Book Reviews | Random Olive

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Weekly Reads: November 8 to 13, 2022

Nov 15, 2022

Mix of fics and books this week, including one audiobook memoir. Remember that I’ll talk about things I’ve read here that I might not post about anywhere else, so I recommend subscribing to not miss out!

Lady Meets Earl by Christy Carlyle (2022)

Historical romance set in Victorian England. Book 2 of the Love on Holiday series, but it doesn’t seem connect to the first book from what I can tell. Our poor guy James is being threatened by a loan shark after losing all his money from his shipping business; he’s inherited and earldom from his estranged uncle but finds that estate in debt with only one property potentially worth selling. In another part of town, Lady Lucy is living her ever-helpful nearly-spinster life and gets invited to visit her feisty aunt for awhile. While traveling to the estate via train, she bumps into James and they make friendly acquaintance with each other. Unfortunately, they soon find out that they’ve ended up in the same destination: Lucy’s aunt is occupying the house that James needs to sell. While it seems like this could be a major conflict, Lucy is mature about the situation and strives for transparency in communication. It’s delightful reading these two open up to each other and communicate.

Advance ebook provided by Avon Books via NetGalley.

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Grizzly Beard by Cassie Mint (2022)

Contemporary romance novella. Book 1 of the Mail Order Mountain series. Super quick little read. Mail order bride shows up at a mountain cabin that she thinks belongs to her fiance, but finds another gruff and burly man instead. He offers to drive her to the right place, but a downed tree in the road stops them for the night and they have to cuddle for warmth.

Ebook accessed from Kindle Unlimited.

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Beyond the Wand: The Magic and Mayhem of Growing Up a Wizard by Tom Felton (2022)

Nonfiction memoir. It should be no surprise here that I was a fan of the Harry Potter novels and movies. And as my fanfiction reading habits would suggest, I even sympathize with Draco Malfoy at times. Recently, actor Tom Felton, who portrayed Draco in the Harry Potter films published a memoir documenting his childhood, acting jobs, mentors, and life after Potter. I borrowed the audiobook from my library specifically because the book was narrated by Felton himself and it added a lot of emotion to the bits of his life he was sharing. The book ranged from his early childhood all the way up to a fairly recent struggle with alcoholism and rehab. I enjoyed listening to this book and you can hear the deep gratitude and appreciation Felton had for all the people in his life that helped shape who he is today.

Audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

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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.

Harry Potter Fanfic: When I Kissed the Teacher by SlytherinLovesAGryffindor

Hermione/Severus one-shot, Part 1 of series. Hermione is under the influence of Amortentia fumes and is daydreaming in class. When Snape goes to admonish her, she kisses him.

Harry Potter Fanfic: The Name of the Game by SlytherinLovesAGryffindor

Hermione/Severus one-shot, Part 2 of series. Snape’s point of view from the kiss incident and the resulting detention.

Harry Potter Fanfic: Andante, Andante by SlytherinLovesAGryffindor

Hermione/Severus one-shot, Part 3 of series. After several weeks of detentions, Hermione and Severus plan to consummate their relationship.

Bridgerton Fanfic: I Think I Might Love You by IrishRose30

Anthony/Penelope romance. Follows the events of Season 2 of the series. Kate rejects Anthony at the Featherington Ball at the end of Episode 8. The Bridgertons and Featheringtons see each other at the park during a promenade and Penelope attempts to make Anthony smile. They begin a friendship, flirtation, and eventual courtship. The fic was a little shaky on the rules of Regency-era propriety, but it was still a fun and endearing read.

A Holiday by Gaslight by Mimi Matthews (2018)

Historical romance set in Victorian England. Novella-length. Quick read. Sophie is the eldest daughter of a baronet and has been courting Mr. Edward Sharpe for two months and breaks it off because they seemingly don’t suit. It’s mostly because the courtship was awkward and stilted because he was trying too hard to be a gentleman. She decides to give him another chance with his holiday visit to her family’s house, and this time, he knows he needs to win her over. Super sweet read for the holidays.

Ebook purchased as an ebook deal via Amazon.

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Harry Potter Fanfic: Paradox by olivieblake

Draco/Hermione action-adventure romance. This one was a re-read for me. I had probably initially read this sometime in early 2020 and am in the process of putting together a post with a bunch of olivieblake’s fics. I had forgotten a lot of the details of this story, so I figured it was good to re-read it. In this one, we find Draco and Hermione thrown into a parallel universe and having to team up with their alternate selves. We spend time in both the Potterverse (canon, as we’ve known it) and the Grindelverse (a world where Grindelwald defeats Dumbledore and sets up his militaristic regime) and follow the adventures there separately. This fic is heavy on the plot and light on the smut, but you can tell how witty and clever the writing is. It’s a fun one, but will make your brain spin.

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

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

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

Useful Resources:

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

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

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Top 12 Picks for Historical Romance Beginners: A little of every trope here

Nov 11, 2022

If you’re just getting started with reading historical romance, the options can be overwhelming! You could start with Bridgerton if you’ve been a fan of the series, but I have to tell you that those aren’t my faves. To get a great mix of a variety of writing styles and tropes, I recommend the twelve picks here. I’ve listed them in alphabetical order by author last name, so you can pick and choose which you want to read first!

What a Difference a Duke Makes by Lenora Bell (2018)

Book 1 in the School for Dukes Series This one is a bit of a Mary Poppins retelling, with our serious duke with rebellious twins needing to hire a new governess. Because his kids keep running off the other ones. Of course our duke underestimates her at first, but then is impressed by her ability to connect with his children. It’s pretty much your classic governess-widower story.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

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The Highwayman by Kerrigan Byrne (2015)

Book 1 of the Victorian Rebels series. You can just imagine that a prologue that starts with two kids in an orphanage becoming friends, teaching each other to read, protecting each other, and getting pseudo-married in the chapel with the guy’s clan tartan is going to lead to heartbreak. And that’s exactly what happens. Our girl-child gets assaulted by a priest, her child-husband stabs him to death, he gets sent to prison, and she runs away. Flash forward to adulthood, she’s a respectable “widow” working for the police station, almost courting the chief inspector, and gets kidnapped by the most notorious criminal in London. High drama indeed.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

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The Duchess Deal by Tessa Dare (2017)

Book 1 of the Girl Meets Duke series. If you’re looking for an easy-to-read, super funny, historical romance, this is the one for you. We start with a seamstress barging into a duke’s home wearing his ex-fiancee’s ugly ass wedding dress and demanding payment for it because his ex-fiancee didn’t. And then this duke decides to propose to the woman! He needs a wife and heir, and since his last fiancee left him after he was all scarred from the war, and this new girl seems to need the money, it’s win-win. She accepts with several conditions, including saying she’ll bring her cat. (She doesn’t actually have a cat and just finds one on the street that day) Of course they’ll need to stay together in London til she gets pregnant, and then she’s going to be shipped off to his country estate to raise the kiddo. Both our main characters have past hurts in their lives, but they work through them and open up to each other. And there’s just so much humor in this story. Tessa Dare is just so great at bringing levity into her stories.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

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When a Scot Ties the Knot by Tessa Dare (2015)

So I have yet another Tessa Dare book to recommend. When a Scot Ties the Knot is Book 3 of the Castles Ever After series (though it’s not connected to the other books in the series). Madeline knew her London season would be a total bust so to keep everyone off her back, she invented a fiancee who was in the army. And she would write letters to him. And send them. Years later, when she’s in Scotland and doing research on lobsters, her army captain has come to claim and marry her. Turns out her letters were actually delivered to a man with the same name. He needs to find a reason for his men to work and keep going, so he’s come to marry and take care of the land. If that isn’t a great set-up, I don’t know what is.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

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Bringing Down the Duke by Evie Dunmore (2019)

Book 1 of the League of Extraordinary Women So this one is your classic social class difference type of romance, with a woman who is unequal in station to a duke. Even worse, she’s a university student campaigning for women’s rights. And our duke is a staunch defender of the stuffy old laws. While she’s trying to sway his politics, he’s trying to both resist her and make her his mistress. And she’s not interested in a mistress-like arrangement at all. This book is probably a great example of how a cartoonish cover on a book can be misleading. There is plenty of on-page sex in this book, despite its cutesy cover.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

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Texas Destiny by Lorraine Heath (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.

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Never Fall for Your Fiancee by Virginia Heath (2021)

Historical romance in Regency-ish era England, Book 1 of the Merriwell Sisters series. A carefree and jovial earl prevents his mother’s matchmaking from America by writing to her about a fictional fiancee and her tragic tales that have prevented them from marrying. When his mother comes to visit, he hires a woman to pretend to be his fiancee. This book is full of far-fetched tales and silliness and it totally works. Expect a light-hearted and humorous story here. Though there is actually heartbreak in both characters’ pasts, those experiences have made them stronger and most of the book contains witty banter and calamity.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

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Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake by Sarah MacLean (2010)

Book 1 of the Love by Numbers series, and the first historical romance published by Sarah MacLean. This one finds spinster Callie facing a life in the country after her younger sister marries, so she makes a bucket list of London adventures to complete before she goes. One of the items is to kiss a gentleman passionately, so she sneaks into her long-time crush’s house and kisses him. He offers to assist her in the items on her list. So of course they spend lots of time together doing things that proper ladies shouldn’t, like fencing, smoking, and sneaking into clubs to gamble. Such a fun book and covers a lot of the usual locations in a typical regency romance.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

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Ten Rules for Marrying a Duke by Michelle McLean (2022)

I love when a woman does the proposing in this era because it’s so unexpected. Arabella goes straight to a rakish duke’s house and proposes to him. She’ll give him an heir if he marries her. She’s out to save her family’s reputation after her older sister eloped and wants to protect her younger sister’s prospects. They arrange ten rules for the marriage. I love this clear and open communication between the two. Well, until they start to have feelings… This one is another lovely low-angst humorous book.

Advance ebook provided by Entangled Publishing via NetGalley.

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Ravished by Amanda Quick (1992)

Ravished by Amanda Quick is one of the older historical romance that I’ve read, but it is a really great one. Surprisingly, it’s a standalone novel that is not part of a series. We have our original bluestocking lady Harriet who is more concerned with discovering new fossils in her caves than anything else. When she finds that smugglers are storing stolen goods in her caves, she writes a letter to the viscount of the region to come take care of it. So Gideon comes back to town and he’s got a terrible reputation there because his past fiancee died and he’s rumored to have killed her. But he’s just ignoring it all and off to take care of the smugglers. Harriet was told to stay behind and out of trouble, but she doesn’t. And so these two end up getting stuck in a cave with the tides overnight. And when they come out, her reputation is compromised and they have to marry. At first, she’s not having it since she doesn’t care about her own reputation, but then realizes that if she refuses, then Gideon’s honor and reputation is at risk. What I love most about this book is that there is absolutely no miscommunication between Harriet and Gideon. They are on board with each other and supporting each other a hundred percent. Even when Gideon is being accused of any wrongdoing, Harriet is defending him and so sure of his honor. It’s really kind of rare to read in a romance. There’s no underlying insecurity between these two, just teaming up, working on their fossil project, and integrating into society.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

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Her Night with the Duke by Diana Quincy (2021)

Book 1 of the Clandestine Affairs series. Two strangers meet at an inn and hook up and go about their merry way. He’s a duke who is going to meet his soon-to-be fiancee, so he gets there and meets with the girl’s family. And her stepmother is the woman he met at the inn! Talk about awkward. They eventually agree never to bring it up again. Everyone tries to do the honorable thing, etc. But the attraction is obviously still there and we’re just waiting to see how it breaks through. And also wondering how the issue with the impending engagement is going to be resolved. Such a sticky situation and satisfying to read.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

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Angelika Frankenstein Makes Her Match by Sally Thorne (2022)

This book gets bonus points for just being really weird. We have poor sweet, kind of spoiled, Angelika who is the sister of Victor Frankenstein (the mad scientist). While she’s assisting him with his science project, she makes a creation of her own to be her suitor. The guy she creates though has a very strong moral fiber, and even though he’s attracted to her, he doesn’t act on it because he has no memory of who he is and he might be tied to someone else. So then we start the mystery part of the story where they team up to try to find this guy’s identity. In the meantime, Angelika does catch the attention of another man and there’s a bit of a love triangle thing happening. It’s just kinda crazy how we’re rooting for Angelika to get together with this monster man. And it’s really humorous. Definitely recommend this book.

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

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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:

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.

Debutante Diaries Series by Anna Bennett: Three friends chronicle their courtship trials / Historical Romance Book Series

Nov 10, 2022

Anna Bennett is an author I turn to for relatively low-angst, low-drama historical romance. We’ve got all the classic tropes here with a marriage of convenience, amnesia, and a slow burn between two people unsuitable for each other. I recommend reading this series in order because the secret that is being blackmailed from Book 1 is revealed in Book 2.

1. First Earl I See Tonight (2018)

I love a great marriage of convenience story. Our heroine here is being blackmailed and needs access to her dowry money, so she proposes to a destitute lord who needs his share of the money too. He’s worried she’ll regret it, so he invites her to visit his broken down manor. Hilarious.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

2. The Duke Is But a Dream (2019)

The younger sister of Book 1’s heroine somehow gets into a bar fight and gets knocked in the head and loses her memory. A stern and stuffy duke rescues her and brings her home. Amnesia isn’t my favorite trope because we’re usually just waiting for some calamity to happen when the person regains their memory, but I do love a cold starchy duke.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

3. When You Wish Upon a Rogue (2020)

This book is my fave of the series. We have the third friend of our little friend group looking for a place to host meetings and so she breaks into a vacant shop. The shop ends up not being very vacant and the owner is an insomniac who realizes the young lady is oh-so-very soothing for his sleep. They make a bargain to help him sleep and of course they fall in love and it is absolutely delightful.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

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

Useful Resources:

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.

Ways to Keep Track of Your Reading: Websites, Apps, Spreadsheets, or Just Some Paper

Nov 9, 2022

As you get started on your reading habit, there are lots of different ways to track your reading goals and your reading progress.

Most commonly, people will use the built-in features of Goodreads to mark books that you want to read, currently reading, or completed. There are also features that let you rate the book, write reviews, or organize bookshelves. All of these functions are built within the website version or the app version.

Another app/website you can use is Storygraph. I haven’t used this system much either, but they do have a section for giveaways you can enter if you want to try to win free books.

My preferred method is to use a Google Sheet that has columns that are personalized to all the things I want to track. Here’s a spreadsheet template on Google Sheets that you can save for yourself. My own personal sheet has extra columns that are specific to romance novels, like the tropes involved and the names of the main couple, plus a section for marking whether I’ve posted about the book on my social media accounts.

I’ll usually take this reading log and then write the title and author onto my physical planner. I like seeing the colorful list of books on the page. And mostly, I’m just writing it out so I can make a TikTok video about it.

For the paper planner/journalers out there, reading journals are also an option. There are tons of videos on YouTube with tutorials on how to set up your journal. Also, there are specific reading journals that you can purchase with a pre-built template for you. (Here’s one that I see a lot on TikTok: The Booktok Journal; and this one is super pretty: Always Fully Booked)

If you want to print out your own pages, there are also templates you can purchase and print out to track your reading or progress on reading challenges. I’ve linked a bunch you can buy online below. One of my favorite challenges is tracking book titles from A to Z and jotting down my progress.

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

Useful Resources:

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

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Weekly Reads: October 31 to November 6, 2022

Nov 8, 2022

Another great week of books and I finally sat down with an epic novel-length Dramione fanfic. Here’s the recap of everything I read this week!

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.

Harry Potter Fanfic: Mon Couteau Aiguise (My Sharp Knife) by gillianeliza

Draco/Hermione romance, alternate universe. Epic, novel-length saga. It definitely ended up on my all-time faves list. The story starts during third year when Harry and Ron have been ignoring Hermione after Christmas. She comes across Draco (and later Theo) injured and asks about his condition. Turns out the young Slytherins have been bullied by older students from other houses. They begin and tentative friendship and Draco eventually invites Hermione home to Malfoy Manor over the Summer. Their romantic relationship starts slow and sweet and develops into a smutty soul-binding tale. Meanwhile, Lucius and Narcissa completely approve of Hermione and aim to protect her, even when the Dark Lord returns. Throughout the rest of the fic, we see the events of the remainder of the series unfold, with many of the major events happening as they do in canon, with one exception: Hermione becomes a marked Death Eater spying on Harry for Voldemort. There was so much good plot and romance and friendship in this story, the pages just kept turning for me. Note: Major Ron-bashing in this one and watch the tags and content warnings.

Meant for the Marquess by Alexa Aston (2022)

Historical romance in Regency-era England. Book 7 of the Second Sons of London series. After her father’s death, Lady Julia’s older half-brother tossed her out and forced her to find employment. She’s now the governess to the duke’s nephews from Book 5 of the series and has accepted her place as a mere miss and upper servant, never to take her place in Polite Society again. The duke’s army friend, Devin, has appeared at the big house to visit, after having recently been injured and sent home from the army. He’s looking for a purpose now that his military career has ended and learning how to use his left hand after his right was maimed. Devin and Julia meet and are instantly attracted to each other, though neither believe they are worthy of the other’s attentions. I enjoy reading the instant attraction and I love how both characters interacted with the six-year old nephews; however, I disliked how pushy Devin was towards Julia. It all works out in the end (as it often does in these books) and there’s a sweet little epilogue to tie up the entire series.

Advance ebook provided by Dragonblade Publishing via NetGalley.

Harry Potter Fanfic: Under the Moon by Lilian_Silver

Draco/Hermione One-Shot. Eighth Year. Draco gets detention to avoid being harassed by other Slytherins. Hermione is in detention too and strikes a deal with Draco. Short and somewhat smutty read.

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

Duke Gone Rogue by Christy Carlyle (2021)

Historical romance in Victorian-era England; Book 1 of the Love on Holiday Series. This was the first book I’ve read from this author and I will definitely be reading more! The Duke of Ashmore has distanced himself and his reputation away from his rogue of a father as much as possible, but has gained himself a reputation as a curmudgeon and a bore. Sent away by his sister, he visits one of his properties in Cornwall for a seaside holiday. While there, he meets Maddie, a local nursery owner who works almost as hard as he does and is part of a dozen committees in town. They start to spend more time together and soften each other’s productive edges. Unfortunately, with their social class differences, they both know that they will have duties and responsibilities that will ultimately keep them apart. Unless someone is willing to compromise.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

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

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

Useful Resources:

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

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

The Goode Girls Series by Kerrigan Byrne
Sheltered Sisters Break Free From Overbearing Parents / Historical Romance Book Series

Nov 7, 2022

The Goode Girls series is the follow up to the Victorian Rebels series. We have another set of high drama historical romances set in Victorian England. And luckily, it’s available to read on Kindle Unlimited! I recommend reading these in order because the events lead up to the next books and there are some pretty hefty plot points given away in previous books. The only exception is Making Merry, which is a holiday novella that doesn’t seem to be connected to the others.

1. Seducing a Stranger (2019)

The Chief Inspector of Scotland Yard is secretly a vigilante by night. He meets our lady and accidentally has a garden tryst while she thinks she’s with a hired man. Months later, he’s at a wedding and summoned to a room where the groom has been stabbed to death. The bloodied bride holding the knife is the woman he trysted with and she denies having killed her groom, stating that she needed to get married because she is pregnant.

Previously published as A Dark and Stormy Knight.

Print length: 294 pages

2. Courting Trouble (2020)

As a child, the coal boy of a fancy house falls for the eldest daughter. As a young man, he has an affair with the girl and makes plans to run away with her. When her father catches them, the man’s career is threatened, so the girl cruelly pushes him away and marries another. The beginning of this one is very similar to Again the Magic by Lisa Kleypas.

Many years later, widowed and suffering from a gunshot wound, the lady is brought to the man who is now a renowned doctor.

Print length: 228 pages

3. Dancing with Danger (2021)

A lady is found at a murder scene and arrested. She escapes with the help of a known criminal. When they meet again, they end up kissing. And she’s trying to solve the crime on her own and keeps getting into trouble.

Print length: 214 pages

4. Tempting Fate (2021)

Super shy lady (twin to the lady in the previous book) has a soft spot for a disfigured criminal who saved her and is declared dead. He really just had reconstructive surgery and is assuming a new identity. After she is attacked, she hires a bodyguard who turns out to be our sweet criminal all along.

Print length: 261 pages

5. Crying Wolfe (2022)

A young lady sneaks into her neighbor’s house to use a telescope. When she’s caught, she runs back to her own house. The neighbor thinks she’s a thief so follows her to her own bedroom and gets caught there. Now compromised, they need to marry.

Print length: 211 pages

6. Making Merry (2020)

A spinster is stranded at an inn in a room haunted by a handsome ghost.

Print length: 113 pages

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

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

Useful Resources:

Read an introduction to fanfiction

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

Getting Started with Dramione Fanfiction
Draco Malfoy and Hermione Granger: Enemies-to-Lovers Tropefest

Nov 4, 2022

If you’re brand new to reading Draco Malfoy/Hermione Granger (from the Harry Potter series) romance fanfiction, it can be a bit overwhelming.

Why do people like this pairing? There can be several different reasons for the appeal of reading this pairing. One is a classic enemies-to-lovers progression from being a Pureblood bigoted Death Eater to being in a place to be able to fall in love with the brainy Muggleborn. Fanfiction does great work at redeeming a villain (Draco) and making him likeable; this brings lots of ways the story can diverge from canon and bring out a lot of author creativity. Many of the alternate universe stories also explore different characterizations of Hermione, by bringing out her devious Slytherin-like traits (she did canonically trap Rita Skeeter in a jar and blackmail her) or by hypothesizing that she is a secret Pureblood, setting up similarities between Draco and Hermione, and ultimately their suitability for each other. And finally, another reason why this pairing may be popular is the fan obsession with putting together actors Tom Felton and Emma Watson, who portrayed Draco and Hermione in the Harry Potter films, respectively; they’ve stated publicly that they are merely friends but have reminisced fondly of the time when Watson had a crush on Felton when they were young.

There are tons of different timeframes and scenarios that are used with this pairing. If you’re reading on Archive of Our Own, the tags or summaries will often specify a general category for the story. I’ve listed as many of the common categories I can think of below with a short description of it. I also tried to include a link to one example within that category. My plan is to write a separate post for each of these categories and give a round-up of recommendations within it. We’ll see how that goes since there are so many!

Sixth Year Retelling

This story will often follow the events on Half Blood Prince, where Draco has been given the task of killing Dumbledore and Hermione is lamenting over her romantic woes with Ronald. These two will often find each other in some vulnerable position and offer comfort to each other.

Example: Clean by olivieblake

Seventh Year Retelling

This story will often be a retelling of the Horcrux Hunt of Deathly Hallows, most often with the story pivoting away from canon at the point where Draco holds Dumbledore at wandpoint at the end of sixth year. Either Draco will escape the Death Eaters on his own or capitalize on an offer of protection from the Order of the Phoenix. There are many fanfics that will combine sixth and seventh year stories together as one continuous story.

Example: Disappearances of Draco Malfoy by speechwriter

Eighth Year at Hogwarts

With the subpar education at Hogwarts with Headmaster Snape at the helm and our trio being on the run during seventh year, fanfics will bring everyone back to Hogwarts for an eighth year of education. Many stories will have Hermione just wanting to get back to normal and/or Draco needing to fulfill the parameters of parole. Stories set in this timeframe often have a repentant Draco making amends for his bigoted past and a forgiving Hermione giving him a chance.

Example: Rebuilding by Colubrina

Post-Hogwarts

Young working professionals who are otherwise unattached are the main characters of these stories. Draco and Hermione will often be working in separate environments, cross paths, and get to know each other in a new setting away from their school days. There is a wide breadth of fanfic in this category with most stories being your generic 20s-aged rom-com.

Example: The Right Thing To Do by LovesBitca8

Epilogue-Compliant

There is a very small sliver of the fanfic universe that plays along with the “Nineteen Years Later” epilogue published at the end of Deathly Hallows. The story will often take place when the second generation of Potters, Weasleys, and Malfoy are late teens or adults. There has been either death or divorce to leave Draco and Hermione single and willing to give each other a chance at romance.

Example: Confessions by SaintDionysus

AU – Marriage Law

In a world where the magical population has been decimated by war, the Ministry of Magic has passed a new law requiring that magical persons need to marry and procreate. There are lots of variations here where the ministry is involved in matching couples together and there may be a letter notifying the person of their match. This story basically forces Draco and Hermione together, mostly due to compatibility in intelligence or other features.

Example: The Beginning of Everything by RiverWriter

AU – Hermione is Muggle Royalty

This one is really really fun. For as much crap as Hermione gets for being a Muggleborn at Hogwarts, Draco is surprised to learn that she is actually a big deal in Muggle England, with servants and everything. Usually a light-hearted and humorous type of story.

Example: Love’s Labour Found by Peanutbuttertoast

AU – Pureblood Hermione

The pureblood Hermione story is usually brought about with Hermione being secretly adopted by the Grangers. She’s possibly the long-lost daughter of a pureblood house and secreted away for her protection. Sometimes, she’s hidden for nefarious purposes but sometimes it’s just unfortunate luck. This type of story can be problematic in that Draco gets to hold onto his bigoted pureblood idealogy sometimes, but most of the time, it’s just a fun little wrench in Hermione’s origin story.

Example: Presque Toujours Pur by ShayaLonnie

AU – Slytherin Hermione

Remember when Hermione blackmailed Rita Skeeter? That is a classic example of Hermione behaving in ambitious and cunning Slytherin ways. In some stories, we can imagine that the Sorting Hat has overlooked the bigoted nature of Slytherin House and put our clever Hermione right into it. We’ll usually see the Slytherins believing in House before blood and accepting Hermione into the fold.

Example: The Green Girl by Colubrina

AU – Hermione is Voldemort’s Daughter

Hermione being Voldemort’s daughter is a spin on the pureblood Hermione story, except that she’s usually kidnapped as a baby away from Voldemort by Dumbledore (or his agents) as revenge or to prevent her from turning dark. I enjoy this type of story because it humanizes Voldemort a little bit and shows him somewhat trying to be a father. Hermione will often end up with Draco here after some show of loyalty to her from the Malfoys.

Example: Riddle This by CJ Red

AU – Dark Hermione

Dark Hermione (or morally grey Hermione) will often coincide with being Voldemort’s daughter. She’ll be fighting for Voldemort’s side of the war and not Dumbledore’s. What’s interesting in these stories is figuring out Hermione’s motives and why she’s supporting what she does. And since she and Draco are on the same side, it’s natural for them to get together.

Example: Step Into Darkness by cleotheo

AU – Voldemort Wins

When Voldemort wins and Harry dies, things are dark. That’s all there is to it. Muggleborns are oppressed. Those who fought for the Order of the Phoenix are either killed or enslaved. It’s not a great setting. The big question is how do Draco and Hermione get together in this terribly tragic environment.

Example: Manacled by SenLinYu (very dark! check content warnings!)

AU – Wartime Continues

In some cases, the war against Voldemort lasts longer than the events of the original seven-book series. As time moves on, the Order of the Phoenix will need to improve their tactics and accept help from Voldemort’s defectors. Oftentimes, Draco (and his friends) will realize that they no longer want to follow Voldemort and then throw themselves into the Order’s protection and ranks.

Example: Not Quite Dark Magic by hiccupfound

AU – Soulmates

I love a great soulmates story, especially if it involves soulmate-identifying marks. At some point, as the magical population comes of age, some scars or marks will appear somewhere on their person to indicate their soulmate. With Draco and Hermione, there will usually be some phase of denial before they accept each other. And with Hermione, there may be an additional layer of skepticism, having not grown up in the magical world.

Example: Initially Yours by HufflepuffMommy

AU – Veela

With the Malfoy’s pale white blond hair and fair features, it is very similar to the description of our quarter-Veela Fleur Delacour. It seems reasonable that the Malfoys could have a bit of Veela ancestry as well. This type of story will typically involve some type of maturation for Draco and a realization that he has a fated mate (Hermione). He’ll need to claim her or perish.

Example: A Thing With[out] Feathers by SenLinYu

AU – Werewolf

Usually Draco will be the werewolf (bitten either accidentally or as a punishment from Voldemort) and Hermione is his fated mate.

Example: Becoming Beta by crochetaway

Omegaverse

The Omegaverse is an alternate universe scenario that has a lot to do with mating and breeding. Usually a male character will be the alpha (super strong, bulky, protector type), most characters will be betas (average, nothing special), and a female character will be the omega (small, subservient, to be protected). In this type of Dramione story, oftentimes Draco will be alpha with Hermione as an omega with very poor understanding of scents, mating, phermones, mating heats, etc, since she is a Muggleborn who is unfamiliar with this magical phenomenon. Expect lots of smut in these types of stories.

Example: All You Want SenLinYu

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

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The Victorian Rebels Series by Kerrigan Byrne: High Drama, Murderous Heroes, and Wounded Heroines / Historical Romance Book Series

Nov 3, 2022

This historical romance series set in Victorian England has been on my to-read list since I started reading historical romance. I finally was pushed over the edge to read it when an episode of the Fated Mates Podcast mentioned Book 1, The Highwayman, as a total page turner that you could not put down. I knew that with so much plot and drama happening in this series, I needed to pace myself, so I would read maybe a book a week of this series interspersed with other lower-angst books. I highly recommend reading in order since they build off of each other and characters reappear frequently for plot-important reasons.

1. The Highwayman (2015)

You can just imagine that a prologue that starts with two kids in an orphanage becoming friends, teaching each other to read, protecting each other, and getting pseudo-married in the chapel with the guy’s clan tartan is going to lead to heartbreak. And that’s exactly what happens. Our girl-child gets assaulted by a priest, her child-husband stabs him to death, he gets sent to prison, and she runs away. Flash forward to adulthood, she’s a respectable “widow” working for the police station, almost courting the chief inspector, and gets kidnapped by the most notorious criminal in London. High drama indeed.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

2. The Hunter (2016)

An assassin falls in love with his target. Yep. I totally buy it. This one is another action-packed romance from Kerrigan Byrne. You know with the tragic prologue that our hero is going to have all sorts of emotional damage. The fun part is uncovering the mystery of why our heroine is being targeted in the first place…

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

3. The Highlander (2017)

This one might just be my favorite of the Victorian Rebels series. We have a single dad with a tortured past and a late wife who threw herself off the roof of his castle. And a new governess, who has recently escaped an insane asylum. Loads of drama here. And hints of Jane Eyre…

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

4. The Duke (2018)

So… the blurb on this one made me think it was an amnesia romance at first, but it wasn’t. Our guy just didn’t recognize the lady because she looked different and he met her in a different setting. This book reads more like a standalone than the others. We interact a little with previous characters, but it’s not as strong of a connection to the other books. Overall, I enjoyed this book and really liked how Imogen transformed herself over the years.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

5. The Scot Beds His Wife (2017)

We have the younger brother from The Highlander trying to build his own estate and business and needs the neighboring land to do so. He tries to coerce his neighbor to sell the land, but she’s much savvier than he bargained for. First of all, it’s not even really the neighbor, but a stranger sent in her place. And then we unlock the mystery of why she’s there at all. Great rivals to lovers story.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

6. The Duke with the Dragon Tattoo (2018)

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

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

7. Seducing a Stranger (2019)

Previously published as A Dark and Stormy Knight and also serves as Book 1 of the Goode Girls series. I was not paying proper attention to the way these two series were connected, so I actually read this book (and the remaining Goode Girls books) before starting the Victorian Rebels. I don’t recommend it because all of the couples from the previous books appear here and it totally gave away a major plot point from The Duke with the Dragon Tattoo (Book 6). In either case, I really enjoyed this book and loved the level of drama that happened within the first few chapters. We start with a midnight tryst in a garden while our inspector is trying to investigate a case, fast forward to his boss’s daughter’s wedding where the groom is stabbed to death before the ceremony, and the bride is holding the knife and covered in blood. And was his one-night stand. Oh, and she’s pregnant. If that’s not drama, I don’t know what is. I’ll discuss the rest of the Goode Girls books in another post.

Ebook accessed from Kindle Unlimited.

8. The Earl on the Train (2022)

Novella-length story originally published in the Big Duke Energy anthology. We have our sidekicks from The Duke with the Dragon Tattoo who meet again on a train. He’s set on attacking a gentleman and she’s traveling with and protecting his daughter. The chemistry between these two started in the previous book, so this novella makes more sense after having read that one.

Advance ebook provided by Oliver Heber Books via NetGalley.

Shop this book via Amazon // Bookshop.org

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