The Duchess Countess: The Woman Who Scandalized Eighteenth-Century London by Catherine Ostler

The Duchess Countess: The Woman Who Scandalized Eighteenth-Century London by Catherine Ostler

As maid of honor to Augusta, Princess of Wales, Elizabeth Chudleigh enjoys a luxurious life. She is well-known to the public, and even served as the inspiration for Becky Sharp in William Makepeace Thackeray's Vanity Fair. 

A young Elizabeth elopes with Augustus Hervey, the heir to an earldom. Both would quickly regret the marriage and prefer to pretend it never took place. Many years later, Elizabeth would have a happy second marriage to a duke--but news of her first marriage began to spread, culminating in a sensational bigamy trial that captivated all of England, particularly since Elizabeth refused to surrender quietly. 

432 pages.

The Code of the Hills (Ozarks Mysteries # 1)

 The Code of the Hills (Ozarks Mysteries #1) by Nancy Allen

Pages: 480

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

In the Ozarks hills some things just aren't talked about... such as abuse and incest. Prosecutor Elsie Arnold is determined to take a stand for women and children in her hometown in Missouri. Her boss drops a high-profile case, in which a father is accused of abusing his three young daughters, in her lap right before the preliminary hearing. 

Elsie has to overcome the lack of preparation in the case, the oldest daughter's history of behavior, possible ulterior motives of the mother and the star witness disappearing. Adding to her stress she begins to get threats from local people and some extremists groups defending the father. Elsie swears she will not let a sex offender walk, but she soon realizes the odds are against her and it might cost her more than just her job. But she still remembers why she became a prosecuting attorney and the three young girls whose life hangs on the balance of this trial. 

A debut novel and a fast read.