Author: Barbara

Avid reader/reviewer of historical romance and historical mysteries.

A Shop Girl’s Guide to Wooing a Lord by Shana Galen

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A Shop Girl's Guide to Wooing a Lord (The Heiress Hunters #1)Barbara’s rating: 4 out of 5 Stars
Series: The Heiress Hunters #1
Publication Date: 6/9/2026
Period: Regency – 1815 London
Number of Pages: 336

I loved this delightful first book in Shana Galen’s new Heiress Hunters series. The four Kildare brothers gave themselves the label ‘Heiress Hunters’ when their father sat them all down and told them that the family money was gone. The only way to save the family was for one of them to marry an heiress. There are four brothers: Liam, the heir is straight-laced and everything a proper heir should be; Garret, our current hero, has no clue what he’s good at but he’s sure it must be something; Killian is the tortured artist (and maybe a ladies man); Daire is the youngest, smartest, and a whiz at managing investments (if he had money to invest). There is also one sister who is fifteen, Mariah. I really enjoyed the family as a whole, but I did believe that a Regency-era titled family, even an Irish one, would have more issues with class disparity than they did. I’m assuming there will be 5 books in the series, and I’m looking forward to each of them.

Tamsin Archer first saw Garret Kildare when she was a young girl selling flowers outside the theater. He was kind to her, and she was instantly in love – she even followed him home to see where he lived. She saw the warm, loving, happy family and wanted to belong to them. Her own life was a drudgery of daily tasks at a coffee shop and sleeping in a single cold room along with her mother. Once there were four of them, but the coffee shop owner sold her small brother and sister to a chimney sweep, and now every spare shilling goes to paying for their release. That’s how she met Garret the second time – and now he’s helping her rescue her brother and sister.

Tamsin and Garret are a lovely couple who are at opposite ends of the social scale. She’s skittish, but he jumps in with both feet – sort of. It’s fun watching them work their way through all the obstacles life has thrown at them and still find a lasting love.

You’ll quickly find yourself rooting for the Kildare family and the Archers – particularly Tamsin and Garret. It will be fun to get to know the brothers more fully as their books are presented because each seems to be a cheeky, humorous fellow bent on finding an heiress to save the family. Will any of them succeed? I can hardly wait to find out.

I voluntarily read an early copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

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When the Wolves Are Silent by C.S. Harris

On By BarbaraIn Barb's Reviews, Historical Mystery, Part of a Series, Regency Era (1811-1820)Leave a comment

When the Wolves Are Silent (Sebastian St. Cyr, #21)

Barbara’s rating: 5 out of 5 Stars
Series: Sebastian St Cyr #21
Publication Date:4/14/26
Period: Regency London
Number of Pages: 400

WOW!! This book is packed with excitement, suspense, heartbreak, dark motives, cruelty, political turmoil, and startling family revelations. Some of the surrounding political tensions feel eerily reminiscent of the unrest we see in today’s world.

When Bayard Wilcox awakens from a drunken stupor to find his friend, Marcus Toole, sprawled in the smoldering remains of a bonfire they had carelessly built the night before, he is terrified—and utterly alone. The hilltop where he stands is rumored to have been used for ancient Druidic rituals, making the scene even more unsettling. With no one else to turn to, Bayard seeks out his uncle, Sebastian St. Cyr.

Sebastian’s investigation quickly branches into multiple directions. The victim—and his circle of friends—are widely disliked, leaving no shortage of potential suspects. Matters grow even more troubling when Sebastian discovers that another of Bayard’s companions has recently been murdered under similarly disturbing, possibly ritualistic circumstances. Is someone targeting the entire group? As Sebastian uncovers instances of cruelty in their past, he is left wondering what deeper secrets remain hidden—because nothing he finds seems to fully justify such calculated violence.

Time is not on his side. The Home Office and the Chief Magistrate are determined to see the murders of aristocrats solved swiftly—and conveniently. They intend to place blame on the Spencians, who are planning a major protest against the government. One of those at risk of being falsely accused is a close friend of Sebastian’s.

Can Sebastian uncover the truth in time? Can he protect his nephew—and does he even want to? Can he save his friend from becoming a political scapegoat? And if he does solve the case, will the truth even matter, or will the government bury it to serve its own ends?

I have read this series from the beginning, and each book has been exceptional. This one, however, stands out as one of the best. I highly recommend it and hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

I voluntarily read an early copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

View all my reviews