Community Reviews
As a child, Samuel Brooks’s world fell apart when his parents were sent to debtor’s prison. Saved from a life on the streets by Paddy & Maggie O’Brien, he’s raised to be part of Paddy’s detective agency, Paddy’s Peelers. A shady underworld figure known only as the Vicar was responsible for Sam’s parents’ fate and Sam was determined to watch his captured henchmen hang. He doesn’t expect to see the woman that will change his life.
Dottie Brown is also at the gallows that day watching her husband hang. Naive and sheltered, working as a teacher at a girl’s school, she met charming Robert Dunn and is swept off her feet. Believing that he works for a church vicar, she’s shocked and brokenhearted to learn he’s a criminal. Reclaiming her maiden name, she’s determined to survive on her own and start over in America. On her way home from Robert’s execution, she rescues a young girl whose brother was also part of the Vicar’s gang. Dottie doesn’t plan to trust in love ever again, but fate has different plans.
This was a fantastic Regency romantic mystery. From Paddy and Maggie and their found family to Dottie and Violet and her landlords, the Clatterlys, the characters are fully fleshed and endearing. The setting among the lower/middle class of the Regency Era was a refreshing change and the historical touches added depth to the story. The relationship between Samuel and Dottie developed at a nice pace and the conflict between them was not overly drawn out. This was my first read from this author and I was very invested in the story from the start. I am definitely going back to read the first book in this series and look forward to following the rest of the series.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Dottie Brown is also at the gallows that day watching her husband hang. Naive and sheltered, working as a teacher at a girl’s school, she met charming Robert Dunn and is swept off her feet. Believing that he works for a church vicar, she’s shocked and brokenhearted to learn he’s a criminal. Reclaiming her maiden name, she’s determined to survive on her own and start over in America. On her way home from Robert’s execution, she rescues a young girl whose brother was also part of the Vicar’s gang. Dottie doesn’t plan to trust in love ever again, but fate has different plans.
This was a fantastic Regency romantic mystery. From Paddy and Maggie and their found family to Dottie and Violet and her landlords, the Clatterlys, the characters are fully fleshed and endearing. The setting among the lower/middle class of the Regency Era was a refreshing change and the historical touches added depth to the story. The relationship between Samuel and Dottie developed at a nice pace and the conflict between them was not overly drawn out. This was my first read from this author and I was very invested in the story from the start. I am definitely going back to read the first book in this series and look forward to following the rest of the series.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
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