Series overview: A group of four friends make bold moves to change their lives.

Click here to see the whole series on Amazon. 

To Have and to Hoyden

Lady proposes a marriage of convenience to a lord who needs her money so that she can avoid an arranged marriage to someone vile.

Click here to get the book on KU

Happily Ever Hoyden

Lady heiress wants to spend her fortune to build a medical clinic for the poor. She finds a man who shares a similar dream and they build it together.

Print length: 201 pages

Click here to get the book on KU

A Hoyden to Hold

Lady and earl meet at a house party. Even though he has a bad reputation, she elopes with him anyway.

Print length: 208 pages

Click here to get the book on KU

How the Hoyden Won the Duke

Lady wants to visit a surgical clinic to study; she’s intercepted by a duke who later assists her inside by having her dress as a boy. 

Print length: 207 pages

Click here to get the book on KU

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This historical romance series by Joanna Shupe takes place in Gilded Age New York. The three books in the series are loosely connected, but do not need to be read in order. They’re somewhat tied together by the wealthy people involved and a lawyer that all three heroes have in common.

1. A Daring Arrangement (2017)

Lady Honora has been sent from England to New York by her father to keep her away from an unsuitable man. She decides that if she’s properly ruined, her father will bring her back home, and she can reunite with that guy. She proposes a fake engagement to Julius, who has a scandalous reputation, in hopes that her father with disapprove. But then, he starts acting like an upstanding gentleman now that he has a way into the fancy New York society. And he’s also trying to seduce dear Honora til she forgets all about the other guy.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

2. A Scandalous Deal (2018)

We start with a cross-Atlantic ship with a young woman and man meeting on the ship and having a steamy one night stand. When they meet again in New York City, they realize that he’s the owner of the hotel project that she is designing. Yikes. Our gal Eva is an architect who is working on the project, but passing it off as her father’s work, since he’s the famous architect but is very ill. Phillip is the ultra-wealthy hotel owner who is having a hard time wrangling the construction crew who don’t want to listen to a woman. There’s a lot of back and forth here with who’s in charge and keeping things professional, while the these two are so clearly attracted to each other. Plus, there is a fun bit of interaction between Eva and Phillip’s mother, who wants to hire her to work on her Newport cottage renovations.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

3. A Notorious Vow (2018)

This one has our Lady Christina who likes to go for walks in her cousin’s neighbor’s quiet garden. She slowly sort of befriends the reclusive neighbor and realizes that he’s hearing impaired as a result of an illness. When she finds herself in trouble and nearly coerced into marrying a slimy older man, she runs to Oliver’s house for protection. He ultimately offers her marriage to protect her from her family’s schemes. In this one, we have a very shy and skittish woman with a grumpy isolated recluse of a man and they slowly get to know each other and appreciate each other. Once these two start to listen to each other and team up to protect each other, it’s amazing. My favorite of the series.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

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Total mishmash of different books this week, mostly holiday historical novellas.

A Little Christmas Magic by Chasity Bowlin (2022)

Historical romance, Regency/Victorian-era England. Novella. A dastardly cousin is trying to evict a young woman from her home, saying that her brother has died overseas and that he has now inherited the manor. A solicitor from the evil cousin’s law firm has come to town to assist in the eviction, but a romance begins between the lawyer and the young woman instead. The young woman has the gift of sight and has predicted the romance between herself and the lawyer, but isn’t sure whether to believe it true or just wishful thinking. Also, there’s her belief that her brother hasn’t died at all. We have a fun insta-love, trapped in a snowstorm, novella here.

Ebook accessed from Kindle Unlimited.

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A Wicked Game by Kate Bateman (2022)

Historical romance, Regency-era England. Book 3 of the Ruthless Rivals series. The Davies and Montgomery families have been rivals for centuries. But it’s a friendly sort of rivalry where the kids played together growing up and mostly just bickered with each other. When Morgan is ready to go out to sea, Harriet gives him a reason to come back, by allowing him three kisses if he survives and returns. A few years later, he survives torture and imprisonment and wants only one thing when he returns: Harriet’s hand in marriage. However, with their history of fighting and dares, he knows that she won’t believe him if he proposes outright, so he plans to seduce her and wear her down. This book was fun and low-angst between our two rivals, aside from a few little brushes with dastardly villains. Overall, I loved seeing Morgan scheme to bring Harriet into his arms and her trying to resist him. And I loved that both of their families were supportive and knew that these two loved each other even before they did.

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

An Improper Proposition by Amy Rose Bennett (2014)

Historical romance, Regency-ish era England. Novella. Short and smutty encounter between a widowed countess and her younger and handsome footman. Super quick read.

Ebook provided free from the author via Amazon.

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Bridgerton Fanfic: a night at the opera by blondie1010

Anthony/Kate, years after Season 2. They go to the opera and see Siena on stage and then have an honest conversation about Anthony’s past. Quick little one-shot and nice seeing Anthony’s character growth.

Read this fic on Archive of Our Own

Bridgerton Fanfic: closer to heaven above and closer to you by alljustrunaways

Anthony/Kate, after Season 2. Five open honest conversations they need to have. Similar to the idea of the fic I linked above. It’s just two people having mature conversations.

Read this fic on Archive of Our Own

No Marriage of Convenience by Elizabeth Boyle (2000)

Historical romance, Regency era England. Standalone novel. I had read a previous series by Elizabeth Boyle that I enjoyed, so I happened across this standalone novel and figured I’d give it a try. The plot here doesn’t fit the typical sort of tropes. We have a new earl who has inherited a lot of debt from his older brother, he’s got three very brash and ill-mannered nieces to bring out to society, a meddlesome kooky older cousin, and all he wants to do is go back to being a professor at Oxford. Meanwhile, we have a famous actress who owes this earl money, but she’s got her own backstory (being abandoned as a child) and possibly a stalker/murderer afoot. And these two are attracted to each other, but can’t really do anything about it, or shouldn’t do anything about it. It was a slow start, but once the nieces started behaving a bit more and interacting with other people in town, it got more entertaining. This one is just kind of awkward chaos in a book.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

A Lady Awakened by Cecilia Grant (2011)

Historical romance, Regency era England. Book 1 of the Blackshear Family series. The blurb on the back tells a story of a desperate widow (Martha) in need of an heir to protect her household from the man who stands to inherit and that she propositions a scoundrel of a man (Theo) to assist her. Going into this book, I expected it to jump straight into high steam, but I surprisingly found a rather cold and industrious woman completely uninterested in the pleasure that her partner could (and is willing to) provide. I started to feel pretty bad for the guy around the 30% mark since it cannot be any fun at all to have an indifferent partner in bed. Our guy has been exiled to this lesser property of his baronet father’s so that he can make some use of himself, rather than be a wastrel in town. And so we have our two very opposite personalities in a business arrangement involving coldly intimate relations. But somehow this book makes it all work… it is a delightful slow burn, with Theo slowly learning to care for the well-being of the laborers on his land, conversing with Martha about land management and his good works, and Martha slowly coming to admire him.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

Maid Under the Mistletoe by Annabelle Anders (2020)

Historical romance, Regency era England. Novella. Eligible earl is courting a neighboring viscount’s daughter and expects to announce their engagement at their Christmas house party. However, he finds himself attracted to the girl’s maid instead, who was a vicar’s daughter now in service. Sweet and funny quick read!

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

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My Mistletoe Beau by Anna Bennett (2022)

Historical romance, Regency era England. Novella. Young lady breaks into an earl’s apartments to steal back her father’s pocket watch. The earl has a grudge against her father since his own father’s intended eloped with him and left the jilted man heartbroken. However, he has been telling his grandmother that he is courting a girl and will give back the watch in exchange for a fake fiancee. And of course, these two grow closer together, despite the antagonistic start.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

Shop this book via Amazon

Cinderella and the Duke by Lydia Drake (2022)

Historical romance, Regency-ish era England. Julia is the Cinderella in the story, escorting her younger stepsister to a ball while her stepmother is ill. This is Julia’s one chance to find a husband, since her stepmother refuses to let Julia go to any balls. While protecting a rake from being compromised by a lady and called out in a duel by her husband, she kisses him and then runs away, thinking that she’s ruined. When the rake, our duke Gregory, comes to call the next day with her lost slipper, she proposes a marriage of convenience to him: He helps her get out from under her stepmother’s control and she helps him avoid the lecherous women of the ton. Both of these people are deeply insecure and play an emotionally detached role to protect themselves from being hurt. However, they have great chemistry together and enjoy each other’s company. I really enjoyed this debut novel from this author and am looking forward to reading more.

Advance ebook provided by Entangled Publishing via NetGalley.

An Improper Christmas by Amy Rose Bennett (2018)

Historical romance, Regency era England. Smutty novella. Young lady catches her fiancee with another woman and runs away from a house party. She ends up riding in a carriage with a notorious rake and then spends the night in his home. Quick and smutty, with a nice little change of heart for our rake.

Ebook purchased via Amazon.

Shop this book via Amazon

A Gentleman Undone by Cecilia Grant (2012)

Historical romance, Regency era England. Book 2 of the Blackshear Family series. Younger brother, Will has returned from his time at war feeling guilty over the death of one of his soldiers. He aims to fulfill a promise to care for the man’s widow and child. In order to do that, he has been gambling to earn some extra cash. While at a gambling party, he meets another man’s mistress, Lydia, who has seemingly swindled him out of money, and he confronts her. Eventually, these two team up to improve their odds of winning. This one is another slow burn from this author, with these two having an antagonistic relationship, moving on to being partners in crime, and fighting their attraction for each other.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

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

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I came across this author’s books on Instagram and was so happy to have done so. This was a delightful series full of spice and a dash of drama and danger. I recommend reading these in order because the events follow each other and will make more sense in order.

0. When Ardor Blooms by Felicity Niven (2022)

Historical romance in Regency-ish era England, prequel novella to the Lovelocks of London series. A banker’s daughter is out of mourning from her father’s death and makes her debut into society. She’s very wealthy, but looked down upon by our viscount hero because she’s not of noble blood. When the viscount’s brother makes a derogatory claim on the young woman, the viscount sets himself up as her protector. Slow and steady build of attraction here. Quick read. And we get to meet the Lovelock family members who will feature in the rest of the series.

Ebook available free from the author’s newsletter. Visit the author’s website to get the ebook.

1. Convergence of Desire by Felicity Niven (2022)

Historical romance in Regency-ish era England, Book 1 of the Lovelocks of London series. I pretty much picked this up because Julia Quinn (author of the Bridgertons series) posted about it on Instagram. We have a neurodivergent heroine in this one who aims to solve a missing mathematics proof (tbh, the math in this book went over my head and I skimmed it) but her stepmother insists she participates in society. Our hero is a destitute earl who needs to marry rich to salvage his estate. It takes probably 25% of the book for them to meet and contrive a chaste marriage of convenience (which the heroine proposes). Once they start interacting and get married, we’re off to their country estate and we get to see the sweetest slow burn ever with caretaking galore. It was absolutely delightful to watch these two people slowly fall in love. And the heartbreak when they each think the other isn’t interested. The last third will have you tearing up from the longing. Such a great read. (Also, sets up the future couples in Book 2 and 3 nicely as well).

Ebook accessed from Kindle Unlimited.

2. Clandestine Passion by Felicity Niven (2022)

Historical romance in Regency-ish era England, Book 2 of the Lovelocks of London series. This book takes place in the same timeframe as Book 1 and is the romance between the stepmother of the Lovelock family, Catherine, and the rogue of a best friend James. James was the second son of a duke, but when his older brother died, he became the heir and is now known as a drunken rake. However, the drunkeness is all an act and he’s really doing some mini-missions for the Crown. When he first meets Catherine, he’s instantly attracted, though he needs to maintain his act as an immature bachelor. Catherine is likewise instantly attracted, but she’s wary (and ashamed) of her own lust. She eventually forms a friendship with another more sedate and age-appropriate suitor. Their paths continue to cross as James’ mission involves her suitor and eventually they start an affair. But really, with their age-difference (she’s 17 years older) and her social class (former farmgirl, former actress, and widow of a banker), Catherine resists any serious attachment with the man. Lots of plot going on and Catherine’s ongoing shame over her own lust was a bit annoying, but still an entertaining read.

Ebook accessed from Kindle Unlimited.

3. A Perilous Flirtation by Felicity Niven (2022)

Historical romance in Regency-ish era England; Book 3 of the Lovelocks of London series. The youngest Lovelock, Arabella has been in love with Dr. Alasdair Andrews since she first laid eyes on him by chance. However, the good doctor has not come to call, so after some time passes, she finds herself enjoying the attentions of another man. That man has ruined her reputation, turned out to be married, and left her to scandal. Arabella runs off to Scotland, where she hasn’t been seen by her family in two years. Meanwhile, Alasdair has been pining for Arabella the whole time and unable to believe he deserves her, so he never makes a move. When he finally asks Arabella’s sister where she is, he finds out about her scandal and disappearance. Circumstances bring Alasdair to Scotland and Arabella’s sister asks him to find her an bring her home. We then embark on a flirtatious road trip, snow storm, fake marriage, and a run-in with the ruiner from the past. This book was great with the delicious pining, the road trip hijinks, and you almost even felt sorry for the scandal-maker towards the end.

Ebook accessed from Kindle Unlimited. Advance ebook also provided by Felicity Niven.

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In the month of November, I finished reading 29 books (27 historical romance, and 2 nonfiction memoirs). Here are my five favorite books from the month! (listed in alphabetical order by author last name)

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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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.

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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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.

Read this fic on Archive of Our Own

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.

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.

Read this fic on Archive of Our Own

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.

Read this fic on Archive of Our Own

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.

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

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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

Click here to get the book on KU

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!

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

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.

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.

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!

Follow me on Instagram at @randomolive

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

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.

• Redbubble
  • How to start selling
  • Example: Lost in a Book Sticker by RandomOlive
• Society6
  • How to start selling
  • Example: A Bookworm’s Belongings Tote Bag by Oh Jess Marie
• Bonfire
  • How to start selling
  • Example: Romance Reader Sweatshirt by PeaceLoveBooks
• TeeSpring
  • How to start selling
  • Example: Sassy Romance Reader Sweatshirt by The Book Refuge
• Spreadshop
  • Example: I’d Rather Be Watching Gilmore Girls Sweatshirt by Hey Jessica

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!

Useful Resources:

Read more about getting the most out of your library card

Learn more about Kindle Unlimited

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.