Grace Burrowes

I always enjoy books by this author and have particularly enjoyed this series because the male lead is a hero in every way, but doubts himself and is insecure about many things because of his experiences during Napoleon’s war. As a result of being held and tortured in a French prison, he came home from the wars with scars both inside and out. His hair is pure snow-white though it had been dark brown (we’ve seen a tad of improvement there). His eyes can’t stand the light and he must wear tinted glasses outdoors. He has lost his manly 'humors', but there is a tiny sign they might return. Now, to add insult to injury, his brother, Arthur, a duke, is leaving for an extended visit to the continent and he is leaving Julian in charge of the Duchy while he is gone.

As Julian has solved one mystery after another, his interest and focus have begun to return. He enjoys untangling a puzzle; to do that, he must be out where people are rather than holed up inside a dark room. Since he is getting a reputation for solving the unsolvable, he is being asked more and more frequently to take on mysteries. This time, it is the love of his life – and his very best friend – Hyperia (Perry) West who is asking. Is that a good thing or a bad thing? Well, she is asking him to find the wife of one of her friends, and that friend is a tad flirtatious. Is there – or has there been - a ‘thing’ between Perry and her friend, John Tait? Jealousy rears its ugly head.

John’s wife disappeared five (YES – FIVE) years ago. Theirs was a tumultuous relationship, but they seemed to be in love. What caused her to leave? Where is she now? Is she still among the living? Would she be willing to return? Why would he wait five years to begin to look for her? Hmmm – read the book and all those questions – and others – will be answered.

This is a slow-paced, low-key, investigation – but a good one. The first half of the book was a slower pace, but the last half picked up and was much more interesting. For me, the book was more about changing/growing relationships and character growth than the nicely done mystery accompanying it. We also got some nice tidbits that will set up a storyline or two in the future concerning Perry’s brother. Of course, we also got the part at the end revealing what Julian’s next case would be. That book, A Gentleman of Unreliable Honor, will come out toward the end of September.

If you enjoy a good mystery accompanied by a wonderful group of characters who grow, and relationships that grow and change, then you should enjoy this book and this series. Each book can be read as a standalone as the mystery is concluded within the book. However, in my opinion, to get the most enjoyment and appreciation for the books and the series, you should read all of the books – in order. Happy Reading.… (altro)

This was a delightful first book in a new series by this author. Finn Cathcart is an amazingly talented sculptor, who has made a name (and fortune) for himself on the continent and in England. He’s also handsome, self-confident, and self-reliant – and has no use whatsoever for anyone in the aristocracy – except to take their money, of course. He loathes anything to do with the Huntley dukedom and would love to see it revert to the crown and cease to exist. No skin off his teeth. Except, he isn’t a bad heir and can change his mind when a small, helpless, young child (Emily) is adversely affected. It seems that the ‘finder’ they have sent to find Finn finally learns that weakness and uses it to get him to accept the honors.

Finn is Finn and doesn’t intend to be anyone or anything else. The current duchess, his Aunt Edwardia, can fall into a hole and never find her way out as far as he is concerned. She is to blame for the death of his baby sister, his mother, and him finding himself on the streets at the age of 8, totally alone to fend for himself. He cannot allow the dukedom to cause hurt to another small child.

Breaking all rules of protocol and manners, Finn arrives at the home of Wilhelmina (Willie/Mina) to introduce himself to the widow of his cousin. His cousin was the heir until he did stupid things and got himself killed. Mina was to be the next duchess, but now – what will happen to her? What will happen to Emily?

Finn and Mina are attracted to each other from the first. I loved how very honest and straightforward they were with each other. No prevarications – no “He/She won’t love me anymore if they learn xxxxx”. Nope, it was so wonderfully refreshing to see such honesty and straightforward love for each other. Even when the always-required third-act “event” happened, there was no doubt. No thinking ill of the other. Each had absolute confidence in the other. Gosh, I loved that part!

As with most of this author’s books, we get cameo appearances of characters from other series. In this case, it was Westhaven, Anselm, and the wine merchant – Fournier. We even got an honorable mention for The Duke of Moreland. Yep – love all of those visits. I thoroughly enjoyed Emily who was NOT the normally required brattish child. She was lovely and sweet-natured and very insecure because she had lost her father and her doting uncle all within a very short period. Finn picked up on that and carved her some lovely playmates – Draco the dragon and the Ursulas (Major and Minor) who are bears and are featured throughout the book.

I can recommend this book if you love a wonderful, love story with strong characters who know their minds. I would love to have a peek at Finn and Mina ten or fifteen years down the road because I absolutely know he will be a formidable duke and their love story will be held up to all on the marriage mart as an example of how things should be. Happy Reading!… (altro)

I absolutely love this series. It has a unique premise in that the protagonist has come home from the Napoleonic wars as a very broken man – mentally and physically. He holed himself up in a darkened house for almost a year after his return. He was taken prisoner and tortured by the French and somehow managed to escape but wandered injured and helpless through the Pyrenees until he reached friendly territory. His hair has turned pure white, his eyesight is poor and cannot tolerate bright light, he is emaciated, and . . . worst of all . . . his fellow citizens have branded him a traitor and accused him of leaving his older brother to die in the prison camp. He is not a traitor – but the rumors persist nevertheless. I believe that you should read the whole series, in order, so you get and follow the entire background of the characters and their relationships.

Lord Julian, who has solved several mysteries lately, has been summoned to the estate of Osgood Banter to solve the disappearance of a large, prized, foxhound named Thales. Yes, we have the case of the Purloined Puppy. However, when he arrives at the estate and meets all the players, Lord Julian realizes there is much more to solve than a missing canine. Tensions are high – both on the estate and in the surrounding village. It seems the dog’s owner is not greatly esteemed by any of the residents – at home or in the village. So, if Thales's owner – Anaximander (Nax) Silforth (I know, it is a mouthful, right?) is so disliked by everyone, why is Osgood Banter leaving Nax in total charge of his vast, wealthy estate while he travels the continent? Hmmmm – you will just need to read the story to see, but it is a doozie!

In this book, we have a bit less page time with Arthur, the Duke of Waltham (Julian’s brother), Hyperia (Perry) West (Julian’s love interest), Lady Ophelia (Julian’s Godmother), and Atticus, Julian’s pint-sized outspoken Tiger. They were there but just didn’t have a lot of page time. I really love it when Julian and Perry are bouncing thoughts and ideas off each other.

Trigger warnings – the Duke of Waltham and Osgood Banter are male lovers. I love their relationship as it is longstanding, true, mature, and thoughtful – and that is what is focused on. I also love that the author depicts what a same-gender couple had to deal with during that time rather than writing like it was all buttercups, unicorns, and roses with everyone accepting and celebrating the relationship. Being in a same-gender relationship during that time often got you hanged, but if it didn’t, you were socially ostracized by all levels of society. This author shows that without being preachy about it.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and all of the others in the series. I am already anxiously awaiting the next book, A Gentleman In Search of A Wife . Happy Reading!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.… (altro)