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A Whisper in the Shadows

Raven & Wren Book 4

by Darcy Burke

A 4 star review

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Oliver Heber Books

Publication date ‏ : ‎ September 9, 2025

Print length ‏ : ‎ 376 pages

Book Blurb:

A fake marriage. A supernatural secret. A deadly game of deception. Private investigator Matilda Wren is posing as the wife of Inspector William Maxwell from the City of London Police to infiltrate a burial club scheme. Maxwell is a skilled detective, but he isn’t Hadrian—her usual ally and the man she trusts most. When the club’s administrator is murdered, Tilda needs Hadrian’s expertise, notably his uncanny ability to glimpse others’ memories. Disgruntled that he’s been cast aside as Tilda’s partner, Hadrian Becket, Earl of Ravenhurst, finds a way to involve himself, which is fortuitous because Tilda would like his help. However, working the case under Maxwell’s watchful eye is a challenge, especially when he must conceal his supernatural gift. Worse, Maxwell’s growing interest in Tilda stirs something unexpected in Hadrian: jealousy. When danger strikes far too close, Hadrian will do everything it takes to keep Tilda safe, even if it means revealing the secrets he’s kept hidden in the shadows.

My review:

I adore this series. Historical, mystery, female detective, uptight earl, and a bit of the supernatural. It's wonderful. Tilda needing a job to pay the bills is understandable. She has an ever growing assemble of servants, her grandmother, and a house to support. She doesn't have a title but is from a good family so her options for work were limited. Turns out she a darn good detective. Getting mixed up with Hadrian, Earl of Ravenhurst has turned out to be a splendid partnership. Although this is a standalone story it helps if you understand their backstory but it works if you jump in with this book. Her job pretending to be wife to an undercover policeman sends Hadrian into a spiral of jealousy. He worms his way into the operation, which Tilda thinks is fine and a little funny too. He hates to be left out and also hates the policeman being close to Tilda.

My only disappointment is the supernatural part takes a backseat to murder mystery. I like them meshed together. I'm hoping these two will finally act on their feelings, even slowly would work. A baby step beyond friends and partners will make me happy.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

[darlenefblog]

A Whisper at Midnight (Raven & Wren Book 2)

4 star review

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Oliver Heber Books

Publication date ‏ : ‎ December 10, 2024

Print length ‏ : ‎ 348 pages

In the tradition of Holmes and Watson A Whisper at Midnight dishes up another delightful mystery. Tilda and Hadrian work well and have a good time solving murders. Midnight finds a murdered unlikable man with so many suspects it's a mess. No one liked the man; he was a dog with fleas. Tilda is wary of her feelings for Hadrian and Hadrian is leaning into his feelings and wanting more. I hesitate to give away more since it would ruin the reading experience. I finished the book in two evenings, it was hard to put down.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[darlenefblog]

A Whisper of Death

by Darcy Burke

Thank you to Darcy Burke, NetGalley, and publisher Oliver-Heber Books for an advance reader copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Publication date: ‎ July 30, 2024 Print length: ‎ 347 pages

The authors first historical mystery book is a big hit with me. I'm giving out a rare 5 stars. Tilda and Hadrian are very likeable characters, and I was invested in them from page one. I have to say that Tilda sheltering her grandmother to extremes was an irritant. The woman turned out to be more resilient than Tilda could imagine, good for her. The bad guy turned out to be truly bad, didn't guess who he was right away. The secondary characters all have heft, they're fleshed out, and I got a sense of who they were and how they fit into the story. The author has added the truth that no one is perfect, people have shades of grey that make not all bad guys completely bad. There are redeemable people in the world.

Without giving away the story I can say that the plot is interesting, a bit unique, and I love the psychic abilities adding a nice twist. Hadrian thinks being able to discern things is a curse but I'd love to have it, controlled of course. A female detective trying to be taken seriously is not new but always interesting to see how they deal with the circumstances. An enjoyable read and I'm looking forward to the next adventure of Raven & Wren.

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Recensione: Una notte di abbandono, di Darcy Burke

Recensione: Una notte di abbandono, di Darcy Burke

Buongiorno, legionarie! Oggi vi parlo di quest’autrice scoperta per caso, ma di cui mi sono già invaghita. Voi la conoscete? Se avete titoli da suggerirmi, scriveteli nei commenti! VOTO: 5 https://www.amazon.it/notte-abbandono-duchi-malandrini-Vol-ebook/dp/B084WV671N/ref=sr_1_1?__mk_it_IT=%C3%85M%C3%85%C5%BD%C3%95%C3%91&dchild=1&keywords=una+notte+di+abbandono&qid=1615107880&sr=8-1 Il libro è…

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A spinster and a spitfire

So once upon a Regency period, when a young girl fails to attract a suitor in the marriage mart before she become an old maid – usually around 21 years of age – she has to become an unpaid servant somewhere. To her family – her elderly parents, an ancient aunt as a companion, an extra nanny to her siblings’ children or similar.

And if you had the money yourself, which was very unusual, you could set up home with a companion yourself.

But young girls of 21 or even older women, seldom had their own money and so were dependant on others. So if you hadn’t got a husband and didn’t want to become an unpaid servant, what were you to do?

Luckily, for our young heroine, she knew someone who not only had money but also a spare house she could lend her to live in, and enough to spare her some money to maintain it and buy the necessaries and some fripperies.

So Jane refuses to marry the ‘last resort’ husband of her parents’ choice and sets up home as a spinster in the HQ of what was now he Spitfires Society. A society for women who wanted more than what was customary for themselves.

Hey wanted independence of thought and action and not necessarily an husband.

Jane is a nice young lady, nicer than her reputation appears – a scandal had been attached to her about which she had no inkling. And she takes pity on a rake because of her niceness and starts his reformation – very rockily.  A nice story but not with quite the oomph that I expect of Darcy, and little that’s new in discussion of society and customs that

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Greed leads to downfalls

Darcy delivers another nice historical romance.

This book continues that sort of the fraud investment scheme from previous books in this series. Moving in the same social circles and meeting more people from this society we encounter Drobbit. Drobbit and his cousin in fact. Drobbit being the scoundrel who has been the front person who has persuaded a number of gentlemen to invest in a scheme that promises high returns. These gentlemen are either greedy or in need of funds and thus a scheme that promises high returns for their capital is enticing. Of course it is a pyramid scheme that only provides the high returns on the very first small tranche of investment that persuades them to invest the larger portion. Which is then lost of course. Drobbit has either spent it or given it elsewhere to repay his debts or perhaps was an early investor in this scheme himself?

And of course there is a romance.

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The Duke Smiles

As always a nice read from Darcy. We follow up Mr Grump from the previous novels and his love life and what happened with him and his father.

The storyline continues with orphans and women who need homes due to missing husbands for whatever reason and we have a type of Dickens Xmas novel without the ghosts of Christmas Past but lots of Actions of Father’s Past to replace it.

This book really just rounds up the story lines from the previous novels in the series without any more social commentary of the era – except a side of doctors bleeding people when they are very ill which really did no good at all. Doctors were basically, mostly, incompetent and a transmitter of diseases.

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Gifts keep coming

As always Darcy has managed to add in a social commentary to her Historical Romance series of novels.

In this book we consider the issues of illegitimacy; rape by aristocracy of housemaids and the inability of the maids to bring them to justice; poor laws and the dreadful houses for single women with children that separated them and failed to provide a means to earning a living; sterility when you need an heir and spare for the title; and finally childbirth and the dreadful rates of deaths in childbirth and of babies.

There were 3 main causes of childbirth death up till the 20th century.

1. Puerperal fever or Pyrexia – which was carried by doctors and midwives on their hands and clothes from one patient to anther due to lack of washing, disinfecting etc.

2. Placenta previa or separation of the placenta and thus haemorrhages.  If the uterus failed to contract after birth or there was some trauma, all of these could cause blood loss which they were unable to stop and of course, there were o transfusions then.

3. Eclampsia or pre-eclampsia.

In all, there were up to 25 deaths in childbirth for every 1000. And still births were not recorded so we have no knowledge of just how many babies were born and not named. It was the custom for many families not to name the child until it had lived for a week or even a month. And thus a death would not be officially recorded.

It was no wonder then, that people feared childbirth… I know I would have died in childbirth if I had lived then and so would my son.

All the above not withstanding, it was a well crafted story with a nice romance and good story-telling. I enjoy her books and they do tend to make me think about the social inequalities and other social issues, which is a good thing, and makes these stories just that little bit more.