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

Gentlemen and Gloves Anthology by Various Authors

On By TracyIn Anthology, Author Collaboration Series, Georgian Era (1714-1837), Novella, Regency Era (1811-1820)Leave a comment

Gentlemen & GlovesGentlemen & Gloves by Various Authors

Tracy’s rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: Lords and Ladies of St. James, #5

Release Date: February 20, 2024

This fun new anthology features six new exclusive novellas by some of your favorite historical romance authors all featuring gentlemen and gloves. Here are a few of my favorite novellas, each with varying steam levels and tropes, but each an enjoyable read! In my opinion, this collection is worth buying, not only is the price amazing, but even if you only read one or two of the selections included in the anthology you will be delighted and know that it was money well spent.

Unmasked at Midnight by Collette Cameron, 4 stars – Lord Darius Westbrook has sold his commission in the Navy, moved to Woodhaven, and is the proud owner of Westbrook’s Book & Coffee Emporium. He will be opening the shop in a couple of months and plans to celebrate the opening with a masked event, featuring several authors reading their works. But despite the work he has to do, he has already set his sights on his next task – courting the lovely Eudora Clarke, regardless of his twin brother’s objections. In fact, he was watching the beauteous Miss Clarke when he met the vicar’s daughter, Araminta Weldon, thanks to her pet goose, Sir Waddlesby. Miss Weldon convinces him to let her operate her lending library in his shop and suggests that he stock books by Madame Quillheart (her secret nom de plume). Will Darius realize that Araminta is the true treasure or will he continue to pursue a beautiful but poisonous viper? Heat Level: Sweet/No Steam

The Virgin Widow by Robyn Dehart, 4 stars – Agatha Pennybrook, the widowed Countess of Tolley, has just completed her mourning period and her parents are pushing for her to remarry, but Agatha has decided that she doesn’t want to marry again, but without a fortune to support herself, she will need a way to make a living and believes that being a mistress would be her best bet, the problem is her late husband was sick and died shortly after they married, leaving her a virgin. So to learn about the profession she plans to enter, she seeks out the knowledge of London’s most infamous madame, Lady Leblanc. But it is not the madame who offers to teach her, it is the madame’s gorgeous son Sebastian St. Claire, one of the “Notorious Bastards”. Sebastian and Agatha burn up the pages and fall in love, but there are things they don’t know about each other – things that could rip them apart and break their hearts. Heat Level: Steamy/Open Door

Kiss the Duke Goodbye by Tracy Sumner, 4 stars, – Thanks to his late father’s mismanagement and poor financial sense, Knoxville DeWitt, the Duke of Herschel needs to find a rich bride to save the dukedom and he knows he has a duty to his family, tenants, and servants, but his heart longs to marry for love. He suspects that he has already found that love, Clarissa Marlowe, but she is completely unsuitable, not because she is a milliner, but because she doesn’t have a fortune. He has been visiting her and flirting for months, and when he finally suggests an affair, he is surprised when she agrees. They meet at her cottage and end up spending several days together thanks to a snowstorm. It is clear that they are perfect for each other, but love doesn’t pay the bills, will they find a way to save the estate and be together or will they sacrifice their love for duty? Heat Level: Very Warm to Steamy/Open Door.

This was a great collection with several different tropes, and heat levels at a great price – I enjoyed this book and definitely recommend it to my fellow HR readers.

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that I requested and was provided to me by the publisher. All opinions in this review are my own.*

How (Not) to Hate a Duke by Jennifer Haymore

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

How (Not) to Hate a DukeHow (Not) to Hate a Duke by Jennifer Haymore

Tracy’s rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: Standalone Title (with characters from Earls Rush In)

Release Date: February 19. 2024

Heiress Georgiana Milford is tired of the social whirl and fending off fortune hunters and is impatiently awaiting the arrival of her older sister who has been in Nova Scotia for 9 long years, so when her dearest friend Charlotte suggests that she join her and her husband at a house party for a couple weeks, she happily agrees. But her happiness is extinguished by the arrival of her family’s country neighbor and archenemy, Theophilus “Theo” St. Clair, the new Duke of Desborough, and an unfortunate encounter with a hawthorn bush. After that fiasco, she can’t wait to get to the country, but when she arrives she is in a for surprise, the duke is also a guest. She wants to leave, but Charlotte convinces her to stay and begs her to give the duke a chance, swearing that she has known him for years and that he is nothing like his vile father. She promises to try and is shocked to realize that she has misjudged Theo, and after getting to know him, begins to fall for him. But what future could they possibly have? Her father hates him and Theo has done nothing to improve his image in her father’s eyes. Is happily ever after possible or will she have to sacrifice one love for another?

Theo St. Clair inherited a nightmare from his father, the former duke aka the Duke of Despots. The estate is in disrepair, the fields are fallow, the tenants leaving, the villagers and his staff don’t trust him and to make matters worse, his neighbor Thomas Milford is spreading rumors about him and undermining all of his attempts to make improvements. Theo is at his wits end with the estate and when he is called to London to deal with his younger brother Sebastian’s gambling debts, things just get worse when he encounters Georgiana Milford in Hyde Park and is blamed for the damage done to her gown. He tries to make it up to her by offering the use of his carriage to get home without anyone seeing her, but his offer is met with contempt. Thankfully, Charlotte, the wife of his best friend Lord Trevelyan is there and manages to smooth things over. Later when Trevelyan suggests he take a break from his troubles and join them at the Merrick’s house party, he jumps at the chance. But when he arrives and finds that Georgiana is a guest, he wants to leave, but Trevelyan convinces him to give Georgiana a chance, telling him that if he can prove to her that his intentions for the estate are honest, then maybe she can get her father to back down. But the more time he spends with her, the more he realizes that she is the only Milford he wants to impress. They declare their love, but when her parents arrive, it is clear that her father will never approve of him. He can’t lose her, but neither can he make her choose between him and her family. Will love find a way or was it doomed from the start?

This was a well-written, nicely done Enemies to Lovers story that gives readers a new twist on an old trope. The book is filled with wonderful characters, misconceptions, great secondary characters, spelunking, steamy love scenes, heartbreaking revelations, painful choices, true love, and finally a hard-earned HEA complete with an epilogue. I liked this book, but to be honest, I wasn’t a fan of Georgiana at the start of the book, she was very closed-minded and judgmental, but once she was able to put aside her preconceived notions about Theo, she became his fiercest defender and redeemed herself. Aside from that, this was a very entertaining and steamy read that was a fresh take on an old trope and a book that I am happy to recommend. Although this is touted as a standalone title, it is worth mentioning that it features characters from another one of Ms. Haymore’s standalone titles “Earls Rush In”.

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that I requested and was provided to me by the publisher. All opinions in this review are my own.*