Month: September 2023

Every Duke Has His Day by Suzanne Enoch

On By TracyIn Georgian Era (1714-1837), Historical Rom-Com, Regency Era (1811-1820), Standalone Title, Top Pick - Highly Recommended, Tracy's ReviewsLeave a comment

Every Duke Has His DayEvery Duke Has His Day by Suzanne Enoch

Tracy’s rating: 5 of 5 stars

Series: N/A

Release Date: September 19, 2023

It was definitely not love at first sight when Elizabeth “Bitsy” Dockering, the youngest daughter of Viscount Mardensea, and Michael Bromley, the Duke of Woriton met. As the undisputed “diamond” of the season, Elizabeth is much sought after and admired, she has several men vying for her hand and is enjoying her reign. While on a walk in the park with her friends and her dog, a poorly behaved black poodle named Galahad, one of her suitors, and her dog tangle which leads to Galahad getting loose and running after another black poodle. The dogs end up in the Serpentine, along with the other dog’s owner. Elizabeth is shocked to learn that the man is none other than the reclusive and possibly mad Duke of Woriton. After exchanging words, the two take their dogs and part ways, thinking they will never see each other again.

Michael Bromley, the Duke of Woriton is brilliant, and he would rather be home working on his experiments than mingling with his peers, but when his beloved aunt leaves her black poodle, Lancelot with him while she is visiting a friend, he ventures out to the park, never expecting to have his life turned upside down by two poodles and a lovely woman! It isn’t until he returns home that he realizes they switched dogs, and for some unexplainable reason, he decides that he must let Elizabeth know immediately. This results in an unexpected waltz and the start of an adventure that will forever change him, when Lancelot and then Galahad are dognapped.

I loved this book, it was such a fun read filled with wonderful characters and plenty of laugh-out-loud moments. The story uses a Grumpy meets Sunshine trope, and it is a no-steam, slow-burn romance with lots of emotion, chemistry experiments, lots of dogs, a nasty villain, and a not-so-bad “bad guy”, a sweet secondary romance, laughs, tears, wonderful secondary characters, kisses and finally a HEA complete with an epilogue. Overall, I do wish that the ending had been a bit longer and maybe that they didn’t need a third party to ensure their HEA, but those things aside, I loved this book and have given it a place on my very small keeper shelf. This is a standalone title, so if you are looking for a fun, sweet read, this book is for you!

*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 Fire at the Exhibition by T.E. Kinsey

On By BarbaraIn Audiobook, Barb's Reviews, George V - 1910- 1936, Historical Mystery, Part of a SeriesLeave a comment

A Fire at the Exhibition (Lady Hardcastle Mysteries #10)Barbara’s rating: 5 of 5 Stars
Series: Lady Hardcastle Mysteries #10
Publication Date: 9/5/23
Period: 1912 – Littleton Cotterell, Gloucestershire (United Kingdom)
Number of Pages: 332

Oh! I do love this series! Lady Emily Hardcastle and her lady’s maid Florence Armstrong are former spies who have retired to the country – but cannot help themselves when a mystery or murder presents itself in the area. They just have to help. Their witty banter is very entertaining and will keep you smiling, if not laughing out loud, throughout the book. While they take their investigations very seriously, they don’t take themselves seriously at all, and that is what makes the combination of humor and murder investigation work so well.

The quiet, picturesque village of Littleton Cotterel is holding its May Day celebration with a festival and art show. The art show features artistic endeavors from local artists as well as art loaned from a museum, a bound book of the complete works of Shakespeare (with jewels and gold leaf, and…), and a painting by a famous artist, loaned by Sir Hector Farley-Stroud. The entire village and surrounding areas are all looking forward to participating in the events – even the bicycle race.

Even in the best-planned events – things seem to go astray, which is certainly the case with their festival. As soon as the opening ceremonies were over and the doors opened to the exhibition building, everyone rushed inside to see the exhibits – only to rush right out again because the building was on fire. OOPS! However, the fire wasn’t really a fire – but there was plenty of smoke – and when it cleared, the book along with Sir Farley-Stroud’s painting was missing. How in the world did anyone manage to get outside with that huge book and not be seen? Then, a few days later there is a murder connected to the festival. What is going on?

So many crimes to investigate! However, Lady Hardcastle and Flo decide not to be involved – except maybe to help find the painting for their dear friends, the Farley-Strouds. Let the insurance investigator handle the book, the police handle the murder, and they can help the police with the painting. Right, we know how that will go.

There are lots of red herrings for each of the crimes and you’ll have lots of fun evaluating those and tossing them aside before you finally realize what has been going on and why. Oh! Did I mention there is also a treasure hunt? Yes, Indeed. There MIGHT be buried treasure on the Farley-Stroud property. If there is, and they find it, it would save them from financial ruin.

You’ll smile yourself silly as Emily and Flo banter themselves through the investigation and fling the red herrings aside before they finally reveal all. It really is an excellent, entertaining read with several mysteries to keep you guessing before the final reveal. I highly recommend it and hope you will love it as much as I did. Happy reading!

I read and listened to the book and I can say I thoroughly enjoyed Elizabeth Knowelden’s narration. She captures Lady Hardcastle and Flo perfectly. You can hear the humor in their voices as you listen. She’s perfect for this narration role.

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