Month: July 2023

The Highlander’s Bridal Bid by Nicole Locke ~ Blog Tour

On By TracyIn Blog Tour, Book Publicity, Medieval (1066-1540), Middle Ages / Medieval (476-1454), Part of a Series, Scottish/Highlander, Top Pick - Highly Recommended, Tracy's ReviewsLeave a comment

The Highlander’s Bridal Bid

Finding his future wife
means revisiting his past… 

After making a pact with his brother to find a bride by the year’s end, warrior Camron of Clan Graham faces his toughest battle yet: to win defiant Anna, his first love. She’s fiercely protective of her family and her independence, so Highlander Camron must prove to Anna that she’s more than just a bet—and that he’s a man she can trust with her safety and her heart! 

Purchase Links:

UK ~ US ~ Books2Read

Author Bio:

Nicole first discovered romance novels hidden in her grandmother’s closet. Convinced hidden books must be better, Nicole greedily read them. It was only natural she should start writing them (but now not so secretly). If she isn’t working on the next book in her historical series, she can’t be found. No, seriously. Because she’s always working on the next story!

Social Media Links:

Website ~ Instagram ~ Twitter ~ Facebook

Giveaway – Win a Signed Copy of The Highlander’s Bridal Bid (Open Internationally)

*Terms and Conditions –Worldwide entries welcome.  Please enter using the Rafflecopter box below.  The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then Rachel’s Random Resources reserves the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over.  Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will be passed to the giveaway organizer and used only for fulfillment of the prize, after which time Rachel’s Random Resources will delete the data.  I am not responsible for the despatch or delivery of the prize.

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Tracy’s Review:

The Highlander's Bridal Bid (Lovers and Highlanders #1)The Highlander’s Bridal Bid by Nicole Locke

Tracy’s rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Series: Lovers and Highlanders, #1

Release Date: November 29, 2022

Anna of Clan Graham has not had an easy time in the last few years. Her mother died not long after birthing Anna’s brother, leaving a young Anna to raise her younger sister and brother. She devoted her life to them and believed that no one would ever want her. But then she met Alan Maclean and fell hard. She believed he was her future and gave him her heart and everything else. But she was not the only lass Alan was wooing and he shattered not only her heart, but her trust.

Camron of Clan Graham has been in love with Anna Graham for most of his life, but the time has never been right to pursue her. Being five years her junior was his first hurdle, then when he felt old enough to approach her, it seemed like she had found love with another. Faced with losing his chance with her, Camron tried to forget her and spent the next few years training and scouting for the clan. But now he is back and Anna is once again free, having had her heart broken. He decides that now is the time, especially after a night spent drinking with his twin brother Hamilton ends in a bet about who will marry first. He is sure he can win her, as long as she never learns of the wager…

This was a well-written, nicely-paced story of longing, love, and trust. This novel was a delight to read, I loved Camron’s dedication to winning Anna and his interactions with his brother. Anna was a bit harder to like, she has been hurt and trust is hard for her to give, which made her seem a bit shrewish. But her love for her family, especially her younger brother whose foot is misshapen and has made it hard for him to fit in with the other boys in the clan. She truly has a heart of gold, but betrayal left it a bit tarnished, lucky for her Camron would love nothing more than to be the man to bring back her shine. This is the first book in a new series and besides giving the reader a beautiful love story, we are given glimpses of the next book and possibly a third! I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would happily recommend it, especially for medieval and High-Middle Ages of Scotland lovers.

*I was gifted a copy of this title as part of a Blog Tour, but I purchased a copy for my library when the book was released. – All opinions in this review are my own.*

Say Yes to the Princess by Charis Michaels

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

Say Yes to the Princess (Hidden Royals, #1)Say Yes to the Princess by Charis Michaels

Tracy’s rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: Hidden Royals, #1

Release Date: July 11, 2023

Killian Crewes, the second son of the late Earl Dunlock, is a bit of an entrepreneur, he acquires rundown properties in the hopes of renovating them and leasing them out. But to do this, he needs funds, so to support his dream of becoming a real estate mogul, he does decreet work for the royal family. He has become known as the “Royal Fixer”, fixing things: gambling debts, recovering runaway lovers, bribing judges, covering up escapades in public fountains, and has disposed of more than one dead body. So it came as no surprise when one of the Royal Dukes, called him to take care of the problem being caused by an exiled French princess; to distract her, enchant her and if necessary seduce her. Killian isn’t privy to the problem she is causing, and doesn’t really care, doing this job will win him first dibs on some warehouses in Limehouse he has been wanting to buy. So he will do whatever is needed to “fix” the problem of Her Serene Highness, Princess Regine Elise Adelaide d’Orleans, or he will, once he figures out who she is.

Princess Elise has lived with the Royal family for the last ten years, ever since she and her siblings escaped France after her father, the brother of the King, was executed. But the siblings were separated and Elise has lived a lonely, isolated existence since then, she has not seen or heard from her brother, Prince Gabriel, and her sister, Princess Danielle in all the time she has been in England. Her mother is in Spain with her family, but rarely communicates with her and ignores her queries about her younger siblings, as does the rest of her limited family. But all that changed when traveling back from Weymouth with the Queen, she saw a young man who she is sure is her brother. The problem is she doesn’t know where they were and no one seems willing to help her, in fact, everyone seems to be discouraging her from finding him! So when the “Royal Fixer” is sent to deal with her, she is happy to let him “distract” her, as it enables her to leave the palace and search for Gabriel. She just didn’t expect to enjoy getting to know him or kissing him or falling in love with him, nor did she expect him to fight their obvious connection so much. Killian is a puzzle and Elise loves a puzzle, but will figuring him out lead to HEA or will it end in heartbreak?

This was not your typical historical romance, it was an interesting story with lots of likable characters and tons of witty banter, but honestly, it didn’t feel as smooth and cohesive as this author’s previous works. Don’t misunderstand, I enjoyed the book, but I feel like I was given a lot of information that didn’t move the story along, information that actually seemed to slow the story down. The story is filled with secrets, intrigue, witty banter, court politics, great secondary characters, a slow-burning, low-steam romance, betrayal, and finally, a surprising ending that leads to their HEA. This is the first book in a new series and I am already looking forward to the next book!

*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.*