Month: January 2020

A Reluctant Bride by Jess Michaels

On By TracyIn Georgian Era (1714-1837), Regency Era (1811-1820), Tudor Era (1485-1603)Leave a comment

A Reluctant Bride (The Shelley Sisters Book 1)A Reluctant Bride by Jess Michaels

Tracy’s rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: The Shelley Sisters, #1

Release Date: January 7, 2020

Thomasina Shelly is hopelessly attracted to Jasper Kincaid, the Earl of Harcourt. Hopeless because Jasper is engaged to marry her sister Anne in a week.

Theirs is not a love match, Jasper contracted a marriage with her father to marry one of the Shelly sisters who happen to be identical triplets. He didn’t care which one he married, he just needed the dowry to right the wrongs to the estate made by his father and brother. But the more time he has spent with the girls, the more he wishes he had asked for Thomasina.

Thomasina would never betray her sisters, she is the “good one” and when Anne expresses unhappiness about the marriage, she tries to comfort her and assure her that it will all work out – even though she wishes she was the one marrying Jasper. Anne is so upset that when she begs Thomasina to pretend to be her at the engagement ball so she can have a quiet evening alone, Thomasina reluctantly agrees. The problem is Jasper can do what no other can – he can tell Thomasina from her sisters. He wonders why she is pretending to be Anne and goes as far as to try and kiss her. Shocked, Thomasina runs from him and decides to tell Anne that she can’t continue the ruse – but so learns why Anne wanted her to pretend to be her – Anne has eloped.

When he learns of Anne’s elopement, Jasper insists that Thomasina marry him in Anne’s place and she agrees. Jasper is upset that she tried to trick him and makes her promise to always be honest with him, and in the spirit of honesty, he tells her that he is not looking for a love match and probably won’t be able to love her, he is attracted to her and he likes her and tells her that he hopes she can accept that.

Jasper learns who Anne eloped with – one of his wastrel brother Solomon’s friends. He then learns that Ellis Maitland has not married Anne, he has passed her off to a relative Rook Maitland and will not return her until Jasper returns the “treasure” his brother took from him before he died. Jasper has no idea what the treasure is and keeps this information from Thomasina.

They marry and it seems like things are going well between them, Thomasina knows she is in love with Jasper and tries to forge a deeper relationship, but when she learns he has been keeping secrets from her, she is crushed and Jasper realizes too late what he has lost.

I thought this was a good story, it is well written and flows at a good pace, with likeable characters, steamy love scenes, a bit of mystery and a HEA with a nice lead into the next book. This is the first book in a new series and I am happy to recommend it.

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

Wooed by a Wicked Duke by Collette Cameron

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Wooed by a Wicked Duke (Seductive Scoundrels, #5)Wooed by a Wicked Duke by Collette Cameron

Tracy’s rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Series: Seductive Scoundrels, #5

Release Date: December 31, 2019

Crispin Rolston, the Duke of Bainbridge has secretly longed for Jessica Brentwood from the first moment he met her, but he has never made his desire known as he is trapped in an unwanted betrothal. He has tried everything to dissolve the betrothal, including cultivating (and embellishing) a rakish reputation, in hopes that his betrothed, Lilith Brighton will call off the engagement. But so far, nothing has worked and it seems like Crispin will have to give up his dream of a love match.

Jessica has also been attracted to Crispin, but he is a rake and someone she would never consider for marriage – she already lives under a cloud of scandal thanks to her father and the only reason she is accepted at all is because her sister is the Duchess of Sutcliffe. As much as she likes Crispin, she will never risk her heart or her fragile reputation with a man like him. But when they are tricked into a compromising situation, marriage may be the only way to quash a scandal.

But Jessica still resists, Crispin is still betrothed and needs to end his engagement and prove to Jessica that she can trust her heart to him.

This was a cute, sweet story, but it was short and personally, I felt like there was too much going on in too short a story – I liked Crispin and Jessica, but their issues took the spotlight and I didn’t think they had enough time together to form a deep and abiding love. I did think they had great chemistry and if the story had been a bit longer I am sure their characters would have convinced me that they were meant to be. I did like the novella and it is a great addition to the series with mild love scenes, cameos and a HEA. While it was not my favorite, I did enjoy the book and would be happy to recommend it.