January 2018 – Page 9 – Flippin' Pages Book Reviews

Plague Pits & River Bones by Karen Charlton

Barbara’s rating: 5 of 5 stars

Series: Detective Lavender #4
Publication Date: 1/11/18

Holy shades of Sherlock! I do believe Detective Lavender has met his Moriarty. Is that a good thing or a bad thing? I don’t know, but can’t wait to find out as the series continues. I certainly don’t want him to become a focus in the series, but popping up every now and again to create havoc could be a very interesting thing indeed!

One of my favorite things about this series is the interweaving of actual people, facts and events with the fiction. Detective Stephen Lavender was an actual Principal Officer of the Bow Street Runners and the author weaves his actual cases and events into the stories. In this one, she uses the real assassination of England’s Prime Minister, Spencer Perceval, in 1812. This author does in-depth research before writing her books and then seamlessly blends fact and fiction. The stories are fast-paced, well-plotted, well written, intriguing and filled with wonderfully interesting and relatable characters.

Bow Street received a pittance from Parliament each year. There was no way they could police the area they were required to police and still manage to operate within that budget. The clever Magistrate Read, Lavender’s boss, found a way to supplement their income. Based on that income, he had begun a much needed building addition with additional holding cells, courtrooms, etc. The additional income adding to the Bow Street coffers came from assigning his much-sought-after Principal Detectives to cases in other areas of England – where they were paid handsomely for their services.

“Gawd’s teeth!” is how our story begins in May of 1812. Constables Ned Woods and Barnaby encounter a completely naked man cavorting on the beach in Greenwich. Ned recognizes the man as an escaped bedlamite and after a bit of a scuffle, they capture the man and get him back to Bow Street. It seems things just head downhill from there – for Bow Street.

Detective Lavender returns to London after the successful completion of an out of town case that kept him away for two weeks, only to discover that he is the ONLY Principal Officer in town and everything falls on his shoulders. Not only is he to get all of the cases, but the Magistrate wants him to leave for another out of town case – this time in Ireland. Stephen is not a happy camper!

Crime seems to be running rampant in London. There are rumors, unsubstantiated but believable, of a new gang with a wily leader that is now operating within London. Lavender has to deal with a plethora of cases – large and small – and slowly begins to wonder if they could all somehow be related. There are blatant highway robberies where the thieves seemed to know the victims along with when they were traveling and what they were transporting. Then you have the murder of a Baron that draws in sweet Duddles (you’ll know him from previous books) – not to mention that he is having to keep tabs on a man (formerly a rich merchant) who is bitter at the government. Adding to that list is the discovery that Ned Woods made when corralling the escaped bedlamite – he found a severed foot. Magistrate Read doesn’t want Lavender working on that find, but it intrigues Lavender, so he adds that to his list of cases he’s juggling.

This story is fast-paced and crimes are popping up all over and you begin to wonder how you’ll ever keep them straight and how Lavender will ever solve all of them. Then, you begin to notice a pattern and you begin to wonder . . . . hmmmmm. You think you know who one of the villains is early on, but you learn more and more as you go on and – WOW! You won’t want to take a break from reading – because – something exciting might happen while you are away and you would miss it!

This story is a bit darker than the others in the series, but not too dark. There is a bit of humor too with Magdalena’s maid being taught English words by her want-to-be beau. For instance – Magdalena asks the maid if Lavender’s bath water is hot enough. The answer was that it was “very peppery”.

I love all of the supporting characters in the book, but particularly the relationship between Lavender and Woods. They are great friends and would do anything for each other. Their conversations are just great – Ned is older and offers Lavender great advice – such as – Ned has given Lavender the advice to give his wife back rubs. He’s suggested it several times, so Lavender asks “Ned, what’s this obsession you have with back rubs?” To which Ned replies “Well, that’s good. One thing leads to another . . .” Other memorable characters are Duddles, the young lover of Magdalena’s friend and young Eddie Woods, the thirteen year old son of Ned Woods.

Another thing to like is the believability of the story and the consequences. For instance – when Lavender is trapped in an old building and is submerged in brackish, contaminated river water, he didn’t just walk out unscathed. He was seriously sickened as would have happened in real life.

You could read this as a stand-alone book, but I cannot, for the life of me, think why you would want to. The character development and growth throughout the series is well worth the time to read – not to mention all of the stories are GREAT! So, Happy reading – I just know you’ll love it.

Please see my reviews of the other books in the series here! https://flippinpages.blog/2017/09/27/…

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“I requested and received this e-book at no cost to me and volunteered to read it; my review is my honest opinion and given without any influence by the author or publisher.”

The Duke of Nothing by Jess Michaels
Tracy’s rating: 5 of 5 stars

Series: The 1797 Club, #5

Release Date: January 16, 2018

I started this book with a preconceived notion of how it was going to play out based on the blurb. I thought I was going to be reading a typical star crossed lovers trope, I foresaw anguish, heartbreak, longing for what could never be, etc., etc., etc., and then a miraculous HEA. I am happy to say, I was totally wrong! Yes, the book had all the aforementioned elements, but OMG – there was nothing typical about the way this story unfolded.

Baldwin Undercross, the Duke of Sheffield, has a secret, one he has kept from everyone, his mother knows part of it, but even she does not know the full extent of his ruin. Baldwin inherited the estate five years ago from his father and learned that his father had gambled away almost everything that was not entailed. And Baldwin added to this debt by trying to gamble and only made things worse. His pride will not let him share his shame with anyone. He knows that he must marry a heiress and soon, before society at large learns of the state of his finances. His mother has complied a list of “prospects” and Baldwin must choose one to be his duchess.

Helena Monroe is the cousin and companion of Charity Shephard, who is one of Baldwin’s prospects. Helena also has secrets and accepts her lot in life because she really has no other options. Helena is truly a kind, loving soul, she meets Baldwin when she has slipped out to count stars. When Baldwin asks what she is doing and she tells him that counting stars reminds her that there are bigger things than herself or her problems. Baldwin is instantly charmed and thinks that she might be the “American” from his mother’s list and suddenly, the idea of marrying doesn’t seem so awful.

Baldwin soon learns that Helena is not the heiress and cannot even be considered a prospect, but his mother points out that Charity is a lovely young woman and urges him to pursue her. Helena also learns who Baldwin is and that her cousin is interested in him. She knows that she is not a suitable choice for his bride and pushes down her disappointment.

They meet again when Baldwin hosts a tea for the prospects, they once again end up alone when Helena is embarrassed by her uncle and needs a moment to compose herself. They chat and are found together by Charity.

Her Uncle is livid and punishes her by making her stay home while he and Charity pay calls. But while they are out, Helena receives a visit from the “duchesses”, they noticed Baldwin’s interest in her and decided to make her acquaintance. Helena is overwhelmed by their offer of friendship and she gladly accepts. She knows that they would shun her if they knew the truth, but she can’t help but be thrilled by their friendship. When Charlotte invites her to dinner, she tries to decline, but Charlotte promises to invite her family.

At the dinner, Baldwin once again singles her out and they go for a walk in the garden and share a kiss. After which, he apologizes and he tells her everything. They know that there can be no future for them and commit to being friends. It is not enough, but they will take what they can get.

Baldwin’s mother organizes a house party for the prospects. Baldwin and Helena try to avoid each other, but it is impossible and causes problems for Helena with Charity and her Uncle Peter. And to make matters worse, Baldwin learns that someone has bought up some of his debts and he doesn’t know who or what they will demand. When Helena goes looking for him, she finds him drunk in his study. They talk and kiss and Baldwin learns part of her secret. The next day he seeks her out and learns the full extent of her secrets. She tells him that even though they have no future, she would like an affair. Helena knows she loves him and wants something to remember after they part.

Baldwin knows he loves her and has to make a decision. When he is confronted by Matthew about his intentions toward Helena, he tells him everything and why as much as he loves her, he cannot marry her. Matthew is angry and offers to marry Helena himself. This is the jolt Baldwin needed and he confesses all to his family.

Just when it seems like a HEA is on the horizon, Helena’s uncle throws a wrench into their plans and all seems lost. But salvation comes from an unlikely and surprising source!

This was probably my second favorite book in the series. It is well written, flows perfectly, has steamy love scenes, wonderful secondary characters, one of the best declaration scenes I have ever read and of course a wonderful HEA. While this is the 5th book in the series, it could easily be read as a stand alone title – but be warned, if you start with this book, you are going to want to read the previous books 🙂

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that was provided to me by NetGalley and the publisher*

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