Month: March 2022

How to be a Wallflower by Eloisa James

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

How to Be a Wallflower (Would-Be Wallflowers, #1)How to Be a Wallflower by Eloisa James

Tracy’s rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Series: Would-be Wallflowers, #1

Release Date: March 29, 2022

After the death of her mother Julia, Miss Cleopatra “Cleo” Lewis, the owner of the very successful Lewis Commodes company, sets out to fulfill her mother’s last wish and has reconciled with her estranged grandfather. Julia was a “free spirit” and though raised as a proper lady, she eloped with the blacksmith’s son and proceeded to live life on her own terms, which included taking lovers and following traveling acting troupes. When Cleo tells her dresser that she has agreed to participate in the season with her grandfather and plans to don the role of a wallflower since her own experience and her mother’s behavior has left her with no desire to marry, her dresser suggests that Cleo visit Quimby’s Emporium for her attire. It is here that Cleo meets Jacob “Jake” Astor Addison and then proceeds to buy the Emporium out from under him.

Jake is in London to visit his dearest friend, Merry the Duchess of Trent, and to convince Martha Quimby to relocate to the States and design costumes for his theaters – something he thought was a done deal until he is thwarted by Cleo. Before their meeting Jake had planned to return to America and marry a very nice girl, he even purchased a ring, but all that changed after Cleo came into his life, and now nothing will stop him from winning her – not even a ridiculous agreement to pick each other’s wardrobes. Jake plans to win Cleo’s heart, one kiss, and one kipper at a time, and it seems like he might be successful, that is until a well-meaning letter results in an unexpected visit that may cost him the love of his life.

What a great start to a new series! This was a well-written, nicely-paced story with wonderful characters. The story is both fun and piquant, it is filled with emotion, witty banter, a relationship-shy heroine, a brawny, kipper-loving hero, a great cast of secondary characters, steamyish love scenes, an opal ring, and a very sweet ending complete with an epilogue. I really loved this book and Jake has taken his place in my top five of all-time heroes. I also loved Cleo, but I agree with another reviewer who stated that her resistance to marriage was dragged out a little too long – not so much as to be annoying, but enough to be a bit tiresome. All in all, it was an excellent read and I can’t wait to read 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.*

A Relentless Rake by Anna Harrington

On By BarbaraIn Barb's Reviews, Part of a Series, Regency Era (1811-1820)Leave a comment

A Relentless Rake (Lords of the Armory, #4)Barbara’s rating: 5 of 5 Stars
Series: Lords of the Armory #4
Publication Date: 3/29/22
Period: Regency
Number of Pages: 329

Oh! My Goodness! The sinister organization, Scepter, is still causing havoc in London. While the men of the Armory and the Home Office are circling closer and closer, they still have absolutely no idea who is leading the organization. It is a peer – they are sure – and a very well-placed one who has recruited spies and operatives at every level of the government and the military. There is even a mole in the Home Office. The current threat is a rumored attempt on the Prime Minister’s life. Can they thwart the threat, protect the prime minister, and maybe, this time, put an end to Scepter?

Alexander (Alec) Sinclair, the Earl of St James, along with his wrong-side-of-the-blanket half-brother Nathaniel Reed are assigned the task of tracking down a mathematician whose name they found on the only piece of evidence they have against Scepter. This mathematician is a schoolmaster whose dearest wish is to have a fellowship in the Royal Society but is he a willing participant in the plot against the prime minister or an innocent dupe.

Alec had a cruel and abusive father and that has left a permanent mark on Alec’s psyche. He detests liars – people who hide who they really are and present an entirely different picture of themselves. When he meets the sister of their suspect, she presents herself as a prim, proper, strait-laced schoolmistress – but is she? Is she in the plot with her brother?

Olivia Everett has a loving and giving heart, but she harbors a deep secret that would ruin her, her brother, and their school should it ever get out. Even though their school is struggling, Olivia keeps taking in charity cases, but resources are thinner and thinner. Her brother, Henry, has always been there to support her and back her. So, when he goes missing for multiple days, she goes looking for him – in the most dangerous part of the city – at midnight. When she is accosted by thugs, a masked man comes to her rescue. Why isn’t she afraid of the masked man?

I absolutely adored both Olivia and Alec and thoroughly believed they were perfect for each other. They both were carrying deep, dark secrets that would only hurt others if they were found out. The attraction was immediate and grew and grew and grew over the course of the book. The chemistry is there and the love comes as surely as the sun each morning. My only wish is that the book didn’t stop where it did. I hate it when a book ends with the proposal and doesn’t carry through with a wedding and possibly some future scenes.

I hope you will give this book a read and that you’ll enjoy it as much as I did.

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

View all my reviews