Month: May 2020

Say Yes to the Duke by Eloisa James

On By TracyIn Georgian Era (1714-1837), Top Pick - Highly Recommended, Tracy's Reviews2 Comments

Say Yes to the Duke (The Wildes of Lindow Castle, #5)Say Yes to the Duke by Eloisa James

Tracy’s rating: 5 of 5 stars

Series: The Wildes of Lindow Castle, #5

Release Date: May 19, 2020

Viola Astley, The Duke of Lindow’s stepdaughter has been raised as a Wilde, but never felt that she fit in. Unlike her bold and outgoing siblings, Viola is shy and timid , so shy and timid, that she makes herself ill and has on numerous occasions cast up her accounts, like the time when she was 15 and interrupted an amorous couple in the servants hall and caused the man to fly into a rage when he assumed his lover was trying to trap him, he bellowed at the woman and left – the woman who was indeed trying to trap him then screamed at Viola – who promptly lost her lunch on the woman’s hem. It was then that Viola realized she might never marry. Years pass and Viola’s fears only grow worse, she avoids social events as much as possible and has become a wallflower, she is sure she will be a spinster. But all that changes when Viola falls in love with the duke’s new vicar, Mr. Marlowe. Too bad he is already betrothed…

Devin Lucas Augustus Elstan, the Duke of Wynter is fighting with his cousin Otis, Otis has told Devin that he has changed his mind, he doesn’t want to be a vicar anymore and that he is going to travel abroad and find an heiress to wed. Devin convinces him to stay until they find another vicar, he also mentions that he is playing on marrying – he has already chosen his bride, Lady Joan Wilde. Otis warns that he will have a lot of competition, but Devin isn’t worried, he wants Joan and he gets what he wants.

Viola hatches a plan, she needs to get over her shyness (a task that Joan is helping her with) and show Mr. Marlowe that she is the perfect wife for him. She arranges a meeting in the library on the night of her debut ball. But when she arrives in the library, it is already occupied – she hides and hears Devin and his uncle talking – Sir Reginald tells Devin that Viola would be the perfect bride for him – Devin disagrees, he says that she isn’t really a Wilde and that she is a timid mouse. His uncle tells him he is wrong and that if he wants to get technical – Lady Joan isn’t a Wilde either. Devin doesn’t care, he wants Joan, end of story. When his uncle leaves, Mr. Marlowe arrives and Viola comes out of hiding. She makes comments that let Devin know that she heard him talking about her. Devin sends Mr. Marlowe away and escorts Viola back to the ball, on the way she gives him a proper set down and Devin admits that she is not the mouse he thought she was, intrigued he askes to escort her to supper – NO and she fobs him off on another woman he criticized.

Devin realizes his uncle was right, Lady Joan is not right for him, but Viola is perfect. He sets out to win her away from the vicar by means fair or foul. Even if he has to take advice from his cousin Otis, even if he has to woo her, even if he has to hire Mr. Marlowe away from the duke. But winning her is only part of it, soon he realizes he wants it all, her body, her heart and her love, a task made harder when he learns that he is the man that terrified her all those years ago…

I have enjoyed all the books in this series, but I LOVED this book, it is a well written, delightful, uncomplicated, steamyish read with wonderful characters and plenty of witty banter. Devin is a wonderful hero with a troubled childhood and fears of being unstable like his father and Viola wrestles with feelings of unworthiness and feeling like she doesn’t belong. I just love how together they learn to move on and find happiness. If you are looking for a fun, lighthearted read, look no further, this is that book.

This is the fifth book in the series, but it can easily be read as a stand-alone title. I highly recommend this series and this title especially.

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

Masquerade at Middlecrest Abbey by Abigail Wilson

On By BarbaraIn Barb's Reviews, Historical Mystery, Regency Era (1811-1820)Leave a comment

Masquerade at Middlecrest AbbeyBarbara’s rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: None listed
Publication Date: 5/26/20
Number of Pages: 336

This is my first book by Abigail Wilson and I’m wondering how I managed to miss her first three books. This was a wonderful read! The mystery was outstanding and the suspects were many and varied. While I loved the mystery, I didn’t really see enough interactions between the couple to see the romance. Perhaps that is because the book is written in first person, so we only see one person’s perspective on the interactions. One thing that puzzled me was that it isn’t listed as being part of a series, but it obviously is. I enjoyed this book so much I went back to see what books she had written previously – with the intent of buying those to read as well. As I read the descriptions of those previous books, I realized that those same people were mentioned in the book I’d just read. You can definitely read this book as a standalone, but I would have enjoyed knowing it was part of a series and perhaps reading the earlier books first.

Miss Elizabeth Cantrell was used and tossed aside by the father of her child. More fortunate than most, she had found refuge with some family members. However, her baby is eleven months old and it is time for her to be on her own and make a life for herself and baby Isaac. She is in a coach headed toward a new position as housekeeper — Then – a highwayman attacks – the coach crashes – she is injured and unconscious – and awakens in a room at an inn – with the highwayman sharing the room as her husband. Uh-Oh. Then – he offers her a marriage of convenience. Say What!

Baron Adrian Torrington has been a widower for almost twenty years and a spy for the Crown for nearly that long as well. When he is sent to stop a coach carrying a message to the French, things go terribly awry and the coach crashes injuring a lovely young woman. With her unconscious and people approaching, he does the only thing he feels he can do – he removes her from the scene and takes her to the nearest inn – as her husband. Besides – she was conscious long enough to see his face and recognize him. In order to protect himself and her, he offers her a marriage of convenience.

Has he just brought danger into his own home? When threatening notes appear and death happens, it appears the answer is yes. Or – was the danger there all along and he’s just brought an innocent young woman and her babe into it? Adrian and Elizabeth grow closer as they work together to solve the murder, find the spies, and thwart the French mission. As you learn the backstories of Adrian and Elizabeth you come to admire them and the way they’ve managed to overcome the adversities and betrayals in their lives. I really liked both of them and was glad to see them find each other.

This was an entertaining read, and I will definitely be purchasing this author’s earlier works and reading them as well. Then, I can’t wait to find out what the next book will be. My only issue is that I didn’t really see the romance – it was just suddenly there. They had few interactions, and those were short and all ‘business’ rather than personal – yet, they were suddenly madly in love. Again, I think some of that is lack of page time for the romance and the lack of perspective from Adrian’s side because it was written in first person from Elizabeth’s point of view. I believe Adrian was the first to be totally smitten, but we never actually got to see that part. I deducted one star because the romance portion was just not quite what I like to see.

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