Lord Petteril’s Folly by Mary Lancaster

On By BarbaraIn Barb's Reviews, Historical Mystery, Part of a Series, Regency Era (1811-1820)Leave a comment

Petteril's Folly (Lord Petteril Mysteries #6)

Barbara’s rating: 5 out of 5 Stars
Series: Lord Petteril Mysteries #6
Publication Date: 6/28/24
Period: Regency
Number of Pages: 164

The smart, cunning, handsome, enigmatic, and quirky Lord Petteril has totally captured my heart throughout this series – as has the equally smart, beautiful, and quirky April.

Despite the huge class difference, Petteril and April are now man and wife. April isn’t concerned about how society will feel about her, but she worries about society’s reactions to the marriage and how it will affect Petteril. April’s main concern is how the servants she worked with and befriended will react to her. We get some sample reactions early on from both servants and society. Petteril’s aunt is a total stinker and I hope something happens with her – just her – personally. She needs a comeuppance of some sort and I dearly hope April is the one to give it to her. 😊

After their long, lovely, tranquil days in Portugal, they return home to find that Stewart, Petteril’s valet, has been arrested for theft. Both April and Petteril are positive Stewart didn’t commit the crime – but they are sure he knows something. Who is he protecting? Why would he risk protecting them?

The mystery had several twists and turns that kept it interesting because you are almost sure you know who did it, but not totally sure. Just know that the villain is a real nightmare and for a change, the villain gets what he deserves.

If you are looking for a quick, interesting read with lovable characters, romance, and a good mystery, you might want to try this book.

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

A Daughter of Fair Verona by Christina Dodd

On By TracyIn Historical Rom-Com, Medieval (1066-1540), Non-Traditional Romance, Part of a Series, Tracy's Reviews3 Comments

A Daughter of Fair Verona (Daughter of Montague, #1)A Daughter of Fair Verona by Christina Dodd

Tracy’s rating: 2.5 of 5 stars

Series: Daughter of Montague, #1

Release Date: June 25, 2024

“Once upon a time a young couple met and fell in love. You probably know that story, and how it ended (badly). Only here’s the That’s not how it ended at all.

Romeo and Juliet are alive and well and the parents of seven kids. I’m the oldest, with the emphasis on ‘old’—a certified spinster at twenty, and happy to stay that way. It’s not easy to keep your taste for romance with parents like mine. Picture it—constant monologues, passionate declarations, fighting, making up, making out . . . it’s exhausting.”

I read this blurb, and I was sold – Romeo and Juliet didn’t die, and they actually lived happily ever after? Yes, please! I could not wait to dive into this book, but with several books to read and review for the end of June, I saved this book for last, thinking it would be the best of the bunch. After all, I have read (and loved) every historical romance Christina Dodd has written and was beyond thrilled when I saw that after years of only writing contemporaries, she was venturing back into Historical Romance, and I couldn’t wait to get my hands on this book.

Sadly, this book was a huge miss for me for a lot of reasons. First, it is written in First Person Narrative – UGH! I hate FPN, HATE, HATE, HATE it. Second, the prose was decidedly modern and seemed as if the book was a YA romance, not to mention there is nothing more than a bit of kissing and little caressing – all very PG. And my final reason, the ending is a bit of cliffhanger, I understand this is going to be a series, but geez, a little closure would have been nice.

All in all, it was not a terrible book, just not the book I thought it was going to be based on past experience with this author’s writing. I don’t think I will read the next book, since this style is not my cuppa. But I am sure there are plenty of readers who would love this book and for that reason, if the reasons I mentioned don’t bother you, then I would recommend you give this book a go!

*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. *