Penny Hampson

Right from the start, I LOVED our lead characters! Richard was a head above in his way of thinking, thanks to his fabulous sister, especially in how he dealt with women. He actually LISTENED to them, worked WITH them, and could easily be persuaded (especially by a certain recent arrival) to to all sorts of things that the ton may look down on, but in reality, they had no baring on them whatsoever! His acceptance of people, of love in its many forms, and of life’s oddities was refreshing to say the least...and let’s not forget he was certainly easy on the eyes! As for our lady Emma, she too was much different than the ton might expect, but having had to survive what she and her brother did, make their way mostly on their own to new parts, find their family, establish who they were and accept whatever may come their way with little to no support….come now, lesser women would have swooned and be done with it all! No, Emma was not the swooning type, and though she had a hard time trusting her heart, she knew her mind and the way she tackled everything thrown at her from start to finish was top notch.

In the end, all’s well that ends well...and it ENDED VERY WELL! They’ll be a few surprises along the way, and I most certainly thought things may take a deadlier tone at one point or another, but I was pleased nonetheless by the direction the author decided upon. As I hear it, there are other works by this author already out in the reading wild...and I just might have to do a bit of searching of my own for my next adventure!



*ecopy received for review; opinions are my own… (meer)

Freddie Lanyon, eldest son of the Earl of Batheaston, heir to the title and to the beautiful house and estate of Lanyon Park, with a loving family, and enjoying the work of helping his father restore and maintain the old place after the depredations of the generation that preceded his father, has a problem.

Well, actually, two problems.

Lanyon Park is haunted, and Freddie can see the ghosts and sometimes talk to them. Some are friendly; some are not. The problem, though, is that his father is adamant that ghosts don't exist, so he really can't talk about it.

Freddie's other problem is that he's gay, and he's convinced that his loving, kindly, devoted parents will reject him if he comes out. He was badly bullied in school, by boys who sensed he was different. University was better, but not coming out limited his ability to make any really close friends.

Now, though, after several years working in London, he's back at Lanyon Park, enjoying learning about the running of the estate, and has purchased a lovely, antique, men's dressing case at an antique shop in Bath. He soon discovers, of course, that it's haunted.

Soon he's talking to Marcus Spender, owner of the antique shop, who was not in the shop when he bought that case from the clerk. Marcus hadn't intended to sell it; he'd just moved it down to the shop to keep it from causing problems while his sister was visiting, and to display it as an example of the thing in the Threadgold estate that he's selling off on behalf of widowed Mrs. Threadgold.

Marcus can also see ghosts. Marcus is also gay--and the two men are immediately attracted to each other.

What follows is part rom-com, as the men work out both their attraction to each other, and the conflicts and obstacles between them. And it's part paranormal mystery, as they try to learn why the spirit attached to the dressing case is restless and so deeply sad, and also why a darker, angrier spirit in the portrait gallery at Lanyon Park is so angry and hostile--particularly to Freddie and Marcus.

I really liked the characters, both major and minor, except the ones you're not intended to like--and they were mostly understandable. Even Freddie's brothers, Hugo and Xander, whom I was initially inclined to dislike, grew on me. It's funny and engaging, with some moments of real excitement and danger.

Overall, an enjoyable book. Recommended.

I received a free electronic galley of this book from the publisher, and am reviewing it voluntarily.… (meer)

Major Nate Crawford injured in the Peninsular Campaign, believes he has nothing to look forward to. Lottie Benham has become desperate, and so has run away from what was her home but is now her cousin's home. Luckily these two meet and the Major vows to protect Lottie, but then the adventure begins.
Thankfully for me there was enough adventure and only some romance in this story. An enjoyable read which kept my interest to the conclusion. It can certainly be read as a standalone novel.
A NetGalley Book… (meer)

This a lovely historical romance with a mystery to solve, humour, and suspense.
I enjoyed following Richard and Emma on their investigative pursuits. I appreciated how unflappable Emma was when she was in danger or when it was necessary to be in places that were normally deemed inappropriate for ladies. She is not an airheaded damsel in distress willing to leave everything up to the men to sort out. She has a good influence on Richard who is quite uptight and likes things orderly. He learns to be a little bit more relaxed as the story goes on. They complemented each other well and I was looking forward to seeing them get their HEA.
The untimely deaths of Emma's parents and the subsequent attacks on Richard were quite dramatic but I felt the investigation dragged on a little bit as it became clear quite early on who was responsible and why. I like dramatic conclusions to mysteries but this one was resolved quite tidily and nicely. However, it still left me with a warm feeling to see these charming characters get their happy ending.… (meer)