Month: October 2021

The Virgin Who Bewitched Lord Lymington by Anna Bradley

On By BarbaraIn Barb's Reviews, Georgian Era (1714-1837), Part of a SeriesLeave a comment

The Virgin Who Bewitched Lord Lymington (The Swooning Virgins Society, #4)Barbara’s rating: 3.7 of 5 Stars
Series: The Swooning virgins Society #4
Publication Date: 11/2/21
Period: Georgian – 1795 London
Number of Pages: 377

Lady Amanda Clifford runs the Clifford Charity School For Wayward Girls. Each of the girls who have been featured in the series was found in truly dire circumstances and has been taught to be strong, resourceful young ladies. They have also been taught to have a strong sense of vengeance and respect for justice. Five years ago, fifteen-year-old Emma Downing was the fourth girl rescued by Lady Amanda and possibly the most damaged by her circumstances. Now, it is Emma’s turn to take on an assignment for the school and it will take all of her skills and talents to succeed.

It seems maids have been disappearing off the country estate of Samuel Fitzroy, the Marquess of Lymington and no trace of any of them have been found – until one turns up as a courtesan at Madam Marchand’s brothel. That maid, Caroline Frances, shares a tale of a Lord who seduced and debauched her, then left her on the steps of Madam Marchands. She even names the Lord who did the deed. It is now up to Emma to investigate Lancelot Banning, Viscount Lovell, and come up with the evidence to either exonerate him or convict him. To do that, Emma will live with Lady Amanda’s friend Lady Crosby and pretend to be her granddaughter, Emma Crosby, who just happens to be on the continent with her father.

Lord Lovell is the cousin of Lord Lymington and the two of them grew up together – in the same house. They are more like brothers than cousins and Samuel is very protective of Lovell. When a young debutante (Emma) starts flirting with Lovell, Samuel warns her away because he knows Lovell is head-over-heels in love with Lady Flora.

Samuel nor Lovell have any idea that Emma suspects Lovell of some very dire deeds, but Samuel certainly comes to question her and her motives when he keeps encountering her at places no well-bred young lady should be. She intrigues him – and she repels him. Yet, when Emma’s life is in danger, Samuel knows he has to save her.

I believe this was the final book in the series and it had a lovely epilogue that included visits with Sophia (The Virgin Who Ruined Lord Grey), Cecilia (The Virgin Who Vindicated Lord Darlington), and Georgiana (The Virgin Who Humbled Lord Haslemere). I’m always a sucker for a good epilogue.

I enjoyed this story but was left with a number of questions and no answers. First, since Emma is impersonating a real-life person, how will the person, the grandmother, and Emma explain all of that to the ton when the actual granddaughter appears? Emma and Samuel – and the entire family – will be shunned by the ton when they discover Emma’s time in Madam Marchand’s service – how would they explain that away? It just seems it was made much too easy and there was a rather blasé attitude to a very serious social issue.

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

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The Lady Gets Lucky by Joanna Shupe

On By TracyIn America's Gilded Age (1870-1900), American Historical, Part of a Series, Top Pick - Highly Recommended, Tracy's Reviews, Victorian Era (1837-1901)Leave a comment

The Lady Gets Lucky (The Fifth Avenue Rebels, #2)The Lady Gets Lucky by Joanna Shupe

Tracy’s rating: 5 of 5 stars

Series: The Fifth Avenue Rebels, #2

Release Date: October 26, 2021

While attending a house party hosted by the Websters at their Newport “chapeau”, Boston heiress Alice Lusk makes a decision that will change her life. After years of verbal and emotional abuse at the hands of her mother, Alice is determined to marry – but she wants a man who will love her for herself, not her father’s money. So, she figures her best bet is to seduce a man, but how does a painfully shy, insecure, proper young lady do such a thing? By hiring the man her hostess’ daughter swears can turn even the shyest woman into a vixen – Christopher “Kit” Ward.

Kit is a self-described scoundrel, a playboy with charm, good looks, and money to spare and in no rush to change. So, when the pretty little wallflower asks for help, he is ready to send her on her way, but then he learns she is close friends with the famous Fifth Ave Hotel chef, Angelo Franconi – the very man Kit and his business partner and friend Preston have been trying to hire for their supper club! Alice makes it clear, chef Franconi will never leave the hotel, but she is sure she could persuade him to sell the men some of his famous recipes, as well as the rights to use his name and in exchange, she wants Kit to teach her how to attract a man.

Kit agrees and the two begin, but Kit is unprepared for his reaction to Alice and he aggressively fights his growing attraction. Things heat up between them, but they both know that nothing will ever come from it, and if Alice ever wants to follow her dream of running her own kitchen, she needs to marry, something that Kit has made quite clear he will never do. They return to New York, assuming they will never see each other again. Kit can’t deny he is jealous when he learns that Alice is being courted, but he stubbornly refuses to consider a future with her. But when Kit needs help, Alice offers to step in and cook for his club’s opening night and their passion burns bright and won’t be denied – but even one glorious night is not enough to change Kit’s mind about marriage and once more they part ways. It seems like Kit’s insecurities will cost him the love of a lifetime, but an unexpected tragedy and some no-nonsense advice, make him realize that Alice is exactly what he needs – but is it too late?

This book was fantastic! I loved it so much and am so glad I didn’t pass on it after my disappointment with the previous installment of this series. This book is nearly perfect, it is well-written, perfectly paced, filled with witty banter, extremely likable leads, steamy love scenes, a bit of heartache, insecurities, an overbearing, nasty mother, wonderful secondary characters, and a HEA that is sure to put a smile on your face. This is the second book in the series and part of the book runs concurrently with the first book, but this book can easily be read as a standalone title – however if you don’t want spoilers, read the books in order! I highly recommend this title and cannot wait for the next installment!

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