Reviewer's Bookshelf: "Ladies of Intrigue" by Michelle Griep

Book Summary (Amazon): The Gentleman Smuggler’s Lady
Cornish Coast, 1815
When a prim and proper governess returns to England from abroad, she expects to comfort her dying father—not fall in love with a smuggler. Will Helen Fletcher keep Isaac Seaton’s unusual secret?

The Doctor’s Woman (A Carol Award Winner!)
Dakota Territory, 1862
Emmy Nelson, daughter of a missionary doctor, and Dr. James Clark, city doctor aspiring to teach, find themselves working side by side at Fort Snelling during the Dakota Uprising. That is when the real clash of ideals begins.

A House of Secrets
St. Paul, Minnesota, 1890
Ladies Aide Chairman, Amanda Carston resolves to clean up St. Paul’s ramshackle housing, starting with the worst of the worst: a “haunted” house that’s secretly owned by her beau—a home that’s his only means of helping brothel girls escape from the hands of the city’s most infamous madam.

My thoughts...If you like picking up a book that you can read in a day, pick up a novella. This book is a collection of 3 novellas, and only took me a few days of leisurely reading to complete. Each story was a little different, with "The Doctor's Woman" being completely different as it is set in the western US. The other two novellas were set in England. 
Michelle Griep's full length novels are typically filled with exciting plot twists, romantic tension, and a nicely paced story line that will keep you reading from beginning to end. This novella collection is like three miniature versions of that. I personally liked "The Doctor's Woman" more than the other two because i enjoyed the characters and plot line a little more. The western setting is one I'm partial to as well, so I was quickly turning pages to see what would happen next. As with the nature of all novellas, you don't get all of the detail and the romantic aspect is usually sped up a bit. While there are times that I do like the long building up of tension, every so often it's nice to see things move along a little faster! 

**I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via netgalley in order to give an honest review, which I did.**