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 Sinister Revenge by Deanna Raybourn

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

A Sinister Revenge (Veronica Speedwell, #8)

Barbara’s rating: 4 of 5
Series: Veronica Speedwell #8
Publication Date: 3/7/23
Period: Victorian England
Number of Pages: 336

After reading the previous book in this series I was in a quandary about whether I wished to continue reading the series or not. Throughout the series, I have actively disliked Veronica – probably because the author has made her so ‘woke’ that she is rabid in her thoughts, beliefs, and relationships. There is a point where ‘It is all about me’, becomes just downright dislikable and that is where I was with Veronica. Then, with the hurt she delivered to Stoker in the last book, I was about done with Veronica, but I wanted to see how the author was going to manage to leave Veronica as dislikable as she was and still mend the relationship with Stoker. Therefore, I picked up a copy of this book. Let us just say I was pleased with some of the personal epiphanies Veronica had and the seeming character growth for her. I say seeming because that remains to be seen in future books. No, I didn’t come to like Veronica, but I was pleased to see her growing (seemingly anyway) into a multi-dimensional human where she seemed to realize she wasn’t perfect and actually had flaws.

Viscount Tiberius Templeton-Vane (Stoker’s brother) has received a death threat and he has deduced that two (maybe three) previous murders are connected. Tiberius knew he needed the help of Stoker and Veronica, so he and Veronica tracked Stoker to a remote area in Bavaria. Stoker agreed to return to England and help his brother, but he offered no olive branches to Veronica (YAY! Stoker). He was civil to her, but no matter what overtures she made, he very politely rebuffed them.

Tiberius was once part of a group of friends known as the Sinful Seven – not that they were particularly sinful. Twenty years previous one of those seven died when he fell off an unstable cliff during a house party at Tiberius’s home. As magistrate for the area, Tiberius’s father declared the fall accidental and they all went on with their lives. Only, now, they wonder if perhaps it was murder rather than an accident – and the person threatening Tiberius is now seeking revenge for the death.

Tiberius’s solution is to hold a house party with the same attendees as the house party of twenty years ago. Surely the original murderer is among those attendees – and possibly the current murderer as well. Can they catch not one, but two killers? Everyone is so likable, how could any of them have committed murder? There are plenty of red herrings and clues dropped to let you follow the breadcrumbs. Will you be surprised? Perhaps – perhaps not.

I definitely enjoyed this book more than the last one, so I will recommend it. I did think it was a bit draggy in parts and the narrative was (as always) a bit ponderous and formal. For me, the best part of the story centered around Veronica’s personal epiphanies and her character growth rather than the mystery itself. I will read the next book to see if the growth continues. I hope you will enjoy the story should you choose to read it.

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

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A Pretend Betrothal by Lana Williams

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A Pretend Betrothal (The Mayfair Literary League, #2)A Pretend Betrothal by Lana Williams

Tracy’s rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: The Mayfair Literary League, #2

Release Date: February 28, 2023

Lady Tabitha “Tibby” Malton has loved Michael Shaw for as long as she can remember, but her relationship with Michael is firmly in the “friend zone” and he shows no signs of seeing her as anything more than a friend. To complicate matters, Tibby’s mother has become increasingly needy and socially withdrawn, yet she demands Tibby’s attendance. Tibby fears if she doesn’t do something soon, she will spend the rest of her life as her mother’s companion with no chance of love or a family of her own. So when her friend Pheobe from the Mayfair Literary League suggests that they each should make a bold move to capture the attention of their secret crush, the “For Better or Worse” agenda is launched and Tibby vows to be brave enough to follow her heart. She approaches Michael and asks if he would be willing to engage in a pretend betrothal with her, she tells him she hopes that the thought of Tibby marrying might encourage her mother to rejoin society and be less dependent on Tibby, she also thinks it will stop Michael’s mother from pressuring him to marry. At first, he refuses, but later agrees, so now she has to make him fall in love with her.

Michael Shaw is the second son of an earl and has recently sold his commission in the military after spending the last ten years in service. He has returned home but feels a bit lost and not sure what to do with the rest of his life. He is surprised by Tibby’s proposal and declines because he worries that it could ruin her reputation, but with his mother pressing him to marry and Tibby assuring him she isn’t worried about her reputation, he agrees and soon he is seeing his dear friend in a new light and discovering that he can’t seem to stop kissing her. He is wondering if she would consider a true betrothal, but before he can broach the subject, he learns of the Mayfair Literary League’s mission and feels betrayed. Can they overcome her deception or has she lost her chance at HEA?

I enjoyed this well-written, nicely paced story, it was easy to sympathize with Tibby and root for her HEA. Likewise, Michael was also easy to like, and his struggle to find a new purpose in life was entirely relatable. The bond between them was clear from the start, but it seemed to take Michael a long time to figure out and accept his new feelings for Tibby, and I didn’t quite understand why Tibby had such a low opinion of herself. Together these two bring out the best in the other and they share a true friendship, add to that, a great supporting cast of characters, secrets, kisses, and forgiveness and you have a delightful read. I did think the ending was a bit similar to the previous book, but overall the story was completely different and a joy to read, I would however have liked to know the outcome of his botany experiment (just saying…). This is the second book in the series, but it could easily be read as a standalone title.

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