Historical Rom-Com – Page 12 – Flippin' Pages Book Reviews

Her Adventures in Temptation by Megan Frampton

Series: School for Scoundrels, #3

Release Date: January 23, 2024

Myrtle Allen, sister of Viscount Leybourne, is many things; a lover of cake and pretty gowns, a loving Aunt, a brilliant mathematician, and an heiress, but subtle she is not. So when she insults a suitor during a ball being hosted by her brother Richard, he has had enough and gives her an ultimatum, either find a husband or do something to – before he can finish, his tirade is cut off midsentence by a scream, sending them both to find the source. The source is Richard’s very drunk wife who was hitting on and being rejected by the artist Richard hired to paint her portrait. Richard quickly defuses the situation and demands the artist leave. Giving Myrtle the opening she needs to “do something”. She plans to go to London and start an investment consulting business for women. She plans to use her knowledge of investments and accounting to help women manage their money wisely, thus giving them access to financial independence, something she herself longs for. She convinces the artist, Simeon Jones to take her with him when he leaves, promising to pay him triple what her brother had promised him for the portrait. She is surprised to discover that Simeon is not just another wastrel, he is talented, smart, and dedicated to his craft, and he is also unbelievably handsome, charming, as well as extremely kind. She is drawn to him but knows they have no future, so with a kiss, she prepares to part forever, but a twist of fate brings them back together and pretending to be betrothed! The more time they are together, the more she wants what she can never have, or can she?

Simeon Jones is one of the infamous Bastard Five, a group of men who met as children at the Devenaugh Home for Destitute Boys, each of whom where adopted but never lost touch, meeting together as often as possible for their book club. Simeon is known as charming, talented, and a bit of a rake, his lovers are legion, and his art is amazing but he has a secret, unlike his fellow bastards was not taken in by a well-to-do family – Simeon barely keeps his head above water, especially since he has a soft-heart and often gives away his last shilling to help someone else. Which is exactly why he was at the viscount’s estate painting a portrait of his handsy wife. He has discovered his late adopted mother had a child that she gave to her sister to raise, but now the sister has passed and the Reverend of their village has sought out Simeon to take over the care of the now orphaned child. He is wondering what he can do when Myrtle demands he take her with him to London. He is not sure it is a good idea, and he is a bit overwhelmed by her, but the more time spent with her, the more he wants, and so when her brother agrees to pay him an incredible sum to pretend to be betrothed to Myrtle and help her guide her niece through her debut, he can’t say no. Soon he finds himself in love with Myrtle but knows it is hopeless, he can’t ask her to sacrifice her dreams or her fortune to marry him, or can he?

This was a well-written story of two people who at first glance appear to be complete opposites, but who have more in common than anyone could have imagined. They form a friendship, which blossoms into more than they agreed to, causing each of them to deny their true feelings, to spare the other any discomfort. The book has witty banter, a lot of cake, surprises, inspiration, debutantes, a cute dog, an annoying brother, a fake betrothal, a public jilting, steamyish love scenes, a few tears, and finally a HEA that didn’t seem possible as well as a very sweet epilogue. I liked this book, but I didn’t really feel the romance, I loved both Simeon and Myrtle individually, but together they seemed to be missing the necessary “spark”. I can’t put my finger on what it was exactly, maybe it was her social ineptitude or maybe it was the constant reminders of how many times he had been in love before, but whatever it was, it just didn’t click for me. I enjoyed the story and was happy that they found a way to be together, but I wasn’t wowed. This is the third book in the series but it could easily be read as a standalone title with no problems. I like this series and would absolutely recommend it to my fellow HR readers and will be looking forward to Fenton’s book.

*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.*

You’re the Duke That I Want by Lenora Bell

Tracy’s rating: 3 of 5 stars

Series: The Thunderbolt Club, #1

Release Date: December 26, 2023

Sandrine Oliver lives in the quiet village of Squalton-On-Sea and is a devoted and dutiful daughter to her mother who is a paranoid pessimist who spouts the dangers of men and life in general, and who is bent on seeing Sandrine married to the town’s vicar. So when Sandrine is not being lectured by her mother, or pressured to marry the village vicar, she spends her time researching the crumbling Manor house that used to be owned by her father’s family but was lost centuries ago to the Duke of Rydell. Sandrine has tried to contact the duke many times, hoping he will fix up the house or give it to the Squalton Historicial Preservation and Improvement Society (of which she is the secretary), but much to her dismay, he has ignored her. But all that changes one hot afternoon when Sandrine uncharacteristically defies her mother and takes a dip in the sea, only to be accosted by a man claiming to be saving her from drowning. She soon finds herself falling for Danny, who disappears without a word. It is also the same man she sees later in London with a group of rakes, but this man is not the sweet, man she met in Squalton-on-Sea, nor is he Danny Smith, no, he is Dane Walker, the presumed Duke of Rydell and it that is not bad enough, he is pretending to not to know her!

Lord Dane Walker is the “spare heir” to his brother, the Duke of Rydell, and a founding member of the Thunderbolt Club, a group of young rakes who like racing carriages and fast women. He is in the sleepy town of Squalton-on-Sea to check out Squaltonn Manor, a property his father left him, but it is not long before he realizes his family is hated in the small town, so he tells the locals his name is Danny Smith. He sees the manor and knows that it is not the windfall he believed it to be, it is in dire need of repair and anyone buying it will probably want to raze the building and start from scratch, especially given the general air of neglect and disrepair of the entire town. Disappointed, he plans to return to Brighton but is stymied when his horse comes up lame. Instead, he wanders down to the manor and is shocked to see a woman splashing alone in the sea, he promptly saves her and finds himself captivated. Maybe staying in Squalton for a few days won’t be too bad. Sandrine is lovely, smart, and not his type at all, meaning, she is too good for him, yet that doesn’t stop him from craving her. But when he receives notice that his brother has died, he leaves without a second thought, never expecting to see her again.

When I saw that Lenora Bell was launching a new series I was excited. And when I read the blurb and requested this book from NetGalley, I was under the impression that this book was “Grease-inspired”, but a few chapters in I realized that was a huge understatement, this is a straight-up retelling of the 1970 movie classic set in Georgian England with only a few deviations. That said – if you have ever seen Grease then you will immediately see the similarities, from Danny to the Pink Ladies. And if you are a fan of the movie, you will probably be highly entertained. As for me, I liked the movie but didn’t LOVE it, and I felt the same as this book, it was OK, the writing was good and the love scenes were definitely steamier than the movie, but after waiting over a year for a new story, I felt a bit let down and wished Ms. Bell had put her own spin on the story instead of making minor alterations to adapt a well-known movie into an historical romance novel.

3 stars

*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.*

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