Month: February 2019

Kiss of a Duke by Erica Ridley

On By TracyIn Georgian Era (1714-1837), Novella, Regency Era (1811-1820), Tracy's ReviewsLeave a comment

Kiss of a Duke (12 Dukes of Christmas #2)Kiss of a Duke by Erica Ridley
Tracy’s rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Series: 12 Dukes of Christmas, #2

Release Date: November 6, 2018

Penelope Mitchell is Christmas’ resident chemist and newly minted celebrity – she created a cologne for men called “Duke” and it is wildly successful – based on science, Penelope formulated the scent to attract women and by all accounts it works. So well, that she has decided to create a scent for women and will call it “Duchess” – she has a base formula, she just needs to test it.

Mr. Nicholas Pringle, known by all as Saint Nick, is an unrepentant rake. He never spends more than one night with a woman and has no desire to settle down, he doesn’t believe in love and has only agreed to come to Christmas to keep his brother Christopher company. While attending a party at the castle, Chris mentions that the creator of “Duke” is there and immediately Nick wants to confront her. He wants her to stop production of “Duke”, it is unfair to real rakes.

He meets Penelope and offers to buy the formula, she has no intention of selling it to him, but tells him she will think on it and tells him to return the next day. Penelope decides that Nick is the perfect test subject for “Duchess”, she will wear it and see if it works on men as well as “Duke” works on women. A kiss from him should be all the proof she needs, but to make things fair, she will make herself as dowdy as possible.

When he returns, she learns that Nick loves cookies, she feeds him and she is sure the perfume is working, just a kiss is all she needs. When she finally gets that proof, she decides that it is not enough and will need further research to be sure. They spend time together and Nick begins to question himself, he likes Penelope and his relationship with her has taken him to uncharted waters, he wonders if she might be the woman who finally breaks through the wall and meets the real Nick – not sure he is ready for that step, he tries to keep her at arm’s length and fails.

Is it love or is it “Duchess”, Penelope knows she has fallen for him, and he seems to care for her, but is it real or will it end when he learns the truth?

This was a very cute story with two very likable people, lots of cookies, secrets, chemical reactions, warmish love scenes and some corny Christmas references. The book is well written, flows nicely and is extremely entertaining. It is the second book in the series, but can easily be read as a stand alone and while there are references to Christmas, this is definitely a year-round read.

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that was provided to me by NetGalley and the publisher.*

Taken by the Rake by Shana Galen

On By TracyIn Georgian Era (1714-1837)3 Comments

Taken by the Rake (The Scarlet Chronicles Book 3)Taken by the Rake by Shana Galen

Tracy’s rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: The Scarlet Chronicles, #3

Release Date: February 12, 2019

Honoria Blake is a great beauty and wants to be seen as more than just a pretty face. She longs for adventure and her talents in forgery brought her to the attention of the Pimpernel. So she traveled to Paris to work with the members of the League of the Scarlet Pimpernel. So far she has not seen much, her beauty is a hinderance and makes her too noticeable, but all that changes when she meets Laurent Bourgogne, the former Marquis de Montagne.

The league has freed Laurent from La Force, they need information that he has regarding the Tower and hope that he will agree to help them. Laurent is surprised to be alive, after being beaten and left for dead. He makes his way to the safe house and does not make a good first impression on Honoria.

When the other members of the league return, Laurent makes it clear that he will only help them if they agree to help him rescue the dauphin and Madame Royale from the tower. He is friends with the royal family and promised Marie Antoinette that he will help her children if anything happened to her. Laurent is a rake, he is arrogant, entitled and unaccustomed to asking for help. When the members refuse to rescue the children, Laurent takes matters into his own hands and takes Honoria hostage, escaping the safe house and determined to honor his vow to the Queen.

Honoria does not go quietly and fights him every step of the way – when they finally make it to his secret apartment, she tries to reason with him and after hearing his story, agrees to help him, IF he will return her to the safe house and let her talk to the members. He is reluctant, but agrees.

Their return is fraught with peril and has them running for their lives, but the battle is far from over, they still have to convince the members to help him rescue the children, which could end up being a suicide mission. But Honoria champions his cause and makes it clear, that she will help him, with or without their assistance. They agree and a plan is formed, Laurent is awed by Honoria, he knows that nothing can come from their mutual attraction – she will be returning to England and he to Austria with the children – assuming they are not killed first – but that doesn’t stop him from wishing circumstances where different, which shocks him, he has never wanted a woman to be a permanent fixture in his life. But the more time he is with her, the more he wants.

This was a very well written, complex tale of two people finding love during the horrific Reign of Terror in revolutionary France. It is an exciting non-stop adventure, with lots of action, near death moments, steamy love scenes and wonderful secondary characters. I highly recommend this series, it is amazing and is not your run of the mill Historical Romance! This is the third book in the series, but it can easily be read as a stand alone title without any problems.

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that was provided to me*