eyes.2c Reviews

The Lady Travelers Guide to Larceny with a Dashing Stranger (Lady Travelers Society #2)   by  Victoria Alexander                                Widowed Lady Wilhelmina Bascombe finds that all was not as smooth sailing as she thought. It seems she and her husband had partied their way through life, incurring the sort of debts that fit their new extravagant lifestyle. Having paid off most of what was owed, Willie's last hope of some monetary security is to reclaim a Renaissance painting her husband used as collateral for a loan. And that's where the Lady Travelers Society comes in. Willie has to travel to Venice to seal the deal. She will lead a tour of American women through Europe, including Paris and Venice. Unfortunately Dante Augustus Montague is searching for a lost painting to make up a triptych that once belonged to his family's collection. The painting that belongs to Willie...

The Lady and Mr. Jones  (A Spy in the Ton #4) by Alyssa Alexander                                    A story that sparkles 'the whole night through' and beyond. Spiced with two great lead characters, Jones a man of secrets and action, a spy extraordinaire from the harsh humble beginnings of the Rookeries and now in service to the Crown. A spy's spy who hunts traitorous agents. Jones has to in his sights Lord  Wycomb, a coldly efficient master of the art.  Which leads Jones straight to Baroness  Cat Ashdown.  Cat has found herself 'wedged between the trustees, her uncle, the estate, and the husband she would soon [be forced to wed]. [It seemed] whatever happened she couldn't win.'  Cat 'had trained to be Mary Elizabeth Frances Catherine Ashdown, 13th Baroness of Worthington. Fought to prove she could carry on the legacy of the first Mary Elizabeth Fra...

The Scoundrel Who Loved Me   by Lauren Smith, Kristin Gabriel,  Ella Quinn, Laura Landon.       A scintillating meld of stories with handsome, daring heroes and their ladies who may not all be princesses but who have the hearts of strong regal women.  His Wicked Embrace by  Lauren Smith A rake with a conscience and a stolen Persian princess. Rescued from a slave sale in a brothel by Mr. Lawrence Russell, the half-English princess Zehra Darzi takes shelter with Lawrence, a shelter that feels right. A variation on the 'Taken' movie set in Regency London. A daring rescue, a damsel in distress and a dashing hero. The Secret Scoundrel by Kristin Gabriel A sudden meeting in a darkened garden has spinster Diana Harwood wondering if she's bereft of her senses. Accepting a package from an unknown man is unusual--even for her. Well he was taller than her, and that's a start. But really! A nicely timed romance with the adde...

The Chase (Brides of Beadwell #3) by Sara Portman                                           'A wooden spoon for courage'. An uncommon choice. But then Juliana Crawford is not by any stretch of the imagination ordinary.  Juliana is running from a desperate situation. She is running to a possible future.  Stranded at an inn, in a highly unorthodox move, she approaches an elderly gentleman to request a place in his coach. Michael Roseyear (illegitimate son of an earl) is in pain from being confined to a carriage. His leg is hurting and he's bored. He needs distraction and it seems the wan, poorly clothed young woman seeking assistance will provide that. He and his wolfhound Gelert make room for their unusual guest. Of course their journey is eventful, unavoidably delayed and downright dangerous. After all the drama they encounter their relations...

Mr. Campion's Abdication  (An Albert Campion mystery)    by  Mike Ripley                              This was unusually difficult to get into. I really wanted to connect more fully with the story as the whole events around Edward's abdication, Mrs Simpson and there Nazi leanings has always fascinated me. The 'what ifs' are too horrendous to contemplate.  The thing is that this was my first meet up with Albert Campion and so I do not have an understanding of who he is. He worked in mysterious ways--not fully visible to the naked eye, mine that is! Thirty plus years later Campion is assisting with a film/documentary by an Italian company about the Prince and Mrs Simpson during their time at  Heronhoe Hall and of a gift supposedly sent to show the Prince's appreciation to the Hall's owners, a gift now dubbed the Abdication Treasure. Campion's son and daughter-in-law app...

The Silent Duke  ( The 1797 Club #4)   by Jess Michaels   I swear Charlotte is a warrior woman, a lioness in her defence of  Ewan Hoffstead, Duke of Donburrow. Right from when they met, Ewan a terrified ten and Charlotte Undercross, a perceptive seven, Charlotte has defended and encouraged Ethan. Even years later, when he turned his back on her she still loved him and wanted only the best for him. Ewan cannot get past the terrible burden his despicable father lay on him. Taunted as being deformed, defined by his muteness as less, this words have been poisoned darts that have burrowed their way into the deepest corners of his psyche. Not only his father's angst and derision did Ewan have to endure, but the coldness of his mother and the same bullying as his father, inflicted on him by his brothers. His brothers have been brought up to disregard Ewan as the heir. It's only his uncle's pursuit of justice that has Ewan declared the rightful heir and Earl....

The Ghost of Christmas Past ( Molly Murphy #17)   by  Rhys Bowen.   This is the first Molly Murphy mystery I've read. Even so, I was not lost with what was happening, or the relationships between the main characters. I am sure earlier readings would have given me more depth of understanding into the intricacies of the various relationships--between Molly and Bridie and Daniel, Daniel Sid and Gus, Molly and Daniel's mother. Through a series of almost happenstance events,  Molly, Daniel and Bridie end up spending Christmas at Greenbriars, the home of Cedric and Winnie Van Aiken, near Scarborough on the Hudson River.  The loss of a child is devasting, and in Winnie Van Aiken's case, the disappearance of her daughter Charlotte years ago, the not knowing if Lottie is alive or dead, continues to be shattering.  The plot around Charlotte's disappearance is convoluted. The child's footsteps led outside to the edge of a frozen stream and disappeared. S...