Lady Julia Grey has had enough. Despite Brisbane's best efforts to keep her safely out of his path, she has decided to follow her sister Portia to his remote Yorkshire estate, Grimsgrave, on the pretext of helping him to outfit the place. Despite his strong feelings for her (and she for him) Brisbane decidedly does not want Julia to come to his new home but Julia convinces her reluctant family to let her go and force Brisbane to decide once and for all what is to become of their relationship. Upon arriving at the mysterious Grimsgrave, Julia finds things are not as calm as they appeared and she slowly unravel mystery after mystery surrounding the the previous owners of Grimsgrave and their connection to Brisbane. All my favorite elements from previous books are once again out in force - gypsies, the quirky Grim, servants who will happily spill gossip for a chance to chat with the lovely Lady Julia, and of course, bodies that keep popping up. Not to mention Julia's frequent interactions with her hilarious family - Julia and Portia's exchanges frequently had me in stitches.This third installment of Raybourn's fantastic series is a real standout. I felt the mystery itself was much more unexpected yet entirely believable and for that reason all the more horrifying. Julia really comes into her own as well. Always outspoken, she finds herself for the first time on equal footing with Brisbane and adeptly holds her own. I loved it.Lady Julia Grey is my hero. Not only is she smart and an extremely good dresser but she just so happens to expertly solve the most puzzling mysteries that normal people would run screaming away from. Her curiosity is one of her most intriguing characteristics - she is logical, methodical and can give one cutting remark. I love her. I want to be her. And I also want Brisbane. And Ms. Raybourne, just so you know, I sleep much better at night just thinking that a Brisbane could possibly be wandering around this earth. Thank you. ( )

Upon finishing this novel, the phrase that comes to mind is "thoroughly satisfying". I think that it is safe to say that I read this almost six hundred page novel in about three sittings, I just could hardly put it down. It was just that enthralling for me. Side note: I agree with what has been said about the cover. The original cover for the first two novels was much more mysteries and intriguing to me. This cover presents itself as a romance, and this is so much more than a romance novel.Easily this novel could stand alone, although you might feel the characters a bit more after having the background of what they have been through. Their stories are introduced well and it does not deter from this story to miss the background, so either way works. The first novel I enjoyed minus one certain part that just bugged me, not the writing, but a plot line. Anyway, the second novel was so much better than the first, so I was excited to read this one. Having already decided that I am a fan of Deanna's writing, I was expecting to enjoy this book. What I was not expecting was to absolutely love it beginning to end. Of the three Julia Grey novels so far available, this is the best so far. Each book gets better and I cannot wait for more from Deanna Raybourn in the future. With each twist of the plot and mysterious event to unfold I was shocked and amazed at the pieces that I missed and thrilled with the bits that I figured out myself. Julia Grey brings us through a fabulous journey with not just one big mystery, but bunches of little ones as well that kept the pages turning. Throughout the novel, I laughed out loud, became infuriatingly angry, teared slightly, and snickered relentlessly. Within the main plot and all the side plots, I definitely feel that the entire story led up to a great overall tale and I was vastly entertained. It is another one of those books, where I ask, why did it have to end and when can I get more? ( )

Upon finishing this novel, the phrase that comes to mind is "thoroughly satisfying". I think that it is safe to say that I read this almost six hundred page novel in about three sittings, I just could hardly put it down. It was just that enthralling for me. Side note: I agree with what has been said about the cover. The original cover for the first two novels was much more mysteries and intriguing to me. This cover presents itself as a romance, and this is so much more than a romance novel.Easily this novel could stand alone, although you might feel the characters a bit more after having the background of what they have been through. Their stories are introduced well and it does not deter from this story to miss the background, so either way works. The first novel I enjoyed minus one certain part that just bugged me, not the writing, but a plot line. Anyway, the second novel was so much better than the first, so I was excited to read this one. Having already decided that I am a fan of Deanna's writing, I was expecting to enjoy this book. What I was not expecting was to absolutely love it beginning to end. Of the three Julia Grey novels so far available, this is the best so far. Each book gets better and I cannot wait for more from Deanna Raybourn in the future. With each twist of the plot and mysterious event to unfold I was shocked and amazed at the pieces that I missed and thrilled with the bits that I figured out myself. Julia Grey brings us through a fabulous journey with not just one big mystery, but bunches of little ones as well that kept the pages turning. Throughout the novel, I laughed out loud, became infuriatingly angry, teared slightly, and snickered relentlessly. Within the main plot and all the side plots, I definitely feel that the entire story led up to a great overall tale and I was vastly entertained. It is another one of those books, where I ask, why did it have to end and when can I get more? ( )

This series is excellent. Book 3 takes place on the Moors and has Lady Jane Grey following Brisbane to his new home. She can't leave the secrets alone but I was disgusted with him because he knew answers and didn't tell her, letting her get into trouble. Each time she was ready to give up on him and leave, something happens that has her taking care of him again. In spite of being disgusted with him, I couldn't put the book down. ( )

A little bleaker than the previous novels in the series, though the ending more than makes up for it.

http://ktleyed.blogspot.com/2009/11/s... ( )