Tag: romance

Book Review:  The Dueling Duchess, by Minerva Spencer  

Image belongs to Kensington Books.

Title: The Dueling Duchess    
Author:  Minerva Spencer   
Genre: Romance     
Rating:  4 out 5

When Cecile Tremblay lost everyone and everything in the French Revolution, she never imagined that she’d earn her living as a markswoman in a London circus. But Farnham’s Fantastical Female Fayre has become her home, her family, and her future. Another thing Cecile never imagined was becoming entangled with the man gossip columns call The Darling of the Ton . But mere weeks after her rejection of his insulting carte blanche—and his infuriating engagement to an heiress—Darlington is back, this time to beg Cecile for help. And help him she will, by teaching him about honest work—and the right way to treat a woman.

Gaius Darlington has always led a charmed life. Until now. Suddenly, a long-lost heir has appeared to claim his title, possessions, and property, Not only that, but Guy’s fiancée has jilted him to marry the usurper! Yet there is a silver it’s no longer Guy’s duty to marry an heiress to save the dukedom. He’s free to wed the woman he loves—if only he can earn her forgiveness.

They say hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. But fury is just a step away from passion, and Guy knows just how to arouse Cecile’s. . .

This was a cute read. Nothing unexpected, although I found Cecile’s secret fascination with the ton gossip rags kind of funny. She’s very sure and capable, but when a guy grabs her out of a dark alley, she immediately becomes a helpless female, and that didn’t quite add up for me. Guy’s over-the-top swagger was entertaining, but I bet it’d be infuriating in person.

Minerva Spencer lives in New Mexico. The Dueling Duchess is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Kensington Books in exchange for an honest review.)

Book Review and Blog Tour: The Viscount Who Vexed Me, by Julia London    

Image belongs to Harlequin/Canary Street Press.

Title: The Viscount Who Vexed Me     
Author: Julia London    
Genre:  Romance   
Rating:  4 out of 5

Daring. Darling. Determined.

Next to the Season’s newest diamond, Harriet (Hattie) Woodchurch feels like a plain Jane. But that’s of no consequence, since Hattie’s plan for her future is to earn enough to live far, far away from her embarrassing family.

That is until Mateo Vincente, Duke of Santiava and newly minted Viscount Abbott, arrives in London. While the shy European’s spoken English is impeccable, his writing is less fluent. The ton is eager to meet the handsome bachelor, and so many invitations flood in that Mateo needs a correspondence secretary.

With her perfect penmanship and way with words, Hattie is recommended, and the two bond over books and the ton’s eligible ladies. But when Hattie’s friend Flora becomes smitten with the viscount, things get complicated. Flora is tongue-tied in his presence. To help, Hattie feeds her information about Mateo’s interests. Soon things turn around and Flora appears on track to become his duchess. Yet for Mateo, something’s not quite right. Conversation with Flora isn’t as scintillating as it is with Hattie…

This was a cute read! Hattie’s family is an absolute nightmare and made my skin crawl. I think I would have lived on the street before putting up with them any longer. They were just so horrible to her. Mateo was an interesting dashing hero, with his reticence and reluctance to be around people (same), but I really liked how their growing relationship changed them both.

Julia London is a bestselling author. The Viscount Who Vexed Me is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Harlequin/Canary Street Press in exchange for an honest review.)

Book Review: Emma of 83rd Street, by Audrey Bellezza and Emily Harding     

Image belongs to Gallery Books.

Title: Emma of 83rd Street    
Author:  Audrey Bellezza; Emily Harding   
Genre: Romance    
Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Beautiful, clever, and rich, Emma Woodhouse has lived twenty-three years in her tight-knit Upper East Side neighborhood with very little to distress or vex her…that is, until her budding matchmaking hobby results in her sister’s marriage—and subsequent move downtown. Now, with her sister gone and all her friends traveling abroad, Emma must start her final year of grad school grappling with an entirely new emotion: boredom. So when she meets Nadine, a wide-eyed Ohio transplant with a heart of gold and drugstore blonde highlights to match, Emma not only sees a potential new friend but a new project. If only her overbearing neighbor George Knightley would get out of her way.

Handsome, smart, and successful, the only thing that frustrates Knightley more than a corked whiskey is his childhood friend, Emma. Whether it’s her shopping sprees between classes or her revolving door of ill-conceived hobbies, he is only too happy to lecture her on all the finer points of adulthood she’s so hell-bent on ignoring. But despite his gripes—and much to his own chagrin—Knightley can’t help but notice that the girl next door is a woman now…one who he suddenly can’t get out of his head.

As Emma’s best laid plans collide with everyone from hipster baristas to meddling family members to flaky playboy millionaires, these two friends slowly realize their need to always be right has been usurped by a new need entirely, and it’s not long before they discover that even the most familiar stories still have some surprises.

As I first started reading this, I was wavering if it were going to annoy me enough to stop reading. I mean, Mr. Woodhouse’s obsession with the refined sugar content in everything was annoying, and Emma’s background monologue on appearances and the labels on her clothes was low-key irritating, but…she grew on me. She seemed superficial and flighty at first—and she was—but she learned self-awareness and started to be less self-absorbed.

I loved her friendship and banter with Knightley! Their friendship was just so much fun, including their large family/friend group. I ended up thoroughly enjoying this read!

Audrey Bellezza is an Emmy-nominated producer. Emily Harding is a writer and television producer. Emma of 83rd Street is their debut novel.

(Galley courtesy of Gallery Books in exchange for an honest review.)

Book Review:  Famous for a Living, by Melissa Ferguson   

Image belongs to Thomas Nelson.

Title: Famous for a Living   
Author: Melissa Ferguson  
Genre: Romance     
Rating: 4 out of 5

With her millions of followers, Cat Cranwell is adored around the world. But when an app partnership goes very, very wrong, Cat suddenly finds herself shunned from the community that not only fed her soul all these years but paid her bills. When Cat’s closest living relative, Uncle Terry, offers her a position on his staff at a small national park in Montana to get away from the city, Cat hesitantly accepts the opportunity.

What she doesn’t realize is that as the new social media strategist her goal is to save Kannery National Park from being absorbed into Glacier National Park by boosting the number of visitors. And at least one of her new colleagues—namely, handsome and rugged ranger Zaiah Hudson—thinks social media is the root of everything that’s wrong with the world.

It’s a statement to Melissa Ferguson’s writing abilities that she made me like—and even root for—a social media star, because I’m not a fan of social media or the social media obsessed. Like, at all. I spent the first third or so of the book low-key annoyed because of all the fuss about likes and follows and what other people think (Okay. The truth is that annoyed me throughout the entire book, but Cat eventually let go of that nonsense a bit.). Despite the wintry weather, I enjoyed the setting quite a bit, and the national park itself greatly intrigued me (I like to hike.). In the end, I enjoyed Cat learning how to live and enjoy a real life—instead of one filled with fakeness.

Melissa Ferguson is a bestselling author Famous for a Living is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Thomas Nelson in exchange for an honest review.)

Book Review and Blog Tour: Zora Books Her Happy Ever After, by Taj McCoy  

Image belongs to Harlequin/MIRA.

Title: Zora Books Her Happy Ever After       
Author: Taj McCoy    
Genre: Romance    
Rating:  2.0 out of 5

Zora has committed every inch of her life to establishing her thriving DC bookstore, making it into a pillar of the community, and she just hasn’t had time for romance. But when a mystery author she’s been crushing on for years agrees to have an event at her store, she starts to rethink her priorities. Lawrence is every bit as charming as she imagined, even if his understanding of his own books seems just a bit shallow. When he asks her out after his reading, she’s almost elated enough to forget about the grumpy guy who sat next to her making snide comments all evening. Apparently the grouch is Lawrence’s best friend, Reid, but she can’t imagine what kind of friendship that must be. They couldn’t be more different.

But as she starts seeing Lawrence, and spending more and more time with Reid, Zora finds first impressions can be deceiving. Reid is smart and thoughtful—he’s also interested. After years of avoiding dating, she suddenly has two handsome men competing for her affection. But even as she struggles to choose between them, she can’t shake the feeling that they’re both hiding something—a mystery she’s determined to solve before she can find her HEA.

This started off good:  I loved Zora herself and all of her ambition and drive to give back to her community. The friendship between her, Emma, and grandma Marion was fantastic! The eye candy—Lawrence and Reid—wasn’t bad, either.

But then I realized just how hypocritical Zora, her granny, and the other characters were. You can’t make a big production of praying before every meal and mention God in conversation—and think it’s okay to be sleeping with two different guys you barely know. You can’t have Zora’s family be so proud of her and encourage her to live out her own dreams and goals—and have granny beat her over the head with mentions of great-grandkids every other breath. And Zora, who is supposedly so self-aware and alert to the tricks of guys in the dating scene….notices the massive red flags both these guys are throwing up—and chooses to believe they’re not actually red flags at all. Um…what? So, despite starting off so promisingly, this really should have been a DNF.

Taj McCoy is from Oakland. Zora Books Her Happily Ever After is her new novel.

(Galley courtesy of Harlequin/MIRA in exchange for an honest review.)

Book Review: How to Best A Marquess, by Janna MacGregor

Image belongs to St. Martin’s Press.

Title: How to Best A Marquess    
Author:  Janna MacGregor   
Genre: Romance    
Rating:  4.5 out of 5

Beth Howell needs to find her dowry, post haste. After her good-for-nothing first husband married her―and two other women, unbeknownst to them all―she’s left financially ruined and relegated to living with her brother, who cares more for his horses than he does his blood relatives. If Beth fails to acquire her funds, her brother will force her to marry someone fifty years her senior and missing half his teeth. She’d prefer to avoid that dreadful fate. But her now-deceased husband, Meri, absconded with her money mere days after their illegitimate marriage. To find it, Beth will have to leave town and retrace Meri’s steps if she’s to take her future into her own hands.

Julian Raleah, Marquess of Grayson, cares not a whit for social norms and generally growls at anyone in his path. Grayson has had a heart of stone ever since his engagement to Beth Howell went down in flames―long before she married that cad, Meri, and sealed her own fate for good. But now she’s on his doorstep, asking for use of his carriage and accompaniment on the hunt to find her lost dowry. Surely Grayson cannot go on the road with the woman who has occupied his thoughts for the past decade. Yet, knowing she needs him, how can he resist helping her this one last time? And maybe that’s just enough time to change the ending to their over-too-soon love story.

Man, Beth’s brother was a real jerk! And his buddies weren’t exactly prizes, either. I’ve enjoyed The Widow Rules books very much, and I loved this one, too. I liked Beth’s determination to win through on her own—although she might have taken it a smidge too far at times. For someone who didn’t really care what the ton thought of her, she sure changed her actions because of them several times. I really liked Julian and his flirtatious, always-kind personality. This was a book I read straight through in one sitting, so if you need a weekend read, grab this.

Janna MacGregor lives in Kansas City. How to Best a Marquess is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of St. Martin’s Press in exchange for an honest review.)

Book Review: Divine Rivals, by Rebecca Ross   

Image belongs to St. Martin’s Press.

Title: Divine Rivals     
Author: Rebecca Ross     
Genre:  Fantasy, YA   
Rating:  4.5 out of 5

After centuries of sleep, the gods are warring again …

All eighteen-year-old Iris Winnow wants to do is hold her family together. With a brother on the frontline forced to fight on behalf of the Gods now missing from the frontline and a mother drowning her sorrows, Iris’s best bet is winning the columnist promotion at the Oath Gazette.

But when Iris’s letters to her brother fall into the wrong hands – that of the handsome but cold Roman Kitt, her rival at the paper – an unlikely magical connection forms.

Expelled into the middle of a mystical war, magical typewriters in tow, can their bond withstand the fight for the fate of mankind and, most importantly, love?

This started off a bit slow, but it got going quickly. I would have liked to know a bit more about the history of the culture/the gods and how things ended up quite they were with the war and everything going on, but the not-knowing didn’t detract much from the story. I loved the typewriters and their history! That part was really cool. I liked Iris and Roman a lot, and watching their enemies-to-friends-to-lovers journey was a grand adventure. I can’t wait to read more!

Rebecca Ross lives in Georgia. Divine Rivals is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of St. Martin’s Press in exchange for an honest review.)

Book Review: Oxford Star, by Laura Bradbury  

Image belongs to Grape Books.

Title: Oxford Star       
Author: Laura Bradbury    
Genre:  Romance   
Rating:  4 out of 5

JACK

Rock stars shouldn’t suffer from debilitating panic attacks, but I’m barely hanging on by my famous fingernails. That’s why I leverage the name I despise to study my childhood love of astronomy. Just one term at Oxford? Problem solved.

Too bad my pre-stardom life reappears to haunt me in the form of Lucy Snow, the sharp-tongued, opulent-bodied woman I can’t seem to forget. This would be the perfect opportunity to make amends for stealing her fantasy four years ago, except Lucy’s love for me has turned to loathing.

When she refuses my financial help, I have a wonderful, dangerous idea…

LUCY

Jack Seary stole my dream of a singing career and made it his reality. When he trampled my heart, he also taught me a lesson: being selfless and hardworking makes me Cinderella without the goddamn glass slipper.

Now this infuriating thief of a man thinks I’ll pretend to be his girlfriend to dispel tabloid rumors? Ha!

This was a quick, fun read. Lucy’s mother’s neediness absolutely infuriated me—as did Lucy’s being chained to her phone in case her mother couldn’t figure out how to breathe on her own. I loved the skulk—Lucy and Jack’s friend group—and thought they were the best. Lucy and Jack’s interactions were great, too, and I liked how they both changed over the course of the story. This would be a great weekend read.

Laura Bradbury has a law degree from Oxford, and now splits her time between France and Canada. Oxford Star is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Grape Books in exchange for an honest review.)

What I Read in March (2023)

Books Read in March: 21
Books Read for the Year:  54/225
Topical Books/Monthly Goal Books:

Topical Books/Monthly Goal Books:

West with Giraffes, by Lynda Rutledge (audio book/TBR). This was such a good read! I enjoyed the narrator, but the story was absolutely wonderful.

Look Up!, by Jimmy Evans (TBR, spiritual).

The Fellowship of the Ring, by J.R.R. Tolkien (re-read).

Little White Lies, by Jennifer Lynn Barnes (re-read). This sucked me right in! Again.

Arcana Rising, by Kresley Cole (re-read). I had forgotten so much about this series!

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, by C.S. Lewis (re-read). Loved this.

The Silver Chair, by C.S. Lewis (re-read).

The Dark Calling, by Kresley Cole (re-read)…only a few more weeks until the final book in the series….

For Review:

Off the Map, by Trish Doller. I loved this read, just like I’ve loved the others in this linked standalone series. Highly recommend! I was ready to leave for Ireland immediately.

The Lost English Girl, by Julia Kelly. I didn’t enjoy this quite as much s I have other books by this author, but it was a good read. Hard, in places, but good.

Whistleblower, by Kate Marchant. This was a solid read, but I reel like it tried to hard to be inclusive—instead of just being inclusive.

A Novel Proposal, by Denise Hunter. This was a sweet read. Sadie was a little—a lot—to extroverted for me, but I loved the beach town setting and all the secondary characters.

You Wouldn’t Dare, by Samantha Markum. The friendships in this book were fantastic! Juniper was very self-centered and self-absorbed, not to mention overly dramatic, but she was a (mostly) fun character to read.

Hotel of Secrets, by Diana Biller. I really enjoyed this! The setting was something I hadn’t read before, and, while the family drama was a bit much for me, I loved the characters. Plus, the cover is gorgeous!

Yours Truly, the Duke, by Amelia Grey. I very much enjoyed this! I liked how the characters grew and changed, and the children added a lot of fun to the story.

When You Wish Upon a Star, by Elizabeth Lim (forthcoming). I enjoyed the narrator of this audio book very much! Loved the relationship between the sisters a lot—even if I didn’t care for Ilaria at all.

Please, Sorry, Thanks, by Mark Batterson. This was a thought-provoking read. Such a simple concept, yet so impactful.

Five Fortunes, by Barbara Venkataraman. A quick, fun read about a group of five friends.

Once We Were Home, by Jennifer Rosner. This was a deep and emotional book. Difficult to read because of the subject matter, and I feel like it really left one of the characters unresolved.

Zora Books Her Happy Ever After, by Taj McCoy (forthcoming). The first third of this read was solid: I liked the characters, the family dynamic was awesome, and I was invested in what was going on. Then it became obvious that the characters were very hypocritical, neither of the two male leads was really a good guy, and the big “secret” was about as hidden as Mount Rushmore. So, no, I do not recommend this. I enjoyed the author’s previous book, but this one wasn’t for me.

Oxford Star, by Laura Bradbury (forthcoming). This was a cute, fun read. I loved all the members of the skulk!

Left Unfinished:
When in Rome, by Liam Callanan. The premise of this absolutely intrigued me, but Claire got on my very last nerve with her indecisiveness and let-life-happen-to-me attitude instead of taking some initiative herself, so I stopped reading at 15%. I wasn’t willing to be annoyed for the other 85% of the book.

Beyond That, the Sea, by Laura Spence-Ash. Solid writing in this and interesting premise, but in the end, the multiple POV characters and leisurely pacing just didn’t hold my attention. Not a good fit for me at this time.

The London Seance Society, by Sarah Penner. I made it to 20% because I loved The Last Apothecary, but this felt disjointed and erratic, and the content wasn’t what I expected.

Book Review:  Yours Truly, the Duke, by Amelia Grey  

Image belongs to St. Martin’s Press.

TitleYours Truly, The Duke
Author: Amelia Grey
Genre:  Romance
Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Fredericka Hale needs a husband, and fast. She’s been caring for her deceased sister’s three young children, and now a childless cousin has petitioned the court for custody. Fredericka is powerless to stop her, but having a husband might sway the ruling. The last thing Fredericka wants is a hurried-up marriage to a man she doesn’t know—much less love, but she’ll do it for the children. So when the handsome Duke of Wyatthaven shows up with a proposal, she accepts. He’ll help her, and in return, they’ll lead separate lives. But distance cannot keep them from their powerful attraction.

At the top of his game in London, the Duke of Wyatthaven has no interest in marriage. However, if Wyatt doesn’t marry by week’s end, he’ll lose a sizable inheritance from his grandmother. When Wyatt’s solicitor finds Miss Fredericka Hale, Wyatt considers this little hiccup solved. Miss Hale is lovely, and intelligent. Most importantly, she prefers country life to London, so he’s free to continue his life as usual. But when circumstances force Fredericka and the children to show up at the duke’s door, Wyatt can’t deny he’s always been under her spell. Will the duke give up his bachelor lifestyle and give into the fiery passion growing between them?

This was such a fun read! Fredericka was a lot of fun to get to know, and so was Wyatt. I loved how their relationship grew—and how they both learned from each other. I wanted to punch Fredericka’s cousin in the nose several times, but fortunately Fredericka had more self-control that I do. I definitely want to read more in this series!

Amelia Grey is an award-winning author. Yours Truly, the Duke is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of St. Martin’s Press in exchange for an honest review.)