The Disgraceful Lord Gray (The King’s Elite #3) by Virginia Heath

source: free review copy via Rachel’s Random Resources
title: The Disgraceful Lord Gray (The King’s Elite Book 3)
author: Virginia Heath / Twitter
genre: historical romance/espionage
pages: 288
published: March 21st 2019
first line: There was no doubt about it.
rated: 4 out of 5

blurb:
A spy on a mission…

Until he meets this heiress!

Part of The King’s Elite. Miss Theodora Cranford’s learned to keep her impetuous nature locked away. She won’t be deceived by another man who can’t see past her fortune. She wants an honourable, sensible sort – not a self-assured scoundrel like her new neighbour, Lord Gray. Although she’s sure there’s more to him than meets the eye… But after that first captivating kiss, she’s certainly left wanting more!

my thoughts:

The Disgraceful Lord Gray (The King’s Elite Book 3) by Virginia Heath was entertaining historical romance with a blend of intrigue, mystery and a dash of humor.

Miss Theodora Cranford is a twenty-three year old heiress who lives with her uncle and his wife. She has her guard up around would be suitors because most men want her for her money. Lord Graham Chadwick a.k.a. Gray is a member of the King’s Elite who is on the hunt for a smuggling ring. This quest brings him to Thea’s home because he suspects her uncle is the ring leader. Gray has had a rough past, ten years ago he was betrayed by his father, his brother and his first love and as a result he gambled away his inheritance. This is something he has never fully gotten over. Since then he has had affairs with ladies but never taken any seriously. Now working as a spy he is hoping to get a promotion if he takes down the smuggling ring.

The Body in the Ballroom by R.J. Koreto

source: copy via Partners In Crime Book Tours
title: The Body in the Ballroom: An Alice Roosevelt Mystery
author: R.J. Koreto
pages: 293
genre: historical mystery
published: Crooked Lane Books (June 12, 2018)
first line: St. Louis wasn’t half bad.
rated: 3 1/2 out of 5 stars

blurb:

President Teddy Roosevelt’s daring daughter, Alice, leaps into action to exonerate a friend accused of poisoning a man just about everyone hated.

Alice Roosevelt, the brilliant, danger-loving daughter of President Theodore Roosevelt, has already risked an assassin’s bullet to solve one murder. She never expected to have to sleuth another, but she’d never pass up the opportunity, either. Anything to stave off boredom.

And such an opportunity presents itself when Alice is invited to a lavish ball. The high-society guests are in high spirits as they imbibe the finest wines. But one man, detested by nearly all the partygoers, quaffs a decidedly deadlier cocktail. An African-American mechanic, who also happens to be a good friend of former Rough Rider-turned-Secret Service Agent Joseph St. Clair, is suspected of the murder-by-poison, but Alice is sure he’s innocent and is back on the scene to clear his name.

From downtown betting parlors to uptown mansions, Alice and Agent St. Clair uncover forbidden romances and a financial deal that just might change the world. But neither Alice nor her would-be protector may survive the case at hand in The Body in the Ballroom, R. J. Koreto’s gripping second Alice Roosevelt mystery.

my thoughts:
The Body in the Ballroom: An Alice Roosevelt Mystery was a nice historical murder mystery centered around former president Teddy Roosevelt’s daughter Alice and her Secret Service Agent/Bodyguard Joseph St. Clair. This book is second in the Alice Roosevelt series but stands fine as a stand alone read. While at a ball a member of high society, Lynley Brackton dies after taking a poisoned drink. His wife later claims she knows the drink was meant for her. Alice and St. Clair try to solve the mystery because someone they know is being wrongfully accused.

In Places Hidden by Tracie Peterson

source: free ARC via Bethany House (Twitter)
title: In Places Hidden
author: Tracie Peterson
published: Bethany House Publishers (March 6, 2018)
pages: 316
genre: Christian fiction/historical mystery/romance
first line: San…Fran…cisco!
rated: 4 out of 5 stars

blurb:

The search for her missing brother leads to the most dangerous part of the city . . .

Camrianne Coulter’s brother Caleb is a successful San Francisco attorney. But when three months go by without a word from the usually communicative Caleb, Camri boards a train to the booming West Coast city to find out for herself why he hasn’t written. When she arrives at his home, nobody seems to know where he is, or what has become of him.

Camri’s search for her brother leads her deep into the political corruption of the city–and into the acquaintance of Patrick Murdock, who Caleb successfully defended from a false murder charge. Getting to know this handsome Irish contractor challenges all of Camri’s privileged beliefs, but Patrick is unshakably loyal to her brother, and he seems to know more about what happened to Caleb than anyone else. As the two edge closer to the truth behind Caleb’s disappearance, they risk angering the powerful forces that control the city. Can Camri trust Patrick to protect her from the dangers that lie hidden in San Francisco’s backstreets?

my thoughts:
As In Places Hidden (Golden Gate Secrets) starts off Camrianne Coulter is on her way to her brother’s home in San Fransisco. Caleb Coulter has been missing for months and Camri is trying to see if she can find out what happened to him. She is fearing the worst since her brother always keeps some form of contact. On the train ride to San Fran, she meets Judith and Kenzie and the three ladies quickly become friends. Camri invites them to stay with her at Caleb’s house while they get their own affairs in order. The three ladies find work at a local candy factory as Camri continues the search for Caleb.

Camri is well-educated and she is a suffragette and as soon as she meets Judith and Kenzie on the train she wants to help them if she can. Once in San Fransisco she also meets Patrick Murdock and his sister Ophelia who are friends of her brother’s.