Part of Your World: A Twisted Tale by Liz Braswell (2025)

Young Adult Fantasy. Ooh, I love a good twist to a story we already know well. This one is published in conjunction with Disney, so it takes a totally licensed spin on The Little Mermaid. It plays what if Ariel did not win at the end and Eric ends up married to Vanessa/Ursula. We start here five years after that and Eric’s seaside village is in all sorts of mess due to Vanessa’s scheming and political maneuvers. Plus Eric has been under a foggy-brained spell for all these years. Somehow, word gets back to Queen Ariel that her father may still be alive (in a jar in Vanessa’s room), so she stages a rescue mission. Loads of action and adventure here, with a lot of different points of view. This was a really fun book to read, especially if you loved The Little Mermaid.

Ebook and audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

Morbidly Yours by Ivy Fairbanks (2023)

Contemporary romance. Book 1 of the Love in Galway series. Lark’s new in town and accidentally moves next door to a funeral home. She meets the very shy and introverted Callum and fairly quickly develops a friendship. We get to see a really great slow-burn romance develop here as these two friends eventually give into their attraction. They each have their own background issues and hang-ups, and I loved seeing them open up and share with each other.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

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Never Seduce a Scoundrel by Sabrina Jeffries (2006)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 1 of the School for Heiresses series. Lady Amelia is a daughter of an earl who is dodging fortune hunters and longing for adventure. She runs into a bit of trouble when she’s nearly caught snooping in the American Navy Major’s personal correspondence, but she’s wary of her stepmother being the target of his secret investigation. She plans to find out more in order to protect her stepmother, and she plays the simpering miss to do so. Lucas has a bunch of hang ups against the English and he’s annoyed to have to be in England to deal with this fraud and embezzlement case, but he realizes that he can use a courtship with Amelia to find out more about his suspect. They’re both toying with each other for information, but there’s definitely a real simmering attraction here. We get into way more dramatics halfway through the book when we need to deal with a kidnapping and road trip. It was interesting to see how two people who are totally dishonest with each other end up falling in love.

Ebook and audiobook accessed from Kindle Unlimited.

Only a Duke Will Do by Sabrina Jeffries (2006)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 2 of the School for Heiresses series. This one will make a little more sense if you’ve also read To Pleasure a Prince, because Simon and Louisa feature quite a bit with that book. Basically, in the previous book, Simon was courting Louisa at the King’s request in exchange for political favors; she figures out the deception and uses her influence as the King’s natural daughter to have Simon sent to India. We start this book seven years later, Simon has returned, and the King is still playing tricks with him. Simon renews his attentions on Louisa, but she’s more wary now. Plus, she has the added fear of childbirth because her half-sister Princess Charlotte died during the process. It’s mostly a redemption story for Simon here, since Louisa is already pretty awesome. Loved seeing him soften for real and learn to stand on his own morals, rather than the political jockeying that he’s accustomed to.

Ebook and audiobook accessed from Kindle Unlimited.

Ten Reasons to Stay by Sabrina Jeffries (2013)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 2.5 of the School for Heiresses series. Quick little novella. Eliza is running away from her uncle guardian who means to marry her off to his friend. She tries to borrow a horse from the new earl’s stable, not realizing he’s in residence. Colin is newly arrived to his estate from India and distrustful of almost everything. There’s a lot of verbal sparring between Eliza and Colin as he tries to high-handedly protect her, but also scare her about the dangers of men. It’s an insta-lust, steamy novella here, with a neat and tidy happily ever after.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

Beware a Scot’s Revenge by Sabrina Jeffries (2007)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 3 of the School for Heiresses series. Lady Venetia is visiting Scotland with her aunt, after having been living in London for many years, and promptly gets kidnapped by her childhood neighbor Lachlan. He’s got a rivalry with her father over some unpaid debts and is trying to use Venetia for ransom. But it’s way more complicated than that because Lachlan and Venetia keep switching between yelling at each other and lusting at each other. This is one of those stories where Lachlan is the one who needs to get over himself and his need for vengeance if he wants to have a true relationship with Venetia.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

Let Sleeping Rogues Lie by Sabrina Jeffries (2008)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 4 of the School for Heiresses series. Anthony is a wicked gentleman who has just inherited a viscount title and wants to gain custody of his niece away from his cruel aunt and uncle. He tries to get the niece enrolled at a reputable girls’ school, but his terrible reputation and looming custody battle make all the schools wary of taking her on. Madeline is a teacher at Mrs. Harris’ school and somehow manages to negotiate a deal for Anthony, where he cleans up his act and gives rake lessons to the girls at the school so they know what to avoid. She has her own ulterior motives because she needs to meet one of Anthony’s scientist friends to help her own father’s dire situation. It’s all a muddle with lies and secret keeping (mostly on Madeline’s part) and of course Anthony is trying his best to seduce Madeline in the meantime. This book had the perfect blend of external conflict with the slow burn romance between our main characters. Loved seeing Anthony start to sober up and take care of his responsibilities.

Ebook and audiobook accessed from Kindle Unlimited.

When Sparks Fly by Sabrina Jeffries (2014)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 4.5 of the School for Heiresses series. Quick little Christmas novella. Wealthy heiress Ellie is traveling with her aunt and young cousins home for Christmas when her aunt is in a carriage accident and injures her ankle. They whole crew need to stay with the nearby grumpy baron, Martin, who has a terrible reputation after the death of his brother. He’s a total grump, feels guilty over his brother’s death, and would rather be experimenting with explosives to help the miners who work on his land. But he’s totally drawn to Ellie, despite his original misconceptions about her. It’s a quick burn romance here for these two and very fun to read.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

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.

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.

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The Lady’s Guide to Celestial Mechanics by Olivia Waite (2019)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 1 of the Feminine Pursuits series. Heartbroken Lucy ends up in the care of the widowed countess Catherine in the pursuit of translating a rare astronomy text. They’re both pretty prickly around each other at first, but quickly find their footing as friends and then more. It was so nice watching their romance blossom and Catherine learn things about herself in the process, even as the older and more established woman. I loved seeing them both battle the patriarchy for Lucy’s place in science. A delightful slow burn romance here.

Ebook and audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

Road Trip with a Rogue by Kate Bateman (2025)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 3 of Her Majesty’s Rebels series. I love a good road trip romance, especially when our two travel partners are clearly pining for each other and denying their own feelings about it. Daisy is on a mission to thwart an elopement and runs into Lucien, her brothers’ friend and longtime crush along the way. What she doesn’t know is that he encouraged the elopement of his nephew and an heiress. And she gets thoroughly distracted by Lucien. We’ve got highwaymen, cramped quarters, and even a kidnapping in this chaotic adventure. Loved seeing these two connect and talk to each other, with the most excellent banter.

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

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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.

Tusk Love by Thea Guanzon (2025)

Fantasy romance. Part of the Critical Role universe. I have no idea what Critical Role is, but I’m reading anything that Thea Guanzon writes. Luckily, I wasn’t lost and was able to follow and enjoy this story. Guinevere is a merchant’s daughter traveling to meet her parents and gets into a bit of trouble (or lots of trouble) and ends up scorching her enemies with her secret magical fire powers. And then a stranger named Oskar rescues her and ultimately escorts her on the journey. They’re total and complete opposites, with Guinevere being totally naive and sheltered and bubbly, and Oskar being a little bit of a grump and skeptical of the entire world. Still, we’ve got a heavy dose of insta-lust, plus danger that helps with the adrenaline rush. The romance here is sweet and steamy and we’re just waiting for Guinevere to stand up to her parents. Super funny to read and I really enjoyed it.

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

Finding Mr. July by Anna E. Collins (2025)

Contemporary romance. Standalone novel. Loads of emotional angst in this workplace rom-com. Holly is basically starting over in her career after leaving her job as a lawyer under unpleasant circumstances. Now she’s an intern at some sort of nonprofit and competing with the other interns for a coveted permanent position. And in order to do so, she’s working on a fundraising project involving men and their dogs. Her grumpy co-worker Jonathan is the only person available who hasn’t been claimed for another intern’s project, so she’s stuck with him. And then it turns out he has his own issues, having formerly been an award-winning photographer and having his previous career implode. These two are delightfully flirty and bantering and I enjoyed watching them fall in love. Great cast of supporting characters with Holly’s best friend and work mentor, her brother, and niece. I listened to most of this book on audio, and loved the narrator.

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

Seven Brides for Beau McBride by Amy Barry (2025)

Historical romance. Western America. Book 3 of the McBrides of Montana series. Junebug is at it again and this time she’s brought in six potential wives for her brother Beau; meanwhile, he’s invited his own wifely prospect, bringing the total to seven mail-order brides. Unfortunately for everyone involved, best friends Ellie and Diana are both in the running, have each responded to Junebug and Beau’s newspaper ads respectively. And it turns out that Ellie was the one writing letters for Diana to send, and maybe Beau is really in love with her. It’s messy and chaotic and hilarious. I loved this book, even though I wish Junebug would learn her lesson and that her brothers would actually listen to her when she says she doesn’t want to cook and clean for them anymore.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

Isaiah & Isolde by Julie Anne Long (2025)

Historical romance-adjacent. Regency-era England. Prequel novella to the Pennyroyal Green series. Great backstory of Isaiah and Isolde’s fraught relationship, seeing as they married different people. If you’ve read the Pennyroyal Green series, you’ll know that the Redmonds and the Everseas have a longstanding feud between their families. Except there’s always a hint of a spark of something between the Eversea mom and the Redmond dad and we’re left wondering if there was a history there. We get that heartbreaking history here in this book and how they ended up on opposite sides of the feud. Loved it, even though I knew the end was going to be unpleasant.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

Two Ruins Make a Right by Janna MacGregor (2025)

Historical romance. Standalone novella. Nell needed to marry a marquess to save her family’s financial situation and in the process jilted her commoner fiance. He’s still a bit salty about it eight years later, since Nell was annoyingly tight-lipped about her family’s disgrace. Now, James is on the wife-hunt again after the death of his previous wife and Nell accidentally crashes the house party when her carriage breaks down. We get some more scandal when Nell’s sister and James’ cousin are caught in a compromising situation and Nell is still keeping secrets about her terrible parents. We see pretty quickly that James and Nell still have feelings for each other after all these years, and James’ six-year-old daughter is the best sort of meddler. Steamy and scandalous, all in a quick read.

Advance ebook provided by Janna MacGregor.

Love Is a War Song by Danica Nava (2025)

Contemporary romance. Standalone novel. Avery is the only Native American pop star around and she makes the horrible mistake of listening to her uninformed mother and team in the process of posing for the cover of Rolling Stone. And so, her reputation is totally tanked, and she’s sent off to stay with her estranged grandmother for awhile til the gossip dies down. Instantly, she’s on the wrong foot with Lucas, the extra handsome man who works at the grandmother’s ranch. Just about as instantly as she’s attracted to him. She’s learning to adapt to a totally new environment, while everyone around her is terribly unhelpful. But the attraction between her and Lucas is super strong, despite all the realities of their lives. This book was funny and emotional and I loved seeing Avery embrace her roots.

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

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Yours Truly, The Duke by Amelia Grey (2023)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 1 of the Say I Do series. We start here with one of the silliest reasons for a marriage of convenience, which is an inheritance-related reason. Our duke Wyatt has just been informed that he needs to marry within 7 days to keep the property that his grandmother left for him. Not to worry though, his solicitor has already found him a bride: Fredericka is in a custody battle with her cousin over the guardianship of her sister’s orphaned children and needs a husband to bolster her cause. When the duke shows up at her house to offer marriage, she’s stunned and would rather have had more time to consider the proposal, but they’re on a time crunch, so she accepts. Along the way, we find that Fredericka is the strict caregiver and expecting proper behavior from the children (but mostly so she doesn’t get the kids taken away from her) and Wyatt is the one who wants to see the kids rambunctiously playing. These two are constantly bickering from their opposing views on childrearing, plus misinterpreting each other’s words anytime they’re speaking. It was a fun book to read and I’ll definitely be reading more from this author.

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

Sincerely, The Duke by Amelia Grey (2024)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 2 of the Say I Do series. Rick is a duke who suffers from both secret debilitating fevers and a meddlesome mother. When his mother presents him a list of debutantes to consider for marriage, he hurriedly pens a quick marriage proposal to a random lady on the list. A few days later, a lady shows up at his doorstep inquiring about the veracity of the proposal, and being the upstanding honorable guy that he is, he decides to follow through with it. Edwina is a take-charge outspoken sort of lady who has made her father a deathbed promise to see herself and her sisters wed this Season, even though they’ve been hidden away in the country. It turns out triplets are thought to be bad luck, so they’ve tried to hide the fact that they’re triplets (even though they look exactly alike). She’s glad to be engaged to the duke but insists that he help her sisters find husbands as well. We get a lot more chaotic when the sisters show up in town (who are highly resistant to marriage) and find that Rick’s mother is very superstitious. I liked seeing Rick become protective of his new wife and family and also see him appreciate Edwina’s unique personality.

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

Love, the Duke by Amelia Grey (2025)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 3 of the Say I Do series. Hurst is the last of his duke friends to be unmarried, and he plans to take this wife-hunt seriously soon. In the meantime though, an ill childhood friend has asked him to marry his sister Ophelia, but Hurst rejects the girl because he’d rather meet and find love the old fashioned way. Fast forward several weeks, the old friend has passed away, and the sister has come to London searching for an artifact that was stolen from her brother’s church. Ophelia is all sorts of chaos and Hurst is doing his best to keep her out of trouble, but she’s terribly defiant and unwilling to listen to reason. Luckily, he mostly keeps his head on straight and they end up married anyway. Fairly straightforward plot with a hint of mystery.

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

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This Much is True by Vivienne Lorret (2025)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 3 of the Liars’ Club series. Everyone is lying here and it’s kinda sorta confusing til we figure it out. Althea is in her third season following a toxic courtship with a playwright last year and in massive writers’ block for her own plays. And for some wild reason, she makes up stories about encountering a highwayman when she’s out in society, mostly because she’s a storyteller and partly because she wants to attention. Unfortunately, Jasper is an actual highwayman and worries he’ll be found out, so he keeps clumsily ruining her gowns to distract from her stories. Jasper has his own problems with an abusive uncle, so he pretends to be a clumsy oaf in public, even though he’s a clever highwayman who’s protecting his family. Oh, and these those are pretty much attracted to each other at first sight. Their relationship is messy and chaotic and loads of fun to read.

Advance ebook provided by Avon Books via NetGalley. Audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

The Undercutting of Rosie and Adam by Megan Bannen (2025)

Fantasy romance. Book 3 of the Hart and Mercy series. Loved this book and great conclusion to the series. The whole book is told from Rosie’s point of view. She’s an immortal demigod who’s really struggling with grief and the lonely life she has ahead of her. It’s been ten years since the events of the last book and she’s starting to see her coworkers and loved ones age. She’s also been somewhat pining over inventor and all-around genius Dr. Adam Lee for the past five years and not willing to do anything about it or get to attached, since she’ll live forever and everyone around her dies. But we get all sorts of forced proximity when we find that the portals in and out of the Tanrian mist have malfunctioned and need to be repaired. The romance is the slowest of slow burns while we work through our malfunctioning portals. We also get our favorite sidekick Duckers throughout this story and revisit the adorable dragons.

Advance ebook provided by Orbit 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

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Learn more about sources for reading fanfiction

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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.

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