books

Fantasy Mystery Romance Comics Non-Fiction

Where Shadows Dance, Audiobook

Where Shadows Dance, Audiobook (2011) C.S. Harris narrated by Davina Porter (Sebastian St. Cyr #6) Set in London in 1812 When Paul Gibson purchases his latest cadaver for research, he discovers the young man, Alexander Ross, did not die of a weak heart, but was instead murdered. Unable to report the discovery that his stolen […]

What Remains of Heaven, Audiobook

What Remains of Heaven, Audio Book (2009/2016) C.S. Harris narrated by Davina Porter (Sebastian St. Cyr #5) Set in England in 1812. When the controversial, reform-minded Bishop of London is found bludgeoned to death in an ancient crypt beside the corpse of an unidentified man murdered decades before, Sebastian St. Cyr, Viscount Devlin, is asked […]

Where Serpents Sleep, Audiobook

Where Serpents Sleep, Audiobook (2008/2015) C.S. Harris narrated by Davina Porter (Sebastian St. Cyr) Set in England in 1812. Oddly, on the same day, the book I was listening to and the book I read both had passages about the murder of Prime Minister Spenser Percival. I prefer the “solution” presented in the other book […]

The Emperor’s Conspiracy

The Emperor’s Conspiracy (2012) Michelle Diener (Regency London) Set in England in 1811. Once you accept the premise of the relationship between Charlotte and Lady Howe, this is a fantastic mystery and romance. Lady Howe really is marvelous. “There is no man in this house,” Catherine said into the silence. “So I’ll ask you as […]

Banquet of Lies

Banquet of Lies (2013) Michelle Diener (Regency London) Set in London in 1812. Another favorite. “We’ve been fattening Mavis up,” Iris said, and something in the way she said it made Gigi go very still. If this was evidence of Mavis with more meat on her bones, she must have been a walking skeleton when […]

Murder at Midnight

Murder at Midnight (2023) Katharine Schellman (Lily Adler) Set in England in 1816 The fourth Lily Adler book finds her at a house party with her late husband’s family, Matthew Spenser, and the Hartleys. Lily had always found their custom of calling each other by their middle names—the names chosen by their mother, rather than […]

Death at the Manor

Death at the Manor (2022) Katharine Schellman (Lily Adler) Set in England in 1815. Jack’s ship is repaired and ready to return to see, and Lily is headed to the country to visit her aunt. “Will you write me?” “Of course. I shall tell you how revered I am aboard ship and how no one […]

Silence in the Library

Silence in the Library (2021) Katharine Schellman (Lily Adler) Set in London in 1815 Lily Adler has slowly getting back into life in London, when she received an unexpected visitor: her father. The man disapproves of absolutely everything she does–and isn’t quiet about his opinions. Although she doesn’t appreciate his demands or her presence, she […]

The Body in the Garden

The Body in the Garden (2020) Katharine Schellman Set in England in 1815. Lily Adler has returned to London in an attempt to restart her life after the loss of her husband. Lily had to take a deep breath before she could respond. It had been two years, but her chest still clenched almost too […]

A Dangerous Madness

A Dangerous Madness (2014) Michelle Diener (Regency London) Set in England in 1812 Phoebe’s betrothed’s forceful whisper was as loud as her soft-spoken question, but she bit her tongue. She wondered what her tongue would look like after they’d spent a lifetime together. Maybe one day she’d bite it in half. She ached to break […]

The Emperor’s Conspiracy

The Emperor’s Conspiracy (2012) Michelle Diener (Regency London) Set in England in 1811. “Em.” Lord Durnham watched as his sister ushered her children out the door in front of her with disbelief. “I don’t understand . . .” He caught Charlotte’s eye as she waited for Ned to go through first, and Charlotte stared straight […]

Nearly a Lady

Nearly a Lady (2011) Alissa Johnson (Haverston Family) Set in Britain during the Napoleonic Wars. “What the devil would I do with a London season?” “Find a husband, I imagine,” was Gideon’s reply. It only served to mystify her further. “What the devil would I do with a husband?” “Obtain long-term financial stability,” Lilly told […]

Banquet of Lies

Banquet of Lies (2013) Michelle Diener (Regency London) Set in London in 1812. After witnessing the murder of her father, Giselle Barrington flees back to London. She cannot give into her grief, for she has to find someone to take the information she holds. (H)e’d be looking for the document he had killed her father […]

Bewitching Benedict

Bewitching Benedict (2017) C. E. Murphy (The Lovelorn Lads) Set in England ~1800 (Napoleonic Wars) Claire Dalton is excited her cousin and two friends are coming to visit. She hasn’t seen her cousin since he left for the war, and hopes he and his friends are as dashing as she remembers. Unfortunately, the first thing […]

The Soldier’s Dark Secret

The Soldier’s Dark Secret (2015) Marguerite Kaye (Comrades in Arms) Set in England in 1815. I’d picked this book up on a whim in2015, and was surprised by how much I liked it. Jack was a soldier for 13 years, and was Wellington’s code-breaker during the war with Napoleon. He resigned his commission after being […]

A Dangerous Madness

A Dangerous Madness (2014) Michelle Diener (Regency London) Set in England in 1819. Phoebe Hillier has always done everything she was supposed to, following all the rules. But when the man to whom she was betrothed (and her father’s insistence) breaks their engagement, she seemingly has little to lose any more. Impotent rage, her old […]

Emperor’s Conspiracy

Emperor’s Conspiracy(2012) Michelle Diener (Regency London) I reread the second book, so then I had to go back and reread the first book. “Em.” Lord Durnham watched as his sister ushered her children out the door in front of her with disbelief. “I don’t understand . . .” He caught Charlotte’s eye as she waited […]

Banquet of Lies

Banquet of Lies (2013) Michelle Diener (Regency London) I needed to reread this as well. For her, what people ate, and how they ate, was just as interesting as the stories they told. This one is also about food. Her voice was as bitter as burned coffee, and just as dark. But in addition to […]

An Agreement with the Soldier

An Agreement with the Soldier (2021) Sadie Bosque (Necessary Arrangements) Set in England in 1817. Miss Samantha Lewis twice had her coming seasons interrupted for periods of mourning. So she is quite old to be on the marriage mart despite her looks and her dowry. John Godfrey never expected to become the Baron of Ashbury. […]

A Marriage of Equals

A Marriage of Equals (2021) Elizabeth Rolls Set in England in 1804 TWs: Discussion of attempted rape, parental death, slavery, violence against women. Psyché Winthrop-Abeni may be the bastard daughter of a slave, but her father eventually sought to do right by her, bringing her to England and her freedom, where she eventually came to […]

Throne of Jade

Throne of Jade (2006) Naomi Novik (Temeraire) Set in an alternate timeline, 1805 After the Chinese discovered that their treasured dragon egg ended up with an English naval captain, they started insisting Temeraire be returned to China. However, Temeraire will not be separated from Lawrence. First, a major chunk of this book is the journey […]

His Majesty’s Dragon

His Majesty’s Dragon (2006) Naomi Novik (Temeraire) Set during the Napoleonic Wars, but with dragons. Michael has been listening to the Aubrey–Maturin series, and I wasn’t quite up for that, but decide that a revisiting of Temeraire would fit the bill. Captain Will Laurence of the HMS Reliant does not expect his life to be […]

Band Sinister

Band Sinister (2018) KJ Charles Set in England ~1811 “It’s all perfectly decent,” Amanda said. “Or at least, if it isn’t, the indecent parts are only hinted at, which means they’re in your head. I can’t be held responsible for your thoughts going awry.” “Oh yes you can,” Guy said with feeling. “What do you […]

Shadows of the Heart

Shadows of the Heart (1996) Tracy Grant (Lescaut Quartet Book) Set in Scotland in 1817 Only a woman accustomed to servants would have so many tiny fastenings on the back of her dress. Wilkins stared at the flock. At the other huts they’d searched, the sheep had been grazing farther afield. But the day was […]

Shores of Desire

Shores of Desire (1997) Tracy Grant (Lescaut Quartet) Set in Scotland, Belgium, and France in 1815 “I’m sorry.” Melton’s eyes warmed with sympathy. “I wish there was more I could say. But if there are words that ease such a grief, I have yet to discover them.” “Don’t worry, Em. Leave it to the men.” […]