Author: Barbara

Avid reader/reviewer of historical romance and historical mysteries.

Scottish Devil by Tammy Andresen

On By BarbaraIn Barb's Reviews, Georgian Era (1714-1837), Novella2 Comments

Scottish Devil (Brethren of Stone Book 1)Scottish Devil by Tammy Andresen

Barbara’s rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: Brethren of the Stone #1
Publication Date: 8/30/18

The series premise is: After the death of their parents, six siblings unite around their eldest brother, Stone. They consider blood a binding oath and vow to protect one another. They all must face their own demons as they find love and their places in the world. I’m enjoyed meeting the brothers and sisters and learning more about them – but – I’m sorry that I read book .5 (Taming a Lady Wolfe – NOTE:  the title has changed since we published our review) first. That book may be the actual first book in the series, but it is the last book timewise, so while I’m ‘meeting’ them for the first time in this book, I already know their fates. The book is well plotted and well written and I enjoyed the read.

Stone Sinclair is a man of mammoth size who the locals refer to as Fire and Brimstone – which is their ‘polite’ way of referring to him as devil. In addition to his large size, he has a dark brooding visage and a gruff way of speaking. He’s actually a handsome man with a sweet and gentle heart, but others can never get past his size to know who he really is. Both of his parents have just died in a mineshaft collapse while they were trying to save the miners working there. Now, Stone is the new Earl and he just doesn’t feel ready for the task. He hadn’t had enough time with his father, at five and twenty, he had so much left to learn. Now, he has responsibility for his five siblings, the estates, shipping lines, mines – you name it. He just needs some time to grieve for his much-loved parents, but sadly, there just isn’t time for it. Stone fully intends to be a good, generous and caring steward of his people and his holdings.

Eliza McLaren has also just suffered a loss. Her mother passed away a month ago and Eliza blames the lords of the land for her mother’s death. Those lords who take and take and constantly add to their own coffers but don’t give anything back to their people. As far as Eliza is concerned, ALL lords fall into that category and she sorely resents that her father has dragged her from her home and her mourning in order to help one of his biggest clients through their transition period – from one Earl to the next.

The new earl certainly lives up to Eliza’s expectations in the way he looks – and the stories she has heard about him during their trip just cemented her opinion of him. During their first encounter, all Eliza could do was huff and humpf and that just set Stone’s teeth on edge. He certainly had no use for a snippy, judgmental young woman who didn’t even know him, yet had already formed an opinion of him.

It was so entertaining to watch these two strong-willed people match wits with each other and finally come to understand that those initial opinions were wrong. It was also a romantic read and I was delighted to find that both the hero and the heroine were virgins. I can hardly wait for the next book in the series.

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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 Conundrum of a Clerk by Lina Rae Sande

On By BarbaraIn Barb's Reviews, Regency Era (1811-1820)Leave a comment

The Conundrum of a Clerk (The Widowers of the Aristocracy Book 3)The Conundrum of a Clerk by Linda Rae Sande

Barbara’s rating: 5 of 5 stars

Series: The Widowers of the Aristocracy #3
Publication Date: 9/18/18

I think I like this series better and better with each new book. The writing is intelligent, witty, and excellently done with characters that are very likable and relatable. As a matter of fact, I loved all of the characters in the book including those in secondary roles. I particularly liked James Burroughs, the Duke of Ariley, and our heroine’s father – he is such a sweet and loving man who just wants his daughter to be happy. George and Elizabeth, Viscount and Viscountess Bostwick, were also favorites. ** Just as an aside here ** Why do we always refer to the child as illegitimate rather than the parent? Why wouldn’t we say James, illegitimate father of Daisy rather than saying Daisy, illegitimate daughter of James? Sorry, that thought just popped up.

Daisy Albright (Burroughs) is a former operative (spy) who was wounded during the wars. Since the wound has caused a noticeable limp, she has been dismissed from her position. She has spent some time at her childhood home taking a break and now she’s back in London ready to find herself a position. She’s the much-loved, illegitimate daughter of a duke, but she wants to be independent and make her own way. Her father acknowledged her at birth, gave her his name and lived exclusively with her, her mother and her sister until her mother passed away. He loved them unconditionally and even offered marriage to her mother, but she refused. Daisy loves her father but has some issues with her illegitimacy. She hasn’t even told her father she’s back in London. There is a local charity that finds positions for injured veterans and she has applied there to see if they can help her find a new position.

Theodore Streater, son, and brother to a baron lost his right arm during the war. When he returned, he wasn’t welcomed back to his bank clerk position even though he wrote with and used his left hand for all of those tasks. Thanks to Elizabeth, Viscountess Bostwick’s charity, he got his position back with the same bank and has now even been promoted to the head of clerks position. Teddy has never been close with his family, but he did dine out with her on occasion – just not as much as he should. Therefore, he was in for a complete and total shock when, upon her death, he found himself in possession of a school and a ten-thousand-pound fortune. He had no idea – he thought she worked as the headmistress at the school – and she must have lived as a miser in order to amass that fortune. He must contact Elizabeth’s charity right away for her to find a new headmistress for his school.

Elizabeth remembers that she has a female candidate that would be perfect for Teddy’s school and quickly tracks her down. Daisy is surprised that Elizabeth managed to track her to her father’s house, but is very pleased and intends to apply right away. Teddy and Daisy are immediately attracted to each other and he hires her almost with an interview. The story is off and running from there – poor Teddy finds his fortune isn’t quite what he thinks – and Daisy finds that she can fall in love and want to marry and have children.

It really is a lovely read – I even loved the chapter titles. One thing that I didn’t particularly care for was that Teddy immediately jumped to the conclusion that Daisy was someone’s mistress. During that period, I cannot imagine that anyone would immediately jump to that conclusion about a respectable, well-bred young woman. Teddy had no clue that Daisy was illegitimate and I just didn’t see any reason for it. Another thing I didn’t particularly care for was Daisy’s last mission as a spy. I cannot imagine a well-bred young woman accepting that mission – nor can I imagine the spymasters giving her that mission knowing her father was a very powerful duke. As you can see from my rating, neither of those things bothered me very much.

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.”