Posted on by Maureen

Between the Lines by Sally Malcolm

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Between the Lines was written by Sally Malcolm. This contemporary m/m romance novel is set in the same world as Perfect Day, one of Malcolm’s other books. I don’t read a lot of contemporary romance, but the plot of this book piqued my interest.

Theo has arrived in New Milton to close the deal on purchasing the Majestic, a seaside hotel that has fallen into disrepair. This is a big opportunity for Theo to finally impress his father, who sees him as incompetent.

Luca has returned to the Majestic to try to talk his mother out of selling the hotel to a big corporation. Luca grew up at the Majestic, but it hasn’t felt much like home to him for years. His stepfather does not accept that Luca is gay, and so Luca lives a nomadic lifestyle- living by the beach during the summer and the ski slopes in the winter. Read more

Posted on by Maureen

King Consort by J.R. Gray

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King Consort is a contemporary m/m romance novel written by J.R. Gray. I found this book on Kindle Unlimited, and it piqued my interest because I love all things royal family.

Louis is the heir to the British throne, and he maintains a carefully crafted playboy persona in order to hide his sexuality. While on a goodwill trip to North America, Louis meets Xavier, who he later finds out is a paparazzo. But what seems like a disaster turns into an odd sort of partnership. There’s clearly a connection, but there are so many reasons for why something lasting between them can never work. They’re determined to enjoy their present, with no expectations of a future together. Read more

Posted on by Maureen

Romancing the Duke by Tessa Dare

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Romancing the Duke is the first book in Tessa Dare’s Castles Ever After series of Regency-era historical romance novels. I enjoy Dare’s books, but I have not read nearly enough of them, something I am attempting to remedy. I’m slightly behind with my book reviewing, but I recently listened to the Audible edition of this book.

Izzy Goodnight finds herself in a predicament after her father’s death. He has left her with virtually nothing, so when she receives a castle from a family friend, she sees this as her last chance at independence.

There’s just one problem: the castle already has an owner. Ransom, the Duke of Rothbury, has been living in seclusion ever since he was blinded in a duel six months ago. He most certainly did not sell his home, and while he wants Izzy to vacate the premises, he admits that he needs help sorting through his correspondence and figuring out how his house was sold. Read more

Posted on by Maureen

The Magpie Lord by KJ Charles

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The Magpie Lord is the first book in KJ Charles’ A Charm of Magpies series of Victorian-era m/m paranormal fantasy romance novels. I have read and enjoyed many of Charles’ books, so when I saw that I could purchase Kindle editions of the trilogy and pair them with audio for a ridiculously low price, I jumped at the opportunity.

Lucien Vaudrey expected to spend the rest of his life in China. But the deaths of his father and older brother mean that he has inherited an earldom. As if returning to a country he hates is not bad enough, Lucien finds himself plagued with something beyond his control.

Stephen Day is a magical practitioner. His family has a long history of acrimony with Lucien’s, but he still agrees to investigate the matter. He does not, however, expect to find Lucien’s home surrounded by malicious magic. Nor does he expect to be attracted to a man that he is supposed to hate. The plot against Lucien runs deeper than either of them expected, and it will consume them both if Stephen fails to find a way to stop it.

Read more

Posted on by Maureen

Kidnapped by the Pirate by Keira Andrews

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Kidnapped by the Pirate was written by Keira Andrews. I found this m/m historical romance novel on Kindle Unlimited.

Nathaniel Bainbridge is sailing from England to the Caribbean, where will reunite with his father, the governor of a small island, and marry the woman his father has chosen for him. Nathaniel is not particularly excited about this, but things take a turn for the worse when their ship is intercepted by a band of pirates who harbor (pardon the pun) a personal grudge against Governor Bainbridge. They kidnap Nathaniel with the intention of holding him for ransom as revenge against the man who wronged him.

The captain, a man named Hawk, insists upon keeping Nathaniel locked in the captain’s quarters to protect him from the crew. At first, Hawk has nothing but contempt for Nathaniel, who he sees as pampered and useless. Likewise, Nathaniel is afraid of Hawk. But slowly, something begins to develop between the two men- despite their age difference, despite their different upbringings, despite everything against them. This is all fine and pleasant, but can they sustain what they have cultivated, especially since the crew expects Hawk to kill Nathaniel if Bainbridge refuses to pay the ransom? Read more

Posted on by Maureen

The Good, the Bad, and the Duke by Janna MacGregor

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The Good, the Bad, and the Duke is the fourth book in Janna MacGregor’s Cavensham Heiresses series of Regency-era historical romance novels. I was very excited about the opportunity to read this book because I’ve enjoyed the other books in the series, and I was especially intrigued by the possibility of redemption for Paul.

Readers were introduced to Paul Barstowe in the first scene of the first book, and it was immediately clear that he was meant to be the villain of the piece. He served as an antagonist, but it is finally time for redemption. It has been several years since the series began, and Paul has inherited the Southart dukedom after the deaths of his father and older brother. Paul wants to make up for the mistakes of his past, but he didn’t factor falling in love into the equation.

Daphne grew up admiring her older brother’s best friend. Paul has not been part of her life for many years, not since the friendship dissolved into acrimony. When her journal is stolen, her quest to recover it leads her directly into Paul’s path. It’s clear that there’s a connection, but there are so many reasons that a relationship between them could never succeed. Can they overcome secrets of the past to find happiness or are they doomed to fail? Read more

Posted on by Maureen

An Unusual Courtship by Katherine Marlowe

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An Unusual Courtship was written by Katherine Marlowe. This is a Regency-era m/m historical romance novel, and I first found out about it because of its availability on Kindle Unlimited. If you don’t want to read my entire review, all you need to know is that I enjoyed this book so much that I purchased my own copy.

Percival Valentine likes his quiet life in the village of Linston, where he works in an informal capacity as estate manager. There’s a more detailed explanation, involving an extinct barony and an inherited house, but needless to say, Percival is a gentleman. When he finds out that Linston Grange has been rented to a trio of young people, he looks forward to the new opportunities for socialization.

Mr. and Miss Bolton are delightful, but it is their friend the enigmatic Mr. Everett who really catches Percival’s eye. There is clearly a spark of mutual attraction, but they skirt around it and never talk about it because of the forbidden nature of such a relationship.

But Mr. Everett has secrets of his own- are they enough to doom the potential for anything more than friendship? Read more

Posted on by Maureen

My One and Only Duke by Grace Burrowes

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My One and Only Duke is the first book in Grace Burrowes’ Rogues to Riches series of Regency-era historical romance novels. I was excited about the opportunity to read this book because I enjoyed Burrowes’ Windham Brides series, and a new series meant a fresh start with new characters.

Quinn Wentworth started with nothing, and built a prosperous banking empire for himself and his siblings. But as the story begins, Quinn is in Newgate, facing execution for a murder he did not commit. It is there that he meets Jane, a pregnant vicar’s daughter. Jane is not married; she eloped to Scotland with a handsome soldier, who turned out to be a rogue, but he was killed in a duel. Jane already caused one scandal by eloping, and now she faces a second one. Quinn offers to marry Jane, so that his estate can provide financial support for her and the unborn baby. He’s going to die anyway, so why shouldn’t he do one final magnanimous gesture? Read more

Posted on by Maureen

Salt Magic, Skin Magic by Lee Welch

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Salt Magic, Skin Magic was written by Lee Welch. This is a Victorian-era m/m romance novel with elements of fantasy and magic. I found out about this book in one of my Facebook groups, and it sounded like the perfect book for me.

Lord Thornby had a pleasant life in London, but after being summoned home by his father to their remote estate, he finds that no matter what he does, he is unable to leave. He is physically trapped on the estate with no hope and no one to help him.

John Blake is a trained magician who arrives at the estate as a favor to a friend. Thornby’s young stepmother believes that she is the victim of dark magic and that Thornby is the one cursing her. Blake is prepared to eliminate the threat, but he realizes that while the house most certainly is cursed, Thornby is as much of a victim as his stepmother. Read more

Posted on by Maureen

Kiss Me at Christmas by Valerie Bowman

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Kiss Me at Christmas is the tenth book in Valerie Bowman’s Playful Brides series of Regency-era historical romance novels. I was excited about the opportunity to read this book because I’ve enjoyed the other Playful Brides books.

Readers were first introduced to Daffin and Regina in the last book- A Duke Like No Other. As this next adventure begins, Regina has given up on marriage, but she has decided that she wants to lose her virginity to commemorate her 30th birthday. She attempts to recruit Daffin, a Bow Street Runner, to help her with this, but naturally, he refuses. However, when it appears that someone is targeting her family, her cousin Mark hires Daffin to serve as bodyguard. Despite some initial awkwardness stemming from Regina’s earlier request, they strike up a friendly rapport. Soon enough, they realize that there really is a genuine attraction that is getting harder and harder to deny. But even though they have retreated to the countryside for Christmas, it seems as though that threat has followed them from London. Who is trying to hurt the family and why? Read more