Barbara’s rating: 4 out of 5 Stars
Series: Princes of London #1
Publication Date: 4/1/25
Period: Victorian London
Number of Pages: 364

What happens when a bluestocking, whirlwind of an antiquities store owner meets a staid, no-nonsense Scotland Yard Inspector? Chaos and romance at its best. This was a really fun start to a new series, and I can hardly wait to see what happens next!

Alexandra Prince was the one who was always left behind in her adventurous family – and she doesn’t like it a bit. While her parents and siblings were off on exploring adventures, she was at home – sickly. She is outspoken, a bit impulsive, and honest to a fault, and those traits often land her in a bit of bother, much to the lament of her brother, Dominic, and her sister, Eve. Really, she just wants to do good and be of help. So, when she overhears snatches of a conversation about stealing the crown jewels, she goes to Scotland Yard to tell her tale. When the very handsome inspector actually listened to her, she was more than pleased.

Detective Inspector Benedict Drake is bound and determined to climb to the highest ranks in Scotland Yard. He is a workaholic who lives and breathes his cases. He has come a long way since his humble beginnings, and nothing is going to come between him and success. Then, this whirlwind of a chit barges into his office with tales about someone planning to steal the crown jewels. He concedes she is being honest and really believes what she’s saying – but – without descriptions or identifying details, there is no way to even begin to track anybody down.

As Ben follows leads to wrap up the case he’s been working on – and do inquiries into Alexandra’s reported case- they become more and more drawn to each other. Ben just wants to keep her safe and away from investigating, but she’s having none of it. She’s always wanted to have her own adventure, and now she will.

This was an enjoyable read with compelling, likable characters and a good mystery. I enjoyed watching Ben learn that success wasn’t necessarily what he thought it was.

I voluntarily read an early copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

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Barbara’s rating: 4 out of 5 Stars
Series: Love on Holiday #3
Publication Date: 8/22/223
Period: 1896 – Victorian London & Ireland
Number of Pages: 362

This final book in the Love on Holiday series was a delightfully entertaining read from the ‘meet cute’ to the final sweet words of the epilogue. With endearing characters, low angst, and excellent writing, you just can’t go wrong. Just my kind of book!

Miss Evelyn (Evie) Graves comes from a noble, but estranged, family because her father chose to marry for love rather than status and title. Evie is employed as secretary to the Countess of Waverly and she is very proud of the work she does. While she longs to be a published author, she’ll continue to be the well-organized and efficient secretary she is paid to be. Maybe she’d like to attend one of those events she plans – sometime. Probably not. However, that was an exciting encounter she had with a handsome man in the garden at the event she’d planned for Lady Waverly. Ah well, she’ll never see him again – and doesn’t even know who he is.

Alexander Pierpont wasn’t meant to be the Duke. That job belonged to his older brother who died, and, now Alex is the Duke of Rennick. Everybody wants to be a duke – right? Not at all! Alex is now saddled with a crumbling estate that his father nearly bankrupted – and to add insult to injury – his father included a clause in his will that forces him to marry within six months or lose the only thing in the duchy that he cares about. Should he not marry on time, his beloved, unentailed, Irish castle, Ballymore, will go to his odious uncle instead.

Imagine Alex’s surprise when the woman he met in a garden months ago alights from a carriage that should have been carrying someone else. Alex hadn’t ever been able to forget that unknown lady – and now – here she was – at his castle. Evie had traveled to Ireland in place of her employer, but evidently, Alex hadn’t received the countess’s letter explaining her absence.

I loved Alex and Evie together. Their open, upfront caring for each other was endearing. They had things to overcome, but I loved that they were going to figure them out together.

I’ve read some reviews that mentioned the aunt and the uncle as being very ineffectual antagonists. I didn’t view them as the antagonists – I viewed Alex’s father as the antagonist – and – goodness, he was a foul piece of work even in death. Aunt Oona was selfish in that she wanted Alex to marry to save ‘her’ home, but I didn’t think of her as a real antagonist. Now, Uncle George could have been a pretty viable antagonist, but the author chose to take him in another direction. I liked that direction but felt sorry for him and wished the author had chosen to show more positive interactions between him and the family.

I recommend this book if you love a straightforward romance with little angst. I thoroughly enjoyed it because the characters were lovely, the writing was excellent, and I thought it was well-paced.

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

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