Category: Part of a Series

Last Duke Standing by Julia London

On By TracyIn Part of a Series, Scottish/Highlander, Tracy's Reviews, Victorian Era (1837-1901)Leave a comment

Last Duke Standing (A Royal Match, #1)Last Duke Standing by Julia London

Tracy’s rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Series: A Royal Match, #1

Release Date: February 22, 2022

With the imminent death of her father looming and a whiff of scandal in her past, Justine Ivanosen, the Crown Princess and heir to the throne of Wesloria it is suggested that Justine would benefit from the advice of Queen Victoria and that she should find a husband as quickly as possible, and for that task, her mother and the prime minister have hired the services of the celebrated matchmaker, Lila Aleksander. So with her younger sister, Princess Amelia in tow, they set out for England. But unbeknownst to Justine, the prime minister has managed to coerce the Scottish Duke of Hamilton and Brandon to have his son and heir William, Marquess of Douglas and Clydesdale to act as a spy on his behalf, not realizing that William and Justine have a history.

William would rather not have to babysit a spoiled princess, but with a fresh scandal dogging him and a father that is bent on bankrupting the dukedom, he really has no choice. He remembers the princess from her last visit to England eight years ago and is not prepared for the lovely young woman he is introduced to when he calls on her. At first, Justine is annoyed by William’s presence, but as time passes, they form a friendship and she comes to trust him and his insights about her suitors. Suitors that are clearly not right for her, in fact, the only man that is right for her is William, but with her scandal, still fresh in everyone’s minds, she needs a groom with an impeccable reputation and that is not William – or is it?

This was a well-written, fun read that is loosely connected to the previous “A Royal Wedding” series. The book is filled with humor, witty banter, warmish love scenes, wonderful leads, great secondary characters (including Beck from the previous series), secrets, scandals, a bit of heartache, and a truly heartwarming ending, complete with an epilogue. If you follow my reviews then you know that incorrect titles/formal address are my biggest pet peeves and sadly mistakes are abundant in this book, but I liked the story and writing style so much that I have just accepted that this is the way it is going to be in all Ms. London’s books and I can’t let it ruin the story. That said, I am happy to recommend this title, it is a great start to a new series with ties to the previous series and I will enthusiastically be looking forward to Amelia’s story.

*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.*

An Impossible Impostor by Deanna Raybourn

On By BarbaraIn Barb's Reviews, Historical Mystery, Part of a Series, Victorian Era (1837-1901)2 Comments

An Impossible Impostor (Veronica Speedwell #7)Barbara’s rating: 3/3.5 of 5 Stars
Series: Veronica Speedwell #7
Publication Date: 2/15/22
Period: Victorian
Number of Pages: 336

When I read a book, I want to get lost in the story. I want to forget I’m reading and hear the character’s voices speaking as the story unfolds. Unfortunately, this story just didn’t get me there. I like this series, but for some reason, this particular addition to the series felt too convoluted and the situations felt too forced. There are certainly plenty of plots within plots to keep you wondering who is doing what to whom – maybe too many of those. I think the ONLY person I liked in this book was Stoker – and he ended up being hurt emotionally. Why do authors feel the need to do that? There wasn’t a real reason for it other than to set up the next book and that could have easily been done another way. Perhaps the author was suffering from the effects of the pandemic and isolation. Honestly, if I had read the last chapter or so of the book before I requested the ARC, I would never have requested it. I would have just skipped this book and waited for the next one when it is released — and that is mostly because of the ending. I did not like it.  Overall, the book was just a bit depressing.

There was no murder, little real mystery, and way too much drama about Veronica’s past. Who would have thought we still had more secrets to learn from Veronica’s past. I mean – goodness – enough already. I thought the story was slow at times and those blazing, fiery interactions between Stoker and Veronica just weren’t really there this time. We do get an imposter, an abduction, a very, very valuable stolen jewel, and some pretty vile villains. Those just weren’t enough to suck me into the story.

I found the first bit of the story very entertaining because Stoker and Veronica are traveling back from the continent with a baby (not their own) and the situations that are described are definitely funny. It was the best part of the book!

The gist of the story is: Upon their return to England, Sir Hugo Montgomerie, the head of Special Branch of Scotland Yard approaches them to handle a personal matter for him. They eventually agree and travel to Hathaway Hall on Dartmoor. When they arrive, they find a highly dysfunctional family. Has Jonathan Hathaway really returned from the dead or is it an imposter? Veronica knows right away but then doesn’t tell anyone. Why wouldn’t she tell given what he had done to her in the past? Anyway – a large, irreplaceable diamond is stolen and Jonathan is blamed. He swears he didn’t do it and Veronica believes him – go figure. Lots of things go on – including abductions – while they are trying to uncover the real thief. Then – at the end – well – things aren’t very good between Veronica and Stoker and …

If you choose to read this book, I truly hope you love it. There are lots of 5-star reviews out there and I hope yours will be one of them. For me, however, it left much to be desired and created a lot of absolutely unnecessary emotional turmoil.

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

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