Category: Barb’s Reviews

Masquerade at Middlecrest Abbey by Abigail Wilson

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

Masquerade at Middlecrest AbbeyBarbara’s rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: None listed
Publication Date: 5/26/20
Number of Pages: 336

This is my first book by Abigail Wilson and I’m wondering how I managed to miss her first three books. This was a wonderful read! The mystery was outstanding and the suspects were many and varied. While I loved the mystery, I didn’t really see enough interactions between the couple to see the romance. Perhaps that is because the book is written in first person, so we only see one person’s perspective on the interactions. One thing that puzzled me was that it isn’t listed as being part of a series, but it obviously is. I enjoyed this book so much I went back to see what books she had written previously – with the intent of buying those to read as well. As I read the descriptions of those previous books, I realized that those same people were mentioned in the book I’d just read. You can definitely read this book as a standalone, but I would have enjoyed knowing it was part of a series and perhaps reading the earlier books first.

Miss Elizabeth Cantrell was used and tossed aside by the father of her child. More fortunate than most, she had found refuge with some family members. However, her baby is eleven months old and it is time for her to be on her own and make a life for herself and baby Isaac. She is in a coach headed toward a new position as housekeeper — Then – a highwayman attacks – the coach crashes – she is injured and unconscious – and awakens in a room at an inn – with the highwayman sharing the room as her husband. Uh-Oh. Then – he offers her a marriage of convenience. Say What!

Baron Adrian Torrington has been a widower for almost twenty years and a spy for the Crown for nearly that long as well. When he is sent to stop a coach carrying a message to the French, things go terribly awry and the coach crashes injuring a lovely young woman. With her unconscious and people approaching, he does the only thing he feels he can do – he removes her from the scene and takes her to the nearest inn – as her husband. Besides – she was conscious long enough to see his face and recognize him. In order to protect himself and her, he offers her a marriage of convenience.

Has he just brought danger into his own home? When threatening notes appear and death happens, it appears the answer is yes. Or – was the danger there all along and he’s just brought an innocent young woman and her babe into it? Adrian and Elizabeth grow closer as they work together to solve the murder, find the spies, and thwart the French mission. As you learn the backstories of Adrian and Elizabeth you come to admire them and the way they’ve managed to overcome the adversities and betrayals in their lives. I really liked both of them and was glad to see them find each other.

This was an entertaining read, and I will definitely be purchasing this author’s earlier works and reading them as well. Then, I can’t wait to find out what the next book will be. My only issue is that I didn’t really see the romance – it was just suddenly there. They had few interactions, and those were short and all ‘business’ rather than personal – yet, they were suddenly madly in love. Again, I think some of that is lack of page time for the romance and the lack of perspective from Adrian’s side because it was written in first person from Elizabeth’s point of view. I believe Adrian was the first to be totally smitten, but we never actually got to see that part. I deducted one star because the romance portion was just not quite what I like to see.

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

A Duke Will Never Do by Darcy Burke

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

A Duke Will Never Do (The Spitfire Society #3)Barbara’s rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: The Spitfire Society #3
Publication Date: 5/19/20
Number of Pages: 280

I have wanted to see Anthony’s story since we first met him in The Duke of Distraction from the Untouchables series. He just begged to have a warm, loving, and very caring lady to heal his heart and soul, and he certainly found her in Jane. The story is interesting and moves at a steady pace, but if you are a stickler for period correctness, the entire Spitfire premise is very unlikely. Still, I have enjoyed the stories and am looking forward to future stories (in another series) with several of the characters we meet in this book.

Anthony Colton became a Viscount about a year before – and he’s been inside a bottle since then. His parents were murdered by a highwayman, and it is his fault. He’s to blame for their deaths and therefore he is a worthless sod who doesn’t deserve to ever forget it. He wallows in the guilt and the bottle and sees no reason to crawl out of either. Being sober means he’d have to feel – and he certainly doesn’t want that. Being drunk day-after-day and in one brawl after another has become his normal existence. So, how did he end up having his wounds tended by an angel?

Jane Pemberton just didn’t take during her seasons and her parents blamed her for it. She was never nice enough or demure enough or … well, just never enough. Her parents harangued her about it all the time and were trying to force her to marry a neighbor she just couldn’t abide. So, she declared herself a spinster and moved to the home of her friend Phoebe, who had just recently married (A Duke Is Never Enough), and moved to her husband’s home. Jane sometimes rethinks her decision, but always decides she is ‘alone but not lonely’. Yet, sometimes she is lonely and she feels that way more and more since her friends have married and are deliriously happy. Then, as she is leaving he house one morning, she stumbles upon this bloody pulp of a human crumpled in her doorway. He’s almost unrecognizable and nothing will keep her from nursing him back to health.

Jane and Anthony are perfect for each other. Jane soothes the savage beast in Anthony and helps him to realize that there is still hope in the world and Anthony gives Jane the courage to confront her family issues. When a crisis occurs and Jane thinks Anthony has abandoned her, she summons the courage to confront her issues head-on – only to learn Anthony is there lending her strength. It was a lovely, lovely romance and I truly came to like and admire both Anthony and Jane.

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