Darcy McGuire – Flippin' Pages Book Reviews

The Bewitching Miss Blair by Darcy McGuire

Series: The Society of Scandalous Witches, #1

Release Date: March 1, 2026

When Clio Blair’s Uncle Lachlan MacDougal, a superintendent with Scotland Yard asks for her help in solving a murder/missing person case, she is happy to help. Clio has secrets, the main one being she is a fire witch and has the ability to talk to ghosts, so she understands why Uncle Lachlan asked for her help, but what she doesn’t understand is why he also asked Lieutenant General Thomas Grey to assist in the case! She finds the man completely insufferable, but to her dismay, she is attracted to him and for some reason can’t stop thinking about him. She tries hard to keep her secrets from him, but the longer they work together to solve Viscount Beachley’s murder and his wife’s disappearance, the harder it is. Especially when she begins having visions about him and finds herself falling for the last man she should ever want!

Lieutenant General Thomas Grey knows that Lachlan asked for his help because of his connections to the peerage. As the second son of an Earl, he has access to people and places that a commoner like Clio wouldn’t have. He is fascinated by her, but Thomas has his own secrets and knows that he isn’t fit for any woman, least of Clio. He tries to keep her at arm’s length, but as he unravels her secrets and truth about Viscount’s murder starts to come to light, his desire to keep her safe becomes overwhelming, even though it is clear that Clio can protect herself. Can he let himself fall for her, trust her with his truth and have the happily ever that has always evaded him or is he too broken?

I have mixed feelings about this book, on one hand, I loved the magic and the mystery, and I thought the book was well-written. But I wasn’t a fan of some of the story elements – like Clio’s familiar, a raven named Sir Robin Goodfellow – I have no idea why the raven was so nasty and foulmouthed – it made no sense to me, plus it was just hard to believe that it was just accepted that she walked around with a raven on her shoulder in Victorian England. I also felt like the animosity between Clio and Thomas was dragged out for way too long, it made it hard for me to believe they fell in love so quickly when they were so hostile for a good portion of the book. Neither of these things ruined the book for me, but I had a hard time accepting the final outcome of the mystery – I can’t say more without a spoiler, but it just didn’t work for me. Overall, I liked the story and would read the next installment, but I don’t think I would read this book again. If you are looking for a slightly spicy, enemies to lovers story with a paranormal twist and a bit of mystery, then I would suggest giving this book a try.

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

The Confessions of a Lady by Darcy McGuire

Tracy’s Rating: 2.5 of 5 stars

Series: The Queen’s Deadly Damsels, #3

Release Date: February 9, 2025

As a housemaid, spy Penny Smith has access to her employer’s home that will enable her to learn secrets better than most. Penny’s mother has been imprisoned and if she is successful in helping the Prime Minister bring down the evil group known as the Devil’s Sons. A group that has ties to the nobility and the Prime Minister believes that William Renquist, the Marquess of Stoneway is a member. Penny is placed in his home to find evidence of his participation, but the more she gets to know the marquess, the more she wonders if he is actually a member of the Devil’s Sons.

William “Liam” Renquist, the Marquess of Stoneway is not the degenerate that society believes him to be, he is actually a spy for Queen Victoria and is currently working to bring down the Devil’s Sons from within and in the process hopes to prove that he is an honorable man and has overcome the taint of his ancestors. He is making progress, but notices that his maid seems to keep turning up where she doesn’t belong. Once they realize they are on the same side, they will have to work together to bring down their shared enemy. As the attraction between them intensifies, it is clear that they belong together, but their class difference could make a HEA impossible.

This book was a bit more intense than the previous books, but sadly it lacked the chemistry and charm of those books. As much as I liked the idea of the story and enjoyed the intrigue, I was never sold on the romance between Penny and Liam, it just didn’t work for me. If you have been following the series, I was recommend reading this title, but it is not a book I would re-read. This is the third book in the series but could be read as a standalone title. Overall, I enjoyed parts of this book, but I didn’t like it as much as the previous titles in this series.

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

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