Author: Tracy

Avid reader (and reviewer) of historical romance, historical mystery, fantasy, romantasy and paranormal mystery

The Siren and the Deep Blue Sea by Kerrelyn Sparks

On By TracyIn Historical Paranormal/Fantasy, Paranormal / Fantasy, Top Pick - Highly Recommended, Tracy's Reviews1 Comment

The Siren and the Deep Blue Sea (Embraced by Magic, #2)The Siren and the Deep Blue Sea by Kerrelyn Sparks

Tracy’s rating: 5 of 5 stars

Series: Embraced, #5 / Embraced by Magic, #2

Release Date: August 25, 2020

Maeve is the youngest of the “Embraced” sisters and after years of seeing her older sisters find love. become wives, mothers and Queens, it is finally Maeve’s turn for a HEA. I loved Maeve and Brody’s story, which is a well written, action packed, exciting read, but there is just no way to review the plot of this book without ruining the enormous twists, turns and surprises – but suffice it to say, the Embraced series concludes with an epic bang!

The reader will learn who the started the Circle of Five and why, you will learn more about Brody’s past and his curse, you will find out who Maeve’s parents are and what that means to the other sisters, you will learn who the Chameleon really is, you will finally learn about the Embraced army, there will be sea battles, exploding fish, house cats, tigers, cameos with all the sisters and their husbands, a sweet secondary romance, warm love scenes, surprises, shocks, an epic battle to determine the fate of Aerthlan once and for all and finally a HEA that may or may not break a curse!

After reading the other “sisters” stories and being completely enchanted and blown away, I didn’t believe that Ms. Sparks could surprise me or outdo her previous success, so I prepared myself to be let down by the finale and just hoped I got a few answers – I am happy to say, I was WRONG – very, very, very wrong – not only did Ms. Sparks give me answers – she answered questions I didn’t even think to ask! Maeve and Brody’s story is the crown jewel in the Embraced/Embraced by Magic series – if you haven’t read the previous books and you enjoy the fantasy/paranormal/magic sub-genre of Historical Romance – you must read this series – preferably in order starting with How to Tame a Beast in Seven Days – I loved this book and I highly recommend this series – you could read this book as a stand-alone title, but seriously, do yourself a huge favor and read all the books in order – it will just enhance the ending for you!

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that was provided to me by NetGalley and the publisher.*

Someone to Romance by Mary Balogh

On By TracyIn Georgian Era (1714-1837), Regency Era (1811-1820), Tracy's ReviewsLeave a comment

Someone to Romance (Westcott #8)Someone to Romance by Mary Balogh

Tracy’s rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: Westcott, #8

Release Date: August 28, 2020

Lady Jessica Archer, daughter of the late and sister to the current Duke of Netherby, has decided that this will be the year she finally marries. At 25, she has had many opportunities, but when her dearest friend and cousin Abby’s life was upended by scandal, Jessica stood by her in solidarity, but Abby married two years ago and Jessica realizes romance is probably not in the cards for her. She decides that she will make a practical match, much to Abby’s dismay. But little does she know that fate has something else in store for her!

Gabriel Thorne first sees Jessica at a small inn in the middle of nowhere and immediately dislikes her, as she is the reason he has to give up the private parlor he paid handsomely for! Gabriel is back in England not by choice, he left 13 years ago under a cloud of suspicion and made a new life for himself in America. His mother’s cousin adopted him and took him under his wing, leaving Gabriel a prosperous shipping business, that Gabriel turned into an even more prosperous shipping empire. But when the past comes back to haunt him and the fate of someone he loves is caught in the balance, Gabriel leaves Boston and returns to England to claim his birthright. Gabriel is actually Gabriel Rochford, the Earl of Lyndale and is soon to be declared dead. Gabriel was happy to let the title pass on to his cousin Manley Rochford, despite their past, but when Manley starts making changes that hurt people Gabriel loves, he will do his duty. Part of that duty will be to marry and he decides that haughty Lady Jessica is perfect for the job! He goes to London and meets with his godfather Sir Trevor Vickers, due to the accusations leveled against Gabriel when he left, they decide to keep his identity a secret until Gabriel can clear his name. But they do sponsor him and introduce him to the ton.

Jessica begins the season hoping that there will be some new prospective suitors in town and is surprised (and intrigued) to see Gabriel, but he is not the only new face, she is also impressed and attracted to the soon-to-be Earl of Lyndale’s son, Anthony Rochford. When Gabriel tells Jessica he intends to marry her, she is annoyed and tells Gabriel that if he wants to marry her, he will have to romance her! They spend more time together and it is not long before Jessica figures out who Gabriel really is and vows to help him claim his title and clear his name.

This was a well written, slow paced love story with a dash of mystery. The book chock full of betrayal, lies, murder, secrets, likeable characters, mild to warmish love scenes, a bit of intrigue, a vile villain, the entire Westcott family and lots of my personal favorite AVERY! I enjoyed the story, but I really didn’t feel the “romance”, it was definitely an unstated, slow burn type of love story – I did believe they loved each other – but that love did not leap off the page at me. This book is the eighth book in the series, but it can easily be read as a standalone title, I really enjoyed the story and would happily recommend it!

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an uncorrected eARC that was provided to me by the publisher*