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Trope Round Up: Historical Romance Books with Lady Painters

Dec 27, 2023 | Book Reviews

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.

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The Madness of Viscount Atherbourne by Elisa Braden (2015)

Lucien seeks revenge against the man who caused his sister’s suicide and killed his brother in a duel, so he sets out to seduce and ruin that man’s sister.

He successfully compromises Victoria at a ball, proceeds to marry her, and then ban her from speaking to her brother ever again.

Shop this book via Amazon // Libro.fm

The Week the Wallflower Was Wanton by Eva Devon (2021)

Lucy is a debutante who would rather be painting than finding a husband, so she propositions a renowned rake to ruin her. They spend a week together doing whatever needs to be doing for her ruination and somehow she cracks into his hardened heart after all.

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A Lady’s Guide to Scandal by Sophie Irwin (2023)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Standalone novel. Recently widowed countess Eliza finds that her inheritance is dependent on her staying away from any scandal. The new earl, Lord Somerton, is the nephew of her late husband and happens to be a former suitor that was rejected when Eliza’s parents forced her to marry. As a widow, Eliza finally has a small taste of freedom when she spirits herself (and her cousin) away to Bath to visit before she makes her way back to her family’s home. Eliza ends up meeting the charming and scandalous Lord Melville and tries very hard to avoid him due to his reputation. Eventually Melville convinces Eliza to paint his portrait and she seizes this opportunity to utilize her artistic talent. Additionally, Somerton has renewed his acquaintance with Eliza and they confront their romantic past. We have a slowly building love triangle here, where you’re mostly rooting for Eliza to break free of her oppressive marriage and reunite with her long lost love, but then we start to see her friendship with Melville develop and wonder where that will lead. Since this book was a single POV (only Eliza’s), it wasn’t clear who the ultimate love interest is going to be, and I was intrigued to find out who she ended up with. There are also some delightful side pairings that we discover along the way as well. Despite this being a super low-steam book, the emotional build-up was really well done and it was an enjoyable book to read.

Advance ebook provided by Penguin Random House via NetGalley.

Painting the Duke by Georgina North (2023)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Standalone novel. Vivienne is an orphaned lady who lives with her aunt and uncle and is known for refusing multiple marriage offers. She actually has a secret life as an oil painter and many of her anonymous works are showcased at royal exhibitions. This season, a handsome duke, Brick, is back in town after being banished for many years. He’s not exactly looking for a wife, but is intrigued by Vivienne and is somehow egged into betting that he is able to secure her hand in marriage. He definitely has his work cut out for him, since she is very outspoken with him about her desire to not marry. However, he is refreshed by her opinions on art and equality and enjoys spending time with her. She also enjoys his company but refuses to give up her art and worries that he will be scandalized by her secret. This book is definitely a slow-burn romance with Vivienne being the one to learn to let down her walls and share her secret with the world; we also have Brick learning to eschew societal expectations and support Vivienne in every way possible. When she catches him in a lie, he delivers on meaningful displays of affection and support. Excellent read.

Advance ebook provided by Georgina North via BookSirens.

Forgery, Love, and Other Lies by Charlie Lane (2023)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 2 of the Art of Love series. There was once a financially irresponsible marquess who spent his money on art instead of his estate and family and after his passing, he had given away all of the art except for a select few paintings that his children would earn by creating a their own piece of art to their mother’s satisfaction. Unfortunately, the paintings left in their house were forgeries, orchestrated by second son Zander, who rented out the originals in times of financial need. Now that the family knows which paintings are meant to be the inheritance, Zander tries to reclaim the originals but finds the old woman he dealt with (and the artwork) missing. His investigation leads him to find the art forger, who is the daughter of a jeweler, Fiona, and is just as distressed with the disappearance of the old woman and many other counterfeit paintings that could see her hanged. Zander and Fiona team up to track down the woman and the paintings and find themselves in love along the way, although Zander is hesitant to offer anything permanent as he’s in no financial position to marry.

Advance ebook provided by Charlie Lane via NetGalley.

Daring Miss Danvers by Vivienne Lorret (2014)

Book 1 of the Wallflower Weddings series. This one is an inheritance scheme. Quincy needs to convince his grandmother that he’s seriously engaged before his inheritance is released to him, so he picks his best friend’s sister to fake-propose to. She goes along with it… maybe because she had a crush on him all along, but also, she doesn’t want anyone to find out that she’s secretly a painter, which is somehow unladylike. I’m not sure, but everytime they try to call it off, it doesn’t quite work and then somehow end up married before they talk everything out.

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The Portrait of a Duchess by Scarlett Peckham (2023)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 2 of the Society of Sirens series. Cornelia is the niece of a duke but has built her reputation as a scandalous painter. She and her friends are trying to raise funds to build an institute for women and she needs a place to exhibit her latest collection of paintings. One seemingly random day, her uncle’s heir, Rafe, and now the duke comes to visit to inform her of her inheritance, which hinges on her being married. The surprise is that she’s already married to Rafe himself, and he suggests they go public with the marriage so she can claim her inheritance. What follows is a non-chronological story of how these two ended up married twenty years ago and then estranged in all the time since then. I mostly kept reading because I wanted to find out what happened, but the story itself wasn’t terribly interesting to me. Rafe is a smooshy sort of fellow who falls in love too freely and scares off all his partners with his enthusiasm and Cornelia is adamant about her independence and does not want the complication (or obligation) of love. He’s an overzealous puppy for most of the book and she’s the reluctant and selfish one, protecting her own isolation. And then there’s the political stuff happening in the background that wasn’t super interesting to me. On the plus side, Rafe is unapologetically bisexual here and one of his male lovers joins in for an encounter with Cornelia. So you know, if you like that stuff, here it is in a traditionally published historical romance.

Advance ebook provided by Avon Books via NetGalley.

Painting the Earl by Lexi Post (2023)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 2 of the Marrying a Mabry series. Amelia is the youngest Mabry sister who is focusing on her painting and aims to paint a masterpiece before settling into marriage. When a handsome earl proposes to her unexpectedly, she offers him a counterproposal: serve as her nude model before they marry. Andrew is in dire financial circumstances due to debts his father left behind and needs to marry for money quickly, but he is intrigued by Amelia’s proposition and agrees to it. As they spend more time together, he quickly falls in love with her and hopes that she will someday see him as a desirable husband rather than just a handsome subject of art. We get to interact a bit more with Amelia’s sisters, and there’s definitely a strong set up for sister Mariel’s future book. This one was relatively low-angst and easy to read.

Advance ebook provided by Dragonblade Publishing via NetGalley.

All Duke and Bothered by Mariah Stone (2023)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 1 of the Dukes and Secrets series. New duke Preston wants revenge on his brother’s killer, so he arranges himself in a position to marry Penelope, the young lady that he believes led on his brother and whose father hired ruffians to beat him. She doesn’t know about her father’s misdeeds and is horrified at having to marry Preston, who openly disdains Penelope. Preston believed that Penelope was a shallow flirt who was interested in his brother’s money, but really, she just thought they were friends and liked to talk about art together. Penelope was not interested in marriage at all and wanted to work on her painting. As Preston starts to see that he was mistaken about Penelope’s true personality, he feels guilty for misjudging the situation with his brother and also guilty for marrying Penelope. He’s still preoccupied with getting revenge on Penelope’s father though, and she’s disappointed that he is clearly choosing revenge over the possibility of love and happiness. It’s all a muddle until Preston can share his secrets with Penelope and let go of his quest for vengeance.

Ebook accessed from Kindle Unlimited.

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Weekly Reads: December 18 to 24, 2023

Dec 26, 2023 | Book Reviews

A Scot to the Heart by Caroline Linden (2021)

Historical romance. Georgian-era Scotland. Book 2 of the Desperately Seeking Duke series. Army captain Andrew is the nearest heir to the Duke of Carlyle and on a mission to take care of his affairs to return to Carlyle Castle for training as the heir. As he returns home to inform his mother and sisters of the news, he meets and is instantly smitten by an intriguing widow in town. Luckily for him, the widowed Ilsa is friends with his sister, so they run into each other often. The flirtation and affair between them seems ill-timed, since he’ll need to marry proper duchess material, but they can’t seem to stay away from each other. It was fun reading how their flirtation turns into a deeper emotional connection as time goes on amidst the chaos of both their families.

Ebook and audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

How the Scot Was Won by Caroline Linden (2021)

Historical romance. Georgian-era Scotland. Book 2.5 of the Desperately Seeking Duke series. Companion to Book 2 of the series, where we follow the sister and best friend of Andrew. We’ve seen hints of the romance between Agnes and Felix in the previous book, but we get the whole story here. There’s a sweet coffee shop flirtation, that leads to a scandalous tryst at an assembly, then a somewhat insulting marriage proposal, and finally avoiding each other until forced to interact with each other again. Quick whirlwind of a relationship here and so much better once Felix actually talks to Agnes directly.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

Surrender to the Devil by Lorraine Heath (2009)

Historical romance. Victorian-era England. Book 3 of the Scoundrels of St. James series. Sterling is a new duke who has been traveling for many years and newly back in England. At his sister’s wedding, he is intrigued by Frannie being surrounded by her scoundrel friends in a protective manner. Of course, he decides that he’s attracted to her and propositions her almost immediately. Meanwhile, Frannie is also intrigued by the man who looks at her with desire instead of concern and protection. She grew up in the streets, was sold into a brothel at age twelve before being rescued, and has not been interested in a man since then. While she initially rejects Sterling’s proposition, she is certainly considering it. Frannie and Sterling continue to orbit around each other in various ways, but Sterling starts to become impressed by Frannie’s selflessness and care towards orphans. Even though both know that Sterling is not willing to marry Frannie, they still slowly end up falling in love.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

All the Duke I Need by Caroline Linden (2022)

Historical romance. Georgian-era England. Book 3 of the Desperately Seeking Duke series. Philippa is the current companion to the duchess, stepdaughter to the duchess’ daughter, and all-around hostess of the castle. However, she knows that her position will likely be displaced when the duke passes away and leaves the castle to one of his heirs. When the new estate steward Will comes to the castle, she’s shocked that he’s young and handsome and has no experience as a steward. He’s just as surprised to find that Philippa is also young and beautiful, even as the duchess’ companion. They bicker and argue at first on how to approach estate improvements, but of course, eventually give into their attraction. Meanwhile, Will is hiding some secrets about his motivation for taking on the estate position and a possible connection to the ducal family. It was interesting to read how Will embraced his responsibilities to the estate and impressed everyone there, including the duke himself, who is usually unwell and isolated.

Ebook and audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

Desperately Seeking Duke: The Ultimate Epilogue by Caroline Linden (2022)

Historical romance. Georgian-era England. Book 3.5 of the Desperately Seeking Duke series. This book is a compilation of epilogues featuring all the couples we’ve met throughout the series. It’s pretty much a bunch of bonus information, especially as Andrew and Max each learn that they do not need to worry about ever inheriting the dukedom. And if you wanted more information about Will’s family history, it’s explained here too.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

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

A Halifax Holiday by Alexandra Vasti (2023)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Part of the Halifax Hellions series. Super cute follow up to the series. It’s maybe a decade later and everyone is gathered together for Christmas with the next generation of hellions. It’s loud and boisterous and our Halifax spouses are all very glad to have stumbled into this loving family. Excellent holiday treat.

Ebook provided via author’s newsletter.

Snowbound with the Suffragette by Ginny B Moore (2024)

Historical romance. Gilded Age New York. Part of the Flowers Sisters series. Quick snowstorm novella. Garrett and Sadie have been working together at the Suffrage Society, mutually pining for each other, and basically too scared to make a move. They get stuck together in a snowstorm, low on heating fuel, so they cuddle it out and actually talk to each other about their feelings. And then they more-than-cuddle.

Advance ebook provided by Ginny B. Moore.

Jilted in January by Cara Maxwell (2024)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 1 of the Rake Review series. Shipping merchant’s son Edward breaks an engagement with duke’s daughter Persephone to protect her from society’s scorn for associating with a half-Chinese tradesman. Ten years later, Edward needs the help of a lady investigator to find his younger brother who has been kidnapped and ransomed, and that lady turns out to be Persephone. She’s hesitant to take the case, but she has a soft spot for the brother, so she agrees. Of course, Edward and Persephone find that they’re still attracted to and in love with each other, though they’re certainly more bitter and wary now. The mystery with the kidnapped brother is interesting and engaging and it was fun to see our two main characters bicker and flirt with each other.

Advance ebook provided by Cara Maxwell.

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Merriwell Sisters Historical Romance Book Series by Virginia Heath

Dec 25, 2023 | Book Reviews

Never Fall for Your Fiancee by Virginia Heath (2021)

Historical romance in Regency-ish era England, Book 1 of the Merriwell Sisters series. A carefree and jovial earl prevents his mother’s matchmaking from America by writing to her about a fictional fiancee and her tragic tales that have prevented them from marrying. When his mother comes to visit, he hires a woman to pretend to be his fiancee. This book is full of far-fetched tales and silliness and it totally works. Expect a light-hearted and humorous story here. Though there is actually heartbreak in both characters’ pasts, those experiences have made them stronger and most of the book contains witty banter and calamity.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

Never Rescue a Rogue by Virginia Heath (2022)

Historical romance in Regency-ish era England; Book 2 of the Merriwell Sisters series. Our second sister, Diana, is the main character here who is known to work at a newspaper as a grammarian. Her family thinks she secretly writes for gossip columns, but she actually secretly does hardcore investigative journalism (which is very dangerous). She warns family-friend Giles of an impending engagement, which he confront his emotionally distant father about. Turns out his father (a duke) is planning to marry in order to secure his succession due to a big secret from the past that renders Giles at risk for not being the true heir. After the duke’s sudden death, Giles has to clean up the estate and uncover the evidence before it can be used against him and he teams up with Diana to do so. Whew. Lots happening here. Plus Diana’s family being obnoxious matchmakers and pushing her to Giles. Enjoyable read, and the secret-hunting has a great payoff.

Advance ebook provided by St. Martin’s Press 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.

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Would-Be Wallflowers Historical Romance Book Series by Eloisa James

Dec 21, 2023 | Book Reviews

How to Be a Wallflower by Eloisa James (2022)

Historical romance, Regency-era England. Book 1 of the Would-Be Wallflowers series. Cleo is interested in being a wallflower and plans to order a drab wardrobe. When she visits a costumer, the company has been purchased by an American businessman who wants to move the company out of England. She gets into a confrontation with Jake, the businessman, and declares that she’s purchased the company instead. These two start a competition, and then strike a bargain, and then he starts to court her in earnest. It’s definitely a case of him falling first and changing all his plans, while trying to break down her defenses with her late mother’s fickle behavior and her previous fortune-hunting fiancee. Fun to read and pretty light on the drama and angst.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

The Reluctant Countess by Eloisa James (2022)

Historical romance, Regency-era England. Book 2 of the Would-Be Wallflowers series. Lady Yasmin has a scandalous reputation, with her mother playing mistress to Napoleon and herself being tricked into thinking she eloped and married when she was sixteen. Now in England with her duke of a grandfather, she causes gossip wherever she goes with her frivolous and flirtatious ways. Giles is the stuffiest most serious earl you’ve ever met, trying to avoid any and all scandal after the death of his father and the outrageous behavior of his mother. He’s openly disdainful of Yasmin, even though he desires her and watches her every move. These two bicker and banter and fight and know that they would be a poor match for each other, but Giles does ultimately propose marriage to her. Meanwhile, Giles’ younger sister is the brattiest brat to ever brat and makes a spectacle of herself and says mean-spirited things about Yasmin (and others) making her the villain of the story. Even though Giles tries to overcome Yasmin’s scandalous reputation, he is still quite overbearing and jealous throughout the book and is an overall unlikeable guy for the most part. And of course, Yasmin’s hardened stance on her own reputation is just a hard shell protecting a fragile and vulnerable girl inside.

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

Not That Duke by Eloisa James (2023)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 3 of the Would-Be Wallflowers series. Half of this book takes place in the same timeline as Book 2 of the series, so there are a lot of overlapping events in both books. Stella is bookish and clumsy and awkward and the mean girls make fun of her, but she is definitely attracted to Silvester, even though he will never see her as a potential bride. Silvester grew up with eccentric parents and wants to conform more to social standards, so ignores the possibility of Stella as a wife, even though his mother suggests he. He’s busy pining over another lady for half the book, to the point where Stella knows she definitely has no chance at all with him, even though they’re sort of friends and spend a lot of time together. Poor Stella is just getting the short end of the stick for the whole book and is incredibly insecure, while Silvester is constantly doing and saying the wrong thing and oh so very slow to realize that Stella is worthy of his love and adoration. So much angst over this idiot and you just want to wrap Stella up and choose her first.

Advance ebook provided by Avon Books via NetGalley.

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Bad in Plaid Historical Romance Book Series by Caroline Lee

Dec 20, 2023 | Book Reviews

Plaid to the Bone by Caroline Lee (2021)

Historical romance. Medieval Scotland. Book 1 of the Bad in Plaid series. We’re onto a new generation of the Oliphant family with a laird who has six daughters, no sons, and a scheme to declare the next laird. The first daughter to marry and birth a son will have her husband become the next laird. Leanna is the youngest of the sisters and has no intention of marrying (unless she finds love and desire with the man she’s to marry) and has a chance meeting at the waterfall with a stranger. That stranger, Kenneth, is one of the King’s Hunters who is searching for his missing colleague and suspicious of the Oliphants. He soon realizes that the Oliphant clan doesn’t have anything to do with the missing man, and pretty quickly falls in love with Leanna. There’s about a 20 year age gap between these two, but that’s barely apparent here because Leanna is brash and bold in going after what she wants.

Ebook accessed from Kindle Unlimited.

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Not Half Plaid by Caroline Lee (2021)

Historical romance. Medieval Scotland. Book 2 of the Bad in Plaid series. The shy and quiet Fenella serves as the cook of the castle, preferring to stay in the kitchens than venture outside her domain. Brodie is a warrior who is recovering from injury, learning to walk again on his shattered knee, and spending too much time in the kitchens. He volunteers too much advice about cooking for Fenella’s liking, even though they’re both shyly attracted to each other. Somehow, they end up in a cooking competition with each other, with judges and everything. This one is mostly a humorous story, with Brodie learning to find a new purpose in life and Fenella learning to share her space with another person.

Ebook accessed from Kindle Unlimited.

Ye Give Love A Plaid Name by Caroline Lee (2022)

Historical romance. Medieval Scotland. Book 3 of the Bad in Plaid series. Wynda is the intellectual of the group, with massive book knowledge and the ability to invent a leg brace. She also communes with the ghosts of the castle, including one ghost who shares all sorts of positions for couples to find passion and pleasure and is writing a book to collate all this advice. This lady ghost strongly encourages Wynda to pursue her own pleasure and test out the positions from the book with Pherson, the clan’s falconer. Pherson is pretty much the sweetest single father you’ll ever read, caring for his young daughter who speaks little and has a disfigured foot. It turns out that Pherson found the abandoned baby in a field and he decided to keep and care for her. Wynda grows closer to the girl, as she assists in creating a walking brace and in teaching the girl to read. Although Pherson is keeping secrets about his past and does not feel worthy of Wynda’s attentions, it’s clear they’re both attracted to each other.

Ebook accessed from Kindle Unlimited.

Don’t Give A Damn About My Plaid Reputation by Caroline Lee (2022)

Historical romance. Medieval Scotland. Book 4 of the Bad in Plaid series. Robena has fallen in love with castle visitor Kester, but it turns out he’s already engaged to the daughter from a rival clan to stop a feud. Since Kester and his men are set to travel to the Highland Games to deliver a message and to meet his betrothed, Robena decides to tag along disguised as a lad so that she can compete in the bagpiping competition. Kester knows it’s Robena immediately and is completely appalled that no one else recognizes her. They both know that Kester is to marry someone else, but they decide to make the most of their time together anyway.

Ebook accessed from Kindle Unlimited.

A Plaid Case of Loving Ye by Caroline Lee (2022)

Historical romance. Medieval Scotland. Book 5 of the Bad in Plaid series. Healer Nicola needs to get away from her hypochondriac mother, so she decides to visit the convent and assist healing the nuns there. While there, an injured Ramsay does not remember who he is or how he was injured, but Nicola knows exactly who he is (and that he might believe her family to be an enemy). They grow closer together as Nicola attempts to save a dying woman and Ramsay cares for that woman’s baby. We get to see Ramsay be an excellent caregiver of the baby and struggle to remember if he has his own kids (don’t worry, he doesn’t). As Ramsay’s memory comes back, Nicola fears her time with him is limited, but they easily work out that misunderstanding.

Ebook accessed from Kindle Unlimited.

He Kens if Ye’ve Been Plaid or Good by Caroline Lee (2022)

Historical romance. Medieval Scotland. Book 6 of the Bad in Plaid series. Evander is one the King’s Hunters and his next mission is to arrest a woman accused of stealing cows from another clan. He approaches the castle as a lost wanderer, hoping to gain more information before making the arrest. Lady Ysabel leads a small and impoverished clan, victims of the neighboring laird’s rumors and theft. When Evander is found nearly frozen at her doorstep, she takes him in despite the meager offerings of her castle. He sees the kindness that she shows to her people and how little they have, so he helps out by bringing firewood and hunting food. Evander and Ysabel very quickly fall in love and Evander sees that she’s not guilty of the crimes she’s accused of. This one was the super quick holiday novella of the series, with an introduction of Evander’s Hunter friends.

Ebook accessed from Kindle Unlimited.

Plaid Attitude by Caroline Lee (2023)

Historical romance. Medieval Scotland. Book 7 of the Bad in Plaid series. The last book of this series settles the question of who becomes the next laird of the clan. Eldest daughter Coira has been running things for the clan for the past several years and is resentful that her father has made this decree about marriage and birthing a son. She has not been ladylike or interested in becoming anyone’s wife, despite being attracted to the clan commander, Doughall. He’s also attracted to Coira, but believes that she’s uninterested in marriage (and him). With the stress of planning a big Easter feast, plus her father’s ill health, Coira ends up enjoying Doughall’s comfort and support. He’s clearly smitten with her and waiting for her to accept him into her life. Doughall is also the single father of a teenage daughter who could benefit from guidance from Coira. We get to see all the couples from previous books again in this book and discover who will be the next laird.

Ebook accessed from Kindle Unlimited.

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

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.

Weekly Reads: December 11 to 17, 2023

Dec 19, 2023 | Book Reviews

Her Sort of Scoundrel by Christy Carlyle (2023)

Historical romance. Victorian-era England. Book 2 of the Wanton Widows Club series. Quick and easy novella. Dash is an earl who has had a lifelong crush on his older sister’s friend Fiona and somehow insulted her two years ago when she propositioned him. Now they haven’t spoken to each other in years, despite being literal next door neighbors. They eventually start talking to each other again when Dash’s ward wants to meet the glamorous lady next door and they start to reconcile their friendship. However, that whole longstanding attraction to each other is still there and they need to work out Fiona’s hesitance to lose her independence.

Ebook accessed from Kindle Unlimited.

Wreck My Plans by Jillian Meadows (2023)

Contemporary romance. Standalone novel. Lena is headed back home for Christmas after her plans fall through with her friends and she’s surprised to find that her brother’s best friend Gavin is joining them as well. Gavin had been part of their Christmas festivities for years before he just disappeared on them a few years ago. Lena and Gavin have both been crushing on each other for years and never did anything about it for unknown reasons. This year, they finally maybe kinda sorta hook up. However, Lena and Gavin were both kind of annoying with how stubborn they were in staying apart, when they are clearly so obviously in love with each other. This book was way too long for its plot.

Ebook accessed from Kindle Unlimited.

Snowed in with the Scoundrel by Kat Sterling (2023)

Historical romance. 1908 Cascade Mountains, Washington State. Standalone novella. Tommy is a bookseller and book thief running away from trouble and stumbles upon a warm and comfy cabin in the mountains. Imogen has been living in that cabin ever since she was rejected by her fiance and had her photography judged as mediocre. She’s surprised to find Tommy there and it turns out they were childhood friends who were separated by circumstance. Even though she insists that he leave, Tommy is stuck there with a series of snowstorms. These two slowly rekindle their friendship and attraction for each other in this quick holiday treat of a book.

Advance ebook provided by Kat Sterling.

The Baker and the Bookmaker by Ally Hudson (2023)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 2 of the Most Imprudent Matches series. Augie and Anna have been lifelong childhood friends as their parents serve in a viscount’s household. This book pretty much covers their friendship and relationship over many years and is told from Augie’s point of view. Even though Augie has been in love with Anna from the very beginning, he never quite makes a move for various reasons: at first thinking Anna would prefer their friend Michael, and then traveling to London to support Michael’s endeavors. When they finally get to see each other again after many years apart, Augie finally realizes the opportunity in front of him and makes an earnest effort at courting Anna. This book was low on the drama, but still entertaining, and gives more insight into Michael’s backstory from Book 1 of the series. I would recommend reading the series in order to not spoil some major plot points from Book 1.

Shop this book via Amazon // Bookshop.org // Available on Kindle Unlimited // Get a free trial to Kindle Unlimited

If You Give a Grump a Holiday Wishlist by Ann Einerson (2023)

Contemporary romance. Standalone novella. Quick novella. Jack is a grumpy billionaire boss who is attracted to his ultra-competent assistant Presley, but tries to keep things professional by barking orders and overworking the woman. When she tries to leave the office to take her pre-planned and approved vacation time to visit her family for Christmas, he gives her more work to do and invites himself along for the trip. Somehow, that turns into him being her fake boyfriend and staying in her childhood bedroom with her and participating in holiday fun. It’s quick, cute, and steamy.

Ebook accessed from Kindle Unlimited.

About a Rogue by Caroline Linden (2020)

Historical romance. Georgian-era England. Book 1 of the Desperately Seeking Duke series. Max has a reputation as a scoundrel but a newfound connection to a duke may improve his chances at becoming a business partner at a prosperous pottery company. Seeing that the owner has an eligible daughter, Max proposes marriage to the quiet and docile Cathy for a stake in the company. Cathy’s outspoken sister Bianca loudly disagrees with the match, accusing Max of being a lazy fortune-hunter. After Cathy runs off with another man, Bianca is somehow coerced into marrying Max instead. They start the marriage being at odds with each other, but Max is both attracted to an impressed by Bianca, and Bianca starts to realize that Max truly does want to work and improve the pottery business. It’s a slow burn romance here with both parties being swayed by the other person’s competence. And for added drama, Max has some secret that he’s hiding from Bianca but is afraid to lose her affection by revealing it.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

About a Kiss by Caroline Linden (2020)

Historical romance. Georgian-era England. Book 1.5 of the Desperately Seeking Duke series. Super short story and romance between the a valet and lady’s maid of the couple from Book 1. We get to see Kit and Jennie meet, flirt, and slowly fall in love while working together.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

Her Rogue to Ruin by Christy Carlyle (2023)

Historical romance. Victorian-era England. Book 3 of the Wanton Widows Club series. Quick novella. Portia is a widow who financially supports herself and her spinster aunt by painting portraits. She’s actively trying to avoid eye contact with the handsome Phin while she’s at his house painting his sister’s portrait, since she’s shy and nervous around him. Meanwhile he doesn’t quite know why she avoids him and he thinks she actually dislikes him. Despite all that, somehow Phin asks Portia to paint his nude portrait, where she refuses and then accepts, and they flirt and kiss and somehow seduce each other. And there’s a tiny bit of drama of Phin being in an arranged betrothal with someone else, but this is a novella, so we fix all that pretty quickly.

Ebook accessed from Kindle Unlimited.

A Risk Worth Taking by Jessica Joyce (2023)

Contemporary romance. Standalone novella. Super quick one-night stand on Claire’s last night living in Portland, which turns into a full weekend with Connor after a snowstorm cancels her flights. They flirt, banter, and spend lots of naked time together through the weekend, making no promises whatsoever as Claire prepares to move away. It’s a super quick read and absolutely delightful.

Ebook purchased via Amazon.

Winning My Wife by Ally Hudson (2024)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 3 of the Most Imprudent Matches series. The timeframe of this book starts before Book 1 of the series and overlaps and then extends beyond that timeframe. We finally get the story of how the kind and caring vicar’s daughter Kate ends up married to the oblivious and selfish Hugh. They had met awkwardly a few times in society as Kate is chaperoned by her duchess aunt, but clearly do not get along, until they get caught in a compromising situation and need to marry. Hugh’s overbearing and arrogant mother plants the idea that Kate had schemed to compromise Hugh, making him act like a generally arse to Kate. We see the beginning stages of the marriage where Kate and Hugh do not communicate well, barely spend any time together, and Hugh does not protect Kate against his own mother. Meanwhile, Hugh is struggling with the responsibilities of the estate and slowly realizing that his older brother had done so much for the family and ended up banished from it. It’s a huge turnaround for Hugh once he realizes how awful he has been and a separation from Kate makes him completely miserable. This book was emotional in all the best ways, with Hugh having the most growth and transformation.

Advance ebook provided by Ally Hudson via BookSirens.

The Fake Mate by Lana Ferguson (2023)

Contemporary paranormal romance. Standalone novel. Fake dating omegaverse story between an ER doc omega and grumpy cardiologist alpha. Mackenzie is tired of her grandmother setting her up on terrible dates so she lies and says that she’s dating someone, specifically the very grumpy and antisocial Noah. When she asks Noah for a fake date selfie in the breakroom, he counters by asking her to be his fake mate so that he doesn’t get in trouble with the hospital board for not disclosing his alpha status. Apparently, being properly mated may decrease the chances of his alpha hormones causing inappropriate aggression, nevermind that he’s on suppressant drugs. We get lots of fun banter here as Mackenzie loves to joke around and Noah has no sense of humor at all and lots of steam starting with casual sex and an unexpected heat cycle. If you’re new to reading omegaverse, this one is a pretty good introduction, and you’ll find a primer on the terminology on Lana Ferguson’s Instagram page.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

The Mistletoe Tryst by Eve Pendle (2023)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 3 of the Faking Stitch series. Sophie and Duke do not get along, even though Sophie is friends with Duke’s sister. Some nonsense about being different social stations. Except when Sophie’s family is suddenly low on funds, they scheme to match her up with the wealthy tradesman, Duke. He comes to visit at Christmas, instantly takes note of both their impoverished conditions and Sophie’s strange behavior, and he asks her directly what’s going on. Knowing she’s caught, Sophie tells him exactly what the problem is, and he proposes some sort of trial run at seduction to see if they’ll suit for marriage. Of course, they do, but neither is sure if the affection is true or if it’s just an act to gain security. Overall, a quick and steamy read.

Advance ebook provided by Eve Pendle.

One Night in Hartswood by Emma Denny (2023)

Historical romance. 14th century England. Standalone novel. William (who prefers to go by Penn) is on the cusp of marrying a woman he’s never met in a political arrangement set by his cruel and controlling father. Seeking freedom from his fate, he runs away into the woods, except that he has no survival skills whatsoever. Raff finds him and thinks that Penn is a servant who is running away from his post and helps him to escape. Both Raff and Penn are hiding their identities, as Penn believes Raff to be a mere hunter (not knowing he’s the son of an earl and brother to his fiance) and Raff believes Penn is a servant. As they spend more time together, it’s clear they’re attracted to each other, but Raff is in full-on protective mode and doesn’t want to take advantage of his position over Penn. This was a really great slow-burn romance, with Penn slowly dealing with his anxiety and the poor treatment of his father while falling in love with Raff.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

Between the Devil and Desire by Lorraine Heath (2008)

Historical romance. Victorian-era England. Book 2 of the Scoundrels of St. James series. Widowed duchess Olivia finds that her late husband has left the guardianship of her son and the ownership of her house to renowned scoundrel and gambling hell owner Jack Dodger. She’s aghast at the situation and strives to be proper in all things, except that she’s distracted by her own physical attraction towards the man. Jack had been abandoned by his mother, abused by an older gentleman, and then survived on the streets before his friend Luke was found to be an earl’s grandson and Jack came along for a proper education. Upon receiving a windfall, Jack opened his gambling hell and makes his fortune from aristrocrats’ losses. He’s just as curious as Olivia as to why a near-stranger would have entrusted his son to Jack’s care, so Jack sets his investigator friend on the case. As Jack and Olivia navigate their new proximity to each other, Olivia starts to see how she has misjudged Jack since he’s basically the best guardian ever to her son. As much as they both try to resist each other, that can only last so long.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

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New Releases in December 2023 – Historical Romance Books (and one Contemporary)

Dec 18, 2023 | Book Reviews

Second Duke’s the Charm by Kate Bateman (2023)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 1 of the Her Majesty’s Rebels series. How many tropes can you roll into a single book? We’ve got a virgin widow, female detectives, one-night stand in disguise, widow with her late husband’s heir, and marriage of convenience all in one. Tess becomes a widow to her much older husband on her wedding night and then uses her newfound freedom and independence to open an investigative agency with her two best friends. Two years later, wealthy shipping merchant Justin is identified as the next duke and stops by a scandalous house party on his way to claiming the title. There, he meets Tess is disguise and they have an amorous encounter as strangers, neither realizing that they will soon meet under different circumstances. When they properly meet at a ball, Justin immediately proposes a marriage of convenience to Tess, since it will save Justin the trouble of finding a proper wife and they get to continue their physical relationship. From there, we navigate a relationship where Tess is trying hard not to fall in love, and Justin denying that he has a heart. We also have Tess and her friends working on a case in secret in the background. With all the things going on in this book, it was definitely a page-turner and kept me entertained.

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

You’re the Duke That I Want by Lenora Bell (2023)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 1 of the Thunderbolt Club series. This book is a super fun Grease-retelling, with Sandrine being the sheltered young miss who meets Lord Dane (pretending to be a mere Danny) at the seaside. Lord Dane is typically a scoundrel and a rake, but is kind and sweet and enjoys the simple things when he’s with Sandrine. He leaves the seaside town unexpectedly when his brother is gravely injured and is concerned that he’s the heir to the dukedom. Sandrine ends up traveling to London to petition a certain duke to restore an old manor house, and is pretty angry to find that Dane has both lied to her and related to the duke that owns the manor. With a new set of lady friends, Sandrine gets to experience more of London adventures away from her overly strict mother while also continuing to run into Dane. There’s lots of interesting plot going on in this book, with Dane dealing with a blackmailer and Sandrine breaking free from her mother’s constraints. This book was a very enjoyable read.

Advance ebook provided by Avon Books via NetGalley.

The Governess and the Duke by Lydia Drake (2023)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 2 of the Renegade Dukes series. Viola is the governess to one duke’s rambunctious ward with a long-standing crush on that duke’s best friend. When traveling with her charge, the teenage girl falls and sprains her ankle, forcing the pair to stay at James’ ducal castle. Although James has been hiding away in the country after the embarrassment of a rejected proposal, he finds himself intrigued and attracted to Viola and wondering why he had never noticed her before. Both James and Viola try to fight their attraction to each other at first, being of different social standing, but that doesn’t last for too long. Viola’s charge and James’ sister become fast friends and cause all sorts of trouble, which is humorous to read. When we find out about Viola’s past and the secrets she’s been keeping, she’s pleasantly surprised by James’ reaction. Overall, this was a pretty straightforward social class difference romance, made more interesting by the antics of the teenage ward and sister.

Advance ebook provided by Entangled Publishing via NetGalley.

Kilty Plea by Caroline Lee (2023)

Historical romance. Medieval Scotland. Book 2 of the Kilty Pleasures series. King’s Hunter Payton has taken care of some bandits at an Abbey and the creepy Abbot offers him a woman as payment. Somehow he has acquired the frail Flora as his maybe-wife and takes her away from the terrible commune where she’s been living. She’s happy to go with Payton so that she can search for her brother who she’s been separated from for many years. We get to see Flora and Payton get to know each other and develop a bond, even though both are terribly insecure about their own appearances: Flora believes that she’s plain and ugly, while Payton’s face is badly scarred from a previous assignment. This book is a pretty quick read, with lots of humor and steam, along with Payton’s overwhelming boisterous family and festive holiday cheer.

Advance ebook provided by Caroline Lee.

The Duke’s Wicked Widow by Caroline Lee (2023)

Historical romance. Victorian-era England. Book 5 of the Surprise! Dukes series. I always love a good pregnancy-inheritance scheme. Ellie is at the doorstep of her late husband’s bastard cousin, hoping to get herself impregnated and pass the kid off as the next heir. Fawkes is both insulted and intrigued and ends up complying. While Ellie’s motives may seem selfish, she’s really just trying to protect her stepdaughter and she doesn’t have any place else to go if her in-laws throw her out. There’s a lot of back and forth between Ellie and Fawkes as she tries to get pregnant and he’s keeping secrets about his role as the notorious Duke of Death. However, Fawkes proves to be kind and caring towards Ellie and her stepdaughter when they need it. We also tie back to the overarching drama of the series with a traitor and his supposed agents trying to bring him to justice. We start strong with the physical attraction in this one, with a slow build towards real affection. And we still get all of tongue-in-cheek humor that Caroline Lee’s books always deliver.

Advance ebook provided by Caroline Lee.

Duke the Halls by Felicity Niven (2023)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Part of the Bed Me Books series. Franny and Kit are total strangers who make eye contact on the mail coach and part ways at their London destination. Kit is a duke that everyone considers an arsehole with no social tact or social skills whatsoever and he is running away from a Christmas house party where his mother hopes he will meet his future duchess. Franny works as a lady’s companion and is spending the holiday with her cook friend and her younger brother, but she gets to the house where the cook works, the woman has to leave to deal with a sick relative. Franny is all alone in a stranger’s house and is surprised the next day when she learns that the owner is actually the man she met the previous day on the coach. Somehow Kit and Franny make a deal to spend Christmas together while Franny teaches him how to properly talk to a potential bride. It’s easy and early sparks for these two, despite Kit’s awkwardness and overwhelming attraction for Franny. Steamy, low-angst, holiday treat.

Advance ebook provided by Felicity Niven.

The Duke Beneath Her Mistletoe by Nicki Pascarella (2023)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 1 of the Eatons of Trent series. This book takes a little while to get into the plot, but once we do, it’s a lot of adventure. William is a new duke tasked by his cousin Prinny to investigate workers rights along with the secret writer of political papers that seem to rally the workers. A factory making lace is the main target of the worker uprising, so William spends Christmas at the local earl’s house to learn more. At the same time, William’s friends gossip about how that earl’s sister Georgiana is a spinster who hates men and somehow William gets drunken goaded into a bet that he’ll bed her within a week. On Georgiana’s side of the story, she is actually the political writer promoting fair labor for her village friends and causing all this ruckus. And she’s uninterested in courtship or marriage. Somehow, when William comes to the castle for the holidays, he’s presented as a serious suitor and she does her best to stay away from him. Since William isn’t used to being rejected, he’s even more intrigued by her. Meanwhile, all this political unrest is happening in the background and William starts to side with the workers more than the overseeing aristocrats. And when he finds out that Georgiana is the secret writer he’s been looking for, he jumps to her rescue. And despite William and Georgiana’s contentious beginnings, it looks like they start to respect and admire the other along the way. Great start to the series and looking forward to reading more about Georgiana’s siblings.

Advance ebook provided by Nicki Pascarella.

The Duke Bargain by Eve Pendle (2023)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 3 of the Dukes vs Doctors series. The new Duke of Metford has pulled financial support from the women’s college where Lily is an astronomer. She storms into his house on Christmas Eve to request for funds to be reinstated, but Beckett is a gruff and grumpy man who believes that his father’s spending was frivolous. They somehow end up in a bargain where she stays the next few days with the duke and enter into a physical affair. This was a pretty short and steamy novella where the two people quickly fall in love and work things out.

Advance ebook provided by Eve Pendle.

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.

Taming the Savage Duke by Barbara Russell (2023)

Historical romance. Victorian-era England. Book 1 of the Victorian Outcasts series. Chaos and tragedy for everyone involved in this book. Maddie is on the cusp of receiving entry into a prestigious art academy, but an accident involving an overzealous botanist leaves her painting ruined and her hand injured and unable to paint. Hector is the brother of a duke who wants acceptance into his own scientific academy and accidentally injured Maddie in an attempt to collect a rare plant. He feels horribly guilty for her injury and only accepts his place on a South American expedition after Maddie’s encouragement to leave. Unfortunately, his ship goes down before he even reaches his destination and he’s declared dead. Eight years later, Hector is found alive, having survived alone on an island all this time. In this time, his brother and mother had both passed away and his horrible cousin is now the duke. Maddie gets involved to assist Hector in regaining his manners and civility to gain his title back. The romance is slow and sweet and low-angst, while we work through all of the external struggles that Maddie ad Hector have. This was action-packed and kept me enthralled the whole way through.

Advance ebook provided by Oliver Heber via NetGalley.

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A Duke’s Heiress Historical Romance Book Series by Madeline Hunter

Dec 14, 2023 | Book Reviews

Heiress for Hire by Madeline Hunter (2020)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 1 of the Duke’s Heiresses series. A duke with no wife or children passes away and leaves none of his fortune to his many family members; instead, he leaves an inheritance to three strangers who the family is not acquainted with. The duke’s nephew Chase, who was previously in the army, is charged with finding these women who have been left with such a fortune. He ends up entangled with one of the heiresses, Minerva, who has never met the duke before and has a history of an abusive husband and changing her name after his death. Since the duke had died under suspicious circumstances, Minerva believes that she’ll be a suspect with motives for his death. She thinks the best way to protect herself from being accused is to find the person who was actually responsible for the duke’s death. Meanwhile, Chase is leading his own investigation into the matter, and keeps running into Minerva as they’re simultaneously separately working on the same case. I liked seeing these two continually interact and bicker with each other and slowly develop a romance. With Minerva’s terrible late husband, it was nice to see Chase be so protective and patient with her. This was a good introduction to the duke’s family dynamics and interesting set up for the mystery of his death.

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

Shop this book via Amazon // Bookshop.org // Libro.fm // Available on Kindle Unlimited // Get a free trial to Kindle Unlimited

Heiress in Red Silk by Madeline Hunter (2021)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 2 of the Duke’s Heiresses series. Kevin is distressed and annoyed that his uncle gave partnership of his business to a stranger. When he finally discovers that Rosamund is a milliner in a country town, he sends his cousin-in-law to inform her of her inheritance. At first, Kevin is anxious to meet her so that he can convince her to sign away her decision-making rights to his enterprise, but she’s far savvier than that and wants to have an equal say in anything that happens. Rosamund has her own history of having worked as a maid, then becoming an milliner’s apprentice and ultimately opening her own shop for fine hats. She anticipates that her newfound fortune will help improve her and her sister’s station. Once Kevin realizes that Rosamund is not a total pushover, he tries to befriend her to gain influence instead. Along the way, there’s the meddling of his family, the mystery of his uncle’s death, and Rosamund’s attachment to a former love. I loved seeing Kevin and Rosamund interact with each other and Rosamund demand to have things her way. She’s clever and strong-willed and is delightful to read.

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

The Heiress Bride by Madeline Hunter (2023)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 3 of the Duke’s Heiresses series. New duke Nicholas is still adjusting to his inherited status and feeling the stresses of his responsibilities. He’s surprised when he receives a visit from the last of the late duke’s heiresses, Iris. She is a rare book dealer and has come to inquire about a particular rare book that the late duke had said that he would assist her in finding. Iris had only recently learned that the duke had passed away and is completely surprised by her inheritance. Nicholas agrees to assist her in finding this book, but is also suspicious of Iris, so he intends to keep a close eye on her. This one is another book in the series where the two main characters really start on opposite sides of an argument but also can’t seem to stay away from each other. This book was super interesting in terms of Iris’s family history and scandal with her grandfather. We also re-open the investigation into the late duke’s death and wonder if Iris or Nicholas become targets for violence as well. And I also enjoyed the big reveal at the end when we start to dig into the attics.

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

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