Lady Saves the Duke by Annabelle Anders (2019)

Book 3 of the Lord Love a Lady series. Abigail and Alex somehow get stuck in a boat together during a house party, where Abigail suffers a scandalous wardrobe malfunction. Alex, being the upstanding duke that he is, offers her marriage. Seeing no other opportunities to get out of her negligent parents’ house, she agrees. Alex aims for a practical arrangement, but they certainly get to know each other as they travel towards his country home. Both Alex and Abigail have suffered terrible hardships in the past, and sharing them strengthens their bond.

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How the Duke Was Won by Lenora Bell (2016)

Book 1 of Disgraceful Dukes Series. Charlene Beckett is the illegitimate daughter of a courtesan and an earl, paid by the countess to impersonate her half-sister Lady Dorothea in a bid to win the Duke of Harland’s affections. James, the Duke of Harland was the second son and unexpected heir, looking for a society wife. As a fun aside, he also is obsessed with chocolate and owns a chocolate factory. To help search for his new wife, James invites four ladies to visit his estate for a few days. Although he is not interested in falling in love (or lust) with any of them, he can’t help but be drawn to Lady Dorothea (who is actually Charlene). And while Charlene is determined to win James’ affections for her sister (and her payment from the countess), she starts to have feelings for him and feel guilty for the deception.

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How To Love A Duke in Ten Days by Kerrigan Byrne (2019)

Historical romance, Victorian England. Book 1 of the Devil You Know series. As expected, there was a huge amount of drama and emotional turmoil in this book. We start with a tragic prologue where Alexandra is attacked by her school headmaster, defends herself, and then needs her friends to assist her in covering things up. To help her feel better, her two best friends reveal their own tragic secrets. As expected, the two friends will make up the main characters of the other two books in this series. Chapter one starts ten years later when she’s on her way to a duke’s masquerade ball where her friend is supposed to be announced as his fiancee. What follows is a series of near-death experiences, blackmail, family destitution, and a fearful pull that Alexandra has towards her friend’s intended, Piers. Don’t worry though, her friend is not in love with him at all and it was a marriage contract from many years past. When she finds out about the allowance the future duchess will receive, she proposes that the duke marry her instead of her friend. And then we have even more drama with Piers’ backstory with his family history, being attacked and scarred, being ditched by his fiancee for his cousin, and mistrust of women. These two people have their own reasons for not trusting one another but somehow feel safe and protected when they’re together. Loved seeing them start to slowly melt towards each other.

Ebook accessed from Kindle Unlimited.

Romancing the Duke by Tessa Dare (2014)

Book 1 of the Castles Ever After series. Izzy is living in destitute times after her writer father passes away without any money, so she’s glad to inherit a castle so that she at least has someplace to live. When she gets there, the castle is already occupied by the scarred and blind grump of a duke Ransom. They’ll need to work out who truly has ownership of the place.

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To Love a Scandalous Duke by Liana De la Rosa (2017)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 1 of the Once Upon a Scandal series. Childhood friends who were separated by tragic circumstances (and possible family betrayal) are reunited here. Declan has returned to England after being sent away for the past twelve years following the tragic death of his father; upon his return, he finds that his brother has died and is now the duke. Lady Alethea is the daughter of an earl, Declan’s childhood neighbor and friend, and is instantly drawn to Declan again, despite his hurtful accusations about her father before he left the country. There’s definitely a bit of mystery here between the two families, with Declan’s father being blamed for a huge financial scandal before killing himself, and Declan’s older brother dying under suspicious circumstances. While Declan is trying to uncover the truth, he’s distracted by Alethea’s presence. Alethea is mostly just trying to get by and assert her independence, not believing her own father capable of the misdeeds Declan suspects of him. The romance part of this book was fairly straightforward, and I was mostly captivated by the mystery element and wanting to know the truth of the scandal that happened all those years ago. And with our luck, we got to uncover another juicy secret in the meantime.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

Much Ado About Dukes by Eva Devon (2022)

Book 2 of the Never a Wallflower series. Two fiery and independent people agree on their political aspirations, but William wants nothing to do with passion or love. Beatrice needs the duke’s support for her political endeavors so continues to seek him out. They are thrown together when his brother wants to marry her cousin and they strike up a friendship. When she finds her uncle has lost all her money, he proposes a marriage of convenience to help her situation. I loved reading these two very supportive friends and partners.

Advanced ebook provided by Entangled Publishing via NetGalley.

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Tall, Duke, and Dangerous by Megan Frampton (2020)

Book 2 of the Hazards of Dukes series. All I remember about this book is that the grumpy duke is giving self-defense lessons to the fiesty lady. And then they fall in love. But what more do you need to know?

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While the Duke Was Sleeping by Sophie Jordan (2016)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 1 of the Rogue Files series. Poppy is a worker in a flower shop who is smitten with one of the regular customers, even though the duke doesn’t pay her much attention. When she sees him fighting in the street with another man and does not see an oncoming carriage, she pushes him out of the way, saving his life, but also rendering him unconscious. The man he was fighting with turns out to be his illegitimate half-brother, Struan, who he refuses to acknowledge. In the confusion of bringing the injured duke home, Poppy is assumed to be the duke’s fiance. Struan is skeptical of that, but still believes Poppy to be the duke’s paramour. The duke’s household and family are overjoyed the meet Poppy and enthusiastically welcome her to the family, causing her to feel even more guilty for the deception. Throughout all of this, Struan both antagonizes and physically pursues Poppy, which she both enjoys and rejects. Even though she isn’t truly engaged to the duke, she still isn’t free to pursue Struan, who is not offering anything honorable to her anyway. Still, this book was an entertaining story and I enjoyed meeting the duke’s warm and welcoming family.

Ebook and audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

Dare to Love a Duke by Eva Leigh (2018)

Historical romance in Regency/Victorian era England; book 3 of the London Underground series. We have our newly inherited duke still mourning his father but dealing with his new responsibilities. Knowing that he has to protect his mother and sister’s reputations, he will have to cease going to flirt with the proprietress of the sex club he frequents. After he spends one last night with her, he finds out that his father actually secretly owned the club and he needs to decide whether to keep it open or shut it down. High drama there!

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

Dancing with the Duke by Suzanna Medeiros (2012)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Prequel novella of the Landing a Lord series. Alex has promised his sister and mother that he would dance with his sister’s friend Charlotte at her first ball. When he sees her for the first time in many years, he finds a beautiful woman in place of the awkward gangly teen who had a crush on him before. He’s surprised that he’s so attracted to her and tries to avoid her after that ball, but as he keeps crossing paths with her, he cannot seem to resist. It’s a quick low-angst story here to introduce his friends, who have longer stories.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

Her Night with the Duke by Diana Quincy (2021)

Book 1 of the Clandestine Affairs series. Two strangers meet at an inn and hook up and go about their merry way. He’s a duke who is going to meet his soon-to-be fiancee, so he gets there and meets with the girl’s family. And her stepmother is the woman he met at the inn! Talk about awkward. They eventually agree never to bring it up again. Everyone tries to do the honorable thing, etc. But the attraction is obviously still there and we’re just waiting to see how it breaks through. And also wondering how the issue with the impending engagement is going to be resolved. Such a sticky situation and satisfying to read.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

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Accidentally Compromising the Duke by Stacy Reid (2016)

Book 1 of the Wedded by Scandal series. Adeline is trying to escape a betrothal to someone her parents picked out, so she attempts to sneak into the room of her chosen groom and get caught there. Except her friend sent her to the room of an unsuspecting duke, and she gets caught with him instead. Ever so honorable, Edmund proposes marriage and hopes for the best.

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A Perfect Hero by Samantha James (2005)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 3 of the Sterling Family series. Julianna is traveling alone in a coach and gets stopped by a highwayman known as the Magpie. After being injured in the overturned carriage, Dane reluctantly takes her back to his cottage to recuperate. Of course, once she sees his face unmasked, he can’t let her leave, so they’re stuck in this cottage together with a lot of uncertainty on how to proceed. Dane isn’t even really a highwayman; he’s actually a spy looking for evidence of counterfeiting. As Julianna and Dane spend more time together, of course, they find a connection, despite the fact that they’re both lying about their true identities. It’s a bit of idyllic isolation for them there in a cottage, but it’ll be tough to extrapolate to their real lives out in the world.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

When Grumpy Met Sunshine by Charlotte Stein (2024)

Contemporary romance. Standalone novel. Mabel is a ghostwriter assigned to work on the memoirs of former footballer Alfie. They have a terrible first impression, mostly because Alfie is extremely gruff and Mabel is insecure and awkward. They continue to have awkward meetings with each other, mostly due to Alfie’s complete and total lack of social skills. And then somehow, they settle on a truce of sorts, only to be photographed together and assumed to be in a relationship. They end up leaning into the rumors and starting a fake relationship with each other. Both of these people are deeply insecure about their looks and personality and really cannot believe that the other person could truly like them, so it makes for a lot of awkwardness overall. However, Alfie is a total softie and caring and protective and Mabel is embarrassingly smitten with him, even though she’s self conscious that she’s not as beautiful as his former girlfriends. We get a lot of really funny banter here with a lot of accidental lusting after each other, but the deep-seated insecurity is going to be a tough one to overcome.

Advance ebook provided by St. Martin’s Press via NetGalley.

Bride by Ali Hazelwood (2024)

Paranormal romance. Standalone novel. Misery is the daughter of a powerful Vampyre councilman often used as a political pawn. The latest ordinance from her father is to marry the Were Alpha leader Lowe to form an alliance and prevent all-out war. She’s totally apprehensive of the whole thing, but she believes that Lowe is the key to finding her missing best friend. Of course, she thinks that Lowe hates her and is disgusted by her scent, but we’re guessing that Lowe thinks Misery smells just peachy and is trying to avoid getting his heart broken. We get all sorts of interesting political drama and maneuvering with this book, plus a slow build of trust and friendship for Misery and Lowe. Add in some phermonal mating glands, feeding lust, and knotting, and we end up with Hazelwood’s spiciest traditionally published novel to date.

Ebook and audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

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.

When the Duke Bought a Wife by Mariah Stone (2024)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Prequel novella of the Dukes and Secrets series. Emma is in a terrible marriage with a baronet who is much older and cruel and definitely did not deliver on the financial assistance that her parents needed when she married him. And in the course of traveling through the countryside, he’s had enough of her insolence, so he dresses them both up as pig farmers and sells her in the square in a wife auction. Sebastian happens to be there with his friends and decides to rescue her. He conveniently needs a wife to deter his mother from setting him up with a proper lady and a farmer’s wife is the perfect revenge. Except that Emma is actually a gently bred lady and just doesn’t tell him so. Sebastian is shocked by how well she cleans up and attempts to seduce her on the daily, but she refuses him. Until she doesn’t. This was a relatively quick low-angst romance, with just the right amount of drama and villainy to keep things interesting.

Ebook accessed from Kindle Unlimited.

Since the Surrender by Julie Anne Long (2009)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 3 of the Pennyroyal Green series. Former Captain Chase Eversea is all sorts of aimless after being injured in the war and returning to his family home. So much so that his family has banished him to London on a task and to find some purpose. On his first day back in London, he’s summoned by a mysterious note to a not-so-popular museum. Rosalind is the widow of his commanding officer in the army and his one shameful secret of indiscreet behavior; he very much wants to avoid her, but it seems she needs his help. Rosalind is concerned about her sister who was arrested for theft and then has since disappeared from prison without a trace. She needs Chase’s help to discover what happened to her. While he refuses to help at first, he eventually gives in and they need to team up to follow the trail of clues. The mystery plot of this story was super interesting to uncover, plus, we get to see the ever-so-stoic Chase slowly let down his guard and give into his feelings for Rosalind.

Ebook and audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

How Not to Hate a Duke by Jennifer Haymore (2024)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Standalone novel. Georgiana is a wealthy merchant’s daughter completely tired of the fortune hunters seeking her attention. She’s convinced by her good friend to attend a house party in the country to avoid some of those terrible suitors. Meanwhile, a certain dastardly duke is also invited to the same house party. Theo has recently inherited the title from his depraved father but is believed to be of the same ilk, leaving him emotionally exhausted by all the hatred by his neighbors and tenants. It doesn’t help that Georgiana’s family is the main opponent to Theo’s endeavors due to a long-standing family rivalry. When Georgiana and Theo realize they’re at the same house party, they first try to avoid each other, and then end up antagonizing (and then flirting with) each other. But you know that open communication does wonders, so they start to actually get along (and maybe even fall in love). The drama with Georgiana’s family is still looming though and Theo has a lot of work to do to fix his reputation on his estate.

Advance ebook provided by Entangled Publishing via NetGalley.

The True Heir by Merry Farmer (2024)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 6 of the Secrets of Nedworth Hall series. This book will make the most sense after reading the rest of the series because it has to do with the overarching mystery of a secret heir to a fortune. Millie is a farmer’s daughter who has been sponsored by a countess to attend the house party as a lady’s maid. A brief introduction to a helpful David has her believing that he’s a valet, but it is soon apparent that he’s a duke and very much out of her league. David is kind and thoughtful and really has very little tolerance for the chaos and mayhem of the house party. He’s disappointed to find that the only woman he’s drawn to (Millie) is a lady’s maid and very much below his station. However, we find out pretty quickly that they’re better suited than they think and we get to see a lot of secrets revealed in this story. Quick read and nice way to tie up the whole series.

Advance ebook provided by Merry Farmer via BookSprout

I Kissed an Earl by Julie Anne Long (2010)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 4 of the Pennyroyal Green series. Violet is the outgoing, fiery, but coddled daughter of a gentleman who is bored of society and longs for adventure. She meets the ship captain turned earl Flint at a ball and is quickly intrigued by him, even if a bit disapproving. However, upon conversation with Flint and his first mate, she believes that her own missing brother may also be the dangerous pirate that they’re charged with capturing. So Violet does the rash and reckless thing and stows herself onto their ship with her trunk hoping to save her brother. Except for the fact that she doesn’t actually have a plan. Flint is irritated and angry to find Violet aboard and threatens to toss her overboard, but is equally intrigued by her, and may even believe her speculation about her brother’s involvement. However, he’s absolute in his determination to carry out his orders to capture the pirate, despite his growing feelings for Violet. The romance here was definitely a slow-build here, with Violet constantly being intimidated by Flint’s brutish behavior. And then all sorts of action-adventure you’d expect on a ship on the high seas.

Ebook and audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

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Girls Before Earls by Anna Bennett (2021)

Historical romance. Regency England. Book 1 of the Rogues to Lovers series. Hazel is the headmistress of a new finishing school and an earl has come to drop off his 15 year old niece who was recently orphaned. The niece has been acting up (understandably) and was kicked out of two other schools recently. Although Blade is willing to pay any cost to enroll his niece and then go back to London and about his miserable existence, Hazel insists that he come back and visit his niece every two weeks. Over the course of those visits, he slowly develops a relationship with both his niece and the fetching headmistress. I enjoyed learning about Blade’s backstory and why he avoids love and heartbreak; you can sort of see the signs of it early on when he talks about his lost love and how he was also estranged from his brother, but it’s still heartbreaking when you see it all laid out plainly. Hazel has her own hurts from the past and tries to maintain her composure and resilience, but then realizes that she needs to open up and go after what she wants. It’s a fun introduction to our seaside town and characters and a nice set up for future books in the series.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

One Duke Down by Anna Bennett (2023)

Historical romance. Regency England. Book 2 of the Rogues to Lovers series. Another fun book from Anna Bennett. Fisherman’s daughter Poppy discovers an injured man washed up on shore who claims to be a duke. She trades him shelter for money while he figures out who might have attacked him. These two have instant rapport and chemistry with each other with a lot of easy teasing and flirting. However, there’s Poppy’s poor history with members of nobility, the duke Keane actually turning out to be a duke, plus the drama of Poppy’s wayward brother, and the mystery of Keane’s assault. Despite all of these obstacles, Poppy and Keane are sure of each other’s character and integrity and never once doubt the other person. Absolutely enjoyable read!

Advance ebook provided by St. Martin’s Press via NetGalley.

It Takes a Rake by Anna Bennett (2024)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 3 of the Rogues to Lovers series. Kitty and Leo were both apprentices to his grandfather’s architecture office before Leo suddenly moved to London. Four years later, he’s back in town after his father’s death and taking over the architecture business. He’s had a longstanding crush on Kitty all this time, even though she had never noticed him in that way, and they always bickered and fought when they worked together. Total opposites just getting on each other’s nerves. Well, now that he’s back, Kitty is teasing him for being too much of a nice guy to get his dream girl, so somehow she’s trading rake lessons for math checking on her latest architectural design. She doesn’t know that Leo only has eyes for her and the transformation is really to spend more time with her, and of course, she’s totally confused when she realizes that Leo is actually very attractive. She’ll need to get over her fear of the nice guy if she wants a chance at long-standing happiness with him.

Advance ebook provided by St. Martin’s Press via NetGalley.

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Duchess by Design by Maya Rodale (2018)

Historical romance. Gilded Age New York. Book 1 of the Gilded Age Girls Club. Adeline is a seamstress with dreams of opening her own dress shop and has a meet cute with an impoverished duke in a hotel lobby. Brandon is in New York to seek a wealthy heiress to marry and is instantly smitten by Adeline and thinks that he’s super fortunate to find an heiress he likes in his hotel. Unfortunately, he realizes that she’s not wealthy and can’t really help him, so he’s got to begrudgingly meet and court other women. Meanwhile, Adeline is still working on her unique dress designs and finding ways to show them off. When Brandon suggests that Adeline help with inside scoop on the heiresses in exchange for her escort to the theater so she can show off her gowns, she agrees, but it’s painful pining for everyone involved. Brandon will have to work out how to deal with his money problem if he wants to end up with Adeline.

Ebook and audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

Some Like It Scandalous by Maya Rodale (2019)

Historical romance. Gilded Age New York. Book 2 of the Gilded Age Girls Club series. Daisy and Theo are lifelong enemies after he creates a cruel nickname for her as young teenagers. However, they’re forced together in an arranged engagement as Theo fails to live up to his steel magnate father’s expectations and Daisy’s family may soon be under scrutiny with her father’s investment company. Since these two are not actually interested in marrying each other, they decide to fake an engagement to relieve the pressure from their parents while they pursue other projects. Daisy is a chemist and has been developing a complexion balm that she hopes to sell and support herself. Theo is aimless and doesn’t really have much going for him except his charm and looks. Somehow, they end up teaming up on Daisy’s product and their strengths really do complement each other. Plus, as they spend more time together, they actually start to get to know one another and become friends (and maybe more). This was a fun slow-burn sort of romance with Theo being the one to prove his worth and give his full support to Daisy’s invention.

Ebook and audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

An Heiress to Remember by Maya Rodale (2020)

Historical romance. Gilded Age New York. Book 3 of the Gilded Age Girls Club series. Department store heiress Beatrice accepts a marriage proposal from a money-seeking duke instead of running away with her secret love Wes, who is a mere assistant in her father’s store. Sixteen years later, after a scandalous divorce from the duke, and a depressing existence in England, Beatrice is back in New York. In the time that she was gone, her brother has nearly bankrupt her beloved department store and is about to sell it off. And her brokenhearted suitor Wes has opened his own rival department store and somehow become the third wealthiest man in Manhattan. Beatrice takes over her family’s store and aims to turn things around with the support of her new empowering female friends, stoking a business rivalry with Wes. Except those feelings of attraction and admiration are still simmering in the background, just waiting to break through.

Ebook and audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

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Lady and the Rake by Annabelle Anders (2020)

Book 6 of the Lord Love a Lady series. A widow is ready to remarry in order to potentially have a child, but she wants to make sure her much older fiance still has the ability to perform. She sneaks into his bedchamber hoping to prove his prowess and comes across a strapping young man instead. That young man actually turns out to be the fiance’s rakish nephew who continues to flirt with the lady throughout the party.

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Odds on the Rake by Sofie Darling (2023)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 1 of the All’s Fair in Love and Racing series. Gemma dresses up as a stable hand to infiltrate the Duke of Rakesley’s racing stable and collect information for a rival horseman. Gemma and her twin brother were the illegitimate children of an earl and are running away from his overbearing care. When Gemma gets to the duke’s stables, she has a way with the wild and untrained horse and quickly moves up to being a jockey. While Rake runs an impressive stable, he’s curious about the new stable hand “Gem”. When he finally realizes that his new employee is a woman (and a very attractive one), they start a steamy affair that keeps her feeling guilty about her initial motives for being there.

Advance ebook provided by Oliver Heber Books via NetGalley.

The Perfect Rake by Anne Gracie (2005)

Book 1 of the Merridew series. The oldest sister of the Merridew siblings is generally known as the least beautiful of the bunch. With impoverished circumstances, she decides to fake an engagement to a duke so that her sisters will have a better chance at marrying well. When she storms into the duke’s house, his cousin is there to meet her and is pretty much instantly besotted with her. This book has my favorite subplot, where the guy thinks the lady is beautiful and doesn’t understand why anyone else would think her plain.

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The Rakehell of Roth by Amalie Howard (2021)

Book 2 of the Regency Rogues series. At the end of the Book 1, we see Isobel and Winter get married, basically saving her from the unwanted attentions of a villain, and we’re thinking everything will be happily ever after for them. Except, it’s not. We’re three years later and Isobel has basically been left in the country by herself while her husband goes back to London to run his gaming hell and being a rake with a scandalous reputation. She decides to go and confront him and try to make a real marriage of the deal, but he’s all afraid of feelings, so he pushes her away. Until he doesn’t.

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The Rake’s Insatiable Bride by Caroline Lee (2022)

Historical romance. Victorian-era Scotland. Book 3 of the Those Kilted Bastards series. Jade seeks a night with a courtesan so she can lose her virginity on her own terms before her guardian/uncle forces her to marry. Cameron is a charming rake of a man who plays up his debauched reputation by giving women pleasure. Both are victims of a marriage-by-proxy scheme that surprisingly brings them back together and then forces them to stay in the same cottage in a rainstorm. While Jade had no intention of getting married, she’s slowly falling in love with Cam as they spend more time together. It’s an isolated little vacation for them, until the storm breaks and we have to clear up the mess.

Ebook accessed from Kindle Unlimited.

The Good Girl’s Guide to Rakes by Eva Leigh (2022)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 1 of the Last Chance Scoundrels series. After younger sons of an earl Kieran and Finn assist their friend Dom in jilting their sister Willa at the altar, both families set down an ultimatum for the three scoundrels: each needs to marry a respectable woman within twelve months time or they all get financially cut off. Kieran’s book is first, followed by Finn in Book 2, and Dom in Book 3. As a terrible scoundrel, Kieran doesn’t have the best reputation among respectable ladies of the ton, so he needs some assistance gaining entry into polite events. He asks Dom’s sister Celeste, the epitome of a proper young woman despite her upbringing, to help him get into these events so that he can find a suitable bride. She refuses at first, but when her father insists that she is to marry her suitor at the end of the Season, she decides to strike a bargain with Kieran: she’ll help him if he takes her to scandalous places at night. Of course in spending all this time together, they grow close and fall in love, and they were already attracted to each other from the start. It was fun to see Kieran learn a different side to Celeste and appreciate the tough and brave person she is underneath all of the societal propriety she exhibits in the daytime.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

A Rake’s Guide to Seduction by Caroline Linden (2008)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 3 of the Reece Family Trilogy series. Celia is the younger sister of a duke in her first Season and enjoying the balls and parties and suitors; she is rescued from a proposal by her brother’s scandalous friend Anthony and is somewhat intrigued by him. Anthony is heir to an earl who had cast him out and cut off any financial support, so he is forced to gamble and make investments for his living. Anthony seems to believe that he is an unworthy suitor for Celia, but still takes a chance and asks the duke for permission to court her. Unfortunately, he’s too late, and Celia is already engaged to someone else. We learn more about Celia’s engagement and marriage through her diary entries up until her husband’s death four years later. We pick up the story again when Celia is out of mourning and her mother has arranged a house party to lift her spirits. There, Anthony and Celia slowly reconnect, as much as he tries to avoid her due to his scandalous reputation.

Ebook and audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake by Sarah MacLean (2010)

Book 1 of the Love by Numbers series, and the first historical romance published by Sarah MacLean. This one finds spinster Callie facing a life in the country after her younger sister marries, so she makes a bucket list of London adventures to complete before she goes. One of the items is to kiss a gentleman passionately, so she sneaks into her long-time crush’s house and kisses him. He offers to assist her in the items on her list. So of course they spend lots of time together doing things that proper ladies shouldn’t, like fencing, smoking, and sneaking into clubs to gamble. Such a fun book and covers a lot of the usual locations in a typical regency romance.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

Shop this book via Amazon // Bookshop.org // Libro.fm

Rumors and a Rake by Jane Maguire (2022)

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

Ebook accessed from Kindle Unlimited.

The Rakess by Scarlett Peckham (2020)

Book 1 of the Society of Sirens series. Seraphina is a woman with a scandalous reputation and treated horribly by people in town. She’s setting out to write her memoirs and expose the horrible man who ruined her. Somehow while on her writing retreat, she meets Adam, a quiet and serious architect with two young kids. They decide to start an affair, but they each have tons of emotional baggage, so it’ll take a lot longer to open up to each other with more than just physical attraction.

Shop this book via Amazon // Bookshop.org // Libro.fm

The Rebel and the Rake by Emily Sullivan (2021)

Book 2 of the League of Scoundrels series. Sylvia is a lady’s companion at a house party being blackmailed into stealing documents. Rafe is a guest there as well, but also secretly running an investigation. As he sees Sylvia behaving strangely, of course, he ends up being suspicious of her. These two mostly just keep bumping into each other and getting in each other’s way, but are mostly afraid of having their secrets discovered.

Shop this book via Amazon // Bookshop.org // Libro.fm

Kiss the Rake Hello by Tracy Sumner (2023)

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

Advance ebook provided by Tracy Sumner via BookSirens.

Shop this book via Amazon

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Next of Kin by Hannah Bonam-Young (2022)

Contemporary romance. Book 1 of the Next series. Chloe gets shocking news that her birth mother has just unexpectedly delivered a premature daughter and Chloe is on the list of potential guardians. Not wanting her baby sister to get shuffled through the foster care system, Chloe agrees to the guardianship with intent to adopt. With her freelancing career not providing enough evidence of financial security, she teams up with another guardian who needs better housing and can pay part of her rent so that they can each achieve their goals. Warren is the older brother to a deaf teenager who has also been in foster care and looking for more household stability. While the roommate situation is intended to be temporary, it’s only a matter of time before their lives start to intertwine. Super fun banter between Chloe and Warren and an excellent found family within their apartment.

Ebook and audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

In Want of a Viscount by Lorraine Heath (2024)

Historical romance. Victorian-era England. Book 3 of the Chessmen series. Leonora is an American inventor in England with her family seeking investors in her writing machine, although her crass overbearing mother is seeking a titled husband for Leonora. She sneaks off to a ladies’ club and asks for a kiss. The club owner seems to be short-staffed in the gentlemen escort department and asks his own titled brother, Rook, to see to the kissing. Rook and Leonora don’t exchange names, but do exchange a kiss, leaving Leonora passed out from absinthe and Rook wondering what he did wrong. And of course, they cross paths later when Rook turns out to be a potential investor in the company. They flirt, they dance, they can’t seem to stay away from each other. And Rook is the only man (aside from her father) who has ever appreciated Leonora’s curiosity for machinery. However, Rook is not interested in marriage and basically a very controlled man who denies himself lustful indulgences due to his own father’s scandalous behavior. These two are fairly slow to realize they’re perfect for each other, but it’s a fun read along the way.

Advance ebook provided by Avon Books via NetGalley.

Harry Potter Fanfic: Maybe in another life by BothMalfoysPlease

Snape/Hermione Time-Travel Romance. 24k words. Hermione goes back to the end of Snape’s fifth year and befriends him during his sixth. They team up to change the trajectory of Snape’s life and start a romance along the way. Relatively short and sweet fic.

Read this fic on Archive of Our Own

The Chemistry of Familiar Objects by Alexandra Vasti (2024)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Standalone novella. Emmeline and Robert share a building for their respective professions: she’s a chemist and he’s a printer. They are total opposites and do not get along at all. Except for the part where they’re inexplicably drawn to the other person. Emmeline starts the day by telling Robert that she’s purchased the building and he’s being evicted, but the end the day chasing after thieves that are stealing Emmeline’s work. We get a two or three day wild goose chase with these two grumpy outspoken people finally actually talking to each other. And more-than-talking to each other. Super fun with lots of hijinks.

Ebook available for free at author’s website.

Like No Other Lover by Julie Anne Long (2008)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 2 of the Pennyroyal Green series. Straightlaced insect researcher Miles pretty much loses his head and starts composing poetry the moment he sets eyes on Cynthia at a ball. Unfortunately, he overhears her calling him dour and boring, so he decides that he hates her now. Except he doesn’t and he’s absurdly attracted to her. When Cynthia gets invited to his home by his sister for a house party after some sort of scandal, he tries to avoid her, but fails miserably. Cynthia has no family, no money, no prospects, and a dwindling reputation, so this house party is her only chance to find a husband. Except Miles is being overly critical of her methods, even while he’s supposed to be courting a young lady whose father will fund his next expedition. These two bicker and argue and somehow can’t keep their hands off each other. And you’d think it was just lust driving them, but they do actually seem to understand the other person better than anyone else in the world, making it even more heartbreaking that they really aren’t a suitable match for each other.

Ebook and audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

Highland Heartbreaker by Steffy Smith (2024)

Historical romance. 14th Century Scotland. Book 2 of the Highland Hearts series. We have an arranged marriage here between the son of a Scottish laird and an English lady. Everyone is apprehensive of the match, but Alex is instantly attracted to Grace when he sets eyes on her. She generally has a nervous disposition but likes how welcoming Alex and his sister are to her. When Alex’s father shows up after the wedding, things are tense because of his prejudices against the English, and Grace is also wary of Alex’s womanizing reputation. It’s pretty clear that he’s smitten with Grace though and the drama there resolves rather quickly. This book was a relatively quick read and plenty steamy.

Advance ebook provided by Steffy Smith.

A Perfect Groom by Samantha James (2004)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 2 of the Sterling Family series. Justin is the second son of marquess and a total rake and scoundrel. His cruel father has always berated Justin for being a replica of his scandalous mother, and he basically just continues to live up to that expectation. When he returns to London after a stint on the Continent, his friend has told him about a certain young lady who has rebuffed several suitors and is known as the Unattainable. They get into a friendly wager on whether Justin will be able to bed her within a month. Of course, when he finds out that the lady is Arabella, the daughter of a vicar who had plagued him once before, he’s pretty sure that he won’t win that bet. Except that he can’t seem to help antagonizing the lady every time they cross paths and also find all the bickering exciting and enjoyable. She tries to resist him as well, since she does not approve of his reputation and behavior. But he’s still the most handsome man in England, and she does ultimately fall under his charm.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

His Public Claim by Evie Rose (2024)

Mafia romance. Part of the Everyone is Watching series. Super short novella. We have a virginity auction among mafia bosses and a daughter of one mafia man who owes a huge debt. Nicole is up for sale and rescued by her brother’s best friend and long-time crush Lev. She doesn’t know it’s him because everyone’s wearing a mask. Turns out he’s ultra-protective of her and just wants to rescue her. Unfortunately, they need to do the deed in front of the audience before they can leave. This novella is high on the steam and low on the plot, but sometimes, that’s just exactly what you’re looking for.

Advance ebook provided by Evie Rose.

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A Duke for Diana by Sabrina Jeffries (2022)

Book 1 of the Designing Debutantes series. Lady Diana is pretty much ruined after her mother ran off with a man and her father sued for divorce. She and her sisters now run a successful party-planning business in the ton. When Geoffrey inherits a dukedom, he hires Diana and her sisters to manage his own sister’s debut. Even though Diana and Geoffrey butt heads, they are instantly attracted to (and distracted by) each other. Geoffrey’s hiding a family secret related to his father’s death, so is reluctant to pursue marriage for himself.

What Happens in the Ballroom by Sabrina Jeffries (2023)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 2 of the Designing Debutantes series. Widowed Eliza knows that her late husband who died in battle was a waste of space, but we really hit it home here in this book. Nathaniel, an earl, and her husband’s best friend has tasked Eliza and her sisters with polishing up his young widowed ward for the marriage mart. However, we suspect early on that the ward (and her two year old son) are not exactly as they seem and may be holding onto some major secrets there. The romance part of the story was relatively uncomplicated, with Eliza and Nathaniel falling easily into lust, embraces, and an affair. The main issue is that Nathaniel is keeping secrets and Eliza is unwilling to trust a man, after being treated poorly by both her father and her late husband. Overall an enjoyable book, even if you were able to guess those secrets for yourself.

Advance ebook provided by Kensington Books via NetGalley.

Accidentally His by Sabrina Jeffries (2024)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 3 of the Designing Debutantes series. Rafe is an army colonel and spy looking to identify the person responsible for shooting his uncle and selling secrets to the French. While he has been following the Harper family events for awhile, he’s decided to uplevel his spying by trying to court the youngest sister Verity. She suspects that Rafe is the Phantom person who has been crashing her events for the past year, but can’t seem to prove it. Add in the part where they are actually attracted to each other and seem to be distracted by each other. When Verity’s ex-fiancee starts causing trouble, Rafe ends up proposing marriage to prevent a scandal. She’s hesitant of course, knowing that he’s keeping secrets, but they soon realize they’ll need to team up to find out the identity of the traitor and villain. Loved seeing Verity’s sister and brothers-in-law come to her defense and I also enjoyed seeing Rafe’s respect and yearning for Verity’s family life.

Advance ebook provided by Kensington Books via NetGalley.

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In Bed with the Devil by Lorraine Heath (2008)

Historical romance. Victorian-era England. Book 1 of the Scoundrels of St. James series. Luke is known as the Devil Earl and does not actually believe that he’s the rightful earl. As a young man, he was arrested for murder and when the old earl came to confront the boy who killed his son, the old man believed to have found his long lost grandson instead. Luke didn’t actually believe himself to be the old man’s grandson but used the opportunity to better his circumstances and that of his friends. With Luke’s devilish reputation and the gossip surrounding his activities, Catherine has come to call and ask him to murder someone on her behalf. She refuses to tell him who she needs killed, but the reader knows that it is the cruel and abusive husband of her best friend. Somehow Luke and Catherine strike a bargain where he will do her bidding if he helps his longtime love Frannie learn society rules so that she will accept his marriage proposal. It’s a twisty mess of emotions since it’s clear that Luke and Catherine are attracted to each other. As they spend more time together, it’s obvious that they’ll fall in love, but Luke is still attached to his childhood affection for Frannie. We also get to confront the man that Catherine wants killed as well as discover whether or not Luke is the rightful duke.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

Between the Devil and Desire by Lorraine Heath (2008)

Historical romance. Victorian-era England. Book 2 of the Scoundrels of St. James series. Widowed duchess Olivia finds that her late husband has left the guardianship of her son and the ownership of her house to renowned scoundrel and gambling hell owner Jack Dodger. She’s aghast at the situation and strives to be proper in all things, except that she’s distracted by her own physical attraction towards the man. Jack had been abandoned by his mother, abused by an older gentleman, and then survived on the streets before his friend Luke was found to be an earl’s grandson and Jack came along for a proper education. Upon receiving a windfall, Jack opened his gambling hell and makes his fortune from aristrocrats’ losses. He’s just as curious as Olivia as to why a near-stranger would have entrusted his son to Jack’s care, so Jack sets his investigator friend on the case. As Jack and Olivia navigate their new proximity to each other, Olivia starts to see how she has misjudged Jack since he’s basically the best guardian ever to her son. As much as they both try to resist each other, that can only last so long.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

Surrender to the Devil by Lorraine Heath (2009)

Historical romance. Victorian-era England. Book 3 of the Scoundrels of St. James series. Sterling is a new duke who has been traveling for many years and newly back in England. At his sister’s wedding, he is intrigued by Frannie being surrounded by her scoundrel friends in a protective manner. Of course, he decides that he’s attracted to her and propositions her almost immediately. Meanwhile, Frannie is also intrigued by the man who looks at her with desire instead of concern and protection. She grew up in the streets, was sold into a brothel at age twelve before being rescued, and has not been interested in a man since then. While she initially rejects Sterling’s proposition, she is certainly considering it. Frannie and Sterling continue to orbit around each other in various ways, but Sterling starts to become impressed by Frannie’s selflessness and care towards orphans. Even though both know that Sterling is not willing to marry Frannie, they still slowly end up falling in love.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

Midnight Pleasures with a Scoundrel by Lorraine Heath (2009)

Historical romance. Victorian-era England. Book 4 of the Scoundrels of St. James series. Eleanor is a viscount’s daughter in London to avenge her sister’s death by seeking revenge against the lord who ruined her. That lord believes he’s wrongfully being pursued, so he involves Scotland Yard for his protection. James Swindler is an investigator who grew up on the streets after his father was hanged for stealing and is tasked with following Eleanor around. When they meet, each is hiding their true reason for being out and about and they start a flirtation. James feels guilty for deceiving Eleanor, but Eleanor knows that James is following her and she aims to seduce him into protecting her. With the underlying lies forming the foundation of their relationship, it’ll be curious to see how they can have a lasting relationship. We get a massive plot twist halfway through the book that adds an another layer of complexity to the story, which is super fun to read.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

The Last Wicked Scoundrel by Lorraine Heath (2014)

Historical romance. Victorian-era England. Book 5 of the Scoundrels of St. James series. Widowed duchess Winnie thinks she might be going mad because she keeps losing track of her items and catches glimpses of her late husband’s scent around the house. When she confides this information to William, the physician who saved her life many years ago, he rallies his friends to protect her. Turns out her husband might not be so dead after all, since the scoundrels sent him away at the end of Book 1. Winnie and William have developed a longstanding attraction for each other over the years, and they finally make a move towards a physical relationship, even if William knows that he can’t marry someone so far above his station. This one was a pretty short and quick novella and it’s always good catching up with all the scoundrels.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

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Always Remember by Mary Balogh (2024)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 3 of the Ravenswood series. Ben Ellis is the illegitimate son of an earl who was raised in the earl’s family home after the death of his mother. While Ben has always been embraced as part of the family, he has had a sense of otherness about him. After a big family scandal, he went with his younger brother Devlin to war, where he met and married the woman carrying his child. After she died of illness, he came home as a single father to a young girl. Now that Ben has settled into his own seaside home, he’s considering remarrying, but is indecisive about which woman to court. He’s hoping that a visit to his family’s home for the summer will help him to make a decision. While he’s there, he meets Lady Jennifer again, the sister of a duke who had married his own sister. Jennifer is disabled after a childhood illness and gives off a cheery disposition. However, a chance conversation between Ben and Jennifer has both of them spilling their secrets to a near-stranger and becoming friends because of it. This book is a delightful slow build of friendship, trust, and love, despite their differences in social station. We get to see Ben be a doting father to his child and see the child grow attached to Jennifer as well. If you’re a fan of quiet slow-burn romances, this one is another great book from Mary Balogh.

Ebook and audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

If the Duke Dares by Darcy Burke (2024)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 1 of the Rogue Rules series. Persephone is being forced into an arranged marriage she doesn’t want after her sister is ruined by a rogue and she runs away from her parents on the journey to meet the prospective groom. She actually ends up meeting the duke while she’s busy pretending to be a widow at an inn, but he doesn’t know who she is. At some point, our duke Acton realizes that his supposed bride is out on the road alone, so he goes to find her and protect her. While they both agree that they aren’t interested in marrying each other, they start a slow and tentative friendship. Persephone learns that Acton is not as terrible as his reputation and Acton learns that he should learn to treat women better. We get some more of Acton’s backstory regarding his relationship with his estranged mother and sisters, which is really interesting to learn. I liked seeing how these two started to trust each other and then to enjoy each other’s company. Definitely a slow-burn romance here, with Acton showing lots of character growth.

Advance ebook provided by Darcy Burke.

That Time I Got Drunk and Saved a Demon by Kimberly Lemming (2021)

Paranormal Fantasy Romance. Book 1 of the Mead Mishaps series. This book was the funniest thing I’ve read so far this year and it was an absolute delight. Cinnamon is a spice farmer leading a simple life in her quiet country village. Stumbling home drunk one night, she somehow saves a demon and frees him from a spell. Now, the dark and handsome demon Fallon needs her help in a mission to destroy a fake goddess who has imprisoned all the demons. Cinnamon is extremely hesitant for any sort of quest or adventure since her sister was snatched by a water monster years ago, but he threatens her family, so off she goes. Cinnamon and Fallon spend a whole lot of time together and of course grow closer as they spend their dangerous journey together. Along the way, they pick up more allies to join the fight against the fake goddess. This book was chaos and adventure and flirty fun the whole way through.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby. Audiobook borrowed from my local library via Hoopla.

Some Like It Scandalous by Maya Rodale (2019)

Historical romance. Gilded Age New York. Book 2 of the Gilded Age Girls Club series. Daisy and Theo are lifelong enemies after he creates a cruel nickname for her as young teenagers. However, they’re forced together in an arranged engagement as Theo fails to live up to his steel magnate father’s expectations and Daisy’s family may soon be under scrutiny with her father’s investment company. Since these two are not actually interested in marrying each other, they decide to fake an engagement to relieve the pressure from their parents while they pursue other projects. Daisy is a chemist and has been developing a complexion balm that she hopes to sell and support herself. Theo is aimless and doesn’t really have much going for him except his charm and looks. Somehow, they end up teaming up on Daisy’s product and their strengths really do complement each other. Plus, as they spend more time together, they actually start to get to know one another and become friends (and maybe more). This was a fun slow-burn sort of romance with Theo being the one to prove his worth and give his full support to Daisy’s invention.

Ebook and audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

Ravishing the Heiress by Sherry Thomas (2012)

Historical romance. Victorian-era England. Book 2 of the Fitzhugh Trilogy series. Millie and Fitz have been married platonically for eight years and soon to embark on their agreement to try to have children. Except that Fitz is distracted and excited by the fact that his first love is recently widowed and on her way back to England. This book is told over two timelines, showing the progress through Millie and Fitz’ eight year marriage and showing their present day friendship. Fitz had inherited an impoverished earldom, necessitating his marriage to a wealthy heiress even though he had hopes of marrying someone else. Millie has been in love with Fitz for all this time, but she has not given him any clues about her feelings and maintained quiet dignity and strength while he has been heartbroken over his lost love. However, over the years, we get to see Fitz become a strong and steady presence in Millie’s life and ever-so-slowly becoming her closest friend. This whole book is the slowest of slow burns and heartbreaking in all the best ways.

Ebook and audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

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A Collision of Stars by Georgia Stone (2024)

Contemporary Romance. Standalone novel. Humorous, grumpy-sunshine, friends-to-lovers romance. Ava is a grumpy barista who is basically just getting by and the overcharming overeager overly chatty Finn is a regular customer at the coffee shop. Ava’s looking for casual hook-ups as a way to pass the time before she goes home for some intense introverting, but her roommate/best friend is worried about her. In order to seem less lonely and pathetic, she tells her best friend that she even made a new platonic friend recently and lies that it’s Finn. After Finn catches her in the lie, he leverages it to his advantage to have Ava help him with his London bucket list. Finn seems to bounce around from continent to continent and does not seem to be good at setting down roots, but he sure is charming, in that nerdy adorkable sort of way. We get these total opposites spending time together, bantering like crazy, and slowly developing real feelings, which Ava is clearly afraid of. This book is so charming and delightful and I had so much fun reading it.

Advance ebook provided by Georgia Stone.

That Time I Got Drunk and Saved a Human by Kimberly Lemming (2023)

Paranormal fantasy romance. Book 3 of the Mead Mishaps series. Dante, the storm dragon, is out to find his mate after 700-something years of bachelorhood. On the way, he stops by some other dragon’s castle to let him know that the false goddess has been defeated, and ends up scenting his mate right there. Cherry was abducted and then held captive for the past five years and is wary of pretty much everything. She and Dante are not really communicating very well, since Cherry is scared of him, and Dante just has poor social skills. She ends up drugging him, he bites her and sets off their bond, and then takes her back to his own castle in a frozen wasteland before passing out cold. While she’d like to escape, she doesn’t quite know how. She is also withholding information about her name and home, in case the crazy dragon attacks her family. They do finally manage to set out into the world, mostly because Cherry wants to see a unicorn, and they slowly start to come to an accord as they travel. Nevermind the intense attraction that Cherry is feeling due to the dragon’s honeymoon magic. Tons of chaos and humor in this book, similar to the previous books in the series.

Ebook and audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

To Woo and to Wed by Martha Waters (2024)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 5 of the Regency Vows series. West and Sophie had been courting seven years ago, until West’s disapproving father got involved and Sophie ended up married to someone else. Not only that, but West was badly injured in a curricle race that also killed his best friend, and he’s been in a rough place ever since. Now that widowed Sophie is back in West’s social sphere, they just keep running into each other at various events. He’s pretty sure that she’s not open to another courtship, so he tries his best to keep his distance. Until Sophie proposes a fake engagement to West so that her sister would be willing marry her own suitor without fear of Sophie’s loneliness. Seeing an opportunity to spend more time with Sophie and to rile up his horrible father, West agrees. And so we have a fake engagement second chance situation where these two finally talk about what went wrong all those years ago.

Advance ebook provided by Atria Books via NetGalley.

A Perfect Bride by Samantha James (2004)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 1 of the Sterling Family series. Sebastian is a stuffy marquess who avoids scandal because of the family scandal he suffered when his mother ran away. When he stumbles upon an injured woman in the streets, he brings her home to care for, even though he thinks she’s a prostitute and thief. Devon is neither of these things, just a young woman trying to survive in her impoverished conditions. Devon and Sebastian argue and bicker and definitely do not trust each other, but still end up intensely attracted to each other. Neither are thinking ahead to the future when they embark on a physical relationship, but it’s Sebastian who needs to get over his fear of scandal if he wants a future with Devon.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

The False Heir by Merry Farmer (2024)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 5 of the Secrets of Nedworth Hall series. Lady Yvette is the daughter of an abusive earl who has declared herself the long lost heir of some other lord even though she isn’t. She pretty much makes up lies everywhere she goes to protect herself from her father and the vile man that her father wants her to marry. She’s been spending time with Nathan during the house party who is there to marry the mystery heir and exert revenge. However, he’s fallen for Yvette and quickly abandons his revenge plot. While Yvette is trying to overcome her compulsive lying, she’s afraid that Nathan will abandon her when he learns the truth. But it turns out that he’s lovely and supportive and plans to protect her at all costs.

Advance ebook provided by Merry Farmer via BookSprout.

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.

Fish Out of Water by Katie Ruggle (2024)

Contemporary Romance. Standalone novel. Dahlia is in a small mountain town looking for her missing sister and enlists the help of local grumpy hermit Winston. He’s apparently skilled at survival while hiking, so he helps her through the mountains. These two are full of banter and shy flirty glances, and apparently Winston is a stealth cinnamon roll. The forced proximity of the hike and huddling in the tent for warmth turns into huddling for more than just warmth. As we get closer to possibly finding Dahlia’s sister, we get to see some crazypants out-of-nowhere plot when we we’ve just been quietly hiking through the woods thus far. Super fun and sweet and we get some third-act adventure too.

Advance ebook provided by Sourcebooks via NetGalley.

The Perils of Pleasure by Julie Anne Long (2008)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 1 of the Pennyroyal Green series. Colin Eversea is a handsome, charming rogue who is about to hang for a murder he didn’t commit. A last minute save from the gallows comes from mercenary Madeleine Greenway, who doesn’t know who is responsible for Colin’s rescue. With Madeleine being nearly killed and a price on Colin’s head, these two are stealthily trying to unravel the mystery of Colin’s missing witness and his savior. We get elements of a road trip adventure, even though we’re mostly still in London as Colin and Madeleine investigate various leads and clues. Of course the heightened danger and forced proximity lead to Colin and Madeleine developing a strong connection as they slowly start to trust each other. We also get glimpses of other points of view from other members of the Eversea family and their rivals, the Redmonds. It’ll be interesting to see how these two families interconnect throughout the rest of the series.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

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