I enjoyed this intriguing Regency mystery as it kept my interest from beginning to end. Madalene is an independent and fairly self-sufficient young lady who has no need for marriage, let alone a husband. She is passionate about the orphanage that she opened in honour of her beloved mother and that takes all her concentration. Lord Baldwin Radcliff, the Marquess of Hawthorne, on the other hand, has just arrived home after a prolonged absence serving the crown. When Madalene keeps on invading her territory, he becomes suspicious of her, and sparks fly. The romance in the book builds very slowly, but the mystery and the plot that had to be uncovered, keeps the reader enthralled. I enjoyed this novel and am looking forward to reading more by this author. The story is a standalone and comes to a successful conclusion. I received a copy of this novel as a gift through Dragonblade Publishing and NetGalley and this is my honest and voluntary review.

3.5 Stars
Miss Madalene Dowding was devastated when her mother died, leaving her all alone. To honour her mother’s legacy, she decides to use part of her fortune to open an orphanage. When a teacher at the orphanage goes missing, Madalene takes it upon herself to start looking for her, even if it means taking her deep into the unsavoury parts of London. Baldwin Radcliff, the Marquis of Hawthorne, is working on his last case as an agent of the Crown since he is about to retire and take up his seat in the House of Lords. He is tasked with finding a French spy that is in league with a growing group of radicals. Despite mutual dislike, Baldwin agrees to help Madalene, but only if she stays far away from the investigation. A promise that Madalene has no intention of keeping.
The first in a new series & I found it to be enjoyable but whilst it is fiction I would have liked more historical accuracy. I liked both Madalene & Baldwin but felt I never got to know them & would have liked their characters to be more developed. I did enjoy their banter, which was the highlight of the book for me. The plot did have some inconsistencies but found they didn’t impede my enjoyment. So I have mixed feelings about it but would continue with the series
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

Thank you netgalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I liked how strong and independent the heroine was especially against the Marquess who does nothing but bark orders and manhandle her. The mystery of the missing girl added a layer of intrigue to the story but I was so turned off by the marquees that I couldn't enjoy the story as it unraveled.

Beautiful heiress Madelene Dowding has finished the required six-month mourning period for her mother. Her focus is on the orphanage her mother had always wanted and ignoring the matchmaking mamas and their senseless sons. When her friend goes missing, Madelene sets out to find her, no matter the cost. Her path crosses that of the newly returned Marquis of Hawthorne, who has his own secrets. Will they ever see eye-to-eye or will the plot hanging over them end a romance before it has begun?

I've seen this author's books associated with some of my favorite authors, so I was excited for the chance to read this. The premise sounded fascinating: a young lady who ventures into the unsavory side of London in pursuit of the truth and a lard who spies for his country. There have been several spy-Regency books that have been marvelous reads.

Unfortunately, while the plot was interesting, it did not have the characters to pull it off. I was constantly confused at the actions of both main leads. Madelene confused me the most. She came across as spoiled because it was constantly pointed out that she could do as she pleased because she was a young, beautiful heiress. And she would just do that, with no regard for her reputation until it suited her to be concerned. (Also, why did she take up boxing? It is never explained how she became interested in this unusual pastime.)

They proclaimed Lord Hawthorne as a skilled spy who evaded the French on foreign soil. But in the entire course of this story, he has some rather idiotic plans and did not have the caution someone in his position must have needed. Lying well (And he doesn't even do this well) does not a spy make. When they are together, this pair mostly argue and insult each other until suddenly...they love each other.

I had the feeling both characters would do something just for the plot to happen. None of it had a natural flow, and they both had contradictory behavior. The dialogue was stilted and often used for exposition.

Overall, this just wasn't a book for me and I doubt I will continue with the series.

I received an ARC ebook copy from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. Thank you for the book.

Has historical inaccuracies. The romance aspect of this book... I am thinking is enemies to lovers but the lovers part fell short. I didn't understand the reasoning behind main characters decisions. Can be an easy fun read though.

2 stars

A clean regency romance between a naïve, meddling heiress & a bully of an agent of the crown, with more of a focus on solving a mystery than on the romance. I disliked both MC’s, found the dialogue wordy & clunky, was annoyed by historical inaccuracies (such as anachronistic social behaviors & etiquette), & was frustrated by several unrealistic plot points & thin or missing character motivations. It’s not the worst book I’ve read, but I don’t think it’s worth the read.

[What I liked:]

•Oliver is an amusing character, a lovable rogue (or at least that’s adopted persona). He’s a side character, but I liked him much better than either MC.


[What I didn’t like as much:]

•The writing, both narration & dialogue, are a bit melodramatic & too fluffy for my taste. I prefer more realistic sounding dialogue. Much of the dialogue is wordy, frivolous, & fluffy, & could have been much tightened.

•Some details felt a bit historically inaccurate to me, although I’m not an expert. For example, unwanted visitors show up outside Madalene’s calling hours & she receives them in a sweaty riding habit immediately after dismounting a horse; it just doesn’t seem like proper etiquette for the time yet there’s no acknowledgement of that fact in the story, nor any reason provided why she wouldn’t change first. She’s also on a first name basis with some of her servants, when I think the employers generally addressed servants by their surnames. Madalene, a gentlewoman, goes into dangerous & disreputable places without any safety precautions nor trying to be surreptitious but it never affects her reputation; that’s an implausible outcome to me, & her recklessness is unrealistic.

•Some plot points are very unrealistic. One person is being robbed at gun point in a sketchy alley & he announces he’s going to disarm the robber instead of just doing it. What kind of strategy is that? Then he immediately offers the robber a job without any knowledge of the man’s background. I get he’s (supposedly?) compassionate, but that’s not very shrewd for a guy who’s supposed to be a government spy who needs to maintain secrecy in his home. Who also disdains the poor & their struggles in his dealings in the political arena.

•Baldwin, a nobleman, behaves very inappropriately towards ladies, physically grabbing them & threatening them in broad daylight. Surely he could be intimidating without being so inappropriate & harassing. I thought that was unrealistic behavior, & not very smart of him.

•Baldwin is a very unsympathetic MC. He’s a bully, inconsiderate of loved ones, doesn’t respect others (including family members he claims to love), is an elitist rich dude who tries to block social reforms, is kinda sexist, & has an unattractive personality. Yeah no, not my idea of a romantic hero.

•Madalene is more tolerable, but she comes across as foolish & reckless, rather than brave & smart/strategic. She’s arrogant in that she never takes good advice & takes many unnecessary risks, thinking she always knows better. She’s not my idea of a strong woman character, although I think that’s what the writer was going for.

•What’s the romance supposed to be based on, other than a subtle physical attraction between the MC’s? They’re not nice to each other, are unreasonable with each other, annoy each other, don’t like or respect each other (for good reasons), & neither one wants to get married. I don’t get the appeal on either side. Then suddenly—insta love! Not my favorite.

•Baldwin doesn’t think very logically or strategically for a supposedly skilled spy. He wants to ignore social unrest & focus all government attention & funding on national security/the military in a time of peace—even though the current largest national security threat is social unrest...I’d get it if he didn’t believe that position but was manipulatively using that argument to further another agenda, but he honestly seems to believe it. And yes, real people do have logical blind spots like that, but he’s supposed to be a brilliant strategist in touch with political issues & intrigues, & this just makes him seem naive & definitely out of touch. Also, it’s another reason for me to not respect him much, & he’s an MC.

•Lots of character motivations aren’t established. Why does Baldwin randomly decide to help Madalene with her investigation, risking his rapport with his boss? Why does a secret group let a total stranger join with almost zero vetting? Why would the family of a ransacked house not clean up the mess, & just leave it there for days? Why would Marie tell her prisoner all details of her plans?

CW: murder, sex trafficking

[I received an ARC ebook copy from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. Thank you for the book!]

A Dangerous Pursuit was dangerously fun to read. In the opening chapters, watching the main protagonist Madelene honor her met mother was endearing. Her dynamic between the mystery of the missing teacher all whilst having Baldwin entangle himself within this mystery was charming and thrilling. A spy love story that is worth the ride.