Masks of Desire by Fenna Edgewood (2021)

Historical Romance. Victorian-era England. Book 0 of the Gardner Girls series. This book was crazypants in all the best ways. We start off with Caroline’s cruel and villainous father telling her to break her longtime engagement to childhood friend Henry since he’s gotten his mistress pregnant, left her to die, and refusing to care for the baby. And then dear old Dad brings the baby into the room to show Caroline, and a very unique birthmark convinces her that her beloved has betrayed her. On the flip side of this, Henry is being told by his parents that Caroline has broken their engagement and will soon be engaged to someone of higher rank and social status. Basically, these two innocent people are being manipulated and lied to and torn apart by Caroline’s father. It’ll take a lot of maneuvering to get these two in the same room again and actually figure out the truth. There’s way more drama with Henry’s scapegrace brother and Caroline’s new fiance, so this book was very fun to read.

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

Mistakes Not to Make When Avoiding a Rake by Fenna Edgewood (2021)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 1 of the Gardner Girls series. Claire and Thomas do not make good first impressions of each other, mostly because the stuck-up Thomas is wary of females in general. But he seems to always be coming to Claire’s rescue, even if she is irritated by him. This story takes place primarily in a small country village, so everyone is up in everyone else’s business and gossip plays a big role in the misunderstandings between Claire and Thomas. This book is a pretty close Pride and Prejudice retelling with a few little shifts on the character relationships. I liked seeing the angry banter between Claire and Thomas and him realizing he was an arse most of the time. Definitely an entertaining read.

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

To All the Earls I’ve Loved Before by Fenna Edgewood (2021)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 2 of the Gardner Girls series. Widowed Gwendolen is in a whole heap of trouble, being threatened by one man and being evicted by another. Luckily, a duke named Angel is ready to save the day by proposing a marriage of convenience. He’s the ultimate himbo character with a bit of a carefree foolish demeanor, but his protective instincts are spot on. He’s basically the best sort of man, offering his name and home and all his worldly resources to protect Gwendolen and her five-year-old son. Even though they’ve agreed on a marriage in name only, it’s so easy for these two to fall in love and desire more from each other. Lots of twists and turns here with the villain of Gwendolen’s story and how more information is revealed as the story proceeds. Loved this one.

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

The Seafaring Lady’s Guide to Love by Fenna Edgewood (2021)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 3 of the Gardner Girls series. Rosalind Gardner is ready to set off on her adventure, so she’s at the docks getting ready to set sail. Except that when she goes to purchase her passage, the clerk says that the man who was previously there bought all the cabins. And then the reckless Rosalind tells the clerk that it’s no problem since she’s married to the man who just left. She figures she can just sneak onto the ship, reimburse the man, and then enjoy her journey across. Except Philip is a grumpy widower and a bit sensitive about the subject of a wife, and he’s the owner of the ship. It’s a lot of gruff and grumbly banter between Rosalind and Philip, despite the clear attraction they have. Also, get ready to hear Philip’s tragic backstory and an exciting brush with pirates. Super action-packed book that was very fun to read.

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

Once Upon a Midwinter’s Kiss by Fenna Edgewood (2021)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 4 of the Gardner Girls series. So much drama and danger! Gracie is traveling alone to visit some family friends when her carriage driver is attacked, the carriage overturns, and she is injured and alone in the snowy forest. She finds her way to the nearest shelter and taken in by the local lord, but they believe her to be a boy because she is dressed in the driver’s clothes. The housekeeper suggests to Gracie to keep up the ruse of being a boy, so she meets Linden, the baron of the castle, as Grayson. There’s definitely a spark of attraction between them, which mostly confuses Linden, but he also feels guilty because he’s kinda sorta engaged to the woman his parents supposedly arranged for him to marry. There’s of course the mystery of how his parents died all those years ago, but it’s pretty clear that the overbearing steward is a prime suspect for the reader. Lots of twists and turns as the mystery gets unraveled, but luckily the romance part is easy and delightful. Loved this story.

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

Mistletoe Journey by Fenna Edgewood (2021)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 4.5 of the Gardner Girls series. Quick and steamy novella with 50+ year old leads. Widowed Caroline Gardner and Captain John Merriweather are traveling together to go meet John’s new ward. There’s been a bit of simmering attraction for each other for awhile now as they’ve spent the holidays with the extended Gardner family, and they finally get a chance to act on that attraction while stuck in a small village during a snowstorm. This one is a bonus story free on the author’s website, so it’s nice and quick to read. Loved seeing this older couple find love together.

Ebook free from author’s website.

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

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

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.

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.

Crash Landing by Annie McQuaid (2025)

Contemporary romance. Standalone novel. Second chance romance time after crashing on a deserted island. Piper is on her way to her best friend’s destination wedding and a cancelled flight puts her on a private plane with her ex-boyfriend Wyatt piloting. And then they crash and are stuck together on an island til rescue can come. Awkward. But also gives them a chance to actually talk to each other and make-up. We get a split of present-day and past-day chapters, all from Piper’s POV, so we get to slowly see how they got together as high schoolers and then we slowly see how they become more comfortable around each other on the island. Between the survival terror and the emotional angst here, it makes for a higher-stakes read than most contemporary romances. I enjoyed it and thought that Wyatt’s caretaking of Piper was really nice. Spice level is fade-to-black.

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

A Duke Never Tells by Suzanne Enoch (2025)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Standalone novel. A quick little trip to spy on Meg’s future husband has turned into total disaster in this very funny historical rom-com. Basically, Lady Meg is in an arranged marriage to a duke with a terrible reputation, so she and her aunt Clara go playing a part of a lady and companion to visit the duke’s estate. Except James is a grumbly sort of duke who is not interested in playing tour guide, so he pretends to be the butler and introduces his man of business Elliot as the duke. We have four different people pretending to be someone they’re not, and it all gets worse when Meg injures her ankle and they have to stay there (and keep up their roles for two weeks). And of course, we get a double romance here with Clara and Elliot pairing off and Meg and James growing closer together, no one knowing the other person’s true identity. It’s mostly funny and sweet and an enjoyable read, especially since we get to see all four characters POVs along the way.

Advance ebook provided by Bramble via NetGalley. Advance audiobook provided by Dreamscape Media.

Once Upon a Midwinter’s Kiss by Fenna Edgewood (2021)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 4 of the Gardner Girls series. So much drama and danger! Gracie is traveling alone to visit some family friends when her carriage driver is attacked, the carriage overturns, and she is injured and alone in the snowy forest. She finds her way to the nearest shelter and taken in by the local lord, but they believe her to be a boy because she is dressed in the driver’s clothes. The housekeeper suggests to Gracie to keep up the ruse of being a boy, so she meets Linden, the baron of the castle, as Grayson. There’s definitely a spark of attraction between them, which mostly confuses Linden, but he also feels guilty because he’s kinda sorta engaged to the woman his parents supposedly arranged for him to marry. There’s of course the mystery of how his parents died all those years ago, but it’s pretty clear that the overbearing steward is a prime suspect for the reader. Lots of twists and turns as the mystery gets unraveled, but luckily the romance part is easy and delightful. Loved this story.

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

Mistletoe Journey by Fenna Edgewood (2021)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 4.5 of the Gardner Girls series. Quick and steamy novella with 50+ year old leads. Widowed Caroline Gardner and Captain John Merriweather are traveling together to go meet John’s new ward. There’s been a bit of simmering attraction for each other for awhile now as they’ve spent the holidays with the extended Gardner family, and they finally get a chance to act on that attraction while stuck in a small village during a snowstorm. This one is a bonus story free on the author’s website, so it’s nice and quick to read. Loved seeing this older couple find love together.

Ebook free from author’s website.

Once Smitten, Twice Shy by Chloe Liese (2025)

Contemporary romance. Book 3 of the Wilmot Sisters series. Juliet is all sorts of reluctant around romance after ending a toxic relationship last year, but she keeps crossing paths with Will as if it’s fated. Plus, he’s completely awkward at romance too, and somehow feels safe to Juliet. They strike up a deal to help each other practice flirting and dating. And of course they fall for each other along the way. The plot here was fairly straightforward and fun to see them interacting with their larger friend group. Sweet and humorous and steamy all in one.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

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.

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

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

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.