The Unexpected Wife by Jess Michaels

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

The Unexpected Wife (The Three Mrs #1)The Unexpected Wife by Jess Michaels

Tracy’s rating: 3.5/4 of 5 stars

Series: The Three Mrs #1

Release Date: March 9, 2021

When investigator Owen Gregory tracks down Celeste Montgomery at her parent’s home, the last thing she expected to hear was that the husband she hasn’t seen in six months is dead! But unfortunately, that was not all Owen had to share, not only was Erasmus Montgomery dead, but he was murdered and if that was not bad enough, she learns he was also a bigamist and as the third Mrs. Erasmus Montgomery, her marriage wasn’t valid!

Owen quickly determines that Celeste didn’t murder Erasmus and admires her intelligence and quiet beauty, so much so that he asks her to join him in London to help with the investigation. A proposition she quickly agrees to. They travel to London where she meets Abigail and Phillipa “Pippa”; the other “Mrs. Montgomerys” and they immediately form a bond. She also meets Erasmus’ brother, the Earl of Leighton, and the man who hired Owen, the Duke of Gilmore. She quickly settles in and is eager to help Owen find the killer and clear her new friend’s names from the suspect list.

Celeste and Owen work together and soon give in to the attraction that has been brewing since they met, it is clear that they harbor deeper feelings, but before they can even consider a future, they will need to find out who killed Erasmus!

This was a well-written, fast-paced story with a wonderful cast of characters and a well-plotted mystery. This book is the first in a new series and there is a lot of set-up for the future installments, but that didn’t detract from Owen and Celeste’s romance at all. The story has a fantastic hero, great secondary characters, steamy love scenes, lies, secrets, betrayal, and will surprise you with some shocking twists and turns before Owen and Celeste get their HEA. This was a great book, but sadly I was disappointed when Celeste overreacts to a perceived betrayal and then proceeds to become a complete hypocrite – it was short-lived and quickly resolved, it didn’t ruin the book, but, in my opinion, it marred the story. Overall, this was a great start to a new series that I am looking forward to reading and would be happy to recommend.

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that I requested and was provided to me by the publisher. All opinions are my own *

The Devil In Her Bed by Kerrigan Byrne

On By BarbaraIn Barb's Reviews, Victorian Era (1837-1901)Leave a comment

The Devil in Her Bed (Devil You Know, #3)The Devil in Her Bed by Kerrigan Byrne
Barbara’s rating: 5 of 5 stars

Series: Devil you Know #3
Publication Date: 3/9/21
Number of Pages: 416

WOW! What an exciting, page flippin’, edge-of-your-seat ending for the delightful series featuring the three lovely ladies from the Red Rogue Society. Each of the ladies in the society – Alexandra (How to Love a Duke in Ten Days), Cecelia (All Scot and Bothered) – and now Francesca have all found their Happily Ever After. While finding those HEAs, they have also managed to put an end to the evil Crimson Council. The story is excellently written, excellently plotted, and so well delivered. You will absolutely love the main characters and the visits by the other ladies of the Society make this wrap-up book even more special.

Francesca Cavendish, Countess of Mont Claire, has spent the last twenty years of her life in pursuit of one thing – REVENGE. She spent her youth training with every master, in every country. She’s skilled in every defensive (and offensive) art you can name and now she is ready – and she’s very, very close to bringing down the Crimson Counsel because they are responsible for the deaths of her entire family – everyone she loved as a young girl. They tried to kill her too – and they would have if it had been for the young boy, Declan Chandler, she loved – the one who saved her just before they killed him. The Crimson Council will pay for those deaths – especially Declan’s – and they’ll pay for all of the harm they have done in the last twenty years while she was preparing herself. She’s ready – her fighting skills are finely honed – her seductive powers are legendary within the ton – and now she knows who the leader is. He’ll go down and he’ll go down hard – right along with the rest of the Crimson Counsel!

Chandler Alquist, the Devil of Dover, is everybody and nobody – a ghost, because he doesn’t exist. He works for the not yet officially formed Secret Service and he’s lethal. He knows his way around every skill known and used by the covert services – from seduction to the lethal. He has names, identities, and homes all across London and England for that matter. If the Crown wants someone eliminated, Chandler is the one they send because he’s as ruthless as they come. Chandler is a lost soul who has lost everything and everyone he’s ever loved – twice over – and now, he’s just an empty shell – a ghost of a man.

If you read the second book in the series, you’ll remember Chandler as the man Ramsey brought in to help save the young girls being held hostage. After reading that, I couldn’t wait to read Chandler and Francesca’s book. Goodness, it was worth waiting for. I loved watching Francesca best Chandler – quite often – in both fighting skills and in planning skills. I loved how completely and fearlessly she loved Declan. And – goodness – when all of their secrets were finally revealed – how differently they each reacted.

Watching Declan and Francesca work together – and separately – was a pure delight and really made the story believable. I think the two things that might have made the story better would have been for him to reconcile his feelings for Pippa earlier and for there to have been an epilogue featuring all of the couples some years in the future. I hope you will give the book a read and enjoy it as much as I did.

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