Tracy’s Reviews – Page 303 – Flippin' Pages Book Reviews

A Lady’s Guide to Mischief and Mayhem by Manda Collins

Tracy’s rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: A Lady’s Guide, #1

Release Date: November 10. 2021

As the owner of the Gazette, widow Lady Katherine Bascomb is sick of men deciding what knowledge is appropriate for women to know. When yet another man tells her she is too delicate to hear about the murders being done by someone the papers are calling the “Commandments Killer” Kate decides to use her position and her paper to educate the women of London. She recruits Caroline Hardcastle and they set out to get some questions about the murders answered. They interview a witness that the police never spoke to and get a lead to the killer – it is a huge break in the case that shakes up Scotland Yard.

Detective Inspector Andrew Eversham has been working on the Commandments case for months and is angry that the reporter from the Gazette released information about the killer without telling the police and that the man he assigned to interview witnesses, missed the chophouse serving girl. His superiors pull him off the case and his replacement – the man who was supposed to interview witnesses – makes an arrest of a man named John Clark. Andrew doesn’t believe they have the right man, but has no recourse. When he meets Katherine at a press conference and helps her navigate the crowd, he takes the opportunity to chastise her for her recklessness and says the wrong man is going to hang because of her. They part ways and neither expects to see the other again.

But fate and the killer are not done with these two, appalled that she may be responsible for sending an innocent man to jail, she attends a house party of her dear friend Lord Valentine Thorn, hoping to have him appeal to his father the Duke of Thornfield to intercede and have John Clark released. But while at the party the killer strikes again and Andrew is sent to investigate. He and Kate come to an agreement, they will work together to find the killer and clear John Clark. But nothing can prepare them for the twists and turns in the or for the attraction between them they can’t ignore. Will they be able to solve the murders and have their own HEA or will the Commandments Killer claim another victim.

I thought this was a well written, intriguing story with a really well-done mystery – but as a romance, it was a little lacking. Andrew and Kate don’t really begin to interact until well into the book and even then, the romance seems to take a backseat to the mystery. If this was billed as an historical mystery, I would give it 4.5 – the proof I received was marked as an UNCORRECTED copy, so I will assume that the typos, title errors and inconsistencies – including the mention of Oscar Wilde in a book set in 1865 – will be addressed prior to publication. As a romance it is more of a 3.5 star book, so I decided to split the difference. It is an excellent mystery with some romance, some steamyish love scenes, more than one twist, a couple of eye-popping revelations, great secondary characters, witty banter, a strong heroine and a great hero. I enjoyed the book and will happily recommend this title.

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an uncorrected eARC that I requested and was provided by NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions are my own.*

The Highlander’s Destiny by Mary Wine

Tracy’s rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: Highland Rogues, #2

Release Date: November 3, 2020

After waiting years for Cormac Grant, her betrothed to claim her, Cora Mackenzie is restless and jumps at the chance to ride out with her brother’s men to deliver a message to Rolfe Munro. She is aware by doing so, her brother is letting her know that she is free to follow her heart rather than marry Cormac. Cora likes Rolfe, but he doesn’t inspire feelings anything deeper than friendship. She and the party are returning to Mackenzie land when a vicious storm breaks and Cora is washed away. She fights for her life and amazingly survives, but drenched and freezing, she won’t last long, so it is nothing short of miraculous that she sees a man standing just a few feet away.

Faolan McKay is stunned to see a beautiful woman cursing the sky, but he quickly realizes that she is not a mythical siren, but a flesh and blood woman in danger of freezing to death. He helps her to the tower and gets her out of her wet clothes, tucks her into bed and climbs in to share his heat. When she wakes, he is gone. She dresses and ventures out of the tower. She soon discovers that the tower is part the construction of a look out for the McKay clan. There are no women at the site and she rolls up her sleeves and cleans the kitchen and prepares a meal. She is intrigued by Faolan and feels the spark that she has been hoping for, she can see that he returns her regard, but he holds himself at bay and when a maid named Brynna shows up from the McKay Keep, Faolan immediately has her act as chaperone and takes Cora to the Keep.

Things at the McKay Keep are tense and Cora soon learns that Faolan is the half-brother of Malcolm, the laird of the McKays and that he used to court Malcolm’s wife Noreen – who happens to be the half-sister of her betrothed. Tensions escalate and Faolan and Cora end up married, but when Faolan fails to consummate the marriage, believing he will seek an annulment to free Cora, Malcolm gets involved and things turn deadly. Soon Faolan and Cora find themselves as Laird and Lady of the clan with the possibility of HEA within reach, but plots to destroy them abound and they will have to root out a traitor before they can even think about their future.

This was a very good, well written, fast-paced story with very likable characters. The book has action, betrayal, warm to steamyish love scenes, multiple villains, accusations of witchery, traitors, some amusing banter, great secondary characters, a very sweet, romantic declaration of love and finally a very, very, very hard won HEA. As much as I enjoyed this book, there were some things that left me baffled and some minor inconsistencies and typos, that didn’t ruin the book for me, but that did rob it of a five-star rating. This is the second book in the series, but it can easily be read as a standalone title with no problems. Overall, I did enjoy this book, I am happy to recommend it and I will definitely be looking forward to the next installment in the series.

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that I requested from NetGalley and the Publisher. All opinions are my own.*

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