Look Before You Leap by Virginia Heath (2025)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 2 of Miss Prentice’s Protegees series. Lottie is an absolute hoyden and has a penchant for borrowing horses and riding recklessly through the park. Unfortunately, she runs into a very grumpy Guy one day in the park and they’re immediately at odds. Even more unfortunately, she’s his aunt’s new companion and she sees him again at his country estate. Guy is resistant to society after an embarrassing incident involving a public rejection many years ago, and is generally irritated at having house guests. Lottie and Guy spend most of the book hating each other, and then finally calling a truce, and finally giving into their attraction. But Lottie is always aware of their different social stations and doesn’t see a future with Guy. It’s messy and chaotic and full of meddling older women.

Advance ebook provided by St. Martin’s Press via NetGalley. Advance audiobook provided by Penguin Random House Audio.

Eliza and the Duke by Harper St George (2025)

Historical romance. Gilded Age England. Book 2 of the Doves of New York series. Eliza is searching for one last bit of adventure before she marries a viscount to gain her inheritance and she just so happens to run into an injured Simon at a club where she isn’t supposed to be. Turns out Simon is secretly an underground prize fighter, plus has some other dealings with a crime boss in Whitechapel. He and Eliza cross paths again when he’s on security detail for her family and she does her very best to convince him to take her on a night of adventure. I loved seeing these two get closer together and the yearning that they have for each other in spite of the impossible circumstances. Super flirty and steamy and loads of caretaking involved here. Loved this book so much.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby. Advance audiobook provided by Penguin Random House Audio.

Beauty Tempts the Beast by Lorraine Heath (2020)

Historical romance. Victorian-era England. Book 6 of the Sins for All Seasons series. Well, I loved this book too. And sad to be at the end of the series. The former Lady Althea Stanwick has had a major reduction in circumstances when her ducal father is found guilty of treason, hanged, and his family stripped of their titles and kicked out of their home. Now, Althea lives in Whitechapel and works as a serving maid at a bar where she meets Beast. (because it’s his sister’s Gillie’s bar, if you’ve been following along with this series). Beast immediately recognizes Althea’s demeanor as someone of quality and recruits her to tutor the ladies who work at a brothel, so they can better their circumstances, and she demands some tutoring of her own from Beast. It leads exactly where you expect it to lead in terms of their romance, but oh man, the emotional moments of this book are so good. And when we finally learn about Beast’s parents (because we’re destined to tie up this story that way), everything comes full circle.

Ebook and audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

Her Tempting Traitor by Caroline Lee (2025)

Historical romance. Victorian-era Scotland. Book 2 of the Surprised Heirs series. All the humor and hijinks you’d expect in a Caroline Lee historical romance. Gabby’s the next one on the case, this time involving a man who may be a traitor to the crown and a castle full of animals, including a pregnant elephant. Since Gabby is trained in the veterinary sciences, she’s assigned to infiltrate the castle. Except, she knows full well that she won’t be taken seriously as a doctor, so she has to have her twin brother pretend to be the veterinarian. And so they go and they meet Cassian, who’s struggling with his failed mission, injuries, and a son who is resentful of him. Luckily, we all know Cassian is not actually a traitor, but it’s fun to see Gabby come to that conclusion. Lots of bonding between Gabby and Gus (Cassian’s son) and some soul-baring bathtime fun. Funny and steamy, as expected.

Advance ebook provided by Caroline Lee.

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

Useful Resources:

Read more about getting the most out of your library card

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

Learn more about Kindle Unlimited

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

Read an introduction to fanfiction

Learn more about sources for reading fanfiction

Follow me on Instagram at @randomolive

Shop my handmade bookmarks on Etsy

Support this page with a donation

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

Thanks for reading Random Olive Reads! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

The One in My Heart by Sherry Thomas (2015)

Contemporary romance. Standalone novel. Starts with a one night stand that turns into fake dating with benefits. Evangeline is a materials science professor who cares for her mentally ill stepmother and randomly meets Bennett, her temporary neighbor while she’s dog-sitting. After the one night stand, he comes up to her with a plan to help him reconcile with his estranged family, which involves a fake girlfriend who is entirely appropriate for him. It’s messy and convoluted and a little boring except for all the times they hook up. But once we start making all these family connections and realize that Bennett’s feelings are real, you start to feel all the feelings right along with Evangeline. Slow start, but ended up a solid read.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

The Four Engagement Rings of Sybil Rain by Hannah Brown (2025)

Contemporary romance. Book 2 of the Mistakes We Never Made series. Well, Sybil is basically a chaotic mess and she has been doing her best to clean up her life after her disaster of a wedding weekend last year that did not actually end in marriage. Her friends have encouraged her to cash in on those honeymoon vouchers, so she’s off to a resort in Hawaii to spend a few days relaxing. Except she runs right into her ex-fiance Jamie, who’s there for business reasons. Totally awkward and she spends a lot of time failing to avoid him. It’s messy and full of terrible communication as she makes up a fake boyfriend to save face. Honestly, for a lot of the book, I wasn’t sure if Jamie was going to be the guy she ends up with, especially when her other ex-fiance Sebastian shows up. We deal with a lot of Sybil’s hang ups in relationships and how she is probably a lot less confident than she outwardly appears. Great side characters in the form of a friendly concierge and friendly bartender. Definitely an enjoyable read.

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

The Earl Takes a Fancy by Lorraine Heath (2020)

Historical romance. Victorian-era England. Book 5 of the Sins for All Seasons series. So, the Earl of Rosemont is a widower who was tricked into marriage by his late wife and then for unknown reasons, his dying wife sets in motion a letter to be published in the newspaper a year after her death, basically seeking a new wife for the earl. He’s totally fed up with all the gifts and callers and young ladies, so he leaves his London townhouse and takes up residence in a totally different part of town where no one knows who he is. And so, a mere mister Matthew goes to visit his neighborhood bookshop, where he meets and is smitten by the shop owner Fancy. She’s about to have her debut with the support of all her siblings, who have always prepared her for marrying into the nobility. But she’s equally smitten with Matthew, and is worried about letting down her family by not marrying a lord. This book was filled with yearning and secrets and I loved it all.

Ebook and audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

What Happens in the Highlands by Anna Bradley (2025)

Historical romance. Regency-era Scotland. Book 1 of the Cairncross Castle series. Catriona is the oldest of three sisters and in a precarious financial and social situation, with smugglers trying to attack her home and the local village accusing the sisters of witchcraft. And then Hamish makes everything worse by seeking some treasure that her father supposedly has stashed somewhere. Except there is no treasure, and Cat certainly doesn’t trust Hamish. It’s a wild goose chase mixed with a tentative truce, which will surely get worse when Cat finds out Hamish is responsible for that first boat of smugglers. While the romance is resolved at the end of the book, the plot is still at a cliffhanger. I’m hoping that there’s two more books in the series, since there’s two more sisters, and isn’t it convenient that Hamish has two best friends, too?

Advance ebook provided by Kensington Books via NetGalley.

These Summer Storms by Sarah MacLean (2025)

Contemporary fiction. Standalone novel. If you like dysfunctional family drama, this book is most definitely for you. I loved it so much. The drama, the chaos, the backstabbing. Alice Storm is having a terrible week, having been summoned back to the family island where she’d been exiled from for the past five years, after the sudden death of her wealthy famous father. And of course, her father is pulling inheritance games strings from beyond the grave, setting tasks for Alice’s mother and siblings in order for them to inherit anything. We get a handsome stranger in the form of Jack, just to mess with Alice’s mind even more. I was so intrigued by the relationship between Alice and all her siblings and slowly uncovering what it was that she did all those years ago to deserve her father’s disdain. Seriously, a very entertaining read.

Advance ebook provided by Ballentine Books via NetGalley. Advance audiobook provided by Penguin Random House Audio.

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

Useful Resources:

Read more about getting the most out of your library card

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

Learn more about Kindle Unlimited

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

Read an introduction to fanfiction

Learn more about sources for reading fanfiction

Follow me on Instagram at @randomolive

Shop my handmade bookmarks on Etsy

Support this page with a donation

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

Thanks for reading Random Olive Reads! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

The Duchess in His Bed by Lorraine Heath (2019)

Historical romance. Victorian-era England. Book 4 of the Sins for All Seasons series. Widowed duchess Selena is at the ladies’ club on the prowl for Aiden Trewlove, the owner and bastard son of some unnamed lord. We get to see their flirty and seductive first meeting, before finding out Selena’s real reason for being there. She needs to get pregnant and quick, so she can pass the baby off as her late husband’s to keep her position and fortune. It’s dramatic and angsty and we get to catch up with the whole boisterous Trewlove family. So much steam and longing within these impossible circumstances and it was so much fun to read. Pulls at all the heartstrings just right. Loved it.

Ebook and audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

Never Been Shipped by Alicia Thompson (2025)

Contemporary romance. Standalone novel. Related to With Love, from Cold World. A defunct punk rock band is asked to join a teen drama revival cruise to perform their one-hit wonder that was played on the show’s big prom episode. And Micah is having all sorts of feelings about it because she’s the one who broke up the band all those years ago. Meanwhile, her childhood best friend and ex-bandmate John is also feeling apprehensive about the trip, because it’s super obvious to all of us that he was in love with her all those years ago buy stayed firmly in friendship territory. This book had so much emotional angst and longing. Watching the band reunite was so much fun because they all had to catch each other up on their time apart. The romance between Micah and John was both sweet and super steamy. And of course, the cruise ship comedy was also entertaining. Loved this book.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby. Advance audiobook provided by Penguin Random House Audio.

An Innocent Kiss by Alexa Aston (2025)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 3 of the Captivating Kisses series. Perry is an earl who had gone to war and come back to take up his title after his father passes away. Drusilla is the daughter of an earl who is supposed to debut next season but uninterested in marriage or babies. But they happen to meet each other in the country in the off-season and fall in love. It’s a pretty predictable sort of tale, but I love these quiet easy romances, especially when the guy is the one to fall first. Love seeing all the men who join the extended family become friends and I also love that Drusilla gets to live nearby her sister and cousin in the country.

Advance ebook provided by Dragonblade Books via NetGalley.

Slow Burn Summer by Josie Silver (2025)

Contemporary romance. Standalone novel. I would say the romance in this story takes a backburner to the main plot, where Kate is playing the public role in place of an anonymous author who has written a love story. She’s a recently divorced mother of a university student who really needs a job, so she tries to get in contact with her previous acting agent. The old agent, Jojo, has passed away, leaving his son Charlie to take the job. For the most part, Charlie is a totally professional and supportive colleague to Kate as she finds herself in crazy situations in her new “author” role. I feel like the romance comes out of nowhere a bit, but it still works ok for me. I was much more interested in Kate’s life with her family and friends and how she deals with her newfound fame.

Advance ebook provided by Dell Publishing via NetGalley. Advance audiobook provided by Penguin Random House Audio.

Her Magnificent Mistake by Caroline Lee (2025)

Historical romance. Victorian-era England. Book 1 of the Surprised Heirs series. Lady Marcia is part of an investigative agency and their next case is to find proof that the latest Baron of a particular title is guilty of murdering about four of his predecessors. Problem is that the suspect is Hawk, her former flame and brother’s best friend. Obviously, he’s not guilty of the crime, and mostly just trying to survive and be a good guardian to his niece. But Marcia doesn’t know that and is all sorts of conflicted about her feelings, especially since she hasn’t seen the man for the past ten years. It’s chaos and a murder plot and seduction, rolled into one steamy and hilarious book.

Advance ebook provided by Caroline Lee.

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

Useful Resources:

Read more about getting the most out of your library card

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

Learn more about Kindle Unlimited

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

Read an introduction to fanfiction

Learn more about sources for reading fanfiction

Follow me on Instagram at @randomolive

Shop my handmade bookmarks on Etsy

Support this page with a donation

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

Thanks for reading Random Olive Reads! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

How to Get Away with Marriage by Fenna Edgewood (2022)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 1 of the Must Love Scandal series. Fake engagement for inheritance plot. We’ve met the amiable Hugh Cavendish in a previous book, but now he’s up for a fake engagement plot to show his aunt that he’s mature enough to collect his inheritance. He does not want to marry the spoiled and vain Edith who he had a childhood crush on, so would rather advertise for a fake fiancee in the newspaper. He never ends up doing that because he fake proposes to a schoolteacher in trouble instead. Triss is in need of a new position due to unwanted advances from a patron of the school and very hesitantly takes the fake fiancee job, despite the vast differences in her and Hugh’s social station. I loved seeing Hugh demonstrate what a great guy he is and Triss slowly start to trust him. I also enjoyed seeing Hugh’s loving relationship with his family and that we get to see all our favorite characters from Edgewood’s previous books.

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

The Duke Report by Fenna Edgewood (2022)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 2 of the Must Love Scandal series. Tragic prologue for all where Cherry is a single mother grieving the loss of her husband and in a different time and place, Cross is a single father grieving the loss of his wife. Both swear never to love again to avoid another heartbreak. Years later, Cross runs into Cherry in a darkened room, has no idea who she is, mistakes her for a lady he was going to have an assignation with, and kisses her neck. It’s not a good start because Cherry is completely indignant at the situation and tells him off. Cherry is also alarmed that a maid who was supposed to meet her to discuss a secret group of men who have harmed women didn’t show up. There’s a wicked mystery going on in this book with powerful men causing serious harm, and Cherry is the investigative journalist who’s on the case. Until she writes a column blaming the wrong man, and gets entangled back up with Cross, as he clears his name. I loved the flirty banter here and how well their families blended together once their children meet up. We also continue with the mystery that was left hanging from the previous book and learn more about these cruel abductors.

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

A Duke for All Seasons by Fenna Edgewood (2022)

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

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

The Bluestocking Beds Her Bride by Fenna Edgewood (2022)

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

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

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

Useful Resources:

Read more about getting the most out of your library card

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

Learn more about Kindle Unlimited

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

Read an introduction to fanfiction

Learn more about sources for reading fanfiction

Follow me on Instagram at @randomolive

Shop my handmade bookmarks on Etsy

Support this page with a donation

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

Coming in Hot by Josie Juniper (2025)

Contemporary romance. Book 2 of the Frontrunners series. Starts off steamy with a one-night stand between strangers who meet at a hotel bar. But it all turns bad when Natalia realizes she just slept with Klaus, her best friend’s boss, and racing manager for a team she probably will end up writing about in her new job as an auto magazine journalist. To make things worse, he tries to pay her money after their encounter. Ouch. We drift along a scattered timeline as they cross paths throughout the racing season all over the globe, with some of the events overlapping with the previous book of the series. Everyone’s got issues here, with Natalia’s sense of abandonment after her parents left her with an aunt at age 7 and Klaus’s grief over his late wife’s death. High on the steam, once they start hooking up again, but it’s angry bickering banter the whole way through. My favorite part of the book was Natalia finding out what happened to her parents all those years ago. Negative points for using the word “clean” when Natalia asks Klaus if it’s ok to have intercourse without a condom.

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

Don’t Bargain with the Devil by Sabrina Jeffries (2009)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 5 of the School for Heiresses series. Heartbroken Lucy is back at her favorite girls school for a stint as the temporary art teacher while her father and stepmother go to Scotland. Her childhood friend and love basically told her that she was too outspoken and hoydenish for marriage, so she’s all sorts of insecure about herself. Meanwhile, a mysterious new tenant has moved in next door. The magician Diego is looking for the long-lost granddaughter of a Spanish marquess, and he thinks that Lucy might be the one he’s searching for. It’s mystery and intrigue and attraction all rolled into one very entertaining book. I loved learning all of Lucy’s family secrets and finding out how Diego fits into her future.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby. Audiobook accessed via Everand.

A Forgery of Fate by Elizabeth Lim (2025)

Young adult fantasy romance. Standalone novel. This book was such a fun adventure. Tru is the oldest sister of three girls, stuck taking care of her family after her father disappears. She’s an art forger in a bit of a pickle with her mother’s gambling debts being called in. Somehow, she’s entangled in Elang’s bargain, the half-dragon and half-human prince who was banished by his dragon king grandfather. They enter into a marriage of convenience so that Tru can assist Elang with a special painting to overthrow his grandfather. We get a story full of wonderful world-building and tons of secrets to uncover. Loved it.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby. Advance audiobook provided by Penguin Random House Audio.

Wed Him Before You Bed Him by Sabrina Jeffries (2009)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 6 of the School for Heiresses series. The headmistress of the illustrious girls school gets her romance here in the conclusion of the series. Charlotte is plagued with scandal right now with a whole bunch of her former pupils having run off and eloped and the latest scandal with a suicide. And it gets even messier when we find out that the widowed viscount, David, is actually an old acquaintance of Charlotte’s. Eighteen years prior, Charlotte and David were arranged to marry by their fathers, but it ended up in heartbreak and public humiliation. And then one day, David seeks his revenge by adopted the persona of Cousin Michael to offer a low-rent building for Charlotte to build a school, intending to raise the rents and leave her hanging after she’s comfortable. But it turns into a decade-long letter-writing friendship, and then turns into an even bigger mess when the true owner of the property is looking to evict Charlotte soon. David wants to keep his secrets, so sets himself up for more drama by faking an inheritance from his wife that was donated to the school. We get a pretty quick second chance romance here, with Charlotte being hesitant to trust, and David being a high-handed male. I enjoyed reading all the drama unfold though and learn more about Charlotte and David’s past relationship. Excellent conclusion to the series and introduction to some side characters that will feature in more of Jeffries’ books.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

Worth Fighting For by Jesse Q. Sutanto (2025)

Contemporary romance. Book 5 of the Meant to Be series. Modern-day Mulan retelling, but instead of a gender swap, Mulan just assumes her father’s name Zhou in the course of business negotiations with Shang and his family. We’ve got a company buyout situation with an old-school, traditional, patriarchal whiskey distillery, where Mulan needs to prove that she’s the man for the job. We get a lot of slapstick humor here with her trying to impress everyone at a ranch and definitely a lot of awkward situations ensue. Meddling aunties and misogynistic uncles abound, but at least Shang isn’t like the rest of the males in his family. Cousin Mushu definitely brings the spark of humor to the story and was one of my fave supporting characters. Clever and funny retelling here, with a fade-to-black romance mixed in.

Advance ebook provided by Hyperion Books via NetGalley.

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

Useful Resources:

Read more about getting the most out of your library card

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

Learn more about Kindle Unlimited

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

Read an introduction to fanfiction

Learn more about sources for reading fanfiction

Follow me on Instagram at @randomolive

Shop my handmade bookmarks on Etsy

Support this page with a donation

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

Thanks for reading Random Olive Reads! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.