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

Someone Perfect by Mary Balogh #BlogBlitz

On By TracyIn Book Publicity, Georgian Era (1714-1837), Part of a Series, Tracy's ReviewsLeave a comment

9780593335291

As a young man, Justin Wiley was banished by his father for mysterious reasons, but now his father is dead, and Justin has been Earl of Brandon for six years. A dark, dour man, he nonetheless takes it as his responsibility to care for his half-sister Maria when her mother dies. He travels to her home to fetch her back to the family seat at Everleigh Park.

Although she adored him once, Maria now loathes Justin, and her friend Lady Estelle Lamarr can see immediately how his very name upsets her. When Justin arrives and invites Estelle to accompany Maria to Everleigh Park to help with her distress, she begrudgingly agrees, for Maria’s sake.

As family secrets unravel in Maria’s homecoming, Justin, too, uncovers his desire for a countess. And, while he may believe he’s found an obvious candidate in the beautiful Lady Estelle, she is most certain that they could never make a match.

Mary_Balogh_credit Sharon Pelletier[17929]

Mary Balogh has written more than one hundred historical novels and novellas, several of which have been New York Times bestsellers. They include the Bedwyn saga, the Simply quartet, the Huxtable quintet, the seven-part Survivor’s Club series, and the Westcott series. Learn more online at marybalogh.com.

 

Tracy’s Review:

 

Someone Perfect (Westcott, #9)Someone Perfect by Mary Balogh

Tracy’s rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: Westcott, #9

Release Date: November 30, 2021

Justin Wiley, the Earl of Brandon has come to Prospect Hall to collect his younger half-sister Maria and bring her home to Everleigh Park. For the last six years, since their father’s death, Maria and her mother have lived at Prospect Hall, but when her mother died a year ago, Maria has lived there with only her governess/companion and even though Justin knows she dislikes him, he is determined to bring her home and introduce her to society.

He knows it will not be easy on either of them, but he truly loves his sister and wants what is best for her. Years ago they were close, but at the age of 22 Justin’s father turned him out and all but disowned him, so he has not seen her in years and has no idea what stories his stepmother told her about him. So to smooth her transition, he asks her neighbor and good friend Lady Estelle Lamarr, the daughter of the Marquess of Dorchester, and her twin brother Bertrand, Viscount Watley to join a house party he has put together – he hopes having her friends near will ease the transition. But Justin is not prepared for his reaction to Estelle and soon wonders if he could tempt her into becoming his countess!

Lady Estelle is positive that she and Justin will never suit – but the more time she spends with him, the more she wonders why he was sent away – society at large has offered many theories over the years, but none seem to fit the man she has come to know. But as it happens, secrets have a way of coming to light and the truth is almost more shocking and painful than any scenario she could have imagined. Can she help him heal from the past and find that this dour, imperfect man is in reality, her someone perfect?

This was a well-written, gentle read, with wonderful characters and a good helping of emotion. The romance between Justin and Estelle is slow-burning and doesn’t always feel like the prime focus of the book and it is a bit on the wordy side, but it is a lovely story nonetheless. The book has wonderful secondary characters, warmish love scenes, secrets, heartache, regrets, and an especially fun, sweet relationship between Estelle and her twin Bertrand before culminating in a very nice HEA. This book is part of the Westcott series, but it is loosely connected and you should have no problem reading this book as a standalone title.

*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.*

To Covet a Countess by Sapna Bhog

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To Covet a CountessTo Covet a Countess by Sapna Bhog

Tracy’s rating: 3 of 5 stars

Series: The Elusive Lords, #2

Release Date: November 16, 2021

When the situation at their uncle’s home in India becomes unbearable, Sania Aaryan takes her younger sister Isha and flees to England, where she hopes to find sanctuary with her cousin Lara, the new Duchess of Wolverton. But when they arrive looking bedraggled, Lara is not home and her butler refuses to believe that they are related to the duchess and turns them out. With no money and near-freezing temperatures, Sania takes matters into her own hands and tries to break in.

The last thing Nicholas “Hawk” Delmore, the Earl of Hawksley expects to see while returning home is someone trying to break into his best friend Wolf’s house! He immediately intervenes and gets yet another shock when the small intruder turns out to be a woman, who threatens him with a dagger and then faints! Hawk takes Sania and Isha to his house and sends a letter to Wolf. He plans to keep them at his house until Wolf returns and either confirms or denies their relationship to his wife. What he doesn’t plan on doing is becoming infatuated with the lovely Indian woman, but that is exactly what happens.

Wolf and Lara return and are overjoyed to see Sania and Isha, they immediately move them into their house and get ready to launch them into society. Hawk tries to distance himself from Sania, sure that she would be better off with another man. Events from his past have convinced him that he doesn’t deserve a wife and children, so while he desires Sania, he goes out of his way to avoid her. It is a good plan, too bad Sania doesn’t agree. She refuses to give up on the attraction that is growing between them and eventually, she succeeds in making Hawk believe that they could have a future. All seems to be going well until their betrothal ball when the past comes calling and Hawk lets his insecurities destroy their chance for HEA. Can he convince Sania to give him another chance to prove his love or was his betrayal too much to overcome?

This was a good story, it was well-written and nicely paced, but some things just didn’t work for me. Things like: not stating when the book was set, I’m guessing late-Georgian, a lot of modern verbiages, title errors, and the villain’s name/title. What I did like is that the author accurately and subtly addressed the prejudices that Lara and Sania faced in society, she makes Hawk work for his forgiveness, she writes some steamyish love scenes, and she included a charming epilogue. Overall, it was a good read, and while I enjoyed the story, it is not one I would read again. This is the second book in the series, but I had not read the first book and had no trouble understanding the relationships in this 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.*