Category: Top Pick – Highly Recommended

Four Weddings and a Duke by Michelle McLean

On By TracyIn Georgian Era (1714-1837), Regency Era (1811-1820), Standalone Title, Top Pick - Highly Recommended, Tracy's ReviewsLeave a comment

Four Weddings and a DukeFour Weddings and a Duke by Michelle McLean

Tracy’s rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Series: Standalone

Release Date: May 23, 2023

Alexander Reddington never expected to be the Duke of Beaubrooke, he was born the second son and had dedicated his life to botany – specifically grafting to create hybrid plants. But when his father and brother die close to one another, Alex finds himself the new duke with a host of obligations and duties he never planned for, especially marriage. But a promise is a promise and while attending the wedding of his cousin, he is to make the acquaintance of the Wynnburn sisters and choose one to be his bride, but it is the woman hiding in the back of the church reading that piques his interest when they chat. But it isn’t until the next day that he learns his wallflower is the middle Wynnburn sister, making his decision much easier. She is perfect for him, she is smart, and pretty and hates the social whirl as much as he does, so she will not expect him to socialize, leaving him with plenty of time to prepare his research for the Royal Society, what more could he want?

Lady Lavinia Wynnburn is the middle child of the Earl and Countess of Abberforth, she is often overlooked and feels lacking when compared to her two sisters Harriet and Kitty, who are both lovely and socially sophisticated, while Livy never feels like she fits in. She too is surprised to learn that the mystery man she met at the wedding is the duke and hides during the wedding ball. She is joined by her dearest friend and pseudo-brother Lord Nigel Bainbridge, who has known Alex for years and shares his interest in botany, they are rivals of a sort, but more like frenemies. Livy is thrilled when Alex wants to marry her, and for a while, it seems like they are well on their way to a love match, but obligations, expectations, and assumptions halt their HEA before it even begins. Can they find their way back to each other or will theirs just be another society marriage in name only?

What a delightful read, I found this story to be not only well-written and nicely paced, but the story felt original and fresh, even though it utilizes more than one commonly used HR trope. I really liked Livy and Alex and was frustrated for them each time they wronged each other, it was obvious to me that they were “meant to be” which made their setbacks a bit heartbreaking. The story has so much going on, a former wallflower finding her stride, a brilliant botanist, steamyish love scenes, great secondary characters, lots of plants, careless words, hurt feelings, grand gestures, collaboration with the “enemy”, and finally a hard-won HEA. I don’t know if this book is the start of new series or a standalone title – I am hoping it is the beginning of a new series, because there are several characters that I would love to see get their own HEAs. In any event, this is a fun story that I am happy to recommend!

*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.*

Who Cries for The Lost by C.S. Harris

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

Who Cries for the Lost (Sebastian St. Cyr, #18)Barbara’s rating: 5 of 5 Stars
Series: Sebastian St. Cyr #18
Publication Date: 4/18/23
Period: Regency
Number of Pages: 368

I cannot say enough good things about this author’s dedication to historical accuracy in political, social, and military norms. She elegantly portrays the tensions in London as Napoleon escapes his island prison and marches back into Paris to begin the wars all over again. The tension mounts as news of Quatre Bras and Ligny reach London and then crescendos when news of Waterloo reaches them. Cheering the victory or mourning the loss of so many lives, everyone feels deeply about the war’s end. Set among these tensions is our story of a savage murder and mutilation – quickly followed by more. With London already on edge, Sebastian knows they must find and stop this vicious maniac before London erupts and everyone goes over the edge.

Nobody thinks too much about it when an almost naked, grossly mutilated corpse is pulled out of the Thames. Dozens of bodies are pulled from the Thames each year, but none like this one, and when he is identified as an aristocrat, Major Miles Sedgewick, brother to a Marquis, it finally becomes something important to Bow Street. It also quickly becomes vitally important to Sebastian St. Cyr when he learns that the body was identified by Alexi Sauvage who is the paramour of Sebastian’s best friend – Paul Gibson. Alexi identifies the corpse as Miles Sauvage – her husband – though it turned out she was tricked and it wasn’t a legal marriage. Had it not been for Alexi, Miles would have ended up in an unmarked mass grave, unidentified and unmarked. Would it have been better for that to have happened? You might be able to answer that after you’ve read the book – or you might not.

With people pointing fingers at Alexi, Sebastian knows it won’t be long before his closest friend, Irish surgeon Paul Gibson is pointed at as well. Sebastian knows without a doubt Paul isn’t guilty, but, for brief instances, he can see where Alexi might be. However, as more and more details surface about Miles and the person he was, there is a wide swath of the world population who might have wished to see him in his current state. Then, another body, this time without a head or feet, turns up in the Thames and nobody knows who he is as there is nothing identifiable about him. They believe him to be an aristocrat because of his soft skin and well-cared-for nails, but, is he? When yet another body turns up and two more people are reported as missing – everybody in London is beginning to be afraid of their own shadows. That is especially true with the suspense and worry about Bonaparte adding to the struggle.

There are more red herrings than you can shake a stick at – and all of them are very viable as suspects. Then, there are the motives – who knew there could possibly be so many potential motives for a set of crimes? Are the crimes all related? Is there more than one murderer? Is it overflowing from the wars on the continent? Is it a cuckolded husband? Or, is it really Alexi getting payback for Miles tricking her into a false marriage? Can it be that simple? Oh! You’ll just have to read the book to find out.

I anxiously await each new book in this series. My heart palpates with excitement and I vow I will read it slowly, savor each and every word so I can make the pleasure last absolutely as long as possible. Then, reality hits, the book arrives, and I devour each and every word so quickly I’m not even aware time is passing. Sadly, the book is read much too quickly, and I’m back to anxiously awaiting the next release.

This is a wonderfully crafted tale with a mystery so twisted you’ll be wondering right until the last who really did it – and why. You’ll hold your breath awaiting the next body, the next clue, the next bit of stray, meaningless information that might be the biggest clue yet. You’ll also feel the deep sense of apprehension felt by Londoners as they await news from the Continent. Is the war over? Who won? What will happen next?

I can definitely recommend this book and I hope you will enjoy it as much as I did.

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