Author: Barbara

Avid reader/reviewer of historical romance and historical mysteries.

An Earl by Any Other Name by Lauren Smith

On By BarbaraIn Barb's Reviews, Edwardian Age (1901-1910)1 Comment

An Earl by Any Other Name (Sins and Scandals #1)Barbara’s Rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: Sins and Scandal #1
Publication Date: 8/1/17

Delightfully sweet and happy tale that takes place at the end of the Edwardian era (1910),

Leopold Graham, Earl of Hampton had always been a free spirited, happy, loving man – until his father dies in his mistress’ bed. Then, he found that the estate was in debt and the scandal his father created has denied him entry to investments and lines of credit. Now, he is serious and rigid and determined to marry an heiress.

Ivy Leighton is the half-Romani half-English child who lived on the Hampton estate until she was eight. She and Leo were fast friends even though they were eight years apart in age. Ivy has grown up to be a suffragette and feels she’ll have to forgo love and marriage in order to continue in her work for women’s rights because no man of that time would allow his wife to work for or support those causes.

When Leo’s interfering mother cajoles him into having a house party, she invites Ivy and her father to attend. You’ll just have to read the story to see how things go at the house party, but you can assume that Leo is a changed man before all is said and done.

“I requested and received this 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.”

A Dance With Seduction by Alyssa Alexander

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

A Dance with Seduction (A Spy in the Ton, #1)Barbara’s Rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Series: A Spy In The Ton #3
Publication Date: 07/24/17

This is my first book by Alyssa Alexander. After looking at reviews of the other books in this series, I may go back and read them.

I seem to be all over the place with this book. I love spy stories and I think code-breakers are some of the unsung heroes of war. This book has both and the premise of the story was a good one. I just felt that it frequently moved too slowly.

Maximilian Westwood is a second son who makes his living doing translations in the several languages he speaks. He is also a retired code-breaker for the crown. He is taciturn, growly, frowning and totally engrossed in his translations. Max is the most honorable man you could ever want to meet. That is his nature and it is also to contrast his disreputable older brother.

Vivienne Le Fleur is a British spy. She has been trained since she was a child in all of the skills to become the consummate spy. She is superb with all weapons – pistols, knives, swords, etc. The Flower is an opera dancer and the mistress of Henri. She is also totally immersed in the persona she had to adopt in order to facilitate her spying. She is so immersed that she no longer knows where that persona ends and where the real ‘her’ begins.

Henri is the handler for Vivienne, The Flower, and I won’t say much about him other than to say that he’s a real jerk.

A French spymaster known as The Vulture wants to recruit the Flower and turn her into a double agent by any means – fair or foul – mostly foul. When she won’t turn, he kidnaps her sister to force her to do her bidding.

Flower worked with Max when he was a government code-breaker and she trusted him – at least as much as she trusted anyone. So, when she needed to have the Vulture’s coded messages deciphered, she went to him. They end up working together to solve the mystery.

What I really didn’t like really didn’t have much to do with the story – Max’s brother was really detestable and I would have loved it if something irreversible had happened to him. He could die or he could go insane or . . . Well, I just didn’t care, but it would have been nice for Max to take over the title or at least the management of the estate.

I also didn’t like that there was no real, lasting punishment for Henri. Somebody other than the Flower should have taken him on!

“I requested and received this 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.”