The Husband Trap by Tracy Anne Warren (2006)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 1 of the Trap Trilogy series. This book starts right with the action (which I love). Violet is on her way down the aisle to marry Adrian, except that she’s pretending to be her twin sister Jeannette who wanted to call off the wedding two hours earlier and somehow convinced Violet to take her place. Shy and bespectacled Violet knows that she won’t get another chance like this and takes it because she’s already been in love with Adrian. The rest of the book involves Violet playing the part of a spoiled and bratty Jeannette, while sometimes slipping into her actual good-natured self, and hoping that her husband won’t notice. Of course Adrian can’t believe his good luck that maybe his snobby and shallow bride actually has kindness and depth, so he doesn’t suspect anything at all. But you know that the secret will eventually come to catch up with Violet in the most heartbreaking ways. Such a good book that I dived right into the second one immediately!

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

The Wife Trap by Tracy Anne Warren (2006)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 2 of the Trap Trilogy series. Well, after Jeannette is found out for the scandal from Book 1, she’s banished from her home and sent to Ireland to live with her elderly cousins. On the way, she meets a middle-class Irishman, Darragh O’Brien who is brash and boorish. Glad to be rid of him, she’s surprised to see him again at her cousins’ home, where he’s the architect in charge of renovations on the property. So, for most of this book Jeannette is a spoiled and bratty snob with no regard to country life, hard work, or character. She interferes with estate construction on multiple occasions just because she wants to sleep late, like her usual party going London ways and doesn’t realize that her actions can withhold laborers’ ability to get paid. This type of story usually involves some sort of maturation of the spoiled main character, but it was a painfully slow sort of growth here. Add in the part where the plain old architect is actually an earl who works hard to pay off his family debts, Jeannette looks even more selfish and spoiled in comparison.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

The Wedding Trap by Tracy Anne Warren (2006)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 3 of the Trap Trilogy series.

Shy and bookish Eliza is about to enter her fourth Season with newfound wealth from her aunt’s inheritance. Her longtime crush Kit, the younger brother of a duke, is recruited to help build her confidence in order to secure a suitable match. Of course, once she’s gotten new hair and clothes, Kit notices how attractive she is and is baffled by his reactions to her. This book was about as predictable as you would expect, but still fun to see Eliza build her confidence (and her backbone) with her successful relaunch into society. Watch out for villainous spiteful cousins and unexpected jealousy (except Kit doesn’t realize it’s jealousy). And we get to interact with the couples from the previous two books of the series.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

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The Lady Knows Best by Susanna Craig (2023)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 1 of the Goode’s Guide to Misconduct series. Daphne stumbles onto a meeting of the anonymous writers of a forward-thinking women’s magazine and somehow gets assigned the task of writing a reply to a young lady asking what to do after catching her arranged fiancee with another woman. Miles, a terribly rakish viscount, ends up the victim of the advice column when his fiancee calls off the engagement. He realizes that Daphne is the anonymous authoress and blackmails her into finding him a suitable replacement or else he’ll expose her writing. Meanwhile, her mentor at the magazine encourages her to write an essay about troublesome rakes and use the attentions of the viscount as research. Daphne offers herself up for marriage, mostly to gather research about Miles until he calls it off, but also because she’s attracted to him anyway. Over the course of the book, we find that Miles is more than what he seems and we’re just waiting for Daphne to realize it too. It’s a fun set up for a series and also a nice callback to Daphne’s older siblings who are the main characters of some of Craig’s previous books.

Advance ebook provided by Kensington Books via NetGalley.

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.

To Resist a Scandalous Rogue by Liana De la Rosa (2019)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 2 of the Once Upon a Scandal series. After the scandal that Alethea uncovers in the previous book, her twin brother Finley is at a bit of a loss of direction. At an earl’s debaucherous house party, he meets a woman in the garden and spends one night with her before she disappears on him. Charlotte is a widow who was left with no money, no family, and no protection. She ended up at an earl’s house party thinking to get a maid’s position, but was dismayed to learn that her cousin has offered her an opportunity to be a courtesan. Although she rejects that role, she ended up in Finley’s bed anyway, and runs off before she’s tempted to become his mistress. A year later, Finley is seeking a position in Parliament and Charlotte has become a schoolteacher at a foundling home, and the two cross paths again. With their social class differences, his secrets, her secrets, and his political aspirations, this match is certainly unwise. We get to see them both slowly bring the other person into their confidence and become emotionally entangled. I enjoyed reading this one too and it was a great follow-up to the first book in the series.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

How to Best a Marquess by Janna MacGregor (2023)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 3 of the Widow Rules series. The prologue consists of a very charming proposal from Julian to Beth, but things didn’t quite turn out the way they expected. Eight years later, Beth is now one of three widows of a duke’s younger brother, and was not in fact married to the scoundrel at all. In a quest to recover her lost dowry and get away from her older brother’s influence, she seeks out the destitute Julian, now a marquess, for assistance, offering him half the money in payment. We follow with a road trip and second chance romance, though Beth is adamant that she never marry and she knows that her reputation will be detrimental to the honorable Julian’s reputation. Julian however just wants to convince Beth that he’s sorry for walking away all those years ago when her brother denied his proposal and that he’s still in love with her. I mostly empathized with poor Julian there who just can’t catch a break. And of course all of those road trip adventures are a fun read as well.

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

The Enemy of My Enemy Is My Lover by Cassandra Morann (2023)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. The author has said that this will be Book 1 of a series involving the Marston family, but no official series title is available right now. We start at a ball at the Viscount Marston’s London home, where Samira is a young woman crashing a ball to steal loose cash and trinkets from the lord’s study. Rowan, the viscount, dislikes balls and soirees but is captivated by Samira’s appearance, so he follows her to his own study. After stealing a kiss from her, he calls her out on her thievery and lets her go. The next day, Rowan calls upon Samira at her home to ask for her assistance in stealing incriminating letters away from a slimy earl. Since Samira has her own grudge against that earl, she agrees. The story continually deals with Rowan and Samira’s attraction for each other, his need to uphold his duties, and her insistence to never become a man’s mistress. Both characters need to open themselves to trust each other and their intentions, and they’re both terribly stubborn. I especially liked learning about Samira’s backstory and how she grew to be so skeptical of the men of society. It’s interesting to see the family dynamics of their respective families and how the stage is set for future books in the series.

Advance ebook provided by Cassandra Morann.

To Tame a Scandalous Lady by Liana De la Rosa (2019)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 3 of the Once Upon a Scandal series. Lady Flora, daughter of a duke and sister to a marquess with political ambitions, disguises herself as a man to become the assistant trainer at a horse racing operation. While she has set herself up to learn how to run a racing stable, she is surprised to find herself attracted to the marquess who owns the place. Christian aims to rebuild his family’s legacy after a stable fire took the lives of his father and many prized racehorses; after spending all his money to rebuild the stables, he needs this new horse to win in order to recoup the costs. When he finds out his horse trainer is actually a woman, he first wants to dismiss her, but keeps her on after Flora stubbornly defends her actions. They start a dalliance while they aren’t busy with the horses, but the truth of Flora’s identity could leads to scandal for them both if she’s caught. I loved reading about the defiant and competent Flora here and how she doesn’t cower to the men in her life.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

To Tempt a Scandalous Lord by Liana De la Rosa (2021)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 4 of the Once Upon a Scandal series. Flora’s older brother Niall is in the race for Prime Minister, but is being maligned in a series of political articles. He’s focused on his work and wants to find the culprit of the articles, but is suddenly distracted when he meets Alicia, the widow of an earl. When she experiences a wardrobe malfunction which may lead to potential ruin, he declares them engaged to save both their reputations. While the two are most definitely attracted to each other, Alicia is keeping secrets from everyone. She’s actually the anonymous writer of the political articles that are meant to provoke thought and incite action from the politicians. With such a big secret hanging over her head, we’re just waiting for the fallout. I liked reading about Niall’s interactions with the orphans from the foundling home he supports and how Alicia softens towards him when she realizes his care for the children. I also liked seeing all the men from the previous books of the series rally around Niall and support him. Excellent ending to an enjoyable series.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

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The latest series from Joanna Shupe takes place in Gilded Age New York with a group of friends (both male and female friend groups). One running theme throughout is that the men do not have great relationships with their fathers and seek to make their own way in the world. I recommend reading this series in order because the events overlap quite a bit, with the fourth book being most satisfying after reading the build up across the first three books.

The Heiress Hunt by Joanna Shupe (2021)

Historical romance. Gilded Age New York and Rhode Island. Book 1 of the Fifth Avenue Rebels series. Harrison Archer is back in town after living in Paris for the past three years; his horrible family is broke and he’s intent on finalizing their financial ruin. While they want him to marry an heiress to pay off their debts, he only has eyes for his childhood friend Maddie Webster, who broke his heart years ago by declaring that she only thinks of him as a brother. With the time apart, he’s hoping that she’ll change the way she sees him. I’m a total sucker for the emotional gut wrench of rejection, even though Maddie had no idea that she was the cause of Harrison’s departure. So now Maddie is trying to help Harrison find a bride, even though he just wanted to use the Newport house party as a way to get close to her again, and she’s kind of almost engaged to a duke. Messiness all around. Still, Maddie was incredibly stubborn in this book and totally oblivious to the fact that Harrison has loved her for years, even though everyone else in the world had seen it. Great set up for all the other characters that will feature in the remainder of the series and looking forward to finishing the rest of the books.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

The Lady Gets Lucky by Joanna Shupe (2021)

Historical romance. Gilded Age New York and Rhode Island. Book 2 of the Fifth Avenue Rebels series. About half of this book takes place at the same Newport house party as Book 1 of the series, so it’s fun to read these back to back. Shy and quiet Alice asks scoundrel Kit for lessons in seduction so that she’ll be able to find a husband who wants her for more than her dowry. She’s got a terribly overbearing mother and needs to get out from under her thumb. Meanwhile, Kit has already been warned away from the innocent debutantes so is hesitant to help her (even though he was instantly attracted to her offer). When Kit finds out that Alice is friendly with a famous chef who he is trying to hire for his new supper club, he wants a way to buy those recipes. Alice is shrewd negotiator, so it looks like she’ll get her seduction lessons after all. Reading these two flirt with each other was so fun; Alice learns a bit more confidence and Kit turns into someone less sure and less suave, but more honest. I really enjoyed this one!

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

The Bride Goes Rogue by Joanna Shupe (2021)

Historical romance. Gilded Age New York. Book 3 of the Fifth Avenue Rebels series. Katherine is finally going to settle those wedding details with the fiancee that her father arranged, only to find that Preston had no intention of marrying her at all. He’s got a grudge against her father for abandoning Preston’s family in their time of financial turmoil, so wants nothing to do with their family. With Katherine suddenly un-engaged, she’s ready to find an affair, so she goes to a masked ball with her friend and meets a man there. When she goes to meet with him unmasked in a follow-up tryst at his apartment, she finds that it was Preston all along. These two spend a lot of time fighting, somehow call a truce, then fall into an affair with each other, with no intention of marriage. It’s messy and complicated and meanwhile Preston’s still mad at her father, Katherine’s dealing with her own father moving on from her late mother, and the poor Duke of Lockwood can’t catch a break in the background.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

The Duke Gets Even by Joanna Shupe (2023)

Historical romance. Gilded Age New York. Book 4 of the Fifth Avenue Rebels series. If you’ve read the first three books in this series, you’ll have seen hints of an uneasy relationship between Nellie and the Duke of Lockwood. Nellie is everyone’s scandalous best friend with knowledge about affairs and men. Meanwhile the destitute Duke of Lockwood needs an American heiress to marry for money. In Book 1, he was engaged to Maddie for about a day before that didn’t work out. In Book 2, he’s almost courting our favorite sweet Alice, until he realizes Kit is in the picture and bows out. In Book 3, he’s sworn off courting anyone from this unlucky friend group, but still friendly with Katherine. Well, we finally get to see his true nature and desires here in Book 4 with our dear Nellie. We go back to the beginning of the Newport house party from Book 1 and 2, where Lockwood and Nellie meet as strangers at the beach at midnight, and after some flirting, and kissing, they plan for a tryst the next day. However, when Lockwood shows up at the house party the next day and is introduced to all the guests, he and Nellie realize that the connection is impossible and over. We meet again in six months after Nellie’s other friends are all settled and Nellie’s feeling listless and aimless since all her friends are married and don’t need her anymore plus Lockwood’s still looking for a docile and wealthy bride. What starts as angry flirting turns into an angry affair with neither of them wanting to engage their hearts. Lockwood’s got some secrets of his own with a health condition, plus Nellie is unwilling to risk her emotions after her mother died at a young age. An important side story here is Nellie’s work in educating women on contraception and taking control of their reproductive rights. I appreciated seeing this play out in a historical setting and seeing Nellie’s championing of women’s education on the subject.

Although I enjoyed this story and all of the other books in the series, it seemed to be a bit repetitive to have three stories back-to-back of people having affairs and unwilling to invest any deeper emotions. While the side character of one book is the “wise one” nudging their friend to make a commitment, they’re unable to do so in their own story just a short time later. I think when binge reading a whole series in half a week, it’s easy to pick up on inconsistencies that might not be as apparent to readers who pick up one at a time. The level of familiarity that characters have with each other isn’t terribly consistent either… while it seems like the gentlemen are meeting the women for the first time at the house party in Book 1, we find that Nellie and Kit are chummy enough for her to be giving him advice in Book 2, or that in Book 3, Kit knew the name of Preston’s supposed fiancee all along even though Katherine was in the running to be Harrison’s bride in Book 1. I understand that we probably weren’t supposed to know about Katherine’s betrothal until we get to her book, but it makes for an untidy reveal. Sometimes the connections do make sense though, like Kit and Alice’s interactions during the house party, or Nellie and the duke’s interactions within the first three books. And I appreciate seeing things woven together so tightly.

Advance ebook provided by Avon Books via NetGalley. Print book provided by Avon Books.

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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.

How the Wallflower Was Won by Eva Leigh (2022)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 2 of the Last Chance Scoundrels series. At the start of this book, Finn is trying to set up Dom with bluestocking Tabitha, thinking that they would make for an easy marriage-of-convenience. However, Dom is not interested in courting or marrying and Tabitha is completely intimidated by Dom anyway. Plus Finn and Tabitha are clearly drawn to each other. The problem is that Tabitha is a well-read intellectual lady trying to gain entry into a prestigious academic society, while Finn has always been berated and thought to be an imbecile. He’s not, he just has trouble reading, but he’s clever and observant. Finn thinks that he’s no match for Tabitha and is afraid that she will despise him once she finds out the truth about his intellect (or lacktherof). Tabitha is also wary of emotional entanglements because of a hurtful experience in her past, but is slowly opening up to Finn. These two are deeply guarded with their feelings and with each other, but it’s plain to everyone else that they adore each other. I loved how supportive Finn was of Tabitha and that he respected her opinion and knowledge.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

A Rogue’s Rules for Seduction by Eva Leigh (2023)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 3 of the Last Chance Scoundrels series. It’s been nearly a year since Dom abandoned Willa at the altar, and his friends and her brothers Kieran and Finn have conspired to bring them both the same isolated island house party in Scotland. Dom and Willa have to finally talk out their issues if they have any hope of moving on. We quickly see that while they were courting and engaged, each were playing a bit of a role and enjoyed the shock value of the other person’s status, rather than the person they truly were. From dockworker to wealthy son of a shipping magnate, Dom has been considered an outsider to the aristocracy. Willa, daughter of an earl, has been brash and outrageous, and delighted in shocking the ton with her brutish suitor. Likewise, Dom viewed Willa as an unattainable prize, who he first felt proud to court, and then felt guilty that he was so far below her standing… ultimately leading to his abandonment. Now that they’re in the same place again, they start to realize that they treated each other superficially in their courtship and engagement and a marriage at that time would have been unhappy. But the spark and attraction continues to exist between them and now that they’re being more honest with each other, they’re starting to give into those desires, even if they’re not quite willing to risk their hearts yet.

Advance ebook provided by Avon Books via NetGalley.

A Viscount for Christmas by Suzanna Medeiros (2022)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 1 of the Christmas Scandals series. Quick novella with a viscount returning to his estate for the holidays and finding his sisters’ friend, Celia, asleep in his bed. Caught in a compromising situation, he declares them engaged. Although a victim of her mother’s scheming, both the viscount and Celia are attracted to each other and are eventually happy with the engagement.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Hoopla.

A Highwayman for Christmas by Suzanna Medeiros (2022)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 2 of the Christmas Scandals series. An even shorter novella than the one before, Celia’s cousin Lily has been courted by a serious and solicitous earl for the past six months. When he finally proposes, she refuses him because he has shown no desire or passion for her. Turns out dear Simon was playing the role of the proper suitor and schemes to win her back by playing a highwayman and kidnapping her to a cottage. As expected, she’s impressed by this display of rakishness.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Hoopla.

Defying the Earl by Erica Ridley (2023)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 4 of the Lords in Love series. Titus is the grumpiest earl you ever did meet, eschewing all social niceties and events. He’s tasked by his godmother to take on a twenty-year old ward and comes to the Marrywell festival to meet her. But before he can do that, he’s kissed a stranger behind the potted plants at the assembly, and is aghast to realize that he’s kissed his ward Matilda. She’s out of mourning from her parents, nearly reaching her majority and inheritance, and wants to socialize and make friends with people. This one is very much a grumpy-sunshine story, with tragic backstories for both Titus and Matilda, but they differ greatly in how they’ve moved from their respective tragedies. Another fun and quick read from this series!

Advance ebook provided by Erica Ridley via NetGalley.

Two Scandals and a Scot by Tracy Sumner (2023)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 5 of the Duchess Society series. Theo runs away from her pre-wedding ball when her fiancee’s pregnant mistress shows up. Of course, she gets into the carriage of Dash, the friend she helped learn to read and write so that he could publish his book of gambling cheats. When he realizes that she’s run away from her duke of a brother-in-law’s house, he chases after her. Of course they cause an even bigger scandal when they’re at an inn on the road and pretty much forced to marry when Theo’s family catches up to them. Since the two are friends who are very much attracted to each other, Theo proposes that they stay friends with their own independence, not to fall prey to the obsessive love that surrounds the other couples in their social sphere (basically all the other couples from past books of the series). Bargain made, they go onto marry and settle into their new life a bit, trying so very hard not to involve their emotions. Which goes exactly how you’d expect it to go if you’re a frequent romance reader. I really enjoyed this book and learning more about Dash’s background, how he basically worships Theo, and her strength and stubbornness that most people underestimate. Another great addition to the series!

Advance ebook provided by Tracy Sumner and Wolf Publishing via NetGalley.

Want more Harry Potter fanfic? Here’s a spreadsheet of my all-time favorites.

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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.

Falling for a Rake by Eve Pendle (2019)

Historical romance. Victorian-era England. Book 1 of the Fallen series. We start with a prim and proper lady who hunts for ferns and a rake of a man following her through the woods and trying to flirt with her, even as she politely puts him off. And then they fall down an abandoned mine and get stuck there overnight. Well, now that they’re basically ruined, they need to marry. But both of them have secrets from the past and neither are exactly what they seem. Lady Emily, daughter of a duke, has been engaged before, but her fiancee had died in a hunting accident, so now Emily doesn’t participate in any physically strenuous activities and only hunts ferns and not foxes. But there’s something more to the story there because she keeps having nightmares about her ex-fiancee. The rakish earl Oscar has admitted the worst of himself to Emily: that he has dallied with the younger sister of a woman he was courting, got her with child, and refused to marry her. The young lady and their illegitimate daughter now live in the country and he is not part of their lives. But he’s also not exactly the rake that he seems to play in the world; he’s kind and caring of Emily and doesn’t actually take advantage of her when they’re trapped together. This book had a lot of interesting reveals of Emily and Oscar’s pasts, presents, and learning to accept each other for who they are. And there’s a meddlesome anonymous gossip writer adding to the drama.

Ebook purchased from Amazon.

Once a Fallen Lady by Eve Pendle (2020)

Historical romance. Victorian-era England. Book 2 of the Fallen series. This story takes place around the same time as Book 1. We get to follow the lives of the young woman who was ruined and her now ten-year old illegitimate daughter. Lydia has been living as a fraudulent widow in a small village and raising her daughter Annie there. When Annie gets ill, Lydia doesn’t have the money to send for the doctor, but the schoolteacher Alfred notices Annie’s absence and comes to check on them. Over the course of Annie’s illness, Alfred comes to visit, bringing food and books, and helping to run errands for Lydia. This one is a relatively short but super quick read with Alfred definitely falling first and Lydia thinking that she’s not worthy of him. It’s also fun to read about an event that happens in Book 1 from a different point of view. I definitely enjoyed reading these two books back-to-back.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Hoopla.

Catch a Falling Duke by Eve Pendle (2021)

Historical romance. Victorian-era England. Book 3 of the Fallen series. This book takes place about ten years after the first two books in the series, with Hugo (Emily’s brother) having just inherited the dukedom. While Hugo is looking through papers in the study, he finds that his family fortune is founded upon something horribly upsetting. As Hugo runs away from his estate to think, he encounters a woman at an inn and spends the night with her. Beatrice is a lonely widowed farmer, who’s parents have also died, and is looking to find a man named in a letter she found of her mother’s. She and Hugo spend the next day looking for the man, only to be met with disappointment. While Hugo ultimately admits his troubles to Beatrice (and also the fact that he’s a duke), Beatrice insists there’s no future between them due to the differences in social standing and they part ways. At some point, Hugo finds a way to try to prove his commitment to Beatrice, taking whatever part of her life he can get. We get to go back to Bea’s farm and meet all her farmhands and essentially her found family. This was a delightful way to tie things back together and we get to learn how Hugo copes with his grandfather’s ill-gotten wealth.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Hoopla.

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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.

Introduction

If you’ve been following other content creators for your book recommendations, you may find yourself wanting to become one yourself. What could be more fun than talking about the books you’ve read and loved all the time? There are so many types of content you can produce and so many different places where you can talk about books, it can be hard to decide what to post and where. Realistically, you should just start posting wherever it is that you hang out the most. And then, when you feel up to it, you can slowly expand to other places.

Find new friends who can gush with you about books all day long. Started a new reading hobby and have no one IRL to chat with? There are so many different platforms online where you can talk about your favorite books.

Depending on the platform you want to use for sharing your book obsession, you’ll be working with different types of media: short form text, long form text, still photos or graphics, video, and audio. When picking out a platform, consider the type of media you’re comfortable creating. The other thing to consider is whether you’d like to collect your own followers, or contribute to the overall conversation in another established community. When you use something like Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, or your own website, people tend to remember that they’re interacting with you personally as an individual and will follow you specifically. If you’re posting reviews on Goodreads or interacting in someone else’s book club, it’s possible that people might not be following you in particular, even if you’ve become friends within that platform.

Twitter

Twitter is in the process of some overhaul right now with a change in ownership and leadership. If you’re not already a Twitter user, I don’t recommend starting one. It’s good for short one-liner types of posts due to the limits in character count. Images and videos are allowed, but they are not the primary form of media.

Instagram

• Instagram is one of my favorite places to look at book recommendations and reviews.
• This platform can be broken down into three different areas: Posts, Reels, and Stories.
  • Posts are square images and videos that show up on the feed. This is a great place for still photos of books, your book journal pages, or graphics that you designed. You can add up to ten images per post that viewers can swipe through the look at.
  • Reels are up to 60 second videos that are vertically formatted. These show up in the regular feed and in the Reels feed.
  • Stories are vertically formatted photos or videos that are on a separate feed at the top of the app and displayed only to your followers. Stories stay active for only 24 hours (or less if you delete them), so it’s good for fleeting content, like your current read or interactive polls.

TikTok

• Vertically formatted short-form video. While you can post up to 3 minute videos (or possibly 10 minutes if you account allows it), I recommend sticking to shorter videos to keep viewers’ attention. Depending on your level of enthusiasm or whether you’re trying to bait the algorithm, you can easily work through different trends on TikTok, with popular sounds, memes, and expressive reactions to what you’re reading. See what you like to watch and then try it yourself. Videos don’t have to feature you talking to camera (but if you do, and you’re holding a book, I beg you please to use the inverted feature so that people can read the book title without a mirror).

Tools I use for Instagram and TikTok

• iPhone 13 Pro Max for photo and video
• Tablet Stand Holder to hold my phone for video
• Softbox Lighting so I can record in early mornings
• White posterboard to help bounce light
• Canva Pro for graphics (click for a free trial for Pro version)

YouTube

• Horizontally formatted long-form video. Most booktubers film face-to-camera and talk about the books they’re read. That type of filming doesn’t work for my schedule, so my account has voiceover slide presentations of books, which can be an option for you too.
• There’s also a Shorts side that shows vertically formatted videos less than 60 seconds. If you’re already posting on TikTok or IG Reels, you can re-purpose those same videos here, which is my approach. I use SnapTik to take the TikTok logo off and then upload to YouTube Shorts.

Website or Blog

For long-form media combining text and photos or video, you could set up your own website and blog. For this one, you’d pick a website hosting platform and pay for a custom domain name. There’s a bit of tech involved with building your own website, but there are plenty of templates and tutorials for whichever platform you choose. I personally use Bluehost for website hosting and a domain name (that’s the URL link that says www.randomolive.com) and run WordPress on it for the blog. The different hosting websites have a super helpful support and tutorial side on their sites if you want to go that route.

Tools I use for blogging

• Bluehost
• WordPress
• ElegantThemes
• Canva Pro

Podcast

If talking is more to your style, consider a podcast. This is long-form audio that I have no experience in making, but there is likely to be some start up cost here for audio hosting, and then a learning curve for getting set up on podcast apps, audio recording and editing.

Email Newsletter

• With a lot of the other platforms above, you’re at the mercy of the platform that you’re using. There could be a massive crash of those websites or your account could be blocked for any reason. One way to keep in touch with people who follow you is to collect their email addresses in an email newsletter service.
• It’s up to you to ask people to join the list, but you can promote it on your existing social channels. The email addresses can be downloaded at any point as a list or spreadsheet and migrated to any email marketing service you choose.
• So what do I use my email newsletter for? I send updates on new bookish printables I’ve made, links to new videos I posted on YouTube, links to book reviews on my blog, and links to latest TikTok videos. (You can click here to subscribe to my emails if that interests you!) You can choose to send whatever you want at whatever frequency you want.
• I personally use Flodesk for my email platform because it’s a flat rate, regardless of the number of subscribers you have, and because the layouts inside it are aesthetically pleasing. (If you use my link here to sign up, you’ll get 50% off your first year of Flodesk)
• Note: If you’re going to send any bulk emails, it’s important to pay attention to the anti-SPAM laws associated with it and read the fine print within the email service.

Final Tips

• Being a bookish content creator can be both fun and stressful if you let it.
• Keep your goals in mind to find the motivation to keep going.
  • Do you want to find new friends?
    • Find new books to read?
    • Or someday monetize your obsession with books?
• You don’t need to post all the things to all the places. Pick the platforms you enjoy and the types of posts you want to create.

Download the full color and photo-filled guide! Available for pay-what-you-want pricing (which basically means free, but I’ll love you forever if you can contribute to my book fund).

I’ll be following this up with more guides and recommendations for monetizing your passion, so if you want to know when that’s available, sign up to be notified here.

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

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.

Chill and Prosper by Denise Duffield-Thomas (2022)

Nonfiction. Business and entrepreneurship. This book spends a lot of time focusing on mindset and taking away the hustle mentality that so often comes with entrepreneurship. I appreciate the approach here to cut out the feelings of overwhelm and imposter syndrome associated with running a small business. The biggest take-home message for me from this book is that everyone has something to contribute to the conversation about a topic and that you don’t need to be an expert or guru to do so. The back half of the book goes over business strategies like developing a product and marketing it, and doesn’t offer much different from other books in this genre, except that the focus should be on things that come easily, and not to struggle through all the things that seem impossible.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

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

To Marry and to Meddle by Martha Waters (2022)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 3 of the Regency Vows series. We finally get to see the romance between Emily and Julian here in a marriage of convenience story. We start at the end of the house party from Book 2, where Julian has been sort of courting Emily and hinting to her that he would be able to save her family’s debt as her husband. We start right with a proposal in Chapter 1 and learn Julian’s motivations for marrying (he wants to improve the reputation of his scandalous theater to gain the approval of his estranged father). Emily is finally enjoying a bit of freedom away from her overbearing parents and learning to express her own opinions, instead of always being so prim and proper. The romance between these two was easy and fun to read, with an interfering kitten adding to the comedy-factor of the story. Loved this book and probably my favorite of the series so far.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

To Swoon and to Spar by Martha Waters (2023)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 4 of the Regency Vows series. Viscount Penvale (older brother to Diana, from Book 2) finally has the opportunity to purchase his family’s estate back from his uncle, but he needs to marry his uncle’s ward, Jane, as part of the deal. Jane is socially awkward and kind of sharp, so Penvale’s group of happily married friends are all skeptical of the union. After the arranged marriage takes place and Penvale and Jane are back at the estate, she starts to enact her plan of haunting the castle to drive Penvale away. Jane thinks that he’ll just go back to his life in London, leaving her alone in the seaside as she desires. This one is definitely a slow-burn towards friendship and then love, with lots of humor as Penvale figures out pretty quickly that Jane is the culprit of the haunting. And we get to see everyone back together for a house party towards the end of the book. Since I read an advanced copy of this book, there wasn’t a sneak peak of the next book that the author is working on. I’m hoping that we will finally get the romance between Sophie and West (the older brother of James from Book 1), which has been strongly hinted at through the course of four books. I was absolutely delighted by all four books in this series and looking forward to reading anything that Martha Waters writes in the future!

Advance ebook provided by Atria Books via NetGalley.

Surrendering to the Duke by Stevie Sparks (2023)

Historical romance. Interwar-era England. Book 1 of the Lords of Desire series. Content warnings galore on this one for violence, post-war substance abuse, and history of sexual assault. We have a duke’s widow, Emmaline, living with her late husband’s family with her young daughter, with a history of abuse at the hand of her uncle who raised her after she was orphaned at the age of 3. Michael, her late husband’s younger brother, and now duke, is back at home after completing his war-related duties after the Great War. His mother suggests that he marries Emmaline to provide her with more children and provide the dukedom with an heir. Of course Michael had been in love with Emmaline since he first saw her, but has had extreme guilt over coveting his brother’s wife. These two embark on a courtship of convenience with the possible goal of marriage, but both have secrets and traumas that may prevent them from living happily ever after. Loads of drama in this book and all the angst. Excellent read!

Advance ebook provided by Stevie Sparks.

Wicked Widows’ League by Dawn Brower (2023)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 1 of the Wicked Widows’ League series. Short intro to the series with the story of how Lady Wyndam became a widow and everything that happens in the decades after. There isn’t a romance story in this book, but describes how and why the league was formed and gives the foundation for the rest of the series. There are 18 books in this series, all written by different authors, so it’ll be fun to see how they all tie together. And I will also enjoy reading different authors for the first time!

Ebook available free on Amazon.

Shop this book via Amazon

Rogue Awakening by Cara Maxwell (2023)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 4 of the Wicked Widows’ League series. Sylvia is recently out of mourning for her much older husband of a decade and is ready to join the wicked widows. She’s at a ball looking for a gentleman to take to bed and settles on her younger brother’s best friend, Jasper, who has recently returned to England. Jasper has been in love with Sylvia for years and is hoping that this is the beginning of a courtship and marriage, but Sylvia doesn’t want to give up her freedom. This is a novella-length book that is a pretty quick and steamy read and the conflict does ultimately get wrapped up in short order. I love mixing in shorter reads in between longer more epic angsty ones.

Advance ebook provided by Cara Maxwell via BookSprout.

Shop this book via Amazon

A Beginner’s Guide to Scandal by Alivia Fleur (2023)

Historical romance. Victorian-era England. Book 1 of the Tales from Honeysuckle Street series. Childhood friends and neighbors Iris and Hamish are separated when Hamish suddenly becomes the heir to an earldom, losing his mother and older brother in a carriage accident. When Hamish returns to town twelve years later, he’s been instructed by his father to find a suitable wife, but he plans to thwart his father’s plans and create a scandal instead. Meanwhile, Iris has been assisting with her father’s merchant company, traveling the world, and learning the business for the past decade. However, her father’s mental state has been declining for many years and Iris has been keeping it secret. As Hamish and Iris reunite, they have to deal with her heartbreak after he left, their differences in social station, and her need to stay proper so that the board of directors will approve of her joining the leadership of her father’s company. It’s a huge mess competing interests and Hamish is mostly an idiot throughout the book. I did enjoy reading about all of the quirky neighbors on the street and am looking forward to reading more from this series.

Advance ebook provided by Alivia Fleur via NetGalley.

Thanks so much for reading this post! Looking for more bookish resources and romance book reviews? Read the archives!

Useful Resources:

Read more about getting the most out of your library card

Want an intro to historical romance series? This post will help!

Learn more about Kindle Unlimited

Get my massive guide of all the romances I’ve read on Kindle Unlimited

Read an introduction to fanfiction

Learn more about sources for reading fanfiction

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.