The Secret Staircase by Sheila Connolly

On By BarbaraIn Barb's Reviews, Contemporary, Mystery2 Comments

Barbara’s Rating: 5 of 5 Stars

Publication Date: 8/24/21

Series: Victorian Village Mysteries #3

Period:  Contemporary Maryland

Number of Pages:  304

Since the last book, things are moving right along in the tiny Maryland village of Asheboro.  After the sizable donation from Mid-Atlantic Power, Kate and her board have been able to start work on restoring Henry Barton’s shovel factory and have even begun planning for the restoration of the Barton’s Victorian mansion.  If all continues to move forward, they should be able to begin work on Main Street before too long.  Kate, and the town’s, dream of creating an authentic Victorian Village – complete with downtown area, mansion, and factory will save the town from totally disappearing.  So much is riding on the success of this project, and then … they find a body hidden in a closed-up stairwell.  Why is the 100-year-old body in the stairwell?  What happened to the man?  Was he murdered?  Did he fall down the stairs and die?  Why would anyone wall him in?  Since the house has been closed up for over a hundred years, they’ll probably never know the answer.  But when another body is found – a very recent death – also having fallen down a stairway – well – things get curioser and curioser.

Kate vacillates between feeling positive about the project and apprehensive about it.  Has she bitten off more than she can chew?  The publicity around finding not one, but two dead bodies at the Victorian mansion could very well keep donors from contributing to the project, so Kate, Josh, and Carroll know they have to pull out all of the stops to learn the personal history of the reclusive Henry and Mary Barton.  Learning that may help them solve the mystery behind the 100-year-old corpse.  Is the second body related to the first in some way?  Is it some weird family feud?  The victim wasn’t a very pleasant fellow, so who did he anger enough to kill him?

This was a thoroughly enjoyable story.  The mystery (both of them) was intriguing and the solution unexpected.  There were lots of clues to follow and lots of suspects to clear before we finally have solutions.  I also love following along with the overarching story of Kate leading the charge to turn Asheboro, Maryland into a vintage Victorian Village similar to Williamsburg, VA.  I hope you’ll give this book a try and love it as much as I did.  I definitely miss this author and all of her lovely series.

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

Taming the Scot by Eliza Knight

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

Taming the Scot (Scots of Honor, #3)Taming the Scot by Eliza Knight

Tracy’s rating: 5 of 5 stars

Series: Scots of Honor, #3

Release Date: August 24, 2021

When Captain Euan Irvine learns upon his grandfather’s death that the old man changed the terms of his will, he is upset, but it isn’t until he learns what the changes are that he gets really angry and wants no part of it! But with so many tenants and six sisters to care for, Euan knows he can’t let them down and will have to dance to his grandfather’s twisted tune – meaning, the first grandson to enter into a loving marriage and produce an heir, will inherit everything – the two barony titles, all the properties, and title of Chief of the Irvine clan. He has never had a problem attracting women and figures this will be no different – but his sisters disagree and say wooing a bride is not the same as seducing a lover and suggest he hire a governess to help him with proper etiquette and to their surprise, he agrees.

Bronwen Holmes is by no means an appropriate etiquette governess, but when the gaming hell owner AKA Prince demands that she make good on her parents’ debt – a debt that he had them killed for – she has no choice but to beg her cousin Emilia for help. Emilia has an idea, she shows Bronwen the advert for a governess in the highlands and suggests that Bronwen take that job, even offering to book her passage on one of Andrewson Shipping, her employer’s ships. Unsure but out of options, Bronwen heads for the highlands.

Bronwen’s first meeting with Euan is hilarious and completely priceless. She basically hires herself for the position and leaves Euan wondering what just happened, but he decides to go along with it. It is not long before Euan and his sisters realize that Bronwen is not who or what she claims to be, but after getting a letter from his friend Lorne Gordon, the Duke of Sutherland and husband of Jaime the owner of Andrewson Shipping, and learning that she is in some sort of danger, he decides to play along with her charade. The problem is, the more time he spends with her, the more time he wants and soon he is sure that she is the answer to his inheritance problem. But Bronwen has secrets and even after confessing her deception, being accepted, and even knowing that he is the only man she will ever love, she is still not sure she is the right woman for Euan.

This was a well-written, fast-paced book with more than one twist that will keep you saying NO WAY and OMG, until the very end! Of the three books in the series so far, this one is my favorite, I just loved the instant connection between Bronwen and Euan, and his sisters are wonderful secondary characters who add so much to this book without outshining the leads. This book has a little bit of everything; mystery, witty banter, laugh-out-loud moments, secrets, steamy love scenes, great secondary characters, cameos from previous characters, a bit of angst, a truly evil villain, more than one surprising twist, and finally a HEA complete with an epilogue! This is the third book in the series, but it can easily be read as a standalone title with no issues. I loved this book and am happy to recommend it!

*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.*