REVIEW: A Lesson in Chemistry with Inspector Bruce by Jillian Stone

A Lesson in Chemistry with Inspector Bruce by Jillian Stone

Series:The Gentlemen of Scotland Yard, #2.5

Publication Date:November 6th 2012

Publisher:Pocket Star

ebook, 100 pages
Useful Info: Goodreads, Author's Website

A force of attraction...too tempting to resist.

As readers of The Gentlemen of Scotland Yard series already know, Archibald “Archie” Bruce heads up the crime laboratory for Special Branch. Undervalued and overworked, the brilliant young man has no time for a social life—that is, until the heroine's father, a noted chemist in his own right, offers Archie a deal. He will modify a secret latex compound that will transfer fingerprints from the crime scene to the lab. In exchange, Archie must agree to tutor his charming but exasperating daughter, Miss Fiona A. Rose, for the major pharmacy exam.

But as Archie and Fiona attempt to study for the major, they can't help but get involved in a bit of sleuthing. Was the fire in the opium den accidental or deliberately set? Who was behind the lab explosion? Not to mention the strange and haunting memory of a masquerade ball and a very seductive kiss...

Amidst the pop quizzes and danger, Fiona and Archie ultimately find the force of attraction too tempting to resist.

A Lesson in Chemistry with Inspector Bruce is part of the very successful Gentlemen of Scotland Yard series, written by Jillian Stone. And if you read my reviews of the previous two books in this series, then you know that I'm in love with both Jillian Stone's writing style and her stories. So, it comes as no big surprise, that A Lesson in Chemistry with Inspector Bruce, didn't fail to impress me!

I'm usually not a big fan of novellas, because in most cases, the story and the plot are pretty basic, and the character development is non existent. Not that I haven't been impressed or really liked novellas, but in most cases, they fail me. So, I'm more than happy to admit that even with a novella, Jillian Stone manages to retain the same quality in her writing, that makes her stories truly stand out!

A Lesson in Chemistry with Inspector Bruce may be smaller than her full novels, but it's just as good as the previous two books in the series!

This story is about Inspector Bruce and Fiona, who fall in love during some seriously hot chemistry lessons and amidst a very dangerous setting! What's there not to love!

Inspector Bruce is as hot and smart and courageous as the rest of the Scotland Yard gentlemen, while Fiona is as independent as the previous two ladies we got to know in the previous books. One might believe that meeting characters that share the same qualities in each book in this series might be a little bit boring, but let me warn you here, that even though all the characters share some qualities, they are not alike, not by a long shot. You have enough reason to remember each and everyone of them for very different reasons :)

The story is again action packed, even if the resolution comes quicker due to the length of the story and probably for that very same reason, it was way to easy for me to guess the traitor. But even so, A Lesson in Chemistry with Inspector Bruce was a highly enjoyable read!

All in all, Jillian Stone manages to make me love her work more book by book! And with all those tempting glances at Agent Gunn, I just can't wait to read his story!

*This ARC was provided for a review from Edelweiss

REVIEW: A Dangerous Liaison with Detective Lewis by Jillian Stone

A Dangerous Liaison with Detective Lewis by Jillian Stone

Series:The Gentlemen of Scotland Yard, #2

Publication Date: August 28th 2012

Publisher:Pocket

Mass Market Paperback, 432 pages
Useful Info: Goodreads, Author's Website, Book Depository

The fates had been perversely mischievous of late—case in point, Raphael Lewis. . .

When Fanny Greyville-Nugent’s father suffers a gruesome death in the clutches of his own machine, mourning his loss is not the beautiful heiress’s only heartbreak. Scotland Yard is convinced he was targeted in a plot to halt the rise of industry, and Fanny’s former fiancé, dashing and dubious detective Raphael “Rafe” Lewis, has been assigned to the case.

For the estranged ex-lovers, bringing the notorious assassins to justice proves as tumultuous as quelling pent-up desires. Fighting peril and passion at every turn of a dangerous journey from Edinburgh to London, they are pursued by an anarchist group hell-bent on destroying her father’s mysterious entry into the London Industrial Exposition.

When an astonishing discovery about the couple’s failed engagement surfaces, the sleuthing duo realize they can trust no one. Rafe confesses new details about his infidelity and Fanny risks all to avenge her father’s murder. But will Rafe and Fanny triumph over the pain of their past?

I'm in love with Jillian Stone's writing style! Simple as that! A Dangerous Liaison with Detective Lewis might be only the second book I read written by this author, but let me tell you, I'm pretty certain that she can't disappoint me, no matter what. There's just something unbelievably fresh in this author's style of writing that I simply can't get enough!

The Gentlemen of Scotland Yard is currently among my favorite historical romance and romantic suspense series for a number of reasons! Excellent writing style, a plot that makes it impossible to put those books down and heroes that you simply wish that they were real! In this second book in this series, we follow the adventures of Raphael and Fanny, who get reacquainted under the most difficult and dangerous situations and fall back in love, or to phrase it more correctly, manage to speak of their emotions to each other, because they never fell out of love!

Among the things that I love most in Jillian Stone's stories is the way she portrays her heroines. They are strong and independent in a time period that wanted women to stay in the shadows. I love how both Fanny, as well as Cassie in An Affair with Mister Kennedy, are women who speak their mind and don't just stay behind a strong male. Because let's face it, Stone knows how to write her heroes as alpha as one could hope! So, in the character department, no complains whatsoever from me!

Well, to be honest, I have no complains about anything in A Dangerous Liaison with Detective Lewis! The plot is fast paced and action packed, with Fanny and Raphael being chased constantly, throughout the whole book, until the very end. The bad guys are also good and their cause believable whereas the writing style like I said at the beginning is just perfect! At least for me and my taste! From the moment I picked this book up, I just couldn't put it down!

All in all, Jillian Stone is among the most promising authors whose work I met last year and her stories simply addictive! If you love your Historical Romances from a fresh point of view and full of action, then just pick this series. You won't be disappointed!

Let It Snow Books: Guest Post with Jillian Stone + Giveaway

Welcome to Day 2 of Let it Snow Books 2012, where for the next three weeks you have the chance to read some really fun holiday posts from some of your favorite authors, both here and at Ex Libris.

Today, we welcome Jillian Stone here at Books to Brighten your Mood with a festive post and you will have the chance to win a copy of An Affair with Mr. Kennedy, one of the best Historical Romances I have ever read and not just in 2012! Jillian Stone's voice is one of the freshest out there and believe me when I said that she's an author you should watch out for!
And here's a small taste of my review of An Affair with Mister Kennedy:

An Affair with Mister Kennedy surprised me quite pleasantly!I don't know why it surprised me so much, since so many reviewers have already stated that it was a really good book, but it did. Probably, because... Read the rest of the review here.

Jillian has decided to share with us a very special excerpt! So welcome Jillian and thank you for stopping by here today!
 
Thanks so much for inviting me to participate in your ‘Let it Snow Books!’ Blog Event. Merry
Christmas and Joyous Noel to all!

This excerpt is from the opening chapter of The Gentlemen of Scotland Yard romantic
suspense adventure: A Dragon Kiss with Detective Rhys, a Christmas 2013 release.

Isle of Dogs, London 1887

Flynn Rhys adjusted the bi-ocular spyglass to afford the best possible view across Rabbit Row. A window had been left uncovered on the second floor of the boarding house–– one that rented by the hour. A prostitute working her customer tugged the pale yellow ribbon on her chemise. “Have a care Lizzy, and show us those rosy tips,” Flynn muttered to himself as an ample bosom sprang from its confines.

He made an adjustment to his trousers, causing the downward tilt of his binoculars. A bustle of pedestrians traipsed up and down Nightingale Lane, last minute shoppers laden with packages. A brawny dockworker hustled home clutching a porcelain doll under his arm. Flynn counted a half dozen oranges in an open weave sack flung over a sailor’s shoulder.

The fact that it was Saturday night and Christmas Eve, appeared to double the merriment. The brass buttoned jacket of the local Custom-house officer caught his eye. Ham Brady was a bloody bull of a man with plenty of cheek. Even Brady who never smiled, whistled a tune as he sauntered down the row.

“Officer Brady up to his usual three penny upright, sir?” Charlie raised the window shade on a dusky twilight. The lamplighters were about. On most Saturday nights, Ham Brady would be sampling a bit street quim in the alley below. But not tonight. Presumably, the man made his way home to a family who found something to love about him.

“You should go home, Charlie––it’s Christmas Eve, for God’s sake.” A street hawker by trade, Charlie Doyle was a strapping lad. Yard men in need of an extra hand, hired him for off the books operations. Flynn slipped a banknote into the young man’s jacket.
“Stores will be closed in another hour. Take home a pretty bauble for your sister and mum.”

Reluctant to leave, Charlie hesitated at the door. “I don’t mind staying, sir. We could take turns on watch––between a bit of card play.”

Flynn, grabbed the hearth poker and itched a toe. “Not likely Grey de Ruthyn will be engaged in any gun smuggling tonight.”

“I wager you’re looking forward to Tuesday, next.” Charlie nodded to the full leg cast.
“About time those plaster bandages were off.”

Flynn had been laid up for months nursing a compound fracture. To keep him from going barking mad, Zeno Kennedy, Chief Inspector, Special Branch, had arranged for work, something unofficial. Flynn had been tasked with observing the comings and goings of a storehouse in Wapping, and more recently a shipping office on the Isle of Dogs.

The very idea of an arms trafficker setting up shop not four doors away from the Board of Trade Office––well, it was a wicked clever ruse. And Simon Grey de Ruthyn was as cunning and bold as they come.

“Out of my sight, lad.” Flynn softened his gaze. “Save me some Christmas dinner.”

“That I will, sir.” Charlie, donned his cap, backing out of the flat. “Roast goose and plum pudd––” Rattled by loud thumps on the door, his helper jumped away.

Another series of thuds and a muffled cry. Flynn separated two voices. One of them was the boarding house proprietress, Mrs. Hardwick.

He and Charlie exchanged looks. One could never be too careful when surveilling Grey de Ruthyn. Flynn tossed the fire poker to Charlie with a nod. “Let’s see who it is.”

His apprentice Yard man had no sooner turned the lock––when the door burst open in a blur of red and white.

“Young ladies are not allowed to call on gentlemen borders––it’s strictly against the house rules.” Mrs. Hardwick followed after a flurry white lace under a red military-style coat.

“Certainly you can make allowances due to Mister Rhys condition?” The smartly
dressed intruder tossed the words over her shoulder.

Flynn sat up straight, as much as the cumbersome leg cast would allow. “Alice?”

“Surprised to see me, cousin?” She made big eyes at him and rolled them toward his sputtering landlady.

He ignored Mrs. Crosby’s protests and took a very long moment to admire everything about Miss Alice Millicent Armistead. Rich, tawny and wheat colored waves of hair blown wild from a horse race through the city. The young lady was even more breathtaking than he remembered––she was a force of nature. A sable fur hat haloed sparkling blue eyes framed by dark lashes. Her nose, as usual, was sprinkled with pale freckles. Cheeks flushed rosy pink from the crisp cold air added a touch of color to a smile that was as genuine and radiant as ever. Good Christ, she could arouse Saint Peter in his grave.

She carried a large basket, which she set beside his chair. “Please inform your landlady I am a relative.” She unbuttoned intricate braided closures. Looking up from her coat, she widened her eyes. “Please, Flynn.”

Reluctantly, he confronted his landlord. “I take it you haven’t been introduced. Mrs. Hardwick, it would be my pleasure––”

“Best not have anything to do with your pleasure, Mister Rhys––I hear any sound o’pleasure coming through these walls, and y’er out on the street.”

“Mrs. Hardwick, I’m shocked. A good Christian woman such as yourself, would toss me out on Christmas Eve––a poor servant of the citizenry with an infirmary?” Flynn tried for a stunned, bewildered expression. “The night our savior was born?”

Mrs. Hardwick’s eyes narrowed into suspicious slits. “A warning, Mister Rhys––
fornication is a sin against God.” Adding a grunt for emphasis, she eyeballed Alice on her way out the door.

“Charlie––head her off at the stairs and give her this.” Flynn slipped him a fiver. “For the Sisters of Mercy Night Home, on lower Seymour Street.”

Charlie tipped his hat and stole another fleeting glance at Alice. What red-blooded young bloke wouldn’t?

“Tell her the donation came from Miss Armistead,” Flynn paused for emphasis, “…my cousin.” He detected a grin as she tossed her coat over a chair back.

“Yes, sir. Very good, sir.” Flynn waited to hear the key turn the lock before shifting his gaze from the closed door to the beauty standing before him. The gown was simplicity itself. White, virginal, a sheer slip of a dress with delicate cap sleeves and bare shoulders.
And the plunging neckline was––most arresting. His eyes traveled down the slope of her breasts. Lovely globes jiggled ever so slightly when she moved, like now.

She sat down on the edge of the chaise that served as his chair and his bed. “All those months last year, when you were assigned to watch over me? All I ever wanted was for you to look at me like you are doing now.”

A smile tugged the edges of his mouth. “How am I looking at you?”

She leaned closer. “Like I’m a present…to be unwrapped.” Her wily Alice charms were on the job, tonight. Flynn’s gaze dropped to her extraordinary mouth––a bit wide with full lips. Dear God, a man could loose control of himself.

She caught her bottom lip between her teeth. He could feel the heat from her breath on his cheek. She moistened her lips and opened her mouth––just enough to be inviting.

So close, now…

Curling the tip of her tongue over the curve of his upper lip––she licked. “Happy
Christmas, Detective Rhys.”

About the author

Jillian Stone was born a storyteller. A skill that got her into considerable trouble as a youth until she solved the problem by becoming an advertising creative. And the career did seem to suit her as she won many national ad awards including the Clio and the New York Art Director’s Club Gold. What more could she ask for? Create her own worlds? Become goddess of her own universe? Yes! So, she began to write fiction. Her Victorian Romantic Suspense novel AN AFFAIR WITH MR. KENNEDY won the 2010 Golden Heart and sold to Pocket Books. Her sexy, supernatural Steampunk novel, THE SEDUCTION OF PHAETON BLACK, won the 2010 Romance Through The Ages Erotica category and sold to Kensington Brava. Jillian lives in California and is currently working on the next adventure for both series.

Visit Jillian

Goodreads ~ Website ~ Twitter ~ Facebook

About the Book:
Title: An Affair with Mr. Kennedy
Author: Jillian Stone
Series:The Gentlemen of Scotland Yard #1) 
Publisher: Pocket Books
Length: 392 pages
Release Date: January 31st 2012
Purchase Info: Book Depository, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Goodreads
 

London, 1887. Part stoic gentleman, part fearless Scotland Yard man, Zeno "Zak" Kennedy is an enigma of the first order. For years, the memory of a deadly bombing at King's Cross has haunted the brilliant Scotland Yard detective. His investigation has zeroed in on a ring of aristocratic rebels whose bloody campaign for Irish revolution is terrorizing the city. When he discovers one of the treacherous lords is acquainted with his free-spirited new tenant, Cassandra St. Cloud, his inquiry pulled him unexpectedly close to the hear of the conspiracy -- and into the arms of a most intriguing lady.

Cassie is no Victorian prude. An impressionist painter with very modern ideas about life and love, she is eager for a romantic escapade that is daring and discreet. She sets her sights on her dour but handsome landlord, but after she learns their meeting was not purely accidental, she hardly has a chance to forgive her lover before their passionate affair catapults them both into a perilous adventure.

~~~~~~~~~~~~GIVEAWAY~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jillian has generously offered a copy (e-book or paperback, winner's choice) of An Affair with Mr. Kennedy and A Private Dual with Agent Gunn to TWO lucky commenters. (Open Internationally.) All giveaways end on January 5th.

~Fill the form below to enter ~

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Waiting on Wednesday: A Private Duel with Agent Gunn

"Waiting On Wednesday" is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

My selection for this week is:

A Private Duel with Agent Gunn by Jillian Stone

Publication Date:November 27th 2012

Publisher:Pocket

Pre-Order via Book Depository

Summary from Goodreads:

From the author of An Affair with Mr. Kennedy and A Dangerous Liaison with Detective Lewis comes a sexy new romantic caper in the Gentlemen of Scotland Yard series.

Prima ballerina Catriona de Dovia lives the glamorous life of a starlet, filled with glittering jewels, sumptuous dinners, and admiring suitors. She's grown up considerably since losing her heart to Hugh Curzon once upon a time, no longer wasting her emotions on the empty promises of wealthy gentlemen. On her own since the untimely death of her parents, she will do anything for the only family she has left: her brother, a notorious anarchist.

Scotland Yard Agent Phineas Gunn—sometimes known as Hugh Curzon—receives his new assignment reluctantly. He's up for something a little more strenuous than playing nanny to a ballerina, until he sees who his charge is. Then, it's a completely different story, because he'd been unable to forget the trusting, beautiful Cate since he had to leave her behind.

As the two race across the Continent—by land, by sea, even through the air by zephyr—it becomes uncertain who is keeping tabs on whom, and Finn and Cate must battle the sexual tension that snaps and sizzles between them every step of the way.

What I think:

I absolutely love Jillian Stone's voice and her strong heroines, so naturally her third installment in her Gentlemen of Scotland Yard series is my autobuy list. If you love historical romance then her series is a must read. It's fresh and full of action along with some seriously sexy romance :)

Waiting on Wednesday: A Dangerous Liaison with Detective Lewis

"Waiting On Wednesday" is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

My selection for this week is:

A Dangerous Liaison with Detective Lewis by Jillian Stone

Publication Date:August 28th 2012

Publisher:Pocket

Pre-Order via Book Depository

Summary from Goodreads:

From the author of the well-reviewed An Affair with Mr. Kennedy comes a thrilling new romance in the Gentlemen of Scotland Yard series, featuring Rafe Lewis and his jilted former fiancée, Fanny, as they embark on a high-speed race against the clock to evade a madman hell-bent on murdering industrialists and inventors.


Special Inspector Rafael Lewis hasn’t seen the woman he jilted on the night of their engagement ball in five years. Fanny Greyville-Nugent has spent five years working side-by-side with her recently deceased father, a captain of industry in the steam revolution. When Detective Lewis and the Scotland Yard suspect that the late Mr. Greyville-Nugent was targeted for murder by an anarchist group determined to stop the proliferation of machines in the workforce, Lewis must guard his former fiancée with his life—much to her chagrin.


As Rafe and Fanny set out across the countryside from Edinburgh to London, danger lurks around every corner, but the biggest danger might turn out to be the embers of their previously smothered attraction smoldering to life.

What I think:

I absolutely loved the first book in this series. It was so fresh and full of adventure and mystery that I couldn't possibly put it down. So, naturally A Dangerous Liaison with Detective Lewis is on my auto buy list. I just can't wait to read a new story by the very talented Jillian Stone!

REVIEW: An Affair with Mister Kennedy by Jillian Stone

An Affair with Mister Kennedy by Jillian Stone

Series: The Gentlemen of Scotland Yard, #1
Publication Date: January 31st 2012

Publisher: Pocket Books

Paperback, 392 pages
Book & Purchase Info: Author's Website, Goodreads, Book Depository

London, 1887. Part stoic gentleman, part fearless Scotland Yard man, Zeno "Zak" Kennedy is an enigma of the first order. For years, the memory of a deadly bombing at King's Cross has haunted the brilliant Scotland Yard detective. His investigation has zeroed in on a ring of aristocratic rebels whose bloody campaign for Irish revolution is terrorizing the city. When he discovers one of the treacherous lords is acquainted with his free-spirited new tenant, Cassandra St. Cloud, his inquiry pulled him unexpectedly close to the hear of the conspiracy -- and into the arms of a most intriguing lady.

Cassie is no Victorian prude. An impressionist painter with very modern ideas about life and love, she is eager for a romantic escapade that is daring and discreet. She sets her sights on her dour but handsome landlord, but after she learns their meeting was not purely accidental, she hardly has a chance to forgive her lover before their passionate affair catapults them both into a perilous adventure.

An Affair with Mister Kennedy surprised me quite pleasantly!I don't know why it surprised me so much, since so many reviewers have already stated that it was a really good book, but it did. Probably, because although I was prepared for a really good book, I wasn't prepared for how fresh, how well written and how unique it really was!

Jillian Stone's debut novel simply rocks. Her voice is fresh and strong and believe me, we will see great things from her.
Her story was a mix of an Agatha Christie mystery wrapped up in a historical setting. Don't get me wrong, this is a historical romance, but the mystery is so well delivered and the action scenes so well planned, that it's not just your typical historical romance book.

If I could describe An Affair with Mister Kennedy with just one word, that would be liberating! Cassie, the main heroine, is far from what I was used to expect from an HR heroine. She's truly a female who doesn't succumb to a male's wish or follows the society's protocol. She's independent in an era when women rarely were. She rides a bicycle, wears pantaloons and smokes cigars! Granted, her widowed state allows her much more freedom than I have come to expect from such novels but nevertheless she's a free spirit at heart. Zeno on the other hand, is the man of my dreams! Not overprotective but does whatever is within his powers to protect those he cares about. He's smart, he's caring and he's a detective! What more could I ask?

As I said in the beginning, the best thing about An Affair with Mister Kennedy is Jillian Stone's exceptional and brilliant writing style. Her story is well researched and her references to automobiles, condoms and suffragettes made me want to research myself if all those things actually appeared at the time described in the book. Well, they did!
The other thing I loved so much about it is how different it is from all the HR novels I have read so far. There's action, there's chase in it, and mostly, the story unfolds out, in the streets and not in a ballroom.

All in all, An Affair with Mister Kennedy is an excellent debut novel from an author who I will "stalk" from now on. Her work just made a huge impression on me and it just stands out!