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: Murder in Highbury by Vanessa Kelly

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

Murder in Highbury

Barbara’s rating: 3.4 out of 5 Stars
Series: Emma Knightly Mysteries #1
Publication Date: 10/22/24
Period: Regency – Highbury
Number of Pages: 403

I am not normally a fan of taking another author’s characters and ‘reinventing’ them, so I was apprehensive about this read. However, these characters weren’t ‘reinvented’, they just moved into the next logical progression for their characters without losing anything of themselves in the process. I couldn’t remember all of the characters and their personalities, so I watched the movie, Emma, to reacquaint myself. It was a nice surprise to see that the characters were spot-on and I could easily see Emma’s natural curiosity and tendency to matchmake turning into a curiosity, bravery, and loyalty that would cause her to poke her nose into whatever mystery might come her way – this time – a murder.

Emma and George Knightley are still in their first year of marriage and Emma has settled into her role within the community very nicely. The book begins with Emma and her good friend Harriet – now Mrs. Robert Martin – arriving at the church to freshen the flowers for the Sunday services – only to find a bloody body lying on the altar steps. It is Mrs. Augusta Elton, wife of the local vicar.

Emma tries to stay out of the fray (NOT!), but the seemingly inept coroner and constable doing the investigation can’t seem to get it right. Suspicions seem to fall everywhere except where they should be. There are plenty of suspects because the lady was universally disliked – but who disliked her enough to murder her? Why would they want her dead? Who is likely to gain from her death?

I loved the dynamic between the characters as they remained very much as they did in Austen’s book – with a bit of character growth. I loved the case’s twists and turns as the investigation continued. You won’t find an exciting, fast-paced adventure in this book. However, if you are an Austen fan, you will probably love the book because it is very much in her style. I enjoyed the gist of the story, and the wonderfully familiar characters, but I couldn’t enjoy the very long and slow delivery. I will be interested in seeing where future books in the series take our characters and what adventures await them. It will also be interesting to see if the pace of the delivery quickens in the next books.

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

Much Ado About Margaret by Madeleine Roux

On By TracyIn Georgian Era (1714-1837), Regency Era (1811-1820), Tracy's ReviewsLeave a comment

Much Ado About MargaretMuch Ado About Margaret by Madeleine Roux

Tracy’s Rating: 3 of 5 stars

Series: Stand Alone Title

Release Date: October 22, 2024

Since the death of her father, Miss Margaret Arden and her sisters live with their mother in a cottage owned by their Aunt Eliza and are dependent on her good will. But Margaret has a plan to save her family, that doesn’t involve marrying a rich man. You see, Margaret is an author (an unpublished author, but an author nonetheless) who has just finished her third novel and is trying to find a publisher to publish it and set her on the path of financial freedom. As luck would have it, the publisher she sent her manuscript to (and who never even bothered to acknowledge it) is going to be at her aunt’s salon and she plans to use the opportunity to pitch her book. She is shocked to learn that Mr. Bridger Darrow of publisher Dockarty & Co is an uncommonly handsome man, but once he starts talking any attraction, she felt dies a quick death when he berates her writing and wishes her good luck with her life. But fate has a wicked sense of humor and the two are reunited a couple of months later at her cousin’s wedding. She isn’t thrilled to see him again, but maybe he isn’t as bad as she thought, especially when a tragic mishap turns fortuitous, and he wants to publish her book. Then when her cousin’s new wife is implicated in a horrific scandal, he is the first to help her clear Ann’s name. Will this lead Margaret to her very own HEA or will fate pull the rug out from under her and she will lose everything?

Bridger Darrow is the younger son of landed gentry, with no possibility of inheriting, Bridger joined the military. Now after years of war, he has had enough and it ready to settle back into civilian life. He has inherited a publishing company and is trying to make it profitable and what he needs is a really good book. In all fairness, he tried to read Miss Arden’s book, but was bored to tears after only a few pages and never finished it. Still trying to find his golden goose, he is in London when he is called to his father’s estate. His father is dying, and the estate is in shambles thanks to his older brother, Paul’s reckless spending and now he has disappeared. Leaving Bridger to clean up the mess. When he learns that Paul has left to go the wedding of Bridger’s best friend, Lane. He sets out to find his brother and drag him home, but instead finds Miss Arden as well as a scorned former love interest. And that’s when things get interesting, and he realizes that he seriously underestimated Margaret. But as with everything in his life, nothing is going to be easy. Can he save his brother, prevent a scandal, save his business and win the girl?

I so wanted to love this book and thought it would suck me in and hold me fast until the end. It didn’t. I liked Margaret and her sisters, but Bridger was not really a hero I could root for. Add to that the fact that Margaret and Bridger don’t really spend time together until the book is almost half done, which made it hard for me to become invested in their HEA. I didn’t hate the book, and I enjoyed parts of it, but I found it very “put-downable” and it is not a book I would read again.

*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. *