Once Upon a Scandalous Secret

 Once Upon a Scandalous Secret

Spies Like Us #2

Cassandra Samuels

Reviewed by Helen

I read and loved book one in this series and I loved this one as well, this time Lord Anthony Ashton is put to his paces as he has just become a guardian the last thing this spy and confirmed bachelor wants and when he meets Miss Lucinda Sterling he realizes that this is going to be a very hard time, but Tony is always up to doing the right thing, or is he?

Lucinda has been in a finishing school in the country since she was nine years old sent to one firstly by her father and then later after the suspicious death of her father by her guardian and just left there, she is now eighteen years old and has had two guardians when suddenly she is snatched in the middle of the night and taken to the home of The Duke of Warrington to find that she has a new guardian that of Lord Anthony Ashton the youngest brother of the Duke and life is about to change for Lucinda, with Tony’s mother and sister deciding that Lucinda should be making her come out, it is time for her to find a husband.

Scandal abounds in the ton about her father and where she has been but the biggest issue for Lucinda is the way she feels about Tony, yes she is looking for a husband but Tony swears he will not marry, enter Lord Dunstan could he be the man to marry if only Tony didn’t seem to be jealous of him all the time.

Escorting his ward around the balls and events is not easy for Tony his feelings for his ward are getting dangerous for him this is not how he should feel but danger is building when there seems to be people after the secret that Lucinda’s father had, could Lucinda now unknowingly hold that secret? And what of his career as a spy it will all end if he marries Lucinda, everything is changing, will everyone be safe and will he open up his heart to the beautiful Lucinda?

I do highly recommend this one and am very much looking forward to book three, this is a fabulous historical romance with awesome characters and a beautiful romance and actioned packed mystery, thank you MS. Samuels, I loved it.

5 stars

April 24, 2026 by Dragonblade Publishing, Inc

The Lyon Deception

 The Lyon Deception

The Lyon's Den Connected World

Sara Bennett

Reviewed by Helen

We have gotten to know the MacKenzie family well, the three brothers Callum, Rory and Donal all went to London and found the love of their lives but now Bonnyrigg the family castle in Scotland is in danger of being lost and the only daughter Cat will do anything to save the family home even if that means marrying Sinclair Robertson who is the grandson of Lord Armytage the man who is determined to take the castle.

Cat arrives in London and is staying with her Aunt Jenni and Uncle James she is determined to find The Master as he is known here in London but when she is on her way to meet him there is a problem with the carriage she is in and a gentleman stops to help, Robert Sutherland and she is drawn to this very friendly, handsome man but she must not let anything get in the way of her goals and a meeting with the match-maker Mrs. Dove-Lyon is a must.

Sinclair Robertson is not happy his grandfather is a hard taskmaster he was much happier in his days with his parents and becoming a carpenter but these days he needs to be a gentleman to please his grandfather but when he meets a beautiful young woman and helps fix her carriage and she opens up to him about her problems Sinclair is smitten he has fallen in love but he has not been honest with her and this is going to be a problems.

Can Sinclair and Cat overcome the lies and look to the love that is growing between them and can they save Bonnyrigg for the MacKenzie family? I did very much enjoy this romance, fabulous characters and can love at first sight really happen? I do highly recommend this one, a beautiful story.

My thanks to Dragonblade Publishing Inc. and Netgalley for my copy to read and review.

5 stars

September 30, 2026 by Dragonblade Publishing, Inc

Christmas Cinderella

 Christmas Cinderella

Anne Gracie

Reviewed by Helen

It is getting close to Christmas and young Sally Destry is devastated when she receives a letter from home from her mother telling her that she is to come home and help get her sister ready for a ball in her honour and the man that she has known for some time now Peter Sinclair who is now an Earl seems to be the person her mama has set her eyes on for Julia to marry, Sally spends some time speaking to her teacher about what is happening and Sally goes home to do her best to win the man she loves.

What she discovers when home is that the family fortunes are lost and her mother is doing all she can to ensure that her sister Julia marries The Earl and Sally is feeling rather left out and being treated like a servant instead of a daughter.

When then meets up with Peter and his friends although still shy her and Peter have fallen into their old friendship but could it be more or is Peter wanting to marry Julia? When in London to Get Julia a new ball gown Sally wanders into a modiste shop owned by Miss Chance and commissions a gown to be sent home, she is sure to be a hit at the ball only everything goes wrong and Sally is left thinking that she has lost Peter but has she?

Christmas and the ball are bring friends together and the Destry family will have a big change in their lives will it be for the best will Sally and Peter find love and what of Julia, this is a beautiful historical romance that had me turning the pages I loved it so much a true Anne Gracie story that left me sighing and smiling, this is a prequel to Marry in Haste and a must read, I do highly recommend this one.

My thanks to the author for my digital copy to read and review.

5 stars

October 6, 2026 by Anne Gracie

Wouldn't It Be Scottish

 Wouldn't It Be Scottish

Mackenzies Take London #3

Sara Bennett

Reviewed by Helen

The third book in this series and this time it is Donal’s turn to have a HEA but will it be with his childhood sweetheart, Mary?

Donal is the quietest of the Mackenzie brothers and he and his neighbour Mary have grown up together and he knew as they got older and he fell in love with her and her with him that they would marry but then Mary goes to London, she wants to try something new and Donal is worried that she will not come back so he follows in his brother’s footsteps and makes his way to his Aunt Jennie’s house to win Mary back and is shocked to find that Mary is living it up.

Agatha is Scottish and her and her close friend Richard had planned to marry but when Richard goes to London Agatha is a bit concerned so her Father takes her to London and when she discovers that it appears that Richard has fallen for someone else she needs a plan and with the help of her father and his friend she meets up with Donal and a plan to make both Mary and Richard jealous is put in action.

But the more time they spend together and pretending to be in love is opening their hearts to really falling in love.

I did very much enjoy this one it is sensual and moving as Donal and Agatha who are both loving and caring characters fall in love with some fun along the way and we get two romances in this one with Agatha’s father finding his match in Miriam, if you love a good historical romance than this is one that I highly recommend. I do look forward to seeing the last Mackenzie Cat find her HEA.

My thanks to Dragonblade Publishing and Netgalley for my copy to read and review

4 stars

September 10, 2026 by Dragonblade Publishing, Inc

Christmas at the Convent

 Christmas at the Convent

Harriet Gordon Mysteries #5.5

A.M. Stuart

Reviewed by Helen

Harriet and Curran are just about to enjoy their first Christmas as a married couple and they are also looking forward to Julian and Esme’s wedding and a visit from young Will, it is sure to be a fabulous time that is until the phone rings in the early hours of the morning to say that a newborn baby has been found in the nativity scene at the local convent and that this baby is European, the hunt is on then for the mother they must ensure that she is safe.

Of course Harriet is not going to stay out of this investigation and Curran is happy to have her help with the young mother and when they uncover secrets that were supposed to stay secret this may very well not only put the mother in danger but the baby as well.

Again MS Stuart has taken her readers on a journey that will keep them turning the pages, Harriet and Curran work so well together bounce ideas off each other and find the answers they need, Harriet can also get herself in a little danger which is surely sending Curran greyer but together they make such a fabulous team and it will be sad to see the finish of this series but it looks like Harriet and Curran may be back with new adventures, I have my fingers crossed, this one ended so well it left me smiling.

I do highly recommend this series to any lover of a good historical mystery series this really is a brilliant series, one not to be missed, but read them all from the start, I love MS. Stuart’s books they are all fabulous.

My thanks to the author for my digital copy to read and review.

5 stars

September 10, 2026 by Oportet Publishing

The Lost Perfumes of Paris

 The Lost Perfumes of Paris

Christine Wells

Reviewed by Helen

It is 1956 and we are in France, Grasse and Paris and we meet Elodie Limeaux, Elodie is the daughter of Aurore a famous perfumer who created some famous perfumes for The House of Limeaux and she wants nothing more than to be a perfumer like her mother was, she lost her mother when she was young and now her father Fabrice runs the perfume company that her grandfather started many years before, will she ever get there?

Elodie is now in her late twenties and she comes up against her father and the other lab assistants working for Limeaux, no perfume she creates seems to please him, her father refuses to allow her to follow in her mother’s footsteps, but when she finds out about a contest to find a perfume that will create the essence of Paris Elodie is determined to enter.

Marcelo Caspari is the son of a Swiss banker who is an investor in Limeaux and when he meets Elodie at a dinner he and his father support her all the way, Marcello is very interested in perfumes and finding all of the lost perfumes from many years ago and soon he and Elodie are working together in his own lab to create the perfect perfume to win the competition.

Together they not only find their passion for perfume is as strong as each other’s they also find that their hearts are also growing with love for each other, their journey to create that perfume meets a few hurdles along the way one of them being Elodie’s father he pushes her back at every turn, but Elodie shows her strength with Marcelo by her side and they create what they are very happy to enter into the contest but will they win and what will come of anything after that?

This is a story that had me invested from page one, I loved Elodie and Marcello and the other characters that add so much to the story the settings are beautiful as we see Elodie uncover truths about her mother and father and create perfumes that will last forever and Marcello is caring and passionate about perfume and Elodie. I loved this one so much and highly recommend it to any reader who loves a good historical fiction and romance, a must read.

Thank you MS. Wells for another brilliant story, it is so beautiful, based on woman perfumers from the past it shows what woman had to fight against to make their way in the perfume world and done so very well.

My thanks to the author for my copy to read and review.

5 stars

September 8, 2026 by William Morrow Paperbacks

His Last Letter

 His Last Letter

Tanya Curran

Reviewed by Helen

This is a beautiful story, so well written and based on the authors own grandparents, it takes in men and woman who in 1939 and beyond put everything at risk to fight for their countries, report back to their country what was going on and nurse the injured throughout some very hard times, come along and meet these men and women.

Jack Sullivan is the eldest of a large family and willingly signs up to fight for his country, just before he leaves he meets Lizzie Lewis a nurse from Adelaide and their hearts seem joined from the start, he writes to Lizzie while he is away and their friendship grows through the letters.
Bert Miller is a reporter and his first big story takes in the announcement from the Australian Prime Minister at the start of the war, he is soon travelling over to the war zones and mailing his stories back to his editor and they are making the front page often.

After Lizzie receives some tragic news she decides that she will sign up and join the nurses helping, she is sent to Papua New Guinea and she is sure that is where Jack is, will she find him when she arrives?

Letters play a big part in this story and they are so beautiful, as we get to know Jack, Lizzie and Bert as well as the other fabulous characters that make this story so good, it is emotional, moving and opens up a world that was very hard for those six years. I loved Jack and Lizzie and Bert, is such a hero in so many ways as were all the men and woman who did what was needed,

I would highly recommend this story to any reader who loves a good historical fiction MS. Curran has bought the characters and the war to life on the pages, don’t miss this one, I loved it.

My thanks to the author for my copy.

5 stars

August 3, 2025 by Green Hill Publishing