A Love by Design (The Secret Scientists of London, #3) by Elizabeth Everett – Review

Tags

4 stars, Book Review, Elizabeth Everett, engineering, England, historical, humor, London, Regency, romance, series

Review of A Love by Design

Two best friends, soul mates really, reconnect after years.  One, George, is a young Earl trying to reform English education.   The other, Margaret, is a talented engineer who wants to become successful on her own terms.  It’s 1820 though, when the rich English class doesn’t think that everyone should be educated and women aren’t hired to design bridges.  Both seem to be making headway though, but there are issues around every single corner.

My heart went out to these two, both individually fighting their own battles. All the while, reviving their friendship and becoming closer than ever.  But it seems they can never really be together. 

I really liked this story.  George is funny.  Margaret is serious, but she does have a sense of humor.  They are so lovely together.  The villain(s) were rather obvious and they threw some serious wrenches into George and Margaret’s plans.  Ultimately, the pair will have to figure out that they accomplish more together than they do apart. 

It was a bit murky as to how things got from the last chapter to the epilogue.  And the story did not end like I wanted it to, but it ended as it needed to.  The book includes hints about what happened in the first two books of this series and may impel you to read them.  However, the story stands well alone. 

I love the writing in this story.  It is mostly straight-forward prose, but occasionally, Ms. Everett throws in an inciteful, almost poetic, phrase or paragraph.  They accent the story with elegance and charm.  And also make me want to read more from this author.

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

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About A Love by Design by Elizabeth Everett

You couldn’t design a better hero than the very eligible and extremely charming Earl Grantham. Unless, of course, you are Margaret Gault, who wants nothing to do with the man who broke her youthful heart.

Widowed and determined, Margaret Gault has returned to Athena’s Retreat and the welcoming arms of her fellow secret scientists with an ambitious plan in mind: to establish England’s first woman-owned engineering firm. But from the moment she sets foot in London her plans are threatened by greedy investors and—at literally every turn—the irritatingly attractive Earl Grantham, a man she can never forgive.
 
George Willis, the Earl Grantham, is thrilled that the woman he has loved since childhood has returned to London. Not as thrilling, however, is her decision to undertake an engineering commission from his political archnemesis. When Margaret’s future and Grantham’s parliamentary reforms come into conflict, Grantham must use every ounce of charm he possesses—along with his stunning good looks and flawless physique, of course—to win Margaret over to his cause.
 
Facing obstacles seemingly too large to dismantle, will Grantham and Margaret remain forever disconnected or can they find a way to bridge their differences, rekindle the passion of their youth, and construct a love built to last?

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Murder in Westminster (Lady Worthing Mysteries, #1) by Vanessa Riley – Review

Tags

4 stars, abolition, Book Review, historical mystery, London, second sight, series, Vanessa Riley

Review of Murder in Westminster

I read this book expecting 2 things 1) great characters – this is based on my past experience of reading a previous work by this author and 2) a fascinating mystery. 

Don’t we all want our mysteries to be fascinating?  In Murder in Westminster, Lady Abigail Worthing is investigating not one but two murders.  I was disappointed in the mystery solving aspect.  Hard clues were outweighed by intuition.  Having said that, you should know that Abigail has the dubious gift of second sight, so it may be that intuition is her best tool.  Still, I kept wanting solid detective work.

On the other hand, I loved the characters!  Abigail is a strong, intelligent black woman who has had the fortune and drive to marry a man with a title.  Then her husband leaves her home alone to go travelling.  And so she does pretty much what she wants even though her friends tell her not to.  She wants to help with the abolitionist movement.  She wants to solve mysteries.  Both activities are likely to get her into trouble/dangers.  Abigail’s cousin and godfather are also great characters that bring their own quirks to the mystery solving table.

The neighbor, Stapleton Henderson, is prickly, opinionated, and about to divorce his wife.  But Mrs. Henderson is the first victim, so he is also a suspect.  He is good with dogs (that scores him points).  But he is not above resorting to blackmail (points deducted).  Henderson and Abigail start off arguing over a fence and end up working together to find a murderer. Ultimately, I think Henderson is good, but truly that is left a bit murky. 

The author has provided some great historical detail at the end of the book.  It may even be a good idea to read that part first.

So, in Murder in Westminster, we have two lonely neighbors who will likely be getting into more trouble in the future.  I see them honing their mystery solving abilities, while they become close friends. 

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

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About Murder in Westminster by Vanessa Riley

Discovering a body on her property presents Lady Abigail Worthing with more than one pressing problem. The victim is Juliet, the wife of her neighbor, Stapleton Henderson. Although Abigail has little connection with the lady in question, she expects to be under suspicion. Abigail’s skin color and her mother’s notorious past have earned her a certain reputation among the ton, and no amount of wealth or status will eclipse it.

Abigail can’t divulge that she was attending a secret pro-abolition meeting at the time of the murder. To her surprise, Henderson offers her an alibi. Though he and Juliet were long estranged, and she had a string of lovers, he feels a certain loyalty to his late wife. Perhaps together, he and Abigail can learn the truth.

Abigail, whose marriage to Lord Worthing was not a love match, knows well how appearances can deceive. For all its surface elegance, London’s high society can be treacherous. Yet who in their circle would have killed Juliet, and why? Taking the reins of her life in a way she never has before, Abby intends to find out—but in the process she will uncover more danger than she ever imagined…

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A Pretty Deceit (Verity Kent Mystery, #4) by Anna Lee Huber – Review

Tags

5 stars, Book Review, England, historical, historical mystery, Ireland, London, post-war, romance, The Great War, WWI

About A Pretty Deceit by Anna Lee Huber

Peacetime has brought little respite for Verity Kent. Intrigue still abounds, even within her own family. As a favor to her father, Verity agrees to visit his sister in Wiltshire. Her once prosperous aunt has fallen on difficult times and is considering selling their estate. But there are strange goings-on at the manor, including missing servants, possible heirloom forgeries, and suspicious rumors—all leading to the discovery of a dead body on the grounds.

While Verity and her husband, Sidney, investigate this new mystery, they are also on the trail of an old adversary—the shadowy and lethal Lord Ardmore. At every turn, the suspected traitor seems to be one step ahead of them. And even when their dear friend Max, the Earl of Ryde, stumbles upon a code hidden among his late father’s effects that may reveal the truth about Ardmore, Verity wonders if they are really the hunters—or the hunted . . .

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Review of A Pretty Deceit

A Pretty Deceit picks up where Penny for Your Secrets left off.  Verity, Sidney and their friends continue to uncover proof of Lord Ardmore’s treacherous dealings.

However, a stop at her Aunt’s house to investigate some strange goings-on temporarily distracts Verity from the problem of Lord Ardmore.  This unrelated venture serves several purposes: 1) adds to the further post-war setting, reminding us further of the aftermath of war, 2) allows Verity to flex her mystery solving skills, and 3) makes the reader wonder what this trip has to do with Lord Ardmore.  The dual sets of seemingly unrelated events is becoming a staple of Ms. Huber’s mysteries.

In this exploit, Verity and Sidney find adventure, more mystery, friends, family, danger and romance.  The end of the story will answer some questions, but not all.  This is how the reader is assured the story continues.

As part of the series, in A Pretty Deceit, I enjoy learning more about the events and aftermath of WWI due to the author’s own interest and research into the era.  I also appreciate the ongoing relationship between Verity and Sidney who have struggled since the war ended, but still love each other very much.  And finally, the Kent’s travel around the British Isles is veritable travelogue of that region of the world.

You can read the books in this series as a standalones, but the experience is enhanced by starting at the beginning.  If you are a fan of historical mysteries, I recommend all four books!

Through Netgalley, the publisher provided a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

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