I really enjoyed this book. The characters were well written, and the plot was engrossing. I would recommend this to any romance readers.

I hadn't realised that this is actually book number four in the series Victorian Adventures.
Thankfully every books in that series can be read as stand alone's as there is no set ups to the next book if you know what I mean?

There are recurring characters, especially the parents, but each book is self-contained and each have their own separate stories.

You can tell a lot of research goes into these books as the attention to detail is second to none and the story has a lot of things going on besides the romance. A treasure hunt, a mystery, a creepy and strange castle full of suspicion all wrapped up in a gothic atmosphere.

This one is fairly light on the romance so I can safely recommend it to any fans of gothic historical fiction and know you wouldn't be disappointed.

"Lord Edward Tremaine comes to the fog-shrouded Chateau Morvan on the coast of Brittany. In this ancient building, all the inhabitants have secrets. The old vicomte demands that his descendants find a lost treasure, but he offers only hints to help the three cousins in their search.

The charming Delphine seems to be a creature of gaiety and sunshine, but every now and then glimpses of something darker appear. Marguerite, the beautiful and brilliant pianist, is obviously afraid. What is it that threatens her? Antoine, who considers himself a modern man, ignores the swirling emotions, concentrating only on the money needed for him to build a steel factory. Lord Edward wants to help his friend Antoine--and more and more he wants to help Marguerite and protect her--but can he do so before tragedy strikes?"

Subtitled as "Victorian Adventures" that dress doesn't look very Victorian to me...

I really loved this book. It was the perfect combination of mystery, romance and humour. I thought the female protagonist was wonderful - not the most beautiful but the most deserving. My favourite kind of heroine. And Lord Edward is gregarious and charming as well as astute and attractive - everything a romantic hero should be. The plot is not predictable and the cast of supporting characters are compelling and multi-faceted.
Such an enjoyable read.

I liked this.

The characters were equally likeable and dislikeable, especially that one person, whom I wanted to slap with my digital copy of the book for being an utter nuissance.
Although the romance was a bit quick for me - from kiss to proposal in sixty seconds - but well executed in the end.

There were twists ad turns that I could predict from the outset, but also some that surprised me.

Overall, I am sure to check the other books by the author since I like her style of writing.

It was ok. I didn't love this book. I found it hard to get into. Perhaps it is because it is the 4th book in the series and I didn't read the other 3.

Good story line. Looking forward to reading more books from this series.

This is the latest in Marek’s Victorian Adventure series, and I felt it was another enjoyable read. One of the draws of this series has been the locale and historical detail. Before reading this, I had never heard of the Chouans, nor knew much of the Breton area of France. It is refreshing to read a romance that is set in an unusual place with historical details outside of the mainstream historical setting. Marek’s narrative is once again concise and very well written. Due to the conciseness, she packs in many plot points and details. I think her narrative has gotten smoother with each book. One major recommendation for this book, at least for me, is that I didn’t get bored or tired of it. I didn’t skim or roll my eyes or switch to check for GR updates every other page, which has been the norm for me lately. It was a solid,engaging read.

Unlike the previous stories, this one did not include a secondary romance. I am glad it didn’t because the romance was a bit of a tougher sell than in the previous stories. The heroine was quite severe and the hero was a bit naive and trusting. I ended up liking them both, but I do wish we had had more opportunity to see Marguerite’s softer side. A caution to any picking up a book in this series, these are not straight romances. There is plenty of plot that can detract at times.

Each in this series can be read as a standalone, there is no next-book setup, and while there is recurring characters, particularly the parents, each book is quite self contained and has its own feel. This one includes a treasure hunt, a mystery, a creepy and strange castle and much suspicion on the part of the characters. It has a decidedly gothic feel, which I would not categorize the others as such. It’s not a read I would recommend to any HR reader, but if you’re looking for something different and like the gothic feel, this may be a good place to start.

*I received an ARC from NetGalley for this in exchange for an honest review.

Lord Edward “Ned” Tremaine received a letter from an old school chum, Antoine Morvan, who tells Ned that his great-great-grandfather told him there was a treasure at Château Morvan, in Brittany. Ned, being a historian, is curious and soon finds himself in France. Tony does not know what or where the treasure lays, but between them, they are sure to find it. Tony’s cousins Delphine de Roncaille and Marguerite Benda and Madame d’Hivers are also at the Château, who acts as a companion to the young women, and Horace, who was rescued by the family. Ned is transfixed when he sets eyes upon the fetching Delphine but soon discovers that she is conceited, and flighty, whereas Marguerite who had appeared so rigid and serious gradually captivates his attention and his heart.

LORD EDWARD’S MYSTERIOUS TREASURE is set in 1871, and Lillian Marek paints a precise picture of Brittany as well as the foreboding medieval stone castle; this book has a distinctly gothic feel to it, down to the mist upon Ned’s arrival and all the mystery that surrounds not only the treasure but several characters as well. Ms. Marek has built an intriguing story upon historical facts, which was seamlessly done. The author’s research is impeccable, and her attention to period detail is flawless, especially when it came to the treasure. I thought that Ned’s sudden infatuation with Marguerite happened rather suddenly, but this was minor, however, Marguerite’s rather ridiculous stubbornness jarred at times, and I did not quite understand her reaction to Ned’s offer, which always came back to her obstinacy to listen to reason.

LORD EDWARD’S MYSTERIOUS TREASURE is an excellent book, although I had a problem with the pacing until the speed picked up a bit around the halfway mark, I felt it was very slow, it took a very long time for things to happen. On the other hand, Delphine is an exceptionally fascinating character whose presence, to put it mildly, made things extremely interesting, and I applaud Ms. Marek’s subtlety in creating this unique character.

I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book.
reviewed by Monique

Stevie‘s review of Lord Edward’s Mysterious Treasure (Victorian Adventures, Book 4) by Lillian Marek
Historical Romance published by Sourcebooks Casablanca 07 Nov 17

One thing I particularly enjoy about Lillian Marek’s series of Victorian Adventures is that while they all follow one or more members of the same family, each book has a different setting and style, usually picking up and examining particular classic romance tropes and giving them a slightly different twist. Having followed the women of the family in the first three books, we now find one of the men getting embroiled in a gothic romance plot – quite apt given that such adventures usually put the heroine at the centre of the action. Not that this book’s heroine is at all reticent or in need of being saved by anyone other than herself, of course. She doesn’t get off to the greatest of starts with the hero, however.


Lord Edward Tremaine is an amateur historian, with a particular interest in opposition to the French Revolution, particularly those instances when French aristocrats and their tenants joined forces against the new regime. His adventure begins when an old friend enlists his help in uncovering a treasure at the location of one of these pockets of resistance, clues to the treasure’s whereabouts most likely being included in documents relating to Edward’s area of interest. On arrival at the mysterious old castle where his friend is staying – waiting attendance on an elderly, apparently dying, relative – Edward is struck by the appearance of three women: also relatives of his friend and the old man. Two are obviously in mourning, while the third is seemingly full of boundless enthusiasm for life. First impressions can be deceptive, however, and it soon becomes apparent that the liveliest member of the party may be the greatest obstacle to Edward’s chance of making progress on any of his projects. Meanwhile, the younger of the more sombre women is just the kind of partner he needs, if his investigation is to progress in an orderly manner.

Marguerite Benda is the daughter of a famous musician, whose mother was disowned by her aristocratic family for marrying a common entertainer. That estrangement, along with her ill-treatment by some of Paris’ elite, has left Marguerite with a strong distrust of aristocrats, particularly the men. While waiting for news of a new musical engagement – Marguerite is an accomplished composer and performer in her own right – she has agreed to escort, with an old family friend, her young, frivolous, and ultimately impoverished cousin to visit the castle in the hope that one of them will receive a bequest when the old man dies.

It soon becomes apparent to Edward that all is not as it should be in the castle. His friend is suffering from a mysterious ailment, and other odd occurrences lead him to suspect that someone means them all harm. Fortunately help is soon at hand when his parents arrive to take charge of the situation – I’d still love to see those two get an adventure of their own.

I loved this book’s central characters, although I was less enamoured on the treatment of some of the others: in keeping with the gothic novel trope, but maybe a little too close to the clichéd fates for some of them than I’d have liked. The revelation of the treasure’s location and nature was a nice twist, and I’m looking forward to the next book in the series.

Grade: B

I didn't like this story as much as the other 3 books in the series.

The hero, Edward, is first attracted to Delphine but then started to sense that something was not quite right with her (that is putting it mildly). I just didn't like this character. Yes, she added conflict to the story, but I was over her pretty quickly into the story. I did like Marguerite but I didn't think she was a very strong heroine.

While I didn't enjoy this story as much as the others in the series, I'm still excited to see what Marek has in store for us next!

Compelling Victorian Mystery!

Marek's novel takes us to Brittany and a gothic Victorian type mystery with a romantic interest.
The scholarly Lord Edward Tremaine, son of the Marquess and Marchioness of Penworth, is lured to Brittany's coast and the forbidding Chateau Morvan by his friend Antoine on the pretext of being able to interview Tony's great grandfather, the vicomte de Morvan. Edward is excited at this possibility of direct research into the Breton rebellion, and relationship between the peasants of the area and the aristocracy during the French Revolution. Antoine really wants Edward to help search for lost treasure from that time. Edward reminds me of a Tom Conti or Oscar Wilde type hero. On the surface he seems like an Ineffectual scholar but as events ratchet up, he becomes so much more. And Edward's very perceptive mother notices the difference in her son!
Then there's Tony's two cousins. The delightful, warm Delphine and the sober Marguerite, a dark and secretive woman and a brilliant pianist. Intrigue and unforeseen dangers swirl around the story akin to the swirling mists that encase the Chateau.
Tumultuous times are indeed revisited in highly charged and unexpected ways.
In this, the fourth in the series a Tremaine sibling is once again center stage.
Marek's historical setting and her use of situations to give entree into the drama is fascinating, as is the unpacking of her historical writing muses discussed in her author's notes.

A NetGalley ARC
(November 2017)

Lord Edward Tremaine was tempted to The Chateau de Morvan, by his friend Tony. It seems like the attic housed all kinds of letters and documents. He wanted to see them and maybe write a book. Mlle. Marguerite Benda is from a very talented family of musicians, singers and composers. She bought with her to the chateau, her cousin, her aunt and Horace.
I found this to be a very complicated story. There was so much going on. One of them was poisoning people,. he fell in love with Marguerite. Mlle Delphine de Roncaille was beautiful but a little odd. Horace was a simpleton and her aunt Mme. d'Hivers tried to help her take care of Delphine, there is more. The characters were so life like and full of life. The author has taken all these elements and wove them into a cohesive, easy to read, and well written tale. I loved it, the dialogue, while at times was funny, it fit the action that was happening, at the time.. An excellent book and I highly recommend it.

I received a copy of this title from the publisher for an honest review. This was a 3.25 star read for me which rounded down to 3 stars. Lord Edward's Mysterious Treasure is part of the Victorian Adventures, but I wasn't aware of this when I read the title and it worked very well as a stand alone. Lord Edward (Ned), is the younger son of an earl and has led a charmed life to date. He spends his time researching history and leapt at an invitation from his friend Tony to travel to visit his ancestral family home in France. Ned arrives to find a large gloomy chateau and assorted extended family in residence. Tony's great-grandfather the viscomte is bedridden with uncertain health and keeps talking about a treasure that Tony is hoping Ned can help locate. Also in residence is a seemingly charming young cousin, Delphine who immediately enchants him with her beauty and seemingly charming manner. Less charming is Delphine's older cousin, Marguerite Benda. Marguerite is a skilled musician who is descended from famed musicians and has publicly performed herself. Marguerite and Delphine reason for visiting the chateau is somewhat vague and Ned finds himself curious despite himself. The more time Ned finds with Delphine and Marguerite, the more he begins to suspect things aren't as they seem with the two ladies. Ned slowly finds himself drawn to Marguerite the more he gets to know her as they work together to discover the lost treasure. Ned's need to care for Marguerite as he gets to know her without making her give up her music made me absolutely love him and I appreciate her loyalty to her cousin. The development of the romance is well done and doesn't feel rushed. Fans of romances with mysteries or gothics will enjoy this title. I plan on looking earlier titles in this series.

This is my first book by Marek, and although I like her prose, I'm less fond of the Gothic plotline and the characters. It started with our hero, Lord Edward, arriving at an ancient French chateau at the request of his friend to assist in hunting down a missing family treasure. There he was met by a motley crew consisting of said friend as well as a beautiful but troubled young girl, her serious black-enveloped female cousin and their older female relation - all waiting for the death of the elderly vicomte and owner of the castle and the potentially promised inheritance.

Edward started off not much of a hero, dreadfully naive, a self-confessed romantic who jumped at the opportunity to assist any female in distress. The ethereal beauty of Delphine immediately lured him in and he became somewhat infatuated in her. Our heroine, Marguerite, the beauty's cousin of the serious mien was initially aloof and self-sufficient, in mourning for the death of her father, a famous violinist, soon after the sudden death of her mother and with multiple responsibilities weighing down her thin shoulders. As soon as Edward sensed a hidden fragility in Marguerite, his need to protect was aroused and he immediately and quite abruptly in fact transferred his attentions to Marguerite and after a kiss or two suddenly decided she's definitely the one. Marguerite in turn also changed from a strong and independent young lady, an accomplished professional musician herself, to barely able to stand erect without leaning on him for support.

The murder mystery, a prerequisite of any self-respecting Gothic story, is not much of a mystery because the murderer was made quite obvious from the start. So we have a romance with not much of a build-up towards the romance, a murderous plot where we're quite aware of who the culprit is. some crazy antics and then a treasure hunt that probably is the focus of the novel, which is not surprising given the title. This made for a rather strange mixture. This book is pretty clean in terms of intimate scenes.

A truly intense story filled with life's mishaps, grand delusions, love, murder even madness. A story filled with curious and madcap characters, that gives the book its deep intensity. The storyline is absolutely a delightful one, along with its madcap characters, ah the ever so titillating growing attraction between the prickly Miss Benda and Lord Edward. Outside of being an intense and captivating story, it’s also very enticing and beautiful. Imagine the Vicomte acting all demented and sometimes very irrational, to think he suddenly returns to his collective self when the treasure was found, rather selective of him, I think, he pulled the wool over their heads just to get their corporation in searching for the treasure, but no matter he gave the book character. I have to admit this has been a most interesting, intense and captivating read, I enjoyed it.

A very good Historical Romance with mystery and romance.
Really enjoyed reading.