The Ties That Divide

An interesting story about Zoe and Lucy, her maid, who is murdered. At this point Zoe hires an investigator, Quinton to find out what happened to Lucy. The tale is compelling, because Zoe finds that she did not know her maid at all. The character of Zoe changes as the story moves along. Recommended as a good read.

Enjoyable. Loved the setting. It kept me reading in one go from start to finish. I cared about some characters. It's also well-paced. Would recommend to historical fiction fans.

Characters : 4⭐
Writing : 3⭐
Plot : 3⭐
Pacing : 5🌟
Unputdownability : 4⭐
Enjoyment : 3.5⭐

Overall : 3.75🌟

This was a really cute mother/daughter debut murder mystery novel. I thought the pacing was very well done and the clues that led around the city were enough without giving away the mystery of "who done it." I liked Zoe as the main character, despite her being unlikeable in the beginning; she showed a lot of growth toward the end. Quinton was a little forgettable as far as male characters go and despite liking the bond he has with the other men, I'm not sure those parts we're completely necessary and felt a little repetitive. They all grew up on the rough side of town but looked out for each other becoming "brothers." I think that can be conveyed without showing us multiple scenes where they reminisce about the same thing. I will say, I saw part of the "twist" coming but not all of it so that was a nice surprise. Things wrapped up nicely so this could be read as a standalone but was also left open ended with possible more murders/mysteries to solve. Overall very easy enjoyable read.

I thank NetGalley and the publisher for an advance reader copy of “The Ties that Divide,” in exchange for an honest review. All opinions and comments are my own.

A quest for justice for a murdered maid drives the narrative of “The Ties that Divide,” the first book in a new Regency-era series by authors Sandra and Taylor Preisler. Doing so will bring Zoe Demas, once a French refugee and now a London barrister’s stepdaughter, and Quinton Huxley, orphan who grew up on the streets and now plies a trade as what in modern times comes closest to the role of a private detective. She’s a member of the “ton,” although there are those who snub her because of her origin and her independent lifestyle, and he isn’t, not by a long shot. And you can probably see where this is going; these two negotiate a way through this ready-made dilemma of “can’t be together because of their difference in class” throughout the story. That it does not take over the mystery theme and leaves both characters as interesting people rather than caricatures is a testament to the skill of the writers.

I enjoyed “The Ties that Divide,” although there were some unfortunate word choices that took me out of the story; for instance, the usage of Ms. in place of Miss, in a couple spots (perhaps a typo?) and also when a character tells Quinton to “lighten up;” I really can’t see someone using that term in the early 19th century. And be advised there’s a bull-baiting scene that might be tough to get through for some readers. But the authors have a good sense of time and place, especially when it comes to how scandal would affect young women of the times, and also how the justice system works for those of the rich and privileged classes.

The book ends on a mysterious note, offering the hint of future books. Quinton and Zoe make a good team, and there will continue to be the romantic spark between them. “The Ties That Divide” should satisfy readers who enjoy an entertaining whodunit with intriguing characters, hints of romance and a finely drawn background in which all the pieces are put together very well.

Historical drama full of diverse and interesting characters. A plot which twists and turns,keeping the reader guessing.

Lucy Demas and her mother escaped from France during the French Revolution. Several years later Lucy's mother marries a leading London barrister. While growing up Lucy spends a lot of time observing and effectively studying with him. Early on her maid is murdered and Lucy uses her legal knowledge and related contacts to assemble helpers and solve the murder. Along the way Lucy learns to understand herself.

This book combines several topics that I particularly enjoy: parent child relationships that are strained and loving, mystery, social justice, a young woman finding her way after trauma, The mother/daughter authors did an excellent job with the growth of the mother/daughter and step father relationships. The budding love story is charming without taking away from solving the mystery. Many historical and mystery readers will enjoy this one and want to read the next.

The authors are a mother daughter team, and they did a great job with this debut novel that I assume will be a series as the book ends on a cliffhanger. The characters are well drawn with very different and diverse backgrounds, which really help this novel stand out.
Zoe and her mother, Simone, escaped from France and lived on the edges of society until Simone married a barrister, Hugh, who has very modern ideas. He is influenced by his friend and real-life reformer, William Garrow, the person who said innocent until proven guilty. Hugh has allowed Zoe to watch him work, and as she is very clever, she has absorbed quite a lot of law.
When her maid Lucy is found dead in Whitechapel, Zoe refuses to believe it was an accident, and finds an investigator, Quinton Huxley, to help her solve the crime.
There is a large cast of characters, each more interesting than the last.
John, a biracial Bow Street runner and his sister Mary, who becomes Zoe's maid, and Charlie, another biracial character who has an English father and Indian mother. Quinton, John, and Charlie grew up on the streets together, with Charlie's mother giving them love and food.
It is the characters who really bring the book to life and I look forward to meeting them all again in the next book.
The mystery slowly unfolds and the denouement is quite surprising.
Thanks to NetGalley and the Book Whisperer for my EARC. I am giving my honest review and do recommend this book.

This book wasn’t a good fit for me. I found the pace slow, the characters unlikeable, and the plot confusing. These authors have potential, but I don’t think this book is ready yet.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC.

This had a great overall feel of a mystery feel to it and worked with the historical feel to it. The characters worked with what I wanted and enjoyed the feel of the mystery. I enjoyed the main character and how smart and strong she was. Taylor & Sandra Preisler write strong overall story and can’t wait for more from them.

Thanks for giving me the chance to read this. I love the spunk of the main character, Zoe and the attitude that he parents take with her in recognizing her talents and her needs as an independent woman. I look forward to another. I’m assuming it will be a series. It’s well written with interesting supporting characters.

I hope they keep the cover, very eye catching. Good coming of age/mystery with a little romance for good measure. Regency readers will eat this one up. Nice start of a series.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher Books Whisperer for providing me with the e-arc of this book. This did not affect my review in any way.

Rating: 4/5

Background: Zoe and her mother fled from France to become refugees in England. Zoe lost her father while fleeing France and is not close with her mother but grew a close relationship with her stepfather (Hugh) and his sister (Theo). Zoe had sent her maid (Lucy) to deliver a message to her aunt (Theo) but her maid never returned, and was found dead. The story of her death does not add up; even though Zoe was not close with Lucy she felt that she should get justice for Lucy and decided to solve the mystery by herself. She hired a guy to help her with the work, but he does not abide by the laws he does it his own way. The man she hired was Quinton. This book is written in third person and has two POVs Zoe and Quinton.

Overall:
I admit I was in a reading slump while reading this book, so the beginning was a little slow for me. Once I got further into the book I started to connect with the characters and I was intrigued to keep on reading. This book had me guessing until the end and I did not guess who the murderer was. I love the relationships between each character. There were some plot twists that I loved and whenever I felt like the story skewed off course it was for a good reason. This is one of the only books that I enjoyed when the authors included some seemingly random ideas into the plot! I felt like it added to the story's depth.

Positive:
I loved Theo as a person she is the cool rich aunt that everyone loves. She treats Zoe so well even though they are not blood-related.
The relationship between Mary Fletcher and Zoe is so cute and I love how Zoe doesn't treat her as a maid but as I friend. It seems like Zoe grew as a person after Lucy died. Zoe and Mary are like missing puzzle pieces to each other, they make each other whole.
I liked that this was not a story that the main character thought she could solve on her own, that is just unrealistic.I liked that Zoe brought in help from Quinton but was still involved in solving the mystery.
The characters act like real people, not a "Mary-Sue" which helped me connect with the characters better.
A great ending and is making me want to jump into the next book but I can't ):

Neutral:
I read this in a slump and the beginning was quite slow, so it took a while for me to actually enjoy reading the book. But it got there and I couldn't put the book down once I got to the end.
There were several repeated phrases that I feel could have had more variety.
There was a bit of a modern twist that I could not see characters doing in this time, but I feel like it made it easier to read. (This is my first historical fiction book)

This was a great book for a debut novel especially for having multiple authors! I can not wait to read the rest of the series. I would recommend this book to a friend.

What is better than an historical fiction set in Regency London where there is a mystery surrounding the death of a lady's maid which puts Zoe Demas, a young French woman, in the spotlight!

Well this is a story that has some great characters as well as a wonderful storyline. It is a quick and easy read that will keep you guessing and keep you intrigued. There was a bit of fun in the story as well and clues to help you along on solving of the mystery. A great start to what sounds like it may be a series. I hope so.

Thank You NetGalley and Book Whisperer for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.