To Treasure an Heiress - Roseanna M White

I enjoyed reading The Nature of a Lady (book 1 in The Secrets of the Isles series) but I loved To Treasure an Heiress.  This second book in the series absolutely sparkles with wit and energy and there were plenty of times where it raised a chuckle or even outright laughter from this eager reader.

The search for pirate treasure is an enticing element throughout, and I very much liked the telling of the much earlier history of the Pirate Prince Rupert and his bride, where the author masterfully entwines fact and fiction. 

 

Beth Tremayne is the local lass from the Scillies, firmly connected to her island roots, but with a thirst for adventure.  She is fascinated by the tale of Rupert and Briallen and very unimpressed by the interloper from the Lake District, Lord Sheridan, particularly as she believes he stole her beloved inherited trinket box.

Sheridan is smitten with Beth almost immediately, and there are some nice little quotes from him from Pride and Prejudice and some very amusing calculations which vary wildly depending on how long he thinks it will take him to win Beth!  Although his and Beth’s relationship develops at lightning speed, something I usually strongly dislike in novels, here it works really well perhaps in part because although the overall time span of the book is short, such a lot happens within it.  Underpinning everything is the search for ‘pirate treasure’. Is it really there? What is it? Will Beth and/or Sheridan find it?

 

One of the reasons I like Roseanna M White’s books is the depth she gives to her wider cast of characters and this is no exception.  Early in the story we meet Senara, newly home on the Islands after making a very bad choice which has catastrophic consequences.  Once back things don’t become simpler for her and she risks compounding her mistake.  But the truly lovely Ainsley, Sheridan’s Valet, is there to help guide her.  The episode with the pearl is one of my favourite parts of the book and I’m not going to say any more than that as to do so would spoil it for any new reader.  I would love to read more about Senara and Ainsley.  Please, Roseanna, do mention them again!  I also thought Sheridan’s sisters Lady Abbie and Lady Millicent were wonderful, and again I’m not going to say more in case I give a spoiler away…

 

The bad guy in the book is far more than a caricature and has a really evil streak which means there’s a hefty ‘threat level’ to the story. Unfortunately he’s the brother of Beth’s friend Emily, about whom I very much look forward to hearing more in book 3 of the series.

 

To Treasure an Heiress can be read as a stand alone although the reader will certainly want to read the earlier book as quickly as possible afterwards to find out how Libby and Oliver met.

 

Highly recommended as not merely an adventure story (though it’s a superb one) but also a tale of renewal and redemption.

9780764237195, Bethany House, £9.99

Note: for transparency, I was sent an advance copy of this book, but I was not required to write any specific or favourable review. All views herein are my own.

The Crystal Crypt - Fiona Veitch Smith

The Crystal Crypt is the sixth book in the well-established Poppy Denby Investigates series from Lion Fiction.  Although a series, each book is a stand-alone story. 

In this volume, professional reporter and amateur sleuth Poppy Denby is asked to find out what really happened to Dr June Leighton, a female scientist who is far from welcomed by the men she works alongside in an Oxford laboratory.  Her death has been recorded as an accident, but her lab assistant is unconvinced.  As Poppy begins to investigate, under the guise of writing an article about June, it’s not long before an ‘accident’ on her bike shows that someone is not happy about her enquiries.  

 

Fiona Veitch Smith’s craft as a mystery novelist is well honed. This is an excellent novel with lots of action and twists and turns in the tale.  Poppy is, as always, an engaging heroine and the Oxford of the story will ring true to anyone who knows the city.  As it happens, I also know Somerville, as a family member used to work in the Porter’s Lodge there!  The story is set in the 1920s, and much of the book addresses the gender inequality of the time, as well as references to other prejudices of the time period.

 

An excellent historical mystery, with plenty of pace and interest, and wonderful characters (hello, Rollo!). Perfect for whiling away a few hours in a comfy chair. And then going to look for the others in the series…

Note: for transparency, I was sent an advance copy of this book, but I was not required to write any specific or favourable review. All views herein are my own.