Reviews of All

The novel starts off in a gentle manner and increases in pace and action as the story progresses and the mystery builds. Readers who love period detail, whether in costume, fact, language or law, will revel in this book.

The Historical Novel Society

Melikan's prose style has a distinct between-the-wars feel, which perfectly complements her subject matter and soon becomes quite beguiling.

The Yorkshire Evening Post

...Melikan's lively, intelligent debut... Readers will eagerly look forward to the second and third volumes in this historical trilogy.

Publishers Weekly

This is not a book to be missed. Go get it!

BCF Book Reviews

Sensible, intelligent, and forthright, Mary is a delightful new heroine to enjoy as Ms. Melikan begins her Mary Finch trilogy. Based on historical fact, THE BLACKSTONE KEY is a page-turning, excitement-filled mystery with a myriad of interesting characters and a gothic backdrop. Don't miss this excellent mystery.

Romance Reviews Today

With the perfect combination of humour, melodrama and suspense, The Blackstone Key is a classic adventure story - with a charm I couldn't resist!

Topping and Company

The story line is fast-paced and vivid as 1795 England is brought to life. However, it is the support characters who Mary meets in her travels who turn THE BLACKSTONE KEY into a strong thriller. ... Fans will appreciate this deep late eighteenth century tale of intrigue.

Harriet Klausner - Genre Go Round Reviews

With a prose style true to its times and a plucky heroine...Melikan should win fans for this and the succeeding volumes, due in 2009 and 2010.

Booklist

... Rose A. Melikan's impressive new biography ... This book is particularly valuable for its detailed tracing of Eldon's political career in parliament and his relationships with his contemporaries, which draws on a wide range of source material. Melikan's is a well constructed, subtle and balanced argument, which often gives useful insights into his character. Dr. Melikan is to be thanked for producing a meticulously researched, long overdue biography in an elegant and eloquent style.

Michael Lobban, Brunel University

This is a political biography as it used to be written, with facts given, not theories argued and all is thoroughly based on wide research.

Contemporary Review

... a meticulously researched, long overdue biography in an elegant and eloquent style

The English Historical Review

Melikan is to be commended for composing so thoughtful and revealing a study of early nineteenth century conservative thought.

Parliamentary History

... an obvious need for a well-researched and balanced study. After a gap of about 150 years we now have such a work in Rose Melikan's book ... Melikan reveals the range of his career and recsues him from caricature ... This result is an admirably detailed and convincing portrait ... This study has many merits. For the first time Scott emerges as a rounded personality, and his sustained influence upon the legal life of England and Wales becomes comprehensible.

Raymond C. J. Cocks

The story line is fast-paced and vivid as 1795 England is brought to life... Melikan provides a fully developed cast yet uses sleight of hand to shrewdly fool the audience and heroine... Fans will appreciate this deep late-eighteenth-century tale of intrigue.

Midwest Book Review

Rose Melikan's debut is a delightful read... a book to relish over tea, with your feet up and an afternoon at your disposal.

Midwest Book Review

We return to the heroine of The Blackstone Key, Mary Finch, for another dose of drama and derring-do. ... The author really evokes the period in time while giving us a feisty heroine to root for.

Lovereading.co.uk

All the style and ingredients of a classic tale with memorable characters and thrilling plot twists. It begins a trilogy of smuggling, spying and skulduggery with a plucky, rather impulsive heroine. Good fun.

Lovereading.co.uk

Set in 1795, this action-packed book is the first in a trilogy featuring young Mary Finch...Smugglers, spies and a handsome stranger all add to the plot of this well written piece of escapism.

Sainsbury's Magazine

Packed with excitement, twists and turns, The Blackstone Key is a highly entertaining book that is firmly rooted in historical fact. You are sure to find Mary charming and witty as she pursues her quest to solve a very intriguing mystery.

The People's Friend, Book of the Month for April

This intriguing and entertaining read is filled to the brim with suspense and drama, and is definitely one not to be missed!

The People's Friend

The Counterfeit Guest sees a welcome return for ... Mary Finch, whose adventures in the first of this entertaining series left us longing to meet up with her again. ... Beautifully written, packed with action and a host of fascinating characters, Melikan's fans can savour another delicious historical adventure.

Lancashire Evening Post

...a great historical adventure, set in 1795, when everyone in Britain is terrified of French spies. ... This first novel is full of romance, mystery and suspense, and I look forward to further Mary Finch adventures.

Western Mail

There is more than a hint of Daphne du Maurier in Rose Melikan's rich and dramatic adventure tale set in the dying days of the 18th century. ... A Gothic adventure story with a rich cast of characters and a storyline to leave you guessing. Thrilling.

Lancashire Evening Post

... Melikan's sprightly sequel to The Blackstone Key ... the novel's confident voice, quirky characters and sparkling period detail should keep fans of light historical thrillers turning the pages.

Publishers Weekly

Mary Finch, the unlikely heroine of The Blackstone Key (2008), returns in another delightful foray into Georgian-era espionage and intrigue. ... The authentic period detail in this suspenseful novel of wit and manners will please both Austen enthusiasts and historical whodunit fans.

Booklist

Rose Melikan tells her story from a patently omniscient point of view, jumping from one character's head to another within the same scene. I've read few authors who can do this well, but in this case, the story itself is suspenseful and entertaining enough that the technique became less of a distraction and more of a gripping narrative of espionage, loyalty and danger.

reviewingtheevidence.com

A 'refined gentleman' - elegant, mature, and frosty - mysteriously appears at a country-house funeral in 1790s England. His stealthy presence touches off a cloak-and-dagger plot in The Counterfeit Guest ... Melikan's novel is a well-researched drama with a pace that quickens as the tale progresses ... With characters isolated and limited to passing notes and mailing letters, readers may find themselves silently urging: 'Hurry up; he's coming!'

Hour Detroit Magazine (November 2009)

...a book that makes for fine reading, and it's a wonderful addition to any collector's shelf.

Romance Reviews Today

If Jane Austen had set out to write a whodunit, it would have been as smart, action-packed, well crafted and filled with unique characters as Melikan's second book featuring heiress Mary Finch.

Romantic Times Book Reviews

The back cover blurb states that the book is in the grand tradition of Charlotte Bronte--and this is true. Melikan has the language spot on.The author has captured the spirit of the times, Georgian England, along with manners, dress, and customs, without intruding on the story.

crimespreemag.com

The Counterfeit Guest (Touchstone, 2009), is the second volume in the Regency mystery series by Rose Melikan and its protagonist, Mary Finch, is just as engaging as ever...I spent a delightful time with Mary and her friends and look forward to the third volume in this trilogy. Highly recommended. ****

Jane Austen Society of Puget Sound

A gothic atmosphere with a touch of espionage and intrigue is sure to please many readers who will return eagerly to Mary's next adventure.

themysteryreader.com

What makes this story so fascinating is its attention to historic detail.

tucsoncitizen.com

This book is great fun, enhanced by a tightly-constructed, suspenseful plot and Mary's irreverent observations.

rockymountainnews.com

The drama and suspense are terrific and the mystery that's woven through it all is irresistible. Mary Finch is one of those characters that you wish you could know in real life, she is a wonderfully kind hearted person, but has the heart of a lion and longs for adventure in her life.

Exclusively Books

Mary is a delightful heroine, that is witty, sensible, intelligent and forthright, she is a breath of fresh air.

Exclusively Books

Melikan's entertaining third historical thriller featuring Mary Finch ... Melikan successfully captures the spirit of the period while rooting her suspenseful espionage plot in actual events.

Publishers Weekly

I was gripped by this book from the very first page. ... This is a quality book, told by a master storyteller.  Highly recommended.

Historical Novels Review

Melikan always steeps her excellent mystery stories in authentic period detail and fascinating facts, evoking time and place with precision and panache.  With a rich cast of characters and an all-action plot, The Mistaken Wife proves to be a happy marriage of romance and adventure.

Lancashire Evening Post

...thrilling as well as suspenseful...The Mistaken Wife is a well-researched book with an imaginative story woven around the facts.

BookLoons Reviews

Rose Melikan brings the period to life in her language, characters and fascinating historical detail...This reader anxiously awaits the third book in the series, with the hope that Mary Finch and her adventures will continue long after the next installment.

Merrimon Book Reviews

...filled with red herrings and plenty of thrills ...  With great characters and a unique and intriguing plot, THE MISTAKEN WIFE takes readers further along into Mary Finch's life as she refuses to be the proper young English heiress.  I highly recommend reading the first two books in this series, THE BLACKSTONE KEY and THE COUNTERFEIT GUEST, I promise that you will be delighted with Mary!

Romance Reviews Today

...this is an intriguing espionage novel that rings true...THE MISTAKEN WIFE is sure to please mystery fans with an interest in history.

reviewingtheevidence.com

...a novel that could be espionage written by Jane Austen...I was fascinated by the diverse, well-drawn characters.

A Traveler's Library

This is a richly detailed and literate historical adventure story with a smart, spunky heroine.  The details of Finch's life are intriguing and the sense of time and place are very strong.

Carole E. Barrowman's "The Morning Blend" books for September

Its historical accuracy is flawless and immediately captivating.  The story is deep and complex and far from a light read.  My heart raced as the French authorities became suspicious of Mary and Robert and I felt as if I was running for my life as well in this fast-paced, action-packed work...

Sacramento Book Review