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

Taming the Scot by Eliza Knight

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

Taming the Scot (Scots of Honor, #3)Taming the Scot by Eliza Knight

Tracy’s rating: 5 of 5 stars

Series: Scots of Honor, #3

Release Date: August 24, 2021

When Captain Euan Irvine learns upon his grandfather’s death that the old man changed the terms of his will, he is upset, but it isn’t until he learns what the changes are that he gets really angry and wants no part of it! But with so many tenants and six sisters to care for, Euan knows he can’t let them down and will have to dance to his grandfather’s twisted tune – meaning, the first grandson to enter into a loving marriage and produce an heir, will inherit everything – the two barony titles, all the properties, and title of Chief of the Irvine clan. He has never had a problem attracting women and figures this will be no different – but his sisters disagree and say wooing a bride is not the same as seducing a lover and suggest he hire a governess to help him with proper etiquette and to their surprise, he agrees.

Bronwen Holmes is by no means an appropriate etiquette governess, but when the gaming hell owner AKA Prince demands that she make good on her parents’ debt – a debt that he had them killed for – she has no choice but to beg her cousin Emilia for help. Emilia has an idea, she shows Bronwen the advert for a governess in the highlands and suggests that Bronwen take that job, even offering to book her passage on one of Andrewson Shipping, her employer’s ships. Unsure but out of options, Bronwen heads for the highlands.

Bronwen’s first meeting with Euan is hilarious and completely priceless. She basically hires herself for the position and leaves Euan wondering what just happened, but he decides to go along with it. It is not long before Euan and his sisters realize that Bronwen is not who or what she claims to be, but after getting a letter from his friend Lorne Gordon, the Duke of Sutherland and husband of Jaime the owner of Andrewson Shipping, and learning that she is in some sort of danger, he decides to play along with her charade. The problem is, the more time he spends with her, the more time he wants and soon he is sure that she is the answer to his inheritance problem. But Bronwen has secrets and even after confessing her deception, being accepted, and even knowing that he is the only man she will ever love, she is still not sure she is the right woman for Euan.

This was a well-written, fast-paced book with more than one twist that will keep you saying NO WAY and OMG, until the very end! Of the three books in the series so far, this one is my favorite, I just loved the instant connection between Bronwen and Euan, and his sisters are wonderful secondary characters who add so much to this book without outshining the leads. This book has a little bit of everything; mystery, witty banter, laugh-out-loud moments, secrets, steamy love scenes, great secondary characters, cameos from previous characters, a bit of angst, a truly evil villain, more than one surprising twist, and finally a HEA complete with an epilogue! This is the third book in the series, but it can easily be read as a standalone title with no issues. I loved this book and am happy to 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.*

The Sign Of The Raven by L.C. Sharp

On By BarbaraIn Barb's Reviews, Georgian Era (1714-1837), Historical Mystery2 Comments

Series: Ash & Juliana #2

Publication Date: 8/17/21

Period:  Georgian London, 1749

Number of Pages:  250

** 5 Stars **

Goodness!  I surely do hope this turns out to be one of those very long-running series because I absolutely adore Ash and Juliana.  The mystery is intriguing, the villain is vile, and the secondary characters are a mixed and interesting bunch.

Sir Edmund (Ash) Ashendon is constantly searching for justice – whether it is finding the perpetrator of a crime or defending someone he is sure has been falsely accused.  It is the driving force in his life because he is trying very hard to make up for the really important one, the one he couldn’t save.  He solved it too late and guilt still eats at him. 

Ash and Juliana married almost a year ago after Ash saved her from the gallows (The Wedding Night Affair) when she was accused of murdering her husband on their wedding night.  Juliana had been horribly brutalized, but she swore she didn’t kill her husband – and Ash believed her.  They ended up in a marriage of convenience because her parents were immediately auctioning her off to the next brutalizer before the funeral had even been held.  Juliana couldn’t stand to be touched in any way and since Ash never planned to marry because of his dedication to his work, having no intimacies between them was fine with him.  Since she was very intelligent and observant, she’d make a good partner for him in his work – especially within the ton because she and her family are from the highest echelons.

It seems everyone in London knows of Ash’s penchant for helping Bow Street with the more ‘interesting’ cases.  He had taken his family – Juliana, his sister Amelia, and younger brother Gregory – to Vauxhall to attend a fireworks rehearsal, where he was soon approached because there had been an ‘incident’.  Oh!  There was an incident alright – a dead body.  While most would have put it down to a robbery gone wrong, Ash was certain it was murder. 

Ash and Juliana pursue their investigation regardless of the rank of those they are questioning.  From dukes, to street urchins, to the infamous Raven, everyone was suspected until they could be cleared.  When another murder is done, Ash and Juliana know their main suspect is getting desperate and they have to put a plan in motion to catch them out.  The culprit might surprise you – or it might not – but you’ll love getting to the identification.

There was so much I enjoyed about this book!  I loved that the villain didn’t get off with no punishment.  I loved that Juliana has come so very far in her healing process and that she and Ash have found they care more for each other than they thought.  I loved the new relationship between Ash and the newspaper man.  I loved that we learned the identity of the Raven – but – he sure left us hanging about what would be next.  Oh! My!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I hope you’ll enjoy it as much as I did.  Having both a romance and a mystery is a double treat!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.