Although we tend to think somewhat exclusively of the Georgian period as the eighteenth century, it extended well into the nineteenth. The end of King George III’s reign and King George IV’s reign were fascinating periods in history, and obviously I was immediately excited when I found out that there was a mystery based on one of the most dramatic moments in British royal history. I am very happy to say that this week’s post is a stop on the Book Tour for The Matter of the Secret Bride by Darcie Wilde!
Thank you to Austenprose and NetGalley for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
The Matter of the Secret Bride, Darcie Wilde
King George IV is petitioning Parliament for a divorce from his queen on the grounds of her adultery. But rumor has it that the king secretly married Maria Fitzherbert—long before he married the queen. Now Mrs. Fitzherbert has been robbed—and she’s frantically calling on Rosalind for help.
Because what those thieves took is proof that she and King George did really marry. That single piece of paper could destroy Mrs. Fitzherbert and her family—or it could prove the king guilty of bigamy.
Rosalind races to investigate. With her is ex-Bow Street officer, Adam Harkness, with whom Rosalind shares a complex and rapidly intensifying bond. But a case of theft soon turns to murder . . .
Josiah Poole, a disreputable attorney specializing in helping debtors—and who was seen entering Mrs. Fitzherbert’s house—is found brutally murdered. Mrs. Fitzherbert has debts. Could she have staged the theft, and employed Mr. Poole to sell the marriage certificate? Or is the truth even more complicated? Mrs. Fitzherbert’s daughters have secrets of their own. And Poole himself had no shortage of enemies.
With suspicious coincidences mounting, and more danger encroaching, Rosalind and Adam must move quickly to unravel a history-making mystery that might just lead them straight to the palace itself . . .
Why You Should Read This…
If you give me a novel that is based around King George IV‘s first Catholic wife, Maria Fitzherbert, I will read it immediately. And I’m very happy to say The Matter of the Secret Bride absolutely delivers.
I went into this book completely fresh other than the blurb- although it is the eighth book in the Rosalind Thorne mystery series, I in no way felt lost or confused. There are not a ton of callbacks, and I appreciated that. (I find mystery series that continuously reference previous books to be somewhat tedious and limiting.)
I think the mystery built around Mrs. Fitzherbert was very smart; while it is a fictional story, it felt like something that could have happened. And Wilde did a great job of setting the scene. She covered the necessary political and social climates that contributed to this period in English history without it feeling clunky. This whole episode is one of the most outlandish for the Georgians, so I think it was an excellent choice.
This mystery does feature some romance, though it is not overwhelming! (I suspect that that would be the element carrying through the series.) It was a fun addition but did not take away from the core mystery. Because the mystery was somewhat complex, this worked well!
All in all, this is a must-read for anyone who enjoys the Georgian period or the Regency (cough, Bridgerton fans!)!
Is The Matter of the Secret Bride by Darcie Wilde on your to-read list?
Cheers,
The Historian
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Thank you for this fantastic review!
Of course, it is such a wonderful novel!!