Tag: Pinkerton Matchmakers

You know better than to expect me to follow orders without question.

Book Review | An Agent for Phoebe by Nerys Leigh

I’ve reviewed Nerys Leigh’s previous contributions to The Pinkerton Matchmaker series, and have enjoyed them all (An Agent for Belle, An Agent for Clara, and An Agent for Kitty). I enjoyed An Agent for Phoebe as much, if not more.

Phoebe has already survived twelve unpleasant years of marriage, and has no intention of repeating the experience. As such, she is less than impressed when she arrives at the Pinkerton Detective Agency to be trained as a detective and finds the first requirement is that she marry the male agent who will train her. Jonah Hays is equally unimpressed. He has no desire to chain himself to a female.

(As an aside, I do wonder when the owners of the Pinkerton Detective Agency are going to realise the flaws in their clever plan: should their matched agents decide to stay married, the female will need to leave when she starts the inevitable family. And what happens if they don’t remain married? Will the agency owners allow the women to investigate alone? No matter. Thinking about such questions undermines the entire premise of this excellent series.)

It was refreshing to read about an older couple—Phoebe is forty-one, and Jonah is thirty-nine. As such, they are both intelligent adults who know their own minds. I’m getting too old to be interested in characters who behave like immature teens, and that’s one thing I appreciate about Nerys Leigh’s heroes and heroines.

The story itself was excellent.

It’s set in the real-life Black Hawk, Colorado, and the book emphasised the working conditions in and around the mines, especially the smell. I’ve visited old mine sites here in New Zealand, so could well imagine the conditions, but had never thought of how noisy or smelly it would be.

The case itself ran about as smoothly as expected, and I was impressed with some of the small details in the plot (which I won’t mention, because #spoilers). But my favourite aspect was the fast-paced and witty dialogue. It was a pleasure to read, and I recommend An Agent for Phoebe.

Thanks to the author for providing a free ebook for review.

About Nerys Leigh

Nerys LeighNerys Leigh writes thoroughly romantic Christian historical love stories. She loves heroes who are strong but sweet and heroines who are willing to fight for the life they want.

She’s from the UK, which you would think puts her in a unique position to not write about mail order brides in the American west, but the old adage of writing what you know has never appealed to her. She has an actual American read each book before publishing to make sure she hasn’t gone all English on it.

No One’s Bride is the first in the Escape to the West series which tells the stories of a group of women willing to travel across America to find happiness, and the men determined to win their hearts.

You can find Nerys Leigh online relaxing and generally enjoying the view at:

 Website | Facebook

About An Agent for Phoebe

She’ll risk her life, but can she risk her heart?

At forty-one, Phoebe finally knows what she wants in life, and it isn’t another husband. Her first marriage was enough to convince her that she’s done with men.

Becoming a Pinkerton agent seems like the perfect way to true independence, until she discovers she must temporarily marry her training agent. Of course, some women might find Jonah Hays’ good looks and kind nature attractive.

But not Phoebe.

She’s done with men.

When the search for a missing accountant amongst the mountains and gold mines of Colorado becomes a desperate struggle for survival, she and Jonah grow closer. And the walls around her heart begin to crumble.

Although she’s still done with men.

Maybe.

Find An Agent for Phoebe online at:

Amazon | Goodreads

Read the introduction to An Agent for Phoebe below:

Probably the feeblest lie in the entire history of lies since Adam said, "What apple?"

Book Review | An Agent for Kitty (Pinkerton Matchmakers) by Nerys Leigh

An Agent for Kitty is part of the Pinkerton Matchmakers series, in which a woman with a desire to become an agent with the Pinkerton National Detective Agency is matched with a male agent for training. The two are married (for the sake of propriety) and sent off to solve a crime. The novels are quick reads, and a lot of fun.

Kitty and Ben are sent to Utah, to investigate the theft of a dinosaur skull from an archaeological dig that is slowly uncovering a complete skeleton. Kitty is a timid young woman, the complete opposite of Ben. Ben is outgoing, confident, and definitely likes women. Kitty is nothing like his usual girlfriends, and he enjoys teasing her.

It doesn’t take long before Kitty begins contributing to the case through her powers of observation. I liked that she was clever—I’m always a fan of an intelligent heroine. And Ben was a wonderful hero, just the right combination of cocky and caring.

An Agent for Kitty by Nerys Leigh is another installment in the Pinkerton Matchmakers series, an original and amusing spin on the popular mail order bride trope. #ChristianRomance #ChristianWestern Click To Tweet

I’ve enjoyed all the Nerys Leigh books I’ve read so far, but I think this was my favourite.

Why? Because it was funny. Kitty starts off as more mouse than cat (or kitten). But, with Ben’s guidance, she gradually comes out of herself and develops a personality.

Yes, I know that sounds bad. But Kitty hasn’t had the best upbringing, so she has never had the opportunity to discover who she is as a person. Ben gives her that opportunity, and it’s great to see Kitty learn that she can display her true personality and be loved for who she is.

Overall, An Agent for Kitty is a fun romantic suspense novel set against the emerging science of archaeology, and will appeal to fans of Christian westerns.

Thanks to the author for providing a free ebook for review.

About Nerys Leigh

Nerys LeighNerys Leigh writes thoroughly romantic Christian historical love stories. She loves heroes who are strong but sweet and heroines who are willing to fight for the life they want.

She’s from the UK, which you would think puts her in a unique position to not write about mail order brides in the American west, but the old adage of writing what you know has never appealed to her. She has an actual American read each book before publishing to make sure she hasn’t gone all English on it.

No One’s Bride is the first in the Escape to the West series which tells the stories of a group of women willing to travel across America to find happiness, and the men determined to win their hearts.

You can find Nerys Leigh online relaxing and generally enjoying the view at:

 Website | Facebook

About An Agent for Kitty

To find her happiness, she’ll first have to find her courage.

Kitty is the first to admit that she is far from brave, and applying to the Pinkerton Detective Agency to become one of their new female agents is the most daring thing she’s ever done.

Her fragile resolve almost fails her when she discovers she must marry her training agent for the duration of her first case, but Ben Riley turns out to be caring and fun, and outrageously flirtatious. And even though she knows he’s not serious, she can’t help enjoying his attention.

On the case of a stolen dinosaur skull in the Utah wilderness, her confidence grows. But so do her feelings for Ben.

And Kitty begins to wonder if what she should really be afraid of is a broken heart.

Find An Agent for Kitty online at:

Amazon | BookBub | Goodreads

Read the introduction to An Agent for Kitty below:

And click here to find the best in Christian fiction at my Amazon store.

First Line Friday

First Line Friday | Week 106 | An Agent for Kitty by Nerys Leigh

It’s First Line Friday! That means it’s time to pick up the nearest book and quote the first line. Today I’m sharing from An Agent for Kitty by Nerys Leigh, one of the Pinkerton Matchmakers series:

First Line from An Agent for Kitty: She'd lost her mind. That was the only explanation.

What’s the book nearest you, and what’s the first line?

About An Agent for Kitty

To find her happiness, she’ll first have to find her courage.

Kitty is the first to admit that she is far from brave, and applying to the Pinkerton Detective Agency to become one of their new female agents is the most daring thing she’s ever done.

Her fragile resolve almost fails her when she discovers she must marry her training agent for the duration of her first case, but Ben Riley turns out to be caring and fun, and outrageously flirtatious. And even though she knows he’s not serious, she can’t help enjoying his attention.

On the case of a stolen dinosaur skull in the Utah wilderness, her confidence grows. But so do her feelings for Ben.

And Kitty begins to wonder if what she should really be afraid of is a broken heart.

You can find An Agent for Kitty online at

Amazon | Goodreads

Click the button to check out what my fabulous fellow FirstLineFriday bloggers are sharing today:

You can then click the link which will take you to the master page of all this week’s #FirstLineFriday posts.

And you can click here to check out my previous FirstLineFriday posts.

Share your first line in the comments, and happy reading!

And don’t forget to click here to check out my Amazon shop for my top picks in Christian fiction!

People didn't always understand his humor, which tended to be extremely dry and somewhat rare.

Book Review | An Agent for Clara (Pinkerton Matchmakers) by Nerys Leigh

An Agent for Clara is Nerys Leigh’s second book in the multi-author Pinkerton Matchmaker series.

If you’ve read any of the others, you’ll know the series is about the “daring women who seek adventure and are of sound mind and body” who sign up to join the Pinkerton National Detective Agency only to find they are to be married to a male agent for their first assignment.

If you can buy into that somewhat unlikely premise, then you’ll enjoy the story.

Clara Lee joins the Pinkertons because she’s been fascinated with detecting ever since reading about the first female Pinkerton agent. She is assigned to learn from—and marry—Mr Tobias Campbell. Tobias has an interest in forensic investigation that makes him ahead of his time. (If you’ve read The Bug Man series by Tim Downs, then Tobias is the 1871 version).

Tobias agrees to marry Clara for the purpose of the case, but that’s all. He’s not interested in marriage. He’s not especially interested in training Clara, but he’s not given the option. The couple are sent to New York to locate a woman who went missing almost two years ago—hired by the man who possibly fathered a child with her, and now wants to help.

Tobias finds Clara hard to deal with at first. She’s his opposite in many ways, but they gradually get to know each other and come to value their differences as well as their similarities. Those who have read Nerys Leigh’s Escape to the West series will see some familiar references. I won’t say more, because #Spoilers 🙂

An Agent for Clara is a fun story and Christian romance fans with a fondness for 1900s Westerns will enjoy it.

Thanks to the author for providing a free ebook for review.

About Nerys Leigh

Nerys LeighNerys Leigh writes thoroughly romantic Christian historical love stories. She loves heroes who are strong but sweet and heroines who are willing to fight for the life they want.

She’s from the UK, which you would think puts her in a unique position to not write about mail order brides in the American west, but the old adage of writing what you know has never appealed to her. She has an actual American read each book before publishing to make sure she hasn’t gone all English on it.

No One’s Bride is the first in the Escape to the West series which tells the stories of a group of women willing to travel across America to find happiness, and the men determined to win their hearts.

You can find Nerys Leigh online at:

Website | Facebook

About An Agent for Clara

Falling in love could risk more than just their hearts.

Women aren’t supposed to fight crime, not in 1871. But solving mysteries is all Clara has ever wanted to do, so when the Pinkerton detective agency advertises for new female recruits, she jumps at the chance.

Not even having to marry her training agent for the duration of her first case fazes her, although Tobias Campbell is overly serious and a little unusual. Clara is exceptionally good with people. She’ll get him to him to loosen up before the case is over.

But when the search for a missing woman forces them into the dangerous underworld of New York’s notorious gangs, Clara and Tobias must learn to rely on each other.

Because it’s not only their hearts that are on the line. It’s their lives.

Find An Agent for Clara online at:

Amazon | Goodreads

Read the introduction to An Agent for Clara below:

And don’t forget to click here to check out my Amazon shop for my top picks in Christian fiction!