Author: Tracy

Avid reader (and reviewer) of historical romance.

BLOG TOUR – Conveniently Wed to the Laird by Jeanine Englert

On By TracyIn #Giveaway, Blog Tour, Georgian Era (1714-1837), Scottish/Highlander, Standalone Title, Tracy's ReviewsLeave a comment

Conveniently Wed to the Laird

The laird’s bridal bid…

Is love too high a price to pay?

When new laird, Ewan Stewart, comes across a wife for sale at a market, he outbids everyone to rescue her. He never intended for Catriona to become his bride, but a convenient marriage could secure his clan’s future and her freedom. They agree that their arrangement must stay free of love, yet Catriona’s bravery and fire intrigue him. Can Ewan resist falling for his wife—the one rule he must not break?

Purchase Link

Author Bio:

Jeanine Englert’s love affair with mysteries and romance began with Nancy Drew, Murder She Wrote, and her Grandmother’s bookshelves full of romance novels. She is a VIVIAN® and Golden Heart® Finalist as well as a Silver Falchion, Maggie, and Daphne du Maurier Award Winner in historical romance and mystery. Her Scottish Highland historical and historical romantic suspense novels revolve around characters seeking self-acceptance and redemption. When she isn’t wrangling with her characters on the page, she can be found trying to convince her husband to watch her latest Masterpiece or BBC show obsession. She loves to talk about books, writing, her beloved rescue pups, as well as mysteries and romance with other readers.

Social Media Links

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GIVEAWAY:

Giveaway to Win a Highlander Trio Prize Pack (Open to UK/ US Only)

Settle in to enjoy the complete Falling for a Stewart Trilogy along with some Scottish-themed jewelry and book swag! Good luck and thank you for participating in the giveaway!

*Terms and Conditions –UK & US entries welcome.  Please enter using the Rafflecopter box below.  The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then Rachel’s Random Resources reserves the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over.  Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will be passed to the giveaway organizer and used only for the fulfillment of the prize, after which time Rachel’s Random Resources will delete the data.  I am not responsible for the despatch or delivery of the prize.

Tracy’s Review:

Conveniently Wed to the LairdConveniently Wed to the Laird by Jeanine Englert

Tracy’s rating: 5 of 5 stars

Series: Falling for a Stewart, #3

Release Date: January 24, 2023

When Laird Ewan Stewart accompanied his soon-to-be-wed sister Brenna to Edinburgh on a shopping trip, he never expected to purchase anything for himself, especially not a wife, but that is exactly what happened! While wandering through the market stalls Ewan heard a commotion and came across a man selling his wife – Ewan was appalled, but it wasn’t until his neighbor and nemesis Dallan MacGregor offered to buy her at a discounted rate that Ewan stepped up and bought her. He wasn’t sure what he was going to do with her, but he knew that he couldn’t leave her with Dallan, who would no doubt abuse her and after learning of the torture his sister Moria endured with a cruel man, there is no way Ewan would ever leave any woman to face that if he could help it. So he takes the woman, whose name is Catriona Gordon, back to his carriage and a plan starts to form. Ewan needs a wife, the elders have been nagging him since he inherited the lairdship, but having been in love once and been betrayed, Ewan has no desire to relive that experience and will only marry someone who understands that love will never figure into their relationship. And now that he has “bought” a wife, he is not even sure if he is married to her, so he tells her he will contact his solicitor to find out if the marriage is legal, and offers her a marriage of convenience if it is.

Catriona Gordon can’t believe her husband Thomas sold her, but a small part of her is relieved to be free of him, as he was one of many disappointments in her life. A life that started for her when she was found washed up on the beach as a young child, with no memory of her name or her family. She was raised by a loving widow, but sadly she died when Catriona was only 13, alone once more Catriona was taken in by another family, then she became a maid for another family and met Thomas Gordon, who she married – but she longs for a true family and freedom to make her own decisions. She agrees to Ewan’s offer but plans to flee at her first opportunity. But the more time she spends with him, the harder it is to leave. And when they learn the state of their marriage and Ewan proposes, she agrees to marry him, but wonders if she can keep her promise to not love him because she is pretty sure she already does and believes that he has feelings for her too. It seems like they may find their HEA after all, but when one of their guests raises a shocking possibility on the night of their betrothal announcement, everything changes and Ewan realizes two things; he loves her and his heart is going to be broken yet again.

I loved this book, in my opinion, it is the best of the series and shouldn’t be missed! The book has a marriage of convenience, a love-shy hero, an incredible heroine, great secondary characters, a slow-burn romance, kissing-only love scenes, a little heartache, a surprising twist, a scene that brought me to tears, and finally a HEA complete with an epilogue. I do wish the book had some steam, but even without it, the book was a wonderful read. This is the third book in the series, but it could easily be read as a stand-alone title. I am happy to recommend this title and I am sincerely hoping that I wasn’t just imagining that the author seemed to be setting up the possibility of spinoff series (Hint, Hint).

*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.*

 

The Duke Gets Even by Joanna Shupe

On By TracyIn America's Gilded Age (1870-1900), Part of a Series, Top Pick - Highly Recommended, Tracy's Reviews, Victorian Era (1837-1901)Leave a comment

The Duke Gets Even (The Fifth Avenue Rebels, #4)The Duke Gets Even by Joanna Shupe

Tracy’s rating: 5 of 5 stars

Series: Fifth Avenue Rebels, #4

Release Date: January 24, 2023

A chance encounter during a midnight swim leads to a heated kiss and the promise of a passion unlike anything either has ever experienced, but the timing is wrong and with the morning comes revelations that should kill any attraction. Clearly, when the man of your dreams is engaged to your best friend, he is not for you – or is he?

Andrew Talbot, the Duke of Lockwood is back in New York and still hoping to find a rich bride to save his bankrupt estate, but after a broken engagement and losing two more potential brides, he isn’t optimistic, not to mention he is still reeling from the kiss he shared with the completely unacceptable Miss Eleanor “Nellie” Young, whose reputation for debauchery would make most rakes blush, but Fate keeps throwing them in each other’s paths. And shockingly, Andrew doesn’t mind, in fact, soon he is craving her and despite everything, he wants only her and money has nothing to do with it, so he sets out to prove it and hopefully win her heart and her hand. But even though Fate threw them together, that doesn’t mean winning her will be easy.

Eleanor “Nellie” Young is the only child of mega-rich railroad magnate, Corneilus Young and gleefully snubs her nose at society, she is unapologetic about her affairs, her opinions, and her mother’s humble Irish roots. She doesn’t care what anyone thinks of her and that includes one snooty English Duke. But Nellie soon learns that Andrew isn’t snooty at all, he is actually quite perfect, handsome, and charming. But she knows that nothing will come of it, he needs an heiress with a spotless reputation, and that is most certainly not her – Heiress? Yes. Spotless reputation? Absolutely not! So even after she realizes she is falling in love with him, she still refuses to consider anything longer than an affair, she cares for him too much to have him suffer because of her reputation and she is sure he will come to regret her and she will be left brokenhearted. So when he presses her for more, she pushes him away and makes it clear, HEA is not for them and that is the end of it. Or is it?

I LOVED this book so much – it is by far the best of the series and definitely has earned a place on my keeper shelf! Andrew and Eleanor are so real and so relatable, that it is hard at times to remember that they are fictional characters. They both have flaws and fears, but they seem to bring out the best in each other, when one is down, the other is there to lift them up, and white-hot passion is always simmering between them, which makes Nellie’s constant rejection frustrating at times, I actually wanted to reach into my kindle, shake her and say, don’t let him go! And Andrew, who knew?!? Still waters really do run deep! This book was just phenomenal, it has a lot of emotion, likable characters, great secondary characters, cameos from previous characters, smoking HOT love scenes (Thank You, Ms. Shupe, I was beginning to think that no one wrote these anymore!), loss, secrets, arrests, witty banter, bar fights, heartache and a truly wonderful ending complete with a HEA and an epilogue. OMG, I never wanted this book to end – I hope Andrew and Nellie pop up in other books and readers get a deeper look into their HEA because it was hard to let them go. This is the fourth book and final book in the series, but it could easily be read as a stand-alone title. I can’t recommend this title highly enough if you are a fan of the Gilded Age, or like historicals that deliver a message along with a romance (without being preachy), or even if you just like steamy historical romances with feisty heroines and sexy dukes – do not miss this book!

*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.*