The Heir by Darcie Wilde (Austenprose PR Book Tour)

 

What is a recent book you read and gave 5 stars?

Victoria has grown up at Kensington Palace under control of her mother and her advisor, Sir John Conroy.  She feels like a bird in a cage.  One afternoon, she is able to slip away for a horse ride.  While galloping across the palace green, she comes across the body of a dead man.  Who is this man and where did he come from?  Victoria sets her mind to solve this mystery.

My thoughts on this novel:

·       The Heir is a cozy historical mystery.  The mystery moves slowly at first but gains traction throughout the novel.  It’s set in the very real historical world of the future Queen Victoria and delves into the dynamics of her life.

·       This is the first in a new “A Young Queen Victoria” mystery series.  I am looking forward to the next novel in the series, especially with the hints that her mother is trying to find a match for her.

·       Victoria had a hard time with her mother and John Conroy controlling her every move.  I can’t imagine having to live like she did. 

·       I loved the character of Victoria.  She is spunky and wants to have her own autotomy.

·       Jane Conroy is Sir John’s daughter.  He brings her to the palace to be friends with Victoria.  He mistreats Jane.  Jane feels awkward and like she never quite knows how to behave.

·       Kensington Palace seems moldy and stifling.  It seems strange to grown up in a palace, but to have no control over your life.

·       Governess Lehzen is on Victoria’s side and assists her.  She was an interesting character.

·       The mystery involves the many royal bastards in the family.  It always intrigues me that there were so few legitimate heirs in this family.

·       I listened to part of the book on audio.  The narrator was excellent.  It was a very enjoyable audiobook.

Overall, The Heir by Darcie Wilde is an intriguing new historical mystery set in young Queen Victoria’s world.  I enjoyed the characters, and I learned a lot.

Book Source:  Thank-you to @darciewildeauthor @kensingtonbooks @austenprose for a review copy of this novel as part of the Austenprose PR Book Tour. 

The Matter of the Secret Bride by Darcie Wilde (Austenprose PR Book Tour)

 

Do you prefer series or standalone novels?  I like both!

King George IV is trying to get a divorce from his queen.  This has caused great strife in London.  It has also brought back up rumors that King George was married previously to Maria Fitzherbert and that is his true bride.  Rosalind Thorne is known for helping women through difficult situations.  She is summoned by Mrs. Fitzherbert and told that her marriage certificate to King George did exist and has been stolen.  Who stole it and why?

My thoughts on this novel:

·       I enjoyed this mystery in this novel.  I have read before about the rumors of Mrs. Fitzherbert.  It was interesting to get to know her as a character and wonder how history would have been changed if this document were to be released to the public.  With murder, riots, romance, and more, this was a great mystery that kept me reading.

·       Ex Bow Street Runner, Adam Harkness, helps Rosalind with her investigation.  Rosalind and Adam had a nice slow burn romance in this novel.  It made me wonder about them.  I need to read more of this series to find out! 

·       There are other friends that help Rosalind, including Amelia who poses as a lady’s maid to gather intel from inside Mrs. Fitzherbert’s home.  I loved reading Amelia’s perspective.

·       This novel is set in 1820 in London.

·       There were a lot of characters thrown at the reader at once in the beginning of the novel.  It got better once the action picked up.  This is the eighth novel in the Rosalind Thorne series, but the first one I’ve read.  This can be read as a standalone, but just be aware that there are a lot of characters at first.  I need to go back and read the rest of this series.

·       I loved the ending of this novel.  There is also a great author’s note that points out that most of the story about Mrs. Fitzherbert was true.  She really did have a signed marriage certificate kept in a lock box, but it wasn’t stolen (that we know of).

Overall, The Matter of the Secret Bride by Darcie Wilde is a riveting well-written Regency historical mystery that involves real life historical people from that time as well as intriguing fictional investigators.  I recommend this novel for all lovers of historical mystery.

Book Source:  Review copy from Kensington Books as part of the Austenprose PR Book Tour. Thank-you!  Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

BOOK DESCRIPTION

Jane Austen meets Fleabag in Regency London, as a resourceful young woman with a talent for helping ladies of the ton with their most delicate and pressing predicaments finds herself facing a task of royal proportions. Literally.

King George IV is petitioning Parliament for a divorce from his queen on the grounds of her adultery. But rumor has it that the king secretly married Maria Fitzherbert—long before he married the queen. Now Mrs. Fitzherbert has been robbed—and she’s frantically calling on Rosalind for help.

Because what those thieves took is proof that she and King George did really marry. That single piece of paper could destroy Mrs. Fitzherbert and her family—or it could prove the king guilty of bigamy.

Rosalind races to investigate. With her is ex-Bow Street officer, Adam Harkness, with whom Rosalind shares a complex and rapidly intensifying bond. But a case of theft soon turns to murder . . .

Josiah Poole, a disreputable attorney specializing in helping debtors—and who was seen entering Mrs. Fitzherbert’s house—is found brutally murdered. Mrs. Fitzherbert has debts. Could she have staged the theft, and employed Mr. Poole to sell the marriage certificate? Or is the truth even more complicated? Mrs. Fitzherbert’s daughters have secrets of their own. And Poole himself had no shortage of enemies.

With suspicious coincidences mounting, and more danger encroaching, Rosalind and Adam must move quickly to unravel a history-making mystery that might just lead them straight to the palace itself . . .

AUTHOR BIO

Darcie Wilde is the award-winning author of stylishly adventurous historical mysteries and romances, including the Rosalind Thorne Mysteries, a Regency-set series inspired by the novels of Jane Austen, as well as the Regency Makeover Trilogy. She has also written, under the name Sarah Zettel, Locus and Philip K. Dick Award-winning novels, including Fool's War, a New York Times Notable Books of the Year selection. She lives in Michigan and can be found online at DarcieWildeRomance.com.