A Most Intriguing Lady (Buccleuch Family) by Sarah Fergusen – Review

Tags

5 stars, Book Review, historical, historical mystery, historical romance, mystery, romance, series, Victorian England

Review of A Most Intriguing Lady

A Most Intriguing Lady starts quickly by revealing two intriguing characters.  Lady Mary, a young woman who prefers to keep to her quiet ways, enters the story by performing a balance beam act on the castle parapet.  She is seen only by Colonel Trefusis, whose past will not leave him alone.  Both are very likable characters, looking for their place in life. 

Mary is observant, discrete, quiet and often overlooked by her family and everyone around her.  Which makes her the perfect person to solve a domestic mystery, with some assistance from Trefusis.  

After solving one mystery, Mary’s services are in demand, keeping her busy and giving her purpose.  Meanwhile, Trefusis has his own secret mission which keeps him away from Mary.  The two part, meet again, and learn more about each other as they solve more mysteries and then part again.  They cycle continues, keeping the two apart, while at the same time bringing them closer together. 

This book is a romance, which means that someday, somehow, Mary and Trefusis are bound to get together.  But this long term, slow burn courtship is doomed to failure until they both grow enough to find a clear give-and-take path that leads to their happily ever after.  I found their steadfastly growing relationship to be quite refreshing.  The added mysteries strengthened the characters and the plot, and made for a very satisfying story!

Through NetGalley, the publisher provided a copy of this book.  My review is my honest opinion.

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About A Most Intriguing Lady by Sarah Fergusen

Victorian London was notorious for its pickpockets. But in the country houses of the elite, gentleman burglars, art thieves and con men preyed on the rich and titled. Wealthy victims—with their pride and reputation at stake—would never go to the police. What they needed was a society insider, one of their own, a person of discretion and finely tuned powers of observation, adept at navigating intrigue. 

That person was Lady Mary Montagu Douglas Scott, the youngest child of Queen Victoria’s close friends the Duke and Duchess of Buccleuch. Bookish, fiercely intelligent, and a keen observer, Mary has deliberately cultivated a mousey persona that allows her to remain overlooked and significantly underestimated by all. It’s the perfect cover for a sleuth, a role she stumbles into when trying to assist a close friend during a house party hosted by her parents at their stately Scottish home, Drumlanrig Castle. 

It is at this party where Lady Mary also meets Colonel Walter Trefusis, a distinguished and extremely handsome war veteran. Tortured by memories of combat, Walter, like Mary, lives a double life, with a desk job in Whitehall providing a front for his role in the British Intelligence Service. The two form an unlikely alliance to solve a series of audacious crimes—and indulge in a highly charged on-off romance. 

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Another Year!

Tags

5 stars, academia, Ahsley Poston, Blake Crouch, books, cartography, Contemporary Romance, fairies, genetic engineering, ghosts, Heather Fawcett, historical, historical romance, humor, India Holton, Madeline Martin, magical realism, maps, Mimi Matthews, paranormal romance, Patricia Briggs, Peng Shepherd, romance, scifi, series, urban fantasy, witches, WWII

7 years ago today, I shared my first book review on Whiskey With My Book.  To mark this occasion, I thought I’d recap last year by listing my 10 favorite 5-star books of 2022.  It is really hard to choose only 10, but for your sake and mine, I did.  It is even harder to rank them, but I managed.  Note: If I reviewed the book, I included the link. Clicking on the cover will take you to Amazon. Use of these links supports this blog and is very much appreciated. I also recommended checking with your library (if you want to save some $$$)!

10 and 9 – The Bell of Belgrave Square and The Siren of Sussex.  These are the first two books in The Belles of London series by Mimi Matthews.  The historical romances are about women and men who find love outside society’s expected boundaries. 

8 – Soul Taken (Mercy Thompson, #13) by Patricia Briggs.  Between 2021 and 2022, I read (or listened to) the entire Mercy Thompson series.  Binging the urban fantasy series was a great way to soak it up. I reviewed 1-12 before I read #13.

7 – The Last Bookshop in London by Madeline Martin.  Wartime in London is fraught with danger and heartbreak.  This was a moving story enriched by historical detail, complex characters, and books.

6 – The Cartographers by Peng Shepherd.  An absolutely fascinating bit of magical realism, secrets, maps, mapmakers, and intrigue. 

5 – Upgrade by Blake Crouch.  This was one of two Blake Crouch books I read last year.  Upgrade examines the ethics of scientific advancements.

4 and 3 – The League of Gentlewomen Witches and the Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels by India Holton.  The first two books in the Dangerous Damsels series are highly entertaining.  Crammed full with humor, romance and flying battlehouses, what’s not to love?

2 – Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett.  I was completely charmed by this tale of two academics whose study of faeries becomes an adventure you will never forget.

1 – The Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston.  I don’t read a lot of fiction set in current times, so I was quite surprised that this contemporary romance turned out to appeal to me so much!  I even recommended it to my library’s book club.  I hope they love it as much as I did.  I plan to share a review of this book eventually.  I might save it for Valentine’s week.

Thank you for following my blog. I hope, if you are looking for a good book to read, you will find something great here! 

‘Tis the Season – Thursday

Tags

artic, Coreene Callahan, dragons, fairy tales, historical romance, ice, Kathleen O'Neal Gear, Lindsey Pogue, paranormal romance, post-apocalypse, romance, scifi, snow, Susanna Kearsley

Welcome to day 4 of recommendations of books with seasonal themes. Monday, I started with reviews of books with a Christmas theme. Tuesday was a list of Christmas-themed books I had not reviewed, but read and enjoyed (and therefore recommend). Yesterday’s post included reviews of books with a winter theme. Today, I will share some winter-themed books I have not reviewed (mostly) but I did enjoy. Maybe you will like them too!

So far, all the books in these posts are older books, released one or more years ago. Friday, I will have a review of a brand new book that will be released in January. In keeping with this week’s theme, a cold, icy place is the setting for at book. Come back tomorrow to see what I am talking about!

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I’ve included the Amazon link for each book here – click on the book cover. Note: Use of these links supports this blog and is very much appreciated.

The Darkest Winter by Lindsey Pogue

A group of orphaned misfits.
The wild lands of the last frontier.
Superhuman abilities, harrowing adventures, and heartbreaking secrets.

This a post-apocalyptic story that takes place in an artic environment where the world has been shattered by a virus. Part of The Savage North Chronicles.

The Winter Sea by Susanna Kearsley

Settling herself in the shadow of Slains Castle in Scotland, Carrie McClelland creates a heroine named for one of her own ancestors and starts to write.

But when she discovers her novel is more fact than fiction, Carrie wonders if she might be dealing with ancestral memory, making her the only living person who knows the truth-the ultimate betrayal-that happened all those years ago, and that knowledge comes very close to destroying her…

The story takes place over a long period of time, so it’s not always winter. But yes, there is a part that takes place in winter near the sea. This book was my introduction to Susanna Kearsley and I am very happy I found it!

Fury of Ice by Coreene Callahan

Homicide detective Angela Keen thrives on the city’s rough streets. But when she becomes the prize of all prizes in the dragon-shifter world due to her “high-energy” status, she gets more than she bargained for. Kidnapped by Lothair of the Razorback clan, Angela barely survives captivity before managing to escape. Hurt and alone with nowhere to hide, she faces certain death when Lothair uses the trace energy she leaves in her wake to hunt her down. But before he can reach her, a mystery dragon shifter intervenes and saves Angela’s life.

Now a guest of the Nightfury clan, Angela regains her strength as her rescuer, Rikar, the last living frost dragon, gradually breaks down her mistrust. Surrendering to her desire for Rikar, but still uncertain of her feelings, Angela goes against his wishes and agrees to be used as bait to lure Lothair into the open. As the battle commences, the true struggle comes from within: Will Angela return home to the life she loves, or forsake it all to be with Rikar?

Rewilding Reports by Kathleen O’Neal Gear

This cli-fi series from a notable archaeologist and anthropologist explores a frozen future where archaic species struggle to survive an apocalyptic Ice Age.

I read and reviewed the first two books, but have not yet read the last one. Book 3 is on my to-read list. Have you read it?