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

What Happens in Brighton by Various Authors

On By TracyIn Anthology, Author Collaboration Series, Book Publicity, Check Content Warning/Triggers, Georgian Era (1714-1837), New To Me Author, Non-Traditional Romance, Novella, Part of a Series, Regency Era (1811-1820), Standalone Title, Tracy's Reviews, Victorian Era (1837-1901)Leave a comment

What Happens in BrightonWhat Happens in Brighton by Anna Bradley, Tracy Brogan, Kerrigan Byrne, Gayle Callen, Christy Carlyle, Sofie Darling, Eileen Dryer, Barbara Russell & Misty Urban

Tracy’s Rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: Connected to Several of the Authors Ongoing Series

Release Date: February 10, 2026

Set in the enchanting seaside town of Brighton, England, where the sun kisses the shore and dreams linger in the salty breeze, a vibrant tapestry of souls will Vicar’s daughters and country maidens striving to ascend the social ladder, widows daring to seek a second chance at joy, and heartbroken singles clinging to the fragile hope of love. I enjoyed this collection a lot, but the following novellas really stood out to me:

Queen of Hearts by Anna Bradley – 4 stars: A bit of a love at first sight trope – To give her ailing brother a chance to take treatments in Brighton, seamstress Charlotte “Lottie” Bathurst, scrims and saves to let them stay for two weeks, but when they are robbed, she will either have to cut the visit short or gamble to recoup the lost funds. She dresses up as a young man and goes to Hart’s Ace, catching the notice of the owner Armitage Hart.

The Way We Were by Gayle Callen – 5 stars: A second-chance romance after losing a child – This was a very emotional story, Lucy Lawton and her husband Captain Reginald “Reggie” Lawton have been separated for a year, she doesn’t expect him back for two weeks, but learns he is already in England and was seen with another woman on his arm! Lucy goes to Brighton to confront him and to tell him she wants to lead separate lives. Only to learn who the woman really is and that her husband isn’t willing to give up on their marriage.

A Day at the Beach by Eileen Dreyer – 4.5 stars: Another second chance romance – After 6 long years, Phillip Long, the Earl of Everleigh has returned after being sold to a press-gang by his wife. He is back and wants answers, but what he finds is more questions! Eleanor Long, grieved deeply for her husband, and has stayed in England to protect Everleigh’s estate for their son – but it has been a fight with his grasping cousin. She is shocked when Phillip returns and accuses her of having him press-ganged and makes other accusations. Can they find the truth and their way back to each other?

A Night You Won’t Remember by Barbara Russell – 4 stars: After Lady Esther accidentally meets Alexander, the Duke of Richmond and mistakes him for someone else, they form a friendship. Later she is shocked to learn that he is the duke her mother has been trying to set up with! She hates to admit it, but she likes him and when the chance to see him again in Brighton comes up, she is excited to see him again. But a wild night with her social rival may ruin any chance she has with Alexander, when she takes his prized fencing foil and can’t remember what she did with it!

This anthology contains nine never-before-published novellas, some with connections to the author’s own series and with several different tropes, ensuring that there is really something for everyone in this collection! I highly recommend this collection and will definitely be looking up some of these author’s backlists!  My overall rating is based on an average of all nine novellas

*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. *

 

The Duke’s Meddlesome Matchmaker by Emily E K Murdoch

On By TracyIn Contemporary in Period Dress, Georgian Era (1714-1837), New To Me Author, Part of a Series, Regency Era (1811-1820), Tracy's ReviewsLeave a comment

The Duke's Meddlesome Matchmaker (The Unconventional Oliver Sisters, #1)The Duke’s Meddlesome Matchmaker by Emily E.K. Murdoch

Tracy’s Rating: 2.5 of 5 stars

Series: The Unconventional Oliver Sisters #1

Release Date: January 27, 2026

After the death of her father, the Oliver sisters, Aphrodite “Ditty”, Thalia and Calliope, moved to London with their heartbroken mother. Ditty soon realized that they were left penniless and that their mother was too caught up in her grief to form any sort of plan, so Ditty did what she does best – plan! She started a business designing and planning the perfect marriage proposal, despite not being a fan of love matches or romantic love in general. Business is good and she has an exceptional success rate, but when she refuses a commission, the spurned client makes a lot of noise and she accepts a job outside of London to let things calm down.

She travels to the small village of Brexley, which apparently is “The Home of Romance” to meet her new client Mr. Charles Paisley. But it isn’t Charles who picks her up from the Coaching house – it is his older brother Henry, the town doctor and newly minted Duke of Glanyrafon. After a bit of miscommunication and more than a little rudeness on Henry’s part, Ditty is relieved to realize that he is not her client. She tries to ignore her attraction to him and gets to work planning the perfect proposal for Charles and his (hopefully) soon to be fiancée. As she settles into town, Henry tries to make amends for his terrible behavior when they first met and slowly the two form a friendship. Henry inherited the title only to learn that it was penniless, but he had already opened a retirement home for the elderly residents of Brexley. He has been quietly struggling to keep the home afloat until Ditty offers to help him. Henry has been burned by love, and it has made him a bit jaded, but with Ditty he realizes that he gave his heart to the wrong woman. He would love to woo Ditty, but he has nothing to offer her other than his heart.

After reading the blurb, I was very excited to jump right into this book as it sounded amazing. I started reading and almost immediately realized that the title of the book is deceiving – Ditty is not a matchmaker, she plans proposals – which seems a bit unbelievable, especially for the Regency era. The further I got into the story, the more disillusioned I became – the story is fine, but the idea of three sisters with mythological names making their own way seemed very familiar and as I read it became clear that this book is a contemporary in period dress – there is nothing even remotely historical about this book other than the characters wear period clothing, ride in carriages and have no electricity, they do not observe the properties of the era, or even basic etiquette. Overall, I guess I am just too picky, if you don’t get hung up on historical etiquette, primogeniture, or correct formal address, you will probably enjoy this story. For me, it was a miss, I didn’t hate it and I liked the author’s writing style, but I wouldn’t read it again and I don’t think I will be reading any future installments of this 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. *