Good Duke Gone Wild by Bethany Bennett (2024)
Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 1 of the Bluestocking Booksellers series. I’m always a fan of the secret novelist trope, especially when one is particularly popular. Caro secretly writes erotic novels, gets tossed out by her vicar father, finds refuge in her cousins’ bookshop, and somehow develops a crush on a handsome duke. That handsome duke, Dorian, also has been somewhat pining for Caro and is awkward as hell about it. But then, he needs to hire someone from his favorite bookshop to catalogue and sell his wife’s book collection and Caro is sent for the job. While the flirting and attraction between Dorian and Caro is fairly straightforward, we get to read a much more interesting plot involving Dorian’s late wife and the affair she had been having before she died. Mystery, teamwork, problem-solving, and spice all in one book.
Advance ebook provided by Forever Books via NetGalley.
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.
The Truth According to Ember by Danica Nava (2024)
Contemporary romance. Standalone romance. Ember’s tired of being poor and overlooked in the job search, so she embellishes a little (or a lot) on her resume. She gets the job (yay) but continues to tell little white lies to all her co-workers, including one very handsome Danuwoa, who she isn’t allowed to date per company policy. This book is a lot of Ember learning to adapt in her new corporate world and Danuwoa being the very best supportive co-worker/friend/crush. While we get to see the super cute romance develop, we’re still a little wary of the potential fallout from all her lies. Ember is delightfully awkward and funny in the best ways. The workplace drama and humor in this book reminds me of Ali Hazelwood’s books.
Ebook received via Goodreads Giveaway. Advance audiobook provided by Penguin Random House Audio and Libro.fm.
Four Weekends and a Funeral by Ellie Palmer (2024)
Contemporary romance. Standalone novel. Super awkward and tragic set-up here when Alison shows up to her ex-boyfriend’s funeral and his family thinks that they were still very recently dating. The ex-boyfriend’s sister insists on keeping up the ruse because it might help the family deal with their grief and all, and then she ends up volunteering to pack up his condo. Also on the job is Adam, the ex-boyfriend’s grumpy best friend who’s trying to make his own amends towards his deceased friend. As Alison and Adam spend every weekend together, they inevitably get closer together, but it’s all sorts of guilt-ridden since Adam thinks that he’s falling for his fresh-in-the-grave buddy’s girlfriend. Alison has her own hang-ups about living life to the fullest after having a preventative mastectomy due to her risk of breast cancer, even though she’d probably be happier as a cozy homebody. This was cute and funny and the relationship build-up was so good!
Advance ebook provided by Penguin Random House via NetGalley. Advance audiobook provided by Penguin Random House Audio.
Hot Earl Summer by Erica Ridley (2024)
Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 5 of the Wild Wynchesters series. It’s Elizabeth’s turn to take the lead on a case, putting her in the countryside to look for the missing will of a countess in an earl’s castle. Instead of finding the earl there, she finds his tinkering cousin, Stephen. We get a grumpy-grumpy romance in this one with both Elizabeth and Stephen preferring solitude to company. It’s fun to see them work together to try to find the missing will, plus I liked seeing Elizabeth being appreciative of Stephen’s inventions instead of disparaging his oddness. There’s a common annoying villain around who believes he won the castle in a card game, but once they find the will, it’ll be clear the property wouldn’t be his. Plus, we get a full family of Wynchester showing up for the big confrontation.
Advance ebook provided by Forever Books via NetGalley.
Thanks so much for reading this post! Looking for more bookish resources and romance book reviews? Read the archives!
Useful Resources:
Read more about getting the most out of your library card
Want an intro to historical romance series? This post will help!
Learn more about Kindle Unlimited
Get my massive guide of all the romances I’ve read on Kindle Unlimited
Thanks for reading Random Olive Reads! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.
Follow me on Instagram at @randomolive
Shop my handmade bookmarks on Etsy
Support this page with a donation
Affiliate links may be used within this post. If you make a purchase, I receive a small commission at no extra charge to you.
