Two Secret Sins by Anna Campbell

On By TracyIn Georgian Era (1714-1837), Regency Era (1811-1820), Top Pick - Highly Recommended, Tracy's ReviewsLeave a comment

Two Secret Sins (A Scandal in Mayfair, #2)Two Secret Sins by Anna Campbell

Tracy’s rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Series: A Scandal in Mayfair, #2

Release Date: August 31, 2021

The ton would be shocked to learn that the oh-so-proper Eliot Ridley, Viscount Colville is having a passionate affair with the oh-so-scandalous widow, Lady Verena Gerard, but this unlikely couple has been burning up the sheets for half a year and their passion shows no signs of waning! But all that changes when Eliot is called away and they don’t see each other for a month. Eliot returns and realizes that a secret affair is no longer what he wants – he wants Verena as his wife and will accept nothing less.

Lady Verena has suffered at the hands of men, first her father and then her husband, even her brothers failed her by ignoring her pain and suffering. So as soon as her abusive husband died Verena vowed to never cede control of her life to another man – she would live life on her terms, take lovers and never remarry. Taking Eliot as her lover was something she never would have imagined and her feelings for him border on dangerous to her peace of mind, on more than one occasion she has thought about ending their affair, but can’t bring herself to part from him – that is until he proposes!

Verena refuses his proposal and tries to make him see reason, that marriage to her would ruin him and by extension his sister, but Eliot doesn’t care and is sure that they can weather the scandal together. Still, Verena refuses and ends their affair. Something that makes them both miserable, but is necessary in her mind. Will Eliot convince her that love is worth the scandal or will he realize that to prove his love, he will have to give up on his dream of HEA and let her go?

What a great read! It is a well-written, fast-moving story with wonderful characters and steamy love scenes (YAY!!!) The story has a lot of emotion, a bruised-but-not-broken heroine, a heart of gold hero, steamy love scenes, horse races, great secondary characters, a little heartache, and then a great ending complete with an epilogue. My only complaint with this book is that there is a very intriguing character introduced at the end of the book and then that storyline is dropped without any closure, I thought she might pop up in the epilogue, but sadly she didn’t – I have my fingers crossed that she and Shelburn will make an appearance in the next book and I will get my answers. Other than that very minor point, this was a great book, the timeline runs parallel to the first book, but you definitely don’t need to read that book to enjoy this one (but you should read it anyway because it is awesome). I would happily recommend this story and cannot wait for the next installment!

Murder At The Lighthouse by Frances Evesham

On By BarbaraIn Barb's Reviews, Contemporary, Mystery1 Comment

Murder at the Lighthouse (Exham on Sea Mysteries #1)7Barbara’s Rating: 4 of 5 Stars
Series: Exham on Sea Mysteries #1
Publication Date: 9/23/15
Period: Contemporary Somerset, UK
Number of Pages: 186

I have been reading more and more cozy and historical mysteries of late, so I am always on the lookout for a new series to love. I believe I have found both an excellent author and series. I am really not a fan of those female sleuths who are just Nosey-Nellies. The ones that are in-you-face and expect anybody and everybody to answer their much too personal questions, while thumbing their noses at the inept police at the same time. I was so very happy to see this book didn’t follow that format. The writing is excellent, the mystery is well-plotted and excellently paced, and the characters are well-developed and very likable. I will definitely be reading more books in this series.

After the death of her misanthropic husband (who she does not mourn), Libby Forest decides to leave London and move to the small Somerset village of Exham On Sea. In Exham she can have a job, write her cookbook, open a patisserie, and all of those many other things she wasn’t allowed to do while her husband, Trevor was alive. She’s loving her small cottage, her wonderfully re-done cook’s kitchen, and the new friends she has made in the village. All is right with her world – until she takes her neighbor’s dog for a walk on the beach and discovers a body …

The victim is a former villager who had prospered in America. Nobody had seen her in over twenty years – why was she back now? Why did no one know she was here? When Detective Sergeant Joe Ramshore immediately decides it was an accident, Libby just can’t believe it. Something just isn’t right about all of it. The murder is the talk of the village and as Libby learns more about the woman who died, she wants to know even more. As she learns more, she’s convinced it was murder and begins to investigate even more. Then, there is a second death and again, Ramshore decides it was an accident. Given the circumstances, Libby is sure it wasn’t.

During the investigation, we meet a lovely cast of characters. There is the handsome, mysterious Max Ramshore – estranged father of Detective Sergeant Ramshore. There is Fuzzy, the irascible marmalade cat who delights in NOT showing Libby any affection. Bear is a huge, lovable, usually good-natured Carpathian Sheepdog you’ll want to adopt. Of course, there is Frank the baker (and Libby’s boss), and Mandy the teenage Goth waitress at the bakery, and many others in the town. They are a delightful bunch and you’ll enjoy meeting them all.

It was fun watching Libby unraveling the clues and solving a murder that had roots twenty years in the past. You can even feel a bit of sympathy for the perpetrator – at least for the first murder – and we are left to just assume that the same person committed both murders. I will definitely be reading other books in this series.

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