A brand-new Dragon Quest adventure called Dragon Quest Treasures is coming to the Nintendo Switch. The Square Enix unveiled a brand-new video for Dragon Quest Treasures to the Nintendo Switch. Read more @ https://digitalsushma.com/web-stories/dragon-quest-treasures-to-the-nintendo-switch/

A brand-new Dragon Quest adventure called Dragon Quest Treasures is coming to the Nintendo Switch. The Square Enix unveiled a brand-new video for Dragon Quest Treasures to the Nintendo Switch.

Buried treasure whether coins or artifacts made of gold—though silver isn’t bad either—are being found by archaeologists and normal everyday people is an allure for more to go out to be the one to have the next big find.  Treasures of the Lost Races by Rene Noorbergen chronicles some of the amazing discoveries of treasures found around the world, searches for lost treasures, and theories about how advanced artefacts were from “primitive” cultures.

While a good portion of Noorbergen’s writing is about amazing treasures found over the years and were interesting, another large portion was about the search for various treasures which is where some of the major problems with the book were located.  While Noorbergen’s discussion on the Copper Scroll treasure list from either Solomon’s Temple or the Second Temple was fine as was his search for the remains of Pharaoh’s army of the Exodus, it was the Ark of the Covenant and lost Incan treasure were things got mindboggling.  In the former, Noorbergen focuses on a story of a US Army chaplain who supposedly glimpsed the Ark while his unit was chasing German soldiers in Palestine after their retreat from Egypt which absolutely makes no historical sense; in the later Noorbergen goes off on underground tunnels in the Andes that the Inca might has used to stash gold from the Spaniards and goes off on a tangent from his previous book.  At a length of 174 pages, one wonders if Noorbergen was just padding the book though it resulted in it being disjointed.

Treasures of the Lost Races had its interesting sections, but Rene Noorbergen wrote a book that was disjointed and in some places completely inaccurate making it not a very good follow up to Secrets of the Lost Races.

In Regency England, Isabel will discover that the key to unlocking the mystery of her past may also open the door to romance. But first she must find it—in the depths of Emberwilde Forest. For as long as she can remember, beautiful and free-spirited Isabel has strained against the rules and rigidity of the Fellsworth School in the rolling English countryside. No longer a student, Isabel set her sights on a steady role as a teacher at the school, a safe yet stifling establishment that would enable her to care for her younger sister Lizzie, who was left in her care after her father’s death. The unexpected arrival of a stranger with news of unknown relatives turns Isabel’s small, predictable world upside down, sweeping her and her young charge into a labyrinth of intrigue and hidden motives. At her new family’s invitation, Isabel and Lizzie relocate to Emberwilde, a sprawling estate adjacent to a vast, mysterious wood rife with rumors and ominous folklore—along with whispers of something far more sinister. Perhaps even more startling, two handsome men begin pursuing Isabel, forcing her to learn the delicate dance between attraction, the intricate rules of courtship, and the hopes of her heart. Isabel never dared to dream that love could be hers. Now, at the edge of a forest filled with dark secrets, she faces a fateful choice between love and duty.

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Isabel, a former student at the Fellsworth School, now wants to set herself up for a long teaching career there so that she might comfortably provide for her half-sister, Lizzie (different mothers). With both their parents gone, Isabel is now Lizzie's appointed guardian. Just as Isabel is trying to recommend herself for a long-term teaching position, she receives a letter from a previously unknown aunt, inviting Isabel to come and live at Emberwilde, the family estate. 

This aunt, Margaret Ellison, does write in her letter that Isabel is welcome "whatever the circumstances" (of her present situation). Isabel presumes this means that Lizzie is also welcome. Though Aunt Margaret is noticeably taken aback by the surprise addition of Lizzie, she stays true to her word and lets both girls settle in to their new rooms at Emberwilde. Margaret's daughter, Constance, is actually thrilled to have the extra companionship!

Isabel quickly notices that the Ellisons -- Margaret and her husband, Charles --- appear to be the epitome of privileged; meanwhile Isabel and Lizzie arrived to the house with little more than the two dresses each Fellsworth school supplied them. The girls are expected to swiftly turn themselves into ladies of high standing, but they've been working the worker bee life so long it's difficult to shake the instinct to make oneself useful. 

While trying to find a sense of balance in this new world, Isabel attracts the eye of two potential suitors: First there's Mr. Bradford, one of the escorts on her trip to Emberwilde Hall and the superintendent of the orphanage sponsored by the Ellisons; his competition is lawman Colin Galloway. Serious in temperment, Galloway is also a respected land owner in his own right, being the owner of Darbenton Court. Due to a devastating fire years before that killed his parents and all his siblings, Galloway lives the low-profile life in a boarding house while he builds up the funds to renovate the family estate. For some time now, Charles Ellison has been urging Galloway to take a wife and reclaim the life and title he was destined to have. These pleas were largely falling on deaf ears until the day he first spots Isabel. Galloway and Bradford have actually known each other since boyhood and Galloway is quite familiar with some of the less impressive pieces of Bradford's character. Knowing what he knows pushes Colin to keep Isabel's whereabouts on his radar at all times. 

Lots of mystery, secrets and scandals worked into this plot!

*How long before word gets out that the Ellisons are living beyond their means and Charles is struggling to "keep the lights on" (in early 1800s terms, that is)?

*Emberwilde Forest --- legend has it that the woods behind the estate are swarming with the ghosts of gypsies killed in a skirmish when previous generations of Ellisons tried to drive them out.... but is the forest truly haunted or are the stories just a front criminals continue to perpetuate to keep a lid on their illegal activities going down out there?

* Galloway seems like a good dude, but MAN, does Mrs. Ellison have a beef with him! It seems she blames Colin for the death of her eldest son, when the guys went off to war together, Colin returning home but not the son. Now Mrs. Ellison uses this history and her bitterness to justify forbiding Isabel to associate with him.... will they ever get around this? (You know hearts will find a way!)

While maybe not ALWAYS the most exciting story, it is sweet and infused with enough innocent mystery to make this a lovely, easy read. Ladd builds enough doubt around Bradford's character to keep one wondering for most of the story and Galloway certainly has a degree of swoon-worthiness to his quiet, steady self. There's also throwback elements here and there to classic Gothic and Regency lit... a touch of Wuthering Heights, what with our MC finding a chance to rise above orphanage background. Also, in terms of the romance triangle --- there's flashes of Gaston vs The Beast or even Wickham vs Darcy (from Austen's Pride and Prejudice), one could argue.

While all the books in this series are set in Surrey. England in the early 1800s or so, there's not too much else linking the characters between the books (not so far as I can see, anyway), so these can easily be enjoyed as stand-alone novels.

FTC DISCLAIMER: TNZ Fiction Guild kindly provided me with a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. The opinions above are entirely my own.

Camille Iverness can take care of herself. She’s done so since the day her mother abandoned the family and left Camille to run their shabby curiosity shop. But when a violent betrayal leaves her injured with no place to hide, Camille must allow a mysterious stranger to come to her aid. Jonathan Gilchrist never wanted to inherit Kettering Hall. As a second son, he was content to work as the village apothecary. But when his brother’s death made him heir just as his father’s foolish decisions put the estate at risk, only the sale of a priceless possession—a ruby called the Bevoy—can save the family from ruin. But the gem has disappeared. And all trails lead to Iverness Curiosity Shop—and the beautiful shop girl who may be the answer to his many questions. Caught at the intersection of blessings and curses, greed and deceit, these two determined souls must unite to protect what they hold dear. But when a passion that shines far brighter than any gem is ignited, they will have to decide how much they are willing to risk for their future, love, and happiness.

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In 1812 London, Camille Iverness runs her father's curiosity shop. Jonathan Gilchrist is in London working as an apothecary when he is called back home to the family estate, Kettering Hall. His father, once a wealthy lord, is now in financial dire straits and has recently discovered that a prized item in his oddities collection, the Bevoy Ruby, has been stolen.  Gilchrist Sr. makes it clear he does not want the police involved. Though the relationship between Jonathan and his father is strained to say the least, it's put upon him to find the ruby and return it to Kettering Hall if there is to be any chance of saving the family fortune. Jonathan has no desire to help his father, but he understands that not trying to restore the family fortune could mean a life of financial strife and social ruination for his sister.

Jonathan travels back to London to call upon his late brother's best friend, Henry Darbin, now a private investigator. Darbin's initial investigating leads the two to suspect the Bevoy Ruby may be an item in the Iverness curiosity shop, Camille's father having a reputation around town for being a bit of a shady businessman. Camille and Jonathan meet when he comes to her aid after a cloaked man attacks and stabs Camille. Convinced that it's not safe for her to stay the night at her home, Jonathan convinces Camille to come to the London residence he shares with his sister, Penelope. 

At first, Camille only means to stay the night, but when a threat to her very life is revealed, it is decided that she will travel with Jonathan and Penelope back to Kettering Hall. P.I. Darbin doesn't like how close Jonathan is keeping Camille, but Jon reasons that she is the closest link they have to discovering the location of the ruby --- though she repeatedly insists up and down that she has absolutely no information about this gem. Jon also notes that, having recently been attacked, she is a woman in distress, so he is compelled, as a gentleman and a medical professional, to be of assistance where and when he can. 

"I admit that I threw quite a knot into our investigator's plan with my actions, but I would not act differently if I had the  chance. The Bevoy is merely a thing.  A trinket. Hardly worth the safety of a person. Besides, I am confident we will find it in time."

 

She knew better. Once gone, once in the underground markets and out of respectable hands, such a rarity was unlikely to reappear.

 

"I fear your father may not share your sentiment that the ruby is merely a trinket."

 

He smiled. "My father does not share a great number of my sentiments, Miss Iverness."

 

 

 

Jonathan and Camille get to know each other a little better once she sets up residence in his childhood home. On his suggestion, Camille applies for work at a nearby school. The Gilchrist family have long been patrons of the school, and Jonathan hopes to use his influence to nab her some sort of position on the staff there, even though she has minimal experience in that environment. Jon comes to see Camille --- at least in some small way --- as a kind of kindred spirit, mostly in the fact that they've both struggled with strained relationships with their respective fathers, a fact made undeniably evident when Jonathan witnesses James Iverness throw his daughter out  on the streets the day after her attack. 

Aside from the attack near the beginning of the story and some intrigue near the end, when certain characters reveal a secret side to their personalities (as well as secrets surrounding the Bevoy itself being revealed), very little in the way of action happens in this story. It's pretty much kept to a scene change or two punctuated by numerous slow, quiet conversations.

The dialogue has an odd flow at times. It was particularly noticeable with Penelope. Though, yes, she is a woman of "high breeding", as they say, her words from time to time came off a little stiff and overly formal for the company she was addressing, especially since her character is a young woman, not an elderly, stuffy dame type.

Jonathan is an admirably stand-up kind of guy, with a good moral code, despite his family's objections to him working in a "lowly" profession. The proposed romance between him and Camille was certainly under-developed. It was a good friendship at best, considering they hardly spent any "alone time" together, and the time they did spend in each other's company was strongly platonic in nature, hardly any signs of flirtation ever.... beyond the occasional slight grin across a room. There's some opportunity for them to grow close at one point when Camille works as Jonathan's assistant during a scarlet fever outbreak, but even then we see only the faintest roots developed for the bond one might expect to lead to forever love.

All in all, a mystery set up to be potentially captivating... and while entertaining, the plot ultimately suffered from being built on several underdeveloped points that never quite hit satisfactory fruition. 

FTC DISCLAIMER: TNZ Fiction Guild kindly provided me with a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. The opinions above are entirely my own.