Weekly Reads: August 7 to 13, 2023

The Duke’s Daring Bride by Caroline Lee (2023)

Historical romance. Victorian-era England. Book 4 of the Surprise! Dukes series. Alistair is a reclusive duke who does not speak but makes his case in the House of Lords through letters and support documents; at night, he stalks the streets fighting crime as the Dark Knight. One night, he saves Olivia from ruin while she’s out there looking for a story that might save her newspaper. One of her investors just happens to be Alistair and she shows up at his house the next day to ask for him to reinstate his financial support, not knowing he was the one who saved her. He decides to propose to her in exchange for the newspaper support, mostly because he needs a wife, but doesn’t want to go out into society to acquire one. These two enter into a marriage of convenience, but have an instant attraction for each other. It’s fun to read about Olivia integrating into Alistair’s boisterous family: a meddling mother and two quirky younger sisters. Of course we also get a slow progression of Alistair and Olivia learning to trust each other and fall in love. This one was another great book in the series and I love how everything ties back to the overarching villain of the series.

Advance ebook provided by Caroline Lee.

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The Duke’s Stolen Bride by Sophie Jordan (2019)

Historical romance. Victorian-era England. Book 5 of the Rogue Files series. Impoverished oldest sister Marian seeks to save her family’s circumstance by becoming a courtesan. However, she has no experience at all, so she seeks out the neighborhood depraved duke, Nate, for some lessons. He’s affronted at first, but then gives in, and the relationship is mostly him trying to get her to loosen up. It’s sad to see how very poor Marian and her family are and how their choices are limited, but Nate feels sorry for Marian and also desires her so much that he can’t stay away from her.

Ebook and audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

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Forgery, Love, and Other Lies by Charlie Lane (2023)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 2 of the Art of Love series. There was once a financially irresponsible marquess who spent his money on art instead of his estate and family and after his passing, he had given away all of the art except for a select few paintings that his children would earn by creating a their own piece of art to their mother’s satisfaction. Unfortunately, the paintings left in their house were forgeries, orchestrated by second son Zander, who rented out the originals in times of financial need. Now that the family knows which paintings are meant to be the inheritance, Zander tries to reclaim the originals but finds the old woman he dealt with (and the artwork) missing. His investigation leads him to find the art forger, who is the daughter of a jeweler, Fiona, and is just as distressed with the disappearance of the old woman and many other counterfeit paintings that could see her hanged. Zander and Fiona team up to track down the woman and the paintings and find themselves in love along the way, although Zander is hesitant to offer anything permanent as he’s in no financial position to marry.

Advance ebook provided by Charlie Lane via NetGalley.

The Virgin and the Rogue by Sophie Jordan (2020)

Historical romance. Victorian-era England. Book 6 of the Rogue Files series. Prim and proper Charlotte suffers from terrible monthly cramps which are usually aided by a tonic provided by her sister. This month’s dose of tonic turns out to be an aphrodisiac and Charlotte pretty much accosts her brother-in-law’s stepbrother, Kingston, in the middle of the night. She feels horribly guilty since she’s engaged to someone else, but Kingston tries to convince her that she’s a passionate woman and much too good for her betrothed. Charlotte tries to avoid Kingston as much as possible so that she doesn’t submit to further indiscretion, but he is constantly underfoot. Kingston has his own feelings of inadequacy being the illegitimate son of a dissolute earl with no home or sense of belonging. He’s envious of Charlotte’s family and security and believes himself unworthy of her. Both of these characters need to get over their self-denial and admit to themselves (and each other) what they really want.

Ebook and audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

In Bed with the Stablemaster by Sophie Jordan (2021)

Historical romance. Victorian-era England. Novella, part of the Rogue Files series. Super short story that takes place at the same time as the events of Book 6 of the series. One of the housemaids, Vera, and the stablemaster, Rufus, generally bicker at each other on the job. One day, Vera is caught in a rainstorm and rescued by Rufus and taken to a cottage for shelter. With wet clothes to remove and some quiet isolation (plus simmering attraction), these two end up having a tryst that leads to a honorable proposal. It’s a super quick story to read and a fun little interlude.

Ebook accessed from Kindle Unlimited.

The Duke Effect by Sophie Jordan (2020)

Historical romance. Victorian-era England. Book 7 of the Rogue Files series. Youngest sister Nora studied healing with her father who was a doctor and has been serving as the village healer since his death. Unfortunately, she has also been corresponding with people who have written letters to her deceased father and signing her father’s name with her medical advice. When army colonel Constantine is back in England as the heir to a duke, he seeks out Nora’s father for a medical consult and is outraged to find that he has been corresponding with Nora and believes her to be a charlatan. With the threat to her reputation as a healer, she does everything she can to convince him that she is qualified and competent, including sneaking away from home to see Constantine in London. While it all works out for the pair romantically, it was strange that there wasn’t any fallout with Nora’s older sister after she snuck off.

Ebook and audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

Scandalous Duke by Scarlett Scott (2020)

Historical romance. Victorian-era England. Book 5 of the League of Dukes series. Everyone’s keeping dangerous secrets here. Johanna has renamed herself Rose, given herself a fake background, and become a world-famous actress. Unfortunately, her terrorist of a brother has found her and is forcing her to do some of his bidding, like sneaking documents and explosives from America to England. Meanwhile, Felix, a duke working with the Home Office, has decided to get closer to Rose, believing her to be the terrorist’s mistress. She doesn’t realize he’s part of the Home Office and that he’s just an entitled duke who wants to bed her, but resists anyway due to her own damaged history with men. They’re both trying to prevent their own feelings from getting involved, but they’re terribly attracted to each other and genuinely enjoy each other’s company. Lots of drama involved with explosions and threats of imprisonment, but ultimately Felix is willing to use all of his power to keep Johanna out of trouble.

Ebook accessed from Kindle Unlimited.

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Painting the Duke by Georgina North (2023)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Standalone novel. Vivienne is an orphaned lady who lives with her aunt and uncle and is known for refusing multiple marriage offers. She actually has a secret life as an oil painter and many of her anonymous works are showcased at royal exhibitions. This season, a handsome duke, Brick, is back in town after being banished for many years. He’s not exactly looking for a wife, but is intrigued by Vivienne and is somehow egged into betting that he is able to secure her hand in marriage. He definitely has his work cut out for him, since she is very outspoken with him about her desire to not marry. However, he is refreshed by her opinions on art and equality and enjoys spending time with her. She also enjoys his company but refuses to give up her art and worries that he will be scandalized by her secret. This book is definitely a slow-burn romance with Vivienne being the one to learn to let down her walls and share her secret with the world; we also have Brick learning to eschew societal expectations and support Vivienne in every way possible. When she catches him in a lie, he delivers on meaningful displays of affection and support. Excellent read.

Advance ebook provided by Georgina North via BookSirens.

When the Duke Loved Me by Lydia Lloyd (2023)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 1 of the Rake Chronicles series. If you enjoy historical romances that involve a mystery or quest, this one will definitely be for you. We start with a garden tryst that ends badly when a duke’s heir and a country miss find out that the person they’re trysting with is a longtime family enemy due to prior scandal. We jump seven years later to find that John, the new duke, is stuck executing an arduous component of his father’s will in order to prevent further scandal to be heaped upon his sister’s reputation. He needs to find his father’s former lover and give her an annuity to fulfill the will and save his sister’s dowry. John needs the help of the woman’s niece, Catherine, who has also borne the brunt of the old family scandal and now lives in poverty with the family of a baronet. Over the course of the book, we learn that the old duke’s indiscretion was revealed loudly and caused a great deal of upheaval for both families involved. Catherine agrees to help John locate her aunt in exchange for money, but she has little hope of finding the woman who ran off and was never seen again. While John and Catherine try to stay serious and professional with each other, it’s clear that they are still attracted to each other, and wish that their family circumstances weren’t so complicated. I really enjoyed learning more about the past scandal as bits and pieces of history unfolded as these two try to locate her aunt. Everything tied together so well and was really interesting to uncover. And of course, the steamy romance between John and Catherine was exceptional.

Advance ebook provided by Tule Publishing via NetGalley.