Category: Historical Paranormal/Fantasy

Her Scandalous Pursuit by Candace Camp

On By TracyIn Historical Paranormal/Fantasy, Top Pick - Highly Recommended, Tracy's Reviews, Victorian Era (1837-1901)2 Comments

Her Scandalous Pursuit (The Mad Morelands, #7)Her Scandalous Pursuit by Candace Camp

Tracy’s rating: 5 of 5 stars

Series: The Mad Morelands, Prequel

Release Date: January 28, 2020

Lady Thisbe Moreland is attending a lecture at the Covington Institute when she meets Desmond Harrison. They hit it off immediately and Thisbe can’t wait to see him again, as a female scientist too many people don’t take her seriously, but Desmond treated her with respect and admiration. They make plans to meet again, but Thisbe doesn’t tell him who she really is – the eldest child of the Duke of Broughton. She is scared that he won’t continue to see her if he knows the truth.

Desmond is also a scientist, he works for the once revered, now scorned Professor Gordon. The professor has come under ridicule for his insistence that ghosts exist – Desmond is not a believer, despite his own experience with the spirit world, but he is loyal to the professor who took him under his wing. Desmond grew up poor and is the son of a transported convict, even without knowing who her family is, he knows she is far above him in station, but he is unwilling to give up what they share and knows that eventually it will end.

When Professor Gordon’s benefactor, Mr. Wallace learns of an artifact called the Eye of Annie Blue that might be able to have the professor prove his theory, the entire team is excited. Professor Gordon writes to the owner of the artifact, the Dowager Duchess of Broughton and asks if he might be able to borrow it for study. But the duchess refuses, crushing their hopes. The professor and Mr. Wallace become obsessed and when they learn the Dowager is in town, they ask Desmond to steal it – he refuses, but agrees to check out the Dowager’s house to see if it is even possible to enter. While looking at the house, which he knows will be impossible to enter, Thisbe comes running out – she thinks he has figured out who she is and has come to see her. She invites him back to call and when his professor learns of their connection, he tries to convince Desmond to steal it – again he refuses.

Desmond is surer than ever that nothing can transpire between him and Thisbe, no matter how nice her family is to him and when her grandmother (the Dowager) has a prediction that Desmond’s love will kill Thisbe, he is sure they have no future. Thisbe has been having her own share of strange incidents in the form of dreams, but she rationalizes them and tells Desmond to ignore her grandmother’s “prediction”. She really cares for him and begins to imagine a future with him – until secrets are revealed and Desmond lets her believe the worst to save her life.

This was a well written, fast paced, page turner that held me in thrall from the first page to the last. I loved Desmond and Thisbe, they share such an incredible chemistry that you know they are meant to be, the love scenes are sparse, but they are potent and very touching without being overly graphic, the secondary characters are wonderful and even the villains are engaging. There is a bit of drama, some humor, a healthy dose of paranormal, some heartache and finally a very sweet and hard-won HEA. This is the seventh book in the series, but it is really the prequel to the “Mad Morelands” – you can read this book first or seventh without issue, but either way – read it! I loved this story and happily recommend it!

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that was provided to me by the publisher.*

The Beastly Earl by Monica Burns

On By TracyIn Gothic Historical, Historical Paranormal/Fantasy, Scottish/Highlander, Top Pick - Highly Recommended, Tracy's Reviews, Victorian Era (1837-1901)Leave a comment

The Beastly Earl (The Reckless Rockwoods #5)The Beastly Earl by Monica Burns

Tracy’s rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Series: The Reckless Rockwoods #5

Release Date: December 24, 2019

Almost three years after the fire that claimed her brother Caleb and her husband Devin, Louisa Morehouse nee Rockwood, Viscountess Westbrook, has decided to go to Callendar Abbey for some time alone to center herself. She leaves her two sons with her brother Sebastian, Earl of Melton and sets off for the remote Scottish estate. Her trip is without incident, until she sets out to the Abbey from the train station. A storm spooks the horses and her driver is hurt, she takes a horse and rides out on the moors hoping to find help. She is thrown from her horse and injured, she would have died if not for her brother Caleb’s urging to get up and move. She goes as far as she can and finally collapses, but Caleb assures her that “he” is coming for her.

“He” is Ewan Colquhoun, the Earl of Argaty. Ewan returned from the Sudan a almost a year ago a changed man, physically and emotionally. He lost an arm and an eye in the wars and has become a bit of a hermit, he is angry and bitter, not just about his injuries, Argaty Keep is not a haven for him, but he accepts the responsibilities of the earldom and tries to tolerate his nasty, hateful mother and ignore his late wife’s son. When his steward tells him that a horse has shown up in the stables and they believe the rider is lost on the moors, Ewan grudgingly sets out without his eye patch or a glove to cover his prosthetic arm to find the missing rider. He finds Louisa and brings her back the Keep, he tends her injuries and nurses her through a fever. He thinks she is lovely, but believes she was repulsed by him on the moors and once she is well, stays far away from her. But Louisa is not going to be brushed off, she has the gift of sight (an dara sealladh, a trait shared by many in the Rockwood family) and is sure she needs to be at the Keep – she convinces Ewan to hire her as governess to his son Ross, she doesn’t tell him exactly who she is and she concocts a story of going to the Abbey for a position of a companion, a position she lost when Lady Matilda learned she had children. She implies she needs a position and asked him to let her sons Charles (Viscount Westbrook) and William “Wills” join her.

Louisa originally believes that she was sent to help Ross, but as time passes, she thinks Ewan might be the real person she was meant to help. She is attracted to the surly man and when they finally give into their mutual passion, it is beautiful and it seems like their HEA is a forgone conclusion. But what fun would that be? Secrets and lies will have Ewan pushing Louisa away and a gothic twist may keep them apart forever.

I really enjoyed this installment of the Reckless Rockwell series. The story is well written, paced well, has wonderful characters, lots of secrets, really evil villains, some nail biting scenes, a bit of comic relief, a little heartache, some steamy love scenes, a dash of the paranormal thrown in and an incredibly romantic epilogue. I really appreciate that the author prefaced the story with her author notes, it explained many things in the story that might have confused a reader if the notes were left to the end AND she provided a glossary of Scottish/Gaelic terms – also helpful. I do wish there had been a little more background on the Rockwood “gift”, but even without that information, I found this to be wonderful book that I am happy to recommend, it is the fifth 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 was provided to me.*