Posted on by Maureen

No Other Duke Will Do by Grace Burrowes

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No Other Duke Will Do is the third book in Grace Burrowes’ Windham Brides series of historical romance novels. This is only the second book of hers that I have read, but she is quickly becoming one of my favorites.

Julian St. David is the Duke of Haverford. The family seat is in Wales, where he is quite content to remain. However, the estate has fallen into financial ruin, mostly because his predecessors cared more about spending money on rare books than maintaining the estate. Despite this- or perhaps because of this- Julian’s sister suggests throwing a lavish house party so that Julian can find a wife.

Elizabeth Windham is not an heiress, nor is she particularly looking for a husband, but she finds herself drawn to Julian. Likewise, Julian realizes that there is no one he would rather spend time with. But is attraction and infatuation enough to sustain them beyond the length of the house party? Read more

Posted on by Maureen

The Bride Who Got Lucky by Janna MacGregor

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The Bride Who Got Lucky is the second book in Janna MacGregor’s Cavensham Heiresses series of Regency-era historical romances. I thoroughly enjoyed the first book in the series-The Bad Luck Bride- so I was already looking forward to reading this book even without knowing anything about it.

Nick and Emma were secondary characters in The Bad Luck Bride, so I became even more excited when I found out that they had been paired together for The Bride Who Got Lucky.  

Nick and Emma are both very strong-willed, and they are much more similar than they realize. They both want to do things on their own, without relying on their families. This manifests for Nick in his business acumen; he has been estranged from his father since his Eton days, and he has amassed a fortune through hard work and shrewd investing. Likewise, Emma wants more out of life than an aristocratic marriage and children. She wants to open a bank for women who need financial assistance to get out dangerous situations. Read more

Posted on by Maureen

The Scandalous Flirt by Olivia Drake

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The Scandalous Flirt is the sixth book in Olivia Drake’s Cinderella Sisterhood series of Regency-era historical romance novels. I haven’t read any of the other books in the series, but I always enjoy discovering new authors.

Aurora- better known as Rory- has been living in exile from Society for the past eight years as a result of a scandal during her debut Season. Rory is summoned back to London to help her stepmother Kitty, who has managed to become embroiled in a scandal of her own. Rory needs to retrieve some incriminating letters from the Marquess of Dashell’s house. She happens to know Lucas from her Season, and she has a hard time reconciling the exceedingly straitlaced gentleman with his alleged penchant for extortion. As Rory renews her acquaintanceship with Lucas, she discovers that there is much more to him than she could have possibly imagined. Read more

Posted on by Maureen

The Right Kind of Rogue by Valerie Bowman

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The Right Kind of Rogue is a historical romance novel written by Valerie Bowman. I was absolutely thrilled about the opportunity to read this book because I’ve been a fan of Bowman’s books for a couple of years now, and I’ve been waiting for Meg and Hart’s book.

Meg has always been in love with her friend Sarah’s brother Hart for years. This was immediately evident in Bowman’s earlier book The Legendary Lord (Sarah’s book). There was a brief but memorable scene in which it became clear that the mousy Meg has been pining away for Sarah’s dashing viscount brother. Of course, such a match would never work because Meg’s family is virtually impoverished and because her father and Sarah and Hart’s father have been feuding for years.   Read more

Posted on by Maureen

The Wonderling by Mira Bartok

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The Wonderling is a middle grade novel written and illustrated by Mira Bartok. I was very excited about the opportunity to read this book because I have three girls in the middle grade range, and I knew this book would appeal to them.

Arthur is a young fox groundling (a sort of anthropomorphic animal). He lives in an orphanage with other groundlings, ruled by the cruel Miss Carbunkle, who metes out punishments to maintain order and has placed a permanent ban on music or anything happy. Arthur meanders through his miserable existence, but that changes when he meets Trinket. It is Trinket who gives him his name- before that, doesn’t even have a name and is referred to as Thirteen. Trinket becomes Arthur’s first friend, and she tells him wonderful stories about the world outside the Home. Arthur is terrified by change, but with Trinket’s coaxing, he agrees to escape with her. This proves to be the beginning of an amazing adventure, as Arthur tries to discover his origins. Read more

Posted on by Maureen

The Scot Beds His Wife by Kerrigan Byrne

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The Scot Beds His Wife is a historical romance novel written by Kerrigan Byrne. It is the fifth book in the Victorian Rebels series. I thoroughly enjoyed her last book- The Duke– and I was very excited about reading this newest addition to the series.

Samantha Masters made some bad choices in the Wild West. Very bad choices. So when a chance encounter leads to an opportunity to travel to Scotland posing as an heiress to an estate, Samantha jumps at the chance to leave town and hightail it to the Highlands.

Gavin St. James, the Earl of Thorne, happens to live on the neighboring estate, and he is willing to do whatever it takes to get that land for himself. Usually, it is not very difficult for him to get what he wants from women, but his well-practiced seduction techniques are useless against this brash American. Read more

Posted on by Maureen

Murder, Magic, and What We Wore by Kelly Jones

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Murder, Magic, and What We Wore is a young adult novel written by Kelly Jones. I was excited about the opportunity to read this book because it is set in the Regency era, one of my absolute favorite historical periods.

Annis Whitworth is a young woman whose life is thrown into upheaval by her father’s death. She did not know her father very well because he was often traveling, and his sudden death prompts many questions about his occupation. This event also seems to serve as the catalyst for Annis learning that she can sew “glamours” that transform garments and the person wearing them. Read more

Posted on by Maureen

One of Us Is Lying by Karen M McManus

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One of Us Is Lying is a young adult novel written by Karen M. McManus. I found it on the new release shelf at my town library.

Five teens walk into detention: Bronwyn is an academic overachiever, Addy is a pretty girl, Nate is a drug dealer, Cooper is a baseball star, and Simon is brooding and aloof. They are all there because they were caught with cell phones during class. There’s just one problem- the phones aren’t actually theirs and none of them have any idea what the phones are doing in their bags. They are a rather eclectic group, and don’t necessarily run in the same social circles. Being in detention for a something they didn’t actually do is the least of their concerns because by the end of detention, one of the five is dead. Read more

Posted on by Maureen

The Dollmaker of Krakow

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The Dollmaker of Krakow is a middle grade novel written by R.M. Romero. My three girls are in the middle grade range, and so I always end up reading the children’s fiction I receive with them because their feedback is invaluable.

Karolina lived quite happily in the Land of the Dolls until the rats invaded. Her peaceful existence was shattered as the rats began a reign of terror. When things are looking their bleakest, Karolina awakens in a toy shop in the city of Krakow. She meets Mr. Brzezick, the Dollmaker who brought her to life. At first, the Dollmaker is shocked that Karolina can speak to him, but he quickly accepts the magic for what it is. Read more

Posted on by Maureen

Sam the Most Scaredy-Cat Kid in the Whole World by Mo Willems

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Sam the Most Scaredy-Cat Kid in the Whole World is a picture book written and illustrated by Mo Willems. It’s somewhat of a sequel to Leonardo the Terrible Monster, which has always been one of our favorite Willems books. I preordered this book six months ago, and everybody was so excited when it finally arrived.

Sam is a little boy who is afraid of everything except for his monster friend Leonardo. One day, Sam and Leonardo meet Kerry and Frankenthaler, who are a girl and monster duo. Both children are scared, and it is quickly established that they are not afraid of the unfamiliar monster- they are afraid of the unfamiliar child. What can Leonardo and Frankenthaler do to help their kids see that they might have more in common than they thought? Read more