Review of Deb Marlowe's A Killer in the Crystal Palace

 

A grand showcase for technology, art, design and . . . murder.

Welcome to book one in the thrilling new series titled The Kier and Levett Mystery series by USA Today Bestselling Author Deb Marlowe.

London, 1851, and the Great Exhibition is on. A soaring success despite months of dour predictions, it is the event of the year, on front pages and wagging tongues the world over—and Miss Kara Levett is thrilled to be in the middle of it. The daughter of a baron and an exhibitor herself, she happily demonstrates her elaborate automatons and case clocks to the crowds.

But her situation grows perilous when a man is murdered in the Crystal Palace and she becomes the prime suspect. With the unexpected aid of Mr. Niall Kier, a reserved Scottish blacksmith, artist and fellow exhibitioner with secrets of his own, Kara begins the work the Metropolitan Police show no inclination for—finding the true killer.

Together, Niall and Kara dig up international espionage schemes and sordid family secrets, and chase clues from Victorian high society to the London slums, all while trying to stay ahead of the villains who seek to make her the next victim.

Available Now!
The Kier and Levett Mystery series
Book 1 – A Killer in the Crystal Palace
Book 2 – Death from the Druid’s Grove
Book 3 – Murder on the Mirrored Lake

Deb Marlowe has always been one of my favorite authors and to say that I was thrilled that she was writing a historical mystery is an understatement. A Killer in the Crystal Palace. This is another book that I grabbed both the ebook and the audiobook. The audiobook is by narrated by Henrietta Meire who does a fantastic job.

A Killer in the Crystal Palace begins with a brutal murder during The Great Exhibition of 1851 where Miss Kara Levett is displaying her automaton works including a mechanical man. She soon finds herself implicated and embroiled in the murder as part of her display was used to commit the crime. She finds a staunch supporter in Mr. Niall Kier. Niall is also an exhibitor at the Great Exhibition displaying his intricate metal works. He met Kara briefly when they were both trying to become exhibitors at the prestigious and male dominated exhibition..

The story is clever and very entertaining. The chemistry between Kara and Niall is natural and draws you into the mysteries of both their pasts. This is a slow burn romance behind the mystery and the attraction between the characters is very believable. Niall is exactly the kind of hero that you want to show up when you are in trouble. He has many connections throughout the city and beyond. Kara is clever and has connections of her own, so she is not waiting around to be saved in the situation.  

Atmospheric, entertaining and clever A Killer in the Crystal Palace is a must read for Deb Marlowe fans and fans of historical mysteries as well. 

A Killer in the Crystal Palace a five star read and listen and I'm looking forward to the rest of the series.  

Reviewed by Gayle

Reasons I enjoyed the book. 

#Witty # Entertaining # Action-packed #Wonderful characters  #Page-turner #Informatiove #Historical mystery

The Crystal Palace in Hyde Park for Grand International Exhibition of 1851

Review of Lilian and the Irresistible Duke

Lilian and the Irresistible Duke

(Secrets of a Victorian Household #4)
by Virginia Heath

A reunion in Rome…

Sparks an affair to remember!

Part of Secrets of a Victorian Household. Responsible widow Lilian Fairclough is persuaded to travel to Rome for a hard-earned break and to let down her hair! She’s surprised to be reunited with passionate, cynical Italian duke Pietro Venturi. He reawakens her sensual side and intrigues her with glimpses of pain beneath his rakish surface. Enticed into a secret and temporary affair, what will happen once she returns home?

Virginia Heath is by far one of my favorite authors. I'm always thrilled to read something new from her and Lilian and the Irresistible Duke is a lovely addition to her wonderful collection of stories.

Lilian and the Irresistible Duke is a steamy romance featuring a mature hero and heroine. Keep a fan ready because this one is hot. Italy, art, romance and an attraction between two people that burns right off the page make this the perfect winter read.

Lilian Fairclough is a widow with adult children, who has lost a bit of herself in raising a family and in her work at her deceased husbands charitable foundation. She loves her family and the foundation, but her children have taken over all the administrative roles at the foundation and she is at loose ends. Her family decide she needs a trip to Italy to indulge in her love of art and to take a vacation. She accompanies her husband's cousin Alexandra to Italy where they will be staying with Alexandra's friend for six weeks. Doesn't that sound like a wonderful adventure? I was drawn into Lilian's life and wanted her to have the best time in Italy. Virginia Heath does not disappoint, as she gives Lilian and the reader a wonderful art tour of Italy and as the icing on the cake, Pietro Venturi.

Pietro Venturi is the brother of Alexandra's friend and an Italian art dealer. He is a mature hero, handsome, sexy and flawed. The perfect, what happens in Rome stays in Rome fling. Yet there is more to Pietro than meets the eye. Pietro is the very person that Lilian need in her life and he needs Lilian more than he knows.

Lilian and the Irresistible Duke is such a wonderful read and it was nice to have a romance where the couple is mature and sexy at the same time. I also enjoyed that the book was set in Italy and its location was a lovely way to warm up a cold winters day.

I can't wait to see what Virginia Heath comes up with next.

Review by Kixcatmom / G Cochrane

ARC provided by publisher

#readromance 

How to Impress A Marquess By Susanna Ives

A Recipe for . . .  
How To Impress A Marquess - Wicked Little Secrets series book III

TAKE ONE MARQUESS: Proper, put-upon, dependable, but concealing a sensitive artist's soul.

ADD ONE BOHEMIAN LADY: Creative, boisterous, unruly, but secretly yearning for a steadfast love, home, and family.

STIR in a sensational serialized story that has society ravenous for each installment.

COMBINE with ambitious guests at an ill-fated house party hosted by a treacherous dowager possessing a poison tongue.

SHAKE until a stuffy marquess and rebellious lady make a shocking discovery: the contents of their hearts are just alike.

Take a sip. You'll laugh, you'll swoon, you'll never want this moving Victorian love story to end.

I love a fabulous house party romance! It’s interesting to read what develops when people are in close company—sharing meals, playing charades, listening to music or picnicking on the lawn. Susanna Ives has written a fabulous opposites attract romance between George, the Marquess of Marylewick and his ward Lilith Dahlgren.

George and Lilith are polar opposites. George takes his role in Parliament and his estate duties very seriously. He’s very structured and a bit boring until his unconventional ward moves in with him. Lilith is an engaging woman, she’s artistic and a bit of a free spirit. She is frustrated with how George treats her and manages her money. Lilith, using a pen name, authors the popular Collette and the Sultan series which George reads faithfully. He has no idea that Lilith has based the domineering Sultan on him.

Lilith discovers that George was an artist when he was younger and why he abandoned his artwork. During the house party, she begins to understand that George is responsible for caring for many people and understands why he is so dedicated to his job. This understanding causes her to regret her portrayal of George aka the Sultan in her stories. Self-discovery is important to several characters in the novel and the author does a wonderful job transforming Lilith from a spoiled heiress to a compassionate woman.

Susanna Ives is a new-to-me author. I enjoyed this Victorian romance, the fabulous banter between the two main characters and the house party setting. I am glad the author wrote a hero who was an honest, hardworking man, not the typical rake, spy or Duke character. There is a villain in disguise and a few surprises as the story reaches its conclusion which added to my enjoyment of the book. I adored the ending!

Reviewed by Susan Gorman
ARC provided by Sourcebooks

Chat with author Susanna Ives

My Top Five Things To Do On A Chilly Fall Weekend. 

I live in Hotlanta. I remain trapped inside during the inferno of summer, away from the smolder, vicious mosquitoes, and copperheads. I rush outside with wild joy when fall finally arrives. Poets may write of symbolic dying and withering in fall and winter, but I’m very much alive, my spirit renewed and bounding with energy in the wonderfully crisp weather. So here are my top five things:

1.) I love to sit outside at night, enjoying the refreshing cool air on the back of my throat and watching the white moon peeking through the tree branches.

2.) I am all things pumpkin spice. Pumpkin spice lattes, muffins, cookies, silk milk, peeps, even hair gloss. My friends laugh at me, because it seems pumpkin spice has lost its cultural coolness. Whatever. Pumpkin spice feels me with coziness and contentment. I highly recommend reading How to Impress a Marquess while ingesting some pumpkin spice goodness. For an add-on aromatherapy, light some pumpkin spice candles.

3.) My husband can build some amazing fires (in fireplaces, of course). He scavenges the neighborhood for the perfect firewood and then tends to his fire like a mother looking after her newborn. I’m not someone who relaxes easily. My caffeine-reliant brain is always buzzing and on alert. But the lulling hiss and pop of a fire quiets my mind more than a dozen meditation classes can.

4.) Fleece. I try to be hip and cool and go with the sweaters and sexy wools, but all I really want against my body on a chilly fall weekend (with regard to clothing, of course) is fleece. Perfection is resting under a fleece blanket in my fleece PJs and socks, watching the beautiful fire while sipping pumpkin spice tea.

5.) Wireless speakers. My husband and I recently became obsessive with wireless speakers. Now we have music flowing through all the rooms. Chilly nights call for soft jazz or calming romantic classical music in the background while you read or just drift off into a lovely pumpkin spice and fleece filled dream.

Susanna Ives started writing when she left her job as a multimedia training developer to stay home with her family. Now she keeps busy driving her children to various classes, writing books, and maintaining websites. She often follows her husband on business trips around Europe and blogs about the misadventures of touring with children. She lives in Atlanta.

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