Review: The Queen and the Knave

 

* Book 5 in the Dread Penny Society series * 

Móirín Donnelly has spent the last five years working in the shadows for the Dread Penny Society, but spending so much of her life in secret is taking a toll on her soul—and her heart.

When members of the Dread Penny Society begin disappearing, Móirín turns to Detective Constable Fitzgerald Parkington for help. The two have developed a friendly rapport, and Móirín feels like she can trust him, though perhaps not with all of her secrets.

Fitzgerald Parkington has a sixth sense when it comes to hunting down criminals, which is why he’s recently been transferred to the Detective Department at Scotland Yard. But when red tape keeps him from tracking down the criminal mastermind known as “The Tempest,” he must rely on the one woman who has unexpectedly captured his heart—the bold and fiery Irish lass, Móirín Donnelly.

As the Tempest’s deadly reach threatens to overwhelm all of London, Móirín and Fitz are caught in an elaborate game of cat and mouse that leads down back alleys, through dark London buildings, and right to the gates of Kensington Palace. Móirín has one chance to save Fitz and the Dread Penny Society from the Tempest, and she might have to sacrifice her one chance at love to do so. - Summary from the publisher

My Thoughts: This is the final book in the series and I loved it. Everything wrapped up well. There were moments of dread, moments of happiness, and moments where I turned the page as quickly as possible to uncover what was going to happen next. Lots of action, danger, and plot twists in this book. And as usual, I enjoyed the Penny Dreadfuls in between the chapters. I loved the clever barbs, the witty moments, and thinking ten steps ahead of your opponent. A great finish to the series! 

* ARC sent for review

Review: Bachelor and the Bride

 

* Book 4 in the Dread Penny Society *

London, 1866

Dr. Barnabus Milligan has always felt called to help people, whether that means setting a broken bone or rescuing the impoverished women of London from their desperate lives on the streets as part of his work with the Dread Penny Society.

Three years ago, he helped rescue Gemma Kincaid by secretly marrying her to protect her from her family of notorious grave robbers.

But six months after Gemma and Barnabus exchanged vows, she realized her love for her new husband was unrequited. To protect her heart, she left, telling Barnabus to contact her if his feelings for her ever grew beyond a sense of duty.

When Barnabus sends a letter to Gemma inviting her to return home, she hopes to find a true connection between them. But unfortunately, he only wants her help to foil the Kincaids, who have been terrorizing the boroughs of London, eager to gain both money and power.

Heartbroken, Gemma agrees to help, but she warns Barnabus that she will not stay for long, and once she goes, he'll never see her again.

Yet as the couple follows the clues that seem to connect the Kincaids to the Mastiff, the leader of London's criminal network, Gemma and Barnabus realize they might make a better match than either of them suspected. Perhaps the marriage that had once saved Gemma's life might now save Barnabus—and his lonely heart. - summary from the publisher

My Thoughts: I really enjoy this series and I can't wait to see what happens next, especially after that cliffhanger of an ending! I love learning more about the Dread Penny society - and its members. I also enjoy the penny dreadful writings that break up the story. I enjoyed the romance between Doc and Gemma. Gemma was a breath of fresh air - who knew so much about criminal activities. I loved her role in the end.

Source: Sent for review

Library Recommendation: A great series for your romance and/or mystery collection. Highly Recommended. 

Review: Merchant and the Rogue

 

 The Merchant and the Rogue by Sarah M. Eden

Publication Date: 8/17/21

Paperback

ISBN: 9781629728513

Retail Price: $15.99

Page Count: 368

Victorian Romance / Dread Penny Society #3

Cover Art: alex74 /Shutterstock.com;

MariLila / Shutterstock.com;

a_zhytkova / Shutterstock.com

Book Design: © Shadow Mountain

Art Direction: Richard Erickson

Design: Heather G. Ward

London, 1865

Vera Sorokina loves reading the Penny Dreadfuls and immersing herself in tales of adventure, mystery, and romance. Her own days are filled with the often mundane work of running the book and print shop she owns with her father. The shop offers her freedom and an income, and while she is grateful for the stability it brings to her life, she often feels lonely.

Brogan Donnelly was born and raised in Ireland, but has lived in London for several years, where he’s built a career as a penny dreadful writer. He has dedicated himself to the plight of the poor with the help of his sister. But with no one to share his life with, he fears London will never truly feel like home.

Brogan and Vera’s paths cross, and the attraction is both immediate and ill-advised. Vera knows from past experience that writers are never to be trusted, and Brogan has reason to suspect not everything at Vera’s print shop is aboveboard. When a growing criminal enterprise begins targeting their area of London, Brogan and Vera must work together to protect the community they’ve both grown to love. But that means they’ll need to learn to trust each other with dangerous secrets that have followed both of them from their home countries.

My Thoughts:

I really enjoyed this book. It was a great addition to the series. I like learning more about the Irish brother and sister. I liked learning more about the printing and the shop keepers. I loved the street children and how both Vera and Brogan looked out for them. I loved Vega and Brogan together - how they fell into an easy friendship that blossomed into something more. I love the Penny Dreadful society and catching up with the members. The Penny Dreadfuls were fun too! I'm so curious to see where the next book takes us in terms of the storm coming and how it all worked out. 

* While you could read this as a stand-alone, it's MUCH better if you read the series in order for the bigger picture storylines. 

© Annalisa Photography

About the Author:

Sarah M. Eden is a USA Today best-selling author of witty and charming historical romances, including 2019’s Foreword Reviews INDIE Awards Gold Winner for Romance, The Lady and the Highwayman, and 2020 Holt Medallion finalist, Healing Hearts. She is a two-time “Best of State” Gold Medal winner for fiction and a three-time Whitney Award winner. Combining her obsession with history and her affinity for tender love stories, Sarah loves crafting deep characters and heartfelt romances set against rich historical backdrops. She holds a bachelor’s degree in research and happily spends hours perusing the reference shelves of her local library.

Advanced Praise:

 “Eden continues to build the overarching mystery and skillfully handles secrets and secret identities. Interspersed chapters of Penny Dreadfuls delightfully foreshadow the main action. Readers who enjoy chaste romances and also love a good mystery will enjoy the Dread Penny Society exploits and will look forward to what comes next.”

—Booklist

 Book Trailer:

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqCjtMNlDZc

 Author Interview:

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qfRjFpdzZ8

 

NYT Best-Seller Goal:

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XpD_XfPmvYg

https://shadowmountain.com/merchant/  

Blog Tour: The Gentleman and the Thief

 

About the Book:

 A gentleman scribes penny dreadful novels by night and falls in love with a woman who is a music teacher by day—and a thief at night.

LONDON 1865

From the moment Hollis Darby meets Ana Newport, he’s smitten. Even though he’s from a wealthy, established family and she isn’t, he wishes he could have a life with her by his side. But Hollis has a secret: the deep coffers that have kept his family afloat for generations are bare, so he supports himself by writing penny dreadfuls under a pseudonym. If not for the income from his novels, he would be broke.

Ana Newport also has a secret. Though she once had a place in society thanks to her father’s successful business, bankruptcy and scandal reduced his fortune to nothing more than a crumbling town house. So Ana teaches music during the day, and at night she assumes the identity of the “Phantom Fox.” She breaks into the homes of the wealthy to reclaim trinkets and treasures she feels were unjustly stolen from her family when they were struggling.

When Hollis’s brother needs to hire a music tutor for his daughter, Hollis recommends Ana, giving him a chance to spend time with her. Ana needs the income and is eager for the opportunity to get to know the enigmatic gentleman. What neither of them expects is how difficult it will be to keep their respective secrets from each other.

When a spree of robberies rocks the city, Ana and Hollis join forces to solve the crimes, discovering that working together deepens the affection between them. After all, who better to save the day than a gentleman and a thief?

My Thoughts: I really do enjoy this series and it seems like there is at least one more book coming. (I hope that's the case because I have more questions.) I Liked seeing characters from the previous books. I love the Dread Penny Society. I want to read more about the other members. And yes, I would love a sisterhood society. I loved Very Merry and her entertaining ways. I loved that both Ana and Hollis wanted more from life - more than people gave them credit for being able to do. I really liked Ana and her relationship with her father. Of course I liked her double life. I loved the banter between Hollis and his friends. I hope to see much more of them soon. And I find the penny dreadfuls most entertaining.  Looking forward to the next installment!

Library Recommendation: A fun series for your public library's collection. Give out to readers of mysteries and romances.

About the Author:

Sarah M. Eden is a USA Today best-selling author of historical romances. Her previous Proper Romance novel Longing for Home won the Foreword Reviews 2013 IndieFab Book of the Year award for romance. Hope Springs won the 2014 Whitney Award for “Best Novel of the Year,” and Ashes on the Moor was a Foreword Reviews 2018 Book of the Year silver medalist for romance.
Combining her obsession with history and an affinity for tender love stories, Sarah loves crafting witty characters and heartfelt romances. She happily spends hours perusing the reference shelves of her local library and dreams of one day traveling to all the places she reads about. Sarah is represented by Pam Pho at D4EO Literary Agency. Visit Sarah at www.sarahmeden.com

 Advanced Praise:

"The real joy in Eden's follow-up to The Lady and the Highwayman (2019) is the furthering of the overarching crime story and the work of the Dread Penny Society as Hollis and Ana pursue a chaste romance. Eden excels at exploring the realities of Victorian life and class differences. Once again, chapters of penny dreadfuls written by the characters are interspersed throughout, with Hollis' story about a school for ghosts offering particular delight. Fans of Eden's smart series will be thrilled and impatient for the next installment."

-Booklist, starred review

"Gentility wears a burglar’s mask in The Gentleman and the Thief, a proper romance set in the criminal underworld of Victorian London. Charming, suggestive, and featuring rich historical details, The Gentleman and the Thief has the elements of a gritty, juicy penny dreadful."

-Foreword Reviews

Book Trailer:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RCMtywcH-GU

 Book Details:

 Paperback Publication Date: 11/3/20

ISBN: 9781629727905

Retail Price: $15.99

Page Count: 368

Proper Romance / Victorian

Book Design: © Shadow Mountain

Cover art: Nimaxs/Shutterstock.com

RODINA OLENA/Shutterstock.com

mis-Tery/Shutterstock.com

Art Direction: Richard Erickson

Design: Heather G. Ward

 

Blog Tour: The Lady and the Highwayman

About the Book:

Elizabeth Black is the headmistress of a girls’ school and a well-respected author of “silver-fork” novels, stories written both for and about the upper-class ladies of Victorian society. But by night, she writes very different kinds of stories—the Penny Dreadfuls that are all the rage among the working-class men. Under the pseudonym Mr. King, Elizabeth has written about dashing heroes fighting supernatural threats and dangerous outlaws romancing helpless women. They contain all the adventure and mystery that her real life lacks.
 
Fletcher Walker began life as a street urchin, but is now the most successful author in the Penny Dreadful market, that is until Mr. King started taking all of his readers--and his profits. No one knows who King is, including Fletcher’s fellow members of the Dread Penny Society, a fraternity of authors dedicated to secretly fighting for the rights of the less-fortunate.
 
Determined to find the elusive Mr. King, Fletcher approaches Miss Black. As a fellow-author, she is well-known among the high-class writers; perhaps she could be persuaded to make some inquiries as to Mr. King’s whereabouts? Elizabeth agrees to help Fletcher, if only to insure her secret identity is never discovered. 
  For the first time, Elizabeth experiences the thrill of a cat-and-mouse adventure reminiscent of one of her own novels as she tries to throw Fletcher off her scent. But the more time they spend together, the more she loses her heart. Its upper-class against working-class, author against author where readers, reputations, and romance are all on the line. (Summary from the publisher)

My Thoughts: I really enjoyed this Victorian Romance. I loved the dual perspectives. I loved the Penny Dreadful writing in between the story. I liked learning more about this style of writing. I loved the Dreadful Penny Society and how they helped children escape from the terribleness of life and gave them hope. I love how the network of children looked out for each other. I enjoyed the school life and the discussion of education females. I enjoyed the banter between Elizabeth and Fletcher. Lots of secrets, danger, and action kept me turning the pages to discover what was going to happen next.

About the Author:

Sarah M. Eden is a USA Today Bestselling author of witty and charming historical romances, including Foreword Review’s 2013 “IndieFab Book of the Year” gold medal winner for Best Romance, Longing for Home, as well as 2014 Whitney Award winner for "Best Novel of the Year," Longing for Home: Hope Springs. Combining her obsession with history and affinity for tender love stories, Sarah loves crafting witty characters and heartfelt romances set against rich historical backdrops. She holds a Bachelor's degree in research and happily spends hours perusing the reference shelves of her local library. Sarah lives with her husband, kids, and mischievous dog in the shadow of a snow-capped mountain she has never attempted to ski.