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

The Accidental Countess by Jess Michaels

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

The Accidental Countess (About An Earl #3)The Accidental Countess by Jess Michaels

My Rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Series: About An Earl, #3

Release Date: February 4, 2025

Clarissa Lockhart was raised to be a perfect lady, but after 3 three seasons she is still unwed, and her parents are growing impatient. They arrange a house party hoping to find a husband for her who will elevate them socially and support them financially. Clarissa is resigned, she knows it is her duty to honor her parents and to marry well, love is not something she expects or even desires, as strong emotions are not ladylike. In an effort to please her parents, Clarissa has always acted as expected and is a slave to proper etiquette, so when her rakish cousin George, Viscount Lockhart arrives at the house party with an uninvited guest in tow, she is annoyed, but much too polite to say anything to George’s friend and fellow rake, Roderick Stratford, the Earl of Kirkwood. She goes out of her way to avoid him, but he is not content to have her ignore him, which leads to them being caught in a compromising situation by her parents and they are forced to wed. Clarissa begins to fall for her husband but still holds tightly to her perfect comportment and still bends to her parents’ wishes. Can she let go of her rigid control and believe that she is worthy of love, or will she hold tight to old habits and forfeit the love of a lifetime?

Roderick Stratford, the Earl of Kirkwood, is a rake, but unlike other rakes, he actually believes in true love and is sure that one day he will find the love of his life. He thinks that when he meets the right woman it will be like a bolt of lightning, and he will know immediately that she is “the one”. So far, he hasn’t made that connection and when he is caught with Clarrisa, he believes that he has lost his chance at true love but plans to make the best of this forced union. The more time they spend together, the more he wants to make her happy and tries to help her relax a bit and see her own worth. He likes her and can’t deny his attraction to Clarissa or their compatibility in bed, but will that be enough or will he too learn to change the thinking of a lifetime and find love?

This was a delightful read with very likable characters and fresh plotlines. I liked Clarissa and Roderick, they each have ideals that they have nurtured all their lives and will each have to come to the realization those ideals may not be as absolute as they believed and that given a chance, love will find a way. Overall, this was a good read, with wonderful characters, cameos from previous characters, steamyish love scenes, a truly sigh worthy hero and a sweet heroine, great secondary characters, a forced marriage and finally a happy ending complete with an epilogue. This is the third book in the series, but it could easily be read as a standalone title without any problems. If you are looking for a steamyish historical romance with a storyline that is anything but run of the mill – look no further, you’ve found it!

*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. *

Review: My Inconvenient Duke by Loretta Chase

On By BarbaraIn Barb's Reviews, Georgian Era (1714-1837), Part of a Series3 Comments

My Inconvenient Duke (Difficult Dukes, #3)

Barbara’s rating: 3.4 out of 5 Stars
Series: Difficult Dukes #3
Publication Date: 1/21/25
Period: Georgian – 1832
Number of Pages: 384

This long-awaited final book in this author’s Difficult Dukes series was both a letdown and entertaining. The second book in the series was published four years ago in 2020, and I had to go back and skim-read it to refresh myself. This book is most definitely my least favorite of the series, but perhaps that is because I had such high expectations for it.

In the previous two books, Giles and Alice are already married but estranged. In this book, I expected to learn the reason for the estrangement and their resolution. That isn’t what I got (at least not to me). I never really felt the romance in this story nor the sad emptiness when the two are apart. It was just presented as business-as-usual because – well – it was business-as-usual. Each put their friends, their projects, etc. before their marriage and romance. Even at the end when Giles does such a sweetly romantic thing, it doesn’t have that heart-quivering, exciting, uplifting feel of romance.

There were many moments of entertaining, witty humor – especially in Giles’s internal dialogue, but that wasn’t enough for me to believe in the romance. For me, we could have done with less page time skipping around the countryside looking for lost urchins and brothers and more time on the romance time between the two main characters. Many parts of the story just felt slow and a tad draggy.

The opening chapter is excellent and sets the stage for Alice’s sudden decision to participate in London’s Season and find a husband. The chapter gives us an excellent feel for the dynamics between the three friends but doesn’t give a reasonable explanation for them (especially Giles) continuing to (at nearly 30) cling to decisions made in their teens. One would have to believe that the three would have some intellect and moments of clarity to run their vast estates and see them profitable. However, all actions described would make us believe they did nothing but drink, carouse, party, gamble, and participate in debaucheries. Personally, I had a hard time meshing the two attributes.

I am a huge fan of this author and always appreciate her wit and humor, which are displayed in her characters and situations. I especially enjoyed Giles’s internal dialogue in this book, but had a hard time translating those internal dialogues into actions on the romantic front. We were introduced to two new characters (or maybe they were in the previous books and I’ve forgotten) who would make good MMCs for future books. I really liked the Duke of Doveridge and the Earl of Lynforde and would love to see them find their HEAs in a truly romantic story. Another thing this book lacks – especially as the series end – is an epilogue that brings all of the couples and their HEAs into focus for us. The last chapter might have been meant as an epilogue, but I don’t think so and if it was, it missed the mark for me.

I voluntarily read an early copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

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