Tag: Kate Moore

The Christmas Husband Hunt by Kate Moore

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

The Christmas Husband Hunt (Husband Hunters, #4)The Christmas Husband Hunt by Kate Moore
Tracy’s rating: 3 of 5 stars

Series: Husband Hunters #4

Release Date: November 5, 2019

Charles Davenham, Viscount Wynford is one of Goldworthy’s newest recruits in his spy club. He has tasked Charles with unmasking Isabelle Delatour who claims to be the Marchioness de Tonnelier a very distant cousin of Charles mother, but whom they suspect is actually a Russian spy. He is perfecting his disguise with his friend Peregrine “Perry” Pilkington when his young sister Octavia arrives from the country very upset, clutching a copy of The Husband Hunter’s Guide to London and insisting that she needs to find a husband by Christmas. Charles is at a loss until Perry suggests that he ask Lady Harriet “Harry” Swanley for help.

Harry is the sister of the Earl of Danraven, but she left home at 16 when she refused to marry the man her brother choose for her. She moved in with a cousin, Lady Luxbough and has been governess to her children for the last 10 years. When Charles calls upon her, she immediately knows who he is and prays that he doesn’t remember meeting her. She agrees to introduce Octavia to some young people and help her settle into society, but she is sure there is more going on with Charles than just taking care of his sister. Especially when she meets the Marchioness and sees a marked difference in his behavior.

This was a good mystery, but in my opinion, there was zero romance – I don’t know when or why Charles and Harriet fell in love and never felt any connection between them and there was certainly no heat. They don’t even really work together to solve the mystery. I also don’t know why Isabelle was called the “Marchioness” – she is supposed to be French and has a French title, so she should have been the Marquise de Tonnelier – it is a stupid little detail, but it annoyed me to no end. I did enjoy the mystery in the story and if this had been a historical fiction, I would have rated it 4 stars, but as a romance it was a fail for me.

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that was provided to me by NetGalley and the publisher.*

A Spy’s Guide To Seduction

On By BarbaraIn Barb's Reviews, Novella, Regency Era (1811-1820)Leave a comment

A Spy's Guide to Seduction (Husband Hunters, #3)A Spy’s Guide to Seduction by Kate Moore

Barbara’s rating: 3 of 5 stars

Series: Husband Hunters #3
Publication Date: 3/12/19
# of Pages: 180

*** 3.5 stars ***
This was my first book by this author and I was really looking forward to a steamy romance and confounding mystery. What I found was no steam, but a nice slow build of a romance – and I liked that. I liked that the characters didn’t jump into insta-lust, but they were definitely attracted to each other. I also love the way Lynley came to respect Emily’s intelligence and cleverness before he actually realized that he also loved her. The mystery was a good one as well with multiple villains and missing secrets that could plunge England into war.

Speaking of villains – there is one I just never figured out. I could not see his purpose nor could I see what he was trying to gain.  What was his plot?   Yes, he provided a misdirection for the storyline, but he could still have had some ulterior motives in mind instead of just being . . . I can’t explain more without telling you who he is and what he does, but I think his motives should have been plainer – otherwise, there is no reason for him to have done what he did or even to be in the story at all. Maybe he’ll play some villainous role in a future book.  I really wanted to see him get more punishment than a sock in the nose!

Sir Ajax Lynley (I love that name) has agreed to work for a spymaster for one year. So far his assignments have been exciting, but fairly minor. Now, he has a task that affects the fate of England. If he cannot retrieve certain documents, England will be forced into war with Russia. Since Lynley lived in Spain from the time he was a teenager and has only just returned to be a spy, he needs to reenter society. He’s been trying to think of the best way to do that when the perfect opportunity drops right into his lap.

Lady Emily Radstock is fast approaching her twenty-ninth birthday, she is still unmarried and sees no particular reason to change that. However, her mother has other ideas and presents Emily with a book, ‘The Husband Hunter’s Guide To London’. Since her mother is on her way out of town to care for Emily’s grandmother, Emily can’t rail at her, so she heads over to her younger sister’s house to rant. As she says that she ought to marry the first imbecile she meets, she hears this masculine voice say, “I accept”.

She is dumbstruck – surely he can’t mean it and surely can’t intend to hold her to that. Yet he does. She knows he has to be up to something and she fully intends to find out what it is. As they spend time together she comes to like him – and she starts to figure out what is going on. Then, suddenly it hits her – he is a SPY. Yum, adventure – and she sorely wants to have an adventure so she happily joins him in his mission. She is, however, annoyed that she is only a quasi-partner – he doesn’t share everything with her. Yet, the one time he takes off on his own because he wants to protect her, it doesn’t end well for him.

I enjoyed this book even though I thought that it could have been a bit longer and better fleshed out in both the mystery and the romance aspects of the story. I’ll look forward to the next one in the series – The Christmas Husband Hunt.

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