Weekly Reads: June 19 to 25, 2023

What’s a Duke Got to Do With It by Christina Britton (2023)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 2 of the Synneful Spinsters series. We start with a tragic prologue for Katrina, who is the sister of a baronet, enjoying her first flirtatious season. Just as it seems like her flirtation with a young lord might be headed somewhere, he’s called away from a ball unexpectedly. What follows is another lord sneaking into her window uninvited, being caught by her brother, and imminent scandal. Years later, Katrina is resigned to living as a companion to a stern dowager viscountess. And that idiot lord has attempted again to climb into her window, this time falling to his death, and causing tons more scandal for Katrina. Meanwhile, Sebastian (the man called away from that last ball) has been digging his way out of his father’s debts and is on the cusp of marrying a wealthy heiress. He just needs to fulfill one assignment for her father, which is to distract her brother from marrying an actress. Sebastian and his charge find themselves hosted by the dowager viscountess. Sebastian and Katrina have the opportunity to meet again and reconnect, even though both of their circumstances have changed, and for very practical reasons, they don’t have a future together. It was still fun to read how much Sebastian has been pining for Katrina all these years and how Katrina’s odd group of friends rally behind her. And the matchmaking dowager is also the best.

Advance ebook provided by Forever Books via NetGalley.

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Someone to Romance by Mary Balogh (2020)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 7 of the Westcotts series. Jessica, the sister of a duke, has finally decided that she will marry this year (in her sixth or seventh season). While she typically has a court of interested suitors, she’s looking forward to meeting newcomers to the ton. Gabriel has spent the past thirteen years in America after fleeing England due to some scandal and is back now to claim his rightful title and care for those living on the estate. Upon meeting Jessica, he arrogantly decides that he will marry her, since the sister of a duke will fulfill all of the practical criteria he has for a wife. However, Jessica is angry and insulted by his presumption, challenging him to do better if he wants to win her hand. This book was yet another really interesting story in the series with the unraveling of Gabriel’s mysteries and the support that Jessica provides through his ordeal. And while the women of Jessica’s family do not quite understand the pairing, the men are as quick as Jessica is to guess at Gabriel’s true identity.

Ebook and audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

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Odds on the Rake by Sofie Darling (2023)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 1 of the All’s Fair in Love and Racing series. Gemma dresses up as a stable hand to infiltrate the Duke of Rakesley’s racing stable and collect information for a rival horseman. Gemma and her twin brother were the illegitimate children of an earl and are running away from his overbearing care. When Gemma gets to the duke’s stables, she has a way with the wild and untrained horse and quickly moves up to being a jockey. While Rake runs an impressive stable, he’s curious about the new stable hand “Gem”. When he finally realizes that his new employee is a woman (and a very attractive one), they start a steamy affair that keeps her feeling guilty about her initial motives for being there.

Advance ebook provided by Oliver Heber Books via NetGalley.

Someone to Cherish by Mary Balogh (2021)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 8 of the Westcotts series. Ten years after Harry had lost the position of earl due to the discovery of his parents’ illegitimate marriage, he is now somewhat of a recluse at his childhood home after surviving his war injuries. The meddlesome Westcott family is concerned for Harry and want to see him happily settled, tying up the loose ends of the disastrous revelations all those years ago. Nearby, the vicar’s widow Lydia who lives alone in the village is content with her independence, but also desires companionship. When Lydia and Harry are thrown together for a walk one evening, they start a conversation and somewhat form a friendship, with the hesitant possibility of an affair. Lydia’s previous marriage was not as happy as it appeared and it was nice to see Lydia assert her own identity and preferences in this story. This book is another slow-burn to add to the series, with a quiet romance, and the boisterous Westcott family.

Ebook and audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

No Dukes Allowed by Jess Michaels (2023)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 1 of the Kent’s Row Duchesses series. Widowed duchess Valaria has just moved to a street of townhouses full of widowed duchesses. She’s keeping secrets regarding the death of her cruel and terrible husband and is hesitant to make new friends. However, her late husband’s friend Callum is intent on checking on her well-being, even though she wants to push him away. Callum is the ultimate nice guy has admired her for many years but denied his feelings for her due to his friendship. Now that his friend has died, he feels guilty for calling on Valaria, but can’t seem to help himself. And Valaria has always been attracted to Callum as well, not knowing why this seemingly upstanding gentleman was friends with her husband. Callum didn’t know that his friend was completely awful, so he feels even worse when he discovers that Valaria did not have a happy marriage. At some point, these two start an affair, but there’s still a heavy secret between them and Valaria’s overall skittishness to overcome.

Advance ebook provided by Jess Michaels via NetGalley.

In the Eyes of the Earl by Kristin Vayden (2023)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 3 of the Cambridge Brotherhood series. Collin is trying to investigate the criminals who have been using his name and it leads him back to the town of Cambridge. While there, he visits an old professor and meets the professor’s daughter Elizabeth, who is a scholarly bluestocking. As Collin and Elizabeth cross paths with mutual acquaintances, they end up arguing and bickering, and somehow this turns into attraction and passion. Their romance follows a relatively uncomplicated progression, while Collin’s investigation runs in the background. Nothing too twisty or turny here but still pleasant to see Elizabeth’s supportive father.

Advance ebook provided by Sourcebooks via NetGalley.

Someone Perfect by Mary Balogh (2021)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 9 of the Westcotts series. Last and final book of the series and pivots a bit away from the Westcott family itself though it takes places shortly after the events of Book 8. Here we focus on Estelle, honorary Westcott, and stepsister to Harry, Camille, and Abigail. We first meet Estelle in Book 4, when her father marries the former countess. In this book, she and her twin Bertrand have been living quietly for two years in the country and recently returned home from the events of Book 8. Estelle has an awkward first meeting with Justin, an earl who has come to retrieve his estranged younger sister and bring her home to his estate. These two have a slightly antagonistic beginning, but it’s clear that Justin wants to put his sister at ease, inviting Estelle and Bertrand to come to the estate for a few weeks to help their friend settle in. While we know a lot about Estelle’s backstory from former books, this one delves deeper into Justin’s history and the cause of his estrangement from his family and his sister. We get to learn the depth of Justin’s character along with Estelle and see her slowly falling in love with him. This one was another book in the series that I really enjoyed reading, even though I could almost predict the reason why Justin was banished by his father. From a series perspective, this book didn’t necessarily need to be included, since the last book featuring Harry would already be a strong ending to the series. It was still nice to see Estelle get her love story, especially as we’ve gotten to know her through many of the other books, and actively seen her during the London season. It’s curious that Bertrand did not also get a story in this series, but I have a feeling that we may see him at a later time in another series.

Ebook and audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

Lessons in Pleasure by Victoria Dahl (2016)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Standalone novella. Quick read with a married couple discovering pleasure in the bedroom. The lady of the story thinks that she’s got hereditary insanity and that he wantonness is a sign of her demise, but really, it was just a charlatan of a doctor who was treating her mother and spreading misinformation in his book. Her husband explains that she’s perfectly normal and things are fine.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

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A Rogue in Texas by Lorraine Heath (1999)

Historical romance. Post-Civil War Texas. Book 1 of the Rogues in Texas series. A group of English gentlemen are sent to the cotton fields of Texas to work the land. The women of the fields accept the men to work as their own husbands had gone away to war and not returned. Grayson is the illegitimate son of a duke and has never worked hard for anything in his life, despite being often overlooked and unloved. Upon the criticism of one of the widows, Abbie, he’s determined to prove that he can stick it out and work the fields as needed. Abbie is the widowed mother of three who puts up Grayson in her barn, and is wary of men due to her cold and demanding husband. She’s skittish around Grayson’s teasing and flirting, but finds him to be kind to her children and hard-working in the fields. Over time, these two grow closer together, but there are still hardships to overcome in the rough conditions of the land.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

Never Love a Cowboy by Lorraine Heath (2000)

Historical romance. Post-Civil War Texas. Book 2 of the Rogues in Texas series. This book takes place right after the events of the previous one, with Harry and his friend Kit working with the saloon owner’s daughter Jessye on their new cattle herding venture. Harry has been flirting with Jessye outrageously but she always rejects him, knowing that he’s a scoundrel. While on the trail together, they get to know each other more and unload some of their complicated secrets, but love is still very much out of reach for various reasons, despite their attraction for each other. There’s all sorts of disaster and danger that happens throughout this book, along with learning all of Jessye’s secrets, keeping the pace moving and the reader wanting to know more. I enjoyed this book and also getting to know a bit more about our friend Kit, who gets his own book next.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.