Locked in Pursuit by Ashley Weaver

On By BarbaraIn Barb's Reviews, Historical Mystery, Part of a Series, World War II Era (1939-1945)Leave a comment

Locked in Pursuit (Electra McDonnell, #4)

Barbara’s rating: 4.5 out of 5 Stars
Series: Electra McDonnell #4
Publication Date: 5/14/24
Period: WWII London
Number of Pages: 272

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! While it isn’t as action-packed and suspense-filled as the last book was, it is a pivotal book for the series and the characters. We see the introduction of some new characters – will they stay? We also see a resolution to the relationship triangle, but not in the way you thought it might go. Plus, we get some exciting news and a cliffhanger that sets up the next book. Nicely woven through all of that is a spy story that has to be resolved. Yes, a very satisfying read indeed!

It has been three long months since Major Ramsey was shot four times and nearly died during their last case at Sunderland. Electra (Ellie) hasn’t heard a word from the Major and she’s had no jobs with his intelligence agency. Boredom and fretfulness are creeping in when she notices an article in the paper. It details a robbery having taken place during a dinner party – but – something about it just doesn’t seem right. As a master thief, Ellie knows all the elements of a robbery being ‘right’, and this one just hits a wrong note. She’s not sure why it strikes her as wrong, but she thinks she should bring it to Major Ramsey’s attention.

Major Ramsey doesn’t seem particularly delighted to see her, nor does he think much of her ‘feelings’ about that robbery. However, it seems he did take her seriously as he has found two other robberies that fit that same ‘odd’ mold and they begin their investigation. They aren’t sure what they are looking for – if anything – but they are looking into all of the robberies and those who were robbed. Soon, they discover the reason for the robberies and what they should be looking for.

In the meantime, Ellie continues to look into the murder of her father. In the last book, she was told that he was a spy for the Germans. She’s found a small book with a coded letter inside – she just has to decode it – if she can. Getting it decoded causes her to owe a ‘favor’ to someone and repaying that favor causes her a great deal of pain and grief. It might also get her killed.

By the end of the book, Ellie is in a great deal of emotional pain and despair – when – out of the blue – comes the saving grace – a cliffhanger! Ellie has the opportunity to do something momentous for herself, her country, and her family. Whew! I’m betting that the next book is going to be a doozie!

This is a quick, interesting, well-told tale and I recommend it – especially if you like spy stories, romance, intrigue, danger – and a cliffhanger. I hope you will love it as much as I did. Happy Reading!

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

The Last Duke She’d Marry by Anna Campbell

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The Last Duke She’d Marry (Scoundrels of Mayfair, #3)The Last Duke She’d Marry by Anna Campbell

Tracy’s Rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Series: Scoundrels of Mayfair, #3

Release Date: February 29, 2024

Lady Juliet Frain, the daughter of the Earl of Portdown, was born to be a duchess, in fact she would have already been one if her betrothed had not died in an accident two years ago. As sad as that was, life goes on and Juliet, who is beautiful, rich and perfectly proper, soon finds a new ducal suitor in the form of Alaric Dempster, the Duke of Granville. But when her sister, Viola, creates a scandal with the Earl of Renfrew, Juliet and her other sister Portia retreat to the family’s country estate to wait out the ensuing storm, and she worries that she may have lost Glanville’s regard. That worry was for naught, because her father a Shakespeare devotee has been working on a production and has found the perfect man to play Romeo – Lucas Hebden, the notorious Duke of Evesham, who is devilishly handsome, completely scandalous and happens to be Glanville’s archnemesis. In short, a man she wants nothing to do with, but a man she can’t seem to stop thinking about. Soon Juliet has not one, but two dukes vying for her hand, and when scandal once again visits, she is determined to hold on to her perceived superior moral values, and refuses both men. But one will not go quietly into that night, will she see the truth, or will her self-righteousness cost her the love of a lifetime?

Nine years ago, Lucas helped a friend, fought a duel with the Duke of Granville and left England with an unmarried young lady, under a cloud of suspicion and was later judged to be dishonorable when he did not marry said young lady. Now he is back and is swindled into playing Romeo in an amateur production of Shakespeare by the Earl of Portdown. He is not happy about this turn of events, until he meets the earl’s daughter – Juliet. Despite the fact that she clearly distains him, he soon finds himself falling for her and when they are caught in a compromising position, he does the honorable thing and proposes, but to his complete shock, she turns him down – not once, or twice or even three times, she refuses him four times. Caught in a trap of honor, he is faced with a no-win situation and has to face the fact that HEA might not be for him.

As always, Ms. Campbell writes an amazing story, filled with wonderful, relatable and sometimes flawed characters who worm their way into your heart and take root. Lucas and Juliet share an amazing chemistry, but preconceived notions on Juliet’s part keep them from finding the easy route to HEA. The story has witty banter, a sly earl, lots of dukes, old scandals, new scandals, secrets, honor, steamy love scenes, heartache and a heaping helping of angst before finally reaching HEA and a very lovely epilogue. Personally, I didn’t love this story as much as other reviewers did, Lucas was your stereotypical, misunderstood, heart of gold rake and Juliet was your stereotypical holier-than-thou ice princess, who in my opinion was not at all likable until the epilogue and didn’t deserve Lucas. Overall, this book gets a thumbs up as it was a charming story and I LOVED Lucas, I just wish I could say the same for Juliet. This is the third book in the series, but it could 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.*