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

Review: Deadly Curse by Carla Simpson

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

Deadly Curse (Angus Brodie & Mikaela Forsythe #11)Barbara’s rating: 3.7 out of 5 Stars
Series: Angus Brodie & Mikaela Forsythe #11
Publication Date: 1/28/25
Period: Victorian London – 1892
Number of Pages: 226

In 1892, the whole world was enamored with exploring ancient Egypt. Archaeologists and Egyptologists are thick on the ground digging for antiquities. Sir Nelson Lawrence is one of the few who doesn’t want to exploit Egypt for personal gain. He wants to show their ancient history to the world and teach others to love it as he does. It’s too bad he won’t ever get that chance since his body has been discovered at the base of a large floor-to-ceiling statue of Ramses II. Is it due to a curse? Or a rival archaeologist? Or a collector who wants the artifacts for himself? Or a family member who feels he’s been cheated? Or . . .

The tension mounts as more bodies turn up and Mikaela is attacked. They check out clue after clue and learn little – but just enough to move them forward by a single step. Then, things get even more stirred up when a leader in London’s underworld offers assistance. Is his information good or is he leading them into a trap? If his information is good and proves helpful, what will he want in return?

I always enjoy Mikaela and Brodie along with their entire ensemble cast. We had a couple of new characters added this time and I wonder if they will have recurring roles or if this was a one-and-only for them. First, we had Inspector Todd with the Metropolitan Police. He seems as nasty as Chief Inspector Abberline but with less power. The other new addition was the underworld boss, Mr. Brown, who appears to have a grudging respect for Brodie – but his interests seem entirely self-serving. So, two somewhat interesting characters appeared and it will be interesting to see if they reappear.

While this was an interesting story and the mystery was good, it was not my favorite book of the series. I found it to be more plodding and less exciting than the other books – probably more like a real-life investigation would be. 😊

If an ancient Egyptian curse runs shivers down your spine, you should give this book a try.

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

View all my reviews

A Lady’s Bargain with the Rogue by Melissa Oliver

On By TracyIn Part of a Series, Top Pick - Highly Recommended, Tracy's Reviews, Victorian Era (1837-1901)Leave a comment

The Lady's Bargain With The Rogue (The Disreputable Marsden Brothers) (Mills & Boon Historical)The Lady’s Bargain With The Rogue (The Disreputable Marsden Brothers) by Melissa Oliver

Tracy’s Rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Series: The Disreputable Marsden Brothers, #1

Release Date: January 16, 2025

When her no-good husband dies, Elisabeth “Eliza” Carew (nee Bawden-Trebarr), Viscountess Ritton, learns the extent of his debts and the fact that he used Trebarr Castle, her family estate, to settle a debt to the infamous Sebastian Marsden, owner of the Trium Impiorum gaming hell. She goes to see him in an attempt to ask him to return her property and when that fails, asks him for time to get the money her husband owed him in exchange for the property. Eliza plans to find the family treasure and use the money to repay Sebastian and free her mother from the asylum her husband had her committed to. She never expected Sebastian to take an interest in her hunt or to help her and she certainly never expected to fall in love with him! But unless she can find the treasure, she doesn’t believe they could have a relationship, even if Sebastian tries to convince her otherwise. Will she find the treasure, or will she let her pride cost her the love of a lifetime?

Sebastian Marsden is the eldest son of the Earl of Harbury, he was raised to be the next Earl, but upon his father’s death, his uncle produced evidence that his father was a bigamist and that Sebastian, and his brothers were illegitimate. He claimed the earldom and tossed the brothers and their mother out without a second thought. Their mother passed away not long after their banishment, and they struggle to survive, but survive they do and the open a gambling hell catering to the ton, who have dubbed the brothers the Marsden Bastards. Sebastian has learned to be ruthless in his business dealings, so he can’t understand why Eliza Carew affects him so much that he agrees to let her have three weeks to repay her late husband’s debt or why he decides to help her on her quest to find the treasure, which may or may not be real. Soon he realizes that Eliza is the true treasure but getting her to see this turns out to be harder than finding her family’s lost treasure!

This was a well-written, nicely paced story with very likable characters and a treasure hunt. I loved the chemistry between Sebastian and Eliza, as well as the relationship between Sebastian and his brothers. The treasure hunt added a bit of intrigue to the story and left readers as eager to find it as Eliza was! This book has wonderful characters, a road trip, steamyish love scenes, a treasure hunt, and finally a happily ever after that seemed impossible. I did feel like the storyline regarding her mother was a missed opportunity and found its resolution a bit unbelievable, but overall, this was a very enjoyable read, and I am already looking forward to the next book! This is the first book in a new series, and I believe it is the author’s first foray into the Victorian romance genre, a genre I predict she will excel at as well as she did with her Medieval romances. I loved this book and would happily recommend it to my fellow HR readers!

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