Category: Edwardian Age (1901-1910)

The Edwardian era or Edwardian period of British history covers the brief reign of King Edward VII, 1901 to 1910, and is sometimes extended in both directions to capture long-term trends from the 1890s to the First World War. The death of Queen Victoria in January 1901 marked the end of the Victorian era.
Preceded by: Victorian era
Followed by: First World War
Monarch: Edward VII, George V

The Dark Heart of Florence by Tasha Alexander

On By BarbaraIn Barb's Reviews, Edwardian Age (1901-1910), Historical MysteryLeave a comment

The Dark Heart of Florence (Lady Emily #15)
Barbara’s rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: Lady Emily Ashton Mysteries #15
Publication Date: 3/9/21
Number of Pages: 304

Tensions are mounting between Germany and England in the buildup to the first World War. Each wants to collect the secrets the other side is holding and the rest of Europe is their hunting ground. After a series of burglaries at his daughter Kat’s palazzo in Florence, Colin Hargreaves is sent by the Crown to investigate those and other mysterious events happening there. Colin is advised to bring his wife, Lady Emily, along to make it appear it is simply a family sightseeing vacation. Little do they know what a tangled web of deceit and betrayal they are about to embark upon.

They hadn’t even had time for their first cup of tea in Florence before the first body made its bloody appearance. As agents of the Crown, Colin and his fellow agent, Darius Benton-Stone, couldn’t share any details of their investigation with the very curious Lady Emily. No problem, since Lady Emily has brought along a friend, Parisian Cecile du Lac, they will just conduct their own investigation. Of course, there is an intriguing possibility of hidden treasure that Emily and Cecile will look into as well. Between investigating murders, hidden treasure, and sightseeing Emily and Cecile are a very busy pair!

As the bodies mount and the separate investigations become more and more entwined, it becomes apparent that the treasure and the murders are connected in some way. Who has the knowledge to carry out such a dastardly plot? Well, you’ll just have to read the tale to see for yourself.

In the last few books of this series, the author has included an additional story from ancient history. That story ties into and/or explains the happenings in the current story. In this one, the story takes place in 1400s Florence. It chronicles the life of Mena Portenari from the time she is sixteen under the de’ Medici rule and then into terror evoking rule of friar Savonarola. It is a sad tale of victimization and heroism, but it does explain parts of the current case.

While the ancient stories are nice, it has become a bit of a trope for this author. It does get a little tiresome jumping from the current mystery to the ancient mystery in each chapter, even though both stories are well done.

I thoroughly enjoyed this story and I hope you will as well.

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

Ravish Me with Rubies by Jane Feather

On By TracyIn Edwardian Age (1901-1910), Tracy's ReviewsLeave a comment

Ravish Me with Rubies (The London Jewels Trilogy Book 3)Ravish Me with Rubies by Jane Feather

Tracy’s rating: 2.5/3 of 5 stars

Series: The London Jewels Trilogy, #3

Release Date: January 26, 2021

2.5 stars rounded up.

When Petra Rutherford’s brother Jonathan asks her to join him for tea at Westminster to help him charm a member of parliament, she is stunned to see Guy Granville, Baron Ashton – a man she met and fell in love with ten years ago. And the man who broke her schoolgirl’s heart. She is barely civil to him – much to his surprise, as he holds fond memories of the girl he spent a summer with years ago. Shaken by the encounter, Petra vows to get her long-overdue revenge on Guy – she will charm him, enchant him, and then leave him with a broken heart.

Things don’t go as planned and her vow of revenge falls to the wayside and Petra finds herself falling under his spell once more – but this time she is wiser, she knows that Guy is a rake and promises to guard her heart. But the more time they spend together, the more they want and finally, Guy realizes that she is perfect for him and asks her to marry – it seems like HEA is a given – but soon they will have to face facts – they are both stubborn and when they find themselves on opposite sides of the Women’s Suffrage Movement – their love will be put to the test.

I am torn by this book – on one hand, it was different and I liked that Guy and Petra stayed true to their differing opinions – and while it made Guy appear to be a jerk in the eyes of a 21st-century reader – he was probably one of the most historically authentic heroes I have ever read. However, on the other hand, there is a whole lotta ICK – they meet when he is 24 and she is 14 – he spends time with her, kisses her, dances with her, etc. – later when confronted about his actions to her, claims that he had no idea she had feelings for him and then he says she was just a child – OK, so why are you KISSING a child? It was introduced early in the book and honestly, I just couldn’t shake the creepiness of it out of my mind – so that was definitely not a point in the book’s favor. Of the three books, this one was probably the most sexual – but the love scenes were far from steamy, they were downplayed and merely warm. The book was interesting, with misunderstandings, warm love scenes, cameos with the former “Jewels”, cameos with true historical figures, a meddling ex-mistress, and a HEA. I really wish there had been an epilogue as this is the final book and I would have liked to have a peek into their HEA, as well as Fenella and Diana’s – but overall, it was an OK read, and aside from the kind gross child molester vibe at the beginning – I think this might be the best STORY of the three books.

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that I requested and was provided to me by NetGalley and the publisher. *