Donna Lea SimpsonReseñas

I sort of blame my self for diving into book two of series first. I found it to be cute read but the concept did not wow me. I also did not feel super connected to the characters. I wanted the concept connect me more. I also did not feel super connected to the characters. The highlight of the book was the mystery I did not see the ending coming. I liked it, but the concept did not wow me. May read more in the futures.

I sort of blame my self for diving into book two of series first. I found it to be cute read but the concept did not wow me. I also did not feel super connected to the characters. I wanted the concept connect me more. I also did not feel super connected to the characters. The highlight of the book was the mystery I did not see the ending coming. I liked it, but the concept did not wow me. May read more in the futures.

From the author of The Earl of Hearts comes a Regency romance celebrating the witty and romantic world that fans of Georgette Heyer have fallen in love with.

Lady Emily Sedgely, separated from her husband and bored to distraction after years of solitude in the wilds of Yorkshire, is stirred by a sudden thirst for life and eagerly returns to London for the Season. Back in the swirl of society, she quickly warms to the attentions of an ardent young Frenchman—until a chance encounter with Baxter, her estranged husband, leaves her as confused as ever about her heart’s true longings.

Baxter, the Marquess of Sedgely, was given to dark moods and an uncertain temper that doomed his marriage. Finding relief in travel, he spent five years gallivanting the Continent and has now returned to London with a comely young mistress—and a dangerous secret. Cavalier about his safety, he discovers a far greater concern—for just one look at Emily stirs a realization that while his life may be in danger, it is his heart that faces a more immediate peril.

When Emily’s young French suitor arouses suspicions that he may not be all that he appears and a unknown assailant makes several attempts on Baxter’s life, the two are driven to protect each other and surrender to a passionate reawakening—and neither will rest until they are safely in the arms of the only person they’ve ever loved.

Received in ebook from Netgalley in exchange for a review.

The story starts 5 years after Baxter and Emily have seperated and they see each other across a crowded theatre. Emily has spent much of the last few years marrooned in Yorkshire, where the solitude away from the London scene has not prevented her putting on some weight (which is referenced by everyone at every opportunity). Believing that Baxter is still on the continent, and that she is therefore safe from running into him, she returns to town for some company.
Baxter, who has been working for the government as a courier and part time spy, has returned to London with a mistress half his age, and his enemies trying to kill him. He is bored of his mistress and is already trying to work out how to ditch her when he sees his wife on the other side of the theatre and begins to realise what he's lost.

Their mutual friend Lessington seeks Emily's help in protecting Baxter, hoping that her appearance will give Baxter something to live for and therefore take the attempts on his life more seriously. Baxter realises that he has been cow-towing to his domineering mother too much and as a result is much at fault for the failure of his marriage because he has defended his wife in order to keep the peace with his mother, who takes every opportunity to denounce Emily as worthless.

Emily is courted by a young French Vicount, who tries to seduce her, though his motives are soon up for question. Emily, and therefore Baxter, get involved with Lady Grishelda May van Hoffen and her fears that she is to be "sold off" to a much older man by her slattenly mother, who is in thrall to "Captain" Dempster. There is much talk about sex within marriage, and the occasional safe (fade to black) scene between Emily and Baxter.

It is a multiple POV story, rather than from just Emily’s view, so allows for some of the secondary characters to be filled out more successfully than other accounts. It allows you some understanding of why Belle does what she does (because she doesn’t know any different, and she believes what she does is the only possibility). Lessington – Less – is a theatre producer and there is every hint that he is gay, if you only read between the lines.

The “May” story line is analogous to the Pride and Prejudice Lydia/Wickham story, where a young girl’s virtue is at stake because of a silly mother, and a young attractive man comes to the rescue.

Everything is soon pulled together and ends up as it should be. This is a much more challenging book than standard "fluff" romances and deserves the time and attention to complete, even if it takes longer than standard romances. Baxter is a little disappointing, in that he can court disaster as a courier for the government but ruined his marriage by not standing up to his mother to protect his wife.

From Netgalley in exchange for a review.

Beatrice Copeland is companion to Lady Bournaud, an ageing widow who has realised she is in the last years of her life, so has decided to throw a last "Hurrah" in terms of a Christmas House party. Lady Bournard has identified 4 twenty-somethings that she hopes will form a certain attachment. She also invites Sir David as a counterpoint to Beatrice, without realising that Beatrice and David have "history".

Things dont go according to plan, when the younger quartet refuse to settle into their prescribed pairs.

Lord Vaughan is being pressurised by his father to get married and is threatened with being sent to the colonies (Canada to be precise) if he doesn't get hitched soon. He cares little for whether he marries the right woman or not, simply that he marries someone of suitable breeding.

On paper at least, Lady Silvia is the right candidate, titled, from the same social circle etc. Unfortunately, she has eyes only for the Reverend Mark Rowland, an impoverished vicar who has yet to start out properly in his own parish.

Verity Allen is a wild Canadian, having been brought up in the rugged frontier being the only girl in the family. She's loud, climbs trees, rides horses like a man, takes risks, is unladylike, unfashionable, and utterly suitable for Lord Vaughan if he would only take the hint that Lady Silvia cant stand him.

It's not long before David realises there is a certain history with Beatrice that he needs and wants to find out why she is so cold towards him, even though they both know there's a certain chemistry. Through some flashbacks we find out a little more of what went on 20 years previously and why both Beatrice and David have some personal hurts. David has come to terms with the past, and this allows Beatrice to move away from her guilt.

Whilst Beatrice and David are the centre couple, there's enough time spent with the other two couples to keep the story balanced. Lady Bournaud is kept safely in the background, prone to napping by the fire and taking meals in her room for her to only make the occasional appearance.

The ending was different enough in that it wasn't immediately tied up cleanly, meaning that not everyone got what they wanted. However, there was a last gift that brought it all together, which was a lit more realistic that the usual straight to “happily ever after”.

What I'm liking about the author is that as per her previous two books Married to a Rogue and The Vicount's Valentine, this book covers older lovers (over 40s), who are meeting their proper loves later in life (sometimes having loved and lost them years before)

From the author of The Earl of Hearts comes a Regency romance celebrating the witty and romantic world that fans of Georgette Heyer have fallen in love with.

Lady Emily Sedgely, separated from her husband and bored to distraction after years of solitude in the wilds of Yorkshire, is stirred by a sudden thirst for life and eagerly returns to London for the Season. Back in the swirl of society, she quickly warms to the attentions of an ardent young Frenchman—until a chance encounter with Baxter, her estranged husband, leaves her as confused as ever about her heart’s true longings.

Baxter, the Marquess of Sedgely, was given to dark moods and an uncertain temper that doomed his marriage. Finding relief in travel, he spent five years gallivanting the Continent and has now returned to London with a comely young mistress—and a dangerous secret. Cavalier about his safety, he discovers a far greater concern—for just one look at Emily stirs a realization that while his life may be in danger, it is his heart that faces a more immediate peril.

When Emily’s young French suitor arouses suspicions that he may not be all that he appears and a unknown assailant makes several attempts on Baxter’s life, the two are driven to protect each other and surrender to a passionate reawakening—and neither will rest until they are safely in the arms of the only person they’ve ever loved.

Received in ebook from Netgalley in exchange for a review.

The story starts 5 years after Baxter and Emily have seperated and they see each other across a crowded theatre. Emily has spent much of the last few years marrooned in Yorkshire, where the solitude away from the London scene has not prevented her putting on some weight (which is referenced by everyone at every opportunity). Believing that Baxter is still on the continent, and that she is therefore safe from running into him, she returns to town for some company.
Baxter, who has been working for the government as a courier and part time spy, has returned to London with a mistress half his age, and his enemies trying to kill him. He is bored of his mistress and is already trying to work out how to ditch her when he sees his wife on the other side of the theatre and begins to realise what he's lost.

Their mutual friend Lessington seeks Emily's help in protecting Baxter, hoping that her appearance will give Baxter something to live for and therefore take the attempts on his life more seriously. Baxter realises that he has been cow-towing to his domineering mother too much and as a result is much at fault for the failure of his marriage because he has defended his wife in order to keep the peace with his mother, who takes every opportunity to denounce Emily as worthless.

Emily is courted by a young French Vicount, who tries to seduce her, though his motives are soon up for question. Emily, and therefore Baxter, get involved with Lady Grishelda May van Hoffen and her fears that she is to be "sold off" to a much older man by her slattenly mother, who is in thrall to "Captain" Dempster. There is much talk about sex within marriage, and the occasional safe (fade to black) scene between Emily and Baxter.

It is a multiple POV story, rather than from just Emily’s view, so allows for some of the secondary characters to be filled out more successfully than other accounts. It allows you some understanding of why Belle does what she does (because she doesn’t know any different, and she believes what she does is the only possibility). Lessington – Less – is a theatre producer and there is every hint that he is gay, if you only read between the lines.

The “May” story line is analogous to the Pride and Prejudice Lydia/Wickham story, where a young girl’s virtue is at stake because of a silly mother, and a young attractive man comes to the rescue.

Everything is soon pulled together and ends up as it should be. This is a much more challenging book than standard "fluff" romances and deserves the time and attention to complete, even if it takes longer than standard romances. Baxter is a little disappointing, in that he can court disaster as a courier for the government but ruined his marriage by not standing up to his mother to protect his wife.

From Netgalley in exchange for a review.

Beatrice Copeland is companion to Lady Bournaud, an ageing widow who has realised she is in the last years of her life, so has decided to throw a last "Hurrah" in terms of a Christmas House party. Lady Bournard has identified 4 twenty-somethings that she hopes will form a certain attachment. She also invites Sir David as a counterpoint to Beatrice, without realising that Beatrice and David have "history".

Things dont go according to plan, when the younger quartet refuse to settle into their prescribed pairs.

Lord Vaughan is being pressurised by his father to get married and is threatened with being sent to the colonies (Canada to be precise) if he doesn't get hitched soon. He cares little for whether he marries the right woman or not, simply that he marries someone of suitable breeding.

On paper at least, Lady Silvia is the right candidate, titled, from the same social circle etc. Unfortunately, she has eyes only for the Reverend Mark Rowland, an impoverished vicar who has yet to start out properly in his own parish.

Verity Allen is a wild Canadian, having been brought up in the rugged frontier being the only girl in the family. She's loud, climbs trees, rides horses like a man, takes risks, is unladylike, unfashionable, and utterly suitable for Lord Vaughan if he would only take the hint that Lady Silvia cant stand him.

It's not long before David realises there is a certain history with Beatrice that he needs and wants to find out why she is so cold towards him, even though they both know there's a certain chemistry. Through some flashbacks we find out a little more of what went on 20 years previously and why both Beatrice and David have some personal hurts. David has come to terms with the past, and this allows Beatrice to move away from her guilt.

Whilst Beatrice and David are the centre couple, there's enough time spent with the other two couples to keep the story balanced. Lady Bournaud is kept safely in the background, prone to napping by the fire and taking meals in her room for her to only make the occasional appearance.

The ending was different enough in that it wasn't immediately tied up cleanly, meaning that not everyone got what they wanted. However, there was a last gift that brought it all together, which was a lit more realistic that the usual straight to “happily ever after”.

What I'm liking about the author is that as per her previous two books Married to a Rogue and The Vicount's Valentine, this book covers older lovers (over 40s), who are meeting their proper loves later in life (sometimes having loved and lost them years before)

This book wasn’t as enjoyable as the first. It’s listed as a mystery, but really, the mystery is resolved in the first half of the book. It’s more of a romance with a tad of mystery tossed in. The constant back and forth between the main characters got to be annoying because it was so predictable. I know the author did it to emphasize their differences and lead up to the ultimate resolution, but there was maybe one too many of the same issues. Still I enjoyed the book and will probably read the next in the series in hopes it’s as entertaining as the first in the series was

This book was rather “meh”. It deals with a difficult topic- the sexual exploitation of young girls, but the blurb leads the reader to believe that there is more to the story. Spoiler: there’s not. If I had gone into reading this knowing that, I would have had a different mindset. Instead I was hopeful of reading a relatively lighthearted Victorian mystery and that my friend, is not what this book is.

Okay as mind candy. Mildly annoying to find a Harlequin romance masquerading as a cozy mystery, but I will continue the series until it goes off the deep end.½

Great cozy! I love, love the cover, it sets the mood for mystery. Jaymie Leighton, has an interesting view of life. Instead of being impassioned about writing, she is more interested in people. Not thinking that a wrong person should be convicted of a crime, she is persuaded by her employer to investigate the murder of Shelby, the girl friend of her employer'son. The little that she observed of him did not lead her to like him. Short tempered, Cody and she had actually seen him hit Shelby!

Her love interest, Jakob had been married and abandoned, leaving him to take cate of their daughter, Jocie, a sweet and intelligent little girl with a form of dwarfism.

The mystery has a lot of twists and turns and I followed most of it but got a little bit lost when it came to actual murderer. The story was very enjoyable, I got a little lost when if came to who the murderer was but a true delight to read.

A group of ladies in Regency England have decided to gather together and stop the abuse of young women by upper class "gentlemen" for their entertainment. Miss Emmeline St. Germaine, masked and hooded enters the house of Sir Henry Claybourne and catches him just as he is about to rape the scullery maid. Holding a knife to his throat, he makes him release the girl and together they escape. However, Sir Henry is found dead, knifed to death, the next morning, and all of London wants the killer, the masked woman, found and charged. Emmeline is forced to solve the murder, undercover, and what she finds is terribly disturbing.

This book dragged, too much repetition in conversations and descriptions. Hopefully, the next in the series is better.

1810, England, family-drama, family-dynamics, misogynistic-era, social-injustice, class-consciousness, amateur-sleuth, secrets, lies, rescue, friendship, historical-novel, historical-places-events, historical-research, mystery, suspense, murder, murder-investigation*****

A hundred years before Nellie Bly women were treated like unruly chattel (at least in the monied class) and sent to mental health institutions for "corrections". Emmeline’s sister died in one of those places, and now a friend is threatened. Emmeline’s reaction to these things caused her elder brother to send her to that very institution. At first it suits her because it is a way to investigate. Until she finds it to be more of a prison complete with abuse and forced feedings. And then one of the younger girls was murdered by strangulation. Now things got really dangerous. A very good read.
I requested and received a free e-book copy from Beyond the Page Publishing via NetGalley. Thank you

"[An] outstanding series launch. ... Hamilton expertly balances the page-turning detection with the story of a hypocritical society where women, whether they are scullery maids or orphans, rarely get to make their own decisions."—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Scandal and slayings among Regency London's elite
The shocking murder of Sir Henry Claybourne leaves Regency London shaken and horror-struck. But for genteel spinster Miss Emmeline St. Germaine, the crime slices far too close to home. Just hours before the knight's death she held a dagger to him, threatening him to stay silent as she rescued a scullery maid he had procured for his pleasure.
Did the man—or woman—who murdered the knight know of her visit? Her secret identity at risk, her reputation and life in jeopardy, Emmeline must solve the crime or face scandalous exposure and ruination, or worse—the hangman's noose—for a crime she did not commit.
"Hamilton's novel will...

class-consciousness, murder, murder-investigation, amateur-sleuth, England, downtrodden, secrets, lies, women-s-rights, scandal, first-in-series, rescue, resilience, false-information, falsely accused, false-identities, friendship, drama, sensation-press, social-injustice****

Emmeline is the most daring of a group of ladies who work together to rescue young girls who work in homes where the wealthy man of the house puts them at risk. She also is the one with the poorest leash on her tongue. The publisher's blurb is a good intro, so no need to recap or do the spoiler thing. Looking forward to the next in series to see further development of the characters. A good start!
I requested and received a free e-book copy from Beyond the Page Publishing via NetGalley. Thank you

No angst, but I liked the smart and spunky heroine. A little abrubt towards the end, but I guess that's to be expected given the novella format. Yay for bluestocking spinsters!

Short and sweet, with a nice dose of angst. I prefer a groveling hero to a groveling heroine, but liked this nonetheless. Spinster (and I believe chubby) heroine, but it wasn't really a feature.

This was a little too overly sweet and dramatic for my tastes, but talk about an insecure heroine! St. Claire seemed like kind of a jerk and then did an about-face, which felt a little random. But overall I did like it.

On re-read, bumping it up from 2.5 to 3 stars. It’s defin saccharine, but that comes with the territory (Clean Romance). If you’re looking for odes to love and whatnot, and no sex, this is for you. I did like the characters more than on first read, particularly the secondary characters who are the heroines of the next two books, so I may end up reading those (one heroine is plump and the other is plain, but nothing from their book descriptions indicate that factors into their stories, so we’ll see). I still could have done with a bit more angst though - there were a couple good setups, but they weren’t really well utilized, leaving me feeling that the hero is a jerk and the heroine absurdly naive.

More like 2.5

Not 2, more like 2.5, just barely 3

It was OK but I won't be continuing the series, would prefer to find something more than just OK.

Not quite 3 star but will finish the series books I have, though I won't get any more.

Barbara’s rating: 4 of 5 stars
Series: Vintage Kitchen Mystery #10
Publication Date: 9/21/21
Period: Contemporary - Michigan
Number of Pages: 212

A happily settled-down Jamie Leighton is going about her life as a new wife and mother (step, to Jocie) in Queensville, Michigan when she is approached by Alicia Vance who is the mother of Jocie’s friend, Mia. Alicia makes a number of oblique references and statements before she finally decides to trust Jamie with what she suspects and what she wants to know. Sadly, that gives a murderer the opportunity they need to keep her from telling Jamie anything at all.

Jamie is torn – leave the investigating totally to the police and Detective Vestry, or ‘help’ in her own inimitable way. With Jocie upset about the fate of her now orphaned friend, Jamie just couldn’t stay out of the investigation. Had Alicia murdered her husband several years ago? Was he actually murdered or was it really just an accident? If he was murdered, who, other than Alicia, had a motive? If Alicia killed her husband – who killed Alicia?

With a killer in their midst, Jamie fears her family could be in danger, especially if they believe Alicia actually told Jamie something about her husband’s death. Alicia’s family and that of her deceased husband are weirdly intertwined and they are all highly dysfunctional. Can Jamie peel back the layers and expose the canker to the light of day before something happens to her and her family?

This has been an entertaining series with wonderful characters, mystifying mysteries, and even a cute three-legged dog. I was happy to see more page time for Jakob (Jamie’s husband) in this book. I really like him, but felt we really didn’t know him – and we still don’t really, but this book definitely helped.

I thoroughly enjoyed this light, entertaining mystery and hope you will as well.

Good story, but HOLY CRAP did the editing of the last chapter or so SUCK. Seriously, it's like someone accepted the wrong stuff on track changes, as it goes through a conversation and then it goes through the same conversation slightly differently.

Still, it was cute and the last chapter didn't detract from my enjoyment of the book overall, it just made me mutter and such.

Another great book in the series.

When a woman suspected of killing her husband approaches vintage kitchen utensil collector Jaymie Leighton for help, Jaymie is surprised. What does the woman need Jaymie's help for? Unfortunately, Jaymie will never know what the woman needed, because the woman was found dead just days after meeting Jaymie. With not one, but two murders to consider and one or more killers on the loose, Jaymie must untangle a web of complicated clues and get to the bottom of the case before the killer(s) get to her and her family.

Hamilton has a beautifully expressive writing style that helps bring her characters to life. I particularly enjoyed her descriptions of the setting and of Jaymie's train of thought as she investigates the mystery. And I'm always a sucker for a punny title!

I also enjoyed the strong character building this novel featured. Many of the characters are interesting, yet flawed, making for a suspenseful mystery. This contributed to making a complex mystery complete with red herrings, false assumptions, and a lot of investigative work on Jaymie's part.

The highlight of the book for me was the thoughtful way in which Hamilton addressed the impact of crime on the family and friends of victims. Though it made for a heavy read at some points, this is an important topic that isn't often mentioned in cozy mysteries. The integration of this topic into the mystery was very well done.

At times though, I did feel that the book was almost too expressive. This is a slower paced mystery, which makes sense given the attention Hamilton gives to both her characters and the execution of the mystery. However, the slowness meant that the plot dragged at some points. I think some scenes could have been edited or even eliminated to help make the book tighter.

Thank you to NetGalley and Beyond the Page Publishing for providing me with an ARC. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Readers should know that there is minimal violence in the book and no foul language. For those who are sensitive to the topic, there are discussions of infidelity.

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