Category: Historical Mystery

The Merchant and The Rogue by Sarah M. Eden

On By TracyIn Historical Mystery, Mystery, Tracy's Reviews, Victorian Era (1837-1901)Leave a comment

The Merchant and the Rogue (The Dread Penny Society #3)The Merchant and the Rogue by Sarah M. Eden

Tracy’s rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Series: The Dread Penny Society, #3

Release Date: August 17, 2021

Brogan Donnelly has been summoned by the acting head of the Dread Penny Society – a secret group of “penny dreadful” authors in London who work together as vigilantes to combat crime and help the less fortunate. Brogan loves being a member but has struggled with the rule that he must keep his membership and activities secret, which means lying to his sister Moirin. When Brogan arrives at his meeting, he is shocked to learn that the Dread Master, the actual yet unknown leader of the group, was the one who summoned him. The Dread Master wants Brogan to take a mission, but it will require him to act alone and without the DPS’s help, furthermore, he will have to “resign” from the group. His mission is to learn what connection the Russian ambassador has to the group’s archenemy – The Mastiff and his henchman Four-Finger Mike and to an immigrant Russian printer in Soho. Brogan accepts the mission, but doesn’t feel up to the task and is unhappy about the lies he will have to tell his co-members. As luck would have it when Brogan goes to the printer’s shop, they are looking for help and he applies for the job, which will hopefully allow him to find out what the printer is up to and how it relates to the ambassador.

Vera Sorokina runs The Sorokin Print Shop with her father. Although she was born in Russia, her family fled when she was young and England is the only home she has ever known. She runs the shop which not only does printing, but sells supplies and much to her father’s disgust – Penny Dreadful novels. Her father hates authors, he blames them for his banishment from Russia, a hatred that he has instilled in Vera. So when Brogan applies for the job, he gives a fake name – Ganor O’Donnell. Vera hires him and immediately feels a connection. Ganor and Vera become friends, they discuss the Penny Dreadfuls, politics, and life as immigrants – her feeling for him grow, how can then not when he buys her roast chestnuts, it kind to the urchins she “hires”, and when an extortion scheme comes into play, he supports her efforts to unite the other shop owners.

Brogan is falling hard for Vera and hates the lies that stand between them, he needs to finish his mission and then hopefully find a way to reveal the truth to Vera without breaking the DPS rules and hope that she will forgive his deception. But when someone tells her who he really is, she is hurt and cuts their ties without revealing she has learned the truth. Although heartbroken, her decision to send him away actually leads to him finding the connection between her father and the ambassador that he was sent to find. He takes the evidence and leaves but is not ready to give up on a future with Vera. He just needs to solve this mystery and then find a way to win back the woman he loves…

This was a very interesting story, it was actually three stories in one, as two “Penny Dreadful” novels are interspersed throughout the book. The writing was good, but I did find the addition of the other novels a bit distracting and their placement at times broke the “flow” of the actual story. Also, the book ends a bit abruptly and I would have liked a bit more closure, but I have to assume the things left hanging will be addressed in future installments. What I did like was the connection between Vera and Brogan, it was very well done and I truly felt and believed their love connection, the mysteries were also nicely executed and the author did a great job of tying everything together for a grand climax. For readers who prefer a “no-contact” romance – this book is for you, there is nothing beyond a kiss in this story and while I usually prefer a bit more steam, I didn’t feel the lack in this book. This is the third book in the series, but I hadn’t read the previous books and had no problems starting mid-series.

*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 Sign Of The Raven by L.C. Sharp

On By BarbaraIn Barb's Reviews, Georgian Era (1714-1837), Historical Mystery2 Comments

Series: Ash & Juliana #2

Publication Date: 8/17/21

Period:  Georgian London, 1749

Number of Pages:  250

** 5 Stars **

Goodness!  I surely do hope this turns out to be one of those very long-running series because I absolutely adore Ash and Juliana.  The mystery is intriguing, the villain is vile, and the secondary characters are a mixed and interesting bunch.

Sir Edmund (Ash) Ashendon is constantly searching for justice – whether it is finding the perpetrator of a crime or defending someone he is sure has been falsely accused.  It is the driving force in his life because he is trying very hard to make up for the really important one, the one he couldn’t save.  He solved it too late and guilt still eats at him. 

Ash and Juliana married almost a year ago after Ash saved her from the gallows (The Wedding Night Affair) when she was accused of murdering her husband on their wedding night.  Juliana had been horribly brutalized, but she swore she didn’t kill her husband – and Ash believed her.  They ended up in a marriage of convenience because her parents were immediately auctioning her off to the next brutalizer before the funeral had even been held.  Juliana couldn’t stand to be touched in any way and since Ash never planned to marry because of his dedication to his work, having no intimacies between them was fine with him.  Since she was very intelligent and observant, she’d make a good partner for him in his work – especially within the ton because she and her family are from the highest echelons.

It seems everyone in London knows of Ash’s penchant for helping Bow Street with the more ‘interesting’ cases.  He had taken his family – Juliana, his sister Amelia, and younger brother Gregory – to Vauxhall to attend a fireworks rehearsal, where he was soon approached because there had been an ‘incident’.  Oh!  There was an incident alright – a dead body.  While most would have put it down to a robbery gone wrong, Ash was certain it was murder. 

Ash and Juliana pursue their investigation regardless of the rank of those they are questioning.  From dukes, to street urchins, to the infamous Raven, everyone was suspected until they could be cleared.  When another murder is done, Ash and Juliana know their main suspect is getting desperate and they have to put a plan in motion to catch them out.  The culprit might surprise you – or it might not – but you’ll love getting to the identification.

There was so much I enjoyed about this book!  I loved that the villain didn’t get off with no punishment.  I loved that Juliana has come so very far in her healing process and that she and Ash have found they care more for each other than they thought.  I loved the new relationship between Ash and the newspaper man.  I loved that we learned the identity of the Raven – but – he sure left us hanging about what would be next.  Oh! My!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I hope you’ll enjoy it as much as I did.  Having both a romance and a mystery is a double treat!

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