A Thieving at Carlton House by Erica Vetsch

A Thieving at Carlton House
by Erica Vetsch

ISBN-13: 9780825448621
Paperback: 304 pages
Publisher: Kregel Publications
Released: September 1, 2024

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
The Prince Regent has asked Sir Bertrand Thorndike to head an investigation into stolen royal jewels. It's the perfect chance for Bertie to step out of his brother's long shadow. His superior, the Duke of Haverly, wants him to form his own team. However, Bertie must change his persona along with his role, reforming his rakish reputation.

Philippa Cashel escaped a life as one of society's best-known courtesans and now devotes her time to helping other women in dire straits. Her hope is that laboring hard enough at her charity work will allow her to feel worthy of God's forgiveness of her past. So when Sir Bertrand Thorndike approaches her about becoming an agent of the Crown, she is skeptical. Why her? She's focused on getting her school for underprivileged women up and running, not on cloak-and-dagger skullduggery.

But when two of Philippa's rescued girls are accussed of stealing the jewels, Philippa risks partnering with Bertie to find the loot and stop a killer.


My Review:
A Thieving at Carlton House is a Christian romance set in 1816 in England. Philippa and Bertrand have shown up as secondary characters in previous trilogies, and now characters from those stories make appearances in their trilogy. However, you can understand this story without reading the other stories since the author provided the needed background information.

Philippa was forced to earn her keep as a courtesan when her father, an Earl, cast off his mistress, her mother. She's never forgiven him, but her half-sister offered her a way out of that life and supports her efforts to create a charity school to help other prostitutes learn a skill and gain a placement in another trade. Due to her past, she didn't feel worthy of God's love. She came to accept and give forgiveness.

Bertrand enjoys spying but felt out of his depth acting as a detective. The servants at Carlton House won't talk to him, leaving him with very few clues. He treated Philippa with the utmost respect, like a lady, making her wonder if his reputation wasn't accurate. They worked together to solve the case and start the charity, supporting each other's talents. Historical details were woven into the story. There were no sex scenes or bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this enjoyable novel.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.