Barbara’s Rating: 5 of 5 Stars
Series: Lords of the Armory #1
Publication Date: 2/25/20
Number of Pages: 384

Anna Harrington’s first entry into this new series is a lovely sensual romance, and an exciting, breath-holding, fast-paced mystery. The characters are relatable and likable and the writing, as always, is excellent.

The Napoleonic wars are over and the soldiers have returned home. The life that awaited them in England wasn’t what they would have thought. The military had no use for them and there were few, if any, jobs available. The war office was slow to pay pensioners and those who remained on the payroll. It was common to see a soldier in his tattered uniform begging on the streets. This treatment of the men who had sacrificed so much for king and country really rankled returning war hero, General Marcus Braddock, newly minted Duke of Hampton. He’d lost so much while he was away at war – and now he felt lost, restless, and unsettled.

With the wars over, there is a new, home-grown menace afoot in England. It is growing in power and influence every day – and its name is Scepter. Nobody knew it even existed until, unwittingly, Elise, sister of Marcus Braddock, stepped into their path and was murdered for it. Once Marcus realizes that Elise was murdered rather than being killed in a riding accident, he will stop at nothing to find her murderer and see him punished.

Elise was Danielle Williams’s best friend – closer than sisters. Danielle was bereft at the loss of her best friend and when she learned she’d been murdered she was riddled with guilt.

Marcus is convinced that Danielle (Dani) knows what happened to his sister and he is determined to get the information from her. Danielle has many secrets, but knowing about Elise’s murder isn’t one of them. As she learns more and more, she and Marcus begin to draw closer to each other. Marcus is beside himself when he realizes that Dani is also in danger – because she and Elise were doing similar things. Dani’s passion has been rescuing battered and abused women from the men who have control of them. She’s always very careful and nobody knows that she is involved – or do they?

Fasten your seatbelts for this exciting, romantic ride. It is filled with passion and pain and a delightful HEA. The story sets up the premise for the Armory versus Scepter very nicely and leaves us looking forward to the next book in the series.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.