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 Hanging Cheat by Elizabeth Bailey

On By BarbaraIn Barb's Reviews, Georgian Era (1714-1837), Historical Mystery, Part of a SeriesLeave a comment

The Hanging Cheat (Lady Fan Mystery Book 10)

Barbara’s rating: 4 out of 5 Stars
Series: Lady Fan Mystery #10
Publication Date: 11/24/23
Period: Georgian
Number of Pages: 335

I completed my read of the last book, The Vengeance Trail, in a very sad mood because Francis had a lot of emotional suffering in that book, and it was not over by the end. That left me wondering how things would change for this book – and the rest of the series – to work. I have my answer now – and if you were wondering the same thing, you’ll have your answer as well.

A very pregnant Ottilia Fanshaw, Lady Fan, and her husband Francis are at her brother’s home for the funeral of his wife who had been ill for a very long time. Francis cannot wait to leave so he can get Ottilia back to their home and coddle her before the delivery of their child. Just as their departure is approaching, their two nephews come running into the house announcing they’ve discovered a dead body in the woods. Is it natural causes? Is it suicide? Is it murder? Lady Fan – and even Francis – are sure it is a murder staged to look like a suicide. Poor Francis – because we all know Ottilia will want to stay and solve the crime.

There is a plethora of suspects because the victim is the most hated man in the district – not a single soul has anything good to say about him. They speak with suspects throughout the district, but few have real alibis which makes the elimination of them all but impossible. How can Lady Fan work through it all and solve the crime before her pregnancy makes it impossible for her to do so? With time of the essence, she decides to divide and conquer. She enlists her two nephews and Francis to help interview suspects, chase down clues, and help puzzle out the events, so surely she’ll identify the murderer soon.

This is an excellent mystery that will keep you guessing till the end. Just when you are absolutely sure who the culprit is, there is a revelation that makes you doubt it. When we finally wind through all of the clues and suspects and find the culprit – you’ll be surprised – at least by part of it.

I enjoyed this addition to the Lady Fan series and am already looking forward to the next one. I hope you’ll enjoy it as well.

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It Had to Be a Duke by Vivienne Lorret

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

It Had to Be a Duke (The Liar's Club, #1)It Had to Be a Duke by Vivienne Lorret

Tracy’s rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Series: The Liar’s Club, #1

Release Date: November 28, 2023

Verity Hartley, the eldest daughter of Baron and Baroness Hartley, is not a liar by nature, but when she literally falls at the feet of Nell Hunnicutt, her snobbish neighbor who is bragging of her recent season in London and of all the offers of marriage she has come home to consider, Verity blurts out a lie to end all lies when she tells Nell that she is betrothed to the Magnus Warring, the Duke of Longhurst. Which is completely ludicrous, considering the Duke blames her family for the death of his father and the financial ruin of their estate, thanks to a scheme he alleges Verity’s father dreamed up to scam his father. But that doesn’t stop her falsehood from taking flight and landing her in an even bigger lie when the duke demands that she pretend to be engaged to him, but jilt him so he can marry the heiress he has been wooing without seeming dishonorable. She agrees because one, she caused this problem, and two, jilting the arrogant, self-righteous, pompous duke will be her pleasure. Besides, it’s not like she would ever fall in love with him or want to marry him in truth, why even the thought of it is beyond ridiculous!

Magnus, the Duke of Longhurst is a man who believes in family, duty, and honor, and for the last seven years, he has worked hard to pull his family out of the financial hole his father dug with his impulsive and reckless investments. He has been offered an investment opportunity that will not only restore his family’s fortunes but will also secure a livelihood for his younger brother, something his mother constantly reminds him of, but to invest, he will need money, and so he has set his sites on heiress Anna Snow, the daughter of Phineas Snow, the Button King, an obscenely rich merchant. But when he meets with Mr. Snow to ask for permission to marry Anna, he is turned down, because it turns out he is already betrothed to Miss Verity Hartley, the daughter of the man who ruined his life! He assures Mr. Snow that this is a misunderstanding and promises that it will all be taken care of without a scandal. But to protect his honor, he has no choice but to go along with Verity’s lie, first by proposing (so he isn’t lying – unlike SOME people) and then by demanding she breaks off the engagement after spending time with him in public to convince people that they really are betrothed. Once she dumps him, he will return to London and marry Miss Snow and forget this ever happened. It is a great plan and there is no reason why it won’t work exactly as planned because there is no way he would ever fall in love with her or want to marry her in truth, why even the thought of it is too preposterous to believe!

I enjoyed this story, I thought it was well-written and nicely paced, with wonderful characters and even a bit of a mystery thrown in to provide an interesting dash of intrigue. I loved the interactions between Magnus and Verity, especially their banter! As much as I dislike the trope, I felt the love triangle was handled well and the emotional growth of both Verity and Magnus was particularly well done, I even found myself tearing up a time or two wondering how they would ever be able to have a happily ever after. The story is filled with duty, honor, family, intrigue, secrets, lies, nasty neighbors, steamyish love scenes, surprising revelations, naked clergymen, a mischievous cat, more than one twist, and the promise of HEA. I do wish there had been an epilogue because it did feel like a few things were left hanging, but nothing major. Overall, I thought this was a wonderful start to a new series that I would happily recommend, and will be looking forward to future installments.

4.5 stars, rounded up

*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.*