Lady Myrtle McQuoid has never felt like she truly fits in with her family, and this Christmas season is no different. When she wakes up to a silent hoLady Myrtle McQuoid has never felt like she truly fits in with her family, and this Christmas season is no different. When she wakes up to a silent house, absent her noisy family, Myrtle realizes they’ve headed out for their seat in Scotland and forgotten her. She just needs to find food and heat until they realize she’s been left behind and return for her.
Valentine Bancroft, the Duke of Aragon, has shut himself away from the world since his wife’s death four years previously. He wants to be left alone, with only his loyal dog for company, and he has no use for his noisy magpie of a neighbor with her incessant chatter and forthright opinions.
But with Myrtle left alone and a potential threat to her father’s house, she has to find the nerve to approach the gruff duke for help and honorable Val can’t refuse a lady in need no matter how much he may want to.
I’m not sure what sort of vortex I’ve fallen into, but somehow almost all of my festive Christmas reads this year have wound up having heavy grief themes. This has been an incredibly difficult year for me with a lot of loss so that makes these books tough to read and I’m trying not to allow that to affect any of my reviews, but I do want to put that caveat out there.
This book was terribly sweet, and I did enjoy how things wrapped up, but it was perhaps a bit too sweet at times. There was a lot of lovely build up between the MCs here and then it all faded out into nothing and that did leave me feeling just a little bit shortchanged. Myrtle is the ultimate golden retriever heroine with Val as her foil, the ultimate broody duke. They are both perhaps just a bit overdrawn in their characters, with some of her behavior being just excessively silly and some of his gruffness going so far as to be comical, perhaps unintendedly so. Her being described as between childhood and womanhood when he’s clearly quite a bit older and much more experienced did feel a bit icky for me, but I don’t remember his age ever being mentioned so I’m not sure of the gap there. This was something I was able to get over when her age and the fact that she was about to have her first season wasn’t being mentioned, though it was mentioned a lot. Myrtle is so sweet and bubbly that at times she came off as a bit of a simpleton and some of her inner monologues grew very repetitive. She was also a bit judgmental and gullible, fully believing when they first met that Val had murdered all his servants and that’s why he was alone. Her character is a bit exaggerated, to the point that it was very easy to sympathize with Val’s wanting her gone, especially as she chattered in a fairly condescending manner at first, hardly allowing him a word edgewise. His story was incredibly tragic and that seemed to cheapen it a bit for me, though I believe it was meant to lighten up the darker theme of the book. We also had the slapstick villains for that lightness, though only briefly, but their threat was pretty vague and there were large stretches in which they did not appear, so I had almost forgotten about them. For this reason, I think some parts of the plot could’ve been shortened a bit without damaging the story. Nonetheless, this author handles darker themes very well, but her dramatic style was a bit less suited to the sweeter parts of the book.
I really liked Val’s growth and seeing him rediscover the joys of life after facing so much pain. Though his transformation happens very quickly, and we don’t get to see very much of the changed Val on the page, it did wrap up the book on a very hopeful note. Given the bittersweetness of this season, that positivity was something I needed, and I only wish we’d had more of it. All in all, I enjoyed this sweet, if a bit slow-paced, read, and, though I did wish for more Christmas festivities and less repetition in the dialogues between Val and Myrtle, his proposal was especially adorable.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. ...more
Even Georgianna Heyford, daughter of a country gentleman, has heard of the exploits of the rakish Earl of Stannis. Nonetheless, she sees no reason whyEven Georgianna Heyford, daughter of a country gentleman, has heard of the exploits of the rakish Earl of Stannis. Nonetheless, she sees no reason why she can’t cater his exclusive yacht party without falling under his spell. However, an unfortunate misunderstanding sees her sacked, infuriated, and underpaid. Yet, upon returning home, the perfect chance of revenge washes ashore in the village.
Daniel Rutherford, the Earl of Stannis, has lost all memory of who he is. Only Georgianna seems to recognize him, and he thinks she might be familiar, but there’s no way she could possibly be his wife as he claims.
In truth, Georgianna is taking this opportunity to use the earl to do some of the work she’s now unable to hire someone to perform, thanks to having her wages cut short. This will be a temporary arrangement, and no one ever needs to know the truth. But the longer the earl remains with Georgianna and her sisters, the more it feels like he’s meant to stay with them, leaving Georgianna ripe for heartbreak when his memory returns.
I want to start by saying that I love this author and she’s responsible for some of my favorite reads. Unfortunately, this story was not one of them and you chance spoilers from here as I get my thoughts out. Right from the start, I was very much not a fan of the hero’s mistress having such a prominent role. Then his meet cute with the heroine is him mistaking her for a prostitute. I was very much not a fan, and this certainly did not cast him in a good light. Not to mention the fact that his mistook her for one of three women who he’d planned to have join him in bed that night. I also wasn’t crazy about the extreme level of Georgianna’s innocence nor the ease with which he completely overwhelmed her. And yet, we’re clearly meant to see Daniel as redeemed and noble because he cares about those who work in the factories he owns. Even with the mistress being portrayed as a shrew, I was still not a fan of her continuing to have so much page time at the beginning of the book and I continued to struggle to find anything to like about Daniel. Even knowing how wrong his mistress was, he went ahead with firing Georgie, though he did attempt a fix later on, and this was basically indicative of his nature throughout the whole book.
This struggle persisted through pretty much the entire book as he referred to Georgianna as plain and obviously below him in every regard, and just generally behaved at the height of pomposity and arrogance. For me, there was no coming back from that. I adored the hero from the first book in this series and Daniel pales mightily by comparison. I understand why Georgie lied and declared an amnesiac Daniel to be her husband; he left her little choice, but why just keep piling all the other lies on? He did grow a modicum of charm while he was with Georgie and her sisters living a simple life, but that was quick to go out the window when he regained his memory. I get that he was just in denial and trying to protect himself from frightening and unwanted feelings, but that didn’t make it any easier to stomach.
Even when we’re told that he’s lending support to a bill that would give women more property rights in the next breath he’s telling someone that he supports that bill simply because he’s trying to support his friend, not because it’s something that he believes in. And of course, he thinks love is whimsical and imaginary. This could’ve still been super cute despite all these issues, right up until Daniel suggested that Georgie could essentially just become his mistress and they be fake married, but only in her small town. Even later he still contemplates marriage to another and refuses to shut down his mother’s and grandmother’s machinations. As if he weren’t already bad enough, we’ve also got to add in some other woman (not even the mistress, another other woman) drama, with an attempted compromise scene. I just thought this was unnecessary and there was way too much packed in here.
After how drawn out this was and how all over the place the plot was, the ending felt very rushed and lacking, not that I was ever likely to feel satisfied by this story. All in all, I’ll definitely continue to read this author, but this story was a total dud for me.
After learning that her husband was actually already married to two other women, Beth Howell was left with a ruined reputation and finances, reduced tAfter learning that her husband was actually already married to two other women, Beth Howell was left with a ruined reputation and finances, reduced to living with her scapegrace brother. If she hopes to avoid his machinations to marry her off to a man old enough to be her father, Beth must learn what happened to the fortune she brought to her marriage. Though with her supposed husband now deceased, finding out what happened to the money will be even more of a challenge.
Julian Raleah, the Marquess of Grayson, isn’t one for social niceties and has kept everyone at arm’s length since his hopes of marrying Beth were shattered long before she married the trigamist. Now Julian is surprised to see the woman he still loves at his doorstep and asking him to escort her on the search for her missing dowry. Julian knows going on a road trip with the woman he’s been unable to remove from his thoughts is a bad idea, but he also can’t let her down when she needs help, even if it does leave him wondering if there’s even a slight chance of them finding the happy ending after all.
I wanted to like this so much, but it just didn’t work for me, so you risk spoilers from here as I get my thoughts out. I honestly haven’t cared for this series as a whole, but this was definitely the worst installment for me. I’m not sure if I was already going into a slump anyway (probably just because of things going on in my life), but it took me over two months to finish this and that was with me skimming quite a bit of the latter half. I will say that I liked Julian as a hero; his loyalty and steadfastness are to be commended. However, they are also a strike against Beth because I just kept feeling like she didn’t deserve him and wondering what he actually saw in her.
Both Julian and Beth annoyed me at the beginning with their refusal to ask their friends for help. Beth acted as if everyone around her was trying to tell her what to do, but only her brother was doing that, and she refused to put him in his place. From the get-go, this just felt like yet another supposedly feminist book with a man hating heroine. Nothing special, something I’ve read loads of times and never really enjoy. Beth kept going on about all this freedom she now had since her fake husband’s passing, but I have no idea where she got that notion from given that her brother was still clearly controlling her so much and she was allowing it.
I was already not a fan of Beth and then we learned that she hates horses, which was something of a final straw for me as a lifelong horse lover and owner. I’m also amazed at how she treated everyone around her. She’s certainly not someone I’d want as a friend given the way she treated Julian. Beth remained adamant about keeping her promise to herself to never marry again, but rather than make her seem like a strong heroine to me this just got old fast as she was constantly at cross purposes with what she truly wanted for herself. For instance, she hated all horses because of a minor incident with one that was truly caused by a horsemanship error on her part. She applied that same logic to men as well and it just made her seem even more airheaded than she already did.
Aside from that, I thoroughly lost patience with the book and the road trip antics which were probably meant to be funny were lost on me. Beth railing about her reasons for not wanting to marry again to a stranger who is threatening her life was just ridiculous. The moment of peril should’ve been a turning point in her relationship with Julian as they were reminded how precious and fleeting life is, but that’s not what happened. Way too much time was spent on this scene with the highwayman, and it felt like it just delayed the already slow plot even more. I also wasn’t a fan of how weak Julian was made to look here, though I did like his tenderness toward Beth even though she wasn’t exactly kind to him.
The pacing of the entire book was very slow, and I struggled to maintain any interest. The plotting felt very slapdash and Beth very childlike. Then, as if I didn’t already dislike her enough, she questioned Julian about his past and tried to hold it against him that he’d been with others, though the same was true for herself as well. Hypocrisy is something I cannot stand and that was another strike against her. She was the queen of mixed signals, with Julian, but also in other areas of her life. For instance, she openly blames her brother for ruining her life and yet she idiotically continued to dismiss him as harmless.
If all that weren’t enough, we then get the dreaded third act break up because of course. Essentially Beth just used Julian for comfort and then threw him away when she was done with him. I’m not sure if this was supposed to feel empowering to women but I didn’t care for it. She then had the audacity to be upset with Julian for saying he couldn’t see her anymore as just friends, because it would hurt him too much. She just put on this false, misplaced sense of nobility that just made her look dumb and emphasized the fact that she was out of touch with anyone else’s feelings but her own.
Lastly, I wanted to see the brother put in his place more and I didn’t need any sort of redemption arc for Meri the trigamist, especially one that didn’t actually explain his terrible behavior. I see why this was useful as a plot device, but I was not a fan. Even when everything had worked out and there were no barriers left, Beth still saw a problem between herself and Julian, once again creating her own issues. She even said she wanted someone who just wanted her and not her money…she hadn’t had any money the entire time and Julian still professed his love for her, so the only conclusion I could draw was that she was a featherheaded pea brain. Perhaps this is why the chemistry between these two felt rather forced, especially because she was so hot and cold with him, and he was so (understandably) lacking in confidence.
I’m usually a fan of epilogues but this one just felt dumb and unnecessary. I didn’t need another nod to Meri, nor did I want more weird attempts at redemption for him without any explanation for his behavior. I normally love a slow burn road trip romance that’s full of pining, but this was not it. I’m still a fan of this author and she’s responsible for some of my favorite stories, so here’s hoping this series was just a fluke for me as many other readers have loved it.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own....more
Since Dominic Kilburn left Lady Willa Ransom at the altar a year ago, she has done everything possible to hide just how deeply it3.5 stars rounded up.
Since Dominic Kilburn left Lady Willa Ransom at the altar a year ago, she has done everything possible to hide just how deeply it hurt her. After a year spent traveling the continent, Willa is ready to move on with her life and accepts an invitation to a house party on a remote Scottish island with the hopes of moving on from her embarrassment and the attraction she still holds for the man who left her.
When secrets from Dom’s past reemerged just before he was meant to be married, he knew he couldn’t go through with it given how undeserving he was of Willa, so he ran. Regardless, he still longs for the only woman to have ever found a place in his heart. Hoping to escape the longing plaguing him, Dom agrees to accompany his friends to a house party on an isolated Scottish island. Unfortunately, one of the guests is the woman he can’t stop thinking about and about whom he dreams impossible things.
Forced together by their well-intentioned family and friends, Willa and Dom work to resist the smoldering connection between them, but the line between love and despising blurs and their attraction combusts. But Dom’s past hasn’t changed and Willa fears being hurt again, leaving their happily ever after far from certain.
I have been anticipating this book for such a long time that I was hesitant to even read it now given the terrible slump I’ve fallen into, but I also didn’t want to put it off any longer. I don’t want to say it disappointed me, but I will say it wasn’t quite all I’d hoped for, though my expectations were of course very high. As always when I’m like this, you risk potential spoilers from here. Honestly, this story just felt very repetitive. Dom at least was sure he wanted to be with Willa, just equally sure he didn’t deserve to be, but Willa was just very wishy-washy about everything. Even past 60% we still didn’t get even a kiss between the MCs and I began to really lose patience. There was a ton of pining and longing, but it just grew boring and repetitive to me. I get that running away was Willa’s thing, but it still felt like she hadn’t really shown any development at all by the end of the book. Dom, on the other hand, did do some growing and reflecting. He was honest with her and made it clear that he just wanted to give her everything, but all she’d give him was chaotic mixed signals. Even when they finally did spend time together, nothing was resolved, and I grew bored all over again with her repetitive thoughts on keeping herself from being hurt again. Also, what the heck was with the random bdsm scene? I’m supposed to believe a virgin just randomly decided to tie a man up and use a crop on him? It just felt so random and weird, and I found it wholly unsatisfying. Even after all this emotional outlay from Dom, it was like Willa still hadn’t truly listened to his feelings when he finally confided the source of his shame to her. She just brushed off his feelings and went right back to mulling incessantly over her own fears. I wanted more emotion and less angst. Instead, I was just left feeling that Dom loved Willa much more than she did him and I wasn’t completely satisfied with their relationship. Overall, this book wasn’t quite all the things I’d hoped it would be, but my rating gets rounded up because I did like the way things wrapped up in the end.
Despite being the daughter of an earl’s younger son, Marguerite “Daisy” Townsend longs to make a name for herself outside of polite society and establDespite being the daughter of an earl’s younger son, Marguerite “Daisy” Townsend longs to make a name for herself outside of polite society and establish herself as an inquiry agent. Her latest case, finding proof of a wife’s infidelity, necessitates obtaining a position as a servant in the household of her lover, but Marguerite never expected to find herself attracted to the blackguard.
David Blackwood, more routinely called simply by the name Bishop, is as well known for his handsome face as for his rakish reputation. It doesn’t take him long to realize the new maid isn’t what she seems, but tempted as he is by her alluring beauty, he can’t allow her to get close enough to learn the truth that his many supposed affairs are faked. Having witnessed his mother’s trials at the hands of his abusive father, Bishop has made it his life’s work to help wives obtain divorces to escape unhappy marriages.
When the husband of one of his fake lovers turns up murdered, Bishop is accused of committing the crime and seeks Daisy’s assistance to exonerate himself. As they search for the truth together, they unearth a web of deceits and find themselves unable to deny the attraction broiling between them. But when secrets are revealed, the biggest question is whether Bishop will give up the games he hasn’t even realized he was playing to entrust Daisy with his heart permanently.
Bishop’s story was a fresh twist on both the fake rake and reformed rake tropes, and I found it to be very well done. His only purpose in life was to thwart his father and help women obtain divorces and up until meeting Marguerite and being subsequently bowled over by his newfound feelings for her, he’d only seen one way to go about achieving this goal. She helped him realize that he was still allowing himself to be controlled and his actions dictated by his awful father, and to break free of that to at last seek some happiness for himself. Marguerite showed him that not only was this possible, but that it was what he deserved to find in life. Bishop helped Marguerite establish and maintain the independence she longed for while simultaneously demonstrating that it was also okay for her to accept the help of a partner. I especially loved that, in the end, it is Marguerite comforting and assuring Bishop of the permanence of her feelings for him and solidifying their relationship and shoring up his confidence when he is still a bit uncertain of himself, his worthiness, and the depth of her feelings for him. There were quite a lot of ups and downs in this story and no small amount of emotional upheaval and reflection, which kept me invested in the story. Bishop and Marguerite established a truly lovely partnership after facing quite a few challenges together, both from outside sources and within themselves, and I found both characters to be very endearing. The only thing I missed in this story was Bishop spending more time with the other Chessmen, but based on the interactions they did have, I’m very excited for the rest of this series.
Calan Campbell, Laid of Kilcairn was just hoping for a quick morning swim, not a thief making off with his plaid while he was in the loch. Catching thCalan Campbell, Laid of Kilcairn was just hoping for a quick morning swim, not a thief making off with his plaid while he was in the loch. Catching the lad and retrieving his plaid was no issue, but when he discovers he’s just inadvertently tackled a young woman, leaving her unconscious, and unable to explain how she came to be bruised from head to toe and naked in his woods, he realizes he must take her back to his own castle so she can heal, and he can get some answers.
Lady Allissaid MacFarlane risked her life to escape the tower her family’s enemy had locked her in after forcing a sham marriage on her. After struggling over a plaid she hoped to borrow, she wakes in an unfamiliar room with an unfamiliar man seated next to her. Not knowing if he’s a friend to her clan or to their enemy, she claims to have lost her memory in order to gain herself some time to learn where his allegiances lie. But the more time she spends talking with Calan, the more Allissaid realizes he’s a caring, honorable man she could fall for, someone she’s quickly come to trust with her life.
If you’re a fan of Sands’ style of highland hijinks, this should be another hit for you. This story was very simple, a quick read with a pretty readily identifiable villain, but I was immersed in it quickly and found it to be a page turner for me. I adore the protector heroes and it’s even better if they’re highlanders and the heroine has been injured or run into some sort of trouble from which she needs saving. I know this is old school of me, but I just don’t care; it’s the ultimate escape for me and I love it. I think it does need to be said that Allissaid did feel a bit flat to me as a heroine, without too many original thoughts coming from her, but I was happy enough with this being a light read that it didn’t much bother me. Calan was pretty adorable as the strong, silent type of hero who came out of his shell a bit around Allissaid and became charming and likable. There’s some mystery here and a villain, but this is still a low angst, slow burn story and I really enjoyed the escape it provided for me, and I’ll keep hoping for more installments to the series.
Miss Helen Langley has been in love with her brother’s best friend for at least the last seven years but has remained silent on the matter in deferencMiss Helen Langley has been in love with her brother’s best friend for at least the last seven years but has remained silent on the matter in deference to her brother’s feelings. She may flirt with him a bit, but there’s only so much she can do with a man who sees her as a sibling.
Nicholas St. Clair made a pact with his best friend that they would never marry. After seeing how his father suffered his unrequited love for his own wife, Nicholas isn’t keen to enter into the same state. Remaining unmarried is also simple when the only woman he’s interested in sees him as a brother, forcing him to keep his true feelings hidden.
But Nicholas and Helen soon find themselves thrown together in a new way when they’re embroiled in blackmail and murder and must work together to find the true culprit, leaving them to decide just how willing they are to continue hiding their true selves.
This book is the epitome of pining and sexual tension. The connection between Helen and Nicholas was clear and I loved it when they finally gave in to that tangible need they had for one another. I especially enjoyed the fact that there was a mystery here that the couple worked together to solve and that strengthened their relationship and was the catalyst for them coming together. I always love it when the MCs must work together to face some sort of hardship or solve some sort of problem and we get to see that bring them together, bonus points if that situation also leads to forced proximity and carriage shenanigans as it happily does in this book. Perhaps my favorite aspect was that angst was kept to a minimum despite the fraught situation the hero found himself in, thus providing the heroine an opportunity to shine with her use of cool logic and her refusal to be silenced as she fought for her relationship. Nicholas and Helen had waited so long to be together that once they finally confessed their feelings to each other, there was no way they were going to let anything come between them again, no matter what, and I felt this as a reader and very much believed in them too. It was impossible not to root for them. This was another hit for me from one of my favorite authors. Adele has set up a lovely new series for us and I can’t wait to see where it goes.
Kyra Fowler is on the cusp of achieving her dream of working as a nurse practitioner in London. The only catch is that she must f3.5 stars rounded up.
Kyra Fowler is on the cusp of achieving her dream of working as a nurse practitioner in London. The only catch is that she must first travel to Wyoming to tie up her estranged father’s estate and sell the town he inexplicably left her in his will. She just has to do a few repairs that are certain to easily attract an investor and she plans to be in London by the New Year.
Aiden Steele was unable to save his brother-in-law and Navy SEAL teammate in battle, but he’s determined to save his sister’s ranch and make sure she and his two young nieces can have the life they deserve in the small town they love. He’s not about to let them be driven out by an uncaring investor. His plan is to show Kyra around and, with the help of the townsfolk and a little Christmas spirit, make her fall in love with the place so she won’t want to sell. The plan backfires a bit, however, when Aiden is the one who begins to fall for her.
I have to say, this wasn’t quite as light-hearted and Christmassy as I was expecting or wanting, but the ending surprised me with how much it charmed me. In facing a holiday without several loved ones who should be here, the grief is hitting hard, so it was both painful and somehow a bit comforting to find that grieving was such a big theme in this unassuming book with its cutesy title. Some scenes were difficult to read and had me in tears, but the close bonds formed by this small-town community and the found family aspects gave me warm fuzzies.
Suffice it to say, this book was a bit of a mixed bag for me, and it was sometimes difficult to remember that it was meant to be a romance. Kyra and Aiden didn’t actually spend that much time together and in fact, she spends a great deal of time avoiding him. She was a pretty difficult character for me to like, mostly because she spent so much time harping on about the necessity of sticking to this life plan of moving to London even though it was something she came up with pretty arbitrarily. She was extremely inflexible for a long time and somehow seemed to think that this meant she was making her own decisions when really, she was just latching onto something random. All this did make some sense given her background and the fact that her mother had kept them so isolated, but this definitely would’ve felt more like a romance if she’d had more on page time with Aiden. Their chemistry was clear, but there were a lot of issues for them both to work through and they spent a great deal of this book pushing each other away and trying to protect themselves from potential heartbreak.
Overall, this book was a surprise for me. It was a bit less romantic than I had hoped and also less Christmassy, and yet, Aiden whipped out a beautiful bit of romance right at the end. That completely melted me, and I would’ve loved to see a similar confession out of Kyra. I really loved this small-town setting and all the found family here. There’s also definitely something to be said for the character development and how well the supporting characters were fleshed out, although possibly to the slight detriment of the main characters’ on page romance. Nonetheless, this is a new series I’m excited to continue and I especially can’t wait to read Tess and Silas’ story.
Valentine Medford, the Duke of Thornbury, a semi-retired Crown agent never lost a target and he doesn't plan to now that he's come out of retirement tValentine Medford, the Duke of Thornbury, a semi-retired Crown agent never lost a target and he doesn't plan to now that he's come out of retirement to help his former partner find a rogue agent. His mission requires him to keep his target close and uncover all the secrets that cold keep them apart.
Lady Bronwyn Chase is not the airhead she presents to society. She wants to be much more than society expects of a young lady which is why she's found herself on her brother's passenger ship on the way to America in possession of a packet of information that could get her into serious trouble, the kind that could ruin even a duke's sister and which has set Valentine in pursuit. As he gets closet to Bronwyn and her secrets, Valentine soon realizes that more is going on here than meets the eye and he must find a way to marry his loyalty to the Crown with his desire for more with Bronwyn.
This story sucked me in early on and had me eager to get to the next scene. I loved the spy element and the fact that our characters traveled around to various settings. Valentine brought a lot to the story just by the nature of his experience as a former (now semi-retired) spymaster. He's grumpy and jaded but full of fire underneath that tough exterior. Bronwyn wiggled right under his skin without much effort, having quietly longed for him for years, and despite his reluctance to reveal his entire self to someone else, he couldn't help himself when it came to her. I loved that she acknowledged her feelings for him and refused to settle for less than everything he had to give without being forced into a marriage of convenience. The downside of that for me was that she also was cutting off her nose to spite her face a bit, because much of the time Valentine was viewing this as a rejection. She just needed to give him a little time to catch up and be willing to take the risk of exposing himself to another person. The obvious effort it took Valentine to open himself up to Bronwyn made their relationship really special and made it clear that they weren't just reacting to the adrenaline bonding of having been through several dangerous situations together. I think these two were a good match with Valentine curbing some of Bronwyn's naivete and her bringing him out of his shell a bit and helping him not dwell so much on all he'd seen and done in his espionage career. I also enjoyed seeing Bronwyn challenge her mother a bit, though I definitely wanted to see more of her standing up to that awful woman. All in all, I really enjoyed this book and I look forward to more of this series.
More than ten years have passed since May Wu was a bookish teenager chomping at the bit to leave her small North Carolina town af3.5 stars rounded up.
More than ten years have passed since May Wu was a bookish teenager chomping at the bit to leave her small North Carolina town after graduation. She’s become a successful travel writer who’s up for anything, but that gusto is put to the test when her latest assignment sends her back to Blue Cedar Falls. She immediately runs into her ex, Han Leung, the guy she still uses to measure all other dates against and he’s still even more handsome now and just as easy to talk to as ever.
Han has always put his duty above everything else, setting aside his dream to open a restaurant of his own so he could keep his family’s business afloat after his dad’s passing. But when May rockets back into his orbit, Han finds it harder to keep ignoring all the desires he’s been tamping down for over a decade. Unfortunately, nothing about their circumstances has really changed and the reasons they broke up before are all still valid, or so it seems.
I really enjoyed the first book in this series, so I was very excited for this follow-up, especially as a North Carolina native myself. There were parts of this I loved and it had me longing for a visit to the mountains, but there were also bits that were very lackluster for me, most of them stemming from the heroine. May and her struggles with fitting in and being bullied were very relatable; though I wasn’t bullied for the same reasons, her resultant insecurities were definitely familiar to me. What was frustrating and disheartening for me was how long she allowed that high school experience to define every aspect of her life. Her insistence on shaming and bad-mouthing an entire town because of the behavior of one person, an ignorant child no less, was a bit much and grew to be repetitive after a while.
May’s bitterness just began to seem like hypocrisy with a huge lack of empathy. She blazed onto the page with the same sort of judgmental mentality she had wanted so desperately to leave behind. She had no awareness of anyone else’s feelings but her own and it was pretty sad to see how little Han’s emotions mattered to her and how aware he was of that fact. Han’s character arc was also a bit puzzling to me just because he’d made this huge mistake that I would’ve struggled to forgive myself and, though I understand why it happened given the timing, it still just felt like an unnecessary addition to a story that was already drowning in angst. Some of that angst did grow repetitive as Han and May seemed to have the same conversation/argument over and over again and between that and the deep examination of May’s lasting scars from her high school bullying experience, the romance definitely took a backseat.
Also, I’m tired of reading about this idea that hometowns are poison and anyone who wishes to remain and make a place for themselves in their hometown is some sort of loser. The first half of this book especially was laden with this ambitious ideal that quickly becomes toxic as it sews this insidious idea that one must always strive for more and better. Not that there’s anything inherently wrong with desiring more, but it is all too easy to become obsessed with this ambition and fail to be appreciative, or to even notice, what one has already gained or been blessed with. Fortunately, I think this is something May recognizes in the end, and it saved the book for me. Achieving her dreams had not made her truly happy and she took steps to correct this and follow her heart in a way that made her much more fulfilled by being true to herself. I was satisfied by this ending and it definitely felt like Han and May would have a firm HEA together, but I still would’ve liked to see a bit more romance in their story.
When he spies a hooded woman lurking in the shadows at his cousin’s wedding, Sir Hugh Waryn is immediately suspicious of her. He protects his family aWhen he spies a hooded woman lurking in the shadows at his cousin’s wedding, Sir Hugh Waryn is immediately suspicious of her. He protects his family above all else and perceives the presence of an Italian-born Frenchwoman as a potential threat, even if he does find himself intrigued by her stubbornness and seeming dislike of him.
When Hugh finally succeeds in persuading Lady Criseyde to confide her true purpose in him, he becomes ever more attracted to her. With these two on the same side and now working together, Hugh’s desire for her could become even more of a danger than the mission she’s been sent on as the two journey north into Scotland alone. When they reach William Wallace’s campsite, Hugh is even beginning to question his determination to avoid love or marriage.
When the trip becomes even more potentially deadly, Hugh needs all his training and the help of his father’s old reiver friends to save Criseyde and ensure the future he’s come to crave with her.
I must say I was not a huge fan of this heroine to start off with. I found her insistence on talking in circles exhausting and her need to make everything an argument frustrating. However, as the story went on and she and Hugh came to realize they were on the same side and actually came to know each other, it became very clear that this sort of stubborn determination was exactly what Hugh needed to get himself in order and realize he was in fact capable of a committed, long-term relationship. Likewise, Hugh challenged Criseyde to reimagine the views she held up until this point about marriage, her potential to derive pleasure from a man, and the way men view women. He showed her that not all men are the same and that’s always excellent to read. I loved seeing him smacked by that realization and I especially enjoyed the fact that there was no high drama when it came to Hugh and Criseyde deciding to have their future together. There’s enough angst from the political upheaval of this time period that it wasn’t needed within the relationship to make a compelling story. Cecelia does such a good job of rapidly building a believable, solid relationship between characters you can’t help but root for and this story was no exception.
Actress Valentina Valverde is exhausted when she arrives on the set of her latest film in Scotland, and not just from the travel. She’s been working nActress Valentina Valverde is exhausted when she arrives on the set of her latest film in Scotland, and not just from the travel. She’s been working nonstop since she was a child and it’s beginning to take its toll, but she knows she can’t stop now. There are too many people depending on her, but she is beginning to realize that she’s missed out on much of the beauty of life.
As head of security, Charlie Hamilton has seen a bit too much. He’s full of charisma and blessed with good looks, but inside he’s a wreck. He lost his last gig, has essentially no contact with his family, and no real direction, so when his best friend asks him to drop everything and come to Scotland to secure Kinloch Castle from the craziness brought by the film crew, he agrees. He just wasn’t expecting to fall for one of the cast members.
Charlie is unlike anyone Valentina has ever met. When he suggests she use some of the unexpected downtime she has during this film to experience some things she’s missed out on and step outside her comfort zone a bit, she can’t completely resist him. Charlie utterly captivates Valentina with his passion and sense of humor, but their fun soon has deeper feelings attached. Their relationship has a finite end date and will be left as just a Highland fling if they can’t find a way to step away from their past issues and into a future together.
I adored Charlie, scars, tattoos, flaws and all. I liked Valentina as well and found her insecurity relatable, though at the same time, she also frustrated me since she’s so obviously a very beautiful woman and it was frustrating to see her put herself down so much, to the point that it nearly came between her and Charlie. I had a similar frustration with Charlie and his inability to see his own worth and goodness, believing himself to be nothing more than your average, run of the mill cad. This made Valentina a little annoyingly grumpy towards Charlie at first and it was hard to feel like she wasn’t using him, but they were so cute together that I got over it. I loved the fact that Charlie and Valentina both had issues to deal with from their pasts and from their families and they were both a little lost. They helped each other grow as individuals and as a couple and it was obvious how truly good they were for each other. They were very well suited and that was obvious for anyone to see, and I loved the fact that their relationship was high steam, but that the bedroom scenes were obviously a huge part of their relationship development and were very big emotional moments for these two, especially near the end. I also loved Valentina’s abuelas and their interactions with Charlie. I only wish we’d gotten some sort of interaction between Valentina and Charlie’s family, but maybe that can be a bonus chapter or a Christmas novella or something. Either way, I really did enjoy this couple and their story and Charlie was fantastic as a complex, multi-layered, and often-underestimated hero.
Country music star Colton Wheeler recognized what he felt when he was with Gretchen Winthrop, but unfortunately for him, she didn’t agree. It’s been aCountry music star Colton Wheeler recognized what he felt when he was with Gretchen Winthrop, but unfortunately for him, she didn’t agree. It’s been a year since their one night together and he’s struggling to keep his music career on track. He’d definitely be sinking into some depression if he didn’t love the Christmas season so much and have a great support system in the Bromance Book Club.
Workaholic immigration attorney Gretchen loathes Christmas. She struggles to enjoy the frivolity of the seasons when her clients are struggling to feed their families. When her wealthy, estranged family offers her the opportunity to serve on the board of their charitable foundation, she can’t turn it down. Unfortunately, the offer comes with a catch: she has to convince Colton to do a public endorsement of her family’s whiskey.
Colton tells Gretchen he’ll consider the offer if she goes on three dates with him before Christmas. As Colton works to show Gretchen the magic of Christmas and the validity of the spark between them, they’ll have to deal with some ghosts from their pasts to create a future together.
I wanted to love this so much more than I did. I was expecting a lot more Christmas and a lot more bromance, so I was just a little bit letdown. I think my main issue here was Gretchen herself. She definitely came off as a bit too poor little rich girl for me. I didn’t like the fact that she was allowed to be so mean to Colton with no consequences, but when he’s had enough and is a bit mean back to her, it has to be a big deal. I wasn’t a fan of that double standard and I think that right there is what’s wrong with feminism today. Otherwise, there were also a ton of filler characters that we didn’t really need and I’m not sure why they had page time, the entire staff of the record company for example.
There was a lot more drama and angst here and a lot less Christmas than I wanted. I also could’ve done without the heavy-handed politics, especially in the first half of the book. It definitely didn’t set me up for the warm Christmas fuzzies I was craving. I did love the male friendships here and how they were openly affectionate and supportive of one another. However, much of the time rather than bromance what we really got was the guys ragging on Colton and warning him not to hurt Gretchen when he was clearly the more vulnerable one in their relationship. When he wound up being the one to get hurt, they still did apologize for not seeing his feelings. In fact, Colton’s feelings kept getting glossed over by literally every character in this book. His mom was the only one who saw that he tried to be happy for everyone else and hide any sadness or loneliness he felt. I so wanted to explore this more and have his friends come to this realization, but it’s barely touched on and that felt like such a missed opportunity. When Colton was sad, his friends didn’t really take him seriously and it definitely seemed like the book club boys were really just there for some occasional comic relief less than to be actual supportive friends.
I think Gretchen gave her family way too much power over her, especially after such a long estrangement. I just kept feeling puzzled and asking myself why she cared. This definitely made me appreciate the found family aspect of the book club, even if Gretchen still never really embraced it. Gretchen had her reasons and past traumas to blame for much of her behavior, but I still found her problematic, and I didn’t think Colton deserved to have to work so hard to reassure her and then receive nothing in return. He should’ve gotten some security in the relationship too. Instead, it seemed like she worked pretty hard to keep him feeling uncertain and certainly not loved or wanted. In fact, this just made Gretchen seem toxic rather than sympathetic because she’s perfectly fine with letting Colton feel insecure and unsure of her if it means she can have the upper hand and not open herself up to him.
In the end, I wanted to know more about why the alcoholic, philandering brother was so tolerated by the rest of the family. I think Gretchen should’ve been asking Colton’s forgiveness and not the other way around. He may have been less than kind to her, but he did say some things she needed to hear. I definitely got fed up and a little bit bored with her constantly running away. She wasn’t there for him emotionally when he needed her, so the relationship felt incredibly one-sided.
This bit of one-dimensionality wasn’t helped by the fact that Gretchen is grumpy, likes helping people (so she says, though we don’t really see her actually being nice to anyone), and prone to running away when things get tough. That’s about it for her character. She got fleshed out a bit more toward the end, but it was a bit too little too late for me after how hateful she’d been to him. Colton was adorable, but I have zero clue as to why he was so steadfastly attracted to Gretchen. The meaner she was to him, the more he liked her, and I will never like that in a romance. He was actually really sweet, and she literally told him she was embarrassed to be seen with him, yet he keeps coming back for more. We know there is a caring person beneath Gretchen’s shell, but all the grumpiness was just on another level and it hard to believe anything else was there because she just never let up, not with Colton, not with her friends, just mostly rigidity.
The resolution in the end seemed rather rushed, incomplete, and less than satisfying. I think what Colton went through and the potential damage to his career over it wasn’t really necessary and was just more angst added to an already very angsty book. I had a lot of questions that were left unanswered, and I wanted to see more of a comeuppance for her family. Otherwise, I really did love Colton’s family, and their interactions were a place where Gretchen started to become more human and likable, so I would’ve loved to see more of this and less of her shutting herself off and running away. Unrelated, but the steam here also didn't live up to what I was expecting; there was a lot of fade to black and some weirdly awkward clichés that were a bit of a letdown after a lot of build-up.
Overall, this wasn’t quite everything I hoped for, but I definitely enjoyed the writing and I’m going to go back and read the other books in the series.
Captain Morgan Davies’ ship ran aground near Martinique, causing him and his crew to be imprisoned by the French for eight weeks, all thanks to a faulCaptain Morgan Davies’ ship ran aground near Martinique, causing him and his crew to be imprisoned by the French for eight weeks, all thanks to a faulty map. Now that he’s back in London, Morgan is eager for his revenge on the incompetent cartographer, almost as eager as he is to claim the three kisses promised by his lifelong nemesis, smart-mouthed Harriet Montgomery. He had plenty of time while in prison to contemplate his feelings and is sure she’s the woman he wants to marry but convincing her will be even more challenging than his naval assignments. When Morgan realizes Harriet is also responsible for his faulty map, he decides his revenge must take on a more seductive angle.
Harriet has always desired Morgan and that hasn’t changed in the two years he’s been away. Unfortunately, she’s been too busy caring for her father, whose eyesight is failing, and keeping at bay a rival cartographer who’s copying her work. She doesn’t have energy left to play games with Morgan, even if she is sorely tempted. But when Morgan’s naval service becomes a threat to them both, Harriet learns that she and Morgan are far from the enemies she thought them to be.
This was such a cute, light-hearted read. I loved that both the hero and heroine had been in love with each other since their adolescence and just a bit slow to realize it, all the while hiding it under a veneer of animosity. The sexual tension in that dynamic was huge. Harriet did worry me for a bit with how quick she was to doubt Morgan, but she came to her senses, and he persisted in a delightful way. I loved that he was the first to realize he was in love with her and set about a campaign to subtly woo her. The pining was delicious, and I loved that Morgan was so ready to admit his feelings and go after the life he wanted with Harriet. She may have been a bit harder to convince, but she was also mature enough to listen to both her own feelings and Morgan’s and I loved these two as a couple. I both listened to and read this on audio and Beverley Crick's Welsh accent for Morgan made him even more delightfully charming. This entire series has been a delight for me, and this addition was no exception. I’m very much looking forward to Rhys’ story now.
Returning soldier Captain Euan Irvine, learns that he might not be the only heir to the Barony and Lairdship of Drum. Thanks to a stipulation in his gReturning soldier Captain Euan Irvine, learns that he might not be the only heir to the Barony and Lairdship of Drum. Thanks to a stipulation in his grandfather’s will, either of his two grandsons could become the titleholder, depending on which one marries and produces an heir first, but it must be a love match. Euan is not exactly a proper society gentleman and not really the marrying kind. But he cannot allow his clan or his younger sisters to fall under the dominion of his villainous cousin, so Euan agrees with his sisters’ plan to hire a governess to dust off his rough edges and prepare him to find a bride.
Bronwen Holmes isn’t exactly a governess, but she needs to escape the creditors who murdered her parents a year ago and are now after her to settle their debts. When her cousin suggests the position as a way for her to escape Edinburgh for a few weeks, Bronwen sees little alternative but to go and barge her way into the role of governess, though she is surprised to find her charge is a grown man and not a passel of young girls. She knows little about society but brazens her way through anyway, striving to hide how charmed she is by her employer and to keep him and his sisters in the dark about her past.
I really enjoyed this take on the hidden identity trope and the Scottish setting was a big plus for me. It’s not too often that we get Regency set Highlanders, so I thoroughly enjoyed that here. Euan was an adorably clueless hero absolutely surrounded by women, but he took it all in stride. I really liked that he fell first, or at least admitted his feelings first, and that he did everything he could to make Bronwen feel safe and make her understand that he didn’t judge her for her past. I struggled to like Bronwen a bit just because she was often illogical, but I think allowances should be made for that because of how desperate her circumstances were and had been, and how few people she’d been able to rely upon. I was just frustrated when her doubts kept seeming to linger even after Euan kept proving himself to her, especially given her continued tendency to jump to conclusions. Fortunately, she did realize she was being irrational, and this wound up being a satisfying slow burn.
Hallie Welch has been infatuated with Julian Vos since they were in high school, and she was the lowly freshman he didn’t notice after their almost kiHallie Welch has been infatuated with Julian Vos since they were in high school, and she was the lowly freshman he didn’t notice after their almost kiss in his family’s vineyards. Now he’s returned to their small town and Hallie has been hired to refresh the gardens at the guesthouse where he’s staying. She wonders if her fantasies of kissing him might finally be realized, but soon sees how unlikely that is given the starchy professor is her polar opposite. That doesn’t stop Hallie from leaving him a secret admirer letter after too much wine at girls’ night.
Julian has taken a break from his job as a professor at Stanford to write a fiction novel. He certainly doesn’t need the distraction of Hallie gardening outside his window and her refusal to adhere to a timetable is wreaking havoc on his schedule. He can’t help but find Hallie beautiful, even when she’s covered in dirt. With his focus already shaken, Julian is completely taken aback to find an anonymous love note addressed to him. Even as he wonders at the author’s identity, he’s drawn even closer to Hallie’s vivaciousness. For someone who thrives on strict order, Julian soon comes to realize that Hallie’s cheery chaos is exactly what he’s been missing in his well-ordered life.
This was a fine read but after how much I adored this author’s previous two releases, I was a little letdown by this one. So much was done right, but other parts fell a bit flat for me. I loved that we got anxiety rep here and bonus points that it was the hero. Yet again in this season of grief for me personally, I’ve found a main character who is struggling with grief, Hallie in this case, though that was also handled quite well. Julian and Hallie felt like such a mismatch, but I also really liked how they each brought about a change in the other that resulted in more happiness and less rigidity and chaos, respectively. I wasn’t crazy about how abrupt the ending felt. After such a slow burn, it definitely felt rushed, so their relationship didn’t feel as permanent as I would like. I loved how hard Julian fell for Hallie and I wanted to see more of him embracing that rather than having so much of him fighting his emerging feelings. I guess I just wanted more of a balance between those two sides of his character. Also, this could’ve been a super-hot book but thanks to that agonizingly slow burn, it ran right up to that potential and then ran away just as quickly. Overall, I did like Hallie and Julian, and I loved the supporting characters and the themes of self-acceptance, but I wanted somehow just a bit more from it all the same. I’m nonetheless charmed by the premise and setting and am looking forward to Natalie’s book and actually hoping for a HEA for Owen as well.
Since her father canceled her dowry, Adelaide Royal was jilted by her fiancé and lost her chance at an English husband when her American industrialistSince her father canceled her dowry, Adelaide Royal was jilted by her fiancé and lost her chance at an English husband when her American industrialist father’s disdain for the nobility became public knowledge. She’s spent the past nine years as a teacher at Miss Primm’s as a way to support herself away from society.
Damien Reddington, Viscount Bloodstone, is determined to restore his family legacy to its former glory despite hiding an embarrassing secret. He’s perfected his father’s ale recipe and is working on perfecting his brewery so he can sell the finest ale in the country. He has a backup plan if he fails to turn a profit though—he’ll simply marry a woman with a generous dowry to shore things up if necessary.
When Addy and Damien serve as witnesses for their friends’ marriage, they wind up the center of a wilder scandal than either could have imagined, sending them out of London pretending to be married for the time being. This scandal that forced them together could wind up being the best thing that happened to either of them if they can look past the bizarreness of the situation.
This story was fake relationship/marriage done right. I loved how inevitable Addy and Damien felt; even as he tried to keep his duty to repair his estate in mind, he still couldn’t seem to resist her. The more things that happened to force these two together, the more relieved Damien seemed to be, even if he was hesitant to admit it to himself. The inevitability and chemistry I felt between these two kept their story feeling low angst, despite all the obstacles they had to overcome. Even with all the factors that kept forcing these two together, their chemistry and intimacy never felt forced. This was forced proximity at its finest and served as a lovely escape for me during a particularly trying time. This has been my favorite story of the series so far and Addy the heroine I have most related to, and I’m very much looking forward to the next book.
Marial Brandon has fallen under the thumb of one of England’s most ruthless crime lords and is now being forced to go from reluct3.5 stars rounded up.
Marial Brandon has fallen under the thumb of one of England’s most ruthless crime lords and is now being forced to go from reluctant spy to assassin. Her brother is being kept from her as a bargaining chip, leaving her little choice but to agree to her employer’s evil scheme. She doesn’t expect to fall for the man she’s meant to kill, especially when she can’t afford to allow those feelings to grow when it means condemning her brother.
Kieran MacDonald, Laird of Clan MacDonald, is wary of all the English and the beautiful woman who inserted herself into his traveling party back to Skye is no exception. She’s too interested in him, and he’s entirely too tempted to give in. He’d love to let his body have free rein over his mind but reminds himself that he has secrets to protect at all costs.
Kieran and Mariel will both face tough decisions and be forced to determine where their love and loyalties lay. With the stakes so high, it seems unlikely the passion between them will be able to grow into more with so many lies and secrets between them.
I’m a sucker for a classic highlander hero and Kieran was no exception. He was a solid hero, with just the right amount of protectiveness, though he did get a bit too distracted by his physical desires a few times. I struggled to like Mariel though and wasn’t the biggest fan of all the misunderstandings, though they were pretty necessary for this plot, and I knew to expect them, so I wasn’t as bothered by them as I otherwise might’ve been. I still didn’t care for Mariel that much, but her actions and reasoning did make sense for the most part, though I do wish she’d confided in Kieran a bit earlier and we’d gotten more of them working to solve the problem together instead of her trying to go off half-cocked on her own. That illogical streak was my main issue with Mariel since she kept saying she didn’t want anyone to suffer and then formulating plans that made that suffering inevitable and left me wanting to shake some sense into her. Fortunately, she and Kieran did eventually get on the same page, and I enjoyed it when they came together to make things right and gain justice for the past wrongs done to both of them. These two made a good pair and their story was an enjoyable read.
Leo, the newly minted Earl of Salcott, has only just returned to England after a year spent travelling abroad, only to learn that he’s now the guardiaLeo, the newly minted Earl of Salcott, has only just returned to England after a year spent travelling abroad, only to learn that he’s now the guardian to an heiress, the daughter of one of his father’s rakish friends. Along with the heiress comes her half-sister, Isobel, who is beautiful, but illegitimate and with no fortune at all. Leo is tasked with bringing heiress Clarissa out in society and finding her a husband, but Izzy’s illegitimate birth makes it impossible for her to expose her to society.
Unfortunately, the girls absolutely refuse to be parted and insist they will come out together or not at all. For them, it’s worth the risk of ruin when and if Izzy’s true birth circumstances come to light. They frustrate Leo at every turn, but he’s unable to sway them and he’s beginning to find Izzy maddening in other, more inconvenient ways as well.
When Leo must leave town to handle business at his country estate for a few days, he leaves the girls with instructions to stay home and consider their options. On his return, he learns that Clarissa and Izzy have entered society all on their own and they’re both immensely popular. Leo is left with no choice but to step into the social whirl and protect Clarissa from fortune hunters, all the while resisting Izzy’s sharp wit and discreetly fending off the more unscrupulous men who are attracted to her beauty.
This was my first time ever reading this author, so I wasn’t sure what to expect, but this story definitely had more of a traditional regency feel to it. There was a little bit of steam, though I was actually surprised to find it when I was by that point expecting a completely closed door. Some of the story did seem to focus an inordinate amount of descriptive energy on some of the more mundane details, something that typically frustrates me and just makes me impatient, but I think it did work here for the most part, as it helped me feel more immersed in the Regency world the author was painting. That aspect also made this rather relaxing and escapist for me. Our hero, Leo, is basically the typical bumbling, clueless man who doesn’t have a clue how to talk to women and, as an added bonus, he doesn’t trust them either. He was pretty much a jerk right up until the very end of the book, to the point that it almost became part of his charm just because he was so incredibly clueless. He really helped the side characters Aunt Olive and Mrs. Price-Jones shine and I loved how they so expertly managed him without him ever noticing. They were hilarious, excellent supporting roles. Perhaps my favorite element here was the relationship between Clarissa and Isabelle. I don’t have a sister myself, but I do know that sisters are often very competitive, so it was nice to see how close these two were and how much they supported each other. Clarissa was very admirable in her happiness for Isabelle and I’m hoping she’ll get her own HEA soon as it is well-deserved. Isabelle was a likeable enough heroine, not especially compelling, but not over the top either. I liked that she stood up for herself and for her sister, especially against Leo’s grumpy, autocratic ways and refused to bend or be separated from her beloved sister. She stood up for herself even when others tried to judge her, but without coming off as shrewish, and I couldn’t help but like that. I must say, I didn’t feel very much romance between Leo and Isabelle, but the physical attraction and enemies to lovers vibes were there, just nothing that ever felt quite as deep as I wanted it to be. Otherwise, the character development here, especially in the secondary characters, was pretty spot on. Overall, though this story was very slow-paced, I did enjoy the escapist nature of it, and I’ll likely read more from this author.
Even though he unexpectedly inherited the title of Baron de Greaves five years ago, Alexander Rhodes has neglected to travel to England to claim it unEven though he unexpectedly inherited the title of Baron de Greaves five years ago, Alexander Rhodes has neglected to travel to England to claim it until now. When he arrives at his new home it’s to find it inhabited not by the decrepit old widow he expected, but by a beautiful young woman whose welfare is now his responsibility.
Catherine, the widowed Lady de Greaves, has spent the last five years treating the barony as her pet project and turning it into a profitable estate. Though its properties are entailed and not hers she has made a name for herself, as well as her own wealth, in the horse industry. The new baron is not what she expected but she’s not impressed with the arrogant American and not convinced he can manage the estate she’s spent so much time repairing without ruining it all over again.
The initial uncertainty between Alex and Catherine blooms into a brief affair, and each feels an intense connection to the other, even while knowing that nothing can last between them. But as dangers Alex hoped to leave behind in America come to threaten him and his two young nieces, he’s even more determined to prove to Catherine that he’s nothing like the men she’s known up till now and that their connection isn’t something that can be ignored.
I really liked this premise with the proper heroine who’s made something of herself after being freed from a vile husband and the hero who’s unexpectedly inherited and needs some guidance to navigate high society. For me, however, Catherine was a bit too proper and starched, unrelentingly so, and I just found her frustrating and annoying after a while, not to mention repetitive in her dialogues and inner monologues. She was irritatingly uptight much of the time and incredibly quick to jump to conclusions. This was a much slower burn than I had anticipated, perhaps due to her attitude towards the hero, and their physical intimacy felt forced when it did happen the first time. Not that the hero is forcing the heroine or anything like that, just that the characters didn’t seem quite ready to be intimate when they were. I think I felt this way because Catherine had so very many inner monologues about her freedom being the only thing that mattered to her, and she spent a lot of time forcing herself to be an emotionless automaton. I was expecting this book to be incredibly erotic and yet, many of their encounters are mentioned in passing and occur off page, which surprised me, and I think also contributed to that feeling I got of stiltedness between these MCs. I found Catherine to be entirely too focused on society, especially given that she spent most of her time living away from it.
By the time I was nearing the end of the book I was surprised that Alex was still so determined in his pursuit of Catherine after how much she pushed him away, but that persistence reflected well on him as a hero. It definitely began to feel like Catherine was just using Alex for physical pleasure and I loved that he felt that too and wasn’t afraid to call her out on it, even if her only response was a bunch of lame excuses. She was very much determined to see Alex only in terms of how he compared to other men, most specifically the two horrible ones she had life experience of, rather than seeing Alex for himself. It took her way too long and they went through way too much before she finally revealed her emotions to him for me to really like her. I did enjoy Alex’s two nieces as characters and I think I would’ve liked the plot more if their storyline and the threat to them had received more attention and page time than Catherine’s ad nauseum assertions of her refusal to give up her freedom or cede any control, even though no one ever asked her to.
Little threads of plot were dropped in various places in this story, but often not picked up again for quite a while, such that I forgot them. This didn’t necessarily detract from the story, but it did affect the continuity a bit at times. There is some clunky phrasing and choppy flow, along with several instances of wrong word usage, all of which had me itching to be the editor on this book, but which I’m sure will be polished up before the book’s official release. I did not care for this heroine much at all, but this author definitely has potential and I’d be willing to try her work again in the future.
Niki (mustreadalltheromance)
>
Books:
arc
(942)
Loading...
