Review: Ladies of Intrigue by Michelle Griep

My rating: 3 stars / I liked it

Synopsis

Can truth and love prevail when no one is as they appear?
 
The Gentleman Smuggler’s Lady
Cornish Coast, 1815
When a prim and proper governess returns to England from abroad, she expects to comfort her dying father—not fall in love with a smuggler. Will Helen Fletcher keep Isaac Seaton’s unusual secret?

(originally in The Regency Brides Collection: 7 Romances Set in England during the Early Nineteenth Century)
 
The Doctor’s Woman (A Carol Award Winner!)
Dakota Territory, 1862
Emmy Nelson, daughter of a missionary doctor, and Dr. James Clark, city doctor aspiring to teach, find themselves working side by side at Fort Snelling during the Dakota Uprising. That is when the real clash of ideals begins.
(originally in The Courageous Brides Collection)

 
A House of Secrets
St. Paul, Minnesota, 1890
Ladies Aide Chairman, Amanda Carston resolves to clean up St. Paul’s ramshackle housing, starting with the worst of the worst: a “haunted” house that’s secretly owned by her beau—a home that’s his only means of helping brothel girls escape from the hands of the city’s most infamous madam.

(originally in Of Rags and Riches Romance Collection)

My Review

This collection of novellas is a bit like a mash-up of unrelated stories, I wasn't sensing a common theme among the three. The first one is what I would expect from the title of the collection, with secrets and smuggling, although Helen was a witness of Isaac's plot, not a participant. Her natural inclination is to dissuade him from what she perceives as thievery and crime- but thing are not always what they seem. The second story didn't have a whiff of intrigue- it took us to the western US with a doctor and volunteer nurse serving the local Native Americans being held at the fort. The last story I admittedly didn't finish. The language and thoughts of the main characters were too sickly sweet which I found unrealistic, and difficult to engage with the plot.

Disclosure statement: A complimentary copy of this book was provided from a tour group, publisher, publicist, or author, including NetGalley, OR was borrowed from the library, including OverDrive, OR borrowed from Kindle Unlimited, OR purchased. A review was not required and all views and opinions expressed are unbiased and my own.