"To Treasure an Heiress" by Roseanna M White - Secrets of the Isles, book 2

Beth Tremayne has always been drawn to adventure. During her childhood, she fed that desire by exploring every inch of the Isles of Scilly. Now, stumbling across an old map on her family's property, she's found more adventure than she ever craved in the hunt for pirate treasure. Unfortunately, Beth can't escape the attentions of her family's guest, Lord Sheridan. Sheridan has spent years pursuing whatever archaeological interests caught his imagination. And when he discovers that Beth's search connects with one of his favorite pirates of history, he can't help getting involved. Plus, he finds her irresistible, even though she insists he stole a prized possession of hers. As they work together following different clues and drawing closer to danger, they start to piece together a story of tragic love and piratical adventure. But the true surprise is the treasure they discover in each other.

 This book picks up immediately where The Nature of a Lady leaves off, so it would probably be helpful to read book one first (which, incidentally, is the start of the treasure hunt continued in this book). 

Sheridan definitely makes the book. He's extremely amusing, even if most of his thoughts never leave his head. Except for when they accidentally do, of course (with highly amusing results). He and Beth make an excellent pair, with their mutual love of adventure. I was glad that this book shows Telford in a better light than he came off in in the previous book--I'm looking forward to the next book featuring him and Lady Emily.

Secrets of the Isles
1. The Nature of a Lady
2. To Treasure an Heiress
3. Worthy of Legend

"Until Leaves Fall in Paris" by Sarah Sundin

As the Nazis march toward Paris in 1940, American ballerina Lucie Girard buys her favorite English-language bookstore to allow the Jewish owners to escape. Lucie struggles to run Green Leaf Books due to oppressive German laws and harsh conditions, but she finds a way to aid the resistance by passing secret messages between the pages of her books. Widower Paul Aubrey wants nothing more than to return to the States with his little girl, but the US Army convinces him to keep his factory running and obtain military information from his German customers. As the war rages on, Paul offers his own resistance by sabotaging his product and hiding British airmen in his factory. After they meet in the bookstore, Paul and Lucie are drawn to each other, but she rejects him when she discovers he sells to the Germans. And for Paul to win her trust would mean betraying his mission.

I enjoyed learning more about Paris in early WWII; I hadn't realized what a large community of Americans there were in the city at the time, or what freedoms they retained, at least for a short while. The story gives a hint at how much messier reality was than we like to think; Paul and his German overseer are fellow graduates of Harvard, with much in common, except that they choose opposite sides. Lucie's roommates are sliding the slippery moral slope of trying to survive while making compromise after compromise in the process. Some Americans heartily buy into Nazi rhetoric, while others immediately begin secretly aiding the Allies.

I struggled to like Lucie at first, mostly because of her bohemian attitude (you can't operate a business if you're going to ignore distasteful things like finances. It just doesn't work. And being smart with finances doesn't make one a capitalistic jerk.) But I appreciated that she comes to like Paul even when she believes he is a collaborator, before learning of his true leanings, and that she never imputes her initial disgust with Paul on his daughter. Paul was wonderful. Not perfect, as he had to work to understand his grieving daughter, but a good man, doing his best to be faithful to his country, family, and employees, even at the sacrifice of his reputation.

Christy Award winner for best historical romance in 2022!

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.

"To Disguise the Truth" by Jen Turano - Bleeker Street Inquiry Agency, book 3

When Arthur Livingston arrives out of the blue at the Bleecker Street Inquiry Agency, anxious to hire the agency to seek out a missing heiress, Eunice Holbrooke realizes her past has finally caught up with her. Having fled from the scene of her grandfather's murder seven years before, Eunice is a lady with secrets--the most important that she is the missing heiress Arthur is seeking. She has no intention of allowing him to learn she's been disguising herself, especially when she has reason to believe Arthur could hold her responsible for her grandfather's death. In order to avoid Arthur and conceal her real identity, Eunice takes on another case that requires her to go deep undercover. With secrets from the past--and Arthur--appearing wherever she looks, she wonders how she will ever uncover the truth behind her grandfather's murder. Will what she discovers set Eunice free or place her in peril's way?

Jen Turano's books are always fun, but the Bleeker Street Inquiry Agency has made room for all sorts of zany adventures. Eunice has always been a fascinating character (one we knew had secrets--why else would she hide behind layers of mourning veils?), so it was delightful to discover her story. From the very first page, where it introduces our hero as the man Eunice shot the last time she saw him, it was a fun romp as Eunice reconciles with her past and paves the way for her future.

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.

Bleeker Street Inquiry Agency
1. To Steal a Heart
2. To Write a Wrong
3. To Disguise the Truth