Category: Regency Era (1811-1820)

The Regency in Great Britain was a period when King George III was deemed unfit to rule and his son ruled as his proxy as Prince Regent. On the death of George III in 1820, the Prince Regent became George IV. The term Regency can refer to various stretches of time; some are longer than the decade of the formal Regency which lasted from 1811–1820.
Preceded by: Georgian era
Followed by: Victorian era
Monarch: George III, George IV, William IV

Review: All’s Fair In Love and Treachery by Celeste Connally

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

All's Fair in Love and Treachery (Lady Petra Inquires, #2)

Barbara’s rating: 3.5
Series: Lady Petra Inquiries #2
Publication Date: 11/12/24
Period: Regency London
Number of Pages: 320

At the conclusion of the first book in the series, I was very iffy about whether I wanted to read any more books in this series. I couldn’t come to love Petra and the story was much too modern for my taste. Not to mention that Petra was presented as very astute – but she did so very many TSTL things that I just couldn’t really get into it. Fast forward to this book and the author has made Petra more likable and she only did a couple of TSTL things. The story is still very ‘contemporary’ in feel, but it was a bit more tolerable this time. So, what am I saying? I’m saying I liked this book better than the first one and will probably try the third to see if the trend continues.

In this story, we have three mysteries to solve. The first is the death of Petra’s fiancé, Emerson, three years ago. She thought it was an accident, but it turns out it was murder and she is convinced that Duncan Shawcross is the murderer. Sadly, she has come to love Duncan and that breaks her heart. The second mystery is the murder of the Matron of the Asylum for Female Orphans. Who could have done that – and what happened to the inheritances of some of the young women at the school? The third mystery is one Duncan is tasked with solving. He is to infiltrate, identify, and bring to justice the members of the group known as the Bellowers who are agitating for the violent overthrow of the monarchy. OMGoodness – What a busy few days for our cast of characters.

Obviously, all of these cases are related and Duncan and Petra will have to work together to get the maximum results. Although Duncan continually withholds information from Petra, she ends up getting the same information from different sources until he finally realizes he should just give it up and share. The mysteries are good, and the solutions are logical, but you have to work through the characters to get there.

I enjoyed seeing Petra again and I was pleased to find that I liked her better. It was nice to see that Duncan and his brother had grown closer and it was nice to see the high level of involvement Petra’s friends Caroline, Annie, Frances, Lottie, and the street urchin Teddy. I also liked Nell and it will be interesting to see if she makes other appearances.

Overall, it was a fast-paced mystery with a wide cast of heroes and villains and you have to figure out which is which before you can solve all three mysteries. I was afraid we’d be left with a bit of a cliffhanger, but the author closed it all up and tied a nice neat bow around it.

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

A Governess Should Never…Wager a Duke by Emily Windsor

On By TracyIn Book Publicity, Christmas, Georgian Era (1714-1837), Novella, Part of a Series, Re-Release / Updated Edition, Regency Era (1811-1820), Tracy's ReviewsLeave a comment

A Governess Should Never... Wager a Duke (The Governess Chronicles Book 5)A Governess Should Never… Wager a Duke by Emily Windsor

Tracy’s Rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Series: The Governess Chronicles, #5

Release Date: November 1, 2024

Once upon a time, Miss Charlotte Webster fell in love with her childhood friend Marcus Scarcliffe, the Duke of Shawdale, and when they danced together at the Christmas ball, she believed that he might return her feelings. But shortly thereafter, Marcus left for London and when he returned, he was a changed man, gone was the kind, happy boy, and along with him any hope of a happily ever after. Things went downhill from there, with the death of her father and the realization that she was penniless, but still had to care for her ailing uncle and her childhood home. Working as a governess, she barely keeps her head above water and when she learns that Marcus is in need of a governess for his ward, she jumps at the chance to be close to her home and if she is honest, to him. But when she learns that he doesn’t plan to be home for Christmas, she issues a challenge to him, if he still wants to go on his business trip after attending three Christmastide events with her, she will work for free until he finds a finishing school for Dinah, but if she wins, he will employ her until Dinah’s debut and pay to fix her roof. It is a bet she plans to win!

Unbeknownst to Charlotte there is a very good reason for the drastic change in Marcus, but even he can’t deny the feelings that seeing Charlotte again stirs in him. So against his better judgment, he accepts her challenge, fully intending to win. But somewhere between dancing at a Christmas ball, a winter wedding, long walks in the countryside, a very unpleasant dinner party, and some sage advice from a stranger, Marcus realizes that life is short and that love is more important than making money. But will Charlotte still have him when she learns the truth or will his past cost him the love of his life?

OMG, I loved this story and although it is a novella, it is a full story, never feeling rushed or skimpy. Written as a very loose retelling of Dicken’s Christmas Carol, this story is a lovely second-chance, friends-to-lover romance. I loved Charlotte and Marcus; their chemistry is undeniable and their interactions are delightfully witty and charming. The secondary characters, especially Dinah, are wonderful, and I loved the cameo of William Wordsworth! Originally published as a “A Governess Should Never…Kiss at Christmastide” in the Christmas in Cumbria anthology, this novella has been revamped with expanded scenes and an epilogue, I loved the original, but this version is even better (which I didn’t think was possible). Even if you read it in the anthology, I would definitely recommend grabbing this revised and updated edition!

*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. *