Book Reviews | Random Olive

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The Survivors’ Club Series by Mary Balogh: Expect all the angst and grief / Historical Romance Book Series

Dec 1, 2022

The Survivors’ Club series follows seven people tragically touched by the Napoleonic Wars. Five men were previous soldiers, injured or traumatized in various ways, one woman witnessed her husband’s torture and death, and one duke who opened his home and heart to the injured lost his son in battle and his wife to suicide shortly thereafter. This series brings all the heartache with all these folks dealing with their inner demons, and the partners they meet have their own tragic pasts that need reckoning with. We see some familiar names throughout this series, with characters we’ve met in previous Balogh books like the Bedwyns series (and its prequels) and the Simply series.

1. The Proposal by Mary Balogh (2012)

Historical romance in Regency-era England. Book 1 of the Survivors’ Club Series. We’re introduced the the Survivors’ Club by way of a familiar character, Gwen, Lady Muir. She is the widowed sister of Neville, Earl of Kilbourne from the Bedwyn prequel, One Night for Love (which was the very first historical romance novel I logged in 2021). While out for a walk in Cornwall on a visit to her recently widowed friend, she turns her ankle and is carried back by Hugo to the estate where he is staying. He is a newly titled gentleman, a son of a tradesperson, awarded after a heroic effort during the war that left many dead and him shipped home in a straightjacket. Although clearly attracted to each other, they Gwen and Hugo must deal with their respective histories, social class differences, and initial resistance to each other.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

1.5 The Suitor by Mary Balogh (2013)

Short novella that’s part of the Survivors’ Club series and serves as a prequel to Book 2 of the series. Our blind Viscount is being set up by his matchmaking grandmother, mother, and sisters. The lady they’ve brought has actually been in love with someone else and awaiting her debut into society and for that gentleman to clean up his reputation. The novella is really the romance between the lady and her prior suitor. Short and sweet. I might have missed reading this one if not for my Kindle app suggesting it to me after I finished reading Book 1 of the series. Glad to have read it because it leads up to the next book.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

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2. The Arrangement by Mary Balogh (2013)

Historical romance in Regency-era England. Book 2 of the Survivors’ Club Series. We have our charming and beautiful viscount who was blinded in the war. He’s escaped his meddling family members and off on his own. A quiet young lady rescues him from being compromised into marriage by her cousin and her guardians toss her out. When our charming viscount learns this, he offers her a marriage of convenience with the knowledge that they’d someday follow their separate independent dreams. This one starts slow, as most Balogh novels do, but sometimes I enjoy reading this slow pace of falling in love and all the character-driven emotion behind it.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

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3. The Escape by Mary Balogh (2014)

Historical romance in Regency-era England. Book 3 of the Survivors’ Club Series. Benedict had his legs injured in the war and now painfully walks with canes (despite having been told he’d never walk again). He’s depressed and aimless and finally coming to terms with the fact that he’ll never regain full mobility and that he doesn’t know what to do with his life (as his younger brother serves as steward to his estate). While visiting his sister, Ben meets Samantha, a recent widow who spent the past five years nursing her injured husband. She’s in deep mourning and oppressed by her puritanical in-laws. They have quite the antagonistic first meeting, but they find their way towards friendship (and eventually more). I expected to enjoy this story and I definitely did! I love how their friendship developed slowly over time and I loved learning more about Samantha’s family history.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

4. Only Enchanting by Mary Balogh (2014)

Historical romance, Regency era England. Book 4 of the Survivors’ Club series. Flavian is a viscount who suffered from a traumatic brain injury with a poor prognosis, and was betrayed by his fiancee and best friend who married each other while he was recovering. Many years later, his ex-fiancee is now a widow and his meddling mother and sister are trying to matchmake. Meanwhile, Flavian has met and danced with Agnes, a neighbor at his friend’s estate. He feels calm and at peace when with her and ultimately offers her marriage. She believes Flavian is a rake and a flirt and tries to avoid his advances, but eventually gives in. The most interesting part of this book is the strange history Flavian has with his ex-fiancee and the gaps in his memory that are slowly uncovered.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

5. Only a Promise by Mary Balogh (2015)

Historical romance, Regency-era England. Book 5 of the Survivors’ Club series. Ralph feels terribly guilty that his three friends followed him to war and did not survive. He’s cold and emotionless and empty. As heir to a dukedom from an elderly and ailing grandfather, he knows his immediate duty is to marry. Chloe is visiting the duke and duchess as she is the daughter of the duchess’ god daughter and attempting to serve as a companion. She hears of Ralph’s plight and proposes a marriage of convenience to him, no emotional ties, and no disappointment. Chloe’s reputation is mired in scandal, with her younger sister running off with a married man years ago, and recent speculation that her acknowledged father is not her natural father. She’s looking forward to the comforts of the countryside. However, tragedy strikes soon after the wedding and they’re bound for the London Season after all. Definitely a slow burn angsty romance with all the drama you’d expect from Balogh. And you come to adore Ralph’s grandparents through the story.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

6. Only a Kiss by Mary Balogh (2015)

Historical romance, Regency-era England. Book 6 of the Survivors’ Club series. The only woman of the club, Imogen, witnessed her husband’s torture and death while at war. She now lives in the dower house of her late husband’s family estate, while her aunt-in-law lives in the main house with her cousin companion. The new earl, Percy, having gained the title two years prior, is visiting the estate for the first time. He has come mainly to see if anything needs to be addressed on the estate, establish a trustworthy steward, and return to his indolent and frivolous lifestyle in the city. Imogen and Percy start with a somewhat antagonistic relationship, with neither of them communicating clearly. However, they soon start a friendship and then an affair. Meanwhile, there’s an underlying plot in town related to the issue of smuggling and the backstory of how an earl’s heir somehow found himself going to war, with his wife in tow.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

7. Only Beloved by Mary Balogh (2016)

Historical romance, Regency-era England. Book 7 of the Survivors’ Club series. Last and final book of the series. As the Duke of Stanbrook, George had opened his home to wounded soldiers of war after the death of his son and the suicide of his distraught wife. After all six weddings in the past two years of all his fellow Survivors, George realizes he is lonely and in want of companionship. He thinks back to a woman he met over a year ago, a music teacher to one of his fellow Survivors (he met the lady in Book 4) and returns to her town to propose marriage. Dora is a 39-year old spinster, having given up her debut after her mother ran off with another man to care for her young sister Agnes (the heroine of Book 4). George and Dora agree on a marriage of companionship, friendship, and comfort. All of this is settled probably within the first quarter of the book, and then we move onto a quick engagement period, then a wedding, and then the journey to George’s estate in Cornwall. While these two are contented with each other, there’s still a lingering issue of George’s unwillingness to speak of the past and an ugly incident during their wedding with his late wife’s half-brother. We start to see hints of the reality (and misery) of George’s first marriage, but we have a long wait until he finally reveals himself to Dora. Meanwhile, Dora is wrestling with her own hurts related to her mother’s abandonment and it was sweet to see them make strides toward reconciliation. Overall, this was a great cap to this emotionally wrought series and a good reminder of why I love Mary Balogh’s books so much.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

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Weekly Reads: November 21 to 27, 2022

Nov 29, 2022

It was Thanksgiving week here in the United States, so that means two extra days off for sitting around in my sweatpants and reading. I finished reading two ARCs that will be published soon, plus a whole bunch of other romance books.

Harry Potter Fanfic: Ruby. by wednesdaynott

Draco/Hermione romance, short fic. Draco and Hermione have been dating for awhile and he asks to visit her place instead of them always going to his. He finds out that Hermione has a secret daughter, shared with Harry, that they are co-parenting.

The Reluctant Countess by Eloisa James (2022)

Historical romance, Regency-era England. Book 2 of the Would-Be Wallflowers series. Lady Yasmin has a scandalous reputation, with her mother playing mistress to Napoleon and herself being tricked into thinking she eloped and married when she was sixteen. Now in England with her duke of a grandfather, she causes gossip wherever she goes with her frivolous and flirtatious ways. Giles is the stuffiest most serious earl you’ve ever met, trying to avoid any and all scandal after the death of his father and the outrageous behavior of his mother. He’s openly disdainful of Yasmin, even though he desires her and watches her every move. These two bicker and banter and fight and know that they would be a poor match for each other, but Giles does ultimately propose marriage to her. Meanwhile, Giles’ younger sister is the brattiest brat to ever brat and makes a spectacle of herself and says mean-spirited things about Yasmin (and others) making her the villain of the story. Even though Giles tries to overcome Yasmin’s scandalous reputation, he is still quite overbearing and jealous throughout the book and is an overall unlikeable guy for the most part. And of course, Yasmin’s hardened stance on her own reputation is just a hard shell protecting a fragile and vulnerable girl inside.

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

How to Win a Wallflower by Samara Parish (2022)

Historical romance, Victorian-era England. Book 3 of the Rebels with a Cause series. We have our duke’s sister Charlotte, who’s the younger sister of the hero from Book 2 and she’s in her like 4th Season and uninterested in any suitors. She mostly spends her time helping her brother’s political causes and charitable causes. Charlotte is the ultimate do-gooder social butterfly and clearly not the wallflower in this story. That goes to our guy John who is Charlotte’s brother’s friend who has spent the past ten years away from the London scene, working on his various scientific inventions. He’s back in town though because his older brother died, leaving him as the new viscount and in a whole a lot of debt. John needs to figure out a way to pay off all these debts, so he can go back to his very solitary lifestyle in a cabin in the woods. Charlotte’s had a crush on John for years and years, so she decides to help him with his debt problem. They need to work together and they get closer, even though our dear brother duke has already warned each person away from the other. We’ll see how that actually turns out…

Advance ebook provided by Forever Books via NetGalley.

When She Was Wicked by Anne Barton (2013)

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

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

To All the Rakes I’ve Loved Before by Anne Barton (2013)

Historical romance, Regency-era England. Book 1.5 of the Honeycotes series. Novella connected to the Honeycotes, but can be read as standalone. Amelia is the daughter of a tradesperson who hides away at home after a huge embarrassment years ago at a ball. The man she was courting had eloped with someone else, and now is at her home, bringing in tow his injured friend. The friend, Stephen, had shown Amelia kindness in those trying days and now needs some nursing back to health. As a novella, this one was a pretty quick read with a very quick falling in love, but it was fun to read. I adore a cute sickbed romance.

Ebook accessed from Kindle Unlimited.

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Once She Was Tempted by Anne Barton (2013)

Historical romance, Regency-era England. Book 2 of the Honeycotes series. This one makes a bit more sense after having read Book 1, but still fine as a standalone. Daphne, the younger sister of Annabelle from Book 1, is enjoying her first Season and the attentions of a kind viscount. However, that viscount’s mentor, Ben (a curmudgeonly earl who was injured at war) disapproves of the connection and wants to warn her off. He has a scandalous portrait of her in his possession and questions her morals. Daphne is shocked and worried for her reputation and seeks to find that portrait’s partner. When she was younger and desperate for funds, she had posed for these scandalous portraits and split the money with her artist friend. Now that she’s moving in fancier circles, she stands to be ruined if people find out. As Ben helps in her mission to locate the other painting, he revisits his opinion of her. And the kind and beautiful Daphne sees beyond the grumpy exterior Ben shows to the world.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

Woo’d in Haste by Sabrina Darby (2014)

Historical romance, Regency-era England. Book 1 of the Taming series. Novella-length, Taming of the Shrew retelling. Newly back in England from his grand tour, Luc sees a beautiful lady in the village and asks his friend for help. The lovely Bianca is a younger sister and forbidden to court or marry until her older sister Kate does. Luc is set up as a tutor to Bianca’s younger brother and they grow closer throughout his stay. When Kate returns for a house party, Luc and his friend enlist someone to help distract and possibly court Kate so that Bianca has more freedom. Loved this quick read!

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

Wed at Leisure by Sabrina Darby (2014)

Historical romance, Regency-era England. Book 1 of the Taming series. Novella-length, Taming of the Shrew retelling. Companion to Woo’d in Haste. Kate has her reasons for being a shrew, but she can’t seem to break free of bad habits and ends up acting like a spoiled brat around her family and in her hometown. Peter, her neighbor, has always been antagonistic towards her, but is suddenly paying her lots of attention. He was tasked by his younger brother to spend time with Kate so that her sister is free to enjoy the attentions of a gentleman. However, Kate and Peter are attracted to each other and could potentially be suited for marriage. It was interesting to see Kate’s perspective here since she was painted as a villain in the previous book. Really enjoyed seeing the back story of Kate and Peter too.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

Bridgerton Fanfic: If They Hadn’t Gone to Sleep by MyNorthStar

Anthony/Kate one-shot. If these two had talked during/after their tryst in the gazebo in episode 2.07, they would have worked out their issues during a conversation.

Bridgerton Fanfic: The Morning After by no_net_ensnares_me

Anthony/Kate one-shot. If Anthony had caught Kate at Lady Danbury’s house before she went riding at the end of episode 2.07.

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

Scandalous Summer Nights by Anne Barton (2014)

Historical romance, Regency-era England. Book 3 of the Honeycotes series. Duke’s sister Olivia has been pining for her brother’s solicitor friend for the past decade. When she learns that he is planning to leave for a two-year expedition to Egypt, she finally declares her feelings for him and sets out to convince him of her affections. However, her impulsive nature and lack of caution land them in a series of disastrous events. While this book had its humorous moments, Olivia’s chaotic energy was awkward for me to read. Also, whenever James seemed to have something serious to talk about, they kept getting interrupted (either by external circumstances or Olivia’s distractions). It was still an enjoyable read and added more drama to the Honeycotes series, but not my fave of the series.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

One Wild Winter’s Eve by Anne Barton (2014)

Historical romance, Regency-era England. Book 4 of the Honeycotes series. Lady Rose and Charles, the estate’s stable master, have had a connection since Book 1 of the series. We start with a sweet prologue between the two, and then jump several years later. Rose is accompanying an older lady to visit another woman’s estate. While Rose claims to want to avoid the social bustle of the city, she really wants to find out information about her wayward and scandalous mother, hoping that the person they’re visiting will have more information. While there, she finds that the estate’s steward is Charles, her long ago love. They reconnect and catch up on each other’s lives a bit and begin a romance. However, the lady of the estate has designs on the young and handsome Charles as well and doesn’t take his rejection well. There’s a whole load of drama with an accusation of larceny, imprisonment, plus what we find out about Rose’s mother. This one was a lot of fun and I liked seeing Rose and Charles helping each other and acting as partners.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

All She Wants for Christmas by Amy Rose Bennett (2016)

Historical romance, Regency-era England. Novella-length. Bluestocking artist Tessa escapes a ball by going to her art studio. While there, she accidentally witnesses an assignation between a rake and a widow. She’s caught by the rake, Jasper, and he kisses her before she can leave. Their kiss is witnessed and they’re forced to marry. Quick and easy read with our rake finding his intended wife very attractive and not being displeased about the circumstances.

Ebook purchased via Amazon.

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

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Dukes Gone Dirty Series by Bella Moxie: Rowdy Rakish Men Find Their Mates / Historical Romance Book Series

Nov 28, 2022

Historical romance set in Regency-ish England. A group of male friends intent on debauchery until marriage comes to claim them. Quick and easy reads, not necessary to read them in series order.

1. The Duke’s Defiant Angel (2022)

An arrogant duke picks out a pretty bride and forces the marriage. She is determined not to fall in love with him because she has another suitor who she loves. After they marry, the duke aims to win her heart as well.

Print length: 184 pages

2. The Earl’s Tempting Ward (2022)

Grumpy surly earl and his scandalous orphaned ward. Both are consumed by guilt from their pasts. She feels undeserving of any upstanding behavior and seduces him for fun (not for marriage).

Print length: 184 pages

Click here to get the book on KU

3. The Marquess’s Stolen Bride (2022)

Rowdy marquess rescues the illegitimate daughter of an earl who is being kept in a tower and being auctioned off. Being caught in her room, he decides to marry and protect her.

Print length: 178 pages

Click here to get the book on KU

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

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

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

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

Secret Life of Scoundrels Series by Anna Harrington / Historical Romance Book Series

Nov 24, 2022

Anna Harrington is a historical romance author I’ve been meaning to read and I started at the beginning of her backlist. We’ve got historical romance scoundrels set in Regency/Victorian England. This series makes the most sense when you read it in order. The events of Book 2 and 3 tie very closely together. And then Book 4 is about the children of our rake-ish friends from Books 1 to 3.

1. Dukes Are Forever (2015)

So our dear duke had taken revenge on his nemesis by bankrupting him and acquiring his estate. And the guy throws in his daughter as a ward. The daughter is no mere child though, as the duke discovers when he goes to claim his property. They’re stuck with each other while they figure out their next move and neither one trusts the other.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

2. Along Came a Rogue (2016)

Best friend’s sister romance, but with more history and secrets than initially appears. We have our hero off to fetch his best friend’s sister who was unable to travel to her brother’s wounded sick bed. Of course, she’s hiding her own secrets and trying to protect herself from unknown villains. We’ve also got the road trip/forced proximity aspect of this one too.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

3. How I Married a Marquess (2016)

The guy who was shot in the last book has his turn as the hero, but now it’s a year later and he’s shaken and anxious. Wanting a chance to prove himself again, he’s gone to a house party to find a highwayman. Turns out the highwayman is the pretty girl he met at the party. She has her reasons for robbing the rich to support the orphanage where she came from. They both get sucked into some major drama, and they both have to decide what’s most important to them.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

4. Once a Scoundrel (2017)

Second-generation novella with childhood friends, grown to a season of stolen kisses, then the guy leaves for war, and now is back and wants the woo the gal back. But do we trust him now? Short quick read.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

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Bookish Merch Making: Design, Print, Profit

Nov 23, 2022

Ready to make and sell some merch with your bookish art and designs? If you’ve got design ideas that you want to put onto physical products (for yourself, for friends, or even to make some extra cash), here are ways to put those together.

Design

With designing an image you can use on various products, you have a bunch of different choices for things you can do. If you’re adept at drawing, I highly recommend using a digital drawing device like an iPad Pro with the app Procreate. This will create a digital art file that you can upload to any service to get it printed onto actual products. If you’re new to digital drawing or you want to improve your skills, I recommend a bunch of classes from my friend Lisa Bardot over at Bardot Brush. She has a YouTube channel with tons of free tutorials in addition to her paid courses.

Another place to design some artwork, even without any drawing or lettering skill is on Canva. There are tons of fonts and elements you can use to create a design. With Canva Pro, you have the ability to sell products with the designs you make, and there’s even a function to get them printed directly onto stickers, shirts, and more. (I’ve got a link here for a free 30 day trial of Canva Pro)

Print on Demand Websites

So what kind of merch can you make? Pretty much any object that can be digitally printed on can be made into merch. Shirts and tote bags are probably the most common, but you can make cell phone cases, stickers, wall art, and more. If you want a place to very simply upload your designs and create a product, print on demand websites will handle the manufacturing and shipping. If you’re looking to sell these products to your audience, the profit margin is pretty low here, but all you need to do is create the design, promote the link, and then the company takes care of the rest.

Here are links to some common platforms for doing this sort of thing and I’ve linked an example of an item that either I’m selling or seeing other bookish content creators selling.

Etsy Shop

Another option for selling merch is to open an Etsy shop. Etsy does charge you a listing fee in addition to a whole bunch of other fees for the ability to use their platform. (If you’re a new Etsy shop, you can get 40 free listings with this link) You can integrate with a print-on-demand service to be able to automate the process of manufacturing and shipping. My Etsy shop integrates with Printful for a few items that I was testing out to see if they would sell. (Here’s a tote bag that I designed) Etsy can also be used to sell digital products you’ve made, like reading logs or checklists (See my reading list as an example) or any of your physical handmade products (like my corner bookmarks).

Self-Hosted Shop

If you’re ready to drive traffic to your own self-hosted shop, there are generally less fees and more profits involved. You can choose to integrate with a print-on-demand company to decrease the upfront costs of buying inventory (but you make less profit here), or you can choose to print a larger quantity all at once (saving money) and then carry inventory and sell/ship it on your own. One example of a self-hosted shop that carries inventory is BookshelfTees.

Overall, there are a lot of options if you want to start making bookish merch and hopefully you found this post helpful! Let me know if you are a merch maker and seller and leave a link in the comments to your products so I can check them out!

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

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Weekly Reads: November 14 to 20, 2022

Nov 22, 2022

Lots of books this week as I finished out the last three books in Mary Balogh’s Survivors’ Club series. Remember to subscribe to get the latest reviews of everything I’ve read (even the smutty Kindle Unlimited books I don’t talk about anywhere else).

Villain I’d Like to F Anthology by Eva Leigh, Nicola Davidson, Joanna Shupe, Adriana Herrera, and Sierra Simone (2022)

Historical romance anthology. I have mixed feelings about anthologies in general. They’re both delightful and overwhelming all at once. The overwhelm is knowing that I have a huge book with multiple stories to read and it feels impossible to finish. The delight is where my favorite authors have written a quick novella that I can finish in a day. So I started to realize that I should just treat an anthology book as five distinct novellas that I should pace myself to read. And that’s what I did with this one. At this time, I’ve only read three of the five novellas in the anthology and found them all such fun to read. I enjoyed how the villain characters were completely unapologetic about their desires and that their love interests have come to appreciate them exactly as they are, without wanting to change them for the better. And as expected, the novellas I’ve read here deliver on all the spicy escapades I’ve come to expect from this group of authors.

Advance ebook provided by Nicola Davidson.

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Merry Miss by Annabelle Anders (2022)

Historical romance set in Regency-era England. Book 9 of the Regency Cocky Gents series. Novella. Delia is on the way to become an elderly lady’s companion and finds some travel difficulty, nearly becoming lost in the snow on the side of the road. While on his way to visit his family, Jack rescues a cold and shivering Delia and brings her to his room in an inn. Quick read and fun to see this rake show care and tenderness to Delia.

Ebook purchased via Amazon.

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Only a Promise by Mary Balogh (2015)

Historical romance, Regency-era England. Book 5 of the Survivors’ Club series. Ralph feels terribly guilty that his three friends followed him to war and did not survive. He’s cold and emotionless and empty. As heir to a dukedom from an elderly and ailing grandfather, he knows his immediate duty is to marry. Chloe is visiting the duke and duchess as she is the daughter of the duchess’ god daughter and attempting to serve as a companion. She hears of Ralph’s plight and proposes a marriage of convenience to him, no emotional ties, and no disappointment. Chloe’s reputation is mired in scandal, with her younger sister running off with a married man years ago, and recent speculation that her acknowledged father is not her natural father. She’s looking forward to the comforts of the countryside. However, tragedy strikes soon after the wedding and they’re bound for the London Season after all. Definitely a slow burn angsty romance with all the drama you’d expect from Balogh. And you come to adore Ralph’s grandparents through the story.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

Bridgerton Fanfic: The Duke & The Redhead by rayna_ray

Simon/Penelope one-shot. At Lady Danbury’s ball, Simon is bombarded with the ambitious mamas and their daughters. He singles out Penelope for a dance. Cute, short, sweet.

Bridgerton Fanfic: I’ll Keep Climbing by LightLeadingMe

Colon/Penelope smutty one-shot. After the events of Season 2 of the show, Colin is frustrated that Penelope is avoiding him. He drunkenly climbs into her bedroom through her window.

Only a Kiss by Mary Balogh (2015)

Historical romance, Regency-era England. Book 6 of the Survivors’ Club series. The only woman of the club, Imogen, witnessed her husband’s torture and death while at war. She now lives in the dower house of her late husband’s family estate, while her aunt-in-law lives in the main house with her cousin companion. The new earl, Percy, having gained the title two years prior, is visiting the estate for the first time. He has come mainly to see if anything needs to be addressed on the estate, establish a trustworthy steward, and return to his indolent and frivolous lifestyle in the city. Imogen and Percy start with a somewhat antagonistic relationship, with neither of them communicating clearly. However, they soon start a friendship and then an affair. Meanwhile, there’s an underlying plot in town related to the issue of smuggling and the backstory of how an earl’s heir somehow found himself going to war, with his wife in tow.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

Have I Told You This Already? by Lauren Graham (2022)

Nonfiction/Memoir. I have been a fan of the show Gilmore Girls since it originally aired in the early 2000s back on the now-defunct WB network. While I was practically the same age as Rory Gilmore (I’m a mere year older than the character was during the original airing), I was equally invested in the story and plot of Lorelai Gilmore, portrayed by actress Lauren Graham. After the series ended, I didn’t keep up with the actors from the show and moved along to other entertainment pursuits. When the Gilmore Girls revival, A Year in the Life, premiered on Netflix, I binge-watched it in a weekend. After that, the very smart Netflix algorithm suggested that I watch Parenthood (another show that starred Lauren Graham), so I watched that too. Shortly after that, I read and enjoyed Graham’s first memoir, Talking as Fast as I Can (2016). Knowing that I’d been a fan of Graham’s acting and writing, I picked up the current book when I saw it was available as an influencer audiobook listening copy from Libro.fm. This year’s offering is self-narrated in audiobook format and shares even more essays and insights into Graham’s life as an early actress, adjusting to the body image and health fads in Hollywood, and aging as a female person in the industry. I appreciated her witty humor and ability for storytelling in this book. In audiobook format, it’s like having a conversation with a friend.

Audiobook provided by Libro.fm.

Only Beloved by Mary Balogh (2016)

Historical romance, Regency-era England. Book 7 of the Survivors’ Club series. Last and final book of the series. As the Duke of Stanbrook, George had opened his home to wounded soldiers of war after the death of his son and the suicide of his distraught wife. After all six weddings in the past two years of all his fellow Survivors, George realizes he is lonely and in want of companionship. He thinks back to a woman he met over a year ago, a music teacher to one of his fellow Survivors (he met the lady in Book 4) and returns to her town to propose marriage. Dora is a 39-year old spinster, having given up her debut after her mother ran off with another man to care for her young sister Agnes (the heroine of Book 4). George and Dora agree on a marriage of companionship, friendship, and comfort. All of this is settled probably within the first quarter of the book, and then we move onto a quick engagement period, then a wedding, and then the journey to George’s estate in Cornwall. While these two are contented with each other, there’s still a lingering issue of George’s unwillingness to speak of the past and an ugly incident during their wedding with his late wife’s half-brother. We start to see hints of the reality (and misery) of George’s first marriage, but we have a long wait until he finally reveals himself to Dora. Meanwhile, Dora is wrestling with her own hurts related to her mother’s abandonment and it was sweet to see them make strides toward reconciliation. Overall, this was a great cap to this emotionally wrought series and a good reminder of why I love Mary Balogh’s books so much.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

Daring Done Right by Charlie Lane (2022)

Historical romance, Regency-ish era England. Book 6 of the Debutante Dares series. The younger sister of the lady from Book 1 of the series has been risking her reputation for a series of bets and dares among the gentleman of the ton. She’s seeking out funds to secretly support a financially unstable medical clinic. Her best friend’s older brother had a previous reputation for being daring, but has turned into a serious and overbearing sort of fellow after the death of his mother. He seeks to discourage the lady’s brash behavior, but she brings out the daring and fiery side to himself. Loved reading the banter between these two!

Advance ebook provided by Wolf Publishing via NetGalley.

Lonely Beard by Cassie Mint (2022)

Contemporary romance, novella. Book 2 of the Mail Order Mountain series. Our guy has struck out three times with the mail order soulmate service, so he’s finally quitting the matchmaking program. A lady from the company has flown out to meet him in-person to find out more about him to improve her matchmaking skills. She gets stuck outside his cabin when her car won’t start in a storm and she needs to spend the night. Super quick insta-love novella to read.

Ebook accessed from Kindle Unlimited.

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How to Be a Wallflower by Eloisa James (2022)

Historical romance, Regency-era England. Book 1 of the Would-Be Wallflowers series. Cleo is interested in being a wallflower and plans to order a drab wardrobe. When she visits a costumer, the company has been purchased by an American businessman who wants to move the company out of England. She gets into a confrontation with Jake, the businessman, and declares that she’s purchased the company instead. These two start a competition, and then strike a bargain, and then he starts to court her in earnest. It’s definitely a case of him falling first and changing all his plans, while trying to break down her defenses with her late mother’s fickle behavior and her previous fortune-hunting fiancee. Fun to read and pretty light on the drama and angst.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

Harry Potter Fanfic: A Peculiar Fondness by Fluffy_Monk

Snape/Hermione smutty one-shot. Hermione and Ron break up, Molly sends a Howler to Hermione at Hogwarts and her crush on Severus is outed.

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Top 5 Favorite Snape/Hermione Fanfics: And none of them are teacher-student relationships

Nov 18, 2022

Within the Harry Potter fandom, sometimes Snape/Hermione romance fanfic gets a lot of criticism. Either people just dislike Severus Snape in general or they disagree with the power dynamics of a teacher-student relationship or they dislike the age gap. But in the romance reading world, all of those things are fair game and sometimes even purposely sought out.

For the folks where a teacher-student power dynamic makes things squicky for you, I’ve put together a list of my top five favorite fics that happen to exclude this set up.

Fate Set Right by mltrefry

Time-Travel AU. At the end of Hermione’s third year, she has an accident with her time-turner and lands in July 1974. She is taken in by McGonagall’s brother and sister-in-law for the summer. She meets Lily and Severus on the train to Hogwarts for her everyone’s fourth year and befriends them. Story jumps between the 1970s and 1990s. Told from the perspectives of Hermione, Severus, and their daughter Aurora. One of the most solid relationships I’ve seen between Hermione and Severus, and a lot of the squick-factor people have around this ship is mitigated by them being the same age. Of the time-travel/Sevmione category, this one is my favorite. I’m usually not interested or invested in original characters, but I found myself rooting for Aurora as she interacts with Harry&Co in the 1990s.

Read this fic on FanFiction.net

Post Tenebras Lux by Loten

Ten years Post-Deathly Hallows. Severus has been dead since the end of the Battle of Hogwarts. So why does Hermione think she sees him at a train station in Muggle London? Hermione tracks him down, finds him in a Muggle trailer park, helps him re-integrate into the wizarding world, and gets him his job back at Hogwarts. Severus is back to being the Potions professor and Hermione teaches Muggle Studies. She’s single and lonely and wants to be his friend. He’s looking to cure himself of nerve damage from too many hits of the Cruciatus curse. They work together and Hermione slowly breaks down Severus’ emotional defenses. There’s no villain or dastardly plot in this story; just two people growing and getting to know each other, and dealing with the reaction of the people around them. One of my favorites in the long beyond Deathly Hallows era category of fics.

Sin & Vice by mak5258

Time-Travel AU. Hermione is given a special time-turner to train and become a fighter for the war; after so many turns of time, she’s older and tougher and fiercer when she meets Snape as her peer. This one takes place around the same timeframe as Books 5 through 7 of the series, but focuses on Hermione’s role in the war against Voldemort. The special time-turner comes into play quite frequently and I loved seeing Hermione and Snape come together in this one. Epic adventures involved.

The Poison Garden by turtle_wexler

Time-Travel AU. We start after the war when Hermione is a teacher at Hogwarts. She’s accidentally transported back in time to 1987 (when Voldemort has already been defeated). She lands in Snape’s rooms at Hogwarts and has to be hidden and protected. For the duration of the summer, she stays at Snape’s house at Spinner’s End and befriends his friend and neighbor, Charity Burbage (who is the Muggle Studies teacher at Hogwarts). When it’s time for the school year to start, Hermione wears a glamour charm, assumes a fake name and becomes the Hogwarts defense teacher.

In the World Where Things Went Right by TheTitaniumSerpent

What if Hermione was the same age as Severus? If Hermione met Severus before they started Hogwarts and remained friends throughout their school years. This one is pure fluff and super enjoyable when you need a low-drama story to read.

Bonus: Darling Death Eater by Recreational_Potions

Harry’s POV. Harry and Ron visit Hermione in America and find out who she has been dating. Hilarious one-shot.

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

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Texas Trilogy Series by Lorraine Heath: Historical Romance in the Old West / Historical Romance Book Series

Nov 17, 2022

Lorraine Heath is considered a historical romance must-read for a reason. The Texas Trilogy brings all the emotions to the surface here with our sad puppy-dog wounded heroes and misunderstood heroines. Definitely read this series in order as all the stories build directly off of each other.

1. Texas Destiny (1997)

Don’t know where to start with Lorraine Heath’s massive backlist? Here. Start here. Texas Destiny in Book 1 of the Texas Trilogy and will bring you all the feels. Our guy Houston is all sorts of wounded and is sent to pick up his big brother’s mail order bride from the train station. They’ve got a two week journey back to the farm and everything that can go wrong does go wrong, including falling in love with each other. When they get to their destination, the story doesn’t stop there. We have the brother to deal with, poachers, violence, and more.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

2. Texas Glory (1998)

Texas Glory is the second book of the Texas Trilogy and we have a marriage of convenience here between rival families. It’s a few years after the events of the previous book and we have our man Dallas itching for an heir. It’s definitely a slow burn on this one, and the back half of the book is full of drama that will ultimately lead to the third book.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

3. Texas Splendor (1998)

Takes place five years after the events of the previous book. Um, don’t read the summary on this one if you don’t want plot spoilers for the previous book. However, it’s safe to say that this is little brother Austin’s book and he meets a lonely young woman living by herself and her dog. I started reading this book and smelled something shady going on… and was both delighted and saddened I was right. Another emotional rollercoaster from Lorraine Heath!

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

3.5. Texas Legacy (2019)

Book 4 of the Texas Trilogy revisits our beloved Leigh family many years down the line, when our baby Faith is now fully grown. Also, my favorite wingwoman here is cousin Maggie.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

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