Weekly Reads: May 8 to 14, 2023

My Fair Mistress by Tracy Anne Warren (2007)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 1 of the Mistress Trilogy series. Widowed lady Julianna goes to her brother’s debtholder to beg for leniency, only to be offered the position of his mistress for six months to forgive the exorbitant debt. She agrees so that her brother does not lose his estate and so that her sister’s debut will not be affected. While Julianna is ready to do her duty, she doesn’t expect that the cold and calculating Rafe will treat her well and see to her pleasure. She begins to look forward to their afternoons together and they both become more emotionally entangled that originally anticipated. Meanwhile, Rafe is seeking revenge upon a group of lords who are responsible for the death of his fiancee many years ago and Julianna is trying to shepard her younger sister through the marriage mart. At some point, these worlds collide and there’s a load of danger to protect themselves from.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

Queen Charlotte by Julia Quinn and Shonda Rhimes (2023)

Historical romance. Georgian-era England. This is the book adaptation of the Netflix series that takes place in the Bridgerton universe. If you’ve watched the six episode series, you’ll see the plot of the book follows much of the same, with a few tweaks to make it work as a book. There are also components of the series that are omitted from the book and a few bonus perspectives (like whole chapters of Brimsley’s POV, the Queen’s man, and conversations he has with Reynolds, the King’s man). This book reminded me that Julia Quinn’s historical romance books fall on the light and funny side of the genre and the book overall was not tear-inducing the way that the Netflix series was. Much of the dialogue is the same as the series, with a lot less emotional punch without the facial expressions of the very talented actors from the series.

For the romance novel aspect, we follow Princess Charlotte and her journey to an arranged marriage with the King of England. While trying to escape the wedding, there’s a meet-cute in the garden where he declares himself “just George”, and then follow the trials of a husband who deposits his new bride in her own house while he runs away to a different one. We get a bunch of eavesdropping-miscommunication here with George keeping secrets for the first half of the book and these two spending much time apart and in isolation. The book throws in the sub-plot surrounding Agatha Danbury, a newly elevated lady who is widowed and subsequently courted within the same book. (The book ignores a certain sideplot where she has a tryst with a lord on the Netflix series)

Do you need to read this book if you’ve watched the series? No, the plot elements are the same. However, it’s nice to read about some of the internal thoughts characters have. And basically, I’m just here for the Brimsley chapters. His thoughts and fears of everything he does being a hangable offense are hilarious.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

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Barons Adore Curves by Jemma Frost (2023)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 2 of the Lords Love Curves series. Quick little novella. Noah grew up with an abusive father, then lived in an orphanage after his parents died. He pined after the girl who lived next door with her cruel aunt and uncle, but knew he couldn’t talk to her because she wasn’t permitted to talk to the orphans. Once he was an adult with means, Noah tracked down the girl Ivy and found that she was to be sold to the highest bidder at auction. So of course he buys her, rescues her, and marries her. She’s a bit wary at first, but then realizes that she’s attracted to Noah and eventually falls in love with him.

Ebook accessed from Kindle Unlimited.

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Someone to Love by Mary Balogh (2016)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 1 of the Westcott series. The entire Westcott family is turned upside down when the Earl of Riverdale passes away. Leaving no will behind, his widow seeks to make a settlement on a young woman that the earl had been financially supporting so that the woman would never interfere with their lives in the future. The solicitor uncovers critical information that requires the gathering of a huge family tree of people as well as the orphaned schoolteacher Anna who has traveled to London from Bath to hear the news. All are gathered at the Avery, Duke of Netherby’s house, where his stepmother was sister to the recently deceased earl. It turns out that the earl (who was a viscount at the time) legally married Anna’s mother, and before Anna’s mother passed away, bigamously married the supposed countess, making that second marriage invalid and the children from that union (one son and two daughter) illegitimate. Knowing this, the earldom does not go to his son, but passes to a second cousin who had never any intention of becoming earl. This book is critical for introducing all the people in the Westcott family, how they are related, and what we might expect in terms of future books in the series. Since Anna’s discovery that she is the legitimate daughter of an earl and therefore a proper lady, her relatives have banded together to polish her up for her debut into society. Avery, who is tied to the family, but not actually related to the Westcotts is always present in these interactions and finds himself drawn to Anna despite her apparent plainness. The romance is soft and slow-burn and oh so delightful as you learn more about this world. Excellent start to this series.

Ebook and audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

Someone to Hold by Mary Balogh (2017)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 2 of the Westcott series. Camille Westcott has been the perfect proper snooty earl’s daughter and probably suffered the biggest shock when she found out that her parents were not legally married and that she is now illegitimate. In the previous book, she’d suffered a broken betrothal, fled London, and very loudly expressed her distaste for her new half sister Anna. In an effort to learn more about herself and to put herself in her half sister’s shoes, she starts teaching at the orphanage where Anna grew up. Joel is a portrait painter who grew up with Anna, was her best friend, and had proposed marriage to her many years ago. He dislikes Camille on sight because of her pettiness towards Anna and her severe and haughty appearance. However, as the two spend more time together at the orphanage and as he is commissioned by her grandmother to paint her portrait, they start to understand each other and confide in each other. It’s a total opposites attract situation with Camille being the one who needs to adapt to her new station in life and open her heart to the possibility of love and affection.

Ebook and audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

An Accidental Mistress by Tracy Anne Warren (2007)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 2 of the Mistress Trilogy series. Lily fakes her death to escape her stepfather and the man that she’s arranged to marry. She dresses as a boy to travel to London and meets handsome marquess Ethan along the way. When in London to claim an inheritance left by her maternal grandfather, Lily needs to pose as a widow to do so. A short while later, Lily and Ethan cross paths at a society dinner and he pursues her for an affair. There’s a bit of back and forth here as Lily refuses at first and then eventually gives into her desires. Eventually though Lily’s secrets will catch up to her, along with Ethan’s verbal understanding with a young lady’s father.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

Unladylike Lessons in Love by Amita Murray (2023)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 1 of the Marleigh Sisters series. Lila is the illegitimate daughter of an earl, estranged from her sisters, and lived with her father’s first wife after her own parents passed away. She runs a somewhat successful salon in London, offering gaming and entertainments. She’s accused of being Ivor’s father’s mistress and told to stay away from the old man. She’s never been anyone’s mistress, but Ivor seems to think the worst in her. We have some added mystery to the story when a former servant comes to Lila asking for help with a man who is accused of a crime he didn’t commit, and Ivor is somehow involved because it was his young cousin who was attacked. Honestly, the mystery-solving part was the most interesting. The romance seemed to come out of nowhere even though the attraction was obvious from the start and didn’t particularly feel genuine. I suppose we’ll learn more about those estranged sisters in future books, but I didn’t get the feeling this would be a tight-knit series. And while I don’t usually comment on book titles, I don’t actually see the connection between the title and the plot of the book here.

Advance ebook provided by Avon Books via NetGalley. Advance print book provided by Avon Books.

Someone to Wed by Mary Balogh (2017)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 3 of the Westcott series. The ever dutiful and honorable Alexander Westcott is not happy with becoming the earl. Just when he has recently made his own estate profitable and considered finally looking for a wife, he inherits a run-down estate with the earldom and none of the money. He now has to change course and seek a wealthy wife to support his new estate. Wren is out of mourning for her aunt and uncle who raised her, has been a recluse all her life, and is now looking for a husband. She thinks that the birthmark on her face will prevent any eligible gentleman from marrying her, so she approaches her offer as a business proposal, offering Alex the money to fix his estate in exchange for marriage. Alex is much too noble to just take the money and he tries to get to know Wren and determine if they’ll suit. Her demeanor is guarded and severe and Alex does not think it’ll work; she’s also a recluse and has difficulty meeting people in social settings. It seems to be a total mismatch from the get-go. However, Alex cannot seem to stop thinking about her and she somehow feels challenged by him (and his family) to confront her fears and slowly venture into society. It’s a delightful slow burn and amazing to see how the Westcotts welcome Wren into their fold and rally around her. Another great story in this series.

Ebook and audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby.