I absolutely adore all of the books in the "Proper Romance" umbrella and this one was so different! This was such a sweet love story and the perfect read for historical fiction lovers!

Sarah is such a skilled romance writer! She's one of my favorites.

If you’re like me and you don’t read summaries before choosing a book, I’d like to offer a heads-up. This novel includes a grave-robbing component.

First, that element fits with this Dread Penny Society series, which is at times macabre. Sarah’s one of my favorite authors, but as I’ve read this series, I’ve skipped the ghost story penny dreadful chapters when they’re spooky. This story fits right in with the others.

Next, Sarah does a great job with character relationships in her fiction. I loved the setup—that these two are married, but theirs isn’t a typical relationship. The bride has been living elsewhere for a while, with no expectation that she’ll move back in!

I liked that Gemma is full of joy and exuberance—what a twist since she comes from a grave-robbing family and is starved for affection. She loves her freedom, and she longs to be cherished. She also tempers her expectations and hopes, due to her past.

The hero, Dr. Barnabus, is burdened by his heavy thoughts and his sober-minded approach to life. I made this note: he’s verbose, and dry, and intelligent. He’s also clueless of her affection toward him. A fun aspect as well because he’s drawn to her buoyant personality and wants to be closer to her.

We get to revisit earlier characters, who are part of the Dread Penny Society—they’re all authors of the short, haunting reads. They’re also secretly heroic in rescuing or helping those in need. In this story, they take on a formidable foe.

As always, Sarah’s voice in character is excellent, using realistic (or true) colloquialisms. The author also invents several stories to include in each book as written by the characters, which means using several different characters’ voices. She does this very skillfully!

One of the novel’s themes is rejection, or assuming one’s being rejected. There’s a lack of communication that keeps the main characters in the dark. More themes include freedom, safety, service, and overcoming one’s family history.

I liked the layered characters who had already overcome a lot but had more growth ahead. However, because of the grave-robbing aspect, and because my guess is that it gets more involved, I did not finish this novel.

I really enjoy this series, but it has gotten a bit repetitive. Neither the parts of the overarching story told here nor the romance are substantial enough to stretch into a full novel, even with the padding of the penny dreadful stories (two in this one). I liked Gemma and Baz well enough, but their thoughts and conversations kept looping and they never seemed to be getting anywhere.

I like the concept of adding the penny dreadful series' authored by the main characters, but as I'm not terribly interested in the penny dreadful genre in its own right, the parts of the books dedicated to them are becoming tedious now that the initial novelty has worn off (as it must four books into the series).

The story was slow until it picked up at the last 20% or so and I found myself properly interested in it for the first time. Compared to the action and plot twist and reveals at the end, most of this book felt like filler and the substantial parts could have been included in another book. Unfortunately, some of the plot twists didn't make much sense either and I am left with a lot of questions and very few answers. <spoiler>They put all that effort into faking their deaths but didn't think that her no-good relatives the resurrection men would dig them up and expose the plot? Their enemies knew all the time that they were faking their deaths? Then... why bother? And how does it make them able to help now if their enemies know it was all fake?</spoiler>

I'll read the next one, as I already have a copy of it, but I don't have terribly high hopes for it and I likely won't be going out of my way to read more if the series continues.

*Thanks to NetGalley and Shadow Mountain for providing an early copy for review.

The Dread Penny Society is at it again, as the Mastiff again rears his head, and a series of grave robberies point to a dastardly alliance.

Dr. Barnabas Milligan has been keeping a secret, and his friends are shocked to learn the reason by his assumed bachelor status. I was happy when I saw that this book would be about Dr. Milligan, as he has been a wonderful and compassionate friend to his comrades in the Dread Penny Society. It was fun seeing Barnabas and Gemma reconnecting and working together to get to the bottom of the string of deaths.

Another delightful addition to the Dread Penny Society, with strong protagonists, and a riveting plot interspersed with "bonus" stories. One of the penny dreadfuls was a romantic fairy tale quest, and the other was a chilling mystery of scientific phenomena.

Overall, an enjoyable read with plenty going on and likable characters, with a sweet second chance/marriage of convenience romance. Gemma is a clever and courageous heroine, willing to stand up to her past, which I admired her for. Another fun, clean read from the Penny Dreadful Society.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I have been a Sarah M Eden fan for years, and I picked up this series earlier this year on a whim and have loved how unique and different it feels from a lot of historical fiction novels!

The Dread Penny Society series is gritty, full of mystery, intrigue and action, plus just enough romance to keep me invested.

Barnabas and Gemma were such a unique pairing and I loved the tenderness that grew between them as they both let go of their fears and clung to each other.

The plot twists 🤯 I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough. Loved this book and can’t wait for the next one!

It was a very fun and easy read. I loved the push and pull the main characters had.
I wasn't able to connect to the characters as well as I would have liked. But overall it was a nice read.

I absolutely loved this book! I was shocked by the end and loved the slow burn romance! This was an epic addition to the series! I can't wait to see where the last book goes! Loved seeing all the old characters back and the plot continuing on! Such a good one!

I should have written a review when the book's details were fresh on my mind. I didn't and here I am reviewing my general feelings when I read the book.

I loved the characters of Barnabus and Gemma. Gemma was unfortunate when she was born the daughter of a "resurrectionist". Her family was BAD. Barnabus agreed to a "fake" marriage to rescue her from her family. Their interactions were fantastic.

This is a suspense/mystery with a bit of romance. There are some pretty major revelations dropped at the end of the story. Oh my! You do have to read the full story to appreciate the impact of said revelations. I did not see them coming.

Source: I received a complimentary copy via Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

I wish I could give better feedback. This book was a good one in the series and can be a stand alone.

Sara Eden is one of my favorite regency authors. The Bachelor and the Bride delivers some sweet romance but tons of witty banter that always has me wishing the book lasted much longer than it did. Luckily Sarah is great about putting out lots of new books for her dedicated fans.

Another phenomenal addition to a wonderful series rife with romance and mystery. Fans of the Dread Penny Society are sure to enjoy the latest book by the talented Sarah M. Eden.

4*

I love the Dread Penny Society novels and this was no different.

I was thoroughly invested in the relationship between Gemma and Barnabas from the beginning and Eden did a wonderful job of playing with well known tropes, yet turning them on their head.

I recommend for any romance fan, particularly if you enjoy a period drama.

Thank you so much for the copy, but this one just wasn’t for me. I was lost the whole time and I didn’t really get what was going on. I imagine had I known this was in a series I would not have requested it.

It’s well written, but I was lost.

This was another fabulous book in the Dread Penny Society! I enjoy that this book and series focuses more on the misfits of society, many of whom find a place in the Dread Penny Society.

Dr Barnabus Milligan had a secret- none other than a wife! Everyone was shocked when she showed up at his door for help. Gemma had simply been waiting for an invitation to return to her husband's side. But she fears her family connections may put them in too much danger.

These books lean heavier on the mystery/suspense than the romance. The storyline is interesting and kept me guessing. I love the Penny dreadfuls that are interspersed with the chapters. A fabulous read! This book and series are worth your time!

I received a complementary Ecopy of this book from the publisher. All thoughts are my own.

Thank you NetGalley for the advance copy of this book that I did not know is part of a series. I had a difficult time getting into this book, but that might be due to it being book number four in the series. Once I got into the book the reading went so quickly. I needed to know what was going to happen with the bachelor and the bride in the story. I might give the rest of the series a go now to see if I will like this one better.

My Thoughts:

This series of five books is complete. I had read #4 not long ago, but I’m so glad I took the chance to binge read the whole series in a week when I received the final ARC. You can read them as individual books, but the stories are so tightly interwoven that you really should get the whole five-story plot arc together.

And, while billed as “proper romance”, the romance is not, in my mind, the focus of the stories. There are mysteries to solve—each of the first four books lead us into the final showdown.

One common theme of this series is that everyone has a past that has made them who they are. For the most part, difficult pasts have led the focus characters to fight for right and to help the downtrodden, in a society that is still very much run by class.

We begin with a schoolmistress and a former street urchin turned author of “penny dreadfuls”, the lower-class literature that thrilled and entertained. But he’s also a member of a secret society of penny dreadful authors who fight crime (while sometimes committing a few crimes of their own in pursuit of the greater good).

We move on to a music teacher and a gentleman who also writes penny dreadfuls. Then to a bookseller/Russian émigré and an Irishman—again, a writer. And a doctor/writer and his secret wife, who comes from a crime family.

We end with the oddest pairing of all—a woman who committed murder and a police constable.

The mysteries are intriguing. As we learn more and more of the criminal mastermind, the fearsome Tempest, we also learn more of what makes our characters tick. The entire series plays out in a little over a year, and it is nice to be able to follow the aftermath of the prior books as each book moves along. Unlike some series romance, prior characters still play a part beyond name-dropping.

I especially looked forward to the final volume, as I wanted so much to know the why and the how of the formation of the Dread Penny Society. While this was explained, I felt like there could have been more. Likewise with the why of the Tempest’s quest for revenge, and why one particular traitor sold out the Dreadfuls.

I think the elements of intrigue were well-balanced with the romances. These were romances that were allowed to develop, based on admiration and companionship. Each had a reason why it might be impractical, but, despite danger and turmoil, love won the day.

There were many well-developed secondary characters in addition to the ten romantic leads. The street urchins, others of the Dreadfuls, family members—all added to the depth of worldbuilding.

As with other books published by Shadow Mountain, there is no cursing and the narration of the romantic interludes doesn’t progress beyond kissing.

One more note: Each of these books, in addition to the main narrative, contains two “penny dreadful” stories that parallel the main story. So Eden was really writing three stories every time!

Possible Objectionable Material:

Foul play, including thievery and murder, fighting, perilous situations, dishonesty, poverty.

Who Might Like These Books:

Fans of clean romance, Victorian London, mystery and adventure.

Thank you to Shadow Mountain Publishing and NetGalley for providing ARCs of these books in exchange for my honest opinion.

These books are also reviewed at https://biblioquacious.blogspot.com/2023/04/a-penny-dreadful-for-your-thoughts.html

I won't be reading this as it is the fourth book in the series but will read once it have the first three books.

I enjoyed reading this book, I thought it was very different from what I expected but it was so interesting. The characters really got my attention and as I was reading I felt like I was in the story. I specially enjoyed reading about the main characters feelings or lack thereof. It was very well developed in general.

The Bachelor and The Bride was not at all what I expected it to be, but I throughly enjoyed it!
I went into it not realizing it was part of a series, and I’m definitely curious about the other instalments! Without having the background of the previous books, I did find myself a little lost at times, but it didn’t impede my enjoyment of the book.
Both Gemma and Barnabus were such fascinating characters, and I loved how they contrasted each other. Their chemistry and the weight of the unrequited (👀) romance was compulsively readable. I loved Gemma’s spirit and charm, and compared to Baz’s outwardly aloof nature made them such an interesting and easy to root for pairing.
The book was rather plot heavy, which I certainly wouldn’t mind if I’d known the full story, so I won’t count that against it in the slightest.
I greatly enjoy period romances, and I loved how the dialogue and setting was written. It felt authentic and well researched, and I greatly enjoyed this first introduction into the world of the Dread Penny Society, and will absolutely be looking into the rest of the series the next time I’m craving a period romance such as this! I’m very curious to see how the others will compare, and how could I resist those beautiful covers!

This installment was fantastic. I loved the characters and the cleverly crafted plot.
Many thanks to Shadow Mountain Publishing and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.