Category: Georgian Era (1714-1837)

The Georgian era is a period in British history 1714 to 1830. The kings were all named George: George I, George II, George III and George IV. The sub-period of the Regency is defined by the Regency of George IV as Prince of Wales during the illness of his father George III. The definition of the Georgian era is often extended to include the short reign of William IV, which ended with his death in 1837.
Preceded by: Restoration
Including: Regency era
Followed by: Victorian era

The Viscount Made Me Do It by Diana Quincy

On By TracyIn Georgian Era (1714-1837), Historical Mystery, Regency Era (1811-1820), Tracy's ReviewsLeave a comment

The Viscount Made Me Do It (Clandestine Affairs, #2)The Viscount Made Me Do It by Diana Quincy

Tracy’s rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Series: Clandestine Affairs, #2

Release Date: July 27, 2021

Fourteen years after the murder of his parents, Thomas “Griff” Ellis, the Viscount Griffin receives a package with a ring belonging to his late mother, a ring that was stolen the night she was killed. In an effort to track down the sender, he visits the post office, hoping for a lead, but is sent away empty-handed. He visits a nearby coffeehouse and is shocked when he sees a lovely woman enter, wearing his mother’s necklace. The woman stops at the table of some young noblemen who apparently requested her services as a bonesetter to mock her. Angry, the woman dislocates the man’s wrist, telling him to visit her office to get it fixed, and storms out.

Griff learns her name and due to a war injury, has an excuse to visit her offices, even though he doesn’t believe she will be able to help him, since his former guardian is a respected doctor and wasn’t able to alleviate his pain, nor had any of the specialists he has seen. So he is shocked when her treatments work. They form a friendship and he confesses his true reason for seeking her out and she offers to help any way she can.

Hanna Zaydan is the daughter of immigrants from the Levant, most of her family is involved in the cotton trade, but her father was a bonesetter and taught her the art, much to the dismay of her mother and grandmother, who hoped she would marry a nice Arab man and start a family. Hanna truly has a gift for bonesetting and will not give up her practice, therefore she believes marriage and a family are not a part of her future. Her attraction to Griff is inconvenient and impossible, even if he wanted to marry her, her family would never approve. But that doesn’t stop her from helping him solve the mystery of who murdered his parents and why.

Almost as soon as they start digging into the past, ugly truths begin to emerge and everything Griff has been told seems to be lies. Add to this, his former guardian seeming to have a vendetta against Hanna, and a secret he has kept for years coming out and forcing him to offer marriage to save a friend’s honor. All of these combined seem to ensure that there is no possibility for a HEA with the woman he has come to love.

This was a well-written, fast-paced story with wonderful characters and a fresh and original plot. The book is filled with secrets, lies, betrayal, murder, interesting facts on bonesetting, class/station differences, prejudice, warm love scenes, help from unexpected sources, and finally a HEA that seemed impossible. This book achieved the perfect balance of mystery and romance, with neither aspect overpowering or detracting from the other, resulting in a well-balanced and gripping read. There were some typos and title errors, but this was an uncorrected proof, so those errors may be corrected before publication. This is the second book in the series, but it can be read as a standalone title with no problems.

*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.*

The Highlander’s Irish Bride by Vanessa Kelly

On By TracyIn Georgian Era (1714-1837), Regency Era (1811-1820), Scottish/Highlander, Tracy's ReviewsLeave a comment

The Highlander's Irish Bride (Clan Kendrick Book 4)The Highlander’s Irish Bride by Vanessa Kelly

Tracy’s rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Series: Clan Kendrick, #4

Release Date: July 27, 2021

When Kathleen Calvert, the daughter of Baron Gorey finds herself enmeshed in scandal, her step-mother insists that she leave London and go to stay with her cousin Sabrina in the highlands, Kathleen is devastated and longs to return home to Ireland. But her step-mother is adamant and refuses to back down, thankfully, Kathleen’s friend, Gillian, the Duchess of Leverton is planning a trip to Glasgow and offers to have Kathleen join her for a few weeks before heading to the highlands.

Kathleen and Gillian set out and just two days into the trip learn that Kathleen’s 16-year-old step-sister Jeannie has stowed away and refuses to return home. Reluctantly, Kathleen agrees to let Jeannie travel with them as Gillian assures them that her cousin Victoria Kendrick, the Countess of Arnprior (who happens to be sister-in-law to Sabrina) will not mind the extra company. So off they go.

When they arrive, they are welcomed with open arms by the family, all except Grant, who seems to be the complete opposite of Kathleen in every way imaginable, despite the family’s hints that super-sober and oh-so-boring Grant was once a hellraiser of the first order. Kathleen finds herself fighting an attraction to him and is almost relieved when Jeannie creates a scene that will see them traveling to the highlands much sooner than expected. But her relief is cut short when the matchmaking Kendricks insist that Grant accompany the ladies to Lochnager, home to his sister-in-law Sabrina and his twin brother, Graeme. Unbeknownst to Kathleen, Grant is also fighting an inconvenient attraction, but with no way out of escorting them, he agrees.

The trip turns out to be longer than expected when they are held up by highwaymen and his brother confesses needing help to get to the bottom of a recent crime wave. Grant doesn’t think he should stay, worried that he won’t be able to deny his attraction to Kathleen for much longer, but can’t refuse to help his brother. So he stays and their attraction grows, but will they get a HEA or will they leave the highlands brokenhearted?

The is was a well-written story, with great characters and a very slow-burning romance. The book is filled with witty banter, outspoken, unrepentant females, denied attraction, a heroine with surprising baby-calming talents, warm love scenes, more than one unrequited crush, a teenager with a penchant for causing trouble, meddling matchmakers, evil villains, and finally a well-deserved HEA. I liked this story, but OMG – Jeannie was such a brat, I find it hard to believe she was 16, because she acted like she was 6 most of the time, and EVERYONE coddled her, it was so over-the-top and annoying. In addition to that was the mystery of her family – if Kathleen and Jeannie were in fact step-sisters, why did they have the same last name? Not really a big deal, but I found it distracting. Overall, it was a good read with a decent mystery and likable leads. This is the fourth book in the series and could be read as a standalone, but I would recommend reading the books in order (including the Improper Princesses series if you are interested in Victoria & Gillian’s stories).

*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.*