Month: April 2021

The Defiant Wife by Jess Michaels

On By TracyIn Georgian Era (1714-1837), Regency Era (1811-1820), Tracy's ReviewsLeave a comment

The Defiant Wife (The Three Mrs #2)The Defiant Wife by Jess Michaels
Tracy’s rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: The Three Mrs, #2

Release Date: April 13, 2021

Phillipa “Pippa” Montgomery thought she married for love, but soon she learns that her “husband”, Erasmus Montgomery is the father of her maid, Rosie’s baby. She follows him to London, only to learn that he was a bigamist, with two other wives and has been murdered! She teams up with Erasmus’s two other wives to clear their names and then gets another shock when she learns he is not dead, only to witness his jealous lover kill him. Unsure what his death means to her and his infant son, Pippa willingly accepts the help of Erasmus’ brother, Rhys, the Earl of Leighton, while trying to fight her attraction to him.

Rhys is horrified by Erasmus’s actions and vows to set everything to rights. He too fights his attraction to Pippa, as nothing can come of it, and being together would be a scandal. He tries to do the right thing by her and his nephew, traveling to Bath to settle his brother’s debts and to setup Pippa and the baby up in a house. But the more time they spend together, the deeper the attraction and they finally give in to it. Knowing a brief affair is all they can ever hope for. When it becomes clear that Bath is not going to be suitable, Rhys offers to set Pippa and the baby up in London – she accepts, but us clear, whatever happened between them must stay in Bath. Easier, said than done and when they learn that Rosie is still in England, Rhys cannot let Pippa deal with her alone. He knows that being together will cause a scandal – but rumors of Erasmus’ bigamy and death are already a scandal, so what difference will a bit more make? Now he just has to convince Pippa and hopefully do so before unstable Rosie turns up.

This was a well-written, nicely paced, steamyish book that picks up exactly where the previous book ended. Unlike the previous book that introduced us to all the players, this book was able to focus most of its attention on the relationship between Pippa and Rhys, which was great, but I did feel like they made a mountain out of a molehill about why they couldn’t be together and took a bit too long to realize that there was going to be a scandal no matter what they did. Overall, I enjoyed this story and am looking forward to the next installment.

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

The Sign of Death by Callie Hutton

On By BarbaraIn Barb's Reviews, Historical Mystery, Victorian Era (1837-1901)Leave a comment

The Sign of Death (A Victorian Book Club Mystery #2)Barbara’s rating: 5 of 5 stars

Series: A Victorian Book Club Mystery #2
Publication Date: 4/13/21
Number of Pages: 327

This exciting, witty, exceptionally well-told tale is an excellent addition to the series. The writing is excellent, the plotting is well planned and delivered, and the characters are absolutely delightful. The exchanges between William and Amy are priceless and will keep you chuckling even in the midst of the serious investigation. It is fast-paced enough to keep you quickly turning the pages, yet provides enough detail to make you feel as if you are right there with them.

Viscount William Wethington has no clue about what trouble is about to befall him as he sits and waits for his man of business, James Harding. Harding cancels the appointment and is soon fished out of the River Avon. Our favorite inept policemen from the last book ask William to come to the morgue to identify a body they’ve fished out of the river. It seems one of William’s calling cards was in the man’s pocket. The police tell William that it appears to be an accidental drowning because the man was drunk.

William and Lady Amy begin to investigate because William is sure the death wasn’t an accident because Harding didn’t drink – and William was also pretty sure Harding had been embezzling from him. As more of Harding’s victims are identified and they discover that Harding was doing more than embezzlement, there are more suspects than they know what to do with. Except, Detectives Carson and Marsh are convinced that William is not only a murderer, but that he has also taken over Harding’s nefarious enterprise. The detectives are so very sure William is the culprit, they aren’t even looking at or for anyone else. It is totally up to Lady Amy and William to find the real murderer. Could there be more than one? So many have motives, could they be working together? Oh! You’ll just have to read the story to find out who it was – and why they did it.

There is an absolutely fabulous ending – and epilogue! It is delightful and will have you smiling from ear-to-ear. I definitely recommend this delightfully entertaining, witty, and engrossing book.

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