Category: Top Pick – Highly Recommended

Murder At Kensington Palace by Andrea Penrose

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

Murder at Kensington Palace (A Wrexford & Sloane Mystery Book 3)Murder at Kensington Palace by Andrea Penrose

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Series: A Wrexford & Sloane Mystery #3
Publication Date: 9/24/19
Number of Pages: 304

Yet another book in the Wrexford & Soane series that I couldn’t put down once I’d started reading. I mean, really, when you have science, art, murder, and romance all in one lively, compelling, intricately woven story you just absolutely cannot put it down. You COULD read this as a stand-alone, but I wouldn’t recommend it simply because the first two books lay the groundwork for the relationship between the main characters and the secondary characters – besides, they are just darned good reads!

Charlotte’s life is about to change – totally – not from her desire, but from a need to save the life of her closest childhood friend, her cousin Nicholas. Charlotte will sacrifice most anything, even her hard-won independence, to free her cousin, but the decision fills her with trepidations. Can she do it? What if she makes the sacrifice and she’s still not successful?

The romance between Wrexford and Charlotte Sloane is a tenuous one. Well – perhaps tenuous isn’t the right word – they are each denying it to themselves, but it comes out in the actions they take, in their thoughts and their terror when the other is in danger. They are about to get on my last nerve! They need to get on with it already! I’m ready for them to be a real team – living and working together.

The weasels (Hawk and Raven) are as entertaining as ever – and dressing them up in fancy clothes doesn’t change them one whit. They have been my favorite secondary characters (shux – they are almost primary characters) from the beginning. We also get to spend time with Kit Sheffield and Basil Henning and I love that. Maybe we have a love interest for Sheffield – I’d really like that. Aunt Alison, the Dowager Marchioness of Peake, was a delightful addition to the cast and I hope we see more of her in future books.

Most of the villains get their just desserts, but one was left standing. Granted, he wasn’t hands-on, but he definitely knew what was going on and enabled its happening – so – I wanted to see him go down in some way or another.

The gist of the story – and it is a really good one – is that Cedric and Nicholas were Charlotte’s best friends (and cousins) as they were growing up and she loved them like brothers. They encouraged her to be the independent, strong woman that she is. However, she hasn’t seen them for several years and when she finally hears something about them, it is to learn that Cedric has been murdered and Nicholas has been arrested for it. Charlotte knows, in her heart, that there is no way Nicholas would murder his twin brother. However, knowing something in your heart and being able to find evidence to prove it are two entirely different things. Charlotte and Wrexford are up against some very sly and devious murderers – with not a hint of who they might be or why they did it. Charlotte and the weasels engage their extensive network of informants, but information is still scarce. Time is running out. Can Charlotte and Wrexford save the day? Can Wrexford save Charlotte?

I absolutely love how the author weaves details of the science of the times into these tales. That time was such an important one for the science and achievements we have today and all of that is seamlessly woven into the story.

This author is a master storyteller and I highly recommend this story and this series in total.

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

Catriona’s Secret by Madeline Martin

On By TracyIn Middle Ages / Medieval (476-1454), Top Pick - Highly Recommended, Tracy's ReviewsLeave a comment

Catriona's Secret (Borderland Ladies #4)Catriona’s Secret by Madeline Martin
Tracy’s rating: 5 of 5 stars

Series: Borderland Ladies, #4

Release Date: August 27, 2019

Lady Catriona Barrington reveled in her time at court, as a younger sister in a family of beautiful women, Cat often felt overlooked and gloried in the attention she received from the courtiers, but when one flirtation goes too far, Cat is eager to return to Werrick Castle and try to keep that awful night a secret.

But now that she is home, she soon learns her secret is even bigger than she thought and will not remain that way for long. But in the midst of her despair, her dearest friend Geordie returns after four long years away on campaign with the King. But the man who has returned is no long the young boy she has always loved as a friend, no this is a man who inspires deeper feeling, feelings that she has no right to feel for him. So when he is called to court by the king, she thinks may have found a solution to her woes, by returning to court with him, under the pretense of meeting a suitor.

Geordie has loved Cat for as long as he can remember and that love prodded him to “prove” himself worthy of her, first by earning his knighthood and hopefully soon, by being awarded a holding of his own, then he will declare himself and ask for her hand, but his dreams are crushed when she makes it clear that she hopes to marry the son of a Baron and asks Geordie to take her to court when he goes.

As they travel, Cat knows that her feeling for Geordie are true love, but deems herself unworthy, especially after Geordie’s contempt for unvirtuous women is made known. And when he learns her secret, she is sure she has lost him forever. But when they reach court, she realizes she underestimated Geordie’s love for her and just when it seems like HEA is within reach – the unthinkable happens and Cat only has a matter of days to save the man she loves from death and dishonor.

This was my favorite book in the series (so far), and as much as I loved James (and still do) Sir Geordie Strafford embodies everything a hero should be and he is exactly what you would picture a knight in shining armor to be – handsome, heroic, honorable, brave, self-sacrificing and steadfast – my heart broke for him so many times in this book and while it is technically Cat’s story, Geordie has been such a vital part of the series, that I felt like it became “their” story. The book has a bit of everything, some action, some heartache, some steamy love scenes, bad guys getting their due, wonderful secondary characters, both old and new, a heroine who saves the day and a hero who’s love has no equal and finally a HEA. This story touches on some sensitive/trigger issues and I think Ms. Martin handled them with both empathy and compassion, none of the traumatic events actually take place on page and when they are recounted it is done mildly and without overly graphic detail.

I just loved this story and can’t recommend it highly enough. This is the fourth book in the series and while I suggest reading the books in order, this book could easily be read as a stand-alone.