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

A Scandal By Any Other Name by Kimberly Bell

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A Scandal By Any Other Name (A Tale of Two Sisters, #2)A Scandal By Any Other Name by Kimberly Bell

Barbara’s rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: A Scandal by Any Other Name
Publication Date: 1/30/18

I am so pleased to have read this book. I was a little hesitant to request it because I had such mixed feelings about the first book in the series, but I’m so glad I decided to go ahead and request it. It is well plotted, the writing is excellent and it is filled with lighthearted humor and one-liners. I kept picturing Lucy and Ethel (from I Love Lucy) with a smattering of Wonder Woman thrown in. The Bishop sisters are true terrors. They defy convention and do their own thing – especially the older one who is featured in this book. The hero fits right in with the wit and charm of the sisters. What a perfect match.

I have to applaud this author for doing something I almost never see (have I ever seen it?). She featured a heroine with a serious, debilitating, life-threatening disability and she made her strong, intelligent, witty and very interesting. What a delightful change of pace.

Julia Bishop has had many great and wonderful adventures in her life – all in her imagination. Julia was born with spina bifida (although it isn’t specifically named in the book) and has miraculously survived to adulthood. That just never happened back then and the treatments were excruciating (that is true) because they injected iodine into the exposed spine. She still suffers from very frequent infections, etc. because of the disability. Julia and her sister are their father’s pride and joy and he spoils them rotten – but the mother is a real piece of work. She’s consumed with social climbing and if you read the first book, you know what she did to her younger daughter – so NOT motherly. Mother Bishop always kept Julia in hiding – away from any interaction with other people. She didn’t want others to think they were ‘tainted’. Julia’s only companion was her very much loved sister Amelia and they were so close they could barely stand being separated. How Julia managed to grow up to be as headstrong and well-adjusted as she is, just amazes. She knows who she is and isn’t afraid to tell or show anybody what it is she wants or thinks. Just imagine her delight when a real-life adventure rides right into her life.

Jasper DeVere has just insulted Queen Victoria by running out on the ceremony to induct him into Parliament and confirm his title of Duke of Albemarle. He didn’t mean to insult her – he just panicked – so he ran away. His grandfather and hero had just died and Jasper didn’t feel in the least competent to fill his shoes. Jasper flees and basically steals a horse outside the building – he has no idea where he is going – he just rides as fast as the horse will go for as long as it will go. He has no idea where he is and when he asks someone he realizes he is near the home of his friend Nicholas, so he heads toward his home expecting to stay with him and his new wife, Amelia, for a while.

As Jasper is riding up the drive toward the house, he spots a woman on a runaway horse and gives chase to save her. Julia is incensed that someone is stopping her horse – she’d given the horse its head and was allowing it to run with the wind and she was loving it! His stopping the horse causes her to be thrown from the horse – and when she sees that wonderfully handsome adventure just waiting for her to claim it – well – who could blame her. She knew who he was as soon as he gave his name – she’d dreamed of him for years, but she’d never met him because her mother didn’t allow her any interaction with anyone outside the immediate family. She also knew he’d know who she was if she gave him her name. Julia immediately became Juniper – Amelia’s cousin. After all, what he didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him and maybe somebody would pay a little attention to her as a person rather than seeing her only as her disability.

Amelia and Nicholas are off on a trip and that leaves Julia (Juniper) and Jasper all alone on the estate. Their time together is magical and they come to really care for each other – but what will Jasper do when he discovers she is really Julia and not Juniper? The answer – love her for who she is!

I won’t give a blow-by-blow of the story because I wouldn’t want to spoil it for you, but I will tell you it is full of fun and whimsical entertainment – and heartbreaking angst – and love and an HEA. After getting almost to the end of the book I was thoroughly miffed and was thinking I’d give the book 2-stars at best because I didn’t consider that a happy ending. Then – more magic happened. I thoroughly enjoyed the read and hope you will too!

There are some exceptional secondary characters in the book. Nicholas and Amelia, of course. You met them in the first book and they have a sizeable role in this one as well. I particularly liked Julia’s father because he loves and supports his girls unconditionally and spoils them rotten. I also liked Julia’s maid, Nora. She definitely had her work cut out for her! I had mixed feelings about Jasper’s sister, Ruby. I think I’d like to see a third book in the series that gives Ruby her HEA as well.

See my review of the first book – The Importance of Being Scandalous

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“I requested and received this e-book at no cost to me and volunteered to read it; my review is my honest opinion and given without any influence by the author or publisher.”

The Earl Most Likely by Jane Goodger

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The Earl Most Likely (The Brides of St. Ives, #2)The Earl Most Likely by Jane Goodger
Tracy’s rating: 3.5/4 of 5 stars

Series: The Brides of St. Ives, #2

Release Date: January 16, 2018

3.5 maybe 4 stars

This is the second book in The Brides of St. Ives series, but it could easily be read as a stand alone title.

The book opens with Augustus “Gus” Lawton, then Viscount Greenwich returning to England after a two year stay in America. He left shortly after his marriage to Lenore and has returned to hopefully work things out with his wife. The night he returns he finds a ball in full swing and to his complete horror, his medieval home has been redecorated in Victorian fashion. He is livid and has a very loud, very public argument with Lenore in which he says he could kill her for what she had done to his home. The next morning Lenore is found dead. Gus is cleared of any involvement in her death and it is ruled a suicide.

Two years later, he still has not restored his home because he cannot remember exactly how it was before and he fears he will make it worse. He is having tea at a local tearoom when he overhears some ladies playing a “memory” game and is stunned that the young blindfolded woman at the table is able to recall any detail the others ask of her. He introduces himself – he is now the Earl of Berkley – she tells him that they have already met and then he vaguely remembers her, but he vividly remembers her older sister Clara. He waits for her when they leave and asks for her help in restoring his home. He offers her a fortune and says he needs it restored in time for his Christmas ball – where he will be selecting a bride.

Harriet Anderson is the younger daughter of commoners, her father made a fortune in mining and her mother is desperate to be accepted by society, embarrassing so. Harriet has a gift, she is able to recall everything she see in perfect detail. She is often overlooked in favor of her gorgeous older sister Clara and unlike her mother, Harriet knows that she will never be accepted by the nobility and will most likely never marry, she would like nothing more than to buy a cottage and live on her own. Gus’ offer could make that dream come true. She agrees to take a look at the changes his wife made and goes with him to his house. She is shocked at the complete change in the house and agrees to help him. She returns home and makes a detailed list of what the house looked like before and what needs to be done to restore the house to its former glory.

Gus is happy that Harriet has agreed to help him and looks forward to getting started. He hopes she doesn’t get the wrong idea and think that he might want to marry her – because she is so far below his station – something he could overlook if she was attractive, but she is not (Oh, isn’t he a prince among men?) But he does find himself thinking about her lovely eyes and her plush lips, more than he should because, you know – she’s plain. When she shows up the next day, he makes it clear that her help must be kept secret – he has no desire to be trapped into a marriage with her. He tells her that the house must be finished in time for the ball (about 2 months away) because his future bride will be attending and he wants the house to be perfect for her. He then announces that he is leaving for London and will be back in a couple of weeks and hopes to see some real changes when he returns.

While in London he considers getting a mistress, because he has been too long without a woman and that can be the only explanation for his fascination with Harriet, because she is way too skinny and plain for his taste. He ends up visiting his grandmother and asking for her help in selecting a bride. He returns to St. Ives and is pleased with the progress Harriet has made. Later she takes him to the barn to show him something she found, on the way there her hair gets wet by the mist in the air and he becomes fascinated by her curls and he can’t believe how lovely she looks. He asks what her Christian name is and tells her that she should be called Catalina. She laughs and says that her sister is the lovely one and he tells her that her sister is lovely, but he is not attracted to her and asks her what she would do if he kissed her.

Harriet goes back to the house and begins to wonder about all the changes Lenore made, they seem temporary and that gets her wondering what happened to her. She visits the tower where she died and thinks that there is no way she could have killed herself. She then goes to the library and finds Lenore’s journal, while looking at it, she finds a secret pocket in the cover and discovers letters – letters that make it clear that she did not kill herself. She shows them to Gus and they hatch a plan to find the killer. He tells her she will have to attend the ball and she will be Princess Catalina, Harriet likes the idea and tells him she will consider it. She is excited and wants to share her news with someone, she decides that her friend Alice would be the perfect person. Alice cautions her to guard her heart.

Later while arranging paintings, Gus approaches her and they kiss. He then asks her to be his mistress – she refuses. But after thinking about it, she suggests they become lovers – just until the ball and then they will part as friends, no tears, no emotions. He agrees and they embark on a heated affair. Harriet knows her heart will be broken because she is falling in love with him. After their first tryst, Gus tries to end things, because he is not sure he can stick to their agreement. But his lust overrules his common sense.

When her parents return unexpectantly, she knows that she will not be able to attend the ball and sends Gus a note. He wants her there and sends an invitation to her family, just so she can attend. Her mother is in alt and thinks that the earl is interested in Clara. The night of the ball Gus singles Harriet out. He knows that he can’t live without her and tries to get her alone to talk, but they are interrupted by her mother. Later they put their plan to find the killer into action, only to be disappointed. Gus then asks Harriet to dance the opening set with him, much to his grandmother’s dismay. While they are dancing, her parents create a scene and Harriet must take them home. She is heartbroken, sure that he was going to ask her to marry him and knowing that her parents ruined any chance of that happening now. The next day Gus goes to see her and tries to tell her that he loves her, but it leads to a huge misunderstanding and she tells him that they agreed to have an affair that ended the night of the ball and asks him to leave.

A few weeks later, Harriet discovers something that may reveal the identity of the author of Lenore’s secret letters. She sends it to Gus. Gus is still reeling from Harriet’s dismissal and even the discovery she made isn’t enough to lift his misery. He asks his friend Henderson (Alice’s husband) for help and then realizes why Harriet refused him. He hopes it is not too late to make things right, because he knows he loves her.

This book was good, but I really had a hard time liking Gus and even his grand gesture at the end of the book wasn’t enough to sway me. The book is well written and flows very well, there are some amusing moments, steamy love scenes, a bit of angst, a clever “who dunnit” and a very sweet HEA.

I would happily recommend this book, even though I didn’t care for the hero, I really enjoyed Harriet and her sister Clara and am looking forward to the next book.

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