Fashioning the Duke by Alexa Aston (2023)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 5 of the Suddenly a Duke series. Fox is the much younger second son of a duke, never expecting to inherit, when he receives word that his older brother has died, leaving two nieces in his care. At the solicitor’s office, he has a chance meeting with Delaney who is there to sell off her millinery shop after her half-brother has basically barred polite society from shopping there. Delaney is the illegitimate daughter of an earl who was always favored and adored by her father. Fox decides to hire Delaney to assist in outfitting his nieces for the upcoming Season and also pretty much instantly decides that he wants her as his duchess. She doesn’t want to give up her independence or marry, so he’s got some work cut out for him in wooing her. Enjoyable to read and I love how well Fox takes to his responsibilities and his nieces.

Advance ebook provided by Dragonblade Publishing via NetGalley.

Mad Duke March by Sadie Bosque (2024)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 3 of the Rake Review series. The Duke of Tyrone has a tragic history of a mother who abandoned him and a father who beat and berated him, so now he’s a reckless drunk with no ambitions or goals or sense of proper behavior. A public street experiment of a steam carriage almost injures a young lady, and in the process of rescuing her, Tyrone drunkenly grabs her in a salacious manner and ruins her reputation. Emily is the young woman ruined by the whole thing with tattered clothes, a lost purse of money, and a lost fiance in the process. And of course she’s also generally impoverished with an ill mother and three younger siblings to care for. Somehow, she convinces Tyrone to marry her to save her skin, but he’s still a general brute and incapable of treating his wife properly. It’s a big huge leap to see them eventually come to an accord, but Emily’s spine of steel has a lot to do with it.

Advance ebook provided by Sadie Bosque.

Damned If I Duke by Anna Bradley (2024)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 2 of the Drop Dead Dukes series. Poor Prudence has been in a tough spot since her father lost a great deal of money to a certain rakish duke in a card game and she’s putting up with her friend’s matchmaking efforts while she’s visiting. Except, Prudence dreads the idea of having to marry to secure a home even though her father is on verge of selling their home. Meanwhile, rakish duke Jasper has just recovered some scandalous earrings from a former mistress and when Prudence discovers them, she tries to blackmail him into forgiving her father’s debts. She’s comically bad at blackmail though and both of these people are feeling generally guilty about their behavior. They’re also stupidly attracted to each other, even though they don’t really like each other. It’s a bunch of chaos and comedy with these two, but at least Jasper’s stodgy grandfather approves of Prudence.

Advance ebook provided by Kensington Books via NetGalley.

A Duke Changes Everything by Christy Carlyle (2018)

Historical romance. Victorian-era England. Book 1 of the Duke’s Den series. Second son of a duke, Nick, was treated cruelly by his father and believed to be a result of his mother’s indiscretion, except for the fact that he looks just like his father. After making his way alone and being a co-owner of a gambling den, he’s suddenly the duke after his brother’s death. His only goal is to clear out the estate and rent it out to a tenant and never visit again. He finds an adversary in Mina, the estate steward who wants him to take his duties seriously and restore the estate and assist the tenants. She’s lived at the estate all her life, learning everything from her father (the former steward) and is reluctant to leave for any reason. It was fun seeing these two argue over what to do with the estate and then slowly come to an accord. Definitely a fun romance to read, with Nick being impressed by Mina’s competence, rather than put off that she’s a woman in a man’s role.

Ebook and audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

Sincerely, The Duke by Amelia Grey (2024)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 2 of the Say I Do series. Rick is a duke who suffers from both secret debilitating fevers and a meddlesome mother. When his mother presents him a list of debutantes to consider for marriage, he hurriedly pens a quick marriage proposal to a random lady on the list. A few days later, a lady shows up at his doorstep inquiring about the veracity of the proposal, and being the upstanding honorable guy that he is, he decides to follow through with it. Edwina is a take-charge outspoken sort of lady who has made her father a deathbed promise to see herself and her sisters wed this Season, even though they’ve been hidden away in the country. It turns out triplets are thought to be bad luck, so they’ve tried to hide the fact that they’re triplets (even though they look exactly alike). She’s glad to be engaged to the duke but insists that he help her sisters find husbands as well. We get a lot more chaotic when the sisters show up in town (who are highly resistant to marriage) and find that Rick’s mother is very superstitious. I liked seeing Rick become protective of his new wife and family and also see him appreciate Edwina’s unique personality.

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

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.

Waking Up with the Duke by Lorraine Heath (2011)

Historical romance. Victorian-era England. Book 3 of the London’s Greatest Lovers series. This one has a crazy set up that will lead to heartbreak for everyone involved. The Duke of Ainsley is being asked by his incapacitated best friend and cousin, Walfort, to bed the man’s wife Jayne and get her with child. Three years prior, these two were in a massive curricle accident which left Walfort paralyzed and the stress of which caused his wife to lose her unborn baby. Walfort seeks to give Jayne comfort, passion, and a baby in the form of his friend. Except Jayne is definitely not on board because she hates Ainsley for having caused the reckless accident in the first place. However, the plot must go forth, and Jayne and Ainsley end up going through with the plan, causing tons of emotional upheaval as they try and fail to stay emotionally distant from each other. It’s a guilt trip all around and even more heartbreak anticipated. If you want to feel feelings, this book is for you.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

Dukes, Diamonds, and Other Desires by Charlie Lane (2024)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 2.5 of the Art of Love series. Quick little novella here with the sister of the main character from Book 2 of the series. Posey is a jeweler’s daughter with a longstanding friendship and crush on Archer, who is a duke. He thinks he’s been courting her all this time and doesn’t understand why she runs off when he shows her the family bridal jewels. She’s actually running off because those jewels are a forgery and she needs to locate the real ones. We get a mini-road trip here as Posey goes to find her sister for help and Archer chases after her. And then these two dummies finally talk about how they feel about each other. Luckily for Posey, Archer is delightfully supportive and willing to defy society’s expectations in his selection of a duchess.

Ebook purchased via Amazon.

The Duke’s Mysterious Lover by Caroline Lee (2024)

Historical romance. Victorian-era England. Book 6 of the Surprise! Dukes series. This one is the final book of the series where we will finally catch the big bad villain that’s been haunting all the main characters along the way. Thorne is the only unmarried friend left, so obviously this is his book. He’s also taken on much of the burden of catching the treasonous villain because he doesn’t have a wife or children to consider. He does however have a very handsome young footman who has caught his attention and who he has promoted to valet. Kit is not actually a young man but actually the daughter of a famous opera singer and some unknown nobleman, working as a footman so that she can get closer to the society where her father lives. She’s just trying to catch a glimpse of this absent father to make her own judgment about his character. However, being promoted to Thorne’s valet puts her in very close proximity to a very attractive man and she’s sorely tempted to give in. It’s a sweet sort of romance built on their personalities rather than their outward social appearance and Thorne is absolutely thrilled to learn that Kit is a woman (and possibly marriageable). We also get to reconvene with all the other Surprise! Dukes as they plot the final showdown. Super fun conclusion to the series.

Advance ebook provided by Caroline Lee.

What I Did For a Duke by Julie Anne Long (2011)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 5 of the Pennyroyal Green series. Serious and stern duke Alex catches Ian Eversea in bed with his fiance, so he decides to take his revenge by seducing and abandoning Ian’s sister, Genevieve. Except Genevieve is both too clever and too preoccupied to fall prey to Alex’s games. She’s spent the past few years in love with her good friend Harry, who she was hoping would propose to her during the house party her parents are hosting. Except that he tells her that he’s planning to propose to another woman. She puts up a calm facade but is most definitely heartbroken. When Alex shows up to the house party, Genevieve obeys her mother’s wishes to spend time with him, but she’s not interested in the much older man at all. Until they actually start talking to each other and getting to know each other and realize that it’s nice to talk to someone at the same intellectual level. And while Genevieve never becomes a victim to Alex’s revenge, she does end up attracted to him and conflicted about her feelings. Alex is also realizing that he’s his own victim as well, falling in love with Genevieve when she’s in love with someone else. A big huge muddle, but very entertaining to read.

Ebook and audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

A Duke Once Lost by Jane Maguire (2024)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 2 of the Rockliffe Dynasty series. We start with a tragic prologue for Lady Amelia who has been jilted by the man she planned to elope with. Eleven years later, Amelia has never married and still lives with her overbearing mother. However, she soon finds out that the man who left her has recently returned to the country and is now a duke. And she has a separate problem of a gentleman blackmailing her into marriage with the knowledge that she secretly writes an advice column in a ladies’ magazine. Jonathan was the nephew of a debaucherous and irresponsible duke and now trying to take his duties seriously. Except that he still has a bit of a stammer and is trying to avoid the mocking ridicule of the men he went to school with many years ago. Jonathan quickly hightails it out of town in an unmarked carriage and runs into Amelia on the road. He rescues her, despite her protests, and then she convinces him to convey her to her target destination out in the country. We follow them through road trip trials like rain, robbers, crusty old inns, and carriage problems. And they finally talk through some of the issues that broke them apart all those years ago, but mostly they’re just trying to maintain some semblance of self-control around the person they still love.

Advance ebook provided by Jane Maguire.

Fearless Duke by Scarlett Scott (2020)

Historical romance. Victorian-era England. Book 6 of the League of Dukes series. Grumpy duke Benedict has scared off three typists (who he thought were incompetent) and their typing school owner Isabella has come to pick a fight. They start the encounter completely at odds and somehow Isabella is tasked with proving her competence by serving as Benedict’s typist for the next week. Isabella tries really hard to hold onto propriety and professionalism (as she has learned her lesson in the past with a lord who didn’t marry her), while Benedict can’t seem to keep his hands off Isabella. Add in Benedict’s meddlesome younger sister and we have lots of chances for compromising situations. Eventually, we run into some danger with those Irish terrorists looming in the background of the entire series and Benedict starts to realize the depth of his feelings for Isabella. However, Isabella insists that they cannot be together due to their differences in social station (pretty similar to the other books of the series).

Audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby. Ebook accessed from Kindle Unlimited.

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Sinfully Wanton by Kathleen Ayers (2024)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 5 of the Five Deadly Sins series. This one is your classic feisty young lady paired with her older brother’s best friend. Aurora is in her second season of the marriage mart, devastatingly attracted to her brother’s friend Worth, who has basically been ignoring her since her debut. That’s because he’s also attracted to her, knows it’s dangerous, and has his own tragic backstory of heartbreak and distrust of women. Somewhere along the way, Aurora asks for lessons in pleasure, which Worth refuses until he doesn’t. It’s all steamy and flirtatious and we also get a fun side romance for our dear chaperone Aunt Lottie. It’s a great conclusion to this series and I enjoyed it a lot!

Ebook accessed from Kindle Unlimited.

The Break-Up Pact by Emma Lord (2024)

Contemporary romance. Standalone novel. Excellent set-up and narrated by one of my favorite audiobook narrators, Natalie Naudus. We have a single POV novel with June having been dumped on national TV, turned into a meme, and now dealing with her struggling tea shop on a beachy boardwalk. She runs into childhood friend Levi, who has also been virally dumped recently, and somehow they get caught up on a social media storm calling them the Revenge Exes. They decide to awkwardly follow through with some fake dating so that June can get more customers in her store and Levi can show his ex-fiancee what she’s missing. It’s messy and complicated, especially when we factor in June’s teenage crush on Levi, and his rejection and radio silence for the past ten years. We also get a fun cast of supporting characters in the form of June’s brother, his fiancee, and another one of June’s best friends. This book is funny and sweet and cute and steamy and emotional, all in one.

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

The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy by Megan Bannen (2022)

Fantasy romance. Book 1 of the Hart and Mercy series. In a world where dead bodies are plentiful, Mercy is an overburdened undertaker running the family business, but she loves the job, even though her family thinks that she deserves something more or different or free. She does not get along with one of the local marshals, Hart, who often comes to bring her bodies. He’s got his own issues with being a loner demigod who is uncertain of his own mortality. While it took me awhile to get a mental grasp of the world-building, the animosity between Hart and Mercy (despite their internal physical attraction) is universal. And when they accidentally become anonymous pen pals, things turn more familiar with very clear You’ve Got Mail retelling beats. I loved meeting the full cast of supporting characters and the side romance between Mercy’s brother and Hart’s apprentice. Great intro to the series and looking forward to reading the next one.

Ebook and audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

An Heiress for August by Kathleen Ayers (2024)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 8 of the Rake Review series. Fairly quick read and another great addition to this series. August and Hazel meet as children one Summer, when August is the bullying nephew of a duke and Hazel is a mere draper’s daughter. They get into a scuffle and the outspoken unladylike Hazel is the one cast out of town. Many years later, August has inherited an impoverished estate from his cousin and needs to marry an heiress. He doesn’t realize that the girl he bullied as a child is the very heiress he needs to impress. However, he’s grown into a very handsome man and Hazel is attracted to him, despite her better judgment. It’s bickering and flirting and seduction here as he’s got ulterior motives for wooing her. Surprisingly emotional for being such a short book and I really enjoyed it.

Advance ebook provided by Kathleen Ayers

Six Scorched Roses by Carissa Broadbent (2023)

Fantasy romance. Part of the Crowns of Nyaxia series. This one is a detour from the Nightborn duology where we meet Vale and Lilith. Vale is an army general hiding out for the past 200 years when his subgroup of vampires fell out of command. Lilith is a dying human trying to find a cure for some plague that is affecting her village. She’s somewhat of a scientist and wonders if vampire blood could be distilled and used as medicine. She makes a bargain with Vale for the blood and over the course of a few months, they develop a friendship and more. This one is a fairly quick read and I loved seeing both Vale and Lilith defend each other as needed. It also helps us understand these characters a lot better when we see them again in The Ashes and the Star-Crossed King.

Ebook accessed from Kindle Unlimited.

The Ashes and the Star-Cursed King by Carissa Broadbent (2023)

Fantasy romance. Book 2 of the Crowns of Nyaxia series. This book picks up immediately where the Book 1 leaves off with a new Raihn as the new kind and Oraya feeling all sorts of betrayed. We get all sorts of political jockeying here with vampires who see Raihn as below them and some other House trying to take control. Everyone’s playing all sorts of different parts and Oraya is busy spending most of the book being mad at Raihn. Rightly so, but I wanted them to make up and team up to take down their common enemies together. We get to learn way more about Oraya’s past and the secrets that her father had kept from her and find some new allies along the way. Intriguing story that kept me reading.

Ebook accessed from Kindle Unlimited.

A Lady of Conscience by Mimi Matthews (2024)

Historical romance. Victorian-era England. Book 5 of the Somerset Stories series. Fairly quick read of a romance we’ve seen hinted at earlier in the series. James is the serious and relatively gruff viscount who keeps very rigid control of his emotions in an effort to rehabilitate his family name from scandal. He’s looking to marry someone of higher social standing to improve his own, but is drawn to the quiet and shy Hannah instead. Hannah is the daughter of a retired army captain who is known for advocating for animals and wishes to find a peaceful life in the country with a husband who loves her. While she’s drawn to James, she knows that a match between them would be ill-suited. She’s pretty shocked when he pays her attention and refuses his first bumbling marriage proposal. I liked seeing James receiving a set-down from Hannah and his parents for messing up his nonexistent courtship. I also liked seeing him try again for a second shot and courting her much more earnestly.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

Season of Love by Helena Greer (2022)

Contemporary romance. Book 1 of the Carrigan’s Christmasland series. Miriam and Noelle are both respectively messes with a huge amount of baggage and trauma, but they find their way together at their beloved Christmas tree farm. When Miriam’s great-aunt Cass dies, she leave the running of the farm and Christmasland to her four fave protegees: Miriam, her cousin Hannah, absentee friend Levi, and new addition Noelle. Everyone is somewhat resentful of Miriam who has not been around for the past decade (dealing with her own family issues), especially Noelle, who is especially sensitive to people leaving. And we also find out that the farm is in poor financial shape and needs to be saved. The story here is messy and emotional and endearing all at once and I’m definitely excited to read more about this ensemble of characters.

Ebook and audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

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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.

The Perks of Loving a Viscount by Alexa Aston (2024)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 2 of the Strongs of Shadowcrest series. Lady Philippa Strong is a duke’s sister who would rather wear breeches and gallivant around her country home than become the sparkling debutante next Season. She’s not interested in becoming a wife and mother and property of a man, so would like to retain her independence. Although when she meets the handsome new viscount next door, she’s starting to question her path a little. Seth is the son of the fourth son of a viscount and never expected to inherit anything. After spending most of his life at sea, he’s shocked to find that he’s suddenly the new viscount after the death of his uncles and father. With no experience in being on land or the ways of polite society, he relies on his new neighbors for help. Especially the help of Pippa to teach him how to ride a horse. As they spend more time together, Seth is sure that Pippa will make him an excellent wife, but he’s careful not to scare her off with declarations too soon. This one was another fun look at the Strong family and how well they accept each other. I also appreciate a man who quickly knows what he wants and goes after it.

Advance ebook provided by Dragonblade Publishing via NetGalley.

An Affair with the Viscount by Sadie Bosque (2022)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 5 of the Necessary Arrangements series. Most of this book takes place during the house party hosted at the end of the previous book. Richard is an overbearing viscount who is interested in an affair with actress Josephine, even though he will soon be betrothed to another proper young lady. Josephine rejects his advances at first, but finds herself attracted to him and wanting to give in. With her past experiences with not-so-worthy gentlemen, she’s definitely wary and has a hard time trusting him. She’s proven right when she finds out that Richard is betrothed and he has a lot to overcome to win her back. We get some external drama here with Josephine’s friend and another actor being forceful and vile. Richard comes to the rescue in his overbearing ways, but it’s always at just the right time. I liked seeing Richard soften over time and realize that he cannot live without Josephine and seeing the support of his family.

Ebook accessed from Kindle Unlimited.

The Viscount Who Lived Down the Lane by Elizabeth Boyle (2014)

Book 4 of the Rhymes with Love series. Louisa and her twin Lavinia are in town for the Season and her cat runs into her grumpy neighbor’s house. Piers was wounded in the war and now he’s a super grumpy recluse and absolutely does not appreciate the meddlesome female in his house. It’s a pretty simple and straightforward romance here with the grumpy-sunshine dynamic. This one has the fun little microtrope of, the viscount totally being able to tell the twin sisters apart.

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

The Madness of Viscount Atherbourne by Elisa Braden (2015)

Lucien seeks revenge against the man who caused his sister’s suicide and killed his brother in a duel, so he sets out to seduce and ruin that man’s sister. He successfully compromises Victoria at a ball, proceeds to marry her, and then ban her from speaking to her brother ever again.

Shop this book via Amazon // Libro.fm

When the Viscount Seduces by Darcy Burke (2024)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 3 of the Rogue Rules series. Clumsy Gwen is pretty much a disaster on the marriage mart, but her brother’s friend Lazarus rescues her after falling and then asking her to dance. Gwen’s mother is delighted that a viscount is paying her attention, even if he has a reputation as a rogue. But he’s decided that he needs tutoring on his reading and writing so that he can deliver a speech at Parliament and asks the bookish Gwen for help. In exchange, he’ll pretend to pay her attention so that it’ll rile up other suitors. Although they’re opposites in terms of bookishness, they’re quite infatuated with each other and it was fun to see Lazarus focusing all his attention on Gwen. I love when a gentleman appreciates their partner’s intellect and seeks to support them more than anything.

Advance ebook provided by Darcy Burke.

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.

Once and Again with the Viscount by Andie James (2023)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 3 of the Reluctant Lords series. Angeline is a widow who is slowly re-entering society after mourning her beloved husband. She’s been struggling with seeing her friends marry and have children, as she was unable to have any children of her own in the time that she was married. Meanwhile, her neighbor, childhood crush, and brother’s best friend, Sidney is around to notice her and offer comfort. Sidney has been in love with Angeline after he notices her in a new light during her debut; however, he lost out on the chance to be with her when he left society when his father died, and returned later to find her already married. Now that she’s widowed, Sidney has a second chance to woo Angeline. There’s actually tons of tragedy up ahead though as Sidney’s older brother unexpectedly passes away, leaving Sidney as the next viscount. Angeline is even more distressed with her inability to have children because of this. It’s a lot of angsty emotional upheaval to get through before these two can find a happy ending.

Ebook accessed from Kindle Unlimited and provided by Andie James.

Viscount in Love by Eloisa James (2024)

Historical romance. Georgian-era England. Book 1 of the Accidental Brides series. If you like stories with chaotic outspoken children, this book is for you. Dominic is an emotionless and stern viscount who has custody of his sister’s orphaned twin children. Luckily, he’s already engaged to a proper lady to help raise them. Except the proper lady is appalled by the children and wants to send them away, but ends up jilting the groom anyway. Dominic ends up trying to convince Torie, his would-be-sister-in-law, to marry him instead since she’s already developed a relationship with the children. It takes a lot of convincing to make it happen, despite the lust and attraction being apparent from the start. The falling in love part takes a bit longer on everyone’s part but it’s super emotional once they have it figured out. The family dynamic is one of my favorite parts of this book.

Advance ebook provided by Avon Books via NetGalley.

Fortune Favors the Viscount by Caroline Linden (2023)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 4 of the Wagers of Sin series. Nick has been the owner of the infamous gambling hell featured throughout the series and now he finds himself to be the heir apparent to a distantly related viscount. Emilia is the governess of the late viscount’s daughter and conducted the investigation that led her to Nick. She aims to help him petition for the title in exchange for the upkeep and care of her charge. Nick is suspicious at first, and also completely uninterested in claiming an aristocratic title, but he also wants to protect his secret sister who is on the cusp of entering society. These two team up so that Emilia can serve as governess to both her charge and Nick’s sister. Of course, as Nick and Emilia spend more time together, the heated bickering turns into something more. We also get some additional drama with a clear villain and a revenge scheme. Overall, great end to this series.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

When the Viscount Wanted Me by Lydia Lloyd (2024)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 2 of the Rake Chronicles series. Henrietta is a beautiful and sought after debutante who has a tryst with a man she believes to be her friend, but is now being pushy about marriage. Trem overhears the man lamenting over Henrietta’s rejection and suspects that the man is trying to ruin Henrietta’s reputation. Being Henrietta’s brother’s best friend, Trem tries to resolve the issue by questioning the lady. Turns out the pushy guy’s accusations were true and now Trem sees Henrietta in a new (and attractive) light. They pretty quickly start their own affair and end up engaged in the process. Henrietta has had a longstanding crush on Trem and is pleased that he desires her in return, but is keeping secrets about her parentage and worries over Trem’s reaction. This book was high on the steam, quick on the getting together, and also high in external drama. An entertaining adventure.

Advance ebook provided by Tule Publishing via NetGalley.

Revealing the Viscount by Lexi Post (2023)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 3 of the Marrying a Mabry series. Mariel is the eldest Mabry sister whose beloved fiancee had died in the war, married a much older man to restore her family’s finances, and is now a widow. She’s just learned that her once-fiancee is not dead after all and is forced out of hiding to become a viscount after his brother’s death. Marcus has indeed been hiding from Mariel, at first because he believed she betrayed him by marrying so soon after his supposed death and then because he believed himself incapable of siring children after witnessing atrocities during the war. When Mariel comes to confront Marcus over his deception, they both observe that the other person is changed from the person they knew all those years ago. They ultimately agree to a fake betrothal to preserve Mariel’s reputation and to keep away all the debutantes vying for Marcus’s hand. As these two spend more time together, it’s clear that they’re both still in love, but very damaged from their separate experiences. They definitely need to talk through their issues and attempt to overcome them before being able to be together.

Advance ebook provided by Dragonblade Publishing via NetGalley.

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

Useful Resources:

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Thanks for reading Random Olive Reads! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

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Designs on the Duke by Alexa Aston (2023)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 4 of the Suddenly a Duke series. Tragic upbringing for Elijah, who’s crusty old duke of a father accused his wife of being unfaithful and tossed the pregnant duchess off to a small cottage at one of his estates with no money or support. She gave birth to twins and eventually sent them off to war. While in battle, the elder of the twins passes away, leaving Elijah to be the heir. He then receives a letter that his father has died, leaving his brother the next duke, though his brother is gone too, meaning Elijah is the new duke. He’s back in England to reclaim his birthright and set things to rights. Unfortunately, the crusty old duke was a spiteful piece of work who sold off every single piece of furniture in the house. Luckily, they run into Abby, who is soon to open her own furniture shop filled with her designs. Abby lived in poverty until her father’s death, when her new guardian took her own and brought her with him in his worldwide travels. With all the knowledge gained in traveling the world, she has developed a keen sense of style and design. Neither Elijah or Abby are interested in marriage: Elijah doesn’t want to continue his horrible father’s bloodline and Abby doesn’t want to cede her independence. But as they start working together to furnish his home, they begin to admire each other’s strength and honor more than even their initial attraction.

Advance ebook provided by Dragonblade Publishing via NetGalley.

Give the Devil His Duke by Anna Bradley (2023)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 1 of the Drop Dead Dukes series. After a huge scandal that killed her father and cast out her mother many years ago, Lady Francesca is back in London for the Season, looking to convince her uncle to give her some money so that she and her mother can buy coal and food for the winter. She somehow catches the attention of Giles, the handsome duke who intends to marry her cousin and is also the son of the man who ruined her family. With all sorts of gossip stirring in the scandal sheets, Giles tries to make amends by showing politeness and courtesy to Francesca. She’s not really interested though, even if he is rather handsome. This story had more unexpected twists with the manipulations of Francesca’s cousin and horrible aunt and uncle, but luckily Giles has a supportive friend group and family.

Ebook and audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

The Duke’s All That by Christina Britton (2024)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 3 of the Synneful Spinsters series. Seraphina is living in the Isle of Synne with her two sisters running the circulating library on the island. She’s got a mysterious past and a bit defensive and skittish. Turns out she was married many years ago, betrayed by her love, sent to an asylum, and then ran away with her sisters to protect them from their father. Her security is disrupted when her long-lost husband Iain shows up on the Isle to demand a divorce from Seraphina. He believes that he was betrayed by her all those years ago, then believed she was dead, and only just learned that she was alive. And now that he’s a duke, he’ll need to marry again in the future and need to be free and clear to do so. He doesn’t tell Seraphina that he’s a duke, just in case she has aspirations of being a duchess, but they do set off on a road trip to get that divorce. Along the way, they do actually start to talk to each other about what went wrong all those years ago and realize that they were both told lies by her father. He’s interested in making the marriage real, but she refuses and wants to go back to her quiet life with her sisters. It’s all a huge mess, made worse by the fact that Iain is still secretly a duke.

Advance ebook provided by Forever Books via NetGalley.

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.

Her Duke at Midnight by Christy Carlyle (2023)

Historical romance. Victorian-era England. Book 1 of the Wanton Widows Club series. Adam is known as the Heartbreak Duke after a previous affair ended in scandal. He’s always been upfront with the women he’s with and he tries to deter any sort of attachment. When his friend convinces him to attend an upcoming house party, he swears not to entangle himself with any woman there. Cecily is a widowed countess set to attend the same house party as her first outing out of mourning from her cruel husband. Her friend encourages her to seek an affair, but to specifically avoid the Heartbreak Duke. However, Adam is the only man that Cecily is drawn to and they end up together anyway. And he pretty quickly changes his tune on attachment and marriage.

Ebook accessed from Kindle Unlimited.

Any Duke in a Storm by Amalie Howard (2024)

Historical romance. Victorian-era. Caribbean Seas. Book 4 of the Daring Dukes series. Everyone is at sea in this one with danger and smuggling and covert spy operations. Lisbeth is all the things: countess, British spy, and dangerous sea captain. She’s deep undercover to bring down a smuggling ring on behalf of the American government. Somehow she gets entangled with Raphael, the son of a disgraced French duke, who is part of that smuggling ring, but really just seeking revenge against his uncle for betraying his father. These two bicker and fight and struggle for dominance, all while lusting after each other like crazy. High on the steam and high on the action-adventure in this one.

Advance ebook provided by Sourcebooks via NetGalley.

The Duke’s Quandary by Callie Hutton (2014)

Historical romance, Regency England. Book 2 of the Marriage Mart Mayhem series. Best friend of the man from the first book, Drake, a new duke is seeking the perfect wife this Season. While chaperoning his sisters through the marriage mart, his mother is also hosting another young lady, Penelope, who is an orphaned acquaintance. Penelope is clumsy and awkward in society and she would much rather be in the garden pursuing her botany. Drake and Penelope are the worst match possible, but they are undeniably attracted to each other, so it was entertaining to see how they work out their differences.

Ebook accessed from Kindle Unlimited.

Ten Rules for Marrying a Duke by Michelle McLean (2022)

I love when a woman does the proposing in this era because it’s so unexpected. Arabella goes straight to a rakish duke’s house and proposes to him. She’ll give him an heir if he marries her. She’s out to save her family’s reputation after her older sister eloped and wants to protect her younger sister’s prospects. They arrange ten rules for the marriage. I love this clear and open communication between the two. Well, until they start to have feelings… This one is another lovely low-angst humorous book.

Advance ebook provided by Entangled Publishing via NetGalley.

Shop this book via Amazon // Bookshop.org

The Duke Beneath Her Mistletoe by Nicki Pascarella (2023)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 1 of the Eatons of Trent series. This book takes a little while to get into the plot, but once we do, it’s a lot of adventure. William is a new duke tasked by his cousin Prinny to investigate workers rights along with the secret writer of political papers that seem to rally the workers. A factory making lace is the main target of the worker uprising, so William spends Christmas at the local earl’s house to learn more. At the same time, William’s friends gossip about how that earl’s sister Georgiana is a spinster who hates men and somehow William gets drunken goaded into a bet that he’ll bed her within a week. On Georgiana’s side of the story, she is actually the political writer promoting fair labor for her village friends and causing all this ruckus. And she’s uninterested in courtship or marriage. Somehow, when William comes to the castle for the holidays, he’s presented as a serious suitor and she does her best to stay away from him. Since William isn’t used to being rejected, he’s even more intrigued by her. Meanwhile, all this political unrest is happening in the background and William starts to side with the workers more than the overseeing aristocrats. And when he finds out that Georgiana is the secret writer he’s been looking for, he jumps to her rescue. And despite William and Georgiana’s contentious beginnings, it looks like they start to respect and admire the other along the way. Great start to the series and looking forward to reading more about Georgiana’s siblings.

Advance ebook provided by Nicki Pascarella.

Scandalous Duke by Scarlett Scott (2020)

Historical romance. Victorian-era England. Book 5 of the League of Dukes series. Everyone’s keeping dangerous secrets here. Johanna has renamed herself Rose, given herself a fake background, and become a world-famous actress. Unfortunately, her terrorist of a brother has found her and is forcing her to do some of his bidding, like sneaking documents and explosives from America to England. Meanwhile, Felix, a duke working with the Home Office, has decided to get closer to Rose, believing her to be the terrorist’s mistress. She doesn’t realize he’s part of the Home Office and that he’s just an entitled duke who wants to bed her, but resists anyway due to her own damaged history with men. They’re both trying to prevent their own feelings from getting involved, but they’re terribly attracted to each other and genuinely enjoy each other’s company. Lots of drama involved with explosions and threats of imprisonment, but ultimately Felix is willing to use all of his power to keep Johanna out of trouble.

Ebook accessed from Kindle Unlimited.

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.

Fortune Favors the Duke by Kristin Vayden (2021)

Historical romance in Regency-ish era England, Book 1 of the Cambridge Brotherhood series. When I read the blurb on this book, I knew it was going to be younger brother inherits a dukedom, befriends his brother’s fiancee, and then there’d be a bit of a forbidden romance involved. But this book really punched you in the gut with the prologue of a carefree bunch of guys going on a bachelor hunting trip and then tragedy happening. Also, the older brother was really likeable! So you can feel the grief that our hero Quin and the not-quite-widow Catherine are feeling. I really liked this book! Though, I didn’t realize until I was 90% done that it’s closed-door and smut-free. Not my usual type of romance, but the story was compelling and kept me reading, so I didn’t even notice there wasn’t any smut until I was done with the book.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

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The Next Best Fling by Gabriella Gamez (2024)

Contemporary romance. Book 1 of the Librarians in Love series. Chaotic and messy and I couldn’t put this one down. Marcela has been pining for her best guy friend, Ben, for years and in for total heartbreak when he proposes to his longtime girlfriend, Alice. And as if going to an engagement party wasn’t enough anxiety, she stops Ben’s brother Theo from drunkenly declaring his feelings for Alice. When they leave the party together and then show up at brunch together the next day, everyone thinks they hooked up, and they seem to go along with the lie to prevent anyone else from suspecting their real feelings for the engaged couple. We get a fun little fake dating situation for a hot minute, until they decide to go with a friends with benefits situation instead. But Theo doesn’t know about Marcela’s crush on Ben, everyone is telling Marcela to stay away from Theo, and Marcela is just trying to protect herself from getting hurt. It’s all sorts of messy and dramatic, but Theo has generally been open and honest with Marcela about his feelings and is basically the one making a try at a real relationship. Overall, Theo is the best, Ben is the worst, Alice is actually a decent friend, and Marcela just needs a pep talk.

Advance ebook provided by Forever Books via NetGalley.

My Rogue to Ruin by Erica Ridley (2023)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 4 of the Wild Wynchesters series. Quiet artist sister Marjorie has her turn to take the lead on a case this time. When the Wynchesters find that a crime lord is passing counterfeit coins through his pawn shop, they aim to find the counterfeiter and bring about justice. Marjorie insists on infiltrating the workshop to find the evidence and solve the case, but she finds a charming lord there instead. Adrian is the second son of a marquess who was banished from his family home many years ago and made his money by counterfeiting artistic artifacts; when he’s caught at that, the crime lord blackmails him into counterfeiting money instead. He’s pretty much held captive, even though he feels horrible cheating innocent people out of money. While Marjorie and Adrian are at odds in the beginning, they soon realize they have a lot in common, and need to team up to get out of this mess. Adrian gets to witness firsthand the benefits of a loving family and find allies in all the Wynchesters. The romance here was easy and low-angst and the crime-solving caper was a lot of fun.

Audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby. Ebook accessed from Kindle Unlimited.

Not Another Love Song by Julie Soto (2024)

Contemporary romance. Standalone novel. I don’t know much about music, but the musical chemistry between Gwen and Xander was totally believable. Gwen is the somewhat naive and not totally confident violin player given a chance to be first chair of a pops symphony, much to the dismay of cello player/rockstar Xander. He’s got the overconfident arrogant attitude that rubs Gwen the wrong way, until he rubs her the right way. He’s both broody and yearning all at once, which is fun to read. While most of the book is told from Gwen’s point of view, we get interludes from Xander’s perspective every 5 chapters or so. Tons of flirting and steam and external machinations from all the grown-ups in their lives, which made me keep reading to find out both backstory and what would happen next. Overall, a fun and emotional read.

Advance ebook provided by Forever Books via NetGalley.

The Art of Catching Feelings by Alicia Thompson (2024)

Contemporary romance. Standalone novel. It’s a rough day for Daphne who is at a baseball game that she’s not interested in, but she makes it better by getting drunk and heckling a baseball player. Except that she accidentally makes him cry. And then when she tries to apologize via Instagram DM, she neglects to mention she’s the heckler. Chris is having a rough season but he’s happy to be chatting with his new Instagram friend who he seems to have hit it off with. It’s an awkward chaotic mess as Daphne is fighting her guilt and attraction towards Chris. We’re really just waiting for everything to blow up if he ever finds out the truth, but we get to see a very sweet and steamy romance build up along the way. Super fun and flirty book to read.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby. Advance audiobook provided by Penguin Random House Audio.

Ne’er Duke Well by Alexandra Vasti (2024)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 1 of the Belvoir’s Library series. There are so many of my favorite of tropes blended into this delightful novel. Peter is a new duke who grew up in America and is now seeking custody of his younger half siblings. His friend Selina, the sister of yet another duke, is helping him improve his case by finding him a suitable candidate to marry. Except these two are actually more attracted to each other than anyone else and all of Peter’s courtships are comically bad. We get to see a series of terrible courting excursions and then ultimately Selina and Peter get caught in a compromising situation themselves and need to marry. Meanwhile, Selina has her own potential for scandal by owning and running a circulating library with a secret section of elicit texts. She’s trying very hard not to get caught at this, since it’ll ruin Peter’s custody case, but he’s amazingly supportive after she tells him her secrets. There are a fun cast of characters here with Selina’s loving and supportive family, Peter’s young siblings, and even the ladies that Selina had suggested for Peter. I enjoyed this book so much; it was full of humor, steam, and a low-angst romance.

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

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The Serpent and the Wings of Night by Carissa Broadbent (2022)

Fantasy romance. Book 1 of the Crowns of Nyaxia series. Human girl, Oraya, gets adopted by the vampire king and coddled and protected all her life. Plus given some brutal self-defense skills. In order to gain immortality in the form of a gift from the goddess Nyaxia, Oraya will need to win a fight-to-the-death trial of strength and cunning. The entire book is incredibly action packed with all the vampires fighting to win the trial, plus the politics of vampires coming from different kingdoms. One rival vampire Raihn offers Oraya protection and an alliance, but they both know that there can only be one winner. She has a tough time trusting him throughout the trial, but also grows closer to him along the way. It’s a slow-burn enemies-to-allies-to-lovers situation that is super interesting to read. While the book ends when the trial does, we have complete and total political upheaval that will be addressed in Book 2.

Ebook accessed from Kindle Unlimited.

Tempting the Viscount by Suzanna Medeiros (2024)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 9 of the Landing a Lord series. Fairly quick and easy read here. Widowed Lucy is out of mourning for her terrible husband and ready to take on a lover. Viscount Holbrook is intrigued by Lucy but wants to court her instead. They make a bargain having to do with helping her find pleasure in exchange for a courtship. It’s all very straightforward and it was nice seeing Holbrook focus his attentions on Lucy and trying to convince her that she deserves pleasure, companionship, and love.

Advance ebook provided by Suzanna Medeiros via BookSprout.

Four Weekends and a Funeral by Ellie Palmer (2024)

Contemporary romance. Standalone novel. Super awkward and tragic set-up here when Alison shows up to her ex-boyfriend’s funeral and his family thinks that they were still very recently dating. The ex-boyfriend’s sister insists on keeping up the ruse because it might help the family deal with their grief and all, and then she ends up volunteering to pack up his condo. Also on the job is Adam, the ex-boyfriend’s grumpy best friend who’s trying to make his own amends towards his deceased friend. As Alison and Adam spend every weekend together, they inevitably get closer together, but it’s all sorts of guilt-ridden since Adam thinks that he’s falling for his fresh-in-the-grave buddy’s girlfriend. Alison has her own hang-ups about living life to the fullest after having a preventative mastectomy due to her risk of breast cancer, even though she’d probably be happier as a cozy homebody. This was cute and funny and the relationship build-up was so good!

Advance ebook provided by Penguin Random House via NetGalley. Advance audiobook provided by Penguin Random House Audio.

Sinfully Mine by Kathleen Ayers (2023)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 3 of the Five Deadly Sins series. Gambler Drew inherits a farm from a fellow gambler with a stipulation about the man’s widow retaining residence at the farm. He goes off to the country to find a way to pay off the widow, sell the house, and invest the money with his friend. Except when he gets there, he finds a widow his own age with tons of stubborness. Hester is the daughter of the town drunkard, married to a man thrice her age, and basically the steward of the estate, trying her best to turn a profit off the land. She’s not backing down or moving out, so she ends up at odds with the conniving Drew. They bicker and fight and make no concessions to each other, until they start a physical relationship instead. There’s additional drama in the form of attacks on Drew’s person and a somewhat suspicious solicitor who is overly familiar with Hester. This book had all the fun parts of a property dispute romance with just the right amount of animosity between our two main characters.

Ebook accessed from Kindle Unlimited.

Jewel Me Twice by Charish Reid (2024)

Contemporary romance. Standalone novel. Super fun and steamy heist novel. Celeste and Magnus have a history of working together as jewel thieves, plus a little friends with benefits thing on the side. Until one of the heists goes wrong and the team breaks up and they don’t talk to each other for five years. When their team leader and mentor passes away, she sets up a series of clues and wrangles the team back together for one more big score. We get to read a steamy, flirty, action-packed adventure. Loved it.

Advance ebook provided by Canary Street Press via NetGalley. Audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

Sinfully Yours by Kathleen Ayers (2024)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 4 of the Five Deadly Sins series. Mercenary Malcolm just wants to go home but is stuck doing a job for a spoiled and arrogant lord. His task is to kidnap the heiress that the lord is thwarted from courting. Except he catches the cantankerous cousin Alyss instead. They end up stranded at a cottage together, have a one night stand, and then go off their separate ways. Is it possible to have actually fallen in love in that short of a time? Especially when Alyss doesn’t really know Malcolm’s identity? Maybe, maybe not, but it was still a very enjoyable read.

Ebook accessed from Kindle Unlimited.

The Scenic Route by Katie Ruggle (2024)

Romantic Suspense. Book 1 of the Beneath the Wild Sky series. Private investigator Bennett is looking for some missing jewels and is detoured by running into his target’s daughter Felicity. She’s a bounty hunter with a thieving mother who skipped bail and is trying to track her mom with her sisters. However, Bennett is her new stalker, so Felicity zigs while her sister zags to try to get the stalker away from her mother. Felicity and Bennett end up in a cozy mountain town to search for yet another bail jumper, this one with ties to a local militia and a history of dealing meth. It’s a fun adventure as Felicity finds new friends and allies in the town, along with tons of enemies. It’s all sorts of action-adventure in this book, and Felicity and Bennett grow closer as they survive all their wacky scenarios. Super crazy and chaotic and messy, and now I want to go back to Ruggle’s previous series to read more about the couples from this mountain town.

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

A Bump In Boohail by Kimberly Lemming (2022)

Paranormal romance. Part of the Mead Mishaps series. A super short little quickie featuring Cinnamon and Fallon, the spice farmer and her dragon shifter husband. Really, that’s it. It’s three chapters long and serves as a mini slice of life for them.

Ebook accessed from Kindle Unlimited.

Shop this book via Amazon // Available on Kindle Unlimited // Get a free trial to Kindle Unlimited

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Kilty as Sin by Caroline Lee (2023)

Historical romance. Medieval Scotland. Book 1 of the Kilty Pleasures series. Barclay’s next mission from the King is to track down a lady who has run away, and bring her back to her father so she can marry the neighboring laird. He finds and rescues Grace from a gang of men who captured her outside the convent where she was hiding, and then proceeds to bring her home. Grace is adamant that she not marry the man she’s engaged to, since that man is cruel and monstrous. Although Barclay is desperately attracted to Grace, he attempts to fulfill his duty to the King and remain honorable. We get to see how Barclay’s past ties into Grace’s future when he finally decides to rescue her from her betrothal. We get the reappearance of the nuns from the previous series, which is always fun to read.

Advance ebook provided by Caroline Lee.

Kilty Plea by Caroline Lee (2023)

Historical romance. Medieval Scotland. Book 2 of the Kilty Pleasures series. King’s Hunter Payton has taken care of some bandits at an Abbey and the creepy Abbot offers him a woman as payment. Somehow he has acquired the frail Flora as his maybe-wife and takes her away from the terrible commune where she’s been living. She’s happy to go with Payton so that she can search for her brother who she’s been separated from for many years. We get to see Flora and Payton get to know each other and develop a bond, even though both are terribly insecure about their own appearances: Flora believes that she’s plain and ugly, while Payton’s face is badly scarred from a previous assignment. This book is a pretty quick read, with lots of humor and steam, along with Payton’s overwhelming boisterous family and festive holiday cheer.

Advance ebook provided by Caroline Lee.

Kilty by Association by Caroline Lee (2024)

Historical romance. Medieval Scotland. Book 3 of the Kilty Pleasures series. Widowed Elspeth needs a bodyguard to protect her young earl of a son from more assassination attempts and she tries to hire a criminal at a pub to do so. Except that Craig isn’t actually a criminal and is undercover at the seedy pub to try to catch some other crime boss. They meet again the next day when it turns out that the King has assigned Craig to protect Elspeth’s family anyway in an official capacity, and off they go on the journey back to their home castle. It’s a quick and easy attraction between these two with Craig being amazing with Elspeth’s kids and basically being an awesome family man, but Craig is feeling insecure about his lower station compared to Elspeth. Once we’re back at their castle, it’s easy to figure out who the villain is, but still nice to see the villain get their due. This was a quick read with all the humor and family shenanigan you’d expect from this author.

Advance ebook provided by Caroline Lee.

Kilty Until Proven Innocent by Caroline Lee (2024)

Historical romance. Medieval Scotland. Book 4 of the Kilty Pleasures series. Drummond is the leader of the King’s Hunters and he’s suspected of assassinating the King. Which is absolutely untrue. The only comfort he has is that his long-time lover Brigit keeps seeing him. But he doesn’t know that she isn’t really a serving maid and is actually one of the Queen’s Angels. She’s been sent to investigate him and find proof of his guilt. She’s happy to report that he’s innocent, but not so happy to have lied to him about who she is. He’s got a bit of anger and frustration to get over to start to trust her again. But they work better together than apart to try to catch the real villain. Quick and easy read with just the right amount of intrigue.

Advance ebook provided by Caroline Lee.

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Useful Resources:

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Thanks for reading Random Olive Reads! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

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Affiliate links may be used within this post. If you make a purchase, I receive a small commission at no extra charge to you.

Not Just Any Earl by Anna Bradley (2021)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 1 of the Games Earls Play series. After their mother causes a disastrous scandal, the Templeton sisters have been hiding in the country for many years. Their family friend somehow convinces Emmeline and Juliet to come to London for the Season, where Juliet will try to win the hand of the most eligible gentleman this year, Lord Melrose. Except Melrose is dreading making good on the assumption that he will marry some other darling debutante and follows who he believes is a former lover in the library during a ball. And unfortunately, he ends up with Emmeline instead, not knowing who she is, and being unable to identify her the next day having not seen her in the dark. Emmeline is afraid of causing any scandal for herself or her sister, so she keeps the encounter a secret, even as she’s trying to push the man towards her sister. At some point, he’ll realize that Emmeline is the one he can’t get out of his mind, but we get to see them slowly fall in love as themselves in the meantime.

Audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby. Ebook accessed from Kindle Unlimited.

Odd Earl Out by Anna Bradley (2022)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 2 of the Games Earls Play series. Super grumpy earl, Lord Cross, is throwing a hunting party at his lodge in the country trying to forget Miss Juliet Templeton. When she shows up at the party after a carriage accident, he wants very much for her to go away, but she needs his help cleaning up after a scandal of mistaken identity and he needs her help matchmaking his cousin. They bicker and banter and fight and flirt and they’re very clearly perfect for each other. But Cross needs to let go of his insecurity and belief that he’ll be as miserable as his father. Luckily, he’s got a chipper and cheery cousin to set him on the right path.

Audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby. Ebook accessed from Kindle Unlimited.

Fell in Love with an Earl by Anna Bradley (2022)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 3 of the Games Earls Play series. Adrian has been an absentee father since his wife passed away and he’s spent the last six months getting drunk in London. Upon his return to his country estate, he finds an outspoken governess who he has never met and his wild sons who are hesitant around him. Helena is basically the best governess the boys have ever had and they never want her to leave, even though she’s at risk for dismissal for purely accidental reasons. While Adrian and Helena get off on the wrong foot, he slowly acknowledges that she is good with his sons and she slowly realizes that this is just a heartbroken man who is avoiding his responsibilities. I liked seeing Adrian slowly soften up his gruff demeanor and realize what is truly important in his life.

Audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby. Ebook accessed from Kindle Unlimited.

Earl Crazy by Anna Bradley (2023)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 4 of the Games Earls Play series. Kit’s back in London to seek a wife and possibly halt a family curse, but he’s having a tough time letting go of his drunken ways. The lady visiting next door has caught him unconscious outside his cottage door and stirs up a fuss when she assists him back inside. When they meet later at a ball, Kit finds out Tilly’s identity and is determined to court her for himself, despite her seeming disinterest. Tilly’s afraid of causing scandal wherever she goes and she’s mostly determined to stay out of trouble and try to help her friend with her season. But Kit is proving to be pretty persuasive and they quickly fall in love. There’s a bit more exciting drama in store when Tilly’s friend gets into a bit of trouble, making this book even more entertaining.

Audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby. Ebook accessed from Kindle Unlimited.

Here Comes My Earl by Anna Bradley (2024)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 5 of the Games Earls Play series. Oldest sister Phee is just trying to blend into the background and avoid scandal, but she’s in town to support her friend’s second Season. Except her friend’s older brother is being a giant pain and interfering with his sister’s marriage prospects. James is the stuffiest of earls with a gruff and serious demeanor and no time for frivolity. And he’s begrudgingly enamored of Phee and wondering why she wears drab dresses. While they argue over his interference of his sister’s love life, they form their own connection and fairly quickly fall in love. This was a quick read and a nice conclusion to the series.

Ebook accessed from Kindle Unlimited.

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When She Was Wicked by Anne Barton (2013)

Historical romance, Regency-era England. Book 1 of the Honeycotes series. Annabelle Honeycote is an impoverished seamstress with a deathly ill mother and younger sister to support. While working at the dress shop, she overhears various gossip and uses the information to extort money. One of her victims, Owen Sherbourne, a handsome duke, catches her at the drop point and threatens to expose her, but he feels bad for her instead, and brings her home as an indentured servant to make dresses for his sisters. There’s a bunch of miscommunication and secrecy between this couple, mixed with a healthy dose of social class difference, but the insta-lust is such fun to read and this book is a great set up to the Honeycote/Sherbourne family series to come. And when I started the book, I thought I was reading a new-to-me author, until I went back to the Instagram post from corsetreads recommending the series to me, and realized that Anna Bennett (who I have read and adored before) was the author using a different pen name. No wonder I loved this book!

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

Silk Is for Seduction by Loretta Chase (2011)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 1 of the Dressmakers series. Marcelline is the oldest sister and ambitious dress designer who wants to catch a future duchess as a client. In order to do this, she kind of almost maybe seduces the Duke of Clevedon who’ll be footing the bills, but he’s more intrigued by Marcelline and not interested in rushing to the altar with the woman he’s had an understanding with since childhood. As much as Marcelline tries to resist Clevedon’s advances and prioritize the interests of her business, she keeps slipping up and ends up in his arms. It’s rough going when she realizes he’s in love with this guy, while also becoming friendly with his almost-fiancee. I enjoyed seeing both of their struggles between propriety, duty, and their actual feelings for each other.

Ebook and audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

The Duchess Deal by Tessa Dare (2017)

Book 1 of the Girl Meets Duke series. If you’re looking for an easy-to-read, super funny, historical romance, this is the one for you. We start with a seamstress barging into a duke’s home wearing his ex-fiancee’s ugly ass wedding dress and demanding payment for it because his ex-fiancee didn’t. And then this duke decides to propose to the woman! He needs a wife and heir, and since his last fiancee left him after he was all scarred from the war, and this new girl seems to need the money, it’s win-win. She accepts with several conditions, including saying she’ll bring her cat. (She doesn’t actually have a cat and just finds one on the street that day) Of course they’ll need to stay together in London til she gets pregnant, and then she’s going to be shipped off to his country estate to raise the kiddo. Both our main characters have past hurts in their lives, but they work through them and open up to each other. And there’s just so much humor in this story. Tessa Dare is just so great at bringing levity into her stories.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

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

The Duke and the Dressmaker by Eva Devon (2023)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 2 of the Once Upon a Wallflower series. Newly inherited duke James attempts to rescue a young woman at a tavern and finds out that she’s the sister of his missing ward. Lily and Violet are granddaughters of the old duke but not part of society due to their mother’s scandalous marriage to a French painter. Now orphaned and impoverished, Lily works as a dressmaker’s seamstress while caring for her young sister. James insists that they both move into the ducal townhouse and after a bit of a disagreement, they do. However, James and Lily are starting to stir up a scandal with all the time they spend together unchaperoned, as much as they try to keep things proper. They do ultimately get married, since Lily is so good at managing James’ household, but conflict looms ahead as James plans to leave England without having mentioned his plans to Lily. I liked how well Lily and James worked together and started to soften towards each other, even though both have been disappointed by their own parents in the past.

Advance ebook provided by Entangled Publishing via NetGalley.

The Summer Bride by Anne Gracie (2016)

Daisy is the last sister with no plans to marry at all. She is aiming to open a dress shop with all of her unique designs. Family friend Flynn has been quite vocal in his goal to find a wife and has been very active in the marriage mart. Somehow these two end up spending more and more time together and finally act on their attraction to each other. Daisy is adamant that it is just an affair and will not lead to marriage, while Flynn is trying to honor her wishes and be supportive.

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.

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

Useful Resources:

Read more about getting the most out of your library card

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

Learn more about Kindle Unlimited

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

Thanks for reading Random Olive Reads! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

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Affiliate links may be used within this post. If you make a purchase, I receive a small commission at no extra charge to you.

Sinfully Tempted by Kathleen Ayers (2023)

Historical romance. Victorian-era England. Book 2 of the Five Deadly Sins series. Lady Tamsin is the scandalous sister of an earl who is known for breaking the nose of a duke’s son for unwanted advances, but also rumored to be as loose as her actress of a mother. She’s just trying to catch some fresh air in the garden at a ball, when the lumbering awkward Hayden tries to capture a moth that landed on her leg. While a vicious harpy tries to paint Tamsin as a harlot, Hayden’s ducal authoritativeness comes to the rescue. After that, they all try to mitigate the scandal by portraying Tamsin and Hayden as intellectual friends who will part ways after a few social outings. What’s fun to see here is Hayden’s absolute awkwardness in Tamsin’s presence because he’s so internally attracted to her. And of course she interprets his behavior as arrogance and disdain. Even when he finally gets a clue and tries to pursue her, all she sees from him is insult. It was surprisingly heartbreaking for a premise that seemed so simple.

Ebook accessed from Kindle Unlimited.

My Rogue to Ruin by Erica Ridley (2023)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 4 of the Wild Wynchesters series. Quiet artist sister Marjorie has her turn to take the lead on a case this time. When the Wynchesters find that a crime lord is passing counterfeit coins through his pawn shop, they aim to find the counterfeiter and bring about justice. Marjorie insists on infiltrating the workshop to find the evidence and solve the case, but she finds a charming lord there instead. Adrian is the second son of a marquess who was banished from his family home many years ago and made his money by counterfeiting artistic artifacts; when he’s caught at that, the crime lord blackmails him into counterfeiting money instead. He’s pretty much held captive, even though he feels horrible cheating innocent people out of money. While Marjorie and Adrian are at odds in the beginning, they soon realize they have a lot in common, and need to team up to get out of this mess. Adrian gets to witness firsthand the benefits of a loving family and find allies in all the Wynchesters. The romance here was easy and low-angst and the crime-solving caper was a lot of fun.

Audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby. Ebook accessed from Kindle Unlimited.

Hate to Fake It to You by Amanda Sellet (2024)

Contemporary romance. Standalone novel. Everyone is hiding their identity and keeping secrets in this mostly comedic romance. Libby is an underworked underpaid waitress and wannabe journalist who is a very successful fake influencer Lillibet who writes the cheesiest posts paired with what seems like stock photography. And it’ll probably all come crashing down when she has to fake it all in real life with her trusty friends and a fake husband and a fancy house she definitely doesn’t live in when media heiress Hildy comes for a visit. Hildy wants to start her own magazine and needs a collaborator, so she thinks Lillibet would be a great fit. Meanwhile, she’s got her own ruse going with her fake boyfriend, Jefferson, who is a wildlife photography who saved her from a snowstorm. It’s a set up for absolute chaos when everyone is staying at this fancy house with the fanciest plumbing available, and Libby’s friend is pretending to be an Irish housekeeper who has a terrible accent. Oh, and Libby and Jefferson maybe kinda sorta have an instant connection. The romance here is slow moving and a little fraught, since they’re all lying about so many things, but most of the book is quite entertaining. Heads up, that this one is fade to black when our couple does finally get together.

Audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby. Advance ebook provided by St. Martin’s Press via NetGalley.

The Ex Vows by Jessica Joyce (2024)

Contemporary romance. Standalone novel. How much heartbreak can you pack into a romance novel? Turns out a lot. Especially for this messy and complicated second chance romance. Georgia and Eli have been best friends for years, gone through a horrible breakup, and now stuck together to help their mutual best friend rescue his disaster of a wedding. Both Georgia and Eli have very deeply rooted anxieties and insecurities that make them both understand each other and also resist directly asking for what they need. We get to see all of Georgia’s emotions through her weeklong whirlwind planning session with Eli, while also dealing with a potential new job situation and her feeling abandoned by all her friends. While it’s fairly obvious why these two broke up in the first place, there’s still a whole lot of insecurity and fear of trying again. The plot seems straightforward enough without a whole lot of external drama, but the internal emotional turmoil is present in every scene. Be prepared for an emotional gut punch.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby. Advance audiobook provided by Penguin Random House Audio.

The Night Ends with Fire by K.X. Song (2024)

Fantasy. Book 1 of the Night Ends with Fire series. Mulan-retelling with lots of twists. Meilin is living in a patriarchal society where her opium-addicted abusive father is dodging the draft, the emperor imprisons anyone who believes in magic, and she’s about to be sold off to an abusive husband. Luckily, she’s lacking in womanly curves, so she joins the army instead. There’s tons of action packed into this story as we join the army training camp, start fighting the enemy, and then get influenced by rare spirit magic that only touches a select few people. There are romantic love interests on both sides of the war and lots of political intrigue and maneuvering. This book kept me reading to find out more and to see how Meilin continues to survive her harrowing circumstances. We definitely end on an unresolved note and I’m definitely looking forward to Book 2.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby. Advance audiobook provided by Penguin Random House Audio.

Hot Earl Summer by Erica Ridley (2024)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 5 of the Wild Wynchesters series. It’s Elizabeth’s turn to take the lead on a case, putting her in the countryside to look for the missing will of a countess in an earl’s castle. Instead of finding the earl there, she finds his tinkering cousin, Stephen. We get a grumpy-grumpy romance in this one with both Elizabeth and Stephen preferring solitude to company. It’s fun to see them work together to try to find the missing will, plus I liked seeing Elizabeth being appreciative of Stephen’s inventions instead of disparaging his oddness. There’s a common annoying villain around who believes he won the castle in a card game, but once they find the will, it’ll be clear the property wouldn’t be his. Plus, we get a full family of Wynchester showing up for the big confrontation.

Advance ebook provided by Forever Books via NetGalley.

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

Useful Resources:

Read more about getting the most out of your library card

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

Learn more about Kindle Unlimited

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

Read an introduction to fanfiction

Learn more about sources for reading fanfiction

Thanks for reading Random Olive Reads! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

Follow me on Instagram at @randomolive

Shop my handmade bookmarks on Etsy

Support this page with a donation

Affiliate links may be used within this post. If you make a purchase, I receive a small commission at no extra charge to you.