Weekly Reads: August 19 to 25, 2024

In Want of a Wife by Rebecca Paula (2024)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 1 of the Society of Scandalous Brides series. Rafe is the younger brother of an earl and a total rake and pretty unhelpful around his straightlaced upstanding older brother. And then he has the bright idea to advertise for a wife for his brother in the newspaper. And instead of apologizing to all the women he’s duped in his brother’s name, he ends up going to fetch one of them to bring back, without his brother’s knowledge or approval. Lily is in her own tough spot, having been jilted twice before and needing an escape from her father’s home. She takes the opportunity to become engaged via letter and is surprised when Rafe comes to escort her to her new husband. It’s a chaotic road trip ahead, where Lily and Rafe end up falling in love, even though Rafe has been lying to her the whole time. And we just know that his brother will not be pleased when he finds out. Loads of road trip hijinks and a slow build of trust between Lily and Rafe.

Advance ebook provided by Rebecca Paula via BookSirens.

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The Marquess and His Muse by Lavinia Glen (2024)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Part of the Curves and Cravats series. Thalia’s younger sister has eloped with her fiance, the younger brother of a marquess, and she goes to demand answers from that marquess. He doesn’t have any idea what’s going on, having recently returned to England from spending time in Italy. However, he’s happy to hunt his brother down for some answers. Liam and Thalia end up as traveling companions in their search for their siblings and start a physical affair while they’re at it. Super steamy novella here with Liam doing his best job at soothing Thalia’s insecurities in and out of the bedroom.

Advance ebook provided by Lavinia Glen.

The Virgin Who Vindicated Lord Darlington by Anna Bradley (2021)

Historical romance. Georgian-era England. Book 2 of the Swooning Virgins Society series. Cecilia has gone undercover, pretending to be a housemaid, to Darlington Castle to find evidence of whether the Marquess of Darlington murdered his wife (as rumors suggest). Overbearing Gideon senses that Cecilia is lying about being a housemaid, but is unsuccessful at dismissing her from service, especially when he realizes how good she is at caring for his niece. Meanwhile, there are mysterious happenings around the castle, with sightings of the ghost of the late Lady Darlington haunting the castle. As Cecilia gets closer to Gideon, she doesn’t believe that he’s capable of killing his wife, but there isn’t much evidence to prove his innocence. They’re both very much attracted to each other, but Cecilia’s keeping secrets, and Gideon’s engaged to someone else (besides also being Cecilia’s employer). This book is emotional and action-packed, especially when we find out who’s really haunting the castle.

Ebook and audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

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You’re the Problem, It’s You by Emma R. Alban (2024)

Historical romance. Victorian-era England. Book 2 of the Mischief and Matchmaking series. We get a full cast of boisterous meddlesome characters here, plus a bit of blackmail. Bobby is the younger brother of a viscount, new on the social scene, and trying to find a useful purpose in life. James is an actual viscount who is struggling under his cruel and overbearing stepfather and trying to learn the ropes of his newfound position. It’s a somewhat complicated family tree here, with Gwen and Beth being stepsisters/lovers who matchmade their parents in Book 1 of the series. Bobby is Gwen’s cousin, and James is Beth’s cousin. They keep getting thrown together in social events and through James’ work in parliament with Gwen’s father and Bobby’s brother. While Bobby and James think the other person is handsome, they have very different personalities and do not think highly of the other. But when you throw them together often enough, there are enough sparks to ignite a physical relationship. However, they have to deal with a previous common dalliance who’s threatening their family, plus James’ overall skittishness and cowardice. It’s interesting to see how they each overcome their own issues, and learn to team up with others to problem-solve.

Advance ebook provided by Avon Books via NetGalley.

Worst in Show by Anna E. Collins (2024)

Contemporary romance. Standalone novel. Cute, quirky, and funny rom-com with rival pet shop owners and their merry band of furry friends. Cora is working at her grandfather’s pet shop and stressing out because it’s not doing well financially; unfortunately a fancy pants chain store is opening up across the street, and the owner Leo, is a big fat jerk. Except he isn’t really a jerk and he’s actually super attractive. They slowly come to a truce and then pair up to train their respective dogs for an upcoming dog show and then slowly start a relationship. Everyone’s got parental baggage to deal with and all sorts of stress and anxiety, but the dogs are the best supporting characters in the story and make everything so much better. Loved it!

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

Wagered to the Orc by Veronika Kane (2024)

Historical fantasy romance. Medieval Scotland. Book 3 of the Stolen Harlots series. Another quick and steamy novella in this series. Effie’s cousin is said to be the mate of the orc chief, so a band of orcs come to kidnap her, and end up with Effie as a bonus. She ends up being escorted by Korvak, the chief’s brother, who is generally insecure about his own appearance since he’s heavily scarred and not as handsome as his twin brother. We spend most of this book alone at Korvak’s cottage where Effie tries very hard to earn her keep, even though Korvak is super sweet and does not want to take advantage of her. Super quick easy snack of a read.

Advance ebook provided by Caroline Lee.