Category: Historical Rom-Com

A Gentleman’s Offer by Emma Orchard

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

A Gentleman's OfferA Gentleman’s Offer by Emma Orchard

Tracy’s Rating: 2 of 5 stars

Series: Standalone Title

Release Date: March 22, 2025

When Miss Margaret “Meg” Nightingale, the estranged daughter of Baron Nightingale, receives notice from her aunt that her recently betrothed identical twin sister, Maria, has gone missing, she agrees to come to London to take her place until she is found. But Meg is not one to stand idly by and let someone else take charge, she makes it her mission to find Maria. She informs her sister’s betrothed, Sir Dominic De Lacy of the situation and demands that he assist her in finding her sister. She is attracted to Dominic and he to her, but until they find Maria and learn why she bolted, they won’t be able to act on that attraction. When they found Maria and learned why she left should make it easier for them to be together, but finding Maria only makes it harder.

Sir Dominic De Lacy, known to the ton as Beau De Lacy due to his manners and personality, has been a happy-go-lucky bachelor, but when his mother tells him of a promise his late father made to Baron Nightingale, he agrees to marry Maria Nightingale, and after just two supervised meetings, he proposes, and she accepts. He is not really attracted to her, but since he never expected to marry for love, he accepts that this will be a typical arranged marriage and only hopes they will get on better than his own parents did. However, when he sees his betrothed at their engagement ball, he is stunned at his reaction to her and a bit relieved when he learns the truth. He agrees to help Meg find her sister but makes it clear that he won’t be marrying Maria. The more time he spends with Meg, the more he knows that she is the woman he never expected to find and the only Nightingale he will marry.

The blurb for this book, hooked me hard and reeled me in, but sadly, it failed to deliver the story I was expecting. The story has a lot going on including a twin swap, estranged families, secrets, lies, blackmail, slow-burn romance, and finally a HEA for almost everyone. I wanted to love the book, but I found Meg annoying and Dominic a bit too beta for my taste, add to that the ridiculous plot and the very wordy dialogue that caused the story to drag, and unfortunately, this book just didn’t work for me.

*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 Devil’s Charm by Megan Frampton

On By TracyIn Historical Rom-Com, Part of a Series, Tracy's Reviews, Victorian Era (1837-1901)Leave a comment

The Devil's Charm (Heirs & Spares #1)The Devil’s Charm by Megan Frampton

Tracy’s Rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: Heirs & Spares, #1

Release Date: February 25, 25

Lady Diantha Courtenay, the eldest daughter of the Earl of Courtenay, has spent most of her life trying to keep her parents in check, she is reliable, responsible and therefore a complete mystery to her family. She always does the right thing and hopes for a day when she can pursue her own dream of a quiet, stable life. But a stolen kiss with Lord Lucian Eldridge, the younger son of her father’s greatest foe, turns her whole world upside down and then to make matters worse, she learns that the cause of their parent’s feud has been decided by the courts and now she and Lucian must work together to find a solution to factory in question or their parents will risk losing the building to the crown, and while that would be unfortunate, the real risk might be the fact that she is losing her heart to a man that is exactly like her parents, a man she shouldn’t want.

Lord Lucian Eldridge, the younger son of the Duke of Waxford, has tried to please his father for most of his life and failed, Lucian likes being happy and enjoying himself, basically the complete opposite of his stodgy, duty-loving, rigid father. When his older brother is injured and his father has to attend him in Scotland, he leaves Lucian in charge of figuring out what to do with the factory the duke with the earl. Lucian is wondering if he can find someone to take over the job when he meets the earl’s daughter and shares a kiss that he can’t forget. He throws himself into the project and falls head over heels with a woman he can never have.

This was a quick, fun read, with a different plot and very likable characters. Diantha and Lucian are complete opposites and their fathers are enemies, but that doesn’t stop them from falling in love, but it may prevent them from finding their HEA. The romance part of the story was good, but there was a side story featuring the Duke’s cousin that just didn’t really impress me or add anything substantive to the story – if just felt like filler and made the story drag in places. Overall, it was an enjoyable read with wonderful characters, a bit of steam, some amusing scenes and finally a HEA that seemed almost impossible, and while it wasn’t quite the story that I have come to expect from Ms. Frampton, I would still be happy to recommend this title to HR readers who enjoy the enemies to lovers and the opposites attract tropes.

*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. *