Trope Round Up: Historical Romance Books Where Someone Is Back from the Dead
The Duke’s Unexpected Love by Alexa Aston (2024)
Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 1 of the Strongs of Shadowcrest series. We start with a tragic prologue for James, who is a duke’s heir that gets abducted by sailors and forced onto a ship with limited memory of who he is. Many years later, we find that he’s the captain of a ship for a prosperous shipping line and recently landed in England for his next assignment. A drunkard who turns out to be his childhood tutor recognizes him in a tavern and insists that he’s a lord. James is pretty much shocked and surprised, but when he visits the duke’s household, he’s instantly recognized as the missing son of the duke. Meanwhile, Sophie, the owner of the shipping company is recently widowed and considering propositioning the handsome James for an affair, not knowing his newfound status or identity. James has bigger ideas (like marriage) and is actually trying to keep this all secret because he wants Sophie to accept him as a man, rather than a title. Add in the fact that James as a gaggle of sisters and cousins soon-to-debut, and we’ve got the beginnings of an interesting series.
Advance ebook provided by Dragonblade Publishing via NetGalley.
One Night for Love by Mary Balogh (1999)
Book 1 of Bedwyn Prequels. Neville (Earl of Kilbourne) is waiting at the altar for his bride. However, before she can make it down the aisle, another woman, named Lily shows up and Neville says she’s his wife. Years ago, while he was away in the military, Neville married the sergeant’s daughter. They were attacked in an ambush and he believed she died. He recovers and goes back home to his noble duties. Turns out she was a captive the whole time and when she was released, she came to find Neville. Neville feels bad about rejecting his bride/cousin Lauren, but wants to make it work with his wife Lily, but Lily is a commoner with no experience in how to be a lady and is unsure of her standing with Neville. At some point, Lily leaves Neville and goes to London to acquire some etiquette lessons. There’s also a fun little plot twist here involving an older gentleman who is behaving strangely around Lily, which is uncovered towards the end of the book.
Shop this book via Amazon // Bookshop.org
Someone to Romance by Mary Balogh (2020)
Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 7 of the Westcotts series. Jessica, the sister of a duke, has finally decided that she will marry this year (in her sixth or seventh season). While she typically has a court of interested suitors, she’s looking forward to meeting newcomers to the ton. Gabriel has spent the past thirteen years in America after fleeing England due to some scandal and is back now to claim his rightful title and care for those living on the estate. Upon meeting Jessica, he arrogantly decides that he will marry her, since the sister of a duke will fulfill all of the practical criteria he has for a wife. However, Jessica is angry and insulted by his presumption, challenging him to do better if he wants to win her hand. This book was yet another really interesting story in the series with the unraveling of Gabriel’s mysteries and the support that Jessica provides through his ordeal. And while the women of Jessica’s family do not quite understand the pairing, the men are as quick as Jessica is to guess at Gabriel’s true identity.
Ebook and audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby.
One Week As Lovers by Victoria Dahl (2009)
Historical romance. Victorian-era England. Book 3 of the Somerhart series. Lord Lancaster, an impoverished viscount, catches his wealthy fiancee with another man at a ball, but knows he’s stuck marrying her anyways. When he gets a letter that his childhood friend Cynthia has died, he rushes back to his childhood hometown to pay his respects. When he’s there, he finds that she is not dead after all, but faked her death to escape an arranged marriage to a horrible suitor. Lancaster is fighting his own demons from his history of a happy childhood turning to a darker adolescence and also trying to resist his attraction for Cynthia. That doesn’t last long though, as they team up to find some buried treasure in the caves on Lancaster’s land.
Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.
It’s Always Been You by Victoria Dahl (2011)
Historical romance. Victorian-era England. Book 2 of the York Family series. Aidan, second son of a baron, had loved and lost when his sweetheart died at sea. After that tragedy, ten years prior, he turned into a cold and unfeeling rake. In a small shipping town on business, he sees a woman that looks like his old sweetheart, Kate and follows her into her shop. Well, it turns out Kate didn’t die and her parents lied about the death and married her off to a plantation owner in Ceylon. After suffering a horrible marriage, she’s fled and built a new identity and business in England. While Aidan and Kate reconnect, find out what thwarted them all those years ago, Kate is still keeping secrets about her marriage. Enjoyable read, even if somewhat predictable.
Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.
The Lady He Lost by Faye Delacour (2024)
Historical romance. Victorian-era England. Book 1 of the Lucky Ladies of London series. Naval Lieutenant Eli is back from the dead after being shipwrecked and captured by pirates to find that he has no money, no fiance, and might be questioned by his bosses about his time away from the Navy. His former friend Jane is being cold and he doesn’t quite know why, but he wants to regain her friendship and affection. Well, we find out that Eli and Jane had a strong friendship up until the point where Eli gets caught in a compromising position with Jane’s prettier and more sociable cousin Cecily and then gets engaged to that woman. Stuck doing the honorable thing and staying engaged to a woman he doesn’t like very much, he runs off and joins the Navy. It’s basically a cluster of immaturity for Eli there. Meanwhile Jane is trying to run a discreet gambling club for ladies and gain her own financial independence. Due to the meddling of too many of Jane’s family members, she and Eli end up at the same house party attending the horse races at Ascot and sort of maybe start a physical affair. But both Jane and Eli is dodgy about their feelings, leaving the other person totally unsure and insecure. This is one of those books where I’m just waiting for the characters to just talk to each other already. However, it was fun to read about Jane’s adventures in gambling and Eli’s unwavering support.
Advance ebook provided by Sourcebooks via NetGalley.
Make Mine a Marquess by Tina Gabrielle (2024)
Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 3 of the Daring Ladies series. The newly returned Marquess of Landon is out for revenge against his cousin, who seems to have orchestrated the shipwreck that left him for dead five years ago. The gross cousin spends money recklessly and is draining the estate’s funds, while also neglecting the tenants and estate repairs. Landon hopes to find evidence of his cousin’s guilt while also seducing the man’s fiancee to add further injury. Phoebe is mostly the innocent victim here, but she was apathetic enough to become engaged to the villain of the story because she wanted to avoid any type of desire or passion. However, all those repressed feelings flare back to life when she meets Landon and is instantly intrigued and attracted to him. She tries and fails to stay away from him and sees that he really is an upstanding guy, for the most part, but she doesn’t yet know that she’s being used for revenge. This was your fairly typical revenge love story and it’ll take a bit of groveling on Landon’s part to get the girl.
Advance ebook provided by Entangled Publishing via NetGalley.
A Lady for a Duke by Alexis Hall (2022)
We have a presumed dead, best friend romance here with a trans woman who left her previous name and title away after being declared dead in the war. She’s now living as a lady’s companion to her sister-in-law and visiting her previous best friend, who has been grief-stricken since he believes his friend died. They reconnect with new understanding of each other and their identities but still have to deal with the societal expectations of him being a duke. This was a very sweet story about finding joy and love with the person you’ve been connected with your entire life. And Viola’s family is the best most supportive family ever.
Shop this book via Amazon // Bookshop.org // Libro.fm
The Baron’s Betrayal by Callie Hutton (2015)
Historical romance, Regency England. Book 4 of the Marriage Mart Mayhem series. Marion is the widowed older sister of the family and faints when she sees her husband at a local assembly. Turns out he was lost at sea, severely injured, and now blind. Tristan thinks that his blindness makes him an incapable husband or father so he stayed away from Marion, allowing her to think him dead, and then remarry to have a happy life. He’s insistent on seeking a divorce from her (even though that is completely scandalous and impractical in this time period). Stubborn Marion wants her husband back, so she moves in with him and follows him wherever he goes. This book has both characters being completely stubborn and unwilling to understand the other person’s point of view. There wasn’t much external plot here and I found the back and forth fighting to be a bit tedious. Not my fave of the series.
Ebook accessed from Kindle Unlimited.
The Runaway Duke by Julie Anne Long (2004)
Historical romance. Regency-era England. Standalone novel. Rebecca accidentally gets caught in a compromising situation with an impoverished baron who meant to compromise her sister, but now has to marry this man she doesn’t love. Luckily, her father’s head groom Connor agrees to help Rebecca escape. However, Connor is not actually a groom at all, but the heir to a duke who was presumed dead at Waterloo and is living free of his duties and responsibilities. As if the running away plot wasn’t enough, we get to see a more deeply interconnected plot as we add complications due to blackmail, a former mistress, and an industrious duchess. I really enjoyed reading the multiple points of view in this story, with the interconnections of various characters. It all comes back to the fact that Connor is now the rightful duke, even though he doesn’t know it, and all of the complications of his former life. It was also fun to see Rebecca and Connor go from being trusted friends to more along their journey.
Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.
Angel in a Devil’s Arms by Julie Anne Long (2019)
Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 2 of the Palace of Rogues series. Angelique is the former mistress of an earl and now proprietress of a boarding house on the docks who is content with the stability and security of her current position. When the devilish Lucien comes to claim the room he’d reserved, Angelique is instantly wary of his motives and seeks to protect her own heart. Lucien is the illegitimate son of a duke, but given a title of his own, pushed into the Thames ten years prior and presumed dead. He’s back in London and out for revenge. However, he’s distracted by his attraction to Angelique and her denial of his attentions. Despite all that, they slowly become friends and then lovers while Lucien is also reintegrating himself into society. This one was a really well-written slow-burn romance that I enjoyed.
Ebook and audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby.
Revealing the Viscount by Lexi Post (2023)
Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 3 of the Marrying a Mabry series. Mariel is the eldest Mabry sister whose beloved fiancee had died in the war, married a much older man to restore her family’s finances, and is now a widow. She’s just learned that her once-fiancee is not dead after all and is forced out of hiding to become a viscount after his brother’s death. Marcus has indeed been hiding from Mariel, at first because he believed she betrayed him by marrying so soon after his supposed death and then because he believed himself incapable of siring children after witnessing atrocities during the war. When Mariel comes to confront Marcus over his deception, they both observe that the other person is changed from the person they knew all those years ago. They ultimately agree to a fake betrothal to preserve Mariel’s reputation and to keep away all the debutantes vying for Marcus’s hand. As these two spend more time together, it’s clear that they’re both still in love, but very damaged from their separate experiences. They definitely need to talk through their issues and attempt to overcome them before being able to be together.
Advance ebook provided by Dragonblade Publishing via NetGalley.
Taming the Savage Duke by Barbara Russell (2023)
Historical romance. Victorian-era England. Book 1 of the Victorian Outcasts series. Chaos and tragedy for everyone involved in this book. Maddie is on the cusp of receiving entry into a prestigious art academy, but an accident involving an overzealous botanist leaves her painting ruined and her hand injured and unable to paint. Hector is the brother of a duke who wants acceptance into his own scientific academy and accidentally injured Maddie in an attempt to collect a rare plant. He feels horribly guilty for her injury and only accepts his place on a South American expedition after Maddie’s encouragement to leave. Unfortunately, his ship goes down before he even reaches his destination and he’s declared dead. Eight years later, Hector is found alive, having survived alone on an island all this time. In this time, his brother and mother had both passed away and his horrible cousin is now the duke. Maddie gets involved to assist Hector in regaining his manners and civility to gain his title back. The romance is slow and sweet and low-angst, while we work through all of the external struggles that Maddie ad Hector have. This was action-packed and kept me enthralled the whole way through.
Advance ebook provided by Oliver Heber via NetGalley.
Betting Against the Scoundrel by Mariah Stone (2024)
Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 4 of the Dukes and Secrets series. Former duke Spencer is back from his involuntary stint in the Navy, now with a limp, nightmares, and lack of direction. His brother and heir Preston is irrevocably the new duke and also married to the woman Spencer had loved and wanted to marry. Although everyone is glad to see Spencer alive, he’s broody and isolated and set on revenge against the corrupt duke who sent him to sea. Meanwhile, the overlooked and ignored Joanna is attempting to rescue her own family from ruin by that same duke (and her uncle) by searching for blackmail material. She and Spencer cross paths with their common enemy, but they have opposing purposes. There’s some bickering between the two, but the attraction between them is undeniable. Although Spencer tries to seduce Joanna, he’s also unwilling to start any sort of proper courtship, even as he starts to realize he cares for her.
Advance ebook provided by Mariah Stone via BookSprout.
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Weekly Reads: June 3 to 9, 2024
Anything But a Duke by Christy Carlyle (2019)
Historical romance. Victorian-era England. Book 2 of the Duke’s Den series. Diana is an inventor who needs financial investment in her cleaning device so that she can support herself and not need to subject herself to the marriage mart. Aidan is one of the investors at the Duke’s Den, where Diana presents her invention for potential funding. Diana and Aidan end up making a separate sort of deal where Aidan will help find buyers for her machine in exchange for her finding him a noblewoman to marry. He seeks entrance into polite society and thinks that a wife will be the ideal route. We get to see Diana playing matchmaker and Aidan’s fumbling attempts at meeting her friends, when really they’re just attracted to each other. Each of these people needs to expand their current goals to include love and companionship if they’re going to make this thing work. I loved seeing how supportive Aidan was of Diana’s work and intellect.
Ebook and audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby.
Nothing Compares to the Duke by Christy Carlyle (2020)
Historical romance. Victorian-era England. Book 3 of the Duke’s Den series. We start with a prologue showcasing our idyllic childhood friends and neighbors Bella and Rhys at her birthday party. The party ends in heartbreak for Bella though and these two friends part ways for the foreseeable future. Five years later, Rhys has cultivated a scandalous reputation for throwing debauched parties and frivolities, but that sort of life has grown a bit wearisome, especially as he’s recently inherited his father’s indebted dukedom. When he returns to his country estate, he realizes his ledgers are a mess and his steward has gone missing, so he goes to ask his clever neighbor and former friend Bella for help. He’s definitely got some apologizing to do though, and she’s reluctant to reconnect with him. Clearly her childhood crush on him was unrealized and she’s protecting herself from suffering heartbreak again. Except this time, her parents are throwing atrocious suitors at her and pressuring her to marry, and so she somehow gets Rhys to agree to a fake engagement in exchange for her help with his estate. I enjoyed seeing these two reconnect and Rhys realize what he had been missing for all these years.
Ebook and audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby.
Wager with a Siren by Sofie Darling (2024)
Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 3 of the All’s Fair in Love and Racing series. Super stern and serious Julian is actually just trying to keep himself under control, thinking he doesn’t deserve love and acceptance while also distancing himself from his father’s reputation. He gives the outward appearance of respectable dullard. Except when he meets Tessa, the sister of a newly minted duke, who challenges him with her disdain. They end up making a wager about the horse he has in an upcoming race and his prize is one night in bed with her. Tessa is not at all prepared for her new station in life and would prefer to stick to what she already knows as the co-owner of a gambling hell. But she and Julian are totally drawn to each other and she’s ready and willing to spend that night with him. There’s a lot of compromise needed here on both their parts to figure out how they fit together. Super steamy and emotional.
Advance ebook provided by Sofie Darling via NetGalley.
Isabel and the Rogue by Liana De la Rosa (2024)
Historical romance. Victorian-era England. Book 2 of the Luna Sisters series. Middle sister Isabel is often overlooked by everyone, making her perfect for sneaking around English manor houses looking for useful information to aid the Mexican government. While Isabel and her sisters have fled Mexico for the safety of England, she’s doing her best to aid in any way possible. Unfortunately, that puts her in the sights of Captain Sirius Dawson, who has his own assignments to learn about potential connections to the French government. Sirius has cultivated a reputation as a rogue as he seduces his way into his information, and thereby earned Isabel’s disdain. However, when he spends more time with her, he finds that there is a lot more to her than it seems and he develops a newfound respect and appreciation for her intellect. There’s a lot of hiding and spying and getting stuck together in precarious circumstances and pretty soon, a fiery affair begins. Super steamy and emotional and perfect for all the overlooked bluestockings.
Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby. Advance audiobook provided by Penguin Random House Audio.
Such a Bad Influence by Olivia Muenter (2024)
Mystery/Thriller. Standalone novel. Famous influencer Evie disappears and her older sister Hazel is determined to find her. Most of this book was Hazel’s internal commentary about her mother’s behavior and exploitation of her younger sister and it moved pretty slowly for me. While it was an interesting take, I expected more action in a book categorized as a thriller.
Advance ebook provided by Quirk Books via NetGalley.
Shop this book via Amazon // Bookshop.org // Libro.fm
The Lord Who Adored Her and Other Love Songs by Charlie Lane (2024)
Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 5 of the Art of Love series. Lord Atlas just wants to hire a cabinet-maker to help finish the repairs on the dower house at his family estate, so it can be rented out, and so he can leave town. He’s an injured soldier who is hiding his pain and sorrows from his family as he helps them restore their finances. Instead of just hiring an artisan, he ends up marrying her instead. Clara is a widow who has run away from her controlling father-in-law with her young son in tow. She’s the daughter of a skilled cabinet-maker, so she’s qualified to assist in the renovations, but ends up needing the protection of Atlas and his family. They decide on a marriage of convenience, knowing that Atlas plans to leave once his work is done. It was wonderful seeing Atlas fall in love with Clara and become a father to his son, plus wrap up the series with all of his siblings matched up.
Advance ebook provided by Charlie Lane.
Dukes, Diamonds, and Other Desires by Charlie Lane (2024)
Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 2.5 of the Art of Love series. Quick little novella here with the sister of the main character from Book 2 of the series. Posey is a jeweler’s daughter with a longstanding friendship and crush on Archer, who is a duke. He thinks he’s been courting her all this time and doesn’t understand why she runs off when he shows her the family bridal jewels. She’s actually running off because those jewels are a forgery and she needs to locate the real ones. We get a mini-road trip here as Posey goes to find her sister for help and Archer chases after her. And then these two dummies finally talk about how they feel about each other. Luckily for Posey, Archer is delightfully supportive and willing to defy society’s expectations in his selection of a duchess.
Ebook purchased via Amazon.
The Duke Has Done It Again by Jane Ashford (2024)
Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 6 of the Duke’s Estates series. Rose and Gavin are from rival families who believe that a certain estate belongs in one of their families instead of having been left to some unknown duke. They end up in a shouting match in front of the estate’s front lawn when the duke arrives to evaluate the estate, pretty much embarrassing themselves. Luckily the duke and duchess are quite astute to the problem and invite both Rose and Gavin to stay with them for awhile to foster goodwill. They end up in a truce and then maybe kind of sort of start to truly like each other, away from the angry influence of their respective parents. We get to see a connection form between Rose and Gavin, ever so slowly, but satisfying all the same.
Advance ebook provided by Sourcebooks via Edelweiss. Audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby.
Her Runaway Duke by Ellie St. Clair (2024)
Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 1 of the Noble Pursuits series. Beauty and the Beast vibes with a grumpy scarred reclusive duke and a runaway bride. Siena is running away from her wedding day, gets lost in the woods, and needs rescuing from highwaymen. Luckily, Levi is there to save the day, even though he does it begrudgingly. He thinks that his scarred appearance will scare people away, but it’s really his personality. Siena and Levi are stuck together at his manor due to a rainstorm and of course she’s kind and understanding and helps him soften up a bit. Things get more dramatic when there are rumors about her disappearance and then the arrival of unwanted guests. This one was steamy and emotional and also plenty dramatic.
Advance ebook provided by Ellie St. Clair.
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Romancing the Rules Historical Romance Book Series by Christy Carlyle
Rules for a Rogue by Christy Carlyle (2016)
Historical romance. Victorian-era England. Book 1 of the Romancing the Rules series. Childhood friends and neighbors reunite in this story after the death of Kit’s father sends him back to his country home to take care of matters. After Kit and his father had a huge falling out several years ago, he set off to make his way as a playwright in London. Left behind in the country, Ophelia has been supporting her family by tutoring young ladies in the neighborhood and also secretly writing a popular etiquette guide. She’s mostly irritated and annoyed at Kit’s return to the country because she thought herself immune to his charms. But really, his presence has just reactivated all those latent feelings she has. He’s also equally interested in Ophelia, but he’s not clever enough to realize he should offer her marriage. It takes most of the book for Kit to turn into someone trustworthy and reliable enough to be worthy of Ophelia’s affections. Meanwhile, she’s got another ardent suitor and there’s some conflict related to Kit’s father’s publishing house and Ophelia’s secret writing. This one was quick and fun to read and we get to read about Kit’s younger sisters later in the series.
Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.
A Study in Scoundrels by Christy Carlyle (2017)
Historical romance. Victorian-era England. Book 2 of the Romancing the Rules series. We start with a tragic prologue for Jasper as a teenager who loses his older brother and becomes the heir to an earl. Fast forward many years and now Jasper has abandoned his title and place in the aristocracy for a place on the stage and a life of debauchery. When he’s notified of his younger sister’s disappearance, Jasper sets off to find her. In this process, he’s re-introduced to the prim and proper Sophia, who is his friend’s sister. Although she’s generally content to follow all the rules of propriety, she’s also secretly writing a detective novel. These two are total opposites but keep bumping into each other in Jasper’s search for his sister and ultimately end up teaming up to find the girl. It’s fun to see Jasper’s preoccupation with Sophia, even though he’s totally unworthy of her, and to see Sophia loosen up and give into her attraction to Jasper.
Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.
How to Woo a Wallflower by Christy Carlyle (2017)
Historical romance. Victorian-era England. Book 3 of the Romancing the Rules series. Much of this book takes place at the publishing house that Clarissa and her siblings own, though there’s definitely some secret backstory about the manager Gabriel and the seedier neighborhoods in London. We actually get to see Gabriel and Clarissa running into each other in Whitechapel (not a nice neighborhood) when Gabriel is trying to find his mother and Clarissa is working at a charity girls school. He’s normally straightlaced and proper and doesn’t want anyone to know his origins. Meanwhile, Clarissa is bright and cheery and outspoken and he hates the idea that she’s basically his boss and way above his station. When Clarissa learns that her inheritance is tied up in a dowry, she’s determined to make her own money and her brother sets her up to be mentored by Gabriel on how to run to publishing house. They’re both generally irritated by each other, but mostly because of the underlying attraction between them. It’s fun to see Clarissa basically wear down all of Gabriel’s defenses and surprise him with her affection.
Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.
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Trope Round-Up: Historical Romance Books Featuring Revenge
Slightly Tempted by Mary Balogh (2004)
Morgan Bedwyn is the youngest Bedwyn and has just had her coming out to society. She has followed some friends (and a potential suitor) to Brussels in anticipation of an upcoming battle against the French. Gervase, Earl of Rosthorn, has been exiled out of England for the past nine years and spots Morgan at a ball. Knowing that she’s the youngest sister of the Duke of Bewcastle, he sets out to dance with her and take revenge on the Duke. He tries flattery and charm and she isn’t falling for it. A battle breaks out and Morgan’s brother Alleyne has gone missing; Morgan’s chaperones go back to England without her while she waits to find out what has happened to Alleyne. Gervase becomes her friend in this tumultuous time, but are there’s still that feeling that he’s seeking revenge. The history that Gervase has with Morgan’s brother is actually really intriguing to learn about, and is another step towards humanizing our favorite overbearing duke.
Shop this book via Amazon // Bookshop.org // Libro.fm
The Madness of Viscount Atherbourne by Elisa Braden (2015)
Lucien seeks revenge against the man who caused his sister’s suicide and killed his brother in a duel, so he sets out to seduce and ruin that man’s sister. He successfully compromises Victoria at a ball, proceeds to marry her, and then ban her from speaking to her brother ever again.
Shop this book via Amazon // Libro.fm
Make Mine a Marquess by Tina Gabrielle (2024)
Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 3 of the Daring Ladies series. The newly returned Marquess of Landon is out for revenge against his cousin, who seems to have orchestrated the shipwreck that left him for dead five years ago. The gross cousin spends money recklessly and is draining the estate’s funds, while also neglecting the tenants and estate repairs. Landon hopes to find evidence of his cousin’s guilt while also seducing the man’s fiancee to add further injury. Phoebe is mostly the innocent victim here, but she was apathetic enough to become engaged to the villain of the story because she wanted to avoid any type of desire or passion. However, all those repressed feelings flare back to life when she meets Landon and is instantly intrigued and attracted to him. She tries and fails to stay away from him and sees that he really is an upstanding guy, for the most part, but she doesn’t yet know that she’s being used for revenge. This was your fairly typical revenge love story and it’ll take a bit of groveling on Landon’s part to get the girl.
Advance ebook provided by Entangled Publishing via NetGalley.
What I Did For a Duke by Julie Anne Long (2011)
Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 5 of the Pennyroyal Green series. Serious and stern duke Alex catches Ian Eversea in bed with his fiance, so he decides to take his revenge by seducing and abandoning Ian’s sister, Genevieve. Except Genevieve is both too clever and too preoccupied to fall prey to Alex’s games. She’s spent the past few years in love with her good friend Harry, who she was hoping would propose to her during the house party her parents are hosting. Except that he tells her that he’s planning to propose to another woman. She puts up a calm facade but is most definitely heartbroken. When Alex shows up to the house party, Genevieve obeys her mother’s wishes to spend time with him, but she’s not interested in the much older man at all. Until they actually start talking to each other and getting to know each other and realize that it’s nice to talk to someone at the same intellectual level. And while Genevieve never becomes a victim to Alex’s revenge, she does end up attracted to him and conflicted about her feelings. Alex is also realizing that he’s his own victim as well, falling in love with Genevieve when she’s in love with someone else. A big huge muddle, but very entertaining to read.
Ebook and audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby.
The Bad Luck Bride by Janna MacGregor (2017)
Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 1 of the Cavensham Heiresses series. Alex is out to avenge his sister’s death by buying up a certain lord’s debts and having him jilt his fiancee. To save the fiancee Claire from ruin, he proposes to her himself. Claire has her own problems and is known for having a curse around her due to the losses of previous fiances to death, disease, and dismemberment. She’s wary of losing yet another one and feels pressured to go through with the marriage to Alex. She also has trauma and fears related to the death of her parents as a child and she tries to hide her unease from Alex to prevent him from thinking she’s insane. Alex meanwhile is still dealing with his vengeance plot and keeping that a secret from Claire. It’s a big huge mess of people hiding things from each other and waiting for it all to blow up. This story went a little longer than it probably needed to, but it was a good introduction to all the other key players in the series: Claire’s cousins and Alex’s surviving sister.
Ebook and audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby.
Taming the Rake by Erica Ridley (2023)
Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 2 of the Lords in Love series. Gladys the wallflower is at the Marrywell Matchmaking Festival for the fourth time and needs to find a marriage match before her dowry is given to her delightful younger sister. She finds herself kissed in a garden and expected a proposal from the handsome gentleman, but he never shows up, and she was spotted in a disheveled state, so now she’s publicly ruined as well. Her family cuts her off completely and she has to survive on her own. Five years later, she returns to Marrywell to find the man who ruined her and seek revenge. But he’s a lot less rakish than he seemed before and Gladys is at risk of falling in love. I really enjoyed Gladys’ transformation to a confident woman and the development of her relationship with Reuben.
Advance ebook provided by Erica Ridley via NetGalley.
All Duke and Bothered by Mariah Stone (2023)
Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 1 of the Dukes and Secrets series. New duke Preston wants revenge on his brother’s killer, so he arranges himself in a position to marry Penelope, the young lady that he believes led on his brother and whose father hired ruffians to beat him. She doesn’t know about her father’s misdeeds and is horrified at having to marry Preston, who openly disdains Penelope. Preston believed that Penelope was a shallow flirt who was interested in his brother’s money, but really, she just thought they were friends and liked to talk about art together. Penelope was not interested in marriage at all and wanted to work on her painting. As Preston starts to see that he was mistaken about Penelope’s true personality, he feels guilty for misjudging the situation with his brother and also guilty for marrying Penelope. He’s still preoccupied with getting revenge on Penelope’s father though, and she’s disappointed that he is clearly choosing revenge over the possibility of love and happiness. It’s all a muddle until Preston can share his secrets with Penelope and let go of his quest for vengeance.
Ebook accessed from Kindle Unlimited.
Beguiling the Beauty by Sherry Thomas (2012)
Historical romance. Victorian-era England. Book 1 of the Fitzhugh Trilogy series. Young duke Christian has been infatuated with the beautiful Venetia from afar when he first sets eyes on her. After many years of this obsession, he says some terribly disparaging things about her at a scientific lecture in America, not realizing that she’s in the audience. Venetia is a widow twice-over, enjoying her unmarried life, and was in America to chaperone her younger sister. After hearing Christian’s assault on her character, she’s both outraged and despondent. Under the protection of a veiled hat, she encounters Christian again on their ship going back to England and she aims to seduce him and then break his heart. It all goes wrong when she actually falls in love with him, but also cannot reveal her true identity. It’s an emotional and angsty journey for them both.
Ebook and audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby.
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Useful Resources:
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Lost Lords of Pembrooke Historical Romance Book Series by Lorraine Heath
She Tempts the Duke by Lorraine Heath (2012)
Historical romance. Victorian-era England. Book 1 of the Lost Lords of Pembrooke series. We start with a tragic prologue here for three young boys, Sebastian aged 14, his younger twin brother Tristan, and Rafe aged 10, locked in the tower after their father’s funeral. Despite Sebastian being the new duke, they all think that their uncle is out to kill them and take the title for himself. They all manage to escape with the aid of their neighbor Mary and all go their separate ways, vowing for revenge when they’re older and stronger. Twelve years later, the three brothers have finally reunited and made a dramatic re-entrance into society at their home during a ball their uncle is hosting. Sebastian had been badly injured and scarred during the war in Crimea and is a fearsome sight. We get to see Sebastian and Mary meet again as adults and feel that instant connection between them. Unfortunately, Mary is engaged to someone else and it’s inappropriate for her to be spending so much time with Sebastian. He’s got his own issues with seeking revenge against his uncle and believing that he’s unable to give Mary the type of marriage she deserves. We know they’ll end up together anyway, so we just get to enjoy reading about how they continue to entangle themselves.
Ebook and audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby.
Lord of Temptation by Lorraine Heath (2012)
Historical romance. Victorian-era England. Book 2 of the Lost Lords of Pembrooke series. The daughter of an earl seeks out a ship captain to take her to where her fiance died in battle so she can say goodbye and move on with her life. Except Tristan is no ordinary ship captain; he’s one of the lost lords who ran away from his evil uncle as a teenager and created a new life for himself at sea. Despite his brother reclaiming his rightful place as duke, Tristan feels that he doesn’t belong in society and prefers his position as Captain Crimson Jack. When Lady Anne comes to seek a private voyage, he doesn’t need the money she offers but instead demands a kiss, thinking that he’ll be able to seduce her into more. On Anne’s side of things, she’s been grieving her fiance and regretting an argument that they had before he shipped off to war and she’s hoping that this journey will give her closure and the ability to move on. Luckily for her, she’s rediscovering that she does have the ability to move on as she’s attracted to the gruff ship captain. But even with the attraction between the two, they have very different goals in life, positions in society, and Anne doesn’t even know that Tristan is actually a lord. Lots of delicious drama in this one, especially when they return from the voyage.
Ebook and audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby.
Deck the Halls With Love by Lorraine Heath (2012)
Historical romance. Victorian-era England. Book 2.5 of the Lost Lords of Pembrooke series. Super quick little novella here. A marquess who was misguidedly engaged to someone else earlier in the year is at a Christmas house party hoping to win back the woman he’s really in love with. Except that now she’s engaged to someone else and he needs to convince her to choose him instead. Luckily a convenient snowstorm helps move things along.
Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.
Lord of Wicked Intentions by Lorraine Heath (2013)
Historical romance. Victorian-era England. Book 3 of the Lost Lords of Pembrooke series. Youngest brother of a duke who ran away from a murderous uncle is now the owner of a gambling hell after growing up in a workhouse and the streets of St. Giles. Despite his rightful status as a lord, he doesn’t move in polite society and is still generally resentful of the pampered aristocrats he serves at his club. One such aristocrat is auctioning off his illegitimate sister’s virginity after their father’s death, without the knowledge and consent of that sister. Sweet and naive Evelyn is terrified to learn of her new fate as mistress to cold and gruff Rafe, but realizes that she doesn’t have any options, as her father had kept her coddled with no security for her future. I loved seeing Rafe being protective and caring towards Evelyn, despite his claims that he has no heart. It was also great seeing Evelyn embrace her new role and assert herself and her independence. This book also nicely makes steps towards reuniting the estranged brothers and seeing their ladies keep them all in check.
Ebook and audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby.
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
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Weekly Reads: May 27 to June 2, 2024
A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J. Maas (2021)
Fantasy romance. Book 4 of the A Court of Thorns and Roses series. After the events of A Court of Wings and Ruin, Nesta (Feyre’s sister) is all sorts of emotionally damaged and spends her time drinking, dancing, and bringing strangers to her bed. After months of giving her space and time, the Inner Circle have finally called an intervention. Nesta’s being banished to the House of Wind where she’s not allowed to drink, assigned to physically train with Cassian in the mornings, and work in the library in the afternoons. We get to read both Nesta and Cassian’s points of view in this book as they’re stuck in this forced proximity situation. Heavy on angry bickering and angry spice throughout this book.
Ebook and audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby.
Shop this book via Amazon // Bookshop.org // Libro.fm
The Captain and the Duchess by Alexa Aston (2024)
Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 4 of the Strongs of Shadowcrest series. Widowed duchess Dinah is back out in the courting scene after the death of her husband, but she’s uninterested in any of the suitors she’s met this season. In the back of her mind, she’s still thinking about her stepson’s captain friend Drake, who had flirted with her upon first meeting. Back from his first journey as captain, Drake’s first stop is the call on Dinah and see if he can arrange a dalliance. Lucky for everyone involved, she’s very much interested. It’s a quick connection for these two, both physically and emotionally, even with their different social stations. This was a pretty quick low-angst steamy romance that was very fun to read.
Advance ebook provided by Dragonblade Publishing via NetGalley.
Ana María and the Fox by Liana De la Rosa (2023)
Historical romance. Victorian-era England. Book 1 of the Luna Sisters series. Due to French occupation of Mexico, Ana Maria and her sisters have been sent to England for their safety. Away from her overbearing father, Ana Maria has the opportunity to learn more about herself and her own desires, rather than just following the rules set out for her. She meets and is instantly attracted to the stern and serious Gideon, who seeks to make parliamentary changes to fight against slave trading. These two just keep running into each other at various social events and a romance seems doomed due to Ana Maria being already engaged to someone else and Gideon prioritizing his political career. I did enjoy seeing them admit their feelings for each other and the drama that forces them to act.
Ebook and audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby.
The Wayward Bride by Anna Bradley (2019)
Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 1 of the Besotted Scots series. We get a double romance here in this book. Isla is betrothed to Lord Sydney, even though she’s still pining over Hugh, the stuffy marquess who rejected her after she was involved in some scandal. During a massive snowstorm, Isla ends up stuck at Hugh’s estate and they finally talk out the reasons why their courtship didn’t work out. Meanwhile, Sydney got into a carriage accident during that same snowstorm and is rescued by Lucas, a local farmer. Sydney and Lucas get their own secondary romance here, despite their differences in social station. It was interesting to see the how these four work out how to be with the person they love.
Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.
A Duke Changes Everything by Christy Carlyle (2018)
Historical romance. Victorian-era England. Book 1 of the Duke’s Den series. Second son of a duke, Nick, was treated cruelly by his father and believed to be a result of his mother’s indiscretion, except for the fact that he looks just like his father. After making his way alone and being a co-owner of a gambling den, he’s suddenly the duke after his brother’s death. His only goal is to clear out the estate and rent it out to a tenant and never visit again. He finds an adversary in Mina, the estate steward who wants him to take his duties seriously and restore the estate and assist the tenants. She’s lived at the estate all her life, learning everything from her father (the former steward) and is reluctant to leave for any reason. It was fun seeing these two argue over what to do with the estate and then slowly come to an accord. Definitely a fun romance to read, with Nick being impressed by Mina’s competence, rather than put off that she’s a woman in a man’s role.
Ebook and audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby.
To Wed a Wild Scot by Anna Bradley (2019)
Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 2 of the Besotted Scots series. Lady Juliana needs a husband quickly to retain custody of her niece. She decides to find her childhood friend and neighbor Fitzwilliam in Scotland after he has neglected to return any of her letters. It turns out his younger twin brother Logan has been intercepting the letters so that Fitzwilliam will stay in Scotland and care for the tenants there. Unfortunately for Juliana, it turns out Fitz is engaged to someone else and can’t marry her after all. In a show of strength and wit, she demands Logan marry her instead. We get to see these two bicker and argue and reluctantly fall in love with each other despite the circumstances of their match. This one had a lot of drama involved with Juliana’s ill father, the care of her niece, and a dastardly villain.
Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.
The Scot Who Made June Hot by Fenna Edgewood (2024)
Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 6 of the Rake Review series. A dramatic house party reconnects June and Cameron, who were once handfasted, but separated due to various reasons. June is now married to a horrible terrible abusive earl who basically spent all her dowry money and is now throwing a house party to find investors in some sort of scheme. Cameron is invited to the party because he’s a duke now, and June had no idea that he was the same person as her long lost love. While they talk out how they were separated all those years ago, they’re still dealing with the horrible husband and his cousin/mistress that he’s been flaunting at the house party. We get loads of drama and chaos here as we uncover what’s going on. Super fun read, despite the emotional upheaval.
Advance ebook provided by Fenna Edgewood.
For the Sake of a Scottish Rake by Anna Bradley (2020)
Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 3 of the Besotted Scots series. Lucy and Ciaran meet on the beach at Brighton when he attempts to rescue her from the sea, even though she’s perfectly well and merely out for a swim. Over the next couple of weeks, they run into each other frequently, and then form a friendship. When Lucy suddenly leaves town without word, Ciaran believes she’s gone to London, so he goes there to find her. We slowly find out that her dastardly uncle and guardian is plotting to marry her off to a lord he owes many gambling debts to and she needs protection more than ever. Lucy and Ciaran embark on a fake courtship to throw off this other suitor and start to deal with their real feelings for each other. There’s a lot of drama in this story, plus a couple bonus side romances featuring Lucy’s cousin and her new friend.
Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.
Lady Scandal by Laura Lee Guhrke (2024)
Historical romance. Victorian-era England. Book 2 of the Scandal at the Savoy series. Thrice-widowed countess Delia works as a party and event planner at the illustrious Savoy hotel and she’s loyal to the manager who gave her a job here. Unfortunately, there’s a new boss in the hotel, Simon, who is looking to cut budgets and bring in actual profits to the shareholders. At least, that’s what he’s telling people. He’s really there as a cover for the investigation looking for evidence of much deeper fraud and theft of hotel funds. He’s not sure if Delia is part of the corruption, so he has to keep her at arms length and not tell her the truth about his work. These two start off arguing about the approach to running the hotel, but are mostly angrily attracted to each other. It seems they fall pretty quickly in love, despite not knowing each other that well, and Simon keeping a big secret. I was mostly more interested in seeing Delia realize that her hotel friends really were guilty of corruption and proving Simon right.
Advance ebook provided by Forever via NetGalley.
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Useful Resources:
Read more about getting the most out of your library card
Want an intro to historical romance series? This post will help!
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Read an introduction to fanfiction
Learn more about sources for reading fanfiction
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Top Five Reads of May 2024 – Historical Romance Books
More or Less a Temptress by Anna Bradley (2018)
Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 3 of the Somerset Sisters series. Frail and fragile youngest sister Hyacinth sees a brawl at an inn and then accuses the man of being a murderer when he shows up at a ball. Lachlan is not actually a murderer, but the secret brother of a marquess who has brought his younger brother and sister to England after their mother dies in Scotland. Luckily for everyone, the marquess acknowledges his new family members and hopes to smooth their way into society. Except that whole murder accusation is hovering about and Hyacinth is the one who is outcast and deemed to be a hysterical female. While Hyacinth’s family coddles her, Lachlan sees that she’s actually quite cunning and brave, if only she had the chance to show it. We get to see Hyacinth grow a backbone, especially around Lachlan, who does not treat her as delicately. This was a super fun romance to read.
Ebook and audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby.
Lord of Temptation by Lorraine Heath (2012)
Historical romance. Victorian-era England. Book 2 of the Lost Lords of Pembrooke series. The daughter of an earl seeks out a ship captain to take her to where her fiance died in battle so she can say goodbye and move on with her life. Except Tristan is no ordinary ship captain; he’s one of the lost lords who ran away from his evil uncle as a teenager and created a new life for himself at sea. Despite his brother reclaiming his rightful place as duke, Tristan feels that he doesn’t belong in society and prefers his position as Captain Crimson Jack. When Lady Anne comes to seek a private voyage, he doesn’t need the money she offers but instead demands a kiss, thinking that he’ll be able to seduce her into more. On Anne’s side of things, she’s been grieving her fiance and regretting an argument that they had before he shipped off to war and she’s hoping that this journey will give her closure and the ability to move on. Luckily for her, she’s rediscovering that she does have the ability to move on as she’s attracted to the gruff ship captain. But even with the attraction between the two, they have very different goals in life, positions in society, and Anne doesn’t even know that Tristan is actually a lord. Lots of delicious drama in this one, especially when they return from the voyage.
Ebook and audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby.
The Prince’s Bride by Charis Michaels (2024)
Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 2 of the Hidden Royals series. Gabriel is a French prince who’s been hiding away in a cave in the forest for the past fifteen years and basically a hermit. He very much does not want to rescue a lady who he thinks might be a victim of highwaymen, but the screaming finally get to him and he does. Ryan is the daughter of an earl traipsing through the forest to find her long-lost betrothed (Prince Gabriel) because the prince’s horrible cousin has claimed the title and the betrothal for himself and she does not want to marry him. Lucky for her, she’s stumbled right into the man she’s looking for. Except Gabriel is not interested at all in reclaiming his identity or leaving the forest, which leaves Ryan right where she started. The plus side here is that they’re clearly very attracted to each other and Gabriel can’t seem to stay away from Ryan, even as he’s sending her away. This was a lot of fun to read, especially as we slowly see Gabriel leave his comfort zone.
Advance ebook provided by Avon Books via NetGalley.
When the Earl Desired Me by Lydia Lloyd (2024)
Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 3 of the Rake Chronicles series. This one is a second chance romance between an earl and a former maid in his house who he has not seen in thirteen years. Augustus and Olivia has a secret relationship many years ago until she disappears out of the blue and leaves him heartbroken. It turns out that she received a note from him dismissing her and asking her to leave. Clearly, he was not the one to have left this note, but that doesn’t change the fact that she leaves the country. She’s back now as a lady’s companion and these two have a chance to reconnect. Augustus is determined to never let her out of his sight again and is serious in his intentions for her. It also turns out that his rakish reputation is not what it seems and I love how he reveals all of this to Olivia. Super steamy and sweet all at once.
Advance ebook provided by Lydia Lloyd via BookSprout.
Seasonal Habits of Husbands and Honeybees by Emmaline Warden (2024)
Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 2 of the Genus of Gentlemen series. We’ve got a marriage of convenience story here between Harrison, who is a heartbroken earl, and Phoebe who just wants a business arrangement that is clearly spelled out. Phoebe would rather avoid all of the anxiety-filled social obligations of the marriage mart and stay home and tend to her bees. Harrison is pretty quick to catch on to Phoebe’s desires and gives her pretty much everything she wants. He has his own hangups about rejection due to his upbringing and is very much a people pleaser. Lucky for him it doesn’t take much to impress Phoebe, especially when she realizes that he understands her better than anyone else in her life. This was a really charming slow burn romance and I enjoyed seeing these two get to know each other.
Advance ebook provided by Emmaline Warden.
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Useful Resources:
Read more about getting the most out of your library card
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Fallen Women Historical Romance Book Series by Loretta Chase
Your Scandalous Ways by Loretta Chase (2008)
Historical romance. Regency-era Venice. Book 1 of the Fallen Women series. We’ve got a fun little spy, espionage romance here. James is an undercover spy, who is assigned to retrieve some treasonous incriminating letters from a lord’s ex-wife. Francesca is now the world’s most expensive courtesan living in Venice. When these two meet, James is in various disguises trying to keep a low profile. Francesca can’t help being attracted to him and he is trying not to fall under her seductive wiles, knowing that she uses them to manipulate men. However, as they spend more time with each other, the attraction between them is undeniable, despite both of being frustrated about the attraction. James is keeping all sorts of secrets because he’s trying to break into her house and steal her property and she’s generally wary of all men. It’s a big complicated mess, but still really enjoyable to read.
Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby. Audiobook purchased via Amazon.
Don’t Tempt Me by Loretta Chase (2009)
Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 2 of the Fallen Women series. A baron’s daughter goes missing for twelve years and then comes back with a scandalous reputation. Zoe has always been a wild and rambunctious young lady and she goes missing in Egypt while she’s visiting there with her parents; we later find out that she was abducted and sold to a harem. Somehow she escapes and finds her way back to her family home and needs to reintegrate into society. Long-time family friend Lucien comes to verify the story of the newly returned Zoe and is shocked to find that his former childhood playmate is actually back. Lucien is a duke with a lot of influence and he promises to help Zoe make her way into society. Except that Zoe is well-versed in flirting and seduction and Lucien is very susceptible to her charms, despite his self-denial. It’s only a matter of time before they realize that they’re actually well-matched and should just get married to each other. This was a really fun story to read with all of the chaos and antics of Zoe’s family, Lucien’s soft spot for Zoe herself, and a surprise third-act conflict with a dastardly villain.
Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby. Audiobook purchased via Amazon.
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.
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Affiliate links may be used within this post. If you make a purchase, I receive a small commission at no extra charge to you.
May 2024 New Releases – Historical Romance Books and Contemporary Romance Books
Seducing the Duchess by Sara Bennett (2024)
Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 1 of the Disgraceful Duchesses series. Widowed duchess Catherine gets stuck at an inn during a snowstorm and decides to take advantage of the situation by having a temporary affair with Sebastian. He is a viscount who is on his way home to visit his estranged father after being banished 10 years ago. He has a scandalous reputation as a rake, which will come in handy to provide comfort and satisfaction for Catherine. She had a horrible marriage and is finally out of mourning for her husband, but there are stipulations in his will that keep her bound to their country estate. Although this is a very quick affair for Catherine and Sebastian, they fall pretty quickly into a more emotional relationship.
Advance ebook provided by Dragonblade Publishing via NetGalley.
Mistakes We Never Made by Hannah Brown (2024)
Contemporary romance. Standalone novel. We’ve got a former friends, complicated mess of a relationship in this book. Emma and Finn were on the high school debate team together and they have a bunch of missed connections with a stood up date to junior prom, and then meeting again after freshman year of college, and then a rooftop thing after college, and then a big screaming match at somebody else’s wedding. It’s a total mess. They have spotted each other again at a mutual friend’s wedding, and that bride has decided to run away and go completely off the grid, so these two have to team up to chase after her. They’re tracking her phone and it is a road trip situation where they’re stuck together for many hours in a car and so they finally kind of work out their differences, but still they’re both protecting themselves and protecting their feelings and not quite as direct as they should be. It was still a really great book to read. I was really interested in finding more about the runaway bride friend although I feel like we are kind of kept hanging there and maybe there’s a second book. Hopefully there is.
Advance ebook provided by Forever Books via NetGalley.
The Saloon Girl’s Only Shot by Dani Collins (2024)
Historical romance. 1800s America. Book 2 of the Quail’s Creek series. Temperance was ruined in her hometown in Chicago, cast out by her stepmother, and now she’s stuck working as a saloon girl in Denver while she figures out how to get her injured father the rest of the way to Denver. Except she keeps getting fired at every saloon for reasons totally outside of her control. Miner Owen is in town replenishing supplies for his team, but he really has aspirations of opening his own saloon. (I’m not sure why, since there are two other saloons in town, but sure). He keeps running into Temperance and feels a bit sorry for her situation. He hires her own to help with the bookkeeping and setting up of his own saloon and since she’s got nowhere else to go, she takes him up on it. It’s all a bit of a muddle because she’s trying to earn enough to pay her way back home and he’s planning to go back to the quarry in the Springtime. No one wants to admit to any deeper feelings or commit to an official relationship. I enjoyed seeing Owen’s protective side though and the interactions with all the townsfolk.
Advance ebook provided by Dani Collins via BookSprout.
Savor It by Tarah DeWitt (2024)
Contemporary romance. Standalone novel. Small town, temporary neighbors, fake dating romance book here. Everyone’s got issues, but luckily everyone’s closer to talking them through over the summer. Fisher is a chef who got fired from his job, is basically flailing, and the newfound guardian to his orphaned niece. He’s shipped off from New York City to small town Oregon to oversee the completion of a new restaurant there. He’s temporarily staying next door to Sage, who doesn’t have much specific going on in her life, aside from dodging her ex-boyfriend and preparing for the annual festival. We get a bunch of small town nosy hijinks here, which leads to Sage and Fisher fake dating, and then actually falling in love. The whole cast of characters involved with this book makes things both funny and more emotional, with Fisher’s relationship with his niece and Sage’s relationship with her brothers. Get ready for all sorts of emotional upheaval as their temporary relationship starts to wind down.
Advance ebook provided by St. Martin’s Press via NetGalley.
My Fake Mistress by Alivia Fleur (2024)
Historical romance. Victorian-era England. Standalone novella. Super quick and steamy novella. Blythe is at her best friend’s birthday house party and is trying to avoid the attentions of a gentleman who wants to make her his mistress. She lies that she already has a protector and says that Julian (her best friend’s father) is that man. When she tells him about the trouble, he goes along with it. And then of course they turn it into a true physical affair while she’s there.
Advance ebook provided by Alivia Fleur via BookSirens.
The Heiress’s Daughter by Anne Gracie (2024)
Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 3 of the Brides of Bellaire Garden series. Wealthy heiress Clarissa is stuck tackling society on her own while her sister is on her honeymoon with her new husband, who is also Clarissa’s guardian, Leo. While they’re away, Leo asks his best friend Race to take Clarissa out riding every so often, knowing that she enjoys it and has no one else competent to do so. Clarissa thinks that Race is just spending time with her as an obligation to his friend, not knowing that he is truly courting her in earnest. We get to see these two spend more time together, and Clarissa showing an actual backbone and personality. It was fun to see Race having to bend over backwards to convince Clarissa of his true intentions.
Ebook and audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby.
All’s Fair in Love and War by Virginia Heath (2024)
Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 1 of the Miss Prentice’s Protegees series. Chaotic children and a stern and serious guardian make for a heartwarming set up in this one. Harry is a naval captain who is regimented and serious and is very busy with his work, but his flighty sister has left her three young children and dog in his care while she and her husband go off to Egypt. He needs a governess quite desperately to control the overactive (but lovable) kids. Lucky for him, there’s one available governess to hire who can start immediately. Georgie has been up to this point unemployable due to her outspoken nature and unconventional methods of teaching, but her mentor can smell the desperation from Harry, so it seems to be a perfect situation for her to finally get a job. The kids are totally rambunctious and have no sense of structure whatsoever, so it’s all delightful chaos. Harry and Georgie obviously disagree on methods of handling the kids, and Georgie assumes that Harry is rigid and heartless like her old stepfather. Except when she catches glimpses of him being wonderful with the kids. Harry is trying his best to focus on his career and not get distracted by the siren of a governess, but he’s not terribly successful at it. It was fun to see him bumbling along the way, in total opposition to his serious nature.
Advance ebook provided by St. Martin’s Press via NetGalley.
Devil of Mine by Ally Hudson (2024)
Historical Romantic Tragedy. Regency-era England. Prequel novella to the Most Imprudent Matches series. This one is a tragedy and tells the story of how Celine marries and becomes widowed all in a short period of time. We get to learn a bit more of Celine’s backstory in this book as preparation for her eventual happily ever after in a different book. Celine is known as a flirt and catches the attention of many gentlemen, including one scandalous marquess Gabriel, who has his own reputation. They basically try and fail to stay away from each other until they end up married. We have a bit of backstory for Gabriel of how he developed this reputation and some of his misdeeds, but it’s best to not get too invested in him, since he doesn’t make it til the end of the book. This was a pretty quick and straightforward flirty steamy read that adds more to the universe of the series.
Advance ebook provided by Ally Hudson via BookSirens.
Love, Lies, and Cherry Pie by Jackie Lau (2024)
Contemporary romance. Standalone novel. Fake dating plot to get a meddlesome mother off her back. After her youngest sister’s wedding, Emily is the only one left unmarried and seemingly failing to meet her parents’ expectations. After too much nagging about being set up with the oh-so-proper Mark, Emily asks Mark to agree to fake dating to ease up on the parental pressure. While they start off with lying about their dates, it seems that Emily’s mom knows way too many people in Toronto that question their story. Now Emily and Mark need to real fake date and she realizes that there’s a lot more to him that what her mother had described. While this was a fun set up and premise, it seemed like it took too long for Emily and Mark to spend any time together on page, and Emily’s overbearing mother activated my own brand of anxiety and I didn’t like that as much.
Advance ebook provided by Atria Books via NetGalley.
The Duke’s Mysterious Lover by Caroline Lee (2024)
Historical romance. Victorian-era England. Book 6 of the Surprise! Dukes series. This one is the final book of the series where we will finally catch the big bad villain that’s been haunting all the main characters along the way. Thorne is the only unmarried friend left, so obviously this is his book. He’s also taken on much of the burden of catching the treasonous villain because he doesn’t have a wife or children to consider. He does however have a very handsome young footman who has caught his attention and who he has promoted to valet. Kit is not actually a young man but actually the daughter of a famous opera singer and some unknown nobleman, working as a footman so that she can get closer to the society where her father lives. She’s just trying to catch a glimpse of this absent father to make her own judgment about his character. However, being promoted to Thorne’s valet puts her in very close proximity to a very attractive man and she’s sorely tempted to give in. It’s a sweet sort of romance built on their personalities rather than their outward social appearance and Thorne is absolutely thrilled to learn that Kit is a woman (and possibly marriageable). We also get to reconvene with all the other Surprise! Dukes as they plot the final showdown. Super fun conclusion to the series.
Advance ebook provided by Caroline Lee.
When the Earl Desired Me by Lydia Lloyd (2024)
Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 3 of the Rake Chronicles series. This one is a second chance romance between an earl and a former maid in his house who he has not seen in thirteen years. Augustus and Olivia has a secret relationship many years ago until she disappears out of the blue and leaves him heartbroken. It turns out that she received a note from him dismissing her and asking her to leave. Clearly, he was not the one to have left this note, but that doesn’t change the fact that she leaves the country. She’s back now as a lady’s companion and these two have a chance to reconnect. Augustus is determined to never let her out of his sight again and is serious in his intentions for her. It also turns out that his rakish reputation is not what it seems and I love how he reveals all of this to Olivia. Super steamy and sweet all at once.
Advance ebook provided by Lydia Lloyd via BookSprout.
One Fine May by Courtney McCaskill (2024)
Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 5 of the Rake Review series. Disappointed by Vander’s exploits being featured in the latest gossip column, his father sets down the expectation that he must marry and start coming into the office this month or risk his inheritance being passed onto his cousin. Upon his mother’s suggestion, he asks his best friend’s sister Letty for assistance. Except she’s had a crush on him for years and is disappointed that he isn’t actually proposing to her but asking her to introduce him to suitable women. Meanwhile, she’s juggling her own ill-matched suitors and needs to decide between them soon. Clearly, Vander needs to open his eyes and realize that Letty is the perfect match for him, but it takes him a few days to get there. This book was light and fun and only a smidge of angst.
Advance ebook provided by Courtney McCaskill.
The Prince’s Bride by Charis Michaels (2024)
Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 2 of the Hidden Royals series. Gabriel is a French prince who’s been hiding away in a cave in the forest for the past fifteen years and basically a hermit. He very much does not want to rescue a lady who he thinks might be a victim of highwaymen, but the screaming finally get to him and he does. Ryan is the daughter of an earl traipsing through the forest to find her long-lost betrothed (Prince Gabriel) because the prince’s horrible cousin has claimed the title and the betrothal for himself and she does not want to marry him. Lucky for her, she’s stumbled right into the man she’s looking for. Except Gabriel is not interested at all in reclaiming his identity or leaving the forest, which leaves Ryan right where she started. The plus side here is that they’re clearly very attracted to each other and Gabriel can’t seem to stay away from Ryan, even as he’s sending her away. This was a lot of fun to read, especially as we slowly see Gabriel leave his comfort zone.
Advance ebook provided by Avon Books via NetGalley.
Ruin Me by Midnight by Ginny B Moore (2024)
Historical romance. Victorian-era England. Book 4 of the Flower Sisters series. Violet is trying to dodge a proposal from a man she doesn’t want to marry and thinks that a ruination will get him to ditch her. While she’s at a house party, she makes a deal with Callum for a fake ruination that will leave him the good guy and her a scandalous wanton. Except that they’re truly attracted to each other and they never seem to get caught in all the situations they put themselves in. Both Violet and Callum are deeply broken by events of their respective pasts that make them wary of any lasting connections. They’ve both got to overcome their own fears before being able to move on. I loved seeing them actually open up to each other about their pasts and also all the steamy scenes between them.
Advance ebook provided by Ginny B. Moore.
Unladylike Rules of Attraction by Amita Murray (2024)
Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 2 of the Marleigh Sisters series. Anya and Damian meet under antagonistic terms when a dowager countess leaves Anya a great fortune that hinges on her marrying someone with Damian’s approval as the trustee to the funds. Anya has a slightly scandalous reputation as the illegitimate daughter of an English lord and current status as a court singer, but she’s resolved to find a convenient husband to fulfill the terms of her inheritance. Except that the late dowager’s family is scheming to get their hands on the funds instead, setting off a load of drama that puts both Anya and Damian at huge amounts of risk. We get to see Anya and Damian start a physical relationship, even though both are wary of any deeper emotional connection. The romance is fairly straightforward here, but the manipulations of external villains are the driver of the story. I was super invested in finding out how they resolve all of these other issues and find their way to safety and security.
Advance ebook provided by Avon Books via NetGalley.
The Gentleman Spy by Georgina North (2024)
Historical romance. Regency-era England. Standalone novel. Beau is basically a deadbeat heir who has taken no interest in learning about estate management or even returning to the estate anytime soon after his father’s death. After a delayed return, his family is rightfully annoyed by his absence. Especially the ward that his father had taken on and has basically been running the estate all this time. It doesn’t help Beau that Emerald is a beautiful woman who has captured his attention, but that he is also her new guardian and she should be off-limits to him. They bicker and fight and no one else knows that Beau is actually a spy and he’s been absent from the country in service to the Crown. It’s more of a mess when Beau discovers that there’s a smuggling operation right in his own village and somehow a suspicious Emerald gets involved. It was nice to see Beau and Emerald’s relationship develop and how protective he becomes of her.
Advance ebook provided by Georgina North via BookSirens.
Uncovering the Lord by Lexi Post (2024)
Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 1 of the Courting a Curious Lady series. Lady Elsbeth is more interested in rocks than gentlemen, but has promised her friends that she’ll find a husband to marry this season so that they will be allowed to continue to go to their shared school. On her last expedition to some Spanish caves, Elsbeth runs into her old friend and rejected suitor Teddy, who is now a single father trying to convince his superstitious wet nurse to get on a ship. These two end up reconnecting on the ship back to England and Elsbeth is especially impressed by Teddy’s newfound maturity. The problem here is that she had rejected him once before so she thinks she doesn’t have a chance of catching his attention again, not realizing that he’s still in love with her after all this time. It’s clearly a perfect match between these two and it’s fun reading their slow build of a relationship again.
Advance ebook provided by Dragonblade Publishing via NetGalley.
You Should Be So Lucky by Cat Sebastian (2024)
Historical romance. 1960s New York City. Slow-burn forced proximity romance here with Mark, newspaper reporter, being assigned to write about Eddie, the new baseball player who has basically thrown a public tantrum over his new team. They’re both individually lost and lonely and stuck with each other. Mark’s been grieving the death of his partner, who he basically had to keep secret for their entire relationship, and it’s been a pretty rough time of it. When he’s assigned to write about Eddie, he’s only begrudgingly doing the job, and also trying to find an angle to make the kid seem more sympathetic, rather than the asshole that every other news reporter is portraying him as. Eddie’s just shocked out of his comfortable situation in the Midwest where he got to play ball, see his mom occasionally, and know where to keep his private life out of the spotlight. Being in a new place that doesn’t feel like home and where everyone is watching him fail at baseball is fairly excruciating for him. But Eddie and Mark start a tentative friendship and it takes a lot of convincing on Eddie’s part to get Mark to take a chance on him. I liked seeing Mark finally opening up about his previous partner and the difficulties he had there, plus seeing Eddie getting along with his teammates better. It was definitely a slow and quiet type of romance that involves being yourself in a world that doesn’t really accept you.
Advance ebook provided by Avon Books via NetGalley.
The Letters We Keep by Nisha Sharma (2024)
Contemporary new adult romance. Standalone novel. Jessie and Ravi start off awkwardly with her being ultra-focused on school and him being the infamous son of a tech billionaire. They have a cute little rivalry where they fight over the same study room in the library and are also in the same writing class. However, their friendship starts to turn around when they stumble upon some hidden letters in the library which chronicle the secret relationship between two students in the 1970s, who may or may not be part of a legend that haunts the school. I liked seeing Jessie and Ravi bond over the letters that they find and realize their own feelings for each other. While it seemed like their relationship moved a little fast for me, I appreciated learning what happened to the mystery couple from the past and it kept me reading to find out more.
Advance ebook provided by Nisha Sharma via NetGalley.
This Marquess of Mine by Sylvie Sinclair (2024)
Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 2 of the Romancing the Rogue series. For various family dynamic reasons, Griffin is roped into escorting his sister and her best friend to various events this season, and Griffin is totally dreading it because he does not like Olivia. And by not like, I mean, he doesn’t like how he feels around her. Which is attracted to her, despite him believing that she’s a shallow title-hunting flirt. She has her own reasons for seeking a higher title, like impressing her disapproving father, but she covers it up by being the perfect society miss. As they spend more time together, they’re really just bickering most of the time, and totally clueless that the other person is pining for the other. I enjoyed reading about Griffin unwillingly lusting after Olivia, giving into her requests, and finally getting a clue and getting it together.
Advance ebook provided by Sylvie Sinclair.
Seasonal Habits of Husbands and Honeybees by Emmaline Warden (2024)
Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 2 of the Genus of Gentlemen series. We’ve got a marriage of convenience story here between Harrison, who is a heartbroken earl, and Phoebe who just wants a business arrangement that is clearly spelled out. Phoebe would rather avoid all of the anxiety-filled social obligations of the marriage mart and stay home and tend to her bees. Harrison is pretty quick to catch on to Phoebe’s desires and gives her pretty much everything she wants. He has his own hangups about rejection due to his upbringing and is very much a people pleaser. Lucky for him it doesn’t take much to impress Phoebe, especially when she realizes that he understands her better than anyone else in her life. This was a really charming slow burn romance and I enjoyed seeing these two get to know each other.
Advance ebook provided by Emmaline Warden.
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Weekly Reads: May 20 to 26, 2024
Uncovering the Lord by Lexi Post (2024)
Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 1 of the Courting a Curious Lady series. Lady Elsbeth is more interested in rocks than gentlemen, but has promised her friends that she’ll find a husband to marry this season so that they will be allowed to continue to go to their shared school. On her last expedition to some Spanish caves, Elsbeth runs into her old friend and rejected suitor Teddy, who is now a single father trying to convince his superstitious wet nurse to get on a ship. These two end up reconnecting on the ship back to England and Elsbeth is especially impressed by Teddy’s newfound maturity. The problem here is that she had rejected him once before so she thinks she doesn’t have a chance of catching his attention again, not realizing that he’s still in love with her after all this time. It’s clearly a perfect match between these two and it’s fun reading their slow build of a relationship again.
Advance ebook provided by Dragonblade Publishing via NetGalley.
A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas (2016)
Fantasy romance. Book 2 of the A Court of Thorns and Roses series. Our girl Feyre has massive post-traumatic stress disorder after her ordeal Under the Mountain at the end of the last book. Her fiance Tamlin seems to not want to deal with it and leaves her to suffer her nightmares alone, while also keeping her locked up and protected all the time. She also has this leftover deal with Rhysand, the “bad guy” High Lord of the Night Court and he makes good on the bargain to spend a week out of each month with him. This book has way more action-adventure than the previous one and I was totally hooked and wanted to keep reading to find out more. We get to see a shift in alliances here when we learn a lot more about why Rhys presents himself the way he does. If you’re reading this one, you better have the next book queued up and ready to go because it ends on a cliffhanger.
Ebook and audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby.
Shop this book via Amazon // Bookshop.org // Libro.fm
The Duke’s Mysterious Lover by Caroline Lee (2024)
Historical romance. Victorian-era England. Book 6 of the Surprise! Dukes series. This one is the final book of the series where we will finally catch the big bad villain that’s been haunting all the main characters along the way. Thorne is the only unmarried friend left, so obviously this is his book. He’s also taken on much of the burden of catching the treasonous villain because he doesn’t have a wife or children to consider. He does however have a very handsome young footman who has caught his attention and who he has promoted to valet. Kit is not actually a young man but actually the daughter of a famous opera singer and some unknown nobleman, working as a footman so that she can get closer to the society where her father lives. She’s just trying to catch a glimpse of this absent father to make her own judgment about his character. However, being promoted to Thorne’s valet puts her in very close proximity to a very attractive man and she’s sorely tempted to give in. It’s a sweet sort of romance built on their personalities rather than their outward social appearance and Thorne is absolutely thrilled to learn that Kit is a woman (and possibly marriageable). We also get to reconvene with all the other Surprise! Dukes as they plot the final showdown. Super fun conclusion to the series.
Advance ebook provided by Caroline Lee.
The Heiress’s Daughter by Anne Gracie (2024)
Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 3 of the Brides of Bellaire Garden series. Wealthy heiress Clarissa is stuck tackling society on her own while her sister is on her honeymoon with her new husband, who is also Clarissa’s guardian, Leo. While they’re away, Leo asks his best friend Race to take Clarissa out riding every so often, knowing that she enjoys it and has no one else competent to do so. Clarissa thinks that Race is just spending time with her as an obligation to his friend, not knowing that he is truly courting her in earnest. We get to see these two spend more time together, and Clarissa showing an actual backbone and personality. It was fun to see Race having to bend over backwards to convince Clarissa of his true intentions.
Ebook and audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby.
Seasonal Habits of Husbands and Honeybees by Emmaline Warden (2024)
Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 2 of the Genus of Gentlemen series. We’ve got a marriage of convenience story here between Harrison, who is a heartbroken earl, and Phoebe who just wants a business arrangement that is clearly spelled out. Phoebe would rather avoid all of the anxiety-filled social obligations of the marriage mart and stay home and tend to her bees. Harrison is pretty quick to catch on to Phoebe’s desires and gives her pretty much everything she wants. He has his own hangups about rejection due to his upbringing and is very much a people pleaser. Lucky for him it doesn’t take much to impress Phoebe, especially when she realizes that he understands her better than anyone else in her life. This was a really charming slow burn romance and I enjoyed seeing these two get to know each other.
Advance ebook provided by Emmaline Warden.
A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas (2017)
Fantasy romance. Book 3 of the A Court of Thorns and Roses series. We continue from the events of the previous book where Feyre is playing spy and there’s a war brewing with some tyrant king who wants to enslave humans. We get lots of fun political drama in this one with alliances and spying and trying to figure out who is planning to double-cross the next person. Action-packed and it kept me hooked the whole time.
Ebook and audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby.
Shop this book via Amazon // Bookshop.org // Libro.fm
Seducing the Duchess by Sara Bennett (2024)
Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 1 of the Disgraceful Duchesses series. Widowed duchess Catherine gets stuck at an inn during a snowstorm and decides to take advantage of the situation by having a temporary affair with Sebastian. He is a viscount who is on his way home to visit his estranged father after being banished 10 years ago. He has a scandalous reputation as a rake, which will come in handy to provide comfort and satisfaction for Catherine. She had a horrible marriage and is finally out of mourning for her husband, but there are stipulations in his will that keep her bound to their country estate. Although this is a very quick affair for Catherine and Sebastian, they fall pretty quickly into a more emotional relationship.
Advance ebook provided by Dragonblade Publishing via NetGalley.
Ruin Me by Midnight by Ginny B Moore (2024)
Historical romance. Victorian-era England. Book 4 of the Flower Sisters series. Violet is trying to dodge a proposal from a man she doesn’t want to marry and thinks that a ruination will get him to ditch her. While she’s at a house party, she makes a deal with Callum for a fake ruination that will leave him the good guy and her a scandalous wanton. Except that they’re truly attracted to each other and they never seem to get caught in all the situations they put themselves in. Both Violet and Callum are deeply broken by events of their respective pasts that make them wary of any lasting connections. They’ve both got to overcome their own fears before being able to move on. I loved seeing them actually open up to each other about their pasts and also all the steamy scenes between them.
Advance ebook provided by Ginny B. Moore.
All’s Fair in Love and War by Virginia Heath (2024)
Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 1 of the Miss Prentice’s Protegees series. Chaotic children and a stern and serious guardian make for a heartwarming set up in this one. Harry is a naval captain who is regimented and serious and is very busy with his work, but his flighty sister has left her three young children and dog in his care while she and her husband go off to Egypt. He needs a governess quite desperately to control the overactive (but lovable) kids. Lucky for him, there’s one available governess to hire who can start immediately. Georgie has been up to this point unemployable due to her outspoken nature and unconventional methods of teaching, but her mentor can smell the desperation from Harry, so it seems to be a perfect situation for her to finally get a job. The kids are totally rambunctious and have no sense of structure whatsoever, so it’s all delightful chaos. Harry and Georgie obviously disagree on methods of handling the kids, and Georgie assumes that Harry is rigid and heartless like her old stepfather. Except when she catches glimpses of him being wonderful with the kids. Harry is trying his best to focus on his career and not get distracted by the siren of a governess, but he’s not terribly successful at it. It was fun to see him bumbling along the way, in total opposition to his serious nature.
Advance ebook provided by St. Martin’s Press via NetGalley.
A Court of Frost and Starlight by Sarah J. Maas (2018)
Fantasy romance. Book 3.5 of the A Court of Thorns and Roses series. This novella is a bit of an interlude with our cast of characters recovering from the recent war. We get to see multiple points of view here as everyone prepares for the Winter Solstice. Not much in the way of action-adventure, but we get a check-in on the status of everyone we care about.
Ebook and audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby.
Shop this book via Amazon // Bookshop.org // Libro.fm
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
Read an introduction to fanfiction
Learn more about sources for reading fanfiction
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.
