Category: Reviews

Book Review – Viper in the Nest by Georgina Clarke @clarkegeorgina1 @Verve_Books

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Welcome to the final day of the blog tour for Viper in the Nest by Georgina Clarke, the third book in the Lizzie Hardwicke historical crime series. My thanks to Lisa at VERVE Books for inviting me to take part in the tour and for my review copy. Head over to Instagram, X or Bluesky to read the thoughts of the other readers taking part in the tour.

About the Book

London, June 1759. When a charmless civil servant takes his own life, few are interested in his death. But Lizzie Hardwicke, who plies her trade in the brothels of London whilst also working as an undercover sleuth for the magistrate, can see no reason why a man who had everything to look forward to would wish to end his life.

Lizzie’s search for answers takes her from the smoke-filled rooms of fashionable gambling houses, where politicians mix ambition with pleasure, to the violent streets of Soho, ready to erupt with riots in the sultry summer heat. All the while, she is navigating her complicated feelings for the magistrate’s trusted assistant, Will Davenport, and a disturbing situation at home.

Then a gambling house owner is brutally murdered, and Lizzie finds herself tangled in a chaos that she cannot control. The darkest of secrets threatens to turn Davenport against her forever; its exposure will send her to the gallows.

Format: Paperback (320 pages) Publisher: VERVE Books
Publication date: 24th April 2025 Genre: Historical Fiction, Crime

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My Review

I haven’t read either of the previous books in the series – Death and the Harlot and The Corpse Played Dead – which puts me in the perfect position to assure you Viper in the Nest can definitely be read as a standalone.

You can’t help but become engaged in the story from the start with the sudden and seemingly inexplicable suicide of a man who seemed to have everything. But was it all built on sand? Just how did a clerk working in a government office acquire the wealth to afford a large house and a mistress? As Lizzie observes, ‘Mr Merrick, the dullest man in London, was beginning to intrigue me.’

At one point a character says to Lizzie, ‘I think you’re like a terrier with a bone, agitating people until you find answers’ and there was never a truer word said because Lizzie can’t stop herself trying to find out the truth. She’s a brilliant character: resourceful, clever, witty and a loyal friend. She’s used to dissembling, pretending attraction where there is none. But her insatiable curiosity brings her dangerous enemies.

Always at the back of Lizzie’s mind are the circumstances that brought about such a change in her life and social status. She’s determined that will change one day but a new arrival at the Berwick Street brothel threatens her plans.

I liked the way the story demonstrated the divisions in society with many citizens of London living in abject poverty whilst the rich (mostly men) while away the hours gambling, whoring and seeking preferment in whatever way they can. The epitome of this excess is the bizarre personal bets, often involving thousands of pounds, placed on events such as what the weather will be on a particular day.

I enjoyed the simmering relationship between Lizzie and magistrate’s assistant, William Davenport. Despite signs of mutual attraction, Lizzie’s mindful that a harlot doesn’t make an ideal wife for a man in William’s position.

Viper in the Nest is a really entertaining historical mystery with a skilfully crafted plot and great period atmosphere. I hope there will be more adventures to come for Lizzie.

In three words: Engaging, suspenseful, colourful
Try something similar: Daughters of Night by Laura Shepherd-Robinson

About the Author

Georgina Clarke has a degree in theology and a PhD in history part-time, while working as a parish priest. Her love of the past is at the heart of her fiction: her Lizzie Hardwicke crime series is set in the mid-eighteenth century, and her standalone novel – The Dazzle of the Light – unfolds in 1920s London and is inspired by the real-life activities of the women-led Forty Elephants crime syndicate. Georgina is currently a tutor at the Queen’s Foundation in Birmingham. When she’s not working she enjoys dressmaking, running and mooching around old houses. She lives in Worcester with her husband, son and son, and two lively cats.

Connect with Georgina
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Book Review – Devotio (Legionary #10) by Gordon Doherty @GordonDoherty

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About the Book

AD 391. In the aftermath of civil war, the Roman Empire lies broken. The emperor is missing. Rumours fly that he has lost his mind. Sensing weakness, the Goths rise in revolt. All to the delight of the dark hand who orchestrated the civil war… and plots to stoke another.

Far out at sea, Pavo stands watchfully at the prow of the Justitia, running cargo between distant lands. At every port, he hears of the empire’s swelling troubles. Of fire and zeal and panic. Of legions, bristling for battle. But his days of protecting the provinces with sword and shield are over. He, his wife and his lad will soon have enough funds to make a home on a quiet island, far from the madness.

Yet the empire is an ever-hungry beast, and Pavo is about to sail straight into its jaws…

It is a journey that will take him to the brink, and throw down before him the question to which there is only one what would you sacrifice to save your loved ones?

Format: eBook (407 pages) Publisher:
Publication date: 27th March 2025 Genre: Historical Fiction

Find Devotio (Legionary #10) on Goodreads

Purchase Devotio (Legionary #10) from Amazon UK

My Review

Writing the last book in a series must be a difficult challenge for an author. Apart from the fact you’re saying farewell to characters you created and have ‘lived with’ for possibly years, how do you deliver a compelling story whilst bringing events to a close in a way that doesn’t feel like an anticlimax. Well, you do it just like Gordon Doherty has in Devotio.

Pavo’s service in the Roman army has taken him across the Empire and involved many adventures, many battles and the loss of many comrades. It has also taken him away from his family. He knows he’s been lucky to survive as long as he has and now spending time with them is all he wants to do. After all, who knows what will happen tomorrow? He believes he has found the perfect place, away from the turbulence that threatens to tear apart the failing Roman Empire. But Pavo’s devotion to his family is also his vulnerability. ‘No monster is more terrifying than the invisible hand that threatens to take away from you the ones you love.’

A shocking event sees Pavo forced to leave his sanctuary in a desperate search for the only man he believes can come to his rescue. But finding him means Pavo once again becoming caught up in the conflict between rival factions attempting to gain control of an empire currently riven in two by ruthless ambition and religious differences. However, Pavo doesn’t care about the risks. He’d happily gives his own life in exchange for the lives of his wife and son. Taking the oath of Devotio is his formal declaration of this. He’s not alone in his quest though because he has comrades who owe their lives to him and would follow him anywhere. One in particular, has his own special reason for wanting to help.

Safe to say as events unfold you’ll get thrilling battle scenes, daring missions against seemingly impossible odds and narrow escapes. As usual, Pavo’s tactical nous and ingenuity often saves the day. In fact, when it comes to the latter, you could say he’s the GOAT. (You’ll have to read the book to understand that one.)

Along with the clashing of swords and spears, there’s treachery, conspiracy and betrayal but also retribution, including a particularly satisfying one delivered personally by Pavo. The saying ‘a taste of your own medicine’ springs to mind.

But all things must come to an end although the author is generous in making that as long as everything we’ve learned allows. I found the closing chapters deeply moving and a really fitting way to end the series. The epilogue is sheer genius and had me in tears all over again.

If you’re a fan of the Roman age novels of Simon Scarrow, Simon Turney, Adrian Goldsworthy and others, you will love the Legionary series. If you’ve not read any of the previous books, do yourself a favour and start from the beginning because you have an incredible journey ahead of you.

I think you will have guessed by now that I absolutely loved this book. I’ll leave you with the observation of Pavo’s comrade, Sura: ‘Good people on this flawed land of the living could not stop evil; what mattered was that they never stopped trying’. Vale, Pavo.

I received a digital review copy courtesy of the author. For very personal reasons, Gordon supports the charity Myeloma UK and if you would like to make a donation follow this link to his JustGiving page.

In three words: Action-packed, emotional, gripping
Try something similar: Revenge of Rome (Eagles of the Empire #23) by Simon Scarrow

About the Author

Author Gordon Doherty

Gordon is a Scottish writer, addicted to reading and writing historical fiction. His novels have been Amazon smash-hits, and have gone on to be translated and published in Russia, Italy and Greece. Gordon’s love of history was first kindled by visits to the misty Roman ruins of Britain and the sun-baked antiquities of Turkey and Greece. His expeditions since have taken him all over the world and back and forth through time (metaphorically, at least), allowing him to write tales of the later Roman Empire, Byzantium, Classical Greece and even the distant Bronze Age.

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