Weekly Reads: May 22 to 28, 2023

Diary of an Accidental Wallflower by Jennifer McQuiston (2015)

Historical romance. Victorian-era England. Book 1 of the Seduction Diaries series. Clare is a viscount’s daughter who is hoping to make a match with a duke’s heir this season but an accidental turn of her ankle sets her on the wallflower line at a ball. She catches the attention of a young doctor named Daniel who is curious about her shuffle and gait. It’s clear from the start that they are totally mismatched in terms of social status, but that doesn’t stop the attraction from developing as Daniel tends to Clare’s ankle over time. Daniel is also very good at managing Clare’s rambunctious younger siblings. It was nice to see the social-climbing Clare realize that her friends are horrible villains, she doesn’t really have a chance with the duke’s heir, and that Daniel is a kind, respectable, and honorable man who is deserving of love and affection.

Ebook and audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

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The Duchess Takes a Husband by Harper St. George (2023)

Historical romance. Victorian-era England. Book 4 of the Gilded Age Heiresses series. We revisit the woman from our tragic prologue of Book 1, Camille, an American heiress who was married off to a much older duke. Throughout the first three books, we’ve seen bits of the cruel treatment she has endured from her husband, ultimately seeing his death in the bed of his mistress at a house party. Now a widow for the past two years, Camille is slowly trying to reclaim her identity and participating in causes her husband would have disapproved of, like the home for young women or the women’s suffrage movement. She also seeks to determine if she can find sex pleasurable and propositions a man to assist her. Jacob is the illegitimate son of an earl and half-brother to Christian from Book 2. He refuses Camille’s proposition at first, not wanting to make things awkward as their social circles overlap. He ends up needing a fake fiancee to prove his stability for a business arrangement and asks Camille to play the part; of course she only agrees in exchange for the sex lessons she wanted in the first place. We soon realize that Camille has underlying fears of the act due to the ill treatment from her husband and Jacob needs to be gentle and patient as well as allow Camille to be in control of their intimacies. We get to see our charming rakish hero slowly fall in love with Camille and help in her journey towards empowerment. Overall, this was a great way to conclude the series and see our poor Camille finally get a happy ending.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

The Spinster’s Guide to Scandalous Behavior by Jennifer McQuiston (2015)

Historical romance. Victorian-era England. Book 2 of the Seduction Diaries series. This book takes place about 4 years after the events of Book 1 and is about Clare’s younger sister Lucy. We actually start the prologue with Thomas, a young drunken marquess, who is at his sister’s funeral and his fiancee has just broken off their engagement. We jump three years after that for the “present day” of the novel. The eccentric Lucy, a viscount’s daughter, is not looking forward to her debut season. With a delayed debut after some family scandal, she is 21 years old and stubbornly set in her ways. She surprisingly receives a package after her aunt’s death with her aunt’s diaries and the keys to her seaside cottage, offering the ability for Lucy to make her own decisions about her future. Unfortunately, meddlesome men make trouble when her father sells the property without her consent or knowledge to Thomas, who has been holed up in the small seaside town for the past three years. Lucy of course denies the sale, refuses all negotiation, and sets off to inspect the property herself. Lucy and Thomas are at odds for most of the story here with Thomas wanting very badly to purchase the property and Lucy not trusting his motives. It’s fun to see Lucy start to see a more honorable side to Thomas in his interactions with the folks in town and I love seeing Thomas appreciate Lucy’s stubbornness and outspokenness.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

Rumors and a Rake by Jane Maguire (2022)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 2 of the Inconveniently Wed series. Catherine is the younger sister of the earl from Book 1 and has been shy throughout her season. We start this book at a house party where Catherine is attending with her friend Lavinia, and Catherine is trying to make a match with a gentleman who is quiet and bookish like she is. Philip is a dissolute rake, third son of a marquess, but now the heir due to the deaths of his older brothers. With the marquess in ill health, Philip’s mother had decided to drag Philip to this house party to select a bride. Catherine very much wants to avoid Philip after having witnessed him debauching a lady at a ball, but is still quite attracted to him. However, they keep bumping into each other at this house party and Philip ends up rescuing Catherine from the unwanted attentions of another man, ultimately leading to their marriage. After that, we have both people keeping secrets from each other, but somehow having it all work out.

Ebook accessed from Kindle Unlimited.

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Longing for a Lady by Jane Maguire (2022)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 3 of the Inconveniently Wed series. Our friend Lavinia from Book 2 finds herself in a situation where she’s pregnant by an earl who has recently married someone else. To avoid being married off to a much older man to cover up her indiscretion, she seeks out her childhood friend and now surgeon Will for help. He offers her marriage and his protection and she ultimately accepts. Since Lavinia is a baron’s daughter, she has enjoyed the frivolity of balls and society, so moving to a small village as the surgeon’s wife is a big change for her. She loses the pregnancy early on in the book and feels guilty for trapping Will with her. But he’s been in love with her forever and feels like he cannot provide the type of lifestyle that she is accustomed to. Both are poor at communicating their true feelings, which leads to a lot of guilt and insecurity. It was nice to see Lavinia try to show her appreciation for Will, even if her surprise didn’t turn out as planned.

Ebook accessed from Kindle Unlimited.

The Perks of Loving a Scoundrel by Jennifer McQuiston (2016)

Historical romance. Victorian-era England. Book 3 of the Seduction Diaries series. This book takes place about five years after the end of Book 2. Our prankster younger brother Geoffrey, heir to a viscount, is now an adult who has survived a stint as a naval officer and back in London as a dissolute rake. We first see him urinating on a rosebush in his neighbor’s garden through the fence, where he meets Mary, who is the sister of an earl in town for her twin sister’s confinement. Geoffrey and Mary are instantly at odds with each other, with him being overly cocky and her being prim and meek. Both of these people have their own tragic backstories, but the bottom line is that Mary is nearly a spinster who has hidden herself away in the country and Geoffrey is a prankster with a terrible reputation in society. When they meet again, they get stuck together in the library at a hospital event and overhear an assassination plot. With both their reputations, no one believes the plot to be anything but a joke or an overactive imagination. Oh, and there’s the matter of them being caught alone together in a room and Mary looking terribly disheveled upon discovery. They end up teaming up to investigate what they’ve heard and find themselves drawn together more often. The mystery part of the story was pretty interesting here, but the romance plot was just ok for me; I had a hard time believing that Geoffrey’s redemption from prankster to devoted partner could take place in such a short timeframe because of just one woman. Overall, it was nice to see this series finish out with Geoffrey being responsible and caring.

Ebook and audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

Kiss the Rake Hello by Tracy Sumner (2023)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 13 of the Wicked Widows’ League series. This one is a pretty quick novella where a widow, Alexandra, and her childhood neighbor, Cortland, meet again. He’s had a crush on her forever and she’s looking for a night of pleasure after her disappointing marriage. A pretty uncomplicated plot but sweet to see Cort shy and fumbling around the woman he’s loved since he was a kid playing pranks on her. Super short to read and enjoy.

Advance ebook provided by Tracy Sumner via BookSirens.

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A Study in Desire by Jane Maguire (2023)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 1 of the Rockliffe Dynasty series. Impoverished widow, Theo, has no option except to move herself and her two sons into her estranged mother-in-law’s house. The dowager marchioness and managing and strict, so it really was the last resort to accept her assistance. There’s of course family drama behind the scenes, with Theo’s late husband being the second son a marquess and estranged because of his occupation as a poet and his choice of bride. The marquess himself is embroiled in his own scandal and away from England, and Theo’s sister-in-law is a spinster who still lives with the dowager marchioness. As Theo’s sons are settling into their new home, they’re assigned to a new tutor. Jeremy has had his own recent troubles with a broken engagement and lack of career. Even though he is new to teaching children, he exhibits creativity and care with his charges. Theo and Jeremy interact sparingly at first, but the attraction and longing between the two is strong. It was nice to see Theo start to thaw towards Jeremy and trust him, as she’s seen him continually be supportive and caring. This book had a good blend of external drama and a build up of the romantic relationship within. I’m excited to see how the rest of the series plays out as well.

Advance ebook provided by Jane Maguire.

Harry Potter Fanfic: An Act of Charity by Ciule

Snape/Hermione Romance. Victorian-era AU. Multi-chapter; approx. 53k words. Hermione is the only seventh year witch at Hogwarts, orphaned and Muggleborn in a Pureblood-centric male-dominated society. She gets into a situation that necessitates Headmaster Snape marrying her. Be mindful of all content warnings on this fic… it’s full of period-typical misogyny and assertion of marital rights.

Read this fic on Archive of Our Own

Her Scandalous Scot by Jennifer Haymore (2023)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 2 of the Highland Knights series. Previously published as Highland Awakening in 2015 and this version is updated with content changes. This book is connected to the House of Trent series. Lady Esme is the socially awkward sister of a duke but also a secret author of romance novels. While doing research at a brothel. She runs into Camden, while he is on protection duty of an earl. He doesn’t know who she is at first, but uncovers her identity while at the duke’s dinner party. She’s nearly engaged to a seemingly safe family friend and is trying not to succumb to Cam’s advances. These two are argumentative throughout the book, with Cam being overbearing about Esme’s social standing and obligations but also impressed by Esme’s secret career. We also have a deadly threat against Cam’s friends to contend with in the background. After reading this book, I’m interested in going back to read about Esme’s siblings from previous books too.

Advance ebook provided by Jennifer Haymore via NetGalley.