Dalliance with the Duchess by Sara Bennett (2024)
Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 3 of the Disgraceful Duchesses series. Widowed duchess Sophia is trying to move on from her husband’s cruel influence and his crony friends, but an investigator Nicholas asks for her help in finding out if his old friend is in trouble. She goes back to visiting with and gaming with her late husband’s friends to see if the young man is in danger. As she reports back to Nicholas about the friend, she recalls a time when she had a masked intimate encounter with Nicholas at the pleasure gardens. She believes that he didn’t know who she was and never discussed it, but of course he knew exactly who she was and they renew their dalliance in the present. This book was short and steamy with a tiny bit of mystery and intrigue, especially when we find out that Nicholas has been searching for his sister who has been missing for the past decade. A quick read that was entertaining.
Advance ebook provided by Dragonblade Books via NetGalley.
The Co-op by Tarah DeWitt (2022)
Contemporary romance. Standalone novel. LaRynn and Deacon had a summer fling as teens that left them both heartbroken and now they’re stuck as co-owners of their late grandmothers’ home. In order to have enough money to fix it up to sell, they need access to LaRynn’s trust fund. They enter into a marriage of convenience to do that, all while angrily bickering with each other. But they really just still have a simmering attraction for each other and are resentful of how things turned out when they were younger. They each have to improve their communication skills and trust in each other. Super angsty and emotional with lots of sexual tension.
Advance ebook provided by St. Martin’s Press via NetGalley.
Love in Bloom by Lucy Eden (2024)
Contemporary romance. Standalone novel. Emma is having the worst day ever driving to the will reading of her late grandparents, which also involves an awkward first meeting with farm manager, Dan. It also turns out she inherits her late grandparents’ farm and does not know what to do with it, since she’s been estranged from them for the past twenty five years. When her regular life blows up, she escapes to the farm to learn what she can about the past. She learns a lot about how to rely on others (like the handsome and kind Dan) and how to integrate into small town life. Plus, the farm has a bonus secret that explains the town’s reliance on it. Flirty, steamy, and emotional book. Loved it.
Advance ebook provided by Forever Books via NetGalley. Advance audiobook provided by Libro.fm.
Mr. Notorious and the Nefarious November by Shana Galen (2024)
Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 11 of the Rake Review series. Munro is the rake of the month, back in England at the request of his viscount brother. He fled the country years ago when the woman he loved rejected his offer of marriage and married his best friend instead. And he’s still hung up on her. And forced into proximity with her since Beatrice is now widowed and the sister of Munro’s brother’s wife. He drunkenly admits his feelings for her, which she refuses to believe, and then she decides to test his loyalty. The final prize is her hand in marriage, but she’s just so slow to trust him and she believes all of the terrible gossip about him. While Munro has been solicitous and dedicated to Beatrice’s tests, she’s really the one who needs to decide if she can trust him after all.
Advance ebook provided by Shana Galen.
The Hellion’s Secret by Jess Michaels (2024)
Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 2 of the About an Earl series. This book overlaps a little bit with Book 1 of the series. We get the romance here between a rakish but upstanding earl and the runaway daughter of a marquess who is now a prizefighter. Esme had run away from her cruel cousin after her father’s death and has a new life now as a masked boxer. She tries to avoid interacting with society since she has fallen pretty far from her previous station. When she interacts with Finn at a club, she’s instantly skittish and tries to avoid him, despite her attraction to him. Finn is basically obsessed with the woman who turned him down and even more intrigued when he finds out that she’s a boxer. He’s preoccupied by thoughts of her and wants to spend more time with her. But he’s skeptical of his own feelings, being unsure if he’s capable of love after witnessing his parents’ toxic marriage. Tons of steam plus the ongoing threat of discovery by Esme’s cousin.
Advance ebook provided by Jess Michaels via NetGalley.
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.
Freed by the Marquess by Stevie Sparks (2024)
Historical romance. Interwar-era England. Book 3 of the Lords of Desire series. Lady Caroline is running off to marry a man and it turns out he’s awful when she finds him in bed with the maid on their supposed wedding night. Well, after the husband disappears completely, she’s left in the care of her new father-in-law David, who actually is quite caring. They form a tentative friendship and then feelings develop even further, but David’s trying his best to be loyal to his son. But he can only resist temptation for so long when it’s clear they’re really fallen in love with each other. Steamy and emotional read.
Advance ebook provided by Stevie Sparks.
Duchess Material by Emily Sullivan (2024)
Historical romance. Victorian-era England. Standalone novel (but it seems like it could be the start of a series). Phoebe and Will were neighbors and childhood friends on the cusp of something more as they grew up, but then Will unexpectedly inherits a dukedom and their paths completely diverge. And then one day, Phoebe needs Will to help bail her out of jail and they’re thrown together again. She’s out searching for her missing student and he’s a duke with connections, so they team up to solve the mystery. Of course, they end up in more trouble than they bargained for, plus start an affair in the process. The longing and love and yearning is apparent with every interaction, but they’re stifled by their current stations in life. I also enjoyed the direct communication between the two and the set-up for potentially more stories involving Phoebe’s sisters. Loved it.
Advance ebook provided by Forever Books via NetGalley. Audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby.
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