Author: Barbara

Avid reader/reviewer of historical romance and historical mysteries.

For a Scandalous Wager by Shannon Gilmore

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

For a Scandalous Wager (Breaking the Rules of the Beau Monde #1)

Barbara’s rating: 4.5 out of 5 Stars
Series: Breaking The Rules of the Beau Monde #1
Publication Date: 6/13/24
Period: Regency London

I always enjoy this author’s works because – well – firstly because she writes a really good story with lively, wonderful characters – but secondly, because she manages to create an interesting, witty, and engrossing story that adheres to the norms of the times. This story was a delightful addition to her oeuvre. With a frazzled and put-upon Dalton Rochester and the determined and delightful Evelyn Markham, you have a match made in …

Evelyn Markham is happily into her third season with nary a bow to pique her interest. The one man who does interest her mostly ignores her, and for the moment she is good with that. She provokes him, asks him to break the rules of the Beau Monde with her, and taunts him, but leaves it at that – for the time being. You see, Dalton Rochester is her brother’s best friend – and her father hates him. Of course, everything changes – for Evelyn at least – when her father sees her brother happily wed and thinks the same thing should happen for her. OOPS! Double OOPS when he starts the betrothal process with a man she’s not met – at least not officially – and definitely doesn’t admire. Nothing wrong with him – just a dull sort of stick-in-the-mud. Her antics to avoid the betrothal – and the gentleman – are lively and entertaining – and – might I say – a tad scandalous.

What is a Lord to do? His best friend’s sister is constantly tormenting him with all manner of things – including scandalous wagers. He resists, but with that scandalous wager and the precious shilling involved, he is hard-pressed to keep her at arm’s length. Resistance, of course, is futile because he is as enamored with her as she is with him. The difference is, he realizes it cannot be and she does not. Her father hates him and he would lose his best friend if he pursued a relationship. It could never happen. Well – we’ve all learned that we should never say never.

I thoroughly enjoyed Evelyn’s antics and all she put Rochester through. Her frustration with him was palpable on every page! How could he keep ignoring her pleas for help? Surely, he had at least a small regard for her as a friend if nothing else. Then there was the plea – HELP – that he didn’t ignore. That plea and the aftermath landed them in a tangled can of worms. Could they get out of it with their reputations intact? Could they truly convince her father to let them marry? Will her father marry her off to his choice for her? Will they elope? What will her brother think?

This was a lovely read and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

A Botanist’s Guide to Society and Secrets by Kate Khavari

On By BarbaraIn Barb's Reviews, Historical Mystery, Interwar Period (Nov 1918 - Sep 1939), Part of a SeriesLeave a comment

A Botanist's Guide to Society and Secrets (A Saffron Everleigh Mystery)

Barbara’s rating: 4 out of 5 Stars
Series: Saffron Everleigh Mystery #3
Publication Date: 6/4/24
Period: Interwar Period – 1920 – London
Number of Pages: 336

As with the first two books of the series, this third book is blossoming with intrigue, murder, mayhem, and a bit of romance. It is set in 1920s London with a rich narrative of period detail. It quickly sucks you into a time when respect was almost impossible for working females to win – especially female scholars.

Saffron Everleigh is a brilliant botanist who has had to fight and claw to claim a place as a researcher at the University – and she has to fight against prejudices, jealousies, and resentment every day to keep that position. In the previous two books, Saffron has willingly become entangled in murder investigations involving poisonous plants. Those investigations jeopardized her job and personal relationships, and she is glad to have left that behind her. With things settling down – her research project underway – and things getting back to an even keel with her work colleague (and romantic interest), microbiologist Alexander Ashton, she is looking forward to her next steps. Until . . .

Alexander has spent a lot of time over the last two books admonishing Saffron for her involvement in murder investigations – though he still helped her. Now, imagine his chagrin when he must ask for her help – with a murder investigation. As part of his job as an engineer, Adrian, Alexander’s brother had traveled by train to pick up a set of plans. He didn’t pay a lot of attention to the only other passenger in his car – until the man died. Since the man was poisoned, Adrian was the prime suspect.

Saffron agrees to do what she can to help, but – this time – Inspector Green isn’t inviting her into the investigation. While she can work around him, his cooperation would be much more helpful. This intricately woven mystery takes Saffron from the university, through secretive government labs, and on to government organizations who all want the biggest, best, most effective weapons.

The mystery is engaging, the prose educational, and the story easily translatable into today’s world. I particularly enjoyed the growth of Saffron’s relationship with Alexander and hope that continues to be the case. Yet another interesting part of the story is Nick, Saffron’s best friend’s brother. Is he a good guy or a bad guy? He certainly gave no indications of any soft good-guy edges to him, so I have to wonder if we won’t see more of him because he wants Saffron to work at one of his secret government labs.

This is a well-crafted story that I can recommend if you enjoy a thrilling, thought-provoking read. When I mentioned above that it was educational, I was truthful, as it is filled with a plethora of information on plants, poisons, microbes, methodologies, etc. For me personally, I could do with less of that, but it doesn’t detract from the story in the least – and it might even raise my IQ a bit.

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