Month: March 2024

A Family of His Own by Stephanie Laurens

On By BarbaraIn Audiobook, Barb's Reviews, Part of a Series, Victorian Era (1837-1901)Leave a comment

A Family of His Own (Cynsters: Next Generation Series Book 14)

Barbara’s rating: 4 out of 5 Stars
Series: Cynster Next Generation #14
Publication Date: 3/14/24
Period: Victorian
Number of Pages: 428

I read the book and I listened to the audiobook. The audio is excellently narrated. The flow is smooth and seamless and the narrator’s voice very pleasant.

Well, we’ve come to the end of this Cynster generation – and the end of this series. Not sure when, or if, there will be an additional Cynster series, but they are about to cross the mark into the 1900s and I’m not sure I’ll be interested in those. The author is going back to add more books to the Casebook of Barnaby Adair series and I am happy to see that because I really enjoyed those.

Toby, the last unmarried Cynster of his generation, is now undertaking his last mission for the Crown. Talk about miffed – not only is Drake, Marquess of Wilchelsea, buckling to pressure from all of the Cynster ladies who want Toby married, but he is also sending him on a babysitting mission. So, rather than ending his career with an exciting mission, he’ll be escorting a doctor, his daughter, and a packet of intercepted German dispatches back from Vienna. Ho-Hum!

However, by the time he makes it to Vienna, he finds everything has changed. The doctor is deceased, perhaps not naturally, and both the Germans and the Austrians are trying to retrieve the packet of dispatches. Heinrich Maier, an Austrian, is a longtime foe of Toby’s and is almost as good as Toby. While the Austrians are a threat to the mission, it is the Germans who are dangerous. The two German agents operate by force and brute strength rather than intellect.

The babysitting mission Toby expected turns out to be as exciting as he’d want his last mission to be. That certainly wouldn’t be a problem except he is now escorting the doctor’s daughter and three children she refused to leave behind. Their escape through Austria, Germany, and Italy is fraught with danger. It also has a delightful set of children who make the book – you will love them. You’ll also love the descriptions of the beautiful countryside – and the idyllic time spent hiding on a lovely island in a beautiful Italian lake.

It was lovely to see Toby – who always wanted to be the bachelor uncle to his nieces and nephews – find the true meaning of family and love. I recommend this book and hope you enjoy it as much as I did. I also hope you are looking forward to those new Barnaby Adair books starting in July 2024. Happy Reading!

View all my reviews

The Duchess by Sophie Jordan

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

The Duchess (The Scandalous Ladies of London, #2)The Duchess by Sophie Jordan

Tracy’s rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Series: The Scandalous Ladies of London, #2

Release Date: March 26, 2024

Once upon a time, Valencia married the man of her dreams, but not long after their wedding, her dream became a nightmare when her husband was injured in an accident and changed from the charming man she married into a mean, abusive drunk. For years she endured his abuse, both physically and verbally, until another accident finally ended his life. Now a year later, Valencia is the widowed Duchess of Dedham, and ready to live again, but things do not go as planned and instead of a fun night celebrating her birthday with friends at Vauxhall Gardens, she takes a dip in the Thames and is pulled out by a rude boor of a man and if that was not bad enough, she is awakened the next day by the arrival of the same rude boor who happens to be the new Duke, along with his mother and six unmarried sisters and is unceremoniously kicked out the house she has lived in for over a decade! But launching unmarried six sisters into London society is more than his mother can handle and Valencia sees an opportunity – she will prepare the girls for their debuts and in exchange the duke will pay her handsomely. She just has to keep her eye on the prize and ignore the attraction she feels for the new duke, because if there is one thing Valencia knows it is love is an illusion. She fell for that trick once and learned her lesson the hard way, so that won’t be a problem…

Welshman, Rhain Lloyd is a self-made man who has no interest in being the Duke of Dedham, but with no choice, he travels to London with his mother, cousin and his six unmarried sisters (he has 12). His plan is to access the dukedom and its holdings then have his cousin act as his steward, so he can return to Wales and his quiet, ordered life. He is shocked to learn that the woman he fished out of the Thames is the late duke’s widow, which makes her off-limits in his mind. And because of his attraction, he needs her gone ASAP, but when it becomes clear that his mother is not prepared to launch his sisters into society, he makes a deal with Valencia. He will pay her to present his sisters to the ton and find them husbands and then she will leave, and he will carry on with his original plan. He can control himself and there is no way he would ever fall in love with her, so that won’t be a problem…

This was a well-written, somewhat emotional story that focuses mostly on Valencia’s journey to HEA. The book is filled with emotional healing, some triggers, lots of sisters, a stuffed dog, well-meaning “ride or die” friends, secrets, low steam love scenes, betrayal, blackmail and finally a well-deserved happy ending complete with an epilogue. I liked this story, and my heart broke for Valencia, she was badly used and yet she never broke, she is a survivor who fought for her happy ending, and I was rooting for her all the way. Much like the previous book, this story didn’t “wow” me and I never really felt the romance. And am I the only one who found Poppet uber creepy? Anyway, IMO the book was not a keeper, but it was still a good read with a happy ending. This is the second book in the series, but it could be read as a standalone title with no problems. Please note, this book does have content that might be upsetting to some readers, and I would suggest checking out the content warning before reading the book.

3.5 stars rounded up.

*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.*