Month: August 2021

The Merchant and The Rogue by Sarah M. Eden

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

The Merchant and the Rogue (The Dread Penny Society #3)The Merchant and the Rogue by Sarah M. Eden

Tracy’s rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Series: The Dread Penny Society, #3

Release Date: August 17, 2021

Brogan Donnelly has been summoned by the acting head of the Dread Penny Society – a secret group of “penny dreadful” authors in London who work together as vigilantes to combat crime and help the less fortunate. Brogan loves being a member but has struggled with the rule that he must keep his membership and activities secret, which means lying to his sister Moirin. When Brogan arrives at his meeting, he is shocked to learn that the Dread Master, the actual yet unknown leader of the group, was the one who summoned him. The Dread Master wants Brogan to take a mission, but it will require him to act alone and without the DPS’s help, furthermore, he will have to “resign” from the group. His mission is to learn what connection the Russian ambassador has to the group’s archenemy – The Mastiff and his henchman Four-Finger Mike and to an immigrant Russian printer in Soho. Brogan accepts the mission, but doesn’t feel up to the task and is unhappy about the lies he will have to tell his co-members. As luck would have it when Brogan goes to the printer’s shop, they are looking for help and he applies for the job, which will hopefully allow him to find out what the printer is up to and how it relates to the ambassador.

Vera Sorokina runs The Sorokin Print Shop with her father. Although she was born in Russia, her family fled when she was young and England is the only home she has ever known. She runs the shop which not only does printing, but sells supplies and much to her father’s disgust – Penny Dreadful novels. Her father hates authors, he blames them for his banishment from Russia, a hatred that he has instilled in Vera. So when Brogan applies for the job, he gives a fake name – Ganor O’Donnell. Vera hires him and immediately feels a connection. Ganor and Vera become friends, they discuss the Penny Dreadfuls, politics, and life as immigrants – her feeling for him grow, how can then not when he buys her roast chestnuts, it kind to the urchins she “hires”, and when an extortion scheme comes into play, he supports her efforts to unite the other shop owners.

Brogan is falling hard for Vera and hates the lies that stand between them, he needs to finish his mission and then hopefully find a way to reveal the truth to Vera without breaking the DPS rules and hope that she will forgive his deception. But when someone tells her who he really is, she is hurt and cuts their ties without revealing she has learned the truth. Although heartbroken, her decision to send him away actually leads to him finding the connection between her father and the ambassador that he was sent to find. He takes the evidence and leaves but is not ready to give up on a future with Vera. He just needs to solve this mystery and then find a way to win back the woman he loves…

This was a very interesting story, it was actually three stories in one, as two “Penny Dreadful” novels are interspersed throughout the book. The writing was good, but I did find the addition of the other novels a bit distracting and their placement at times broke the “flow” of the actual story. Also, the book ends a bit abruptly and I would have liked a bit more closure, but I have to assume the things left hanging will be addressed in future installments. What I did like was the connection between Vera and Brogan, it was very well done and I truly felt and believed their love connection, the mysteries were also nicely executed and the author did a great job of tying everything together for a grand climax. For readers who prefer a “no-contact” romance – this book is for you, there is nothing beyond a kiss in this story and while I usually prefer a bit more steam, I didn’t feel the lack in this book. This is the third book in the series, but I hadn’t read the previous books and had no problems starting mid-series.

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

The Highlander’s Pirate Lass by Heather McCollum

On By BarbaraIn Barb's Reviews, Tudor Era (1485-1603)Leave a comment

Series: The Brothers of Wolf Isle #2

Publication Date: 8/23/21

Period:  Tudor – 1547 Highlands

Number of Pages:  271

Barbara’s Rating: 5-Stars

It has been about two/three years since our last visit to Wolf Isle and the Macquarie brothers.  Adam and Lark (The Highlander’s Unexpected Proposal) are still in newly wedded bliss – driving the rest of the brothers, Beck, Drostan, Callum, and Eagan, to distraction with their canoodling.  Beck has spent the last two years in a labor of love – he’s built his own ship – a three-masted carrack — and she is a thing of beauty.  Beck loves The Calypso more than anything else – well, anything except his brothers.  The Macquarie curse is still in full force.  The half-dead willow tree still has the newly formed buds on it from Adam and Lark falling in love, but those buds haven’t opened or progressed in healing.  It appears that ALL of the Macquarie brothers will have to find love before the curse is broken.

Beckett (Beck) Macquarie is happy to be on his new ship – flying through the water.  She is tight, sleek, light and plies through the water like a hot knife cutting butter.  The mission he has set for himself and the Calypso?  Find and destroy the French pirate Jandeau because he caused harm to Beck’s family.  Jandeau kidnapped Lark and had every intention of torturing her and selling her into slavery.  Beck won’t rest until he destroys Jandeau.

While Beck and his crew are out patrolling, Beck spots a woman signaling from a rock formation on an uninhabited island.  Beck and some of his trusted men row over to the island and find two women and three children who all tell him that a pirate took over their ship and abandoned them there.  After some observations and a few questions, that story just doesn’t ring true, but Beck cannot leave them on the island with no food.  His only option is to take them back to their family seat, Gylin Castle on Wolf Isle.

When she was twelve-years-old, Eliza Wentworth endured a horrible tragedy.  The pirate Jandeau attacked the ship she, her brother, and her parents were on.  They murdered her father outright, violated her mother beyond belief before killing her, and took Eliza and her 3-year-old brother prisoner.  She was so fortunate.  She was rescued by Captain John Pritchert, an English privateer – and she has sailed with him since then.  Captain John’s mission is to rescue women and children who have been taken by pirates, so Eliza has quite a little family now.  Yes, they are all her family – the sailors on the ship as well as the other woman and three children who live aboard ship with them.  When Captain John dropped them off on the uninhabited island, he left them with enough food to last for two weeks.  He’d be back for them before they ran out of food – except – he wasn’t.  Eliza is so very worried about him.  Had Jandeau attacked the ship?  If so, did any of them survive?  She has to find him!

Beck is immediately smitten with Eliza.  She’s unlike any woman he has ever met, but he also knows he has to keep his distance.  First, if he tried anything, she’d gut him.  Second, if they want to break the curse, he absolutely cannot father any by-blows.  Since Eliza fully intends to resume her life aboard Captain John’s ship, Beck knows there is no chance for them to wed.  So, he’ll just have to keep his distance.  HA!  We all know how well that is going to work out.

This fast-paced story will keep you reading well past bedtime.  You’ll absolutely adore Beck and Eliza and you’ll hold your breath right along with them as Jandeau makes an appearance.   There is a heartwarming romance, scurvy pirates, jealous wenches, ship theft (is there a word for that?), sacrifice, and fierce loyalty.  You can’t get much better than that.  I hope you’ll love this story as much as I did.  I can hardly wait for the third book featuring Callum Macquarie and Anna Montgomerie!

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