Victoria Hamilton (1)

First a werewolf, now a ghost! If Lady Anne and Lord Darkefell are going to continue to spend time together, they should be prepared for non-stop excitement and danger. Revenge of the Barbary Ghost is the second book in the Lady Anne Addison Mysteries series, and it’s every bit as delightful as the first, Lady Anne and the Howl in the Dark. If you are new to the series this book will work just fine standalone. But do yourself a favor, stop right now and catch up. The history and show more backstories are fascinating and will add much to your reading pleasure.

Anne and Darkefell spend about equal time mesmerized by or irritated with each other. They are, or will be, a terrific couple, but after Anne nearly loses her life and Darkefell, in a moment of panic, demands she “stop this foolishness” and marry him immediately she flees his estate in Yorkshire and goes to stay with friends in Cornwall to think things through. She is powerfully attracted to him but marriage was not on her agenda. Of course he follows her, but not before she learns of sightings of “The Barbary Ghost” and decides to investigate. Anne doesn’t believe in ghosts any more than she believes in werewolves and thinks the ghost is a cover for smugglers. When she learns of Darkefell’s arrival she hopes to enlist his aid in solving the mystery. Darkefell, however, has barely recovered from the fear of losing her due to her recklessness and again lectures her about how she needs to calm down, back off, stay safe and let him handle things. Anne, in effect, storms off in a huff. These two have a lot to learn about relationships but they are absolutely charming as they blunder through their mutual steamy attraction. They are pretty adept, though, at solving mysteries and the superbly written, well-developed, smooth flowing, detailed plot and clues provided by author Victoria Hamilton make for a great read.

Anne’s maid Mary and Darkefell’s secretary Osei Boatin are back and as interesting as ever, and Anne’s friend Pamela and her brother Marcus keep you guessing. This is a story that will claim your attention and delight you, full of action and danger and unexplained happenings.

Once again author Hamilton (aka Donna Lea Simpson) has skillfully blended a romance with some heat and a mystery that will make you think into a thoroughly entertaining Georgian historical. I was fortunate enough to have an audio copy of Revenge the Barbary Ghost and the author’s story and Danielle Cohen’s narration make for one terrific listen. I was not required or expected to provide a review and all opinions are my own. I loved this story and love this series. Lucky for me the adventures of Lady Anne and the Marquess of Darkefell will continue! show less

Another simply delightful entry in the Lady Anne Addison Mysteries series. Not much of Lord Darkefell this time around, as Lady Anne is in Bath with her mother and grandmother preparing for their upcoming marriage. But trust her to get into just as much trouble as ever, to be as curious – or shall we just be honest and say nosy? – and to go to any lengths to find the truth and protect those she cares for. Always such fun to see how she pushes the boundaries of the constraints on women in show more her society. She’s smart, capable, loyal, determined and not afraid to speak her mind. As for Lord Darkefell, even though he is absent for much of the story, he is most definitely not absent in Lady Anne’s heart, mind, and very warm memories. Finally, the combination of Victoria Hamilton’s excellent writing and Danielle Cohen’s fantastic narration make for a most enjoyable audiobook. Cannot wait to see what the next book in the series brings! show less

This is such a delightful cozy mystery, with no fewer than three very good candidates for murderer and a bucket full of red herrings. The heroine is bright, worldly and a force with which to be reckoned in podunk Autumn Vale, NY. For the most part, locals don't know quite what to make of her. But she has her fans, not the least of which is the local sheriff. But then the post mistress winds up murdered in the post office and the small town is suddenly overrun with G-men in dark suits show more arriving in a flotilla of black federal vehicles. They have that special gift which makes everyone feel like a guilty suspect.

I was hooked from the start and enjoyed the entire journey from cover to cover. Well done, Ms. Hamilton!

I am grateful to Berkley Publishing Group and Goodreads First Reads for having provided a free copy of this book. Their generosity, however, did not influence this review - the words of which are mine alone. show less

I have missed Lady Anne Addison. It’s been a long time since we’ve had a story about her and all those wonderful (and sometimes not so wonderful) people that surround her. Like her delicious fiancé the Marquess of Darkefell, aka Tony, the often-grumpy man stared at by every lady everywhere. Or her stubborn mother, loving father, sweet brother Jamey, best friend Althea and all the rest. They’re all back and it was a wonderful reunion wrapped up in another suspenseful, satisfying show more mystery.

I’ve missed Tony as much as I’ve missed Anne. If I recall correctly, he wasn’t around much in the last book, so it was a real joy this time to see him fully present, loud and clear. We’ve waited a long time for their wedding, and it’s finally here. I hope. Because Tony is as perfect for her as she is for him. She describes him as magnificent. He’s commanding and strong-willed, and they do butt heads often. But he is loving, caring, protective and would lay down his life for her without a second thought. Most importantly, though, he has promised to never try and control her or stop her from doing what she wants to do, who respects her and tries to understand her, and that is oh, so important to her. He’s a man who doesn’t pretend she is alluring and beautiful when he’s really only after her title and money; he actually does find her alluring and beautiful, and challenging and delightful and just wonderful. He loves her for herself. And I love Tony. He cares about her family, is patient with Jamey, always wants to be near her, and just likes her. And the way he fidgets when he’s around her, how he can’t wait for them to be married, to finally get her all to himself – adorable.

Lady Anne has made a bit of a name for herself solving mysteries. Not exactly the thing a lady should be doing and she is often criticized for it, but she’s good at it and has had much success. And if there is anything we know about Lady Anne it is that she doesn’t give a fig about what others think.

So when her good friend Althea asked her to go to a local girls’ school to help them with a young student who thinks she’s being haunted by ghosts, Lady Anne doesn’t hesitate. After investigating she believes that the ghostly apparition is in fact a cruel prank and leaves the school feeling she has convinced the student of this and all will eventually be well. Except the next day she learns the student has presumably committed suicide by jumping off the roof to her death.

What follows is a fast-paced, excellently crafted and plotted mystery full of danger and suspense as well as a large helping of the rules and mores of Lady Anne’s time as others try to restrict her investigation and have her return to her “proper” place as a lady. As usual, she perseveres, sticks her nose in where it probably doesn’t belong, and ignores the danger she is in until she’s nearly desperate and uncertain if she can escape. There are a lot of twists and turns and surprises, and a very satisfactory, believable ending.

Author Victoria Hamilton does her always stellar job of not only making Anne, Tony and every other character deep and compelling, but provides a wealth of information about life in the Georgian Era, including bad behavior and bad manners by those disapproving of Lady Anne’s independent nature. And what was referred to as a trading justice add a fascinating bit of history to an already fascinating story.

Thanks to the author and Beyond the Page Publishing for providing an advance copy of Lady Anne and the Haunted Schoolgirl via NetGalley. This is a wonderful series and this book was a welcome addition to it. I recommend you read it without hesitation (and read everything else this fabulous author has written while you’re at it). I voluntarily leave this review; all opinions are my own. show less