Category: Debut Novel

When the Duke Loved Me by Lydia Lloyd

On By TracyIn Debut Novel, Georgian Era (1714-1837), Part of a Series, Regency Era (1811-1820), Tracy's ReviewsLeave a comment

When the Duke Loved Me (The Rake Chronicles, #1)When the Duke Loved Me by Lydia Lloyd

Tracy’s rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Series: The Rake Chronicles, #1

Release Date: August 28, 2023

Catherine Forester’s life has not been easy, her mother died when she was very young and she was raised by her father and her Aunt Mary, but when she was a young girl, her Aunt Mary was embroiled in a huge scandal with their neighbor, the Duke of Edington. Caught in a compromising situation with the married duke by his young son and the duchess, Mary fled in shame. Catherine’s father was outraged at the duke and tried and failed to make him pay for dishonoring his sister, dying a year later and leaving Catherine orphaned, penniless, and shamed. She was taken in by Sir Francis Wethersby and his wife Elena, who did their best to shelter her from the scandals caused by her Aunt and Father. Years later, Catherine meets John Breminster, the Marquess of Forester and heir to the Duke of Edington at a ball thrown by Viscount Tremberley, but neither knows who the other is, until after they share a heated encounter in the garden and are saved from another very public scandal by John’s friend Lord Tremberley. To say they parted on bad terms would be very generous. But now years later, John is now the Duke and has come looking for Catherine for help in finding her Aunt Mary, help he will pay handsomely for. Catherine would love nothing more than to kick John out of her humble lodgings, but Sir Francis is dead and Catherine and Lady Wethersby and her young son Sir Ariel have fallen on hard times and despite her feelings for the duke, she can’t say no.

John had no choice but to seek out Catherine, a woman who is for all intents and purposes his family’s greatest enemy, even though she played no part in the scandal that ruined both families. But John loves his younger sister Henrietta more than any other person and unless he does his late father’s bidding, she will be left dowerless, and if that wasn’t bad enough, the money earmarked for her dowry will go to his vile second cousin. So to prevent that, he will have to ask Catherine for her help in finding her Aunt Mary, so he can fulfill the terms of his father’s will and protect his sister. He is sure he can remain professional, even though thoughts of her have haunted him for years. He will enlist her help, keep his lustful longings to himself, find her Aunt, and then never see her again. At least that is the plan…

This was a new to me author and I believe this is her debut novel. With that said, it was good for a debut, but it is a bit wordy, it also tends to meander off-topic, there are some title errors (Seriously if I had a dollar for every time an author erroneously called a duke “Lord Whatever” I would have a lot of money to spend on books), there are some odd word choices, like “the Rank Rakes” – I am not sure what she was going for using “Rank” but I just kept wondering if they smelled bad LOL, and I had a hard time believing that the “scandal” was the talk of the ton almost 17 years later. Yet, in all honestly, these issues were minor and I am sure the more this author writes, the better she will become. I did like her characters, the steamy love scenes, the general idea of the story as well as the ending and I will definitely be looking forward to the next book and following Ms. Lloyd’s career. And with that said, I would happily recommend this title to my fellow HR readers.

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

The Poetics of Passion by Delphine Ross

On By TracyIn Debut Novel, Part of a Series, Tracy's Reviews, Victorian Era (1837-1901)Leave a comment

The Poetics of Passion (Muses of Scandal, #1)The Poetics of Passion by Delphine Ross

Tracy’s rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Series: Muses of Scandal, #1

Release Date: July 25, 2023

Famed artist Neil Bartham and Cilo Sutton, the wife of Neil’s patron and art critic Ethan Sutton, cause a scandal when they meet and elope while the Suttons are on their honeymoon, leading to an annulment, followed by their marriage. The Barthams are blissfully in love but shunned from polite society, something that never bothered them until it was clear that it would affect their children’s futures. In an attempt to improve their image, Neil sets out for a two-year pilgrimage to the Holy Land, to paint inspirational pictures, but six years later, he has not returned and no one knows what has become of him. To save her family, Musa Bartham their eldest daughter secretly pens “love poetry” under the non de plume of Felicity Vita. Her books are scandalous and wildly popular, enabling her to support her family and even gains her an admirer, too bad nothing will come of it. But when her publisher lets her know that they can no longer publish her books, she is forced to find another way to support her family. And the answer comes in the form of Sebastian “Seb” Atkinson, a passionate, yet unknown artist.

After the unexpected death of his parents, Seb is thrust into the role of provider for his sisters, one of whom is only seven and has medical issues. Seb tries to pursue his art but earns a living working as a printing press operator, so when Musa offers him the commission of illustrating her upcoming children’s book, he agrees and asks that Musa introduces him to Felicity Vita, the poet he has been exchanging letters for over a year. Musa can’t promise that, as it would mean complete ruin for her family, especially her sister Angela who has been given a chance to make her come out. These two butt heads as soon as they meet, and their partnership is almost over before it even starts. But to save their families, they will work together, and it doesn’t take long for Seb to figure out that Musa is Felicity – but it isn’t until their letters are stolen that things get interesting.

For a debut, this was a pretty good book, and I am sure this author will improve with each new book. However, I struggled with this book, miscommunication is one of my least favorite tropes and the pace of the story was slow – very, very slow. I tried to stay interested, but I was getting bored with the slow progress and by the end, I felt exhausted. To be clear, I didn’t dislike the actual story, even with the secrets and miscommunications, I found both Musa and Seb very likable and admirable people who cared deeply about their families and who took their responsibilities very seriously, I also liked their connection and their families. The ending was not what I expected and the epilogue was quite tantalizing. Overall it was a decent read and I will definitely be reading the next book.

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