Review - - The Lady and the Thief

The Lady and the Thief

by Kate Moore

The Duke's Men - Book 1

Publisher: Tule Publishing

Release Date: June 13, 2024

Reviewed by PJ

 

In 1835 London, companion Vivian Bradish daringly pursues her dream of being a writer by researching and notating her ailing employer’s new book–A Guide to London for Fearless Women. Posing as a mark, Viv boldly enters a street known for pickpockets. When she’s attacked, she accidentally shoots the handsome gentleman who aids her. She brings the wounded stranger to her employer’s home for medical aid, but they are caught in a compromising situation, threatening Viv’s position and dreams.

Her would-be rescuer, Lark, was once a Lost Boy, part of a gang of street urchins and pickpockets rescued by the Duke of Wenlocke. Reformed, he’s now Edward Larkin, posing as a gentleman and searching for clues to his past. Meeting Viv is unexpected, and to save her position in the household, he proposes a fake betrothal.

To “court her,” Lark promises to guide her through the streets of the London she’s never seen so she can finish the book, never dreaming his impulse to help Viv will lead him to his lost family.

PJ's Thoughts:

Is it pure coincidence that I received an advance copy of this book shortly before visiting London for the first time? I think not. Reading this story about a young woman writing a walking guide to London for fearless women while, for the first time in my life, actually walking London was pure pleasure. I just wish I could have had her full guide at hand. And a Lark of my own to be my personal guide wouldn't have hurt either!

This feel-good first book in Kate Moore's new The Duke's Men series reeled me in within the first few pages and kept me invested in Viv's and Lark's story until the very end. Moore brought these characters to life in such a way that they felt real to me. I loved all of the peaks and valleys of their slow, endearing journey to love, from their rather startling first encounter, to a fake engagement, to an unexpected betrayal, and more. Viv's intrepid spirit and thirst for knowledge made me want to explore London with her while Lark's search for his past and determination to be a better man just made me want to hug him. I pulled so hard for these two. 

I am fully invested in Moore's lost boys who are now the Duke's men and am already looking forward to more books in this new series. If you enjoy your historical romance with plenty of adventure, lively characters, emotional depth, personal growth, and sweet romance, give The Lady and the Thief a try. I loved it. 

Review - - Saturday Santa

Saturday Santa

by Kate Moore

The Canyon Club - Book 3

Publisher: Boroughs Publishing Group 

Release Date: October 29, 2021

Reviewed by PJ

 

A prince of privilege, Jack Ryker returns to LA determined to stop an enemy he unleashed from his past. Christmas is the last thing on his mind when he takes refuge in a house high above the ocean guarded by a team of security experts.

Scarred and trapped in a specially made chair, every day from his beachside window Jack watches a beautiful woman coax a faltering old man on their daily walk. Jack doesn't know why, but he’s determined to meet her.

Mari Lynch loves her job directing events at an upscale mall, especially at Christmas. This year her cheer plummets when a stroke prevents her grandpa from being the mall's favorite Saturday Santa. Forced to find a replacement, she's at a loose end.

Jack and Mari's worlds collide and he topples her ideas about dating while she thaws his frozen heart. The truth about his past stands between them, and could cost Mari her life.

When Jack’s enemy comes after the woman he loves, he knows now he truly has everything to lose.

PJ's Thoughts:

I could not put this one down. Kate Moore has crafted a compelling story filled with action, suspense, poignant moments, and heart-tugging romance that held me enthralled from start to finish. The story begins at a steady pace, ramping up gradually as Jack and Mari come to know one another then growing more intense as the life-or-death stakes of Jack's life become more immediate...and Mari is caught in the middle. 

Moore's character development, dialogue, and depth of emotion pulled me in, eliciting my emotional responses right along with the characters. The secondary storyline involving Mari's grandfather added another emotional layer that caused me to be even more invested in her character while the gradual unveiling of Jack's past as well as the effects of his experience overseas created a character who so deserved a happy ending. There were many points in this book where I just wanted to hug him. Also, I loved his personal twist near the end. I was not expecting that but it only made him more endearing in my eyes. 

This is the third book of a trilogy with the couples from books one and two playing secondary roles in this one. Not having read those books (yet), I can't say with certainty if readers would have a greater understanding of Jack by reading the series in order. I can, however, say that I never felt confused or out of the loop while reading Saturday Santa and having "met" the other couples I'm looking forward to now reading their books as well.

Review - - The Husband Hunter's Guide to London

The Husband Hunter’s Guide to London

By Kate Moore

Publisher: Lyrical Press / Kensington

Release Date: January 2, 2018

Reviewed by Janga

  

For nine years, Jane Fawkener lived with her father in the Middle East, knowing more about his covert activities for the British government than anyone realized. When her father disappears and officials seem content to presume him dead, Jane returns to England. She expects that her father will have left her a message with his trusted bankers. Instead, she is a given a book, The Husband Hunter’s Guide to London and £200 on which to survive until she finds a husband. Jane refuses to believe that her father is dead or that she should accept the book as merely directions for finding a husband.

Government officials are not quite as indifferent as Jane thinks they are. Edmund Dalby, Viscount Hazelwood, a member of a select group of gentlemen spies, is pulled from his usual assignment of gathering information the Foreign Office might find useful at assorted brothels and gaming hells to keep a watch on Jane. His mission ostensibly is to serve as protocol officer for Jane’s acceptance of a posthumous award the British government is presenting to her father, but his real purpose is to keep Jane and any papers she may have pertaining to her father’s work from falling into Russian hands.

At first, Jane plans to evade Hazelwood, but that proves difficult. It soon becomes clear that Jane is in danger. Even then, she and Hazelwood must learn to trust each other before they can work together to find the answers they are both seeking. There are obstacles along the way and threats to both of them, but of course, they find those answers--and a husband for Jane in the process.

I was elated when I learned that Kate Moore had a new historical. Although The Husband Hunter’s Guide to London did not replace Moore’s Sons of Sin trilogy as my favorites of her books, I thoroughly enjoyed this story which offered the wit, intelligence, and “something different” that made me a Kate Moore fan years ago. Jane is definitely not the typical historical heroine in experience or in personality. English society is foreign to her, and Moore makes us aware of this in ways large and small. Hazelwood, a disinherited rake reclaimed by a spymaster, is less unusual but no less appealing. I thought his surprised pleasure in his reform was a nice touch. I found both lead characters interesting and engaging.

The historical context of the novel added to its appeal. I knew little about “The Great Game” and Russo-British relations in the nineteenth century, and I found the subtext in that area so fascinating that I did more reading, nonfiction this time, on the subject. I also loved that Moore takes her reader beyond the ballrooms and great houses to parts of London that are often disregarded. Moore skillfully balances the suspense and romance.

The sizzle thermometer remains in the mild range in this book, so if a high sensuality level is a requirement for you, you may want to pass on this one. However, if you like historical romance that targets a reader’s mind as artfully as it targets her heart, I suggest you add this book to your TBR tower. Moore continues the Husband Hunters with A Lady's Guide to Passion and Property, a July 3, 2018 release. I have already added it to my list of must-reads for the new year.