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    A Matter of Grave Concern
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    A Matter of Grave Concern
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    A Matter of Grave Concern
    Audiobook10 hours

    A Matter of Grave Concern

    Written by Brenda Novak

    Narrated by Michael Page

    4/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    Bestselling author Brenda Novak unearths love in the darkest of places.

    When Maximillian Wilder hides his noble identity and joins the notorious body snatchers known as the London Supply Company, the last thing on his mind is love. He's worried about Madeline, his vanished half sister, who was last seen in the company of Jack Hurtsill, the gang's conscienceless leader. Raiding graveyards, stealing corpses, and selling them to medical colleges as dissection material is dirty work, but Max knows he must gain Jack's trust. He's determined to find out what happened to Madeline-and to bring Jack to justice if she was murdered for the coin her body could earn.

    Beautiful, spirited Abigail Hale, daughter of the surgeon at Aldersgate School of Medicine, detests the challenging, hard-bargaining Max almost as much as Jack. But she must procure the necessary specimens if she is to save the college and her father's career. She believes she is going to be successful-until Jack double-crosses her. Then she's swept into a plot of danger and intrigue, one where Max must intervene to protect her, no matter the risk to his plan…or his heart.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherBrilliance Audio
    Release dateOct 7, 2014
    ISBN9781491529539
    Unavailable
    A Matter of Grave Concern
    Author

    Brenda Novak

    New York Times bestselling author Brenda Novak has written over 60 novels. An eight-time Rita nominee, she's won The National Reader's Choice, The Bookseller's Best and other awards. She runs Brenda Novak for the Cure, a charity that has raised more than $2.5 million for diabetes research (her youngest son has this disease). She considers herself lucky to be a mother of five and married to the love of her life. www.brendanovak.com

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    Reviews for A Matter of Grave Concern

    4/5

    30 ratings7 reviews

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    • 3/5
      2.5 stars

      ****Full Review****

      I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review

      When does the end justify the means? Is it when individuals who have limited options become
      resurrectionist? Is it when medical colleges pay for bodies procured from nefarious ways to study and try to further knowledge of human anatomy? How about when a daughter lies to her father to help further his career or a man lying to the woman he is falling in love with in order to keep searching for his missing half sister? A Matter of Grave Concern takes on all these scenarios and leaves the reader questioning just what constitutes right and wrong.
       
      Abigail lost her mother at a very young age leaving her to grasp even more for love from her absent surgeon father. She essentially has taken on the role as caretaker at her father's medical college hoping that some day she will be admitted to follow in her father's footsteps. As family members cringe from the thought of their deceased loved ones being inspected after death, colleges are having a hard time supplying specimens for their students to learn from, thus Abigail contacts the London Supply Company. However, when this company of body snatchers arrives, they prove to be a bit much for Abigail to handle, especially one particular member. Max Wilder is looking for his half sister Madeline which has led him to Jack, the leader of the London Supply Company. As he sticks close to Jack looking for clues he finds himself in Abigail's home looking for a way to simultaneously protect her from Jack and teach her to never deal with resurrectionist again.
       
      This book started off incredibly intriguing as it deals with a topic often shied away from and had a dark intensity emitting from the characters. Abigail and Max had good banter and friction but when Abigail embarks on a rather dubious course and gets essentially kidnapped, I thought her and Max joined together way too soon; their love connection just wasn't believable yet. Abigail is sweetly naïve but her blunt speech and terms she uses can be rather jarring at times. Her willingness to use a word like cock is explained away by her having no real world experience and learning everything from medical texts but her lack of shyness with Max seemed a bit unrealistic at times. Max was a hard character to connect with as his reasons for why he is with Jack and his very identity are doled out sparingly, hidden, or kept secret for most of the book. In fact, when certain details are revealed as to why he is trying to keep Abigail at a particular distance are made known, he comes off as kind of a jerk. One of these details is rather unneeded as it (the character) add nothing to the story, is never seen, and seems tagged on to an already full list of why Max can't be with Abigail; in other words, very overdone. Together, they definitely had a beginning spark but as the story moves on it fizzles out as Abigail quite suddenly decides to give up her lifelong dream of being a surgeon to stay with Max and Max "wants" Abigail but continues to (sort of) push her away because he "can't" have her.
       
      As I said, this had a strong start but seemed to lose its way as the middle gets bogged down with repetitiveness, unanswered questions about Max, and a slow pace. The dialogue between Abigail and Max can get fairly vulgar at times, which didn't bother me like it may some but was surprising for the time period this takes place and how I originally pictured Abigail's character. The ending with all its mysteries revealed and problems solved wrapped up a bit quickly and with a little too neat of a bow; the epilogue was also very gooey sweet.
       
      Ms. Novak's writing is meritorious; she just seemed to lose her way in the middle. If you are looking for a regency that deals with something other than ballrooms, want a little more spice to your bedroom dialogue than is usually seen in this fare, and a bit slower moving then this could be for you. A Matter of Grave Concern is definitely different, I'm just not sure it's good.
       
    • 4/5
      Abby is the daugher of a college physician. The college needs cadavers for their students and Abby is determined to purchase what is needed. She meets Jack who has inadvertently drawn Abby into the world of the cadaver men.

      I enjoyed this book, I liked the story of the grave diggers and colleges, we forget how hard it was to study because there was such a stigma about using bodies. So different from modern times when we have something like a case of Henrietta Lacks where the doctors have the proprietary rights on things from our body.
    • 5/5
      While normally I am not a historical romance reader I am when Brenda Novak has a new one. Her writing style and stories pull me in and this book is no different. It is well written and the story is intriguing and captivating. While slightly dark it is also full of humor and completely entertaining. I highly recommend this one.
    • 5/5
      Different and intriguing!Body snatchers, resurrections and missing persons illuminated against the backdrop of the dark side of London, is the setting for this historical, 'black noir', romantic thriller.It's 1830, and only eighteen months since Burke and Hare, resurrectionists who took the short cut, murdered people and sold their victims for dissection, are still front and centre in Londoner's consciousness, particularly those who are burying their loved ones.Schools of medicine are looking for bodies to dissect. Surgeons-in-training need more than animals to work on to increase their knowledge and abilities.When Abigail Hale, a surgeon's daughter, desperately attempts to procure bodies for her father's college, the Aldersgate School of Medicine, she runs into obstacles that most of us would flee from in terror. Instead Abigail walks headlong into a dangerous situation with nary a hesitation.Abigail finds herself at odds with a resurrectionist's gang led by a brute of a man, Jack Hutsill and a mysterious member of the gang, Maximillian Wilder. Max is not all he seems. He is looking for his half sister Madeline who's vanished into the underbelly of the city. She was last seen in the company of Jack.When Abigail and Max meet, Max is forced to protect her as best he can. The sparks fly between them. The thing is Abby is headstrong, naive and a constant danger to those trying to protect her.An intelligent young woman starved for affection, she just doesn't truly know how to be anything but forthright. I did sympathize with her. Her bald comments about all manner of things including her readings on copulation reveal her unusual upbringing.I applauded Abby's pluck and creativity from time to time, and railed at her stubbornness at others.But honestly, mostly I lost all patience with her, wanted to walk on stage, and tell her to just get out of there. She can be a very frustrating person. Not just for me as reader, but for all those she comes into contact with. Being so determined Abby is always walking straight into danger dragging those within her orbit down some unending dramatic rabbit hole.Max and Abigail's developing relationship is interesting. However Max's later treatment of Abigail didn't ring true to the person he was portrayed as earlier. Yes, he is torn between duty, convention, his mother's will and his love for his sister. The person he feels he ought to be is at odds with who he is. Max doesn't quite live up to the earlier impetuous of a man who will stop at nothing for those he cares for. I can only conclude that he is heavily conflicted.Despite this, an intriguing read if you have a taste for graveyards at midnight, bodies being carted around under cover of the dankness of London streets and romantic tensions.A NetGalley ARC
    • 5/5
      I had an opportunity to review “Through the Smoke” by Brenda Novak and until I started reading the novel, I didn’t realize that I had agreed to read a historical romance. I initially felt like a deer caught in the headlights in agreeing to read the book let alone to complete a review and instead became enamored with the story. When the opportunity came to read another historical romance by Brenda Novak with the title of “A Matter of Grave Concern”, I couldn’t wait to discover if my previous excitement was a moment of happenstance after a long absence due to past experiences.I started reading “A Matter of Grave Concern” and was totally captivated by the character of Abigail (Abby) Hale, daughter of the surgeon at Aldersgate School of Medicine. Setting aside dreams of her own, Abby’s focus is on the welfare and survival of the college and to try to put her father in the best possible light as his knighthood seems imminent. In the midst of a most harrowing experience to Abby, she meets a man who captures her heart. Simultaneously, the man introduced as Maximillian (Max) Wilder and the man that captures Abby’s heart has a few secrets of his own. I loved this story! On the surface it may seem as the classic romance novel of any era in which either the heroine or hero are deemed unsuitable for one another due to socio-economic differences. As I was trying to find the perfect words to share how deeply ensconced the reader becomes in this story, how enduring the characters, how perfectly the setting provides intrigue and suspense, it made me think of the description I read recently of “I Opened a Book” by Julia Donaldson.I Opened a Book“I opened a book and in I strode.Now nobody can find me.I’ve left my chair, my house, my road,My town and my world behind me.I’m wearing the cloak, I’ve slipped on the ring,I’ve swallowed the magic potion.I’ve fought with a dragon, dined with a kingAnd dived in a bottomless ocean.I opened a book and made some friends.I shared their tears and laughterAnd followed their road with its bumps and bendsTo the happily ever after.I finished my book and out I came.The cloak can no longer hide me.My chair and my house are just the same,But I have a book inside me.”--Julia DonaldsonOpen “A Matter of Grave Concern” and find yourself in the midst of a time when cadavers were needed by medical students but provision was primarily via underground criminals, a time when females dreamed about becoming surgeons but were not encouraged to pursue their dreams, a time when a young woman was sent to live in the country with a maiden or widowed relative if your father felt she needed further guidance on how to act to become a socially acceptable candidate for marriage, a time when that relative felt the burden of responsibility to provide the opportunities for a suitable courtship to marriage, a time when a marriage of business arrangement is deemed more important than a marriage of the heart and these are but a few examples. Turn the pages, follow Abby and Max as their lives intersect at a crossroad in each of their lives, share their adventures, feel the engaging emotions of their time together, and try to decide if each of their paths will lead away from each other or become entwined forever. As Julia says, “I finished my book and out I came…but I have a book inside me.” I’m out from between the covers to share my book review but I will continue to giggle and smile as I remember some of Abby’s conversations with Max, to remember and admire Abby’s strong will and choices, to remember and admire Max’s choices for his sister, his nephew, his fiancée Hortense, and for Abby, and I will keep Abby and Max’s story forever inside of me.I was lucky enough to receive a pre-publication copy of this title from the author to read and review.
    • 5/5
      I had an opportunity to review “Through the Smoke” by Brenda Novak and until I started reading the novel, I didn’t realize that I had agreed to read a historical romance. I initially felt like a deer caught in the headlights in agreeing to read the book let alone to complete a review and instead became enamored with the story. When the opportunity came to read another historical romance by Brenda Novak with the title of “A Matter of Grave Concern”, I couldn’t wait to discover if my previous excitement was a moment of happenstance after a long absence due to past experiences.I started reading “A Matter of Grave Concern” and was totally captivated by the character of Abigail (Abby) Hale, daughter of the surgeon at Aldersgate School of Medicine. Setting aside dreams of her own, Abby’s focus is on the welfare and survival of the college and to try to put her father in the best possible light as his knighthood seems imminent. In the midst of a most harrowing experience to Abby, she meets a man who captures her heart. Simultaneously, the man introduced as Maximillian (Max) Wilder and the man that captures Abby’s heart has a few secrets of his own. I loved this story! On the surface it may seem as the classic romance novel of any era in which either the heroine or hero are deemed unsuitable for one another due to socio-economic differences. As I was trying to find the perfect words to share how deeply ensconced the reader becomes in this story, how enduring the characters, how perfectly the setting provides intrigue and suspense, it made me think of the description I read recently of “I Opened a Book” by Julia Donaldson.I Opened a Book“I opened a book and in I strode.Now nobody can find me.I’ve left my chair, my house, my road,My town and my world behind me.I’m wearing the cloak, I’ve slipped on the ring,I’ve swallowed the magic potion.I’ve fought with a dragon, dined with a kingAnd dived in a bottomless ocean.I opened a book and made some friends.I shared their tears and laughterAnd followed their road with its bumps and bendsTo the happily ever after.I finished my book and out I came.The cloak can no longer hide me.My chair and my house are just the same,But I have a book inside me.”--Julia DonaldsonOpen “A Matter of Grave Concern” and find yourself in the midst of a time when cadavers were needed by medical students but provision was primarily via underground criminals, a time when females dreamed about becoming surgeons but were not encouraged to pursue their dreams, a time when a young woman was sent to live in the country with a maiden or widowed relative if your father felt she needed further guidance on how to act to become a socially acceptable candidate for marriage, a time when that relative felt the burden of responsibility to provide the opportunities for a suitable courtship to marriage, a time when a marriage of business arrangement is deemed more important than a marriage of the heart and these are but a few examples. Turn the pages, follow Abby and Max as their lives intersect at a crossroad in each of their lives, share their adventures, feel the engaging emotions of their time together, and try to decide if each of their paths will lead away from each other or become entwined forever. As Julia says, “I finished my book and out I came…but I have a book inside me.” I’m out from between the covers to share my book review but I will continue to giggle and smile as I remember some of Abby’s conversations with Max, to remember and admire Abby’s strong will and choices, to remember and admire Max’s choices for his sister, his nephew, his fiancée Hortense, and for Abby, and I will keep Abby and Max’s story forever inside of me.I was lucky enough to receive a pre-publication copy of this title from the author to read and review.
    • 2/5
      Iiiiiiiiiiiick.......a romance novel......ew. Lol, I didn't get past chapter five, even with the plummy voice of the narrator. I'm not finishing it, either. I have too many books in my tbr pile to spend any time on yet another formulaic romance novel. Sorry, Novak; it's not you, it's me.