Category: Check Content Warning/Triggers

Golden Lord by Mary Jo Putney

On By TracyIn Check Content Warning/Triggers, Georgian Era (1714-1837), Historical Paranormal/Fantasy, Non-Traditional Romance, Paranormal / Fantasy, Part of a Series, Romantasy, Tracy's ReviewsLeave a comment

Golden Lord (Dangerous Gifts, #2)Golden Lord by Mary Jo Putney

Tracy’s Rating: 3 of 5 stars (I’m being generous)

Series: Dangerous Gifts, #2

Release Date: November 26, 2024

When Caden “Cade” Tremayne, an agent for the crown and the eldest of Rhys & Gwen Tremayne’s foster children was informed of his new mission, he knew that this was going to be a mission unlike any before. He is “gifted” and has a strong sense of foreboding and feels anger directed at him specifically. But with England and France on the brink of war, it is imperative to get the English ambassador and him family out of Paris as quickly as possible. He is delighted to learn that his foster sister Lady Tamsyn will be his partner, as they have a close bond and work extremely well together. They set out and both feel the gathering danger, but it isn’t until they are almost ready to board a ship back to England that the danger he had sensed is manifested. Cade is captured by a French agent who is also gifted, and his mind is blocked causing him to forget who and what he is, but Tamsyn manages to mentally connect with him and promises to save him. He believes that she is his wife and when they are finally reunited and his mind is cleared, he is horrified to realize that now Tamsyn knows his secret. A secret that could either be downfall of the “Tribe of Tremayne” or one that could bond them in ways they never imagined.

Lady Tamsyn “Tam” Tremayne is the eldest child and heir to the Tremayne earldom, she is also powerfully gifted and an agent for the home office. Her gift is primarily healing of the mind and body, but she also has a strong gift of intuition. She too senses danger in the upcoming mission and great change, but nothing prepares her for Cade’s secret. She isn’t sure if she can accept the change, but soon knows her heart is with Cade and hopes she will not have to choose between him and her family. But before she can worry about that, she senses that their mission is far from over, they need to get back to England in one piece and thwart Napoleon’s plans!

WARNING: The rest of this review might be a little “Spoilerish” and is definitely opinionated.

I will be honest, this book was not for me, I LOVED the first book but this one… I could not get past the brother/sister thing – I grew up in a family that took in foster children and adopted children, for me they were (and still are) my brothers and sisters – the idea of romantic love between two people who have been raised as brother and sister since they were very young children, is repulsive to me – maybe if they hadn’t met until they were young adults, I could get past it, but the story is clear, they met as very young children and have always considered each other as siblings – in fact most of the book they call each other brother/sister – I just can’t pretend that I am all right with that. That said, yes, I am aware that I have a personal bias – so, please make up your own mind, there are lots of rave reviews for this book and I will not deny that it is an interesting story with very likable characters. And the author makes a good attempt to explain that Cade never really considered her as a sister and always loved her (it just didn’t matter to me – it still felt wrong) the gifted part of the story is good and if they hadn’t been siblings, I probably would have enjoyed it. This is the second book in the series, and I would strongly recommend reading this series in order.

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that I requested and was provided to me by the publisher/author. All opinions in this review are my own. *

Lady Scandal by Laura Lee Guhrke

On By TracyIn Check Content Warning/Triggers, Part of a Series, Top Pick - Highly Recommended, Tracy's Reviews, Victorian Era (1837-1901)2 Comments

Lady ScandalLady Scandal by Laura Lee Guhrke

Tracy’s Rating: 5 of 5 stars

Series: Scandal at the Savoy, #2

Release Date: June 18, 2024

Thrice widowed, Delia, Lady Stratham has found her calling by working closely with her dear friend, hotelier Cesar Ritz as an events coordinator at London’s famous Savoy Hotel. But things take a drastic turn when she returns from a month-long trip to Paris to find the employees of the Savoy in an uproar and Cesar and his Second in Command out of the country. The hotel’s owners Richard and Helen Carte have hired Simon Hayden, the newly minted Viscount Calderon, to be the hotel’s new administrator to oversee operations and to cut costs, as the hotel has been steadily losing money. Delia is surprised at this turn of events and with her loyalty firmly with Cesar, she at first resists the changes Lord Calderon tries to implement and is especially upset over the dismissal of so many employees. But with time, she decides it would be in everyone’s best interest if she at least tried to get along with him. Thinking she might be able to charm him into seeing reason. However, it is Delia who begins to see reason and despite her loyalty to Cesar, she has to admit that Simon’s policies have merit, and he is not the cold, heartless man she thought he was. In fact, he is the first man in years that has captured her interest. But with secrets galore, old fears, past pain and split loyalties, can anything come of her infatuation?

Simon Hayden, was born into the hotel business, his mother was employed as a hotel housekeeper and his father a cashier, and thanks to a scholarship to Harrow, Simon believed he too would be in the business. But scandal struck his family and led him in a different direction. He joined the Army and not only became a hero, but he also made a fortune, which he invested in what else – a hotel. It was during this time he was befriended by Richard and Helen Carte, they became business partners and Simon joined the board of directors for the Savoy. After several quarters of no profits, the investors are angry and want answers, leading Simon to go undercover at the hotel to oversee operations and keep the employees distracted while the Cartes have Cesar and his cronies investigated. At first Simon is sure that Delia is part of the corruption, but soon realizes she is innocent. He is drawn to her and knows that once the truth comes out about Cesar, she will most likely hate him for his part in Cesar’s downfall. But that doesn’t stop him from falling hard for a woman that is sure to break his heart.

I really loved this story, Delia and Simon are wonderful characters whose fictional love story is seamlessly woven into the real-life historical events surrounding the investigation of Hotelier Cesar Ritz, Chef Auguste Escoffier and maître d’hôtel Louis Echenard at the Savoy Hotel in London. This story is filled with secrets, a slow-burn romance, loyalty, betrayal, warm love scenes, great secondary characters, a bit of heartache, delightful dialogue, and a very sweet ending including a heartwarming epilogue. My only complaint is not knowing the final outcome of the two weddings that were both set for the same day – in the grand scheme of things of it wasn’t that big a deal – but it felt like it was going to be something major in the story and then it wasn’t – sigh. Overall, this was an excellent book and I am happy to recommend it! This is the second book in the series, but it could easily be read as a standalone title as the books are very loosely connected. I would note that there are some triggers in this book that occurred in the past and off page, that are mention briefly, but might be upsetting to some readers and I would recommend checking out the CW on the publisher’s website.

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that I requested and was provided to me by the publisher. All opinions in this review are my own. *