Tag: Candace Camp

An Affair At Stonecliffe by Candace Camp

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

An Affair at Stonecliffe (Stonecliffe, #1)

Barbara’s rating: 5 of 5 Stars
Series: Stonecliffe #1
Publication Date: 5/24/22
Period: Regency
Number of Pages: 384

This author never disappoints. Her writing style just resonates with me. Do you know what I mean? Some authors write excellently and you enjoy their books, but others just seem to sing out to you – this author’s books always sing out to me for some reason. The pacing is excellent and your emotions, fears, etc. just ebb and flow right along with those of the characters. You can absolutely feel the panic as it overtakes Noelle when she thinks Carlisle will take her son, Gil, away from her – by fair means or foul. Yes, our poor Carlisle has a lot to answer for in this enemies to lovers book – and believe me, it really is enemies to lovers because Noelle thoroughly despises Carlisle Thorn.

Noelle is the daughter of a Cambridge professor, so her education is unusual for the times. Being a progressive thinker, her father educated her far beyond what most women were – she spoke several languages and knew art, Latin, mathematics – well, all of it. Noelle is also arrestingly beautiful and much sought after by the students at Cambridge. She ignores them until Adam comes along and won’t take no for an answer. He’s handsome, romantic – and a gifted artist – and they love each other. They marry and have a child a couple of years later – only Adam dies – and she and the child are destitute. They’ve been living in an artist community on the continent – and Adam has been cut off from his family. Now, what is Noelle and baby Gilbert (Gil) going to do? And that is where the book begins. A tall, forbidding, grim, angry, and overbearing, dictatorial man shows up at her door and wants baby Gil – the man wants to PURCHASE Gil. Panic sets in and Noelle flees with Gil.

Carlisle Thorn was taken in by Adam’s family when he was a young boy. To Carlisle, that is his family and Adam was like a little brother. He’s tried to convince Adam’s father to reconcile with Adam, but he won’t – and now Adam is dead so they never will reconcile. The least Carlisle can do is bring Adam’s son home to England so he can be raised in the comfort he deserves. He just has to get the baby away from that scheming female who beguiled Adam and tricked him into marriage. There is no telling what someone with her loose morals will do and how she’d raise Adam’s child.

So, the misconceptions are off and running from the first page of the book. Noelle and Gil are constantly on the move. They hide their identities, they change how they look, they change their names – yet, Carlisle Thorn is continually searching for them – even after five years. He’s relentless and he’s almost caught them several times – well he did catch them several times and tried to kidnap Gil, but they always managed to escape.

When Noelle and Carlisle finally confront each other a second time, she really blisters his ears. Yet, he is unrepentant and doesn’t understand why she is so upset and fearful of him. As the story continues, each begins to understand the other may not be who they’ve believed all these years.

The secondary characters are wonderful and I loved them all. None of them are superfluous fluff added in just to fill page time. Each had a vital role in the story as it unfolded and each was truly likable. You’ll find mad dashes through unsavory parts of London, carriage chases across England, and hurried, dangerous flights across rooftops, but mostly you’ll find an exciting and well-told tale.

I can definitely recommend this book and cannot wait for other books in the series.

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

View all my reviews

His Improper Lady by Candance Camp

On By TracyIn Historical Mystery, Historical Paranormal/Fantasy, Tracy's Reviews, Victorian Era (1837-1901)Leave a comment

His Improper Lady (The Mad Morelands, #8)His Improper Lady by Candace Camp

Tracy’s rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Series: The Mad Morelands, #8

Release Date: June 29, 2021

When Tom Quick thwarts a break-in to his offices, he is shocked to realize the would-be thief is a woman! She escapes but leaves a clue to her identity – a token from the Farrington Club. It isn’t hard for Tom to track her down and confront her, but never in his wildest dreams could he have anticipated the story she has to tell.

Desiree Malone thought she had left her days of crime behind her, but when the opportunity to learn the truth of who her father is comes up, she can’t resist. When she breaks into the offices of Moreland and Quick looking for an envelope that Falk, the kidsman she used to work for wants, she doesn’t find it, but she does find something that might lead her to her father without having to work with Falk. She is so absorbed in her find, that she doesn’t hear Tom and is nearly caught, she barely gets away and takes to the rooftops to escape. It isn’t until later that she realizes she lost her token – the first one she ever won at her brother Brock’s gaming hell. But she is so excited about her find that she doesn’t worry overmuch about it. While in the office, she found a ring in the desk – with the Moreland crest, she immediately recognizes the ring as the same one her brother Brock has, that was given to him as a small child. Desiree and her twin brother Wells, remember nothing of their parents, but Brock was old enough to know some things, such as their parents were not married, their mother was their father’s mistress, and that they ran away together when the twins were still babies. Brock doesn’t know who their father was, but the man had given him a ring and that ring is an exact replica of the one she found in the office! She is sure her father was a Moreland, which in her mind, explains so much especially since she seems to possess a “gift” and has heard the whispers about the Mad Morelands and their “abilities”. She is trying to figure out how to proceed when she is confronted by Tom.

At first, Tom is sure that Desiree is trying to scam the Morelands and there is no way he will let that happen. Tom too worked for Falk, a fact that surprises them both, but he was saved by Reed Moreland and given a new life, which makes him very protective of the family. But as evidence begins to mount, Tom realizes that Desiree is not trying to hurt the family, she is just looking for answers. He agrees to help her and after visiting the Morelands, it becomes clear that while she is not from the Duke’s immediate family, she is in fact a Moreland. But even that knowledge doesn’t quell the uneasiness she is feeling and there is still the mystery of why her parents left without making provisions for them. But the more she and Tom begin to grow closer and to dig for answers, the more her uneasiness increases and it is clear that someone doesn’t want them finding the answers!

This was a well-written and interesting story that was more mystery than romance. The mystery was well-paced and perfectly executed with plenty of suspects and motives, the romance was a bit more subtle, which worked wonderfully for this book. My only real complaint was the constant incorrect use of the titles Lord and Lady Moreland, there would actually not be anyone addressed as Lord/Lady Moreland, but the author used it for everyone with the last name Moreland, so not only is it incorrect usage, but it makes it confusing to know which Moreland she is referencing. I enjoyed this book and I am hoping that there will be more installments that include Desiree’s brothers, This is the eighth book in the series, but it could easily be read as a standalone title with no problem, and while it is not necessary, to really understand the “Mad Morelands” I would recommend reading the books in order.

*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. *