Tana French, The Trespasser

Antoinette Conway has fought hard for her place on the Dublin Murder Squad, and she’s determined to hold onto it despite the race- and gender-based harassment she endures from most of her colleagues. She and her partner, newbie Stephen Moran (last seen in The Secret Place), get all the most boring cases; but their newest assignment, apparently a standard domestic violence case, soon becomes more complicated and hints at possible corruption within the Murder Squad itself. One of my favorite aspects of The Secret Place was the development of Stephen and Antoinette’s professional relationship, and I was thrilled to see that continue in this book. Their partnership is tested, and I was on the edge of my seat hoping that they would come out stronger on the other side! The actual murder case wasn’t my favorite; I felt the victim’s personality and actions strained credibility. But overall, I enjoyed this book, and while I’m not sure it was intended to be the last Dublin Murder Squad novel, I think it works well as a finale.

Lisa Kleypas, Love in the Afternoon

Christopher Phelan is a dashing military officer who enjoys his position at the peak of high society and has just begun a flirtation with one of its reigning beauties, Prudence Mercer. But when he’s called to serve in the Crimea, he is deeply changed and shaken by the horrors of war. His only solace is his correspondence with Prudence, with whom he’s fallen deeply in love. What he doesn’t know is that Prudence’s letters were actually written by her friend Beatrix Hathaway, an unconventional animal lover whom Christopher barely knows. Lisa Kleypas is a big name in historical romance, but this is my first encounter with her work. The plot drew me in; I love a good romance by letters, especially with a mistaken identity thrown in. That said, the big secret is revealed about halfway through the book, which means the second half kind of fizzles. I also found Beatrix a bit of a manic pixie dream girl—she brings hedgehogs to parties! She wears breeches to call on the neighbors! I did like her and Christopher together, though. Overall, I mildly enjoyed this one and am curious to read more by Kleypas, but I wasn’t blown away.

Gail Eastwood, An Unlikely Hero

Gilbey Kentwell is surprised and dismayed when his friend Nicholas invites him to a party at the estate of his father, the wealthy and powerful Duke of Roxley. Gilbey is “only” a viscount, and not a rich one, so he feels out of place amid the aristocratic guests. Moreover, the house party’s purpose is to marry off Nicholas’s twin sisters, sweet Vivian and feisty Venetia, but Gilbey has no interest in marriage. He soon finds himself drawn to the twins despite himself, but their confusing behavior may be hiding important secrets. This book was such a pleasant surprise! I think I’d seen Gail Eastwood on a list of steamless historical romance authors, so I grabbed this one at random, but I ended up really enjoying it. It’s not reinventing the wheel in any way, but it’s a solid, sweet example of a traditional Regency with a plot that’s fairly believable and realistic for the time. There are a few too many characters, and there’s a villain whose identity comes out of nowhere. But aside from those quibbles, I liked the book a lot and will definitely seek out more by Eastwood!