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

Infamous by Minerva Spencer

On By TracyIn Georgian Era (1714-1837), Part of a Series, Regency Era (1811-1820), Top Pick - Highly Recommended, Tracy's ReviewsLeave a comment

Infamous (Rebels of the Ton, #3)Infamous by Minerva Spencer

Tracy’s rating: 5 of 5 stars

Series: Rebels of the Ton, #3

Release Date: September 28, 2021

What goes around comes around, or so it would seem – ten years ago mean girl and diamond of the first water, Miss Celia Trent seemingly had the world at her feet and was just hours away from being proposed to by Lucien Redvers, the Earl of Davenport when a mean spirited prank she and her partner in crime, Sebastian, the Duke of Dowden, played against his twin – studious Richard, went awry, leaving Lucien wed to wallflower Phyllida “Phil” Singleton, Celia being dubbed Lady Infamous and becoming a pariah and Richard slipping away completely unscathed.

Now ten years later, Sebastian is set to marry Lucien and Richard’s sister, Miss Antonia ”Toni” Redvers and a lavish Christmas wedding/house party is being prepared at Lucien’s country estate. It is at the house party that they will all be reunited, much to just about everyone’s dismay – except Richard, who is looking forward to exploring the attraction he still feels towards Celia!

Celia has changed, life dealt her a bad hand and yes, she was nasty, but once you learn more of her past, you begin to understand why she acted the way she did – not that it made her actions acceptable, but who can’t understand youthful insecurity, peer pressure, and jealousy? Celia knows she was awful to Phil and expects the woman to gloat as Celia is now a paid companion. But that doesn’t happen, Phil struggles with her own insecurities and the appearance of Celia in her home brings things that have been simmering for years to a full boil!

I was not a fan of the first two books in this series and almost passed on this title – Thank Goodness I didn’t! OMG – I loved this book! It is well-written and nicely paced with the dual love stories perfectly balanced, and neither couple being slighted. Throw into the mix a couple of parrots, geriatric canines, a vindictive groom, an insect obsessed hero, a heroine with secrets, cameos from Hugh and Daphne, conversations that were years in the making, long overdue apologies, a bride who can plant a perfect roundhouse punch, some steamy love scenes and a lot of witty banter and you have a nearly perfect read complete with two HEAs and an epilogue! This is the third book in the series, but it can easily be read as a standalone title with no problem. I thoroughly enjoyed this uncorrected proof and would happily recommend it!

*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.*

Earl’s Choice by Jess Michaels

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

Earl's Choice (Regency Royals, #2)Earl’s Choice by Jess Michaels

Tracy’s rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Series: Regency Royals, #2

Release Date: September 21, 2021

Sasha Killick’s parents died while returning from England on a diplomatic mission for King Alistair of Athawick and at the behest of his wife, Queen Giabella, they adopted Sasha and she was raised as a sibling to their children. But when she grew older, the King refused to let the Queen give her the same priveledges as his daughter Princess Ilaria and forced Sasha into servitude – she was no longer to be treated as their daughter, now she was to be Ilaria’s companion and occasional body double. Not that the queen or her children ever treated her that way, but that was how she was viewed by the world. So when King Alistair died and her “brother” Grantham ascended to the throne, they traveled to England to form ties and to find a match for Princess Ilaria, Sasha knew her role and that any dreams she ever harbored of a HEA for herself were just that; dreams and something she thought she was alright with until she met the man intended for her “sister”.

Thanks to the ineptitude and schemes of his no-good father, Thomas Martindale, the Earl of Bramwell has inherited a mess and a tarnished name, that was further tarnished when his sister Aurora finally married the man her father kept her from years ago. Thomas has done his best to restore the estate and his family name, but he knows to truly save the earldom, he will have to marry an heiress. When his mother suggests a match with Princess Ilaria of Athawick, he agrees to meet her and consider the match, knowing he doesn’t really have any other options. But it isn’t the princess that captures his attention and his heart, it is her adopted sister Sasha and try as he might, he just couldn’t drum up any enthusiasm for a match with Ilaria. But with his estate in need of a fortune, he is not free to follow his heart and tries to quash his feelings for Sasha – but the heart wants what the heart wants and he resigns himself to a loveless marriage with Ilaria for the “greater good” – but when Ilaria is attacked and Sasha steps in to play her double, thus putting herself in danger – it is then that Thomas knows that he can’t give her up, but first he needs to find a way to save her!

This was a well-written, fast-paced story with wonderful characters, but a good majority of the book felt like a rewrite of the previous book. That is not to say that I didn’t enjoy it, I did, but it felt like déjà vu for the first 75% of the book. The book follows the same timeline as the first book in the series, but is told from Sasha and Thomas’ POV, their connection is instant, strong, and forbidden, they both try to ignore the pull, which leads to a bit of an angsty tale with wonderful characters, a touch of mystery, some steamyish love scenes and finally a well deserved HEA. I did wonder when I finished the book why the queen waited so long to rectify the late king’s cruelty, especially considering how much she appeared to love Sasha, but it was still a good read and would recommend it – this is the second book in the series, but it could easily be read as a standalone title with no problems.

*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.*