Author: Barbara

Avid reader/reviewer of historical romance and historical mysteries.

The Duchess Takes A Husband by Harper St. George – #BlogBlitz

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

The Duchess Takes a Husband (The Gilded Age Heiresses, #4)Barbara’s rating: 4.5 of 5 Stars
Series: The Gilded Age Heiresses #4
Publication Date: 2/23/23
Period: Victorian/Gilded Age – 1878 London
Number of Pages: 336

Thank goodness for the book that wasn’t supposed to be! The series was originally supposed to be three books featuring the Crenshaw siblings, but once we and the author met Camille, Duchess of Hereford, we all knew she just had to have her own book. She endured emotional and physical abuse from the duke before he died and I absolutely loved seeing her find herself, her strength, her determination after he died. Then, there was Jacob, who was the perfect mate for her. His gentle, understanding, considerate, and kind ways were just what she needed to heal from the trauma she suffered. Yes, it is a sensitive subject, but I believe the author dealt with it in a way that makes Camille a heroine rather than a victim. This could have been a really angsty, woe-is-me book, but it wasn’t, and I’m so glad Camille was shown as a woman who was strong and working toward healing herself.

Camille was thoroughly controlled by the Duke of Hereford during their marriage, and now that he is gone, she’s showing a bit of rebellion. Her first rebellion was to join the Montague Club – owned by her best friend’s husband and his half-brother. Her next rebellion, though it won’t be made public, is to seek out Jacob, one of the owners of the club, and make a proposition. She wants to know if it is possible for her to enjoy intimacy – because she never has. He has a counter-proposition for her and they strike a deal. Her third rebellion is to embrace the suffragette movement – and that one almost costs her life.

Jacob very much wants to accomplish something on his own. Yes, he is part owner of the Montague Club, but he did that with the backing of his half-brother and a good friend who both hold lauded titles. He wants to do something on his own – without the backing of those titles. He has a business partner and just needs one more investor and he can get the project rolling. The fly in the ointment? The investor is very hesitant to invest because Jacob isn’t a settled, married man. So, what Jacob needs is a fiancé – or at least a pretend fiancé.

It was wonderful to watch Camille and Jacob find that love isn’t such a bad thing after all – especially when it is with the perfect person. Jacob’s tender care causes Camille to blossom and become who she was truly meant to be and Camille’s loving smiles and caring heart taught Jacob that loving someone doesn’t cause you to lose yourself.

This book was excellently written, and excellently plotted, and, for me, the flow was just perfect. I can definitely recommend 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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Cinderella’s Deal With The Colonel by Jenni Fletcher

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

Cinderella's Deal With The Colonel (Mills & Boon Historical)Barbara’s rating: 5 out of 5 Stars
Series: Standalone
Publication Date: 5/25/23
Period: Regency London
Number of Pages: 268

I loved everything about this delightfully entertaining, witty, romantic book! I do mean everything – from the author’s note in the front – which I totally LOVED and agree with – to the preview of an upcoming book by another author at the end. Sandwiched between the author’s note and the preview was a lovely story of romance, growth, and learning what it really means to be a family. With most books, I seem to love one of the main characters, but only like the other. Not in this book, I was enamored with both of the MCs from the first and could hardly wait for them to get their HEA – which they most definitely did. While this appears to be a standalone book, I could easily see a second book where the current Marquess (can I say dies) and Sabrina finds a true HEA for herself. Yes, that would be a satisfying story to read.

Colonel Lord Theodore Marshall, a hero of the recent wars, had sold his commission and was going to go to America. Though he had no love for his home and family, he decided to pay a brief visit before his departure. His mistake? He sent word he was coming. When he arrived he found his brother had mired the marquessate in scandal and financial ruin and then run away. He just disappeared – and now, Theo was left to clean up the mess because as a man of honor, he couldn’t do anything else. He. Was. Stuck. He had a termagant of a sister-in-law to contend with, massive amounts of debts, piles of paperwork, and, well, just more than one man ought to have to handle when it wasn’t his mess in the first place. Perhaps the worst was the scandal his brother had created when his investment scheme went belly up and caused several people in the ton (and out of it) to lose massive amounts of money. How could Theo ever make any of that right?

Miss Abigail Lemon has had the absolute worst month of her short twenty-two years of existence. Her father died of a heart attack and as an only child, she was left totally alone to make all of the arrangements. Then, another blow at the reading of the will when she found there was no money for her, the banks were taking her home, and she had no place to even lay her head. The final blow, the one that did her in and stiffened her spine at the same time, was when her betrothed, the man who said he loved her and would always stand beside her, quickly let her know that without her dowry, they couldn’t marry.

During that one awful day of the reading of the will and Henry’s betrayal, she also learned the cause of the loss of her father’s fortune. He’d invested in a building venture headed by the Marquess of Salway. Well! She had worked herself into a total temper and proceeded to march to the Marquess’ home and to tell him exactly what she thought of him and that he owed her at least a recommendation for a place to work – something that would put food in her belly and a pillow under her head at night. When she was quite through with her tirade, the man politely told her that he was not the Marquess, but his brother – and that the Marquess had left the country.

OMGoodness! Abigail’s despair was palpable as she left. What would happen to her? Where would she go? What would she do? Theo’s need to help and Abigail’s need for a place to live and income led them to a workable solution. What neither of them wanted nor expected was an attraction – but it was there and it was such a delight to watch them work together to solve the problems of the estate, form a friendship, and learn to care for each other.

You’ll love the secondary characters – especially Kitchen, and Lady, the dog. I came to really like Sabrina, the marchioness. It was nice to watch her grow from a total mean-spirited shrew into someone who was a caring mother and friend. So, yes, I would like to see Sabrina get her own HEA.

I can definitely recommend this book and I hope you will love 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