Another delightful historical mystery from author Grace Burrowes, best known for her gentle historical romances.   A GENTLEMAN IN SEARCH OF A WIFE is book 5 in Burrowes’ Lord Julian Mysteries, and I continue to enjoy myself thoroughly with these charming mysteries with a touch of romance to each.  Burrowes does a bang-up job setting the series firmly in the Napoleonic era, and the bucolic setting in the English countryside adds to the cozy feel of this read.

Lord Julian Caldicott is the third son of the prior Waltham duke and is now second in line for the title.  After losing his brother (a fellow spy) to the torture of the French army, Lord Julain is trying to put his own war captivity and torture behind him.  His early bewilderment and ostracism are slowly being repaired by the love of his family and the gentle interest of the woman he’d like to marry.  Julian is discovering that he can use the skills he polished as a military spy to investigate domestic crimes.  The nature of amateur sleuthing makes Julian seem nicely relatable, and he is such an endearing man!

The relationships between Julian and those around him are what continue to bring this series alive to me. Julian's older brother Arthur, the duke, is a gratifying character although we don’t see much of him in this book.  Lord Julian's tiger, a grubby urchin that he rescued from service on a prior investigation, is shooting up under the tutelage of Julian and Julian’s family.  And I especially admire Julian's love interest, Hyperia West.  She’s kind, stalwart, and so supportive of Julian that I love her.

Hyperia has asked Julian to help her friend find his errant wife who has been missing for five years.  There are several twists in this mystery that I did not see coming!  The cozy mystery showcases the honest and upstanding characters that Julian and Hyperia display and slowly advance their possible romance.  Mystery and developing relationships intertwine to provide a satisfying read in A GENTLEMAN IN SEARCH OF A WIFE that will warm your heart.