Month: May 2023

Blog Tour ~ Her Unforgettable Knight by Melissa Oliver

On By TracyIn Blog Tour, Part of a Series, Tracy's Reviews, Tudor Era (1485-1603)Leave a comment

Her Unforgettable Knight

She never forgot him…

Can she ever forgive him?

Part of Protectors of the Crown. Marguerite never expected to see Savaric again—let alone to have to help him when she finds him outnumbered in a fight. He’s the brooding knight she fell for two years ago, until he left her unexpectedly. Now Marguerite is a hardened spy, and wary of trusting him again. But how long can she resist their connection when they must work together to protect the Crown…?

Purchase Links:

Books2Read ~ Harper Collins ~ Amazon UK ~ Amazon US

Author Bio:

Melissa Oliver is from south-west London where she writes sweeping historical romance and is the WINNER of The Romantic Novelist Association’s Joan Hessayon Award for new writers 2020 for, The Rebel Heiress and the Knight.

Social Media Links:

Website ~ Instagram ~ Twitter ~ Facebook

Tracy’s Review:

Her Unforgettable Knight (Protectors of the Crown, #3)Her Unforgettable Knight by Melissa Oliver

Tracy’s rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Series: Protectors of the Crown, #3

Release Date: May 23, 2023

After two years, Knight Savaric Fitz Leonard never thought he would see Marguerite Studdal, the woman who has haunted him since he walked away from her, letting her believe that he was not interested in her, which was far from the truth. As a biracial man, he has often been the object of bigotry and prejudice, so despite his attraction to her, he believes by pushing her away, he is protecting her from the abuse his heritage will cause her. But now she is here and to add insult to injury, she saves him when he was attacked as he was going to return to where he had seen her last to save her. He is floored to learn that she is in service to Hubert de Burgh, the man Savaric and his fellow Knights of Fortitude have sworn fealty to. He is even more dismayed to learn that his fellow knights knew she was working for Hubert and kept the knowledge from him. Now to protect the Crown from the threat of the Duo Dracones, they will have to work together, will he be able to walk away again?

After Savaric left her, Marguerite made a deal with Hubert de Burgh, she will work for him to bring down the Duo Dracones and in exchange, he will posthumously absolve father’s name as a traitor to the crown and return his title and confiscated lands to her brother. She is not the same woman that Savaric walked away from, she is no longer the innocent, timid lady he knew, after two years working undercover in Paris she is a cunning, dangerous agent who can take care of herself. And while she is still attracted to him, she won’t make the same mistake of trusting him with her heart again. Working together, they begin to unravel the mystery of Duo Dracones and grow closer as they do. Will they finally give in to their feelings or will the past repeat itself?

This was such a wonderful book, it is well-written, perfectly paced, and filled with intrigue. I loved this story, I was impressed by Marguerite and felt a lot of compassion for Savaric – it was very easy to get invested in and root for their journey to HEA. The story is filled with secrets, evil sects, wonderful secondary characters, cameos from previous characters, lots of sexual tension, and finally a HEA that didn’t seem possible. This is the third and final book in the series and while the author gives enough backstory to read this book as a standalone, do yourself a favor and read the series in order – believe me, it will make the ending so much more satisfying!

*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.*

A Botanist’s Guide to Flowers and Fatality by Kate Khavari

On By BarbaraIn Barb's Reviews, George V - 1910- 1936, Historical Mystery, Interwar Period (Nov 1918 - Sep 1939), Part of a SeriesLeave a comment

A Botanist's Guide to Flowers and Fatality (Saffron Everleigh Mystery, #2)

Barbara’s rating: 4.3 out of 5 Stars
Series: Saffron Everleigh Mystery #2
Publication Date: 6/6/23
Period: 1920’s London – George V – Interwar Period
Number of Pages: 352

Saffron Everleigh has worked hard, defied her family, and found success at a time and place where women were relegated to fetching coffee, typing notes, and running a home. Were it not for her hard-headed determination and brilliant mind, she’d still be doing all of those things. Instead, she is a researcher at University College with her own office and a research grant. That grant comes with a partner, Dr. Lee, who is handsome, suave, and very dedicated to medicine. Their task is to investigate poisonings from poisonous plants and to document the plant, its location, the effect on the person who was poisoned, etc. Saffron is very excited about the project because it means she’ll have a published paper before she even starts her masters program at the university.

If you read the first book, you’ll remember Inspector Green who was constantly trying to keep Saffron out of his investigation. This time, he’s come to her asking for help. It seems there have been three murders – all by different methods – but all victims received strange flower arrangements prior to or at the time of their deaths. The murders are all definitely related – but how – and what prompted these strange bouquets? The inspector is interested in having Saffron identify the plants – which she does. She also discovers the old meanings (floriography) of the different plants and passes that along as well.

Being Saffron, she also inveigles more information from the Inspector and takes it upon herself to begin investigating – even bringing a reluctant Dr. Lee into it. They trek through dingy clubs where drugs are as prevalent as alcohol, and they befriend people who have much to hide. Who among the denizens of this dark world could have wanted three people dead? Or, are they even looking in the right place?

I’m definitely a romantic and I just have to have a romance in my mysteries. I’m not sure where this series is headed in that area, but I’m ready for the male romantic lead to be settled. I’m not one for the will-they/won’t-they scenario and that is what this is so far. Yes, this is only the second book, but we should have a pretty clear view of where this is headed by now – and we don’t. I’m pretty sure Dr. Lee is currently out of the romantic picture and Ashton may or may not be. I’m guessing Ashton will be the romantic lead, especially with how the third book is set up at the end of this one – but – you never know.

As for Saffron, I have to wonder a bit about her. She is brilliant and dedicated, but she seems to be oblivious to the feelings of those around her – at least the male portion of the population. They are all supposed to be totally supportive and understanding of her, but she seems to have no clue about them. For instance – Dr. Lee wanted to drop out of the investigation – so she just got angry with him rather than wondering (or asking) what the reason was. Then, there is Ashton with PTSD and she doesn’t seem to want to make any allowances for his feelings of protectiveness or his personal battles with flashbacks. Yes, he has a real problem with actually expressing his feelings, but she doesn’t seem to care enough about him to delve into why any of that might be. While I find her mind to be very sharp, I find her heart to be a tad slow, selfish, and dull. I’m hoping that will change with the next book.

I recommend this book and this series and I hope you will enjoy it. There are plenty of twists and turns, lots of red herrings, plenty of danger for all of our characters, and a thoroughly satisfying wrap-up for the villain. Then, of course, there is the set-up for the next book and I can’t wait to see where that one leads us. BTW – you do not have to have read the first book to enjoy this one – however, I believe it will add much to your enjoyment of this book if you understand more about Saffron’s journey to get to where she is now.

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

View all my reviews