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 Duchess Takes All by Michelle McLean

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

The Duchess Takes it AllThe Duchess Takes it All by Michelle McLean

Tracy’s Rating: 3 of 5 stars

Series: Standalone with possibility of spinoff novels

Release Date: November 26, 2024

Tamsin Palmer, the widowed Duchess of Clevesley has never really been accepted by society despite her advantageous marriage to a Duke, in the eyes of the ton, she is nothing more than a wealthy Cit whose father bought her a title, and sadly the duke, while considerate to her physically, did nothing to smooth her entrance into the upper echelons of society, preferring to have her stay in the country with their infant son. But now that her mourning is almost complete, she hopes to finally find her place in the ton, raise her son, continue to use her art to make a difference and live happily independent ever after. And then she met him…

Christian August, Count of Rauchberg, is a German noble and cousin to the late duke. He was named by his cousin as executor of the dukedom and co-guardian to his young son. Christian is all about duty and thanks to his mother being of lower birth than his father, knows firsthand how cruel society can be to those they deem as lesser mortals. He believes he will go to England, set the estate to rights, form a plan for the young duke’s future and then return to Germany, marry an acceptable bride and live dutifully ever after. And then he met her…

This book was entertaining, but not quite the story I was expecting. I was hoping for a light, fun read and it started out that way and then for some unknown reason, the author decided to crank up the angst and made the characters miserable before easily solving the problem and giving them a HEA. Overall, it was an OK read, but not one I would re-read. This book doesn’t appear to be the start of a new series but does have several secondary characters that might get stories of their own.

*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. *

Golden Lord by Mary Jo Putney

On By TracyIn Check Content Warning/Triggers, Georgian Era (1714-1837), Historical Paranormal/Fantasy, Non-Traditional Romance, Paranormal / Fantasy, Part of a Series, Romantasy, Tracy's ReviewsLeave a comment

Golden Lord (Dangerous Gifts, #2)Golden Lord by Mary Jo Putney

Tracy’s Rating: 3 of 5 stars (I’m being generous)

Series: Dangerous Gifts, #2

Release Date: November 26, 2024

When Caden “Cade” Tremayne, an agent for the crown and the eldest of Rhys & Gwen Tremayne’s foster children was informed of his new mission, he knew that this was going to be a mission unlike any before. He is “gifted” and has a strong sense of foreboding and feels anger directed at him specifically. But with England and France on the brink of war, it is imperative to get the English ambassador and him family out of Paris as quickly as possible. He is delighted to learn that his foster sister Lady Tamsyn will be his partner, as they have a close bond and work extremely well together. They set out and both feel the gathering danger, but it isn’t until they are almost ready to board a ship back to England that the danger he had sensed is manifested. Cade is captured by a French agent who is also gifted, and his mind is blocked causing him to forget who and what he is, but Tamsyn manages to mentally connect with him and promises to save him. He believes that she is his wife and when they are finally reunited and his mind is cleared, he is horrified to realize that now Tamsyn knows his secret. A secret that could either be downfall of the “Tribe of Tremayne” or one that could bond them in ways they never imagined.

Lady Tamsyn “Tam” Tremayne is the eldest child and heir to the Tremayne earldom, she is also powerfully gifted and an agent for the home office. Her gift is primarily healing of the mind and body, but she also has a strong gift of intuition. She too senses danger in the upcoming mission and great change, but nothing prepares her for Cade’s secret. She isn’t sure if she can accept the change, but soon knows her heart is with Cade and hopes she will not have to choose between him and her family. But before she can worry about that, she senses that their mission is far from over, they need to get back to England in one piece and thwart Napoleon’s plans!

WARNING: The rest of this review might be a little “Spoilerish” and is definitely opinionated.

I will be honest, this book was not for me, I LOVED the first book but this one… I could not get past the brother/sister thing – I grew up in a family that took in foster children and adopted children, for me they were (and still are) my brothers and sisters – the idea of romantic love between two people who have been raised as brother and sister since they were very young children, is repulsive to me – maybe if they hadn’t met until they were young adults, I could get past it, but the story is clear, they met as very young children and have always considered each other as siblings – in fact most of the book they call each other brother/sister – I just can’t pretend that I am all right with that. That said, yes, I am aware that I have a personal bias – so, please make up your own mind, there are lots of rave reviews for this book and I will not deny that it is an interesting story with very likable characters. And the author makes a good attempt to explain that Cade never really considered her as a sister and always loved her (it just didn’t matter to me – it still felt wrong) the gifted part of the story is good and if they hadn’t been siblings, I probably would have enjoyed it. This is the second book in the series, and I would strongly recommend reading this series in order.

*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. *