Month: November 2020

The Bachelor Earl by Darcy Burke

On By TracyIn Christmas, Georgian Era (1714-1837), Novella, Tracy's ReviewsLeave a comment

The Bachelor EarlThe Bachelor Earl by Darcy Burke

Tracy’s rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: The Untouchables, #0

Release Date: November 17, 2020

This book is the prequel to the Untouchables series and if you have read those books, you have probably wondered about Genie and Edmund – well wonder no more!

Two years after the death of her beloved husband, Eugenia “Genie” St. John, widowed Duchess Kendal and stepmother to Titus aka the Forbidden Duke, is finally ready to start living again. She accepts an invitation to her cousin’s house party, completely unaware that the party is composed of only widowed or unwed guests. And she if that wasn’t enough, she is startled by the feelings Edmund Holt, Earl of Satterfield seems to stir within her!

For 20 long years, Edmund has longed for Genie. When he first saw her in her first season, she was looking to marry and her was not ready, but he thought of her often over the years even after she wed another. When he sees her at the house party, he realizes the gift he has been given – a second chance with the woman who has held his heart for years.

This was a well written, steady paced novella with absolutely wonderful characters. I loved that Genie and Edmund are older and face challenges not usually found in the typical historical romance. The story is sweet with lots of emotion, steamyish love scenes, a dash of humor and of course a HEA.

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that I requested and was provided by the publisher. All opinions are my own.*

Heavenfield by L.J. Ross

On By BarbaraIn Barb's Reviews, Contemporary, MysteryLeave a comment

Heavenfield (DCI Ryan Mysteries, #3)Barbara’s rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: DCI Ryan Mysteries #3
Publication Date: 3/4/16
Number of Pages: 266

I have definitely become a fan of this series. I came to it late – with the sixteenth book – but I enjoyed that one so much that I’ve been reading the earlier books. I’m skipping all around in the series, so I can assure you that you can read each book as a standalone. The characters are consistent from book-to-book, and references are made to happenings in previous books, but you don’t have to have read those books in order to enjoy the book you are reading. The books are basically police procedurals, but the crimes are definitely of the sensational variety – as in cults, psychotic murderers, etc.

I listened to the audiobook version and enjoyed the narration. I like the narrator’s smooth voice, but all of his accents – English, Irish, Scottish, etc. all seemed to sound the same. He also used guttural voices to accentuate the accents and I didn’t feel that helped at all. His delivery was well-paced.

The heinous cult, The Circle, is back and strange things are happening. The Circle has tentacles in every profession and walk of life – at every level. You never know if the person with whom you are speaking is a member of The Circle or not. That means Ryan and his team have to tread very carefully and keep everything tightly contained within their single team. Heaven only knows how many members of CID are also members of The Circle. They are pretty sure of one, Detective Chief Superintendent Arthur Gregson, but does it go even higher than him?

DCI Ryan is on administrative leave after the events of the last case. DCS Gregson is bound and determined to see Ryan lose his job over these trumped-up charges. Can he do it? Ryan’s hearing will come up soon, but in the meantime, he’s totally sidelined. When Ryan is discovered at the scene of a murder, with blood on his hands, he becomes the chief suspect in that as well. Well – he’s DCS Gregson’s chief suspect – Ryan’s team knows he isn’t guilty.

When more murders happen, and Gregson himself is attacked, things really get busy. It will take Ryan and all of his team’s best efforts – with the help of Dr. Anna Taylor – to finally put an end to The Circle and all of the misery associated with it.

The ending was exciting and all of the explanations wrapped up the loose ends. I thoroughly enjoyed the read.