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

No Rest for the Wicked: Pirates of Britannia Connected World by Lauren Smith

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No Rest for the Wicked: Pirates of Britannia Connected WorldBarbara’s rating: 5 of 5 stars

Series: Pirates of Britannia Connected World
Publication Date: 10/30/19
Number of Pages: 219

This book is the author’s first foray into writing a pirate story and I can tell you – she has absolutely outdone herself. This is an excellent read. The excitement starts on the first page and doesn’t let up till the last. The book will tear your heart out and then put it all back together again – and there is a twist at the end that will absolutely floor you!

Dominic Greyville, the heir to the Earl of Camden, was fourteen when he was kidnapped and sold into slavery. He suffered years of torture and abuse and was forced into becoming a pirate. Now, fourteen years later, he is a pirate and captain of his own sloop, the Emerald Dragon. He and his crew spend as much time attacking slave ships and freeing the slaves as they do capturing treasure, but that won’t keep them from being hanged if they are ever caught.

Roberta (Robbie) Harcourt was raised on the sea. She lost her mother when she was very young and her father couldn’t bear being separated from her, so she went on many of his sea voyages. She loved the freedom and adventure of the sea and hoped that her new life in Port Royal where her father Rear Admiral Harcourt would now be based.

Dominic gets word that there is a ship with ‘precious’ cargo headed toward Port Royal. It is such important cargo that there is a rear admiral traveling with it. That certainly whets a pirate’s appetite. It doesn’t take much effort for the Emerald Dragon to overtake the Fortune and capture all on board. After the captives are placed in a longboat with instruments to head them toward Port Royal, the Fortune begins to sink. Except – they found two cabin boys hiding in a closet. It is too late to get them onto the longboats, so Dominic’s crew takes them along with them. It doesn’t take Dominic long to realize that the cabin boys aren’t boys at all.

I loved seeing Roberta and Dominic dance around each other. The attraction was strong an the more Roberta learned about Dominic, the greater the attraction. There can be no life together for them – Dom is a pirate and would be hanged if he were caught.

You really have to read this wonderful pirate story. It is filled with love, friendship, enemies, and so very much excitement and suspense. The ending – all I can say is WOW!

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

How to Capture a Duke by Tina Gabrielle

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How to Capture a DukeHow to Capture a Duke by Tina Gabrielle

Tracy’s rating: 3 of 5 stars

Series: The Raven Club #3

Release Date: 10/14/19

Lady Olivia Swift and Tristian Cameron, the Duke of Keswick met by chance when Olivia, who is attending his grandmother’s house party, escapes out the stables. She mistakes Tristian for a groom and he makes no attempt to correct her. When she comes back to the stables to ride, Tristian accompanies her and they share a kiss. Later when Olivia is accused of a crime, she names Tristian as her alibi. This leads to a hasty marriage of convenience.

Tristian has a speech impediment, he stutters and has been shamed and ridiculed for a good portion of his life. He keeps to himself and has refused to marry and have children. He is content to let his cousin Spencer inherit. He is enraged and believes that Olivia trapped him into marriage – he makes it clear on their wedding day that he will never be a true husband – he then proceeds to tell her she is to stay in the country and leaves for London.

At first Olivia is devastated, but his grandmother sets her straight and sends her off to London. Once there Olivia meets Spencer and learns that Tristian never plans to father children, she is stunned, especially after she saw him interact with her niece and nephew, she knew he was angry, but assumed eventually he would want an heir. When she confronts him, he confirms, he will not share her bed. Olivia doesn’t give up and enriches Tristian’s life in many ways. For his part, Tristian wants Olivia, but he is not willing to risk having a child, yet the more time he spends with her, the more he is falling under her spell and finally gives in to his desire, but almost immediately regrets it and stubbornly refrains from physical contact, but still spends time with her. Olivia is encouraged and is ready to tell him she loves him and to share her secret, but her hopes of a HEA are shattered when someone leaks a secret about Tristian to the papers and he immediately accuses her and her sister. It is the proverbial straw and leads her to leave him. Will he finally open his eyes and see Olivia is perfect for him or will he keep them closed and lose the love of a lifetime?

The idea of this story was good – mistaken identity, marriage of convenience and a hero who has to overcome emotional and physical impediments – but for me, it fell flat and I place that blame squarely on Tristian, he was such a jerk to her, always assuming the worst and pushing her away, right up until the last chapter and then he did a complete about-face about everything – I just didn’t believe it. There were also formal address issues and I was not happy that the reader never finds out what happened to the villain. Otherwise, it was well written and the story had a lot of potential and if I had been able to connect with Tristian, I might have felt differently, because Olivia was great and I LOVED Ellie in this book.

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