Author: Barbara

Avid reader/reviewer of historical romance and historical mysteries.

Fateful Words by Paige Shelton

On By BarbaraIn Barb's Reviews, Contemporary, Mystery, Part of a Series, Scottish/HighlanderLeave a comment

Fateful Words (Scottish Bookshop Mystery, #8)Barbara’s rating: 4 of 5 Stars
Series: Scottish Bookshop Mystery #8
Publication Date: 4/4/23
Period: Contemporary Edinburgh, Scotland
Number of Pages: 304

Delaney, originally from Kansas, has loved Scotland from the first day her feet touched the soil. Since she came to live in Edinburgh, she has made many wonderful friends and married the love of her life. She loves the town, she loves the people, she loves the books, she loves her job and she cannot imagine living anywhere else on earth.

As she arrives at the bookstore, Delaney immediately knows something is amiss from the look on Rosie’s face. Every year their boss, Edwin, conducts a multi-day book-related tour for four winners who have sent him the best reasons why they should be chosen. The tour includes various locations in Edinburg that are mentioned in books and Edwin always looks forward to the tours and conducts them personally. Delaney quickly learns that this year’s tour will be different because she will be leading it. What! She’s an American, she can’t be leading the tour and telling all of the stories and legends. It needs Edwin’s charm, wit, and beautiful Scottish accent to do justice to those stories. Delaney is alarmed – more for Edwin than herself. She’ll do the tour, but Edwin has left no word of why he is missing the tour or even where he has gone.

Delaney has hardly met the tour participants – Meera Murphy from Ireland, Kevin Moore from London, Luka King from Australia, and Gunter from Germany – when the manager of the hotel in which they are staying jumps or is thrown from the roof of the hotel. Oh! What an auspicious welcome to the tour group.

Something strange is going on at the hotel. One of the employees was struck down and hospitalized with a concussion, there was never any staff visible when you entered or left the hotel, and the one clerk who made an occasional appearance was free with information about odd things around the hotel.

Of course, Delaney decides to help her friend Inspector Winters solve the case. However, her investigations put her in danger. Will she be rescued? Can she save herself? Can she help bring the villain to justice?

I always enjoy the books in this series, but this is my least favorite so far. The entire scenario feels contorted and unreal, but the characters are so likable that you can live with the rest of it. So, while I mostly enjoyed the book, I wouldn’t read this one a second time.

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

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Yours Truly, The Duke by Amelia Grey

On By BarbaraIn Barb's Reviews, Part of a Series, Regency Era (1811-1820)1 Comment

Yours Truly, The Duke (Say I Do, #1)

Barbara’s rating: 2.7 of 5 Stars
Series: Say I Do #1
Publication Date: 3/28/23
Period: Regency
Number of Pages: 368

I was looking forward to reading this book because I loved the scenario as it was spelled out in the book blurb. The writing itself was good and the story flowed nicely, but the characters – OMGoodness – there was not one single character in the book that I liked. Well, I liked the kids. 😊 The characters all seemed one-dimensional to me and I failed to see the attraction they found for each other. I am so sorry it all fell flat for me because I really wanted to love this story.

Frederica Hale was orphaned when she was very young and she and her sister Angela were sent to be raised by a cousin’s family. About a year ago, Angela and her husband passed away and Frederica now has the raising of their three children. She’s bound and determined to do everything she can to raise her nieces and nephew to be proper adults. Then, she learns that her cousin Jane is filing for official guardianship of the children. Jane, with a doting husband, who can be granted legal guardianship stands a very good chance of winning custody – unless Frederica finds a husband – fast.

Wyatt, the Duke of Wyatthaven, suddenly finds himself in need of a wife – and he only has a week to find and marry her. What he needs to find is a woman who wants to continue her life in the country and who will allow him to continue his life in London. No changes for either of their lives other than having said the vows.

Both characters are guilt-ridden with things from their past and they both let that rule their current lives. I can understand that, but it just got so very, very, very tiresome and what was even worse was the constant – and I do mean constant – miscommunication, misunderstandings, and bickering between both lead characters. He’d say something – perhaps not just exactly correctly – and she’d twist it to mean something entirely different. I truly could not see what the attraction was for either of them. Another thing that really rang the bell was that he had a mistress – but he hadn’t dismissed her when he married. He told Frederica he hadn’t seen his mistress since he had met Frederica – but – he hadn’t dismissed her either.

For me, this author is usually hit or miss and this was a huge miss. That really makes me sad because I truly wanted to love the story and just couldn’t. I didn’t even care for Rick and Hurst who will be featured in the other books in the series, so I’m not sure I’ll read them. Of course, maybe if I do read them I’ll learn something about Frederica and Wyatt that will make me like them and their story better.

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

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