This guest review comes from Lisa! A longtime romance aficionado and frequent commenter to SBTB, Lisa is a queer Latine critic with a sharp tongue and lots of opinions. She frequently reviews at All About Romance and Women Write About Comics, where she’s on staff, and you can catch her at @thatbouviergirl on Twitter. There, she shares good reviews, bracing industry opinions and thoughtful commentary when she’s not on her grind looking for the next … Continue reading Miss Caroline Bingley: Private Investigator by Kelly Gardiner and Sharmini Kumar →
I read about book 3 in this series, Death Comes to Kurland Hall, in the December 2015 issue of Romantic Times, which we’re recapping on the podcast. As I mentioned in Whatcha Reading, like a completely strange human being, I didn’t start with book three. I started with book one, Death Comes to the Village. This review will be mostly about that book, with some warnings about book two, Death Comes to London. A Very Important … Continue reading Death Comes to the Village by Catherine Lloyd →
I’m a sucker for a historical mystery with an angry female lead. Can’t resist. Must read immediately. Fortunately, I discovered this series of books with exactly this type of sleuth on offer. Rhiannon ‘Non’ Vaughan is auditing some lectures at Oxford in 1881. Women aren’t allowed to attend all lectures, write exams or attain degrees, but Non is determined to do as much as she can nonetheless. Non is a fearsome young Welsh woman studying … Continue reading A Bitter Remedy by Alis Hawkins →
CW/TW: in this book there is child assault, child sexual assault, incest, murder, more murder, and history of sexual assault revealed but not depicted on the page. I described the plot of this book to Elyse, and she, who reads all kinds of things that would scare me sleepless, said, “Holy mother of god. That is a PLOT.” Oh, yes. Yes, it is. Now, I can hear you thinking, “Sarah. Whoa. Why did you read this?” … Continue reading Murder on Astor Place by Victoria Thompson →
If you’re in the mood for a new historical mystery series, check out this guest review by Lara! Lara is a teacher, feminist, knitter and proud co-parent to the greatest three-legged black cat in the southern hemisphere. … I was bumbling along in a reading rut, neither excited nor bored, just, well… fine. Then, Lady Trent came along and blew me right out of my rut and into reading heaven. I love her! I want … Continue reading Guest Review: The Richmond Thief by Lisa Boero →
There’s such a wonderful feeling in discovering a new author that works for you and realizing they have this whole backlist to dive into. It’s like when you treat yourself to a fancy coffee on a frigid day and the first blast of heat and caffeine and sugar hits you, and you’re just warm and happy. That happened to me this weekend with Sarah Maine. I picked up Women of the Dunes because it featured an … Continue reading Women of the Dunes by Sarah Maine →
The first book in this series, Death Below Stairs, was a SBTB Book Club Pick, and I was so excited to receive the sequel. This is easily one of my favorite new series, and I adore so much about it. Happy for me, just about everything I love about this world is present in the new book, and I’m immensely satisfied, making all the Good Book Noise one might expect. I read it while walking on … Continue reading Scandal Above Stairs by Jennifer Ashley →
This review is for both the narrative and the audiobook performance of Her Royal Spyness. I’m continuing my streak of listening to historical mysteries while I walk the dogs each day, and I’m switching between series so I don’t burn out on the patterns and familiarity of a particular author or character. Her Royal Spyness was recommended to me most vociferously after Amanda’s and my recent podcast (episode 292) about audiobooks when I asked for advice … Continue reading Her Royal Spyness by Rhys Bowen →
This review is for both the narrative and the audiobook of The Hanover Square Affair. I listened to this book after learning about the series during our SBTB Book Club Chat for Death Below Stairs, also by Jennifer Ashley/Ashley Gardner. This is the first book in the Captain Lacey mystery series: Captain Lacey is living a pale, uncertain existence following the Napoleonic wars. He’s not financially doing well, he suffers from depression and from the pain of … Continue reading The Hanover Square Affair by Ashley Gardner →
On the surface You Were Here is all of the Elyse-bait. It’s a psychological thriller set in present and past, a story about infidelity and family lies. It also features a heroine who dreams of some tragic event long-ago, nightmares that are so vivid they disrupt her life. All of those elements are there, but they fail to gel together to make a story that’s cohesive. You Were Here opens with Abby Walter’s having one of … Continue reading You Were Here by Gian Sardar →
The Duke Who Knew Too Much blends Regency romance, mystery and kink–a formula that I expect will intrigue a lot of readers (especially those looking for more erotic historicals). There are a lot of things going on in this book–a lot– but the author weaves them all together well. The only thing that really irked me was the hero’s insistence that he’s incapable of feels, mostly because I’m sick of emotionally constipated dukes. Anyway, the … Continue reading The Duke Who Knew Too Much by Grace Callaway →
