Author: Barbara

Avid reader/reviewer of historical romance and historical mysteries.

Three Lessons in Seduction by Sofie Darling

On By BarbaraIn Barb's Reviews, Georgian Era (1714-1837), Regency Era (1811-1820)5 Comments

Three Lessons in Seduction (A Shadows and Silk Novel)Three Lessons in Seduction by Sofie Darling

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: A Shadows and Silk Novel #1
Publication Date: 9/27/17

WOW! I can hardly believe this is the author’s first novel. I’ve seen many novels by very experienced writers who haven’t done nearly as well as Ms. Darling has with her first. It is excellently written and the characters are fully developed, likable, and they make you want to get to know them better. I’m already looking forward to the next book in the series.

The book is set in 1824 Paris, so what is not to love. The wars are over, but there is still a chance that civil war could happen because France’s king is at death’s door. Should the monarch expire and his successor is assassinated, chaos could reign supreme in France and then spread to the rest of the continent and even destabilize England. While the main story is set in 1824 Paris, there are flashbacks to England and the initial meeting, marriage and separation of Nick and Mariana. While I’m not a big fan of flashbacks, these were well done and didn’t bother me.

Lady Mariana Montfort Asquith has lived separately from her husband for over ten years. He lives in Paris and only comes home to see his children three or four times a year and Mariana has little, if any, contact with him in all that time. She’s spent those ten years hardening her heart and trying not to love him because he betrayed her and ripped her heart from her chest. Now, she has a letter saying that he is either missing or deceased in Paris as part of his service to the Crown. Service to the Crown? He haphazardly worked for some minor government agency there didn’t he? Whatever it is, she has to know, so she’ll go to Paris and either find him alive or bring his body home to be buried in England.

Lord Nicholas Asquith was raised by parents that were at war with each other. Their battles, at home and in public, were legendary. They had married for love, but Nick’s father was a philanderer. Nick had always felt that he was to blame for all of the governesses who came and quickly left, but later he learned why that was so. That made Nick very distrustful of love because it would blow up on you and cause you no end of pain. No, Nick would have a society marriage where there were no emotions involved. Then, he met Lady Mariana Montfort and he was lost – he loved her more and more each day and then when the twins were born his heart swelled with even more love. Then, panic set in – he knew that it was only a matter of time before the love would blow up and his work for the Home Office put his family in danger. So – what could he do to keep them safe? Yep – I didn’t like his answer either.

When Mariana arrives in Paris, Nick wonders what is going on, but he knows that he MUST keep her at arm’s length because he can’t control himself around her. He’s created a popinjay persona that he always uses around her because he knows she hates it and will stay away from him. Then, he realizes that someone is using Mariana to get to him. He needs to know who that is and to flush them out because they are most likely the person who is plotting an assassination to destabilize France. Nick can’t get Mariana to leave, so he has no choice other than to involve her in foiling the plot and unmasking the master-mind. That way, he can keep an eye on her and keep her safe. As they work together, they each discover that the love isn’t gone – but – they still have to guard themselves because they know they can’t have a life together.

I had a very hard time getting to like Nick – well – maybe that isn’t accurate. I liked him right away – but I didn’t, in the least, like what he did. He chose – very deliberately – to leave the wife and children he loved – and he deliberately hurt her very, very deeply in doing so. We come to know his reasons for that, but like most of those kinds of reasons, they are pretty flimsy and could have been resolved with some good conversations and loving support.

What didn’t I like about the book? Well – I absolutely, completely and totally hated that the villain in the story got absolutely no punishment. None. Nada. Zip. This person hurt his own family deeply – especially his two nieces and their husbands, he plotted an assassination, he used an injured man unmercifully and he was going to destabilize a country and maybe even a continent. Yes – he does all of that and he gets no punishment. No – and that dissatisfaction caused me to reduce the star-ratings for the book.

Please check out my reviews at:
Blog: https://flippinpages.blog/
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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 Luck of the Bride by Janna MacGregor

On By BarbaraIn Barb's Reviews, Regency Era (1811-1820)2 Comments

The Luck of the Bride (The Cavensham Heiresses #3)The Luck of the Bride by Janna MacGregor

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: The Cavensham Heiresses #3
Publication Date: 5/1/18

This new author is continuing to improve and refine her craft in this, her third book. While she still has issues with modern concepts and language creeping into the story, they are fewer than in the previous books – and maybe they’ll be caught and corrected before actual publication since I have an advanced copy. This book could have, so easily, been a full 5-star book, but the last part changed that. I thoroughly enjoyed the book up until about the 80-85% mark where there were some very contrived situations and some very unnecessary pain and suffering and the forgiving was much too easily won. I’d love to re-write that part of the story so that trust is unquestionably given and then working together to find the villain rather than the way it was written.

I loved all of the characters in the book. They were all fully developed, likable and very relatable. I particularly liked all of the Lawson family. They were so supportive, sweet and loving – everything a family should be. I particularly loved Bennett, the young Viscount, who was wise beyond his years. They were an awesome family and anybody would have loved to be a part of them.

March, Faith, Julia, and Bennett lost their parents eight years ago when March was just one week shy of her seventeenth birthday – Faith was eleven, Julia was ten and Bennett was just a one-year-old baby. They were now March’s responsibility to care for, raise and nurture. How was she going to do that when she was still a child herself, just getting ready to have her first season? She didn’t know how she was going to do it, but she definitely was going to. Unfortunately for them, her father named a man who was going mad as their guardian. That guardian also had very poor solicitors and as he descended into madness and subsequently died, the Lawson’s were forgotten and lost in the shuffle. No funds came in to support them or to maintain the estate. March was doing the best she could to keep food on the table and basic repairs done by raising sheep (she even sheared them herself) and offering her mathematical skills as a bookkeeper to various merchants in the village.

The Lawson’s situation was getting more and more desperate. Unexpected storm damage had caused major roof damage as well as damage to their only remaining tenant’s home. They had no food – and March was desperate. Why wouldn’t their new guardian answer their pleas for funds to manage the estate – after all, it was their money and his responsibility to see to their care. She’d written to the guardian as well as his solicitors as he had requested and still – no answers and no funds. Desperation leads to desperate acts – and March was desperate.

Michael Cavensham, the Marquess of McCalpin and heir to the Duke of Langham has a warm and loving family. He also has a secret. His secret failing makes him feel unworthy and inadequate and therefore very insecure. His brother William is the only one who knows his secret and William is very, very protective of his older brother. This insecurity is what is supposed to be the driver behind his actions later in the book – but – well – I’ll let you read and decide what you think of it. I thought it could have been written differently.

McCalpin is stunned to discover that someone is using his name and seal to embezzle funds from a Trust account he is responsible for and he’s determined to get to the bottom of it. He summons March to London to make an accounting of herself – and is struck by her bravery and tenacity. As he meets the family to whom the Trust belongs, he is stunned to see how they live – and he can’t believe it. Their circumstances are dire – they have little food, a home in disrepair and a cousin who is bent on causing them harm. He immediately has himself declared their guardian as well as the one who is responsible for their Trust –and he takes those responsibilities seriously.

The first 80% or so of the book moves along quickly and you come to know and love all of the parties involved. Neither March nor McCalpin are prone to trust others, for very different, but very valid reasons. So, it is nice to see them grow to love each other and to trust each other. That is what made the last 20% so sad. This author does tend to choose the darker route when a much nicer uplifting route is available. While I am not an author, I certainly read enough to know that there was a much more uplifting way to handle the issues that were thrown in their path. Had McCalpin, who supposedly loved March beyond all else, chosen to believe in and trust her, then they could have worked together to find and identify the villain. That isn’t what happened. Since the author chose another path, I think she made the reconciliation and forgiveness much, much, much too easy. It was just basically an “I’m sorry, will you forgive me?” And a “Yes” and that was it. After what he did and the heartache and suffering he caused for March and her siblings because he couldn’t/wouldn’t trust – it should have been much harder than it was. Then – the villains – one is punished – probably more than he deserved given what he did and the other one was actually rewarded. Say what!!! The dude who was rewarded is the one who was actually responsible for the heartache, suffering, and damage that was done to March and her family — yet — because he had a sad story he is rewarded.

So – for my rating – the first 80% of the book gets a full 5-stars, but the last 20% gets a 3-star rating. That comes out to my rating of 4-stars. I’ll look forward to the next book.

The other books in the series — and links to our reviews are below:

  1. The Bad Luck Bride
  2. The Bride Who Got Lucky

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.”