Category: Barb’s Reviews

A Rogue In Rome by Linda Rae Sande

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

A Rogue in Rome (The Grand Tours of the Aristocracy Book 4)Barbara’s rating: 3.8 out of 5 Stars
Series: The Grand Tours of the Aristocracy #4
Publication Date: 10/24/25
Period: 1841 – Rome
Number of Pages: 329

With this author, we always get two wonderful romances and HEAs in each book. She also usually references something from a long-ago book – something that helped the hero win the heroine. In this book, it is shoes. If you read that earlier book, it will make you smile as you remember, and if you didn’t read it, you’ll think ‘how cute’ and move on. In this series, we follow a group of family members embarking on a Grand Tour – with Rome as their final destination. During the tour, all of the unattached males have found their HEAs – except David, Viscount Penton.

David has always behaved as a gentleman should. He’s respectful, thoughtful, kind, caring, protective, and amiable. Everybody loves David – well, almost everybody. He cannot believe the young lady he just tried to rescue thinks he is as bad a rake as the man from whom he attempted to rescue her. Humpf! Of course, he has to admire the fact that she had actually already rescued herself.

Lady Vittoria has been excessively sheltered by her overprotective father all of her life. She’s never really traveled nor mixed in society – but she has been raised to think all men are rakes, and she acts accordingly. So, when one rake tries to take advantage of her, she believes the one who comes behind him is a rake as well.

Our second romance is between American Patrick McAdams and Dona Armenia D’Avalos, who is Lady Vittoria’s great aunt. Patrick is a widower with an adult son, and has come to Rome to expand their textile business. Armenia has never married and is thankful for that. She thinks Patrick is a fortune-hunting lothario who is after Vittoria.

The sparks fly quickly between each couple, and it was a delight to see David and Patrick pursue and win Vittoria and Armenia.

This was a fun read filled with lovely characters and delightful romances. This author is well-traveled, and you’ll also pick up lots of the history of Rome – along with descriptions that will make you feel as if you are walking right along beside them.

I voluntarily read an early copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

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Come Through Your Door by Carlene O’Connor

On By BarbaraIn Barb's Reviews, Contemporary, Mystery, Part of a SeriesLeave a comment

Come Through Your Door (County Kerry Mystery, #4)

Barbara’s rating: 3.7 out of 5 Stars
Series: County Kerry Mystery #4
Publication Date: 10/28/25
Period: Contemporary – southwest Ireland
Number of Pages: 384

This is a chilling, spine-tingling mystery from first page to last. It’s almost like a closed-room mystery with the most likely suspect locked within a mental hospital – but there are plenty of other suspects as well. There are plenty of red herrings to make it interesting and a cast of characters who will surely grab your attention. The mystery is excellent, and the writing is well-paced. It did, however, drive me nuts when it constantly switched timelines. That is a personal thing and no dig at the story. I would be zipping through a chapter, ready to get to the exciting next part, and the next chapter would begin with, “One Year Earlier”. It was sort of like reading two books within one.

One warning – it is better for you if you don’t begin this book when you are home alone at night. You’ll jump at every creak and constantly check behind you to see if someone is watching.

Dimpna Wilde, a local veterinarian, is bereft at the loss of her father, but has little time to deal with that grief when her employee and friend, Niamh, appears in the middle of the road. Niamh is bloodied, soaked, and disoriented – and she claims there is a dead woman in her bed.

The story switches back and forth between events that happened a year earlier and what is occurring at present. How are they connected? Will Cormac be able to put all of the clues together and solve the crime from a year ago, as well as the current murders?

This is a book I can definitely recommend, but if you are looking for a Cozy Mystery, this isn’t it. It’s creepy, chilling, and spine-tingling, but you won’t be able to put it down

I voluntarily read an early copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

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