Georgian Era (1714-1837) – Page 165 – Flippin' Pages Book Reviews

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

Forever Your Duke by Erica Ridley

Tracy’s rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: 12 Dukes of Christmas, #12

Release Date: December 18, 2020

Miss Cynthia Louise Finch has long given up hope of marriage, after 6 seasons of playing by the ton’s rules and no offers of marriage, she decided enough is enough and stopped trying to please the ton. In the years that have followed Cynthia Louise has had fun and in the process is no longer considered “eligible parti”. But that has stopped her from being invited to the Duke of Nottingvale’s annual Christmastide House Party. This year, the word is out that the duke will be choosing his bride from the invited guests. Cynthia Louise at the ripe old age of 30 will be chaperoning her cousin Lady Gertrude with the hope that Gertie and the duke will make a match.

Alexander Borland, the Duke of Nottingvale is perfect – literally – he follows all the rules, he is a perfect gentleman and host. And regardless of his personal feelings, he will choose the most suitable lady at his house party to be his duchess. And she won’t be the spinster Cynthia Louise – who is fascinating and fun and completely unsuitable. Why with so many perfect choices he shouldn’t even be giving Cynthia Louise any thought at all. But when she offers to help him choose the best possible bride from all the candidates, he jumps at the chance to spend more time with her. But only to find a bride – that isn’t her and maybe to steal a kiss or two and maybe to break a rule or two – but that is it – because no matter how much he likes her – she won’t do – definitely not – because there is not a chance in hell that this imperfect spinster could ever be his perfect match – right?

This was a well written, sweet novella with a not-so-subtle nod to the ‘Grinch that Stole Christmas’. The story is fun with lots of witty banter, naughty ditties, a heroine who has embraced her inner hoyden and a duke that needs to lighten up, a puppy named Max, skiing, arrow injuries, lots of perfect debutantes, a lame proposal, some kissing and finally a very lovely declaration scene followed by the promise of HEA. Since this is the last book in the series, I do wish there had been a more in-depth epilogue set a bit later and catching the reader up with all the “Dukes of Christmas” – but even without that, this was a sweet, low heat romance with very likable characters and happy ending.

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that I requested and was provided to me by NetGalley and the publisher. *

The Viscounts Convenient Bride

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Luke, Viscount Enstone’s, resolve to avoid a love match is tested to its limit when he accepts responsibility for the Davenport family.

Luke has found it hard to sort out his late father’s affairs. A dishonest secretary and ailing land agent have left the family estates in disorder. With new people in place, he sets off to one of his smaller properties to discover the extent of an obligation that seems out of keeping with the cold-hearted father he remembers. Who is the young woman living at Shepley Hall and what was her connection to his father?

Miss Kitty Davenport has waited for a long time to find out if the new Viscount Enstone will continue the support his father gave to her family and her patience is wearing thin. Will he carry on paying for her young brother’s education and even assist him in finding a career? For herself, all she needs is help to find a suitable position as a companion and to escape from the unwanted attentions of a persistent suitor.

Purchase Links: UK ~ US

The Viscounts Author photo May 2020 (2)

Author Bio:

Josie lives in the English midlands, surrounded by towns full of history such as Evesham, Stratford-Upon- Avon, Warwick and Worcester. Which is perhaps why her favourite reads are historical. Out of all the periods to choose from the Regency Era stirs her imagination the most. The true Regency lasted from 1811 until 1820 but dates as wide as 1789 to 1837 have been included in the extended Regency period. For Josie the true flavour of this period emerges after the iniquitous hair powder tax of 1795, unsurprisingly, scuppered the fashion for hair powder almost overnight.
Josie has always dabbled in stories but it took the combined efforts of her sister and eldest niece to set her on the path to writing novels. Her Regency romances, with a dash of adventure and intrigue, are the result.

Connect with Josie:

Website ~ Twitter ~ Facebook

Tracy’s Review:

The Viscount’s Convenient Bride by Josie Bonham

Tracy’s rating: 3 of 5 stars

Series: Reluctant Brides, #2

Months after the death of her aunt, Kitty Davenport is getting desperate. Her mother died long ago, leaving her and her younger brother alone with their grieving father, Sir Henry Davenport. But when Sir Henry gambled away their home and fortune, they were taken in by her aunt, but her father died not long after. Upon the death of her aunt’s husband, her aunt contacted Sir Henry’s good friend Viscount Enstone and asked for help. The viscount set them up at his hunting lodge, agreed to pay for her brother’s education and even gave them a small allowance. But all that seemed to end when her aunt died and she has written to Viscount Enstone but hasn’t gotten any reply and now with no money, her reputation in tatters and a very unwelcome suitor, she is at her wits end with no one to turn to.

Luke Bamford, the new Viscount Enstone, has inherited a mess, he and his father hadn’t spoke in years as Luke served in the Army. When he got word of his father’s illness, he tried to get back to England in time, but sadly didn’t make it. Now he is trying to sort out the details of the estate. Which has brought him to the hunting lodge and a very angry Miss Davenport. He wants to make things right and decides to take her to London to stay with his Aunt Theo. And much to her relief, he assures her he will honor his father’s commitments and will pay for her brother’s schooling. He is sure his aunt will find her a suitable husband and wonders why that bothers him – since he has no plans to marry.

They get to know each other and Kitty realizes what an honorable man he is and tries to stop herself from developing tender feelings for him, but when they get to London and her nasty suitor follows, Luke protects her by saying they are betrothed. Hope blossoms as Kitty believes they have a love match, a misassumption Luke needs to correct – but before he can, he will have to save her again!

I am not really sure how I feel about this story; the beginning was confusing with so many deaths and frankly a frustrating introduction to the characters. The writing itself wasn’t bad, but I felt like I was sure what the main focus was supposed to be and at the end I still didn’t know. There was a lot going on, which might have been part of the problem for me – there was misunderstandings, A LOT of characters, a marriage of convenience, a missing fortune, a hero who despite several positive examples – refuses to fall in love because of his father’s reaction to losing his wife, kidnapping, warm love scenes and finally a HEA. Overall, I didn’t love this book, I was left with too many questions and am still trying to sort out the timeline of events, but I would consider reading more by this author in the future. This is the second book in the series, but I believe they are loosely connected and can be read as standalone titles.

I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that I requested and was provided to me for a blog tour review.