Author: Barbara

Avid reader/reviewer of historical romance and historical mysteries.

The Duke’s All That by Christina Britton

On By BarbaraIn Barb's Reviews, Part of a Series, Regency Era (1811-1820), Scottish/Highlander2 Comments

The Duke’s All That (Synneful Spinsters, #3)

Barbara’s rating: 4.5 out of 5 Stars
Series: Synneful Spinsters #3
Publication Date: 2/6/24
Period: Regency (though it doesn’t feel like it)
Number of Pages: 336

This story sucks you in from the opening in 1808 and holds you prisoner through the main body thirteen years later. I have been anticipating the enigmatic Seraphina’s story since the beginning of the series, and it was worth the wait. Of all of the Oddments (the name a group of friends bestowed upon themselves), Seraphina was the one who seemed to hold the deepest, darkest secrets. Turns out that was true. Finally, we learn all of Seraphina’s secrets – and goodness – there are some doozies in there. After you learn of all she endured, you’ll wonder at the strong, resilient woman she became. However, I believe that strength and resilience were already a part of her makeup or she would never have been able to endure and overcome all she did.

Lady Seraphina Trew, daughter of the Earl of Farrow, had the temerity to fall in love with, and secretly marry, a boy who worked in her father’s stables, Iain MacInnes. Seraphina never cared about the difference in their status – she just loved Iain beyond measure – until he betrayed her. Not only did that break her heart and soul, it cost her thirteen years of terror, hiding, doing unspeakable things, and protecting her sisters to her own personal detriment.

Iain MacInnes loved Seraphina Trew beyond measure – until she betrayed him in a most unconscionable way. Somehow, he’d always known that she couldn’t really love him because he was so far beneath her. Iain couldn’t punish Seraphina for that betrayal, he still loved her – always would – but he could take revenge on the pompous aristocrats of her class. And he did – over and over – he outmaneuvered them at cards and any other way he could and amassed their estates and a fortune to boot. Iain became a very wealthy man.

Seraphina, now known as Seraphina Athwart, has a comfortable life on the Isle of Synne. She and her two sisters own the Quayside Circulating Library where they are finally settled and happy. Until a very bitter Iain shows up looking for a divorce from her. She has no choice but to go with him to Scotland for the divorce.

Iain, now the Duke of Balgair, has recently learned that his dead wife is not dead at all. Bitter pain and resentment drive him to look for her for over a year until he finally finds her. He’ll drag her back to Scotland to prove she is alive – and to get the divorce he wants.

Goodness – what a read! Seraphina has intrigued me since the first book and Iain, WOW! Just WOW. I adored them as a couple and I loved seeing them open up during that road trip and discover what really happened to them all those years ago. I love Iain’s compassion, caring, and ready acceptance that he still loved Seraphina and wanted her to continue as his wife. What I didn’t love was that Seraphina held on to her determination to have the divorce and be done with Iain for much too long. I would have rather seen her continuing as his wife and the two of them exacting revenge on her father. That didn’t happen! After all he cost them, after all of the cruelty, he didn’t really get any punishment at all. Anyway, I still loved the book, but I didn’t give it 5-stars because I hated to see her father walk away totally unscathed.

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

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The King and Vi by Shana Galen

On By BarbaraIn Barb's Reviews, Part of a Series, Regency Era (1811-1820)3 Comments

The King and Vi (Misfortunes Favorites #1)

Barbara’s rating: 4.5 out of 5 Stars
Series: Misfortunes Favorites #1
Publication Date: 1/24/24
Period: Regency – London
Number of Pages: 312

Once upon a time, there was George Oxley (King), Marquess of Kingston, heir to the Duke of Avebury. For all of his thirteen years, King had craved the love and attention of his father. That, however, would never happen because his father was a self-centered, uncaring, disinterested, selfish man who never gave a thought to anything other than himself. His craving for his father’s attention led him to all sorts of exploits and his friends Henry and Rory were right there with him. That is how they came to the attention of an evil witch – and how they became cursed – and how they lost everything that mattered to them when the curse kicked in on their thirtieth birthdays. Or, did they really lose the important stuff?

On King’s thirtieth birthday, he and his friends had a wild celebration and ended the evening in a brawl in The Silver Unicorn, a public house in Seven Dials. The following morning, he was awakened from his stupor by a loud knocking at the door of his bed chamber – and there were other noises in the background. He learns his father has been convicted of treason; King is likely to be stripped of everything as well because his father’s blood taints him; and his creditors are stripping his townhouse of everything that isn’t nailed down – and some stuff that is. He just walks out of the house and leaves them all to it – but – he is stopped by a petite, termagant of a woman who demands he pay her for the damage to her pub. He tells her he has nothing to pay with and somehow ends up going back to the pub with her. How did that happen?

Violet Baker is a pragmatic young woman who has had to learn to be tough to survive in Seven Dials, keep her young brothers safe, and manage her public house. When those drunken sots decided to have a brawl in her place, they didn’t care if they were ruining not only her livelihood but the safety of herself and her brothers. Well, she would just take the bill directly to the mighty Marquess. She couldn’t believe he could not pay the few pounds she demanded he owed her. Humpf, she’d just watch him until he could pay it.

Goodness, I loved Violet and King together. He, who had always craved love, and she, who was afraid of love, seemed an unlikely pair. The chemistry though, is strong and you can feel it radiating off the page. Then, there is Georgie (six) and Joshua (thirteen), they are Violet’s brothers are some of the loveliest characters you’ll ever read. Violet’s jaw drops as she sees how her brothers react to King – and he to them. WOW!

This was a delightful read filled with witches, curses, traitors, loss, loyalty, triumph over evil, and a well-deserved HEA. I didn’t expect to love it because – witches – and spoiled, self-centered, entitled, lazy, rich dude – but – I did love it. Now, I can hardly wait for the next book in the series. Will it be Harry or Rory? Who will have the second clue to counteracting the curse? After all the books are done, will they be so happy they don’t care about breaking the curse? Goodness, we’ll have to wait for the next books to find out.

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