Seducing the Duchess by Sara Bennett (2024)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 1 of the Disgraceful Duchesses series. Widowed duchess Catherine gets stuck at an inn during a snowstorm and decides to take advantage of the situation by having a temporary affair with Sebastian. He is a viscount who is on his way home to visit his estranged father after being banished 10 years ago. He has a scandalous reputation as a rake, which will come in handy to provide comfort and satisfaction for Catherine. She had a horrible marriage and is finally out of mourning for her husband, but there are stipulations in his will that keep her bound to their country estate. Although this is a very quick affair for Catherine and Sebastian, they fall pretty quickly into a more emotional relationship.

Advance ebook provided by Dragonblade Publishing via NetGalley.

Mistakes We Never Made by Hannah Brown (2024)

Contemporary romance. Standalone novel. We’ve got a former friends, complicated mess of a relationship in this book. Emma and Finn were on the high school debate team together and they have a bunch of missed connections with a stood up date to junior prom, and then meeting again after freshman year of college, and then a rooftop thing after college, and then a big screaming match at somebody else’s wedding. It’s a total mess. They have spotted each other again at a mutual friend’s wedding, and that bride has decided to run away and go completely off the grid, so these two have to team up to chase after her. They’re tracking her phone and it is a road trip situation where they’re stuck together for many hours in a car and so they finally kind of work out their differences, but still they’re both protecting themselves and protecting their feelings and not quite as direct as they should be. It was still a really great book to read. I was really interested in finding more about the runaway bride friend although I feel like we are kind of kept hanging there and maybe there’s a second book. Hopefully there is.

Advance ebook provided by Forever Books via NetGalley.

The Saloon Girl’s Only Shot by Dani Collins (2024)

Historical romance. 1800s America. Book 2 of the Quail’s Creek series. Temperance was ruined in her hometown in Chicago, cast out by her stepmother, and now she’s stuck working as a saloon girl in Denver while she figures out how to get her injured father the rest of the way to Denver. Except she keeps getting fired at every saloon for reasons totally outside of her control. Miner Owen is in town replenishing supplies for his team, but he really has aspirations of opening his own saloon. (I’m not sure why, since there are two other saloons in town, but sure). He keeps running into Temperance and feels a bit sorry for her situation. He hires her own to help with the bookkeeping and setting up of his own saloon and since she’s got nowhere else to go, she takes him up on it. It’s all a bit of a muddle because she’s trying to earn enough to pay her way back home and he’s planning to go back to the quarry in the Springtime. No one wants to admit to any deeper feelings or commit to an official relationship. I enjoyed seeing Owen’s protective side though and the interactions with all the townsfolk.

Advance ebook provided by Dani Collins via BookSprout.

Savor It by Tarah DeWitt (2024)

Contemporary romance. Standalone novel. Small town, temporary neighbors, fake dating romance book here. Everyone’s got issues, but luckily everyone’s closer to talking them through over the summer. Fisher is a chef who got fired from his job, is basically flailing, and the newfound guardian to his orphaned niece. He’s shipped off from New York City to small town Oregon to oversee the completion of a new restaurant there. He’s temporarily staying next door to Sage, who doesn’t have much specific going on in her life, aside from dodging her ex-boyfriend and preparing for the annual festival. We get a bunch of small town nosy hijinks here, which leads to Sage and Fisher fake dating, and then actually falling in love. The whole cast of characters involved with this book makes things both funny and more emotional, with Fisher’s relationship with his niece and Sage’s relationship with her brothers. Get ready for all sorts of emotional upheaval as their temporary relationship starts to wind down.

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

My Fake Mistress by Alivia Fleur (2024)

Historical romance. Victorian-era England. Standalone novella. Super quick and steamy novella. Blythe is at her best friend’s birthday house party and is trying to avoid the attentions of a gentleman who wants to make her his mistress. She lies that she already has a protector and says that Julian (her best friend’s father) is that man. When she tells him about the trouble, he goes along with it. And then of course they turn it into a true physical affair while she’s there.

Advance ebook provided by Alivia Fleur via BookSirens.

The Heiress’s Daughter by Anne Gracie (2024)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 3 of the Brides of Bellaire Garden series. Wealthy heiress Clarissa is stuck tackling society on her own while her sister is on her honeymoon with her new husband, who is also Clarissa’s guardian, Leo. While they’re away, Leo asks his best friend Race to take Clarissa out riding every so often, knowing that she enjoys it and has no one else competent to do so. Clarissa thinks that Race is just spending time with her as an obligation to his friend, not knowing that he is truly courting her in earnest. We get to see these two spend more time together, and Clarissa showing an actual backbone and personality. It was fun to see Race having to bend over backwards to convince Clarissa of his true intentions.

Ebook and audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

All’s Fair in Love and War by Virginia Heath (2024)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 1 of the Miss Prentice’s Protegees series. Chaotic children and a stern and serious guardian make for a heartwarming set up in this one. Harry is a naval captain who is regimented and serious and is very busy with his work, but his flighty sister has left her three young children and dog in his care while she and her husband go off to Egypt. He needs a governess quite desperately to control the overactive (but lovable) kids. Lucky for him, there’s one available governess to hire who can start immediately. Georgie has been up to this point unemployable due to her outspoken nature and unconventional methods of teaching, but her mentor can smell the desperation from Harry, so it seems to be a perfect situation for her to finally get a job. The kids are totally rambunctious and have no sense of structure whatsoever, so it’s all delightful chaos. Harry and Georgie obviously disagree on methods of handling the kids, and Georgie assumes that Harry is rigid and heartless like her old stepfather. Except when she catches glimpses of him being wonderful with the kids. Harry is trying his best to focus on his career and not get distracted by the siren of a governess, but he’s not terribly successful at it. It was fun to see him bumbling along the way, in total opposition to his serious nature.

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

Devil of Mine by Ally Hudson (2024)

Historical Romantic Tragedy. Regency-era England. Prequel novella to the Most Imprudent Matches series. This one is a tragedy and tells the story of how Celine marries and becomes widowed all in a short period of time. We get to learn a bit more of Celine’s backstory in this book as preparation for her eventual happily ever after in a different book. Celine is known as a flirt and catches the attention of many gentlemen, including one scandalous marquess Gabriel, who has his own reputation. They basically try and fail to stay away from each other until they end up married. We have a bit of backstory for Gabriel of how he developed this reputation and some of his misdeeds, but it’s best to not get too invested in him, since he doesn’t make it til the end of the book. This was a pretty quick and straightforward flirty steamy read that adds more to the universe of the series.

Advance ebook provided by Ally Hudson via BookSirens.

Love, Lies, and Cherry Pie by Jackie Lau (2024)

Contemporary romance. Standalone novel. Fake dating plot to get a meddlesome mother off her back. After her youngest sister’s wedding, Emily is the only one left unmarried and seemingly failing to meet her parents’ expectations. After too much nagging about being set up with the oh-so-proper Mark, Emily asks Mark to agree to fake dating to ease up on the parental pressure. While they start off with lying about their dates, it seems that Emily’s mom knows way too many people in Toronto that question their story. Now Emily and Mark need to real fake date and she realizes that there’s a lot more to him that what her mother had described. While this was a fun set up and premise, it seemed like it took too long for Emily and Mark to spend any time together on page, and Emily’s overbearing mother activated my own brand of anxiety and I didn’t like that as much.

Advance ebook provided by Atria Books via NetGalley.

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

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

Advance ebook provided by Caroline Lee.

When the Earl Desired Me by Lydia Lloyd (2024)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 3 of the Rake Chronicles series. This one is a second chance romance between an earl and a former maid in his house who he has not seen in thirteen years. Augustus and Olivia has a secret relationship many years ago until she disappears out of the blue and leaves him heartbroken. It turns out that she received a note from him dismissing her and asking her to leave. Clearly, he was not the one to have left this note, but that doesn’t change the fact that she leaves the country. She’s back now as a lady’s companion and these two have a chance to reconnect. Augustus is determined to never let her out of his sight again and is serious in his intentions for her. It also turns out that his rakish reputation is not what it seems and I love how he reveals all of this to Olivia. Super steamy and sweet all at once.

Advance ebook provided by Lydia Lloyd via BookSprout.

One Fine May by Courtney McCaskill (2024)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 5 of the Rake Review series. Disappointed by Vander’s exploits being featured in the latest gossip column, his father sets down the expectation that he must marry and start coming into the office this month or risk his inheritance being passed onto his cousin. Upon his mother’s suggestion, he asks his best friend’s sister Letty for assistance. Except she’s had a crush on him for years and is disappointed that he isn’t actually proposing to her but asking her to introduce him to suitable women. Meanwhile, she’s juggling her own ill-matched suitors and needs to decide between them soon. Clearly, Vander needs to open his eyes and realize that Letty is the perfect match for him, but it takes him a few days to get there. This book was light and fun and only a smidge of angst.

Advance ebook provided by Courtney McCaskill.

The Prince’s Bride by Charis Michaels (2024)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 2 of the Hidden Royals series. Gabriel is a French prince who’s been hiding away in a cave in the forest for the past fifteen years and basically a hermit. He very much does not want to rescue a lady who he thinks might be a victim of highwaymen, but the screaming finally get to him and he does. Ryan is the daughter of an earl traipsing through the forest to find her long-lost betrothed (Prince Gabriel) because the prince’s horrible cousin has claimed the title and the betrothal for himself and she does not want to marry him. Lucky for her, she’s stumbled right into the man she’s looking for. Except Gabriel is not interested at all in reclaiming his identity or leaving the forest, which leaves Ryan right where she started. The plus side here is that they’re clearly very attracted to each other and Gabriel can’t seem to stay away from Ryan, even as he’s sending her away. This was a lot of fun to read, especially as we slowly see Gabriel leave his comfort zone.

Advance ebook provided by Avon Books via NetGalley.

Ruin Me by Midnight by Ginny B Moore (2024)

Historical romance. Victorian-era England. Book 4 of the Flower Sisters series. Violet is trying to dodge a proposal from a man she doesn’t want to marry and thinks that a ruination will get him to ditch her. While she’s at a house party, she makes a deal with Callum for a fake ruination that will leave him the good guy and her a scandalous wanton. Except that they’re truly attracted to each other and they never seem to get caught in all the situations they put themselves in. Both Violet and Callum are deeply broken by events of their respective pasts that make them wary of any lasting connections. They’ve both got to overcome their own fears before being able to move on. I loved seeing them actually open up to each other about their pasts and also all the steamy scenes between them.

Advance ebook provided by Ginny B. Moore.

Unladylike Rules of Attraction by Amita Murray (2024)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 2 of the Marleigh Sisters series. Anya and Damian meet under antagonistic terms when a dowager countess leaves Anya a great fortune that hinges on her marrying someone with Damian’s approval as the trustee to the funds. Anya has a slightly scandalous reputation as the illegitimate daughter of an English lord and current status as a court singer, but she’s resolved to find a convenient husband to fulfill the terms of her inheritance. Except that the late dowager’s family is scheming to get their hands on the funds instead, setting off a load of drama that puts both Anya and Damian at huge amounts of risk. We get to see Anya and Damian start a physical relationship, even though both are wary of any deeper emotional connection. The romance is fairly straightforward here, but the manipulations of external villains are the driver of the story. I was super invested in finding out how they resolve all of these other issues and find their way to safety and security.

Advance ebook provided by Avon Books via NetGalley.

The Gentleman Spy by Georgina North (2024)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Standalone novel. Beau is basically a deadbeat heir who has taken no interest in learning about estate management or even returning to the estate anytime soon after his father’s death. After a delayed return, his family is rightfully annoyed by his absence. Especially the ward that his father had taken on and has basically been running the estate all this time. It doesn’t help Beau that Emerald is a beautiful woman who has captured his attention, but that he is also her new guardian and she should be off-limits to him. They bicker and fight and no one else knows that Beau is actually a spy and he’s been absent from the country in service to the Crown. It’s more of a mess when Beau discovers that there’s a smuggling operation right in his own village and somehow a suspicious Emerald gets involved. It was nice to see Beau and Emerald’s relationship develop and how protective he becomes of her.

Advance ebook provided by Georgina North via BookSirens.

Uncovering the Lord by Lexi Post (2024)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 1 of the Courting a Curious Lady series. Lady Elsbeth is more interested in rocks than gentlemen, but has promised her friends that she’ll find a husband to marry this season so that they will be allowed to continue to go to their shared school. On her last expedition to some Spanish caves, Elsbeth runs into her old friend and rejected suitor Teddy, who is now a single father trying to convince his superstitious wet nurse to get on a ship. These two end up reconnecting on the ship back to England and Elsbeth is especially impressed by Teddy’s newfound maturity. The problem here is that she had rejected him once before so she thinks she doesn’t have a chance of catching his attention again, not realizing that he’s still in love with her after all this time. It’s clearly a perfect match between these two and it’s fun reading their slow build of a relationship again.

Advance ebook provided by Dragonblade Publishing via NetGalley.

You Should Be So Lucky by Cat Sebastian (2024)

Historical romance. 1960s New York City. Slow-burn forced proximity romance here with Mark, newspaper reporter, being assigned to write about Eddie, the new baseball player who has basically thrown a public tantrum over his new team. They’re both individually lost and lonely and stuck with each other. Mark’s been grieving the death of his partner, who he basically had to keep secret for their entire relationship, and it’s been a pretty rough time of it. When he’s assigned to write about Eddie, he’s only begrudgingly doing the job, and also trying to find an angle to make the kid seem more sympathetic, rather than the asshole that every other news reporter is portraying him as. Eddie’s just shocked out of his comfortable situation in the Midwest where he got to play ball, see his mom occasionally, and know where to keep his private life out of the spotlight. Being in a new place that doesn’t feel like home and where everyone is watching him fail at baseball is fairly excruciating for him. But Eddie and Mark start a tentative friendship and it takes a lot of convincing on Eddie’s part to get Mark to take a chance on him. I liked seeing Mark finally opening up about his previous partner and the difficulties he had there, plus seeing Eddie getting along with his teammates better. It was definitely a slow and quiet type of romance that involves being yourself in a world that doesn’t really accept you.

Advance ebook provided by Avon Books via NetGalley.

The Letters We Keep by Nisha Sharma (2024)

Contemporary new adult romance. Standalone novel. Jessie and Ravi start off awkwardly with her being ultra-focused on school and him being the infamous son of a tech billionaire. They have a cute little rivalry where they fight over the same study room in the library and are also in the same writing class. However, their friendship starts to turn around when they stumble upon some hidden letters in the library which chronicle the secret relationship between two students in the 1970s, who may or may not be part of a legend that haunts the school. I liked seeing Jessie and Ravi bond over the letters that they find and realize their own feelings for each other. While it seemed like their relationship moved a little fast for me, I appreciated learning what happened to the mystery couple from the past and it kept me reading to find out more.

Advance ebook provided by Nisha Sharma via NetGalley.

This Marquess of Mine by Sylvie Sinclair (2024)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 2 of the Romancing the Rogue series. For various family dynamic reasons, Griffin is roped into escorting his sister and her best friend to various events this season, and Griffin is totally dreading it because he does not like Olivia. And by not like, I mean, he doesn’t like how he feels around her. Which is attracted to her, despite him believing that she’s a shallow title-hunting flirt. She has her own reasons for seeking a higher title, like impressing her disapproving father, but she covers it up by being the perfect society miss. As they spend more time together, they’re really just bickering most of the time, and totally clueless that the other person is pining for the other. I enjoyed reading about Griffin unwillingly lusting after Olivia, giving into her requests, and finally getting a clue and getting it together.

Advance ebook provided by Sylvie Sinclair.

Seasonal Habits of Husbands and Honeybees by Emmaline Warden (2024)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 2 of the Genus of Gentlemen series. We’ve got a marriage of convenience story here between Harrison, who is a heartbroken earl, and Phoebe who just wants a business arrangement that is clearly spelled out. Phoebe would rather avoid all of the anxiety-filled social obligations of the marriage mart and stay home and tend to her bees. Harrison is pretty quick to catch on to Phoebe’s desires and gives her pretty much everything she wants. He has his own hangups about rejection due to his upbringing and is very much a people pleaser. Lucky for him it doesn’t take much to impress Phoebe, especially when she realizes that he understands her better than anyone else in her life. This was a really charming slow burn romance and I enjoyed seeing these two get to know each other.

Advance ebook provided by Emmaline Warden.

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Uncovering the Lord by Lexi Post (2024)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 1 of the Courting a Curious Lady series. Lady Elsbeth is more interested in rocks than gentlemen, but has promised her friends that she’ll find a husband to marry this season so that they will be allowed to continue to go to their shared school. On her last expedition to some Spanish caves, Elsbeth runs into her old friend and rejected suitor Teddy, who is now a single father trying to convince his superstitious wet nurse to get on a ship. These two end up reconnecting on the ship back to England and Elsbeth is especially impressed by Teddy’s newfound maturity. The problem here is that she had rejected him once before so she thinks she doesn’t have a chance of catching his attention again, not realizing that he’s still in love with her after all this time. It’s clearly a perfect match between these two and it’s fun reading their slow build of a relationship again.

Advance ebook provided by Dragonblade Publishing via NetGalley.

A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas (2016)

Fantasy romance. Book 2 of the A Court of Thorns and Roses series. Our girl Feyre has massive post-traumatic stress disorder after her ordeal Under the Mountain at the end of the last book. Her fiance Tamlin seems to not want to deal with it and leaves her to suffer her nightmares alone, while also keeping her locked up and protected all the time. She also has this leftover deal with Rhysand, the “bad guy” High Lord of the Night Court and he makes good on the bargain to spend a week out of each month with him. This book has way more action-adventure than the previous one and I was totally hooked and wanted to keep reading to find out more. We get to see a shift in alliances here when we learn a lot more about why Rhys presents himself the way he does. If you’re reading this one, you better have the next book queued up and ready to go because it ends on a cliffhanger.

Ebook and audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

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

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

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

Advance ebook provided by Caroline Lee.

The Heiress’s Daughter by Anne Gracie (2024)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 3 of the Brides of Bellaire Garden series. Wealthy heiress Clarissa is stuck tackling society on her own while her sister is on her honeymoon with her new husband, who is also Clarissa’s guardian, Leo. While they’re away, Leo asks his best friend Race to take Clarissa out riding every so often, knowing that she enjoys it and has no one else competent to do so. Clarissa thinks that Race is just spending time with her as an obligation to his friend, not knowing that he is truly courting her in earnest. We get to see these two spend more time together, and Clarissa showing an actual backbone and personality. It was fun to see Race having to bend over backwards to convince Clarissa of his true intentions.

Ebook and audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

Seasonal Habits of Husbands and Honeybees by Emmaline Warden (2024)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 2 of the Genus of Gentlemen series. We’ve got a marriage of convenience story here between Harrison, who is a heartbroken earl, and Phoebe who just wants a business arrangement that is clearly spelled out. Phoebe would rather avoid all of the anxiety-filled social obligations of the marriage mart and stay home and tend to her bees. Harrison is pretty quick to catch on to Phoebe’s desires and gives her pretty much everything she wants. He has his own hangups about rejection due to his upbringing and is very much a people pleaser. Lucky for him it doesn’t take much to impress Phoebe, especially when she realizes that he understands her better than anyone else in her life. This was a really charming slow burn romance and I enjoyed seeing these two get to know each other.

Advance ebook provided by Emmaline Warden.

A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas (2017)

Fantasy romance. Book 3 of the A Court of Thorns and Roses series. We continue from the events of the previous book where Feyre is playing spy and there’s a war brewing with some tyrant king who wants to enslave humans. We get lots of fun political drama in this one with alliances and spying and trying to figure out who is planning to double-cross the next person. Action-packed and it kept me hooked the whole time.

Ebook and audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

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

Seducing the Duchess by Sara Bennett (2024)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 1 of the Disgraceful Duchesses series. Widowed duchess Catherine gets stuck at an inn during a snowstorm and decides to take advantage of the situation by having a temporary affair with Sebastian. He is a viscount who is on his way home to visit his estranged father after being banished 10 years ago. He has a scandalous reputation as a rake, which will come in handy to provide comfort and satisfaction for Catherine. She had a horrible marriage and is finally out of mourning for her husband, but there are stipulations in his will that keep her bound to their country estate. Although this is a very quick affair for Catherine and Sebastian, they fall pretty quickly into a more emotional relationship.

Advance ebook provided by Dragonblade Publishing via NetGalley.

Ruin Me by Midnight by Ginny B Moore (2024)

Historical romance. Victorian-era England. Book 4 of the Flower Sisters series. Violet is trying to dodge a proposal from a man she doesn’t want to marry and thinks that a ruination will get him to ditch her. While she’s at a house party, she makes a deal with Callum for a fake ruination that will leave him the good guy and her a scandalous wanton. Except that they’re truly attracted to each other and they never seem to get caught in all the situations they put themselves in. Both Violet and Callum are deeply broken by events of their respective pasts that make them wary of any lasting connections. They’ve both got to overcome their own fears before being able to move on. I loved seeing them actually open up to each other about their pasts and also all the steamy scenes between them.

Advance ebook provided by Ginny B. Moore.

All’s Fair in Love and War by Virginia Heath (2024)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 1 of the Miss Prentice’s Protegees series. Chaotic children and a stern and serious guardian make for a heartwarming set up in this one. Harry is a naval captain who is regimented and serious and is very busy with his work, but his flighty sister has left her three young children and dog in his care while she and her husband go off to Egypt. He needs a governess quite desperately to control the overactive (but lovable) kids. Lucky for him, there’s one available governess to hire who can start immediately. Georgie has been up to this point unemployable due to her outspoken nature and unconventional methods of teaching, but her mentor can smell the desperation from Harry, so it seems to be a perfect situation for her to finally get a job. The kids are totally rambunctious and have no sense of structure whatsoever, so it’s all delightful chaos. Harry and Georgie obviously disagree on methods of handling the kids, and Georgie assumes that Harry is rigid and heartless like her old stepfather. Except when she catches glimpses of him being wonderful with the kids. Harry is trying his best to focus on his career and not get distracted by the siren of a governess, but he’s not terribly successful at it. It was fun to see him bumbling along the way, in total opposition to his serious nature.

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

A Court of Frost and Starlight by Sarah J. Maas (2018)

Fantasy romance. Book 3.5 of the A Court of Thorns and Roses series. This novella is a bit of an interlude with our cast of characters recovering from the recent war. We get to see multiple points of view here as everyone prepares for the Winter Solstice. Not much in the way of action-adventure, but we get a check-in on the status of everyone we care about.

Ebook and audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

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

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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

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Learn more about Kindle Unlimited

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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.

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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.

Passions of a Wicked Earl by Lorraine Heath (2010)

Historical romance. Victorian-era England. Book 1 of the London’s Greatest Lovers series. The Earl of Westcliffe and his wife Claire have been estranged since their wedding night when he found his younger brother in her bed. Claire was basically too young and skittish of her new husband, so she and her friend contrived a way for Westcliffe to postpone the wedding night. Except that didn’t work out so well because Westcliffe is holding a massive grudge and Claire’s been exiled to the country estate for the past three years. Claire’s finally growing some backbone though because she’s in London to claim her place as countess and launch her younger sister in society. We get to see Claire and Westcliffe actually talk to each other and get to know each other as they hadn’t before, being betrothed since before Claire was born. They’ve definitely got a lot of learning and groveling to do on both sides. It was interesting to get to know Westcliffe’s family dynamic and meet his brothers who feature in the next books of this series.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

Pleasures of a Notorious Gentleman by Lorraine Heath (2010)

Historical romance. Victorian-era England. Book 2 of the London’s Greatest Lovers series. Middle brother Stephen has always been a shameless rake and completely purposeless with an earl older brother and a duke younger brother. When his brothers buy him a commission in the army to build his character, he goes and hopes for the best. Except that he’s come home injured and with no memory at all of his time at war. When nurse Mercy comes calling at his brother’s English estate with a baby that is clearly his son, he feels terrible that he doesn’t remember her and marries her to provide for his new family. Mercy’s keeping her own secrets and is almost glad about Stephen’s memory loss. They’re basically starting from scratch here and developing a relationship anew. This is probably one of the angstiest amnesia stories I’ve read because Mercy’s secret is a big one and Stephen will definitely feel betrayed when he learns the truth.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

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.

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Music for the Duke by Alexa Aston (2023)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 2 of the Suddenly a Duke series. Tragic prologue for Fia where she’s a six-year old girl being tormented by her cousin and heir to her father’s earldom. Many years later, we see a shocking and tragic demise of Henry’s grandfather and father within the same day, making him a duke. A year after that, they both somehow make friends with the now-married duke and duchess from Book 1 of the series, who assist in getting Fia out of her cousin’s house and assist Henry in wooing the girl. Fia was treated horribly by her cousin after her parents’ deaths, first by refusing her debut into society, then by moving her into the attic like a servant, and farming her out for music lessons where he collects the fees and she sees none of it. It’s a rough life for Fia, and when we think she’ll appreciate being courted by a duke, she’s fearful of scandal and would rather live independently and rely on her skills as a musician to survive. It’s a pretty short read with only a tiny bit of angst. But there are way too many dukes and duchesses floating around here, so it can be hard to keep up with who’s being referenced at any given moment. Still a perfectly pleasant read.

Advance ebook provided by Dragonblade Publishing via NetGalley.

Duke Most Wicked by Lenora Bell (2022)

Book 3 of the Wallflowers versus Rogues series. Viola has had a massive crush on her employer for as long as she’s known him. Music teacher to his five sisters, Viola is enamored of West, even with his wicked ways. When he realizes that his behavior has tarnished his sisters’ reputations, he seeks to make amends by finding a wealthy heiress to marry and suitors for the sisters. Viola is extra protective of the sisters and argues with him on their behalf. Meanwhile, Viola has been secretly composing music and selling it as her father’s and adamantly avoiding any time in the spotlight. West sees her talent and beauty despite her plain and drab dresses but believes that he doesn’t deserve her sunshine. Overall, great dynamic between our characters and love the flirting and banter they get into.

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

Up All Night with a Good Duke by Amy Rose Bennett (2022)

Book 1 of the Byronic Book Club series. Instant attraction the minute these two bump into each other outside a train station. Artemis has left her position as a finishing school teacher to help her friend navigate the London season and sets out to find a patron for her women’s college. And she’s a secret gothic romance writer.

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

The Duke with the Dragon Tattoo (2018)

This book has quite a few time jumps within it. We start with a prison beating and a young man left for dead. Soon after that, a young girl rescues the man from a field, but he has absolutely no memory of who he is. After nursing him back to health and forming a connection, her arsehole brother betrays him and sends him off to sea. Many many many years later, he returns to claim his lady. And we find out how our guy is connected to all the other men in this series.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

Cinderella and the Duke by Lydia Drake (2022)

Historical romance, Regency-ish era England. Julia is the Cinderella in the story, escorting her younger stepsister to a ball while her stepmother is ill. This is Julia’s one chance to find a husband, since her stepmother refuses to let Julia go to any balls. While protecting a rake from being compromised by a lady and called out in a duel by her husband, she kisses him and then runs away, thinking that she’s ruined. When the rake, our duke Gregory, comes to call the next day with her lost slipper, she proposes a marriage of convenience to him: He helps her get out from under her stepmother’s control and she helps him avoid the lecherous women of the ton. Both of these people are deeply insecure and play an emotionally detached role to protect themselves from being hurt. However, they have great chemistry together and enjoy each other’s company. I really enjoyed this debut novel from this author and am looking forward to reading more.

Advance ebook provided by Entangled Publishing via NetGalley.

One Season with the Duke by Addy DuLac (2023)

Historical romance. Victorian-era England. Standalone novel. Hettie is the niece of a marquess and suddenly being blackmailed by her slimy cousin (who I didn’t catch or remember how he’s related to her) into marriage. She doesn’t like him at all, but seems to go along with it because she doesn’t want to jeopardize her family’s reputation. Meanwhile, her childhood friend Finn is finally back in London having been away for many years taking care of his estates in Scotland. He’s disappointed to learn that Hettie is already engaged, but offers to rescue her from her dire circumstances. These two elope pretty early on in the book and I was really expecting a road trip romance with a big chase from the blackmailer, but we ended up with an overbearing mother-in-law story instead. Plus Hettie’s still keeping the secrets of what she was being blackmailed with, Finn is both arrogant and self-doubting and insecure, and really, the villain took way too long to catch up with them. The childhood friends to lovers romance was nice and I liked how Hettie stood up to her mother-in-law, but overall, this book was just ok. If you like stories where someone swoops in to save a lady from an unwanted marriage to a villain, I also recommend The Work of Art by Mimi Matthews.

Advance ebook provided by Entangled Publishing via NetGalley.

A Duke for Diana by Sabrina Jeffries (2022)

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

The Duke’s Stolen Bride by Sophie Jordan (2019)

Historical romance. Victorian-era England. Book 5 of the Rogue Files series. Impoverished oldest sister Marian seeks to save her family’s circumstance by becoming a courtesan. However, she has no experience at all, so she seeks out the neighborhood depraved duke, Nate, for some lessons. He’s affronted at first, but then gives in, and the relationship is mostly him trying to get her to loosen up. It’s sad to see how very poor Marian and her family are and how their choices are limited, but Nate feels sorry for Marian and also desires her so much that he can’t stay away from her.

Ebook and audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

The Duke’s Wicked Widow by Caroline Lee (2023)

Historical romance. Victorian-era England. Book 5 of the Surprise! Dukes series. I always love a good pregnancy-inheritance scheme. Ellie is at the doorstep of her late husband’s bastard cousin, hoping to get herself impregnated and pass the kid off as the next heir. Fawkes is both insulted and intrigued and ends up complying. While Ellie’s motives may seem selfish, she’s really just trying to protect her stepdaughter and she doesn’t have any place else to go if her in-laws throw her out. There’s a lot of back and forth between Ellie and Fawkes as she tries to get pregnant and he’s keeping secrets about his role as the notorious Duke of Death. However, Fawkes proves to be kind and caring towards Ellie and her stepdaughter when they need it. We also tie back to the overarching drama of the series with a traitor and his supposed agents trying to bring him to justice. We start strong with the physical attraction in this one, with a slow build towards real affection. And we still get all of tongue-in-cheek humor that Caroline Lee’s books always deliver.

Advance ebook provided by Caroline Lee.

All the Duke I Need by Caroline Linden (2022)

Historical romance. Georgian-era England. Book 3 of the Desperately Seeking Duke series. Philippa is the current companion to the duchess, stepdaughter to the duchess’ daughter, and all-around hostess of the castle. However, she knows that her position will likely be displaced when the duke passes away and leaves the castle to one of his heirs. When the new estate steward Will comes to the castle, she’s shocked that he’s young and handsome and has no experience as a steward. He’s just as surprised to find that Philippa is also young and beautiful, even as the duchess’ companion. They bicker and argue at first on how to approach estate improvements, but of course, eventually give into their attraction. Meanwhile, Will is hiding some secrets about his motivation for taking on the estate position and a possible connection to the ducal family. It was interesting to read how Will embraced his responsibilities to the estate and impressed everyone there, including the duke himself, who is usually unwell and isolated.

Ebook and audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

How to Deceive a Duke by Samara Parish (2022)

Edward and Fiona had a weeklong affair once upon a time, and she didn’t know he was a duke, and he thought he could marry her. But when he told his mother, she made him break it off. And so these two dummies have been heartbroken for years and years. Edward was engaged to Amelia from the previous book, but that obviously didn’t work out, and now he’s single and just sort of taking care of his estate or something. Fiona gets arrested dressed as a boy at some point and Edward goes to rescue her from jail, but has to promise to keep her at his house. And of course the forced proximity causes them to finally talk out their issues, but they’re really just still on totally different social planes. Fiona’s trying to sell her inventions, but has to dress up as a boy to do so… and there’s some political drama or danger with her father being the ringleader or something like it.

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

Dangerous Duke by Scarlett Scott (2019)

Historical romance. Victorian-era England. Book 3 of the League of Dukes series. Griffin is a secret agent duke in the special league, but he is currently being accused of treason and being kept locked up in another stuffy duke’s house. That duke’s sister Violet seems to have caught Griffin’s attention, while he has also ignited her passions. Unfortunately, Violet is engaged to someone boring and dull who prefers his botany and overbearing mother to Violet. She doesn’t actually think that Griffin and guilty of treason and proposes to work with him to clear his name. Griffin needs all the help he can get and enjoys Violet’s company, so he agrees to her offer. Both slowly start to open up to each other about their past traumas related to the deaths of their parents, and we see their dangerous scheme fall into place. Plus, the actually traitor is still out there making trouble, so we eventually see how that crime is solved.

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

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

One Night with an Earl by Tina Gabrielle (2021)

Historical romance. Regency or Victorian-era England. Book 1 of the Daring Ladies series. We start strong here right at a brothel, where Ana is trying to lose her virginity before her thirtieth birthday. Ruined by family scandal a decade prior, Ana now works as a chaperone to a young lady making her debut into society. She seeks one night of pleasure and has the brothel madam help her. Oliver is a newly inherited earl after the death of his father and brother (both of whom were irresponsible and gross) and at the brothel with his brother’s friend’s. Of course, Ana and Oliver are instantly attracted and proceed with a tryst. Later, Ana finds Oliver at her house to court her charge and also that his family is the one who ruined hers. So much potential angst and drama here with the intertwined families, plus Ana has been hiding her identity from the world. At some point, I know the lies will catch up to her, but in the meantime, the development of the romance between these two is absolutely delightful.

Ebook purchased via Amazon.

How Not to Marry a Duke by Tina Gabrielle (2023)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 2 of the Daring Ladies series. We follow the duke friend from Book 1 here about a year after that book ends into the country where he is working on his inventions. The Duke of Warwick (known to his sweet godmother as Daniel) is not your typical duke: he’s socially inept and awkward and focuses mostly on his passion for science and technology. While hiding in the country to escape the bustle of town and the matchmaking efforts of his godmother, he meets his new neighbor Adeline, who has her own problems. Adeline is the banished half-sister of an earl who is in the country to work as the village healer; however, her brother has tried to arrange her marriage to a moneylender to pay off his debts. When Warwick overhears the argument between Adeline and her brother, he steps in and says that she cannot marry another because they are courting. We start a fake courtship here so that Warwick can avoid his godmother’s pressure to marry and so that Adeline can avoid her brother’s arranged betrothal. Both characters are pre-occupied with their own individual goals and not looking to marry, especially not to each other. Of course, as they spend more time with each other, they learn to appreciate each other’s strengths, even if typically dismissed by society. I especially loved how Warwick was supportive of Adeline’s work as a healer. The romance built up slowly in this book, but the respect they had for each other was a strong foundation for their partnership.

Advance ebook provided by Entangled Publishing via NetGalley.

Make Mine a Marquess by Tina Gabrielle (2024)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 3 of the Daring Ladies series. The newly returned Marquess of Landon is out for revenge against his cousin, who seems to have orchestrated the shipwreck that left him for dead five years ago. The gross cousin spends money recklessly and is draining the estate’s funds, while also neglecting the tenants and estate repairs. Landon hopes to find evidence of his cousin’s guilt while also seducing the man’s fiancee to add further injury. Phoebe is mostly the innocent victim here, but she was apathetic enough to become engaged to the villain of the story because she wanted to avoid any type of desire or passion. However, all those repressed feelings flare back to life when she meets Landon and is instantly intrigued and attracted to him. She tries and fails to stay away from him and sees that he really is an upstanding guy, for the most part, but she doesn’t yet know that she’s being used for revenge. This was your fairly typical revenge love story and it’ll take a bit of groveling on Landon’s part to get the girl.

Advance ebook provided by Entangled Publishing via NetGalley.

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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.

Mistlefoe by Kimberly Lemming (2021)

Fantasy romance. Novella part of the Mead Mishaps series. Super quick little novella that was a lot of fun. Ruby is the blacksmith’s daughter and all the weapons being forged are cursed into sentient speaking objects that scare away all the customers. Turns out Ruby’s dad stole some ore from a demon, who retaliated with the curse. Ruby goes to find the fox demon and convince him to release the curse, which he will in exchange for her being his fake date mate with benefits to a weeklong Christmas party.

Ebook accessed from Kindle Unlimited.

More or Less a Countess by Anna Bradley (2018)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 2 of the Somerset Sisters series. This one is a bluestocking-rake story with some mistaken identity thrown in the mix. Violet is semi-heartbroken when the guy she’s pining over marries her friend, but she throws herself into writing a book instead, which contains all sorts of gory London history. Rakish Nick is back in London after his father’s death and inheritance of an earldom, but he’s not aiming to stay for long, except that his aunt is forcing him to marry and work on making an heir. When he sees a lovely young lady playing the piano so beautifully, he decides to court her. He thinks he’s courting the youngest sister Hyacinth, but doesn’t realize that he’s actually been spending time with Violet instead, and actually doesn’t know that Violet exists. She’s tried her best to dissuade Nick, especially with his scandalous reputation, but then realizes that he’s useful for escorting her about town to draw sketches for her book. Things get messy when they both develop feelings for each other and the truth of Violet’s identity comes out. I loved how Nick was actually really supportive of Violet’s book and was impressed by her knowledge and cleverness instead of being put off by it. She’s the one here who needs to make up for her deceit though.

Ebook and audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

The Prince’s Bride by Charis Michaels (2024)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 2 of the Hidden Royals series. Gabriel is a French prince who’s been hiding away in a cave in the forest for the past fifteen years and basically a hermit. He very much does not want to rescue a lady who he thinks might be a victim of highwaymen, but the screaming finally get to him and he does. Ryan is the daughter of an earl traipsing through the forest to find her long-lost betrothed (Prince Gabriel) because the prince’s horrible cousin has claimed the title and the betrothal for himself and she does not want to marry him. Lucky for her, she’s stumbled right into the man she’s looking for. Except Gabriel is not interested at all in reclaiming his identity or leaving the forest, which leaves Ryan right where she started. The plus side here is that they’re clearly very attracted to each other and Gabriel can’t seem to stay away from Ryan, even as he’s sending her away. This was a lot of fun to read, especially as we slowly see Gabriel leave his comfort zone.

Advance ebook provided by Avon Books via NetGalley.

More or Less a Temptress by Anna Bradley (2018)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 3 of the Somerset Sisters series. Frail and fragile youngest sister Hyacinth sees a brawl at an inn and then accuses the man of being a murderer when he shows up at a ball. Lachlan is not actually a murderer, but the secret brother of a marquess who has brought his younger brother and sister to England after their mother dies in Scotland. Luckily for everyone, the marquess acknowledges his new family members and hopes to smooth their way into society. Except that whole murder accusation is hovering about and Hyacinth is the one who is outcast and deemed to be a hysterical female. While Hyacinth’s family coddles her, Lachlan sees that she’s actually quite cunning and brave, if only she had the chance to show it. We get to see Hyacinth grow a backbone, especially around Lachlan, who does not treat her as delicately. This was a super fun romance to read.

Ebook and audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

Savor It by Tarah DeWitt (2024)

Contemporary romance. Standalone novel. Small town, temporary neighbors, fake dating romance book here. Everyone’s got issues, but luckily everyone’s closer to talking them through over the summer. Fisher is a chef who got fired from his job, is basically flailing, and the newfound guardian to his orphaned niece. He’s shipped off from New York City to small town Oregon to oversee the completion of a new restaurant there. He’s temporarily staying next door to Sage, who doesn’t have much specific going on in her life, aside from dodging her ex-boyfriend and preparing for the annual festival. We get a bunch of small town nosy hijinks here, which leads to Sage and Fisher fake dating, and then actually falling in love. The whole cast of characters involved with this book makes things both funny and more emotional, with Fisher’s relationship with his niece and Sage’s relationship with her brothers. Get ready for all sorts of emotional upheaval as their temporary relationship starts to wind down.

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

The One That Got Away with Murder by Trish Lundy (2024)

Young adult thriller. Standalone novel. Fun and twisty mystery here. Lauren is the new girl in small town Pennsylvania and she’s got her own secrets that caused her and her mother to move from California. Although she’s trying her best to stay out of trouble, she ends up entangled with Robbie, who is suspected of killing his former girlfriend, even though he was never charged with anything. We delve into a web of other characters with unreliable recollections of what happened to who and when. This was such an interesting story and everyone is looking suspicious, so we never know who’s at fault here. Kept me hooked the whole time.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

This Marquess of Mine by Sylvie Sinclair (2024)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 2 of the Romancing the Rogue series. For various family dynamic reasons, Griffin is roped into escorting his sister and her best friend to various events this season, and Griffin is totally dreading it because he does not like Olivia. And by not like, I mean, he doesn’t like how he feels around her. Which is attracted to her, despite him believing that she’s a shallow title-hunting flirt. She has her own reasons for seeking a higher title, like impressing her disapproving father, but she covers it up by being the perfect society miss. As they spend more time together, they’re really just bickering most of the time, and totally clueless that the other person is pining for the other. I enjoyed reading about Griffin unwillingly lusting after Olivia, giving into her requests, and finally getting a clue and getting it together.

Advance ebook provided by Sylvie Sinclair.

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Useful Resources:

Read more about getting the most out of your library card

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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.

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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.

A Duke’s Guide to Romance by Sophie Barnes (2023)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 1 of the Gentlemen Authors series. Impoverished duke Anthony is worrying about how to secure funds for his sisters’ future debut and is considering a marriage to a wealthy daughter of a viscount. He stumbles upon a bookshop and meets the charming young lady, Ada, who works and lives there with her uncle. At first, he hides the fact that he’s a duke and enjoys a friendship with Ada. She makes an observation that romance novels (like those from Jane Austen) sell quite well, and Anthony takes the idea back to his two friends and propose that they should write a romance novel together to sell for money. Anthony and Ada continue their friendship and he does ultimately tell her who she is. It’s a relatively sweet development of their relationship, despite their differences in social station. There’s some meddling and scheming from the lady that Anthony is purportedly courting, but that eventually gets resolved with some open communication. Overall, an interesting start to this series of gentlemen authors.

Advance ebook provided by Sophie Barnes via NetGalley.

Just Wicked Enough by Lorraine Heath (2007)

Historical romance. Victorian-era England. Book 2 of the Rogues and Roses series. An impoverished marquess holds an auction with the wealthiest American fathers to sell himself in matrimony to the highest bidder. We end up with an arranged marriage between Kate, the younger daughter of an American banker, with Michael, a cold and unemotional marquess. They’re both keeping secrets from each other, but still try to very slowly get to know each other after the wedding. Michael is lonely and unloved, mostly because his mother can’t remember him with her dementia and is kept in an asylum. Kate is pining over her lost love, who her parents accused of being a fortune hunter and has now married someone else. That leaves both Michael and Kate terribly unsure of themselves and in a bit of an animosity-filled relationship. Even with the physical attraction that’s apparent from the beginning, this one is a slow-burn relationship with each person slowly learning to trust the other.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

An Heiress for All Seasons by Sophie Jordan (2014)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 1.5 of the Debutante Files series. Quick, relatively low-angst novella. Violet is an American heiress being shown off around England by her title-seeking mother. She has no intention of marrying anyone in England, since she has a suitor back home, but goes along with her parents until they accept her other suitor. Will is an impoverished earl being set up by his mother to meet Violet, but has no interest in marrying until he actually does meet Violet and is intrigued by her. He spends most of his time trying to pursue her, even though she rebuffs him, and at some point they get stuck in a cabin together during a snowstorm. Easy peasy with fun flirty spice.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

Portraits, Passion, and Other Pastimes by Charlie Lane (2023)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 1 of the Art of Love series. A financially irresponsible marquess puts his family’s livelihood in danger by overspending money on art and frivolity, rather than care for his estate. When his eldest son, Raph, learns of the financial state when the steward quits, he’s shoulders the burden of responsibility to keep them afloat. Unfortunately, he also needs to dismiss his sister’s governess, Matilda, because there’s no money to pay her, but he promises to always help her find a suitable position. Fifteen years later, the marquess has passed away and Raph is still struggling with all the bills. His father has donated all his art, leaving none for his children to sell, except for five items which each person must earn by creating a piece of art themselves and presenting it to their mother for approval. With no talent and not enough time for frivolity, Raph knows that he will not be able to come up with anything to his mother’s standards; nevermind the loud wailing and grieving that his mother is doing to distract him. He decides to hire his mother a companion and seeks out Matilda as the best candidate. She has served as a governess and a companion in the past fifteen years and will soon move to her own cottage. While she rejects the offer from Raph at first, the lady she’s currently serving suggests they go together to help the marchioness with her grief. Raph is also attempting to save the estate by marrying an heiress, but does not feel anything for the ladies he’s courting. With everyone back at the marquess’ estate, Raph and Matilda spend more time together and try to resist their attraction. After all, Matilda is used to a life of work and solitude and Raph needs to marry for money. It was interesting to read all of the family interactions in this story and the support they all have for each other, despite the begrudging feelings towards the old marquess’ spending habits.

Advance ebook provided by Charlie Lane via NetGalley.

An Earl Like You by Caroline Linden (2018)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 2 of the Wagers of Sin series. Hugh has inherited a mountain of debt from his father and decides not to burden his grieving family with the truth of their financial circumstances. Things grow more dire when Hugh’s sister is courting a viscount’s son who will very likely expect a healthy dowry when they ultimately get engaged. Conniving businessman Edward Cross uses Hugh’s secret financial circumstances to coerce the man into courting and marrying his daughter Eliza. While Hugh is hesitant at first, he soon realizes that the shy and kind Eliza is not part of the scheme at all and finds her to be suitable to marry. Eliza was perfectly happy being a spinster and is very surprised to find one of her father’s business associates paying attention to her. Without knowing the deal made by her father and Hugh, she happily accepts his proposal. While Eliza is rebuffed by her new in-laws at first, she slowly starts to earn their acceptance through her kind and caring personality. Hugh’s actions are questionable throughout the book, but he’s clearly attempting to protect his family as best as he can; however, I knew that I was waiting for everything to blow up and for him to have to admit his actions to everyone.

Ebook and audiobook 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.

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.

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.

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

The Heiress Gets a Duke by Harper St. George (2021)

Historical romance. Victorian-era England. Book 1 of the Gilded Age Heiresses series. A semi-tragic prologue starts the series with Camille, an American heiress, being married off to a much older and impoverished duke in England against her wishes. August is one of Camille’s friends who sees how awful the whole situation is and is thankful that her own parents would never do such a thing to her or her sister. Fast forward to a few months later, when August visits England with her parents and younger sister, and her parents are doing exactly what she feared. They attempt to set up a match between younger sister Violet and impoverished duke Evan, but August intends to thwart it. It doesn’t much matter since Evan prefers the fiesty August instead and tries to convince her to marry him. He needs the money because his father’s antiquated ideals have left the estate in much debt and the tenants on his lands are suffering. August refuses because she would prefer to stay working for her father’s company and has no interest in becoming a duchess. There’s a lot of cajoling involved here, even though these two are very clearly attracted to each other. The romance was great here and I enjoyed seeing August’s family dynamic. We also get to meet all the key players in future books of the series.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

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Slightly Married by Mary Balogh (2003)

Book 1 of Bedwyn Series. Aidan Bedwyn makes a promise to a dying soldier on the battlefield to notify the man’s sister of his demise and protect her no matter what. He finds Eve at her home and tells her the bad news; she informs Aidan that she does not need anything from him and he can consider his promise fulfilled. However, Aidan learns that Eve is in danger of losing her home and inheritance to another relative now that her brother is dead. He proposes that they marry so she can keep her home (and all the occupants she’s acquired) and then go their separate ways. Of course, they keep getting thrown back together, especially after Aidan’s older brother (the Duke of Bewcastle) learns of their marriage. We start to see the family dynamics here of all those interfering Bedwyns. They need to present Eve to society even when she resists due to being in mourning for her brother. And as Eve starts to integrate more with the Bedwyn family, we slowly see Aidan soften towards Eve and her adoptive children and want to make their marriage real.

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

The Earl Was Wrong by Britt Belle (2023)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 1 of the Greydon series. Sebastian is trying his best to be the stuffiest earl in town, since his debaucherous parents were embarrassing and his father was incapable of being financially responsible. When he finds that his younger sister is skirting ruin, his friend advises that he take a wife. Sebastian asks his aunt for a recommendation and she points out Emmaline, the sister of a viscount who appears to be practical and responsible. Emmaline is surprised to find the handsome earl asking her to dance and then asking to court her, but she believes that he would be her only chance at marriage and children and agrees to marry him. While Emmaline tries her best to be a good wife and member of her new family, Sebastian is cold and distant. He has an underlying fear of love and passion, believing that he will turn into his flighty and irresponsible father if he gives into such emotions. Basically, Emmaline is awesome throughout this book and Sebastian is the one who needs to grow and realize the woman and family he has in front of him. This was an entertaining debut from Britt Belle and I’m looking forward to reading more about the Greydons.

Advance ebook provided by Britt Belle.

A Deal with the Earl by Sadie Bosque (2021)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 1 of the Necessary Arrangements series. Julie is the daughter of a cruel and oppressive marquess and avoiding marriage during her Seasons while she waits for her childhood sweetheart to return home from war. Unfortunately, her father has set up a match with Robert, an earl and heir to a duke, and she can’t get out of it. Despite starting off angry at being managed and betrothed without her knowledge, Julie soon makes a deal with Robert that she will go through with the marriage if he helps get her sister out of an asylum and bring her home to live with them; in exchange, she will provide the heirs that Robert needs. While these two don’t trust each other at first, once we see how kind Robert is towards Julie’s sister, even Julie accepts that he is a good person and that their marriage is the only way to have rescued her sister. The romance here is incredibly slow-burn, but satisfying to read.

Ebook accessed from Kindle Unlimited.

The Taming of a Highlander by Elisa Braden (2020)

Historical romance. Regency-era Scotland. Book 2 of the Midnight in Scotland series. Kate Huxley is in Scotland visiting her brother and trying to finish writing her novel (or play) so that she can be financially independent and never need to get married. Except that she may or may not have witnessed a man committing murder and is now in some sort of legal entanglement with a sergeant who wants to know what she saw. Broderick had been wrongfully imprisoned, beaten to near death, and scarred last year and after his recovery, seeks revenge on the man who orchestrated his downfall. Unfortunately, Kate’s disruption in the woods has caused his quarry to escape, plus the unwanted attention of the law. Kate and Broderick end up in a marriage of convenience to prevent the law from compelling her to testify against her husband. They fall in love in pretty short order and Broderick’s protective instincts flare when Kate becomes a target for the madman.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

Cinderella and the Duke by Lydia Drake (2022)

Historical romance, Regency-ish era England. Julia is the Cinderella in the story, escorting her younger stepsister to a ball while her stepmother is ill. This is Julia’s one chance to find a husband, since her stepmother refuses to let Julia go to any balls. While protecting a rake from being compromised by a lady and called out in a duel by her husband, she kisses him and then runs away, thinking that she’s ruined. When the rake, our duke Gregory, comes to call the next day with her lost slipper, she proposes a marriage of convenience to him: He helps her get out from under her stepmother’s control and she helps him avoid the lecherous women of the ton. Both of these people are deeply insecure and play an emotionally detached role to protect themselves from being hurt. However, they have great chemistry together and enjoy each other’s company. I really enjoyed this debut novel from this author and am looking forward to reading more.

Advance ebook provided by Entangled Publishing via NetGalley.

Yours Truly, The Duke by Amelia Grey (2023)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 1 of the Say I Do series. We start here with one of the silliest reasons for a marriage of convenience, which is an inheritance-related reason. Our duke Wyatt has just been informed that he needs to marry within 7 days to keep the property that his grandmother left for him. Not to worry though, his solicitor has already found him a bride: Fredericka is in a custody battle with her cousin over the guardianship of her sister’s orphaned children and needs a husband to bolster her cause. When the duke shows up at her house to offer marriage, she’s stunned and would rather have had more time to consider the proposal, but they’re on a time crunch, so she accepts. Along the way, we find that Fredericka is the strict caregiver and expecting proper behavior from the children (but mostly so she doesn’t get the kids taken away from her) and Wyatt is the one who wants to see the kids rambunctiously playing. These two are constantly bickering from their opposing views on childrearing, plus misinterpreting each other’s words anytime they’re speaking. It was a fun book to read and I’ll definitely be reading more from this author.

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

Never Marry a Cowboy by Lorraine Heath (2001)

Historical romance. Post-Civil War Texas. Book 3 of the Rogues in Texas series. We start with a tragic prologue here which explains how Kit was in love with his twin brother’s wife who passes away from cancer. We jump back into the town of Fortune, Texas, where Kit has been living for the past few years and even elected as the town marshal. An old friend comes to visit to ask him to grant his sister the dying wish of being a bride. Despite refusing at first, Kit ends up spending the day with Ashton and decides to bring her some joy with a wedding. While their relationship starts as a temporary bargain, the more time Kit spends with Ashton, the more he wants to provide for her and give her experiences to remember. We also get to see Kit’s brother come to town bearing secrets to be revealed and then developing a quick romance with one of the widows in town.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

The Scoundrel Falls Hard by Sophie Jordan (2022)

Historical romance. Victorian-era England. Book 3 of the Duke Hunt series. Kellan and his father have been swindling a country village by posting as the new duke and heir. The village people are out for blood and have chased after Kellan and plan to hang him. The local blacksmith Gwen believes this to be cruel and unjust so she tries to save Kellan by declaring that she’s in love with him, despite not knowing him at all. To prove that they’re actually in love, the banns are called for a wedding between the two. In the three weeks of their engagement, Gwen and Kellan come to an agreement for a marriage of convenience where Kellan will assist Gwen around the house and smithy. While Gwen insists on keeping the marriage platonic, we’ll see how long that lasts with the ever-charming and protective Kellan.

Ebook and audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

Devil in Winter by Lisa Kleypas (2006)

Book 3 of Wallflowers Series. Evie Jenner is desperate to escape her overbearing guardians. She knows the only way to do that and to see her father before he dies is to wed. Evie proposes a marriage of convenience to an equally desperate gentleman: Sebastian, Lord St. Vincent. After their elopement, they return to Evie’s father’s gambling club, where he is on his deathbed. Evie has assumed that she and Sebastian would lead separate lives after he collects her dowry, so she is surprised to find him integrating himself into running the club. As Evie finds herself in peril from others, Sebastian is compelled to protect her. Their marriage may turn out to be more emotionally entangled than initially intended. This one gets a lot of positive reviews for the reformed rake trope here. St. Vincent is essentially a villain towards Evie’s friend Lillian in the previous book, and Evie totally takes advantage of that desperation for her own purposes. It’s crazy to see the amount of turnaround that St. Vincent goes through over the course of the book when you see him slowly fall in love with his own wife.

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

A Bride for His Convenience by Edith Layton (2008)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Standalone romance. Impoverished marquis Ian needs to marry a wealthy woman to restore his estates and pay for his ailing brother’s medical care. He’s pretty upset at having to sell himself into matrimony but finds Hannah to be a quiet biddable woman to marry. Hannah has only agreed to have her father buy her a husband after her heart was broken by a neighbor who left her for another woman. Though Hannah agrees to keep things practical in her marriage to Ian, she is very much attracted to him and finds that she likes him the more she gets to know him. Of course, Ian is determined to keep his distance and avoid getting emotionally entangled, especially as his pride is wounded by having to marry for money. These two toggle between direct communication and walking on eggshells around each other, wanting not to offend or demand too much of each other. However, this makes for a delightful slow-burn when they slowly become allies, then friends, and then more.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

Blame It on Bath by Caroline Linden (2012)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 2 of The Truth About the Duke series. This book follows the youngest son of the duke Gerard who was an army officer on leave from his duties after his father’s death. With the rumors surrounding his father’s secret wife, Gerard is contemplating marrying an heiress to secure his finances. Luckily for him, he has been proposed to by a quiet and unassuming widow, Katherine, who seeks to free herself from marrying her late husband’s nephew. Gerard agrees to the proposal and also tries to gain Katherine’s affections in the process. After a hasty wedding, they’re off to Bath where Gerard attempts to find the person who was blackmailing his father with knowledge of the long-ago secret marriage. While Gerard is good-natured and easy-going with his new wife, she is insecure and wary of his motives. She’s had a history of being brow-beaten by her social climbing mother and poor treatment by her late husband. It takes quite a bit of effort on both Gerard and Katherine’s parts for her to trust him.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

Ravishing the Heiress by Sherry Thomas (2012)

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

Ebook and audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

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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!

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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.

Lady Eleanor’s Seventh Suitor by Anna Bradley (2017)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 1 of the Sutherland Sisters series. Eleanor is the sister of an earl who is renowned for rejecting a multitude of suitors, but really, she’s just trying to hold out until she falls in love. Unfortunately, Camden has decided to orchestrate her sister’s potential ruin so that he can blackmail Eleanor into marriage. He’s got his own ulterior motives on why he wants to marry into Eleanor’s prestigious family and it’s not for her dowry money. He basically wants the good name of the Sutherland family to elevate his own status and provide societal acceptance for his younger sister. Eleanor is trying her best to dissuade Camden from the match, and also trying not to get her heart entangled or broken in the process. It’s an emotional mess all the way through, but super interesting to read.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

Lady Charlotte’s First Love by Anna Bradley (2017)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 2 of the Sutherland Sisters series. Charlotte is a widowed marchioness courting scandal and ruin with her new wicked widow friends and the newly returned army hero Julian is tasked by his cousin to oversee and protect her. Except that’s a terrible idea because Julian and Charlotte have a complicated history: he seduced her so that his cousin could blackmail her sister into marriage, then she married someone else, and he joined the army. Now she’s a widow and all sorts of emotionally distraught and he’s come back from war with his own emotional distress. It’s a bad match all around, except for those nostalgic feelings and their attraction for each other. This book was delightfully chaotic to read and I was just waiting to see when they’d finally talk through their problems.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

Twelfth Night with the Earl by Anna Bradley (2017)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 3 of the Sutherland Sisters series. This book packs an emotional transformation in a relatively quick novella. Ethan is a debauched earl and rumored to have murdered his older brother coming to his estate in Cornwall to close it down for good. He does not find the house abandoned as he expected, but a full blown Christmas party is taking place. The new housekeeper of the estate is his childhood friend Thea who has made this place her home and she’s stubborn about the idea of being kicked out. She takes this opportunity to try to remind Ethan about his happy memories of the house to convince him to stay. However, despite their childhood crushes on each other, Ethan’s got way too many demons regarding this house, the death of his mother, and the death of his brother. And now that he’s there, he’s got to face all these feelings he’s been trying to repress as he leads his scandalous life in London. It was nice seeing Ethan slowly start to reconnect with Thea as well as connect with the orphan children who are temporarily occupying the house. But he’s not sure if her feelings are true or if she’s just doing whatever it takes to keep the house open. Complicated mess, but fun to read.

Ebook 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

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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.

Lord of Temptation by Lorraine Heath (2012)

Historical romance. Victorian-era England. Book 2 of the Lost Lords of Pembrooke series. The daughter of an earl seeks out a ship captain to take her to where her fiance died in battle so she can say goodbye and move on with her life. Except Tristan is no ordinary ship captain; he’s one of the lost lords who ran away from his evil uncle as a teenager and created a new life for himself at sea. Despite his brother reclaiming his rightful place as duke, Tristan feels that he doesn’t belong in society and prefers his position as Captain Crimson Jack. When Lady Anne comes to seek a private voyage, he doesn’t need the money she offers but instead demands a kiss, thinking that he’ll be able to seduce her into more. On Anne’s side of things, she’s been grieving her fiance and regretting an argument that they had before he shipped off to war and she’s hoping that this journey will give her closure and the ability to move on. Luckily for her, she’s rediscovering that she does have the ability to move on as she’s attracted to the gruff ship captain. But even with the attraction between the two, they have very different goals in life, positions in society, and Anne doesn’t even know that Tristan is actually a lord. Lots of delicious drama in this one, especially when they return from the voyage.

Ebook and audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

Deck the Halls With Love by Lorraine Heath (2012)

Historical romance. Victorian-era England. Book 2.5 of the Lost Lords of Pembrooke series. Super quick little novella here. A marquess who was misguidedly engaged to someone else earlier in the year is at a Christmas house party hoping to win back the woman he’s really in love with. Except that now she’s engaged to someone else and he needs to convince her to choose him instead. Luckily a convenient snowstorm helps move things along.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

Lord of Wicked Intentions by Lorraine Heath (2013)

Historical romance. Victorian-era England. Book 3 of the Lost Lords of Pembrooke series. Youngest brother of a duke who ran away from a murderous uncle is now the owner of a gambling hell after growing up in a workhouse and the streets of St. Giles. Despite his rightful status as a lord, he doesn’t move in polite society and is still generally resentful of the pampered aristocrats he serves at his club. One such aristocrat is auctioning off his illegitimate sister’s virginity after their father’s death, without the knowledge and consent of that sister. Sweet and naive Evelyn is terrified to learn of her new fate as mistress to cold and gruff Rafe, but realizes that she doesn’t have any options, as her father had kept her coddled with no security for her future. I loved seeing Rafe being protective and caring towards Evelyn, despite his claims that he has no heart. It was also great seeing Evelyn embrace her new role and assert herself and her independence. This book also nicely makes steps towards reuniting the estranged brothers and seeing their ladies keep them all in check.

Ebook and audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

How to Woo a Wallflower by Christy Carlyle (2017)

Historical romance. Victorian-era England. Book 3 of the Romancing the Rules series. Much of this book takes place at the publishing house that Clarissa and her siblings own, though there’s definitely some secret backstory about the manager Gabriel and the seedier neighborhoods in London. We actually get to see Gabriel and Clarissa running into each other in Whitechapel (not a nice neighborhood) when Gabriel is trying to find his mother and Clarissa is working at a charity girls school. He’s normally straightlaced and proper and doesn’t want anyone to know his origins. Meanwhile, Clarissa is bright and cheery and outspoken and he hates the idea that she’s basically his boss and way above his station. When Clarissa learns that her inheritance is tied up in a dowry, she’s determined to make her own money and her brother sets her up to be mentored by Gabriel on how to run to publishing house. They’re both generally irritated by each other, but mostly because of the underlying attraction between them. It’s fun to see Clarissa basically wear down all of Gabriel’s defenses and surprise him with her affection.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

Stealing Home by Grace Reilly (2023)

Contemporary sports romance. Book 3 of the Beyond the Play series. We get to see hints of a Sebastian-Mia relationship developing in the previous book of the series, since Sebastian’s brother and Mia’s best friend are a couple and the social spheres have overlapped. Except that Mia is basically running away from any type of serious relationship and Sebastian is heartbroken when Mia stands him up for a date. We start the main story here during Summer semester when college baseball is still going for Sebastian, and also a Summer lab internship for Mia. When her dorm floods, Sebastian offers her a room at his house that he normally shares with his siblings (who are all conveniently out of town for the Summer). These two are clearly still pining for each other and quickly restart their physical relationship, even though they’re not anticipating anything more serious. They’ve each got their own career struggles, with Mia being a scientist and dealing with her family’s disapproval, and Sebastian trying to live up to his late father’s baseball reputation. There’s a lot of individual growth that both people need to deal with, in addition to their relationship issues. This book has a lot of fun spicy scenes, along with the interesting plotlines. And I loved Sebastian’s show of support for Mia in this big grand gesture at the end.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

More or Less a Marchioness by Anna Bradley (2018)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 1 of the Somerset Sisters series. Even though Iris is betrothed to an eligible marquess, she’s unsure of his affections for her and contrives a situation where he’ll kiss her. The ever-proper Finn rejects the opportunity out of propriety, but we soon learn that he was trying to distract Iris from the expected presence of his former mistress. The naive Iris learns a few new things about her fiance and decides they won’t suit after all. She’s also realized that this prim and proper persona she’s adopted is very different from her true personality and is determined to be herself from now own. Just as Iris is rejecting Finn, he’s starting to appreciate her spark and possibly falling for her for real, and not just as a marchioness contender. There’s lots of fun banter and flirting as these two reconnect and he tries very hard to convince her to stay engaged to him.

Ebook and audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas (2015)

Fantasy romance. Book 1 of the A Court of Thorns and Roses series. Finally reading this series after years of hearing about it because my local indie bookstore is doing a readalong for the series. And it was a slow start for me until Feyre and Tamlin started interacting with each other more. Feyre is basically living in poverty and supporting her older sisters and father by hunting for food and when she kills a wolf she shouldn’t have, a beastly faerie comes to claim her life in exchange. He basically takes her home with him and cuts off all contact with her family and she’s meant to be a prisoner in the faerie lands for life. Feyre is pretty slow to trust due to all the stories and rumors she’s heard growing up, and Tamlin is distant and aloof. We see a fairly slow burn type of romance here between the two as Feyre learns more about her surroundings and the dangers that are being inflicted upon Tamlin’s people. Once some more of the action-adventure aspects of the story got going, I definitely found myself more engaged. It was a great introduction to the series and now I’m looking forward to reading more.

Ebook and audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

Unladylike Rules of Attraction by Amita Murray (2024)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 2 of the Marleigh Sisters series. Anya and Damian meet under antagonistic terms when a dowager countess leaves Anya a great fortune that hinges on her marrying someone with Damian’s approval as the trustee to the funds. Anya has a slightly scandalous reputation as the illegitimate daughter of an English lord and current status as a court singer, but she’s resolved to find a convenient husband to fulfill the terms of her inheritance. Except that the late dowager’s family is scheming to get their hands on the funds instead, setting off a load of drama that puts both Anya and Damian at huge amounts of risk. We get to see Anya and Damian start a physical relationship, even though both are wary of any deeper emotional connection. The romance is fairly straightforward here, but the manipulations of external villains are the driver of the story. I was super invested in finding out how they resolve all of these other issues and find their way to safety and security.

Advance ebook provided by Avon Books via NetGalley.

When the Earl Desired Me by Lydia Lloyd (2024)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 3 of the Rake Chronicles series. This one is a second chance romance between an earl and a former maid in his house who he has not seen in thirteen years. Augustus and Olivia has a secret relationship many years ago until she disappears out of the blue and leaves him heartbroken. It turns out that she received a note from him dismissing her and asking her to leave. Clearly, he was not the one to have left this note, but that doesn’t change the fact that she leaves the country. She’s back now as a lady’s companion and these two have a chance to reconnect. Augustus is determined to never let her out of his sight again and is serious in his intentions for her. It also turns out that his rakish reputation is not what it seems and I love how he reveals all of this to Olivia. Super steamy and sweet all at once.

Advance ebook provided by Lydia Lloyd via BookSprout.

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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

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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.