The Work of Art by Mimi Matthews (2019)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 1 of the Somerset Stories series. We’ve got a strikingly beautiful and kind young lady, Phyllida, living with her uncle and cousins after her grandfather has passed away and now she’s being prepared for her debut and season. However, her uncle has almost sold her to a much older and cruel duke who is known for collecting rare and beautiful things. She finds kindness and connection with another man, Arthur, who is an injured war veteran. When it seems that her marriage to the duke is imminent, she enters into a marriage of convenience with Arthur, and he takes her away to his estate for protection. In reading this book, I appreciated the slow build of trust and companionship between Phyllida and Arthur and that they were able to talk through their issues for the most part. Even with the external drama of meddlesome family members, the romance here was solid and heartwarming.

Ebook purchased via Amazon.

Gentleman Jim by Mimi Matthews (2020)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 2 of the Somerset Stories series. Childhood friends Nicholas and Maggie are separated when Nicholas is accused of a crime and she helps him escape. Ten years later, Maggie is in London for the Season after an illness and mourning her father and her aunt, when a handsome viscount new to London is paying her court. It doesn’t take long for Maggie to suspect that the handsome viscount is really her childhood friend Nicholas in a new identity and persona. Both have their money and property at stake if they continue their association, but cannot seem to stay away from each other. It’s also interesting to watch them uncover the mysteries of the past and explanations for the viscount’s current identity.

Ebook purchased via Amazon.

Return to Satterthwaite Court by Mimi Matthews (2023)

Historical romance. Victorian-era England. Book 3 of the Somerset Stories series. Take the son of the couple from Book 1 and the daughter of the couple from Book 2, throw them together, and you get Book 3. Kate and Charles have a chance meeting in a London street when Charles rescues a stray dog (much like his mother) and Kate finds herself completely enthralled and ready to pursue him. Kate is uninterested in any of the other gentlemen she’s met this year and Charles is newly returned from serving in the Navy. The romance here is pretty straightforward and we get to revisit the families we loved from the previous books. Plus, there’s a nice setup for Book 4, which comes out later this year.

Advance ebook provided by Perfectly Proper Press via NetGalley.

Appointment in Bath by Mimi Matthews (2023)

Historical romance. Victorian-era England. Book 4 of the Somerset Stories series. Meg and Ivo are from neighboring rival families, but that doesn’t stop them from hesitantly forming a friendship (and further attachment). This book takes place in the same timeframe as Book 3 and results from the rivalry of Book 2, so it will make the most sense reading in order. Even without the backstory, the shy and stammering Meg slowly learns to stand up for herself and go after what she wants with the confidence built from her friendship with Ivo. She interprets Ivo’s kindness as pity and is dismayed that he only sees her as a friend. However, Ivo believes that their friendship is precious and hopes to mend the rift between their families (even if he doesn’t know all the details of how bad things are between the parents). This one was a pretty quick and straightforward read.

Advance ebook provided by Perfectly Proper Press via NetGalley.

A Lady of Conscience by Mimi Matthews (2024)

Historical romance. Victorian-era England. Book 5 of the Somerset Stories series. Fairly quick read of a romance we’ve seen hinted at earlier in the series. James is the serious and relatively gruff viscount who keeps very rigid control of his emotions in an effort to rehabilitate his family name from scandal. He’s looking to marry someone of higher social standing to improve his own, but is drawn to the quiet and shy Hannah instead. Hannah is the daughter of a retired army captain who is known for advocating for animals and wishes to find a peaceful life in the country with a husband who loves her. While she’s drawn to James, she knows that a match between them would be ill-suited. She’s pretty shocked when he pays her attention and refuses his first bumbling marriage proposal. I liked seeing James receiving a set-down from Hannah and his parents for messing up his nonexistent courtship. I also liked seeing him try again for a second shot and courting her much more earnestly.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

The Governess and the Rogue by Mimi Matthews (2025)

Historical romance. Victorian-era England. Book 6 of the Somerset Stories series. Bea is a governess in a tough position and needs rescuing from Jack on the ship home. And he proposes a fake engagement between them to protect her from dastardly employers and to protect him from fortune-hunting young ladies. Fairly straightforward plot here, with the promise that they’ll fall in love. I enjoyed Jack’s protecting nature and how everything turns to chaos when his family gets involved.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

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The Fake Out by Stephanie Archer (2023)

Contemporary romance. Book 2 of the Vancouver Storm series. Steamy fake dating romance here. Hazel and Rory have known each other since high school; he’s kind of an asshole, but learning to get along with his new team; she’s not interested in any sort of long term commitment and especially not with hockey players. But her toxic ex-boyfriend is traded to the team where she works and she pretends Rory is her boyfriend to get him to leave her alone. Rory, who is clearly smitten with Hazel, agrees to the ruse, but he’s really trying to convince her that this thing is real. Flirty banter the whole way through and learning about Rory’s family and backstory. He’s the ultimate boyfriend though and very obviously falls first and harder.

Ebook accessed from Kindle Unlimited.

After Hours at Dooryard Books by Cat Sebastian (2025)

Historical romance. 1960s New York City. Standalone novel. Slow burn romance here between Patrick, bookstore manager, and Nathaniel, the lost soul who needs a place to stay. Basically, at the generosity of the kind and caring bookstore owner, Patrick was saved once upon a time, and is mostly the kind of guy who saves other. Nathaniel gets dropped off at the bookstore steps by the nice old lady before she heads out of state. He’s a total mystery and maybe sort of panics every time he has to go outside. And then Patrick’s sister-in-law shows up with a newborn baby after her husband (and Patrick’s brother) dies in Vietnam. It’s a messy depressing sort of time, but this group quickly forms a family, along with the other neighbors who live in the building. There’s no dramatic external plot, just the quiet everyday lives of this family, and I absolutely loved it.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

Sunk in Love by Heather McBreen (2026)

Contemporary romance. Standalone novel. Rosalyn has pretty much been lying to her family, pretending everything is fine, when really she asked her husband Liam for a divorce and hasn’t actually seen him in three months. But the big family vacation is coming up and her grandparents are planning a vow renewal and asking Liam to officiate. They agree to pretend everything is fine during the vacation, which makes things awkward, but also they have all sorts of repressed feelings and attraction. I’d say this book veers more into repressed communication, rather than miscommunication. It’s all angsty and heartbreaking and I really just wanted someone to be brave and speak up. The whole book is from Rosalyn’s POV, and while no one is the outright villain of the break-up, everyone kind of sucks here. But the spice is spicy and they clearly still have passion for each other.

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

The Lost Letter by Mimi Matthews (2017)

Historical romance. Victorian-era England. Standalone novel. Second chance romance here between Sylvia, a baron’s daughter turned governess, and Sebastian, earl’s second son turned earl. Sebastian’s meddlesome sister pretty much finds and coerces Sylvia to come visit Sebastian, after he had been injured in battle and come home scarred and surly. She’s not expecting much here, thinking he hates her having never replied to her letters three years ago. But you can predict that their letters had been tampered with, leaving them both thinking the other person heartlessly rejected the other. We just need to get to the point where they tell each other the truth of their feelings and resentment, rather than holding onto their pride. I always love reading Mimi Matthews, and this was another one I really enjoyed.

Ebook and audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

Fundamentals of Being a Good Girl by Julie Murphy and Sierra Simone (2026)

Contemporary romance. Book 1 of the Academic Affairs series. Just to be clear, even though this is an age-gap romance, it is NOT a professor-student romance. Brom and Maddie meet at a bar on her 26th birthday and have a one night stand. And of course, she shows up at his house the next day as the potential nanny for his kids. It’s a huge conflict of interest, especially when he finds out that she’s adjuncting at the same university where he works (totally different department though), but he desperately needs the childcare and she also desperately needs the money. Clearly, it’s a matter of time before they give into their attraction. But along the way, we have Brom’s amazing friend group and family to learn about, and this lovely little small university town. Maddie is also connected to the Christmas Notch series, so we get some fun cameos throughout the book. Loved it. Can’t wait to read more of this series.

Advance ebook provided by Avon Books via NetGalley.

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Here’s a round up of a bunch of my favorite romance books narrated by Justine Eyre. Click on the image to go to the Libro.fm listing page to check it out. (Affiliate links used, so if you make a purchase, I get a small commission)

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

Useful Resources:

Read more about getting the most out of your library card

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

Learn more about Kindle Unlimited

Get my massive guide of all the romances I’ve read on Kindle Unlimited

Read an introduction to fanfiction

Learn more about sources for reading fanfiction

Follow me on Instagram at @randomolive

Shop my handmade bookmarks on Etsy

Support this page with a donation

Affiliate links may be used within this post. If you make a purchase, I receive a small commission at no extra charge to you.

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

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

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

Ebook and audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

The Care and Feeding of Waspish Widows by Olivia Waite (2020)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 2 of the Feminine Pursuits series. The slowest slow burn friends to lovers story here. Widowed Agatha is running her print works and finds a swarm of bees where they shouldn’t be, so her mother-in-law refers local bee expert Penelope to help. Penelope is a married woman who’s husband is actually in love with her brother and they go off sailing and catching whales together. Loved seeing Agatha and Penelope’s friendship develop through their letters and subsequent visits to each other’s homes. It’s a super slow build, but well worth the read.

Ebook and audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

The Hellion’s Waltz by Olivia Waite (2021)

Historical romance. Victorian-era England. Book 3 of the Feminine Pursuits series. I love a good swindle, especially when combined with some vigilante justice. Sophie is rightly skeptical of anyone being swindled, with her family’s recent downfall at the hands of a con-man. However, Maddie and her band of weavers have a plan for getting back at the local draper who has been taking advantage of them for decades. While Sophie is trying to figure out which side she wants to support, she’s definitely falling for Maddie’s seductions in the process. We have a bit of a fast-burn romance here, with Sophie quickly joining the weavers’ side and bringing her own ideas to the chaos. Loved this little village who support each other and I liked seeing how they were all tied to each other.

Ebook and audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

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

Useful Resources:

Read more about getting the most out of your library card

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

Learn more about Kindle Unlimited

Get my massive guide of all the romances I’ve read on Kindle Unlimited

Read an introduction to fanfiction

Learn more about sources for reading fanfiction

Follow me on Instagram at @randomolive

Shop my handmade bookmarks on Etsy

Support this page with a donation

Affiliate links may be used within this post. If you make a purchase, I receive a small commission at no extra charge to you.

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