Author: Barbara

Avid reader/reviewer of historical romance and historical mysteries.

A Scottish Lord for Christmas by Lauren Smith

On By BarbaraIn Barb's Reviews, Christmas, Edwardian Age (1901-1910), Novella, Scottish/HighlanderLeave a comment

A Scottish Lord for Christmas (Sins and Scandals #3)A Scottish Lord for Christmas by Lauren Smith

Barbara’s rating: 5 of 5 stars

Series: Sins and Scandals #3
Publication Date: 12/5/17

Scrumptiously, deliciously different tale of love. Lauren Smith always delights us with her wonderful way of developing wonderful characters and writing compelling stories for them. This book – and this series certainly attests to that.

This stories in this series begin with a house party in book one of the series. Leopold Graham, Earl of Hampton was almost ‘pockets to let’ and needed to find a rich wife. He had his sights set on Millie, but he didn’t like her very much. So, Leopold gets his HEA in the first book and Millie gets hers in the second book – and now, in the third book, Millie’s sister gets her HEA.

As this tale begins, Leo and Ivy are engaged and Owen has just ‘ruined’ Millie so they have to marry. Millie and her parents leave Rowena at the house party while they go to their neighboring estate to make arrangements for Millie’s wedding to Owen. Rowena is so nervous because she’s just had her first season and this is her first house party. She’s afraid she’ll make a mistake and fall flat on her face even with Leo’s mom as her chaperone.

During dinner that night, all of the ladies are all a’ twitter about Quinn MacCauley, Lord Forres, a Scottish Earl. Rowena is half-way down the table from him, but she finds his voice mesmerizing and her eyes are constantly drawn to him.

The next day, while taking a walk in the gardens, Rowena sees a small girl running her chubby little legs off – directly for the slippery, frozen fountain in the garden and there is nobody running after her. Rowena hikes up her skirts and takes off at a full run and manages to snare the little sprite just before she pitches headlong into the fountain. She is about two or three years old and she was looking for ‘fishies’. Rowena hugs her close and falls in love with the child. She has no idea who the child belongs to or why she would be all alone in the garden. Then, the child’s nurse comes puffing up to Rowena and explains that the little girl is a bit of an escape artist and that she is the daughter of Lord Forres who is a widower. At about that time, Lord Forres himself runs up and is surprised to see his daughter, Blair, being held in the arms of a stranger because she will not usually have anything to do with people that she is not totally familiar with.

Quinn was totally, completely, profoundly and irrevocably in love with his wife and her death devastated him. If it weren’t for his sweet bairn, he wouldn’t have made it through. Now, he has decided to find himself a wife – not because he wants to, but because Blair needs a mother and he needs someone to oversee the household part of the estate so he can be free to manage the rest. He wants someone who is totally different than his first wife because he doesn’t want any reminders. Since Maura was a Scot, he looked for an English woman, etc.

Whomever Quinn decided to marry, she would have to understand that there would never be love between them. It would always be a marriage of convenience – no love, probably not even affection. However, he couldn’t help but be attracted to Rowena who was sweet, gentle and kind – and she genuinely cared for his daughter. Once he decided to propose he was really surprised when Rowena accepted.

Their journey, most especially Quinn’s journey, to finding love and happiness is a delightful read. I couldn’t put it down. The characters were wonderfully developed and I was truly invested in the story and their happiness.

See my reviews for the first two books:
An Earl by Any Other Name – Book 1
A Gentleman Never Surrenders – Book 2

Please check out my reviews at:
Blog: https://flippinpages.blog/
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/flippinpages…
Twitter: https://twitter.com/FlippinPagesRev

“I requested and received this e-book at no cost to me and volunteered to read it; my review is my honest opinion and given without any influence by the author or publisher.”

The Duke Knows Best by Jane Ashford

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

The Duke Knows Best (The Duke's Sons, #5)The Duke Knows Best by Jane Ashford

Barbara’s rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: The Duke’s Sons #5
Publication Date: 12/5/17

This book was a delightful surprise. I saw several three-star reviews and wondered if I was going to agree or disagree with them. I also noticed that the author is compared to Georgette Heyer – and I’m not a fan of hers. So, imagine my delight when I thoroughly enjoyed the book!

I would love to meet the Gresham family and learn more about them because they are a delightfully loving and supportive family. This is the fifth book in the series and I have not read the others, but I don’t feel that I missed anything or that I had to read them to understand this book. I’m thinking I’ll now go back and read the other books because I came to admire the brothers featured in them.

Verity Sinclair is the daughter of the Dean of Chester Cathedral. She’s lived her entire life longing for adventure and travel. She’s had offers of marriage, but she’s declined them all because she doesn’t want to spend the remainder of her life in the same rut she has been living in. So, she finally convinces her mother to take her to London for a season. Varity is determined to find a husband who is an adventurer and will take her on his adventures. She definitely does not want a country vicar for a husband. Verity comes across as very bitchy for much of the book, but I really think she is just fearful and therefore defensive. She is afraid she’ll end up living a constrained life. She gets herself into some adventures and a bit of trouble before she finally realizes that there are all sorts of adventures and some can be found right at home. I did finally come to like and admire her very much.

Lord Randolph Gresham is a vicar and the son of a Duke. He’s intelligent, compassionate, caring, tall and handsome – and one of five rambunctious brothers. He’s decided that it is time to marry. He loves his work in the church, but he is lonely and wants a life partner. Since he is moving from one parish to another and has some free time between them, and it is the season in London, he decides to attend and find a wife.

Imagine this tall, handsome man who draws admiring glances as he crosses any room, being introduced to a lovely young lady at a ton event. The first words out of her mouth are “I could never abide life in a country parish.” That was quickly followed by, “I would find the limited society unendurable.” Then “The isolation makes people narrow-minded.” Followed by “And quite behind the times, antiquated, even.” All of that was said before he had managed to utter a word. Let us just say, their first meeting wasn’t an auspicious one.

The lovely part of the story is watching them being thrown together time after time in circumstances beyond their control. They learn to trust each other and they learn that they have a lot in common – especially a deep abiding love of music – and a talent for performing it. I love watching Verity learn and grow. She learns that she still wants adventure – but – maybe adventure isn’t where and what she thought it was.

I loved Randolph’s mother and she offered some advice to Verity that I think we all need to remember in our everyday lives and relationships. She said, “I believe unsaid words pile up and push people farther and farther apart. Until, eventually, they become a wall. The forms of life may look the same, but inside all is . . . distance.”

I liked that most of the side stories had resolutions – with the different couples getting together for their own HEA’s. What I did not like and deeply wish had been different, is that Olivia suffered absolutely no consequences for her horrible actions. She is really an unkind, manipulative, vengeful, and uncaring person and I never did understand Verity remaining friends with her. I could see the initial attraction of the friendship, but once Verity began to see into the kind of person Olivia was, I can’t see how Verity could remain friends. Verity and Randolph set most of Olivia’s mischief to rights, but Olivia didn’t pay any price at all. That just left it feeling unfinished.

Please check out my reviews at:
Blog: https://flippinpages.blog/
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/flippinpages…
Twitter: https://twitter.com/FlippinPagesRev

“I requested and received this e-book at no cost to me and volunteered to read it; my review is my honest opinion and given without any influence by the author or publisher.”