Category: Georgian Era (1714-1837)

The Georgian era is a period in British history 1714 to 1830. The kings were all named George: George I, George II, George III and George IV. The sub-period of the Regency is defined by the Regency of George IV as Prince of Wales during the illness of his father George III. The definition of the Georgian era is often extended to include the short reign of William IV, which ended with his death in 1837.
Preceded by: Restoration
Including: Regency era
Followed by: Victorian era

Only Rakes Need Apply by Kate Pearce

On By TracyIn Check Content Warning/Triggers, Georgian Era (1714-1837), Part of a Series, Regency Era (1811-1820), Tracy's ReviewsLeave a comment

Only Rakes Need Apply (Rakes of London)Only Rakes Need Apply by Kate Pearce

Tracy’s Rating: 2.5/3 of 5 stars

Series: Rakes of London

Release Date: October 28, 2025

After two long years, Carenza, the widowed Countess Smythe-Harding has finally finished mourning her late (and unlamented) husband and is ready to move on with her life. After enduring a miserable marriage with a man that cheated on her and left her penniless, she has no desire to remarry but does miss the benefits of the marriage bed. After jokingly saying she should place an ad for a lover, her best friend Olivia Sheraton places the ad and sets up a place for them to interview applicants. Carenza is mortified but goes along with it. When her late husband’s best friend Julian Laurent shows up and stops the nonsense, he makes Carenza an offer of his own – he will be her lover, no strings attached.

Julian Laurent has known Carenza for most of her life, as their family estates border each other. As the second son, Julian had no fortune, title or purpose, so he did as many other “spares” did and sowed his wild oats in London and gaining a reputation as a rake. But recently he inherited a massive fortune from his godmother and has tried to become more responsible. When he learns that Carenza has placed an ad for a lover, he can’t stand by and let her ruin her reputation, so he intervenes, not intending to offer himself to her, but that is exactly what happens. Too bad they both have enemies determined to see them ruined before they can claim their HEA.

I have mixed feeling about this book, I loved the idea of the story and felt that the story was well-written with some great characters. But at the same time, there was a lot going on and despite the steamy love scenes, I wasn’t feeling the chemistry between Carenza and Julian – in fact at some points I wondered if they even liked each other. I did like Carenza’s circle of friends, which gave the story a bit of a “Desperate Housewives” vibe, but even that created more drama than the story could support. I finished the book and felt like the story was too chaotic and I didn’t get enough closure – I know this was the start of a series, so some unfinished business is bound to work its way through future installments – but this was more about things that were central to this story. Overall, I didn’t love this story, but I didn’t hate it either – I will definitely be reading the next book to see if I judged this installment too harshly.

*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. *

Snowbound with the Earl by Shana Galen

On By TracyIn Christmas, Georgian Era (1714-1837), Novella, Part of a Series, Regency Era (1811-1820), Tracy's Reviews1 Comment

Snowbound with the EarlSnowbound with the Earl by Shana Galen

Tracy’s Rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Series: Snowbound #2

Release Date: October 14, 2025

Noelle Bonneville, the widowed Viscountess Bonneville, is finally free, trapped in a loveless marriage for ten years, she is now out of mourning and ready to reenter society. When her friend Lady Dorsey invites her to a Christmas house party, she accepts, something she immediately regrets when she learns that Graham Birmingham, the Earl of Evergreen will be there. Once upon a time, Noelle and Graham were in love, but she broke his heart when her parents forced her to marry Viscount Bonneville. She wonders if enough time has passed that they can finally talk about what happened and move on. But that thought is crushed when they meet at the house party, and he makes it clear that he wants nothing to do with her.

Graham was devastated when Noelle broke his heart ten years ago. He asked her to marry him and she accepted, only to renege the next day because her parents didn’t approve of him and wanted her to marry the elderly viscount. Back then he had not inherited the title of Earl and had no expectations to do so, as his uncle was alive and well with two married sons. But after Noelle married the viscount, the unthinkable happened and his uncle and both cousins passed away in an accident leaving Graham as the Earl. He wonders if she is at the house party to reconcile with him as he now has a title and she is widowed, so at the first chance he gets, he makes it clear that he is no longer interested in her and wants nothing to do with her, even if she is even more lovely than he remembered. He is firm in his convictions, but when she comes to his rescue, he wonders if it is time to let go of his hurt and let her speak her piece. Is it the season of second chances or is he setting himself up for a holiday heartbreak?

This was a delightful, well written, nicely paced, second chance romance novella filled with emotion, regrets and wonderful characters. Noelle and Graham light up the pages of this charming Christmastime story set in Regency England and gives readers the gift of hope and holiday cheer. I love a good second chance romance and this story checked all the boxes for me; I loved it and would happily recommend it to my fellow HR readers and anyone who enjoys a second chance romance with a bit of spice and a HEA.

*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. *