Posted on by Maureen

Too Scot to Handle by Grace Burrowes

 

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I received a digital copy of this book from Netgalley/the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Too Scot to Handle is the second book in Grace Burrowes’ Windham Brides series. I was very excited about the opportunity to read this book. I haven’t read the first book in the series, but it’s in my to-read pile, and I love historical romance novels set during the Regency.

Anwen Windham is determined that the orphanage she sponsors will succeed. There are several obstacles that have prevented this from happening, but when Lord Colin MacHugh joins the board, he brings a plethora of new ideas. Anwen already enjoys a congenial relationship with Lord Colin because her sister is married to his brother, but as they spend time together working for the benefit of the orphanage, they realize that they enjoy each other’s company.

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Posted on by Maureen

The Fortune Hunter by Daisy Goodwin

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The Fortune Hunter is Daisy Goodwin’s second novel. I purchased the Audible edition of this book not too long after its release, but I didn’t listen to it right away because I was saving it. Well, I saved it for almost three years- and I even read Goodwin’s third novel Victoria– but The Fortune Hunter was absolutely worth the wait.

Charlotte Baird is a young heiress. She inherited her fortune from her mother, who died in a horseback riding incident when Charlotte was very small. Now that Charlotte is older, she has to consider whether the young men who seek to form an acquaintanceship are interested in her or her fortune.

Bay Middleton served in the army with Charlotte’s brother. He finds her to be charming, but he also knows that his situation makes his actions seem more predatory, and that he is merely a fortune hunter. Read more

Posted on by Maureen

The Case of the Missing Marquess by Nancy Springer

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I first listened to the audiobooks of Nancy Springer’s Enola Holmes series when my girls were very young. Now that they are older, I thought it would be a good time to introduce them to this delightful series.

The Case of the Missing Marquess is the first book in the Enola Holmes series. As you may have guessed from the surname, Enola is Sherlock and Mycroft’s sister. At fourteen, she is much younger than her brothers, and in fact, has not seen them in over ten years. But when her mother disappears mysteriously, Enola summons them to the Holmes countryside estate. There are very few clues as to where Mrs. Holmes may have gone, and Sherlock and Mycroft determine that the best course of action is for Enola to enroll in a boarding school. She has been raised quite unconventionally, and does not know any of the social graces that she ought to know by the age of fourteen.

Enola objects to this plan, so she runs away. She stumbles, quite unexpectedly into the disappearance of a young marquess. She proves to be quite astute at determining where a young aristocrat might bolt if he grew weary of his pampered life. Things look quite dicey for awhile, but Enola is a fighter, and is much more clever than her brothers could have possibly imagined. Read more

Posted on by Maureen

I Will Love You Forever by Tatsuya Miyanishi

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I received a digital copy of this book from Netgalley/the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I Will Love You Forever is a picture book in Tatsuya Miyanishi’s Tyrannosaurus series. My girls have enjoyed reading the other books in this series, so I was looking forward to sharing it with them.

The story begins with a female Maiasaura finding an egg in the forest. She brings it home to her own egg, and sits on both eggs until they hatch. She is a little alarmed when the egg she found hatches into a Tyrannosaur, but she is determined to raise both babies as her own. She calls the baby Maiasaura “Light” and she calls the baby Tyrannosaur “Heart”. Read more

Posted on by Maureen

The Ruin of a Rake by Cat Sebastian

 

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The Ruin of a Rake is Cat Sebastian’s third novel published in less than a year. I also own both of her other books, and I enjoyed them immensely. I spent my holiday in a leisurely fashion, and this was the perfect book to read while lounging. Like her other two books, this is a m/m Regency story.

Julian Medlock is convinced that dissolute Lord Courtenay is corrupting his sister. Eleanor assures Julian that Courtenay is just a friend, and then asks him to help improve Courtenay’s reputation. Julian likes things in his life to be neat, orderly, and predictable. Courtenay is the complete opposite, and Julian is reluctant to have anything to do with someone who is so different. Read more

Posted on by Maureen

Scandalous Ever After (Romance of the Turf) by Theresa Romain

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I received a digital copy of this book from Netgalley/the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Scandalous Ever After is the second book in Theresa Romain’s Romance of the Turf series of Regency romance novels.

Evan Rhys is an antiquities expert who is planning to go to Greece, but his plans change when Lady Kate Whelan arrives unexpectedly after one of his magic lantern presentations. Kate was married to Evan’s best friend Conn, who tragically passed away two years ago. Evan had been a frequent houseguest at Conn’s Irish estate, but he has not visited- or seen Kate- since Conn’s funeral. Read more

Posted on by Maureen

The Lady Most Willing by Julia Quinn, Eloisa James, and Connie Brockway

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I recently listened to the Audible edition of The Lady Most Willing, a historical romance novel in three parts. This cooperative effort is made up of the work of Julia Quinn, Eloisa James, and Connie Brockway. I also own the Kindle edition of this book, but sometimes it’s easier to listen than to read.

The story begins with a kidnapping. Laird Taran Ferguson decides that it is time that his nephews- Robin and Byron- settle down and marry. So, he does what any rational man would do- he kidnaps several eligible young heiresses from a house party at a neighboring house and brings them to his decrepit castle. Robin and Byron are mortified by this, and then the situation becomes even more complicated when a snowstorm cuts off the castle from the main road, forcing everyone to hunker down for a few days. And then added to the mix, we have two unexpected guests- a charming young lady who is most certainly not an heiress and a very angry young duke who was sleeping in his carriage when the vehicle was used to spirit the kidnapped women away. Read more

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The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee

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I have been looking forward to The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue for several months. I had it preordered on Amazon, and I was very excited to finally read it. I read the whole book yesterday, alternating between the Kindle version and the Audible version- thank you, Whispersync for allowing me to “read” and fold laundry at the same time.

The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue is a YA novel written by Mackenzi Lee. Its protagonist is Henry Montague, a young 18th century aristocrat who is generally perceived to be a rake and a wastrel. As the story begins, Monty is about to embark on his Grand Tour, accompanied by his best friend Percy and his annoying younger sister Felicity. Monty is looking forward to a year of debauchery, but his hopes are dashed when he finds out that this is strictly an educational experience. Monty’s father also issues a clear warning that Monty will be cut off if he doesn’t stop cavorting with other boys. The biggest problem with this sword of Damocles is that Monty is desperately and unequivocally in love with Percy.   Read more

Posted on by Maureen

Murder on Black Swan Lane by Andrea Penrose

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I received a digital copy of this book from Netgalley/the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Murder on Black Swan Lane was written by Andrea Penrose. This mystery, set during the Regency era, is the first in a new series featuring the delightfully dynamic duo of Wrexford and Sloane.

When the charismatic Reverend Josiah Holworthy is found murdered in a church, it is a shocking crime. Suspicion falls on The Earl of Wrexford, who has been known to be one of the targets of Holworthy’s sermons against debauchery. Wrexford didn’t do it, of course, but can he convince Bow Street of his innocence? Read more

Posted on by Maureen

Duke with Benefits (Studies in Scandal) by Manda Collins

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I received a copy of this book from Netgalley/the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Duke With Benefits is the second book in Manda Collins’ Studies in Scandal series of Regency romances.   I enjoyed the first book in the series- Ready Set Rogue; Daphne and Maitland had some delightful interactions as secondary characters, so I was very excited when I found out that they were the main characters in the second book of the series.

Daphne is a mathematical genius, and her arrival at Beauchamp House provides her with the opportunity for independence from her n’er do well father. Daphne also has a secret that she has been keeping from her new friends- it appears that Celeste Beauchamp wanted her to solve a cipher. As legend has it, the solution to the cipher leads to an enormous treasure. Read more