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Richard and Rose #3
Venice
At long last, it is Lord and Lady Strang’s wedding day. Yet no sooner do Richard and Rose leave their wedding breakfast than two shots ring out, forcing a hasty change in honeymoon plans. Instead of traveling together by yacht, Richard goes on ahead, making sure the road to Venice is safe for his beloved. Rose is by no means alone, however. Along her journey by packet, coach, even mule, she befriends young couple, the Ravens, who have a strange confession to make. They are traveling incognito—and are really the newlywed Lord and Lady Strang! Once reunited in Venice, Richard and Rose heat up the sheets, making Richard consider the delightful possibility of keeping his wife in bed for the rest of their stay. Except Venice is as full of knaves as London, and one of them is still trying to find them with a bullet. The Ravens could hold the key to the assassination attempts. Or perhaps they are playing a deadly game of their own…
258 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 1, 2009
7 people are currently reading
105 people want to read
About the author
Lynne Connolly
130 books312 followersI was born in Leicester, England, and lived in our cobbler’s shop with my parents and sister. It was an old house and most definitely haunted, but I didn’t find out until I left that my great uncle had hung himself in the living room! But I think our ghost might have been older than that. It was built on the site of the old Roman cemetery, and the land had been constantly inhabited, being in the centre of town. Then, when the council bought the house from us to build a road, my grandfather retired and my father went and worked for the Post Office. My mother was a sample machinist; that is, she worked with designers on the prototypes (models or samples) of garments. So I was very well dressed! We bought a relatively modern house in the country, and my mother was blissfully happy. It’s all very well living in a large old house, but it’s a dreadful task to keep it clean and warm!
My mother's side of the family are Romany gypsies, although sadly we haven't any of the old trailers that are so astonishingly beautiful. I was taught to read the Tarot cards, and I usually use two packs; the Rider pack for simple readings and the Crowley Thoth pack for the complex stuff.
I've always had an interest in the paranormal and it's been a delight to be able to put some of this into my novels.
My mother's side of the family are Romany gypsies, although sadly we haven't any of the old trailers that are so astonishingly beautiful. I was taught to read the Tarot cards, and I usually use two packs; the Rider pack for simple readings and the Crowley Thoth pack for the complex stuff.
I've always had an interest in the paranormal and it's been a delight to be able to put some of this into my novels.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
February 17, 2022
This is an insanely cool series that features borderline romance / mystery genres. I would probably add in the cozy read descriptor as well but that's probably just me and not at all what the author intended. In this one our 2 protagonists are on the verge of honemooning but, BUT that's here it hits them! From here on, the mystery part of the plot gets to be as strong as ever, providing a nice setting for the love story.
Way back when it all started a bit insta-lovey (not too obviously, of course!) now it's all on a reasonable burn and, lemme tell you, this couple is seriously sweet on each other.
So, the overall result is superb. This a number N reread due to me deciding to finish the series (when I first read it, it wasn't finished yet!) and I still love it. So, I think I'll reread whatever I read before and will have some new books in this series to read :) Go me! Such a treat, after all the time. Always. As the Harry Potter inclined ones (me!) say.
Way back when it all started a bit insta-lovey (not too obviously, of course!) now it's all on a reasonable burn and, lemme tell you, this couple is seriously sweet on each other.
So, the overall result is superb. This a number N reread due to me deciding to finish the series (when I first read it, it wasn't finished yet!) and I still love it. So, I think I'll reread whatever I read before and will have some new books in this series to read :) Go me! Such a treat, after all the time. Always. As the Harry Potter inclined ones (me!) say.
October 8, 2009
Third book in the excellent Richard and Rose series.
Richard and Rose finally marry. They are giddy and happy and on their way to their yacht for their wedding trip when a crack of gunfire just misses Rose. They realize that somebody wants them dead. Richard devises a scheme for them to split up and travel to Venise, their honeymoon spot, separately. Rose travels with Carrier, Richards manservant and Nichols, Rose's own maid. These two are no mere servcants, they double as well armed bodyguards as well. While Richard travels alone, more stealthily to make sure there are no ambushes on the road ahead. As an extra measure Rose travels incognito as a young Merchant's wife, Mrs. Locke.
On the way, Rose encounters a couple who introduce themselves to her as Lord and Lady Strang and they tell her they are travelling incognito as well under the name Ravens. Rose is bemused by the couple because of course she and Richard are Lord and Lady Strang.
When Rose and Richard meet up in Venice, not only do they have a scorching hot reunion (finally they are married and can make love as much as they want) but they also have to decide what to do about the fake Lord and Lady Strang as well as try to figure out who is trying to kill them and why. All the while enjoying the sights, sounds and atmosphere of Venice and making lots of love.
Three books in and this series is still just utterly fabulous. I truly love Richard, he has so much going on under the hood. On the surface he looks like a dandified, pampered lord but in reality he runs one of the widest most efficiently placed spy networks in all of England. And he is really quite a rogue. And Rose is definitely his match. This book was so fun.
I especially like how Richard and Rose outcon the con artists. They neatly turn the tables on the Ravens until the poor souls in a wonderful scene of awful realization learn exactly who are the sharks and who are the pigeons. There is a great scene where, after Richard subdues a villain (under the eyes of the increasingly horrified Ravens), Rose drinks a glass of brandy looks at the man on the floor and calmly says " He's bleeding. He'll ruin the carpet." and Richard, in sheer delight at her aplomb says "God, how I love you."
Wonderful book. Wonderful series.
Richard and Rose finally marry. They are giddy and happy and on their way to their yacht for their wedding trip when a crack of gunfire just misses Rose. They realize that somebody wants them dead. Richard devises a scheme for them to split up and travel to Venise, their honeymoon spot, separately. Rose travels with Carrier, Richards manservant and Nichols, Rose's own maid. These two are no mere servcants, they double as well armed bodyguards as well. While Richard travels alone, more stealthily to make sure there are no ambushes on the road ahead. As an extra measure Rose travels incognito as a young Merchant's wife, Mrs. Locke.
On the way, Rose encounters a couple who introduce themselves to her as Lord and Lady Strang and they tell her they are travelling incognito as well under the name Ravens. Rose is bemused by the couple because of course she and Richard are Lord and Lady Strang.
When Rose and Richard meet up in Venice, not only do they have a scorching hot reunion (finally they are married and can make love as much as they want) but they also have to decide what to do about the fake Lord and Lady Strang as well as try to figure out who is trying to kill them and why. All the while enjoying the sights, sounds and atmosphere of Venice and making lots of love.
Three books in and this series is still just utterly fabulous. I truly love Richard, he has so much going on under the hood. On the surface he looks like a dandified, pampered lord but in reality he runs one of the widest most efficiently placed spy networks in all of England. And he is really quite a rogue. And Rose is definitely his match. This book was so fun.
I especially like how Richard and Rose outcon the con artists. They neatly turn the tables on the Ravens until the poor souls in a wonderful scene of awful realization learn exactly who are the sharks and who are the pigeons. There is a great scene where, after Richard subdues a villain (under the eyes of the increasingly horrified Ravens), Rose drinks a glass of brandy looks at the man on the floor and calmly says " He's bleeding. He'll ruin the carpet." and Richard, in sheer delight at her aplomb says "God, how I love you."
Wonderful book. Wonderful series.
May 29, 2010
A rather underwhelming romantic suspense set in the Georgian era, Venice takes Richard and Rose to Italy as they outrun an assassin, encounter their doppelgangers and have lots of boring sex.
Picking up where the last book left off, Venice opens with their wedding day. However, just as they're about to sneak away and start their honeymoon, a shooter takes aim and grazes Rose with a bullet. Richard then hatches a plan to ixnay the yacht trip and travel overland, icognito and separate from each other, to his apartment in Venice. Along the way, Rose befriends a fancy couple who claim to be Lord and Lady Strang traveling undercover as Mr. and Mrs. Ravens.
The plot is sort of a mess. You've got an assassin, people impersonating Richard and Rose and a honeymoon all going on at once. While there was certainly a mystery, there wasn't much suspense, as the mystery was really what the hell is going on in this book? I spent much of the book wondering where the book was taking me and what I was supposed to feel.
The three elements weren't woven together well. The sex was rather matter-of-fact and made me feel like a voyeur. They're well and married and smitten with each other, so the lack of tension or conflict just left the icky feeling of watching a couple I knew get it on. For the record: not my kink. The impostors, I felt, were always held separate from the assassin plot. I didn't see what one had to do with the other as she seemed quite clear that the impostors weren't suspects. If they weren't suspects in the assassin plot, why were we spending so much time with them? It all comes together in the end, but by then it was too late.
The book did have its bright moments, however. The following snippet was almost worth the read alone:
Connolly has a wonderful voice for historical romance and a gift for narrative. If she could just tighten up her plotting, her books would grow from ok to great.
Picking up where the last book left off, Venice opens with their wedding day. However, just as they're about to sneak away and start their honeymoon, a shooter takes aim and grazes Rose with a bullet. Richard then hatches a plan to ixnay the yacht trip and travel overland, icognito and separate from each other, to his apartment in Venice. Along the way, Rose befriends a fancy couple who claim to be Lord and Lady Strang traveling undercover as Mr. and Mrs. Ravens.
The plot is sort of a mess. You've got an assassin, people impersonating Richard and Rose and a honeymoon all going on at once. While there was certainly a mystery, there wasn't much suspense, as the mystery was really what the hell is going on in this book? I spent much of the book wondering where the book was taking me and what I was supposed to feel.
The three elements weren't woven together well. The sex was rather matter-of-fact and made me feel like a voyeur. They're well and married and smitten with each other, so the lack of tension or conflict just left the icky feeling of watching a couple I knew get it on. For the record: not my kink. The impostors, I felt, were always held separate from the assassin plot. I didn't see what one had to do with the other as she seemed quite clear that the impostors weren't suspects. If they weren't suspects in the assassin plot, why were we spending so much time with them? It all comes together in the end, but by then it was too late.
The book did have its bright moments, however. The following snippet was almost worth the read alone:
I turned the other gun in my hand, as I had seen Richard do once, and swung the butt against the side of her head.I have a weakness for capable heroines. I admit it.
She fell sideways, out cold...I took a deep breath, crossed to where the decanters sat on the sideboard, poured myself a large brandy and drank it down without a choke. Richard watched me appreciatively. Nobody else moved.
I looked down at the man on the floor. "He's bleeding. He'll ruin that carpet."
Connolly has a wonderful voice for historical romance and a gift for narrative. If she could just tighten up her plotting, her books would grow from ok to great.
December 18, 2025
reread.
May 17, 2011
Once again, Lynne Connolly has produced a book that left me in awe. With a series, you wonder whether every book will be as good as the first, and with Ms. Connolly’s Richard and Rose series, I have yet to be disappointed. I was whisked back into the past of powdered wigs and fancy clothing—God, I just love that!—and I left this world behind.
I really do like being taken elsewhere, to a time I wish I had lived in. Here, I get to be an observer, yet it is more than that. It’s like I am one of the people in the book. I’m not a character who is mentioned, I’m merely following everyone around like a ghost, but I felt the heat in Venice, saw the streets, saw the canal, and smelled the scents—yet I have never been there in my life. I feel I don’t even need to go to know what it’s like there, that’s how good Ms. Connolly is in transporting you to a place and having you experience it as though you’re on holiday.
Richard and Rose are married, and I beamed along with them. They are where they’re meant to be, bound together in the eyes of God and can now create a fabulous life together. However, as with all the books so far, the couple’s life takes a drastic turn (love it when the bad thing presents itself too, because I know I’m going to be given a treat of a journey I’ll never forget). As they leave the wedding breakfast in a carriage, fate strikes with a menacing hand. Someone from their past isn’t happy about their marriage. Old slights haven’t been forgotten, and warped people, selfish people with a high view of themselves, are out to do harm.
Richard sends Rose to Venice in disguise. She’s Mrs. Locke and adopts a new personality to match the name. She’s married to a man who doesn’t care for her much. On her journey, she meets the Ravens, who tell her they are in disguise themselves. Knowing about the incident at Rose and Richard’s wedding, the Ravens take on the Strang persona, making out they’re in disguise for their safety. In reality, they are card sharks, intent on scamming money from unsuspecting players. Richard and Rose decide to play along with the game and join the Strang-Ravens at their Venice home.
In order to beat the Strang-Ravens, Richard enlists the help of a master card cheat, who teaches them, and Richard’s delightful friend, Freddy, how to always win. I loved the scene where they all learned how to do this. Freddy is adorable.
As well as dealing with the Strang-Ravens, the persons who wished Richard and Rose harm on their wedding day are still at large—and they are still intent on killing them. This aspect lends a thrilling touch to Venice, and this time—yay me!—I guessed the perpetrators and got it right. I detested them, still do, the smarmy pigs!
A fantastic instalment in the Richard and Rose series, Venice will leave you feeling as though you’ve been there yourself, that you accompanied Rose and saw everything she did. I can’t find adequate words to describe these books so far, but I’ve never read anything like them. They suit me on every level, and when they come to an end, you can be sure I’ll be in tears.
I really do like being taken elsewhere, to a time I wish I had lived in. Here, I get to be an observer, yet it is more than that. It’s like I am one of the people in the book. I’m not a character who is mentioned, I’m merely following everyone around like a ghost, but I felt the heat in Venice, saw the streets, saw the canal, and smelled the scents—yet I have never been there in my life. I feel I don’t even need to go to know what it’s like there, that’s how good Ms. Connolly is in transporting you to a place and having you experience it as though you’re on holiday.
Richard and Rose are married, and I beamed along with them. They are where they’re meant to be, bound together in the eyes of God and can now create a fabulous life together. However, as with all the books so far, the couple’s life takes a drastic turn (love it when the bad thing presents itself too, because I know I’m going to be given a treat of a journey I’ll never forget). As they leave the wedding breakfast in a carriage, fate strikes with a menacing hand. Someone from their past isn’t happy about their marriage. Old slights haven’t been forgotten, and warped people, selfish people with a high view of themselves, are out to do harm.
Richard sends Rose to Venice in disguise. She’s Mrs. Locke and adopts a new personality to match the name. She’s married to a man who doesn’t care for her much. On her journey, she meets the Ravens, who tell her they are in disguise themselves. Knowing about the incident at Rose and Richard’s wedding, the Ravens take on the Strang persona, making out they’re in disguise for their safety. In reality, they are card sharks, intent on scamming money from unsuspecting players. Richard and Rose decide to play along with the game and join the Strang-Ravens at their Venice home.
In order to beat the Strang-Ravens, Richard enlists the help of a master card cheat, who teaches them, and Richard’s delightful friend, Freddy, how to always win. I loved the scene where they all learned how to do this. Freddy is adorable.
As well as dealing with the Strang-Ravens, the persons who wished Richard and Rose harm on their wedding day are still at large—and they are still intent on killing them. This aspect lends a thrilling touch to Venice, and this time—yay me!—I guessed the perpetrators and got it right. I detested them, still do, the smarmy pigs!
A fantastic instalment in the Richard and Rose series, Venice will leave you feeling as though you’ve been there yourself, that you accompanied Rose and saw everything she did. I can’t find adequate words to describe these books so far, but I’ve never read anything like them. They suit me on every level, and when they come to an end, you can be sure I’ll be in tears.
November 18, 2010
I think I read this one too close to the other 2. I did enjoy the book and I have bougth the rest of the series but I think I will wait a bit before I read the next one so I can give the book the attention it deserves. I do like these characters. I'm also looking forward to Gervase getting some love too and I hear that happens later on in the series...
March 15, 2016
The third Richard and Rose book, and once more they are in danger. But Lynne Connolly never writes the same book again, so this time we are taken on a journey ending in Venice, where the assassin awaits them. Lots of lovely descriptions of the city (though I suspect reality has never been quite that lovely - I'd love to go and see for myself).
July 19, 2012
I don't think I will read any more of this series. The mystery element has gone from being okay to being down right annoying. Really didn't care for it in this book, which made it hard to finish the book.
July 30, 2012
One thing I noticed about this series is there are parts that are dragging and boring already. Although I liked the love that is blossoming between the h/h. That is the reason I keep reading this series. I just hoped that the other books will be more straight forward and no more going on loops.
June 18, 2010
Loving it so far.
March 15, 2024
*happy sigh* Not a smooth road to the honeymoon, but manageable. And now I'm curious about Venice…
June 27, 2019
3.5 stars
April 10, 2018
Love this book
I recently came across this series.Really good.amazing characters.... Quite good sex..but what enthralls me the most is the easy affection between Richard and Rose..
I recently came across this series.Really good.amazing characters.... Quite good sex..but what enthralls me the most is the easy affection between Richard and Rose..
September 2, 2010
Read many times. I've enjoyed the whole series!
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews