Weekly Reads: April 28 to May 4, 2025

A Duke for All Seasons by Fenna Edgewood (2022)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 3 of the Must Love Scandal series. Maggie is a maid in a duke’s household who had been raped and impregnated by the old duke and about to be thrown out by the widowed duchess. But new duke Lance is here to save the day, first by insisting that Maggie stay in the castle, and second by marrying her to provide for her unborn child. I love a good marriage of convenience story, especially one with such protection and caretaking. We unravel more of the overarching mystery of human trafficking and see Lance uncover all his uncle’s secrets. This one kept me reading the whole way through to see how Lance and Maggie finally learn to trust each other. Loads of drama and angst.

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

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The Bluestocking Beds Her Bride by Fenna Edgewood (2022)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 4 of the Must Love Scandal series. We finally get the conclusion to all of the terrible dealings of the Black Lodge here and we get to see our favorite side characters, Julia and Fleur get their own happy endings. Julia is the daughter of a marquess who has given up on society’s rules and runs her society for endangered women. It’s also an open secret that Julia prefers to spend her intimate encounters with women. After some tragic events of her own, Fleur and her childhood friend Jasper have landed in London to help teach at the society, but Fleur is terrible with children and tries to solicit Julia for a new role. Fleur somehow gets roped into a rescue mission at a house party and learns a lot more about herself along the way. I loved seeing the prickly Fleur learn to actually have emotions and take risks, plus loads of action-adventure with our external mystery. Excellent conclusion to the series.

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

The Duke’s Spinster by Eliana Piers (2025)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 1 of the Duke Dare series. This book had a lot of How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days vibes, with both parties being involved in a bet of some sort. Lady Boudicca is dared by her sisters to snare a duke even though she’s pretty much a spinster and does not have any interest in marrying. Meanwhile Wesley is bet by his friends to court and propose to the next woman he bumps into at a ball, and he unfortunately bumps right into Boudicca. It’s a tragic sort of courting because Wesley thinks that it’ll be easy to impress any woman, and Boudicca is giving him crap for not bringing flowers on his first visit. It was fun to see these two people try so hard not to fall into a trap, and end up in love anyway.

Ebook accessed from Kindle Unlimited.

Kiss Me, Maybe by Gabriela Gamez (2025)

Contemporary romance. Book 2 of the Librarians in Love series. Excellent read, seriously. Angela is embroiled in TikTok virality and also admits to being never been kissed or in any sort of relationship. There’s a whole lot of self-doubt and self-discovery baked into this story, as Angela navigates her desire to connect with others along with trying not to fall fully in love with her crush Krystal. Angela decides upon some sort of scavenger hunt for the ladies of the internet to give Angela her first kiss, and she recruits Krystal to assist, even though there’s clearly simmering feelings between them. We get some more messy drama in the form of Angela’s bullying cousins, and Krystal’s romantic backstory. I loved reading these two crushes become friends and then more.

Advance ebook provided by Forever Books via NetGalley. Advance audiobook provided by Hachette Audio via NetGalley. Final print book provided by Forever Books.

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The Duke’s Goddess by Eliana Piers (2025)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 2 of the Duke Dare series. It’s Joan’s turn to try to snare her duke, but she’s not interested either. Somehow, she gets caught up with rakish duke James in playing matchmaker for their friends instead. And as they spend more time together, Joan starts to realize she’s actually attracted to this guy and James realizes that maybe he’s capable of love after all. This one is a quick and solid read with just the right amount of steam.

Advance ebook provided by Dragonblade Books via NetGalley.

Left of Forever by Tarah DeWitt (2025)

Contemporary romance. Book 2 of the Spunes series. Loved it so much! Get ready for all sorts of emotional turmoil. Wren and Ellis became parents at age 17 and 18, got married young, and got divorced about 5 years ago. Now, their son is off to college, and Ellis is suggesting a victory road trip, just the two of them. He’s clearly got motives of getting her back and it’s nice that he’s actually up front about it before they begin. This book is emotionally heavy as they deal with all the things they bottled up those years ago, and try to learn to communicate between in the present. I loved seeing these two work out their issues and actually talk to each other about their worries and dreams. There’s also a really good mix of humor and spice throughout the book. Excellent read.

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

When the Marquess Needed Me by Lydia Lloyd (2025)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 4 of the Rake Chronicles series. Leith is pretty much the most uptight and repressed sort of fellow I’ve ever read and basically beds all his mistresses completely clothed and in a perfunctory nature. It all changes with Beatrice though, who demands to be bedded with more skill and variety as she learns to be a courtesan. Of course, everyone gets their feelings involved and both of these people need to let go of their separate hang-ups, but it was really nice to see two people communicate well and let down their walls. Loads of spice, flirting, banter, and a whole lot of teary-eyed emotional support. Excellent conclusion to the series.

Advance ebook provided by Tule Books via BookSprout.