July 2023 New Releases in Historical Romance Books (and a few contemporary romance books)

Bed Me, Duke by Felicity Niven (2023)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 1 of the Bed Me Books series. The action starts in chapter 1 with our countess (in her own right) Helen asking Jack for lessons in seduction so that she can somehow convince the new duke to marry her. Although we find out that the plain old Jack, retired ship captain, is actually the new duke but he has been a commoner in disguise as he gets the lay of the land. We rewind to three weeks prior when Jack finds out that he has inherited after his cousin dies, and learns a bit more of his backstory and why he treats women with such distrust. Loved the character build of Jack and you definitely understand why he is the way he is. When he goes to visit his new estate in Scotland, he uses his common name and does not let anyone know he’s the duke, when he meets Helen, the neighboring countess. She has had her own share of struggles with an impoverished estate and sees marriage to the new duke as a solution to her troubles. She’s also terribly unsure of herself as a woman and lack of sensual appeal, even if she’s a strong and effective leader. Helen is loud and brash and forthright and somehow all of these things appeal very much to Jack, who is the most appealing and desirable man that Helen has ever seen. We get to see Helen and Jack slowly fall in love, but really cannot commit to each other, since Helen needs to snare the duke despite her ugly appearance, and Jack feels guilty for deceiving Helen about his identity. It’s a horrible muddle that will keep you reading to find out how it resolves.

Advance ebook provided by Felicity Niven.

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The Wicked Heir by Merry Farmer (2023)

Historical romance. Victorian-era England. Book 1 of the Secrets of Nedworth Hall series. Lady Patience is sent off to a summer house party by her mother, hoping that the bookish bespectacled Patience will make a match and marry. The house party is full of intrigue as everyone tries to figure out who the mystery heir to a fortune is. Arden is a renowned rake and scoundrel, but really he just gambles to make money to send to the orphanage that his mother runs. Both Patience and Arden think that the other person is the mystery heir and attempt to seduce the truth out of the other one. The seduction part works to assist them falling in love with each other, at the very least. Quick and fun steamy read.

Advance ebook provided by Merry Farmer via BookSprout.

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What’s a Duke Got to Do With It by Christina Britton (2023)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 2 of the Synneful Spinsters series. We start with a tragic prologue for Katrina, who is the sister of a baronet, enjoying her first flirtatious season. Just as it seems like her flirtation with a young lord might be headed somewhere, he’s called away from a ball unexpectedly. What follows is another lord sneaking into her window uninvited, being caught by her brother, and imminent scandal. Years later, Katrina is resigned to living as a companion to a stern dowager viscountess. And that idiot lord has attempted again to climb into her window, this time falling to his death, and causing tons more scandal for Katrina. Meanwhile, Sebastian (the man called away from that last ball) has been digging his way out of his father’s debts and is on the cusp of marrying a wealthy heiress. He just needs to fulfill one assignment for her father, which is to distract her brother from marrying an actress. Sebastian and his charge find themselves hosted by the dowager viscountess. Sebastian and Katrina have the opportunity to meet again and reconnect, even though both of their circumstances have changed, and for very practical reasons, they don’t have a future together. It was still fun to read how much Sebastian has been pining for Katrina all these years and how Katrina’s odd group of friends rally behind her. And the matchmaking dowager is also the best.

Advance ebook provided by Forever Books via NetGalley.

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Odds on the Rake by Sofie Darling (2023)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 1 of the All’s Fair in Love and Racing series. Gemma dresses up as a stable hand to infiltrate the Duke of Rakesley’s racing stable and collect information for a rival horseman. Gemma and her twin brother were the illegitimate children of an earl and are running away from his overbearing care. When Gemma gets to the duke’s stables, she has a way with the wild and untrained horse and quickly moves up to being a jockey. While Rake runs an impressive stable, he’s curious about the new stable hand “Gem”. When he finally realizes that his new employee is a woman (and a very attractive one), they start a steamy affair that keeps her feeling guilty about her initial motives for being there.

Advance ebook provided by Oliver Heber Books via NetGalley.

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A Lady’s Guide to Scandal by Sophie Irwin (2023)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Standalone novel. Recently widowed countess Eliza finds that her inheritance is dependent on her staying away from any scandal. The new earl, Lord Somerton, is the nephew of her late husband and happens to be a former suitor that was rejected when Eliza’s parents forced her to marry. As a widow, Eliza finally has a small taste of freedom when she spirits herself (and her cousin) away to Bath to visit before she makes her way back to her family’s home. Eliza ends up meeting the charming and scandalous Lord Melville and tries very hard to avoid him due to his reputation. Eventually Melville convinces Eliza to paint his portrait and she seizes this opportunity to utilize her artistic talent. Additionally, Somerton has renewed his acquaintance with Eliza and they confront their romantic past. We have a slowly building love triangle here, where you’re mostly rooting for Eliza to break free of her oppressive marriage and reunite with her long lost love, but then we start to see her friendship with Melville develop and wonder where that will lead. Since this book was a single POV (only Eliza’s), it wasn’t clear who the ultimate love interest is going to be, and I was intrigued to find out who she ended up with. There are also some delightful side pairings that we discover along the way as well. Despite this being a super low-steam book, the emotional build-up was really well done and it was an enjoyable book to read.

Advance ebook provided by Penguin Random House via NetGalley.

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Say Yes to the Princess by Charis Michaels (2023)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 1 of the Hidden Royals series. Elise is an exiled French princess being housed by the royal family and being redirected and managed after asking too many questions about a possible sighting of her lost younger brother. The royal family has hired Killian, the second son of an earl and all-around fixer, to distract Elise from her goals and to keep her from being nosy. While Elise and Killian start off at odds, they are instantly attracted to each other and want to know more about the other person’s background. Elise has her own issues of loneliness and despair, while Killian has also suffered from ostracism due to his mother’s background. It was so interesting to find out more about Killian’s backstory, especially in meeting his family at the estate where he grew up. And just like Elise, we start to fall in love with Killian in seeing his kindness towards his nephew. With all the mysteries to unravel, this book will keep the pages turning. The structure reminds me a lot of Michaels’ other work, A Duchess a Day, with a noblewoman falling in love a fixer/huntsman type of fellow who she recruits to assist with her own goals, which is also a wonderful book.

Advance ebook provided by Avon Books via NetGalley.

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No Dukes Allowed by Jess Michaels (2023)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 1 of the Kent’s Row Duchesses series. Widowed duchess Valaria has just moved to a street of townhouses full of widowed duchesses. She’s keeping secrets regarding the death of her cruel and terrible husband and is hesitant to make new friends. However, her late husband’s friend Callum is intent on checking on her well-being, even though she wants to push him away. Callum is the ultimate nice guy has admired her for many years but denied his feelings for her due to his friendship. Now that his friend has died, he feels guilty for calling on Valaria, but can’t seem to help himself. And Valaria has always been attracted to Callum as well, not knowing why this seemingly upstanding gentleman was friends with her husband. Callum didn’t know that his friend was completely awful, so he feels even worse when he discovers that Valaria did not have a happy marriage. At some point, these two start an affair, but there’s still a heavy secret between them and Valaria’s overall skittishness to overcome.

Advance ebook provided by Jess Michaels via NetGalley.

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Snow Place Like LA by Julie Murphy and Sierra Simone (2023)

Contemporary romance. Book 1.5 of the Christmas Notch series. Being in the same working circle (in the adult film industry), Luca has had a crush on Angel for ages and they finally hook up when working on the same movie set. After a month together, it seems that Angel has ghosted Luca, so Luca blocks Angel everywhere. Fast forward seven months and they’re stuck working on yet another film together and need to confront their feelings and what all went wrong. It’s a quick and dirty novella with lots of steam. Standout page of the book goes to Luca explaining to Angel what omegaverse and knotting is.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

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Forget Me Not by Julie Soto (2023)

Contemporary romance. Standalone novel. Debut novel from one of my favorite fanfiction authors (known as LovesBitca8 on AO3). This one is a second-chance romance between Ama, a wedding planner who doesn’t believe in commitment, and Elliot, a florist who took over his father’s shop. The present-day chapters are told from Ama’s perspective, with past timeline chapters told from Elliot’s. In the present timeline, Ama has booked a high profile wedding that could elevate her career but has to work with Elliot on the florals, even though they haven’t spoken in about two years. In the past timeline, we get to see how they meet and get together, and it’s absolutely delightful reading Elliot’s self-deprecating awkwardness and internal monologue. In both timelines, we get to see Elliot’s gruff, but caring nature, and that he’s a total sap. (Think Luke Danes from Gilmore Girls, but younger and hotter, but still wearing plaid). This book had all the best emotionally written lines and you can feel Ama’s angst in the present day even if you don’t quite understand where it all went wrong. Amazing book and I’m super excited for more people to read it.

Advance ebook provided by Forever Books via NetGalley. Advance print book provided by Forever Books. Advance audiobook provided via Libro.fm.

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In the Eyes of the Earl by Kristin Vayden (2023)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 3 of the Cambridge Brotherhood series. Collin is trying to investigate the criminals who have been using his name and it leads him back to the town of Cambridge. While there, he visits an old professor and meets the professor’s daughter Elizabeth, who is a scholarly bluestocking. As Collin and Elizabeth cross paths with mutual acquaintances, they end up arguing and bickering, and somehow this turns into attraction and passion. Their romance follows a relatively uncomplicated progression, while Collin’s investigation runs in the background. Nothing too twisty or turny here but still pleasant to see Elizabeth’s supportive father.

Advance ebook provided by Sourcebooks via NetGalley.

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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.

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Saved by the Scot by Jennifer Haymore (2023)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 3 of the Highland Knights series. We jump right into the drama here with Lady Emilia showing up at the Knights’ house a big bloody mess. Turns out her father has viciously whipped her after she found evidence of a treasonous plot against the crown. Sir Colin is the only man that she trusts and he’s tasked with hiding her away in Scotland until her father can be apprehended. We get a road trip romance here with both Colin and Emilia suffering from past trauma (him from his time in the war, her from her abusive father) but getting to know and trust each other. Things continue to take a dangerous turn when her father eventually catches up to them. It’s a lot of action and adventure in this one, but luckily no third-act break-ups.

Advance ebook provided by Jennifer Haymore via NetGalley.

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Fashioning the Duke by Alexa Aston (2023)

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

Advance ebook provided by Dragonblade Publishing via NetGalley.

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The Make-Believe Widow by Darcy Burke (2023)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 4 of the Matchmaking Chronicles series. A matchmaking house party is afoot with eligible widows, widowers, and other single gentlemen. Charlotte is attending mostly to see her friend, the hostess, and is not interested in finding a match. She enjoys her position and independence as a widow in a small village, but is also hiding the fact that she is not truly a widow, as her fiance had died a few days before their wedding. At the house party, Charlotte makes a connection with Roth, a widowed earl looking to remarry and find a mother for his two daughters. He is purposely avoiding a love match because he had loved his first wife dearly and was shocked to learn that she never loved him at all. While Charlotte and Roth have different goals from this house party, they can’t resist starting an affair while they’re there. Short, steamy, easy read.

Advance ebook provided by Darcy Burke via NetGalley.

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The Heiress Swap by Maddison Michaels (2023)

Historical romance. Victorian-era England. Book 1 of the Dollar Princess series. Evie is the orphaned illegitimate cousin and companion to American heiress Aimee who convinces Evie to switch places for the Season: Evie will go to balls and events while Aimee works as a secretary at her father’s company. Stern, serious, skeptical duke Alex believes that Evie (as Aimee) has set her sights on his cousin’s title and swears to prevent such deception and heartbreak from taking place. He has his own hang-ups after he caught his ex-fiancee cheating on him the night before their wedding and he’s completely distrustful of women. But of course, Alex and Evie have a lot of common interests and he slowly starts to realize that she is not trying to entrap a titled lord after all. Evie feels terrible for not being honest about her identity, especially as she starts to actually fall in love with Alex, knowing that he will hate her dishonesty. The book was a little slow-going at times, but we get a bit of external drama with fossils and caves and thugs hired to scare Evie, which brings out Alex’s protective side.

Advance ebook provided by Entangled Publishing via NetGalley.

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Not That Duke by Eloisa James (2023)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 3 of the Would-Be Wallflowers series. Half of this book takes place in the same timeline as Book 2 of the series, so there are a lot of overlapping events in both books. Stella is bookish and clumsy and awkward and the mean girls make fun of her, but she is definitely attracted to Silvester, even though he will never see her as a potential bride. Silvester grew up with eccentric parents and wants to conform more to social standards, so ignores the possibility of Stella as a wife, even though his mother suggests he. He’s busy pining over another lady for half the book, to the point where Stella knows she definitely has no chance at all with him, even though they’re sort of friends and spend a lot of time together. Poor Stella is just getting the short end of the stick for the whole book and is incredibly insecure, while Silvester is constantly doing and saying the wrong thing and oh so very slow to realize that Stella is worthy of his love and adoration. So much angst over this idiot and you just want to wrap Stella up and choose her first.

Advance ebook provided by Avon Books via NetGalley.

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Penwich School for Virtuous Girls Series by Sophie Jordan / Historical Romance Book Series

Sins of a Wicked Duke by Sophie Jordan (2009)

Historical romance. Regency or Victorian-era England. Book 1 of the Penwich School for Virtuous Girls series. We start with a tragic prologue of three girls who become friends at a terrible girls’ school where meals are withheld and punishments are severe. Fallon escapes the unwanted advances of her employer’s son, and meets a devilish duke who attempts to both save her and seduce her. She rejects him as well and decides to dress as a boy for her next employment. Unfortunately, the employment agency has sent her to the demon duke himself, where she obtains a position as a footman. Although she hopes to escape Dominic’s notice, she sees firsthand the wicked behavior that he engages in and can’t help expressing signs of disapproval. Dominic has his own troubled backstory with a pious grandfather and physically punishing governess and seeks to live up to his wretchedness. He’s baffled by his unease around the new footman and unsure why he cares so much about the boy’s approval. He doesn’t yet realize that the footman is the very same woman he can’t get out of his mind since that chance meeting long ago. This one was fun to read to see all the chaos and calamity unravel, which is often the case with a servant in disguise.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby. Audiobook borrowed from my local library via Hoopla.

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In Scandal They Wed by Sophie Jordan (2010)

Historical romance. Victorian-era England. Book 2 of the Penwich School for Virtuous Girls series. The prologue starts with Evie’s younger sister Linnie giving birth to an illegitimate child and Evie’s stepmother wants to send the baby away; Evie convinces her father to let her raise the baby as her own to save her sister’s reputation. We time-jump a few years later, and find out that Linnie’s suitor was a soldier and was sent to war before they could marry. As he’s dying in battle, he asks his cousin Spencer to take care of Linnie and the child. When we catch up to Evie in her impoverished living situation, the reader finds out that her sister had married and passed away in the intervening years. Spencer does eventually show up at Evie’s cottage and believes her to be the Linnie that his cousin had pined over all these years. Since Evie doesn’t want to lose custody of her son, she lies and says that she is Linnie. It’s a tangled mess and everyone feels guilty for being attracted to someone they shouldn’t, eventually ending up with a marriage between Evie and Spencer for the benefit of the child (and so that Spencer can fulfill his duties to his new title). There’s lots of potential for betrayal here with Evie lying about being a mother and Spencer not being forthcoming about him being a viscount. This book keeps the pages turning just so you’ll find out what calamity happens next.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

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Wicked Nights with a Lover by Sophie Jordan (2010)

Historical romance. Victorian-era England. Book 3 of the Penwich School for Virtuous Girls series. Marguerite has a run-in with a fortune-teller who tells her that she will be dying before the year is out. Having lived modestly for years and saving up for the future, Marguerite decides to take a year of sabbatical from work as a nurse and go on an adventure. Before she can go do that, she ends up being kidnapped by her father’s business associate, Ash, and carried off to be married. Based on what the fortune-teller had said, Marguerite believes that the marriage will be one step closer to her death, but she also is terribly attracted to Ash. There’s a ton of back and forth on whether Marguerite will agree to marry Ash, which isn’t terribly interesting to read. This book is light on the plot and pretty average on the romance. On the plus side, we do get to meet a couple of Marguerite’s sisters, who end up being featured in a future series.

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:

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Weekly Reads: July 17 to 23, 2023

Knockout by Sarah MacLean (2023)

Historical romance. Victorian-era England. Book 3 of the Hell’s Belles series. Lady Imogen is the chemical explosives expert of the Belles and is often spotted at the scene of the crime collecting her own evidence, much to the dismay of Scotland Yard’s Detective Inspector Tommy. While these two aren’t exactly teaming up, they’re both trying to solve the same crimes and keep running into each other. At some point, Tommy is tasked with finding an earl’s missing sister to keep himself in line with a promotion. That sister is of course Imogen and she’s not really missing at all. Throughout the book, Imogen is the pursuant and Tommy is the one who hesitates due to his social station (or lacktherof), but Imogen’s self-esteem takes the rejection much differently. Once they do finally team up, the sparks are well worth it, though Tommy will have to decide whether to trust Imogen and the Belles or the side of police authority. Another excellent book in this series, with women fighting for themselves and their rights.

Advance ebook provided by Avon Books via NetGalley.

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The Earl in My Bed by Sophie Jordan (2013)

Historical romance. Regency or Victorian-era England. Book 2.5 of the Forgotten Princesses series. Paget is the vicar’s daughter who has been longtime friends with two of the local earl’s sons, but not so friendly with the middle son, Jamie, who was always pretentious and snotty. Jamie is back as the new earl after the death of his older brother and is just as snotty as he always has been. While Paget has always had a bit of an understanding with Jamie’s younger brother, the wartime separation has dimmed her affection. With Jamie back in town, Paget is physically attracted to him, despite her distaste for his attitude. Jamie’s had his own feelings of inadequacy and loneliness with not being the preferred playmate of his own brothers and covets Paget’s attention. This one is a short novella that wraps up pretty easily and neatly.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

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How to Lose a Bride in One Night by Sophie Jordan (2013)

Historical romance. Regency or Victorian-era England. Book 3 of the Forgotten Princesses series. We start with the wedding day for Annalise where she’s marrying a handsome duke and then setting off on a honeymoon barge on the river. Except her charming duke turns out to be an attempted murderer: suffocating her with a pillow and then throwing her in the river. She washes up on shore unconscious and is rescued by Owen, an earl back in England from war with his own nightmares and demons as a former assassin. Owen is stuck with an injured, feverish, and unconscious Annalise until he finds some assistance with her care. When she regains her consciousness, she feigns amnesia so she doesn’t risk being returned to her husband by this upstanding stranger. With a broken leg, Annalise is even more vulnerable to danger, but somehow extracts some self-defense lessons from Owen, despite his hesitance to get closer to her. These two are very clearly attracted to each other, but Annalise is keeping secrets and Owen is all sorts of emotionally damaged. Still, the bonkers set up was a great way to hook me into the story immediately.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

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Nobody’s Duke by Scarlett Scott (2019)

Historical romance. Victorian-era England. Book 1 of the League of Dukes series. Second chance romance between a newly widowed duchess and the illegitimate son of a duke. Eight years have passed since Ara and Clay have seen each other, but now that Ara’s husband was brutally murdered by Irish vigilantes and Ara herself is also a target, the Home Office has assigned special agent Clay to protect her and her son. These two definitely have lots of tension and bitterness towards each other, mostly because they each believe that the other person betrayed them all those years ago, even though the reader knows that it was all orchestrated by Ara’s disapproving parents. We get to read some chapters from the past and see the neighbors Ara and Clay meet and fall in love in the forest between their lands. However, in the present-day, it’s all angry bickering and fighting and the epitome of the miscommunication trope because they won’t just come out and say why they’re mad an betrayed by the other one. Even though the physical attraction is still there among the heartbreak. Add in the fact that Ara’s son (and new duke) is the spitting image of Clay, we have yet another layer of betrayal and anger. The external danger drives a lot of the story forward and emotions and adrenaline is running strong and I think we eventually finally get some truth-telling in the last quarter of the book.

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

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His Savage Sweet by Caroline Lee (2023)

Historical romance. Victorian-era European Island. Book 2 of the Tales of the Harlot’s Guide series. Quick and dirty novella. Second son Wulf doesn’t believe in love, but he does enjoy food and pastries. While in the kitchens to investigate a new pastry he had at dinner, he sets eyes on the most beautiful woman ever and helps himself to her person on top of the baking table in the chilled room. He runs from his feelings for a few days, but he’s back in short order to take her to dinner and marry her. Anna has been imagining herself with the prince in all sorts of scandalous scenarios, so is willing to take whatever he has to offer. Super short and steamy read.

Advance ebook provided by Caroline Lee.

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His Bound Bedmate by Caroline Lee (2023)

Historical romance. Victorian-era European Island. Book 3 of the Tales of the Harlot’s Guide series. Quick and dirty novella. Youngest son Findlay is a bookish sort but likes his submissive mates bound up; luckily for him, his library assistant Millicent is eager to join him. Findlay has a special room full of restraints and devices that he and his partner can use for pleasure, and shows it to Millicent to gauge her willingness and consent. Another perfect match for the princes of this family and a quick and easy wedding to come.

Advance ebook provided by Caroline Lee.

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Marry Me by Midnight by Felicia Grossman (2023)

Historical romance. Victorian-era England. Book 1 of the Once Upon the East End series. Isabelle needs to marry quickly to prevent her late father’s business partner from pushing her out from the business. She and her grandmother set up a series of festivals where she invites all eligible suitors to attend and plans to declare her betrothed before midnight of the third festival. A chance meeting with the synagogue custodian Aaron intrigues Isabelle, but since he’s not actually a suitable candidate, she hires him to help investigate actual contenders for her hand. Isabelle is stubborn and cold for the most part, seeking a business partner in her future husband, while Aaron is self-deprecating and kind. Even though they eventually give into their attractions, Isabelle is adamant that she must secure her father’s legacy rather than pursue her own happiness. She’s annoyingly stubborn and consistently breaks Aaron’s heart, but luckily Aaron has his own fairy godmother on his side. The first half of the book moved pretty slowly for me, but the second half had much more action and kept me reading to find out how it all gets resolved.

Advance ebook provided by Forever Books via NetGalley.

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Heartless Duke by Scarlett Scott (2019)

Historical romance. Victorian-era England. Book 2 of the League of Dukes series. This book overlaps a bit with the previous one and will make more sense when read in order. Leo is the head of the special league of agents tasked with fighting some Irish crime organization. When he arrives at his half-brother’s house for a wedding, he finds himself intrigued by his nephew’s governess. Bridget is actually there pretending to be a governess so she can kidnap the young duke in exchange for her own brother’s freedom. A standoff in the woods leads to Leo shooting her and taking her prisoner. A lot of this book has Leo and Bridget at odds with each other since they’re sworn enemies, but they’re also fiercely attracted to each other, and sometimes try to use that attraction to manipulate each other. The manipulation doesn’t work very well since they both lose their heads when they surrender to their lust. It is interesting to learn more about Leo’s backstory, since he’s the stern and serious duke when it comes to his work, but he has a debaucherous reputation to throw everyone else off, and then claims to be completely heartless and untrusting of women. Quite the combination there, and it all makes Bridget’s secrecy all that more painful for him. I did enjoy seeing his relationship with his half-brother’s mother, who was more caring and nurturing than his own mother ever was.

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

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Tall, Duke, and Scandalous by Amy Rose Bennett (2023)

Historical romance. Victorian-era England. Book 3 of the Byronic Book Club series. Jane gets caught trying to steal a rare book from a duke’s library but instead of getting into trouble, he proposes marriage to her instead. Christopher is the newly inherited duke with a reputation for throwing debaucherous parties, but really, he’s hiding the fact that an assassination attempt has left him unable to recognize or remember faces of the people around him. He needs help navigating the people around him as well as find his killer. Jane has her own burdens, with a scarred face after an accident with her ex-fiancee ten years ago, a gambling mother, and a sudden blackmailer. She takes Christopher up on his offer, mostly because she needs the money, but also because she’s very much attracted to him. Both are slow to trust the other person due to each of their past hurts, but the physical affection starts early and often. Loved seeing them team up against his mystery murderer.

Advance ebook provided by Sourcebooks Casablanca via NetGalley.

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Somerset Stories Series by Mimi Matthews / Historical Romance Book Series

The Work of Art by Mimi Matthews (2019)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 1 of the Somerset Stories series. We’ve got a strikingly beautiful and kind young lady, Phyllida, living with her uncle and cousins after her grandfather has passed away and now she’s being prepared for her debut and season. However, her uncle has almost sold her to a much older and cruel duke who is known for collecting rare and beautiful things. She finds kindness and connection with another man, Arthur, who is an injured war veteran. When it seems that her marriage to the duke is imminent, she enters into a marriage of convenience with Arthur, and he takes her away to his estate for protection. In reading this book, I appreciated the slow build of trust and companionship between Phyllida and Arthur and that they were able to talk through their issues for the most part. Even with the external drama of meddlesome family members, the romance here was solid and heartwarming.

Ebook purchased via Amazon.

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Gentleman Jim by Mimi Matthews (2020)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 2 of the Somerset Stories series. Childhood friends Nicholas and Maggie are separated when Nicholas is accused of a crime and she helps him escape. Ten years later, Maggie is in London for the Season after an illness and mourning her father and her aunt, when a handsome viscount new to London is paying her court. It doesn’t take long for Maggie to suspect that the handsome viscount is really her childhood friend Nicholas in a new identity and persona. Both have their money and property at stake if they continue their association, but cannot seem to stay away from each other. It’s also interesting to watch them uncover the mysteries of the past and explanations for the viscount’s current identity.

Ebook purchased via Amazon.

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Return to Satterthwaite Court by Mimi Matthews (2023)

Historical romance. Victorian-era England. Book 3 of the Somerset Stories series. Take the son of the couple from Book 1 and the daughter of the couple from Book 2, throw them together, and you get Book 3. Kate and Charles have a chance meeting in a London street when Charles rescues a stray dog (much like his mother) and Kate finds herself completely enthralled and ready to pursue him. Kate is uninterested in any of the other gentlemen she’s met this year and Charles is newly returned from serving in the Navy. The romance here is pretty straightforward and we get to revisit the families we loved from the previous books. Plus, there’s a nice setup for Book 4, which comes out later this year.

Advance ebook provided by Perfectly Proper Press via NetGalley.

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Appointment in Bath by Mimi Matthews (2023)

Historical romance. Victorian-era England. Book 4 of the Somerset Stories series. Meg and Ivo are from neighboring rival families, but that doesn’t stop them from hesitantly forming a friendship (and further attachment). This book takes place in the same timeframe as Book 3 and results from the rivalry of Book 2, so it will make the most sense reading in order. Even without the backstory, the shy and stammering Meg slowly learns to stand up for herself and go after what she wants with the confidence built from her friendship with Ivo. She interprets Ivo’s kindness as pity and is dismayed that he only sees her as a friend. However, Ivo believes that their friendship is precious and hopes to mend the rift between their families (even if he doesn’t know all the details of how bad things are between the parents). This one was a pretty quick and straightforward read.

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Weekly Reads: July 10 to 16, 2023

An Invitation to Seduction by Lorraine Heath (2004)

Historical romance. Victorian-era England. Book 4 of the Daughters of Fortune series. Kitty spends almost the whole book feeling shameful of her lustful desires for the man she spied swimming in the sea and wants to retreat into the safety and comfort of her soon-to-be fiance who stirs absolutely none of these emotions. Richard is a duke who is baffled that his longtime friend will wed an American heiress, since he knows that his friend will be unable to be a good husband. Turns out that’s the guy that Kitty is almost engaged to and Richard tries to steal her away from him. It’s a lot of seduction and maneuvering in this book with Kitty learning to accept her own desires and attraction towards Richard. As always, there’s lots of drama and angst and heartbreak along the way, even though there isn’t too much character growth for Richard himself.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

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The Earl’s Brazen Widow by Caroline Lee (2022)

Historical romance. Victorian-era Scotland. Book 2 of the Those Kilted Bastards series. Malcolm is the illegitimate son of an earl who once had a relationship with his late father’s widow, Violet. He’s ignored her letters for the past ten years but happens to open the one where she says that his home and farm is going to be sold. Malcolm travels to the earl’s estate to confront Violet and somehow strikes a bargain where he’ll tutor her son in exchange for the deed to his house. (But I thought Violet needed the money from selling that house, so why can she just give it away right now?) As Violet and Malcolm spend more time together, it’s clear they’re still in love, but need to talk through what went wrong all those years ago and how she ended up married to his father. And of course the age of her son is a bit suspicious, even though Malcolm hasn’t put the pieces together yet. Quick read, steamy, and humorous, especially the kid’s fascination with animal waste.

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The Heiress Swap by Maddison Michaels (2023)

Historical romance. Victorian-era England. Book 1 of the Dollar Princess series. Evie is the orphaned illegitimate cousin and companion to American heiress Aimee who convinces Evie to switch places for the Season: Evie will go to balls and events while Aimee works as a secretary at her father’s company. Stern, serious, skeptical duke Alex believes that Evie (as Aimee) has set her sights on his cousin’s title and swears to prevent such deception and heartbreak from taking place. He has his own hang-ups after he caught his ex-fiancee cheating on him the night before their wedding and he’s completely distrustful of women. But of course, Alex and Evie have a lot of common interests and he slowly starts to realize that she is not trying to entrap a titled lord after all. Evie feels terrible for not being honest about her identity, especially as she starts to actually fall in love with Alex, knowing that he will hate her dishonesty. The book was a little slow-going at times, but we get a bit of external drama with fossils and caves and thugs hired to scare Evie, which brings out Alex’s protective side.

Advance ebook provided by Entangled Publishing via NetGalley.

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Snow Place Like LA by Julie Murphy and Sierra Simone (2023)

Contemporary romance. Book 1.5 of the Christmas Notch series. Being in the same working circle (in the adult film industry), Luca has had a crush on Angel for ages and they finally hook up when working on the same movie set. After a month together, it seems that Angel has ghosted Luca, so Luca blocks Angel everywhere. Fast forward seven months and they’re stuck working on yet another film together and need to confront their feelings and what all went wrong. It’s a quick and dirty novella with lots of steam. Standout page of the book goes to Luca explaining to Angel what omegaverse and knotting is.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

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Saved by the Scot by Jennifer Haymore (2023)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 3 of the Highland Knights series. We jump right into the drama here with Lady Emilia showing up at the Knights’ house a big bloody mess. Turns out her father has viciously whipped her after she found evidence of a treasonous plot against the crown. Sir Colin is the only man that she trusts and he’s tasked with hiding her away in Scotland until her father can be apprehended. We get a road trip romance here with both Colin and Emilia suffering from past trauma (him from his time in the war, her from her abusive father) but getting to know and trust each other. Things continue to take a dangerous turn when her father eventually catches up to them. It’s a lot of action and adventure in this one, but luckily no third-act break-ups.

Advance ebook provided by Jennifer Haymore via NetGalley.

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Wicked in Your Arms by Sophie Jordan (2011)

Historical romance. Regency or Victorian-era England. Book 1 of the Forgotten Princesses series. Grier is the illegitimate daughter of a wealthy businessman and being trotted out on the marriage mart with a huge dowry. While she’s hiding behind potted plants and avoiding the gossip about her, she overhears a prince disparaging her. Sevastian is out to find an heiress to marry and bring home to his impoverished war-torn country and believes Grier to be completely unsuitable for anything except his mistress. Sev and Grier angrily flirt every time they’re together, though they’re both courting other people. They somehow end up having an affair and ultimately get caught in a compromising situation. There’s tons more drama involving some shady side characters, which definitely keeps things interesting.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

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Lessons from a Scandalous Bride Sophie Jordan (2012)

Historical romance. Regency or Victorian-era England. Book 2 of the Forgotten Princesses series. Cleo is the sister of Grier and also on the marriage mart. She’s been courting a very elderly earl, much to the concern of her family. She has a good reason though: She’s looking to marry someone who will not (cannot) make demands of her in the marriage bed. Cleo has had the trauma of caring for too many siblings, watching weak ones die, carrying away stillborn siblings, and seeing her mother suffer the ills of labor. She wants very much to avoid that type of life and entrapment so avoids men who might prompt that future. Meanwhile, Logan is in London to find an heiress to marry and restore his castle in Scotland. While he is busy courting some vapid debutante, he’s more intrigued by Cleo and declares that he’d rather marry her instead. She refuses of course, but he is persistent in his pursuit. In this book, we’re mostly dealing with Cleo and her emotional issues and learning to accept the affection and passion that she has been denying herself.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

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The Rake’s Insatiable Bride by Caroline Lee (2022)

Historical romance. Victorian-era Scotland. Book 3 of the Those Kilted Bastards series. Jade seeks a night with a courtesan so she can lose her virginity on her own terms before her guardian/uncle forces her to marry. Cameron is a charming rake of a man who plays up his debauched reputation by giving women pleasure. Both are victims of a marriage-by-proxy scheme that surprisingly brings them back together and then forces them to stay in the same cottage in a rainstorm. While Jade had no intention of getting married, she’s slowly falling in love with Cam as they spend more time together. It’s an isolated little vacation for them, until the storm breaks and we have to clear up the mess.

Ebook accessed from Kindle Unlimited.

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His Perfect Princess by Caroline Lee (2023)

Historical romance. Victorian-era European Island. Book 1 of the Tales of the Harlot’s Guide series. Quick and dirty novella. Rickard, the crown prince of an island nation is told by his father that he must marry, and he already has a bride picked out. The sweet, innocent, and docile Clarissa is his choice of bride and thoughts of dominating her in the bedroom stir up plenty of emotion in Rickard. Lucky for him, Clarissa is very willing to go along with all of Rickard’s commands and enjoys being told what to do. Really, that’s it. The romance is on the instantaneous side of the spectrum with no angst whatsoever.

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The Sinner’s Tempting Captor by Caroline Lee (2022)

Historical romance. Victorian-era Scotland. Book 4 of the Those Kilted Bastards series. We start here with a kidnapping from prison, where Honoria has bribed a warden to let her take Crowe with her. We’ve learned about Crowe in the previous books, where his friends believed him to have murdered their other friend James (who is also Honoria’s brother). While we do eventually find out why Crowe went to prison and who actually killed James, this book introduces us to Honoria’s crazy family dynamics and allows the potential reconciliation between Honoria and Crowe. The standout star of the book is younger brother Bull for all his comic relief. Things definitely get dramatic in this book, setting up the events that lead to the Surprise! Dukes series.

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The Yellow Polka-Dotted Bathing Costume by Caroline Lee (2023)

Historical romance. Victorian-era England. Super short novella part of the Surprise! Dukes series. This one is a bridge between the Those Kilted Bastards series and the Surprise! Dukes series. We have Althea, daughter and sister of a duke, who is at Brighton with her brother. Her elderly earl fiancee has passed away recently, leaving her free to pursue someone else. Lucky for her, the neighbor who was totally unsuitable for her has recently inherited a dukedom. Sebastian is eager to marry Althea now that he will have the approval of her brother and that she is no longer engaged to someone else. Quick low-angst story here.

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

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Lords in Love Series by Darcy Burke and Erica Ridley / Historical Romance Book Series

Beguiling the Duke by Darcy Burke (2023)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 1 of the Lords in Love series. A duke’s carriage loses a wheel in a small village and he takes shelter in the small village of Marrywell. The village is completely pre-occupied with its annual matchmaking festival, so there’s no room at the inn and no workers to help fix the duke’s carriage. The local squire provides shelter for the week the the duke grows closer to the squire’s daughter. Sadie has been maintaining her father’s home and taking care of her four brothers for years and hopes that this year’s festival will prove fruitful for her marriage prospects. And this time, with the duke at her side, she’s actually getting the attention she deserves. But of course, Sadie and the duke are finding themselves drawn to each other instead. Relatively low on the angst and heartache scale here and a delightful read.

Advance ebook provided by Darcy Burke via NetGalley.

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Taming the Rake by Erica Ridley (2023)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 2 of the Lords in Love series. Gladys the wallflower is at the Marrywell Matchmaking Festival for the fourth time and needs to find a marriage match before her dowry is given to her delightful younger sister. She finds herself kissed in a garden and expected a proposal from the handsome gentleman, but he never shows up, and she was spotted in a disheveled state, so now she’s publicly ruined as well. Her family cuts her off completely and she has to survive on her own. Five years later, she returns to Marrywell to find the man who ruined her and seek revenge. But he’s a lot less rakish than he seemed before and Gladys is at risk of falling in love. I really enjoyed Gladys’ transformation to a confident woman and the development of her relationship with Reuben.

Advance ebook provided by Erica Ridley via NetGalley.

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Romancing the Heiress by Darcy Burke (2023)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 3 of the Lords in Love series. Leah is back in Marrywell for the annual matchmaking festival as a companion to a young debutante in search of a husband. Of course Leah is still enamored with her childhood friend Phineas, who is considering marrying an heiress to save his secretly impoverished estate. This one is a relatively quick read, with somewhat tragic backstories for everyone involved: Leah had an abusive childhood so she was desperate to escape the village of Marrywell; Phineas had a gambling father who left the estate in dire financial condition; and even the young debutante who is not at all who we’re concerned with has an overbearing managing mother. However, the attraction between Leah and Phineas was a delight to read and their shared history made for a stronger connection. And we get to see the couple from Book 1 of the series again for the festival.

Advance ebook provided by Darcy Burke via NetGalley.

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Defying the Earl by Erica Ridley (2023)

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

Advance ebook provided by Erica Ridley via NetGalley.

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Matching the Marquess by Darcy Burke (2023)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 5 of the Lords in Love series. A widow meets a rake at a house party late at night in the library. A potential bedding is interrupted and the two part ways. Months later, Rebecca has become a popular matchmaker and a marquess’ aunt has hired her services for her nephew. Unfortunately, that marquess is the man that Rebecca met in the library, but she needs to employment so sets out to meet with him prior to the Marrywell Matchmaking Festival. Nash has decided it’s time to remarry but he is looking for a business arrangement rather than a love match, after the devastation of his beloved first wife’s death. When he meets his matchmaker, he’s surprised to find the woman that he met before and that he is still very much attracted to her. Both Rebecca and Nash have their past troubles that get revealed while they’re in town for the festival and become more friendly and honest with each other as they spend more time together. This one connects well with Book 3 of the series, which features Rebecca’s younger sister.

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Chasing the Bride by Erica Ridley (2023)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 6 of the Lords in Love series. Tabitha has been betrothed to her father’s viscount friend since before she was born and with her father on his deathbed, the wedding shall be held in short order. Tabitha has no interest in marrying a lecherous old man, but feels that it is her role as dutiful daughter to comply. She spends some of her last few days of freedom at the Marrywell Matchmaking Festival, but her betrothed has assigned his man of business to watch over her. Hudson has worked for the old viscount for years and has been unwisely pining for Tabitha despite being at a much lower social standing. While he is competent at his assigned tasks, he is dreading the day when Tabitha must submit to marriage to the viscount. When she’s spending time with Hudson, Tabitha realizes true joy and companionship, making her dread her looming marriage even more. She ultimately runs from her wedding day, hoping to forestall her fate for just a little while longer. Hudson eventually catches up to her and she convinces him to spend a week with her before she has to meet her doom again, even though his job is to bring her back to his employer. This book was a lot of fun to read with our two people easily falling in love, but kept apart due to their external circumstances.

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Undressing the Duke by Erica Ridley (2023)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 7 of the Lords in Love series. Donovan is being pressured by his mother to fulfill his ducal duties to marry a young lady and sire an heir. He has no interest in doing so and only has eyes for his valet of twenty years, Geoffrey. Knowing that he would not want to be lusting after his valet when a wife is in residence, he dismisses Geoffrey as his valet. However, Donovan and Geoffrey must first make a visit to the Marrywell Matchmaking Festival so that Donovan can select a bride. While in Marrywell, they’ve agreed to act as friends instead of master and servant and find themselves finally giving into the attraction between them all these years. This one is a quick read with a nice resolution, especially since Donovan has a younger brother besotted with his wife an a bunch of children to take the role of heir.

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Weekly Reads: July 3 to 9, 2023

The Bad Luck Bride by Janna MacGregor (2017)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 1 of the Cavensham Heiresses series. Alex is out to avenge his sister’s death by buying up a certain lord’s debts and having him jilt his fiancee. To save the fiancee Claire from ruin, he proposes to her himself. Claire has her own problems and is known for having a curse around her due to the losses of previous fiances to death, disease, and dismemberment. She’s wary of losing yet another one and feels pressured to go through with the marriage to Alex. She also has trauma and fears related to the death of her parents as a child and she tries to hide her unease from Alex to prevent him from thinking she’s insane. Alex meanwhile is still dealing with his vengeance plot and keeping that a secret from Claire. It’s a big huge mess of people hiding things from each other and waiting for it all to blow up. This story went a little longer than it probably needed to, but it was a good introduction to all the other key players in the series: Claire’s cousins and Alex’s surviving sister.

Ebook and audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

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A Lady’s Guide to Scandal by Sophie Irwin (2023)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Standalone novel. Recently widowed countess Eliza finds that her inheritance is dependent on her staying away from any scandal. The new earl, Lord Somerton, is the nephew of her late husband and happens to be a former suitor that was rejected when Eliza’s parents forced her to marry. As a widow, Eliza finally has a small taste of freedom when she spirits herself (and her cousin) away to Bath to visit before she makes her way back to her family’s home. Eliza ends up meeting the charming and scandalous Lord Melville and tries very hard to avoid him due to his reputation. Eventually Melville convinces Eliza to paint his portrait and she seizes this opportunity to utilize her artistic talent. Additionally, Somerton has renewed his acquaintance with Eliza and they confront their romantic past. We have a slowly building love triangle here, where you’re mostly rooting for Eliza to break free of her oppressive marriage and reunite with her long lost love, but then we start to see her friendship with Melville develop and wonder where that will lead. Since this book was a single POV (only Eliza’s), it wasn’t clear who the ultimate love interest is going to be, and I was intrigued to find out who she ended up with. There are also some delightful side pairings that we discover along the way as well. Despite this being a super low-steam book, the emotional build-up was really well done and it was an enjoyable book to read.

Advance ebook provided by Penguin Random House via NetGalley.

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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.

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The Make-Believe Widow by Darcy Burke (2023)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 4 of the Matchmaking Chronicles series. A matchmaking house party is afoot with eligible widows, widowers, and other single gentlemen. Charlotte is attending mostly to see her friend, the hostess, and is not interested in finding a match. She enjoys her position and independence as a widow in a small village, but is also hiding the fact that she is not truly a widow, as her fiance had died a few days before their wedding. At the house party, Charlotte makes a connection with Roth, a widowed earl looking to remarry and find a mother for his two daughters. He is purposely avoiding a love match because he had loved his first wife dearly and was shocked to learn that she never loved him at all. While Charlotte and Roth have different goals from this house party, they can’t resist starting an affair while they’re there. Short, steamy, easy read.

Advance ebook provided by Darcy Burke via NetGalley.

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The Outlaw and the Lady by Lorraine Heath (2001)

Historical romance. 1890s Texas. Book 1 of the Daughters of Fortune series. Second generation of characters from the Rogues in Texas series. Angela is out for a midnight stroll in Fortune, TX, when she accidentally interrupts a bank robbery. The robbers believe she’s seen their faces and can identify them, so they kidnap her, not realizing until they’re too far away that she’s blind. Lee Raven is the ringleader of the robberies, seeking revenge on a single man who ruined his family, and gaining a reputation as a wanted murderer. As Lee and Angela are stuck together, she starts to realize that he isn’t as cruel as she thought he would be, and it sounds as though he has the admiration of his brothers who ride with him. This was a book with so much plot going on and so much mystery to unravel that I had to keep reading to find out if my hunch was correct. And it was delightfully satisfying to know that I read all those clues correctly throughout. It was angsty and tragic and amazing to see it all tie together.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

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To Marry an Heiress by Lorraine Heath (2002)

Historical romance. Victorian-era England. Book 2 of the Daughters of Fortune series. We’re in England for this story, with Georgina visiting her friend Lauren (stepdaughter to the Earl of Ravenleigh) for the Season and her wealthy father setting up a match for her with Devon, another earl and cousin to Ravenleigh. Devon’s impoverished estate needs the cash and he agrees to Georgina’s father’s terms for courtship and the appearance of a love match. Upon meeting Georgina at a ball, she sees through him immediately and insists that he not lie to her if they are to marry. We see a quick wedding very early on in the book, followed by a surprising tragedy that sets off resentment and animosity between Devon and Georgina through the rest of the book. It was most interesting to see how Georgina could be sweet and accommodating, but also have strength in her convictions throughout the book. Devon thought he would be getting himself a demure and grateful wife, but instead finds a strong courageous partner worth falling in love with.

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The Bride Who Got Lucky by Janna MacGregor (2017)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 2 of the Cavensham Heiresses series. Nick is an earl who has been treated horribly and financially cut off from his ducal father, so he prioritizes business and avoids all emotional entanglements. However, he seems to always be drawn to Emma, a duke’s daughter and cousin-by-marriage to Nick’s only friend. Emma has been distraught over the loss of her friend and is attempting to prove that her friend’s husband is responsible for her death. This all involves some reckless and dangerous action that worries Nick when he finds out about it. These two people are clearly in love with each other, but neither of them know it. Emma doesn’t want marriage since she’s seen how horrible the institution is for women; Nick doesn’t want to crack open all the walls he’s built around his cold and lonely heart. However, all of the external conflict somehow pushes them together since Emma is constantly in danger and Nick swoops in to rescue her. Both of these very stubborn folks need to learn to compromise a bit and let the other person in and they definitely both need prodding from outside counsel to make it all work out.

Ebook and audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

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Love with a Scandalous Lord by Lorraine Heath (2003)

Historical romance. Victorian-era England. Book 3 of the Daughters of Fortune series. Slightly shallow and naive Lydia is visiting England because her stepfather’s dear old ducal dad is dying. We’ve met Lydia’s family in A Rogue in Texas (Book 1 of the Rogues in Texas series) and learned a bit about some complicated family dynamics. We add another layer here with Rhys, the second legitimate son of the duke is now the marquess and soon to take over the dukedom in pretty short order. He has his own sordid past as the Gentleman Seducer and knows he won’t be able to show his face in society with his new title, since many of the ladies of the ton would recognize him. How he had ended up in this position is a bit of a mystery and slowly gets revealed over the course of the book (hang on though, it’s a juicy story when we finally learn it all). When we start the book, Lydia is in awe of the glitter of the estate and wants to comport herself as a proper lady and believing that the aristocratic lifestyle is superior to her own life in Texas. (Super annoying, really) She’s easily flustered around the very handsome and polished Rhys and he’s drawn to her beauty and innocence, even though he knows he shouldn’t be tarnishing her with his presence. We do eventually get to see Lydia realize that there are more important things than Society rules and frivolity, so she doesn’t stay shallow for too long. This book introduces us to key players in future books, so it’s not one to skip if you’re going to continue reading Heath’s backlist.

Ebook and audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

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Fashioning the Duke by Alexa Aston (2023)

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

Advance ebook provided by Dragonblade Publishing via NetGalley.

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Not That Duke by Eloisa James (2023)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 3 of the Would-Be Wallflowers series. Half of this book takes place in the same timeline as Book 2 of the series, so there are a lot of overlapping events in both books. Stella is bookish and clumsy and awkward and the mean girls make fun of her, but she is definitely attracted to Silvester, even though he will never see her as a potential bride. Silvester grew up with eccentric parents and wants to conform more to social standards, so ignores the possibility of Stella as a wife, even though his mother suggests he. He’s busy pining over another lady for half the book, to the point where Stella knows she definitely has no chance at all with him, even though they’re sort of friends and spend a lot of time together. Poor Stella is just getting the short end of the stick for the whole book and is incredibly insecure, while Silvester is constantly doing and saying the wrong thing and oh so very slow to realize that Stella is worthy of his love and adoration. So much angst over this idiot and you just want to wrap Stella up and choose her first.

Advance ebook provided by Avon Books via NetGalley.

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The Duke’s Virgin Sister by Caroline Lee (2021)

Historical romance. Victorian-era England. Book 1 of the Those Kilted Bastards series. Keith, the illegitimate son of an earl, is tasked with escorting Carlotta, the duke’s sister to Scotland for her sister-in-law’s birthday celebration. Carlotta is engaged to a baron who is an arrogant pompous asshole and we all just want to see him go away; he does make for some comedic lines with everyone around him calling him names behind his back. Keith is a boxer and now owner of his very own castle in Scotland and doesn’t really want to play escort here, but the duke offers him the money he will need to repair his castle. Keith and Carlotta fall for each other pretty quickly here, but he pushes her away, thinking that he will never be good enough for her due to their differences in social station. We get a little bit of road trip hijinks here with travel delays and bandits, and we do eventually learn the reason why Carlotta cannot take the train. Humor and steam in a quick and easy read.

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Inconveniently Wed Series by Jane Maguire / Historical Romance Book Series

Secrets and a Scandal by Jane Maguire (2022)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 1 of the Inconveniently Wed series. An earl’s heir, Edward, has returned to England after staying away for 6 years and his ill father has informed him of the estate’s debts and that he’s secured a match to a wealthy merchant’s daughter, Eliza. After his father dies, Edward realizes the huge amount of debt he is in and decides to go through with the marriage. Edward is cold and aloof, mostly due to his past experience with a beautiful and fickle first wife, who he refuses to talk about. Eliza has grown up in the country and prefers her garden and herbal remedies to assist those who are ill; she got into some sort of scandal when she was in London for her first Season before being sent back to the country. She doesn’t have any interest in marrying, but understands that being Edward’s wife is preferable to being sent back to her aunt and uncle’s care. After they get married, there’s a lack of honest conversation between these two, mostly because Edward doesn’t want to share anything about his past. However, they’re both dedicated to the improvement of the estate and helping the people who live there, and slowly find common ground. Relatively quick read with somewhat predictable secrets that Eliza and Edward are hiding. Still an enjoyable read.

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Rumors and a Rake by Jane Maguire (2022)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 2 of the Inconveniently Wed series. Catherine is the younger sister of the earl from Book 1 and has been shy throughout her season. We start this book at a house party where Catherine is attending with her friend Lavinia, and Catherine is trying to make a match with a gentleman who is quiet and bookish like she is. Philip is a dissolute rake, third son of a marquess, but now the heir due to the deaths of his older brothers. With the marquess in ill health, Philip’s mother had decided to drag Philip to this house party to select a bride. Catherine very much wants to avoid Philip after having witnessed him debauching a lady at a ball, but is still quite attracted to him. However, they keep bumping into each other at this house party and Philip ends up rescuing Catherine from the unwanted attentions of another man, ultimately leading to their marriage. After that, we have both people keeping secrets from each other, but somehow having it all work out.

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Longing for a Lady by Jane Maguire (2022)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 3 of the Inconveniently Wed series. Our friend Lavinia from Book 2 finds herself in a situation where she’s pregnant by an earl who has recently married someone else. To avoid being married off to a much older man to cover up her indiscretion, she seeks out her childhood friend and now surgeon Will for help. He offers her marriage and his protection and she ultimately accepts. Since Lavinia is a baron’s daughter, she has enjoyed the frivolity of balls and society, so moving to a small village as the surgeon’s wife is a big change for her. She loses the pregnancy early on in the book and feels guilty for trapping Will with her. But he’s been in love with her forever and feels like he cannot provide the type of lifestyle that she is accustomed to. Both are poor at communicating their true feelings, which leads to a lot of guilt and insecurity. It was nice to see Lavinia try to show her appreciation for Will, even if her surprise didn’t turn out as planned.

Ebook accessed from Kindle Unlimited.

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Weekly Reads: June 26 to July 2, 2023

Remember Love by Mary Balogh (2022)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 1 of the Ravenswood series. We meet the Ware family in this series, headed by an earl and his countess. The family is known for its gregarious nature and idyllic estate, where they host a variety of events for their friends and neighbors. While the reader gets to know all the members of the family and their social obligations, we slowly start to wonder about the earl’s behavior while he’s in town for the season without his wife and children. We eventually lead up to a huge summer fete hosted by the family, where his son and heir Devlin is suspicious of a certain new widow in the village. While these thoughts are simmering in the background, we also meet Gwyneth, the girl next door who has had a crush on Devlin for years but thinks that he doesn’t know she exists. We also learn that Devlin is also enamoured of Gwyneth but believes that she dislikes him due to his straightlaced personality. On the day of the summer fete, Devlin and Gwyneth have a promising start to a romance between them, but things take a terrible turn when they catch Devlin’s father and the widow in a compromising situation. Instead of being discreet about the affair, Devlin makes a huge scene in front of everyone in defense of his mother, and somehow gets himself banished from the family home by not adhering to the polite facade. Devlin ends up joining the war against Napoleon for the next six years, coming back home as the newly inherited earl after the war is over. He’s had no contact with his family for all these years and needs to reassert his position and duty. Upon his return, he finds that Gwyneth has not married in all the years he’s been gone and they tentatively rebuild their acquaintance, even though Devlin has a much different personality that he had before. This book spent a lot of time in the set up of the family structure and conflict with a relatively easy romance built in.

Ebook and audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

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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.

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Remember Me by Mary Balogh (2023)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 2 of the Ravenswood series. Philippa is the eldest daughter and now sister of an earl and on her way to London for her first season, having delayed a few years due to family scandal and then mourning. We learned in the previous book that she had an encounter with a marquess who referred to her as “soiled goods” and completely derailed her confidence. That marquess, Lucas, is the grandson and heir to a duke who is now forcing him to marry a suitable bride of the duchess’ choosing. While in London, we find that Philippa’s mother and Lucas’ aunt are good friends and there are many instances where we find Philippa and Lucas thrown together. After the scandal of her family past, Philippa’s is more apt to confront awkward situations head on and lets Lucas know that she overheard him all those years ago. Lucas is unable to provide her with an explanation at this time, and his excuses seem to suggest that he is hiding more information than he’s willing to share. Once Lucas’ grandparents get to town, they have set their sights on Philippa as the perfect match for Lucas, and circumstances continue to throw them together. We do eventually find out the reason for Lucas’ animosity towards Philippa’s father and it is definitely a juicy secret to hear. And while these two have gotten off on the wrong start, they are clearly quite attracted to each other and slowly build their relationship over the course of the season (with some extra meddling by Lucas’ grandfather).

Ebook and audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

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The Heir and the Spare by Maya Rodale (2007)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 1 of the Negligent Chaperones series. Twin brothers Phillip and Devon hate each other and Devon has always gotten the worst treatment from his ducal father as the second son. After fighting in a duel in place of the heir, Devon flees England for many years and his asshole brother tells everyone he’s dead. Back in England to attend to his dying father, he catches a falling Emilia as she clumsily trips over herself at a ball. They share a kiss in the library before he needs to run off. However, everyone believes Devon to be his brother, the horrible scoundrel Phillip and warns Emilia away from him. Phillip needs to marry an heiress and sets his sights on Emilia; she accepts the courtship but is confused by his demeanor and the distinct lack of sparks when she’s with him. These people are just in a confusing mess, Emilia has a meddlesome chaperone, Devon is totally insecure about his own worth, and Phillip is a gross snake. And there’s a secret building up to be revealed by the duke’s butler, so we have that to look forward to. It was still a fun story and it’s helpful to see how awful Phillip is before we get to his book next.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

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The Temporary Wife by Mary Balogh (1997)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Standalone novel. Anthony needs a wife that’ll annoy his ducal father, so he advertises for a governess to find a plain and mousy woman. Charity is the eldest of many siblings who have lost their parents and needs to find a position to support her family after discovering her father’s many debts. She was dismissed from her last position for being too outspoken, so she shows up to her latest interview in drab unassuming clothing. Anthony believes her the mouse she presents herself to be and offers her a temporary marriage and monetary support for the rest of her life. After they marry, Anthony is surprised to find that Charity has a backbone and is quite clever, even though they don’t know anything about each other. When they arrive to the ducal estate, Charity makes exactly the impression that she was intended to do – completely unqualified to be a future duchess. But somehow Charity’s polite and kind demeanor in the face of coldness starts to break down everybody’s walls, including Anthony’s. This book starts with a humorous set up, but really pushes at the dysfunctional family dynamic in Anthony’s household and helps to restore his relationship with his siblings and turns out to be more emotional than expected.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

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One Night of Scandal by Darcy Burke (2019)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 4 of the Wicked Duke Club series. Viola, younger sister to a duke, dresses up as a man to visit the tavern and collect stories for her newspaper column. She gets involved in some sort of political gossip and tries to investigate, but is thwarted by Jack, a member of parliament and friend of her brother’s. He’s known for awhile that Viola was in disguise but has not revealed it to anyone. They work together to investigate the political mystery and grow closer through the process. Another quick-ish read from this series and a relatively low-angst romance.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

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The Rogue and the Rival by Maya Rodale (2008)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 2 of the Negligent Chaperones series. After the events of Book 1, Philip had left the country for awhile, and somehow ended up back injured and unconscious in at an abbey. He’s being tended to by Angela, a soon-to-be sister who’s been stalling on taking her vows. We learn that Philip was chased down by thugs who he owed money to and Angela was ruined by a man like Philip (but not Philip), charming and rakish and an absolutely scoundrel. These two grow closer, somehow Philip learns how to have feelings and empathy, and Angela remembers that she likes the attentions of men. However, we see an eight month time-jump in the middle of the book, so that’s never a good sign for an easy happily ever after. The second half of the book finds us all back in London and navigating the social waters there. Somehow, we see a pretty believable rake reformation here with Philip, even though it was mostly driven by his desire for Angela.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

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The Lass Who Lost a Shoe by Caroline Lee (2021)

Historical romance. Victorian-era Scotland. Book 1 of the Highlander Ever After series. Cinderella-retelling. Ember has been working at her stepmother’s inn and has a chance to show off her specially engraved shoe designs at the masquerade ball. She hopes to impress the man who has come from America to oversee the engraving business her family has run for generations. At the ball, she has a chance to dance with a handsome gentleman before having to run back home so her stepmother doesn’t find her missing. Max is the newcomer and guest of honor, but he has been staying at the inn, and doesn’t realize the lady at the ball and the serving girl he’s enthralled with are the same person. There’s a smidge of miscommunication as they work out who the other person is, but there is definitely an instant spark between Ember and Max, which is a delight to read.

Ebook accessed from Kindle Unlimited.

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The Lass Who Kissed a Frog by Caroline Lee (2021)

Historical romance. Victorian-era Scotland. Book 2 of the Highlander Ever After series. The Frog Prince retelling. Vanessa has been lauded for her beauty and was expected to make a match with the charming and handsome Roland, but he overhears her making disparaging remarks about his brother and now believes her to be shallow and cruel. He decides to teach her a lesson by disguising himself as a vagabond and riling her ire, but is surprised when she treats him with kindness. Meanwhile, Vanessa is realizing that she has lost her chance with Roland because of her cruel words and refocuses her efforts on helping her sister achieve her goals. When Vanessa needs to travel for a few days, the disguised Roland escorts her, and learns even more about her true (and kind) nature.

Ebook accessed from Kindle Unlimited.

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The Lass Who Loved a Beast by Caroline Lee (2021)

Historical romance. Victorian-era Scotland. Book 3 of the Highlander Ever After series. Beauty and the Beast retelling. Bonnie is doing some research for her book on Highland history and visits the grumpy beast Lyon’s castle to do so. They get stuck there together in a snowstorm and grow closer, but Lyon pushes her away. He’s got his own guilt and feelings of unworthiness after his first wife died in a fire. Although sad about Lyon’s rejection, Bonnie is working on her goals of setting up a publishing house for books written by women and hopes that her own book will be the start of future successes. At some point, Lyon’s brother push him out of his castle to go over Bonnie, where he shares the reasons for his hesitance at a relationship with her. And then we get a big dramatic harrowing experience that force these two to declare their feelings and move forward.

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The Wicked Heir by Merry Farmer (2023)

Historical romance. Victorian-era England. Book 1 of the Secrets of Nedworth Hall series. Lady Patience is sent off to a summer house party by her mother, hoping that the bookish bespectacled Patience will make a match and marry. The house party is full of intrigue as everyone tries to figure out who the mystery heir to a fortune is. Arden is a renowned rake and scoundrel, but really he just gambles to make money to send to the orphanage that his mother runs. Both Patience and Arden think that the other person is the mystery heir and attempt to seduce the truth out of the other one. The seduction part works to assist them falling in love with each other, at the very least. Quick and fun steamy read.

Advance ebook provided by Merry Farmer via BookSprout.

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Useful Resources:

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

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Support this page with a donation

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

Top Five Reads of June 2023 – Historical Romance Books

Someone to Trust by Mary Balogh (2018)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 5 of the Westcott series. This book starts at the same Christmas family gathering that ends the previous book. By this point, it makes the most sense to have read this series in order to keep all of the Westcott family members straight, even though a family tree is printed in the beginning of each book. Colin is the younger brother of Wren (from Book 3) and joining in on the Westcott holiday celebrations; while he is enjoying the celebrations, he’s a bit wistful that his own family does not have this sort of affection for each other and considers searching for a bride next Season and taking responsibility for his estate, where his mother currently resides with her entourage. While he is considering the young eligible ladies in attendance as potential brides, he’s mostly enamoured of Elizabeth, who is the older sister of Alex (Wren’s husband) and nine years older than Colin. Elizabeth is widowed to a man who turned violent with drink and has not been interested in remarriage; however, seeing all the happy couples around her has made her lonely and she may actually consider marriage this upcoming Season. Colin and Elizabeth form a bit of a connection, with good conversation, light flirting, and even a kiss, but Elizabeth feels too old for Colin and Colin feels too immature for Elizabeth. They do eventually agree to a dance together at every ball they both attend during the Season. When we get to London a few months later, they fulfill the promise of the dance, but are actively courting other people, while Colin contends with his mother’s machinations. It’s interesting to see how these two people end up having honest conversations about their traumatic pasts and somehow end up together to everyone’s surprise. And as always, I love the ever-supportive Westcott family.

Ebook and audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

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Marrying Off Morgan McBride by Amy Barry (2023)

Historical romance. 1880s Montana. Book 2 of the McBrides of Montana series. Meddlesome little sister Junebug is at it again by putting an advertisement for a mail-order bride for oldest brother Morgan. She can feel Morgan itching to get back out on the cattle trail and hopes to snare him a wife to keep him at home. Pip answers the ad and sets off with her granny to come meet Morgan; she’s been overlooked and rejected her whole life due to her plain looks, but hopes that Morgan will appreciate her skillful cooking and housekeeping skills. With Junebug’s scheming and dishonesty, both Pip and Morgan are in for surprises and disappointment, despite both of their attraction for the other. When Morgan tells Pip to go home without listening to her at all, she decides to confront him and demand that the marriage go through. He’s still packing up to leave town and has no intention of changing his plans. This book was funny and sweet and heartbreaking in all the right places and we get to finally see Pip stand up for herself and Morgan start to listen more than he talks. And Pip’s granny is the absolute best.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

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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.

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Forever Your Rogue by Erin Langston (2023)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Standalone novel. Widowed viscountess, Cora, is being challenged over the custody of her two young children. She comes up with a scheme for a fake fiancee to help bolster her upcoming case to retain physical custody. Nate is the second son of an earl and a dissolute rake who has been cut off from funds from his older brother. Knowing that Nate needs the money and that he owes her a favor, Cora sets up a contract with Nate for the arrangement, which includes him coming to her country estate for two weeks while her in-laws are also in residence. What follows is a slow realization for Nate of Cora’s strength and determination and him figuring out that he can’t just be a screw up forever. While he interacts with the kids and supports Cora’s struggles, Nate does a lot of growing up himself, even if Cora doesn’t quite trust him yet. This book gets a lot of hype for being very swoony, and it certainly is, but the winning point for me is how believable Nate’s transition into fatherhood is and that he realizes that he can bring support and happiness into this family that he wants very much to be a part of.

Ebook purchased via Amazon.

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What a Gentleman Wants by Caroline Linden (2006)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 1 of the Reece Family series. Marcus, Duke of Exeter, is always getting his brother out of scrapes, but this one is pretty bad. Younger twin David gets into a carriage accident and ends up in the care of a vicar’s widow; he offers her a marriage of convenience, but at the last moment, forges his twin brother’s name on the marriage register instead. Hannah has agreed to marry David since she has little other alternative after the death of her husband, and brings her daughter with her to London where they’ll set up house while David is away on business. Of course, Hannah doesn’t know that David is the brother to a duke and that he signed Marcus’ name on the marriage. When Marcus finds out and confronts Hannah, he at first wants to pay her off, but then convinces her to stay with him temporarily to appease his overexcited sister and stepmother. It’s a tangle of lies, but Marcus and Hannah are attracted to each other under all that stubborn bickering. Add in a counterfeit money plot in the background, and we have some potential for danger.

Ebook and audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

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

Useful Resources:

Read more about getting the most out of your library card

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

Learn more about Kindle Unlimited

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

Read an introduction to fanfiction

Learn more about sources for reading fanfiction

Follow me on Instagram at @randomolive

Shop my handmade bookmarks on Etsy

Support this page with a donation

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

Who’s Olive?


Hi, I'm Olivia, aka Olive. I'm always trying out random crafts and things... so this blog shows the evolution of all the stuff I'm interested in.

Hobby Timeline:
2014-2015: Photography, digital scrapbooking
2015-2017: Brush lettering
2018-2021: Crochet
2021-present: Romance book reading

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