Sometimes the perfect person is right under your nose!An expert in pottery restoration, Frances Longworth spends her days in the basement of a museum, applying her skills to damaged artifacts so they can be put on display. If only she didn’t have to constantly prove herself to men who expect her to be a man.The bastard son of an earl, Gabe Wellingham eschews a life of leisure by accepting a … by accepting a position at the same museum as an archivist, cataloguing Ancient Greek artifacts. He has no qualms about a woman reassembling the latest arrival from an archaeological expedition. He does find her manner rather prickly, however. Annoying, defensive, and far too uptight for his tastes.
So why does he feel the need to pull the pins from her too-tight bun and kiss her senseless?
Having just returned to London after a lengthy absence, James Burroughs seeks a quiet place to stay. With the rest of her extended family gone for the holiday, childhood friend Emily Grandby offers James a room at her estate. Secretly grieving the loss of the man she might have married, she never imagines James’ desire for a perfectly quiet life might also include her.
But then, neither does he in The Puzzle of a Bastard.
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**** SPOILER ALERT ****In “The Puzzle Of A Bastard” Sande presents the reader an intricately layered and interwoven tale of two pairs of lovers. As per usual the author did a superb job of world building and character development. I really enjoyed the callbacks to other volumes in this and Sande’s other related series. I see them as the book equivalent to “Easter eggs” in movies. Sande gives us a really entertaining story with, in my opinion, just the right amount of “steaminess”. This book was a right page turner, I polished if off in about five hours of reading because of how much I was drawn into the story. In the interest of transparency: I was given a review copy of this book and I am voluntarily sharing this review.It is my own honest opinion..
Historical romance between two couples with some steam later in book
Emily is 24yo, was betrothed, now assumes she’s on her own until she is visited by 36yo James Burroughs. Hmmm, she likes his looks and character. Lots of backstory here. Then there are 22yo Gabe Wellingham, the bastard but acknowledged son of aristocracy who chooses to work as an archivist at the British Museum in antiquities. He is attracted to the aloof and prickly, Mrs. Frances Longworth who has unique skills but some big secrets.
Emily and Frances were two very strong women for that time period. They knew what they wanted and went after it but knew when it was appropriate to wait-and-see too. When secrets are revealed, will all go well between the couples? With a little angst this book follows these two couples until they get their HEA. There were some really funny and cute parts such as right after both couples have declared their engagements and certain people find out but…read this book, you’ll see!
I truly enjoyed this book but honestly it took a while to get into the rhythm of the story, which is told one chapter of one couple or character and then it bounces over to the other couple or character. It was a little disconcerting to bounce back and forth from one storyline to another. I would have preferred two stories, one book perhaps. I think the point of this rendition is that these actions are happening concurrently and the way to show that was the “bouncing.”
I volunteered to review an ARC of this book and it comes highly recommended to lovers of Victorian romance with a sweet and a little steam story. I give it 4.5 stars.
I was lucky enough to read an ARC of this book before its release. This was the first time I’d read anything by Ms. Sande, so I was unfamiliar with her books and the fact they are all connected together through various family trees.
What I appreciated about this book and what made it unique to me, in comparison with other historical romances, was the dual romance…two story tracks that intersect from time to time through a common character. The writing is superb, and Ms. Sande’s knowledge of the time period is obvious.
Both romances had a ‘mystery’ to them that pulled me through the book all the way to the end (I don’t like to do reviews that give spoilers). The sexy parts are hot, too!
I also learned quite a bit about the art of pottery, which was a nice extra.
Now that I am more familiar with some of the characters in Ms. Sande’s world, I look forward to reading more books of hers…and she has plenty!
Wonderful story! I loved all the detail in the story regarding restoring museum pottery from the Greek era! The love stories are romantic and happily-ever-after, just as a romance novel should be. Can’t wait to read more from this author!
A different twist on a historical romance. Enjoyed reading it.
When I started reading this book, I realized I had read a prior book by the author and had met Gabe briefly – really enjoyed this story of 2 romantic couples and knowing a little of the background from the previous book made it all the more enjoyable.
IF you enjoy books with likable women and good men, this is a great book. Finding women who are strong enough to still find courageous ways to live life after tragedies, are so very enjoyable. I appreciated not having to read drama caused by horrible choices. Good characters; good read.
Loved this book and it’s varied characters trying to live life using their talents to survive a rigid social structure. Loved the archeological subtheme
Loved these characters.
Very Readable!
There are two wonderful romances running side by side in this book – between Gabe and Frances and James and Emily.
Both have fabulous characters, unique backgrounds and stories and lovely endings. What a pleasure it was to read to this second book in the series.
The book tells a dual story of two couples who falls in love. It is a slow build with lots of detail told from multiple points of view. It shows well developed characters who are interrelated. The author points out how they are related through genealogy in detail. The dialogue is fun and witty with easy to follow language.
A romantic story with heroines hardened by circumstances in their lives and heroes emotionally mature enough to understand and appreciate what fate was offering them. I liked the attraction and empathy that young Gabe Wellingham, smart archivist of Greek antiquities and bastard of the Earl of Trenton, developed towards Frances Longworth. A character with his head in place despite his young age and his privileged situation. James Burroughs had no pretense towards Emily given his age, but her open-mindedness and magnetism attracted and enveloped him in such a way that he could not resist. That woman was tremendous! I liked how Frances and Emily had stood up to adversity and were determined and not shy to move on. The story has some mystery and secrets that could ruin reputations, some humorous scenes, lots of romance, good descriptions and stories about the art of pottery and passionate scenes. I enjoyed how Gabe and James juggled to keep up with them.
This is the first book that I have read in a massive series. It is the second book in one of the newest subsets. While it can be considered a stand-alone book, I was finding all the references to many other characters (parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, siblings, etc.) to be rather daunting; would have liked a family tree available to keep things clear. This book seesaws between two couples: Emily Grandby & James Burroughs and Gabe Wellingham & Frances Longworth (the first three being somehow distantly related). Enjoyed both storylines and all the characters. I have some of the earlier books in other subsets that I haven’t yet read, but plan to go back to those to further my knowledge of many of these inter-related characters. I received this book for free from eBook Discovery. I voluntarily post this review. This is my honest review.
A Romantic Tale of Two Love Stories
The duel love stories in The Puzzle of a Bastard was certainly entertaining. I really liked both couples and their uniquely individual backstories. They each endured just the right amount of angst tempered with smile-worthy humor. I also liked the ending, which pointed toward a very happy ever after.
That said, I was put off a bit by Linda Rae Sande’s efforts to connect the current story with all of the various family relationships. Even though I read the first book a while back, it real didn’t help me enjoy this otherwise engrossing read, it was just confusing and tedious.
Content 411: Although there is no vulgar swearing, there is some descriptive sexual intimacies.
Disclosure: I received this book for free from eBook Discovery. I voluntarily review this book. This is my honest review.
The lives of loosely connected cousins come together in this enjoyable romantic novel, as a result of their shared interest in antiquities and ancient pottery. Having been shown nothing but love and acceptance by his family, despite his status in the eyes of society, Gabe is more lenient in his views regarding women and their ability to hold down a job at the museum than most men would be. Discovering Frances in the potter’s room, his attraction to her is instant despite her reaction towards him. Bit by bit, he wins Frances over, only to discover that she has more than one secret that she is keeping.
James Burroughs has left his old life behind, one where he is judged according to the behaviour of gentlemen of that time. However, his large family is noisier and more boisterous than he can handle. Dropping to see his distant cousin about artifacts, he comes upon Emily Grandby instead. After many years, he is surprised to discover that she is grown up and in fact a mature woman with definite ideas and unafraid to express them. When she offers him a quiet place to stay, the simmering attraction between them is the first draw, but the promise of peace and quiet clinches it for him. He is a businessman and has become somewhat set in his habits, but Emily has a way of bringing him up short to re-evaluate his life and determine what he really needs. He discovers that he is only willing to make changes if Emily is a part of his future.
The two romances in this story are interlinked and both have a good conclusion. The book is well written and interesting with some history about the manufacture of pottery, their origins, and the process required to make repairs. There is wit, humour and a sizzling attraction between the couples, leaving one entertained, as well as leaving one with something to think about. I received this book for free from eBook Discovery. I voluntarily post this review. This is my honest review.
Too many charterers, switched back and forth on 3 stories.
Predictable; characters fall in love unbelievably fast.
This book could have been better if the characters had followed a more logical sequence. You need a character diagram to keep up with the action. Still a very read.
There are several main characters in this story Emily Grandby and her Brother Thomas Grandby, Gabe Wellingham, James Burroughs, and Frances Longworth. Several of them are related and are cousins or second cousins but I kind of lost track and just went with all but Frances are somehow related to each other and it made it easier for me to read. Emily and James are staying in the Grandby house and a romance starts up between them. Gabe and Frances work together at the Museum working on Greek artifacts and a romance blooms between them. In between the romances starting the guys do meet up with each other.
I liked the story lines but at times I did have to think about which of the 3 stories they were talking about. It was a good quick read and worth it even if my description makes it sound not so good. The romances were easy to see coming so there were not too many surprises in this book.
I received this book for free from eBook Discovery. I voluntarily review this book. This is my honest review. The opinions in this review are 100% my own.