Lady Anne and the Howl in the Dark and Revenge of the Barbary Ghost by Victoria Hamilton

Lady Anne Addison is not the typical Georgian lady.  She is plain, sharply intelligent, brash, often rude, wealthy--and titled--enough to have more independence than most women of the time.  At eighteen, she allowed herself to be pressured into a an engagement, but when her fiance died before the wedding, Anne realized that she had almost made a terrible mistake and happily makes the best of her newly realized autonomy.  In the six years since her narrow escape of marriage, Anne is quite content to be a spinster.

On receiving a letter from her friend Lydia, she rushes to Yorkshire to see what she can do to help, finds a body, hears tales of a werewolf, meets the haughty Lord Darkefell, and determines to discover the murderer.

Mystery and romance (some passionate kisses) in a not very realistic, but often humorous and entertaining plot.

NetGalley/Beyond the Page
Mystery/Light Romance/Historical Fiction.  2009; April 23, 2019.  Print length:  388 pages.

After Lady Anne's abrupt departure from Yorkshire, she decides to visit her friend Pamela in Cornwall.  Confused over feelings for Darkefell (he is dark and a little broody, but certainly no Heathcliff), she quickly becomes involved in another mystery after seeing the "Barbary Ghost" and a band of smugglers on the beach below Cliff House.

Oh, dear.  The determined Darkefell discovers where she has gone and plans to again attempt to persuade Anne to marry him.  He immediately wants to protect her from danger and continues to spoil his pursuit of marriage by issuing commands that frustrate and anger Anne.

I rarely read romance, but the combination of mystery and suspense has made the Lady Anne Addison series a fun and enjoyable experience.  Anne continues to struggle with her attraction to Darkefell and her need to be able to maintain her independence.  Maybe too many kisses and explanatory sequences, but fun nevertheless.

NetGalley/Beyond the Page
Mystery/Romance/Historical Fiction.  2014; April, 2019.  Print length:  345 pages.