Paperbacks and Planners

This was really cute and left me pleasantly surprised! I’m always on the hunt for historical mystery romances. It’s such a niche genre but one I absolutely adore. I thought this book did a fantastic job balancing the romantic and mystery aspects and I was completely invested in both. 

My favorite part of this was the characters themselves. I absolutely loved both Katherine and Caro – and I really hope Caro gets her own story! This had witty banter, feminist themes, and really swoony romance.

My one complaint is that I wish the romance had been a little slower of a burn. I felt like the main characters went from hate to love really quickly and would have liked to see it drawn out a little more. But I thought their chemistry was fantastic and I was still rooting for them regardless. 

Overall I really liked this and I can’t wait to get more from Manda Collins and this series!

I was honestly a little nervous going into this book because Pandora was my least favorite character from the first 2 books. But despite her quirkiness I ended up enjoying this! 

Pandora was definitely the most unique character I think I’ve read from in HR. She’s very off the wall and almost alarming naive. It took a few chapters for me to warm up to her, but in the end I did end up liking her and the romance between her and Gabriel. I thought the couple had really good chemistry and banter (2 things I absolutely need in my HR). But I will say I don’t entirely understand why Gabriel liked Pandora so much. I did find it a little cringey that he was so into her naivety and childlike wonderment. 

Overall I liked the plot, there were lots of twists and turns I wasn’t expecting this to take, and was hooked the whole way through. But this definitely isn’t my favorite of the series. However I’m VERY excited for Dr Gibbson’s book next!!

I LOVED this!! Hands down my new favorite historical romance. This had everything I’m looking for from the genre – amazing characters, immersive setting, witty & charming banter, and palpable chemistry between the main couple.

I really appreciated the themes Joanna Shupe wove throughout this – mainly commentary on social class differences and women’s roles at this time. Everything about this completely captivated me.
This couple was everything and despite knowing the ending (it’s romance, obviously there’s a HEA) I still felt concern for how this couple would make their relationship work. 

I absolutely cannot wait to read the rest of this series and Joanna Shupe’s entire backlist (which I’ve already purchased 😅)