Death of a Sorcerer by Jeannie Lin (short story, Kindle Unlimited)
The sequel novella to The Hidden Moon and prequel to Red Blossom in Snow.Newly married Constable Gao and Wei-wei have just begun their lives together when they're faced with the death of a Taoist sorcerer during Ghost Month.As mysterious occurrences arise during the investigation, are they truly receiving a message from the spirit world? Or is Gao's dark past finally catching up to them, threatening their chance for happiness?
Let's start off this month's post with a gift from Jeannie Lin - yes, it's currently only available via Amazon, but even if you don't have KU, it's currently free (at the time of this posting). This short story is tucked in the middle of the Lotus Palace Mysteries timeline, being a sequel to The Hidden Moon.
When the brash railway contractor Elijah Hepworth and his rowdy crew of navvies arrive in Millcastle the town is divided between those who embrace the possibility of change and those who want things to remain the same. Alice Collins, who has recently come to live at Grafton Hall, knows which side she’d prefer to be on, but Mr. Hepworth obviously has other ideas. When the comfortable, safe existence Alice hoped for is snatched from her grasp, will she accept an offer from a man who never claims to be a gentleman, but who might be what she needed all along?
I could write something pithy here about this fourth book in the author's Millcastle series, but why not crib what the author herself wrote on her website about this book? "I loved writing this one because the hero isn’t an aristocrat, and he has no desire to become one. He’s hardworking, brutally honest and when he decides he wants something he’ll go all out to achieve his aim. The nice thing is that the heroine is so much more than he bargained for, and he has to grovel quite a bit at the end to get his HEA." 👀
He’s the man with the Midas touch…Elijah Wolfe is just as ruthless and aggressive as his name suggests. Born in harsh Nevada desert, he used his sharp wits and sharper fists to fight for survival mining ore for terrible men... Until one day he struck gold, literally. Despite his unimaginable wealth, his heart is empty of trust and his world full of enemies. He’s come to England searching for a priceless treasure once stolen from him and is prepared to ruin anyone who gets in his way.She’s a thief with a heart of gold…Rosaline Goode’s callous father left her nothing but a legacy of shame. Instead of worrying about the women gossiping behind their fans, or the cruelty of eligible men, she spends her nights avoiding society and mapping the stars. That is until absurd circumstances find her, nearly naked, in the home of the famously unscrupulous, lethal American whose name is on everyone's lips.The promise of plunder…Succumbing to a shotgun wedding is the worst thing Eli can imagine, but if it is what he must do to get what he wants, then so be it. Except now, all the arguments he’d made against the marriage are becoming enticements. His new wife is too young. Too small, sheltered, soft, and sensitive for a man forged in the mines and tempered in the desert heat. If theirs is a Devil’s bargain, then why does her shy touch take him to heaven?
A ruthless hero obsessed with reclaiming a priceless treasure finds himself leg-shackled to a heroine that society loves to snicker and gossip about. The latest in the author's Goode Girls series, features some catnip many romance readers are helpless to resist - the Alphahole hero knocked upside the head by love.
Hers was a body of marble…Until he brought it to lifeAfter her tyrannical late husband ruined her reputation, Lady Mercy Armstrong is longing to reinvent herself. The perfect opportunity presents itself when rebellious self-made man Jack Dalmuir has a daring proposition—a fake dalliance that will change society’s view of her! Only, cavorting with the handsome Scotsman ignites a passion that could change both their lives forever…
This second book in the author's Revelations of the Carstairs Sisters series sounds like it should be subtitled: How the Victorian Lady Got her Groove Thang Back. Although from the sounds of it, she never had much of a groove to begin with. Added bonus that our hero is a self-made man!
An invitation to Venice…To save their marriage!Suggesting divorce to her estranged husband, Jamie, Duke of Byson, takes all of Rose Wilkins’s courage. Years of distance and heartbreak have taken a toll—she needs a new start. But Jamie won’t hear of divorce, because of the scandal alone. His counteroffer is a trip to Venice…Might discovering Venice’s delights together rekindle the still-simmering desire that drew Rose to Jamie as a starry-eyed young American heiress?
Y'all I am HERE for Victorians and this third book in McCabe's Dollar Duchesses series gives us a not-often-seen Marriage in Trouble trope in a historical, and a trip to Venice in a last ditch effort to save a crumbling marriage and themselves from ruin.
A knight’s enemy...Becomes his closest ally…Knight Theo Grenville will do whatever it takes to discover who’s plotting against his king. So befriending—and even romancing—his target’s middle daughter, Medea, is merely part of his sworn duty. But what isn’t? Falling under the spell of a woman who’s anything but plain in his eyes! Yet every day they become closer, the more torn he is between his allegiance to his king and his heart…
Matthews' second book in her The King's Knights trilogy features a spin on the Big Secret trope I can never say no to - the hero on a mission to uncover the truth who slithers his way next to the heroine to gain access to the information he needs (unbeknownst to her). Added bonus if the heroine is described as plain, overlooked, and/or generally dismissed out of hand by those around her.
From dutiful bride…To the laird’s unwilling hostage!Kidnapping Elspeth MacMillan on her way to an arranged marriage is the only way for new laird Calum Campbell to avoid more bloodshed and bargain peace for his people. Calum expects her fury but doesn’t expect the feisty lass to break through his defenses into his heart. With war waging between their families, will they ever be able to yield to love?
The final book in the multi-author Highland Alliances trilogy finds our hero kidnapping the heroine in a bid to broker peace (OK, sure my dude) and getting more than he bargained for when he starts falling for her. Will these romance heroes never learn? The surest way to find yourself hitched is deciding to kidnap someone. If you won't to stay single, just don't do it!
A daredevil rescue…An unexpected reunion Imprisoned during the French Revolution, English spy Lord Laurence Beaumont is finally rescued—by the courageous, beautiful Delphine St. Clair. Back home in Cornwall, Laurence has no interest in the convenient marriage offered by a local landowner—until he discovers the bride is Delphine! With intense memories of their liaison dangereuse in Paris, Laurence knows theirs will be an unconventional union…but can he keep his promise never to be a spy again?
And finally, brace yourself kidddies - a stand-alone book! I know, it's a little shocking! There's not a lot of 18th century romances these days, and when you do see one it usually involves Scotland and the Battle of Culloden. Here we've got the French Revolution (!) and a heroine with enough moxie to save the hero from certain death.
Whew! That was a marathon! What Unusual Historicals are you looking forward to?
