eyes.2c Reviews

Private Lies (Jane Avery #1)     by Cynthia St. Aubin                                    So when Kerrigan Byrne (one of my fav author's) said this was a great read, I just had to follow suit. And it is a great read! Jane Avery is a fabulous character, with an unusual mother and and even more unusual upbringing. Having just graduated from law school, and having missed out on being valedictorian by  three-tenths of a GPA point (  pay attention this slim margin is a recurring mantra for our girl), Jane steps off the stage of her graduation ceremony to find her mother has disappeared. When I say Jane's upbringing was unusual, I mean UNUSUAL! Did I mention that Alex Avery is a Private Investigator Put that together with Jane's quest for her mother's whereabouts, various hard ball characters, the laconic Jane with a mouth that opens and utters, well, amazing ...

Midnight Wolf (Shifters Unbound #11)      by Jennifer Ashley                                Just when you think you have a handle on all things Shifter, Fae and everything else in between, Ashley throws in another surprise. Midnight Wolf has that and more. Angus Murray is the strong silent type whose backed into a corner when the Shifter Bureau seizes his cub in exchange for his tracking skills. His instructions are to find a rogue shifter and bring her back to them. Of course everything is not as simple as it seems. Tasmin  Calloway is more than Angus expects.  We meet old friends and make new ones. Angus' son Ciaran is just wonderful, as is his interaction with Tamsin. That's of course not even going anywhere near the Sparks that fly between Tamsin and Angus! Another sensational episode from Ashley's Shifter realm! A NetGalley ARC *****

Lady Rogue (Royal Rewards #3)      by Theresa Romain                                        A young widow discovers a dreadful secret about her dead, art critic and art aficionado, and society scion husband. A certain Bow Street Runner Callum Jenks finds himself embroiled in an art heist that rather confounds all. When widowed Lady Isabel Morrow and Callum meet again, after one brief moment of bliss at Vauxhall gardens some months prior, events take a strange turn, and a regency romance with an interesting twist is born. Isabel is determined to protect her ward from being sullied by the truths about her husband's art dealings and will go to any lengths to ensure that will happen. And that's where Callum comes in. Mind you reignited passion also plays a part. I really enjoyed the dance between Isabel and Callum, adding spice to an already captivat...

Lord of Fortune (Legendary Rogues #3) by   Darcy Burke              Ok, I'm so glad I followed this up after reading a great review. I loved it! I loved Amelia Gardiner and Penn Bowen. I loved the whole mystery of the thirteen treasures associated with the Arthurian legends. "The Thirteen Treasures were items gathered by Arthur and his knights for one of their own—Gareth—so that he could win his bride.” Of course Glastonbury gets a mention! The beginning dives straight into the mystery of two particular treasures the Heart of Llanllwch and an iron dagger, which features in the elusive Legend of Ranulf and Hilaria. Penn is bent on proving that these two artifacts are actually fake. Amelia, as it turns out is the granddaughter of the man responsible for finding these two treasures. She is just as determined to prove they are the real deal. We swing right into action from the first moment, as our dare devil hero and treasure h...

When a Lady Desires a Wicked Lord (Her Majesty's Secret Service #3) by Tara Kingston Intrigue and secrets in the cut and thrust 19th century world of the antiquity hunter. What was it about? It was a time when Egyptologists went in droves to ancient sites risking life and limb to unlock the mysteries of the Pharos with their discoveries of ancient tombs and cities. Jealousy and competition were rife. There is no doubt that countries heritages were ravaged, their cultural histories decimated. Some worked for the riches involved, selling priceless artifacts to the highest bidder, others committed to making sure the treasures stay within the countries who had the right to them. Benedict Weston, Viscount Marlsbrook, a brilliant archeologist, was of the former set, using his skills to right his family's fortunes. In taking that path he threw aside his chance for happiness with the only woman he ever loved. Intelligent Alexandra Quinn, a renowned Egyptologist, is distur...

The  Perfect Duchess  ( The Macalisters #2)  by Erica Taylor.      ... by this story of love, angst, betrayals and murder! Lady Clara Masson has been emotionally abused by her brother for far too long. Ever since her twin sister eloped rather than marry the Duke of Bradstone, Andrew Macalister. Deciding to attend the Duke's masked ball some years later, Clara finds herself shunned by polite society, banned from Almanac's and generally looked down upon. The rumors spread about her are diabolical.  Andrew has been half in love with Clara since he was a child. Her sudden appearance at the ball, her treatment by society has him exercising his ducal rights, scandalizing the gossipy ladies of the ton by not only dancing with Clara but leading her into supper. It's when he visits  the next morning that he finds the house in disarray and Clara unconscious on the floor, bleeding from a head wound. Well events get even stranger ...

The Duke Who Ravished Me (Rebellious Brides #4)     by Diana Quincy                                  At the heart of this story are the laws in the 1800's to do with guardianship and the care of children. But that's just the segue into this regency romp that had me laughing ... and gasping! Adam Fairfax, the Duke of Sunderford (Sinful Sunny to readers of the gossip sheets) is an outrageous, although oft times endearing, rake who has thrown his energies into the most dissipating activities one could imagine. All that comes to a rather screeching halt the night he is made aware of his guardianship of two seven year old girls, and by way of inclusion, their rather formidable governess right in the middle of a very risqué event at his home. The efforts of his butler to inform Sunny of his suddenly changed status from a 'Duke with no ties' to a 'guardian' is vastly amusing....

Reading Heyer: The Black Moth by Rachel Hyland       A rather wonderfully, light hearted, yet shrewd interpretation of Heyer's first novel, The Black Moth.  The prologue was adroit and immediately grabbed my attention. (Mind you 'These Old Shades' was the Heyer novel I first read, and to this day I am in love with the Duc of Avon and Leonie! Oh! Stamp of pretty foot,  Monsiegneur !) So this well delivered expose of The Black Moth has me recalling those stories and feelings that revolved around this novel, These Old Shades  and Devil's Cub. Certainly Hugh Tracy, the Duke of Andover, is darker than Justin, the Duc of Avon.  Whole generations have been born and died since I first read Heyer. And I am still enamoured of her works, and still reread them with the same fervour. And oh Bliss! I reacquainted myself with Heyer in Hyland's fabulous commentary. I was given fresh eyes to see and things reflect on and to laugh at. What a won...

A Rising man (Sam Wyndham #1)    by Abir Mukherjee The understated discourse by Captain Sam Wyndham is up there with the best of them. In the opening page Wyndham's statement sets the tone, "When you think you’ve seen it all, it’s nice to find that a killer can still surprise you." A British official has been murdered, a threatening note stuffed in his mouth addressed to the overlords, the crown raj. It's 1919, post the war. Captain Wyndham, formerly of Scotland Yard has taken a posting in Calcutta. He displays a certain jaundiced attitude covering an inner Boy Scout hopefulness. Up against corruption, home grown terrorists (fighters for home rule and independence from Britain), Wyndham's introductory case is that of this official murdered in an alley in the more sordid parts of the city. In a place he should not have been! And it happens outside a brothel! The trail will take Wyndham from the heights of government, to the most powerful busines...

My Lady Captor      by Hannah Howell A strong female lead, Lady Sorcha Hay is placed in a difficult position when her brother Dougal, the clan Laird, he of little sense, is captured by the English. You see the English will demand a ransom. The problem is that Sorcha's people are dirt poor. This is a clan whose women are somewhat different in that they see spirits. As they come into womanhood this gift or curse (depending on your viewpoint) comes into fruition. Hence the lonely, isolated place that the clan occupies. Sorcha must come up with a plan to save her captured brother. Her solution pits her against another more powerful laird,  Sir Ruari Kerr, laird of Gartmhor. Unfortunately Sorcha's u nique answer to the problem brings about further challenges, not the least being Ruari Kerr himself. There are some rather singular secondary characters and a couple of ghosts who round out a well written and captivating story, in the vein one has come to...

Aphrodite's Tears    by  Hannah Fielding How much more can happen in one novel. Lost opportunities and lost dreams are bundled into this lengthy novel that leaves one exhausted. Although I must admit the detail in the food descriptions are mouthwatering and left me scrabbling through my Greek Cookery books (Yes! I read novels on my kindle, but cookery and art books are definitely a hardcopy essential). The archeological descriptions are crazy wonderful and inspire me to visit the Greek Islands. The mythological stories inculcate the secrets of the past, sometimes romantic, at other times tragic, all underlined by the cruelty of the gods. Mystery abounds about the major players. There's torturous romance, torrid at times, twisted at others, sensitive and self absorbed. All the key aspects for an exciting novel are there, and yes I kept on until the end. I felt the sunlight and the dark corners... and yet I felt I was watching a movie length production ...

A Dream of Redemption (The Disgraced Lords #8)   by   Bronwen Evans                                Clary Homeward regarded his employer's sister as an angel. An innocent who should have nothing to do with him. After all, he is a product of the streets, of depravity, of the worst parts of London. Book loving, intelligent Lady Helen Hawkestone was frustrated by the endless rounds of senseless ton activities. She wanted more, she wanted to marry for love. If she can't have that then her sister- in-law's support of orphanages would challenge the boredom of the social interplay. A mission sweetened by the enigmatic manager of the charities, the beautiful Clarence. Clarence's past rises up between them and Helen finds herself fighting for love, and the hapless children, prey to the amoral, who see them as nothing more than trading goods, human fodder to be used by those who rule t...

Devil in Tartan  (Highland Grooms #4)   by   Julia London                                  Lively story with a quirky young highland girl left to do the hard thinking and planning as her dreamer Laird father whittles away the family purse. Aulay Mackenzie never suspected that his new trade venture and his clan's livelihood would be rudely interrupted by a beguiling white haired young woman with a head full of mad schemes. When Lottie Livingston turns to piracy and captures the darkly handsome Auley she didn't know the fate that awaited them both. A madcap read! A NetGalley ARC *** 1/2

The Tuscan Child by Rhys Bowen Fascinating story that has a young English woman tracing the mystery of her father's plight in the Tuscan countryside after his plane was shot down during World War 11. Finding hints about a possible sibling when packing up her dead father's belongings, Joanna  Langley  travels to the village of San Salvatore in Tuscany in the hopes of learning more. What she finds are old secrets and mysteries, and a glimpse into the heart of a father she barely knew.  A murdered local feeds into the intrigue. The story of  Hugo Langley's  time in Tuscany is told through Joanna's father's voice. These time slips between the past of 1944 and the present heightening the tension. And yet there is a strong thread of connection, fed by a woman who links the two,  Sofia Bartoli. Certainly the opening chapters paint two very different sides of the same man. The Hugo we come to know of 1944 and Joanna's memories of him in 1973 ar...

Signal Loss   by Garry Disher                               Set in the Mornington Peninsula region, south-east of Melbourne, Australia, makes this a fascinating read, as I happen to know that region reasonably well. So I was already hooked. But then again Garry Disher is one of my fav. authors. Local knowledge gives solidarity and legs to any reading. The novel deals with drugs, deals, stolen equipment, and a serial rapist. Laconic Inspector Hal Challis of the Drug Squad and his girlfriend Sergeant Ellen Destry of the Sex Crimes Unit find their cases merging. The spread of methane-ice and it's consequences are devastating , the squalor real. Like a fast-paced, noir criminal journalist, Disher leads us across state lines whilst paying attention to the minutiae that surrounds the desolate fate of the addict and the effect on those around them. Disher uses the background of rural Australia as a laun...

Lord of Temptation (Rogues to Riches #4)   by Erica Ridley                                       I just did not like  Zachary Nash, Marquess of  Hawkridge.   I did not like his treatment of Faith Digby, his jilted fiancé of the past. The way he threatened Faith, after his dastardly treatment of her, as though he had any rights after his abandonment of her was disturbing. I can understand, given the times and the importance of marriage as a social contract, his duty to family lines, to restoring the fortunes, but all in all he was a spineless coward. His anger is not righteous, rather it's a blatant act of birth and privilege towards a woman whom he gave up all rights to. Yes, there is a HEA but the story just lacked that special something. As you can see I was not impressed by Hawk, nor by Faith's reactions to him, more of a victim than someone ...

The Duke of Ruin (The Untouchables #8)     by Darcy Burke                                   A jilted young woman, a scandalous Duke rumoured to have murdered his wife, the Duke's ducal friend turning his back on his fiancé to pursue his one true love, an atrocious father, and a hastily undertaken journey of a week or more. All the ingredients for a rather laughable, yet enjoyable romance. A note of seriousness underlies the playfulness. The tea sipping Duke of Ruin cannot face himself let alone others. He's convinced he killed his wife but is unsure of exactly what happened. He's been running from himself and others ever since. Diana Kingman has had all her choices stolen from her, mostly by her emotionally and physically abusive father (after all women are little more than bartering goods), and now her once fiance is opening her up to even more gossip and abuse. This i...

His Wicked Charm  (The Mad Moorlands #6)     by Candace Camp                                Lord Constantine Moreland at last meets his match in the rigid, rule abiding Lilah Holcutt. He's intrigued by her, and Lilah is drawn to Con, despite her disapproval of him. When the Moreland women are kidnapped its Lilah who charges off with Con to find them. Lilah is hiding a secret and that secret leads her to repress the more open aspect of her nature. It's only after she and Con go to her family home, a weirdly wonderful place, Barrow House with its maze and the Faire Track  "a place of power for thousands of years" that things become complex and otherworldly. As with all things to do with love, Con and Lilah tread that delightful line between the 'does she, doesn't she', no mans land of love undeclared, yet not unrequited! I loved that Com was first attracted to Lilah b...

The Determined Duchess (Gothic Brides #2)   by Erica Monroe                           Macabre premise of a determined scientifically gifted young woman who loves her guardian and mentor so much that she attempts to bring her back to life. This makes for a marvellous literary opportunity. Felicity Fields is somewhere on the autism spectrum. Her passion is chemistry. With the death of her beloved guardian Aunt Margaret, she throws her energies into alchemy and the search for the elixir of life, and the creation of the Philosophers stone. Felicity's desire to bring her aunt back to life,  based on her absolute love for her,  is an overwhelming fixation. And time is running out! Nicholas Harding, the Duke of Wycliffe , has been slightly in awe of Felicity from childhood. He is inured, although not immune, to her habits and forthright manner. He has returned to Tewbury, partly for a friend's...

Murder at Half Moon Gate (A Wrexford and Sloane Mystery #2)   by Andrea Penrose Another satisfyingly brilliant novel that follows the Earl of Wrexford and Charlotte Sloane and their small circle of unlikely and very likeable characters into the depths of the rookeries and dark places of London. Wrexford, seemingly diamond hard and astute, a man of Science and logic, with a softer side he hardly dares acknowledge. Charlotte and her double life as the leading satirical caricaturist A.J. Quill, still harboring her own deeply held secrets, always struggling for anonymity and keeping to the shadows. And of course, the weasels, Raven and Hawk, the unlikely guttersnipes that have captured my heart just like they've won Charlotte's, and dare I say Wrexford's if he'd own to having one. This time, as Penrose declaims in her wonderful author's note, " steam engines lie at the heart of the mystery" and this  exacting duo and their comrades follow murde...

The Undercover Duke ( The 1797 Club #6)   by Jess Michaels                                 Death and sadness pursue Diana Oakford. A young woman with deep hurts and secrets, she is the daughter of a physician who worked with the War Department until his death when assisting in a mission to uncover a traitor amongst the Departments spies.  Lucas Vincent, the Duke of Willowby, has never taken up the reins of his titled position. Harboring deep secrets himself, he had thrown himself into a career as a spy for the government. He was badly injured when his doctor friend Oakford was killed. Alarmed at Lucas' slow healing, the head of the department, the Earl of Stalwood, prevails upon Diana to take over Lucas' care and to keep him hidden. Of course the two have clashes. Both are strong willed and passionate. As they come to know each other those clashes turn into a physical and emotional ...

Twenty-One Days (Daniel Pitt #1)      by Anne Perry                              A brave new beginning for Daniel and Charlotte's son Daniel! Now a junior barrister he greets his situation with a devoted fervency and honor.  After defending a family friend, Roman Blackwell, he is called by his Head of Chamber, Marcus fford Croft, to assist Toby Kitteridge with the defence of one Russell Graves. He is accused of the heinous murder of his wife. Graves, a biographer, presents facts in such a way that truth appears to be lost. It just so happens that at the moment he is working on the biography of Daniel's uncle, Victor Narraway, his father's predecessor as Head of Special Branch. Daniel is confronted with defending a person whose writings could damage the reputations of those he loves and could bring down the nation. He has to face the very real challenge of doing what is r...