Book Review: In Bed with the Earl - Christi Caldwell

From Goodreads: Christi Caldwell, USA TODAY bestselling author of the Wicked Wallflowers series, combs London’s underground and finds romance and danger for a missing lord and the lady who loves him.

To solve a mystery that’s become the talk of the ton, no clues run too deep for willful reporter Verity Lovelace. Not even in the sewers of London. That’s precisely where she finds happily self-sufficient scavenger Malcom North, lost heir to the Earl of Maxwell. Now that Verity’s made him front-page news, what will he make of her?

Kidnapped as a child, with no memories of his well-heeled past, Malcom prefers the grimy spoils of the culverts to the gilded riches of society. Damn the feisty beauty who exposed the contented tosher to a parade of fortune-hunting matchmakers. How to keep them at bay? Verity must pretend to be his wife. She owes him.

The intimacy of this necessary arrangement—Verity and Malcom thrust together in close quarters—soon sparks an irresistible heat. But when the charade ends, the danger begins. Will love be enough to protect them from a treacherous plot devised to ruin them?

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My Thoughts:  I found myself enjoying this book enough that I devoured it in one setting, always a good sign of a fun and good read!  The heroine demonstrates the fine line between courageous and brave and stubborn and desperate...and the risks one is willing to take for family and those we love. Our hero, as we learned in the previous book, has both some shady, unscrupulous family members, and some that are innocent of a series of wrongdoings against him as a child, leading to his making a living, a rather good living, as a scavenger. He's stubborn, sometimes cruel, friendless (in his mind), and still living like he's desperate and not comfortable in terms of money and access to the necessities. Together they come together and end up finding a way to help each other out...security for Verity and a sense of belonging and security for Malcom as well. Verity helps him see that it is not him against the world, no matter how he tries to frame it, and that actions have repercussions internally and externally.  I loved how it all came together at the end, how they work through personal and external challenges, and ultimately determine that life is better surrounded by other people that care about you, and vice versa.

Thank you to #NetGalley and #Montlake Romance for the opportunity to read this advance copy! 

Book Review: Hid From Our Eyes - Julia Spencer-Fleming

 
Hid From Our Eyes - Julie Spencer-Fleming

Publisher Description: THE USA TODAY BESTSELLER

New York Times bestseller Julia Spencer-Fleming returns to her beloved Clare Fergusson/Russ Van Alstyne mystery series with new crimes that span decades in Hid from Our Eyes.

"New parents Clare Fergusson and police chief Russ Van Alstyne tackle three copycat murders and one testy baby in this riveting addition to an acclaimed series" —People magazine

1952. Millers Kill Police Chief Harry McNeil is called to a crime scene where a woman in a party dress has been murdered with no obvious cause of death.

1972. Millers Kill Police Chief Jack Liddle is called to a murder scene of a woman that's very similar to one he worked as a trooper in the 50s. The only difference is this time, they have a suspect. Young Vietnam War veteran Russ van Alstyne found the body while riding his motorcycle and is quickly pegged as the prime focus of the investigation.

Present-day. Millers Kill Police Chief Russ van Alstyne gets a 911 call that a young woman has been found dead in a party dress, the same MO as the crime he was accused of in the 70s. The pressure is on for Russ to solve the murder before he's removed from the case.

Russ will enlist the help of his police squad and Reverend Clare Fergusson, who is already juggling the tasks of being a new mother to her and Russ's baby and running St. Alban's Church, to finally solve these crimes.

Readers have waited years for this newest book and Julia Spencer-Fleming delivers with the exquisite skill and craftsmanship that have made her such a success.

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My thoughts: I cannot remember when or how I first discovered this beautiful series by Julia Spencer-Fleming, but I am so glad I did those several years ago.  She returns to the series with another great installment that further explore the extremely realistic relationship between Russ and Clare (including all the faults and struggles and strengths of joys of our main characters and the frustration of being new parents and being a working mother).

The characters in this series are ones that just make you like them, make you appreciate them, and make you want to just enjoy a visit with sometime. The world they inhibit and the people that surround them is so well-developed that you feel like you know them and appreciate the small(ish) town feel and interactions. While the main story focuses on Clare and Russ and the investigation they are attempting to resolve that has historical ties to the area and to Russ personally, there are related and separate stories that are well-done and add to the story and big picture versus just happening in the background. Ms. Spencer-Fleming has a way of wrapping in enough facts to make you sure you know exactly who did what and when, yet throws in enough uncertainties and twists and turns to keep you guessing as well.  I'm not sure how that happens or works, but somehow she does it!

As they work through the mystery, there's a lot of personal issues they are working through as well, and there is such a cliffhanger at the end that I'm left with no doubt that we have another book ahead of us in the (hopefully) near future. These are not my normal style of books I would say, although I tend to read just about anything that piques my interest.  That being said, I love the story, the character and world-building, the mystery, and the emotion that Ms. Spencer-Fleming brings to all her books.  I'm so happy that this series has returned and am anxiously awaiting the next book in this series.

Thank you to #NetGalley and St. Martin's press for the opportunity to review the advance copy!