Category: America’s Gilded Age (1870-1900)

The Bad Luck Bride by Laura Lee Guhrke

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

Bad Luck Bride (Scandal at the Savoy, #3)Bad Luck Bride by Laura Lee Guhrke

Tracy’s Rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: Scandal at the Savoy, #3

Release Date: July 29, 2025

Fourteen years ago, Lady Kay Matheson and Devlin Sharpe fell madly in love and planned to elope and move to Africa, but before they could marry, Kay’s cousins caught up with them and convinced her that it was a bad idea. She returned home and Devlin went to Africa. Years later Kay is going to marry her cousin Giles, when rumors of her attempted elopement came out and Giles called off the wedding and Kay was “ruined” in the eyes of society. It is over a decade later that Kay has finally returned to society’s good graces and has become engaged to Wilson Rycroft, an American millionaire, which is perfect since her father left her penniless. She thinks her troubles are over, but then she learns that the banquet hall in the Savoy Hotel that she booked for her wedding has been given to someone else. That someone happens to be the very man who ruined her life – Devlin Sharpe! But when he helps her find a new venue for her wedding, she wonders if she was wrong about him. And then the truth of their failed romance comes out, is it too late for a second chance?

Devlin Sharpe fell in love with Lady Kay at first sight and wanted nothing more than to marry her and move to Africa to make his fortune. But fate was not on his side and the night before they reached Gretna Green to marry, Kay’s cousins stopped them and convinced Kay that they shouldn’t elope but be honorable and have a proper courtship and took her home. Devlin tries to see her but learns she has been sent to Wales, and when he goes there, he is told she won’t see him. He goes back to her father and believes that if he makes his fortune in Africa, her father will let them marry. He writes to her, but she never replies and then he hears the news that she is to marry her father’s heir and is heartbroken, believing she gave up on him. He works hard and makes a fortune and then almost a decade later meets Lady Pamela, they plan to marry, it is not a love match, but he feels like it is time to move on. After years away, Devlin returns to London and almost immediately runs into Kay. Feelings that he thought long since dead, flare back to life and he tries to convince himself that he hates her, but when the truth comes out, he realizes he still loves her and sadly, it might be too late for them.

This was well-written, second-chance romance with a seemingly impossible chance for HEA. Kay and Devlin were once in love, but a well-meaning intervention by her cousins ended up tearing them apart for fourteen years. During that time, they each believed they had been betrayed by the other and moved on with their lives, when they meet again, they are both set to marry other people when they learn the truth of what happened all those years ago. This is an emotional second chance romance that is filled with past lies, renewed feelings, promises to other people, family, sacrifices, great banter, healing and finally a HEA that didn’t seem possible. I will be honest, I had a bit of a hard time with the fact they were both engaged to others, and while that did resolve itself very neatly, it still gave me a cheating vibe. I also had a hard time warming up to Kay, she was bitter and angry at Devlin for much too long in my opinion, she acted like he was to blame for all her problems, which clearly was not the case. Overall, it was a nice story and one I would recommend, but it wasn’t my favorite in the series, and I really believe it could have benefited from an epilogue. This is the third book in the series, but it could easily be read as a standalone title with no problem.

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that I requested and was provided to me by the publisher/author. All opinions in this review are my own. *

Eliza and the Duke by Harper St. George

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

Eliza and the Duke (The Doves of New York, #2)Eliza and the Duke by Harper St. George

Tracy’s Rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: The Doves of New York, #2

Release Date: June 24, 2025

In order to claim an enormous inheritance, Eliza Dove must marry and marry well, and it appears that she has succeeded as she is betrothed to Viscount Mainwaring and has plans to marry when he returns from the Continent. Until then, she just has to play the part of a gently breed heiress and stay out of trouble – too bad trouble is a call that Eliza always takes. And trouble this time comes in the form of Simon Cavell, the manager of The Montague Club and prize fighter. But in Eliza’s defense, she didn’t mean to meet Simon, she just wanted a peek of the Club and happened to find him in the servant’s hall. He had just returned from a fight and clearly needed help; help she was more than willing to give. While tending his injuries, she learns an interesting tidbit about her erstwhile fiancé and decides that she too needs an adventure and who better to give it to her than Simon aka The Duke? What they never planned on was falling hopelessly in love, with “hopelessly” being the operative word – since there is no way her father would ever approve of Simon, and if she marries without her father’s approval, she will lose her inheritance.

Simon Cavell was born and raised in White Chapel and has worked hard and fought ever harder to get away from that life. But walking away hasn’t been easy and even though it seems he’s out, his former boss Brody still has control over him, making it impossible for him to plan for a future. A future that he knows he can never hope to have with Eliza. But Fate has other plans for him and despite Simon’s intent to stay as far away from Eliza as he can, their paths keep crossing and she refuses to let him ignore her. Finally, when their HEA seems possible, it becomes clear that his past isn’t quite done with him.

I really enjoyed this story, Eliza and Simon are wonderful characters and felt their connection immediately. They were both of them were raised outside of high society, and they each have their secrets, but it is clear they are meant to be. This book has a lot of emotion, danger, secrets, lots of longing, some steamy love scenes, sacrifices, more danger and finally, a hard-won HEA complete with an epilogue (as well as some very interesting author notes). That said, the story did drag a little bit in the middle, but it finishes in a spectacular fashion and sets up an intriguing introduction to the next book featuring Jenny Dove and Lord David, that has me counting the days until it is released! Overall, a very good read and definitely recommended. This is the second book in the series, but it could easily be read as a standalone title with no problems.

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that I requested and was provided to me by the publisher/author. All opinions in this review are my own. *