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

The Question of the Wedding Pearls by Patricia Rice

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

The Question of the Wedding Pearls (Gravesyde Priory Mysteries #4)Barbara’s rating: 4 out of 5 Stars
Series: Gravesyde Priory Mystery #4
Publication Date: 7/11/24
Period: Regency
Number of Pages: 291

I was surprised to look at the title and see this was only the fourth book in the series. Not because it seems to have dragged on, but because so many interesting, exciting, and romantic things have already happened. Have you read the first three books? If not, you should if you want to really be immersed in the dynamic of the story and the relationships between all the characters. The author does very nicely include a section in the front of the book called The History of Wycliffe Manor which spells out a lot of it.

While the tired, worn-down manor isn’t exactly bursting at the seams (yet), there are already more guests and residents than there are staff to serve them or furniture to give them comfort. With two weddings and a valuable book auction in the immediate future, even more guests are expected. What they really didn’t need was two sets of unexpected and uninvited guests. What are they up to? They are all of French ancestry, are they spying now that Napoleon has broken free and is back in France?

Another thing they didn’t need was to discover a murder victim. Such a young man! What was he doing on a trail almost no one knew about – not even the local villagers? Who is he? There is nothing to identify him. How can they investigate if they don’t even have a place to start? When they do finally identify him, it is a shock, and some will dearly mourn his passing. At least they knew the identity of the second victim – yes, there was another murder. The two victims couldn’t possibly be related – except through the murderer. Oh! No! The murderer has to be someone within the Manor because there is no way a stranger could have gotten to the second victim. Hunt and Jack are practically panicking because their main concern is keeping Clare and Elsa safe – and finding the murderer.

While they search for the murderer, there is also the code to decipher, the treasure to find, weddings to plan, and solving the mystery of the pearls. Yes, folks, the manor is a beehive of activity and filled with the most disparate group of individuals you may ever meet. They are all interesting, fun, intelligent, eccentric, and have their own agenda – but they all also fully intend to work together to make the manor their home. I can hardly wait to see what happens next.

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

The Lady’s Physician by Jane Charles

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

The Lady's Physician (Sinclair Brothers Book 1)The Lady’s Physician by Jane Charles

Tracy’s Rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Series: Sinclair Brothers, #1

Release Date: May 28, 2024

Dr. Xavier Sinclair is feeling out of sorts and questioning his life’s work after his attempts to cure his sister’s amnesia failed. And to make matters worse, the suggestions of her friend Lady Olivia Westbrook did cure her, a woman who has no formal training and whose ideas were the complete opposite of everything he believes! He is pondering his choices when he runs into an old friend from medical school, Dr. Orlando Valentine. After speaking to him, Xavier decides that he should begin practicing medicine again, rather than just researching and asks Dr. Valentine if he can shadow him for a while to reacclimate himself to treating patients. But his first house call with Dr. Valentine brings him face to face with the last woman he ever wanted to see again – Lady Olivia. But working with Olivia is eye-opening and when they successfully solve the attempted abduction of a viscountess and a mysterious illness affecting the children of Westbrook House, Xavier begins to think that Olivia would be a perfect wife for him. Too bad she keeps rejecting him! Will he be about to convince her that they are meant to be?

Lady Olivia Westbrook and her twin sister Lady Victoria have opened Westbrook House, a home for orphans and women with no place else to turn. She runs the day to day of the house while her sister runs the business side. It is satisfying work, but at what cost? She knows marriage would most likely mean that she would have to give up her work and that is something she could never do – so she has set herself on a shelf. But when Dr. Sinclair once again crosses her path, her life takes a turn that she never expected, when she begins working with a man who she admired until he dismissed her ideas for treating his sister. But Dr. Sinclair has changed and when an epidemic of whooping cough hits the Westbrook House, he proves that he is the man she once believed him to be and she falls hard. But when he asks her to marry him, she knows that it is out of obligation, and she won’t tie herself to a man that doesn’t love her.

This was such a great start to a new series! I loved Xavier, and for an intelligent man, he was so delightfully clueless! Olivia was also a great character, a little too stubborn and unbending at times, but she has a huge heart and truly means well. They make a great team and work together so well, but they can’t seem to talk about their feelings, which leads to quite a bit of angst. This book has a bit of everything, mystery, attempted abduction, secrets, kisses, a mysterious illness, nasty gossip, rejected proposals, and finally a HEA that didn’t seem possible as well as a very sweet epilogue! I loved this story and can’t wait for the next book!!!

*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. *