Month: May 2023

Surrender of a Highland Smuggler by Lori Ann Bailey

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

Surrender of a Highland Smuggler (Wicked Highland Misfits Book 4)Barbara’s rating: 3.7 of 5 Stars
Series: Wicked Highland Misfits
Publication Date: 5/9/23
Period: Regency
Number of Pages: 258

This is a highly emotional, angsty tale of two lovers who were torn apart by trickery and deceit. Three years previous to this story, Olivia Ledford witnessed the shooting of her betrothed – the love of her life – and she was convinced she was in danger as well. She willingly allowed herself to be moved to England (from Aberdeen, Scotland) where she was casually moved from relative to relative – none of whom really wanted her. In all that time, she never quit mourning her love and certainly never considered a life with anyone else. Until her cousin, whom she loved like a brother, convinced her to come back to Aberdeen and consider marriage to a man who was interested in her. She decided she’d at least consider it since she really wanted a home and family of her own and if it couldn’t be with the man she loved, maybe it could be with a man she liked.

Callum Campbell was walking through the village with his betrothed – the love of his life – when he was shot in the head. Later, when he awoke, it was to find a letter on his bedside table. A letter from his beloved – a goodbye letter. She had left him when he needed her most. But . . . Everyone left him when he needed them most. If he loved them, they left him. So, he closed off his heart, his emotions, and certainly his love for Olivia.

Imagine the utter shock each of them felt when they ran into each other on the streets of Aberdeen three years later. At first, Olivia thought she must be seeing a ghost – or at least Callum’s twin brother. No, it really was Callum. Why hadn’t he come after her? Why hadn’t he let her know he was alive? Why hadn’t anyone else let her know? Callum, on the other hand, wanted nothing to do with her – he wanted no explanations. He just wanted her to disappear and leave him be.

Both Callum and Olivia were fighting demons from their past – demons from before they ever met. Neither had stable homes nor anyone they could trust. Yet, they had managed to find that love and trust with each other. Could they find it again? Olivia was absolutely relentless in her pursuit of Callum and trying to make him understand what happened. Callum was absolutely determined to have nothing to do with Olivia in any way. So, it was interesting to watch these two overcome their fears and anguish and learn to love and trust again.

For me, the book was much too angsty – too ‘woe is me’. I quickly tired of that especially when I thought the danger and the search for the villain could have been played to a much better advantage than all of the angst. But then, I’m not a fan of angst, so I’m sure that explains why I tired of it.

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

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The Brazen Bluestocking by Tracy Sumner

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

The Brazen Bluestocking (The Duchess Society, #1)The Brazen Bluestocking by Tracy Sumner

Tracy’s rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: The Duchess Society, #1

Release Date: September 16, 2021

Lady Hildegard “Hilde” Templeton has been tasked with bringing Lady Matilda Delacour-Baynham’s fiance up to snuff and if she does, she is sure that Lady Matilida’s father, the Earl of Hastings will hire The Duchess Society to advise his four other daughters on their journey to wedded bliss – a commission she sorely needs, as she has a lot of responsibilities and not a lot of money. She is sure she can get Tobias Streeter; a shipping magnate who is of Romani blood, and if gossip is to be believed, all-around bounder ready for the ton. But meeting him in person shocks her to her core – she has never had such an instant attraction to a man, granted Tobias is the most attractive man she has ever seen, but this is more than that. She reminds herself that she needs to focus on the prize and ignore whatever it is simmering between them. Easier said than done, especially when she learns the “Rogue King of Limehouse Basin” is a very nice man who among other things rescues orphans and cats.

Tobias Streeter is the illegitimate son of a Romani woman and a Viscount, life has not been easy but Tobias has made a fortune and is ready to follow his dream of working with famed Architect John Nash, but for that, he needs more than money, he needs connections to the ton and has found the perfect woman in Lady Matilda, as theirs will be a white marriage and he won’t have to change his lifestyle or worry about love. But that was before he met Lady Hildegard Templeton and she turned his world upside down and to make matters worse, as if his inconvenient attraction to her wasn’t bad enough, it appears that someone is trying to kill him. Soon he has choices to make, but a lifetime of fearing love makes it hard to accept that is what he is feeling or what he deserves. It isn’t until the real possibility that he could lose Hilde forever comes up that he finally knows what he has to do, but is it too late?

This was a very interesting story with very well-drawn characters and a somewhat unusual storyline. I really liked Hilde and Tobias, but their fears and seemingly contrived misunderstandings/misinterpretations dragged on a bit too long for my liking. There is also the fact that he was engaged to someone when the story opens, so there is also a bit of a cheating vibe – yes, his engagement was a business deal and his fiancee didn’t care if he had other women, but to me – cheating is cheating AND his fiancee was her client – so no, just no. That said, they never really crossed a line that made me want to stop reading and in the end, everything is as it should be. So if you are looking for a fresh story with great characters, true love, lots of interesting secondary characters, a soulmate type love, orphans, misgendered cats, steamy love scenes, abductions, grand gestures imagined but don’t happen, surprising twists and finally a HEA that began to seem impossible, then this is the book for you! This is the first book in the series, but there is a prequel novella that features her business partner, so you might want to read that first, but it isn’t strictly necessary to enjoy this story. So after some bumps in my reading journey, I ended up loving this book and can’t wait to read the next one!

*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.*