Author: Barbara

Avid reader/reviewer of historical romance and historical mysteries.

Revenge in the Rogue’s Hideaway by Deb Marlowe

On By BarbaraIn Barb's Reviews, Historical Mystery, Part of a Series, Victorian Era (1837-1901)Leave a comment

Revenge in the Rogue's Hideaway (The Kier and Levett Mystery Series Book 4)

Barbara’s rating: 5 out of 5 Stars
Series: The Kier and Levett Mysteries #4
Publication Date: 4/3/24
Period: Victorian London
Number of Pages: 254

Yet another outstanding entry into this author’s cozy mystery series, The Kier and Levett Mysteries. It has the perfect balance of mystery and romance and will keep you glued to your chair throughout. If you read the last book, you will know there was a shocking revelation about Niall’s parentage. Well, there is a shocking revelation in this book as well, but I won’t tell you what it is – you’ll just have to read it to see.

Josie Lowe, who helped save Niall’s bacon when he was captured by those nasty League men weeks ago, now needs saving. Josie’s riveting voice has been pulling patrons into the Rogues Hideaway for a while now and when she sings, the audience is rapt. They love her, and her wealthy patron, Mr. Frederick Cole, attends every performance. However, things change swiftly when, directly after her performance, Mr. Cole dies of poisoning and Josie is arrested for his murder.

With his ruthless business practices, Mr. Cole had no shortage of enemies, but would they be willing to kill? One of them must have because it surely wasn’t Josie. Could it be the wife who isn’t grieving at all? Perhaps it was the business partners whom he had made insanely rich, but who wanted more/different things? Could it be his illegitimate son who owns the Rogues Hideaway? With his acerbic personality, it could be anyone in London!

Kara and Niall have their work cut out for them when it comes to solving the mystery – but what of their romance? Well, Kara is ready to go forward, but Niall is still dragging his feet. Not that he doesn’t love Kara and wants to marry her – NO – it is that after the revelations about his parentage, he is afraid there may be reprisals against him and he doesn’t want anyone coming after Kara. So, no wedding in this book and I’m beginning to think there is a ‘no wedding’ theme here. 😊 I’m sure they’ll marry – I’m just not sure when. Do you realize Kara will become Kara Kier when they marry? Try saying that name quickly several times without putting a smile on your face. 😊 It sort of sounds medicinal, doesn’t it? 🙂

I would love it if this became a long-running series, but that is up to the author and the publisher. I do wish they would get on with the wedding though as I would love to see them work on cases as a married couple and see how the dynamics of that relationship will work. I’d also like to see some stories where Niall’s past isn’t an issue woven throughout. However – none of that keeps me from absolutely loving the series. The writing is excellent, the mystery is engrossing and will keep you guessing, and we get to know the characters better and better with each new entry. I can hardly wait for the next book in the series – Carnage From The Cursed Crown. Oh! Doesn’t that sound exciting?

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

A Family of His Own by Stephanie Laurens

On By BarbaraIn Audiobook, Barb's Reviews, Part of a Series, Victorian Era (1837-1901)Leave a comment

A Family of His Own (Cynsters: Next Generation Series Book 14)

Barbara’s rating: 4 out of 5 Stars
Series: Cynster Next Generation #14
Publication Date: 3/14/24
Period: Victorian
Number of Pages: 428

I read the book and I listened to the audiobook. The audio is excellently narrated. The flow is smooth and seamless and the narrator’s voice very pleasant.

Well, we’ve come to the end of this Cynster generation – and the end of this series. Not sure when, or if, there will be an additional Cynster series, but they are about to cross the mark into the 1900s and I’m not sure I’ll be interested in those. The author is going back to add more books to the Casebook of Barnaby Adair series and I am happy to see that because I really enjoyed those.

Toby, the last unmarried Cynster of his generation, is now undertaking his last mission for the Crown. Talk about miffed – not only is Drake, Marquess of Wilchelsea, buckling to pressure from all of the Cynster ladies who want Toby married, but he is also sending him on a babysitting mission. So, rather than ending his career with an exciting mission, he’ll be escorting a doctor, his daughter, and a packet of intercepted German dispatches back from Vienna. Ho-Hum!

However, by the time he makes it to Vienna, he finds everything has changed. The doctor is deceased, perhaps not naturally, and both the Germans and the Austrians are trying to retrieve the packet of dispatches. Heinrich Maier, an Austrian, is a longtime foe of Toby’s and is almost as good as Toby. While the Austrians are a threat to the mission, it is the Germans who are dangerous. The two German agents operate by force and brute strength rather than intellect.

The babysitting mission Toby expected turns out to be as exciting as he’d want his last mission to be. That certainly wouldn’t be a problem except he is now escorting the doctor’s daughter and three children she refused to leave behind. Their escape through Austria, Germany, and Italy is fraught with danger. It also has a delightful set of children who make the book – you will love them. You’ll also love the descriptions of the beautiful countryside – and the idyllic time spent hiding on a lovely island in a beautiful Italian lake.

It was lovely to see Toby – who always wanted to be the bachelor uncle to his nieces and nephews – find the true meaning of family and love. I recommend this book and hope you enjoy it as much as I did. I also hope you are looking forward to those new Barnaby Adair books starting in July 2024. Happy Reading!

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