Category: Christmas

A Princess by Christmas by Julia London

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

A Princess by Christmas (A Royal Wedding, #3)A Princess by Christmas by Julia London

Tracy’s rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Series: A Royal Wedding, #3

Release Date: October 13, 2020

When owner of Honeycutt’s Gazette of Fashion & Domesticity for Ladies, widow Hollis Honeycutt, overhears a rumor concerning the peace accord between the counties of Alucia and Wesloria – she is immediately intrigued. Hollis’ sister Eliza is married to Prince Sebastian, the heir to the throne of Alucia. She is sure there is more to the story and won’t stop digging. She is pondering how to get information from the Weslorian delegation, when purely by chance she meets Marek Brendan, an advisor to the Minister of Trade for Wesloria.

Marek has secrets which make his life very solitary, he is a loner and straddles two worlds. He is deaf in one ear and so when he meets Hollis, he has a hard time understanding her and isn’t sure what to make of her! He tries to keep her at arm’s length, but she isn’t having it, she pulls him in to her investigation and by extension; her life. At first, he thinks she is crazy, but soon realizes she may be on to something – something that could not only destroy peace between Alucia and Wesloria, but could be a plot to assassinate his King!

This book was not at all what I was expecting, the romance is a very slow burn and almost secondary to the mystery. Hollis truly loved her first husband and has felt like life is beginning to pass her by, slowly she lets go of her mourning and opens her heart to the possibility of loving again. Marek is a subdued character, he is clearly overwhelmed by Hollis at first, but they soon discover a shared love of Shakespeare and as they work together, she discovers his secret and he begins to realize that she is what has been missing in his life. The book is the final installment in the series and it does nicely wrap up several ongoing plot points from the previous books. I felt the book did drag a bit, there are still title errors and mistakes (that may – fingers crossed – be corrected prior to publication) and the romance is on the back burner until almost the end of the book – but it was a nice read and the ending was very romantic and the epilogue was very sweet. While I would suggest reading the series in order, this could be read as a standalone title without a problem.

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

One Night with a Duke by Erica Ridley

On By TracyIn Christmas, Georgian Era (1714-1837), Novella, Regency Era (1811-1820), Tracy's ReviewsLeave a comment
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One Night with a Duke by Erica Ridley

Tracy’s rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: The 12 Dukes of Christmas, #10

Release Date: October 9, 2020

Jonathan MacLean is on his way to Cressmouth to meet with the Duke of Nottingvale about investing in a business venture. Jonathan is a bit of a nomad, traveling around the country, but never staying anywhere long enough to lay down roots and he has a steadfast rule – he never visits the same place twice. He arrives to learn that the snow will certainly keep him in town longer than expected and will delay the arrival of the Duke and his business partner Calvin. Unable to just wait around for the snow to stop, he decides to venture out and meet the people of Cressmouth. He enters the jeweler’s shop and feels like he has been struck by lightning – the jeweler is the most stunning woman he has ever seen!

Angelica Parker is the jeweler in town, she came to Cressmouth seven years ago to make a name for herself. She was invited to set up shop by Mr. Marlowe and he made her an outrageous offer – he would provide her with rooms in the castle and a shop at no charge, but she must stay in Cressmouth for seven years – no exceptions – if she leaves, even for a day, the contract is void and she will owe an obscene amount of money, however, if she fulfills the contract, everything is hers, free and clear – this Christmas will be her seventh year and she is looking forward to travel – but she plans to stay in Cressmouth. Her family comes each year to visit her, but they don’t understand why Angelica agreed to the contract – they have a successful shop in London and think she should have married and stayed with them. Angelica longs to be acknowledged for her talent and knows that if she stayed in London – that would never happen. She is happy in Cressmouth, but still hasn’t achieved the recognition she dreams of. She has no idea how much her live will change when a handsome young man comes into her shop!

What a sweet novella this was! It is well written and chocked full of interesting historical facts regarding slavery in Regency-era Britain. Jonathan and Angelica are very complex characters and I am impressed by how well Ms. Ridley was able to flesh them out considering this is a novella. The story has a lot of emotion, some laughs, warmish love scenes, delightful secondary characters, compromise and a sweet HEA, complete with an epilogue. This book is the tenth book in the series, but it can easily be read as a standalone title with no problems.


I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that was provided to me.