Flippin' Pages Book Reviews

Series: The Halifax Hellions 1 & 2

Release Date: February 17, 2026

In this novella duology, The Earl of Warren’s sisters have taken London by storm or rather they have caused a storm of gossip. Lady Margeret “Margo” and her twin sister Lady Matilda “Tillie/Mattie” have been causing scandals for years and earning themselves the moniker “The Halifax Hellions”. But there is a method to their madness and while they have been outrageous and seemingly have no regard for society at large, they are fiercely loyal to each other and despite gossip to the contrary, they truly do have hearts of gold. They have always stood together, so when Matilda runs off, of course Margo is going after her. Let the adventures begin!

In Which Margo Halifax Earns Her Shocking Reputation – 4 stars: When Matilda leaves Margo a note stating that she is eloping, Margo decides to go after her, but she isn’t foolish enough to go alone. But with their brother away in Wales, Margo must turn to her brother’s best friend, Henry Mortimer for assistance. Henry has been in love with Margo for years, but he knows she is way out of his league as she is a heiress and he is a mere solicitor. After initially refusing to chase after Matilda with Margo, he changes his mind and they set off. For the first time ever, Henry has Margo’s undivided attention and maybe, just maybe, they will find more than Margo’s missing sister.

In Which Matilda Halifax Learns the Value of Restraint – 3 stars: When Christian de Bord, the Marquess of Ashford confronts Matilda about losing his sister’s art tutor thanks to an erotic pamphlet that she illustrated that features him. Christian has been the subject of gossip for years, thanks to the death of his wife and his proclivities during his university days, but this time the gossip affected his sister and that he can’t abide. Mattie offers to tutor his sister herself and isn’t taking no for an answer. She has the best of intentions but can’t deny she is attracted to Christian and shares his “supposedly” former proclivities, and wouldn’t be opposed to exploring that attraction, too bad Christian doesn’t agree. But Mattie is not a quitter and knows she can help Christian’s sister and Christian move beyond their tragic past and find happiness.

I enjoyed both of these novellas, but I wish all three sibling’s stories had been included in this book. Overall, I think Margo’s could have been a bit longer and I wish Mattie’s had actually had scenes featuring Christian’s “proclivities” rather than skimming over the subject and that it had been a little faster paced, but I did appreciate the addition of an epilogue. This is definitely a “contemporary in period dress” type of historical, as it is clear that the protocols and etiquette of the era were not adhered to, but it was still a fun story, and I would be happy to recommend this book to my fellow HR readers. *Note – both of these novellas were previously released but have been updated to include an epilogue*

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that I requested and was provided to me by the publisher/author. All opinions in this review are my own. *

Mistress of Wyndview by Jane Charles

Tracy’s Rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: The Wynd Brothers #1

Release Date: February 13, 2026

After 15 years, Sterling Wynd, the Earl of Wyndham has returned to his family estate in the Cape Colony of South Africa, and it is the first time in over ten years that he has seen his mother who left England with his father and never returned. Sterling arrives, thinking he would meet with his estate manager and then leave to visit his family’s other holdings and business interests. But nothing goes as planned, starting with his attempt to ignore his mother. Things only get worse from him from there; his estate manager is too busy to see him, his mother seems bent on matchmaking and the widowed daughter of his estate manager, Caroline Sutcliffe, is a distraction he can’t afford. Slowly, Sterling begins to realize he was wrong about his mother and forms a friendship with Caroline that turns into something much deeper. But when trust is broken, will he try to understand, or will he revert to his old ways and walk away with a broken heart?

Caroline Sutcliffe was raised on the estate, leaving briefly seven years ago for a London season, where she met and married Peter Sutcliffe, a soldier who died in the Battle of Dresden not long after they wed. Leaving Caroline a widow and single mother to Olivia. She returned to Wyndham Farm to discover that her father has lost his focus since the death of her mother. He seems only concerned with the vineyards, which were her mother’s passion. With her brother away at school, Caroline picks up the slack and begins to manage the other aspects of the estate and the manor house. Everything is fine until the absentee Earl turns up unannounced. She can’t let him know that her father isn’t doing his job, but keeping secrets from a man she is coming to love is harder than she could ever imagine.

I am a huge fan of Janes Charles, so when I heard she had a new series, I was thrilled. Then I learned that the first book was going to be set in South Africa, and I was all in! The setting was like a breath of fresh air, and I was absolutely enchanted by the imagery. Caroline and Sterling have great chemistry, and they both have both been shaped by their pasts. I liked the book, but I was not a huge fan of Sterling, I found him to be a bit too rigid and judgmental for my taste, I understood that his past played a big part in his personality, but it was still off-putting. I also felt like the story dragged in a few places which made it hard for me to stay invested in the story. But overall, I appreciated the fresh setting, the chemistry, steam and secondary characters. Personally, I think that Ms. Charles did a great job of world building, which created a story that left me wanting more! I am happy to recommend this title, and I will definitely be anticipating the next installment!

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that I requested and was provided to me by the publisher/author. All opinions in this review are my own. *

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