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reikista's review against another edition
5.0
Paul Gibson, surgeon, happens across the victims of a crime, Alexi Sauvage and Damion Pelletier. Devlin believes the Bourbon royals who have taken refuge in England may be involved, but there’s also the man who threatened to kill Alexi for being responsible for the death of his brother. Hero’s baby is breech and she may not survive its birth.
castiel67's review against another edition
4.0
as always, wonderfully written, and the historical backgrounds intertwined in the story are executed perfectly. another marvelous creation by Ms. Harris. And as always when I finish 1 of these books, I am anxiou for the next installment! !
mamap's review against another edition
4.0
I like this genre. Regency Murder Mysteries?
I do enjoy the way our characters are progressing. Devin can finally admit he's in love and Hero is marvelous for her wit, skill, and bravery.
The only thing to mar it is the Pg-18-ness of Paul Gibson getting some. I'm glad for him, but I don't need details.
And I'm enjoying the history lesson.
I do enjoy the way our characters are progressing. Devin can finally admit he's in love and Hero is marvelous for her wit, skill, and bravery.
The only thing to mar it is the Pg-18-ness of Paul Gibson getting some. I'm glad for him, but I don't need details.
And I'm enjoying the history lesson.
ktaylor1164's review against another edition
4.0
I should probably round down since I didn't love this installment as much as the others, but it's still Sebastian and Gibson and Hero, and it's still a good mystery with a dose of regency politics. Great fun.
cassandra67b07's review against another edition
4.0
There’s less Hero and Devlin here than I would like to see but the secrets surrounding the Bourbons in the Temple prison were moderately intriguing. Let’s be honest though, they were an awful family from Louis XIII onwards. 3.5 stars but enough to keep going and hopefully get more on Devlin’s situation with his mother and father.
constantreader471's review against another edition
4.0
4 stars for another book in this excellent historical fiction/mystery series. It is set in London, January 1813. This is book 9 in the series and I recommend that you read them in order, as there are continuing plot developments in Sebastian St. Cyr's personal life. Sebastian, or Viscount Devlin, heir to the Earl of Hendon, likes to solve murders without pay. He is wealthy and does not worry about money.
Devlin's friend from his army days, Doctor Paul Gibson, comes across a badly mutilated body and a severely injured woman. He asks Devlin to investigate. Devlin is warned off by his hostile father-in-law, Lord Jarvis, one of the most powerful men in Britain. Jarvis despises Devlin and hates Devlin for marrying his daughter Hero. Devlin has no love for Jarvis, since Jarvis once tried to have Devlin killed.
Despite this, Devlin does investigate. He is attacked and almost killed several times, but miraculously escapes every time. The murderers attacking Devlin is a recurring theme in each book.
Devlin does solve the case, with the help of Gibson, Hero and others. There were several different suspects and I was not sure who the murderer was until the end.
Some quotes:
London winter: "Th e sun was a distant golden ball in a frigid blue sky, but there was no warmth in its brittle light."
Description of a Frenchman member of a peace delegation: "Harmond Vaundreuil drew up in the shadow of the chapel's modest portico. He was built small and rotund, with fat fingers and a short neck swathed in a voluminous white cravat."
Hero's doctor: "The problem, my lady, is that your humors are out of balance." He proposes to solve this by bloodletting--no less than 2 pints, so she will have a successful pregnancy.
This was a library book.
Devlin's friend from his army days, Doctor Paul Gibson, comes across a badly mutilated body and a severely injured woman. He asks Devlin to investigate. Devlin is warned off by his hostile father-in-law, Lord Jarvis, one of the most powerful men in Britain. Jarvis despises Devlin and hates Devlin for marrying his daughter Hero. Devlin has no love for Jarvis, since Jarvis once tried to have Devlin killed.
Despite this, Devlin does investigate. He is attacked and almost killed several times, but miraculously escapes every time. The murderers attacking Devlin is a recurring theme in each book.
Devlin does solve the case, with the help of Gibson, Hero and others. There were several different suspects and I was not sure who the murderer was until the end.
Some quotes:
London winter: "Th e sun was a distant golden ball in a frigid blue sky, but there was no warmth in its brittle light."
Description of a Frenchman member of a peace delegation: "Harmond Vaundreuil drew up in the shadow of the chapel's modest portico. He was built small and rotund, with fat fingers and a short neck swathed in a voluminous white cravat."
Hero's doctor: "The problem, my lady, is that your humors are out of balance." He proposes to solve this by bloodletting--no less than 2 pints, so she will have a successful pregnancy.
This was a library book.
cammmiam's review against another edition
4.0
I don’t think it is possible to go wrong when it comes to the Sebastian St. Cyr historical mystery series. As an author, C.S. Harris continues to be extremely skilled with her construction of an engrossing mystery and the development of her characters. I am happy to report that once again -- and this is book nine of a series, so talk about impressive! -- I have been unable to determine the culprit, which always manages to please me since I have come across far too many transparent mystery plots from other authors.
The historical context of Why Kings Confess relies upon the mystery of the Lost Dauphin. Rumors have always led credence to the possibility that Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette’s son had escaped from his imprisonment and lived in safety under an assumed name. And when a young, French doctor is discovered dead in an alleyway of London with his heart removed from his chest, it seems to Sebastian that someone had something to lose if Damion Pelletan lived. But the deceased man was also involved in other activities that murk the motive behind intent, such as his arrival to England with a group to negotiate peace talks between England and Napoleon to end the war, or his involvement with a married woman from his past whom now lives in London. Was Damion killed for politics or was he killed for love? Is there even any truth behind the mystery of the Lost Dauphin? As a history buff I found the parts about the Dauphin and the remaining members of the Bourbon family living in exile on English soil to be fascinating.
Also, since this book is the continuation of a series, there was character growth and life altering events for the series regulars; although, I will admit that it was a bit lacking in comparison to other books and is why I will give this book four stars. I love these characters and I have enjoyed watching their journey through life. Readers will finally be granted access to Sebastian’s fears when it comes to what he has seen while in the war, as well as over the health of Hero. And Gibson is also granted plenty of page-time, much to my delight! A new character has been introduced in this novel, and I hope she will stick around in future installments since I believe there is plenty more to learn about her. This book could be read as a stand-alone if you wish, but I would suggest starting at the beginning so that you might have a greater appreciation for these characters and what they have been through.
The historical context of Why Kings Confess relies upon the mystery of the Lost Dauphin. Rumors have always led credence to the possibility that Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette’s son had escaped from his imprisonment and lived in safety under an assumed name. And when a young, French doctor is discovered dead in an alleyway of London with his heart removed from his chest, it seems to Sebastian that someone had something to lose if Damion Pelletan lived. But the deceased man was also involved in other activities that murk the motive behind intent, such as his arrival to England with a group to negotiate peace talks between England and Napoleon to end the war, or his involvement with a married woman from his past whom now lives in London. Was Damion killed for politics or was he killed for love? Is there even any truth behind the mystery of the Lost Dauphin? As a history buff I found the parts about the Dauphin and the remaining members of the Bourbon family living in exile on English soil to be fascinating.
Also, since this book is the continuation of a series, there was character growth and life altering events for the series regulars; although, I will admit that it was a bit lacking in comparison to other books and is why I will give this book four stars. I love these characters and I have enjoyed watching their journey through life. Readers will finally be granted access to Sebastian’s fears when it comes to what he has seen while in the war, as well as over the health of Hero. And Gibson is also granted plenty of page-time, much to my delight! A new character has been introduced in this novel, and I hope she will stick around in future installments since I believe there is plenty more to learn about her. This book could be read as a stand-alone if you wish, but I would suggest starting at the beginning so that you might have a greater appreciation for these characters and what they have been through.
snakeling's review against another edition
4.0
An interesting mystery which leads us to meet the French royal family in exile. I'm sorry to say that I know very little about that period from their point of view. Louis XVIII only becomes important (barely!) in school curriculum when he takes over Napoléon, but now I'm interested in learning more.
novelesque_life's review against another edition
4.0
RATING: 4 STARS
Why Kings Confess takes Sebastian into his past. A time he is not so proud of. A badly beaten French woman is found beside a dead mutilated body of Dr. Damion Pelletan. Alexi Sauvage has no memory of how she got to be there, but Sebastian remembers her from the past. The present day case takes him back to his dark days. Alexi Sauvage is a such a well written character. She is one of my favourite secondary characters so far. This novel gives us another insight into why Sebastian went through things he did. We also get to see more of Hero and Sebastian learn about one another.
Why Kings Confess takes Sebastian into his past. A time he is not so proud of. A badly beaten French woman is found beside a dead mutilated body of Dr. Damion Pelletan. Alexi Sauvage has no memory of how she got to be there, but Sebastian remembers her from the past. The present day case takes him back to his dark days. Alexi Sauvage is a such a well written character. She is one of my favourite secondary characters so far. This novel gives us another insight into why Sebastian went through things he did. We also get to see more of Hero and Sebastian learn about one another.
seriouslybookish's review against another edition
4.0
My prayers have been answered. Finally a book without Kat.
Can I just say how precious this book was. Gibson especially showed a different side of him. I’m glad he’s becoming more than just a minor character although I’m not sure of Lexi as a love interest.
Hero was again badass. She strong and wonderful. She balances Sebastian perfectly. I can’t wait to see their little family grow.
Sebastian has almost redeemed himself. I loved that he’s finally confessed his feelings to Hero. He’s reactions to the birth of their son and when Hero mentioned the possibility of a future daughter was so precious.
The love story in this book was beautiful I can’t wait for more.
Can I just say how precious this book was. Gibson especially showed a different side of him. I’m glad he’s becoming more than just a minor character although I’m not sure of Lexi as a love interest.
Hero was again badass. She strong and wonderful. She balances Sebastian perfectly. I can’t wait to see their little family grow.
Sebastian has almost redeemed himself. I loved that he’s finally confessed his feelings to Hero. He’s reactions to the birth of their son and when Hero mentioned the possibility of a future daughter was so precious.
The love story in this book was beautiful I can’t wait for more.