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

Rogue For Hire by Sasha Cottman

On By BarbaraIn Barb's Reviews, Georgian Era (1714-1837), Novella, Regency Era (1811-1820)Leave a comment
Book cover for Rogue for Hire (Rogues of the Road Book 1) by Sasha Cottman
  • Series: Rogues of the Road #1
  • Publication Date: 2/1/21
  • Number of Pages: Novella

Lord Harry Steele is the fourth son of the Duke of Redditch.  Harry is definitely a free-wheeling, young man who follows none of the social norms.  He’s flamboyant, outrageous, as well as kicked out of the family home and cut off without a farthing to support himself.  In the year since his father kicked him out, he has started his own business.  Now, instead of always causing scandals, he is managing scandals for others.  There was no way he could have kept his sanity and gone into a job as a soldier, clergyman, etc. as his father wanted.  Along with managing scandals, he and his friends, known as Rogues of the Road, have started a coaching enterprise – which works really well as a cover for their more questionable enterprises.

Alice North is an heiress, the daughter of a man who was very big in trade.  He could buy any member of the ton several times over and still have pocket change.  In other words, he was very rich.  Her father’s wealth is the reason she has to seek out someone to manage a potentially scandalous situation in her family.  Her younger sister, Patience, is besotted with a man Alice is sure is a fortune hunter.  He’s slick, ingratiating, and sly.  That is how Alice finds herself employing Lord Harry Steele to extricate them from the clutches of Cuthbert Saint.

Harry and Alice are immediately attracted to each other, but she is … well, she knows his reputation.  Harry does the most outrageous things (even by today’s standards) and he leads her into some really low-life places.  Yet, she finds them titillating rather than offensive. 

It seems that I have a love/hate relationship with books written by this author.  I love the idea of the stories and they are well plotted.  They are also filled with anachronisms and period incorrectness (is that a word?).  Basically, it is a very contemporary story that just happens to have a carriage and a chemise thrown in.  In this novella, I couldn’t even begin to guess the correct period in which the story is set.  Somewhere a date would have been a welcome addition.  The heroine wore dresses that buttoned down the front and the hero wore trousers with a button placket rather than a fall-front.  So, definitely later than Regency.  However, the hero is starting up a new coaching line – which doesn’t seem to be a very good business decision with train travel on the way not too long after the Regency period.  Anyway, things like this may not bother you in the least, but they make me crazy.  If this doesn’t bother you, you’ll probably love the story. I might have the periods all muddled up, but I would like to know which period I’m reading.

I found myself remarkably ambivalent about both Harry and Alice.  I didn’t really love them, but I didn’t hate them either.  I think I just never came to care about them as people or as a couple.  My favorite character was actually Patience, and I would have loved more page time with her.

My bottom-line is – I mostly enjoyed the read, but I would not read it again.  The other friends in Harry’s Rogues of the Road sound much more interesting than Harry and I’ll look forward to seeing how things go for them.

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

Death Comes To The Rectory by Catherine Lloyd

On By BarbaraIn Barb's Reviews, Georgian Era (1714-1837), Historical MysteryLeave a comment

Death Comes to the Rectory (Kurland St. Mary Mystery, #8)Barbara’s rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: Kurland St. Mary Mystery #8
Publication: 1/26/21
Number of Pages: 304
*** 3.5 Stars Rounded Up ***

I really struggled with what rating to give this book. If it was a book in the middle of a series, I’d give it 5-stars easily because the mystery is well-written, well-plotted, and well-executed. Usually, I figure out within the first chapter or two who the murderer is – but I wasn’t sure with this one. I had suspicions – but definitely wasn’t sure. However, this book isn’t in the middle of a series, it is the wrap-up for a series and, as such, it just wasn’t satisfying to me. The author has said she might write some additional short stories for this series in the future, but, to this reader, that doesn’t make up for what is lacking in this final book. As a series ender, I did not want to see a family left splintered and in turmoil. I wanted to know what the future held for the Harrington’s – especially the twins and Anna – Oh, and Rose’s baby. Yet, Anna was hardly even mentioned in the story and she wasn’t at her niece’s christening. So, if you read the book for the mystery, you’ll enjoy it – but if you read it for both the mystery and the wrap-up to a much-loved series, you’ll end up a bit disappointed. All of that disappointment could have so easily been avoided with just an additional chapter or an epilogue showing the family in their happy lives at some future point. I’m not exactly sorry I read the book – but I’m not exactly jumping for joy either.

Lady Lucy and Sir Robert Kurland are preparing to celebrate the christening of their baby daughter, Elizabeth Jane Sarah, who was named after her deceased grandmothers and her great-aunt. They’ve invited friends and family and have filled both the rectory and the manor with guests. In the middle of all of the guest’s arrival, there is an unexpected, uninvited, and unwanted couple who appears. Robert asks them to leave, but since the woman, Henrietta, is Robert’s cousin – and the step-daughter of Lucy’s father – they can hardly remove them bodily. You’ll never see a nastier set of people than Henrietta and her husband Lord Northam. Robert makes it very plain to both of them that they WILL NOT disturb the christening services. This is his much-loved, and much-doted-upon daughter’s big day and he will not have it spoiled.

Just after the services, the body of Basil, Lord Northam, is discovered in the rector’s office – with the rector’s letter opener. That immediately makes the rector, Lucy’s father, the prime suspect. Lucy doesn’t believe her father is guilty – but Robert thinks he could be. As the magistrate for the area, it is Robert’s duty to investigate and determine the guilty party – even if that means hurting his wife.

It seems everyone has a reason to want Lord Northam dead – he was mutually hated by all who knew him. As the investigation continues, more and more secrets come to light along with more and more reasons someone would want to kill Lord Northam. Yet, all of the evidence keeps coming back to the rector. Henrietta insists that the rector is the guilty party and she makes that loud and clear to any and all who will listen. Can Robert and Lucy work through all of the secrets and lies to get to the truth? That truth will surprise you!

I did enjoy the mystery, but the overall feel of the book left me wanting. I thought Lucy was much too sanguine about her father being accused of murder and much too accepting of Robert’s need to pursue her father as a suspect. The ending was also dissatisfying because there was no real wrap-up. The family was left fractured with more wounds than could be easily repaired.

If you love the series, I hope you won’t be as disappointed as I was in the final book. If you aren’t invested in the series – you should find the mystery very enjoyable.

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