The Reading Frenzy

Sophia Rose Reviews A Ghastly Catastrophe by Deanna Raybourn

2026-05-28T05:30:00.000-05:00

A Ghastly Catastrophe by Deanna Raybourn

#10 Veronica Speedwell

Historical Mystery

Publisher: Berkley

Published: 3.3.26

Pages: 336

Rating: 4.5 stars

Format: eARC

Source: NetGalley

Sellers: Amazon

ADD TO: GoodReads

GoodReads Synopsis:

Veronica and Stoker are practically dying for a new adventure but when their wish is granted, they find themselves up against a secret society and a darkly seductive duo in this landmark historical mystery from beloved New York Times bestselling and Edgar Award–nominated author Deanna Raybourn.

When the corpse of an entitled young man is found entirely drained of blood in a carriage next to Highgate Cemetery, Veronica’s interest is piqued. And then a second victim is found, his death made to look like a suicide, and Veronica and her intrepid beau, Stoker, know the hunt is on. The two men share one link: they were both members of a society so secretive that only a singular mention of it can be found anywhere.

Thirsty for more clues, Veronica and Stoker hear that a young Roma boy may know more about their first victim, but the only way to the boy is through an old acquaintance of Stoker’s, Lady Julia Brisbane. Lady Julia and her dashing husband, Nicholas, occasionally track down murderers and are only too happy to help. But as it becomes clear the secret society is a dangerous sect looking to entice immortality seekers, Veronica and Stoker find themselves ensnared by a decidedly more sinister couple.

The professed leader of the society claims to be a creature of the night; his partner practices witchcraft and they both fancy themselves emissaries of the otherworldly. Just as Veronica and Stoker get closer to learning the true purpose of the society and unraveling this macabre mystery, another body turns up, and they quickly discover they’ve gone from being the hunters to the hunted. . . .

Sophia Rose's Review:

Is a vampire loose in Victorian London? Veronica and Stoker are on the case to find out. After a little hiatus, a favorite author, Deanna Raybourn returns to the Veronica Speedwell series with sensational results in this latest.

A Ghastly Catastrophe is tenth in the Victorian-Era Veronica Speedwell mystery series that work best when read in order to get the character and relationship development occurring over the course of the series. Incidentally, fans of Deanna Raybourn’s earlier historical mystery series featuring Lady Julia and Brisbane will get a wonderful cameo crossover moment.

A Ghastly Catastrophe opens with a bored Veronica and Stoker getting descended upon by a despairing JJ who got fired from her newsletter about the same time Inspector Mornaday arrives to beg their help on some mysterious murders- bodies drained of blood with two punctures on them- that he is not in charge of the case.

Veronica’s rampageous imagination goes into high gear with thoughts of Dracula flairing in her head. Stoker is there to partner her and his keen eyes are looking for a less dark esoteric answer to the deaths. Their case twists, turns and leads them to a dangerous secret society and investigation from the inside becomes necessary.

A Ghastly Catastrophe had all that I love about this series. Veronica and Stoker are a true romantic couple and investigation partners who respect and demonstrate tender care, but they haven’t lost their bantering and healthy, invigorating arguing discussions. This case brings a bone-chilling feel of atmosphere and taut tension. And, the Victorian backdrop is carefully crafted along with the unique restoration work situation Veronica and Stoker have for their day jobs.

All around fabulous and the disappointment of it all being over and now the impatient wait for the next series installment. Historical Mystery fans who like a daring-do, bantering, smart pair of detectives should give this series a whirl.

Author Bio:

New York Times and USA Today bestselling novelist Deanna Raybourn is a 6th-generation Texan. She graduated with a double major in English and history from the University of Texas at San Antonio. She is the author of the Veronica Speedwell Victorian mystery series, and her first contemporary thriller, KILLERS OF A CERTAIN AGE, published in September of 2022 at #9 on the New York Times bestseller list and won the 2022 Barry Award for Best Thriller. Her novels have been nominated for numerous awards including the Edgar, the Macavity, and the Agatha. She makes her home in Virginia.

Website: https://www.deannaraybourn.com/

Sophia’s Bio:

Sophia is a quiet though curious gal who dabbles in cooking, book reviewing, piano-playing, and gardening. Road trips and campouts, museums and monuments, restaurants and theaters are her jam. Encouraged and supported by an incredible man and loving family. A Northern Californian transplant to the Great Lakes Region of the US. Lover of Jane Austen, Baseball, Cats, Scooby Doo, and Chocolate.

As a lifelong reader, it was inevitable that Sophia would discover book blogs and the joy of blog reviewing. Sophia is a prolific reader and audiobook listener which allows her to experience so many wonderful books, authors, and narrators. Few genres are outside her reading tastes, but her true love is fiction particularly history, mystery, sci-fi, and romance. Though, sorry, no horror or she will run like Shaggy and Scooby.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sophia.rose.7587

Twitter: https://twitter.com/sophiarose1816

GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13418187.Sophia_Rose

Sophia Rose Reviews This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me by Ilona Andrews

2026-05-26T05:30:00.000-05:00

This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me by Ilona Andrews

#1 Maggie the Undying

Fantasy

Publisher: Ace

Published: 3.31.26

Pages: 480

Rating: 4.5 stars

Format: eARC

Source: NetGalley

Sellers: Amazon

ADD TO: GoodReads

GoodReads Synopsis:

A page-turning, unforgettable fantasy set in a city peopled with ruffians, spies, malcontents and murderers. Experience out-of-this world adventure and dangerous politics as Maggie tries to survive waking up in her favourite fictional world.

A heart-pounding epic from No. 1 New York Times bestselling author duo Ilona Andrews.

When Maggie wakes up cold, filthy and naked in a gutter, it doesn’t take her long to recognize Kair Toren. It’s a city she knows intimately from the pages of a famously unfinished dark fantasy series – one she’s been obsessively reading and re-reading, while waiting years for the final novel.

Her only tools for navigating this gritty world of rival warlords, magic and mayhem? Her encyclopaedic knowledge of the plot, the setting and the characters’ ambitions and fates. But while she quickly discovers she cannot be killed (though many will try!), the same cannot be said for the living, breathing characters she’s coming to love – a motley band that includes a former lady’s maid, a deadly assassin, various outrageous magical creatures and a dangerously appealing soldier. Soon, instead of trying to return home, she finds herself enmeshed in the schemes – and attentions – of duelling princes, dukes and villains. This all while trying to save them and the kingdom of Rellas from the ending she’s seen on the a cataclysmic war.

This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me is the beginning of the most epic adventure yet from genre powerhouse writing duo Ilona Andrews. For fans of Samantha Shannon, Sarah J. Maas, Danielle L. Jensen and isekai portal fantasy.

Sophia Rose's Review:

When a fantasy series fan gets dropped into the middle of her favorite dark, gritty, politically-charged set of books, her dreams have come true (that is, if one counts nightmares…). Ilona Andrews has written some of my favorite books in several different genres and I was fascinated when This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me, a portal fantasy, was added to their repertoire.

This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me opened on a desperate scene of a starving, naked woman slowly figuring out she has somehow been transported into the world of her favorite fantasy series- a series she has read only the first two books over and over as the author mysteriously never released the next volume. When real life was a pain, Maggie lost herself in Kair Toren. Now, her knowledge of where she is and the plot of what will happen is all she has going for her. She knows full well this fantasy world is brutal, gritty, and she will most certainly die. Though, maybe not now… or now… or now?

Maggie finds a way to survive by the skin of her teeth and a slow build group of misfits and allies. However, her knowledge isn’t nearly enough because she isn’t in this world long when she realizes that not everything is exactly as the books portrayed. Things were omitted, details she never knew about, and oh yeah, her own presence might be affecting the storyline.

This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me was an exciting concept for me as I anticipated reading it. The idea of a booklover getting to live and adventure inside their favorite series. We all joke about wanting to do that very thing though, when it comes to the darker, grittier stuff, we all admit that we wouldn’t survive a day. And, that is the situation Maggie is found in. She makes some funny observations in the beginning that she doesn’t get to be the special snowflake princess with all the powers and all the guys wanting her. No, poor Maggie starts at the absolute bottom when she has to strip a bloated, stinking corpse for even a cloak to cover her nakedness.

I had a blast with this one following along as Maggie survived and then learned to thrive after a time. This was a brutal power struggle of a fantasy and Maggie was the odd woman out trying to work it. So many times I wondered how she was going to make it – hint, hint, she did turn out to be a special snowflake in a way and I won’t spoiler it (though, see series title…hmm).

I wanted to love this completely, but I had several moments of distraction for a while. I couldn’t put my finger on why until I realized that I was simply overwhelmed. I need a re-read/listen. Then also, I think if Maggie had simply been of that world and had her adventures; I might have been less distracted. Her other life head stuff about her life outside the world of the book kept catching me up. Now, that said, once I realized what was going on, I started treating it like I do a dual timeline read and adjusting in that way and I did much better. It didn’t hurt that the world was amazing, the visceral descriptions for the sense, and Maggie and the rest of the cast being such great characters. And, whoosh that cliffie ending. Need to know what comes next, Stat!

And, so, a booklover’s portal fantasy dream was a nail-biter of a good time. Those who like those gamer stories and portal fantasies are the target group for this one. Even those of us who don’t do fantasy that often will have a roaring-good time.

Author Bio:

“Ilona Andrews” is the pseudonym for a husband-and-wife writing team. Ilona is a native-born Russian and Gordon is a former communications sergeant in the U.S. Army. Contrary to popular belief, Gordon was never an intelligence officer with a license to kill, and Ilona was never the mysterious Russian spy who seduced him. They met in college, in English Composition 101, where Ilona got a better grade. (Gordon is still sore about that.)

Gordon and Ilona currently reside in Texas with their two children and many dogs and cats.

They have co-authored several bestselling series, including the #1 NYT bestselling urban fantasy of Kate Daniels, rustic fantasy of the Edge, paranormal romance of Hidden Legacy, and Innkeeper Chronicles, which they post as a free weekly serial. For complete list of their books, fun extras, and Innkeeper installments, please visit their website at Ilona-andrews.com.

Website: https://ilona-andrews.com/

Sophia’s Bio:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/sophiarose1816

GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13418187.Sophia_Rose

Sophia Rose Reviews A Fair Judge by Christina Dudley

2026-05-22T05:30:00.000-05:00

A Fair Judge by Christina Dudley

#6.5 Hapgoods of Bramleigh

Historical Romance

Publisher: Christina Dudley

Published: 1.1.22

Pages: n/a

Rating: 4 stars

Format: ebook

Source: Free with author’s newsletter sign-up

Sellers: n/a

ADD TO: GoodReads

GoodReads Synopsis:

To all who know him, Mr. Norman DeWitt is famous for his few words. But the events of an afternoon at the Blagdon Hill fair force him into action and speech, with telling consequences to his heart.

Sophia Rose's Review:

Can a man who barely utters a sentence at a social event put enough words together when he has just saved the lady of his dreams from a charging love-sick bull? Christina Dudley wrapped up her Hapgoods of Bramleigh series, but I was tickled that her free novella available when I signed up for her newsletter gave a familiar side character throughout the series his own romance.

A Fair Judge happens chronologically in the background of the rest of the series. I chose to read it at the end and, because it is percolating in the background over a few years, I think that is exactly when it was best to read it.

Norman DeWitt is brother to the heroine in book three, but his family are near neighbors to the Hapgoods and he has brief crushes on the oldest Hapgood girls and falls out of love, if love it was, before he has his romantic adventure on the way to a nearby livestock fair on an errand for his father. Norman is born to a gentleman, but he is most interested in farming so enjoys helping his father and older brother on the family estate.

This one time, he encounters a woman he is comfortable enough to exchange a bantering dialogue with and has a strong attraction to, but then a surprise interrupts this early potential of courtship. Over the next few years, he encounters his dream lady once and it was not a pleasant scene at the ball.

Norman’s sister-in-law is determined to match-make, but he sinks more of his time and interest in one of the farms on the estate. No one knows his secret dreams. But, then there is an opportunity for a second chance if caprice doesn’t ruin it for the pair yet again.

This was novella-length, but it was fully developed for plot and characters. There is the amusing mishaps that are signature to the series and, of course, Norman’s silent nature is part of it. I was glad to get this final entry in the series and recommend to other series fans this short, final series romcom.

Author’s Bio:

Christina Hwang Dudley is the author of clean historical and contemporary romance.
Her historical romances include the Hapgoods of Bramleigh and Ellsworth Assortment series of Regency romances, including THE NATURALIST and TEMPTED BY FOLLY.

In contemporary romance, her forthcoming PRIDE AND PRESTON LIN (Third State Books, 2024) riffs on Austen, but this time the story is set in the San Francisco Bay Area, with Asian American protagonists who hail from different ends of the economic spectrum.

Website: https://christinadudley.com/

Sophia’s Bio:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/sophiarose1816

GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13418187.Sophia_Rose