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 Summer of Wine and Scandal by Shana Galen

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

The Summer of Wine and Scandal: A NovellaThe Summer of Wine and Scandal: A Novella by Shana Galen

Tracy’s rating: 3.5/4 of 5 stars

Series: originally published in the Anthology “A Gentleman for All Seasons”

Release Date: June 29, 2016

Peregrine Lochley, the youngest son of Viscount Lochley meets Miss Caroline “Caro” Martin when she helps him free his carriage from the mud. Lochley feels awful for letting her do the work and impulsively invites her and her family to dinner. She asks if his hosts will mind and he assures her it will not be a problem, she is not so sure…

Caro has secrets, there is much speculation about the village about what happened to her 4 years ago after the town’s fair, most people think she was sent away to give birth to a child, but the truth of her time away is much more heartbreaking. She is ruined and her family is avoided and have not been invited to any events since she returned. She knows that once Lochley learns of her scandal, the invitation to dinner will be recalled. But to her complete shock, it isn’t! They go to dinner and she learns that Lochley is known for his ability to pick wine, in fact, he will be judging the wine tasting at the upcoming fair. An event that her family’s vineyard will be entered in. When talk turns wine, Lochley goes to his room to retrieve a bottle and is shocked to find Caro wandering the halls, turns out the host’s sister is a bit of a matchmaker and set them up, but Caro believes the worst of Lochley and thinks he is trying to seduce her and gives him an earful.

Days later their paths meet again and this time she helps him find his way back to his friend’s estate, when they arrive, he kisses her and to her surprise, she likes it – too much. But this begins a friendship of sorts and he meets her again and again. Lochley is falling for her, but when a chance meeting in Tunbridge Wells has him learning the truth of her scandal, he is taken aback and is not sure he can accept the truth. It will take some wise words from his friend Gage and some soul searching, before he comes to a decision, but is it too late? Did his initial reaction hurt Caro too deeply for her to believe his feelings are sincere?

I thought this was a well written, fast paced novella about overcoming the past and learning to forgive yourself. It is filled with a lot of emotion, forgiveness, heartache, acceptance and sweet kisses. I liked Lochley and Caro, but I am not a big fan of the story’s ending, if felt incomplete and a bit unfinished. Overall this was a good story and completely different than your typical Regency but be warned, there are some trigger issues (attempted rape, survivor shame) that might upset some readers.

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eBook that was provided to me.*

You May Kiss the Duke by Charis Michaels

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You May Kiss the Duke (The Brides of Belgravia, #3)You May Kiss the Duke by Charis Michaels
Tracy’s rating: 3.5/4 of 5 stars

Series: The Brides of Belgravia, #3

Release Date: May 21, 2019

After going along with her friends idea of placing an advert in the Times looking for grooms, Sabine Noble never expected or wanted to find love, she just wanted escape. So when Sabine married Jon Stoker, it was strictly a marriage of convenience, she believed he needed her dowry for a shipping venture and she needed to rescued from her abusive uncle, it seemed like the perfect arrangement. They strike a bargain and agree to marry and part ways. It seemed that these two would never find the kind of happiness her friends have with their convenient grooms, but that is fine, she is happy in London and if she happens to think of her handsome husband and wonder what he is doing from time to time, that is to be expected – right?

Sabine moved to London four years ago after marrying and parting ways with Jon. She has a very satisfying life writing travel guides. Her life is calm and predictable until she discovers that her vile uncle might be up to no good and sets out to investigate. It is on one of her investigative outings that she finds her husband left for dead on board a hospital ship. Unable to leave him, she brings him back to her rooms and sees to his care. She doesn’t want him in her home, but there is no one else to care for him or so she tells herself.

When Jon wakes, he is confused, what happened to him? He is surprised to see Sabine, the girl he rescued by marrying her and then sailed away from. Jon has a history of rescuing women, born to a prostitute and raised in a brothel, Jon has experienced the absolute worst of mankind and has some very odd ideas of what is and is not acceptable – very odd – he is (and always has been) attracted to Sabine and insists on leaving her apartments, but when the doctor says he has to stay, he reluctantly agrees and slowly Sabine begins to peel away the layers that make up this complex man. The longer they are together, the more they dread their inevitable parting, but maybe it doesn’t have to end… But before they can consider their options, they must find out who tried to kill Jon and Sabine must figure out what her uncle is up to and find a way to regain everything he stole from her.

This was a very interesting story with incredibly complexed characters, warmish love scenes, surprising revelations, witty and entertaining banter, a heroine who knows what she wants and a hero that thinks he knows more than he actually does. I enjoyed reading the book, but felt like a lot was left out and the ending left me with a lot of unanswered questions and feeling a bit unsatisfied. This is the third book in the series, but it can easily be read as a stand alone title.

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