The Lady Has A Past

 

The Lady Has A Past (Burning Cove 5)- Amanda Quick

Berkley/Penguin Group

Release Date: May 5, 2021

Rating: 📚📚📚📚

Synopsis: Investigative apprentice Lyra Brazier, the newest resident of Burning Cove, is unsettled when her boss suddenly disappears. Lyra knows something has happened to Raina Kirk, and tracks down her last known appearance at an exclusive hotel and health spa. The health spa is known for its luxurious offerings and prestigious clientele, and the wealthy, socialite background Lyra desperately wanted to leave behind is perfect for this undercover job. What Lyra lacks in investigative experience she makes up for in gut instinct, and her gut isn’t happy that she’s saddled with a partner by Luther Pell, Raina’s dangerous lover, who wants to bring in someone with more experience to help.  

Instead of the suave, pistol-packing private eye she expected, though, Simon Cage is a mild-mannered antiquarian book dealer with a quiet, academic air, and a cool, remote gaze. Lyra suspects that Simon is much more than what he seems, and her instincts are confirmed when they arrive at the spa and pose as a couple: Simon has a unique gift that allows him to detect secrets, a skill that is crucial in finding Raina. 

The unlikely duo falls down a rabbit hole of twisted rumors and missing socialites, discovering that the health spa is a façade for something far darker than they imagined. With a murderer in their midst, Raina isn't the only one in grave danger—Lyra is next.

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Lyra Brazier is barely a week into her new job as an investigative apprentice when her boss, Raina Kirk, leaves her in charge and disappears. Lyra and Raina's lover, Luther Pell, know instantly something is wrong and they aren't going to stop looking until they find her. When Luther calls in a specialist, Lyra finds herself working with Simon Cage to track down Raina. The trail leads them to Labyrinth Springs Hotel and Spa where they discover Raina isn't the only woman who has gone missing. Secrets, attempted murder, accomplished murder, blackmail, and more mean that Lyra's first big case may end up becoming her last.

Lyra is definitely not someone you would imagine as a private investigator. She's vibrant, optimistic, interested in everyone, and willing to listen to them talk. And everyone talks to her, sooner or later. But while she's easy to underestimate, the more cynical Simon, Luther, and Raina all learn that she has the instincts for the job, and the tenacity to see it through. She may be a glass-half-full optimist, but she is willing to face potentially unpleasant truths in order to get answers. She's a force of her own, and I loved how people would underestimate her one minute and then she'd stand up to them the next. She never thought twice about standing up to even Luther when it was required. Lyra also accepts people as they are, not judging them for actions they may have needed to take in the past or things they found hard to accept about themselves. Simon is a quieter presence, but a force in his own right. He accepted that Lyra was going to work the case even though he didn't want her to, and learned to acknowledge her contributions to the search. Lyra's acceptance of him and his unusual talent for reading hot energy allowed him to slowly begin accepting that part of himself in a way he hadn't before. The two are opposites, but complement each other instead of clash and develop an excellent partnership- both personally and professionally. 

Book 5 in the Burning Cove series (Close Up, TightRope), Lady both stands alone and as part of the series. Cameos from past characters delight series readers without throwing off new readers.  Series readers will enjoy Luther and Raina getting plenty of time as the main secondary characters while new readers won't feel like they are missing anything in the build up of Luther and Raina's development. 

The glamorous and dangerous 1930s era is described brilliantly, plunging readers into the glitz and wonder of the Los Angeles get-away small town of Burning Cove. The seedier Labyrinth Springs is as much a character as any of the people and readers will delight in this mystery and romance. And, as always in this series, the Art Deco cover is amazing and deserves its own 5 star review.

Heiress in Red Silk

Heiress in Red Silk (Duke's Heiress 2)- Madeline Hunter

Zebra Publishing

Release Date: April 27, 2021

Rating: 📚📚📚

Synopsis: In one life-changing windfall, Rosamund Jameson goes from struggling shopkeeper to heiress—and  co-owner of a new business. Not only will her sudden fortune allow her to move her millinery shop to fashionable London, but Rosamund will be able to provide her younger sister with a proper entry into society. The only hitch for resourceful Rosamund is her arrogant, infuriatingly handsome business partner...

Kevin Radnor is shocked that his late uncle, the Duke of Hollinburgh, bequeathed half his company to a total stranger—worse, a beguiling beauty who can only hinder his enterprise. But Rosamund insists on an active, equal partnership, so Kevin embarks on a plan: a seduction that will lead to a marriage of convenience, giving Rosamund the social status she needs, and guaranteeing him the silent partner he desires. Yet as this charismatic gentleman sets his flirtation in motion, he begins to wonder who is seducing whom—and if he can learn to share himself body and mind, without losing his heart . . . 

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With the second heiress to the old duke found, more trouble comes for the Radnor family. You don't have to have read book one (Heiress for Hire) to pick up the idea for this series: one very wealthy, slightly eccentric duke dies under potentially questionable circumstances and the mostly awful family (think "Knives Out" with about 3 decent people in the family) discovers that there are three unknown women included in the will- working class women, decent women, who could really use the money and had no idea they were getting it. You can imagine how well the family takes it.

In Red Silk Kevin Radnor must team up with new heiress Rosamund because not only has the duke left Rosamund a lot of money, he left her his share (half) in a business venture with Kevin. Kevin is an inventor who is so paranoid about anyone stealing his ideas he can't see how to manufacture them because that would involve trusting people. Rosamund is a talented milliner who wants to improve her life for the sake of her sister, and is very good at the practical aspects of business.

I'm conflicted about this book. I enjoy the premise of the old duke giving away money to strangers he thought needed/were worthy of the money. Certainly more worthy than the majority of his pompous and entitled family. I liked Rosamund- a sensible, hard working woman who sees her windfall as a way to expand her business and fights men's expectations and beliefs of her based on her looks every single day. Kevin I wasn't as impressed by. I liked that he was willing to go his own way, follow his own interests and not listen to family members telling him that inventing wasn't 'done' in their circles. But he spent most of the book not trusting Rosamund, not trying to get to know her, but just trying to get her to agree to what he wanted to do with his invention- when it was pretty clear he had no idea what the practical steps should be and she did. No matter what Rosamund said, asked or suggested, he refused to listen because she was a woman and didn't know anything about his invention- which should have made him more willing to listen. A physical attraction and business partnership might not be the worst basis for a marriage of convenience, but I never felt chemistry between Kevin and Rosamund, or much emotional connection. The last few pages finally they both (spoiler alert) discover and claim their love for each other, but I have to admit I didn't really feel it, and was disappointed by that.

Heiress in Red Silk had some good ideas, but dragged a lot along the way and never really captured or convinced me.  Here's hoping for more in the next book in the series.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Churchill and Son

 

Churchill and Son- Josh Ireland

Penguin Group/Dutton

Release Date: March 30, 2021

Rating: 📚📚📚📚📚

Synopsis: We think we know Winston Churchill: the bulldog grimace, the ever-present cigar, the wit and wisdom that led Great Britain through the Second World War. Yet away from the House of Commons and the Cabinet War Rooms, Churchill was a loving family man who doted on his children, none more so than Randolph, his only boy and Winston's anointed heir to the Churchill legacy.

Randolph may have been born in his father's shadow, but his father, who had been neglected by his own parents, was determined to see him go far. For decades, throughout Winston's climb to greatness, father and son were inseparable--dining with Britain's elite, gossiping and swilling Champagne at high society parties, holidaying on the French Riviera, touring Prohibition-era America. Captivated by Winston's power, bravery, and charisma, Randolph worshipped his father, and Winston obsessed over his son's future. But their love was complex and combustible, complicated by money, class, and privilege, shaded with ambition, outsize expectations, resentments, and failures.

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Winston Churchill is one of those fascinating people who you are always learning something new about, and who we will always want to read more about. Look in any bookstore and you'll probably see more books about him than anyone else. I am definitely one of the people helping to fuel this industry- always eager to read the next book on this complex man. After reading Erik Larson's wonderful The Splendid and the Vile I grew curious about his family members- especially his son, Randolph.  So when Josh Ireland came out with Churchill and Son I jumped on it.

Churchill and Son describes the fascinating, emotional, and volatile relationship between Winston and Randolph.  After being neglected by his own father (probably the best thing he ever did for Winston, in my opinion) Winston was determined to have a close bond with his own son. He lavished praise and affection on the boy, encouraged him to always speak his mind, and to bow down to no-one. Randolph, in return, worshipped Winston and supported his every political stance. Randolph inherited all of Winston's good qualities: intelligence, brilliant public speaking ability, and charisma.  But Josh Ireland doesn't pull any punches or sugarcoat Randolph's or Winston's bad qualities.  Their worst qualities are also on display- temper, frequent lack of empathy, ignoring all others to focus on themselves. Winston spoiled Randolph as a child and indulged him to the point of his being uncontrollable as a youth- and Randolph never grew out of this. Hard drinking, hard gambling, frequently cruel to friends as well as enemies and never one to forget a grudge, Randolph grew up being told he was heir to the Churchill dynasty- and believed himself entitled to be handed all that and more without having to work for it.  

Ireland does a brilliant job of putting readers into the center of the Churchill family dynamics.  You sympathize with the long suffering Clementine and their daughters as they are pushed to the side and Winston focuses on Randolph.  You want to reach into the pages and shake Randolph for some of his worst episodes and while feeling pity for Winston for having this wretched son, you are also tempted to point out to him that spoiling the boy led to some of this behavior in the adult. The explosive fights between Winston and Randolph are as shocking to the reader as to those who witnessed them- even though after awhile you know exactly what is coming. I especially appreciated that Ireland doesn't focus only on specific time periods, like World War II, but covers their entire lives- paying special attention to Churchill's "wilderness years" between the wars, which I had not read much about before. 

Meticulously researched, fascinating, brilliantly and sympathetically written without pulling any punches, Churchill and Son is the behind the scenes story of Churchill family dynamics.  It's the age-old story of a man trying to make up for his own poor relationship with his father by giving his son everything. And the age-old story of a son who can never step out of the shadow of his famous father.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review