Weekly Reads: September 11 to 17, 2023

Just Wicked Enough by Lorraine Heath (2007)

Historical romance. Victorian-era England. Book 2 of the Rogues and Roses series. An impoverished marquess holds an auction with the wealthiest American fathers to sell himself in matrimony to the highest bidder. We end up with an arranged marriage between Kate, the younger daughter of an American banker, with Michael, a cold and unemotional marquess. They’re both keeping secrets from each other, but still try to very slowly get to know each other after the wedding. Michael is lonely and unloved, mostly because his mother can’t remember him with her dementia and is kept in an asylum. Kate is pining over her lost love, who her parents accused of being a fortune hunter and has now married someone else. That leaves both Michael and Kate terribly unsure of themselves and in a bit of an animosity-filled relationship. Even with the physical attraction that’s apparent from the beginning, this one is a slow-burn relationship with each person slowly learning to trust the other.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

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Nobody’s Darling by Teresa Medeiros (1998)

Historical romance. 1880s New Mexico. Standalone novel. Esmeralda seeks revenge against the outlaw who murdered her brother and confronts him in a saloon in New Mexico. Billy Darling has never seen or heard of her brother and is innocent of the crime. With a faint chance that Esmeralda’s brother might be alive, she hires Billy to help track him down. This book is split into three parts, with loads of action and danger throughout. While Esmeralda and Billy start as adversaries, they need to trust each other to effectively work together. We also get to meet Billy’s outlaw brother gang along the way, as well as see Esmeralda and Billy share about their tragic pasts with each other. The book felt a bit long, especially as it had three distinct eras within it, but the relationship development was really good.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

Hey, Hun: Sales, Sisterhood, Supremacy, and the Other Lies Behind Multilevel Marketing by Emily Lynn Paulson (2023)

Nonfiction. As the title says, this book shares a woman’s experience with being a multilevel marketing (MLM) seller. Not only was she a seller, this person was a top-ranked “successful” seller. It was interesting to read about her entire experience from being recruited by a “friend” all the way until she left the company. Her company name and products were renamed (probably due to a non-disclosure agreement) and names of her friends and colleagues were changed as well. This book was a really intense behind the scenes look at the reality of being an MLM superstar and the downsides of the seemingly successful life being portrayed in social media. The messaging of a lot of MLM companies share is that people (particularly women and moms) have the potential to make enough money on the side by sharing the products they love in order to quit their jobs or have more flexibility to spend time with their kids. The problem here is that the money that’s being made is from recruiting people downline, and not really from selling the products themselves.

This book was particularly interesting to read right now since there has been some criticism of the online entrepreneurial space of having similar practices. Many online entrepreneur gurus will promote the ability to make millions of dollars online by teaching courses or selling digital products. Usually, these gurus will share their own sales revenue as “proof” that their method words. However, the gurus are selling courses about how to sell courses and have a higher price point by saying that their students will then go on to start their own business and be able to generate a return on investment. But then what happens is that those students go out and make money by teaching people how to start their own business… and it keeps trickling down. At which layer of this process does anyone make real-life, full-time salary, quit your job money from selling something tangible? It doesn’t seem like anyone does. And all of this messaging is eerily similar to all the things Paulson shares in her experience with an MLM.

This was a really fascinating read for anyone who has ever been affected by an MLM, either as a seller, a family member, or someone pitched to. I consider myself pretty highly educated, but still, a lot of the predatory messaging from MLMs can be pretty convincing. Whoever is in charge of the recruitment marketing knows exactly how to hone in on a person’s pain points and convince them that this is a harmless venture. It’s essential for these cautionary stories to be shared widely so that we can all recognize the signs and help each other avoid them.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

A Tale of Two Lovers by Maya Rodale (2011)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 2 of the Writing Girls series. Lady Juliana Somerset is the secret author of the gossip column at the weekly paper and has written that Lord Roxbury may have been trysting with another man backstage at the theater. Roxbury’s now-questionable proclivities have made him a social outcast and also forced his father to issue an ultimatum: Roxbury needs to marry within the month or be financially cut off. He doesn’t really want to marry, but even if he did, no proper ladies will receive him with his current reputation. He seeks retribution from the paper and finds that Juliana is the cause of his downfall. They start needling each other at every instance, until they get caught in their own scandal. Juliana is wary of Roxbury, especially since he’s a rake, because of her experience with her late husband (who died in a drunken carriage accident with his mistress), so he has a lot of work to do to get her to trust him. In the background, we’re also trying to uncover the identity of the rival gossip columnist from the rival newspaper, which is a fun little mystery to follow.

Ebook and audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

Scandalous Wager by Christy Carlyle (2014)

Historical romance. Victorian-era England. Book 1 of the Whitechapel Wagers series. Super quick novella with Elizabeth, the police boss’ daughter, going to proposition Ian for a tryst. Elizabeth would like to prioritize teaching in her charity school for the underprivileged and doesn’t see herself as a good match for marriage, but wants to experience carnal relations before she’s a permanent spinster. She seeks out Ian, one of her father’s employees, since she’s desperately attracted to him. Ian is equally attracted to Elizabeth and has actually been waiting to court her properly after getting a job promotion and earning more money to be able to provide for her. Their tryst is interrupted by a violent crime in the neighborhood and there’s a bit of drama the next day when it seems like her father disapproves. However, this super short novella wraps up pretty quickly without too much angst.

Ebook purchased from Amazon.

Wanton Wager by Christy Carlyle (2014)

Historical romance. Victorian-era England. Book 2 of the Whitechapel Wagers series. Will and Ada meet under less-than-ideal circumstances when Will comes to call upon Ada’s younger sister, thinking that she was his friend’s mistress. Unfortunately, the young and impressionable Beth thought that she was in a loving affair with Will’s friend and has also been missing for several days. Although Ada is insulted by Will’s assumptions, she continues to bump into him as she searches for her sister. These two end up teaming up to locate Beth and very quickly fall in love with each other in their time together. This was a chance meeting type of romance and it was pretty short and easy to read.

Ebook purchased from Amazon.

Reckless Wager by Christy Carlyle (2014)

Historical romance. Victorian-era England. Book 3 of the Whitechapel Wagers series. Kate, the sister of Will from the previous book, has been secretly volunteering at a medical clinic in the poor part of town. She knows that she will likely have to give up her charitable work when she finally accepts the proposal of a long-time friend of hers. One of her last patients is a woman who was badly beaten, but will only speak with a specific detective. When Kate seeks out this detective, she finds Ben to be drunk and needing assistance to his own residence. Eventually, he sobers up, and the two team up to find the patient who has gone missing from the clinic. These two have their own past hurts from previous relationships, but it’s nice to see them become so smitten with each other so quickly. We also get rid of Kate’s almost-fiance here and showcase his boorish behavior. Overall, another relatively quick read in this series and good for when you’re looking for a less complex plot.

Ebook purchased from Amazon.

The Tattooed Duke by Maya Rodale (2012)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 3 of the Writing Girls series. One of the Writing Girls, Eliza, is tasked with getting all the scoop on the newly returned duke in town. She applies for a position as a housemaid in the duke’s house and is able to find out all sorts of gossip to use about him in her new column, The Tattooed Duke. While Sebastian is part of a family infamous for its rakish and inappropriate treatment of female staff members, he is trying to stay vigilant and keep his hands off of the ever-attractive Eliza. Despite finding his estate in disarray and in debt, Sebastian would rather be sailing the world and leading an expedition to Timbuktu. Unfortunately, all of the press about his scandalous reputation does not help him acquire the funding he needs for the expedition. Meanwhile, Sebastian and Eliza seem to be growing closer while she’s in his employ, even though he doesn’t know that she’s the one betraying all his confidences. We also get some fun twisty secrets about both Sebastian and Eliza as we progress through the book, with tons of dramatic fallout along the way.

Ebook and audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

A Duke’s Introduction to Courtship by Sophie Barnes (2023)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 2 of the Gentlemen Authors series. Brody is an impoverished duke who has secretly written a romance novel with two of his friends, but is strapped for immediate cash when a debt collector comes calling for his younger brother’s debts. While out for a walk, he happens across a job opening at a print shop and thinks that he’ll be able to collect a small bit of money while also sneaking in his own manuscript for consideration. While there, he runs into a young man who works as a compositor in the print shop and doesn’t know why he’s drawn to the lad. Harry is actually Harriet and dresses up as a young man to gain employment to care for herself and her younger sister. She has successfully maintained the disguise for several years, but her attraction for Brody might give her away. This book had a slow progression of friendship, caretaking, and a relatively low-angst romance. We also get to revisit the couple from Book 1 of the series, as both Brody and Harriet are friends with the duke and duchess, respectively.

Advance ebook provided by Sophie Barnes via NetGalley.

Three Schemes and a Scandal by Maya Rodale (2012)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 3.5 of the Writing Girls series. Lady Charlotte is a walking disaster with all of her scheming. As the sister of a duke, she gets away with quite a bit, but still somehow wreaks havoc on society. She gets herself into a tangle with her once-childhood friend James, which leads to his father’s ire and banishment of James. In trying to help them make up with each other, they get into more trouble together. But as they’ve reconnected after all these years apart, both James and Charlotte are beginning to develop stronger feelings for each other. This novella was quick and humorous to read, with all of the chaos that happens at every turn.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

I Love the Earl by Caroline Linden (2011)

Historical romance. Georgian-era England. Prequel novella of The Truth About the Duke series. Margaret has been a dowdy spinster with no success in finding a husband. When her brother unexpectedly inherits a wealthy dukedom, he settles a large dowry on her. Suddenly, Margaret is besieged with suitors of the fortune-hunting variety. Rhys is an impoverished earl who is hesitant to marry for money, but is intrigued by Margaret’s forthright style of speaking. He decides to slowly court her and win her favor, as he’d very much like to spend the rest of his life with her.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.