Unknowingly bait to one of Portia’s schemes, Lady Julia Grey decides to accompany her to Yorkshire, where Mr. Nicolas Brisbane is living at Grimsgrave Hall, his new estate. Portia will be assisting with the refurbishing, and Julia is determined to settle things between herself and Brisbane. With their brother Valerius in tow for propriety’s sake, the three Marches are shocked upon their arrival to find cold and muddy moors and a once fine estate in shambles. What’s more is the Hall comes with the remnants of the proud Allenby family, who have owned the estate for centuries, and have now been reduced to almost nothing. Still, they have plenty to hide, and a recent death in the family and their resulting poverty gives Julia an excuse to begin an investigation. When she discovers that Brisbane seems to be much more than a new master to the Allenbys, Julia’s time at Grimsgrave Hall unexpectedly becomes an exercise in getting-to-know-Brisbane, which of course prolongs her stay indefinitely.

Unlike the previous two books, Silent on the Moor centers around the mystery that is Brisbane rather than a freshly dead body – but I, myself, wasn’t complaining. This series has equally been about the two leads as it’s been about the mysteries. That said, reading it was like riding an emotional rollercoaster. I wanted to burn right through it I was so compelled to know the ending. On the flip side I was very aware that it was the last book in the series to date, and a year of waiting loomed for the final book. But that knowledge also led me to wrongly believe that Silent on the Moor had limited conclusions. *Grinning* I was not aware of how quickly I could go from utter despair to complete happiness, more delighted rereading, followed by regret for my rushed reading and more regret for the infrequency of such deeply satisfying endings. An almost 5-star, excellent transitional book for the series. The fourth book will be the cherry on top but couldn’t come faster. I do want to hear the story behind Brisbane’s scar and see Julia do some much-longed-for traveling.

My one complaint: I do hate the new covers! Well, only because I was teased more than once for reading a bodice-ripper, despite my claims to the contrary. The photo and fonts are really quite lovely.

After nearly being killed herself while apprehending her husband’s killer, Lady Julia Grey is off to Italy to join her brothers Lysander and Plum for a little bit of R&R and a lot of sightseeing and culture immersion. They end up staying until just before Christmas when Father calls them home for the holidays and to give Ly a proper scolding for eloping with an Italian. To break the ice, they’ve invited their special friend Alessandro, with his good looks, impeccable English, and perfect manners. Julia’s geared up for a relatively quiet holiday at home until Brisbane shows up with a guest of his own, widowed Mrs. King, his fiancee. Enter two poor cousins, one slimy curate, and a handful or other oddball guests, and the jolly, yet dysfunctional party at Bellmont Abbey is almost complete. All that’s needed is a dead body.

I am really enjoying this series, and the writing’s just as good in this one. I’m relishing words like peccadilloes and apoplexy and Lothario- some so deliciously fun to say that I’m at times unknowingly mouthing them and very intentionally feeling them come off my tongue. A part of me wishes we still spoke that way and all of me wishes I had that commanding range of vocabulary. This is not a bad thing, but the second book in the Lady Julia Grey series reads more like a whodunit, with several new characters with whom to become acquainted, track, and suspect. Julia is duh-vine as always – fashionable, obstinate, and sometimes irreverent. There are two girl power moments to cheer where all of that new-found self-awareness and empowerment comes out. There are also tender encounters between Julia and Brisbane that struck me with happiness and triggered sweet, gratifying sighs. And as a good mystery should be, all of my guesses for whodunit were wrong. *Smile* I’m already reading the third installment.