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 Wallflower List by Jess Michaels

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

The Wallflower List (About An Earl #1)The Wallflower List by Jess Michaels

Tracy’s Rating: 3.5/4 of 5 stars

Series: About an Earl, #1

Release Date: October 8, 2024

When her best friend and fellow wallflower Lady Claudia dies unexpectedly, Lady Marianne is heartbroken, especially by the small showing at Claudia’s funeral. It sets her to thinking about her own life and when she finds a list of things Claudia wanted to do before she died, she at first shocked and then intrigued. Wanting to honor her friend and live the life her friend so clearly wanted, Marianne sets out to complete the list. And starts by having her maid alter one of her gowns to be more daring, thus accomplishing one of Claudia’s items “Wear Something Daring” and to her complete and utter surprise, this small change triggers a huge change in her life. For the first time she feel “seen” and even garners the attention of her brother’s best friend, Sebastian, the Earl of Ramsbury, a man she has long considered a friend, but one who clearly never saw her as a woman until that night. She asks his help in completing the list (without telling him of the list) and finally admits to herself that what she feels for Sebastian is much more than friendship but knows he will never want a wallflower like her. But that doesn’t mean she can’t enjoy the attention while she has it.

Sebastian, the Earl of Ramsbury has been friends with Phineas “Finn”, the Earl of Delacourt and his younger sister Marianne for as long as he can remember, they are two of the most important people in his life and he would never do anything to threaten those relationships. But he starts to see Marianne in a new light when she makes a splash at the Brighthollow ball and has to force himself to remember that he promised Finn that he would never seduce his sister. But some promises need to be broken and when he shares a forbidden kiss with Marianne, he is lost and might end up losing everyone he cares about if he can’t control his desire for the only woman he absolutely shouldn’t want.

I liked this book, but it wasn’t really the story I was hoping for, as Marianne turns out to be a sort of Regency era Pollyanna. She was a very nice character – maybe too nice and even with her “daringness” to complete Claudia’s list with things like: Fill my dance card, learn to play billiards, and go to a party uninvited. There was nothing really shocking (save the last item on the list) to my jaded mind. And as much as I love a good “Brother’s Best Friend” trope, this wasn’t quite that, since Sebastian was already legitimately good friends with her, so I think I had a hard time accepting that he never “saw” her until that ball. Anyway, it was a cute story with a bit of drama and some fairly steamy scenes, but I just felt like this could have been so much more than it was, that being said, I did enjoy the book and would happily recommend it. I am also looking forward to reading Finn’s story which is the next book in the series.

*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. *

A Novel Lord by Jane Charles

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

A Novel Lord (Sinclair Brothers Book 2)A Novel Lord by Jane Charles

Tracy’s Rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Series: Sinclair Brothers, #2

Release Date: October 8, 2024

After years on the marriage mart, Miss Eliza Weston has set herself on the shelf and is ready to live an independent life. She had her brother invest her dowry, moved into the Putney Hotel and makes a good living writing novels under the pen name E.B. Westin. She is happy and successful, her only regret is a kiss with a grumpy earl that got her banned from Wyndhill Park, a place she is sure is the hiding place of a thieves’ cache of stolen goods, which happens to include a mummy. There is also the pesky problem of a secret stalker, who has figured out who she is and where she lives. But as luck would have it, she is invited to the wedding of her dearest friend Olivia, who is marrying Xavier Sinclair at his family home – Wyndhill Park. There is no way Lucian Sinclair, the Earl of Garretson can forbid her attending. And once she is there, she plans to stay by renting a cottage that is conveniently right next to Wyndhill Park. She is sure she will be able to sneak onto the estate and search for the stolen goods, especially since Lucian’s brother Micah has supplied her with a map of potential hiding places. But things do not go as planned and Eliza’s stalker has once again found her. Forcing her to accept the protection of Lord Garretson, the grumpy earl with whom she shared a kiss that she had never forgotten and for whom she fears she has lost her heart.

Lucian Sinclair, the Earl of Garretson is a very sensible and controlled man, the complete opposite of the lovely and vivacious Eliza Weston, the one woman who irritates him more than any other and the one he can’t seem to forget. Banning her from the estate ten years ago after she kissed him, a kiss that might have ended in a forced marriage if anyone had seen it, seemed like a good decision and since he rarely went to London, he should have been able to forget about her and move on. He didn’t. She has haunted his dreams and tainted his perception of women; none measure up to her. He is upset when he learns that she will be living nearby, but when he learns of her stalker, nothing will stop him from protecting her – not even her own stubborn independence. And maybe having her close will finally end his inconvenient infatuation. It doesn’t.

As usual, Jane Charles delivers a wonderful, well-written story with likable characters. This book has a lot going on, but even with a plethora of plot lines, it is still a romance and thankfully that doesn’t get lost in the details. I did feel like this book dragged a bit and there was some repetitive, overemphasizing about Lucien’s feelings for her and Eliza at times made decisions that had me questioning her intelligence. But overall, I enjoyed this book, it was a fun story with great characters, stolen treasure, a creepy stalker, a grumpy earl, steamyish love scenes, intrigue and finally a HEA complete with an epilogue. This is the second book in the Sinclair Brothers Series (and has ties to Wiggons’ School for Elegant Young Ladies) but it could easily be read as a standalone title.

*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. *