Darcy Burke „The Duke of Daring“ 4**** @darcyburke

*I got this ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.”

We all know Darcy Burke if it comes to historical romance, don’t we? And we all love her? Well this story will make you love her.

Lucinda Parnell lives with her grandma in a small house in London. She already had a couple of unsuccessful seasons and kind of enjoyed being a wallflower because this way she wasn’t forced into marriage. Now their funds are gone, her dead lost most of them because of his gambling problem before he died, and her grandma wants her to marry, so she can retire to a small cottage near Bath. But Lucy has no plan to get married, on the contrary. She wants to stay with her grandma.

Andrew Wentworth, the Earl of Dartford, so short “Dart”, is the only surviving member of is family. He lost all of them to an illness. He feels empty and alone that’s why he decided to fly with ah hot-air balloon and he wants to parachute. On the other hand he loves to gamble and bet on things.

In desperate need of funds Lucy dresses up as a man and submerges into the hells of London to win what she needs. And her costume is good, nobody notices that there is a woman underneath – except for Dart. But he doesn’t blow her cover but helps her to win, introduces her to other bets, his friends … of course it gets dangerous.

Oh this was a nice story! I really enjoyed the details of Lucy’s costume and how she became a man, when he told her to act differently to be not that feminine -adorable. But in the end, I don’t know, things fell into place too smoothly. Even with the blackmailing and everything it wasn’t realistic enough for me but too Disney style – the happily ever after.

Nevertheless I really liked the book a lot!

4****

Amelia Grey „Wedding Night with the Earl“ ( The Heir’s Club of Scountrels Triology #3) 5*****

I think „Wedding Night with the Earl“ by Amelia Grey ist he 3rd installment in the „The Heir’s Club of Scountrels Triology“ and I think one of the best books I have in a very long time. Rarely do you see such a good character development, plot and some creativity!

Adam Greyhawke doesn’t plan to ever marry again because he lost his wife and child at birth, after three days of torture. He lived at the seaside after her death for years, alone with his big dog. He’s through with society.

One day a carriage is waiting for him and brings him his heir – a child. His cousin. He doesn’t want to go back to London but now that he has an heir he doesn’t care about marriage anymore and he has to take care of the estate, that’s why he returns so sort through things.

Katherine Wright, a natural beauty within her 3^rd season meets Adam at a ball and he asks her to dance because she is standing alone on the side. She refuses but he notices her wit, the sharpness of her tongue. When she leaves, he sees her walking stick.

From the very first moment there is chemistry, lots of chemistry and you are totally sucked into this story. You want to know why Katherine has to use a stick and why she isn’t married yet. On the other hand you want to know why Greyhawke is so completely through with marriage. Both questions are answered pretty soon but there is more to the story – there is a special kind of magic.

I couldn’t put the book away and finished it after 2am in the morning and I have to get up at 6. I was literally dead the next morning but it was soo worth it!

Matter of fact: I think the title of the book doesn’t fit the storyline.

You have to love the leads, especially Katherine (there isn’t a single Katherine I ever disliked – Katherine Hepburn, Catherine Deneuve, Dana Katherine Scully, Katherine Beckett, Katherine the Great of Russia, Kathy Reichs, Kate Walsh, …) – so maybe it’s my affinity towards the name. But also Adam and his Pyrenean dog, the little boy (his heir) … it’s such a cute mix and the way he finds out that he literally is in love with her after all those years of pain and blame he based on himself.

The book is a must-read!!

Rating 5*****

 

I got this ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Bianca Blythe: How to Capture a Duke

„How To Capture a Duke“ is a novel by Bianca Blythe. I got it from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Honestly said this book isn’t easy to review because I really liked the basic idea of the novel but in the end it didn’t turn out to be good. There are so many things I disliked or bored me.

Fiona Amberly is a bluestocking living with her grandmother since her parents died. She isn’t interested in marriage or let’s say no gentleman is interested in her and she didn’t really attend a London season because of her parents’ carriage accident. Nevertheless she has a hobby, she likes to dig around and play archeologist. Nobody cares about it till she finds things and plans to do something bigger.

Because of the lack of man in her life she creates a fake betrothed. The problem is that the war against Napoleon is over before she can let him die a heroic death. Oh, and nobody has ever met him in real life.

One day on her way to her sister there is a tree blocking the streets and she wants to inform a carriage and the driver thinks her a highway woman and she kidnaps the man inside her carriage who is the new Duke of Alfriston, Percival Carmichael.

I mean really? Blythe writes that Fiona has a body the seamstress thinks is complicated to dress nicely (let’s put it this way) but I haven’t found the reason why. Maybe she isn’t very thin but on the other hand there isn’t a second line about it and that makes me wondering.

On the other hand when she kidnaps the Duke she tells the people in the Inn that she is pregnant, when he runs of, and they hunt him down – is she so big that people would believe her? And she lives near the Inn and is part of the aristocracy but nobody from the Inn knows her. – it’s quite unbelievable in my opinion. Suddenly he plays his part as her betrothed and everything is perfect and he falls in love with her … but the problem is that he has to marry somebody else …

And then there are two more things … First Blythe loves the word “rod”, and I usually don’t use language like this. There is a lot of “rod” in this book and the shackle it a lot. How would a girl in the 19^th century, who lives with her grandmother, didn’t have a season etc., know what to do in a situation like this? I am pretty sure, she wouldn’t have a real clue. Plus they have been alone in a room, doors closed white often which was absolutely inappropriate and nobody cares about it, her grandmother even lets him know that he will find his way (at night). Inappropriate!

Except from all those points the story is rigmarole. Up from 40% I didn’t really read it anymore but “zipped” over, skimmed the pages … there were little dialogues, pages of descriptions …

 

Rating: 2,75 stars

Theresa Romain „A Gentleman’s Game“ (Romance of the Turf #1) – 4* @theresaromain

„A Gentleman’s Game“ by Theresa Romain is the first novel in a series called “Romance of the Turf”. In the beginning I wasn’t sure if I’d like it because I am absolutely not into horses. I wouldn’t say I dislike them, just don’t care about these.

When Nathanial Chandler comes home from another tour through England to buy horses and meet “milkmades” he meets Rosalinde Chandler, his father’s new and female secretary. He’s the younger son and nobody really cares about his whereabouts, not even his father.

But they have a problem at home – there is an illness in the stables that make the horses be colic and as we all know they can die because of it. The stable boys have no clue why they are sick because there is no mold in the expensive hay etc. Rosalinde has a gift, she knows how to sooth the animals down, talking to them, touching them. It’s her calm attitude that does the magic. And Nathanial gets more and more attracted to her but she is a secretary, only a secretary who obviously has secrets.

Again and again Rosalind writes letters to her “aunt” using pseudonyms. In the beginning I had no clue where this is going but slowly it gets clearer – Rosaline is writing daily reports to this person and she is looking through older files, looking for something.

Nathanial’s father doesn’t trust him and not with the horses, so he “sends” Rosalind off to the derby with Nate, to write him daily reports. On the other side Nate and Rosalind have kind of a bet – she gets a lot of money if she helps him stay in his father’s graces.

So they head, with the expensive horses and a group of grooms towards the derby.

 

On the one hand I really enjoyed most of the story because it seemed believable and further to the end it got really unbelievable. Rosalind’s past is hunting her because when she was a teen she got burnt pretty badly and her parents gave her to this “aunt”, who took care of her. This one paid for medicine and things and tells Rosalind later on, that she paid her “dept” to somebody, a man, who now controls their life by handing out assignments to pay off the dept. But this aunt is also the former lover of Nate’s father and they had a child together she gave into care. I mean isn’t that a little much? And this woman doesn’t want Rosalind to be happy, especially not with Nate. And Nate’s father doesn’t want to see his son with Rosalind because he is from another social state and he doesn’t trust Rosalind anymore because they attended a celebration on their way to the Derby and she didn’t report about it …

It was a little too much. The story was cute, the way Nate met Rosalind’s family but the mystery was too mysterious, too unrealistic in my personal opinion.

That’s why it’s a 4* novel in my opinion.

 

PS. The cover is too trashy …

Amy Sandas „Luck is no Lady“ (Fallen Ladies #1) – 5***** @AmySandas

I am not sure if I have ever read a book by Amy Sandas before but I really, really enjoyed this one.  I got this ARC “Luck is no Lady”, the first book of the “Fallen Ladies” series from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

The book starts rather slow which gives the reader the chance to get to know the leads. Emma Chadwick is the oldest sister of three, the guardian to her sisters and older than all the debutants. She is about to give her two sisters a season she never had to give them a chance to marry – to solve their financial problems of which the two younger Chadwicks have no clue. Her father had a bad gambling habit when he died and the creditors are asking for their money, also Hale, the worst person of all.

At the very moment they are staying with their great aunt, an elderly dowager duchess and very eccentric person.

At a ball Emma Chadwick is fleeing the crowd because of a disliked suitor and of hides in a rather private room behind a big curtain – but she isn’t alone there. A man is standing behind her, obviously hiding too. She doesn’t know who he is, he doesn’t know who she is. It’s kind of thrilling for Emma. He’s quite straight forward and kisses her, she on the other hand ties his neck clothes in a rather old style, her father has used before. When she’s back with the chaperones she notices the man because of her knot and is told that he’s a bastard, somebody society is talking about because he helps the ton with their investments. Yet she doesn’t know that he owns a gambling hell.

Emma is rather anxious about their future and the depts., she sees the problems and knows that she has to make money. There are not many possibilities for a lady, so she applies for a position as a bookkeeper in a “social club” – Roderick’s gaming hell.

He knows by the moment she enters his office that she’s the one from behind the curtain and she knows too but they don’t let the other one know about this fact. Roderick tests her knowledge of bookkeeping and gives her the position in the end. Every moment she spends in his presents her belly flutters.

Of course something develops … but not in the very first … all because she has to take care of her reputation because of her sisters.

 

Oh, I liked this book. In the beginning it has been a little too detailed and there were too little dialogues but this seems to be Sandas style. It’s been a great story and you can really feel how Emma is thorn between her feelings for Roderick and the fact that she has to take care of her family.

And the romantic/ erotic scenes were written very well, not too trashy, not too low leveled like I have read a few lately – very well and romantic.

Rating: 5*****

 

PS. I think that the cover is too trashy for this really lovely book, too much 1980s style.

Valerie Bowman „The Unforgettable Hero: A Playful Bride story“ (Playful Brides #4.5) – 3***

Who doesn’t like Valerie Bowman’s books? This is kind of a fairytale. “The Unforgettable Hero: A Playful Brides story” , part #4,5 of the “Playful Brides” series is a wonderful rather short story.

Cecilia Hartcourt is a young woman with a little sister and a rabbit, whom they hide in the town house, they live with their not nice uncle and aunt and their son, since their parents died in a carriage accident. Their uncle only wants the money from Cecilia’s dowry and doesn’t even by her sick sister the medicine she needs, that’s why Cecilia sees her only chance in writing and novel and selling it.

On her way home from a publisher, the handwritten novel pressed against her chest, sad and without a perspective she is hit by a carriage, thrown to the floor. Unconscious.

Adam Hunt, the 3^rd son (if I remember it correctly) son, a honorably discharged lieutenant, sees the accident and saves the young woman, brings her to his brother’s – the duke house and his sister in law of course takes care of the young woman.

When she wakes up, she thinks that she is the lead character of her own romance novel, thinks that Adam is Peter, her betrothed.

Do I have to say more?

It’s a fairytale nevertheless, in my opinion. But, why I only have it three stars – I would have gone for more erotic and I would have liked to see more of Adam’s sister in law because she nevertheless takes care of her in her house.

It’s a nice shortie.

Rating: 3***

Pamela Labud „To Catch a Lady (Hunt Club #1) – 4**** @Pamwriter

I think this is one of the most unique stories I have read in a very long time. “To Cath a Lady” by Pamela Labud is the first in the “Hunt Club” series and I can only imagine what characters will be in part 2 and 3. Anyway … I got this book from Netgalley in exchange or an honest review.

The handsome Ashton Blakely, Duke of Summerton, isn’t really interested in marriage. He knows that he needs an heir and his aunt, who he adores, wants an heir too, so after an argument he announces that he will have a ball in his house with all the unmarried young women of the ton and their mothers resp. chaperones, he would pick one of the top 12 (elected by his aunt) and marry her in the very same night. Everybody who want to attend has to throw a calling card into a “pot”.

So one afternoon before the ball Caroline Hawkins storms into Ashtons office to ask him to consider her sister in marriage because she is a beautiful intelligent girl. The very moment Ashton sees Caroline he knows what he wants. She isn’t the typical beauty – and she isn’t young. She isn’t interested in marriage because she has to take care of her mother next to that she is a fan of Mary Wollenstonecraft and fascinated by the idea that women should be allowed to be independent. Marriage means the complete opposite for her. Ash lets her know that he will consider he sister.

At home she has to argue and talk her sister into attending the ball but she has to agree to attend herself, dress up and offer herself. Fact is that Caroline is sure that nobody would pick her if her sister’s hand is on the table. But on the ball Ashton doesn’t notice the “beautiful” (plain and boring) young ladies but Caroline and in a private room they start kissing and more. Suddenly a door opens, suddenly they are discovered and within an hour married.

Caroline doesn’t understand how he can marry her but nevertheless she agrees to the special license wedding to save her sisters reputation. She agreed to go with him to his lodge, to share a bed till she is pregnant and do whatever she wants later one – without him. He doesn’t want emotions. He doesn’t want to feel anything besides lust for her. Sometime in the carriage Caro realizes that her mother is now living at the duke’s estate and is taken care off and hasn’t to bother about the small sold cottage and heir mad cousin and eventually her sister has better chances to find a good husband.

 

Of course things doesn’t develop smooth and easy and there were parts in the book – about 60 percent in – that could be edited to smooth the storyline a little bit because the passages are long-winded but you have to feel with Caroline and her jealousy, insecurity but also bravery. She is open minded on the other hand she cannot see the beauty of the lodge for a long time.

I mean I understood why Ash wants to keep his lodge the way it is because he plans to send her back as soon as she is pregnant but why doesn’t he give a damn if he has all kind of animals in the house?  Mean a boar? The goat? Of course it was funny but on the other hand you really ask yourself: why?

Why Ashton is the way he is, is easy to be understood. He was traumatized as a kid by the death of his parents and later by the death of his uncle and loved cousin, the later made him heir of the dukedom. He never thought that he would become a titled man.

Oh and there were parts when I really, really hated Ash. I mean she went home to take care of her mother, pregnant, and he doesn’t send a letter, doesn’t ask anybody – nothing. But I also didn’t understand why Caroline didn’t take her son with her when she headed in the last chapters of the book to the lodge to take care of Ash – he was babe and she just left him behind.

All in all a really unique story.

Rating 4****

Jess Michaels „Tempted“ (Wicked Woodleys #3) @jessmichaelsbks

If you like Jess Michael’s novels, you’ll love „Tempted“. It’s the newest addition to the “Wicked Woodley’s” series. I read the book back in December but was too busy to finish my review just yet….

One of the reasons why I love it – while you read about the Woodley’s family you get in touch with characters from other series as the Flynn’s. I love that. You feel kind of connected with the old books.

This is the love story of Juliet Grey, the young woman who helped the Woodley mother to get healthy again with her knowledge of herbs, and Gabriel Woodley – the most logical man of the family. He is head over toes in science and has no idea how to work emotions respectively feel them – till Juliet crosses his way.

But there is so much more to this story. It’s also the love story of the Woodley mother and her youth love interest – Juliet’s father. And it’s also about Claire – the sister who “left” the family to live another life. Because of Claire’s disappearance Gabriel became the man he is. Everything has to be logical and explainable. But love isn’t.

Gabriel needs to realize that there is more to his life than looking for Claire. Juliet is changing everything.

It’s a very, very well told story- as always – and you love the characters. You cannot put Jess’ books away and that’s what I really love about them. You are pulled into this story and she doesn’t give you the option to put the book aside.

Thanks, Jess!

Rating: 5*****

I got this ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Raven McAllen „The Rake’s Unveiling of Lady Belle“ – 2**

I got „The Rake’s Unveiling of Lady Belle“ by Raven McAllen in exchange for an honest review .. well honesty is a big thing with this review.

It was simply … boring. I wasn’t able to feel any sympathy for any of the characters. They are boring.

Lady Belinda Howells watched her best friend’s brother being touchy with a girl she dislikes. She was hiding in a tree and later in a bush, afraid to be seen. Soon after this “event” (I mean what’s so special about it?) her father calls her to him and tells her that she is going to marry a much older man. Her solution? She runs away, hides at Lady L’s and isn’t found – nobody is looking at her best friend’s godmother for Belinda. I mean, really?

So what to do? She gets a new identity – Belle instead of Belinda and opens a fashion saloon because she has a talent: sewing. And because she had no season yet, nobody remembers her – a lady of the ton – she has a French accident, a new background story and isn’t accepting everybody as a costumer. I mean: Really?? A new accent makes it possible to live in the ton without being seen, remembered or described to somebody?

And not even Philip, the love of her teenage days, remembers her. He thinks her familiar but cannot put her face to a name – but, within a second, he is helplessly in love with her. Really? I mean … within more or less seconds he asks her to marry him – he’s a member of the ton and she’s a seamstress. Why would he do that? There is no reasonable explanation for it. Belle refuses … But he doesn’t give up. He asks her again and again and when her past comes hunting her down – in the role of her father and the finance (Who is engaged to her for years and still waiting for her return though she is of age now and cannot be handed off like back in the day when her dad told her that she will marry this fat, much older guy?)

He brings all his former mistresses to her shop to get them a wardrobe of “Dressed by Lady Belle” – I mean which woman would. I mean: Really?

 

It is impossible to like the leads. They are boring, predictable and lack of real character. And the love scene in the end – it was dry. It was like one of my students would at the age of 14. I like good romantic, erotical scene but yes, there is vocabulary I don’t need in my novels – there was too much “quim” or “pego”. There is only soo much I can take of it. I know it is Victorian slang, nevertheless are we speaking of people who were raised to be a Lady or a Lord and I am pretty sure that those wouldn’t use those words. Or can you think of Jane Austen saying “quim” or “pego”?

The most stupid line ever: “Your pego looks most uncomfortable. I’m sure it needs fresh air.” – I mean, really? I know that she thought herself stupid saying it but how can you let a lead – which you want to be a serious character – say something so stupid?

So all in all: no chemistry, no character development, no meaningful dialogues. I likes the idea but a short 80 page novella would have done it too, not worth 200+ pages.

Megan Bryce: To Wed a Widow (The Reluctant Bride Collection #3) – 5***** @meganbrycebooks

I got this thick ARC “A Taste of Scandal” from Netgalley – Goodreads says it’s 1000 pages – so I split the reviews because they stories couldn’t be more different.

In the beginning I wasn’t sure if I’d like the story, the first few pages weren’t really my pot of tea but within those the leads grew on me … well not only the leads but also the relationship between the duke and his wife. I’d really like to read more on them.

George Sinclair is the second son and his brother an heirless duke. The Duke, Sebastian, has four little daughter out of a 10 year long marriage. He loves them all dearly but is in need of an heir, so he sums his brother home from India. And Sebastian  has given up on a son after Flora’s last pregnancy because she nearly died, was sick for a long time after giving birth to another daughter a year ago. And for a year he hasn’t been with her.

The dutiful brother who doesn’t want to be a duke himself, comes back from India. George is a man everybody has to love. He’s a happy fellow, good looking, smart and carefree. But now his brother tells him that he has to find a wife within this season because they are running out of time. George doesn’t think so. But he loves Flora, loves his nieces and doesn’t want anything to happen to his brother’s wife.

So there is Lady Haywood – Elinor – a fine looking widow. She has already buried six men. Six husbands. Childless. Young. Beautiful. And the ton says that she’s into hunting for #6. Everybody knows that her husbands, except for the first, never survived the first year of marriage – she’s bad luck as it seems. It is not even half a year and she attends social events again, an absolute no-go but she does. She isn’t dancing yet but socializing and being talked about.

The Duke despise her because her last husband had been one of his friends. But what’s one out of five? And George likes her, likes the mystery. So he starts to talk to her, even if it against the Duke’s idea of being fashionable. She tries her best not to fall for him because she knows that she cannot marry him, his brother wouldn’t accept her and next to that – as much as she long for a child, she hasn’t one.

In the beginning I wasn’t sure why George was so interested because she is an outsider. People are talking about her and everybody thinks that she is looking for another husband. But George doesn’t want a duchess, he wants somebody he can laugh with, not a boring gay virgin who laughs when asked for, smiles perfectly and sits straight all day long. He wants passion, brain and doesn’t care about her past.

And there is so much more to Elinor. God, I really fell in love with this character. I even cried once – and I nearly never do this nowadays (in comparison to my teen years … couldn’t stop crying when I read Evan’s “The Horse Whisperer” or McCourt’s “Angela’s Ashes”). But this time, when she started to put the white christening dress to her nose, smells it a last time, puts all the things away forever and visits her daughter’s grave and lays down next to it. No joke, tears were running down my cheeks because I really felt with her. I really, really loved Elinor.

And then there are their dogs. Elinor has three mastiffs, harmless dogs if she is fine but they be protective. And to have a reason to see Elinor George gets himself a small dog too he carries around in his pocket.

But next to Elinor, who really, really is a great, strong female lead, I really loved Flora. I’d so love to read more on her. She’s strong willed and passionate and she wants to give Sebastian a son. She knows what could happen to her but she is willing to risk it. For Sebastian. For George’s happiness. For her own. But since Sebastian hasn’t touched her in a year … she’s willing to do everything and it was adorable, her attempts. I felt with her. But I also understood Sebastian.

After finishing it, I read a few reviews on Goodreads and couldn’t agree less with some of them. But I didn’t understands what Alan has against Elinor respectively what she really took from him. Maybe I over-read it, maybe I didn’t notice it but that bugged me.

And I could have lived with more detailed loved scenes. I mean the tension was so high, you could honestly feel it … and then there is already post coital cuddling. I mean it would have fit – for Elinor and George, Flora and Sebastian.

All in all I really loved this book.

Rating: 5*****