When You Rescued Me by Sian Ann Bessey

On By TracyIn Georgian Era (1714-1837), historical-romance, New To Me Author, Standalone Title, Tracy's ReviewsLeave a comment

When You Rescued MeWhen You Rescued Me by Sian Ann Bessey

Tracy’s Rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: Standalone

Release Date: October 6, 2026

Orphaned and forced into a life of crime to survive, young Samuel Ross’ luck finally ran out the day he met Hannah Dennington. He had the misfortune to enter the pawn shop that Hannah and her father were in and tried to hide the watch he had lifted to escape the Bow Street Runner after him, and he might have gotten away if Hannah hadn’t informed the Runner of the location of the hidden watch. He is taken to the magistrate Sir John Fielding and fully expected to be sentenced to death, but Sir John decided that Samuel deserved a second chance and sent him to the Marine Society. There he was trained to join the Royal Navy. Now twelve years later, Samuel is back in London and in need of work after being injured in the war and discharged from the Navy. He tries his luck once again with Sir John and is given a chance to become a Bow Street Runner, never imagining that he would once again cross paths with Hannah.

For years Hannah believed that Samuel was sent to the gallows and prayed for his soul, while blaming herself for his death and never forgetting his solemn gray eyes. So, twelve years later when she is saved from a highwayman by a Bow Street Runner, she is shocked to see the same gray eyes but didn’t make the connection. She and Samuel grow close while working together to find the man that accosted her, and she deeply hurt when she learns who he really is and that he kept it from her. She sends him away and tries to move on, but her heart is not ready to let him go, despite her hurt feelings. Can a man with a checkered past and a lady of good breeding find a way to happily ever after?

This was a very well written, nicely paced story with wonderful characters and an intriguing storyline. I especially liked Samuel, he was such a great hero, and I loved seeing his transformation from street urchin to a decent upstanding man. Hannah was very much a lady of her era but didn’t shy from pursuing her passion for business and was lucky enough to have an indulgent father. I did think she was a bit dramatic upon finding out that Samuel was the same boy she thought she had sent to the gallows all those years ago, but thankfully she realizes the error in her thinking and makes amends. Overall, this was a very sweet, no-steam story with great secondary characters, a decent mystery, second chances, intrigue, a bit of drama and finally a twist that gives Samuel and Hannah a well-deserved HEA.

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for a DRC that I requested and was provided to me by the publisher/author. All opinions in this review are my own. *

 

What Happens at Nightfall by Lauren Willig

On By TracyIn Contemporary, Contemporary Romance, Mystery, New To Me Author, Paranormal / Fantasy, Romantasy, Standalone Title, Top Pick - Highly Recommended, Tracy's ReviewsLeave a comment

What Happens at Nightfall: A NovelWhat Happens at Nightfall: A Novel by Lauren Willig

Tracy’s Rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Series: Standalone

Release Date: October 6, 2026

When Jacinta “Jess” Waters agrees to meet her best friend Kimmy for a cemetery tour in Brooklyn’s Green-Wood Cemetery, she couldn’t even begin to imagine how much her life was about to change. For the last year Jess’s life has been a mess, first she got what she believed to be her dream job, but soon the dream became a nightmare when she discovered her bosses were using the company to launder money, she turned them in, but they turned the tables on her and ruined her credibility and her had her blackballed in the financial community. So, the outing with Kimmy seemed like just the thing to take her mind off things but is regretting that decision when she gets knocked into by some boys and gets separated from the group. As she is picking up her things, she hears someone crying and investigates, she finds a young boy huddled under a bush and tries to help him when something strange happens, which has them running for their lives.

The cemetery’s resident arborist, Adam Chervinsky is a widower and the father of a teenage daughter and a tween son. When he hears a knock at his door, he thinks it is another lost tour participant who needs him to unlock the gate for them, so imagine his shock when he opens the door to find his son, who he thought was in his room with a lovely stranger. He is stunned to learn that his son was at his late wife’s family mausoleum, and somehow this pretty woman was caught in the middle. When Jess reveals that her phone is dead and she has lost her Metro card, he offers to escort her to the subway and pay her fare, but first they need to lock up the mausoleum. Simple right? What they find at the tomb will pull them both into things that neither of them even thought was real and hopefully, they will survive…

This was a well-written, nicely paced story with wonderful characters, which totally sucked me in and kept me flipping pages way past my bedtime (completely worth the lost sleep!). The book has ghosts, demons, slow burn romance, ride or die friends, mystery, great secondary characters, frogs, some witty dialogue, family drama, secrets, moving statues, and a very satisfying ending complete with an epilogue. As much as I enjoyed this book, I wasn’t really sold on the romance, I felt like Adam still had issues with his late wife to deal with and his mistrust for Jess made it hard to believe that he fell in love with her so quickly. Overall, this was a great read, it was spooky but not scary, and very unputdownable. If you are looking for a fun, spooky read with a bit of romance, you need to read this book!

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for a DRC that I requested and was provided to me by the publisher/author. All opinions in this review are my own. *