Category: Mystery

The Bewitching Miss Blair by Darcy McGuire

On By TracyIn Historical Mystery, Historical Paranormal/Fantasy, Mystery, Paranormal / Fantasy, Part of a Series, Tracy's Reviews, Victorian Era (1837-1901)Leave a comment

The Bewitching Miss Blair (The Society of Scandalous Witches #1)The Bewitching Miss Blair by Darcy McGuire

Tracy’s Rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Series: The Society of Scandalous Witches, #1

Release Date: March 1, 2026

When Clio Blair’s Uncle Lachlan MacDougal, a superintendent with Scotland Yard asks for her help in solving a murder/missing person case, she is happy to help. Clio has secrets, the main one being she is a fire witch and has the ability to talk to ghosts, so she understands why Uncle Lachlan asked for her help, but what she doesn’t understand is why he also asked Lieutenant General Thomas Grey to assist in the case! She finds the man completely insufferable, but to her dismay, she is attracted to him and for some reason can’t stop thinking about him. She tries hard to keep her secrets from him, but the longer they work together to solve Viscount Beachley’s murder and his wife’s disappearance, the harder it is. Especially when she begins having visions about him and finds herself falling for the last man she should ever want!

Lieutenant General Thomas Grey knows that Lachlan asked for his help because of his connections to the peerage. As the second son of an Earl, he has access to people and places that a commoner like Clio wouldn’t have. He is fascinated by her, but Thomas has his own secrets and knows that he isn’t fit for any woman, least of Clio. He tries to keep her at arm’s length, but as he unravels her secrets and truth about Viscount’s murder starts to come to light, his desire to keep her safe becomes overwhelming, even though it is clear that Clio can protect herself. Can he let himself fall for her, trust her with his truth and have the happily ever that has always evaded him or is he too broken?

I have mixed feelings about this book, on one hand, I loved the magic and the mystery, and I thought the book was well-written. But I wasn’t a fan of some of the story elements – like Clio’s familiar, a raven named Sir Robin Goodfellow – I have no idea why the raven was so nasty and foulmouthed – it made no sense to me, plus it was just hard to believe that it was just accepted that she walked around with a raven on her shoulder in Victorian England. I also felt like the animosity between Clio and Thomas was dragged out for way too long, it made it hard for me to believe they fell in love so quickly when they were so hostile for a good portion of the book. Neither of these things ruined the book for me, but I had a hard time accepting the final outcome of the mystery – I can’t say more without a spoiler, but it just didn’t work for me. Overall, I liked the story and would read the next installment, but I don’t think I would read this book again. If you are looking for a slightly spicy, enemies to lovers story with a paranormal twist and a bit of mystery, then I would suggest giving this book a try.

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that I requested and was provided to me by the publisher/author. All opinions in this review are my own. *

 

Stolen in Death by J.D. Robb

On By BarbaraIn Audiobook, Barb's Reviews, Futuristic, Mystery, Part of a Series, Thiller / Suspense1 Comment

Stolen in Death (In Death, #62)
Barbara’s rating: 5 out of 5 Stars
Series: In Death #62
Publication Date: 2/3/26
Period: Future New York – September, 2061
Number of Pages: 368

Over thirty years ago, who would have thought this series would still be as strong, interesting, and unique as it was in that very first book? Over the same 30+ years, we’ve only covered about three years in Eve and Roarke’s time. WOW! I sincerely hope we get another thirty years.

Roarke’s past has surfaced before, but in Stolen it takes center stage. Not only does the loot from a long-ago heist reappear, but so does Magdelana—in her full malevolent glory. You may remember her from a previous book, where Roarke and Eve thwarted her attempt to drive a wedge between them. She didn’t take that defeat lightly, and this time she’s out for complete and total revenge. Nothing is off the table—murder, theft, attempted murder—it’s all fair game.

A dispatch summons Eve from a formal gala to the death scene of Nathan Barrister, a rich and powerful man and the head of Zip. While examining the scene, Eve discovers an open vault filled to the brim with priceless stolen items—some taken decades ago. Nathan couldn’t have stolen them himself; he was only a child when some of the thefts occurred. So who did? Why were the items left behind? And why would a stealthy thief commit murder when they could have gotten away clean?

Eve approaches every case with fierce dedication, but when someone attempts to murder her, everyone—from the Chief to the sketch artist—becomes personally invested in tracking down who hired the attacker. Unfortunately, the would-be killer is himself killed while trying to escape, taking crucial answers with him.

I both read the book and listened to the audio version, and each offers something special. Narrated by Susan Ericksen—who has voiced every book in the series—the audio truly brings the story to life. I’ve listened to them all, and she is consistently excellent. Her character voices are so ingrained in my mind that I hear them even when reading the text. Each performance is unique, well-paced, and expertly delivered.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a great suspense story. While the series is set in the future, that future no longer feels so distant. The imagined technology is intriguing (and often very desirable), and the supporting characters are delightful—richly developed, full of personality, and extremely likable.

This is a wonderful story and can certainly be read as a stand-alone. However, to fully appreciate the depth of character growth and relationships, I suggest reading at least the first four books. I know recommending all sixty-one previous titles sounds daunting, but I promise—you won’t regret it.

Happy reading!

I voluntarily read an early copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

View all my reviews