Weekly Reads: October 21 to 27, 2024

Silver Lady by Mary Jo Putney (2023)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 1 of the Dangerous Gifts series. Historical romance with a little bit of paranormal magic. Bran is one of the adopted sons of an earl and countess known for working with gifted children. These gifts encompass a wide variety of powers, like heightened intuition or healing or foretelling. Oftentimes, this society shuns those with these gifts, like Bran’s father did. As an adult working for the Home Office, Bran is approached by a baron’s solicitor with speculation that Bran is the heir to the title. He decides to visit the family and learn more about the estate, guided by his intuition. While in Cornwall, he ends up rescuing a young woman who had been kidnapped and held against her will. These two have a strong connection to each other, but her mind needs to be healed before anything further can occur. This book was packed with so much action and plot and I was intrigued by the world of these special gifts and powers. I enjoyed watching Bran and Merryn grow closer together and then work together to thwart a bigger villain.

Ebook and audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

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It Happened One Summer by Tessa Bailey (2021)

Contemporary romance. Book 1 of the Bellinger Sisters series. Party girl Piper is banished from her glamorous life in LA by her stepfather to go to a small fishing village in Washington state. She has no idea what she’s doing and makes a poor first impression on grumpy widowed fisherman, Brendan. Except that he’s distractedly attracted to her and wants to help her survive her stay. There’s so much banter and flirting and humor here, along with dealing with grief (Brendan) and finding purpose in life (Piper). I enjoyed seeing them interact and get to know each other. Brendan was delightfully supportive of all of Piper’s efforts and her caring personality. And if you didn’t know, Tessa Bailey is a very smutty author.

Ebook and audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

The Baron Who Never Danced by Barbara Russell (2024)

Historical romance. Victorian-era England. Book 5 of the Victorian Outcasts series. A footman and the daughter of an earl’s mistress meet at the theater where he rescues her (and a bunch of other people) from a fire. Two years later, they meet again when Angeline is socializing at balls and Royston has been elevated to a baron. Royston is being manipulated into stealing from Angeline’s mother, but he’s not comfortable with becoming a thief again, so he’s a bit clumsy about it. Overall, Royston and Angeline are getting together, despite Angeline’s mother and Royston’s former employer being scheming villains.

Advance ebook provided by Oliver Heber Books via BookSprout.

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The Wallflower List by Jess Michaels (2024)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 1 of the About an Earl series. Wallflower Marianne is set on completing her late best friend’s list of scandalous activities and she unwittingly involves her brother’s best friend Sebastian on the scheme. She’s had a longstanding crush on Sebastian, but he has only ever seen her as a friend, especially since he is a huge rake and warned away from her by her brother. Now that Marianne is showcasing a bolder personality, Sebastian is very much drawn to her and trying to resist. However, their connection is more than just physical, and it will take some soul searching for Sebastian to realize he’s in love with her. Pretty straightforward plot here, with plenty of steam.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

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Christmas Is All Around by Martha Waters (2024)

Contemporary romance. Standalone novel. Charlotte is an artist who starred in a Christmas movie once as a child and is trying to run away from her past. She’s visiting her sister’s family in England and somehow meets the owners of a house that is featured in the movie she was in. While Charlotte shies away from all things Christmas cheer, the owner of the historic home Graham has commissioned a series of house portraits to sell in his home’s gift shop. They spend more time together, bantering, and flirting, and finally becoming more, but she’s only in England temporarily. There’s also the concern of whether her past fame is being used to promote tourism to the historical family home. I enjoyed all of the banter and flirting, which made me smile so much. It was the perfect amount of sarcastic ribbing that I enjoy. Super fun little Christmas romance.

Advance ebook provided by Atria Books via NetGalley. Audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

Golden Lord by Mary Jo Putney (2024)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 2 of the Dangerous Gifts series. This romance is between adoptive siblings who have known each other since children. Cade and Tamsyn are both gifted persons who work for the Home Office and are sent to escort the British ambassador back to England from France. While there, Cade gets captured and Tamsyn needs to come to his rescue. We get a lot of action and fast-moving plot here, along with a controversial sort of romance. Cade has been secretly in love with Tamsyn for years, but suppressed his feelings for her. And she has seen him as a brother for all these years, until circumstances have forced her to see him in a new light. It’s interesting how they discuss the subject with each other and grapple with what it would mean for their larger family. But really, we spend a lot more time on the capture/escape plot, which is much more interesting. I enjoyed this book a lot and am curious if there will be more books in this series.

Advance ebook provided by Kensington Books via NetGalley.