Category: Historical Mystery

Lady Violet Attends a Wedding by Grace Burrowes

On By BarbaraIn Barb's Reviews, Historical Mystery, Part of a Series, Regency Era (1811-1820)Leave a comment

Lady Violet Attends a Wedding (The Lady Violet Mysteries, #2)Barbara’s rating: 4 of 5 Stars
Series: The Lady Violet Mysteries #2
Publication Date: 2/22/22 (First Published 11/25/21
Period: Regency
Number of Pages: 245

We still don’t have a resolution to the love triangle in the series, so that aspect of the book troubles me. I love a romance in my historical mysteries, and I’m sure this will have one – eventually. After all, it is a Grace Burrowes book and she writes superb romances. However, I don’t care for triangles and really wanted a quick resolution. I must say though, it is written very well. It isn’t one of those triangles where the men are constantly at odds and argumentative. Instead, they seem to have formed a bit of a friendship and are both bent on protecting and looking out for Violet. I like that and I hate that – because one of them is going to be really hurt. But, maybe our intrepid author will handle that one with aplomb as well.

Lady Violet Belmaine has not dealt well with her widowhood – not that she was a happily married lady. She just had trouble dealing with it all, but thanks to the ministrations of Dr. Hugh St. Sevier she’s beginning to come out of hiding. She recently attended a house party and now she is on the way to attend her youngest brother’s wedding. It is hard to believe her sweet brother, Felix, is marrying. However, an accident as they arrive at the estate nearly takes Violet’s life and puts her out of commission for a little while. Luckily, her traveling companion, Hugh, manages to pull her from the raging waters and then treat her injuries.

Dr. Hugh St. Sevier is a French émigré who served with the English in the wars against Napoleon. It hurt him beyond belief to serve against his countrymen, but he couldn’t support Napoleon. As a physician in the wars, he did his best to heal soldiers from both sides even though each side mistrusted him. He is also totally besotted with Violet.

Sebastian, Marquess of Dunkeld was a Colonel in the English army – a war hero. He also had a history with Violet. Sebastian was totally besotted with Violet and asked her father if he could court her. Her father refused – and did even worse – he belittled Sebastian and told him Violet did as well. Violet wasn’t aware that her friend had asked to court her – she would have welcomed it – but she was never given the chance.

Felix is entirely besotted with his bride-to-be, Katie Engle, and she is entirely besotted with him. That should certainly mean many years of happiness in their future. However, they must manage to marry first, and fate seems to be conspiring against them. Something must be amiss with the Engle finances because her father has yet to show up to discuss the marriage settlements. Then, the worst thing of all: Katie goes missing! No, she didn’t get cold feet and run away, she is well and truly missing. England’s weather has conspired to make searching nearly impossible and if Katie is exposed to the elements, she may not survive.

Will they find Katie? Will her parents finally show up to sign the marriage settlements? You’ll just have to read the book to find out. I can definitely recommend it as it is a lovely read.

View all my reviews

Letter to a Duchess: A Duchess of Blackmoore Mystery by Nellie H. Steele

On By BarbaraIn Barb's Reviews, Gothic Historical, Historical Mystery, Part of a Series, Regency Era (1811-1820)Leave a comment

Letter to a Duchess: A Duchess of Blackmoore Mystery (Duchess of Blackmoore Mysteries Book 2)Barbara’s rating: 3.7 of 5 Stars
Series: A Duchess of Blackmoore Mysteries #2
Publication Date: 7/19/22
Period: Regency or Victorian (hard to tell)
Number of Pages: 365

This is the second book I’ve read by this author and I could have given each of them 5-stars except for the historical inaccuracies. The author teaches at a college, so I don’t understand why she couldn’t take the time to research something as simple as forms of address. I was jolted from the story each time someone addressed the Duke or Duchess as Duke (or Duchess) Blackmoore or worse yet introduces her as Mrs. Robert Fletcher. That is just so very wrong – and getting it correct would be so very easy. Even if it was correct, there was just so very much of it.

Lenora Hastings has had an unusual talent (or curse) her entire life. It has made her life miserable because nobody could deal with a child who could talk with the dead. Everyone left her, even the nuns at the convent couldn’t deal with it and turned her over to an orphanage. As an adult (barely) she married Robert Fletcher, the Duke of Blackmoore, and used her talent to solve the mystery of the death of Robert’s first wife.

The Duke’s ne’er do well brother, Edwin, has written Lenora a letter begging her to use her talent to get him out of trouble. He is in Glasgow and has been arrested for murder. He swears he didn’t do it and he believes all Lenora has to do is speak to the ghost of the murder victim and find out who really did do it. Nothing, of course, is ever that easy when one is speaking with the dead.

The Duke doesn’t want Lenora to have anything to do with his brother, but she convinces him to let her try. The main reason she believes Edwin is that her deceased friend Tillie insists he is innocent.

With uncommunicative ghosts, seedy locales, dangerous villains, and a worrywart husband, finding the true murderer isn’t easy. When there is another attack and they all come under suspicion, they know that they have to quickly find the real murderer. Will they all survive? Can they thwart the murderer and prove Edwin isn’t guilty? You’ll just have to read the book to see.

I enjoyed the mystery and thought it was well-plotted and well-delivered. Other than the forms of address, I thoroughly enjoyed the read. One thing that struck me as a bit humorous though – the ghosts kept coming to Lenora at night and sometimes literally pulling her from her bed. They lead her into the bowls of Glasgow – and always into trouble. Robert would rant – but – somehow it never occurred to him that he ought to sleep in the same bedroom so he’d know when she was dragged out into the night.

View all my reviews