Month: June 2023

What’s a Duke Got to Do With It by Christina Britton

On By BarbaraIn Barb's Reviews, Part of a Series, Regency Era (1811-1820)2 Comments

What’s a Duke Got to Do With It (Synneful Spinsters, #2)Barbara’s rating: 3.5 out of 5 Stars
Series: Synneful Spinsters #2
Publication Date: 7/11/23
Period: Regency – Isle of Synne
Number of Pages: 368

This is the gut-wrenching, heartbreaking, slow-moving, excellently told tale of two people whose dreams for a life together are shattered within the space of a day when both are engulfed in scandals, not of their own making. Miss Katrina Denby and Sebastian Thorne had been drawing closer and closer throughout the season and just as he was about to make his feelings known to her, he received a missive that he must return to his father’s country estate. That very same night, a man climbed into Katrina’s bedroom window causing a duel and scandal.

Four years later both Katrina and Sebastian – now the Duke of Ramsleigh, find themselves on the Isle of Synne. Katrina is there as the paid companion to the irascible Lady Tesh and Sebastian is there basically babysitting the grown brother of the heiress he hopes to marry to save his dukedom. Each is shocked to see the other because both are staying at the home of Lady Tesh. Both also realize those old feelings are still there and they also both realize that can go nowhere.

With Sebastian set to marry another and Katrina trying to weather yet another scandal not of her own making, it seems as if they will never work their way through all of their problems and find a HEA. And they almost don’t.

I liked Sebastian and Katrina okay, but I didn’t fall head-over-heels for them. My favorite characters were Lady Tesh, Mouse (a giant-sized dog), Mr. Bridling, and the group of friends known as the Oddments. Lady Tesh has been the glue that has held all of the Synne books together – both this series and the previous one, Isle of Synne. The Oddments is a group of ladies who are ‘odd’ to the world in one respect or another, but they are steadfast and true friends. I was totally surprised to like Mr. Bridling as he could have been such a dud of a character, and instead, he was bright and fun and I might have liked him better than Sebastian.

I can recommend this book because it is well written, but it wasn’t the book I needed to read at the moment. As I was reading, different adjectives kept popping into my head – mournful, morose, melancholy, misery, depressing, woe-is-me, sad, unhappy, martyr, gloom, despair, angst, angst, angst, angst, etc. and the book was all of that. I kept waiting for the happy part and it just wasn’t coming. I know it is a romance, so, of course, I knew the happy would come, but it didn’t get there until about the 90% mark and by that point, I wasn’t terribly interested.

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

View all my reviews

A Rogue at Stonecliffe by Candace Camp

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

A Rogue at Stonecliffe by Candace Camp

Tracy’s Rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: Stoncliffe, #2

Release Date: June 27, 2023

Once upon a time, Annabeth Winfield and Sloane Rutherford were in love and had plans for a rosy future that included marriage and children.  But when Sloane is approached by a stranger and learns that Annabeth’s life would be ruined by her father’s actions, Sloane steps up to save her that humiliation, but the cost is high, his reputation, and Annabeth’s love.

Twelve years later, the war is over, and Annabeth has finally moved on and is engaged to her dear friend Nathan.  But before she can settle into her new life, Sloane reappears convinced that Annabeth is in danger.  It isn’t until she is kidnapped that she admits that Sloane might be right, and they will have to work together to find something her late father wrote naming the English traitor before the villains looking for it either find it or kill her.  The assignment is dangerous, not just to her person, but more so to her heart.  Because being around Sloane again congers up old feelings, and she must resist him because Annabeth knows two things for certain; he is still keeping things from her, and she won’t be able to survive losing Sloane twice.

This was a well-written, nicely paced, second-chance love story that also featured an interesting mystery.  I was impressed by the growth of these characters, especially Annabeth, who when from a starry-eyed teenager in the throes of love to a mature and admirable young woman who has lost her first love (and still doesn’t know why) as well as her beloved father yet has found a way to move on and to be happy.  This book is filled with secrets, heartbreak, betrayal, wonderful secondary characters, lots of sexual tension, a bit of angst, danger, surprising revelations, adventure, puzzle boxes, traitors, and finally a second chance at HEA.  I enjoyed the story, but I must agree with my blog partner, the story needed an epilogue that gave the reader a glimpse into their HEA, because as is, it felt unfinished.  This is the second book in the series, but they are very loosely tied together and can easily be read as standalone titles.  All in all, this was a good addition to the series and an enjoyable read that I am happy to recommend.

*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.*