Category: Contemporary in Period Dress

Miss Wick and the Duke Dilemma by Violet Marsh

On By TracyIn Contemporary in Period Dress, Georgian Era (1714-1837), Historical Rom-Com, Part of a Series, Tracy's ReviewsLeave a comment

Miss Wick and the Duke DilemmaMiss Wick and the Duke Dilemma by Violet Marsh

Tracy’s Rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: None Listed, but this is the 3rd with the same characters

Release Date: March 17, 2026

When Eoin Aucourte, the new Duke of Foxglen comes into the Black Sheep Coffeehouse looking for help in finding his mother and sister, the proprietress, Miss Hannah Wick sees the opportunity to avenge the wrongs done to her father by the Aucourte Family and immediately offers to help. Hannah doesn’t really care for the peerage, despite the fact that her mother, cousin and several friends are nobles, but her father was wronged by the former duke and forced into a life of piracy, he found way out and made a good life for himself, but the distrust of the peerage and the desire for revenge was ingrained into Hannah. But she soon realizes that Eoin is not her enemy and the more time spent with him the more she wants and she knows she has to be honest with him about original intentions before he learns the truth.

When he was just six years old, Eoin’s father was hanged as a traitor and his grandfather the Duke of Foxglen sent his mother and sister away and raised Eoin as his heir. Unhappy with the way his own children turned out, he was brutally severe with Eoin, he refused to let him see his mother or sister, he accorded him none of the luxuries an heir would normally enjoy, he lead a solitary, joyless existence and the first thing he did when the old man died was try and find his mother and sister. His aunts and uncles have never cared for him and with their own inheritances dependent on Eoin not finding his mother, they are no help and he has no idea where to start. He turns to the people of the Black Sheep Coffeehouse who have been able to solve other mysteries and hopes they can help him. He never expected Hannah would be so willing to help and even offers to pretend to be his mistress so they can stay close. With Hannah, Eoin starts to feel alive for the first time ever and when it becomes clear that someone is trying to kill him, she stands by him, how could he not fall in love with her?

I will be honest, I wasn’t a huge fan of the previous books and even thought about passing on this one, but I am so glad that I decided to give this installment a go – because for me, the third time was a charm! I loved Hannah and Eoin, they are both perfectly flawed characters, each with a heart of gold. Is this story an era correct representation? No, it is completely over the top and ridiculous at times, but it is very entertaining and you can’t help but root for their happy ever after. While the author has not officially made this a series, this book is the third book with the same characters and the titles are connected, but it can easily be read as a standalone title with no issues. Overall, I am happy to recommend this title and look forward to the next installment.

*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. *

 

The Halifax Hellions by Alexandra Vasti

On By TracyIn Anthology, Check Content Warning/Triggers, Contemporary in Period Dress, Georgian Era (1714-1837), Historical Rom-Com, Novella, Part of a Series, Regency Era (1811-1820), Tracy's Reviews2 Comments

The Halifax Hellions (Halifax Hellions, #1-2)The Halifax Hellions by Alexandra Vasti

Tracy’s Rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Series: The Halifax Hellions 1 & 2

Release Date: February 17, 2026

In this novella duology, The Earl of Warren’s sisters have taken London by storm or rather they have caused a storm of gossip. Lady Margeret “Margo” and her twin sister Lady Matilda “Tillie/Mattie” have been causing scandals for years and earning themselves the moniker “The Halifax Hellions”. But there is a method to their madness and while they have been outrageous and seemingly have no regard for society at large, they are fiercely loyal to each other and despite gossip to the contrary, they truly do have hearts of gold. They have always stood together, so when Matilda runs off, of course Margo is going after her. Let the adventures begin!

In Which Margo Halifax Earns Her Shocking Reputation – 4 stars: When Matilda leaves Margo a note stating that she is eloping, Margo decides to go after her, but she isn’t foolish enough to go alone. But with their brother away in Wales, Margo must turn to her brother’s best friend, Henry Mortimer for assistance. Henry has been in love with Margo for years, but he knows she is way out of his league as she is a heiress and he is a mere solicitor. After initially refusing to chase after Matilda with Margo, he changes his mind and they set off. For the first time ever, Henry has Margo’s undivided attention and maybe, just maybe, they will find more than Margo’s missing sister.

In Which Matilda Halifax Learns the Value of Restraint – 3 stars: When Christian de Bord, the Marquess of Ashford confronts Matilda about losing his sister’s art tutor thanks to an erotic pamphlet that she illustrated that features him. Christian has been the subject of gossip for years, thanks to the death of his wife and his proclivities during his university days, but this time the gossip affected his sister and that he can’t abide. Mattie offers to tutor his sister herself and isn’t taking no for an answer. She has the best of intentions but can’t deny she is attracted to Christian and shares his “supposedly” former proclivities, and wouldn’t be opposed to exploring that attraction, too bad Christian doesn’t agree. But Mattie is not a quitter and knows she can help Christian’s sister and Christian move beyond their tragic past and find happiness.

I enjoyed both of these novellas, but I wish all three sibling’s stories had been included in this book. Overall, I think Margo’s could have been a bit longer and I wish Mattie’s had actually had scenes featuring Christian’s “proclivities” rather than skimming over the subject and that it had been a little faster paced, but I did appreciate the addition of an epilogue. This is definitely a “contemporary in period dress” type of historical, as it is clear that the protocols and etiquette of the era were not adhered to, but it was still a fun story, and I would be happy to recommend this book to my fellow HR readers. *Note – both of these novellas were previously released but have been updated to include an epilogue*

*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. *