In this historical romantic suspense novel, detective Tom Quick, an orphan himself, joins forces with thief Desiree Malone after she breaks into his office to looking for clues that might help her locate the aristocratic father she’s never known. One of her finds might have a clue to Tom’s past…

The plotting is strong and the intriguing twists and turns will have the reader powering through. Because this was more mystery than romance, it did not hold as strong appeal for me, but the writing and details are good, the connections compelling, and the air of the supernatural appealing.

I received a free advance reader’s review copy of #HisImproperLady from #NetGalley.

I am a big fan of Romance books and I found this one to be a very enjoyable read. I will be looking for more books from this author.

I'm not sure when or why I stopped reading Ms. Camp's stories but I was delighted to pick this one up and have resolved at least to go back and catch up on the entire series particularly since I hope that some of the characters in this book might have their stories next.
Little did Desiree Malone know that a simple break in to the offices of Quick and Moreland would set off a chain of events that would not only bring her the answers she's been searching for but a whole lot more.
Tom Quick is utterly devoted to the Morelands knowing that he owes his life to Reed Moreland who rescued him from the life of a pickpocket. He is friends with his contemporary Malones and now a business partner in the investigation firm. Even as he chases off the lady thief in the night he's an investigator and his search for clues brings him to Desiree's door. He's equally fascinated with the need to help Desiree find answers as he is in the lady herself.
In her search for her long lost father, Desiree and Tom uncover a conspiracy that's been festering for years. Someone clearly does not want them to find the answers given the attempts on both of them and even on the criminal who was responsible in an odd, unforgiveable way for raising them both and taking advantage of them.
The truth is mind boggling and out of it all Desiree not only find's love but she also finds a vast extended family who welcome her and her brothers into their fold.  This book has definitely rekindled my desire to read more from this author.

How great. We get three new Morelands. Desiree Malone is one of the new Morelands and Tom Quick is out to get her. Funny how it turned out. The closer he got the more he liked then loved. Great story with a mystery that brings on the romance. I did know who done it but no spoilers.

This was the first Moreland related book I've read from Candace Camp and I was pleasantly surprised to enjoy it! I'm a fan of Camp's other novels but when I first encountered the Mad Morelands series and saw that it had a fantasy element I wasn't overly interested, since I enjoy historical romance without fantasy or paranormal elements. After giving this one a try though I see that the fantasy element is very light indeed and that I did not find it as uninteresting as I'd expected. The mystery and suspense of this story was really good, I definitely was on pins and needles waiting to see the outcome, though the villain seemed pretty obvious fairly early on, certainly by the 60% point it seemed clear who it was going to be but there was still a lot of other parts that kept me on pins and needles. I especially enjoyed the introduction of the brothers and I'm intrigued to get their stories in the future. Overall the Malone's were much more interesting to me than the Morelands so I'm not upset to have come in to the series at this point. I thought the mystery was more engaging than the romance, though it was fine and developed at a believable pace, which I liked. It was not inta-love or even insta-lust-fall-into-bed-right-away so that made me happy. I did not feel that the characters were as deeply developed as I like, which left the story feeling a bit more light-hearted than my preference, I do enjoy a bit more emotionality and angst, but that's just personal preference. All in all this was excellent and certainly captured my attention, I read it all within 24 hours.

Tom Quick, a co-partner in a detective agency, is determined to solve the mystery of who broke into the agency's office. He nearly caught the intruder and much to his surprise he finds out it's a woman, Desiree Malone. Desiree has agreed to "steal" correspondence in exchange for information about who her father was. Much against his better judgment, Tom agrees to help Desiree and little did they know, they would be thrown into a larger and more deadly quest to find the truth.

This was another ambitious mystery/romance from Ms. Camp involving the Moreland family. Tom has always been protective of the family ever since he was rescued from the streets of London when he was a child and given the opportunity to change his life. He resists every attempt by Desiree to paint the family of deception and wrongdoing. I really liked Tom. He was such an upstanding guy, but it took someone like Desiree who has a strong "intuition" about people and things to really unleash his romantic self. The romance in the book is second behind the mystery driving the plot. I wasn't interested in the sex scenes and skipped most of them so I could find out exactly who the Malone children are. Some of the book is a bit long-winded, but overall, this is another winner from Ms. Camp.

4.5 stars rounded up

When Tom Quick thwarts a break-in to his offices, he is shocked to realize the would-be thief is a woman! She escapes but leaves a clue to her identity – a token from the Farrington Club. It isn’t hard for Tom to track her down and confront her, but never in his wildest dreams could he have anticipated the story she has to tell.

Desiree Malone thought she had left her days of crime behind her, but when the opportunity to learn the truth of who her father is comes up, she can’t resist. When she breaks into the offices of Moreland and Quick looking for an envelope that Falk, the kidsman she used to work for wants, she doesn’t find it, but she does find something that might lead her to her father without having to work with Falk. She is so absorbed in her find, that she doesn’t hear Tom and is nearly caught, she barely gets away and takes to the rooftops to escape. It isn’t until later that she realizes she lost her token – the first one she ever won at her brother Brock’s gaming hell. But she is so excited about her find that she doesn’t worry overmuch about it. While in the office, she found a ring in the desk – with the Moreland crest, she immediately recognizes the ring as the same one her brother Brock has, that was given to him as a small child. Desiree and her twin brother Wells, remember nothing of their parents, but Brock was old enough to know some things, such as their parents were not married, their mother was their father’s mistress, and that they ran away together when the twins were still babies. Brock doesn’t know who their father was, but the man had given him a ring and that ring is an exact replica of the one she found in the office! She is sure her father was a Moreland, which in her mind, explains so much especially since she seems to possess a “gift” and has heard the whispers about the Mad Morelands and their “abilities”. She is trying to figure out how to proceed when she is confronted by Tom.

At first, Tom is sure that Desiree is trying to scam the Morelands and there is no way he will let that happen. Tom too worked for Falk, a fact that surprises them both, but he was saved by Reed Moreland and given a new life, which makes him very protective of the family. But as evidence begins to mount, Tom realizes that Desiree is not trying to hurt the family, she is just looking for answers. He agrees to help her and after visiting the Morelands, it becomes clear that while she is not from the Duke’s immediate family, she is in fact a Moreland. But even that knowledge doesn’t quell the uneasiness she is feeling and there is still the mystery of why her parents left without making provisions for them. But the more she and Tom begin to grow closer and to dig for answers, the more her uneasiness increases and it is clear that someone doesn’t want them finding the answers!

This was a well-written and interesting story that was more mystery than romance. The mystery was well-paced and perfectly executed with plenty of suspects and motives, the romance was a bit more subtle, which worked wonderfully for this book. My only real complaint was the constant incorrect use of the titles Lord and Lady Moreland, there would actually not be anyone addressed as Lord/Lady Moreland, but the author used it for everyone with the last name Moreland, so not only is it incorrect usage, but it makes it confusing to know which Moreland she is referencing. I enjoyed this book and I am hoping that there will be more installments that include Desiree’s brothers, This is the eighth book in the series, but it could easily be read as a standalone title with no problem, and while it is not necessary, to really understand the “Mad Morelands” I would recommend reading the books in order.

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that I requested and was provided to me by the publisher. All opinions in this review are my own. *

Suspend disbelief and you can really enjoy this Victorian-age romance. This is an enjoyable new entry in Camp’s series about various members of the eccentric Moreland family. In this one, the hero, Tom Quick, is the orphan boy that the family brought into their fold when he was caught picking the pocket of one of the family. Now he’s all grown up and working in a detective agency. He gets involved helping that enticing Desiree Malone track down clues trying to figure out the mystery of her father and what happened to her parents when they seemingly abandoned her and her brothers when they were little. Throw in some mysterious extra-sensory powers and Cirque du Soleil-like acrobatic skills and Desiree is one very attractive woman for Tom. Yes, she’s improper, but then Tom would never have wanted a proper lady so they’re just right for each other.

I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book that I received from Netgalley; however, the opinions are my own and I did not receive any compensation for my review.

His Improper Lady is an exciting mystery that often seems like a trip through a maze. There are numerous versions of “the truth,” threats of blackmail, physical attacks, a heated romance, a little mysticism, and naturally, a lot of Morelands...some series fans are familiar with and some more distant relatives. Fans know that Candace Camp’s Regency period main characters never are stuffy or particularly stifled by propriety which makes the series so enjoyable. I voluntarily reviewed an advance copy of this book from NetGalley. Most highly recommend.