Category: Victorian Era (1837-1901)

In the history of the United Kingdom, the Victorian era was the period of Queen Victoria’s reign, from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. The era followed the Georgian period and preceded the Edwardian period, and its later half overlaps with the first part of the Belle Époque era of continental Europe.
Preceded by: Regency era
Followed by: Edwardian era
Monarch: Victoria

Queen of Lombard Street by Lisa Kleypas

On By TracyIn Check Content Warning/Triggers, Historical Fiction, historical-romance, Non-Traditional Romance, Standalone Title, Top Pick - Highly Recommended, Tracy's Reviews, Victorian Era (1837-1901), Women's FictionLeave a comment

Queen of Lombard StreetQueen of Lombard Street by Lisa Kleypas

Tracy’s Rating: 5 of 5 stars

Series: Standalone

Release Date: October 20, 2026

Reina Martin has never let her circumstances hold her down. The illegitimate daughter of a renown Spanish dancer and a wealthy English businessman, some could say that her life started out on the wrong foot, but thanks to her mother, Reina was given an exceptional education and encouraged to follow her dreams. To that end she attended college and earned a law degree, but was refused the right to practice, so she turned her sites to finance, becoming a respected economist and published a financial guide for women as well as writing articles for Bankers’ Magazine and The Economist. Upon that success, she tried to open a bank account and was initially denied, but her arguments drew the attention of William Farlow, the bank administrator. With William’s guidance, Reina learned the intricacies of investing and banking and became a very wealthy woman with a new dream, opening a bank for women.

With her goal set, Reina purchases a house and with the help of June, her dearest friend and now her cook, she tries to hire a staff. Which leads her to Second Chance Employment Agency, a staffing agency that hire out criminals released on license (aka parole). Determined to give these people a fighting chance to succeed, she hires a full staff, including a very pregnant woman as her housekeeper. But it soon becomes clear that this staff needs more guidance than she can supply, leading her to hire and Ticket-of-leave prisoner, a Welshman by the name of John Pembroke as her butler. But what she doesn’t know is John is not who she believes him to be, and as this motley crew becomes a family, she is in danger of losing more than just her dreams…

After a five-year break, Lisa Kleypas is back and better than ever! This book is a bit different than her previous works, primarily as it is a woman’s fiction novel with some romance rather than a straight up romance. I loved it and was completely invested in the story. Reina is a brilliant woman in a man’s world, but she doesn’t let that stop her from chasing her dreams, she is also a caring and generous with everyone. John is the perfect match for her, as he is not intimidated by an intelligent, successful woman, he too is self-made and intelligent, with a heart of gold and a desire to see Reina’s dreams come true. This book is filled with amazing and diverse characters (including some familiar faces), a “sausage dog”, emotion, some laughter, found family, discrimination, injustice, triumph, love, friendship, heartache, betrayal, vindication and finally a happy ending. This book was more than just a good read, it was a journey and I loved every minute of it. Definitely a keeper and a book I look forward to reading again and again.

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for a DRC/ALC that I requested and was provided to me by the publisher/author. All opinions in this review are my own. *

 

A Christmas Guide to Family and Murder by Dianne Freeman

On By BarbaraIn Barb's Reviews, Christmas, Historical Mystery, Part of a Series, Victorian Era (1837-1901)Leave a comment

A Christmas Guide to Family and Murder (A Countess of Harleigh Mystery, #9)It just wouldn’t be Christmas without finding a dead body!

Frances and George were looking forward to a lively Christmas season in London when they received an invitation from George’s sister, Fiona. So, instead of spending Christmas in London, they quickly headed to Norfolk, where they were expecting an abundance of snow and a lovely holiday with family.

Unfortunately, what they got was anything but a picturesque white Christmas. Instead, a frightful wind and rainstorm pounded them. Fortunately, their home suffered little damage, so Frances, Fiona, and all five of the children set out on foot to check on their neighbors and offer whatever help they could.

Sadly, during their rounds, they discover the body of Sir Joshua Penhollow, the local doctor.

The circumstances surrounding Sir Joshua’s death are suspicious, but there is a rather significant problem: all of the men have left to help clear the roads. With the roads blocked and everyone scattered about helping with the storm damage, there is no doctor, coroner, magistrate, or policeman available to take charge of the investigation. That leaves the ladies to do what they can to uncover the truth.

I enjoy each addition to this series, and I always look forward to seeing what sort of trouble Frances and the others will find themselves involved in. I have to admit, though, that this one is probably my least favorite so far. The mystery itself is quite good, and I enjoyed trying to figure out what had happened to Sir Joshua and why. However, the pacing felt a bit slow and plodding to me. There seemed to be a lot of walking from one place to another, taking tea, and asking questions, without quite enough happening between those conversations to keep the story moving at the pace I prefer.

One part I particularly enjoyed was the arrival of the doctor from another town to perform the autopsy. I liked his character and his interactions with the others, and I have to wonder if the author might be planting the seeds of a budding romance between him and the older daughter. If so, I certainly wouldn’t mind seeing where that relationship goes in a future book!

Even though this installment didn’t quite work for me as well as the others, I still enjoyed spending time with Frances, George, Fiona, and the rest of the family. I’ll definitely be continuing with the series. After all, you never know when another holiday—and another dead body—might turn up!

I voluntarily read an early copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

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