Top Five Reads of January 2023

In the month of January, I finished reading 35 books (33 historical romance, and 2 contemporary romance). Here are my five favorite books from the month! (listed in alphabetical order by author last name)

Insatiable by Darcy Burke (2023)

Historical romance. Regency England. Book 8 of the Phoenix Club series. This is the final book of the series and we finally see our meddlesome club owner Lucien meet his match. With the scandal and drama that closed out the end of Book 7, Lucien is at risk of losing the club from the intervention of the anonymous patrons from the Foreign Office. However, it seems there is more danger behind the scenes. Meanwhile, his friend’s younger sister, Kat, has decided this is the Season she will dedicate more research to the mating habits of people. Kat is bookish and socially awkward and gets overwhelmed by crowds easily, but is comfortable with and attracted to Lucien. She asks him for assistance in her research and he can only resist for so long because he finds her honesty and directness attractive as well. I really enjoyed this book and it was a great ending to the whole series.

Advance ebook provided by Darcy Burke via NetGalley.

The Raven Prince by Elizabeth Hoyt (2006)

Historical romance. Georgian Era England. Book 1 of the Princes Trilogy. Impoverished widow from the village Anna takes a job as the local grumpy earl’s secretary. Edward, the current earl, survived but is scarred from a smallpox outbreak that killed his whole family. The first half of the book moves pretty slowly, with our two people getting to know each other and conversing about the land that Edward manages. As their attraction for each other grows, Edward seeks refuge at a brothel in the city to work out his lust. Anna somehow schemes to hide her identity and have him bed her instead of a courtesan. With their differences in social class and Edward’s desire to have children, a marriage is impossible between these two. Every so often, we’ll see the point of view of other characters in the story: the estate steward, the squire’s wife, and a hired busybody. It adds some interesting perspectives to the overall plot and we can read about potential pitfalls and schemes from outsiders. With Anna’s big secret looming overhead, we’re just waiting for the fallout and angst that will come with it.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

The Lady Gets Lucky by Joanna Shupe (2021)

Historical romance. Gilded Age New York and Rhode Island. Book 2 of the Fifth Avenue Rebels series. About half of this book takes place at the same Newport house party as Book 1 of the series, so it’s fun to read these back to back. Shy and quiet Alice asks scoundrel Kit for lessons in seduction so that she’ll be able to find a husband who wants her for more than her dowry. She’s got a terribly overbearing mother and needs to get out from under her thumb. Meanwhile, Kit has already been warned away from the innocent debutantes so is hesitant to help her (even though he was instantly attracted to her offer). When Kit finds out that Alice is friendly with a famous chef who he is trying to hire for his new supper club, he wants a way to buy those recipes. Alice is shrewd negotiator, so it looks like she’ll get her seduction lessons after all. Reading these two flirt with each other was so fun; Alice learns a bit more confidence and Kit turns into someone less sure and less suave, but more honest. I really enjoyed this one!

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

Shop this book via Amazon // Bookshop.org // Libro.fm

In Which Matilda Halifax Learns the Value of Restraint by Alexandra Vasti (2023)

Historical romance, Regency England. Book 2 of the Halifax Hellions Series. There’s so much going on in this book that it’s hard to summarize it all in one line. Matilda is a twin and scandalously known as one of the Halifax Hellions; she and her sister Margo have a reputation of behaving outrageously and getting into trouble. However, Matilda has a secret that no one knows about: she draws naughty pictures and sells them to printers who put together erotic pamphlets. Christian finds himself the subject of these naughty drawings and confronts Matilda. He has his own problems with scandal and speculation since he was rumored to have murdered his wife. Matilda is apologetic and wants to make it up to Christian, but he won’t allow it; she finally wears him down and convinces him to let her come to his home to serve a painting tutor for his younger sister and they set off on the road. Matilda leaves a note for her sister that she’s eloped, hoping that she won’t be followed. (We see twin sister Margo’s perspective in the previous book) From there, we have an easygoing road trip, a confrontation with Margo, a rescued cat, arrival at a dusty castle, a reluctant sister, and finally an honest conversation with Christian. This book will keep all the pages turning for you because you want so badly to find out what happens next.

Advance ebook provided by Alexandra Vasti.

Get Thee Off My Lawn by Daria Vernon (2022)

Historical romance. Regency England. Standalone novella. This one is humorous and absolutely delightful. April tries to retrieve her wayward swan from the neighbor’s pond, finds herself entrenched in the muck, and needs rescuing by the handsome neighbor, Leo. The rest of their day is a carefree and fun insta-lust tryst involving sneaking into his manor to clean her up and basically enjoying each other’s company until April needs to go home. And then reality hits: April is to marry a wealthy stranger to save her household’s wealth and there’s no hope for a future with Leo, even though he’s completely smitten with her. It all gets resolved in pretty short order (since it’s a novella) in fun and surprising ways. It’s a quick read that is completely worth it.

Ebook accessed from Kindle Unlimited.