A Counterfeit Betrothal by Mary Balogh (1992)
Book 2 of the Waite series. So this one starts with a group of young people picnicking and one of them decides she wants to see her estranged parents get together, so she plots a betrothal with her friend (who is slightly rakish and unsuitable) so that her parents will be forced to spend time together, either to break up the engagement or to stay for the wedding planning. Most of this book does actually have to do with the parents’ relationship and only very little of the fake betrothed couple. We get to see an older couple who have been apart for over a decade, only corresponding through letters and shared custody of their daughter. We find out the cause of that estrangement and whether or not they can overcome it. This story is actually intensely emotional, with bits of lighthearted fun with the younger couple. Definitely an interesting set up using the fake engagement to further a different romance plot that you would not have expected from reading the summary alone.
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Mr. Grier and the Governess by Sophie Barnes (2022)
With no family or money, Olivia sets out for a housemaid position but finds it has already been filled. The kind housekeeper and butler decide to help her and set her up as governess to the ward of the house. She’s highly educated, but very sheltered due to her upbringing. Grayson returns home when he hears of the new governess and is baffled by his attraction to her. She’s slowly working on her sister’s list of dreams and finds ways to incorporate them in her experiences. It’s a slow burn romance that’s very sweet aside from meddlesome neighbors, an ex-mistress, and mischievous brother.
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Scandalous Summer Nights by Anne Barton (2014)
Historical romance, Regency-era England. Book 3 of the Honeycotes series. Duke’s sister Olivia has been pining for her brother’s solicitor friend for the past decade. When she learns that he is planning to leave for a two-year expedition to Egypt, she finally declares her feelings for him and sets out to convince him of her affections. However, her impulsive nature and lack of caution land them in a series of disastrous events. While this book had its humorous moments, Olivia’s chaotic energy was awkward for me to read. Also, whenever James seemed to have something serious to talk about, they kept getting interrupted (either by external circumstances or Olivia’s distractions). It was still an enjoyable read and added more drama to the Honeycotes series, but not my fave of the series.
Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.
Between the Devil and Desire by Lorraine Heath (2008)
Historical romance. Victorian-era England. Book 2 of the Scoundrels of St. James series. Widowed duchess Olivia finds that her late husband has left the guardianship of her son and the ownership of her house to renowned scoundrel and gambling hell owner Jack Dodger. She’s aghast at the situation and strives to be proper in all things, except that she’s distracted by her own physical attraction towards the man. Jack had been abandoned by his mother, abused by an older gentleman, and then survived on the streets before his friend Luke was found to be an earl’s grandson and Jack came along for a proper education. Upon receiving a windfall, Jack opened his gambling hell and makes his fortune from aristrocrats’ losses. He’s just as curious as Olivia as to why a near-stranger would have entrusted his son to Jack’s care, so Jack sets his investigator friend on the case. As Jack and Olivia navigate their new proximity to each other, Olivia starts to see how she has misjudged Jack since he’s basically the best guardian ever to her son. As much as they both try to resist each other, that can only last so long.
Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.
The Elusive Wife by Callie Hutton (2013)
Historical romance, Regency England. Book 1 of the Marriage Mart Mayhem series. As a stipulation of the late earl’s will, Jason needs to fulfill an arranged marriage to inherit. He is completely drunk through the wedding and abandons his new wife immediately the next morning. The new countess Olivia is appalled and embarrassed with her new situation and goes to London to visit her friend and confront her wayward husband. When they see each other at a ball, he doesn’t recognize her at all and proceeds to flirt with her, even though he at least knows he’s married. While she is angry at him, he’s so besotted that he seeks an annulment from his wife so that he can pursue the beautiful lady from the ball (even though that woman is actually his wife!). A humorous set up and then when the truth finally tumbles out, our earl is trying very hard to woo his wife and make the marriage work, even as she is skeptical and resists.
Ebook accessed from Kindle Unlimited.
The Duke’s Daring Bride by Caroline Lee (2023)
Historical romance. Victorian-era England. Book 4 of the Surprise! Dukes series. Alistair is a reclusive duke who does not speak but makes his case in the House of Lords through letters and support documents; at night, he stalks the streets fighting crime as the Dark Knight. One night, he saves Olivia from ruin while she’s out there looking for a story that might save her newspaper. One of her investors just happens to be Alistair and she shows up at his house the next day to ask for him to reinstate his financial support, not knowing he was the one who saved her. He decides to propose to her in exchange for the newspaper support, mostly because he needs a wife, but doesn’t want to go out into society to acquire one. These two enter into a marriage of convenience, but have an instant attraction for each other. It’s fun to read about Olivia integrating into Alistair’s boisterous family: a meddling mother and two quirky younger sisters. Of course we also get a slow progression of Alistair and Olivia learning to trust each other and fall in love. This one was another great book in the series and I love how everything ties back to the overarching villain of the series.
Advance ebook provided by Caroline Lee.
Six Degrees of Scandal by Caroline Linden (2016)
Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 4 of the Scandalous series. This book starts with a heartbreaking prologue where Olivia and James meet as youths, are nearly engaged, and then Olivia is married off in exchange for money for her father’s debts. Ten years later, Olivia is widowed and being pursued by one of her late husband’s associates looking for smuggled treasure. When Olivia flees London to investigate a lead, she’s soon caught by James who vows to assist her and secure her safety. He’s been feeling guilty and regretful ever since he missed his chance to marry her all those years ago. We get these two partnering up to solve the mystery her late husband left behind and rekindling their lost love. Super interesting to uncover the mystery and see it tie back to characters from previous books in the series. And we eventually unmask the writer of the notoriously scandalous pamphlet that has been circulating in London.
Ebook and audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby.
A Wallflower’s Folly by Amanda Mariel (2019)
Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 1 of the Fated for a Rogue series. Olivia and William were betrothed by their parents as children, but Olivia hasn’t heard from William in about 15 years. She believed that he was not interested in actually marrying her, so she is happy to live as an independent spinster without a husband. William finally decides he needs a wife to assist with his younger sisters’ debut into society, so he comes to collect his betrothed and is surprised to find that she is completely resistant to the idea of marriage. He softens up pretty quickly and feels guilty for having ignored her all these years and attempts to make amends. This one is a quick novella that’s relatively low-angst and fun to read.
Ebook borrowed from my local library via Hoopla.
The Love Match by Lily Maxton (2014)
Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 3 of the Sisters of Scandal series. Novella-length story. With Olivia’s older sisters settled and married, her mother is now trying to make a suitable match for the shy and bookish Olivia. At a house party, Olivia’s non-flirtatious demeanor has caught the attention of William, a mere mister who’s known to be a flirt. They start a dalliance while at the house party despite having no intention of courting or marrying. I think I liked this one best out of the three novellas since William was so good at defending Olivia when needed.
Ebook and audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby.
Wallflower Gone Wild by Maya Rodale (2014)
Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 2 of the Wallflower Trilogy series. Lady Olivia has a reputation of being the ultra demure wallflower with an overbearing mother. Since she has no suitors in sight, her parents have arranged for her to marry the Mad Baron. Olivia is not interested in marrying this stranger, so she plans to behave poorly to convince him to stop his pursuit of her. Phinn would rather spend time building machines than interact with society and has no idea that the scandal of his first wife’s death still circulates among debutantes. As he meets and attempts to court Olivia, he’s baffled by her behavior and wonders what has happened to the biddable and demure young lady her parents described. It’s a comedy of errors for everyone, as Phinn tries to woo Olivia using bad advice from his friend, and Olivia is completely fearful of the man while also trying to behave scandalously. It’s the slowest of slow burns here as Phinn learns to actually listen to Olivia, and Olivia learns the truth behind the rumors and slowly trusts Phinn.
Ebook and audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby.
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