Category: Barb’s Reviews

Tempted by the Viscount by Sofie Darling

On By BarbaraIn Barb's Reviews, Regency Era (1811-1820)2 Comments

Tempted by the Viscount (A Shadows and Silk Novel)Tempted by the Viscount by Sofie Darling

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Series: Tempted by the Viscount (Shadows and Silk #2)
Publication Date: 6/27/18

This is the second book in this series and also the second book I’ve read by this author. I’ve been looking forward to it because the last book was exciting and interesting and I hoped this one would be the same. However, this one wasn’t exciting. It was a bit dull and repetitive. He had to have a proper, scandal-free step-mother for his daughter and she couldn’t give up her freedom for any man. There were numerous scenes, but the same theme.

I really liked our hero, Jakob Radclyffe, Fifth Viscount St. Alban. He had no expectation of being a Viscount and certainly had no desire to be one. The title belonged to another branch of his family tree and he had hardly seen any of them in his lifetime. His father had married a Dutch shipping heiress and become part of that family. Jake was raised in that environment and had no clue about how the English lived – nor did he wish to know. However, after many, many pleas from his English family, he headed to London with his daughter, Mina, to accept the title. One thing Jake knew for sure is that he’d also have to acquire a proper, scandal-free English wife along with the title because Mina is half Japanese and she’ll need help fitting in and being accepted.

It was a long slog to try to get to like our heroine, Lady Olivia Montfort, and I never quite got there. I didn’t dislike her, I just never understood her. Twelve years ago, when she was seventeen and he was about twenty, she married a man she loved desperately – at least she thought she did. Then, because she rushed head-long into that marriage without getting to know the groom and without listening to any of the adults in the room – she was done with the marriage after six months! What! No, he wasn’t a good husband – but he was the normal husband of that period. He didn’t hurt her or mistreat her – he just wanted a society type marriage where he could float along on the surface of it – and she wanted more. Should that short six-months turn her against men and marriage forever? I think that whole reaction was way over the top. I mean – she was willing to have her daughter declared a bastard in order to have her marriage dissolved. I didn’t care for what I saw of her in the last book, and that didn’t improve with this book.

Jakob first saw Olivia at a ball at her former father-in-law’s home. He was immediately attracted to her. From what he’d learned of her, she was a scandal. Because of Mina’s heritage, he couldn’t afford to marry anyone whose reputation wasn’t pristine. Yet, he was drawn to Olivia more and more. When they find that each can help the other with a need, they strike a bargain – then they’ll go their separate ways. He’ll help her buy a house in her own name and she’ll get Mina into the school he wants her to attend. However – parting doesn’t come as easily as they thought.

I’m interested to see what happens next with the series. We’ve had one book I’ve loved and one I was just okay with, so now we’ll have to see what the next book brings. I’m not sure who will be featured in the next book, but I hope there is some excitement in it. This story hinted at a possible story at a later date between Mina and Hugh – right now Mina is fifteen and Hugh is probably seventeen or so. So, maybe the next book will feature Percy, Olivia’s dead/resurrected husband AND maybe we’ll see Olivia’s wicked uncle (from the first book) finally get some punishment.

Please check out my reviews at:
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“I requested and received this e-book at no cost to me and volunteered to read it; my review is my honest opinion and given without any influence by the author or publisher.”

Diana Sensational Spinsters Society by Charlotte Stone

On By BarbaraIn Barb's Reviews, Regency Era (1811-1820)1 Comment

Diana - SpinsterSeries:  Spinster’s Society #9
Barbara’s Rating 4 of 5 Stars
Publication Date:  6/13/18

I believe this is the most exciting book of the series so far.  I have been looking forward to seeing what was going to happen with Franklin Lockwood since he decided to become a physician specializing in healing the mind.  My Goodness!  Those skills are sorely needed in this book.

London, 1815 — The opening scene takes place in a basement with Franklin, Charles Grayly (Earl of Dahl) and some thugs employed by Mr. Bancroft.  Charles Grayly has been badly beaten – he could still talk – but he won’t.  Frank has been commandeered by Mr. Bancroft to plumb the depths of the earl’s mind for clues to the location of Bancroft’s sister, whom the earl has kidnapped.  The man is completely and totally mad.  When the earl won’t talk, Frank turns to the strange poems the earl sends to his victims to see if there is a clue.  They are strangely written poems, but then . . . . then… Frank notices a pattern and determines where Diana Bann is secreted.  So, off they go to rescue her – or more likely, to find her dead body because all of the earl’s other victims are dead.

Diana Bann is a renowned ballerina and she is also the much loved secret sister to Mr. Bancroft the king of London’s underworld.  They cannot afford for the world to know of their relationship because it would make Bancroft vulnerable – and that is one thing he cannot afford to be.  Diana is near death when she senses people running toward her in the basement where she’s been kept, brutalized and tortured.  She fights them off as best she can in her weakened state, but it is no use.  Then, she sees a marble angel and quiets for him.  She forever refers to Frank as her ‘marble man’.

Diana needs to heal in both body and mind.  The body, of course, heals much quicker than the mind.  Frank works with her for months and she comes to terms with most of what happened to her, but he knows she hasn’t told him all.

I love that the story takes place over almost two years rather than the usual short periods from meeting to marrying.  However, there was one thing I just couldn’t buy – Diana almost immediately lusted after Frank.  Given what happened to her, I cannot imagine that happening.  So, that particular part of the story was pretty unbelievable.

Frank and Diana come into contact off and on and the attraction is always still there.  Frank fights it because of the doctor/patient relationship and his secret fears and Diana embraces it and does all she can to attract Frank.  Then, when Diana remembers more from her abduction, Frank realizes she is still in danger.

Frank and Bancroft have a number of run-ins that are great.  Bancroft is very, very protective of his sister and it doesn’t matter that she loves Frank.  Bancroft doesn’t approve of the gentry/aristocracy and will keep them apart – even though he really does like Frank.

Their path to their HEA isn’t easy or in a straight line, but they do finally get there.  One thing that would have made it better would have been for the book to go through the wedding and to have Bancroft yield and walk Diana down the aisle.

I thought we might see a set-up for what I assume will be the last book in the series – Julius Hext and Moira, but they didn’t even make an appearance.  Several others from the previous books were there, but not Julius and Moira.  I sure hope the last book is a whizz-bang wrap up with all the Men of Nashwood and their wives and an epilogue that takes place two or three years in the future showing all of them in their happy lives.

This was a quick and interesting read and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

The other books in the series are listed below:

Book # Hero Heroine
1 Emmett Starr, Earl of Ashwick Lorena Cullip (Sister to Francis Cullip)
2 Calvin Lockwood, Very rich landed gentry Alice Wilkins (Gentleman’s Club Owners Daughter)
3 Francis Cullip, Duke of Valdeston Lady Genevieve ‘Genie’ Toft
4 Morris Kidd, Duke of Cort Sophia Taylor
5 Rollo Kerry, Rich landed gentry Florence Crew (a lady’s maid)
6 Hugh Vance – Marquess of Edvoy Taygete Bellenger
7 Aaron Walsh, Earl of Jeanshire Cristin Potter (Owner of employment agency)
8 Sir William Tift Natalia Hext (Leah Wells)(Cousin to Julius Hext)
9 Franklin Lockwood, Very Rich Landed Gentry Diana Bann (Ballerina and sister to crime lord Mr. Bancroft)
10 Julius Hext, Marquess of Darvess Moira (?)

Please check out my reviews at:

Blog: https://flippinpages.blog/
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Twitter: https://twitter.com/FlippinPagesRev
Twitter:   https://twitter.com/BarbBookReview

“I requested and received this e-book at no cost to me and volunteered to read it; my review is my honest opinion and given without any influence by the author or publisher.”