Review: Hollywood Homicide

Y'all my TBR is like the scene out of disaster movie, except instead of bodies, it's print books scattered across the landscape or digital files buried on my Kindle. In both instances I'll turn to spelunking to unearth stories long neglected, which is how I finally came to read Hollywood Homicide by Kellye Garrett. She has since gone on to write more hard-boiled suspense (see my recommendation for Like a Sister), but this was her debut back in 2017 and it's a cozy mystery.

This book is a cozy mystery the way I like 'em. There are no small town cupcake shops that employ magical baking cats who knit in their spare time. It was marketed as a cozy because it's light on gore, violence and "bad language," but it doesn't devolve into any of the cutesy crap that the subgenre has morphed into. It's cozy in the way that Sue Grafton would sometimes be cozy, and y'all I was here for it.

Dayna Anderson is a nice Southern girl and retired actress. She's also flat broke. After a successful run as a spokesperson for a fast food chicken franchise, she's made the decision to quit Hollywood and find another line of work. The problem being that she hasn't yet, has been relying on temp jobs, and well....she's broke. Then her father calls. The bank is about to foreclose on her parents' house. Dayna is desperate. She'll do anything to help her parents. And that's when she sees the billboard. Haley Joseph, pretty, young and blonde, was killed in a hit a run and the cops have opened up a tip line, offering a reward. If a tip comes in leading to an arrest? That person will be $15,000 richer. Dayna, seeing no other options, decides to to play amateur private detective. 

This story has a lot going for it. Our lead protagonist is a Black woman who has had a boob job, and not villainized for it. She investigates Haley's death with the help of her two best friends, Sienna, an ambitious would-be actress and Emme, a tech nerd who happens to be the twin sister of a famous actress. The LA setting is well drawn, and Garrett's occasional skewering of the entertainment industry hits all the right notes. I was enjoying this quite a bit, until I wasn't.

About halfway through it just starts to descend into too much silliness. Dayna has a tendency to exclaim privately (in her own head) things like "Fudge" and "Blergh" when things don't go her way. Then there's Aubrey S. Adams-Parker. This guy y'all. We never get his full story (presumably fodder for the next book in the series?), but he's apparently a former cop who is now a private investigator. Oh and he doesn't drive - he rides a bike. Yes, in LA. It's hard to not have a car in this town and this guy is a private investigator? Sure Jan. Also, since he rides a bike that means he wears a reflector suit and he keeps showing up in the middle of Dayna's snooping. And it's always "Aubrey S. Adams-Parker," never just Aubrey or weirdo guy wearing a reflector suit. I think he's supposed to be funny, but frankly he's tedious.  

Dayna keeps calling the tip line and talking to a gum smacking operator who doesn't take her seriously because by the end of this thing Dayna has accused four different people of running Haley down. The truth comes out in the end, but by that point the ending dragged on a little too long and things got a little too convoluted, and what started out as a fun, breath of fresh air read for me, turned into a book that took me three weeks to finish.

Look, there are definite high points here. Like a said, a Black woman protagonist with a group of friends who solve a mystery together - this is not something growing on trees. Also Garrett does an excellent job with the setting and the cozy vibes. It's just that the humor didn't always land for me, and humor is subjective as hell. Among my mutuals there are folks who really loved this book and folks who, like me, were more "this is OK but didn't always work for me." On the bright side, nobody seemed to outright hate it - so definitely one where mileage is gonna vary.  If this sounds like your thing? I definitely think it's worth a look.

Final Grade = C+

Luck Be a Lady: Unusual Historicals for March 2025

Hello March, my old friend. Come back around to torment me again. March is the start of my "busy season" at work, when the push begins for end of the fiscal year. Overseeing collections, managing a budget, means June 30 is a big deal on my work calendar and it's the one time of year where I have hard deadlines I can't tap dance around. This all means I start early and my brain starts to melt down by week's end. On the bright side? The surgery I had earlier this month to correct my hiatal hernia means I'm 1) no longer regurgitating everything I eat and 2) I'm sleeping some of the best sleep I've had in years. I mean, I'm still not sleeping enough - but baby steps y'all. I'm also not reading again. My goal this year to read more consistently has not come to fruition, but it is only March. Maybe there's still hope I can turn this ship around? And on that score, here's a fresh crop of Unusual Historicals to pique my interest and maybe kick me back into a reading groove.

The King's Messenger by Susanna Kearsley

It is the year 1613, and King James is sending his messenger Andrew Logan into Scotland with secret orders to arrest Sir David Moray, close friend and advisor of the late Prince Henry. Secrets are second nature to Andrew, who must hide his Second Sight to stay alive. Joined by a court scrivener and the scrivener's spirited daughter Phoebe, Andrew slowly untangles the true purpose of his mission—to frame Sir David for Prince Henry's murder. But Andrew is unwilling to betray an innocent man.

Phoebe Westaway dislikes Andrew, and their history makes it hard for her to trust him. But as their journey draws them deeper into the dark web of court intrigue, Phoebe begins to suspect that she might have more need of the King's Messenger and his unusual gifts than she could ever have foreseen.

Oooooh, a new Susanna Kearsley! This one sounds fantastic. 17th century, a King's messenger who finds out his boss is up to no good, traveling with a woman who doesn't trust him as far as she can throw him. Oh, and it's a Road Romance! One of my favorite tropes.

The Lady Sparks a Flame by Elizabeth Everett

A Lady with a past. A man with ambition. A romance far from London society that might bridge their divides.

Lady Phoebe Hunt never anticipated returning from exile. A fatal choice drove her from England, but the death of her father—and the revelation of his debts—has brought her home. Once she settles her father’s estate, she will return to America, where she has reinvented herself. There’s no reason to remain, not even for one gravitationally challenged but deliciously tempting entrepreneur: Sam Fenley.

Samuel Fenley is all ambition. Rising from shop boy to wealthy investor, he’s left knocking on doors that open only for those with a title. Unless he buys the damned door itself—and the estate that goes with it. Sam offers to relieve Phoebe of her burdens, but is her crumbling mansion all Sam wants? Or is it the Lady herself?

When threats from Phoebe’s past spark new dangers, Sam and Phoebe discover that neither is what the other expected. Standing on the edge of disaster, the disgraced Ice Queen will have to decide if she wants to forge through life alone, or let an unlikely hero melt her heart.

Book 2 in the Damsels of Discovery series features a heroine exiled to America after her participation "in a revolutionary plot" returning home to sort her dead father's finances (naturally a surprise to one and all). The answer to her prayers might be the hero, who is offering to buy the crumbling family estate and also possibly wed her younger sister - which would also mean her mother would be cared for. So why does the hero woo'ing her sister bother her so much? 

A Wager at Midnight by Vanessa Riley

Scarlett Wilcox is willing to live out her life as a spinster if it means being able to continue her medical research to help a friend in need. After all, few husbands would tolerate her dressing as a man to attend lectures at the Royal Academy of Science. If the Duke of Torrance finds her such a specimen, she'll agree to a marriage in name only, much to the dismay of her elder sister, the Viscountess.

 

When she's unmasked at a lecture on ophthalmology, Scarlett prepares to be disgraced, but she's saved by Trinidadian-born physician Stephen Carew who claims her as a cousin. Dedicated to caring for his community, Stephen has no wish to marry a frivolous and privileged lady, no matter how many fall for his disarming accent and seductive charm. But Scarlett proves the opposite of any he’s ever met before. Yet the pressure to marry blinds them both to the chemistry growing between them, pitting their brilliant minds against their reluctant hearts—as the Duke and Viscountess await with bated breath to see who will win . . . A WAGER AT MIDNIGHT.

Book 2 in Riley's Betting Against the Duke series features a heroine secretly attending the Royal Academy of Science who is saved from scandal by a visiting physician from Trinidad. Naturally there is an attraction and naturally, this being a romance, it's complicated. 

Our Dear Miss H. is on the Case by Violet Marsh

Georgina Harrington should never have trusted her feckless cousin Percy with her most precious archaeological discovery. But no one would take her academic work seriously if they knew it was hers and not her male cousin’s. When Percy goes missing, only Georgina realizes that he is truly in danger.  To find him, she must rely on the help of his infuriating but incredibly handsome best friend. 

Although Alexander Lovett is always up for an adventure, he vows to keep his distance from Georgina, who is on his insufferable parents’ list of suitable brides for a future duke. He’s a grown man who can pick his own wife, thank you very much. But he’s surprised to find himself falling for Georgina’s shockingly bold initiative and independent thinking, which saves them from more than one deadly scrape. 

Yet as a simple kidnapping grows into a threat to the monarchy, their smoldering attraction might be snuffed out before it has a chance to ignite.  

Set during the Georgian era, our heroine uses her cousin to present her archeological discovery and he ends up going missing.  To find him she enlists the help of the hero, who agrees despite the heroine being on a short list (put together by his parents) as potential wife material. The hero has some bizarre notion of choosing his own wife - I mean, what?! Reviews on this one mention sparkling banter and the story being equally silly and serious - which means the publisher marketing this as a romantic comedy probably isn't far off (for a change...).

A Lady's Guide to Scoundrels and Gentlemen by Arden Conroy

A lady should avoid a scoundrel if she does not wish a lifetime of heartache. But sometimes hearts simply do not care about rules.

Luck strikes when least expected and Lady Vivian Winthrop finally gets a taste when an unexpected fortune is left to her and not her brother. But there’s a caveat: to keep it, she must marry within one year. As newspapers name her “Britain’s richest spinster,” men swarm her receiving room with hopes of charming her down the aisle. Vivian becomes frustrated by the incessant attention—and unfortunately, Vivian discovers she cannot identify true gentlemen from sneaky scoundrels like her own brother.

Her brother owes a shocking gambling debt to Edmond “Dantes” McNab, a scarred pugilist who owns a wild pub. With his ear to the ground, Dantes knows the truth about much of the ton. Vivian offers the man a deal he can’t resist: help her find a true gentleman to marry, and she will repay her brother’s debt in full.

It’s soon clear Dantes knows the scoundrels’ secrets because he is one himself. Unfortunately for Vivian, her heart becomes a bit too affected by the burly man. She knows well enough any affection for Dantes will end in nothing other than disaster. But sometimes one’s heart simply does not care about silly rules.

If Vivian doesn’t find a suitable gentleman soon, she may make the biggest mistake of her life and fall in love with one of the worst scoundrels in London.

Folks, we have a debut! The first in The Harp & the Thistle series, which feature "Three wild brothers from the streets of Whitechapel."  A heroine who has an inherited a fortune, but must marry within one year to claim it, soon finds herself overrun with potential "suitors." Couple that with her useless brother, she needs help weeding out the scoundrels. For that she turns to the hero, a former boxer, now pub owner, who will help her find a gentleman and in exchange she'll pay off her brother's debt to him in full.  I mean, what could possibly go wrong?

The Warrior's Bride Alliance by Denise Lynn

She needs a husband… 

So she captures one! 

Lady Gillian of Rockskill desperately needs a husband—one strong and wealthy enough to protect her castle. So she has warrior Rory of Roul captured and blackmails him into marrying her! 

Awaking in a dungeon to a marriage proposal, Rory stuns his beguiling captor with a counteroffer: to free his men and complete his mission for the king, he agrees to a temporary chaste marriage. One that can be annulled when his quest is over.  

But despite their stormy beginning, their attraction grows, and so does the temptation to claim their wedding night!

This is Lynn's return to Harlequin Historical, her first with them since 2018. It's apparently a part of her Warrior Wolves series, but I suspect it stands alone well since I'm only seeing the series mention on the author's web site (and not on either Amazon or at Harlequin). A good old fashioned medieval marriage of convenience plot - a Lady heroine needs a man to protect her castle, so when she captures a warrior, she blackmails him into marrying her. He, of course, expects to keep the marriage temporary and chaste. Ha ha ha ha!

With Love in Their Corner by Sandra Sookoo

When you want something out of life, you’ll have to fight for it.

Lewis Stapleton, eighth Earl of Lethbridge is a man hovering on the edge of breaking. Between his mother pestering him about finding a bride of high social standing, maintaining his estates and title without enough funding, and worrying over his brothers, he requires an outlet. Anger and grief haven’t been dealt with since his father’s death two years prior, so he works through those emotions while in the boxing ring. His father was a prize fighter so matching his over-large footsteps is difficult, but something must give else he’ll explode.

Miss Cecilia Dawson is tired of being an object of ridicule or allegedly not good enough for anything beyond a quick tryst. With an affinity for numbers, she keeps the books for her father’s shipping company, but is desperate for a way to defend herself against the coarse and crude men she encounters in the office near the docks. The day she steps into the Stapleton Boxing Salon while disguised as a boy rapidly becomes both the best and worst day of her life.

Despite the instant attraction between them, Lewis ignores it in favor of teaching Cecilia how to box for protection. As the summer days slip by filled with an illegal fight or two as well as activities that come far too close to courtship, the attraction spills into forbidden desire that lands them both into scandal. Distracted, they never see danger coming that puts them into a corner of peril.

Only by releasing fears and working together will they come away with a prize more valuable than anything they could imagine.

Another series starter, The Boxers of Brook Street, and another boxer hero. He's taken up boxing to deal with residual anger and grief, and she wants to learn to defend herself while working for her father's shipping company located near the docks. A forbidden attraction soon morphs into scandal and dun dun dun danger. 

Waiting for Love by Carol Coventry

If the gossips of the ton can agree on one thing, it is that Lady Olivia Taverston will marry a Peer.

Everyone expects Lady Olivia Taverston, the winsome sister of the Earl of Iversley, to be the most sought-after debutante of the London Season. Yet Olivia cares nothing for attracting suitors. Suitors lead to marriage, and marriage means leaving behind everything that she holds dear. Not even the prospect of a love match excites her. She fell in love once. It hurt. She won’t do it again. Naturally, a lady must marry, but Olivia can’t pretend to be happy about it. Especially not after he reappears—and he’s handsomer, kinder, and more annoyingly noble than ever.

Mr. Benjamin Carroll has returned to England after an admittedly harebrained attempt to make his fortune in Canada. A failed business venture not only left him bankrupt, but also made him the adoptive father of his deceased partners’ little girl. Thankfully, he has a lifeline. Jasper Taverston, the Earl of Iversley, an old Oxford chum, has offered him the job of estate steward. The only complication is Jasper’s little sister. Years ago, her infatuation with Benjamin progressed from silly to embarrassing. Of course, it’s absurd to think she could still be carrying a torch for him. She should be grown up and married by now. Except he finds she is not. Not married, that is. She is very definitely grown up.

The worst thing a lowly steward can do is to seduce his lord’s sister. Benjamin knows this. Olivia does too. But…

Defying the expectations of her family and the rules of the ton is not the worst thing a lady can do. Even worse is to surrender to them with a vengeance.

The third book in The Taverstons of Iversley series features a bankrupt hero, returned home to England, taking a job from an old friend to be his new estate steward. What he didn't plan on? That his old friend's attractive younger sister would still, inexplicably, be single. And she's still single because he once broke her heart. She's the Earl's sister, he's a lowly estate steward. Complications ensue.

The Loyalty of a Lyon by Linda Rae Sande

He’s the widowed Marquess of Hawke. She’s a wealthy spinster named for Apollo. Will a conniving cousin thwart a matchmaker’s plans to see they end up together?

Robert Strathford, Marquess of Hawke, had thought to spend his older years traveling the world with his beloved wife, but when Eleanor dies in a carriage accident, he’s left heartbroken—and broke. While he was on the Continent, his man of business made off with most of his fortune, his whereabouts unknown.

After two years of mourning both his wife and his livelihood, he’s in need of a matchmaker—his past two attempts to land a wife using the Black Widow of Whitehall failed when he couldn’t win the strange games he had to play at The Lyon’s Den. He is determined Mrs. Dove-Lyon find him a wealthy wife. Will the third time be the charm?

Spinster Apollonia Alexander, the only daughter of a wealthy trader, has lived her entire life on the move. Her father chose to take her with him when he traveled to various ports and marketplaces, negotiating with ships’ captains and export houses for fabrics and trinkets for the British market. When he suddenly dies, she is devastated. Although her inheritance is substantial, her cousin inherits the Alexander Trading Company. Christopher will end up with her and her fortune if she’s unable to land a husband—she needs a male relative to access her funds.

Not about to marry her cousin, Apollonia seeks the services of a matchmaker. Mrs. Bessie Dove-Lyon promises a respectable marriage to a loyal man if she can handle life with a Hawke.

But will he be able to handle her?

Part of the Lyon's Den continuity series (76 books long!), features an older hero heartbroken over his wife's unexpected death, with the added complication that his man of business has robbed him blind. After two years he decides it's time to remarry, preferably a woman with some money. Enter, stage right, our heroine, a spinster and the daughter of a wealthy trader. She's got a pile of money but a terrible cousin with his own ideas, which means she needs a husband, and fast.

The Duke's Lance by C.H. Admirand

“Who in the world would marry me, just to ensure that

I stayed at Wyndmere Hall?”

“That would be me, lass.”

The winsome, ebony-haired lass with the violet faery-eyes captures O’Malley’s heart when she steps down from the carriage, but it is the ugly dark bruise on her cheek that has his protective instincts offering his strength and the protection of his name.

O’Malley’s stubborn pride takes a hit when the lass thanks him, but refuses his offer.

Helen Langley accompanied her mistress, the duke’s ward Emily, to Wyndmere Hall after a perilous journey from London. The broad-shouldered, green-eyed, handsome giant barely knows her, yet offers her marriage.

Helen cannot accept O’Malley’s offer, her past could ruin their future!

O’Malley is willing to wait when she leaves for the Borderlands intent on securing a position as a companion. But the man who murdered Emily’s father has Helen in his sights and follows her. When she is abducted—twice—Helen must decide whether to trust O’Malley and accept his offer, or keep her past hidden and live with the pain of her broken heart for the rest of her life.

Danger stalks in the night, but it will have to get past The Duke’s Lance before he will let harm come to those he has sworn to protect with his strength, his honor, and his heart.

This is the 12th book in The Duke's Guard series, which features the Irish O'Malley brothers and off-shoots of cousins. It's the kind of series where the author keeps a family tree running on her website. He's one of the Duke's guards, she's a lady's maid with ambitions to be a companion.  One small problem, she's in dun, dun, dun danger! He's willing to marry her to protect her, she's not so sure - that is until she gets kidnapped, not once...but twice.

Whew! Everything is a lot right now, but take your Aunt Wendy's advice. Take a moment to find some joy. Whether that's eating ice cream for breakfast, buying that new lipstick or treating yourself to some new Unusual Historicals. What Unusual Historicals are you looking forward to reading?

#TBRChallenge 2025: The Diary of Cozette

The Book: The Diary of Cozette by Amanda McIntyre

The Particulars: Erotica, Harlequin Spice, 2008, Out of print, Available in audio (Audible exclusive), Book 1 in loosely connected duet

Why Was It In Wendy's TBR?: Y'all my print TBR is a sickness.  This book is autographed, which means I picked it up at an RWA conference and I know it was the 2009 conference because the author dated her signature. Seriously, I have a problem.

The Review: For this month's Rizz theme I thought it would be fun to read an erotic romance since it's literally been forever since I've read one. Why? Well, the subgenre changed. Folks, I'm just not interested in reading about an endless series of kinks without any passion to back it up, and I, personally, felt like that was what the subgenre was devolving into. I need passion. I need emotion. Frankly I need more than sex on the page otherwise what's the point exactly?

This book was published in 2008 and back then it would have been considered a throwback, which means it's very much a throwback in 2025. Told in first person through the written journal entries of our heroine, Anne Cozette, it starts in the summer 1869 and takes us through the spring of 1875. Young Cozette is being shuttled off to live with an aunt and uncle. Her father killed in an accident and most of her siblings dead from cholera, her mother and last remaining sibling are on the brink of death. For reasons she doesn't understand, Cozette has been spared sickness, and it's her mother's dying wish to see her 14-year-old daughter cared for. She can already read and write, and the aunt will make sure to continue her schooling.

Of course life with her aunt and uncle does not go according to plan. Also in residence is a cousin, a lad so foul he once tried to drown a litter of kittens for fun. Naturally he makes advances on Cozette, who manages to fend him off and run away before he rapes her. Of course the sack of garbage spins a tale for Mom and Dad that Cozette is a wayward girl, out to tempt him with her wicked ways, and before we know it Cozette is shuttled off to an orphanage. She's there for a stretch when she meets her first love, a young man named Ernest doing chores around the property to earn money to help his sickly mother. There's a sexual interlude between them where Cozette's "virtue" is left intact which helps to wash away the horrors experienced with her cousin. Of course life in the orphanage is not good, especially for the girls - some of whom seem to be "disappearing." Cozette has largely flown under the radar until one day Ernest overhears there are plans to sell Cozette to a man who came around flashing a wad of cash. He gives Cozette money from his own savings, tells her to flee to London, that he will follow and find her once it is safe.

Ernest, of course, never comes and Cozette is a young girl alone in London. She learns quickly to survive by her wits and with the help of others on the street who take her under their wing. She is soon disguising herself as a boy, making "friends," and working in a brothel, scrubbing floors and "managing" one of her "friends" who has a stripper-burlesque-type act.  Eventually a good deed at a local market leads to employment with Lord and Lady Archibald, who, once realizing Cozette is actually a girl and not a boy, take her in and offer her employment as a maid. This is where the majority of the story unfolds and Cozette soon discovers a family with the Archibald's like she's never known. 

This story is a curious mix of erotica, erotic romance, and coming of age. The style in which it's written harkens back to the lusty bodice rippers of the 1970s/1980s that featured heroines who had several adventures, with several lovers, before settling down with their one true love - all of which was told in an often verbose purple prose style that I will admit, rarely works for me. McIntyre doesn't go full-blown purple here though, it's more like a lavender tinge. Expect a lot of fruit and flower euphemisms for sex and lady parts and you'll have a rough idea of what to expect. 

Cozette takes her fair share of lovers throughout the book - starting with Ernest and including everyone from an untrustworthy Lord next door, but boy he makes her lady parts tingle, a solider before he's shipped off to Canada, and a budding artist (who is the hero in the second, loosely connected book). Then there's Mr. Coven, the man who manages Lord Archibald's stables. A man with physical scars, who wears an eye patch, and starts verbally sparring, sometimes flirtatiously so, with Cozette the moment she arrives at the estate looking like an urchin who probably has lice.

This story reminded me of why erotic romance pulled me in as a reader early on - Cozette is driving this story and her own destiny. Make no mistake, she has luck on her side, but she's making choices, she's calling the shots, and she will let nobody consent to touch her without her say so. She's a heroine choosing passion, does not shirk her desires, and given the series of lovers she enjoys this definitely reads more like erotica. Also, given her age, her trials and tribulations, it's very coming of age. A young girl going through a sexual awakening. She starts this story at 14 (when she is nearly raped by her cousin), her first pleasurable sexual experience is at 16, and her first time with intercourse being at 17. One would expect an "ick" factor here - but I gotta admit, not really for me. I think the historical time period helped tremendously. Certainly a story of this ilk written in present day would not have hit nearly the same way. But the historical setting, the lavender tinged writing style, this one was pure escapism for me.

That said, it does fall apart at the end. There's a big reveal, an A Ha! moment, that just did not work for me. I can suspend disbelief but not to the point where it snaps entirely - and snap here it does. Also, while I can normally take or leave epilogues, I kind of felt like this story needed one. I had grown attached to the odd little Found Family at the Archibald estate and would have liked one final moment for a Where Are They Now? recap.

McIntyre wrote a couple of books and some shorts for Harlequin Spice, most of which are out of print now, and her website is scrubbed of any reference to these works (Because they're out of print? Because she moved on and rebranded? No clue). Most recently she's moved over to writing contemporary westerns and from what I can tell her last book came out in 2019. I'm sorry I left this one languishing in my TBR for so long. It's hardly perfect but damn if this isn't interesting - and frankly an interesting erotic romance is something I haven't read in a long time. It gives me an itch to dig around for more of the sub genre languishing in my TBR.

Final Grade = B- 

Reminder: #TBRChallenge Day is March 19

Here we are, Happy 2025 and the start of another #TBRChallenge! Our inaugural #TBRChallenge day is set for Wednesday, March 19 and our theme is Rizz.

This suggestion came out of my annual theme poll, and yes I had to Google it because I'm old. Rizz is short for charisma. Charmers, smoothies, real slick operators. It doesn't necessarily have to be tied up in "good looks," but certainly that's not going to hurt. To borrow slang more ancient - these are folks that have that "it factor."  

I mean, romance novels are littered with these types of characters - playboys, rakes, characters so charming you're half in love with them before the end of the first chapter. However, remember the themes are completely optional. Remember our goal with this challenge is always to read something, anything, that has been languishing in your TBR piles.

Also, a reminder that it's not too late to sign-up for the Challenge (fun fact: it's never too late to sign up!).  For more details and for a list of participants, you can check out the 2025 #TBRChallenge page.

Little Miss Crabby Pants and the KU Whinging

I know. No opinion pieces in years and suddenly Little Miss Crabby Pants shows up twice in less than two months. I would have said this was inconceivable just a year ago, but the fracturing of Romancelandia amongst eleventy-billion social media platforms has a lot to do with. One thing I've learned in my post I-cannot-provide-Twitter-with-anymore-content life is that Threads is where all the hot takes have gone to die - which is why I'm not on there very much and it's also where I've seen most of the "discussions" lately on boycotting Kindle Unlimited, a part of the larger boycott Amazon calls that have become more vocal here in the States.

Before I get started I want to acknowledge a couple of things: 1) I'm coming from a place of privilege. I live in a well-populated, largely urban area and have a variety of shopping options. There are plenty of people in the US where if they're not shopping at Walmart they're not shopping anywhere. 2) I'm an Amazon customer. Books, eBooks, retail items, Prime - you name it, I've probably purchased it there at some point. All this to say that I'm acknowledging upfront that I'm a hypocrite.

This blog has existed for 22 years now and has, largely, been an apolitical space because that's the choice I've made. It doesn't mean I don't have strong political opinions and it doesn't mean that a lot of my online friends and acquaintances don't know what my political leanings are. Just means I keep this blog apolitical. You can think what you want about that, as is your right, but my blog = my choice. 

There's a wee bit of uncertainty in the US right now (as well as on the world stage - because duh) and everybody has their line in the sand. When that line is crossed people will, naturally, look for ways they can voice their displeasure and one of the time honored ways to do that is boycotting. Just as many folks made the decision to end their relationships with Twitter or Tesla, folks are now looking to end their relationship with Amazon, which has led to discussions (and calls) from within Romancelandia to boycott Kindle Unlimited.  Which, in turn, has raised concerns for indie authors, especially marginalized indie authors. 

For those of you living under a rock, Kindle Unlimited is a digital monthly subscription service where readers can read as much as they want from the KU library. Authors are paid by page views. The more pages read, the more authors make. It's been great for romance readers, who are voracious readers in general, and great for some authors. Here's always been my problem with it - exclusivity. If you're an indie author in KU that means readers cannot purchase (or read) your book(s) anywhere else. You're locked into the Amazon ecosystem, therefore, so are your readers.

Folks, I'm a librarian. I'm a little passionate on the subject of "access." This is not a secret and I've made my thoughts known on Amazon exclusivity clauses with digital for KU participants, their own publishing imprints and Audible exclusives. If it's cutting out the ability for public libraries to purchase it and provide access, I don't like it. Radical hippie that I am.

Also, overall, I think putting your eggs in any one basket isn't the greatest idea - no matter what those eggs are. However, over the years, I've just given up trying to explain why I think this is a bad thing. KU has been a godsend for many marginalized authors long shutout of traditional areas of the publishing ecosystem - and it's very hard to dismiss that. Marginalized authors were, and still are, making money via KU. On the other hand there were those folks who started lumping in public libraries with book pirates.  I'll never forget the time I stood up and walked out of an RWA panel where an agent said one of the reasons author income was suffering was because libraries were giving away books for free. 

Publishing is in the state it's in because instead of acknowledging the writing on the wall (digital is here, readers want digital), they buried their heads in the sand, decided price fixing was a grand idea, and basically rolled over and exposed their bellies to Bezos. Nature abhors a vacuum and instead of publishers being proactive, Bezos saw his opportunity, developed the Kindle and made digital reading so easy that a monkey wearing a diaper can do it. Kindle was not the first eReader on the market but Kindle was the first eReader that made digital reading easy. Meanwhile, publishers were trying to cram the genie back in the bottle, decided to completely ignore what had already happened with the music industry and instead decided public libraries were the enemy and have generally made our lives miserable with embargoes, limited access, metered access, and price gouging ever since. All the while begging for scraps from Bezos.

Feelings, I haz them. 

Now we get to current events. Certain segments of the US population are fed up with billionaires and boycotting is something they can proactively do. Indie authors are upset because in the grand scheme of things boycotting KU is only going to hurt them and will barely register a blip on Amazon's bottom line. Here's the thing, indie authors aren't wrong here. Bezos is not making his fortune on books. He never has. He's making it on all the other stuff you can buy on Amazon but mostly on AWS (Amazon Web Services). AWS is basically everywhere - including the company you work for and your local government. Good luck boycotting that.

Does this mean you shouldn't boycott KU because it won't do any good anyway?  I'm not saying that. As stated earlier, everybody has their line in the sand - you do you. And if you're looking for ways to stop feeding Amazon money, no longer buying books or laundry detergent through them is an easy, more expedient way (in most cases), to do that. Books and laundry detergent can be bought at other retailers - just not, you know, KU books. Ah, there's that pesky all eggs, one basket thing...

Where I think indie authors are missing the point is why folks might be "boycotting" KU - which is to say, they're not really boycotting it at all. For every faceless voice screeching on social media, there's plenty of other readers who may be severing their relationship with KU for that most time honored of traditions - they're freaked out about the household finances.

It's fun times right now if you're a government worker (federal, state, local - it sucks all the way around). Many folks have lost their jobs and more folks are looking over their shoulders and crossing their fingers. What's the first thing people do during times of financial uncertainty? They look for ways they can stretch their finances and start looking at where they can make cuts.

The only times in my life that I've subscribed to KU is when there was some killer deal I couldn't ignore, like 99 cents for three months access.  Otherwise, I've never subscribed long-term.  Why? Because even being in a place with some disposable income, it never made sense to me financially to do it. $11.99 / month comes out to $143.88 annually.  Just looking at the average number of books I read a month it didn't make financial sense. The percentage of my reading that comes from books in KU is miniscule. I come out ahead simply buying those books I want to read, and since there's a lot of indie authors in KU, the most I'm paying is $4.99/book.  The vast majority are actually in the ballpark range of 99 cents to $2.99. 

Again, place of privilege, but like a lot of romance readers I have amassed a huge TBR in both print and digital. I could not buy another book for the rest of my life and still not get through the TBR I've amassed before I die. Then there's my local public library, which is how I get all of my audiobooks (and have since I started listening to audiobooks 25 years ago). Is there the threat of Fear Of Missing Out because I'm not reading the book du jour on KU that's currently setting Romancelandia ablaze? I mean, maybe? But if I cared that much I'd just buy it and still come out ahead with my household budget in the long run. I guess having KU means I could read longer samples but the shorter free samples available on Amazon at no cost are serving my purposes just fine.

I think indie authors are feeling the pinch not from all this boycott talk but from problems that we're already aware of (ex. all those rumblings about KU's payment system that existed well before the election) and readers worried about their own bottom line. I don't have kids, but I know that if I was looking for ways to trim my expenses, a KU subscription only Mom enjoys is probably going to lose out to a streaming service the whole family (including Mom) enjoys. If I was Mom I'd learn to deal with any FOMO and figure out other ways to scratch my reading itch - so long as it's legal (because I've seen nonsense about pirating and all I gotta say is I hope you get a particularly virulent strain of malware). Reading through the TBR you've already amassed, learn more about what your local library has to offer, wait for sales and mark-downs - all perfectly legit things to look at if you're looking to sock more of your budget towards silly little things like groceries, utility bills, and the mortgage. 

I'm not unsympathetic towards indie authors - but, so long as it's legal, readers can make the choices they make. Does boycotting KU hurt Bezos in the long run? Heck, does one person not buying a sandwich from Chick-fil-a make a difference? Probably not if the drive-thru lines are any indication. But everybody has their line and everybody has to sleep at night. Some indie authors made the choice to flock to KU and they did so for a variety of reasons I completely understand and "get." However, the one basket system will never not be problematic - if that system collapses, what are you left with? 

That said, to point the finger at any potential boycott is just too soon. Do I have any proof to back that up? Of course not. But it stands to reason that it's more logical for the culprit to be Amazon's KU payment system (suspect for a while now) and readers freaked out about their own personal finances. $11.99 for my KU subscription this month? Or some store brand eggs and peanut butter in this week's grocery cart?  I know which one I'd choose.

Review: A Deal with the Devil

Last year I read Alyxandra Harvey's The Scandalous Spinster, the first book in The Spinster Society series about a group of women in Regency London who use their smarts, cunning, and spinsterhood to protect women from predatory men - of which there are more than a few. Despite some plot busyness, it was an enjoyable historical romance by a new-to-me author and I was captivated enough to preorder the second book in the series, A Deal with the Devil. Once I realized who the hero and heroine were going to be I was all in.

I think this book can still be enjoyed if you read out of order, but I also think it helps to start with Book 1 - mainly because the opening chapter starts during that timeline and some of the backstory might be a little less confusing.  Kitty Caldecott owns the most scandalous bookshop in all of London, a purveyor of filth sure to bring ruin to the women who dare darken her doorstep - because of course Kitty sells "naughty books." Outraged vicars and people throwing rotten vegetables at her front door are nothing new. It's a living, and it would probably be an OK one if not for the fact that her father is a degenerate gambler. To add insult to injury, he's not very good at it. Kitty is barely keeping the family, which consists of Daddy, a vile aunt and her younger sister afloat when Daddy and Auntie make a match for sister Evie with Lord Portsmouth, a man who has buried three wives already. Kitty is so desperate to protect her sister she does the one thing a girl should never, ever do - she steals from the Devil himself.

Lord Birmingham (Rhys) is the aforementioned Devil. He has money but what he really wants is power, and he's been gathering that currency by collecting debt vowels and building a fabulous gaming hell. He runs into Kitty, literally, at a Devil's Night extravaganza hosted by the villain of the first book. It's only after that run-in he realizes the captivating redhead picked his pocket, stealing a debt vowel.  Honestly now, this will not do. He has a reputation to uphold and honestly, a woman who sells naughty books got the jump on him? Totally unacceptable. 

Kitty is desperate but not stupid, and figures making a deal with the Devil is the only way to keep her sister safe and out of the clutches of Lord Portsmouth.  After stashing Evie in a safehouse (with The Spinster Society, but of course!) she strikes a deal with Rhys.  Help me save my sister from a fate that will surely mean death and you get back your debt vowel. Rhys agrees mainly because our guy is gobsmacked from the jump and Kitty kicks up all his dormant protective instincts. 

There's a fair amount of set-up in this story and it does take a minute for our couple to spend quality time on the page together, but getting there is all good stuff.  If you're a heroine-centric romance reader, Kitty is the gal for you. I just adored her. She's smart, resourceful and won't back down from a fight. The interactions she has with her bookstore clientele are priceless, as are her run-ins with outraged vicars and society matrons. She's a badass spinster with a soft vulnerable center and y'all - these are my favorite types of heroines. More than half the books in my keeper stash are littered with them.

Rhys is also an interesting hero - accepting a commission during the war and surrounding himself with a motley, yet loveable, crew as he builds the finest gambling hell in all of London.  He also is completely smitten with Kitty and is ready to slay dragons for her.

"...I just want you to have everything you need. Let me take care of you.” 

“Why?” 

“Because no one else does,” he said severely. “And because it would be my fucking privilege.”

I mean, swoon.  Also, and this cannot be overstated, the banter these two share, the chemistry, it's truly delicious.

That being said, this is a book you can't think about too much otherwise it takes on unsavory overtones. Rhys is in the gambling business and collects debt vowels. The author doesn't spend any time in these weeds but it stands to reason that while some of these vowels belong to villains just as many belong to gambling addicts and desperate people.  All this in a bid to collect power and influence. And the motley band surrounding Rhys at his gambling hell?  Oh sure, men he served with on the Continent, but some of them are essentially hired muscle. There's definitely mob-like implications going on here. Look, I was intrigued by Rhys - I even liked him and Kitty together - the chemistry sizzles and I wanted them to live happily ever after. None of that changes the fact that Rhys can easily be a villain in someone else's story.

But, look - Romancelandia is riddled with morally gray heroes and a lot of readers don't bother to bat an eyelash. I liked Rhys as a hero but I'm also well aware that he's Problematic AF - his devotion to the heroine notwithstanding.

There's the plot of saving Kitty's sister and what happened to Lord Portsmouth's last wife (who is actually only presumed dead...) but this story is definitely more romance than romantic suspense. This bit of the plot serves the purpose of moving things along and throwing our couple together but it's not terribly complex.  The meat and potatoes here is Kitty being generally fabulous and the chemistry between her and Rhys. Have I mentioned the sizzle? 

I had a good time reading this, problematic elements I'm trying not to dwell on aside. I'll be ready to pre-order Book 3 once it's announced.

Final Grade = B

Candy Hearts: Unusual Historicals for February 2025

If January felt six months long, February has been blinked and you missed it - and yes, I realize February is the shortest month of the year, but still. I'm gearing up for my busy season at work (end of the fiscal year, June 30, is big hairy deal in my job and I basically start that process around this time) and I'll be going in for outpatient surgery the first week in March to take care of the hiatal hernia that has made my life miserable for the past couple of years. But, we still have books (well, at least for now...) and while February is a short month, it's a bonanza of options for unusual historicals - which, dead my ass. Again, historicals will only die on our watch, so if any of these look good to you - give them a whirl and spread the good word far and wide.  Here's what caught my eye this month:

A Tropical Rebel Gets the Duke by Adriana Herrera

Paris, 1889

Physician Aurora Montalban Wright takes risks in her career, but never with her heart. Running an underground women’s clinic exposes her to certain dangers, but help arrives in the unexpected form of the infuriating Duke of Annan. Begrudgingly, Aurora accepts his protection, then promptly finds herself in his bed.   

New to his role as a duke, Apollo César Sinclair Robles struggles to embrace his position. With half of society waiting for him to misstep and the other half looking to discredit him, Apollo never imagined that his enthralling bedmate would become his most trusted adviser. Soon, he realizes the rebellious doctor could be the perfect duchess for him. But Aurora won’t give up her independence, and her secrets make her unsuitable for the aristocracy.

When dangerous figures from their pasts return to threaten them, Apollo whisks Aurora away to the French Riviera. Far from the reproachful eye of Parisian society, can Apollo convince Aurora that their bond is stronger than the forces keeping them apart?    

This is the third and final book in the author's Las Leonas trilogy and this back cover blurb positively sings for me. Paris, a physician heroine in the crosshairs for having the gall to provide women with health care and a Duke hero who is very much on the outside looking in. He's determined to make her his duchess and she's less than thrilled with the idea - sign me up!

Never Gamble Your Heart by Lindsay Lovise

When the genteelly born, impoverished Frankie Turner's impulsive younger sister goes missing, Frankie has no idea where to begin the search to find her. But when she discovers hasty marriages materializing between “troublemaking” women and men who don’t deserve them, she knows her sister is somehow involved. The only thread connecting the groomsmen is a membership to Rockford’s, an exclusive gambling hell owned by the devilish Jasper Jones. And it just so happens that Jasper has recently become the guardian of a sullen fifteen-year-old.

Jasper suspects his new governess has an ulterior motive for being in his household, but he can hardly find the time to uncover it when his life is in a constant uproar. First, Frankie teaches his niece how to count cards and then she tries to break into his study. When he finally learns Frankie’s true reason for being there, he agrees to help the brilliant mathematician find her missing sister, even if it means giving her a fake dowry and watching men trip over themselves in her presence. As he and Frankie work together to dismantle a nefarious scheme, Jasper realizes that for the first time in his life, he’s gambled his heart—and possibly lost it.

Lovise is one of the few new writers working in historicals right now and this is the second book in her Secret Society of Governess Spies series.  A heroine with a penchant for numbers looking for her missing sister finds a connection at the hero's gambling hall, the same hero who has a sullen teenage ward. They're soon working together to bring down a dastardly plot, as one does...

The Viking's Princess Bride by Sarah Rodi

He’s won the throne… 

But she’s his royal prize! 

Victorious in his quest for revenge, Viking Njal takes the Saxon crown—and their princess! But while he’s wedding Cwen in the name of peace, he cannot deny the way she entices him. Even if it’s clear she’s holding something back… 

Princess Cwen has long accepted being used for her kingdom’s gain, but taking the enemy’s hand is the most outrageous request yet! Still, the rugged warrior ignites a fire inside her… Cwen just can't let Njal storm her carefully constructed walls. Because she’s harboring a secret that could rock the foundations of their marriage!

Rodi's latest stand-alone features a Viking hero who has taken a crown by force and decides to wed a princess in the name of "peace," while she, understandably is less than thrilled with the idea, even if she's always known that what she wants has very little to do with anything - oh, and look, she has a Big Secret!  Because what's a princess without a secret?

The Confessions of a Lady by Darcy McGuire

Dare she risk her secrets?

In the world of upstairs/downstairs, Housemaid Penny Smith anticipates her employer’s needs and blends into the background making her the perfect spy for the prime minister against a suspected member of the Devil’s Sons. There’s only one problem. When she meets the guilty marquess, his actions don’t match the evidence against him. Lord William Renquist defies her every expectation and sets her traitorous heart racing.

Lord William Renquist, Marquess of Stoneway and secret spy to Queen Victoria, must infiltrate the Devil’s Sons, tearing the brotherhood apart from the inside. His mission – to bring evil men to justice while atoning for the sins of his family, proving honour is stronger than tainted blood. There’s only one problem. A canny maid who is always in the right place at the wrong time and who deliciously challenges his every order.

Liam and Penny are unknowingly playing a dangerous game from opposite sides of justice. And at a masked ball, forbidden attraction burns into something far more complex as their secrets spin into daring confessions. This battle against their enemy will only be won if Penny and Liam can work together. But can a maid from downstairs ever trust an upstairs marquess?

This is the third book in the author's Queen's Deadly Damsels series and features a housemaid, who is a spy and a Marquess, who is a spy. Do either of them know the other is a spy? Of course not - there's no fun in that!  Also, and this cannot be overstated, I am trash for upstairs/downstairs "stuff" in historical romance.

Benefactor to the Baroness by Melissa Kendall

In a world of rules, surrendering to love is the only rebellion that matters.

Plagued by survivors’ guilt after escaping her impoverished childhood selling matchsticks, Fontaine Shepherd, the Dowager Lady Kerry, uses her position on the board of a charitable foundation to relocate starving orphans to the new world—until contact with the new office is abruptly lost. Fearing the foundation will discover she’s been clandestinely using funds to bribe workhouse owners to release children, she decides to travel across the ocean and re-establish communication herself.

Except the only captain who can transport her in time insists that she not travel alone.

Facing a lonely life after marrying off her nieces, Rosemary Summersby reluctantly agrees to attend a ladies’ charity group. There, she meets the vivacious Lady Kerry, who challenges her long-held beliefs of how a lady should look and act. Compelled by a desire to experience the excitement of which her niece often speaks, Rosemary accompanies the dowager baroness to a workhouse and witnesses the cruelty of poverty firsthand.

Then Lady Kerry stumbles into Rosemary’s cottage one night with an outrageous request: to travel across the ocean as her companion and help her uncover the mystery behind the missing orphans.

Unable to convince the dowager baroness of the dangers of her plan and remembering the sense of responsibility that drove her to accept three orphans into her life fifteen years prior, Rosemary decides to join Lady Kerry on her trip. But as the vast ocean and a noble mission stretches before them, a shared purpose and a single bunk ignite an unexpected passion that makes both women question what they truly want for themselves.

I'm going to be honest, I find this back cover blurb for the third book in the author's Seductive Sleuths series entirely too messy, but we've got a Dowager noblewoman who has known poverty, freeing children from deplorable workhouse conditions who needs a companion to travel across an ocean to unravel a mess. Also, while people are neither genre nor trope (says Wendy) - it's also Sapphic. At the very least it's worth reading a sample.

Complications in Paris by Melinda Copp

It was supposed to be a season in France, but then she decided not to go home.

Diane Talbot is an American in Paris and desperately wants to stay that way. Instead of returning to Woollett, New York, she and her sister didn't get on the boat. Now, nearly a year later, their father's fiancée and her stepson—at Daddy's behest—have come to Paris to bring them home. When they surprise Diane in a compromising situation with French party boy Guillaume Allard, she improvises and claims they're engaged.

It's the perfect plan. As long as she can convince her family that she's getting married and has established herself in Paris, they can't take her home. The best part is that Diane won't really have to get married—not to the man her father wants or to Guillaume.

Handsome and charming Guillaume barely knows Diane. But she's fun, and he owes her a favor. He goes along with the fake engagement, but that's a decision he soon regrets.

As Diane and Guillaume spend more time together, the ruse gets harder to perpetuate, and her family gets more involved. Soon, this perfect solution is far trickier than anticipated, and their feelings for each other have grown so complicated that it can only be love. Ultimately, they're forced to face an impossible obstacle to their happily ever after: he wants a lifelong commitment, and she believes marriage is a trap best avoided.

Three words: Belle. Époque. Paris. If that isn't enough, an American heiress in Paris not all that anxious to return home (I mean, I'd stay in Paris just for the croissants and macaroons, so I hear you girl!) fakes an engagement with a "French party boy," as one does.  Of course it all soon gets complicated, as it always does.

The Mysteries of Pendowar Hall by Syrie James

She vowed to solve a murder.

Now she’s in danger of losing her heart … and her very life.

Diana Taylor, a bright and spirited governess who has sworn off love, is sent to Pendowar Hall in Cornwall to honor a pledge. She vows to teach her godmother’s niece and to find out who was behind the suspicious death of the former baronet. But her new charge is also a mystery, as is the man who inherited the ancient coastal estate—the charismatic but brooding Royal Navy Captain William Fallbrook, who is home on leave to recover from an injury.

As Diana investigates, her feelings for the enigmatic Captain Fallbrook blossom, and her guard goes up. Pendowar Hall is brimming with secrets as well as a frightening legend about a Mermaid’s Curse. What is behind the mysterious footsteps in the night? Is there more to the story of the tragic deaths of the former baronet’s wife and son? What secrets is Captain Fallbrook hiding? Can she trust the man who has stolen her heart?

He looks to be entranced by Diana, even though her determination to dig up the past seems to get on his last nerve. Soon, Diana’s bold quest to unmask his uncle’s killer leads her into terrifying danger, for someone is determined to end her life before she can discover the truth.

The first book in the Audacious Sisterhood of Smoke & Fire series has all the touchstones of a Gothic - Cornwall, a suspicious death, a governess, and a brooding hero (in this case a Navy Captain!) who has inherited an "ancient coastal estate." Also there's a curse, because of course there's a curse.  I am trash for Gothics, so this one is more than worth a look.

Evidence of Evil by Mary Lancaster

Pursuing murder and fighting love…

Several weeks after they parted company, courtesan Constance calls on the wealthy business-man Solomon Grey to request his help solving another mystery. Her old friend Elizabeth, now the wife of respected magistrate Sir Humphrey Maule, is being accused of murder.

Solomon, bored and restless, happily agrees, before he realizes they are expected to pose as husband and wife. While this presents its own challenges, the case itself is elusive. The young woman fished out of the lake in her nightgown is the Maules’ neighbor, and there is nothing to show how she died except that it was not by drowning.

Hunting for evidence, Constance and Solomon turn their attention to the complicated victim herself, who may have harboured more than one deadly secret.

Sigh. The second book in the Silver and Grey trilogy and I've had Book 1 in my immediate TBR for the past two months. Soon, my pet, soon. Anyway, our couple, a courtesan heroine and a wealthy businessman hero, pose as husband and wife to find a killer. 

A Diamond in the Rough by Andrea Pickens (Reprint)

Determined not to follow in the footsteps of his weak-willed wastrel father, Adrian, Lord Marquand, has designed a life for himself based on order and reason . . . and a passion for creating the most beautiful gardens in England. However, he must keep his true identity as England’s most acclaimed landscape designer a secret. But when his father gambles away Adrian’s beloved ancestral estate, he’s sure all is lost . . . until he’s offered a way to win it back.

Adrian isn’t the only one keeping secrets. Derrien McClellan, a fiery, unconventional Scottish lass must disguise herself as a boy to play golf on the hallowed course at St. Andrews. She’s the best golfer. . . which is why a dear family friend asks her help in teaching Adrian how to play so he can beat an unprincipled cad at his own game and win back Woolsey Hall. Derrien has good reason to dislike an English lord, but she grudgingly agrees.

And so the games begin! Secrets tangle with misunderstandings as the mismatched pair struggle to work together. And suddenly the stakes are higher as they head into the final match . . . with their hearts now in play, will Love conquer all?

Pickens has written a lot of books (she's also published under the names Cara Elliott and Andrea Penrose) and my sleuthing confirms this is a reprint of a Traditional Regency published by Signet in 2001.  This is a sports romance (golf!) and a Trad. I mean, if that's not an unusual historical nothing is. Also, god bless All About Romance, I was able to find a review they published for the book back in 2001, written by old friend of the blog, Blythe.

A Rogue to Watch Over Me by Tara Kingston

A woman in danger . . . a bold Scot who’s vowed to protect her . . .

AMELIA STEWART is no man’s damsel in distress. When a dashing Scottish rogue storms into her orderly library claiming he is there to defend her from a mysterious threat—summoned by a letter her brother wrote before his death—she rebuffs him as a cruel fraud. Amelia has had her fill of charlatans seeking to profit off her raw grief. But when she’s targeted by ruthless criminals hunting a treasure tied to her brother’s suspicious death, Amelia joins forces with the brash rake to bring the cutthroats to justice. As danger closes in, Amelia and the tempting Scot are brought together, day and night. She knows better than to fall for a man like him, but Logan MacLain might well be the rogue she’d never dreamed she wanted . . . never dreamed she needed . . . with—or without—his kilt.

Honor bound to watch over her, he’ll risk everything . . . except his heart . . .

LOGAN MacLAIN made his fortune taking risks. Now settled into a comfortable life running his tavern in Queen Victoria’s London, he’s content with a rogue’s existence and the hard-won certainty that love is mere fantasy. Until a message from a dead man calls upon him to repay a debt of honor. Now, Logan must risk his life to shield his murdered friend’s sister from the sinister menace which stalks her. But soon, protecting Amelia is no longer about a duty spawned by a long-ago vow. Drawn to her, he desires the clever beauty above all others. He wants Amelia in his arms. By his side. And in his bed.

A rogue’s passion . . . a woman’s heartfelt need . . .

But Amelia needs more than his desire. More than his passion. She believes in love. She trusts that Logan will watch over her. He will defend her, no matter the cost. But can he give her the heart he encased in ice all those years ago?

She's in danger from criminals looking for treasure and he's a OMG TAVERN OWNER (!!!!) who has vowed to protect her having been summoned by her brother from beyond the grave. She believes in love, he of course does not. And, you know, there's that whole minor threat on her life thing....

The Detective and the Baroness by Karyn Gerrard

Detective Sergeant Mitchell Simpson’s only purpose is his job with London’s Metropolitan Police. But when he’s seriously injured in the line of duty, he has no idea what to do. So, when he’s offered a private investigation to work on while he recovers, he jumps at it. The problem? His client is the baroness who nursed him back to health…and stole his heart while doing it. And worse, she’s newly married…

After tirelessly working as a nurse for a decade, Lady Corrine Addington entered an arranged marriage to save her family from financial ruin. But it’s not long before she realizes her estranged husband is up to something, so she hires Mitchell to follow him. But even she realizes that she enjoys Mitchell’s company a little too much. Then a murderous turn of events changes everything…

Suddenly a widow, Corrine is free to follow her heart. But Mitchell has figured out what the baron’s murderer was looking for, and fears that Corrine will be the killer’s next target. While Mitchell desperately wants to make her his, it’s more important that he keep her safe, even if it kills him. And it might…

The first in the Duke's Bastards series features a detective hero taking a private job while recovering from an injury. Minor detail that his client is the woman who nursed him back to health and she needs him to follow her estranged husband to find out what he's up to.  Turns out hubby soon gets up to getting dead and our heroine is in danger.

Heartbreaker of the Ton by Emily Royal

A ruined woman, a virgin vicar, a forbidden love.

Debutante Juliette Howard’s attempt to ruin her sister out of envy and spite ended badly—with Juliette herself ruined, disgraced, and pregnant. Consumed by regret, and reviled by Society, Juliette fled her family’s disappointment to hide in obscurity in a remote seaside village. As an outsider, she’s viewed with suspicion by all except the vicar with the gentle voice and kind eyes, whose compassionate soul threatens to breach her defenses.

Andrew Staines followed his calling when he entered the church. But his faith is continually tested in the country parish where the gentry consider those of lower rank to be disposable commodities. His is a lone voice speaking out against the injustices of the world—until a mysterious widow arrives with her young son. Her soulful eyes speak of past tragedy, but despite the hardships she endures, she becomes a champion for the cause of the downtrodden, and Andrew finds himself in danger of falling in love.

Despite vowing to protect her heart, Juliette finds a soul mate in Andrew—a man struggling with his faith, as she struggles to reconcile herself with her past sins.

But a fallen woman with an illegitimate child is no suitable match for a chaste vicar, a man revered as the model of morality. And when Juliette discovers Andrew’s connection to her family, she realizes that some sins can never be forgiven.

Y'all, this book was written just for me - I'm convinced of it. I am trash for a virgin hero paired with a heroine who has "a reputation." Also, it sounds like this heroine was a villain in a previous book and just get in my eyeballs already!   This is the sixth book in the author's Misfits of the Ton series.

Whew! I feel like we all just ran a marathon - 12 unusual historicals for our consideration to keep us warm during the remaining winter months.  What are you looking forward to picking up?