This book contained three wonderfully different stories from the 1800s. None of the stories are related to each other but the common thread is that in each story there is a strong woman who stood up for what she believed and felt was right. My favorite of the three was the first story with the Robin Hood smuggler and his lady. All three of these stories could be developed into a full-length novel that would be intriguing stories to read.

If you are looking for a story that has suspense, romance and that keeps you up late into the night reading, this book would satisfy your need. These stories are sweet and clean stories with no foul language and in each story, the characters refer to a belief in God and it is wound into the story and doesn't feel preachy at all.

I was given an arc copy of this book and I offer my honest review willingly.

Each of these stories contains mystery and action, along with sweet romance. With well developed characters, all three stories are enjoyable reads. The stories are set in the 1800s and are true to the time. Author Michelle Griep gives us plenty of descriptions so we understand the “why” of things, along with being able to see the settings.

With faith threaded throughout, the characters learn to lean on God through the storms of life. However I would in no way call these stories preachy. I always enjoy Griep’s books, and this one doesn’t disappoint. I’m already looking forward to her next release. If you enjoy historical fiction then you’re sure to enjoy Ladies of Intrigue.

I received a complimentary copy of this book but was not required to leave a review.

I discovered Michelle Griep in 2018 and since then found that I enjoy her stories. She has a unique entertaining way of bringing characters to life and her characters are unique and interesting.

This was the same with this set of novellas. Each novella brought interesting characters, some mysterious event and a sweet love story. The three female characters were quite independent, feisty characters who found themselves in interesting situations where they needed a dashing hero. The plot of each novella was also interesting with some thievery, medical emergencies and a haunted house mystery.

Recommended for fans of Christian historical fiction.

Three stories, involving three women with very different settings and backgrounds, yet they manage to fit together by their main character's pluck and dedication. Helen, in "The Gentleman Smuggler's Lady," has come to England to care for her ailing father, with the generosity of the Seaton family enabling her to have left her job as a governess to do so. However, she isn't sure she can trust her host, as her first experience with him has him kidnapping her off her newly arrived ship after having looted it. "The Doctor's Woman," Emmy, is just about to travel to her aunt's home after her father, the town's doctor, has died, to return to a "civilized" life of dining and dancing. Instead, she finds herself being called upon to use her medical experience within the nearby fort. A temporary doctor arrives, and together, they see to the needs of the fort's occupants, and the large group of Sioux which has been led into the fort for temporary containment. The third woman, Amanda, is happily betrothed to the city attorney, Joseph, in "A House of Secrets. Yet, as she attempts to please her father by taking on a large charity project, she soon finds that the titular house is not the only thing hiding secrets.

I enjoyed this collection of stories more than I expected, with Helen and Isaac, perhaps, being my favorite characters. I enjoyed the banter, and how the women in all three stores were strong, and spoke their minds, yet meshed well with the men who admired their spunk. All three women were looking to serve, putting others' needs above their own. The men in their lives supported and enhanced these pursuits, with encouragement and enthusiasm, rather than condescension or apathy.

I give this book 4 stars. It's really hard to feel invested in characters in such a short space, but I feel that this author did a service to her Ladies, and I wish only that there was more to their stories so I could read more about them!

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for my honest review.

GREAT READs!
An enjoyable collection of reads that are have intriguing storylines with suspense, a touch of mystery, passion and emotionally charged. An amazing must read.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of Ladies of Intrigue. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Three very different stories--filled with love, romance, and chivalry. I enjoyed all three, but I think I prefer the ones where the first meeting of the couples is a part of the events. I just love watching the chemistry bloom--or distain morph--into something more substantial. Michelle Griep is adept at this! (Because of this, my true favorite was the The Gentleman Smuggler's Lady!!)

Thank you to NetGalley and Michelle Griep for the ARC!

Reading the three novellas, I had a question for author Michelle Griep - do you like the smell of Sandalwood? At least two of the gentlemen main characters in these novellas wore a sandalwood scent.

Michelle Griep does an excellent job of appealing to the senses - from the mention of scents to descriptions of how things looked - readers can almost see and smell what is happening in the stories. The stories appear to be well-researched. Her characters are engaging and like-able. The female main characters are strong and spur the men in their lives to do what is right. By the end of the stories you want to know what happens next, leaving room for possible continuation of each of the stories. The stories involve learning to trust those you love as well as working for what you know to be right. Faith in God is evident in these stories.  I enjoyed these three novellas, which were an easy-read.

I received a complimentary e-copy of this book.

Ladies of Intrigue is a book with three short stories by Michelle Griep. I actually am very fond of short stories, they are my favorite because they are fast paced and usually have a unique premiss, so I was very happy to receive an e-arc from Netgalley! And there is some serious cover envy going on. That blue is spectacular! Anyway, let’s get to the main feature: the words itself ;)

The Gentleman Smuggler starts of with a bang, where our two protagonists meet at opposite ends of a robbery. Though if it’s really a robbery remains to be seen. When Helen meets her gentleman robber again, she might give him in to the authorities... or maybe hear his side of the story. The idea of this story is great and I liked the writing, but i have to admit the ending fell a bit falt for me, there were a few things I thought very unrealistic, but I would be spoiling it. But it doesn’t ruin the story at all, it’s still very enjoyable! Oh, and awesome side characters!

The second story is about a doctor and the daughter of a doctor, ending up working together in a fort alongside Nativr Americans. The build up of this story is very well done, and I’ve grown to care for the characters. There was not much mystery here but enough romantic moments to make up for it!

The third story is my favorite! There are a few secrets in this one, and the question is if it will drive Amanda and Joseph apart... the romance and courtship between Joseph and Amanda is epic, I love how she can be totally herself with Joseph even though she very much seeks and is denied the approval of her father, and society. Joseph is an amazing man and tries his best to right every wrong even at his own cost. I’ve never liked a politiciam before, lol!

Overall I really enjoyed the stories. There wasn’t a dull moment, the pacing was right and the words flowed. There was much cute banter, which I adored! The only downside is that it’s more romance than mystery, though mystery is promised on the cover. For me that is not an issue, I’m not reslly a fan, but if you’re looking for a “who dunnit” story this might not be it. If you’re a fan of romance with a strong plot going on, this is totally for you!

This book was a lot of fun to read. Who doesn’t love a heroine who knows her mind? Everyone in each story is so unique and I would’ve happily read a full length novel about any of them. It’s also nice to be able to finish a story and grab another cup of coffee before you dig into the next one. Griep kept my interest the whole time, and I couldn’t wait to find out what was going to happen next. Knowing your mind and letting it get you into trouble often go hand in hand. I loved seeing these ladies grow and learn to lean on others instead of just themselves. A prime example of how we are often better with a helpmate. From a nurse to a lady of society everyone can make a difference, and I enjoyed being along for the ride. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys Romance with intrigue mixed in. Some story’s started with the main characters butting heads, while in another they were already in love, but had secrets that can hurt even the strongest bonds. I enjoyed every moment of it. I received a copy of this book from Barbour Books and was in no way forced to post a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own.

I was about a quarter of the way into The Gentleman Smuggler’s Lady, the first in this three-book collection, when I started getting an unsettling feeling of deja vu. A few more pages and I was sure I’d read the book before, though it took a close look at my Goodreads library before I figured out where. It was part of a box set called The Regency Brides Collection, published in 2017. Obviously a limited time run, that set is no longer available and the author has bundled this story with the other two books to create a collection of her own. The story doesn’t appear to have been revised or expanded for this re-issue, since I did read it through completely and the issues I had with it still stand. I’m reproducing my original review of the story here:

If you like Poldark, you’ll enjoy this one set on the rugged Cornish coast with smugglers and excise men aplenty. While nicely written, I quibbled with a few things such as Helen’s becoming engaged immediately after her father’s death with no mourning period, and the fact that there was no real resolution with the invisible antagonist of the plot. Enjoyable but probably needed to be about double the length. Four stars.

The second two books in this set are new to me, and both American pioneer romances rather than English historical.

The Doctor’s Woman is set in the Dakota Territory in 1862. Emmy Nelson was her doctor father’s assistant for many years, and after his death, finds herself roped into assisting the new doctor at the military fort, Dr. James Clark, in caring for the soldiers and an encampment of friendly Sioux close by. With measles, smallpox and injuries to deal with, James acts like a complete idiot. Despite claiming to Emmy that he’d read her father’s books and respected them a great deal, he considered his book-only education far superior to her hard-won experience and hands-on training and discounted every word she said. The really disappointing part, though, after he fell deathly ill with measles and then pneumonia, was that Emmy still had to get help from a ‘magical Indian’ friend to save him. With an arrogant hero I wanted to strangle and a racist trope thrown in, this one was a bit of a disaster. I can’t give it more than one star.

The third story, A House Of Secrets, is set in St Paul, Minnesota, in 1890 and is easily the best of the three. Amanda is the socialite daughter of a wealthy businessman, engaged to Joseph, the city attorney. Determined to turn a ruined, abandoned mansion into a school for underprivileged children, Amanda runs into the unexpected obstacle of her fiance while trying to obtain the deed. While James comes across as officious and judgmental at first as we meet him in the act of trying to shut down a brothel, he turns out to have good reason for despising prostitution and is doing his altruistic best to help young women who want to leave that life. This did read very short, though, perhaps because we start off in the middle of Amanda and Joseph’s romance. I’d have enjoyed this more with a full novel, because I wanted to read more of their love story and see them interact more. Four stars.

Overall I’m giving this three stars; bookended by two solid stories which would nevertheless have been improved by some more length to flesh out the plots and relationships, they were dragged down by one in the middle I thoroughly disliked.

I've read and enjoyed several other books by the author before, but I found this one somewhat disappointing. It consists of three novellas (the first of which I had previously read in some other collection, though I didn't realise it until I started reading) that would all be great as full length books but felt rather too rushed and abrupt as the lengths they were. All in all, though each one was good as far as it went, none of them went far enough, and the last one in particular I ended up a bit confused about one scene, which a novel-length story would have been able to clarify. If you like shorter stories, these may suit you, but personally I wasn't thrilled and probably won't re-read them - though if the author ever expands them to the length they felt like they should be and publishes them, I'd happily read them.

Summary: Clean and well-written, with interesting storylines - but not meeting their full potential in any one of the three stories. 3.5 stars.

Note that I received a complimentary copy of the book from NetGalley. I was not required to write a positive review and this is my considered opinion of the book.

Summary: Ladies of Intrigue is a novel containing three short stories by Michelle Griep set in the 1800s.

The first story, The Gentleman Smuggler’s Lady, is set in 1815 England. Helen Fletcher is grateful, but worried. A stranger has paid her passage to be at her dying father’s bedside. Before she even arrives however, her ship is boarded by smugglers. Will she make it to her father’s bedside in time, and what kind of man is Isaac Seaton really-her mysterious benefactor?

The second, The Doctor’s Woman, is set in 1862 Dakota Territory. Emmy Nelson is struggling with the death of her doctor father, and the demands of an overbearing aunt. Her dreams have been crushed, and she has no choice but to pack her things and move away from the place she loves.

Before she can leave, she is suddenly summoned to Fort Snelling for a medical emergency. Relying on all of her father’s training, she is pushed into action to help save the patient.

But she isn’t the only one who arrives. Dr. James Clark has arrived as the new fort doctor, and has very strict beliefs in regards to medicine. Can the two work together-especially when a dangerous illness begins to spread throughout the fort?

The third story, A House of Secrets, takes place in 1890 Minnesota. Amanda Carston is happy. She is going to marry the man she loves, and as Ladies Aide Chairwoman, she has a fantastic idea to begin cleaning up downtown, and hopefully gain her father’s approval in the process. But why is her fiance so set against her plans? What could he be hiding? And will she finally be able to do something that will make her father proud of her?

My Thoughts: This book was wonderful. I was sucked in right away with The Gentleman Smuggler’s Lady-the writing was fantastic (almost poetic), and it was the perfect blend of roguish Robin Hood hero, and damsel in distress. I thoroughly enjoyed it. My only complaint was that I wished it would have been longer so I could keep reading! I would love a sequel starring Isaac’s sister-there could be so much more to cover. HINT. HINT. Anyway, I think you can tell I liked it.

Both of the other stories were also well-written, and had interesting characters and storylines. I very much enjoyed the book, and it is worth the read. I look forward to reading more books by Michelle Griep in the future as well.

As always, I would like to thank Barbour Publishing, Inc. for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for my unbiased review.

I enjoyed all three of the books in this collection. They were sweet, wholesome romances, with interesting characters and plot, but not too sappy to be exaggerated and overly sentimental. All set in the 1800's, each book has great character development and a bit of mystery in the plot to keep it from being predictable. Each book kept well to the period in which the setting occurs. Although each book was enjoyable, my favorite was A Doctor's Woman, the second story in the book. It appealed to me the most simply because it has a strong, female protagonist who practices medicine alongside a man she comes to love. The book is set at a military post and also has early American Indians as characters. These are some of my favorite elements in a historical novel. The Gentleman Smuggler's Lady (the first story in the book) was my second favorite and was interesting because of the secrets, mystery and elements of danger involved. I enjoyed the characters and their interactions with one another. A House of Secrets was the final story in the book. Although I did enjoy it, it was my least favorite. I didn't really care for the main female character, Amanda, but found her fiance, Joseph to be very interesting. One thing that caused me to not like Amanda as much was her reaction when finding out Joseph's secret. I felt she was a bit shallow in her reaction. I won't give any more details to ruin the story, but she did (sorta) redeem herself in the end. All-in-all, I did enjoy this collection of historical novellas.

Michelle Griep has such a way with her descriptions! And in reading this collection, I realized that she not only uses intriguing metaphors, she often has them tie into the story itself in a unique way.

My favorite story in this collection was The Gentleman Smuggler's Lady. Full of the author's rich language and humorous situations, the story was well-paced. In addition to the romance was a gentleman's dilemma of seeking justice (um, maybe revenge?) or allowing the Lord to be the one to set things to right.

While at the climax of the story I expected Helen to be the one to extract them from their difficulty,, I was not expecting the solution to be what it was!

The Doctor's Woman was the most serious of the stories as Emmy found herself assisting the handsome doctor at the Fort. I was saddened by the attitudes towards the Indians, though not surprised. The adventure here was more a battle over disease and treatment methods. (Dr. James Clark was amusing, being scornful about Emmy's dismissal of such a scientifically proven method as using leeches!)

A House of Secrets paired the insecure Ladies Aide Chairwoman, Amanda, who was trying to prove her worth to her father, with Joseph, an attorney with secrets he feared would cause him to lose the woman he loved. As they both battled the evils of their city, they learned that their secrets could only drive them apart.

I’m so excited to have seen a review for this book which inspired me to pick it up! Jaycee Weaver is a new author for me but you can expect to see more reviews for her here as I plan on reading many more of her books!


I was given a copy of this book for free. I was not required to give a favorable review nor was any money received for this review. All comments and opinions are my own.

I had an opportunity to read The Gentleman Smuggler's Lady once before and was pleased to find it among this collection. Helen was to travel aboard ship to help her ailing father but got much more than she bargained for. Pirates....and a handsome one at that, set her heart roiling like the sea itself. Things are not always as they seem so this story takes a surprising turn as Helen earns her niche as an intriguing lady. Sometimes a novella can be too short to capture the heart of the story but not so for The Gentleman Smuggler's Lady.


The Doctor's Woman, set in Fort Snelling is a testament of Michelle's talent as a writer of historical fiction set in military outposts in middle America. Harsh conditions tested the mettle of the men who served and the courageous women who joined their husbands far from conventions of society. The story of Emmy and James is one such story, but what sets this novella apart from others is how they came to work together. Their love was not found in ballrooms nor cotillions but among the caring way they cared for the Dakota women and children encamped at Fort Snelling. This is heartwarming and a worthy read for those who enjoy American Historical fiction.


A House of Secrets is a glimpse into the "Gay Nineties" when lovely young ladies belonged to "well intentioned" organizations based on service projects and planned social events to improve the lot of the less fortunate. By and large the members were protected from the unpleasant side of life and followed the norms of decorum of the day. Amanda Carston, new chair for the Ladies Aide Society was not so demure as to sip tea when she had goals to achieve for the annual service project. She meant to start school for the poor and was willing to go to great lengths to achieve her goal.

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Her fiancee was involved with his own project and the timing of his plans nearly collide with hers. As City Attorney, his job was on the line and his investigation of shady characters keeps this story going. This story has seemingly complex characters but Amanda was pretty predictable, albeit sweet. She learned a lot while pursuing her service project, and found out the hard way what a dedicated man Joseph was to her. I enjoyed the way Michelle tied up the tangled web of good intentions and misunderstandings.

If you like historical fiction, I recommend Ladies of Intrigue with 4 stars. I found this collection a good traveling companion on a very long flight.

Three very different stories spanning the 19th century offering quirky characters, romance…and mystery.

Set in Regency England, The Gentleman Smuggler’s Lady offers mystery and intrigue coupled with adventure and wrapped in romance. It wasn’t my favorite story in the collection, but I did like it this novella as it offered another side of the Regency era that isn’t often featured in Christian fiction.

Book two, The Doctor’s Woman, was not my favorite. I’m not a huge fan of Civil War fiction, and so I mostly skimmed this story. The characters mostly seemed likeable, but the story just wasn’t my cup of tea.

My favorite story in this collection was A House of Secrets. I loved the characters and the mystery in this story kept me guessing. There was a slightly eerie feeling to the novella that I really liked. I also loved that it was set in late October, further lending to that spooky atmosphere and creating the perfect reading experience.

Another fun and unique set of stories from an author I am quickly coming to love. If you love historical romance with a dash of intrigue and an inspirational message, you’ll want to give this book a try.

All opinions expressed in this review are my own. Thank you to Barbour Books and NetGalley for the chance to read this delightful collection of romance and intrigue in the 19th century.

Ladies of Intrigue by Michelle Griep has three faith filled historical short stories. Each exciting story is set in a different time period and three very unique ladies. All the stories have a message of how God is present and working in a believer’s life. While this is a collection of short stories I felt all were complete and not too short. I especially liked the second story because of the frontier medicine. I received a complimentary copy of this book from Netgalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. I appreciate the opportunity and thank the author and publisher for allowing me to read, enjoy and review this book.

This was a delightfully entertaining collection of three short stories. I have just been starting to get into historical fiction and this book definitely helped keep my interest in this genre. I thoroughly enjoyed all three of these stories and will definitely pick this book back up and do a re-read of it.

Griep's collection of stories will hold your interest from The Gentleman Smuggler's Lady  to The Doctor's Woman and lastly  A House of Secrets.
Beautiful, dramatic settings, engaging characters, with interesting dialog between the characters and each have a lovely ending. There is a spiritual content flowing through each of these as told by a master story teller..........All opinions expressed in this review are my own.  My thanks to Barbour Books and NetGalley for the chance to read this delightful collection of romance and intrigue taking place in the 19th century.

Three Romantic Tales Set in the 19th Century

Each of the three tales is a love story with some mystery. One couple is engaged. The other two have just met, but each couple has a complete story.

The Gentleman Smuggler’s Lady pairs Helen, a governess returning to England to care for her pastor father, with Issac, a smuggler. However, the smuggler is also the owner of an estate who has given her father a cottage to live in and the sustenance to care for him in his illness. Helen doesn’t want to hide a lawbreaker, but she is beholden to him for her father’s care.

The Doctor’s Woman brings Emmy Nelson, the daughter of a missionary doctor, into contact with Dr. James Clark, the new doctor at Fort Snelling. During a Dakota uprising the doctor has no one to help him except Emmy. They find a new respect for each other and love.

A House of Secrets features an engaged couple, Amanda and Joseph. Both want to help the poor of the city. Amanda, Ladies Aide Chairman, wants to start a school. Joseph want to help young women escape from prostitution. Although their aims are the same, a secret separates them.

The three stories are delightful romances. I have to admit the first was my favorite probably because of the action. However, the other two are well done with characters you can relate to and well described settings. All three are true to the era. They showcase Christian ideals and the romance is clean and delightful. If you enjoy historical romance, these are good novellas.

I received this book from Barbour Books for this review