Tracy’s Reviews – Page 152 – Flippin' Pages Book Reviews

Lady Len and the Mysterious Mac by Rose Prendeville

Tracy’s rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: Brides of Chattan, #2

Release Date: September 5, 2023

Silas “Si” MacKenzie, son and heir to the Laird Kintail of Castle Leod, is back after being away for 17 years. Silas never wanted to be heir, but then neither did his father, who has been away in France nearly as long as Silas has been away. Alex MacKenzie is back now, but ill and it is clear that all is not well with the clan. The crops are poor, and the crofter’s homes are in disrepair as is the castle. Si’s father hopes that having Si marry and take his place as heir will improve the clan’s morale and hopefully usher them into a more prosperous era. But his bride is not what he expected and his feelings of inadequacy and unworthiness threaten to overwhelm him. His bride is a tiny lass who looks delicate and fragile, making him feel like a huge hulking brute who is bound to break her, as he does everything he touches. But something about this wee lass calls to him and while he knows he should set her free, he can’t seem to let her go. Instead, he begins writing to her as a clansman named “Mac”, he never meant to deceive her, but when she responds, he finds himself enchanted, making it harder to do what he thinks he must; let her go.

Tiny and delicate in stature, “Wee” Ellen Mackintosh never wanted to marry, she wanted to be a nun, but her father wants an alliance with the MacKenzie clan, and as the eldest, it falls to Ellen to wed the Laird’s son. Ellen too suffers from feelings of unworthiness, but Ellen processes her feelings in a far different way, she is quiet barely speaking and she punishes herself for her perceived shortcomings. She feels conflicted in her feelings towards Silas, she wants to leave and become a nun, but at the same time, she is drawn to her giant of a husband. When letters come from a mysterious clan member, that too causes conflict in her. Can this wee lass find her voice and become the brave “Lady Len” or will she let her feelings of worthlessness destroy any chance of a happily ever after?

This was a well-written, nicely-paced story with likable, complex characters. This story is filled with wonderful characters, miscommunication, steamyish love scenes, great secondary characters, nasty villains, new ideas, assassination attempts, stupid decisions, regrets, and finally a hard-won HEA complete with an epilogue. Overall, I liked Si and Len and was rooting for their HEA, but at times I found the story a bit heavy and the repetitive use of miscommunication and misassumption became tiring. This book also has several triggers that might be upsetting to some readers (the publisher does offer content warnings on their website). This is the second book in the series, but I didn’t read the first book and had no problems reading this book (although, I now want to read the first book!). Overall, this was a very good, albeit emotional read. This is a book that I am happy to recommend and will be looking forward to reading more by this author.

*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.*

The Queen and the Knave by Sarah M. Eden

Tracy’s rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: The Dread Penny Society, #5

Release Date: September 5, 2023

Picking up where the previous book ended, Moirin Donnelly, the Dread Master, is frantic to save her members from the Tempest and to stop the woman’s reign of terror. But unfortunately for Moirin, it seems like the Tempest is always one step of her and when her members begin to disappear, is clear that she is going to need help. She trusts Constable Fitz Parkington, to an extent, but Moirin has secrets that could destroy her and by association Fitz, so despite the attraction she feels for him, the risk to both of them is too great. But before she can even worry about that, she needs to stop the Tempest before she kills any of her “dreads.

Fitzgerald “Fitz” Parkington, has finally been promoted to the Detective Division of Scotland Yard and hopes that the promotion will enable him to finally find out what happened to his grandfather twenty years ago, who disappeared without a trace and left nine-year-old Fitz all alone and homeless. But before he can even start looking into that matter, he finds himself pulled into the troubles of the DPS and the Tempest. For years he has been helping the members, but recently Moirin has been holding his attention, he knows she is keeping secrets, but he isn’t sure he cares. And if they survive the coming storm, he plans to prove it to her.

This installment of The Dread Penny Society is the climax of the story that has been building since the first book. Personally, I wouldn’t classify this book as a Historical Romance, it is more mystery and historical fiction, with just a hint of a romantic connection between Moirin and Fitz, but that hint is potent, and while the book has a happy ending, I wouldn’t call it a “happily ever after” at least not for Moirin and Fitz as a couple. As with the previous books, there are two Penny Dreadful novellas interwoven into the book and as with the previous books, I skipped over them while reading the story and read them after I finished the book. For me, reading them as they are placed is distracting and breaks the flow of the actual story – but they are delightful additions and are not to be missed! This is the fifth book in the series and I strongly suggest reading the books in order, because they are definitely not standalone titles.

*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.*

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