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

Royal Kiss and Tell by Julia London

On By TracyIn Tracy's Reviews, Victorian Era (1837-1901)Leave a comment

A Royal Kiss and Tell (A Royal Wedding, #2)A Royal Kiss and Tell by Julia London

Tracy’s rating: 2.5/3 of 5 stars

Series: A Royal Wedding, #2

Release Date: May 19, 2020

Caroline Hawkes and Prince Leopold met long before her dearest friend and his brother wed, but clearly the introduction meant more to Caroline than it did to Leo. Caroline is used to being admired and pursued, so she can’t seem to accept that Leo not only doesn’t remember her, but isn’t interested and finds her to be annoying, conceited and ill mannered.

A royal prince in Alucia, Leo is the younger son and has never had any real responsibility, he is well liked, well received and welcome everywhere. But lately he has been discontented and bored, he enjoys his life in England, but wants more. While attending his brother’s wedding, his father tells him that he has arranged a political marriage for Leo and that he can return to England to button up his affairs and then return to Alucia by summer’s end to announce his betrothal. Leo is not happy with this turn of events, but will do his duty. He is preparing to return to England when he is approached by a man and told of a serious and concerning situation involving several young women from Wesloria (the neighboring country to Alucia) who have gone missing. The man askes Leo to look into it because he thinks the men involved are members of the upper echelons of society.

Caroline is miffed that Leo doesn’t remember her, it is unacceptable and she goes out of her way to make him acknowledge her. But it isn’t until they return to England that things between them begin to heat up. Leo is having a hard time with his “mission” thanks to gossip written about him in the Honeycutt Gazette – gossip supplied by Caroline. But even as his reputation is tanking, Leo doesn’t give up trying to save the women and bring the men responsible to justice. As Leo continues his investigation, he begins to rely on Caroline for help and they both begin to develop deeper feelings, but theirs is a love that can never be, or can it?

I have to admit, I didn’t like this book as much as the first one, it is a decent read, but I just never really felt the connection between Leo and Caroline. The book itself is well written and the “mystery” portion is well done and paced nicely, but unfortunately, the romance definitely took a backseat and didn’t develop at the same pace. The book does have a bit of witty dialogue, a hero who is misunderstood and underestimated, a very conceited, yet likeable heroine, warmish love scenes, cameos from previous characters, a decent mystery concerning slave trade and some surprising twists and turns that make an impossible HEA, possible. The incorrect title use that annoyed me in the first book is sadly still running rampage in this book and the romance leaves much to be desired – so for me, this was an “OK” read, nothing to get excited about, but still entertaining. This is the second book in the series, but it can be read as a stand-alone title with no problem at all.

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that was provided to me by NetGalley and the publisher.*

The Puzzle of A Bastard by Linda Rae Sande

On By BarbaraIn Barb's Reviews, Victorian Era (1837-1901)2 Comments

The Puzzle of a Bastard (The Heirs of the Aristocracy, #2)Barbara’s rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: The Heirs of the Aristocracy #2
Publication Date: 5/19/20

What a delightfully fun and romantic story. You’ll love each and every one of the characters and you’ll swoon over the romances that lead them to their HEA. We even get double the romance with two couples finding their HEA (as this author often does). This is just a delightfully straight-forward romance with two couples learning to overcome their own issues and find their way to trust and love.

James Burroughs and Emily Grandby have known each other most of their lives, but since he was a fair amount older than her, there wasn’t a romance. He was good friends with her older brother, Tom, and other relatives – they are even related a bit. James was the second son and never had to worry about his father’s fortune – until a year ago when his older, sickly brother succumbed to influenza. James and his father are both bankers and with his father retiring, James is now transferring from Bath to London. On his way, he decides to stop by and visit his friend Tom. When Tom isn’t there, James has a nice visit with Tom’s sister Emily, who offers him a place to stay until he can find a home for himself in London. Little does James know what longings that visit will cause him – and her. Each of them has issues and secrets they’ll need to work through, but the attraction is strong. How will James react when he learns all of Emily’s secrets? Hmmm – you’ll just have to read the book to see.

Gabe Wellingham is the much-loved illegitimate son of the Earl of Trenton. Gabe is very proud of his family, but he wants to use his university degree and not sit back and lead the leisurely life of a gentleman. When he applies for and obtains a position as an archivist at the British Museum in London, he doesn’t tell anyone at the museum who his family is. He wants to make it on his own. When he meets the very prickly Mrs. Frances Longworth, who is the art restorer at the museum, he is intrigued and needs to know more. Mrs. Longworth was supposed to be Mr. Longworth. How did that happen? Gabe pursues, makes overtures, and Frances dances away – until she doesn’t. Both are keeping secrets – some bigger than others – but secrets none-the-less. Will Gabe run for the hills when he learns all of Frances’s secrets? If he doesn’t, what will his parents have to say? You’ll just have to read it to find out.

I thoroughly enjoyed this read, but I will mention that there are lots of mentions of other family members (who have all been featured in earlier books) and if you aren’t familiar, they may feel confusing. However, don’t worry about them if you don’t know who they are – it won’t detract from your enjoyment of this story at all.

I hope you will enjoy the read as much as I did.

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