A Deceptive Composition by Anna Lee Huber

We get to see more of Lord Gage's history  in this book after he receives a letter from his great aunt asking him to come investigate the death of her brother (his great Uncle), Borak. The man was older but a fall off the cliffs seems unlikely as he knew very well what areas were safe and which were not. 

Included in the list of suspects are the local smuggling gang. Though supposedly disbanded, there is a suspiciously nice stash of alcohol in the family basement. This is the same gang that Lord Gage joined as a youngster. His friend Jago was killed and he was sent away as a result of him being a member. 

Memories are long in this area of the country and the present day murder has ties to the past. 

As usual, a lovely story. 

Lady Darby #12

Four stars

This book comes out June 18, 2024

Follows A Fatal Illusion

ARC kindly provided by Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley

Opinions are my own

A Fatal Illusion by Anna Lee Huber

At the end of the last book, Sebastian had gotten word that his father had been attacked. He and Kiera took their whole family, including their four-month-old daughter. He is being housed in a small village near where he was attacked, in the home of a former army doctor, so he at least has good care. 

However, when Sebastian and Kiera try to investigate, they run into a series of problems. There are few in the village who are willing to talk. They are also attacked. Someone is really working to make sure that the reasons for Lord Gage's attack aren't uncovered. And even the people who appear to be helpful aren't actually what they seemed. 

This book was fine but there was a lot going on. It may have been the time of my life and I'd like to re-read it again later because I did enjoy the character building, both the new characters and between Lord Gage and Henry, his son who was claimed by a duke.

Lady Darby Mystery #11

Three stars
This book came out June 20, 2023

Follows A Perilous Perspective

Followed by A Deceptive Composition

Borrowed as ebook from Libby

Opinions are my own

A Perilous Perspective by Anna Lee Huber

Kiera and Sebastian are traveling to the home of a family friend. He is known to have a full gallery of paintings by famous artists. But Kiera notices something is amiss. More than one of the celebrated paintings looks... wrong. Her host is really not excited to learn that they might be forgeries but he knows who is probably at fault; it's the neighbors. He had been engaged to one of them decades before and both sides are still bitter. 

I think regular readers will enjoy this book as much as others in this series. 

Four stars

Follows A Wicked Conceit

This book comes out April 19, 2022

ARC kindly provided by Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

A Stroke of Malice by Anna Lee Huber

Six months into her pregnancy, Lady Kiera Darby has been invited to Duchess of Bowmontʼs Twelfth Night party. She and her husband Sebastian Gage are looking forward to relaxing and having some fun. But some of the relationships among the Bowmont family seem strained and it only gets worse when a body is discovered in the catacombs below the house.
No one can identify the corpse but suspicion is quick that it is that of the Duchess's son-in-law who has supposedly been in France for almost a month. But is that really who it is? And why is somebody stealing the evidence that points to that being the case?
The mystery was a little convoluted but I enjoyed getting to know Kiera a little better in this book and seeing how her husband respects what it is that she does.

Three stars
Follows an Artless Demise

Followed by A Wicked Deceit
This book comes out April 7, 2020
ARC kindly provided by Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

An Artless Demise by Anna Lee Huber

When it appears that there are burkers once again digging up people (and maybe even killing in order to provide the medical community with corpses), Kiera is pulled back into a spotlight she never wanted to have. One of the suspected victims is Lord Feckenham. A dissolute scoundrel (and not the lovable kind), very few mourn his passing, even his own family. But the family does want to protect their younger son and Sebastian's father has ordered them to help so Sebastian and Kiera are pulled in. As if the threat of Kiera's past being brought up by the burkings, someone is threatening to publish her first husband's journals.
A very nice addition to the series with great character growth and relationships being strengthened.

Four stars
Followed by A Stroke of Malice
This book came out April 2
ARC kindly provided by publisher and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

A Pressing Engagement by Anna Lee Huber

Kiera is in love with her fiance, Sebastian Gage, but that doesn't mean that she's free of bridal jitters. Luckily, she is distracted by the arrival of her cousin Jock who comes bearing a wedding gift. Surprisingly, it is not some dead animal, but a Scottish torc. In fact, a Scottish torc that looks very much like one that Kiera and Gage have been looking for. The fact that Jock found it in a pawn shop gives Kiera the very excuse to leave the house that she's been looking for. The search brings them back into the path of Bonnie Brock Kincaid, "the head of Edinburgh's largest and most notorious gang of criminals." And it seems that Bonnie Brock is after the favor that Kiera owes him.
A lovely little novella and just a perfect bite for in between books.

Four and a half stars
This novella comes out May 17