Tag Archives: Victorian

To Covet a Countess by Sapna Bhog – a Review

Posted on by
11

To Covet a Countess by Sapna Bhog – a Review

 

Amazon / B&N / Kobo / Google Play / Apple

 

Description:
Nicholas Delmore, the Earl of Hawksley, was not expecting a snowstorm-sieged London evening to end with a dagger held to his throat. Nor did he anticipate his spirited attacker to have glossy black tresses and lush red lips that might invite a lesser gentleman to steal a kiss. But before he can demand his beautiful assailant to identify herself, she faints dead away in his arms.

Sania Aaryan has no choice but to trust the breathtakingly handsome Earl of Hawksley with both her life and her sister’s. Trusting him with the truth, however, is out of the question. Because fleeing India for the icy shores of England was rash. Impulsive. And it might have saved her life—only to land her into the arms of a man who poses an entirely different kind of danger.

Now Sania is experiencing a world filled with luxury and opulent decadence. But starry nights and fairy-tale balls cannot chase away the shadows of Sania’s secrets. Especially when her terrible past arrives in London with an eye for icy vengeance…

 

Review:

To Covet a Countess by Sapna Bhog is the second book in her “The Elusive Lords” series. I’ve not read the first book, but no matter as it doesn’t really help in this book. Although there are characters from the first book in this one.

Sania doesn’t know what to do! Escaping India with her sister seemed a lot easier than trying to gain entry to see her cousin in England! After being refused entry into her cousins home, Sania has no other option (except to freeze in the English winter) but to break into her cousins home and explain why. And getting caught by a handsome gentleman only adds to her dilemma!

Nicholas sees a figure trying to break into his friend and neighbors home! Doing the honorable thing he tries to apprehend the intruder. Imagine his surprise when he finds out that it’s a woman! And even more surprised and shocked when she faints in his arms!

Nicholas and Sania are absolutely adorable to read. She’s a feisty female who knows what she wants, and will speak her mind freely. Not interested in the suitor picked out for her in India, she’s had no choice but to run away, and taking her younger sister with her was the best option for them both.

Nicholas is haunted by things from his past, but he tries to be a good man. Not really interested in society and their ways! He’s such a great character to read, making a change from the usual rogues that get the lady.

Reuniting Sania with her cousin Lara, Nicholas although thoroughly enamored with the beautiful Sania, he knows she would be better off without him being around! So with a heavy heart he tries to avoid the young lady. But thankfully Sania isn’t going to make it easy for him.

A wonderfully written story that I finished in one afternoon. It’s part of a series (Lara has her own book (“Date to be a Duchess”) and although Lara and Wolf play quite a large part in this book, it doesn’t take away from this story. (Although I’m rather taken with reading their story now ?) Very well thought out, enough description for me to imagine myself outside freezing in the English weather, and to see myself at the ball.

It’s a “love at first sight” story for me. And I really don’t have a problem with that. The chasing down of Nicholas by Sania had me smiling (as it’s usually the man chasing the reluctant lady)

*And the issue of race is done brilliantly. Nothing is hidden, we are made aware of their differences and we are made painfully aware that people have always and will always be prejudice against someone different from themselves! *

So can Sania convince Nicholas that they can be together and damn what society thinks of it all? There is a blip in their happiness….. Can they overcome it when Sania’s past comes knocking on their new found happiness? Can Sania be able to see past Nicholas’ mistakes and forgive him for his misgivings?

The only tiny issue I had (and that’s just me) was that I wasn’t sure what time period this was set in. (But that’s just me being picky). But I’d happily recommend this book if you like your historical romance with a little steam and a few twists.

 

Reviewed by Julie

Copy provided by Publisher

 

 

Share

Escaping the Earl by Lauren Smith – a Review

Posted on by
12

Escaping the Earl by Lauren Smith – a Review

 

Amazon / B&N / Kobo / Google Play

 

Description
Peregrine Ashby, Earl of Rutland
A gentleman.
A reluctant aristocrat.
Desperate to avoid marriage.

Peregrine Ashby, the newly and unexpectedly titled Earl of Rutland, is muddling through the affairs of becoming a suddenly wealthy and titled man of means. The last thing he wants to worry about is a finding a wife. After the disaster of his parents’ loveless marriage, he’s sworn off wife-hunting.

But when he stumbles quite literally into a mysterious beauty wearing a mask at a ball who begs for his help he can’t deny her. Her request? Make love to her beneath the stars and save her from a terrible marriage herself. After the magic of the night is over and the mysterious beauty has vanished, he remains haunted by her and what might have been…

Sabrina Talleyrand flees her home when she learns her brother has sold her in marriage to a foul man. Knowing the one thing that will stop the marriage is no longer being a virgin, she seduces the first man at a masked ball that attracts her attention. But making love to the handsome dark haired stranger with amber colored eyes has left her changed in more ways than one…

 

 

Review:

Escaping the Earl by Lauren Smith is the 16th book in her League of Rogues series. This book starts with a young woman seeking help in escaping a marriage that she does not want and a man with a title and commitments he didn’t ask for! 

Peregrine is so confused with running his new title and everything that comes with it! He certainly doesn’t want to find a wife at the moment! 

Sabrina needs a man! Any man will do, except the man her family want her to marry! She needs to get rid of her virginity! If she does that, then the horrid man claiming her have in marriage won’t want “used goods”! Donning a mask, she is determined to attend a ball and become a “fallen woman” 

Both Peregrine and Sabrina fall for one another both literally and figuratively. And spending a magical evening together they both wonder about the other, but as masks were worn to this ball, neither know who they are! But it doesn’t stop them from thinking about each other. 

And when she takes up employment with a lovely man with a cute daughter, Sabrina breaths a huge sigh of relief. Her life will continue as a nanny to the lovely family that has taken her in. 

Peregrine on the other have is still wondering about the mysterious young lady he had a midnight tryst with. And so when he encounters her months later he is surprised that she’s only a nanny and not some lady! But he’s going to peruse her and maybe get what he’s been dreaming about for months. 

A historical romance with a slight twist. Most historical books I’ve read have the young woman hanging onto her virginity until either marriage or the right man. But this one has her seeking to just give it away to the first man! And usually the man is an arrogant bore or a rogue, but Peregrine is neither. 

This is the first book in this series I’ve read, and I’ll definitely go back and visit the League of Rogues Series at some point. But I have read other books by this author and I’ve been thoroughly entertained. 

Plenty of angst and a little steam for this book. Both it’s not a marriage Peregrine offers Sabrina, it’s a role of mistress! His parents marriage was a disaster and so he’s never going to fall into that trap. 

Sabrina is heartbroken! She wants a family with Peregrine, she’s given him her body and heart. What’s a girl to do? Luckily the family that have taken her in can supply the answer and they leave the town and Peregrine be find! 

It’s a shortish book with plenty going on. But you’ll want to know if Peregrine and Sabrina find a HEA, or will she fall for Rafe and his lovely daughter…..

Your going to have to find that out for yourself. ? 

Reviewed by Julie

Copy supplied for Review

 

Share

The Bachelor Bargain by Maddison Michaels – a Review

Posted on by
12

The Bachelor Bargain by Maddison Michaels – a Review

 

Amazon / B&N / Kobo / Google Play / Apple

 

Description:
Bachelors, beware. For those who keep secrets and prey on the innocent, you will be exposed, with all your dirty little secrets laid bare to one and all. You have been warned…

Lady Olivia Haliford has had enough. Tired of seeing women lose their reputations, futures, and sometimes even their lives to scandal while the men walk free, she is ready to take back power and stand up for women everywhere. Along with her two closest friends, she plans to start an anonymous publication dedicated to dishing the dirt and exposing the secrets of society’s most eligible bachelors. But in order to do so, she will have to make a deal with the devil…

Sebastian Colver, known as the Bastard of Baker Street, is feared throughout London as the city’s most notorious gambling den owner and undisputed king of the underground. His life is nothing but darkness and danger, so he is shocked when the petite lady gracing his doorstep seems anything but frightened of him. He agrees to be a silent partner in the publishing of the Gazette if she will use her connections to sponsor his sister and launch her into Society and away from his dark world.

But exposing the secrets of the rich and powerful can be dangerous. Almost as dangerous as a lady falling in love with the king of the underground. 

Content Warning: The Bachelor Bargain  features themes, imagery, and content that may be triggering for some readers. Discussion of physical abuse, rape, suicide, and death appear within the novel. Scenes depicting graphic violence/death also appear. It is my hope that these elements have been handled sensitively, but if they could be considered triggering to you, please take note.

 

 

Review:

The Bachelor Bargain by Maddison Michaels is the first book in her Secrets, Scandal and Spies series. 

Olivia has had enough, yet one more young lady has had her good name besmirched, her standing in the community thrown into disarray! But to lose one of her closest and dearest friends to death (the poor girl could not face the shame) enough is enough! Something must be done! She needs a way of exposing the scoundrels without putting herself in danger! So with the help of her two friends (Kaitlyn and Henrietta) she comes up with a newspaper to expose the rakes that do the evil deeds! 

Sebastian isn’t known as the “bastard of Baker Street” for nothing, he might have been born from an unholy union, but it’s his fearsome reputation that the nobility and street rats fear the most! He will ruin you at his gambling tables, and he doesn’t care what stock your from! 

This is the first book in a new series. So I’m hoping her friends Kaitlyn and Henrietta get books too. I thought Olivia was great, she knew her mind and doggedly pursued what she wanted! No mean feat in those days, as ladies were only meant to be accessories for their husbands! 

But Livie has come to accept that she’s going to be a spinster forever! A limp has put her at a disadvantage. Beauty is suppose to be from top to toe, and no one will put up with a girl with a disfigured leg! 

Sebastian although a rogue and bastard, was actually more of a gentleman than he was given credit for! He protects those he cares for, but it’s still hard to place trust in anyone….He owns a lot of property, and so a lot of responsibility, but he’s not the sort ti shy away from hard work. 

The idea of exposing the scoundrels that ruin the young ladies was a new one, and I loved it. What a nice way to spend an afternoon. Intrigue and suspense, throw in a splash of passion and romance and it will face to glued to the pages until the end. 

Seb has to come to terms that he feels more than just admiration for Olivia, but his standing in the community means they can never really be together! He wants his half sister to be accepted into society! Why? If all he does is ruin the men he might want her to marry! That’s easy, he only ruins men with a rogue reputation, so there are still plenty of good men for his sister to marry. So when he strikes up a bargain with Olivia, financial help from him, but only if she helps to elevate his sisters standing in the society, Olivia is hard pressed to refuse. 

But not everyone is happy with her wanting to expose these scoundrels! And when her life is in danger, how will Sebastian act? 

Reviewed by Julie

Copy provided by Publisher

 

 

 

 

 

Share

Betting on a Duke’s Heart by Royaline Sing -a Review

Posted on by
11

Betting on a Duke’s Heart by Royaline Sing -a Review

 

Amazon / B&N / Kobo / Google Play / Apple

Description:
Aetius White, the Duke of Saxton, couldn’t save his father, but he’ll be damned if he won’t save the man’s dream. He’ll acquire a Triple Crown–winning horse at any cost, even marriage. Luckily, the lovely lady in mind loves challenges as much as he. Certainly he can win her heart without losing his own…

Hell will freeze over before Miss Dina Campbell agrees to marry a horse-mad man who wants her dowry of a prize stallion, no matter what her father wants. The duke may be handsome, but he’ll have to prove he is a suitable match for her before she’ll even consider the offer. And there’s no way this love-averse man will ever succeed with the wager that she has planned…

 

Review:

Betting on a Duke’s Heart begins with Dina Campbell checking her appearance before descending the stairs to meet yet another suitor whom she does not want.  She, as always, has tried to make herself as unattractive as possible.  When she enters the room to meet Aetius White, the Duke of Saxton, she is astonished when he tells her “…you are to be the Duchess of Saxton”.  She immediately tells him that she is not, but she is even more surprised when she is told that her father has already agreed to the marriage.  Dina is even more put out when Aetius basically tells her this is the way of it and he’ll be back in touch.

Dina knew of the Duke and knew well his love of horses, but it galled her that her horse was what he wanted and not her.  She didn’t want to be anyone’s second.

Aetius finds himself intrigued by Dina.  But his first priority is to win the Triple Crown which he can do if he marries her and is able to use her prized horse.  What he does not count on is that just as he is determined to marry her, she is just as determined to not marry.  What neither count on is the growing attraction between them and how to handle it. 

Betting on a Duke’s Heart is a nicely written story.  Dina is a strong and independent woman, albeit a little naïve at times.  Aetius is your typical male who was only marrying to further his personal endeavors.  I did enjoy some of the banter between the two of them. However, there was so much about horses (breeding and all!) that it almost overwhelmed the story.  Do not get me wrong.  Horses are part of the plot, but breeding in detail? I also enjoyed getting to explore a little of Dina’s mixed heritage.  Overall, even though I found Betting on a Duke’s Heart a little slow, it was an enjoyable read.  If you’re a fan of the genre, I’m sure you’ll enjoy it as well.

Reviewed by Vickie

Copy provided by Publisher

Share

The Earl of Morrey by Lauren Smith – a Review

Posted on by
12

The Earl of Morrey by Lauren Smith – a Review

 

Amazon / B&N / Kobo / Google Play / Apple

Description:
Letty Fordyce knows three things about her future husband:

Lord Morrey is a dangerous man.

He frightens her.

She desires him.

Adam Beaumont, the Earl of Morrey, is full of dark secrets. His brooding and mysterious allure draw women to him like moths to a flame. But he fears he can never marry, not when his secret life is full of constant danger.

Letty doesn’t want to be like other women, she wants a life for herself and a happy marriage to a respectable man, not someone with secrets like Lord Morrey.  Yet from the moment she meets the charming rogue and he steals a kiss, she can’t think of anyone else. 

When a night of terror sends her into Adam’s arms, she’ll be forced to choose between the life she thought she wanted and the man she’s falling in love with.

 

Review:

Author Lauren Smith has penned another wickedly exciting historical romance. This one is not only romantic but is also an intriguing tale of espionage and danger.

Adam Beaumont is the Earl of Morrey and a member of the Court of Shadows, the King’s elite spy organization. He is a man whose job was to end any threat to the Crown. An agent of His Majesty who worked to keep the monarchy safe, as well as to protect the kingdom from foreign threats. He did this to atone for not being able to save his friend John Wilhelm, who was also a spy and killed in the service. Adam wanted revenge for his friend’s life.

The story begins with Adam attending a ball, where he was to protect an agent of the King. He watched as Lady Edwards left the ballroom and he began to follow, believing her to be in grave danger. However, the woman he thought was a French agent, was the younger sister of his friend James Fordyce, the Earl of Pembroke. She was merely helping Lady Edwards repair some damage to her hair do. Adam had noticed her for a long time and truly desired her. While they were trying to sort out what was happening, Adam noticed a pistol barrel aimed at them from the doorway. He grabbed both ladies and pulled them to the floor as the pistol fired.

In the aftermath of the firing the assailant got away. Adam told Lady Edwards a crowd would be coming to see what the noise was, and they couldn’t be seen together. Lady Edwards left by the window and into the gardens, leaving Adam alone in a retiring room with Lady Leticia Fordyce. He apologized to Lady Leticia for what he was about to do. He pulled her to him and kissed her, just as many men opened the door and walked in, one of them her brother.

Adam told James what happened, after the other men left. However, he also told James that he thought he would have to marry Leticia to protect her from not only scandal, but that the other spy had seen her and would think she was connected to the spy organization. He was the only one that could protect her…

And the game is afoot! This marvelous page turner begins with a bang and doesn’t stop until the end. I try not to do spoilers, so this is just the general gist of the beginning and now I can tell you what I found so enthralling.

The action, both dangerous and the romantic kind is well done. The conversations are natural and well-written. There’s a bit of humor in the poor girl marrying a man she hardly knows. Yet she’s actually quite brave, under the circumstances. They do fall truly in love during all the ensuing antics. I’d love to be more specific, but oh how I love to let people read the story themselves and discover all the marvelous adventures. And the adventures are plentiful!

Grab a glass of your favorite beverage and settle in for a wonderful read. My kudos to author Lauren Smith on another wonderful book.

Reviewed by Georgianna

Copy supplied for Review

Share

The Duke’s Dove by Lauren Smith – a Review

Posted on by
12

The Duke’s Dove by Lauren Smith – a Review

 

Amazon / B&N / Kobo / Google Play / Apple / BAM / Book Depository

 

Description:
A duke with a broken heart discovers he has one last chance to win back the woman he loves on Christmas Eve…

Nathan Powell, the Duke of Hastings broke the heart of the only woman he ever loved when he ended their engagement in order to save her family. He demanded one promise of her…that she marry another man and live a happy life. Now he’s desperate to avoid marriage to someone else at all costs. When his younger brother tricks him into attending a Christmas Ball, he discovers his beloved Thea will be there.

Thea Swann has plenty of problems, with six unmarried younger sisters to keep in line, she doesn’t worry that she’ll run into the reclusive duke that stole her heart eight years ago. But when she comes face to face with Nathan, and he begs her for just one dance…she wonders, will he steal one last dance, one last kiss before walking away forever and taking her broken heart with him?

 

 

Review:

The Duke’s Dove by Lauren Smith is a lovely novella for Christmas! What a perfect love story for the Christmas season.

Nathan Powell, Duke of Hastings was in love eight years ago. However, he wasn’t quite the Duke then. His father said no when he told him he wanted to marry Theodosia Swann. His father threatened to ruin Mr. Swann and his family if he wasn’t obeyed. So, Nathan had to break his own heart as well as that of the only love he’d known.

Eight years later, he planned to attend a ball at the home of an old friend. He didn’t do social things much, but it was almost Christmas and he couldn’t turn down the invitation. He’d make Thea promise him years ago that she’d forget him and find love again, living a happy life he couldn’t give her. He assumed she’d kept her promise, and she was too lovely not to, or so he thought.

When the inevitable happened and they met again, it was as if time had stood still. He loved her so much and couldn’t help himself.

Pick up a copy of this lovely read and enjoy yourself immensely. What a wonderful story to cuddle up with for an evening. Author Lauren Smith has done it again, just in time for the holidays.

Reviewed by Georgianna

Copy supplied for review

Share

Tempting the Footman by Lauren Smith – a Review

Posted on by
13

Tempting the Footman by Lauren Smith – a Review

 

Amazon / B&N / BAM / Book Depository

 

Description:
She’s an heiress who needs a husband fast…he’s the brooding, handsome footmen who comes to her rescue…

Lady Venetia Dunham has plenty of money and freedom, until her father dies, leaving her and her feisty grandmother at the hands of her less than noble cousin when he becomes the new earl. Her cousin makes his wishes clear. She will marry a man of his choosing, a man who will split her fortune with her cousin.

Determined to avoid that fate, Venetia and her grandmother flee to a country house party hosted by the Duke and Duchess of Devon where Venetia stumbles into the arms of Adrian Montague, a handsome footman with a tragic past.

When Venetia sprains her ankle, she and Adrian are closeted together for a week. The attraction between them is undeniable and forbidden. Their passion could wreck Adrian’s life if they were discovered together. When love blooms between them, it comes at a great cost, and Venetia must choose to follow society’s laws or her own heart.

 

 

Review:

Tempting the Footman by Lauren Smith is the 6th book in her House of Devon series. Footman Adrian Montague is going about his daily chores, if he’d known how the day would end, he might have been better prepared. 

Socialite Venetia Dunham is not going to marry some horrid man her cousin has acquired for her! It was bad enough she lost her family home in the country, she’ll be damned if she’ll lose her inheritance to marriage!  She needs to escape or marry a man of her choosing…..

A forbidden love, ladies don’t usually meet and marry the servants, but nothing about this arrangement is orthodox. 

Adrian is technically the son of a lord (but if your father ruins the reputation of your mother and refuses to marry her, then your illegitimate) but as his father refuses to acknowledge Adrian, he has had to make his own way in the world. 

Venetia is quite the spitfire, she knows what she wants and with the help of her beloved Gran, she sets out to do it. 

This short story is part of a series (House of Devon) written by other authors. But you definitely don’t have to read them all. 

I think it was almost love at first sight for Adrian, and when asked to be Venetia’s companion for the week, he jumps at the chance (yes a little unconventional, but it’s a writers prerogative). They form a friendship that turns into love. She wants to know all the secrets concerning a man, she wishes to know their touch and kisses, and she wants Adrian to help her!  But it’s a secret, because if found out Adrian would be given the sack from his job and Venetia would be a social outcast!! But the more time they spend together, the harder it is to hide their feeling for one another. 

And what of her cousin? Has he forgotten that she is to marry his friend? Or will he leave her to live the quiet life in the country? So can Adrian and Venetia find happiness, or will it be just a brief fling?  

If your looking for a short historical read, then you’ll not go wrong in picking this one up. 

Reviewed by Julie

Copy supplied for Review.

Share

Earl of Kent by Lauren Smith – a Review

Posted on by
9

Earl of Kent by Lauren Smith – a Review

 

Amazon / B&N / Kobo / Apple

Description:
Christmas has never been more wicked…

HE’S BATTERED AND BROKEN…
Targeted by the enemies of a friend, roguish Phillip Wilkes, the Earl of Kent, is nearly killed in a violent attack. Beaten and left for dead, he is rescued and nursed back to health by a beautiful angel that he’s convinced exists only in his dreams. When he recovers and learns his heart was burning for none other than the sister of his closest friend, he knows she is forbidden to him. He runs away from the only woman who has ever shown him true kindness because who could ever learn to love a broken man?

SHE BELIEVES IN THE HEALING POWER OF LOVE…
Ella Humphrey is cursed when it comes to love. Two overprotective brothers and the entire League of Rogues, are determined to protect her at all costs, even from falling in love. She feels trapped. When a man at death’s door is delivered to her care, she recognizes him as the friend of one of her brothers, and more importantly as the man she secretly loved for years. As her affection deepens for the wounded earl, she envisions a happy future with him. Yet the moment Phillip can walk again, he leaves Ella and breaks her heart.

CAN MISTLETOE WORK MISCHIEF AND MIRACLES?
A year later, Ella fears she’ll never find a way back into Phillip’s guarded heart. He becomes a recluse, too afraid to show the world how broken he is. Ella manages to convince Phillip to escort her to a country estate for a Christmas party. Snowed in at a small village inn, Ella finally has a chance to seduce the earl and remind him that broken bodies and broken hearts can be healed.

 

Review:

Earl of Kent begins with a prologue set in London, December 1816. This is the story of Ella Humphrey (sister to Charles Humphrey, Earl of Lonsdale and Graham Humphrey. Her mother is the Dowager Countess of Lonsdale) and Philip Wilkes, Earl of Kent.

Philip and Ella first meet when she’s fifteen years old and he’s twenty-three. He’s just lost his mother and father to typhus and inherited his father’s title at a young age. She’s very taken with him, even though he’s her brother Charles’ age. She tries to get him to kiss her but being a gentleman, he only presents her with a gentle kiss on her forehead. Embarrassed, she leaves the room, her heart broken but unable to forget him.

If you’ve read this series, many of the characters are familiar. Incidents coincide with the other novels as well. The novels, including this one, are well written with characters that are broken in different ways. The path to love isn’t smooth and makes for a well told intricate and thrilling tale. I don’t do spoilers, so I can only tell you that I thoroughly enjoyed this novel as well as the others in Lauren Smith’s wonderful series.

Reviewed by Georgianna

Copy supplied for review.

 

Share