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reikista's review against another edition
5.0
Sebastian is asked to find a missing, ill friend, who turns up dead on the same day as an old money-lender, whose murder is penned on Kat’s husband. Sebastian investigates.
castiel67's review against another edition
4.0
Love, Love, Love this series and it continues to get better (if that's even possible) with every new book. already looking forward to the next.
con_bonus's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
mamap's review against another edition
4.0
I like it.
And I want someone to run over Jarvis ... or something...
And I want someone to run over Jarvis ... or something...
cassandra67b07's review against another edition
4.0
Really enjoyed the historical background on this one (the Hope Diamond) and the various subcultures of London continue to be well described and displayed. I'm really reading for Devlin's relationships on all the different levels: his father, his former lover, his wife, his enemies etc) Unlike a lot of reviewers, I like Kat and I am hopeful for her happiness and I feel the same way about Hero. Great series and I'm thrilled to still have books ahead of me.
garnetofeden's review against another edition
4.0
2018 Review
It's September 1812, and Sebastian and Hero have now been married for 6 weeks. Hero turned 26 between the last book and this one, and Sebastian's 30th birthday is coming up in the next month. I've now reached the end of the volumes in the series I've read before and will be moving on to volumes completely new to me, hopefully with the timeline firmly in mind. I hope we see more of the black cat, Jamie Knox, and maybe even find out more about Sebastian's mother. I'm also interested to see how Kat's situation affects Sebastian's and Hero's relationship.
2013 Review
Having followed the author’s blog for a couple of years, I believe the working title for this book was Who Bells the Cat, but the publisher decided to change it. Although I don’t claim to be an expert in the publishing industry, sometimes the choices made to market books baffle me. Sometimes I think the original intended title sounds much more interesting than the one the publishers eventually slap on the cover, and cover design is another story altogether! It was cool to read the book after being introduced to the real life inspiration for the book’s black cat on the author’s blog though.
Rating reviewed 12/26/2022.
It's September 1812, and Sebastian and Hero have now been married for 6 weeks. Hero turned 26 between the last book and this one, and Sebastian's 30th birthday is coming up in the next month. I've now reached the end of the volumes in the series I've read before and will be moving on to volumes completely new to me, hopefully with the timeline firmly in mind. I hope we see more of the black cat, Jamie Knox, and maybe even find out more about Sebastian's mother. I'm also interested to see how Kat's situation affects Sebastian's and Hero's relationship.
2013 Review
Having followed the author’s blog for a couple of years, I believe the working title for this book was Who Bells the Cat, but the publisher decided to change it. Although I don’t claim to be an expert in the publishing industry, sometimes the choices made to market books baffle me. Sometimes I think the original intended title sounds much more interesting than the one the publishers eventually slap on the cover, and cover design is another story altogether! It was cool to read the book after being introduced to the real life inspiration for the book’s black cat on the author’s blog though.
Rating reviewed 12/26/2022.
constantreader471's review against another edition
4.0
4 stars for another entertaining historical fiction book set in 1812 London, UK. Sebastian St. Cyr, Viscount Devlin is called to the scene of the body of a friend from his time in the army. Rhys Wilkinson was found on the edge of Hyde Park. Then his father, the Earl of Hendon, comes to him that the Russell Yates has been arrested and charged with the murder of Daniel Eisler. Devlin and his father are estranged due to his father's lies explained in previous books in this series. Devlin's father is the father of Yates wife, Kat Boleyn. Kat and Devlin were lovers until Devlin learned of her father's identity. The Earl asks Devlin to investigate the murder. Kat believes that her husband is innocent.
Devlin investigates both deaths and soon realizes that both are connected to Eisler. Eisler is revealed to be a blackmailer and a man who has many enemies. Devlin, his wife Hero and Kat are attacked at various times in the book. Devlin does solve both deaths. There are many twists and turns in the plot.
One of the characters in the book is Thomas Hope, associated with the Hope Diamond. Devlin goes to interview him. Hope invites Devlin to sit on "...a yellow satin-covered settee that looked like something Cleopatra might have reclined upon while awaiting Mark Antony."
This is book 8 in the series and I recommend that you read them in order. I have enjoyed every book that I have read in this series and will continue to read books in this series. The author does an excellent job describing her characters and 1812 London.
Devlin investigates both deaths and soon realizes that both are connected to Eisler. Eisler is revealed to be a blackmailer and a man who has many enemies. Devlin, his wife Hero and Kat are attacked at various times in the book. Devlin does solve both deaths. There are many twists and turns in the plot.
One of the characters in the book is Thomas Hope, associated with the Hope Diamond. Devlin goes to interview him. Hope invites Devlin to sit on "...a yellow satin-covered settee that looked like something Cleopatra might have reclined upon while awaiting Mark Antony."
This is book 8 in the series and I recommend that you read them in order. I have enjoyed every book that I have read in this series and will continue to read books in this series. The author does an excellent job describing her characters and 1812 London.
cammmiam's review against another edition
4.0
There are few things that I love more than being able to solve a crime with Sebastian St. Cyr, the Viscount of Deviln. And in the eight installment of this mystery series, C.S. Harris did not disappoint me. I have come to develop expectations about what each of these books will give me as a reader: there will be a mystery, there will be romance, there will be a well-researched historical background, and there will be adventure. But what Harris has managed to do so well over the course of this series is develop her characters. You'd think that things would begin to feel stale once you reach the eighth book in a series, yet it does not. Sebastian, Gibson, Hero, Jarvis, Hendon, and Kat are all returned as characters, with the intwining relationships between all of these characters becoming more complicated and more realized, especially once Kat's husband is arrested for murder -- which is where this story starts off.
Benjamin Eisler, an elderly gem dealer, is found shot in his home by his nephew, with Kat's husband standing over the body. Being at the scene of the crime the implications against the man are strong and he is quickly thrown into jail to await trial. But things are not what they seem. Eisler was well-known and heavily disliked. His secrets are numerous and his treatment of others is debaucherous; even Sebastian is forced to admit that there is potentially a list of hundreds of people who would have wanted to kill him. In an attempt to assist Kat to free her husband, Sebastian gets involved in the case, eventually discovering that Eisler seemed to be in possession of the Hope Diamond, which was stolen twenty years ago during the revolution of France and that had once belonged to King Louis XVI. Why did Eisler have the diamond? Could that have been a factor responsible for his death? And how do so many people seem to know that Eisler was in possession of the diamond? Who did he try to sell it for? So many questions must be pondered and explored for Sebastian and us to understand the crime better.
Besides the characters, what I enjoy so much about these books are the mystery. I have still been unable to figure out "who done it" until Sebastian does, and I appreciate being given that high amount of anticipation.
Benjamin Eisler, an elderly gem dealer, is found shot in his home by his nephew, with Kat's husband standing over the body. Being at the scene of the crime the implications against the man are strong and he is quickly thrown into jail to await trial. But things are not what they seem. Eisler was well-known and heavily disliked. His secrets are numerous and his treatment of others is debaucherous; even Sebastian is forced to admit that there is potentially a list of hundreds of people who would have wanted to kill him. In an attempt to assist Kat to free her husband, Sebastian gets involved in the case, eventually discovering that Eisler seemed to be in possession of the Hope Diamond, which was stolen twenty years ago during the revolution of France and that had once belonged to King Louis XVI. Why did Eisler have the diamond? Could that have been a factor responsible for his death? And how do so many people seem to know that Eisler was in possession of the diamond? Who did he try to sell it for? So many questions must be pondered and explored for Sebastian and us to understand the crime better.
Besides the characters, what I enjoy so much about these books are the mystery. I have still been unable to figure out "who done it" until Sebastian does, and I appreciate being given that high amount of anticipation.
maferg01's review against another edition
5.0
Another excellent addition to the series. I can't get enough of Sebastian.