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A Bet, A Rake and A Wallflower | Historical Romance Reviews

May 30, 2021

It’s time for some more mini-reviews. I really like doing these, I get to share a quick few thoughts and books that I either loved or hated to read. Today’s reviews are all on historical romances that I have read recently. I’m sharing my thoughts on To Love and to Loathe (The Regency Vows #2) by Martha Waters, The Spinster and the Rake (Never a Wallflower #1) by Eva Devon and The Wallflower Wager (Girl Meets Duke #3) by Tessa Dare. Here we go.

To Love and to Loathe (The Regency Vows #2) by Martha Waters

Pages: 384
Publish date: April 6th 2021
Publisher: Atria Books
ISBN: 9781982160876
Purchase: Book Depository – Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU – QBD

The widowed Diana, Lady Templeton and Jeremy, Marquess of Willingham are infamous among English high society as much for their sharp-tongued bickering as their flirtation. One evening, an argument at a ball turns into a serious wager: Jeremy will marry within the year or Diana will forfeit one hundred pounds.

So shortly after, just before a fortnight-long house party at Elderwild, Jeremy’s country estate, Diana is shocked when Jeremy appears at her home with a very different kind of proposition.

After his latest mistress unfavourably criticized his skills in the bedroom, Jeremy is looking for reassurance, so he has gone to the only woman he trusts to be totally truthful. He suggests that they embark on a brief affair while at the house party—Jeremy can receive an honest critique of his bedroom skills and widowed Diana can use the gossip to signal to other gentlemen that she is interested in taking a lover.

Diana thinks taking him up on his counter-proposal can only help her win her wager. With her in the bedroom and Jeremy’s marriage-minded grandmother, the formidable Dowager Marchioness of Willingham, helping to find suitable matches among the eligible ladies at Elderwild, Diana is confident her victory is assured. But while they’re focused on winning wagers, they stand to lose their own hearts.

To Love and To Loathe:

I received an e-arc of The Love and To Loathe by Martha Waters in exchange for an honest review this has in no way influenced my thoughts and feelings about the book.

This was a fantastic historical romance. I didn’t know what to expect from this one, I hadn’t read anything from the author – but after my interview with her, I knew I had to pick up her books.

The Love and To Loathe follows Lady Diana Templeton and she strikes a bet with the Marquess of Willingham, Jeremy. Known for their sharp tongues and bickering, this time it’s getting real. Jeremy will marry within the year or Diana will forfeit one hundred pounds. But as Diana tries to match Jeremy with a woman, she can’t help but spend time with him and then they strike another deal.

Diana was a delightful protagonist. I loved her quick tongue and the fact that she never gave up. She was seriously just a blast to read. I love that while she had this facade, the reader also gets to see her vulnerability throughout the book.

Photo by Halanna Halila on Unsplash

Jeremy was an interesting love interest and protagonist. While I didn’t love him as much as Diana, I did like seeing him evolve throughout The Love and To Loathe. I loved that he wasn’t a flat character, and the reader can see him really take on Diana.

I adored these together! Their banter was off the chats and I simply didn’t want to put the book down because of them. I was expecting there to be more sexy time considering their second deal. I just felt that it lacked throughout the book. There aren’t many historical romances I’ve read where a widow is one of the protagonists. And I felt that I wanted more from them.

Overall, I loved reading The Love and To Loathe by Martha Waters. It was a great romance, an intriguing plot and I could not put it down. I can’t wait to go back to the first book in this series and then the rest of the books. If you are looking for a new historical romacne authors – then pick this series up.

The Spinster and the Rake (Never a Wallflower #1) by Eva Devon

Pages: 306
Publish date: February 9th 2021
Publisher: Entangled: Amara
ISBN: 9781682816134
Purchase: Book Depository – Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU

Edward Stanhope, the icy Duke of Thornfield, likes his life in a certain order. Give him a strong drink, a good book, and his dog for company, and he’s content. But when he goes to his library and finds a woman sitting in his chair, petting his dog, what starts as a request for her to leave quickly turns to a fiery battle of wits, leading to a steamy kiss that could ruin them both if they were caught.

So of course, damn it all, that’s when Edward’s aunt walks in and thereafter announces Miss Georgiana Bly is the future Duchess of Thornfield.

Georgiana was content to be a spinster, spending her days reading and working to keep her family out of debt. But now her days are spent locked away with a growly duke, learning how to be the perfect duchess, and her nights spent fighting the undeniable attraction to a man who was never meant for her.

As their wedding day approaches, the attraction between them burns hot and fierce, but is it enough to melt the duke’s chilly facade?

The Spinster and the Rake:

I received an e-arc of The Spinster and the Rake by Eva Devon via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This has in no way influenced my thoughts and feelings about the book.

I didn’t know too much about this book or the author before I started reading The Spinster and the Rake. I picked it up because it sounded really interesting and something that I would love – and in the end, I ended up really enjoying it.

The Spinster and the Rake follows Edward Stanhope, the Duke of Thornfield who doesn’t want much with life. He is pretty content with the way things are going. But when the Duke’s aunt interrupts and fiery battle the Duke and Miss Georgiana Bly things change, very quickly. Now engaged both Edward and Georgiana need to learn to live with the changes in their lives.

Edward is grumpy and is the type of male that wants things to go his way. And it’s all turned on its head when Georgiana comes into this life. He is the type of protagonist that I hate to love. He can be mean sometimes, but you can also see his soft side that he tries to hide.

Photo by Thomas Kelley on Unsplash

Georgiana is very similar to Edward in many ways and I think that is why they clash so much. And while he wants to have his quiet life, Georgiana wants to do as much for her family as she can. As much as any women can. And as the novel goes on we get to see why she is this way.

From the start, I was hooked by the fantastic romance. I also love a grumpy male that doesn’t want to fall in love, but then is taken about with how quickly he falls. Georgiana and Edward both break down each other’s walls. And then the reader really gets to see them for who they are. Edward and Georgiana were fire and ice and I adored it.

Overall I had a great time reading The Spinster and the Rake by Eva Devon. It’s not my favourite historical romance out there, but I will pick up more books in this series and by this author. The romance was great, the pilot was great and I always wanted to know what was going to happen next. It’s a good introduction to historical romance as well.

The Wallflower Wager (Girl Meets Duke #3) by Tessa Dare

Pages: 368
Publish date: August 13th 2019
Publisher: Avon
ISBN: 9780062672155
Purchase: Book Depository – Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU – QBD

They call him the Duke of Ruin.

To an undaunted wallflower, he’s just the beast next door.

Wealthy and ruthless, Gabriel Duke clawed his way from the lowliest slums to the pinnacle of high society—and now he wants to get even.

Loyal and passionate, Lady Penelope Campion never met a lost or wounded creature she wouldn’t take into her home and her heart.

When her imposing—and attractive—new neighbour demands she clear out the rescued animals, Penny sets him a challenge. She will part with her precious charges if he can find them loving homes.

Done, Gabriel says. How hard can it be to find homes for a few kittens?

And a two-legged dog.

And a foul-mouthed parrot.

Also a goat, an otter, a hedgehog . . .

Easier said than done, for a cold-blooded bastard who wouldn’t know a loving home from a workhouse. Soon he’s covered in cat hair, knee-deep in adorable, and bewitched by a shyly pretty spinster who defies his every attempt to resist. Now she’s set her mind and heart on saving him.

Not if he ruins her first.

The Wallflower Wager:

I love this series and I put off reading this one because of the delay of book four. But I couldn’t hold myself back any longer and I had to read it – and I loved it oh so much.

The Wallflower Wager follows Gabriel Duke hasn’t had the easier road, and it everything in him to get where he is now. Lady Penelope Campion is a sucker for a wounded creature. And she can’t help herself and has to take them home and mend them. When the Duke of Ruin moves next door, Lady Penelope doesn’t know what is about to hit her, but neither does Gabriel.

I’ve been hanging from Penelope’s story from the start. She is a lovely, intriguing and captivating character and protagonist. I love that she cares so much, it just makes my heart warm. Her warm nature just jumps off the page and makes everything so much better. I adore her love for the broken and fixing them as she could. The reader is also able to see her growth throughout the novel and it was fantastic.

Photo by Piotr Łaskawski on Unsplash

Gabriel on the other hand is rough around the edge. He has his hard exterior that Lady Penelope tries to break down – but that isn’t easy. Right from the start, you can see that Gabriel is taken aback by Penelope and her nature. He hasn’t encountered someone like her before. It takes some time for him to get used to her – but he actually never really does.

The romance in this one was fantastic. I loved the banter between Gabriel and Penelope. The tension was fantastic. I also love how they were around one another. They both have their own walls up for different reasons and as The Wallflower Wager goes on we get to see them slowly fall for one another – before they both even realise it.

Overall The Wallflower Wager is a fantastic inclusion to the ‘Girl Meet’s Duke’ series by Tessa Dare. I’ve loved everyone that I have read and I cannot wait for more. I also can’t wait to read more Tessa Dare – which I hope to soon. This one is full of fantastic banter, a lovely romance and many laughs. If you haven’t picked up this series yet and love historical romances – then please do.

And there we go, those are some mini historical romacne reviews. Have you read any of these? Are you planning on reading any of these books? What is a historical romance book that you have loved recently? Let’s Chat!

The Duchess and the Beast | Historical Romance Reviews

Oct 25, 2020

Today I thought I would share my thoughts on some of my recent historical romance reads with some mini-reviews. I’ve been loving reading more historical romance this year and I’ve picked up some pretty amazing ones recently.

In this post, I’m sharing my thoughts on The Duchess Deal (Girl Meets Duke #1) by Tessa Dare and Brazen and the Beast (The Bareknuckle Bastards #2) by Sarah MacLean. Let’s Go.

The Duchess Deal (Girl Meets Duke #1) by Tessa Dare

Pages: 370
Publish date: August 22nd 2017
Publisher: Avon
ISBN: 9780062349064
Purchase: Book Depository – Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU – QBD

When girl meets Duke, their marriage breaks all the rules…

Since his return from war, the Duke of Ashbury’s to-do list has been short and anything but sweet: brooding, glowering, menacing London ne’er-do-wells by night. Now there’s a new item on the list. He needs an heir—which means he needs a wife. When Emma Gladstone, a vicar’s daughter turned seamstress, appears in his library wearing a wedding gown, he decides on the spot that she’ll do.

His terms are simple:
– They will be husband and wife by night only.
– No lights, no kissing.
– No questions about his battle scars.
– Last, and most importantly… Once she’s pregnant with his heir, they need never share a bed again.

But Emma is no pushover. She has a few rules of her own:
– They will have dinner together every evening.
– With conversation.
– And unlimited teasing.
– Last, and most importantly… Once she’s seen the man beneath the scars, he can’t stop her from falling in love…

The Duchess Deal:

This is the second Tessa Dare book that I’ve picked up and let me tell you I loved this one so much more. This is the first book in her newest series and follows Emma Gladstone, a vicar’s daughter turned seamstress as the appears in the every elusive Duke of Ashbury’s library. Ash came back from the war, scarred. And since then he has kept to himself. But no he needs a wife, and one so happens to be in his house. While Ash has his rules that Emma needs to follow, Emma has rules of her own.

This was such a fantastic read, seriously. As soon as I started it I knew that I was going to love this one. The characters, the plot and the writing grabbed me from the get-go. I adored historical romances with the marriage of convenience trope. It just works so well and in The Duchess Deal, it worked perfectly.

Emma was such a pleasure of a female protagonist in The Duchess Deal. I liked her from the first moment. She knew what she wanted and nothing was going to get in her way. I loved her determination and will. It just made for such a great contrast against Ash and it just so much fun. Emma’s growth throughout the book was great and I really enjoyed seeing her grow.

Ash was a grumpy, pain in the butt, male protagonist and I loved him. Like I said the contact between Emma and Ash was great. The Duke is such an intriguing and pulling character. From the start the reader wants to know more about him and why he is the way he is.

The romance was exactly what I wanted and expected in The Duchess Deal. I adored that it was hate to love and marriage of convenience. It was fantastic. I adored that they were both able to break down each other’s walls and get to know one another so well. It was sweet and sexy and what I love about historical romances.

Overall, I ordered reading The Duchess Deal. Emma and Ash were perfect for one another and I adored seeing them fall for one another. Break down each other’s walls and slowly understand each other. I can’t wait to read the rest of this series, I already have them ready to go.

Brazen and the Beast (The Bareknuckle Bastards #2) by Sarah MacLean

Pages: 400
Publish date: July 30th 2019
Publisher: Avon
ISBN: 9780062691989
Purchase: Book Depository – Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU – QBD

The Lady’s Plan

When Lady Henrietta Sedley declares her twenty-ninth year her own, she has plans to inherit her father’s business, to make her own fortune, and to live her own life. But first, she intends to experience a taste of the pleasure she’ll forgo as a confirmed spinster. Everything is going perfectly… until she discovers the most beautiful man she’s ever seen tied up in her carriage and threatening to ruin the Year of Hattie before it’s even begun.

The Bastard’s Proposal

When he wakes in a carriage at Hattie’s feet, Whit, a king of Covent Garden known to all the world as Beast, can’t help but wonder about the strange woman who frees him—especially when he discovers she’s headed for a night of pleasure… on his turf. He is more than happy to offer Hattie all she desires… for a price.

An Unexpected Passion

Soon, Hattie and Whit find themselves rivals in business and pleasure. She won’t give up her plans; he won’t give up his power… and neither of them sees that if they’re not careful, they’ll have no choice but to give up everything… including their hearts.

Brazen and the Beast:

I knew that after finishing the first book in this series I had to jump on the rest, and I loved this one so much. You can check out my review of Wicked and the Wallflower to see how much I loved that one. But Brazen and the Beast stands on its own.

This one follows, Lady Henrietta Sedley, as she plans to take on her twenty-ninth year as her own. And no one will stop her. She wants to take over her fathers business and live her own life. However, at first, she plans to go away with being a spinster. But things don’t always go as planned. Whit or Beast is about to ruin the Year of Hattie. But there is an unexpected passion between them. Now Hattie and Whit find themselves rivals in both business and pleasure.

Hattie was such a fun character. I loved that she was independent and rough around the edges. She was sassy and didn’t let anyone tell her what to do. And what got on Whit’s nerves and it was fantastic. As a woman, she was always looked over by her family, even though she is better than all of them. I adored that she was persistent and stood her ground.

I already loved Whit from the first book and it was fantastic getting to know him more in Brazen and the Beast. Like the rest of his family, he has been through a lot but that doesn’t stop him. He pushes himself, but he also closes himself off to others. However, as the novel goes on the reader can see Whit grow and not only understand himself but those around him.

The romance was fantastic in Brazen and the Beast. It was exactly what I wanted and expected. It was intense and full of ups and downs. But that is what made it fantastic. It was sexy, smart and intense. Whit and Hattie are both such strong-minded characters and when you throw them together things get very interesting. And I loved it.

Overall I adored Brazen and the Beast. It’s exactly what I expected from Sarah MacLean and just what I needed. It’s sassy and smart and full of a fantastic romance. I adored the banter and tension between Hattie and Whit. It was excellent to not only watch them fall for one another but get one each other’s nerves. I’m so excited to read the last book in this series.

And that is it for today’s post. Have you read any of these books? What did you think of them? Are you planning on reading them? Let’s Chat!

Some Good and Some Bad | Mini YA Reviews

Sep 13, 2020

I’ve been reading more young adult lately and I thought it would be fun to review some of my recent YA reads. I had some good and some bad times with my latest reads. There is one that I loved reading and had a good time with. And then the other was sort of DNF for me. Anyway, check out my thoughts now.

Prince Charming (Royals #1) by Rachel Hawkins

Pages: 296
Publish date: May 1st 2018
Publisher: Penguin Books
ISBN: 9781524738259
Purchase: Book Depository – Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU – QBD

Meet Daisy Winters. She’s an offbeat sixteen-year-old Floridian with mermaid-red hair, a part-time job at a bootleg Walmart, and a perfect older sister who’s nearly engaged to the Crown Prince of Scotland. Daisy has no desire to live in the spotlight, but relentless tabloid attention forces her to join Ellie at the relative seclusion of the castle across the pond.

While the dashing young Miles has been appointed to teach Daisy the ropes of being regal, the prince’s roguish younger brother kicks up scandal wherever he goes and tries his best to take Daisy along for the ride. The crown–and the intriguing Miles–might be trying to make Daisy into a lady . . . but Daisy may just rewrite the royal rulebook to suit herself.

Prince Charming:

I’ve been wanting to read this one for a while now and I finally picked it up recently. Ely picked this book as one of the books on my best friend picks my tbr. I bought it when I was in the States last year. And I’m so glad that I did pick it up because it was such a nice read.

Dasiy was a pretty easy protagonist to get along with. She was fun and entertaining and I liked her a lot. She tried to not let people tell her who she should be. Even though her sister and the royal family did try to change her. She tried to be herself the whole time, but she also knew that this is her sister’s life now. I liked that she challenged everyone. It wasn’t in a bad way, but she tried to challenge everything that the royal family wanted for her.

Dasiy’s family was hard to get along with. She just wanted to be herself, but that is hard when her sister is marrying a prince. But that was hard to see Daisy forced to change herself. I felt that her sister was a pain in the ass most of the book and all I wanted was for Dasiy to be herself.

Miles was such a fun character. He made me laugh quite a bit and that just made reading Prince Charming much more fun. He acts like a spoilt brat at times and while that frustrated me. I think it made great banter between him and Dasiy. But I also loved that he had a soft side and that was lovely.

The romance in Prince Charming was pretty adorable. It had a little bit of a love to hate vibe, but nothing too intense. The best way to explain the romance is sweet. It’s fun and Daisy and Miles are adorable together. They have great chemistry and they made me laugh quite a bit. In saying that I wish that were was a little more focus on the romance. I felt like it was going there and then it fell flat. I just wanted that little bit more.

Overall, I enjoyed reading Prince Charming a lot. It was fun, entertaining and made me smile a lot. Daisy and Miles were adorable together, but I like I said I wished I was able to see more of them. I felt there was room to add a lot more. In saying that I do want to pick up the next book in the series for sure. It sounds like it’s going to be as fun reading as this one.

Dark Secret (Darkhaven Saga #1) by Danielle Rose

Pages: 184
Publish date: 9781642631654
Publisher: Waterhouse Press LLC
ISBN: February 18th 2020
Purchase: Book Depository – Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU – QBD

There’s no wrath like that of a witch scorned.

Seventeen-year-old spirit witch Ava López is the self-appointed guardian of the witches and humans of Darkhaven, an idyllic village nestled between the forest and the sea. Her watch: vicious and bloodthirsty vampires.

Ava is a novice in the eyes of her coven. If she expects to protect them and the secrecy of their powers, she must gain better control of her own. When a full moon ritual goes awry, control may be lost forever, and Ava is exiled from her coven. Forced to seek refuge among the beings she had always sworn herself to hunt, she vows revenge on those who have upended her life.

But the more time Ava spends away from her coven, the more she discovers a startling truth: the witches haven’t been honest with her. Ava’s quest to strip the truth from everything she’s ever known begins with the toughest realization of all—coming to terms with who she has become.

Dark Secret:

I was looking forward to picking this up. I didn’t know much about it, but it seemed right my alley. Sadly I was very disappointed with the outcome. It lacked on a lot of different levels for me.

I call this a DNF because I just scanned through the second half of this one. I wanted to see if I was going to be able to get into it better, but it wasn’t for me. And I was just confused most of the book. The reader is thrown right into the action. Which I wouldn’t have minded, but it all felt rushed and nothing was explained.

This is a tiny book and I felt that it tried to put way too much into one book and everything suffered for it. It was like one thing was happening after another, and then was no room for a break to explain everything that was happening.

One of the things that I felt did suffer was the characterisation. I feel like I didn’t know her at all. She feels flat and didn’t feel real. I wanted to like Ava. And like the rest of the book, the reader is thrown into her character arc. And we don’t get to know her. I didn’t feel that she grew throughout the book and annoyed me a fair bit.

The world of Dark Secret was also confusing. I wasn’t able to get an image of the world. Normally it takes me a little bit to get an idea of what a world looks like, but this book was moving too fast that I wasn’t able to fall into it and grasp it.

Overall, Dark Secret isn’t the book for me. I wanted to like it. But nothing stuck and everything feel flat. The characters weren’t great and the plot just confused me. I have seen people that have enjoyed it, but it wasn’t for me.

And that is it for these mini young adult reviews. As you can see I’ve had some bad and some good times lately. Have you read any of these? Are you planning to? Let’s Chat!