I have, obviously, chosen not to finish this title and review it. I was not able to connect with the characters.

I apologize for the lateness of this review, I was gong through notes and making sure all had been updated and found some really old DNF titles that needed to be at least acknowledged.

Thank you, albeit very late, for the opportunity to read and review this title.

DNF
I couldn’t get into this one. This is my first book by this author and will likely be my last. The narrative wasn’t smooth and several things didn’t make sense. First of all, there are all these young society ladies dropping dead, but somehow no one knows about it? It’s all been kept under wraps, even when the deaths happen at crowded parties?? One is one of the heroine’s friends and she and her other friend are just continuously wondering where she is and why she hasn’t seen them when they’ve called … because no one in the household has let on that she’s dead?? Even though we’re told that the mother shut up the London house and left the city, that hasn’t raised any alarms for the two women that maybe something happened to their friend?? Like I said, makes no sense.

Something else that makes no sense is the hero, who was an only son, so was always going to inherit his father’s title, yet became a vicar and in his spare time was a crime and murderer solver, such that Bow Street calls upon him. And so now he’s in charge of the murder investigation, because Bow Street trusts him so much. Now I know we have crime-solving heroes sometimes, but it was very la di da here and like the narrative, is rather clunky in how it’s played out.

Seems to be enjoyed by others though, so maybe it’s just me.

Anna is almost twenty (gasp!) and perennially passed over for bolder, more lively women. Her father's godson, notorious rake Lord Carmichael, is her family's choice but Anna is horrified by the match. And prepared to be horrified by his friend, Lord Sorenson. When Carmichael finds himself the prime suspect in a series of murders, Sorenson, desperate for a quiet life, promises to help him. There is an instant connection between between Anna and Sorenson and lead them to situation where they must marry to avoid scandal. While they negotiate these new, difficult waters, the killer is still on the loose, and closer than they might think...

An enjoyable enough romance with just enough mystery to keep it interesting. The hidden depths of "shy" Anna's character are brought out by those she loves and trusts. Sorenson is an unlikely but enjoyable hero, the son of an Earl and a vicar AND a former Bow Street Runner? Come now. But it's a fun story that kept me entertained.

Romance and murder--a Regency mystery!

A killer has been stalking ladies of the ton. Not just any ladies but young single debutantes.
The link? Possibly that they'd kissed unwisely. Possibly that they'd set their sights on a particularly person. Lord Carmichael is of interest.
Anna Beasley is being harassed by her father to marry his godson Price Wagstaff, Lord Carmichael. He it seems is a tad to free with his kisses.
Gilbert Bowen, Earl of Sorenson, is a former runner. His sometimes sideline had him assisting Bow street.
When his best friend Lord Carmichael, Anna Beasley's nemesis, is rudely interviewed as a suspect he takes control of the investigation
Gilbert's meeting with Anna goes awry. Discovered alone in the library, Gilbert offers Anna marriage. Bur Anna's no wilting flower. Will the protection of marriage be Anna's? Will that be enough to ensure she doesn't become just another victim?
There ae a few things that puzzled me about the perpetrator, but other than that, an enjoyable read.

A Victory Editing ARC via NetGalley
(Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.)

Nearly twenty, Anna Beasley despairs of ever finding a husband. Eligible bachelors seem to avoid the stuttering, blushing debutante in favor of her bolder, more adventurous friends. Much to the delight of her father, who’s determined to marry her off to his godson, Lord Carmichael, despite Anna’s refusal. Her lifelong nemesis, Carmichael has kissed half the young women in London.
This was a pretty good book that I really enjoyed. I liked the story and both main characters. I look forward to reading more from this author.
**I voluntarily read and reviewed this book

The book opens with Gilbert Bowen, the Earl of Sorenson rushing into Lady Berry's home to save his friend Price Wagstaff, the Earl of Carmichael from being officially charged with murder for the death of Angela Berry. Gilbert vows to find the killer and clear Carmichael's name. Gilbert has a reputation of a being a brilliant investigator and before he inherited the earldom and was a simple country vicar, he helped Bow Street solve many crimes. But never has a case been more important to him, Carmichael is one of his oldest and dearest friends and only a very few people know that he was in love with Angela and had planned to announce their betrothal at the ball.

Anna Beasley is a very proper young lady, daughter of Carmichael's godfather and good friend to Angela Berry, she is dancing with Viscount Wade at Almack's when Carmichael enters. Carmichael is the bane of her existence, her father would love nothing more than for Carmichael and Anna to make a match, but she would rather die a spinster than marry a rake like Carmichael. He approaches her with a friend in tow - a very handsome friend and he teases her. Introductions are made and his friend, Gilbert, Lord Sorenson is charming and nothing like Carmichael. Anna asks if they have seen Angela and Carmichael seems upset and leaves, Gilbert too makes his excuses, he has promised the next set to Anna's friend Portia. Anna is surprised that she is jealous and tries to ignore the attraction she feels for Gilbert.

The plot thickens when Gilbert's investigation undercovers two more murdered women with ties to Carmichael, it seems Carmichael has kissed all the slain women. With no real leads, Gilbert forces Carmichael to remain in society and they keep Angela's death secret while they investigate. They attend a ball on Friday night and Gilbert sees Anna again - Carmichael teases him about her and says he should pretend to court her, she was good friends with Angela and might have information that would help them. Gilbert refuses, he is attracted to Anna, but he won't use her for information. He dances with her, but ignores her while they are dancing and then goes to dance with other ladies and chats with them, Anna is hurt and slips away to compose herself. But she finds more than she was bargaining for - Carmichael and Gilbert are in the room as well as the murdered body of Miss Goldwell, another friend of hers. She is understandably upset, but Gilbert asks her to keep quiet about what she has seen.

Over the course of the next few days, Anna wonders about Miss Goldwell's death and when she runs into Gilbert, she asks about news of Miss Goldwell. Gilbert finally gives into his attraction and kisses her. When they are caught together, he announces that they are betrothed. Anna is shocked, but plays along. They say they haven't spoken to her father yet and beg Lord Wade and Lady Winmere to not say anything.

Anna tells Gilbert he doesn't need to marry her, but he finds that he wants her as his wife and asks for time to court her. She has doubts, but agrees.

When yet another murder is committed and this time is found out by the ton - Gilbert worries for Anna's safety, especially when he learns Carmichael kissed her once - he insists that they marry.

This was a very fast paced murder mystery with a dash of romance. The writing is excellent and the story flows nicely, the mystery is well done and kept me guessing until almost the very end, the romance is sweet and understated, but it is not lost to the mystery.

This is the ninth book in the series, but can easily be read as a standalone title. I would happily recommend this book and look forward to more installments.

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that was provided to me by NetGalley and the publisher*

Really enjoyed reading Married by Moonlight. Lots of love and intrigue. I am looking forward to reading more books by Heather Boyd and recommend this book to my friends.

An enjoyable and likeable book. Solid writing. I liked how the story progressed and the romance between the two main lead characters. Liked it a lot!

I did not know this was part of a series when I requested the book but you don't have to read the other books in the series to know what's going on. I enjoyed this book a lot and I'm thinking about going and reading the other books in the series.

❤️❤️❤️ out of 5
The only thing that saved this book out of the ❤️❤️ category was the murder mystery and even then it was only just! The whole book just felt slightly off.... like someone had struck a wrong note on a piano (best way I can describe it).
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The story revolves around young women of the ton who are mysteriously murdered one by one. Our heroine is a wallflower who blushes whenever she opens her mouth and our hero is an earl (also previously a vicar) who secretly helps out on cases for Bow Street. Our hero steps in to investigate the string of murders when one of his friends is implicated. When the two meet they are drawn together and don’t leave each other’s orbit (through lots of side glances).
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The first thing I have to say about this is that everything felt very surface- no real depth of character at all. The interactions between the 2 MCs also felt awkward and strained and some of the things the hero would say to the heroine had me cringing majorly. There is also very little descriptions of the two and I like to visualise.... didn’t even know the hero had red hair till more than halfway through. The main thing that kept me reading was the murder plot line which was built up well suspense-wise but I still can’t imagine how MULTIPLE murders happened to single young women of the ton and it was kept completely under wraps? Um hello??? The staff gossip, EVERYONE gossips in this era- so was slightly baffled by the believe-ability of this.

I’m not a big fan of historical fiction. I often find it overly researched, which can often lead to too much usless information thrown in in the name of historical accuracy. It may work in some cases but not in romance, in my humble opinion. But Married by Moonlight by Heather Boyd has just the right amount of historical feel without throwing an anchor around the plot. She doesn’t choke readers with more details than necessary, effectively drawning them into a historical backdrop but mantaining readability. After reading Chills, Boyd’s first novel in the Distinguished Rogues series, I became a fan not of historical romance but definitely of Heather Boyd’s and was excited to read this latest installment, book 9.

I believe readers new to historical romance will find her novels an easy introduction into this subgenre as well as delight even hardcore fans. An easy read, Married by Moonlight brings the reader all the feels and a few chills to satisfy the need for excitement and a Happily Ever After.

Heather Boyd is very talented woman! She keeps me hooked from beginning to end! Her characters come to life

I have read many books by Heather , she is a wonderful writer & her Regency Romances are a delight to read. " Married By Moonlight " is a Regency Romance murder mystery ...it was very interesting & captivating .

Gilbert Bowen, Earl of Sorenson, had planned to live out his days as a country vicar. He has worked with the Bow Street Runners and when his old friend Carmichael asks for help, he can’t say no. There is a recent string of murders of young ladies at ton balls and every death leads back to Carmichael. There’s a murderer among the ton—and every death leads back to Carmichael. Gilbert is in a race to find the real killer before it’s too late.

Anna Beasley is nearly twenty & is a stuttering, blushing debutante because of which she has been unable to attract attention from any gentlemen.Her father wants her to marry his godson Carmicheal whom she finds the least attractive .


Anna and Gilbert find themselves immediately attracted to one another. Their relationship moves slowly at first but starts getting comfortable when they embark on solving the murders . Anna comes out of her shyness gradually to become a smart, bold,intelligent women .. Gilbert's character is understanding, compassionate, sharp,sensible .

The book contains both mystery and romance. the suspense was good , The villain was well disguised and it took some work to discover who it was. It was interesting throughout & the intrigue around the murders was hair raising at times .i just couldn't leave the book halfway as i wanted to know who was the murderer ...

Overall a very well written , scripted book with a well developed plot & easy pace , very engrossing ...I would definitely Recommend this book ..

❤️❤️❤️❤️
💋💋
An intriguing Murder Mystery /Historical Romance , this really gets you thinking , but I must admit I solved it around 3/4 through .
A great story and plot , with wonderful characters, have to say my favourite was definitely Carmichael, poor guy really needs a hug .
I will be reading more from Heather .
I received an advanced copy of this book and chose to submit a review

Married by Moonlight by Heather Boyd is book Nine in the Distinguished Rogues Series. This is the story of Anna Beasley and Gilbert Bowen, Earl of Sorenson.
I have read the previous book, but feel this can be a standalone book if you choose to do so.
Anna is shy which makes it hard for her when speaking to other which has not helped her single status. Her father wishes her to marry Carmichael but Anna doesn't want to marry such a man as a rake. When his friend Gilbert comes to town Anna is attracted to him but then if he is a friend of Carmichael he probably has the same issues.
Gilbert is in town to come help his friend Carmichael who is being accused of something horrible. Gilbert is a Bow Street investigator and once a Vicar. Now he is just trying to solved the mystery of murder. But Gilbert is quickly attracted to Anna and when caught together it is no hardship for him to take her.
Really enjoyed reading their story along with the mystery that played in this story too.

Loved this latest by Heather Boyd! At first the story seems like a tame romance between Anna and Gilbert. Anna meets Gilbert, the Earl of Sorenson, through her father's godson and doesn't think much of him since the godson, Lord Carmichael is a bit of a rogue. Gilbert is a nice young man recently come into his title and was previously a vicar. Along with being a vicar though he had done a bit of work with Bow Street Runners. The story is exciting though as we see debutantes, many of who had been friends of Anna and linked to Carmichael, being murdered left and right. Luckily Carmichael and Sorenson are on the case!

Publisher's Description:

Nearly twenty, Anna Beasley despairs of ever finding a husband. Eligible bachelors seem to avoid the stuttering, blushing debutante in favor of her bolder, more adventurous friends. Much to the delight of her father, who’s determined to marry her off to his godson, Lord Carmichael, despite Anna’s refusal. Her lifelong nemesis, Carmichael has kissed half the young women in London.

Surely Carmichael’s friend, Lord Sorenson, newly arrived in Town, is cut from the same cloth. Anna decides to stay away from him…despite his wicked smile that makes her quiver.

Gilbert Bowen, Earl of Sorenson, had planned to live out his days as a country vicar. But when his old friend Carmichael sends a desperate plea for help, he can’t say no. There’s a murderer among the ton—and every death leads back to Carmichael. Catching a killer during the social season is difficult enough…and then Anna catches his eye. The shy beauty is a distraction he can ill afford but scarcely resist.

When the pair are caught in a compromising position, Sorenson needs little convincing to claim her, especially if it keeps Anna out of harm’s way. But with as many twists and turns as there are suspects, this case may find no one safe—especially when the killer is closer to home than they ever dreamed.

My Thoughts:

This book is filled with mystery, intrigue with a dash of love for good measure.
This well written regency title is much more of a murder mystery than a love story but the author has managed to weave a love story into this sometimes humorous book.
Why does the trail of the murderer seem to lead back to Anna's very good friend and nemesis, Carmichael? Is he actually the murderer or is the fiend someone connected to him?
Gilbert Bowen knows in his soul that Carmichael isn't capable of these fiendish murders. While carrying out his investigation he falls for Anna, but she is certain he is just like Carmichael, a rogue to his very core.
Will a scandal be the trigger that tumbled this unlikely couple into a lasting love? After all Gilbert has compromised Anna. Will their witnesses keep their secret or will they be forced into a marriage neither seems at first to want.
I adored this sometimes humorous and baffling murder mystery and couldn't put it down. Although part of a series it stands on it's own and can easily be read as a standalone. It does, however leave you wanting more. There are certainly characters that deserve their own story.
I gave this book 4.5 of 5.0 stars for storyline and characterization and a sensual rating of 3.5 of 5.0 flames. I felt the intimacy necessary but it left much more to be desired.
I received a complimentary digital ARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley to read and review. This in no way affected my opinion of this title which I read and reviewed voluntarily.

Great read full of suspense, murder, and love. Can true love find a way with all the sadness going on? Fun characters and an exciting story line

** 3.75 Stars rounded up to 4 **
Series: Distinguished Rogues #9
Publication Date: 5/8/18

This was my first book by Heather Boyd, but it definitely won’t be my last. I thoroughly enjoyed it, even though there are some pretty big anachronisms in it. The story is well plotted and well written and the characters are very likable. I thoroughly enjoyed Carmichael and would have preferred a happier ending for him.

One of the things that I enjoyed about the book is that there was a murderer to find! So – we have both mystery and romance. The mystery did overshadow the romance a bit, but the romance was definitely there. The villain was well disguised and it took some work to discover who it was.

Gilbert Bowen, Earl of Sorenson was a very likable character. He had worked with Bow Street previously in solving some very heinous crimes in his parish while he was a vicar. He was so good that he became known as the Almighty’s Bloodhound. So, here is one of those anachronisms – he was the ONLY son of an Earl and, as such, he would never have become a country vicar. I know he wanted to distance himself from his father’s profligate ways, but – still – a country vicar just wouldn’t have happened. That didn’t keep me from enjoying the story – it just wouldn’t have happened.

Anna Beasley is a classic wallflower. She attends all of the balls, musicales, routes, etc. but she is always on the outside looking in. That suits her father just fine because he wants her to marry his godson, Price Wagstaff, Earl of Carmichael. Anna certainly has no intention of marrying Lord Carmichael – she doesn’t even like him and he has worked all his life to make her dislike him.

The largest and most egregious anachronism happens within the first few pages and really carries throughout the book. We find Meriwether, a Bow Street Runner, beating Lord Carmichael. Carmichael is tied to a chair and Meriwether is interrogating him by smashing his fists into him. Had that actually happened, Meriwether would have been immediately taken to prison and promptly hanged. The aristocracy didn’t even have to speak with the runners, much less be beaten by them.

Anyway, all in all, it was an enjoyable read.

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"I requested and received this e-book at no cost to me and volunteered to read it; my review is my honest opinion and given without any influence by the author or publisher."

Anna’s shyness is not helping her find a husband and she is afraid her father might get his wish and may her off to a man she doesn’t like, his godson Carmichael. Carmichael may be in trouble as young ladies he is connected with keep ending up dead. He asks his friend Gilbert, Earl of Sorenson to help uncover the truth. When Gilbert and Anna first meet, sparks fly and their chemistry is steamy. Will the find the murderer before another life is taken? This is a fast-paced read with plenty of drama and suspense, I would say this is more of a mystery with romance wrapped in it. The story is entertaining and keeps you guessing until the very end. A good read.