To Capture His Heart is another great addition to the Proper Romance Series from Shadow Mountain. Allen has created a great group of characters, and it was fun to have the focus on Eva this time. She and Nathan "pretending" to like each other made for an entertaining story, and the mystery kept me on my toes. All of the characters were well-developed, and I couldn't help but be interested in what happened to them. It was a very fast read, and one I can see myself reading again.

Loved this book and cannot wait for more from this author. One of my favorite reads this year! Eva is what I want every romance heroine to be & Nathen, the perfect hero! She is intelligent, witty & an independent career woman and he being a Detective is her match in every way. I love the fact that Nathen supports her career & never undermines her abilities. I loved the angle of mystery thrown in and also the mother in law who plays the matchmaker! All in all this is what I want every historical romance to be! I love the first part of the series, but this one even more !! Nancy Campbell Allen is one of my favorite authors of this genre

Another smash hit by Nancy Campbell Allen! I loved this Victorian romance! I especially loved how the story kept me guessing! The couples chemistry was intoxicating!!

I found this story much slower than Nancy's other books, the first half was quite boring to be honest. But the second half was great as the pace picked up and the slow burn romance was fantastic! I loved the characters, especially the MCs. I was a bit disappointed in the villain, I thought his part in the story was too small. Overall I enjoyed this story, I've just definitely read better books by Nancy Campbell Allen.

I absolutely loved this story! It was the perfect October book- a murder mystery with enough thrilling moments to be exciting, but not scary. I loved the romance in the story. Nathan and Eva were perfectly matched, and I always love when the romance happens early in the book! Plenty of swoony moments. I loved trying to solve the mystery and was surprised by some of the ending plot lines. The story was very well done and I highly recommend!

This book was so good from the beginning to the end, it had me hook, interested and rooting for the characters until the end, and also the way that mystery plot worked perfectly and didn't distract from the main plot. PERFECT.

This is an excellent Victorian murder mystery. Eva a photographer and Nathan a Detective try to solve a murder while falling in love.

Read if you love:
📷friends to lovers
📷mystery
📷photography
📷Victorian romance
📷fake courting
📷supportive sisters
📷matchmaking mamas
📷mutual pining
📷victorian mean girls aka Mean Ladies

“You should kiss me again. Often. So I don’t become irritated.” He lowered his head, teasing, smiling against her lips. “But if you’re irritated, then I can enjoy the process of fixing it.”

I absolutely adored Eva in The Matchmaker’s Lonely Heart (can be read as a stand-alone) and could not wait for her story; it did not disappoint!! She and Nathan are an absolute delight together!! Thank you, Mrs. Winston for being a meddling mama and forcing Nathan to come up with a fake courting scheme involving Eva and a ten day house party. This made for some forced proximity, delicious mutual pinning and “gives me all the butterflies” kisses!

Allen writes the best balance of mystery and romance. I love how Nathan and Eva worked together on the mystery elements in this story. You can’t help but adore how Nathan sees Eva for the capable, independent woman that she is. They were such a no-nonsense type of couple and I love how once they acknowledged their feelings, there was no turning back. Their stolen moments together were so sweet and swoony.

Other favorite parts of this book include Sammy! How can you not fall in love with this sweet boy?! I’m so glad he got his own happily ever after. I also loved the drama the Mean Ladies brought to the story and the satisfaction that come from Eva delivering the ultimate cut direct. To see her rise above her pain from the past and use it to propel her forward was the ultimate female win! Nathan’s sisters were so much fun to get to know and I hope we see more of them in the future.

Thank you to Shadow Mountain and NetGalley for an advanced copy. My thoughts are my own.

This is a Victorian romance. 2nd
in the series. A little romance, a little mystery. Such a good book for this time of year! I loved the first in the
series last year and I loved this one too!
I enjoyed most of the characters but Sammy has my heart!

I really enjoyed this story-even more so than the first one-and that one was great too! It was very captivating. Excellent characters. Really truly a fun storyline.

Disclosure statement:
I receive complimentary books for review from publishers, publicists, and/or authors, including Netgalley. I am not required to write positive reviews. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

Are you ready for another great whodunnit Victorian style book? Nancy Campbell Allen delivered with this one. I loved the first book and was so happy to know that the author was continuing to write more books about the secondary characters that I loved from book one, The Matchmaker's Lonely Heart. Eva and Nathan kept my attention in the first book and I was really hoping we'd get to see more of them. And tah-dah!!! They got their very own book. And there are some cameos from the main characters of book one.

Nathan has a problem. Well, two, maybe three. Hahaha! Maybe even more than that, but I'll stick with three. 1-He loves Eva but can't work up the courage to tell her. 2-His mom is scheming by playing matchmaker with Nathan and inviting A LOT of eligible ladies to her huge annual fundraising house party. (And as you probably have guessed, Nathan is not too thrilled about it). 3-Nathan tells his mom he has someone he's interested in, garners an invitation for her and works up the courage to tell her what he told his mom (he's interested in her) but plays it off as being just an act because he's too scared to tell her the truth and what better way than to be around her for a couple weeks. Yep, he's smitten and in trouble with this scheme of his mother's and his!

But don't let his problems fool you. He's got everything well in hand. Minus the fact that there's someone from his past detective/police work case that is after him and wants revenge. That's just a minor thing. No need to fret Nathan. Or is there? Especially when all kinds of mysterious things start happening at the party. No need to panic. Keep calm and don't let anyone know and try to figure out who the bad guy is and how you're going to protect everyone, your heart and most importantly Eva.

Oh, this was such a delightful book! I loved having both Nathan and Eva's perspective throughout the book. These two characters are just so sweet and good. And their love story is just absolutely adorable!

So many fun historical aspects are included in the book as well. I really loved all the photography aspects. Wow! Such a great history of how photography started to what it is currently today. It was very fascinating reading about the process of it all through Eva's eyes as she was taking pictures throughout the house party.

Content: Clean. Some kisses and nothing further. Murder and mayhem. A sinister character. But nothing overly graphic. I'd share this with my teenagers happily! They'd love it!

I received a copy from the publisher, Shadow Mountain Publishing, via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions in the review are my own.

Happy Reading!!!

I thoroughly enjoyed the first book in this series, The Matchmaker's Lonely Heart, but this book was even better! Eva Caldwell is a respected photographer. She's even helped the police take crime scene photos when they were in a bind. When Detective Nathan Winston asks for a favor, she expects it to be work related, but he asks her to come to his mother's house party and pretend he's courting her, to keep away any unwanted matchmaking attempts.

We all know what happens with this scheme! Eva and Nathan were adorable together. I loved the flirting and seeing the lines between friendship, pretending, and love all blur together.

I also loved the suspense in this story. Interwoven with the fake relationship plot is the head of a crime family with a grudge. After Nathan's undercover work imprisoned most of his family last year, Bernard Toole is playing a dangerous game of cat and mouse with Nathan and his guests. I was on the edge of my seat and didn't see the ending coming.

While part of a series, this book could easily be read independently. It's a good mystery for these chilly fall days, but let's be honest, you would enjoy it at any time of the year!

Content: clean (violence-not described in gory detail, kissing, no language)

Book review: To Capture His Heart by Nancy Campbell Allen
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What an absolutely enjoyable book! I loved the first book in this series so I was stoked for this one. It definitely lived up to my expectations! I love Eva and Nathan together. I love a good fake courtship turned real. I also thought it was so sweet how upfront Nathan was with his feelings but never pressured Eva. He let her work through her own thoughts and feelings. I also enjoyed the added mystery and danger in the book. This was a real page turner!
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My rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Content: clean romance

To Capture his Heart is a fun clean romance by author Nancy Campbell Allen. It has everything you could want in a book: romance, suspense, great characters, and an amazing storyline.!

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book.l and am anxiously awaiting book 3 in this series.!

This clean romance had one of my favorite premises - a "pretend" romance that grows into a real one. (That isn't a spoiler if you've ever read a romance before!) The characters were all lovely and I sensed a real connection between the leads. The book also had a couple of scenes that usually go one way but the author turned it around and the characters acted very differently than the usual and I found it refreshing and fun. (It would be a spoiler to describe these, but I think I can say that the premise wasn't artificially dragged on for too long, and the leads were willing to believe the best of each other rather than the worst.) Love that.

What a fun and engaging story. Eva is an accomplished photographer, which is saying something in Victorian England. She’s on the cusp of women breaking traditional molds. Nathan is captivated by her and not put off by her forward thinking. In his attempt to thwart his mother’s matchmaking schemes, he identifies her as his love interest so his mother won’t portray him as the eligible bachelor at her house party. Eva is invited as the photographer and agrees to go along with Nathan’s plan. Knowing they both have true and genuine feelings for the other highlights all the mixed signals and messages. The tension is thick at times, knowing what’s going on behind the scenes while waiting for them to figure it out. The characters were well developed and the storyline itself is very creative. A thoroughly enjoyable book. I’m thrilled for more in the matchmaking series.
I received a complimentary copy from the publisher and all opinions expressed are solely my own, freely given.

Squeeee! Nancy Campbell Allen can do no wrong. Her books always hit the spot and leave me thinking about the story for days, if not weeks after! This book is a delight and did not disappoint!

Another fun, entertaining and suspenseful book from Nancy Campbell Allen. I love that Eva, the main female character, was a strong independent woman. She had a good back bone and a lot of sass. I enjoyed the fact that the author knew or had researched a lot about early photography and incorporated it in the story as Eva’s employment. Nathan was also an interesting character, the fact that he followed his passion for detective work, instead of relying on their family business was interesting. The story has a lot of twists and turns, a suspenseful plot and some great swoony romance. What else could you want. I highly recommend it.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

The main characters in this book did it for me. I loved there love! This is a proper romance novel that brings in mystery and love. Eva Caldwell is such a strong and relatable character. She works as a photographer in Seaside, England. She has worked alongside Nathan Winston a detective. She admires him from afar for his brain and teamwork. Eva is healing from a previous heart break still. When Nathan comes to her front door asking her a favor. He asks if she would photograph his mother's amazing week-long dinner party. The only thing is Eva would have to pretend Nathan and her are an item. How hard could it be to pretend to be involved with someone who you already have feelings for?

When a criminal form Nathan's past tries to bring revenge at the party. Nathan and Eva must work together to solve the mystery. As they work to solve who could be behind these new revenge plots will they also find love?

Read this if you like...
📸Photography
❔Whodunnit mysteries
💕Slow burn romance
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦Loving family dynamics

I received an ARC from Shadow Mountain Publishing. All thoughts are my own.

DNF at 42%

It wasn't gripping me. Too much of the story unfolded at once, and then it stalled out. Basically, the pacing felt uneven.

They were confessing feeling for no reason, and much to early in the story. I want more tension.

I could also see the mystery subplot starting to take over the romance plot, which is something I'm not interested in. (This may be great for readers who like their romance novels to have more action.) The mystery, though, wasn't compelling and I just felt annoyed anytime it came up. It felt unimaginative. Like, a face in a window? Come on.