Murder on the Rocks by T.E. Kinsey

On By BarbaraIn Audiobook, Barb's Reviews, George V - 1910- 1936, Historical Mystery, Part of a SeriesLeave a comment

Murder on the Rocks (A Lady Hardcastle Mystery #13)

Barbara’s rating: 4 out of 5 Stars
Series: Lady Hardcastle Mysteries #13
Publication Date: 5/26/26
Period: 1913 (Devon, England)
Number of Pages: Audiobook (Book has 296 Pages)

This book is filled with a wicked good mystery, witty banter, interesting characters, and excellent narration. You definitely cannot go wrong if you decide to read or listen to this book.

The inimitable Lady Hardcastle and her lady’s maid Flo have been invited to spend a quiet weekend on the small private island of an American friend. Had they a choice, they might have chosen to visit in the summer rather than mid-winter, but they still looked forward to the adventure – and goodness what an adventure it was.

Lady Hardcastle and Flo thought the other guests were an interesting mix of characters and looked forward to getting to know them. Then, there were thefts, then a dead body, then a storm cutting them off from the mainland. Oh! My! They are trapped on an island with a thief and a murderer. Can they solve the crimes and apprehend the criminal before more crimes are committed? As always, the unstoppable duo is on the case, and those criminals don’t have a clue what they are up against.

The narrator, Elizabeth Knowelden, is excellent. She delivers a well-paced narration with distinctive character voices. She also does an excellent job handling the witty banter between Flo and Emily – you can hear the humor in her voice as she narrates.

I recommend this book, this series, and this author.

I voluntarily read an early copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

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

On By BarbaraIn Barb's Reviews, Part of a Series, Regency Era (1811-1820)Leave a comment

A Shop Girl's Guide to Wooing a Lord (The Heiress Hunters #1)Barbara’s rating: 4 out of 5 Stars
Series: The Heiress Hunters #1
Publication Date: 6/9/2026
Period: Regency – 1815 London
Number of Pages: 336

I loved this delightful first book in Shana Galen’s new Heiress Hunters series. The four Kildare brothers gave themselves the label ‘Heiress Hunters’ when their father sat them all down and told them that the family money was gone. The only way to save the family was for one of them to marry an heiress. There are four brothers: Liam, the heir is straight-laced and everything a proper heir should be; Garret, our current hero, has no clue what he’s good at but he’s sure it must be something; Killian is the tortured artist (and maybe a ladies man); Daire is the youngest, smartest, and a whiz at managing investments (if he had money to invest). There is also one sister who is fifteen, Mariah. I really enjoyed the family as a whole, but I did believe that a Regency-era titled family, even an Irish one, would have more issues with class disparity than they did. I’m assuming there will be 5 books in the series, and I’m looking forward to each of them.

Tamsin Archer first saw Garret Kildare when she was a young girl selling flowers outside the theater. He was kind to her, and she was instantly in love – she even followed him home to see where he lived. She saw the warm, loving, happy family and wanted to belong to them. Her own life was a drudgery of daily tasks at a coffee shop and sleeping in a single cold room along with her mother. Once there were four of them, but the coffee shop owner sold her small brother and sister to a chimney sweep, and now every spare shilling goes to paying for their release. That’s how she met Garret the second time – and now he’s helping her rescue her brother and sister.

Tamsin and Garret are a lovely couple who are at opposite ends of the social scale. She’s skittish, but he jumps in with both feet – sort of. It’s fun watching them work their way through all the obstacles life has thrown at them and still find a lasting love.

You’ll quickly find yourself rooting for the Kildare family and the Archers – particularly Tamsin and Garret. It will be fun to get to know the brothers more fully as their books are presented because each seems to be a cheeky, humorous fellow bent on finding an heiress to save the family. Will any of them succeed? I can hardly wait to find out.

I voluntarily read an early copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

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