I've read and loved the previous books in this series and anxiously awaited for Charlotte's story. Charlotte's been in America studying to become a doctor, but before she can begin her first assignment after graduating she receives a letter from her father asking her to come home because he's fallen ill. While on the journey home, Charlotte's father dies. While taking care of things at the estate, she comes across some old letters belonging to her mother, which raise several questions and suggest that maybe her mother's death wasn't an accident.

There are so many things I loved about this book. I like that it's set in the Victorian era because women were getting a little more freedom and holding jobs other than being a seamstress or governess. I loved that Charlotte followed her dream to become a doctor and how John supported her, as there were many men who thought women were too delicate or not intelligent enough to be in medicine. I loved the multiple POV and getting to catch up with Charlotte's cousins and catch up on their lives since they found love.

I love romantic suspense and no one does it better in a historical setting than Nancy Campbell Allen. The mystery kept me guessing who wanted Charlotte's family gone and what their motive could've been. I love, love, love that John fell first and thought he and Charlotte had fantastic chemistry!! Speaking of John, I really liked that he followed his own path and not one his family picked out for him. I found him so swoony and thought he was perfect for Charlotte!

One of my favorite lines from John showed how much he cared about Charlotte. "To not have her in his life at all would be worse than loving her from a safe distance."

This can be read as a standalone but I highly recommend all of the books in this series. You won't be disappointed. I loved each of them. I received a digital copy from Shadow Mountain via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I ended up enjoying this book! I love regency and Victorian romanced and I was skeptical about the “Pure Romance” line. While this book didn’t have as ma at lingering glances to build the romance, I really enjoyed the friendship between the main characters, the relationships with secondary characters, and the mystery element. It was well-written with good dialogue and an enjoyable read!

The Notorious Hampton gets her story! I LOVE Nancy Campbell Allen's historical novels, so this was a treat! Charlotte Hampton ("of the notorious branch of the Hamptons," haha), returns to England for her father's funeral. He had been suspecting the death of his wife a decade ago was, in fact, murder. Charlotte has to decide what to do with this unsettling information, so she turns to her good friend and London's police force director, John Ellis. They unravel clues, investigate the cold case, and unfortunately attract attention from the murderer. And during the course of events, they fall in love of course!

I loved the historical details and the suspense. I always enjoy interesting jobs--and director of the police force and a trailblazer woman doctor are both fantastic. I had a bit of a hard time getting into the story, as it begins with the mystery and I didn't have an emotional connection as to whether or not Charlotte learned the truth (I'm here for the historical fiction and romance--mystery is an added bonus). I was curious if Charlotte's father was murdered as he got too close to the truth, but that's unclear. The romance is sweet. I liked the second half of the story the most. The group of friends is nice to revisit and the I enjoyed this final (but also stand alone) addition!

I listened to the Audiobook and the narrator was pleasant (I did speed it up a tad).

This book is about Charlotte Duvall, a medical doctor in 1887. She has just graduated from medical school in America when she receives news of her father’s death. When she goes through his belongings after the funeral, she discovers things that suggest that her mother’s death a long time ago wasn’t as simple as she has been told. She starts to investigate with help from her friend John Ellis, director of London’s police.

John Ellis fell for Charlotte the first time they met but has never had the courage to tell her. Now when she’s back in London, he does whatever he can to help her with the investigation and protect her from harm.

The story is told from the point of view of both Charlotte and John. I like when it alternates between the main characters; it gives more depth to the story.

This is book three in a series, but it could be read as a stand-alone. I haven’t read the other two before this one, but I think it worked quite well. Maybe you get more invested in the story if you read the others before, but it’s not absolutely necessary to read them.

I liked the book and the characters overall. It is quite fun sometimes and is never boring. The love story is quite cute. Well worth reading, but maybe nothing that stays in your mind forever.

Charlotte Duvall receives a letter from her dying father, that alludes to her mother's death not being an accident. She returns home after her father's death and starts investigating. She sees her longtime friends again, especially John Ellis who is the director of the police. She tells them of her mother's death possibly not being an accident. John helps her try to solve the mystery. When more and more suspicious activity and threats happen to Charlotte, they know they must be getting close.

I really enjoyed this story. It was my first read by this author, and I loved her writing style. I loved both main characters, Charlotte and John. They are the friends to lovers trope, and I loved it. I really liked how they got together. They are both so brave, romantic and work well together. I also liked the other friends. I did not read the other books in this series, but I wasn't confused so it definitely works as a standalone. I want to go back and read the others though. The mystery element was really well done, and I enjoyed watching them figure out who killed Charlotte's mom. Overall, this is a great clean historical romance and I definitely recommend.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from netgalley. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.

3.5
I enjoyed the mystery aspect and also the parts regarding Charlotte's career as a doctor. I didn't think the romance was believable and I felt like a relationship between Charlotte and Dirk would have made more sense. It was still an enjoyable read though! I recommend for fans of historical fiction/romance.

Absolutely love this story. The mystery held great red herrings, subtle clues and awesome pacing.

The romance was the perfect amount of slow burn. I loved the friends to lovers vibe that gave their relationship both depth and tension.

It was impossible to put down.

Excellent…perfect…proficiency from surprise to surprise.
Many thanks to Shadow Mountain Publishing and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

My favorite of the series! Set in the Victorian Era this was such a satisfying mystery. Charlotte is studying in America to become a doctor, receives a letter from her dying father with questions about her mother’s death and comes home to England. With the help of her friends she seeks to uncover the truth. Her slow burn romance with her friend and detective, John, is so sweet. I highly recommend it. The third in the series but can be read as a stand alone.

I enjoyed this book. I loved that we got to see characters from the previous 2 books and see what they had been up too. I liked that we got to see Charlotte and John finally admit their feelings for each other. I also loved how engaging the story was as we tried to solve the case along with the characters. I was on the edge of my seat while reading the book and didn’t want to put it down. This is a series that I will read over and over again.

I received a complimentary book from publishers, publicists, and or authors.  A review was not required and all opinions and ideas expressed are my own.

WOW! This book is PHENOMENAL! It is gripping, intriguing, romantic, heartbreaking, hopeful, sweet, full of twists and turns, and so much more! Whenever I picked up "Protecting Her Heart", I was whisked back in time to the Victorian Era, and went on such an emotional journey with this story.

Nancy Campbell Allen is an amazing author whose storytelling jumps right off of the page. Her writing is incredibly visceral, detailed, and immersive. As the reader, I was hooked from the very first page to the last, and found myself turning the pages into the early hours of the morning to see what was going to happen next. Furthermore, her characters all feel like such real people as well.

Charlotte, a doctor living in America, receives a letter from her father referencing her mother's death, and she rushes home. However, she does not arrive before he passes away, and Charlotte decides she must get to the bottom of what really happened to her mother, as she begins to suspect her death was not an accident. She is welcomed home by her friends and family (the cousins), who try and help Charlotte discover the truth. As she begins to spend more time with her friend John as they investigate further into what happened to her mom, their feelings for one another continue to deepen, blossom, and come to the surface. However, some other people are out to stop Charlotte from discovering the truth, and do not care who gets hurt along the way.

(Possible Spoilers!)
OH MY GOODNESS! Charlotte and John are absolutely perfect together, and are truly one another's happily-ever-after. Both are so brave, kind-hearted, intelligent, and have such loving hearts. They support one another in such a beautiful way, and the respect and love they have for each other is so beautiful to read. They are simply so sweet!

I absolutely adore Charlotte, John, Eva, Nathan, Amelia, and Michael, and their relationships to one another are so beautiful to read!

If you enjoy Historical Romance and / or Historical Mystery, I HIGHLY recommend this book! I so look forward to reading what Nancy Campbell Allen writes next.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Shadow Mountain Publishing for the e-ARC of this novel, and to Shadow Mountain Publishing for the physical ARC as well, it is incredible! All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I loved the two previous books about the Notorious Hampton cousins, and I was so excited to get a chance to read Charlotte’s story early. And I loved it, too! This book has a mystery and a romance, two of my favorite things! As much as I love this book, I was also sad to see it end, as I think this means the end of this book world, (unless Sally gets a story one day? 🙏🏻🤞🏻) and I have enjoyed every minute I’ve gotten to spend there. I haven’t read many Victorian Era books that have a really good mystery and romance, and I’m always happy when I find one. And I thought it was really cool that Charlotte was a doctor in a time when there were very few women in that profession.

“John watched her prepare to leave and finally understood the word “longing”.”

* These strong, charming men who have a soft spot for the girl? Love
* This mystery is intriguing so far and I like it!
* Kinda didn’t see the whodunit but definitely should have! Very well done.

This was such a sweet and fun book! I love this series and this was a fabulous way to end it!

Charlotte and John are such good characters and I loved their story! I loved the build up to the love and the way it all played out. They are so supportive of each other and I appreciated that the miscommunication trope wasn’t too heavy in there.

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

I kept putting off reading this book because I knew once I started I wouldn't be able to stop and I was right. I have loved this series. The Notorious Hamptons are such a fun bunch. I've loved getting to know the younger ones and seeing them find their HEAs. This stories are full of love, romance, mystery and peril. Charlotte is an amazingly strong woman. I was so proud of her love and determination. John was such a great hero for her. He understood her and loved and supported her. I loved their story. The case and mystery was tragic. It shed a light on a world we know, but try to ignore, as has been the case in this whole series. The end wrapped up rather quickly and I still have a couple questions, but I'll just have to make up my own answers I guess.

I like this final in the series and loved all the characters, it's slow burn, but honest friendships and relationships and independent women for the time.

This latest installment of the Matchmakers series raises the stakes quite a bit. Although the earlier books do include some danger, they fall more in the realm of cozy mysteries. This one had a touch more grit. This might be in part because some years have passed since the last book. The characters are a little older and more experienced in terms of crime scenes, injuries, and illness. Charlotte’s cousins are both married with children while Charlotte herself has become a skilled physician and surgeon in America. John has similarly spent the intervening years focused on work. It was interesting to see them reconnect. I also enjoyed catching up with characters from the earlier books. It was especially fun to see the Van Horne sisters up to their usual antics.

BRIEF REVIEW
I really enjoyed this one! The characters were likable. There was honestly never a point where I wanted to stop reading! I stayed up late a couple of times because I wanted that notorious "just one more chapter." And I could not settle on a theory! This is the third in the series, and I like that it takes place several years after the second book.

READ IF YOU LIKE
🇬🇧Victorian England
🩺FMC with education and experience
💕Sweet romance
❓Mystery

BRIEF CONTENT GUIDE
😘Mild romance
🙊No swearing
🍷Mild substance use
🤕Moderate violence/illness/injury

FULL REVIEW AND CONTENT GUIDE on blog (link in bio)

BOTTOM LINE
In my opinion, this was the best in the series! If you haven't read the others, you'll probably want to read those first, as this one takes place several years later and give some spoilers.

Many thanks to the author, @netgalley, and @shadowmountainpub for the digital copy.

If you enjoy Victorian romance with plenty of intrigue and mystery, Nancy Campbell Allen’s Matchmakers series is for you! Protecting Her Heart gives readers the long awaited romance between Charlotte and John, and has so many swoony moments. I’m hoping we see these characters again, and I had my head turned by a few others whose stories haven’t been told yet….hint hint! Definitely add this one to your TBR. 4/5 stars

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

Protecting Her Heart by Nancy Campbell Allen is the third book in her Victorian mystery romance series and it was well worth the wait. Charlotte Duvall has recently graduated from medical school in the United States. She receives a cryptic letter from her father, telling her that her mother’s death may not have been the accident everyone believes. Before she can speak to him in person, however, he dies. After the funeral, Charlotte is determined to look into her mother’s death—but someone is just as anxious to make sure she doesn’t. With the help of her friend John Ellis, who is the director of London’s police force, she follows the few clues that she has, but danger seems to lurk around every corner. John and Charlotte work closely together to solve the mystery, and they soon start to see each other in a new light. But with the odds stacked against them, can they take a chance on love?

This book has everything you want in a mystery romance. Intrigue and danger, villains and heroes. I stayed up until one in the morning just to see who the murderer was! And John and Charlotte’s relationship is a slow, delicious burn as they build on the friendship they’ve always had. There is plenty of swoon and sigh-worthy kisses expertly woven in between the solving of a mystery with an abundance of twists and turns to keep the reader guessing. And while this book can be read standalone, there are several supporting characters from previous books that you will want to know just so you can see the continuation of their story in this book. Protecting Her Heart is definitely one you’ll put on your keeper shelf.

I really enjoyed this last installment in the Matchmakers series. We are back again with our group of friends, but its been a few years since the end of the previous story. Charlotte is returning from the United States after becoming a doctor at the behest of her father in a cryptic note about the passing of her mother years ago. Unfortunately, before she makes it back, she receives word of her father's passing, which ratches up the mystery of what he so desperately wanted to tell her. Her friends are all proud of her and pleased she is back in town, but no one more so than John, police director and her best friend. I really enjoyed that this mystery was more of a whodunnit rather than a howdunnit like the previous book. I also loved the friends to lovers aspect and the way the two understood each other. Overall, it was a really nice romance and a messy mystery.