Cocky Butler by Annabelle Anders (2021)

Book 7 of the Regency Cocky Gents series. The super arrogant duke of the friend group loses a wager and now has to serve as the butler at his friend’s London townhouse. But this duke’s authoritative bearing always comes through and all his friends come to see him for advice throughout the series (even though he’s supposed to be the butler). When his friend’s cousin comes to town, she’s super wary of the butler and she has her own personal baggage with her fiance dying in the war. But somehow these two start talking and fall in love and our duke really really wants to tell her who he really is.

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Curled Up with an Earl by Amy Rose Bennett (2023)

Historical romance. Victorian era England. Book 2 of the Byronic Book Club series. Will is an earl and a duke’s heir, but is estranged from his grandfather, serving as a spy for Scotland Yard. He’s investigating a botanical expert on poisonous plants to determine if the man is responsible for the murder of another nobleman; he poses as the new groom to the estate to do so. However, he’s instantly smitten by the Lucy, the daughter of the botanical baron, who serves as a botanical expert in her own right. Lucy is pre-occupied with her own bluestocking studies and desire to travel while also looking after her father’s financially floundering estate and trying to locate her brother. I enjoyed watching Lucy and Will interact with each other, both nervous and smitten, and I also enjoyed seeing them team up with open honesty about the midpoint of the book. The romance plot was pretty low-ansgt without a third-act breakup between our two, but we do get to find out why Lucy’s brother was driven away and the culprit of the poisoning plant murder.

Advance ebook provided by Sourcebooks Casablanca via NetGalley.

The Duke’s Deceitful Governess by Caroline Lee (2022)

Historical romance. Victorian-era Scotland. Book 1 of the Surprise! Dukes series. Rourke has custody of his brother’s illegitimate twin children who are a crazy handful and have been kicked out of a bunch of schools and scared off many governesses. He’s giving them one last chance to behave for their latest governess, threatening to send them to school separately if they don’t behave. Sophia is the new governess, but she actually doesn’t have any experience with children and forged her recommendation letters so that she can come to Rourke’s estate to search for evidence that he is either complicit or innocent in her old boss’ crimes. Sophia is actually a surprisingly good governess though, connecting with the children, and helping Rourke to connect with them too. Rourke and Sophia are instantly attracted to each other and find ease and companionship with each other. This book is humorous and steamy but also has a bit of danger involved. Definitely recommended if you want to see a stern serious cold duke learn to love his niece and nephew along with their governess.

Ebook accessed from Kindle Unlimited.

The Counterfeit Scoundrel by Lorraine Heath (2023)

Historical romance. Victorian-era England. Book 1 of the Chessmen series. We have another servant-in-disguise story here, with Daisy/Marguerite posing as a maid in Bishop’s house to catch her client’s wife having an affair. Of course, with Daisy’s skills of observation, something doesn’t seem quite right. Although Bishop certainly seems to entertain a revolving door of married ladies, we find that he falsifies affairs to help the women secure a divorce. While Daisy and Bishop seem to have opposing purposes at first, they uncover each other’s motives and truths by about the midpoint of the book. After that, we see Bishop being suspected of murdering one of the husbands and him hiring Daisy as an investigator on his behalf. The plot twists on the mystery part were a lot of fun to read. The romance part was fairly predictable but in an enjoyable way. Overall, I really liked this book and continue to enjoy Lorraine Heath’s writing.

Advance ebook provided by Avon Books via NetGalley.

The Runaway Duke by Julie Anne Long (2004)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Standalone novel. Rebecca accidentally gets caught in a compromising situation with an impoverished baron who meant to compromise her sister, but now has to marry this man she doesn’t love. Luckily, her father’s head groom Connor agrees to help Rebecca escape. However, Connor is not actually a groom at all, but the heir to a duke who was presumed dead at Waterloo and is living free of his duties and responsibilities. As if the running away plot wasn’t enough, we get to see a more deeply interconnected plot as we add complications due to blackmail, a former mistress, and an industrious duchess. I really enjoyed reading the multiple points of view in this story, with the interconnections of various characters. It all comes back to the fact that Connor is now the rightful duke, even though he doesn’t know it, and all of the complications of his former life. It was also fun to see Rebecca and Connor go from being trusted friends to more along their journey.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

The Marquess Makes His Move by Diana Quincy (2022)

Book 3 of the Clandestine Affairs series

Alex is a reclusive marquess who is disguised as a footman at a mapmaker’s house to look for evidence that his property lines were falsified. Of course, he’s terribly attracted to the mapmaker’s wife Rose, even though he’s supposed to be courting a proper young lady. Alex is a terrible footman, but somehow learns the plights of the working class and promises to treat his own servants better. There was a lot of humor mixed in here, along with the deceptions we find from Rose’s husband.

Shop this book via Amazon // Bookshop.org // Libro.fm

The Tattooed Duke by Maya Rodale (2012)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 3 of the Writing Girls series. One of the Writing Girls, Eliza, is tasked with getting all the scoop on the newly returned duke in town. She applies for a position as a housemaid in the duke’s house and is able to find out all sorts of gossip to use about him in her new column, The Tattooed Duke. While Sebastian is part of a family infamous for its rakish and inappropriate treatment of female staff members, he is trying to stay vigilant and keep his hands off of the ever-attractive Eliza. Despite finding his estate in disarray and in debt, Sebastian would rather be sailing the world and leading an expedition to Timbuktu. Unfortunately, all of the press about his scandalous reputation does not help him acquire the funding he needs for the expedition. Meanwhile, Sebastian and Eliza seem to be growing closer while she’s in his employ, even though he doesn’t know that she’s the one betraying all his confidences. We also get some fun twisty secrets about both Sebastian and Eliza as we progress through the book, with tons of dramatic fallout along the way.

Ebook and audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

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The Counterfeit Scoundrel by Lorraine Heath (2023)

Historical romance. Victorian-era England. Book 1 of the Chessmen series. We have another servant-in-disguise story here, with Daisy/Marguerite posing as a maid in Bishop’s house to catch her client’s wife having an affair. Of course, with Daisy’s skills of observation, something doesn’t seem quite right. Although Bishop certainly seems to entertain a revolving door of married ladies, we find that he falsifies affairs to help the women secure a divorce. While Daisy and Bishop seem to have opposing purposes at first, they uncover each other’s motives and truths by about the midpoint of the book. After that, we see Bishop being suspected of murdering one of the husbands and him hiring Daisy as an investigator on his behalf. The plot twists on the mystery part were a lot of fun to read. The romance part was fairly predictable but in an enjoyable way. Overall, I really liked this book and continue to enjoy Lorraine Heath’s writing.

Advance ebook provided by Avon Books via NetGalley.

The Notorious Lord Knightly by Lorraine Heath (2023)

Historical romance. Victorian-era England. Book 2 of the Chessmen series. There’s a scandalous book written anonymously about the seductive exploits of a Lord K and the ton suspects that the Earl of Knightly, known as Knight, is the man in the story. In reality, he is the subject of the story which is written by Regina, the illegitimate daughter of an earl whom Knight jilted on their wedding day five years prior. We see a few chapters told from the past interspersed with present day chapters and learn more about the past and present relationship between Knight and Regina. He basically left her heartbroken and ruined all those years ago and she has been trying to rebuild her life since then. The notoriety of this book has drawn them back together, but there is still a lot of resentment on Regina’s side of things and lots of guilt from Knight’s. It’s interesting to see how they ultimately overcome the issues that kept them apart all those years ago and learning the truth about Knight’s betrayal.

Advance ebook provided by Avon Books via NetGalley.

In Want of a Viscount by Lorraine Heath (2024)

Historical romance. Victorian-era England. Book 3 of the Chessmen series. Leonora is an American inventor in England with her family seeking investors in her writing machine, although her crass overbearing mother is seeking a titled husband for Leonora. She sneaks off to a ladies’ club and asks for a kiss. The club owner seems to be short-staffed in the gentlemen escort department and asks his own titled brother, Rook, to see to the kissing. Rook and Leonora don’t exchange names, but do exchange a kiss, leaving Leonora passed out from absinthe and Rook wondering what he did wrong. And of course, they cross paths later when Rook turns out to be a potential investor in the company. They flirt, they dance, they can’t seem to stay away from each other. And Rook is the only man (aside from her father) who has ever appreciated Leonora’s curiosity for machinery. However, Rook is not interested in marriage and basically a very controlled man who denies himself lustful indulgences due to his own father’s scandalous behavior. These two are fairly slow to realize they’re perfect for each other, but it’s a fun read along the way.

Advance ebook provided by Avon Books via NetGalley.

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Mad Duke March by Sadie Bosque (2024)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 3 of the Rake Review series. The Duke of Tyrone has a tragic history of a mother who abandoned him and a father who beat and berated him, so now he’s a reckless drunk with no ambitions or goals or sense of proper behavior. A public street experiment of a steam carriage almost injures a young lady, and in the process of rescuing her, Tyrone drunkenly grabs her in a salacious manner and ruins her reputation. Emily is the young woman ruined by the whole thing with tattered clothes, a lost purse of money, and a lost fiance in the process. And of course she’s also generally impoverished with an ill mother and three younger siblings to care for. Somehow, she convinces Tyrone to marry her to save her skin, but he’s still a general brute and incapable of treating his wife properly. It’s a big huge leap to see them eventually come to an accord, but Emily’s spine of steel has a lot to do with it.

Advance ebook provided by Sadie Bosque.

Not in Love by Ali Hazelwood (2024)

Contemporary romance. Standalone novel. Rue’s a food engineer working with her mentor at a small biotech company that seems to be in the process of a financial takeover. And it turns out one of the guys on the opposing team is a thwarted one night stand she met via an app. They’re both totally shocked to see each other in a new setting, with attraction definitely still simmering in the background, but now they’re workplace enemies so it’s not a good idea. While Eli is supposedly the enemy, he’s also completely gone for Rue and is willing to take whatever scraps of attention or conversation she hands out. He’s the ultimate supportive guy, even if he has his own baggage. These two tell each other these awful truths about themselves (that they’ve never told anyone else) and it comes with no judgment whatsoever. Just acknowledgement and acceptance. And somehow this twisted style of communication brings them closer together. Rue is the epitome of anti-social and basically a ball of social anxiety, but she’s calm and comfortable around Eli. Maybe because he’s so terribly accommodating, but also maybe because he also has a terrible past and can understand her. While Rue thinks that she’s betraying her boss and mentor by spending more time with Eli, the boss has a ton of secrets we get to uncover through the business-drama of the story. I liked seeing Rue ever-so-slowly start to open up with Eli and also see him drown in his affection for her.

Advance print book borrowed from a friend.

Between the Devil and Ian Eversea by Julie Anne Long (2014)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 9 of the Pennyroyal Green series. Attention-seeking flirtatious Tansy is now the ward of a duke and recently arrived in England to find a suitable husband after the deaths of her parents. While staying with the Eversea family, everyone is very careful to avoid the mention of the rogue-ish Ian, presumably to avoid the corruption of the young and innocent Tansy. Except that Tansy is a relentless flirt with all the other men in the village, watching them fawn all over her, and suddenly awestruck and awkward around Ian. He’s both annoyed and entertained by her antics and sees right through them, avoiding falling prey, or at least pretending to avoid falling prey, to her wiles. Both Ian and Tansy are a little bit shallow and vain and it’s hard to empathize with them, but we slowly find that Ian is troubled by his experiences from the war and Tansy is just alone and lonely in the world. Somehow, in the seeing through the other person, Ian and Tansy are the only people to see each other as they actually are.

Ebook and audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

Lady Charlotte Always Gets Her Man by Violet Marsh (2024)

Historical romance. 18th Century England. Standalone novel. Lady Charlotte is the daughter of a duke being set up to marry the heir to a duke, but he’s got a reputation for being violent and may have actually murdered his previous wives. She’s looking to find proof of his guilt so that she can avoid marrying him. Meanwhile, that man’s younger brother and her own brother’s best friend Matthew is back in town and he’s hiding his own secrets. Charlotte isn’t sure whether or not to trust him, but we know that Matthew is trying his best to find proof of his brother’s crimes too. These two are definitely in each other’s way and skirting all sorts of danger, but they’ll shortly realize that they need to team up in order to accomplish their goals. This was an action-packed mystery type of story with two people who have had pre-existing crushes on each other and kisses only. We get a fun group of crime-fighting friends and cousins and a chatty parrot, if you’re into that sort of humor. The audiobook version was well-narrated and enjoyable.

Advance ebook and audiobook provided by Forever Books via NetGalley.

Kilt Trip by Alexandra Kiley (2024)

Contemporary romance. Standalone novel. Addie is a travel consultant always on the go since she doesn’t really have a place she calls home. She’s working on a job in Scotland, where her late mother had visited long ago and is working through feelings of grief while simultaneously keeping her feelings walled off. Addie has tons of ideas on how to better market and commercialize the family-owned tour company, but Logan is highly resistant to change. He just wants to stick to traditions and roots and not go with any of the touristy gimmicks that other tours offer. Addie and Logan are constantly disagreeing on their direction, even though they’re highly attracted to each other. They’re both got to deal with all their own emotional roadblocks if they want to get together for real and not just as a temporary affair.

Advance ebook provided by Harlequin Books via NetGalley.

A Duke Once Lost by Jane Maguire (2024)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 2 of the Rockliffe Dynasty series. We start with a tragic prologue for Lady Amelia who has been jilted by the man she planned to elope with. Eleven years later, Amelia has never married and still lives with her overbearing mother. However, she soon finds out that the man who left her has recently returned to the country and is now a duke. And she has a separate problem of a gentleman blackmailing her into marriage with the knowledge that she secretly writes an advice column in a ladies’ magazine. Jonathan was the nephew of a debaucherous and irresponsible duke and now trying to take his duties seriously. Except that he still has a bit of a stammer and is trying to avoid the mocking ridicule of the men he went to school with many years ago. Jonathan quickly hightails it out of town in an unmarked carriage and runs into Amelia on the road. He rescues her, despite her protests, and then she convinces him to convey her to her target destination out in the country. We follow them through road trip trials like rain, robbers, crusty old inns, and carriage problems. And they finally talk through some of the issues that broke them apart all those years ago, but mostly they’re just trying to maintain some semblance of self-control around the person they still love.

Advance ebook provided by Jane Maguire.

Silhouette of a Spinster and Other Seductions by Charlie Lane (2024)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 4 of the Art of Love series. Lord Andrew is the straightlaced, icy cold, emotionless workaholic who runs an employment agency for governesses, companions and tutors. And he is seriously disturbed by the fact that his ultra-competent, no-nonsense, straightlaced secretary is wearing a pink dress instead of grey to his brother’s wedding. He’s your typical oblivious male character with no idea that Amelia has been secretly in love with him for all these years. When he tells her that he’s planning to marry for money in order to expand his business, she’s internally heartbroken and leaves on a month-long vacation to her estate in Scotland to get her feelings in order. Well, Andrew is all sorts of confused about his own feelings and why he’s betrayed by her abandonment, so he runs off after her. And he’s still totally incapable of feeling his feelings, even when faced with the attractive woman he finds there. This one is a heartbreaker of a book, in all the best ways.

Advance ebook provided by Charlie Lane.

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The Duke’s All That by Christina Britton (2024)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 3 of the Synneful Spinsters series. Seraphina is living in the Isle of Synne with her two sisters running the circulating library on the island. She’s got a mysterious past and a bit defensive and skittish. Turns out she was married many years ago, betrayed by her love, sent to an asylum, and then ran away with her sisters to protect them from their father. Her security is disrupted when her long-lost husband Iain shows up on the Isle to demand a divorce from Seraphina. He believes that he was betrayed by her all those years ago, then believed she was dead, and only just learned that she was alive. And now that he’s a duke, he’ll need to marry again in the future and need to be free and clear to do so. He doesn’t tell Seraphina that he’s a duke, just in case she has aspirations of being a duchess, but they do set off on a road trip to get that divorce. Along the way, they do actually start to talk to each other about what went wrong all those years ago and realize that they were both told lies by her father. He’s interested in making the marriage real, but she refuses and wants to go back to her quiet life with her sisters. It’s all a huge mess, made worse by the fact that Iain is still secretly a duke.

Advance ebook provided by Forever Books via NetGalley.

Bride by Ali Hazelwood (2024)

Paranormal romance. Standalone novel. Misery is the daughter of a powerful Vampyre councilman often used as a political pawn. The latest ordinance from her father is to marry the Were Alpha leader Lowe to form an alliance and prevent all-out war. She’s totally apprehensive of the whole thing, but she believes that Lowe is the key to finding her missing best friend. Of course, she thinks that Lowe hates her and is disgusted by her scent, but we’re guessing that Lowe thinks Misery smells just peachy and is trying to avoid getting his heart broken. We get all sorts of interesting political drama and maneuvering with this book, plus a slow build of trust and friendship for Misery and Lowe. Add in some phermonal mating glands, feeding lust, and knotting, and we end up with Hazelwood’s spiciest traditionally published novel to date.

Ebook and audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

In Want of a Viscount by Lorraine Heath (2024)

Historical romance. Victorian-era England. Book 3 of the Chessmen series. Leonora is an American inventor in England with her family seeking investors in her writing machine, although her crass overbearing mother is seeking a titled husband for Leonora. She sneaks off to a ladies’ club and asks for a kiss. The club owner seems to be short-staffed in the gentlemen escort department and asks his own titled brother, Rook, to see to the kissing. Rook and Leonora don’t exchange names, but do exchange a kiss, leaving Leonora passed out from absinthe and Rook wondering what he did wrong. And of course, they cross paths later when Rook turns out to be a potential investor in the company. They flirt, they dance, they can’t seem to stay away from each other. And Rook is the only man (aside from her father) who has ever appreciated Leonora’s curiosity for machinery. However, Rook is not interested in marriage and basically a very controlled man who denies himself lustful indulgences due to his own father’s scandalous behavior. These two are fairly slow to realize they’re perfect for each other, but it’s a fun read along the way.

Advance ebook provided by Avon Books via NetGalley.

What I Did For a Duke by Julie Anne Long (2011)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 5 of the Pennyroyal Green series. Serious and stern duke Alex catches Ian Eversea in bed with his fiance, so he decides to take his revenge by seducing and abandoning Ian’s sister, Genevieve. Except Genevieve is both too clever and too preoccupied to fall prey to Alex’s games. She’s spent the past few years in love with her good friend Harry, who she was hoping would propose to her during the house party her parents are hosting. Except that he tells her that he’s planning to propose to another woman. She puts up a calm facade but is most definitely heartbroken. When Alex shows up to the house party, Genevieve obeys her mother’s wishes to spend time with him, but she’s not interested in the much older man at all. Until they actually start talking to each other and getting to know each other and realize that it’s nice to talk to someone at the same intellectual level. And while Genevieve never becomes a victim to Alex’s revenge, she does end up attracted to him and conflicted about her feelings. Alex is also realizing that he’s his own victim as well, falling in love with Genevieve when she’s in love with someone else. A big huge muddle, but very entertaining to read.

Ebook and audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

The Chemistry of Familiar Objects by Alexandra Vasti (2024)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Standalone novella. Emmeline and Robert share a building for their respective professions: she’s a chemist and he’s a printer. They are total opposites and do not get along at all. Except for the part where they’re inexplicably drawn to the other person. Emmeline starts the day by telling Robert that she’s purchased the building and he’s being evicted, but the end the day chasing after thieves that are stealing Emmeline’s work. We get a two or three day wild goose chase with these two grumpy outspoken people finally actually talking to each other. And more-than-talking to each other. Super fun with lots of hijinks.

Ebook available for free at author’s website.

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To Have and to Hoax by Martha Waters (2020)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 1 of the Regency Vows series. Violet and James have been married for five years, and four of them have been spent in chilly silence from an argument that none of their friends know the details about. And now suddenly Violet is feigning consumption to get James’ sympathy and attention. But he’s onto her pretty quickly. It’s basically just a comedy of errors and miscommunication all the way around and really fun to read and watch these two get back together. This book was a really nice set up for the friend group that surrounds both Violet and James and these meddlesome friends get their romances in future books of the series.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

To Love and to Loathe by Martha Waters (2021)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 2 of the Regency Vows series. Widowed Diana has bet marquess Jeremy that he’ll marry within the year, adding drama to their bantering bickering semi-friendship over the years. Meanwhile, his last lover has critiqued his bedroom skills and he needs some honest feedback, so he propositions Diana for the job. She accepts, but is also meanwhile trying to set Jeremy up with another eligible miss. They’re both completely stubborn about their feelings and often put up a charming and carefree facade in society; and of course are only ever open and vulnerable with each other. Another great book in the series with a nice set up for the next one.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

To Marry and to Meddle by Martha Waters (2022)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 3 of the Regency Vows series. We finally get to see the romance between Emily and Julian here in a marriage of convenience story. We start at the end of the house party from Book 2, where Julian has been sort of courting Emily and hinting to her that he would be able to save her family’s debt as her husband. We start right with a proposal in Chapter 1 and learn Julian’s motivations for marrying (he wants to improve the reputation of his scandalous theater to gain the approval of his estranged father). Emily is finally enjoying a bit of freedom away from her overbearing parents and learning to express her own opinions, instead of always being so prim and proper. The romance between these two was easy and fun to read, with an interfering kitten adding to the comedy-factor of the story. Loved this book and probably my favorite of the series so far.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

To Swoon and to Spar by Martha Waters (2023)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 4 of the Regency Vows series. Viscount Penvale (older brother to Diana, from Book 2) finally has the opportunity to purchase his family’s estate back from his uncle, but he needs to marry his uncle’s ward, Jane, as part of the deal. Jane is socially awkward and kind of sharp, so Penvale’s group of happily married friends are all skeptical of the union. After the arranged marriage takes place and Penvale and Jane are back at the estate, she starts to enact her plan of haunting the castle to drive Penvale away. Jane thinks that he’ll just go back to his life in London, leaving her alone in the seaside as she desires. This one is definitely a slow-burn towards friendship and then love, with lots of humor as Penvale figures out pretty quickly that Jane is the culprit of the haunting. And we get to see everyone back together for a house party towards the end of the book. Since I read an advanced copy of this book, there wasn’t a sneak peak of the next book that the author is working on. I’m hoping that we will finally get the romance between Sophie and West (the older brother of James from Book 1), which has been strongly hinted at through the course of four books. I was absolutely delighted by all four books in this series and looking forward to reading anything that Martha Waters writes in the future!

Advance ebook provided by Atria Books via NetGalley.

To Woo and to Wed by Martha Waters (2024)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 5 of the Regency Vows series. West and Sophie had been courting seven years ago, until West’s disapproving father got involved and Sophie ended up married to someone else. Not only that, but West was badly injured in a curricle race that also killed his best friend, and he’s been in a rough place ever since. Now that widowed Sophie is back in West’s social sphere, they just keep running into each other at various events. He’s pretty sure that she’s not open to another courtship, so he tries his best to keep his distance. Until Sophie proposes a fake engagement to West so that her sister would be willing marry her own suitor without fear of Sophie’s loneliness. Seeing an opportunity to spend more time with Sophie and to rile up his horrible father, West agrees. And so we have a fake engagement second chance situation where these two finally talk about what went wrong all those years ago.

Advance ebook provided by Atria Books via NetGalley.

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Dreaming of a Duke Like You by Sara Bennett (2023)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 1 of the Romancing the Dukes series. Vivienne is the sister of a young baronet who has gotten himself into a load of gambling debt after the bad influence of his friends. She tries to appeal to the gambling hell owner Gabriel for a reprieve, since they’re really very poor and unable to pay the debts. He’s a shrewd businessman and refuses, leaving her to worry over her brother’s financial situation. Gabriel soon learns that he is actually the legitimate son and heir to a duke, despite being abandoned at an orphanage after his mother’s death. He has inherited an impoverished estate, a dragon of a grandmother, and six unruly sisters. He and his sisters all need polishing in order to fit in with London society. Vivienne and her brother are still worrying over their debts to Gabriel with their stepfather’s treachery looming over them, but Gabriel hasn’t had the time to deal with that yet. Eventually, Gabriel comes to an arrangement with Vivienne where he will forgive the debt completely, if she will assist in tutoring his sisters for society. This book had a bit of a slow start as Gabriel and Vivienne deal with their circumstances separately for awhile. Their bargain and proximity to each other doesn’t really begin until halfway through the book. However, once Vivienne starts to see how Gabriel interacts with his many sisters, it’s clear that she’s falling in love with him.

Advance ebook provided by Forever Books via NetGalley.

The Duchess and the Wolf by Lydia Drake (2023)

Historical Romance. Regency-era England. Book 1 of the Debutantes of London series. Susannah is nearly engaged to a duke, but is having misgivings about it and would rather travel and see the world. While out with a friend at a gambling den, she happens to play the piano is a seemingly empty room. Rafe, the owner of the club, stumbles upon her there and is encouraged to hire her to bring more sophisticated patrons to the club so that he can secure a business deal. He offers her a large sum of money in exchange for her playing at the club. While Susannah declines at first, she soon realizes that the money would give her the opportunity to run away from her imminent engagement. Rafe and Susannah attempt to keep their relationship professional, but Rafe is an awe of her playing and Susannah sees glimpses of Rafe’s kindness towards his employees. It’s a total social mismatch here, but Susannah goes after what she wants, even at the risk of displeasing her family.

Advance ebook provided by Entangled Publishing via NetGalley.

Never Wager with a Wallflower by Virginia Heath (2023)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 3 of the Merriwell Sisters series. Venus and Galahad have been at odds with each other since their first meeting without a real reason. However, things will probably become a lot messier when Galahad purchases the property next door to Venus’ orphanage to build his new gambling hell. With a negligent wastrel father, Venus has little tolerance for vice and believes the worst of Galahad. Add in Venus’ general distrust of men (and her own reaction to men), she is constantly wary of Galahad’s overtures of friendship. Galahad doesn’t want a potential war on his doorstep, so he aims to enter a truce with Venus before telling her about the gambling hell plans. In spending more time with her, Galahad shows his honorable nature and kindness towards the orphans and makes Venus start to question her perception of him. Of course, it all comes crashing down when she learns about the property purchase and she’ll have to figure out if he’s worth forgiving. This book was a nice wrap up of the series, showing how far the sisters have come from their desolate circumstances in Book 1. I also enjoyed reading about Galahad’s history and why he is so emotionally closed off.

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

The Rake Gets Ravished by Sophie Jordan (2022)

Historical romance. Victorian-era England. Book 2 of the Duke Hunt series. Mercy’s idiot brother has lost their home and farm in a card game, so Mercy goes to the gaming hell in London to steal back the debt voucher from Silas, the ruthless gaming hell owner. She finds the voucher but also gets caught in Silas’ rooms, so she makes the excuse of having come to seduce him. He’s resistant at first and they banter a bit, but the steam starts early in this book before Mercy flees back to her farm. Once Silas realizes what she’s done, he comes after her and finds her (and her family) on the property that he would have owned. Over the course of the book, we learn that Silas really is an upstanding guy and would do anything to protect Mercy and ease her troubles.

Ebook and audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

Dreaming of You by Lisa Kleypas (1994)

Pretty much the gambling hell book everyone thinks about, with Sara, the quiet country mouse doing research for her books, and Derek, the very rough and tumble self-made man. He spends most of the book obsessed with her and thinking he’s not good enough for her, until he wises up and goes after her anyway.

Shop this book via Amazon // Bookshop.org // Libro.fm

The Rogue to Ruin by Vivienne Lorret (2019)

Book 3 of the Misadventures in Matchmaking series. The fake engagement in this story is to warn off a villainous suitor. Although Ainsley and Reed are basically enemies with opposing businesses on the same street, she declares him to be her fiancee when faced with a terrible suitor from her past. While these two have never gotten along before and always bickered with each other, Reed becomes intensely protective of Ainsley and watches over her safety. And I think somehow they make the business stuff work out too.

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A Scoundrel of Her Own by Stacy Reid (2021)

This one has a very sweet prologue with our two kids surviving in a cottage together alone for a few days. They become friends and vow to marry each other one day. Until the girl is rescued by her noble family and the poor boy is cut off from her forever. Many many many years later, Ophelia finds out from her father that her mother was a singer (and not the noble lady her father is married to). She wants to find out more about her mother, so she sings at clubs at night in disguise to get more information. Meanwhile, that poor boy turned into one of the wealthiest men in London, owning a gambling hell. He has pined after Ophelia for many years and finally has an opportunity to provide her with assistance. The years have definitely hardened both of these characters, but it’s delightful seeing them meet again as adults.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

The Prince of Broadway Joanna Shupe (2019)

Book 2 of the Uptown Girls Series. Florence, younger sister of Mamie from Book 1, wants to open her own casino. In order to learn from the best, she attempts to get casino-running lessons from Clayton, the most notorious casino owner in town. While she’s busy sneaking out and hanging out in the seedy part of town, Clayton is working on some behind the scenes real estate deals that will attempt to destroy the wealthy man that ruined his own family. Unfortunately, that man is Florence’s father and the house that’s being targeted is her grandmother’s residence. As he and Florence grow closer, he has to choose between his affection for her and his quest for revenge.

Shop this book via Amazon // Bookshop.org // Libro.fm

The Wicked Wallflower by Tracy Sumner (2022)

Pippa (a duke’s sister) has an unhealthy attraction to her brother’s friend Xander (a rogue and ex-smuggler). After running into each other enough times, they finally give in to the attraction, even though Xander is working through feelings of not being worthy and swearing off love. A fun adventure for Pippa and Xander, they just keep staring at each other and meeting up.

Shop this book via Amazon // Bookshop.org // Libro.fm

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Damned If I Duke by Anna Bradley (2024)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 2 of the Drop Dead Dukes series. Poor Prudence has been in a tough spot since her father lost a great deal of money to a certain rakish duke in a card game and she’s putting up with her friend’s matchmaking efforts while she’s visiting. Except, Prudence dreads the idea of having to marry to secure a home even though her father is on verge of selling their home. Meanwhile, rakish duke Jasper has just recovered some scandalous earrings from a former mistress and when Prudence discovers them, she tries to blackmail him into forgiving her father’s debts. She’s comically bad at blackmail though and both of these people are feeling generally guilty about their behavior. They’re also stupidly attracted to each other, even though they don’t really like each other. It’s a bunch of chaos and comedy with these two, but at least Jasper’s stodgy grandfather approves of Prudence.

Advance ebook provided by Kensington Books via NetGalley.

One Scandalous Kiss by Christy Carlyle (2015)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 1 of the Accidental Heirs series. Impoverished bookshop owner Jessamin accepts payment from a marquess’ daughter to kiss a grumpy viscount in public. She ruins her reputation in the process and causes a huge scandal, thereby losing her bookshop and finding herself a complete loss. Luckily, a noblewoman takes her on as a companion and provides a healthy salary. Our grumpy viscount Lucius can’t stop thinking of the ambush kiss or the lady who bestowed it, but he’s determined to get on with his duties by marrying an heiress to replenish the family coffers and restore his estate. Except that his aunt unexpectedly brings Jessamin to his house as her companion and he only has eyes for her. It’s an ill-suited match socially and financially, but they’ve clearly got deeper feelings here. I enjoyed the support from Lucius’ aunt and seeing him finally stand up for his choices over his duties.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

The Making of a Highlander by Elisa Braden (2020)

Historical romance. Regency-era Scotland. Book 1 of the Midnight in Scotland series. Englishman John is stuck in Scotland due to some legal clause associated with the land he inherited from an old friend. In trying to strike a deal with the neighboring landowner, he finds himself needing to train for the next set of Highland Games to win a bargain. Neighboring daughter Annie (known as Mad Annie to the townspeople) is willing to give him lessons in the games in exchange for lessons in ladylike etiquette. While Annie has always been a brash, outspoken hoyden, she’s aiming to marry a lord for various reasons and needs help in becoming a proper lady. John and Annie keep things professional for awhile there, but they are clearly attracted to each other, and then we get the loveliest slow burn romance throughout the book. There’s a lot more drama and angst when Annie’s brother is wrongfully imprisoned, but John is ready to use all of his connections to assist, although he does it without Annie knowing. If you’ve read the Rescued from Ruin series by Elisa Braden, you’ll know that John is actually the son and heir to an earl, but he has kept his title and status a secret from Annie for much of the story due to his past experiences with women. And of course, Annie’s reaction to the news (and his past experiences) is exactly as you’d expect from the fiery lady.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

A Bride for His Convenience by Edith Layton (2008)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Standalone romance. Impoverished marquis Ian needs to marry a wealthy woman to restore his estates and pay for his ailing brother’s medical care. He’s pretty upset at having to sell himself into matrimony but finds Hannah to be a quiet biddable woman to marry. Hannah has only agreed to have her father buy her a husband after her heart was broken by a neighbor who left her for another woman. Though Hannah agrees to keep things practical in her marriage to Ian, she is very much attracted to him and finds that she likes him the more she gets to know him. Of course, Ian is determined to keep his distance and avoid getting emotionally entangled, especially as his pride is wounded by having to marry for money. These two toggle between direct communication and walking on eggshells around each other, wanting not to offend or demand too much of each other. However, this makes for a delightful slow-burn when they slowly become allies, then friends, and then more.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

A Notorious Countess Confesses by Julie Anne Long (2012)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 7 of the Pennyroyal Green series. This one is a romance between a scandalous widowed countess with and the country village vicar. Evie has recently moved to Pennyroyal Green after the death of her husband and hopes to build a new quiet life for herself, except that her reputation as a former actress and courtesan has followed her and caused the townsfolk to shun her without meeting her. She pleads her case with the handsome well-liked vicar Adam in hopes that he will introduce her to the ladies of the town. Adam is struggling with way too much adoration by the young women of the town along with his unwanted feelings of desire for Evie. He’s basically a poor sad sap who is confused about his emotions. But Evie is open and honest and vulnerable around Adam and he sees that she’s truly a good person in need of support and community. I enjoyed seeing their relationship develop and seeing how tough Evie was in the face of all the gossip surrounding her.

Ebook and audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

The Perks of Loving a Viscount by Alexa Aston (2024)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 2 of the Strongs of Shadowcrest series. Lady Philippa Strong is a duke’s sister who would rather wear breeches and gallivant around her country home than become the sparkling debutante next Season. She’s not interested in becoming a wife and mother and property of a man, so would like to retain her independence. Although when she meets the handsome new viscount next door, she’s starting to question her path a little. Seth is the son of the fourth son of a viscount and never expected to inherit anything. After spending most of his life at sea, he’s shocked to find that he’s suddenly the new viscount after the death of his uncles and father. With no experience in being on land or the ways of polite society, he relies on his new neighbors for help. Especially the help of Pippa to teach him how to ride a horse. As they spend more time together, Seth is sure that Pippa will make him an excellent wife, but he’s careful not to scare her off with declarations too soon. This one was another fun look at the Strong family and how well they accept each other. I also appreciate a man who quickly knows what he wants and goes after it.

Advance ebook provided by Dragonblade Publishing via NetGalley.

It Happened One Midnight by Julie Anne Long (2013)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 8 of the Pennyroyal Green series. Jonathan is the youngest son of a wealthy gentleman and told he must marry appropriately within the year to retain his allowance. Except that Jonathan has no intention of marrying and is more interested in his newfound investments. When he crosses paths with Thomasina, he believes that he’s immune to her charms and is mostly irritated by her antics. Except we soon learn that Tommy has a soft heart and is secretly rescuing children from untenable situations. The soft-hearted Jonathan gets caught up in the scheme as well, and these two oh-so-slowly fall in love. We’ve got a few more of Tommy’s secrets to uncover along the way and we get to see Jonathan grow a backbone and some principle as well. This one is another excellent addition to the series.

Ebook and audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

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That Time I Got Drunk and Saved a Demon by Kimberly Lemming (2021)

Paranormal Fantasy Romance. Book 1 of the Mead Mishaps series. This book was the funniest thing I’ve read so far this year and it was an absolute delight. Cinnamon is a spice farmer leading a simple life in her quiet country village. Stumbling home drunk one night, she somehow saves a demon and frees him from a spell. Now, the dark and handsome demon Fallon needs her help in a mission to destroy a fake goddess who has imprisoned all the demons. Cinnamon is extremely hesitant for any sort of quest or adventure since her sister was snatched by a water monster years ago, but he threatens her family, so off she goes. Cinnamon and Fallon spend a whole lot of time together and of course grow closer as they spend their dangerous journey together. Along the way, they pick up more allies to join the fight against the fake goddess. This book was chaos and adventure and flirty fun the whole way through.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby. Audiobook borrowed from my local library via Hoopla.

That Time I Got Drunk and Yeeted a Love Potion at a Werewolf by Kimberly Lemming (2022)

Paranormal Fantasy Romance. Book 2 of the Mead Mishaps series. Brie is a farmer and cheesemonger who does not have high expectations of love, but she definitely wants to avoid her creepy neighbor Jack who cannot take a hint. When he hands her a drink, she throws it back at him and ends up hitting Felix in the back of the head instead. When Felix sets eyes on Brie, his werewolf instincts instantly imprint on her and he declares his love for his newfound mate. Unfortunately, that drink that Brie had was spiked with a love potion, so she doesn’t trust that Felix’s feelings are real. Whether his desires are due to the potion or not, he can’t stay away from her and tries very hard to impress her. It’s basically the sweetest cutest thing you’ve ever seen, and Brie eventually gives into the physical benefits of having such a vigorous mate. This whole thing gets more complicated when there have been kidnappings of single women in the village and Felix gets super protective of Brie. We get to revisit our demon friends from Book 1, who have now settled into this quiet village and band together to save the kidnapped victims. This book is just more chaos and adventure and humor and so much fun.

Ebook and audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

That Time I Got Drunk and Saved a Human by Kimberly Lemming (2023)

Paranormal fantasy romance. Book 3 of the Mead Mishaps series. Dante, the storm dragon, is out to find his mate after 700-something years of bachelorhood. On the way, he stops by some other dragon’s castle to let him know that the false goddess has been defeated, and ends up scenting his mate right there. Cherry was abducted and then held captive for the past five years and is wary of pretty much everything. She and Dante are not really communicating very well, since Cherry is scared of him, and Dante just has poor social skills. She ends up drugging him, he bites her and sets off their bond, and then takes her back to his own castle in a frozen wasteland before passing out cold. While she’d like to escape, she doesn’t quite know how. She is also withholding information about her name and home, in case the crazy dragon attacks her family. They do finally manage to set out into the world, mostly because Cherry wants to see a unicorn, and they slowly start to come to an accord as they travel. Nevermind the intense attraction that Cherry is feeling due to the dragon’s honeymoon magic. Tons of chaos and humor in this book, similar to the previous books in the series.

Ebook and audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

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Beauty and the Spy by Julie Anne Long (2008)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 1 of the Holt Sisters Trilogy. Susannah’s life is upended when her father dies and leaves her penniless and living with an aunt in the country. Meanwhile, Kit is a bored spy with nothing to do so his stern father sends him out to the country to work on a folio of the flora and fauna of the region. Susannah and Kit have a chance meeting at the pond, leaving Susannah mostly embarrassed, but Kit discovers that she’s a skilled artist. He hires her to assist him in drawing all the plant and animal life for his assignment. As if that wasn’t enough, Kit believes that Susannah’s father was murdered by a traitor and that Susannah is now at risk. With all of the times Kit has saved Susannah’s life, it’s no wonder that she grows affection towards him. They spend even more time together unraveling the secrets of Susannah’s past and parents and look for evidence to incriminate the traitor. There’s tons of action and mystery in this one, along with the romance between our two leads.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

Ways to Be Wicked by Julie Anne Long (2006)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 2 of the Holt Sisters Trilogy series. Ballet dancer Sylvie has run away from her home in France to England after she sees a mysterious letter hinting at a sister who might be hers. Except the sister isn’t at home and Sylvie has no money and nowhere to go. She ends up seeking help at the White Lily, a dance theater owned by the scandalous Tom, who she met on the mail coach on the way to London. He’s a charming sort of guy who all the dancers want for themselves, but he keeps himself professional and protective of his employees. He allows her to stay on as a dancer, even though she’s appalled at the type of dancing that is performed at this little theater. These two bicker and fight and flirt, and somehow manage to fall in love through all of that.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

The Secret to Seduction by Julie Anne Long (2007)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 3 of the Holt Sisters Trilogy series. Sabrina is a vicar’s daughter who is possibly courting a curate and bound for a house party with her friend, where she hopes to spend more time with her suitor. However, that house party is at a scandalous earl’s house and Rhys intends to play a game at seduction with Sabrina to force her out of her own piety. It’s all secretive flirting, until they get caught in a compromising situation and need to marry. And then Rhys intends for them to live separate lives after they’ve married. Except that Sabrina is used to be helpful and productive, so she spends more time in the village seeing to the needs of the tenants. We also get to tie up the loose ends of the Holt family mystery, knowing that Sabrina is the third sister and that her family is looking for her. It was also interesting to see how Rhys is involved in the mystery as well. This book served as a satisfying conclusion to the overarching series.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

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Useful Resources:

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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.