Reading Fanatic Reviews
Historical MysteriesDaring the Detective by Riley Cole
Daring the Detective*
Mismatched Pair Seeks Answers
Zadie, the heroine, is immediately uneasy when she comes to the Restitution League to ask them to take her case. She was expecting to find fellow thieves and other reformed criminals, not a police detective. Not quite sure whether to trust sharing the full story with the Sweets and the detective, she ultimately decides that her aunt’s life is more important than the possibility of arrest. Her aunt has gone missing under suspicious circumstances, and she fears that her business of retrieving stolen objects has led one of her victims to strike. Detective Caleb, the hero, believes he knows her type and suspects she is keeping details from them. The League does take up her case, but will everything change when other law enforcement believe that Zadie is not only involved in her aunt’s disappearance but also in her murder? Will romantic sparks fly between this honorable detective and a tarnished lady?
For those who read the two previous books in the Restitution League series, it will come as a surprise that this book is not about one of the Sweets. After all, Briar still hasn’t met found her mate. The writing in this book is not quite as snarky and humorous as the first two books, but this read about a very mismatched pair who have a hard time trusting each other in the face of danger is a compelling one. Detective Caleb puts his career in jeopardy, and Zadie’s very life may hang in the balance.
The Golden Hour by Malia Zaidi
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The Golden Hour
Meandering Cozy Mystery in Post Great War Britain
In this sprawling cozy mystery set in post-Great War Britain, Lady Evelyn is newly returned from university when one of her Scottish cousins calls her and asks for her assistance with her mother (Lady Evelyn’s aunt). Before leaving London, she stops in at her aunt’s home, and soon her aunt is traveling with her to find out what is going on with the family in Scotland. When they arrived, much more is happening than the cousin let on. Also, a neighbor has turned his home into an artist’s retreat for veterans of the war. Soon, a murder happens, and then another that is related to her family. Lady Evelyn is determined to figure out all that is going on.
What family secrets are there in Scotland? Who is causing these murders in this neighborhood? What exactly has Lady Evelyn stumbled upon?
If you are accustomed to mysteries that get right to the point, you will need to allow yourself to savor this slow movement of this story. That’s not to say that things don’t happen in an interesting fashion. In fact, I love the humorous way that Aunt Agnes got involved. But it takes a while for us to get to the mysteries at the heart of the book and even longer to untangle them. Personally, I enjoy cozy mysteries that are like this, the kind where you make yourself a cuppa and settle in for a meandering but intriguing ride.
The characters in this story are well-drawn, and the settings are almost characters themselves. The characters are quirky, and many have their own goals and motivations that lead to either help or hinder Lady Evelyn.
If you enjoy long cozy mysteries with a historic backdrop, you might enjoy this book.
I received a free review copy, but this did not affect my review.
The Viscount’s Promise by Joyce Alec
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Rejecting the Rogue
Did He Commit The Crimes?
What a dramatic beginning for this book! We are placed in a courtroom where a man is being sentenced for murder. On the dock, the accused man proclaims his innocence and asks his friend in the courtroom take care of his sister. After exacting this promise, the accused then drinks from a vial and keels over dead. After a year of mourning has passed, this friend, Lord Sharpe, as well as a kindly marquess and marchioness, come to town to support this sister, Julianna, in a London season. Lord Sharpe has been troubled by the brother’s claim of innocence and is not quite willing to believe that his former friend is guilty. Will Lord Sharpe figure out the correct murderer who framed his friend? Will he fall for Julianna himself or help her to wed another man?
I found the character of Lord Sharpe to be an interesting one. He is not portrayed as the typical Regency romance hero, who can definitely be a little touchy-feely to appeal to modern readers. Instead, he is portrayed as stiff and formal at first, bringing to mind Mr. Darcy (although he is more willing to dance!). He’s one of the reasons I think the book should have been longer. It would have been more appropriate for him to gradually become more comfortable in Julianna’s presence, and a longer book would have been needed for his character to relax. For a novella, this book has some surprising twists and turns. In fact, that’s the second reason why I think the book should have been expanded: to give more insight into thoughts, emotions, and events of the story.
I thought it odd that states that it takes place in “Nineteenth century, England” while the cover states it is a Regency; why not be specific if you are as on-point as Regency? The Regency period is a very narrow timeframe in English history and certainly not nearly as vague as the 19th century!
There are some issues with grammar, punctuation, and spelling. Surprisingly, even a character’s name was misspelled. Sometimes the baron is either referred to as Baron Holland or Baron Hollard. There are some issues with word choice as well, as sometimes the same or similar words were used right next to each other.
Despite all that, this is a relatively well written short Regency suspense.
Rejecting the Rogue by Riley Cole
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Rejecting the Rogue
Delicious Victorian Romantic Suspense
We’re in a slightly fantastical Victorian England. The heroine, Philomena Sweet, has done numerous despicable deeds with her cousins at the insistence of her father. She is now determined to make restitution, one case at a time. Renowned for her safe-cracking skills, she now uses them for good and not for evil.
A client comes to the group, asking for help to retrieve a journal that contains many secrets that could be damaging and is now being held for potential future use as blackmail. This is precisely the type of work that the Restitution League does.
Unbeknownst to the group, another one of London’s underbelly is being asked to steal this journal. None other than Spencer Crane, master jewel thief and Philomena’s former betrothed whom she caught in flagrante delicto, has also been charged to retrieve this by a former associate who threatens both Philomena and Spencer’s sister if he refuses to do the job.
What happens when these two cross paths? Will sparks other than those caused by anger result? Will Philomena and her group be able to help the client?
This book was well written. While there is more than one narrator, I love the section from Philomena’s perspective. She comes across as a lady with a jaded but hopeful, slightly snarky attitude, and it is delicious to read. The book has an edgy yet humorous, not-quite-real vibe to it.
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