Enticing the Earl by Kathleen Ayers (2022)

Oleana is playing at a housekeeper in an earl’s house to escape her terrible in-laws. Jason is a stuffy and serious earl who is widowed with a young daughter. Even though he should not be lusting after his servants, he’s attracted to Oleana and the way she interacts with his daughter. Quick steamy read.

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Meant for the Marquess by Alexa Aston (2022)

Historical romance in Regency-era England. Book 7 of the Second Sons of London series. After her father’s death, Lady Julia’s older half-brother tossed her out and forced her to find employment. She’s now the governess to the duke’s nephews from Book 5 of the series and has accepted her place as a mere miss and upper servant, never to take her place in Polite Society again. The duke’s army friend, Devin, has appeared at the big house to visit, after having recently been injured and sent home from the army. He’s looking for a purpose now that his military career has ended and learning how to use his left hand after his right was maimed. Devin and Julia meet and are instantly attracted to each other, though neither believe they are worthy of the other’s attentions. I enjoy reading the instant attraction and I love how both characters interacted with the six-year old nephews; however, I disliked how pushy Devin was towards Julia. It all works out in the end (as it often does in these books) and there’s a sweet little epilogue to tie up the entire series.

Advance ebook provided by Dragonblade Publishing via NetGalley.

Love Blooms with the Duke by Alexa Aston (2023)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 6 of the Suddenly a Duke series. We start with a tragic prologue for Willa, the daughter of a playwright and an actress who are in a tumultuous relationship and are negligent parents. After her parents have dramatically and scandalously passed away, Willa has distanced herself from the theater and worked as a lady’s companion and governess. Xander is the fourth son of a duke and often ignored as his birth caused the death of his mother and he very suddenly inherits the dukedom and two troublemaker nieces to care for. In the search for yet another governess, he runs into and hires Willa for the job. While Xander was previously an indolent rake, he has taken up his responsibilities quite well and dedicated himself to the care of his nieces. In getting to know Willa and her teaching strategies, he grows even more impressed with her and sets his mind on making her his duchess. Willa is wary of the former rake due to her past poor experiences with employers and wants to avoid his company to try to avoid temptation. However, we can see how much Xander has turned into a responsible duke who loves this newly built family. Not all is perfect, since Xander has yet to realize Willa’s background in the theater, which could reignite scandal and scorn.

Advance ebook provided by Dragonblade Publishing via NetGalley.

Mr. Grier and the Governess by Sophie Barnes (2022)

With no family or money, Olivia sets out for a housemaid position but finds it has already been filled. The kind housekeeper and butler decide to help her and set her up as governess to the ward of the house. She’s highly educated, but very sheltered due to her upbringing. Grayson returns home when he hears of the new governess and is baffled by his attraction to her. She’s slowly working on her sister’s list of dreams and finds ways to incorporate them in her experiences. It’s a slow burn romance that’s very sweet aside from meddlesome neighbors, an ex-mistress, and mischievous brother.

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What a Difference a Duke Makes by Lenora Bell (2018)

Book 1 in the School for Dukes Series This one is a bit of a Mary Poppins retelling, with our serious duke with rebellious twins needing to hire a new governess. Because his kids keep running off the other ones. Of course our duke underestimates her at first, but then is impressed by her ability to connect with his children. It’s pretty much your classic governess-widower story.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

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My Brown Eyed Earl by Anna Bennett (2016)

Book 1 of the Wayward Wallflowers series. Margaret needs the money to support her family, so she shows up for a governess job from William. He’s trying to avoid his mother’s nagging while caring for twin girls who are left in his care. As these two learn to care for the girls, they spend more time together and pretty quickly fall in love.

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The Governess Game by Tessa Dare (2018)

Book 2 of Girl Meets Duke Series. Alex shows up at Chase’s house for a new clock-setting gig, surprised to find that he’s the man she’s been dreaming about, even more surprised to find he’s an absolute scoundrel. He needs a governess for the girls and hires her on. We’ve got a self-loathing hero, rebellious wards in need of affection, and a tenacious heroine in this one. Also, the funniest wards ever in historical romance.

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

Portraits, Passion, and Other Pastimes by Charlie Lane (2023)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 1 of the Art of Love series. A financially irresponsible marquess puts his family’s livelihood in danger by overspending money on art and frivolity, rather than care for his estate. When his eldest son, Raph, learns of the financial state when the steward quits, he’s shoulders the burden of responsibility to keep them afloat. Unfortunately, he also needs to dismiss his sister’s governess, Matilda, because there’s no money to pay her, but he promises to always help her find a suitable position. Fifteen years later, the marquess has passed away and Raph is still struggling with all the bills. His father has donated all his art, leaving none for his children to sell, except for five items which each person must earn by creating a piece of art themselves and presenting it to their mother for approval. With no talent and not enough time for frivolity, Raph knows that he will not be able to come up with anything to his mother’s standards; nevermind the loud wailing and grieving that his mother is doing to distract him. He decides to hire his mother a companion and seeks out Matilda as the best candidate. She has served as a governess and a companion in the past fifteen years and will soon move to her own cottage. While she rejects the offer from Raph at first, the lady she’s currently serving suggests they go together to help the marchioness with her grief. Raph is also attempting to save the estate by marrying an heiress, but does not feel anything for the ladies he’s courting. With everyone back at the marquess’ estate, Raph and Matilda spend more time together and try to resist their attraction. After all, Matilda is used to a life of work and solitude and Raph needs to marry for money. It was interesting to read all of the family interactions in this story and the support they all have for each other, despite the begrudging feelings towards the old marquess’ spending habits.

Advance ebook provided by Charlie Lane 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.

Duke of Depravity by Scarlett Scott (2018)

Book 1 of the Sins and Scoundrels series. Jacinda is tasked with investigating Crispin for evidence of treason and infiltrates his house as a governess. He’s a total drunk and feels guilty over the death of his friend, but needs a governess for his rowdy sisters. He tries to resist being attracted to Jacinda but thinks she will be a lovely distraction for him, plus she’s got her own secrets and betrayal looming.

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The Governess Gamble by Tracy Sumner (2022)

Historical romance, Regency-era England. Novella, part of The Duchess Society series. While an American heiress is waiting for an appointment, she overhears a very handsome viscount ask for assistance in finding a governess for his new six-year old ward. Looking for the chance to sketch the man before she’s stuck in a cold and lonely marriage, she volunteers for the temporary position. This was a very sweet and quick read, with our American lady being ultra transparent and blunt about her attraction to the viscount. Plus, our impoverished lord trying to resist the lady and slowly melting for his young ward. And of course, they end up having honest conversations about the viscount’s sad financial state, his goals, his hidden profession, plus her ruination that led to her father pushing her to marry. Overall, a worthwhile read.

Ebook accessed from Kindle Unlimited.

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If the Duke Dares by Darcy Burke (2024)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 1 of the Rogue Rules series. Persephone is being forced into an arranged marriage she doesn’t want after her sister is ruined by a rogue and she runs away from her parents on the journey to meet the prospective groom. She actually ends up meeting the duke while she’s busy pretending to be a widow at an inn, but he doesn’t know who she is. At some point, our duke Acton realizes that his supposed bride is out on the road alone, so he goes to find her and protect her. While they both agree that they aren’t interested in marrying each other, they start a slow and tentative friendship. Persephone learns that Acton is not as terrible as his reputation and Acton learns that he should learn to treat women better. We get some more of Acton’s backstory regarding his relationship with his estranged mother and sisters, which is really interesting to learn. I liked seeing how these two started to trust each other and then to enjoy each other’s company. Definitely a slow-burn romance here, with Acton showing lots of character growth.

Advance ebook provided by Darcy Burke.

Beguiling the Beauty by Sherry Thomas (2012)

Historical romance. Victorian-era England. Book 1 of the Fitzhugh Trilogy series. Young duke Christian has been infatuated with the beautiful Venetia from afar when he first sets eyes on her. After many years of this obsession, he says some terribly disparaging things about her at a scientific lecture in America, not realizing that she’s in the audience. Venetia is a widow twice-over, enjoying her unmarried life, and was in America to chaperone her younger sister. After hearing Christian’s assault on her character, she’s both outraged and despondent. Under the protection of a veiled hat, she encounters Christian again on their ship going back to England and she aims to seduce him and then break his heart. It all goes wrong when she actually falls in love with him, but also cannot reveal her true identity. It’s an emotional and angsty journey for them both.

Ebook and audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

Ravishing the Heiress by Sherry Thomas (2012)

Historical romance. Victorian-era England. Book 2 of the Fitzhugh Trilogy series. Millie and Fitz have been married platonically for eight years and soon to embark on their agreement to try to have children. Except that Fitz is distracted and excited by the fact that his first love is recently widowed and on her way back to England. This book is told over two timelines, showing the progress through Millie and Fitz’ eight year marriage and showing their present day friendship. Fitz had inherited an impoverished earldom, necessitating his marriage to a wealthy heiress even though he had hopes of marrying someone else. Millie has been in love with Fitz for all this time, but she has not given him any clues about her feelings and maintained quiet dignity and strength while he has been heartbroken over his lost love. However, over the years, we get to see Fitz become a strong and steady presence in Millie’s life and ever-so-slowly becoming her closest friend. This whole book is the slowest of slow burns and heartbreaking in all the best ways.

Ebook and audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

The Bride of Larkspear by Sherry Thomas (2012)

Historical romance. Victorian-era England. Book 2.5 of the Fitzhugh Trilogy series. This story is the fictional book written by David and given to Helena in the Fitzhugh Trilogy series. David writes the tale of Lord Larkspear who has rescued a woman from scandal by marrying her, except that she despises her new husband. He tries to seduce her into submission without letting her know that he is secretly in love with her. While this is mostly a smutty novella, it’s told entirely from Lord Larkspear’s heartbreaking point of view.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

Tempting the Bride by Sherry Thomas (2012)

Historical romance. Victorian-era England. Book 3 of the Fitzhugh Trilogy series. Helena is nearly caught in a compromising situation with a married man and forced to marry her brother’s best friend and actual enemy, David. What she doesn’t know is that David has been in love with her for decades and catches her attention by antagonizing her. She shortly gets into an accident where she’s gravely injured and wakes up with no memory of her supposed husband. Now that David has a second chance to make a first impression, he’s kind and solicitous, even though he fears the day that Helena gets her memory back. It’s the worst sort of pining that David has for Helena, with his own self-destructive behavior. Bonus points for the kindness and caring he has for his young daughter.

Ebook and audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

A Dance in Moonlight by Sherry Thomas (2013)

Historical romance. Victorian-era England. Book 4 of the Fitzhugh Trilogy series. After Isabelle is rejected by Fitz, she’s heartbroken and somewhat distraught. She mistakes her new neighbor Ralston for Fitz, since they look so much alike and propositions him. However, things take a turn towards an open and honest friendship between these two and a relationship develops in spite of Ralston’s appearance. This one was a quick novella that gives a happy ending to the “other woman”.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

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.

The Disappearance of Astrid Bricard by Natasha Lester (2024)

Historical fiction. Standalone novel. This book is told in three different timelines, following three generations of Bricard women. In the present day, Blythe lives in the shadow of her mother Astrid, a fashion designer who disappeared in the 1970s, and her infamous grandmother Mizza who is known for being the sultry muse of fashion designer Christian Dior. While Blythe is still tangentially involved in the fashion world, she prioritizes her children’s welfare above all else, especially after her divorce. When talk of reviving her mother’s abandoned fashion brand comes up, Blythe is faced with separating fact from fiction regarding her mother’s story. We get to read all about Astrid’s experience firsthand through her chapters of the book, including the rise of her notoriety and the vicious things that the press says about her. While she has her own issues of living in her mother’s shadow, we get to unpeel another layer by reading Mizza’s chapters as well. These three perspectives are fascinating to read and put together to create a vivid history of all the Bricards have had to endure.

Advance ebook provided by Forever Books via NetGalley.

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.

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Never Tempt a Rogue by Christy Carlyle (2016)

Historical romance. Victorian-era England. Book 1 of the Rogues’ Rulebook series. Short, low-angst story. Felicity is a companion and chaperone to her younger cousin at a house party where Felicity is responsible for keeping her cousin away from a rogue of a lord. Alex’s reputation is not actually his true nature and he never had designs on the young cousin anyway. When Alex meets Felicity, he is immediately drawn to her and prefers her to all the other eligible ladies at the party. She tries her best to stay away from him due to their differences in social station, but his earnestness eventually wears down her resolve.

Ebook accessed from Kindle Unlimited.

Never Beguile a Scoundrel by Christy Carlyle (2022)

Historical romance. Victorian-era England. Book 2 of the Rogues’ Rulebook series. Emily is the daughter of a viscount and soon to be married off to a much older and lecherous man, so she seeks to arrange her own ruin by asking Max, an old friend of her brother’s to pretend to ruin her. He tries to be noble and refuse at first, but then gets jealous when she seeks out another man. They end up getting caught in a scandalous situation anyway and he’ll need to decide if he’s going to do the noble thing and marry her or not.

Ebook accessed from Kindle Unlimited.

Never Defy a Duke by Christy Carlyle (2022)

Historical romance. Victorian-era England. Book 3 of the Rogues’ Rulebook series. This one is similar in set-up with the first book in the series with the duke’s heir, Gray, being set up at a house party full of eligible ladies. Except he only cares for his childhood friend Evie, who somehow isn’t considered eligible. Of course, they both have been attracted to each other for ages and somehow seeing Gray on the cusp of marriage to someone else has sparked Evie’s jealousy. This one was another quick resolution once Gray figured out who it is he really wants to marry.

Ebook accessed from Kindle Unlimited.

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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.

A Deal with the Earl by Sadie Bosque (2021)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 1 of the Necessary Arrangements series. Julie is the daughter of a cruel and oppressive marquess and avoiding marriage during her Seasons while she waits for her childhood sweetheart to return home from war. Unfortunately, her father has set up a match with Robert, an earl and heir to a duke, and she can’t get out of it. Despite starting off angry at being managed and betrothed without her knowledge, Julie soon makes a deal with Robert that she will go through with the marriage if he helps get her sister out of an asylum and bring her home to live with them; in exchange, she will provide the heirs that Robert needs. While these two don’t trust each other at first, once we see how kind Robert is towards Julie’s sister, even Julie accepts that he is a good person and that their marriage is the only way to have rescued her sister. The romance here is incredibly slow-burn, but satisfying to read.

Ebook accessed from Kindle Unlimited.

An Agreement with the Soldier by Sadie Bosque (2021)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 2 of the Necessary Arrangements series. John is the third son of a baron and was sent off to war by his sweetheart’s father to keep him away from her; upon his return, he finds that he is now the baron of an impoverished estate. He needs to marry an heiress quickly and soon begins courting a wealthy duchess. Although they get along well enough and are expected to marry, John is friendly with and attracted to Samantha, who is quieter than her friend. John tries to stay away from Samantha, knowing that his own baggage from the war will bring her down, but somehow ends up in a situation where he needs to marry her. While Samantha tries to accommodate John’s emotional distance, she gets tired of that quickly, and resolves to understand and help him instead. John has a lot of self-loathing in this story, but it’s nice to see him slowly start to thaw around Samantha as well as feel a sense of belonging on his estate.

Ebook accessed from Kindle Unlimited.

A Bargain with the Rake by Sadie Bosque (2021)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 3 of the Necessary Arrangements series. Evie is a duchess in her own right, but her money and estates are controlled by guardians who wants to secure the dukedom for their own immediate family. She runs away from them after overhearing a plot to marry or murder her and proposes a marriage of convenience to Gabriel, who is a renowned rake. He agrees to her bargain and they set off on the road to elope. We get to see all sorts of road trip calamities here with broken carriage axles, brigands, rainstorms, and limited shelter options. Evie tries really hard to resist any physical relationship with Gabriel, since she believes he will someday break her heart. Gabriel has had a cold childhood and upbringing so he thinks that he won’t be able to love Evie, only that he’d be able to bring her pleasure. It’s a lot of back and forth between these two in terms of their emotional relationship, but their friendship is pretty strong as they make their way towards their wedding destination. Despite Gabriel’s overly flirtatious nature, he does care for and comfort Evie the best that he can and vows to always protect her.

Ebook accessed from Kindle Unlimited.

An Offer from the Marquess by Sadie Bosque (2022)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 4 of the Necessary Arrangements series. Isabel and Rhys accidentally run into each other at a ball, fall into a tangle of limbs, and are very publicly accused of a tryst. The only way to avoid scandal is to marry. Except that Rhys has absolutely zero social skills and gruffly insults his future wife. He’s got his own hang-ups from being betrayed by his former wife and witnessing Isabel in an indelicate situation many years ago, so he needs a lot of work before he’s properly sociable. He’s also got a hellion of a young daughter with an overly excitable large dog. Isabel is pretty much a spinster, having been jilted by a former fiance, and now running her brother’s household. These two people spend most of the book not communicating with each other and holding a grudge. However, they both slowly start to realize they need to put more effort into understanding each other and making their new family work.

Ebook accessed from Kindle Unlimited.

An Affair with the Viscount by Sadie Bosque (2022)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 5 of the Necessary Arrangements series. Most of this book takes place during the house party hosted at the end of the previous book. Richard is an overbearing viscount who is interested in an affair with actress Josephine, even though he will soon be betrothed to another proper young lady. Josephine rejects his advances at first, but finds herself attracted to him and wanting to give in. With her past experiences with not-so-worthy gentlemen, she’s definitely wary and has a hard time trusting him. She’s proven right when she finds out that Richard is betrothed and he has a lot to overcome to win her back. We get some external drama here with Josephine’s friend and another actor being forceful and vile. Richard comes to the rescue in his overbearing ways, but it’s always at just the right time. I liked seeing Richard soften over time and realize that he cannot live without Josephine and seeing the support of his family.

Ebook accessed from Kindle Unlimited.

A Wager with the Gentleman by Sadie Bosque (2023)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 6 of the Necessary Arrangements series. Beatrice is an impoverished young lady from the country who is betrothed to a lecherous old man and seeks to complete her list of London adventures before her marriage. Her former fiance’s brother, Adam, catches her at a notoriously scandalous masquerade and rescues her from unwanted advances. Somehow these two end up in an arrangement where he will help her with a few items from her list of adventures. However, Adam is not enthusiastic about spending time with Beatrice and aims to discourage her from the list by picking out unpleasant experiences that fulfill her items. He’s basically a boorish prig for most of the story, except for the part where he has lustful fantasies about Beatrice. At some point, she changes the game and considers trapping Adam into marriage to rescue her from the unwanted fiance, but she feels guilty and questions her goals when she starts to develop feelings for him. Meanwhile Adam is caught between feeling guilty for not rescuing Beatrice properly, but also wanting to stay away from her so he can pursue his own goals. He’ll need to come to his own revelations about how he feels about Beatrice and what to do about her other fiance.

Ebook accessed from Kindle Unlimited.

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Out on a Limb by Hannah Bonam-Young (2023)

Contemporary romance. Standalone novel. Super funny and emotional one-night stand, accidental pregnancy romance. Win and Bo meet at their friends’ Halloween party, flirt, hook-up, and plan on never seeing each other again. Six weeks later, Win finds out she’s pregnant and needs to rework her whole life plan. When she tells Bo the news, he’s surprisingly emotional and supportive. They end up becoming friends with a co-parenting plan and eventually move into Bo’s house together. It’s a slow-burn romance as they get to know each other better and Bo is basically the best most supportive father ever. There’s all sorts of humor as they banter with each other and it’s clear they’re going to be strong partners throughout the book. Excellent excellent read.

Ebook accessed from Kindle Unlimited. Audiobook provided by Libro.fm.

Camera Chemistry by Chelsea Curto (2023)

Contemporary romance. Book 1 of the Love through a Lens series. Quick smutty novella. Maggie and Aiden meet as two strangers during a photoshoot and get to know each other in front of the camera. With their sizzling chemistry, they decide to extend their time together with dinner and an overnight stay at Aiden’s place. We get front row seats to their entire steamy night together with a variety of sexual encounters all over Aiden’s apartment. If you cared about their backstories, Maggie’s a divorced neurosurgeon and Aiden’s a divorced pediatric oncologist with a 16-year-old daughter. And despite the fact that these two don’t have time for relationships and only agreed to a single night together, they both want more and have been worried the other person doesn’t, so they’ll need to actually talk to each other.

Ebook accessed from Kindle Unlimited.

Caught on Camera by Chelsea Curto (2023)

Contemporary romance. Book 2 of the Love through a Lens series. Lacey and Shawn are friends through their friends who have gotten together last year and somehow have not started dating each other. Lacey’s on a date with a new guy at a football game (where Shawn is the coach) and ends up on the KissCam. Her date adamantly refuses to kiss her, drawing embarrassing attention to Lacey. When Shawn sees what’s going on, he saves the day by running over kissing Lacey. And then they end up in social media firestorm and decide to fake date through the holidays so that Lacey has someone to bring to her work party and so Shawn can bring a girlfriend home to his family. And then they evolve into fake dating partners with benefits and slowly start to realize that they don’t want an end to this relationship after all. Both Lacey and Shawn are fiercely independent and strong on their own, but realize that it’s nice to have someone to partner with and rely on. The romance is slow and sweet and charming (plus explicit details of their bedroom and out-of-bedroom physical relationship).

Ebook accessed from Kindle Unlimited.

You, Again by Kate Goldbeck (2023)

Contemporary romance. Standalone novel. This one has all the When Harry Met Sally vibes with Ari and Josh having horribly awkward run-ins with each other over the years, then becoming friends, and then making things messy with all their feelings. There’s so many time-jumps in this book that it’s labeled with nine different parts, but it’s very clear where we are in everyone’s lives. If this turns into a movie, you’ll be able to tell what era you’re in based on Ari’s hairstyle and clothing. Ari is a stand-up comedian with all sorts of aversion to commitment and thinks Josh is an arrogant asshole (who is weirdly romantic and believes in soulmates). He’s actually a chef with big dreams and wanting to distance himself away from his famous deli-owning father. We get to see the evolution of both Ari and Josh separately in both their relationships and their careers. When they finally meet again and strike up a reluctant friendship, they’re both at all-time lows and miserable company is somehow comforting for them. They keep things totally platonic, but it’s clear they have some emotional dependence on each other, complete with late night telephone conversations while watching a movie together (separately in their own apartments). It all blows up when Josh pushes for more and Ari freaks out (as expected). We get to see both points of view in this story and the humor mixed with heartbreak hurts in a good way. I love how small little details early in the story get remembered and called back to later on, in the best sort of inside jokes between Ari and Josh. The supporting cast of friends and family rounded out the story and it was nice to see how everyone interacted with each other. An amazing book and I will definitely be reading anything in the future that Kate Goldbeck writes.

Advance ebook provided by Random House Publishing via NetGalley.

Love, Theoretically by Ali Hazelwood (2023)

Contemporary romance. Elsie is a recent PhD grad with no money and way too many adjunct teaching positions who is on a fake dating app for extra money. One of her clients has an older brother Jack who seems to hate Elsie. Except he doesn’t. And one of the parameters of Elsie’s gig has her being vague and untruthful about her real identity and personal information. When Elsie shows up for a physics faculty job interview, she’s surprised to see Jack there as one of the other faculty members. Jack is upset because it seems that Elsie has been lying to his brother, but Elsie can’t tell Jack the truth about the fake dating without her client’s permission. It’s a huge mess that is complicated by the fact that Jack is in charge of the rival branch of physics and there’s another candidate for the job. But really Jack just feels terrible for having had a crush on his brother’s “girlfriend” all this time and he’s even more impressed with her once he realizes she’s also a physicist. This book has all the humor and awkwardness you’d expect out of an Ali Hazelwood novel.

Advance ebook provided by Berkley Romance via Edelweiss.

Check and Mate by Ali Hazelwood (2023)

Young Adult Contemporary Romance. Standalone novel. Mallory hasn’t played chess in years, since it seemingly caused the implosion of her family. Now she’s a high school graduate working to support her disabled mother and two younger sisters. Her best friend convinces her to join a charity chess tournament and she somehow wins against Nolan, the reigning world champion and top-ranked chess player. Mallory is understandably completely overwhelmed and bolts. Soon after that, Mallory is offered a well-paying fellowship to study and play chess with the hopes of entering upcoming chess competitions. While she tries to maintain some emotional distance from the sport, it all comes back to her even though she’s hiding her chess involvement from her family. Once we start heading out in the world of chess tournaments, we get more awkward meetings with Nolan and meet some of his friends. While a lot of the actual chess went over my head, the banter between Mallory and Nolan is so entertaining, as well as Nolan’s interactions with Mallory’s younger sisters. He’s clearly impressed and intrigued by her, even though she totally denies it. The romance aspect is sweet and fun to read (and the sex is closed door). We get to see these two open up to each other about the family secrets and traumatic histories, and ultimately find a way to have fun even in spite of the competition. Another super entertaining read from Ali Hazelwood.

Advance ebook provided by Penguin Teen via NetGalley.

You, with a View by Jessica Joyce (2023)

Contemporary romance. Noelle is in a rough spot right now, living in her childhood bedroom without a job and grieving the loss of her beloved grandmother. When she comes upon some old photos and love letter of her gram with a stranger, she seeks to unravel the mystery of the missing man. One viral TikTok post later, she finds that the man is her high-school rival’s grandfather. Theo has been Noelle’s academic and athletic foil all throughout high school and is the picture of success, while Noelle has not accomplished what she wanted. When she meets with Theo and his grandfather, she uncovers a decades-old love story, including a mapped out honeymoon road trip. With nothing else to do, Noelle decides to embark on the trip herself to feel closer to her lost grandmother. And of course, the two men invite themselves along on the trip too. We get to see smooshy family dynamics, hear about a love story that didn’t work out, plus see Theo and Noelle slowly let down their walls with each other. The emotional connection (and steam) was so good to read in this book. Definitely recommend!

Ebook and audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

Lunar Love by Lauren Kung Jessen (2023)

Contemporary romance. Standalone novel. Olivia is set to take over her family business, a matchmaking service in Los Angeles’ Chinatown based on the principles of the Chinese zodiac. We start with a meet-cute in a bakery and a scuffle over a pastry, but she never catches the man’s name. Later, we find that Bakery Boy is actually Bennett, the owner of a new dating app, also based on the zodiac. Olivia sets out to gather more intel, so she uses the app to make herself match with Bennett for a date. She’s determined not to like him, since he’s a business rival and his zodiac animal is incompatible with hers. When everyone finds out who the other person is, they end up making a wager and setting each other up on dates to see which matchmaking service is superior. But Olivia and Bennett spend more time talking to each other than talking to their intended dates; it’s really sickeningly sweet. Olivia’s got her own history of heartache though, so she really believes that Bennett is incompatible and she tends to think the worst in him. This book was absolutely adorable and sweet and smooshy and I really enjoyed it (even though there wasn’t any smut).

Advance ebook provided by Forever Books via NetGalley. Advance print book provided by Forever Books.

Not Your Valentine by Jackie Lau (2023)

Contemporary romance. Standalone novella. Helen is a slightly grumpy not-so-smiley young woman who was publicly dumped last Valentine’s Day, with a video of her break-up going viral. She’s sworn off dating and relationships, but her friends and family are starting to worry by the time it’s New Years. She asks her guy friend Taylor to be her fake boyfriend to get everyone off her case. However, she soon finds herself attracted to Taylor, but scared to make it real. This was a quick and fun read, with things progressing in a predictable manner, but still super enjoyable and steamy. We’ve got nods to cultural foods for our Chinese-Canadian characters, running jokes about cheesy heart-shaped cakes, and Taylor being the best sunshine fake-boyfriend ever.

Advance ebook provided by Kobo Originals via NetGalley.

The Name Drop by Susan Lee (2023)

Contemporary young adult romance. Standalone novel. Jessica is headed to New York City for a summer internship before she starts community college in the Fall. Meanwhile, Elijah is headed to the same company for an executive internship as the CEO’s son. Things go awry when both Jessica and Elijah have the same Korean name and it’s an identity mix-up at the airport. Somehow Jessica gets transported to a fancy brownstone and introduced as the executive intern, while Elijah is crowded together with all the other lowly interns. When they discover the mix-up, Jessica and Elijah agree to continue with their unintended roles for the summer. It was fun seeing their friendship develop and learn to live and work under new circumstances, although the romance was super slow to get started and fairly innocent overall. What kept me reading was waiting to see what would happen when their secret gets discovered and what kind of fallout we would see.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

Snow Place Like LA by Julie Murphy and Sierra Simone (2023)

Contemporary romance. Book 1.5 of the Christmas Notch series. Being in the same working circle (in the adult film industry), Luca has had a crush on Angel for ages and they finally hook up when working on the same movie set. After a month together, it seems that Angel has ghosted Luca, so Luca blocks Angel everywhere. Fast forward seven months and they’re stuck working on yet another film together and need to confront their feelings and what all went wrong. It’s a quick and dirty novella with lots of steam. Standout page of the book goes to Luca explaining to Angel what omegaverse and knotting is.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

A Holly Jolly Ever After by Julie Murphy and Sierra Simone (2023)

Contemporary romance. Book 2 of the Christmas Notch series. Ex-boy band member turned pizza mogul Kallum is set to star in a sexy Santa movie after gaining notoriety after a sex-tape was leaked. Former child actor and all-around good girl Winnie is in a tough spot following her divorce and an illness that prevented her from starring in last year’s Christmas movie, and is now given the opportunity to rebrand herself by co-starring with Kallum. She’s super hesitant at first, but finally decides to give it a try. Upon her first meeting with Kallum and the movie’s intimacy coordinator, Winnie soon realizes she’s totally in over her head and has no idea how to portray sexual satisfaction on screen (having never experienced it off screen). She’s got plenty of homework to do there, but her super conservative purity-based upbringing is definitely creating a lot of blocks there. Kallum has his own insecurities of being the least sought after boy band member and always being looked at as a hook-up rather than relationship material. He’s totally excited to work with Winnie after having had a crush on her since they were teenagers. With Winnie’s insecurities in the bedroom, she asks Kallum to help her in that department, agreeing that it’s all for the sake of research and her performance in the movie. There’s definitely a lot of steam in this book, as Kallum takes on the role of tutor for Winnie. While the physical attraction between Winnie and Kallum definitely exists, neither of them are sure about their long-term compatibility, being total opposites in personality and in family dynamics. It’s takes a bit of emotional growth for both of them: for Winnie to learn to trust someone and for Kallum to behave a bit more responsibly. A super humorous read with tons of support from our favorite characters from Book 1 of the series.

Advance ebook provided by Avon Books via NetGalley.

Forget Me Not by Julie Soto (2023)

Contemporary romance. Standalone novel. Debut novel from one of my favorite fanfiction authors (known as LovesBitca8 on AO3). This one is a second-chance romance between Ama, a wedding planner who doesn’t believe in commitment, and Elliot, a florist who took over his father’s shop. The present-day chapters are told from Ama’s perspective, with past timeline chapters told from Elliot’s. In the present timeline, Ama has booked a high profile wedding that could elevate her career but has to work with Elliot on the florals, even though they haven’t spoken in about two years. In the past timeline, we get to see how they meet and get together, and it’s absolutely delightful reading Elliot’s self-deprecating awkwardness and internal monologue. In both timelines, we get to see Elliot’s gruff, but caring nature, and that he’s a total sap. (Think Luke Danes from Gilmore Girls, but younger and hotter, but still wearing plaid). This book had all the best emotionally written lines and you can feel Ama’s angst in the present day even if you don’t quite understand where it all went wrong. Amazing book and I’m super excited for more people to read it.

Advance ebook provided by Forever Books via NetGalley. Advance print book provided by Forever Books. Advance audiobook provided via Libro.fm.

This Spells Love by Kate Robb (2023)

Contemporary romance. Standalone novel. Gemma has just been dumped by her long-time boyfriend and she’s drunkenly doing some sort of cleansing ritual with her aunt, sister, and best friend, Dax. She wakes up the next day in an alternate reality where she had never met her ex, but then she had also never met her best friend Dax. In trying to get back to her own reality, she needs to re-do the ritual at the appropriate moon-phase, but will also need Dax’s participation. Gemma sets off to befriend Dax in this universe, but realizes that they have romantic feelings for each other instead. It seems she never got the chance to think of Dax as anything but a friend, since she quickly fell into a serious relationship with the other guy. This book was funny and sweet and also steamy. It was an easy, relatively low-angst, friends-to-lovers read.

Advance ebook provided by The Dial Press via NetGalley.

It’s a Date (Again) by Jeneva Rose (2023)

Contemporary romance. Standalone novel. Peyton has run away from a man who told her he loves her, realizes that she loves him back and runs back to him, only to be hit by a car and then lose her memory. When she wakes up in the hospital, she’s greeted by two of her best friends and three potential boyfriends, and she has no idea which man was the one she’s in love with. Peyton spends the next two weeks dating these guys again, spending time with her friends, and re-learning who she is. This book is a pretty quick and fluffy read. I definitely recommend picking this one up.

Ebook accessed from Kindle Unlimited.

Fancy Meeting You Here by Julie Tieu (2023)

Contemporary romance. Standalone novel. Elise is all sorts of stressed running her floral studio, being florist to her best friends’ weddings, while also performing bridesmaid duties. After an awkward first run-in with one of her friends’ younger brother Ben, he hires her florist services for his mother’s political campaign events. We spend a lot of this book surrounded by Elise’s friend group and their respective partners, often throwing Ben into the mix as a frequent groomsman. It takes awhile for Elise and Ben to start to get along, and then finally for romance to develop, but once they give into their attraction, their relationship is sweet and supportive. Ben helps Elise break down some of her barriers and learn to ask for help and eventually stop hiding her dire financial circumstances from her friends. And Elise supports Ben with pursuing his dreams away from the life prescribed by his parents.

Ebook and audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

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It Takes a Rake by Anna Bennett (2024)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 3 of the Rogues to Lovers series. Kitty and Leo were both apprentices to his grandfather’s architecture office before Leo suddenly moved to London. Four years later, he’s back in town after his father’s death and taking over the architecture business. He’s had a longstanding crush on Kitty all this time, even though she had never noticed him in that way, and they always bickered and fought when they worked together. Total opposites just getting on each other’s nerves. Well, now that he’s back, Kitty is teasing him for being too much of a nice guy to get his dream girl, so somehow she’s trading rake lessons for math checking on her latest architectural design. She doesn’t know that Leo only has eyes for her and the transformation is really to spend more time with her, and of course, she’s totally confused when she realizes that Leo is actually very attractive. She’ll need to get over her fear of the nice guy if she wants a chance at long-standing happiness with him.

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

Some Like It Scandalous by Maya Rodale (2019)

Historical romance. Gilded Age New York. Book 2 of the Gilded Age Girls Club series. Daisy and Theo are lifelong enemies after he creates a cruel nickname for her as young teenagers. However, they’re forced together in an arranged engagement as Theo fails to live up to his steel magnate father’s expectations and Daisy’s family may soon be under scrutiny with her father’s investment company. Since these two are not actually interested in marrying each other, they decide to fake an engagement to relieve the pressure from their parents while they pursue other projects. Daisy is a chemist and has been developing a complexion balm that she hopes to sell and support herself. Theo is aimless and doesn’t really have much going for him except his charm and looks. Somehow, they end up teaming up on Daisy’s product and their strengths really do complement each other. Plus, as they spend more time together, they actually start to get to know one another and become friends (and maybe more). This was a fun slow-burn sort of romance with Theo being the one to prove his worth and give his full support to Daisy’s invention.

Ebook and audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

Never Blow a Kiss by Lindsay Lovise (2024)

Historical romance. Victorian-era England. Book 1 of the Secret Society of Governess Spies series. Emily is a governess with little training and a fake identity who is approached one day by a woman called the Dove, who runs a network of governess spies. Emily gets placed into a household specifically to uncover more information about the aristocrats who live there. Meanwhile, Zach is an ex-military man turned wealthy detective looking for a serial killer in town. Zach and Emily are constantly bumping into each other, flirting with each other, and well on their way to developing a relationship. Except that Emily is keeping secrets about her not-so-pleasant past and thinks that it will ruin Zach’s reputation and career to be associated with her. While the hunt for the serial killer continues, Emily and Zach’s relationship also gets stronger and they become more enamoured and entangled with each other. This book kept me reading to find out Emily’s big secret and to uncover the big villain of the story.

Advance ebook provided by Forever Books via NetGalley.

Her Adventures in Temptation by Megan Frampton (2024)

Historical romance. Victorian-era England. Book 3 of the School for Scoundrels series. Myrtle is the outspoken, awkward, mathematically-inclined sister of a viscount who wants to avoid marriage and start her own financial consulting agency. When the painter her brother hired is asked to leave a house party, Myrtle takes the opportunity to hitch a ride to London with him. Simeon is an illegitimate orphan who was adopted by an independent female painter and basically taught to prioritize his art above all else. However, the soft-hearted Simeon seems to give away his money to the needy at every turn and has none of it himself, causing him to take on portrait commissions he doesn’t like and to take Myrtle’s money to help her go to London. As these two spend more time together, it’s clear that they have an opposites-attract sort of chemistry. Somehow Myrtle gets caught by her brother and then forced to assist in her niece’s debut. But she has no social charm or graces, so she recruits her only friend in town, Simeon, to assist. They end up in a fake engagement to preserve everyone’s reputation, but still fall in love with each other, despite wanting so much to hold onto their independence.

Advance ebook provided by Avon Books via NetGalley.

An Heiress to Remember by Maya Rodale (2020)

Historical romance. Gilded Age New York. Book 3 of the Gilded Age Girls Club series. Department store heiress Beatrice accepts a marriage proposal from a money-seeking duke instead of running away with her secret love Wes, who is a mere assistant in her father’s store. Sixteen years later, after a scandalous divorce from the duke, and a depressing existence in England, Beatrice is back in New York. In the time that she was gone, her brother has nearly bankrupt her beloved department store and is about to sell it off. And her brokenhearted suitor Wes has opened his own rival department store and somehow become the third wealthiest man in Manhattan. Beatrice takes over her family’s store and aims to turn things around with the support of her new empowering female friends, stoking a business rivalry with Wes. Except those feelings of attraction and admiration are still simmering in the background, just waiting to break through.

Ebook and audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

Kingpin’s Baby by Evie Rose (2024)

Mafia romance. Part of the Tendered Vows series. Quick novella. Ren is a house cleaner for mafia boss Jasper and they actually talk to each other when she cleans his office. She has a massive crush on the much older powerful man, but he doesn’t know it. He also is in love with her and stalks her apartment at night. When Ren is blackmailed, she turns to Jasper for protection and he offers her marriage. She thinks it’s just a marriage of convenience and feels guilty about it, but he’s definitely already in love with her and intends to keep her.

Advance ebook provided by Evie Rose.

Shop this book via Amazon

Claiming the Duchess by Sherry Thomas (2014)

Historical romance. Victorian-era England. Prequel to the Fitzhugh Trilogy. Clarissa is a widowed duchess throwing a house party to find herself a new husband when she’s out of mourning. She invites one of her late husband’s friends Mr. Kingston to join since she’s had a fascination with him for years. He’s shy and awkward and might also have held an admiration for Clarissa all these years as well. Super quick short story.

Ebook purchased via Amazon.

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Useful Resources:

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Read an introduction to fanfiction

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Lady Bridget’s Diary by Maya Rodale (2016)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 1 of the Keeping Up with the Cavendishes series. The Cavendish family consists of a newly inherited duke and his three sisters, all new to England from America. They’ve all been taken under the wing of their aunt and duchess, learning all the stuffy rules of society. Bridget is the middle sister who seems to want to embrace the rules and try to fit in so that she isn’t mocked so easily. At her first ball, she meets the charming and handsome Rupert and his super stuffy and cold older brother Darcy. While it seems that Bridget and Rupert are headed towards courtship, Darcy is the one who cannot stop staring at and thinking about Bridget. Nevermind that he’s almost engaged to the ton’s latest mean girl, Francesca, who tries to disparage Bridget at every instance. While there’s a lot of chaos with the unconventional Cavendish family, we get to see the bickering relationship between Bridget and Darcy turn into something more. This book was a lot of fun to read, with all its parallels to Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice.

Ebook and audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

Chasing Lady Amelia by Maya Rodale (2016)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 2 of the Keeping Up with the Cavendishes series. This book takes place during the same timeline as Book 1 of the series, but it still makes sense to read it as standalone. Amelia is the youngest sister of a new duke, freshly arrived to the Ton from America, where she is constrained by all the rules of decorum. After a disastrous evening at Almack’s and a huge fight with her family, Amelia finds herself wandering the streets at night and being rescued by a stranger. Alistair is newly back in England after traveling for the past six years, summoned by his uncle to woo and marry one of the American girls. It’s his lucky day when he realizes that the girl he rescued is the most scandalous of those girls. While Amelia gives a fake name and identity, she and Alistair end up spending the day together, seeing all the sights that proper Lady Amelia has not been allowed to do. It’s a whirlwind perfect day that leaves both Amelia and Alistair nearly in love with each other; except that Alistair has known who she was all along and is starting to feel guilty for deceiving her all day. About half the book takes place over that one day, but then Amelia goes home and eventually learns about Alistair’s true motives. The question is whether he can successfully grovel his way into her good graces again.

Ebook and audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

Lady Claire Is All That by Maya Rodale (2016)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 3 of the Keeping Up with the Cavendishes series. Claire is more interested in mathematics than suitors, wears her spectacles to balls, and doesn’t give much care to her appearance. After Fox has been jilted by his very suitable fiance, he somehow makes a wager with his friend that he can turn any woman into the darling of the ton with the right amount of polish. Fox’s friend (but really rival) has picked out Claire as the unwitting subject of this bet. (It’s basically She’s All That, but in Regency-era). Claire is obviously super suspicious of the handsome and brawny Fox spending time with her, when she purposely repels suitors by talking about math all the time. He even escorts her to math lectures to soften her up. The physical attraction between these two comes on strong, but they’re pretty ill-suited in terms of personality and interest. And that darn bet is still a conflict waiting to drop.

Ebook and audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

It’s Hard Out Here for a Duke by Maya Rodale (2017)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 4 of the Keeping Up with the Cavendishes series. James and his sisters are bound for London to take up his new role as duke, but he enjoys one last night as “Just James” with a beautiful woman he meets at a tavern. Meredith is traveling back to her role as a duchess’ companion when she meets James’ eye across the tavern and decides to take this one opportunity for passion before she continues being a proper companion. Of course, they’re in for some bad luck when they realize that they’re stuck in the same household with completely disparate social stations and need to forget their one night stand ever happened. While James struggles with his new role and responsibilities, he’s continually tempted by the presence of Meredith and wishes he could give everything up to be with her instead. Meredith is the one that is usually sensible and explains to James the ways of the ton and how their relationship would be completely inappropriate. However, all the hints of the relationship between James and Meredith that we’ve seen from the first three books come into full force in this one, where they both need to decide what’s really important to them.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

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Useful Resources:

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

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Thanks for reading Random Olive Reads!

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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.

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Portrait of the Duke by Alexa Aston (2023)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 1 of the Suddenly a Duke series. We start with an adorable prologue with an outspoken teenager warning away one of her spoiled sister’s suitors and letting him know that he isn’t a real contender being merely a viscount. Despite the age-gap and both of their youths, there’s a spark of chemistry between them. Ten years later, Lady Margaret is finally ready to make her debut after caring for her ill-mother, mourning her death, and mourning her father’s death. However, Margaret has no intention to marry, but to build a business painting portraits. Our young viscount, Daniel, is now a duke looking to marry this Season. He’d sought out Margaret in previous years, but she was nowhere to be found. As he sees her in the present, there’s an existing connection between their grandmothers who had been friends in their youth. Daniel’s grandmother is the best wingwoman around, making sure to keep Margaret close by, and supporting her art. This was a relatively low-angst book with an instant attraction between our main characters. There’s the petty spoiled sister in the background, but she doesn’t interfere too badly. Great book if you’re looking for an easy read and a good time.

Advance ebook provided by Dragonblade Publishing via NetGalley.

Music for the Duke by Alexa Aston (2023)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 2 of the Suddenly a Duke series. Tragic prologue for Fia where she’s a six-year old girl being tormented by her cousin and heir to her father’s earldom. Many years later, we see a shocking and tragic demise of Henry’s grandfather and father within the same day, making him a duke. A year after that, they both somehow make friends with the now-married duke and duchess from Book 1 of the series, who assist in getting Fia out of her cousin’s house and assist Henry in wooing the girl. Fia was treated horribly by her cousin after her parents’ deaths, first by refusing her debut into society, then by moving her into the attic like a servant, and farming her out for music lessons where he collects the fees and she sees none of it. It’s a rough life for Fia, and when we think she’ll appreciate being courted by a duke, she’s fearful of scandal and would rather live independently and rely on her skills as a musician to survive. It’s a pretty short read with only a tiny bit of angst. But there are way too many dukes and duchesses floating around here, so it can be hard to keep up with who’s being referenced at any given moment. Still a perfectly pleasant read.

Advance ebook provided by Dragonblade Publishing via NetGalley.

Polishing the Duke by Alexa Aston (2023)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 3 of the Suddenly a Duke series. An old duke reveals a deathbed secret that his first love and their child is not actually a bastard and is indeed the next duke and hires the Lady Nalyssa to polish him up for Society after the solicitor informs him of his change in circumstance. Nalyssa has been ruined by her father’s debts and subsequent suicide and has made a business of cleaning up long lost relatives to titles and making them proper gentlemen. She meets Pierce and his mother and sister when he becomes the new duke. While he has held a grudge against his father for many years, he quickly learns that many people will rely on him now that he has the title. Add in a younger half-brother who thought that he was the heir and is suddenly not. Though Nalyssa has no hopes of marrying, she and Pierce are instantly attracted to each other. I liked how well she got along with Pierce’s family and the way that she explains how seemingly frivolous spending leads to employment and income for others. I also enjoyed Pierce’s ability to be both stubborn and logical when faced with his new challenges. Quick and enjoyable read!

Advance ebook provided by Dragonblade Publishing via NetGalley.

Designs on the Duke by Alexa Aston (2023)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 4 of the Suddenly a Duke series. Tragic upbringing for Elijah, who’s crusty old duke of a father accused his wife of being unfaithful and tossed the pregnant duchess off to a small cottage at one of his estates with no money or support. She gave birth to twins and eventually sent them off to war. While in battle, the elder of the twins passes away, leaving Elijah to be the heir. He then receives a letter that his father has died, leaving his brother the next duke, though his brother is gone too, meaning Elijah is the new duke. He’s back in England to reclaim his birthright and set things to rights. Unfortunately, the crusty old duke was a spiteful piece of work who sold off every single piece of furniture in the house. Luckily, they run into Abby, who is soon to open her own furniture shop filled with her designs. Abby lived in poverty until her father’s death, when her new guardian took her own and brought her with him in his worldwide travels. With all the knowledge gained in traveling the world, she has developed a keen sense of style and design. Neither Elijah or Abby are interested in marriage: Elijah doesn’t want to continue his horrible father’s bloodline and Abby doesn’t want to cede her independence. But as they start working together to furnish his home, they begin to admire each other’s strength and honor more than even their initial attraction.

Advance ebook provided by Dragonblade Publishing via NetGalley.

Fashioning the Duke by Alexa Aston (2023)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 5 of the Suddenly a Duke series. Fox is the much younger second son of a duke, never expecting to inherit, when he receives word that his older brother has died, leaving two nieces in his care. At the solicitor’s office, he has a chance meeting with Delaney who is there to sell off her millinery shop after her half-brother has basically barred polite society from shopping there. Delaney is the illegitimate daughter of an earl who was always favored and adored by her father. Fox decides to hire Delaney to assist in outfitting his nieces for the upcoming Season and also pretty much instantly decides that he wants her as his duchess. She doesn’t want to give up her independence or marry, so he’s got some work cut out for him in wooing her. Enjoyable to read and I love how well Fox takes to his responsibilities and his nieces.

Advance ebook provided by Dragonblade Publishing via NetGalley.

Love Blooms with the Duke by Alexa Aston (2023)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 6 of the Suddenly a Duke series. We start with a tragic prologue for Willa, the daughter of a playwright and an actress who are in a tumultuous relationship and are negligent parents. After her parents have dramatically and scandalously passed away, Willa has distanced herself from the theater and worked as a lady’s companion and governess. Xander is the fourth son of a duke and often ignored as his birth caused the death of his mother and he very suddenly inherits the dukedom and two troublemaker nieces to care for. In the search for yet another governess, he runs into and hires Willa for the job. While Xander was previously an indolent rake, he has taken up his responsibilities quite well and dedicated himself to the care of his nieces. In getting to know Willa and her teaching strategies, he grows even more impressed with her and sets his mind on making her his duchess. Willa is wary of the former rake due to her past poor experiences with employers and wants to avoid his company to try to avoid temptation. However, we can see how much Xander has turned into a responsible duke who loves this newly built family. Not all is perfect, since Xander has yet to realize Willa’s background in the theater, which could reignite scandal and scorn.

Advance ebook provided by Dragonblade Publishing via NetGalley.

Training the Duke by Alexa Aston (2023)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 7 of the Suddenly a Duke series. Finola is the daughter of an earl who was orphaned and then neglected by her much older sisters only to be taken in by a lonely baron. In her first Season in London, Finola was publicly humiliated by a viscount who led her to believe he was courting her. After that, she retreated back to the country where she works to train hunting dogs. Many years after that, we meet Cy who has recently left the army after an accident left him blind in one eye. Cy is the younger son of a duke, neglected by his father and older brother. When he returns home, he finds that his father has died and his brother is now the duke. His brother allows Cy to live at the hunting lodge at the edge of the property. One day when Finola is walking her dogs, the dogs discover and befriend Cy and his charge Bertie. Finola’s and the duke’s lands border each other, though Cy does not admit that he is the brother of a duke. We have a quick and easy friendship between Finola and Cy, with Bertie needing the use of Finola’s schoolroom and learning to train dogs with Finola. The romance here builds very naturally and it seems that these two are perfect for each other and will be well-situated at Finola’s home. However, we have Cy’s looming secret and the fact that his brother is quite ill. I enjoyed this book and seeing another woman in an unconventional profession.

Advance ebook provided by Dragonblade Publishing via NetGalley.

Investigating the Duke by Alexa Aston (2023)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 8 of the Suddenly a Duke series. This one is the final book of the series, where we get to see how Shelby becomes an accomplished Bow Street Runner. We’ve seen Shelby at work many times throughout the series, solving cases for the other sudden dukes. This book features Jasper, a third son of a duke and vicar, who suddenly becomes a duke when his father passes away from illness, his oldest brother drunkenly falls down the stairs, and his second oldest brother dies at war. The timing of his oldest brother’s death along with his father’s death seems to be suspicious, so Jasper heads to hire a Bow Street Runner to investigate. The very accomplished Shelby is assigned to the case and she poses as Jasper’s new secretary to blend in with the household. The romance here was fairly straightforward, with Jasper deciding pretty quickly that he wants to marry Shelby after the investigation is over. However, finding out the cause of deaths for Jasper’s family members is much more complicated and kept me very invested in the story.

Advance ebook provided by Dragonblade Publishing via NetGalley.

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No Dukes Allowed by Jess Michaels (2023)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 1 of the Kent’s Row Duchesses series. Widowed duchess Valaria has just moved to a street of townhouses full of widowed duchesses. She’s keeping secrets regarding the death of her cruel and terrible husband and is hesitant to make new friends. However, her late husband’s friend Callum is intent on checking on her well-being, even though she wants to push him away. Callum is the ultimate nice guy has admired her for many years but denied his feelings for her due to his friendship. Now that his friend has died, he feels guilty for calling on Valaria, but can’t seem to help himself. And Valaria has always been attracted to Callum as well, not knowing why this seemingly upstanding gentleman was friends with her husband. Callum didn’t know that his friend was completely awful, so he feels even worse when he discovers that Valaria did not have a happy marriage. At some point, these two start an affair, but there’s still a heavy secret between them and Valaria’s overall skittishness to overcome.

Advance ebook provided by Jess Michaels via NetGalley.

Not Another Duke by Jess Michaels (2023)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 2 of the Kent’s Row Duchesses series. Widowed duchess Flora has horribly cruel stepchildren who recruit their own impoverished cousin Roarke to spy on Flora and determine if she’s breaking the terms of an additional clause of her late husband’s inheritance. Roarke barely has any funds to support himself and his ill mother, so needs to rely on the charity of his cousins. When he meets Flora, he finds that she is attractive and kind and not at all the seductress that his cousins described. Flora had genuinely loved her much older husband and had no intention of entertaining future suitors. However, when she meets Roarke, she’s surprised to find that she is attracted to him. These two start up a friendship which may lead to more, but Roarke’s feelings of guilt are attached to everything he does. It seems like the reveal of Roarke’s betrayal may cause the couple to split before they’ve even begun, and they still need to deal with the dangers of Flora’s stepchildren. I liked how Roarke was a reluctant villain here, being torn between his obligations towards his mother and his growing feelings for Flora.

Advance ebook provided by Jess Michaels via NetGalley.

Not the Duke You Marry by Jess Michaels (2023)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 3 of the Kent’s Row Duchesses series. With both of her widow friends married now, Bernadette is feeling lonely and undesirable. She expresses her interest in finding a lover to Theo, a childhood friend who she recently reconnected with. His aghast reaction makes her feel horribly rejected and insecure, but she rallies and finds her way to a pleasure club. When Theo spots her there, he tries to emphasize how dangerous her actions are, but really he just lusts after her himself and is conflicted about his feelings. These two go back and forth a bit, but end up having an affair, and try very hard not to fall in love with each other. Add in a backstory where Theo had long ago rejected a chance to marry Bernadette and we’re just waiting for her to be heartbroken by the revelation. Lots of steam and internal revelations in this one, without too much external drama.

Advance ebook provided by Jess Michaels via NetGalley.

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A Sure Duke by Christi Caldwell (2024)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 3 of the McQuoids of Mayfair series. Alexandra is a stuffy marquess’ daughter who has been curious about the eccentric McQuoid family across the way. One chance meeting with Dallin has both Alexandra and Dallin looking forward to her debut into society where he can claim a dance with her. Unfortunately, Alexandra’s father dies and leaves the family without funds, forcing Alexandra to accept an arranged marriage to provide for her mother and sisters. When Alexandra and Dallin meet again, he believes that she is as haughty as he expected and she believes him to be cold and unfeeling. But it’s pretty much all due to her keeping secrets about her family circumstance and him being jealous that she’s already engaged. When Alexandra’s sister elopes with Dallin’s cousin, they both end up chasing after the couple to prevent scandal. And of course, as they travel together, they do finally kinda sorta communicate with each other.

Advance ebook provided by Montlake via NetGalley.

Red String Theory by Lauren Kung Jessen (2024)

Contemporary romance. Standalone novel. Rooney is an artist who creates public installations under a pseudonym, trying to distance herself from her famous artist mother. She has a chance meeting with Jack one blustery day in New York and they spend an evening following fate around the city. Although he’s not a believer in fate, he is still enchanted by her and actually has a fun night. They lose contact for romance reasons and somehow reconnect on a work-related project months later. Turns out Jack is a NASA guy who has reinstated an artist-in-residence program and nominated Rooney’s art (not realizing it was her). When they meet again, they try to keep things professional, but it’s like fate keeps bringing them together.

Advance ebook provided by Forever Books via NetGalley.

Accidentally His by Sabrina Jeffries (2024)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 3 of the Designing Debutantes series. Rafe is an army colonel and spy looking to identify the person responsible for shooting his uncle and selling secrets to the French. While he has been following the Harper family events for awhile, he’s decided to uplevel his spying by trying to court the youngest sister Verity. She suspects that Rafe is the Phantom person who has been crashing her events for the past year, but can’t seem to prove it. Add in the part where they are actually attracted to each other and seem to be distracted by each other. When Verity’s ex-fiancee starts causing trouble, Rafe ends up proposing marriage to prevent a scandal. She’s hesitant of course, knowing that he’s keeping secrets, but they soon realize they’ll need to team up to find out the identity of the traitor and villain. Loved seeing Verity’s sister and brothers-in-law come to her defense and I also enjoyed seeing Rafe’s respect and yearning for Verity’s family life.

Advance ebook provided by Kensington Books via NetGalley.

Mrs. Milner Gets a Kitchen by Jane Hadley (2023)

Historical romance. 1950s Minnesota. Standalone novella. Marion is a divorced woman with two small kids looking to re-do her entire kitchen with the latest appliances with her divorce money. She aims to be the envy of all the other busybodies in the neighborhood when she hosts a Christmas dinner. Harry is the contractor assigned to work on her kitchen and they pretty much have an instant attraction to each other. He’s the sweetest most charming and thoughtful man ever, even bringing Marion a hot plate so that she has a place to cook while her kitchen is under construction. While he asks her on a proper date, she refuses due to the optics, but certainly enjoys a heated dalliance with the man. This one is a long-ish novella with steam and emotion.

Ebook free via author’s website.

Midnight Pleasures with a Scoundrel by Lorraine Heath (2009)

Historical romance. Victorian-era England. Book 4 of the Scoundrels of St. James series. Eleanor is a viscount’s daughter in London to avenge her sister’s death by seeking revenge against the lord who ruined her. That lord believes he’s wrongfully being pursued, so he involves Scotland Yard for his protection. James Swindler is an investigator who grew up on the streets after his father was hanged for stealing and is tasked with following Eleanor around. When they meet, each is hiding their true reason for being out and about and they start a flirtation. James feels guilty for deceiving Eleanor, but Eleanor knows that James is following her and she aims to seduce him into protecting her. With the underlying lies forming the foundation of their relationship, it’ll be curious to see how they can have a lasting relationship. We get a massive plot twist halfway through the book that adds an another layer of complexity to the story, which is super fun to read.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

The Last Wicked Scoundrel by Lorraine Heath (2014)

Historical romance. Victorian-era England. Book 5 of the Scoundrels of St. James series. Widowed duchess Winnie thinks she might be going mad because she keeps losing track of her items and catches glimpses of her late husband’s scent around the house. When she confides this information to William, the physician who saved her life many years ago, he rallies his friends to protect her. Turns out her husband might not be so dead after all, since the scoundrels sent him away at the end of Book 1. Winnie and William have developed a longstanding attraction for each other over the years, and they finally make a move towards a physical relationship, even if William knows that he can’t marry someone so far above his station. This one was a pretty short and quick novella and it’s always good catching up with all the scoundrels.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

Duchess by Design by Maya Rodale (2018)

Historical romance. Gilded Age New York. Book 1 of the Gilded Age Girls Club. Adeline is a seamstress with dreams of opening her own dress shop and has a meet cute with an impoverished duke in a hotel lobby. Brandon is in New York to seek a wealthy heiress to marry and is instantly smitten by Adeline and thinks that he’s super fortunate to find an heiress he likes in his hotel. Unfortunately, he realizes that she’s not wealthy and can’t really help him, so he’s got to begrudgingly meet and court other women. Meanwhile, Adeline is still working on her unique dress designs and finding ways to show them off. When Brandon suggests that Adeline help with inside scoop on the heiresses in exchange for her escort to the theater so she can show off her gowns, she agrees, but it’s painful pining for everyone involved. Brandon will have to work out how to deal with his money problem if he wants to end up with Adeline.

Ebook and audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

When the Viscount Wanted Me by Lydia Lloyd (2024)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 2 of the Rake Chronicles series. Henrietta is a beautiful and sought after debutante who has a tryst with a man she believes to be her friend, but is now being pushy about marriage. Trem overhears the man lamenting over Henrietta’s rejection and suspects that the man is trying to ruin Henrietta’s reputation. Being Henrietta’s brother’s best friend, Trem tries to resolve the issue by questioning the lady. Turns out the pushy guy’s accusations were true and now Trem sees Henrietta in a new (and attractive) light. They pretty quickly start their own affair and end up engaged in the process. Henrietta has had a longstanding crush on Trem and is pleased that he desires her in return, but is keeping secrets about her parentage and worries over Trem’s reaction. This book was high on the steam, quick on the getting together, and also high in external drama. An entertaining adventure.

Advance ebook provided by Tule Publishing via NetGalley.

The Charmed Heir by Merry Farmer (2024)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 4 of the Secrets of Nedworth Hall series. We’re all at a matchmaking house party and wealthy heiress Charlotte is paired up with impoverished viscount Dante and pretty smitten with each other. Charlotte is concerned when she starts getting letters and notes suggesting that her mother is alive and working at the manor, not deceased as she always assumed, since she lives with her single father and his business partner. Dante is a comforting presence and listens to Charlotte’s concerns even though he has his own secrets and money problems. When Dante’s twin brother shows up, the flirtatious rogue causes a smidge of confusion before Dante tells Charlotte everything he’s hiding.

Advance ebook provided by Merry Farmer via BookSprout.

Any Duke in a Storm by Amalie Howard (2024)

Historical romance. Victorian-era. Caribbean Seas. Book 4 of the Daring Dukes series. Everyone is at sea in this one with danger and smuggling and covert spy operations. Lisbeth is all the things: countess, British spy, and dangerous sea captain. She’s deep undercover to bring down a smuggling ring on behalf of the American government. Somehow she gets entangled with Raphael, the son of a disgraced French duke, who is part of that smuggling ring, but really just seeking revenge against his uncle for betraying his father. These two bicker and fight and struggle for dominance, all while lusting after each other like crazy. High on the steam and high on the action-adventure in this one.

Advance ebook provided by Sourcebooks via NetGalley.

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