Author: Tracy

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

Sinless by Lynne Connolly

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

Sinless (The Shaws, #1.5)Sinless by Lynne Connolly

Series: The Shaws, #1.5

Release Date: January 23, 2018

Tracy’s rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

I don’t normally read M/M romance, but I really loved Darius in the previous book and frankly wanted to see how Ms. Connolly was going to manage a HEA for a forbidden romance that in the era that such a love could be punishable by death.

This is the story of Lord Darius Shaw, third son to the Marquess of Strenshall and Andrew Graham. Darius and Andrew met in the last book when Andrew was called upon to defend his brother Val against murder charges. There was definitely an attraction between them, but Darius doesn’t believe that he can ever love anyone, because such a love would only cause pain and would condemn his lover to death.

They meet again when Andrew is part of a raid on a molly house, he has been sent there by General Court to meet with a spy and collect a list that is in the man’s possession. He enters the house and is surprised to see Darius there, he confronts him and then sees the man he was supposed to meet. As he moves towards the man, Darius steps between them and kisses Andrew. Andrew is consumed by the kiss and begins to respond, then reason kicks in and he pushes Darius away. But it is too late, his contact has fled and Darius is arrested.

Darius spends the night in jail and can’t stop thinking about the kiss – he wants Andrew and knows the feeling is mutual. Andrew comes to the jail and Darius taunts him, Andrew tries to get information about the spy from Darius, but he is not willing to talk. Andrew gets him released and asks him to join him for dinner.

Darius goes home and speaks with his father, he tells him that Andrew was looking for the spy and that he will speak to him and learn what he knows. He joins Andrew at his home and they talk over dinner, neither can forget the kiss or deny the attraction, Andrew initiates another kiss but are interrupted by a servant telling Andrew his daughter is ill. Andrew is a widower with a young daughter, something Darius did not know. When he learns of this, he knows he cannot act on his feelings because Andrew would be ruined and his daughter left with nothing. He returns the next and learns more about Andrew’s past, how he came to be married and his feelings. They then discuss the incident at the molly house and Darius tells him what he knows about the man, Matteo Bartolini, he is a spy for the French and for Rome, he has a list of English spies and is willing to sell it. Andrew offers to help catch the man, but Darius refuses and tells him that he cares for him, but they must avoid each other because any relationship is too dangerous.

They part and Andrew tries to keep busy and forget Darius, but he knows it is impossible, he has fallen in love. He is invited to a ball being held by Angela Childers, the owner of Childers bank and remembers Darius telling him that he should move in society more often. He goes to the ball and seeks out Miss Childers, she tells him she needs to speak to him and slips him a note with instructions. He arrives at the scheduled rendezvous and is surprised when Darius joins him. Apparently Angela summoned them both, she has information that about the man they are looking for, but she needs a favor. She wants Andrew to work for her, he agrees and she gives Darius the address of where Matteo is staying in Dover. She leaves and Darius and Andrew discuss the information, Darius tells him that he will go to Dover and Andrew should stay in London. As they leave the room, they see General Court’s son and he is attempting to sneak whores into the ball, they thwart him and leave the ball. Darius is torn, he is overjoyed to see Andrew again and knows that he loves him, but he can think of no way they can be together, so when Andrew asks why Darius is pushing him away, he tells him that he desires him too much and it is easier to be apart.

Andrew is restless and decides to go to his chamber offices, he is caught in a downpour and takes shelter from the rain by a print shop – in the window he sees a caricature of himself and Darius kissing at the molly house. He is shocked and leaves. He is confronted by his superior at the chambers office and is warned to take care, he is also told to leave until the scandal dies down. Angry, Andrew finds out who commissioned the print and goes to see Darius. He asks for his help in getting more information. He tells Darius that he will go to Dover and that he believes General Court’s son is involved. But he moves in circles closed to Andrew, so Darius agrees to stay in town.

While investigating, Darius learns disturbing news and knows Andrew is in danger. He rushes to Dover with his cousin Ivan, hoping he is not too late to save his love. Andrew goes to the meeting and is ambushed, when facing death, his only regret is not pursuing his love for Darius. When Darius arrives he finds Andrew laying on the ground, but he is alive! Heedless to any one else, he kisses him and helps him back to the inn. They confess their love and consummate their relationship. They return to London but still have no idea how they can be together. Upon returning Andrew learns the scandal has cost him more clients and he is still banned from chambers. And if that is not enough, General Court has summoned him. Darius arrives, he too has been summoned, but unlike Andrew, he is not worried. They confront the General and thanks to Darius, Andrew will not be charged with any crimes. As they leave, Darius takes Andrew to a house and tells him that he has a plan, Andrew is adamant that he will not be Darius’ “kept man” and Darius makes him a proposal, one that will let them be together as partners. He tells Andrew that he would marry him if he could, but that this is the best he can offer and that he loves him.

This was such a beautiful story and while M/M romance is not really my “thing”, I really loved this story. It is well written, flows well, has a bit of a mystery, a little bit of anguish, a lot of sexual tension and a HEA with a believable solution to a seemingly impossible situation. But be warned, there is a graphic M/M love scene, that might be offensive to some readers, but I thought it was really well done and enhanced the story.

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

The Earl Most Likely by Jane Goodger

On By TracyIn Tracy's Reviews, Victorian Era (1837-1901)Leave a comment

The Earl Most Likely (The Brides of St. Ives, #2)The Earl Most Likely by Jane Goodger
Tracy’s rating: 3.5/4 of 5 stars

Series: The Brides of St. Ives, #2

Release Date: January 16, 2018

3.5 maybe 4 stars

This is the second book in The Brides of St. Ives series, but it could easily be read as a stand alone title.

The book opens with Augustus “Gus” Lawton, then Viscount Greenwich returning to England after a two year stay in America. He left shortly after his marriage to Lenore and has returned to hopefully work things out with his wife. The night he returns he finds a ball in full swing and to his complete horror, his medieval home has been redecorated in Victorian fashion. He is livid and has a very loud, very public argument with Lenore in which he says he could kill her for what she had done to his home. The next morning Lenore is found dead. Gus is cleared of any involvement in her death and it is ruled a suicide.

Two years later, he still has not restored his home because he cannot remember exactly how it was before and he fears he will make it worse. He is having tea at a local tearoom when he overhears some ladies playing a “memory” game and is stunned that the young blindfolded woman at the table is able to recall any detail the others ask of her. He introduces himself – he is now the Earl of Berkley – she tells him that they have already met and then he vaguely remembers her, but he vividly remembers her older sister Clara. He waits for her when they leave and asks for her help in restoring his home. He offers her a fortune and says he needs it restored in time for his Christmas ball – where he will be selecting a bride.

Harriet Anderson is the younger daughter of commoners, her father made a fortune in mining and her mother is desperate to be accepted by society, embarrassing so. Harriet has a gift, she is able to recall everything she see in perfect detail. She is often overlooked in favor of her gorgeous older sister Clara and unlike her mother, Harriet knows that she will never be accepted by the nobility and will most likely never marry, she would like nothing more than to buy a cottage and live on her own. Gus’ offer could make that dream come true. She agrees to take a look at the changes his wife made and goes with him to his house. She is shocked at the complete change in the house and agrees to help him. She returns home and makes a detailed list of what the house looked like before and what needs to be done to restore the house to its former glory.

Gus is happy that Harriet has agreed to help him and looks forward to getting started. He hopes she doesn’t get the wrong idea and think that he might want to marry her – because she is so far below his station – something he could overlook if she was attractive, but she is not (Oh, isn’t he a prince among men?) But he does find himself thinking about her lovely eyes and her plush lips, more than he should because, you know – she’s plain. When she shows up the next day, he makes it clear that her help must be kept secret – he has no desire to be trapped into a marriage with her. He tells her that the house must be finished in time for the ball (about 2 months away) because his future bride will be attending and he wants the house to be perfect for her. He then announces that he is leaving for London and will be back in a couple of weeks and hopes to see some real changes when he returns.

While in London he considers getting a mistress, because he has been too long without a woman and that can be the only explanation for his fascination with Harriet, because she is way too skinny and plain for his taste. He ends up visiting his grandmother and asking for her help in selecting a bride. He returns to St. Ives and is pleased with the progress Harriet has made. Later she takes him to the barn to show him something she found, on the way there her hair gets wet by the mist in the air and he becomes fascinated by her curls and he can’t believe how lovely she looks. He asks what her Christian name is and tells her that she should be called Catalina. She laughs and says that her sister is the lovely one and he tells her that her sister is lovely, but he is not attracted to her and asks her what she would do if he kissed her.

Harriet goes back to the house and begins to wonder about all the changes Lenore made, they seem temporary and that gets her wondering what happened to her. She visits the tower where she died and thinks that there is no way she could have killed herself. She then goes to the library and finds Lenore’s journal, while looking at it, she finds a secret pocket in the cover and discovers letters – letters that make it clear that she did not kill herself. She shows them to Gus and they hatch a plan to find the killer. He tells her she will have to attend the ball and she will be Princess Catalina, Harriet likes the idea and tells him she will consider it. She is excited and wants to share her news with someone, she decides that her friend Alice would be the perfect person. Alice cautions her to guard her heart.

Later while arranging paintings, Gus approaches her and they kiss. He then asks her to be his mistress – she refuses. But after thinking about it, she suggests they become lovers – just until the ball and then they will part as friends, no tears, no emotions. He agrees and they embark on a heated affair. Harriet knows her heart will be broken because she is falling in love with him. After their first tryst, Gus tries to end things, because he is not sure he can stick to their agreement. But his lust overrules his common sense.

When her parents return unexpectantly, she knows that she will not be able to attend the ball and sends Gus a note. He wants her there and sends an invitation to her family, just so she can attend. Her mother is in alt and thinks that the earl is interested in Clara. The night of the ball Gus singles Harriet out. He knows that he can’t live without her and tries to get her alone to talk, but they are interrupted by her mother. Later they put their plan to find the killer into action, only to be disappointed. Gus then asks Harriet to dance the opening set with him, much to his grandmother’s dismay. While they are dancing, her parents create a scene and Harriet must take them home. She is heartbroken, sure that he was going to ask her to marry him and knowing that her parents ruined any chance of that happening now. The next day Gus goes to see her and tries to tell her that he loves her, but it leads to a huge misunderstanding and she tells him that they agreed to have an affair that ended the night of the ball and asks him to leave.

A few weeks later, Harriet discovers something that may reveal the identity of the author of Lenore’s secret letters. She sends it to Gus. Gus is still reeling from Harriet’s dismissal and even the discovery she made isn’t enough to lift his misery. He asks his friend Henderson (Alice’s husband) for help and then realizes why Harriet refused him. He hopes it is not too late to make things right, because he knows he loves her.

This book was good, but I really had a hard time liking Gus and even his grand gesture at the end of the book wasn’t enough to sway me. The book is well written and flows very well, there are some amusing moments, steamy love scenes, a bit of angst, a clever “who dunnit” and a very sweet HEA.

I would happily recommend this book, even though I didn’t care for the hero, I really enjoyed Harriet and her sister Clara and am looking forward to the next book.

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