Book Review: Murder at Rudhall Manor (A Lucy Anne Trotter Mystery #1)

Murder at Rudhall Manor
Anya Wylde
3/5

I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review so here we go. After leaving the orphanage which she has called home for her whole life, Lucy Trotter transitions into the life of a governess. Three months after starting, she is accused of not only robbing the family, but murdering the lord of the manor. Only the combined investigative skills of herself and Lord Adair, a visiting investigator, can absolve her of the crime.

I liked the general plot of it, I think it had a fun twist that I didn't see coming. I did have a difficult time following the progression of events, it felt clunky and not as fluent as I prefer my mysteries to be. The exposition was too given, it should have been interpreted through actions. The character development was kind of awkward in the same way- too direct.

I did like the mystery though and I think that it has a lot of potential for the future. I don't know if a romance is on the horizon but I did like the chemistry between Lord Adair and Lucy, there was some potential there. I thought the "love" she had with Peter was weird and under-developed, but if there's romance later on, I won't be complaining. Thank you Anya for the chance to read this one!

Book Review: Forgotten & Remembered: The Duke's Late Wife (Love's Second Chance #1)

Forgotten & Remembered
Bree Wolf
3/5

Graham lost his wife a year ago and has realized that his daughter needs a mother, so he marries Rosabel without speaking with her a single time. As the daughter of a scandal, she really has no choice except to accept.

It's different in the aspect that she really does just solely take care of the daughter at first. Which was nice, she has a tragic backstory of a mother who died young and a father who died of a broken heart, so she loves to give another child that experience which she missed. Her backstory is "tragic" but built up to in such a minimum way, she tells basically everyone who she meets and it loses its significance. Society doesn't play a major role here, she basically lives on a country estate in solitude for the majority of the novel.

I know that the trope in these novels is angst, Graham has missed out on his first love and he'll be bitter forever because of it, but it was really overdone here. He kept going back to it, he said he loved his daughter but really expressed no actual interest in her. It was like her backstory, they kept talking about it but I didn't actually see what they were talking about.

It was okay as a read, I finished it and didn't hate it by the end. I don't know if I would recommend it because it's just kind of a diluted form of the tropes and cliches that I see over and over again, not super exciting or shocking in any way.  

Book Review: Wild at Heart (Wild #2)

Wild at Heart
K.A. Tucker
4/5

I was so nervous for this book, starting like immediately after the end of the first book, Calla has to make a pretty significant choice.  Does she move to Alaska with her kind-of-boyfriend Jonah, or does she not abandon the life she's always known? Obviously, she elects to leave the country and move to Alaska cause otherwise where would they be?

Like I said, I was extremely nervous the whole time. Obviously, Jonah and Calla are two very different people and what they had when she was in Alaska can't exactly seamlessly translate into a normal relationship. There were a lot of ups and downs here, and I was waiting for the big blow up that drove them apart- I was hoping it wouldn't be too irredeemable. There were a lot of them, they're both transitioning from very different lives. Jonah was a bachelor who flew wherever he wanted whenever he wanted, Calla lived with her parents and partied in the city every night. Even aside from the geographical transition, transitioning into a long-term relationship is a pretty big deal.

I think they handled it pretty well, they always talked things out. The biggest issue I had with it was the blowup that happened about 82 percent of the way into the book- I don't think you can come back so easily from saying that you hate a place completely when they both care so much about the others happiness. I'm happy that it panned out the way that it did, I just don't like how much empty time was building up to it, then how quickly it all dissipated.

It was great though, I love this duology and I'm definitely recommending it to people who love the a little bit of the classic enemies-to-lovers romance and like to see how it follows through to the real world.

Book Review: Murder on Mulberry Bend (Gaslight Mystery #5)

Murder on Mulberry Bend
Victoria Thompson
4/5

I want to say that this one was super predictable, and I feel like the actual mystery was, but that end had me shocked. This is the fifth book in Victoria Thompson's Gaslight Mystery series, following the crime-solving skills of midwife Sarah Brandt along with her reluctant partner, Sergeant Detective Frank Malloy.

The relationship in this series develops so slowly, I feel as though they have to get together but also it's moving at a snail's pace. Which is fine, relationships in this time period tend to just jump straight into it and that can be disconcerting. I loved the scene at the beginning of this book though, when Frank found a murder victim in the park and had a moment of confusion. I live for moments like that and am perfectly satisfied reading 22 books just for those kinds of scenes.

These mysteries are tending to follow a very similar progression, which is making them so predictable as they go along. They investigate the murder, they arrest the wrong person, the right person tries to kill Sarah. It's the same in all five of the books so far, so I'm looking forward to more of a twist later on in the series.

Book Review: Murder on Washington Square (Gaslight Mystery #4)

Murder on Washington Square
Victoria Thompson
4/5

This was another great mystery in the Gaslight Mystery series! I really love how Sarah and Malloy are both growing as characters- particularly Malloy who isn't acting nearly as roughly as he did in the first novel. I love the relationship which both of them are creating with Brian and I'd really like to see more of him in the rest of the series.

The mystery was a little easier for me to solve again this time, though I didn't see every element of it coming and I loved the little twist. It kind of got a little more dull than the others in the series did, a lot more stalling. This is a slowburn romance(hopefully?) and while that's okay and entertaining, I can't imagine how frustrating this series would be if I had to wait a year for each of the books.

Super interesting, I learn something new from every book! If you love mysteries and historical fiction or you just want to be entertained, I'd definitely recommend.

Book Review: Crush the King (Crown of Shards #3)

Crush the King
Jennifer Estep
5/5

I loved this book and I loved this entire series. I think it's rare that you see a trilogy fit together so cohesively, that you see a character grow so beautifully from the beginning of the series to the end of the series. It's even rarer that you see an author name-drop the names of all the books in the series in the final series- which I loved.

Evie was discarded and ignored but she was stronger than anyone knew, with more potential than anyone could have expected. From being thrown off a cliff in the first book through gladiator battles and battles of wit, she's done it all. I can't express how proud of her journey I am, it was honestly an amazing ride from start to finish and I'm so glad that I got to watch it happen.

The only problem I had here was how Sullivan's part was so shrunken. I get that the last book was largely dedicated to their relationship and that I had issues with that, but I would prefer a better balance. He had literally three lines in this one, not even the obligatory rehashing of her backstory which she had never given him. I get it, it's all about Evie's own personal strength and her evolution into who she became, but I missed their banter.

I would strongly recommend this series, it's not YA, it could maybe be called NA but it's probably more of an Adult novel. The fantasy element, the monarchy element, everything is beautifully developed and you really won't regret reading it.

Book Review: Murder on Gramercy Park (Gaslight Mystery #3)

Murder on Gramercy Park
Victoria Thompson
4/5

Honestly, it's to Victoria Thompson's own detriment that I love this series so much because I'm holding it to such a high standard. I loved this one, the mystery was easier for me to solve though than the other two books and the culprit's reveal was comparatively lackluster. Not to say that it wasn't a great book, the other two just shocked me a lot more and I wanted more from this one.

The character development continues to amaze me, Malloy is turning into a very likable character as Sarah "ruins" him. I do wish that he could stop comparing himself to other cops, it has a real "I'm not like other girls" vibe to it and I would prefer that we could all just understand his character progression through his actions.

I'm super excited to read the next book, I haven't run into any hold blocks yet so I'm just chugging through the series. Still standing by recommending the series though, it's the perfect time for a huge binge!

Book Review: Murder on St. Mark's Place (A Gaslight Mystery #2)

Murder on St. Mark's Place
Victoria Thompson
5/5

I think that the mystery wasn't as shocking to me in this one as it was in the last one, but I'm giving it the same rating because the character development was much more significant. After delivering a baby for a woman who just lost her younger sister, Sarah Brandt makes a pledge to find another murderer. Frank Malloy wishes she would stay out of it, but can't seem to solve the case without her skilled interference.

We get to learn about another aspect of society, Charity Girls are desperate for pretty things, willing to grant favors to wealthy men for these luxuries. It was difficult for them, society hated them and thought them no better than prostitutes, they were working themselves to the bone for six dollars a week, and then they had the threat of a man who was prowling the streets and beating women to death. The whole story is tragic and sad, something that I know still happens in the world which makes it even sadder.

Malloy's relationship with his son is a very interesting progression. I don't think I've read a book like this before, where he discovers his son's disability and takes the time to seek out schools and consultation as a side-plot the main murder mystery. It's difficult to phrase it, but it creates for a beautifully intricate story-line that's worth so much more than the shock factor of the investigation.

I can't wait to get into the third book, which luckily had no hold list. I'm totally recommending this series for anyone interested in this genre!

Book Review: Murder on Astor Place (Gaslight Mystery #1)

Murder on Astor Place
Victoria Thompson
5/5

I loved this book! Such a complex mystery, really shocked me with the resolution at the end. It's the turn of the century, Sarah Brandt is a midwife who is making her own way in the world after the death of her husband. She sees the sister of an old friend the nigh before she's murdered and feels obligated to assist in the investigation. Though Sergeant Frank Malloy is pretty annoyed by that, she uses her extensive network of clients and her resourcefulness pretty effectively.

I was a little annoyed with Malloy at the beginning, he was still making comments at the end that make me doubt him a little, but he's also a police officer in the early 1900s so like what can we really expect. Sarah won't' let him belittle her though, she is more opinionated and determined than he's probably ever dealt with before, and that's mellowing him out a little. Don't give up on the book though if you can't stand him, he gets better.

The mystery was so well-developed, it had a logical progression of clues and though there were some far-fetched elements, it still felt pretty realistic. I think that it highlights an important part of history that I had never read about before, the early police officers of NYC who thrived off a system of dirty money and fear-mongering. I would recommend it for people who love historical fiction, or murder mysteries, because it does a great job of satisfying both genres.

Book Review: Wayward Magic (Magic Underground Anthologies #2)

Wayward Magic
Anela Deen
4/5

I hate cliffhangers but like I love them at the same time- heads up, this one is another cliffhanger but luckily they're released so frequently that we don't have to wait long. I received an arc of Anela Deen's segment of Wayward Magic in exchange for an honest review- this is my honest review.

Since this is a book of novellas, I'm reviewing only When Day Fades into Night the story of Simith and Jessa. Simith is a pixie, not the cute small kind or the kind from Fairly Odd Parents, but an intense soldier pixie enslaved in a war that he has no real reason to be in. Jessa is a normal human who is struggling with an unexpected pregnancy and now the consequences of the battle of the last novella.

The shortness of it is great since you can easily read this in one sitting, but it's so frustrating because this world could go so much further. It kind of has A Court of Thorns and Roses vibes for me, a human journeys into the realm of magic in order to save someone she has an inexplicable bond with, though it's by no means a replica. I would recommend it for fans of that subset of books though. Another problem with the shortness is that I'm afraid to review any more elements of it without spoiling the intricacies of the plot. So I'll just say go and read this one and the first one for yourself, it'll be fast and you won't regret getting involved in the universe!

Book Review: A Useful Woman (Rosalind Thorne #1)

A Useful Woman
Darcie Wilde
4/5

I love a good regency era murder mystery, especially with a female detective. Rosalind Thorne is the daughter of a fallen baronet and as such, she has had to use her unique skills to carve a place for herself in society. She does so through planning and social manipulation, if a noblewoman wants someone at her party, Rosalind finesses that person into attending. She gets rid of difficult situations and she does so flawlessly.

But now, she has accidentally discovered a murder. She knows that everyone is lying, that it couldn't have been just a tragic accident, but she has no way of knowing. When the victim's sister asks for her help, she begins putting the skills which she has established through years of social navigation in order to solve the case.

I think it's a fairly realistic portrayal of the limitations which a female detective might have in the period. The limitations that a woman whose father has engaged in criminal acts might face. I didn't like the weird love triangle thing that is beginning to form, her relationship with Devon felt like a relic of her past even though he was saying some deep things. Her relationship with Mr. Harkness felt very underdeveloped, they talked like twice and then he was all the sudden swearing to protect her and all. Didn't appreciate that when Rosalind felt like such a strong woman in every other respect.

Overall though, I'd recommend this one. I love female detectives and Rosalind's character has a lot of potential. If you like Lady Darby or Veronica Speedwell as much as I do then this is a super comparable match.

Book Review: When the Duke Returns (Desperate Duchesses #4)

When the Duke Returns
Eloisa James
2/5

After being married by proxy as a twelve year old, Isidore waits eleven years for her husband to return from his travels. When he gets back, it's not really instant love. They both have a lot of problems with one another and are considering an annulment. Then bam, they act on their inclinations and suddenly things seem like they could be alright.

This book is super questionable. I'm here for strong female protagonists, ones who go against the grain. Isidore isn't really conventional nor strong, she's kind of in a weird column. I appreciate her business savvy but that's very counterbalanced by her husband trying to steal her value in every thing. She's obviously capable, but even at the end it seems like he's only made the smallest concessions towards that respect. I also wasn't here for the weird manipulation of other cultures, it felt insensitive especially by the end when his friend said that his divergence from that path was the regaining of his manhood.

Only reason I couldn't give it one star was because I read it all the way through and so it wasn't that boring. I think there are a lot better regency romances out there and this one doesn't measure up.