much! I just love Deanna Raybourn's writing, and between Veronica being the awesome person that she is, the historical setting, and the fascinating mysteries, I just devour this series! It's just so fantastic!

This book does take place during the time of Jack the Ripper. So there was a bit of commentary about how life was for those women at the time, of how few choices they had. It was also about her brother, the future King, and his antics, though this was probably made up for the story!

This book is set at high speed! I mean, it mainly takes place over the course of two days. They got to a party at the brothel, and things just don't slow down from there! It was kinda an intense read, and I just couldn't put it down!

I had to do some searching, but I found on Deanna Raybourn's journal, that there's 2 more books in this series, and that's just so exciting! I just love spending time with these characters, and I can't wait to see what further adventures they go on together!

This book was so fantastic, so enjoyable, and I can't wait for the next journey!

Author: Deanna Raybourn
Series: Veronica Speedwell #5
Read: December 31st, 2019
Source: NetGalley
Reason Why: Love her writing and this series, and it's Historical Fiction 2019 Book, Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2019 Book and a WoW Book!
Publisher: Berkley
Expected Publication: March 10th 2020

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars

Week 1 Review: The Gilded Wolves

From Goodreads:
From New York Times bestselling author Roshani Chokshi comes a novel set in Paris during a time of extraordinary change--one that is full of mystery, decadence, and dangerous desires...

No one believes in them. But soon no one will forget them. 

It's 1889. The city is on the cusp of industry and power, and the Exposition Universelle has breathed new life into the streets and dredged up ancient secrets. Here, no one keeps tabs on dark truths better than treasure-hunter and wealthy hotelier Séverin Montagnet-Alarie. When the elite, ever-powerful Order of Babel coerces him to help them on a mission, Séverin is offered a treasure that he never imagined: his true inheritance.

To hunt down the ancient artifact the Order seeks, Séverin calls upon a band of unlikely experts: An engineer with a debt to pay. A historian banished from his home. A dancer with a sinister past. And a brother in arms if not blood.

Together, they will join Séverin as he explores the dark, glittering heart of Paris. What they find might change the course of history--but only if they can stay alive. 

My Review:
This book was so fantastic to read! I loved this world with the Babel fragments, that allow some people the ability to forge, it was so interesting! And then there was the Order, who protected the fragments. It was just such an interesting world and I can't wait to learn more about it!

We were in most of the gang's head for this book, and that was really great, I really enjoyed seeing things from their different perspectives! They all had their reasons for working for Séverin, what they wanted, what they needed. They were all such interesting and real characters!

Given that this is a heist novel, basically, with a few other elements thrown in, well, yeah, it had a lot going for it! There's the magic of the world, and the politics of the Order. I also really enjoyed seeing their interactions with Hypnos, he was kinda blackmailing them, but he also was pretty lonely and wanted friends. Really enjoyed that bit of the story!

That ending, oh! That was such a bombshell, and I have no idea of how it's going to play out in the future. And if there's a deeper secret there, well, that would be so interesting to read, I have ideas, and if they're right, there's some implications! I need to know more!

Loved this book, and I'm so excited to read more!

Author: Roshani Chokshi
Series: The Gilded Wolves #1
Read: December 30th, 2019
Source: NetGalley/Bought
Reason Why: Really enjoy her writing and it's a Historical Fiction 2019 Book, Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2019 Book and a WoW Book!
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Published: January 15th 2019

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars

Week 50 Review: A Lady's Doubt

From Goodreads:
Set on defying her greedy father, Roberta (Robbie) Fletcher refuses to marry an old codger, choosing instead to join the Everton Domestic Society, where she happily helps widows with correspondence and figures. When Miles Hallsmith proposes, she is momentarily elated…until he admits to being sent by her father and his brother. Ignoring her crushed heart, she puts Miles to the task of uncovering their relatives' motivation in making the match.

Miles has been smitten by Robbie since the moment he met her at a ball. As a third son with no means of supporting a wife, he'd had no right to court her. When the lady's father and Miles' despicable brother insist he marry the object of his infatuation, Miles is torn between desire and suspicion.

Everton ladies are notoriously brilliant and Robbie is not a woman to be toyed with. Miles must prove his feelings are motivated by more than the lure of independence and money, while also thwarting his brother's plots.

Bad blood and lingering doubts litter the road to their happily ever after. It will take cunning and honesty to bring Miles and Robbie their hearts' desire.

My Review:
This story was a fantastic read! I really enjoy this series, and when I found about it-and read the synopsis-I was so glad that Miles was getting a story, we met him in the first book in this series in which his sister was the heroine of the book. So I'm really glad that he got a happy ending here!

I really enjoyed these two as a couple! They've met previously, I think it happened in this series, in Virtue, I'm pretty sure. And while there was a connection, well, he's a 3rd son with nothing much to offer. And in the meantime, she's joined the Everton Domestic Society, when along comes this proposal that they get married. Yeah. It's a fun situation to read about!

Plus the fact that both of these characters have fairly modern ideas for their time, well, that was pretty great to read! I really enjoyed how he valued what she wanted, because young ladies opinions weren't always even considered, so that was great!

The way that they solved their problems-why their various family members wanted them to get married, those nefarious reasons, which could've kept them from marrying, if they didn't go along with said reasons. Yeah, it was pretty clever and I enjoyed reading it!

This was a fantastic read, and I really enjoyed it!

Author: A.S. Fenichel
Series: Everton Domestic Society #3.5
Read: December 8th, 2019
Source: Free
Reason Why: Love this series and her writing, and it's a Historical Fiction 2019 Book and a Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2019 Book!
Publisher: A.S. Fenichel
Published: 2019

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars

A Lady's Past: Review

From Goodreads:
The greatest risk—for the sweetest reward…

His fiancée's betrayal nearly cost Jacques Laurent everything. Despite his resolve not to trust anyone again, he can't abandon the young woman he finds alone on the road to London. In the brief hours they spend together, the enigmatic Diana touches his heart in a way he can't explain. Even after bringing her to the Everton Domestic Society for safekeeping, he can't get her out of his thoughts. And when he next encounters her, working as assistant to a renowned scientist, he becomes even more intrigued…

The Society's kindness is especially welcome after everything Diana endured in a French prison, but she fears for the safety of those who get close to her. French spies are on her trail, convinced that her scientific knowledge can help them win the war. As peril draws them irrevocably together, Diana and Jacques succumb to mutual desire. But love may be the most dangerous pursuit of all, when a lady guards her heart even more carefully than she guards her life...

My Review:
Wow, I enjoyed this series so much! We did met Jacques in A Lady's Escape, and I'm so glad that he got his own book! And we did get to see some familiar faces, as well as meet some new ones in the form of the Buckrose Horsemen! I'm really going to have to read the original trilogy, though!

This is the first book with a lot of action, because yeah, Diana's past does come around and causes a bunch of trouble. As in, bad things happen, about halfway through this book. It's different from the other books, but enjoyable, too!

Diana is strong, and much more capable then what a young lady of the time was supposed to be like. She was in the science field, and her experiences didn't break her. So yeah, she was a pretty fantastic character to read about!

My one thing is that Jacques past with his ex-fiancee isn't explained. I don't know if I missed it or if it wasn't there, but I would've liked to have had that explanation. Like, who she was, why they were engaged, how she betrayed him. We got snippets, but I didn't get the full story and I would've liked it.

This was a really fantastic read, and I wouldn't mind more of this series, or a spin off series with the Buckrose Horsemen!

Author: A.S. Fenichel
Series: Everton Domestic Society #4
Read: November 25th, 2019
Source: Pump Up Your Book Review Copy
Reason Why: Sounded really great, and it's a Historical Fiction 2019 Book and a Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2019 Book!
Publisher: Lyrical Press
Published: November 19th 2019

5/5 Hearts

4/5 Books

5/5 Stars

Bio:

A.S. Fenichel gave up a successful IT career in New York City to follow her husband to Texas and pursue her lifelong dream of being a professional writer. She’s never looked back.

A.S. adores writing stories filled with love, passion, desire, magic and maybe a little mayhem tossed in for good measure. Books have always been her perfect escape and she still relishes diving into one and staying up all night to finish a good story.

Originally from New York, she grew up in New Jersey, and now lives in Missouri with her real life hero, her wonderful husband. When not reading or writing she enjoys cooking, travel, history, and puttering in her garden.

Contact and Buy AKA Links:

Website

Blog

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Facebook

Goodreads

Amazon

Week 47 Reviews: A Lady's Honor, A Lady's Escape, A Lady's Virtue

From Goodreads:
Not every match is made at the marriage mart…

After a disastrous, short-lived engagement and years of caring for her ailing grandmother, Phoebe Hallsmith is resigned to spinsterhood. But if she must be unmarried, far better to be of use than languishing at home, disappointing her parents. As an employee of the Everton Domestic Society of London, Phoebe accepts a position at the country home of an old friend and discovers an estate—and a lord of the manor—in a state of complete chaos.

Losing himself in the bottle has done nothing to ease Markus Flammel's grief over losing his wife. Not even his toddler daughter can bring him back from the brink. Now this fiery, strong-minded redhead has taken over his home, firing and hiring servants at will and arousing unexpected desire. As not one, but two, suitors suddenly vie for Phoebe's hand, can Markus move past loss and fight for a future with the woman who has transformed his world?

From Goodreads:
The perfect match may be closer than they imagine...

Despite her disastrous London debut, Millicent Edgebrook has proven skilled at securing matches—for every young lady but herself. Resigned to spinsterhood, and eager to gain independence from her lovable but eccentric uncle, Millie joins the Everton Domestic Society. Her first assignment: find a bride for Preston Knowles, Duke of Middleton. How difficult can it be to secure a match for a handsome, eligible aristocrat? As difficult, it seems, as resisting her own attraction to the duke...

Preston has promised himself not to be ruined by love. After being rebuffed by two perfectly respectable candidates, he'd rather remain happily single for the rest of his life...if only his mother would let him. Yet suddenly, he's fantasizing about the lovely matchmaker she's hired—the least suitable bride imaginable. Millie's past is shrouded in scandal, and the Everton Society forbids relations between employees and clients. But even with so many obstacles against them, Preston longs to convince the woman he adores that love trumps rules every time...

From Goodreads:
Can a broken engagement ignite the spark of true love?

Sylvia Dowder had almost made it to the altar when her fiancé unexpectedly became a viscount, and dropped her like a stale crumpet to make a more "suitable" match. Though Sylvia's heart has been crushed, her spirit has not. She puts her wits and social savvy to use as a secret gossip columnist—and as the Everton Domestic Society's party planner to the ton. Luckily, she's not in danger of ever falling for an aristocrat again…


Especially not one like Anthony Braighton, Earl of Grafton. Raised in America, Anthony sees no reason to marry when he can enjoy all the perks of being an eligible earl. Determined to convince his family he doesn't need a wife, he hires Sylvia to act as hostess and decorator for upcoming parties. Yet Sylvia is as adept at captivating his interest as she is at beautifying his home. And despite this Everton lady's aversion to titled men, some attractions can't be denied—and love rarely does go where it's told. 

My Review:
These books were so sweet and adorable to read! They're such adorable romances, and while sometimes historical have bits that just make me rage, these characters were more modern, espcailly with the Everton Domestic Society, which has working ladies. Love that!

I didn't realize before I read these books, but there was an original trilogy with characters that we see in these books. I'm going to have to read them, because I want to know their stories, even if I know they've found their happy endings!

I really enjoyed the whole concept of the Everton Domestic Society, because it gave women of noble birth options. That they weren't forced to marry, and marry young. That it does so by having those ladies help solve various problems for the nobility, well, that's just icing on the cake!

These characters were so great! They've had hardships, from losing a beloved wife in childbirth, to losing parents. Some of them don't have quite so tragic backstories, but they were all characters and romances that I really enjoyed reading about!

These books were so fantastic, and I can't wait to read A Lady's Past!

Author: A.S. Fenichel
Series: Everton Domestic Society #1, 2, 3
Read: November 22nd, 22nd, 22nd, 2019
Source: Ebook.bike
Reason Why: I got the 4th book as part of a reveiw tour, and I had to read the previous books in the series! And they're Historical Fiction 2019 Books and Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2019 Books!
Publisher: Lyrical Press
Published: April 3rd 2018, October 2nd 2018, March 19th 2019

A Lady's Honor:

5/5 Hearts

4/5 Books

5/5 Stars

A Lady's Escape:

5/5 Hearts

4/5 Books

5/5 Stars

A Lady's Virtue:

5/5 Hearts

4/5 Books

5/5 Stars

Week 44 Review: Dangerous Alliance

From Goodreads:
The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue meets Jane Austen in this witty, winking historical romance with a dash of mystery!

Lady Victoria Aston has everything she could want: an older sister happily wed, the future of her family estate secure, and ample opportunity to while her time away in the fields around her home.

But now Vicky must marry—or find herself and her family destitute. Armed only with the wisdom she has gained from her beloved novels by Jane Austen, she enters society's treacherous season.

Sadly, Miss Austen has little to say about Vicky's exact circumstances: whether the roguish Mr. Carmichael is indeed a scoundrel, if her former best friend, Tom Sherborne, is out for her dowry or for her heart, or even how to fend off the attentions of the foppish Mr. Silby, he of the unfortunate fashion sensibility.

Most unfortunately of all, Vicky's books are silent on the topic of the mysterious accidents cropping up around her…ones that could prevent her from surviving until her wedding day.

My Review:
Oh, this book was really cute and fun to read! I loved that Vicky was a fan of Jane Austen's books, that they're coming out and she's reading them, that would have been a pretty great time to be a book reader, to have Jane Austen's books coming out!

Vicky is kinda obsessed with Jane Austen's books. She models her own behaviour after some of the characters, and judges and compares people by other character's. She's a bit naive, that the world will have a happy ending, but she's earnest and comes from a good place!

I enjoyed reading about her season, all the guys that she goes on outings with, to test the waters for suitability in marriage. The situation her sister's in, yeah, it's a really unfortunate one, and that puts the pressure on Vicky.

We went back and forth mainly between Vicky and Tom's perspectives, though there was one of two side scenes narrators. I really enjoyed their relationship, they were best friends until he cut her out of his life. So it's conflicting to have him back, and I loved reading it!

This book was really fun to read, and I enjoyed it so much!

Author: Jennieke Cohen
Read: October 30th, 2019
Source: Edelweiss
Reason Why: Sounded really great, and it's a DAC Book, Historical Fiction Book, SAC 2019 Book and a WoW Book!
Publisher: Harper Teen
Expected Publication: December 3rd 2019

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars

Week 42 Review: The Art of Theft

From Goodreads:
Charlotte Holmes, Lady Sherlock, is back solving new cases in the Victorian-set mystery series from the USA Today bestselling author of The Hollow of Fear.

As "Sherlock Holmes, consulting detective," Charlotte Holmes has solved murders and found missing individuals. But she has never stolen a priceless artwork—or rather, made away with the secrets hidden behind a much-coveted canvas.

But Mrs. Watson is desperate to help her old friend recover those secrets and Charlotte finds herself involved in a fever-paced scheme to infiltrate a glamorous Yuletide ball where the painting is one handshake away from being sold and the secrets a bare breath from exposure.

Her dear friend Lord Ingram, her sister Livia, Livia's admirer Stephen Marbleton—everyone pitches in to help and everyone has a grand time. But nothing about this adventure is what it seems and disaster is biding time on the grounds of a glittering French chateau, waiting only for Charlotte to make a single mistake...

My Review:
This book was such a fantastic read! I always enjoy reading this series, and that goes without saying by now at this book! Such a great mystery, and it's a bit of a heist book, given that they have to steal something. But it's still a mystery, and I loved it!

There were a few things going on in this book. Obviously, the theft of the secrets behind the painting, that was a big thing. But also personal stuff, like Livia and Stephen, and Charlotte and Lord Ingram. So lots of complicated emotions!

Of course, the heist has a lot of complications. It's the first time that we've left England in the series, and the more drastic change of scenery. And there's a few secrets that they have to uncover. Like what is in the letters that just can't get out? I just had to know!

That ending, oh! I knew that there was going to be some shenanigans, but I didn't know how they'd play out! Such a fantastic ending, and man, it's so evil, too! And in more than one way, so many situations that aren't as they should be! I need the next book, because it can't, won't, end there, at least for the series. It does for the book, bah!

Loved this book so much, and I can't wait for the 5th book! And maybe final, though hopefully not, because I need more of these characters!

Author: Sherry Thomas
Series: Lady Sherlock #4
Read: October 16th, 2019
Source: Ebook.bike
Reason Why: Love her writing and this series, and it's a Historical Fiction 2019 Book, Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2019 Book and a WoW Book!
Publisher: Berkley
Published: October 15th 2019

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars

Week 41 Review: The Body in the Garden

From Goodreads:
Perfect for fans of Tasha Alexander and Rhys Bowen, Katharine Schellman's debut novel is sure to delight.

London 1815. Newly widowed Lily Adler returns to a society that frowns on independent women, but she's no stranger to the glittering world of London's upper crust. She's back in town and eager to have a renaissance with friends, particularly with Lady Serena Walter--from their school days--determined to create a meaningful life for herself even without a husband. She expects scandal, gossip, and secrets. What she doesn't expect, as she's visiting Lady Walter is a dead man laying in her garden.

Lily happened to overhear the man just minutes before he was shot: young, desperate, and attempting blackmail. When she finds out Lord Walter bribes the investigating magistrate to drop the case, Lily is worried, and becomes the only one with the key to catching the killer.

Aided by Navy Captain Jack Hartley and heiress from the West Indies Miss Ofelia Oswald, Lily sets out to discover whether her friend's husband is mixed up in blackmail and murder. The unlikely team sets out to conceal their investigation behind the whirl of London's social season, but the deceased knew secrets about people with power. Secrets that the powerful have desire and influence to keep hidden. Now, Lily will have to uncover the truth, before she becomes the killer's next target.

My Review:
This book was a really fantastic read! I'd mostly compare it to the Lady Julia Grey series by Deanna Raybourne, with a widow who starts investigating crimes, as well as the Lady Sherlock series by Sherry Thomas. Oh, and more recently, the Lady Darby Mystery series by Anna Lee Huber, but that just means this book has joined some pretty awesome books!

Lily was a fantastic character! She had to wait a long time to marry her sweetheart-and then now he's died so shortly into their marriage that they fought for and wanted so badly. So it's been rough, and then she's thrown into this investigation, and this was a great use of her energy!

I really enjoyed all the interactions these characters had, especially between Jack and Lily, and Jack and Ofelia. He's stuck between two very smart, very stubborn ladies, and yeah, they have some verbal sparring, and that was so great to read!

Really enjoyed the mystery, it was logical and made sense, and I really was rooting for them! They had narrowed it down right away, but oh, man, were there some complications! I enjoyed how deftly she dealt with them, both the confrontational and the emotional!

Loved reading this book, and I can't wait to see where this series goes from here!

Author: Katharine Schellman
Series: A Lily Adler Mystery #1
Read: October 11th, 2019
Source: NetGalley
Reason Why: Sounded really fantastic, and it's a DAC Book, Historical Fiction 2019 Book and a Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2019 Book!
Publisher: Crooked Lane Books
Expected Publication: April 7th 2020

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars

Week 37 Reviews: A Brush With Shadows, An Artless Demise

From Goodreads:
Sebastian Gage returns home to battle the ghosts of his past and prevent them from destroying his future with Kiera in the latest exciting installment in this national bestselling series.

July 1831. It's been fifteen years since Sebastian Gage has set foot in Langstone Manor. Though he has shared little with his wife, Lady Kiera Darby, about his past, she knows that he planned never to return to the place of so many unhappy childhood memories. But when an urgent letter from his grandfather reaches them in Dublin, Ireland, and begs Gage to visit, Kiera convinces him to go.

All is not well at Langstone Manor. Gage's grandfather, the Viscount Tavistock, is gravely ill, and Gage's cousin Alfred has suddenly vanished. He wandered out into the moors and never returned. The Viscount is convinced someone or something other than the natural hazards of the moors is to blame for Alfred's disappearance. And when Alfred's brother Rory goes missing, Kiera and Gage must concede he may be right. Now, they must face the ghosts of Gage's past, discover the truth behind the local superstitions, and see beyond the tricks being played by their very own eyes to expose what has happened to Gage's family before the moors claim yet another victim... 

From Goodreads:
November 1831. After fleeing London in infamy more than two years prior, Lady Kiera Darby's return to the city is anything but mundane, though not for the reasons she expected. A gang of body snatchers is arrested on suspicion of imitating the notorious misdeeds of Edinburgh criminals, Burke and Hare—killing people from the streets and selling their bodies to medical schools. Then Kiera's past—a past she thought she'd finally made peace with—rises up to haunt her.

All of London is horrified by the evidence that "burkers" are, indeed, at work in their city. The terrified populace hovers on a knife's edge, ready to take their enmity out on any likely suspect. And when Kiera receives a letter of blackmail, threatening to divulge details about her late anatomist husband's involvement with the body snatchers and wrongfully implicate her, she begins to apprehend just how precarious her situation is. Not only for herself, but also her new husband and investigative partner, Sebastian Gage, and their unborn child.

Meanwhile, the young scion of a noble family has been found murdered a block from his home, and the man's family wants Kiera and Gage to investigate. Is it a failed attempt by the London burkers, having left the body behind, or the crime of someone much closer to home? Someone who stalks the privileged, using the uproar over the burkers to cover his own dark deeds? 

My Review:
Oh, man, I really enjoyed reading these books! This series has just been getting better and better, and I really enjoyed both of these mysteries! They're both extremely personal, with Shadows dealing with Gage's past, and Demise with Kiera's. So that definitely caused conflict that they had to deal with in their marriage!

In Shadows, we learn about Gage's childhood, where his mom was pretty much banished, and he was only let in to be educated. Yeah, he wasn't treated the most fairly, and that brought up questions about his mom for Kiera, that his mom would stay in that situation where he was being treated like that.

Then in Demise, well, we have the burkers, which calls back to Kiera's past as her husband was why burkers had demand for their services. We learned just how bad it could be, and a clear view of how her first husband was like, instead of just hints. Yeah, he was awful!

Of course, in both books there's excellent mysteries. From a missing cousin to the sons of the elite who are made to be seemed to be burked, yeah, they were such fascinating mysteries! I really enjoyed watching the investigations!

Loved reading this series, I've caught up with what's currently been published, and I can't wait for more!

Author: Anna Lee Huber
Series: Lady Darby Mystery #6, 7
Read: September 8th, 10th, 2019
Source: Ebook.bike
Reason Why: Love her writing and this series, and it's a Historical Fiction 2019 Books and Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2019 Books!
Publisher: Berkley
Published: March 6th 2018, April 2nd 2019

A Brush With Shadows:

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars

An Artless Demise:

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars