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3.54 AVERAGE
3.54 AVERAGE
Besides being a romantic murder mystery, this book is full of unexpected kindnesses towards the characters.
adventurous
lighthearted
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:
Complicated
Content warnings: abusive relationship (in the past), domestic violence, mentions of suicide
Look, I read too many historical romances back to back and the details of this one have already kind of faded into the background. But I did like that it had a private investigator aspect to the story, and I liked the romance.
Look, I read too many historical romances back to back and the details of this one have already kind of faded into the background. But I did like that it had a private investigator aspect to the story, and I liked the romance.
Madeline Hunter has done a fantastic job of marrying the very best parts of a historical romance to the most fun elements of a cozy mystery.
Meaning that there is a serious crime that has happened that needs to be investigated and also comes with an interesting mystery, but the focus is mainly on the glorious chemistry she's created between leading lady, Minerva, and leading man, Chase. Minerva is an independent woman in a time when it's not the norm and she definitely knows how to take care of herself. Chase is a member of the ton that doesn't care to live like it. They find themselves crashing together when a mysterious death and an unusual will lead to their paths crossing. There are all the pining and deep, dark pasts that make a romance worth reading and they're joined by revelations and discoveries brought on by their investigations. And when Minerva and Chase finally accept the inevitable and come together, it's as sweet and romantic and sexy as any reader could expect.
Expert writing and great worldbuilding made this a 5-star read and made me eagerly await any further volumes in this series. Totally a read that I would highly recommend.
Meaning that there is a serious crime that has happened that needs to be investigated and also comes with an interesting mystery, but the focus is mainly on the glorious chemistry she's created between leading lady, Minerva, and leading man, Chase. Minerva is an independent woman in a time when it's not the norm and she definitely knows how to take care of herself. Chase is a member of the ton that doesn't care to live like it. They find themselves crashing together when a mysterious death and an unusual will lead to their paths crossing. There are all the pining and deep, dark pasts that make a romance worth reading and they're joined by revelations and discoveries brought on by their investigations. And when Minerva and Chase finally accept the inevitable and come together, it's as sweet and romantic and sexy as any reader could expect.
Expert writing and great worldbuilding made this a 5-star read and made me eagerly await any further volumes in this series. Totally a read that I would highly recommend.
Not a great start to the series. I finished the book less than a month ago and can't even remember enough of it to write a review. Since I received an advanced reader copy of both this book and the next in the series, I've read both and #2, Heiress in Red Silk, is much better.
I received a complimentary ARC of this book from Kensington Zebra through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.
I received a complimentary ARC of this book from Kensington Zebra through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.
Minverva is told by the man she hit over the head with a bedpan that she is a beneficiary of his Uncle's will. He of course was looking for evidence that she had caused his Uncle's death. To clear her name she decides to investigate the death herself. I enjoyed the way Chase comes to his conclusions.
The Duke of Hollingsworth has died, and instead of bequeathing his vast fortune to his siblings and nephews and nieces, he has left it to three female strangers instead.
The Duke’s nephew, Chase Radnor, is up to find these women, and no one in the family knows them. He is also contacted by the Home Office to conduct a discreet inquiry into the Duke’s suspicious death.
Heiress #1 is Minerva Hipplewhite. She is naturally at the top of a growing list of suspects. In order to clear her name, she starts her own inquiry alongside Chase. And this is how these two enemies become lovers.
This novel has everything: a murder mystery, H and h with murky pasts.
The best part is watching Minerva go through the courageous and brave journey of overcoming an abusive past. Although she is attracted to Chase, she doesn’t think she can enjoy sex and intimacy because of her trauma. And Chase is the patient cinnamon roll hero that holds space for her, and encourages her at every step. ❤️❤️❤️
The Duke’s nephew, Chase Radnor, is up to find these women, and no one in the family knows them. He is also contacted by the Home Office to conduct a discreet inquiry into the Duke’s suspicious death.
Heiress #1 is Minerva Hipplewhite. She is naturally at the top of a growing list of suspects. In order to clear her name, she starts her own inquiry alongside Chase. And this is how these two enemies become lovers.
This novel has everything: a murder mystery, H and h with murky pasts.
The best part is watching Minerva go through the courageous and brave journey of overcoming an abusive past. Although she is attracted to Chase, she doesn’t think she can enjoy sex and intimacy because of her trauma. And Chase is the patient cinnamon roll hero that holds space for her, and encourages her at every step. ❤️❤️❤️
A mix of mystery and romance. I wasn’t expecting the mystery but because of it I actually ended up enjoying this book more. However, not enough for me to rate this a 4-star.
For one, Chase’s character seems to have no personality and it took me a while to warm up to him. For a good third of the book there was not much about his character except for his conversations with other characters. I seem to learn about who the other characters are more than Chase himself. Towards the second half of the book I think I got a better idea of who he is but still a bit fuzzy. I do have to say though I am surprised he isn’t written as a typical roguish character, as is usually the case. His other two cousins seem to take on more of that role. Minerva, on the other hand, was better developed and had more of a colorful history and interesting household.
The writing in this book felt a bit awkward at times. There are sections that flowed well and other sections where a different choice of words or sentence structure would have been better. There were some strange grammar structure as well.
I do enjoy the mystery and it was quite fun. There were actually a couple of large mysteries involved.
The romance development was decent. But because the character development felt a bit awkward the romance was a bit wobbly at first. I think once we hit the middle of the book things start to flow a bit better.
I do want to say there are some comedic moments and my personal favorite character is Brigsby (Chase’s manservant). It’s too bad Chase’s character is a bit boring otherwise I believe there would be some interesting comedic moments between him and Brigsby. I also wouldn’t mind a bit of relationship building between Brigsby and Beth (whatever that would be I think it’ll be fun).
This my second book from this author. Based on my experience with the other book, I wasn’t too impressed and was cautious about picking this up. But was pleasantly surprised I quite enjoyed it. It is not lusty or smutty, as seem to be a theme of many of the HR I have been reading lately. It’s quite sweet really with the right amount of understanding and respect between the main protagonists. The male protagonist isn’t too pushy or angry all the time and the female protagonist has a certain level of independence and self-control who didn’t just fall apart so quickly early on because they can’t resist the possessiveness of a handsome male protagonist. I am actually quite interested in reading the follow-up books with the other two Radnor cousins and would like to see how their story unfold.
For one, Chase’s character seems to have no personality and it took me a while to warm up to him. For a good third of the book there was not much about his character except for his conversations with other characters. I seem to learn about who the other characters are more than Chase himself. Towards the second half of the book I think I got a better idea of who he is but still a bit fuzzy. I do have to say though I am surprised he isn’t written as a typical roguish character, as is usually the case. His other two cousins seem to take on more of that role. Minerva, on the other hand, was better developed and had more of a colorful history and interesting household.
The writing in this book felt a bit awkward at times. There are sections that flowed well and other sections where a different choice of words or sentence structure would have been better. There were some strange grammar structure as well.
I do enjoy the mystery and it was quite fun. There were actually a couple of large mysteries involved.
The romance development was decent. But because the character development felt a bit awkward the romance was a bit wobbly at first. I think once we hit the middle of the book things start to flow a bit better.
I do want to say there are some comedic moments and my personal favorite character is Brigsby (Chase’s manservant). It’s too bad Chase’s character is a bit boring otherwise I believe there would be some interesting comedic moments between him and Brigsby. I also wouldn’t mind a bit of relationship building between Brigsby and Beth (whatever that would be I think it’ll be fun).
This my second book from this author. Based on my experience with the other book, I wasn’t too impressed and was cautious about picking this up. But was pleasantly surprised I quite enjoyed it. It is not lusty or smutty, as seem to be a theme of many of the HR I have been reading lately. It’s quite sweet really with the right amount of understanding and respect between the main protagonists. The male protagonist isn’t too pushy or angry all the time and the female protagonist has a certain level of independence and self-control who didn’t just fall apart so quickly early on because they can’t resist the possessiveness of a handsome male protagonist. I am actually quite interested in reading the follow-up books with the other two Radnor cousins and would like to see how their story unfold.
3.5 stars. Fairly certain I enjoyed this more on audiobook (B.A. Crick) than I would have reading it. Points off for lots of consequence-less sex and not even the mention of possible consequences (although that's a fairly common characteristic of HR... sadly.)
