The Lotus Palace (2013) Jeannie Lin Tang Dynasty China, 847 AD Yue-ying is a maidservant to Mingyu, one of the highest ranked courtesans in Pingkang li, the pleasure quarter. Mingyu had started training in music, dance and calligraphy immediately after Madame Sun had taken her in. She had been twelve years old at the time, […]
Friday’s Child (1944) Georgette Heyer Lord Sherington needs to get married to take control over his inheritance–especially since he suspects one of his uncles of not acting in his best interests. Sherry, however, is turned down by The Incomparable, Isabelle. ‘But my dear girl – ! No, really, now, Bella! Most devoted slave! Word of […]
The Reluctant Widow (1946) Georgette Heyer Set in England in 1813. Elinor Rochdale fell upon hard times when her father fell into ruin and shot himself, and has been a governess in recent years. She has come to take a new position as a governess, but ends up in the wrong carriage, where it is […]
The Gentle Art of Fortune Hunting (2021) K.J. Charles Set in Historical London Robin Loxleigh and his sister Marianne have come to London to seek their fortunes, each seeking a wealthy spouse. Unfortunately for Robin, the young lady he has set his sights for, has a very protective uncle who is determined to prove that […]
Just a Little Wickedness (2020) Merry Farmer (The Brotherhood) Set in London in 1890 Joe Logan came to London to search for his sister, who went missing while working as a maid at Eccles family, so he’s become a valet to the son. Lord Alistair Bevan is his father’s heir, and is feeling pressured to […]
These Old Shades (1926) Georgette Heyer Set in England and France in the mid 1750s. The Duke of Avon has well-earned his nickname of Satanas. ‘And you came to Paris with a fortune.’ ‘Quite a considerable one. I bought this house.’ ‘Yes. I wonder how you reconcile it with your soul?’ ‘I haven’t one, Hugh. […]
Bound by Memories (2020) Kaje Harper (Necromancer) This is a holiday short story. Silas and Darien are sent to deal with a ghost at a Christmas tree farm. And Ferngold (head of the local guild) is not pleased about Pip and is blaming both Darien and Silas for Pip’s existence. I quite liked the story […]
Powered by Ghosts (2020) Kaje Harper (Necromancer) Set in alternate 1963 Darien is free of his ghosts (literally) and has become Silas’ apprentice. However, he still has work to do, being a necromancer, and so the two end up dealing with a ghost problem, in a town where the local necromancer is too busy caring […]
It Takes Two to Tumble (2017) Cat Sebastian (Seducing the Sedgwicks) Set in England in 1817. Comfort reread. I felt so aggravated by the time I finished the 4th book of the Parasol Protectorate I needed something I knew I was going to love. Since I had just recommended this to someone, I decided it […]
Heartless (2011) Gail Carriger (Parasol Protectorate) Set in Alternate London in 1874 OK. Fine. Whatever. I finished it. Alexia is about to have her baby any minute now, and the vampires are still trying to kill her. So the solution everyone comes up with: the baby with be adopted by Lord Akeldama. And Alexia and […]
Blameless (2010) Gail Carriger (Parasol Protectorate) Set in England in the alternate 1873 As the end of the previous book still made me angry, even knowing what was coming, I immediately started reading this book, to see how I felt about the resolution of the issues from the second book. It was… okay. First problem, […]
Soulless (2009) Gail Carriger (Parasol Protectorate) Set in alternate London in Queen Victoria’s reign. Supernatural creatures, especially vampires and werewolves, are influential members of British society, although in the united states they are seen as monsters to barely tolerated, of not outright destroyed. Supernatural creatures, be they vampires, werewolves, or ghosts, owed their existence to […]
At Bertram’s Hotel (1965) Agatha Christie (Miss Marple) I’m not sure what it is that makes this story feel so weak compared to the others, but it is. Miss Marple gets a vacation to Bertram’s Hotel, but something just isn’t quite right there. “But how can that pay you?” “It’s a question of atmosphere… Strangers […]
Wonderstruck (2021) Allie Therin (Magic in Manhattan) Set in New York and other locales in 1925 Arthur and Rory are searching for a way to destroy the magical artifact that could be used to enslave non-magical minds, not just because it is evil, but because an evil man is searching to control it himself. But […]
A Gentleman Never Keeps Score (2018) Cat Sebastian (Seducing the Sedgwicks) Set in London in 1817 This is a reread, but one of a different type. I did a group read with several people on the the reddit r/romancebooks, where we read five chapters then chatted about all our thoughts. As may be blindingly obvious […]
The Killings at Badger’s Drift (1987) Caroline Graham (Chief Inspector Barnaby) I’d initially forgotten just how messed up this story is. Then once we were introduced to all the characters, I clearly remembered who did the murdering and why. The opening is actually sweet. An 80-year-old woman and her best friend have a long running […]
Poppy Redfern and the Midnight Murders (2019) Tessa Arlen (A Woman of WWII Mystery) Set in England 1942 Poppy Redfern trained to become ARP (Air Raid Precautions) Warden for the the village of Little Buffenden. She likes being able to help out and do her part for the war–especially now the Americans have entered the […]
A Lady’s Guide to Mischief and Murder (2020) Dianne Freeman (Countess of Harleigh Mystery) Set in England in 1899. Frances, Countess of Harleigh, was thinking she might be able to relax a bit, however her sister and her fiancee insist their wedding be moved up, so Frances is suddenly off to the country, to turn […]
Why Shoot a Butler? (1933) Georgette Heyer This story was all over the place. Barrister Frank Amberley gets lost taking a shortcut to visit his aunt and uncle, and comes upon a car alongside the road, and a young woman beside it. A closer look find a man dead in the drivers seat, and the […]
A Lady’s Guide to Gossip and Murder (2019) Dianne Freeman (A Countess of Harleigh Mystery) Set in London in 1899. I have officially decided this series is delightful. I leaned toward her as we walked out. “Very well done, dear. But a ranch in Brooklyn? What were you thinking?” She released a merry laugh. “That […]
The Unfinished Clue (1934) Georgette Heyer Sir Arthur Billingham-Smith and his wife Fay are throwing a house party. Except that the general didn’t want to have the party, doesn’t want to see his son and the woman he wants to marry, and is pretty much a complete bastard. He dislikes his son almost as much […]
A Lady’s Guide to Etiquette and Murder (2018) Dianne Freeman (A Countess of Harleigh Mystery) Set in England in 1899 Frances Wynn, Countess of Harleigh, is finally done with her mourning and is more than ready to move on with her life. When her husband died a year ago, he managed to be an even […]
A Christmas Dance (2014) Alissa Johnson Set in London in an indeterminate time. William Renwick, Earl of Casslebury needs a wife. He knows his is disciplined, so he hopes to find a woman who smile and laugh. But he wasn’t in need of additional efficiency in his house. He was drowning in efficiency. He was […]
The Shattered Tree (2016) Charles Todd (Bess Crawford) Set in France in 1918. Bess Crawford is back towards the front when a soldier in a French uniform is brought in, suffering from blood loss, his feet torn up because someone stole his boots before he fled across no-man’s land. But when the soldier unconsciously yells […]
A Pattern of Lies (2015) Charles Todd (Bess Crawford) Set in England and France in 1918. Stuck in Canterbury waiting for a transport train to take her to London, Bess meets a soldier she had helped nurse back to health. Invited to spend the night with his family when the train is further delayed, she […]
Tales: Short Stories Featuring Ian Rutledge and Bess Crawford (2015) Charles Todd This collection is four short stories with Bess Crawford and Ian Rutledge. “The Kidnapping” “The Girl on the Beach” “Cold Comfort” “The Maharani’s Pearls” “The Kidnapping” – Ian Rutledge, London 1920 I actually have a copy of this short story, but it had […]
The Deserted Heart (2018) Mary Lancaster (Unmarriageable) Bringing her brothers home from school, a thick fog forces them to stop at an inn. But they enter to discover not a soul around, even though the doors were unlocked and everything inside looked normal. Since it is too dangerous to continue, they settled in, and are […]
Everything I Ever Wanted (2003/2015) Jo Goodman (The Compass Club Series) Set in England in 1818 Matthew Forrester, Viscount Southerton and his four friends created the Compass Club when they were in school together, based upon the titles it was possible they could (but were unlikely to) inherit. India Parr is a stage actress of […]
No Wind of Blame (1939) Georgette Heyer (Inspector Hemingway) Ermyntrude Carter married Wally Carter, but has come to regret doing so, as Wally isn’t a great human. Yet Ermyntrude and her daughter Vicki Fanshawe, and Wally and his ward (and cousin) Mary Cliffe lived together on the money Ermyntrude inherited from her fist husband. Although […]
The Duke Who Didn’t (2020) Courtney Milan (Wedgeford Trials) Set in England in 1891. Chloe Fong may have spent time pining, but she is certainly not doing so any longer. She is going to help her father sell his sauce and get back at the men who stole his formula and left him with nothing. […]
Eight Tiny Flames (2018) Crista McHugh Set in Belgium in 1944. Lt. Ruth Mencher is a nurse in the 64th Evacuation unit. Like many of the other nurses in the unit, she’s had a bit of a crush on Capt. Joseph Klein. Unlike the other nurses, she has a plan to see if she can […]
The Bone Jar (2016) Candace Robb (Owen Archer) Set in York, possibly in 1366. It’s not stated when this story is set, but with Lucie being pregnant, and Owen worried about how the child will react to him, I’m guessing it’s set around the time of The Nun’s Tale. Magda has to leave, and asks […]
A Conspiracy of Wolves (2019) Candace Robb (Owen Archer) Set in York in 1374 It’s been a year since Archbishop Thoresby died. Owen has spent the intervening time on the estate he was gifted because of Thoresby, but now both Prince Edward and York want him to decide what he is going to do. York […]
A Vigil of Spies (2008) Candace Robb (Owen Archer) Set in England in 1373. Archbishop Thoresby of York is dying. There is about to be a power vacuum in York, and various power brokers are trying to influence the selection of his successor. Princess Joan, married to the heir to the English Throne, has come […]
The Deadly Hours (2020) Susanna Kearsley, Anna Lee Huber, Christine Trent, C.S. Harris Theses are four novellas, each connected by a cursed time piece. “Weapon of Choice” by Susanna Kearsley “In a Fevered Hour” by Anna Lee Huber “A Pocketful of Death” by Christine Trent “Siren’s Call” by C.S. Harris “Weapon of Choice” by Susanna […]
A Pretty Deceit (2020) Anna Lee Huber (Verity Kent) Set in England in 1919 Verity and Sidney are still searching for evidence of the crimes they know were committed by Lord Ardmore, but in the meantime, Verity’s parents guilt her into visiting her aunt, whose house had been damaged by the RAF soldiers living there […]
Secrets in the Mist (2016) Anna Lee Huber (Gothic Myths) Set in England in 1812. Ella Winterton has been struggling since her brother died. Her mother’s death troubled her father, but after her brother died fighting France, her father descended into alcoholism–an open secret that Ella can’t admit even to her best friend. Why could […]
Passing Strange (2017) Ellen Klages Set in San Francisco in 1940. Haskel is an artist who makes her living doing pulp covers. She and her friends live on the edge of polite society, either because they aren’t white or because of their sexuality, but they are found family. “Ah, Jack. You failed the three-garment test […]
Eight Skilled Gentlemen (1990) Barry Hughart (The Chronicles of Master Li and Number Ten Ox) Year of the Horse 3338 (a.d. 640) This is my least favorite of the three stories. That doesn’t mean it’s bad, just that I don’t like it as much as the first story. A vampire ghoul has killed an important […]
Two Rogues Make a Right (2020) Cat Sebastian (Seducing the Sedgwicks) Set in London ~1817-1818 Will Sedgwick’s best friend, Martin Easterbrook, had been found fevered and somewhat delusional in the attic of Hartley Sedgwick’s home (a home that by rights should have belonged to Martin). So Will stole him away to the country in the […]
The Pursuit Of… (2018) Courtney Milan Set in the United States in 1781 – 1784 At Yorktown John Hunter almost kills a British soldier–but instead ends up giving him his coat so he can escape. When told he’d repay the kindness, John things nothing of it. People say lots of things, and they almost never […]
Murder in the East End (2020) Jennifer Ashley (Kat Holloway) Set in London in 1882 Daniel has once again come to Kat Holloway seeing assistance in dealing with a problem–in this case a woman and several children are missing from a foundling house, and Daniel’s brother (of a sort) came to him for assistance. “Daniel […]
A Dangerous Deceit (2017) Alissa Johnson (The Thief-Takers) Set in England in the mid 1870s. Miss Jane Ballenger is a recluse. She’s tried going out in society, but it went very badly, so she remains at home, hiding her problems from the world. Sir Gabriel Arkwright is a famous thief-taker who now works as a […]
The Sugared Game (2020) K.J. Charles (The Will Darling Adventures) Set in London in 1924. Will Darling has settled in as proprietor of the bookstore he inherited from his uncle. He’s cleaned out the upstairs so he has room to sleep, and is slowly organizing the books. Unfortunately, all that is not keeping his mind […]
A Gift for Guile (2016) Alissa Johnson (The Thief Takers) Set in England in 1872 This series is just SO delightful. As soon as the door shut on the last giggle, she darted out from behind the screen and pulled the lid off one of the platters. Oh, asparagus. She adored asparagus. Samuel gestured for […]
A Murderous Relation (2020) Deanna Raybourn (Veronica Speedwell) Set in London in 1888. Victoria and Stoker are not to get much time to recover from their last adventures, as they are almost immediately asked to call upon Lady Wellie who has some important visitors she wants Victoria and Stoker to help. But Victoria doesn’t have […]
A Talent for Trickery (2015) Alissa Johnson (The Thief-Takers) Set in England in 1872. It’s still the time for falling back on old favorites. This book was my introduction to Alissa Johnson, and I immediately snatched up everything by her I could find. Charlotte Walker (now Bales) was the daughter of an infamous confidence man–and […]
A Gentleman’s Position (2016) K.J. Charles (Society of Gentlemen) Set in London in 1820 It’s not that this is a bad story, it’s just that I really don’t care that much for Richard, so it’s difficult for me to care about him having a HEA. David Cyprian I do like, but I really don’t understand […]
Practically Wicked (2012) Alissa Johnson (Haverston Family) Set in England in the 1800s Miss Anna Rees is the illegitimate daughter of the notorious Mrs. Wrayburn, and has had a reputation since she was a child. The fact that this reputation has nothing to do what any action Anna has every taken has nothing to do […]
Daring and the Duke (2020) Sarah MacLean (The Bareknuckle Bastards) Set in London in 1837 & 1838 I liked so much about this book, but the boinking parts were so not my thing the whole story ended up failing for me. Let me clarify before you start angry typing at me. Hate sex is something […]