Author: Tracy

Avid reader (and reviewer) of historical romance.

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.*

Sincerely, The Duke by Amelia Grey

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Sincerely, The Duke (Say I Do, #2)Sincerely, The Duke by Amelia Grey

Tracy’s rating: 3 of 5 stars

Series: Say I Do, #2

Release Date: March 26, 2024

While visiting his mother, Roderick “Rick” Cosworth, the Duke of Stonerick begins to feel the onset of a recurring fever and as his mother is berating him about his need to marry and beget an heir, he worries that the fevers may be the end of him and his mother is right, he does need to marry and get an heir. In a fit of anger, he picks a name off the list his mother provided of suitable brides and proposes to her in a letter, which he hands to his mother as he leaves and is lost to the fever. Days later when his fever has passed, he gets a caller, the very lovely and bold Miss Edwina Fine, the woman he wrote to. At first, he was shocked, he thought his mother burned the letter, but clearly, she didn’t. And then he makes a split-second decision, he stands by his proposal and even agrees to help find husbands for her two older sisters. But he doesn’t explain his sudden need to wed or why he picked Edwina.

Edwina Fine is the youngest of triplets, and due to superstition and folklore, it a secret she and her sisters hold close to the vest. She doesn’t lie to Rick, but neither does she offer the information, nor does she admit to her fear that she too will give birth to multiples. She is in London to find a not one, but three husbands as she promised her father on his deathbed, that she would marry and would find husbands for her sisters, as well as have them all be accepted by society. As a duchess, she will be able smooth the path for her sisters, but convincing them to marry will be a challenge, especially since they refused to join her for the season in London. But Rick is up to the challenge and with one passionate kiss, gains her agreement to marry and sets things in motion to lure her sisters to London.

This was a well-written, interesting, albeit unusual story with likeable, flawed characters. The book is filled with secrets, vows, shooting matches, great secondary characters, misunderstandings, superstitions, fear, perceived betrayal, family, mild love scenes and finally a hard-won HEA complete with an epilogue. I liked this story, but I didn’t love it, both Edwina and Rick were a bit hypocritical, they both had and kept secrets, while crying foul and broken trust when they learned the other had secrets and Edwina’s “vow” was unfair to her sisters – who, in my opinion, acted incredibly immature, especially at the wedding. However, I did find the twists about commonly held superstition and Rick’s illness to be very believable, and those plot points saved this book for me. This is the second book in the series, but the books are not really connected, other than the friendship of the three dukes, so this book could be read as a standalone title.

*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.*