Author: Barbara

Avid reader/reviewer of historical romance and historical mysteries.

Peril by Post by Sheri Cobb South

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Peril by PostPeril by Post by Sheri Cobb South

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Series: John Pickett Mysteries #8
Publication Date: 10/15/18

I absolutely adore John Pickett. He is a great character who has overcome so many obstacles in his life. He’s handsome, smart, self-deprecating, honorable, honest, honorable (yes, twice) and loyal. Are Julia and John a very unlikely match? Yes, they certainly are, but the author deals with it wonderfully. She didn’t sugar coat the ramifications of two such different classes marrying. She shows them living as social outcasts and dealing with what happens. She shows John’s mortification when someone snubs Julia because of her marriage to him and his guilt and mortification when income is discussed since Julia’s income is so much more than his. She also shows John’s worry about their children (Julia is expecting) and how it will affect them. What she also shows is the great love between Julia and John. I love how they care for each other and I love the way they have each grown and matured over the eight books in the series.

John is just a smidgen late reporting for work (because, after all, he is a newlywed) and he’s expecting a bit of a set-down from his Magistrate, Mr. Colquhoun. However, what he got was a new assignment and a honeymoon in the Lake District. Mr. Colquhoun received a very short unsigned letter asking for a Runner to be sent to the village of Banfell in Cumberland. It doesn’t say why the sender needs a runner nor does it give any indication at all about who sent the letter. The Runner is simply directed to stay at the Hart and Hound in Banfell.

John and Julia head for Banfell with a letter of introduction from Mr. Colquhoun to a Mr. Hetherington, an acquaintance that Mr. Colquhoun thinks can help introduce John and Julia to the area and provide information on the area when needed. They check into the inn, make sure that everyone knows they are from Bow Street without actually saying John is a Runner, and wait for the letter sender to make himself known. When he doesn’t appear, John decides to compare the letter with the signatures in the inn’s register and is convinced that the sender is actually Mr. Ned Hawkins, the innkeeper.

When Julia witnesses Mr. Hawkins being murdered, but cannot recognize the murderer, the case begins in earnest. We have lots of suspects and some sub-plots going on. Just enough to keep it all really interesting without losing sight of the main case. Poor John is a bit distracted and frazzled because he is constantly worrying about the danger Julia is now in because of her witnessing the murder. The villain will surprise you and the reasons will pain you.

I learned something interesting in this read as well. Whoo-hoo – who said you can’t teach an old dog new tricks. In the Regency period, when you went to the post office, you were NOT going to mail a letter. The post office was where you went to arrange for a rented post-chaise (think rental car). If you wanted to mail a letter, you went to the receiving office.

The villain makes a bit of a threat at the end – and it was left unanswered – so I can only wonder if it might crop up in some future story. I’m not sure how or why, but it was sort of left hanging. Actually, all of the mysteries, other than the murder, were sort of still hanging and had others investigating at the end. It was nothing to do with John and Julia, just folks with different fish to fry. I did wonder how the villain came by the information that he had – I couldn’t see anything in the story that pointed to him being in a position to obtain that sort of information, but – evidently, he did.

This is a great addition to the series and I hope you will enjoy it as much as I did. Actually, if you haven’t read the other books in the series – I recommend ALL of them.

Please check out my reviews at:
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“I requested and received this e-book at no cost to me and volunteered to read it; my review is my honest opinion and given without any influence by the author or publisher.”

The Highlander Who Protected Me by Vanessa Kelly

On By BarbaraIn Barb's Reviews, Regency Era (1811-1820)3 Comments

The Highlander Who Protected Me (Clan Kendrick #1)The Highlander Who Protected Me by Vanessa Kelly

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: Clan Kendrick #1
Publication Date: 10/30/18

This is a superbly written, gripping, fast-paced, suck-you-in kind of story. The characters make you love them or dislike them, but you aren’t neutral about any of them. It is the first book in the new Clan Kendrick series, but it is really a follow-on from The Highlander’s Princess Bride from the ‘The Improper Princesses’ series.

The Kendricks are a boisterous, close-knit, loving Highland Clan. The family consists of seven brothers – Nicholas (Nick), Logan, Royal, Graeme & Grant (twins), Braeden and Kade plus their irascible grandfather Angus. We learned their history in The Highlanders Princess Bride and I certainly recommend that you read it – you don’t have to read it to enjoy this one, but you really get to know them all in that book. Since that book, I have been sitting on pins and needles just waiting for this one because Royal was such an intriguing character – you know – dark, moody, brooding, wounded war-hero. I didn’t care for Ainsley in that book and I still didn’t really care for her in this book. Frankly, I felt sorry for her predicament, but I found myself thinking that Royal would be much better off in the long run if she just went to London and stayed there.

Royal met Ainsley not long after he returned from the war where he had almost died. Nick, his older brother and clan chief, had dragged him all the way from the Highlands to London to see a series of doctors. He had attended a ball because Nick thought he needed to ‘get a life’ and quit brooding. Then, he saw Ainsley and thought she was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen. They flirted, but the evening ended badly. Fast-forward to the following year and Ainsley is staying just a half-days ride from the Kendricks. Royal decides to visit her, but he isn’t prepared for what he finds. He knew something wasn’t right with Ainsley when she had passed through on her way to her great-aunt’s home several months before, but he hadn’t pursued it. Now, here she was, sitting in her aunt’s house and she was very, very pregnant.

Ainsley went into labor shortly after Royal arrived and delivered a beautiful little girl. She asks Royal to take her daughter, keep her safe and raise her as his own. She tells Royal a part of the story, but not all, and Royal finally agrees. Royal puts up with the gossip and scandal of bringing ‘his’ by-blow into his family home and raising her. He’s squared his shoulders and weathered it all and they are finally content – not happy, but content. Then Ainsley shows up again and, of course, trouble follows.

Some of what I didn’t like – well, mostly it was Ainsley. She used Royal because he loved her and would let her walk all over him. She was selfish, spoiled, overbearing, opinionated, and she wanted it all. She wanted Royal to protect her and the baby, but she didn’t tell him the whole story. She was defensive and argumentative all the time –especially with grandda. She supposedly loved Royal, but, well, she didn’t do anything until the very end of the book that made me think she cared for him at all. Then, there was grandda, but I do have to say I liked him better in this book than the last one. He was an old curmudgeon who loved his grandson but constantly interfered to keep Royal and Ainsley apart – even after they were married.

Another thing I didn’t like was the ending. It cost Royal yet again – at that point, I thought he had surely paid enough – but no. It also didn’t feel complete – we were just left hanging with some things still unsolved. I assume (maybe) we’ll get the wrap-up in the next book – which will probably be Logan’s because he was a main feature in this book.

Add in some very modern conversation styles and the use of words such as Spoilsport, Corker, and Fussbudget which all seem to stem from the late 1800’s and not the early 1800’s. I didn’t look up all of the words that struck me as anachronistic. There were some ‘old sayings’ that I didn’t think came from the Regency period – but they might have – “shake a stick at” or “she’s a corker”.

All-in-all, I enjoyed the book, but I had a really hard time caring for Ainsley or understanding how Royal could be so besotted with her. I hope you will enjoy it too!

Please check out my reviews at:
Blog: https://flippinpages.blog/
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/flippinpages…
Twitter: https://twitter.com/FlippinPagesRev
Twitter: https://twitter.com/BarbBookReview

“I requested and received this e-book at no cost to me and volunteered to read it; my review is my honest opinion and given without any influence by the author or publisher.”