Miss Morton And The Spirits Of The Underworld by Catherine Lloyd

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

Miss Morton And The Spirits Of The Underworld (Miss Morton Mysteries #2)

Barbara’s rating: 4.4 out of 5 Stars
Series: A Miss Morton Mystery #2
Publication Date: 8/22/23
Period: Victorian – 1838 London
Number of Pages: 304

It is 1838 and Miss Caroline Morton along with her employer Mrs. Frogerton and Mrs. Frogerton’s daughter Dorothy have settled into their rented London home to attend Dorothy’s first season. Dealing with the ton will be a cakewalk compared to the harrowing times they lived through in Miss Morton and the English Houseparty Murder, the first book in the series.

Dorothy is busy setting the ton on its ear with her forthright, headstrong, and very engaging manner. Yes, they sit up and take notice even though her wealth comes from – gulp – gasp – trade. Meanwhile, Mrs. Frogerton has taken an interest in spiritualism and has attended a few sessions with Madam Lavinia. She even takes Caroline with her to a session to see what she thinks about it. Very doubtful and very skeptical, Caroline wants to bring Dr. Harris to one of the sessions for his opinion. Why? Well, Madam Lavinia passed along something that no one else could have known – and she did the same with Dr. Harris. Could she genuinely have a gift? We’ll never know because Caroline and Dr. Harris found her body – and Dr. Harris was soon charged with murder.

It was so much fun watching Caroline and Mrs. Frogerton set Scotland Yard on its ear with their staunch belief in Dr. Harris and their flat-out refusal to let him be railroaded. Since Sergeant Dawson wasn’t really interested in finding the real murderer – he only wanted to close the case as quickly as possible – Caroline and Mrs. Frogerton decided they’d solve it to save their friend.

I think you’ll be genuinely surprised by the identity of the villain. You will probably wonder – what if – but you won’t be sure. There are plenty of red herrings to keep you and our erstwhile sleuths off on tangents and plenty of wit to keep you smiling and shaking your head.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and can recommend it. The characters are delightful – especially Mrs. Frogerton, because, for me, she steals the show. So far, there isn’t a romance of any sort – and I really need one of those to totally enjoy the series. There is, of course, Dr. Harris from the last book. I never warmed to him in that book and the same was true of this one. Then, there is a new character, Mr. DeBloom, who is a bit intriguing. Not only could he be an excellent romantic interest, but there are some other hints of things to come for Caroline’s future as well. Cool – mystery within a mystery.

So, if you decide to read this book – I hope you 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.

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A Scot’s Pride by Eliza Knight

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A Scot's Pride (Distinguished Scots Book 1)A Scot’s Pride by Eliza Knight

Tracy’s rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: Distinguished Scots, #1

Release Date: August 15, 2023

At his grandfather’s urging, Bryson Mackenzie Fraser, Baron Lovat goes to London to find an English wife. He relies on his aunt, Lady Daven for help, suggesting that while he will marry an Englishwoman to appease his grandfather, he would like a bride with some Scottish blood. His aunt agrees to help and supplies him with a list of eligible brides, but then she confuses him when she introduces him to Miss Freya Grysham, a lovely woman who is completely wrong for him and not on the list. Bryson who usually has no problem charming ladies, finds himself immediately at odds with Freya. He is happy to be done with her, but when he learns her sister is the love of his best friend’s life, he will try to get along with her to help his friend. Too bad she doesn’t seem willing to play nice.

Freya Grysham is the second daughter of Baron Grysham, she and her elder sister Riley are partaking in the London season with hopes of finding husbands. Riley is madly in love with Hugh Gray, the Earl of Ashbury, but they are both painfully shy and the courtship is not progressing. To make matters worse, their father makes it clear that they need to marry well or risk being left penniless when their father dies and their cousin inherits. There is also the suggestion that Riley marry him, but Freya knows her sister is in love and will do whatever is necessary to help her attain her HEA – even spend time with the earl’s obnoxious best friend, Lord Lovat. But the more time she spends with him, the more she finds herself drawn to him but is sure nothing will come of it, especially when her family abruptly leaves London. Leaving her to wonder if anyone will be getting a HEA!

What a great start to a new series! Featuring an enemies-to-lovers trope, the book is filled with likable characters, more than one romance, an elopement, a bit of drama, a nod to previous heroes in other series, highwaymen, lots of sisters, witty banter, some tears, a bit of steam and finally a HEA. This is the first book in a new series, but I didn’t really feel a lot of setup for the series, but I am assuming that her friends will be finding their HEAs in upcoming installments. Overall, I enjoyed this story and will certainly be looking forward to the next book.

*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.*