"The Lady and the Highwayman" by Sarah M Eden

Though headmistress of a girl's school and well-respected author of approved upper-class "silver-fork" novels, Elizabeth Black is also secretly one Mr. King, an author of penny dreadfuls--lower class serial novels that contain all the adventure and mystery that her real life lacks. Fletcher Walker, formerly a street urchin, was one of the most successful authors in the Penny Dreadful market until Mr. King started taking his readers--and his profits. No one knows who King is, including Fletcher’s fellow members of the Dread Penny Society, a fraternity of authors dedicated to secretly fighting for the rights of the less fortunate. Determined to find the elusive Mr. King, Fletcher approaches Miss Black, as she is well-known among the high-class writers and could potentially help identify Mr. King. Elizabeth agrees to help Fletcher, if only to protect her secret identity, never envisioning it could lead to an adventure worthy of a penny dreadful.

This was delightful--whimsical and humorous, both proper and im-, clean and sweetly romantic.

The characters are clever and intelligent: there's a secret society that's actually good at being kept secret, and a writer under a pseudonym who's capable of protecting her true identity. Both Fletcher and Elizabeth are able to weed out more secrets from each other than anyone else is able to, but they're also clever enough to keep some of their secrets until a reveal of their choosing. They're well matched in both intelligence and kindness, with a heart for children and the under-served.

It isn't a fantasy, but the two penny dreadfuls (which have chapters interspersed throughout the book) both have a touch of the fantastic to them, heightening the fun of this fanciful story as they parallel the main plot.

If you're looking for a whimsical tale to brighten your day, look no further!

The Dread Penny Society

1. The Lady and the Highwayman 

2. The Gentleman and the Thief

3. The Merchant and the Rogue

"The Painted Castle" by Kristy Cambron -- Lost Castle, book 3

It was supposed to be a one-week job: survey an art find, collect a hefty fee, and use that to settle historian Kiera Foley’s life back into balance. But from the moment she sets foot in the East Suffolk countryside, the mysteries surrounding the old English manor and the enigmatic art thief who’s employed her stir more questions than answers. Then, Kiera finds the existence of a portrait captivating enough to upend all of her expectations. This one could be a twin—a painting so close in composition to a known masterpiece, it may be rendered priceless if it truly captured the likeness of a young Queen named Victoria. Set in three time periods—the rapid change of Victorian England, the tumultuous skies over England’s eastern shores in WWII, and modern day—The Painted Castle unfolds a legacy of faith, family, and stories that are generations in the making.

For the record--in case you misinterpret the book blurb like I did--Keira is not, in fact, working with a gang of thieves on any kind of heist. It's a legitimate job, being run by an alleged thief. Don't read with the expectation that they're all up to no good, or you'll suffer the confusion I did. It was just mysterious enough that I was able to misinterpret almost everything in the light of anticipated skulduggery, when in actuality, all was aboveboard, and Kiera is an inherently honest person who would never take a less than legal job.

Three storylines in three different time periods (present, 1940's, and 1840's), are woven together around the same English manor house and the same portrait hidden within. I didn't struggle to keep track of the different storylines, as each was fascinating in its own way, but, as  typically happens with multi-timeline books, I wish they all could have been developed more. They aren't actually dependent on each other, so I'd rather have read them as three stand-alone novels (particularly if they'd been expanded to full length) than mixed together as they are.

Amelia's story (1940's) ended up my favorite--it's the sweetest of the stories, the most hopeful, and the best contained within the limited page count. I think Elizabeth's (1840's) would have benefited most from expansion, given its rushed and more complex storyline, but I really loved the time period and subject matter--having seen the BBC Victoria television series, it was a lot of fun to experience this take on Queen Victoria's 'scandalous' portrait.

Winner of the 2020 Christy Award for Best Historical Romance.

Thank you Thomas Nelson and NetGalley for the complimentary e-book. I was not required to write a positive review, and all opinions are my own.

Lost Castle1. The Lost Castle
2. Castle on the Rise
3. The Painted Castle

"The Griffon Heist" by James R Hannibal - Talia Inger, book 1

After a disastrous test, Talia Inger, rookie CIA agent, is sidelined to the Eastern European "Other" department, then sent to backwater Moldova for a short, simple mission to ensure the security of some revolutionary defense data. However, things start to go wrong when the facility is breached and Talia learns just who is after the designs. With her shady civilian partner, Adam Tyler, Talia takes a deep dive into a world where only criminal minds and unlikely strategies will keep the Gryphon, a high-altitude data vault, hovering in the mesosphere. Even Tyler is more than he seems, and Talia begins to wonder: Is he helping her? Or using her access to CIA resources to pull off an epic heist for his own dark purposes?

A cross between Mission Impossible and Ocean's Eleven (with a bit of Leverage thrown in), this book has all the intrigue of an international spy thriller combined with the scheming--and thieves--of a traditional heist. To me, the heist aspect makes all the difference, setting the book apart from so many other races to stop world destruction.

My initial impression of Tyler was womanizing slime, but I grew to respect him the more time we spent with him, even as I suspected some of his unshared history (and kept an open mind for a potential Sudden but Inevitable Betrayal--it's a spy story. You just can't trust anyone, even the people you love. Or hate.). Eddie's an adorable geek--I loved being able to follow his references to Star Wars, Star Trek, and other sci-fi/fantasy fandoms. The rest of the crew really grew on me too, questionable as they all are.

I'm definitely looking forward to the next book in the series!

Thank you Revell and NetGalley for the complimentary e-book. I was not required to write a positive review, and all opinions are my own.

Talia Inger
1. The Gryphon Heist
2. Chasing the White Lion

Jen Turano's "Diamond in the Rough" - American Heiresses, book 2

As part of a bargain with her grandmother, Poppy Garrison accepts an unusual proposition to participate in the New York social season, but society is unprepared for Poppy. Forced to travel to America to help his cousin find an heiress to wed, bachelor Reginald Blackburn is asked to give Poppy etiquette lessons, and he swiftly discovers he may be in for much more than he bargained for.

Yet another entertaining novel from Jen Turano! It may not be my favorite of hers, but it was a delight to read, as expected.

There's a touch of My Fair Lady to this story, but Poppy is no Eliza Doolittle--she might be able to list off all the lessons she's supposed to be learning without issue, but take them to heart she does not. I think Reginald--for all his initial stuffiness and propriety--is the one who changes more over the course of the lessons, opening up to spontaneity and the joys of informality.

The secondary characters were spectacular in this book.  While other Jen Turano novels have precocious children and peculiar pets, this one has . . . Murray. Love interest? Nope. Relative? Nope. Dashing and brave brother-like friend? Well, yes, brother-like, and somewhat reluctant friend . . . At first I wondered who this guy was and what he was doing in the story, but he really grew on me. But then, I've known a lot more Murrays than Reginalds, and it was fun to see this one come into his own. Poppy's grandparents also proved much better than first impressions would have led me to expect. Looking forward to Beatrix's story!

Thank you Bethany House and NetGalley for the complimentary e-book. I was not required to write a positive review, and all opinions are my own.

American Heiresses
1. Flights of Fancy
2. Diamond in the Rough
3. Storing Up Trouble