Month: July 2019

Brazen & The Beast by Sarah MacLean

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

Brazen and the Beast (The Bareknuckle Bastards, #2)Brazen and the Beast by Sarah MacLean
Tracy’s rating: 5 of 5 stars

Series: Bareknuckle Bastards #2

Release Date: July 30, 2019

Lady Henrietta “Hattie” Sedley is preparing for a very special night out, but her plans are derailed even before they begin when she finds a gorgeous, unconscious man tied up in her carriage. Tonight was supposed to be the beginning of the “Year of Hattie”, this her 29th year will be the year she finally made her dreams come true and she refuses to let this man ruin it! She wakes him up and asks why he is in her carriage (even though she has a pretty good idea who put him there) – when he is less than cooperative, she unties him, he steals a kiss and she pushes him out of the carriage – problem solved and she can carry on with her night! Hattie wants nothing more than to take over her father’s shipping business, but her father wants her to marry and for her brother Augie to run the business, so she forms a plan to change his mind, Hattie is not opposed to marriage, but she has spent many seasons on the marriage mart and has never had an offer, she knows she is not what men consider attractive, she is too tall, too plump and too outspoken, but her father just refuses to believe it, so she will make herself unmarriageable and for that she needs to be ruined.

Saviour “Whit” Whittington AKA the Beast is revered in Covent Gardens, he along with his brother Devil are known as the Bareknuckle Bastards and there is nothing that happens in Covent Gardens that they don’t know about – so when he wakes in a carriage and remembers that he was driving a shipment of goods and was attacked, he wants answers and he is pretty sure the intriguing woman who just pushed him out of her carriage is the key to discovering who robbed him.

He finds her in a brothel for women and strikes a deal – she will find and return his goods and he will help her set her plan in motion by bedding her. Hattie knows her brother Augie stole Whit’s property and fears for his life, she returns home and finds her brother, stabbed and whining – she learns why he stole from the Bareknuckle Bastards and the staggering amount that he has taken.
Hattie figures out a way to repay Whit and can’t wait for him to find her, instead she goes looking for him in Covent Gardens. He learns she is looking for him and tails her for a bit, he only intervenes when he believes she is in dangers, but much to his surprise, Hattie isn’t the one who needs saving! Who is this goddess and why does he want her so badly?

I really loved this book, it is a well written, fast paced story with lots of emotion, action, great secondary characters, a heroine who can hold her own and doesn’t need saving, steamy love scenes, a bit of heartache, betrayal and dreams coming true! This is the second book in the series, but it can definitely be read as a stand-alone with no problem and I am happy to recommend it!

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an uncorrected e-ARC that was provided to me by Edelweiss and the publisher. *

Ella’s Desire by Madeline Martin

On By BarbaraIn Barb's Reviews, Middle Ages / Medieval (476-1454)3 Comments

Ella's Desire (Borderland Ladies #3)Barbara’s rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: Borderland Ladies #3
Publication Date: 7/30/19
Number of Pages: 293
** 3.75 Stars Rounded Up

This author is one of my favorites and is one whose books I always buy – without even thinking about it. This series is one of her best – the premise is unique, the main characters are robust and interesting and the supporting characters are just as interesting and unique as the main characters. The first book, Marin’s Promise, set a very high bar for the other books in the series to meet. Then, Anice’s Bargain came along at definitely met that high bar. Now, Ella’s Desire is here and I think maybe it didn’t quite reach that bar. It is still a great read, just not at the same level as the first two books. Maybe it is that series-middle-book-slump thing. Ella just wasn’t who I thought she was based on the first two books. I thought she was pretty selfish through most of this book and she was definitely spoiled. I really didn’t manage to connect with either of the main characters, but I identified more with Bronson than with Ella. I believe the author was trying to go in a different direction with this book and it just wasn’t as exciting, can’t-catch-my-breath, and un-put-downable as the first two books. Bronson is definitely NOT a Highlander. Still, as I said, a great read.

Lady Ella Barrington is called to the solar where she finds her father along with her two older sisters, Marin and Anise, awaiting her. That alone tells her it is a very serious matter. When she asks what is happening, she is told that the King is questioning their father’s loyalty because both Marin and Anise have married Scots. Therefore, the King has ordered that Ella (as the oldest unmarried daughter) marry Bronson Berkley, the Earl of Calville. Ella is aghast – she has always wanted to marry for love – and her father promised her that she could. ** This is the part where Ella’s selfishness starts to show itself. She had to actually think about whether to follow the King’s command knowing that if she did not, her father would lose either his life or his freedom.

Bronson Berkley, Earl of Calville, has just had the biggest shock of his life. His father died and Bronson found out that there is no money, he and his father have been living on credit, his stepmother and stepsister are near to starving, and the estate is in near ruins. The King has told him that if he will marry the Earl of Werrick’s oldest unmarried daughter, Bronson’s back taxes will be forgiven and he will receive a stipend for a year in order to put his estate back in order. That is an offer Bronson can’t refuse because he had no idea of the conditions his stepmother and stepsister had been living in and he has to do whatever it takes to make life better for them.

The better part of the book is taken up with the back and forth between Bronson and Ella. Bronson is fully committed to the betrothal/marriage, but Ella isn’t. She tries various ways to dissuade Bronson from marrying her – and at the same time keeps dragging him into intimate situations. The final twenty-five to thirty percent gets more exciting and Bronson finally shows himself to be the hero he has really been all along.

This is a well-written book that I think you will enjoy.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.