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 Killer in the Crystal Palace by Deb Marlowe

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

A Killer in the Crystal Palace (The Kier and Levett Mystery Series, #1)

Barbara’s rating: 5 of 5 Stars
Series: The Kier and Levett Mystery Series #1
Publication Date: 2/17/23
Period: Victorian London
Number of Pages: 255

What a great story! Has this seasoned historical romance author ventured into writing historical mysteries before this? I don’t know, but she has certainly done an outstanding job of it this time. She has managed to set up the series, introduce all of the series’ characters and make us like them while delivering a mystery that is intriguing. I have seen where this series is only to be three or four books long, but I could easily see this as a scenario and characters that could carry a much longer series should the author choose to go in that direction. Excellently done Deb Marlowe!

Miss Kara Levett and Mr. Niall Kier first meet when they show up at the offices of a sponsor of the Great Exhibition. They are both trying to finagle a spot on the floor of the exhibition to show their creations – but the space is extremely limited. She is a gifted engineer and he is a gifted blacksmith artist whose displays are outstanding. Of course, they win a spot, but sadly, it doesn’t take long for it all to go sour when a man is found murdered on the exhibition grounds. Yes, murdered – with one of the pieces from Kara’s display. Oops! Scotland Yard quickly wants to point the blame at Kara so they can close the case and keep the news from the papers.

If Kara wants to stay out of jail, she’s going to have to prove herself innocent and find the real murderer. Luckily Niall is right there to work alongside her. While Kara appreciates Niall’s help, she is accustomed to doing things on her own and it takes a bit for her to learn to work in tandem. They have to learn to trust each other and depend on each other – and that takes a bit of a leap of faith on both their parts. I admired both of them for the respect they showed each other. Believe it or not – she actually admitted he was right (when he was) and he actually admitted she was right (when she was). Once they got all of those cogs turning in the right direction, the investigation took off. Except – someone is trying to hurt Kara – could she have been the target all along? Surely not – she didn’t even know the man who was murdered.

Some of the stops along the way to solving the mystery provide insights into who our two characters are and the inhabitants of those places are delightful. Kara’s character seems to be pretty straightforward – she is who she is. Niall, on the other hand, is a bit of an enigma that I will love seeing unwound in future books. He has secrets and I can’t wait to find them out!

The series setup and mystery were the main focus of this book, but the groundwork was laid for a romance between Kara and Niall. I loved that there was no insta-lust in this book – just a natural progression of feelings that will, in the end, lead to love I’m sure.

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

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Curled Up with an Earl by Amy Rose Bennett

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

Curled Up with an EarlCurled Up with an Earl by Amy Rose Bennett

Tracy’s rating: 5 of 5 stars

Series: The Byronic Book Club, #2

Release Date: February 7, 2023

At Twenty-Eight, Miss Lucinda “Lucy” Bertram is content with her life, she is a gifted botanist who acts as a research assistant to her father but she longs to travel and be recognized for her accomplishments, rather than be hidden by her father’s shadow. She is sure that marriage is not in her future, even if her dear friend Artemis has recently married and is now touting marital bliss. She is too busy to explore the possibility and has bigger things to worry about, such as her brother Monty’s disappearance and her father’s refusal to discuss him, not to mention their abysmal finances, so finding a husband is the last thing on her mind, especially when she has never met a man that even remotely tempted her. But when her gig gets stuck in the mud and her attempts to free it, land her in the mud as well, a stranger with blue eyes and a Scottish brogue takes charge and might just be the man to change her mind about men and marriage.

William “Will” Lockhart, the Earl of Kyle is on a mission for Scotland Yard, a member of the Linnean Society was poisoned and Lucy’s father, Sir Oswald, an expert in botanical poisons is their prime suspect. Will comes to Fleetwood Hall disguised as a groom, he expects this to be a simple case, he will investigate Sir Oswald and find proof that he is the killer, but he didn’t count on his reaction to Lucy. He met her months ago while posing as an American industrialist and was attracted to her, but now that he has gotten to know her, he will do whatever is necessary to keep her, especially when her father begins to pressure her to marry one of his fellow society members. She asks for his help in finding her brother, who she is sure will side with her against the marriage. But to keep Lucy, Will will have to reveal his true identity and hope she can forgive his deception and change her mind about marriage, but first, he has a killer to catch.

OMG – It is only February and I think I may have read the best book of the year already – Seriously. I loved this book so much, it was well-written, nicely paced, and was just such a delight to read. Lucy and Will are extremely likable and their relationship progressed at a believable pace, the attraction was immediate, but their love and their physical relationship developed a bit slower and felt stronger thanks to that wait. This book has a bit of everything; secrets, poison, spies, murder, steamy love scenes, cameos with the other members of the Byronic Book Club, a villain that is truly insane, blackmail, and finally a sigh-worthy ending with one of the best declaration scenes I have ever read, as well as an epilogue. This is the second book in the series, but could easily be read as a standalone title. I highly recommend this title, in my opinion, this book is a must-read and definitely a keeper that I plan to re-read many times. Think I am being overly gushing? Read the book and you will see why!

*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.*