Book review : Vienna Dawn by Mary Lancaster | The Imperial Season #3

Vienna Dawn
by Mary Lancaster
The Imperial Season book #3

GENRE : #regency-suspence-romance #Clean-Romance

My rating: ★★★★★

Actually 4.6 rounded up to 5 stars.

Another lovely regency romance by Mary Lancaster!
I adored the "Imperial Season" series ( 3 main works ) set in the capital of Austria during the 1814 Congress of Vienna.
The 3 books are all wonderful and well connected to each other. Each book tells the love story of a specific couple with several important side characters that we meet in all 3 books ( sometimes in the  main roles and sometimes in secondary roles ).

There is also a short story as book 4 in the series ( which I haven't read yet ), but it's very very short and with brand new characters that are not connected to the ones in 3 main books. The only thing in common with the other 3 novels in the series is the setting : 1814, Austria :  Congress of Vienna.  

__ PLOT in short __ Autumn 1814, Vanya's family (book 1), mother, 2 sisters and the husband of one of them, are going to Vienna. Following an argument, Dunya, the heroine of this story, runs away but runs into a libertine who tries to take advantage of her.Entering a random room in an inn, she meets the English captain Richard Trelawny, who lost an arm in the war, but has lost no gallantry, no generosity, no courage.
 Together with his faithful servant, he saves the girl and decides to help her in her plan to win back an old boyfriend, thus rediscovering verve and joy of living. Lies, misunderstandings and dishonest people will complicate the whole situation, bringing a whirlwind of negative and positive emotions until the happy ending.

____ WHAT I LIKED IN THE BOOK ___
Speaking of this 3rd installment I loved the main couple: Dunya, a young Russian countess without dowry and sweet and handsome and also penniless Captain Trelawny.

Their falling in love happened slowly and neither of them ever denied it to themselves.

There are only two kisses in the book (while I expected more like in book 2), but the plot, despite being light, completely involved me from the beginning.

---> I liked Dunya's liveliness, resourcefulness and ability to admit that she was wrong about some people.
---> Trelawny made me fall in love right away, not only because he is handsome and doesn't back down when faced with the needs of others, but because despite the horrors of war and the loss of his arm having dulled his desire to heal and live a little, he doesn't wallow in self-pity.
Indeed, he gets involved in the girl's vivacity and without ever having an ulterior motive, he protects her and supports her in his plans so that she can find happiness.
Honor, kindness and honesty are not his only qualities. He's also smart and brave, in fact, the war has taught him to fight and despite not having an arm, he doesn't hold back when it comes to foiling an espionage plan or confronting the arrogant and despicable person with the sword.

---> I loved the fact that the protagonists of the 1st book (Lizzie and Vanya and the children with the dog and other characters) were secondary characters in this 3rd installment and I liked finding again, even if only in small cameos, the protagonist couple of book 2 ( Esther and Zelig).
Finding characters I was already very fond of and seeing them actively participate for most of the narrative allowed me to enjoy the whole story even more.

___ LITTLE THINGS I DIDN'T LIKE so as not to give 5 full stars___
I rated it only 4.6 stars ( rounded to 5 because Goodreads doesn't allow half a star ) and not a full 5 stars, like the 2 previous books, because though the love story is gripping and very sweet to read, there are some open doors ( especially one in the ending ) which not only weren't necessary but they lead the reader to think that some events and adventures will follow ( in this book or in the next one ), but the truth is that the series is closed ( the last book is dated 2017) and the short story written by the author as book 4 is not connected to either the events or to the characters of the previous 3 book.
This means that I finished reading the book with a bit of a frustrating sense of unfinished business.

TO PEOPLE WHO DON'T MIND SPOILERS and also TO THE AUTHOR just in case she reads my opinion, I will explain myself a little better :  
There are 3 things that remain open:

__ 1) the most important at the end :

___WARNING : SPOILER____

our couple is stopped by two highwaymen with rifles, who then change their minds and leave. Dunya asks Richard who the villain was with the gun pointed at them, since it was clear that he recognized Richard and therefore let them go without robbing them. Richard doesn't answer and the novel ends with something unfinished which is decidedly annoying for the reader. This cliffhanger would make sense if the series continued, but it didn't and it made me angry.

___SPOILER END____

__ 2) The second thing is less important, but it seems like the introduction to a new story and instead it leads to nothing:

___WARNING : SPOILER____

in this book we find Misha, Vanya's trusted servant, brother of the novel's heroine. Misha convinces Dunya (the heroine) to take in a maid who was being mistreated and this is because it turns out that he is in love with her.
Maria, the maid and Misha, are mentioned a couple more times and then in the end Dunya and Richard leave on a trip with no definite return, around the world. Dunya says she wants to give Maria time to say goodbye to Misha and hopes that Misha will maybe ask her to marry him, but still he takes the maid with him, separating her from her beloved... BUT WHAT'S THE SENSE? The author could have written that Maria married Misha and they both remained employed by Vanya or another solution for them to be together. What the hell is the point of introducing a newborn love and then separating the characters forever, other than disappointing the reader? Let's remember that these are light romances where there is a happy ending for all the good characters (and here we even had a happy ending for a really bitchy girl, another thing I didn't like)

___SPOILER END____

__3) This third thing is perhaps not so important, but it bothers me that it doesn't make sense:

___WARNING : SPOILER____

at a certain point in the novel, the heroine's mother says a sentence that has nothing to do with the important events and characters at that moment.
He asks her if she treats her daughter-in-law (Lizzie, heroine of the first book and Vanya's wife) badly. Everyone answers yes in unison, then the whirlwind of events continues its normal course.
THAT PARTICULAR QUESTION and THAT ANSWER make the reader assume that there will be a clarification between the two characters and that Vanya's mother-countess will finally begin to treat her daughter-in-law with affection... NONE OF THIS... nothing happens in this book or in the next one because there is no continuation of the events of these characters.
At the end of the book Vanya says that Lizzie will try to talk to the angry countess... but then nothing more is said, no scene between the two women is described and she will no longer know anything about their relationship.
It seems that the writer thought about improving the relationship between the two characters, but then changed her mind (did she forget? Did she no longer want to dwell on the novel? ) well, in this case, before printing the book she should have deleted that question and that answer from the others... IT MAKES NO SENSE

___SPOILER END____

___ __IN CONCLUSION: do I recommend reading the book? Certainly yes and even if readable as a standalone, I recommend reading the series in order or at least the first book, because you will be better able to enjoy the presence of the side characters and their actions.
---> You can enjoy book 3 even without reading the previous two books, but book 2 for me was absolutely the best, so don't miss it!

:-) Apologies for my faulty English, which is not my native language, thank you for reading my review, I hope it can be useful to you in choosing whether or not  to read the book.


READ ALSO "The Imperial Season" BOOK #1 and BOOK #2:
#1

Vienna Waltz (Book Review)

#2

Vienna Woods (Book Review)

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Book review : An Honourable Thief by Douglas Skelton | Humorous and Gritting Historical Action Mystery

An Honourable Thief
by Douglas Skelton
Company of Rogues book #1

My rating: ★★★★☆
GENRE : #HistoricalFiction #ActionMystery #HardBoiledVibes

Actually 3.7 stars rounded up to 4.

It really took me a long time to get into the book and to get fond of the characters but finally, almost halfway through the novel I felt involved in the plot.

The author divided the story into 3 MAIN PARTS.

-----> Part 1:

It starts with a lot of action and humorous lines by the main character, the villains, and the people around him
I generally love action and humorous books. I dare say that action+humour+mystery-or-and-adventure is the perfect mix for me, but I had a great problem with this story.
The humorous lines felt so forced, and the dialogues with jokes so long that they sound ridiculous, It felt like reading an old hard-boiled detective novel starring Sam Spade ( do you know The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett ? ) combined with a femme fatale or some comic book starring Spider-Man or Batman... I expected to read "boom, splash, boing, gulp, crack and so on" at any moment !

I assume the author wrote PART 1 as a sort of introduction to the hero and his lifestyle... but there were too many chapters full of action and jokes with no real substance... it felt more like a competition between the hero and his adversaries to prove who was the coolest.

___ THE PLOT begins in earnest with Jonas Flint, the hero, who—despite having been a thief and a scoundrel—works as a sort of secret agent for an important figure who, in turn, works for the monarchy. The action I was talking about takes place during a mission where the character shows off all his James Bond skills, using guns, swords, and daggers, all while cracking jokes non-stop during the fighting. We are in 1715 London, and the main mission of the book is to recover a document written by the dying queen, which could compromise the future of the throne and the stability of England at a time when Jacobite uprisings are already causing unrest and death.

Part 1 also introduces the historical setting of the novel.
When a sovereign has no direct heirs there's always great tension and a high risk of riots, revolts, and wars to gain power...

-----> Part 2:

It was a little more serious and far better than the first.
It takes the reader into the hero's past and deeper into the patriotic feelings of the people, especially the Scots towards the English monarchy, in the daily difficulties of common people and in the callousness that, at that time, saw slavery as normal.
The intelligence, sensitivity, and goodness of heart of a few people were unfortunately suppressed by the arrogance of the wealthy and those of aristocratic rank.

In this second part there is no shortage of moments of lightness or witty jokes, but here I was able to appreciate them because they were well-dosed (not too many or forced) and skillfully mixed with deep feelings and emotions.
In this second part I began to grow fond of the characters and suffered with them in their difficult moments.

Although Jonas' mission was always his primary goal, the second part explores the introspective side of the main character and his family/friends more thoroughly.

Talking about characters, the main ones are fictional, but they are well-blended with real historical figures, and you'll find many clarifications on the matter in the author's final notes.

-----> Part 3:

It is also interesting and engaging.
Even if it's more focused on the main mission (to recover the important and dangerous document), all the events of the second part come to a head.
There are a couple of very important twists, and while one is a little bit predictable (I saw that one coming!), the other is truly surprising—and I have to warn you: it's a little sad and bitter.

👉Overall, I'm happy to say that I liked the book, and I'm thinking of reading the next one in the series too.
The series is named "Company of Rogues" and it consists of three books total.
Each book works as a standalone, but I think that reading all three in a row gives the reader a more complete understanding of Jonas Flint’s soul. This is very important because Jonas isn't a flawless hero; I must admit that at the beginning, I wasn't happy to have a protagonist who killed people left and right, even if they were villains. But his past helps the reader to accept him, and in this first book, we eventually see the good sides of his soul and the shame he feels for having led a certain kind of life.

WARNING : Some crude and bloody scenes are present in the book, and the language used by certain characters is quite vulgar.

I hope my opinion and impressions have been useful in helping you decide whether or not to read this historical fiction.

Thank you all for stopping by and reading my thoughts.

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Book review : The Jewel Thief by Jeannie Mobley | Sun King Court Intrigue & Flat Pacing! 💎👑

The Jewel Thief
by Jeannie Mobley

GENRE: #HistoricalFiction #YoungAdult #RoyalCourtIntrigue
📍 Setting: France | ⏳ Era: 17th century ( King Louis XIV monarchy )

My rating: ★★★★☆
(Actually a solid 3.7 out of 5 stars, rounded up!)

The glamorous French court of the Sun King, a legendary 115-carat blue diamond, and a forbidden love story...

I have an absolute weakness for fiction inspired by true historical events. If you mix in a dash of romance and an unusual setting—like the gritty world of 17th-century diamond cutters—you get the perfect recipe for my reading tastes.

While the premise of this book is undeniably fascinating, and I enjoyed the overarching plot, the author’s narrative style unfortunately kept me from truly connecting with the characters or feeling the emotional highs of the story. Written from the perspective of the heroine delivering a formal statement from a prison cell, the delivery felt a bit too detached.

📜 THE PLOT IN BRIEF:

Juliette Pitau, the sixteen-year-old daughter of King Louis XIV's former royal jeweler, finds herself trapped in a damp cell inside the notorious Bastille.

She stands accused of stealing the "Tavernier Violet"—a massive, deep blue diamond that her father was tasked with cutting to make it shine as bright as the sun itself. Turning such a dark gem into a brilliant masterpiece is a near-impossible feat, one that only a master artisan could perform with absolute precision.

To save her struggling father, Juliette devised a high-stakes, highly illegal plan. Now, she faces charges not just of theft, but of treason and conspiring against France alongside a family of exiled Jews. Providing a testimony that proves her good intentions to the Sun King is her only ticket to avoiding a death sentence.

Regrettably, her well-meaning lies and the cruelty of greedy officials have painted her guilty even in the eyes of René—the young scribe tasked with recording her confession, who also happens to hold her heart.

😊 MY THOUGHTS:

| 💎 HISTORICAL HOOK: A GORGEOUS WORLD OF ROYAL GEMS

The most mesmerizing aspect of this novel is how it effortlessly transports the reader into a world shrouded in lore: the meticulous craft of precious gem cutting, the evolution of diamond facets to maximize brilliance, and the legends surrounding the French Crown Jewels.

All image rights are reserved to their rightful owners. Image found on: Cursed Jewels: The Hope Diamond
You will also find the detailed history of the diamond.

All image rights are reserved to their rightful owners. Image found on: researchgate.net, article "THE FRENCH BLUE AND THE HOPE" by Francois Farges

All image rights are reserved to their rightful owners. Image found on: Blu Brunswick

The historical background is incredibly rich. While the author provides EXHAUSTIVE HISTORICAL NOTES at the very end, anyone who has researched the "Tavernier Violet" online knows its fascinating journey.
It was eventually recut into the "French Blue", vanished for decades during the chaos of the French Revolution, and later resurfaced in a brand-new shape as the infamous, cursed "Hope Diamond". Experiencing this transformation through fiction was a true delight!


For further information, you can also visit the original source here: This is Versailles: Bleu de France.

| ⏳ PACING PROBLEMS: DETACHED NARRATION & FLAT SUSPENSE

What ultimately kept me from fully savoring this adventure was the narrative framework chosen by the author. Because the entire story is told as a retrospective deposition from a prison cell, it reads more like a dry "news report" than a living, breathing mystery.

Even though the protagonist recalls past dialogues from time to time, it isn’t enough to inject true momentum or emphasis into the plot. For a story about treason and execution, the pacing felt surprisingly flat and lacking in genuine suspense.

Even the high-stakes dynamic between Juliette and her interrogator/lover—who initially views her as a greedy criminal before slowly realizing the immense suffering behind her desperate choices—failed to make my heart race.

| 🤫 STEAM LEVEL: SWEET BAND CUTS BUT NO BUTTERFLIES

The book features several kisses—some tender, some passionate—and a single intimate scene written without explicit descriptions. However, in my honest opinion, these moments felt highly unrealistic given they took place inside a heavily guarded prison cell where guards could look in at any second!


Furthermore, the romantic descriptions failed to stir those familiar "butterflies in my stomach" that I often get from cleaner romances, where authors manage to create breathtaking tension through simple stolen glances and brief kisses.

| 👤 CHARACTER ARCHETYPES: GOOD POTENTIAL, LACKING DEPTH

The characters themselves make perfect sense within the plot, but they severely lacked deep exploration.

I appreciated the emotional fragility of the two main protagonists, both trapped in the painful uncertainty of wondering whether they are loved for who they truly are or merely for outward appearances.
On the other hand, I found myself deeply frustrated by Juliette’s father—a cowardly, alcoholic man who does nothing but cry over his misfortune while his teenage daughter literally tries to move mountains to save his life.

The secondary cast is well-placed, from the tyrannical, greedy leaders of the jewelers' guild to the egoistic, self-centered Sun King himself.
They all fit the puzzle perfectly, but the monotonous narrative voice prevented me from fully enjoying their personalities.

| 🏁 CONCLUSION: A WORTHWHILE YA HISTORICAL TALE

If the author had chosen to tell this story in real time rather than through a retrospective prison diary, the dialogues and character arcs would have had the space to truly grip my soul.

Unsurprisingly, my favorite part of the book was the ending, where the action finally breaks free from that dark, damp cell, and you can finally feel the palpable pathos of what could be.

Of course it's a matter of personal taste and while it didn't completely win me over and I won't be continuing the series or re-reading it, it remains a well-crafted, fascinating story.

It is a perfect fit for Young Adult readers, who will likely find a much stronger emotional connection to Juliette's journey than I did.


Thank you so much for stopping by and reading my opinion !😊

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Book review : Vienna Woods by Mary Lancaster | The Imperial Season #2

Vienna Woods
The Imperial Season Book 2
by Mary Lancaster

GENRE : #RegencySpyRomance #clean-romance

My rating: ★★★★★ + 1⭐ Special Golden Star

Beyond the 5 Stars: A Special Golden Star added!

Wowwwwwwww!!
This was a fabulous read!!

Not only do I give 5 full stars, but I've decided to introduce a 6th GOLDEN STAR for those rare books that I'd start re-reading the moment I finish them! !!

The genre of this novel is: clean romance.

----> The recipe includes :
the right dose of joy and lightness, a nice handful of adventure and a hint of espionage suspense and a few splashes of drama and tension, just to make our hearts beat faster!
Oh I forgot: fantastic HERO and HEROINE, very different from each other (she is brighter, he is more introverted and mysterious), but they're perfect together.

Before I delve into my opinion, let me introduce you to

THE PLOT:

__1814, Congress of Vienna.
Esther Lisle, is the daughter of an English general, now a diplomat in a small European kingdom and unofficially engaged to the heir of the aforementioned kingdom, a man whose bad reputation, meanness and arrogance are known to many.
__ One day Esther wakes up in the woods of Vienna, with an agent of the tough and feared Austrian secret police in front of her, who asks her questions about her relationship with Prince Otto, whose corpse is just a few steps away.
__ Secret Agent Zelig, also called Agent Z, has the task of maintaining security in Vienna and above all foiling any conspiracy and devious plan that could ruin the important congress and peace negotiations that will be discussed by the heads of government of the whole Europe.
__The death of the prince has a heavier weight than it may seem and although Esther and Agent Z don't know if they can trust each other they will try to collaborate to get to the truth.

In a world where you have to pay attention to every word said, because everything can be conspiracy and betrayal, it will not be an easy task.
Between masquerade balls, tournaments and all the "bon ton" prejudices of the time, reality and truth will be even more confused and elusive. To increase the tension and emotions there is a pleasant physical attraction, not foreseen by both, but which, little by little, will transform into a strong feeling and bond.

__________

MY OPINION

________

I REALLY LOVED THE CAST OF CHARACTERS:

1) the HERO of the story is not the usual consummate libertine (as is present in almost all romances) and who when he meets true love magically redeems himself (it's an overused cliché).
He is a very good young man of few words, very mysterious also because of his job, who despite a past of poverty, does not feel sorry for himself and does not resort to alcohol when he is desperate.
He earns his living with his work, which he is really good at and does not solve problems with the bottle, but by throwing himself headlong into his duty.
Put like this, he may seem like a boring boy, but he is not at all devoid of passion.
His icy gaze in contrast with his kind and polite ways, his tender gestures towards Esther and some street kids, whom he takes care of, fascinated me. I loved his hidden and barely visible smiles
And the way he kisses Esther...I wanted to be Esther! 😜😁

2) I also loved the HEROINE of the novel: yes, a beautiful girl, but above all with charisma. A young girl, but with a good head on her shoulders and who knows how to respond with intelligent and playful jokes, even if she is taken by surprise.
Esther is courageous and generous (but without being too saccharine or far-fetched) and the thing I like most about her is that she doesn't classify people based on social rank, but knows how to make friends with every good person.

3) among the complementary characters that I adored, there are the two main characters of book #1, plus 3 street thieves who help Agent Z in some unorthodox missions.
They are just over fifteen years old and like all young people they exude energy, liveliness and spontaneity from every pore.

This is the second book in a series of 4, all romances and with a hint of adventure/mystery.
I really liked installation #1 and rated it 5 stars, but this #2 is absolutely superior to the first.

I LIKED THIS SECOND NOVEL MUCH MORE THAN THE FIRST because the whole story mixes romance, mystery and espionage well, keeping the reader on the edge of their seat, constantly wondering 'what happens next?', so much so that it made me turn the pages one after the other with voracity.

Compared to the first novel we have more romantic moments in which the emotion of the couple's attraction and falling in love are truly palpable...indeed, despite being a slow-burn romance, the heartbeat and courtship begin immediately.
The kisses are clean, but described so well that it's like watching a movie.

The romance is clean and sweet, with no explicit scenes—making it perfect for readers of all ages.

---> I want to remember one thing though: the books are born as romances and even if there's a little mystery adventure, they are not comparable to real "mystery crime or spy stories", if you're looking for that genre , this is not for you).

Each book develops around a different couple, so you can easily choose one as a standalone, but my advice is to read them all in a row, because the main characters of one book become secondary ones in subsequent ones and the stories, in one way or another, are intertwined.
In fact the protagonist of this book, Garin/Agent Zelig, was not a simple extra in installment #1.
He had a small active role, so when I started reading this story I felt already a little fond of the character
As a counterpart, the main characters of book one ( Lizzie, Vanja and family ) have an important role in this adventure

---> UNLIKE THE FIRST NOVEL, here the historical figures of the time are only named and have no active role. However, the plot was so intriguing and engaging that I didn't miss it.
The description of the balls and the display of opulence, the subterfuge, the lust for power, the corridors of the Hofburg and the rides in the Viennese woods, make us imagine the setting and the political context.
Furthermore, if like me, while reading, you listen to the notes of the waltz in the background (you can find hundreds of wonderful playlists on Youtube) then you will feel directly catapulted into 1814 in the glittering Austrian capital!

I will definitely also read books 3 and 4 in the series, but first I need to take a break with a mystery where romance takes a backseat, because I was so involved in this one that if I read another one I wouldn't be able to fully appreciate it... I must first recover from this wonderful book hangover.

Thanks everybody for reading my review and please excuse any mistakes as English is my second language.
I hope my opinions have been helpful to you and if you read it I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.


READ ALSO "The Imperial Season" BOOK #1 and BOOK #3:
BOOK #1

Vienna Waltz by Mary Lancaster (Book Review)

BOOK #3

Vienna Dawn by Mary Lancaster (Book Review)

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