Category: Barb’s Reviews

The Most Eligible Lord In London by Ella Quinn

On By BarbaraIn Barb's Reviews, Regency Era (1811-1820)Leave a comment

The most eligible lord in londonBarbara’s Rating: 4 of 5 stars
Series: The Lords of London #1
Publication Date: 3/31/20
Number of Pages: 320

When you have a very determined man, a hesitant, distrusting woman, and a viper intent on spoiling the works, you have all of the makings for a great read. I loved all of the characters. Both of the main characters were very charismatic, their families were loving and supporting – and there wasn’t a bit of navel-gazing angst. It doesn’t get much better than that. The story, of course, is well-plotted, well written and engrossing.

Frederick (Frits), Lord Littleton decided to be different than the Littleton males who came before him. They all put off marriage until they absolutely had to marry in order to fill their nurseries. Frits has decided he’s ready and he’s going to embrace love and marriage with open arms. Granted, he really screwed things up last season – he didn’t mean to – he just panicked. Now, it is a new season and he’s back to try again. Will society accept him back after what he did? Goodness, he surely hopes so. Especially after he sees a pair of soft gray eyes that glitter like silver. Oh my, he is totally smitten. Is the previous season already repeating itself before it has even begun?

Lady Adeline Wivenly has just arrived in London for her first season. London might prove to be exciting and interesting, but she’d far rather be in the country. She quickly makes four good friends – Lady Dorie Calthorp, Lady Augusta Vivers, Miss Featherton, and Miss Stern. The ladies all make pledges to protect each other throughout the season – especially from rogues. Adeline is especially wary because her brother was an infamous rake and she isn’t going to trust any man she even thought might be a rake. Especially that handsome, intriguing man she had just met – the one who broke her friend Dorie’s heart last season.

Everyone who knows Frits and Adeline knows they were made for each other. Frits knows they were made for each other. Adeline – no, she doesn’t think so. She doesn’t trust Frits as far as she can see him and he hurt her friend, so she’ll be polite because she has to be, but she’ll also be aloof and cool to him. And she is! But when she overhears another woman plotting to trap Frits into marriage, her sense of honor just won’t allow her to ignore it. She has to warn him.

I hope you’ll read and enjoy this story as much as I did. There is humor, intensity, romance, and a healthy dose of a large and lovable canine. The whole thing is just a fun read that will keep you flippin’ those pages as fast as you can.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Lessons In Enchantment by Patricia Rice

On By BarbaraIn Barb's Reviews, Contemporary1 Comment

lessons in enchantmentBarbara’s Rating: 5 of 5 Stars
Series: School of Magic #1
Publication Date: 3/24/20
Number of Pages: 326

OH! What a perfectly perfect read. This fast-paced, well written, well-plotted first book in the School of Magic series is filled with excitement, danger, and sigh-worthy romance. The characters are memorable and you’ll quickly come to love them. Each of the main characters is strong, independent, self-reliant, and very wrong about what they think they want in life. So, it is a good thing they are both open-minded and accepting of things that don’t necessarily fit with their version of ‘normal’. I have absolutely adored the Malcolm family through all of the various series and I know this one will just add to that – especially if this book is an example of what is to come. I did keep waiting for a member of the Ives family to make a showing, but they stayed hidden.

While Lady Phoebe Malcolm Duncan is the daughter of an earl, she lives in a tenement inside the medieval walls of the old town in Edinburgh. She has been living on her own for years – since her mother’s ill health caused her to move to France. Phoebe loves her life, loves the vibrancy of her neighborhood, and loves her neighbors. The only thing that would make it better would be for the veterinary schools to let her take classes. You see, Phoebe can communicate with animals and she is always rescuing them.

Andrew (Drew) Blair is an inventor, builder, and investor. He comes from very humble beginnings and has worked really hard to get to where he is in life. He made a good bit of money from inventing a few things for the railroads – and now he has a tidy sum of that money invested in a consortium that plans to rebuild the old town tenements into modern terraced buildings. However, Drew’s world has been flipped on end for most of the last year. His cousin’s wife died in an accident that almost killed his cousin and their children as well. Only, it wasn’t an accident. His cousin’s wife and three children have the Malcolm gifts – and now the three children are living with Drew. He knows nothing of children and he can’t seem to keep a governess/tutor for any length of time. Where can he find someone who can handle and be accepting of three small children who have special abilities?

Phoebe meets Drew after Drew writes to her aunt’s School of Magic and asks for a tutor for his wards. Phoebe is available because the entire front wall of her tenement building just crumpled and fell away leaving her and the other tenants with no place to live. Just as soon as she arrives at her aunt’s school, they send her out to act as an instructor for Drew’s wards.

I love the interactions between Drew and Phoebe. She is straight-forward, direct, and totally unintimidated by anyone or anything – yet she treats his wards with tenderness, understanding, and care. When danger rears its ugly head and the children are in danger, Drew discovers an appreciation for things he never thought he wanted in life.

I enjoyed this fun and exciting read so much that I couldn’t put it down and read it straight through. One of the very best things about the book – NO, none, nada, zip angst. Dear author, I thank you for that. I hope you love it as much as I did.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.