Category: Novella

Once Upon a Maiden Lane by Elizabeth Hoyt

On By TracyIn Georgian Era (1714-1837), Novella, Tracy's Reviews2 Comments

Once Upon a Maiden LaneOnce Upon a Maiden Lane by Elizabeth Hoyt

Series: Maiden Lane, #12.5

Release Date: November 14, 2017

Tracy’s rating: 5 of 5 stars

I thought this was such a sweet book! Mary Whitsun has been a reoccurring secondary character throughout the entire series and it was so nice to see her get a HEA.

Mary Whitsun is an orphan, former of the Home for Unfortunate Infants and Foundling Children in St. Giles but now she is a nursemaid for Lord and Lady Claire. Mary has spent her entire life not knowing her real family, but all that changes the day she meets Henry, Viscount Blackwell.

Henry spies Mary at a bookshop and mistakes her for his fiancé Lady Joanna, but he soon realizes his error and is convinced that Mary is the long lost twin of the Earl of Angrove and Henry’s true fiancé

Mary thinks Henry is just a rake looking to seduce her and refuses to give him her name or her direction. She returns home and tries to forget about the handsome lord. But the next day, Henry shows up at the Claire’s home and he is not alone. He brings with him the Countess of Angrove and her mother the dowager Marchioness. The ladies are sure that Mary is the lost twin, Lady Cecilia and ask her to come home with them. Lord Claire intervenes and tells the ladies to return the next day for Mary’s decision.

Mary can’t believe how much her life has changed and after a visit from her sister Joanna, she decides to take her rightful place and agrees to marry Henry.

Henry is thrilled, he likes Joanna, but Mary sparks something primal in him. As they grow closer, they both begin to fall in love.

But just when it seems Mary will get her fairy tale ending, a surprise twist changes everything and a HEA seems impossible.

I loved this story and it was so fitting that Lord and Lady Claire played such a big role in the book, it brought the entire series full circle. The book is short, but well written and beautifully paced. if you have been following this series, you MUST read this book, but if you haven’t, it could easily be a standalone title. I highly recommend this book and while I am sad that the series is over, I couldn’t have asked for a sweeter ending.

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC*

The Earl Who Loved Her by Sophie Barnes

On By BarbaraIn Barb's Reviews, Christmas, Novella, Regency Era (1811-1820)Leave a comment

The Earl Who Loved Her (The Honorable Scoundrels, #2)The Earl Who Loved Her by Sophie Barnes

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: The Honorable Scoundrels #2
Publication Date: 11/14/17

This second book in the Honorable Scoundrels is a great read. The series centers around three impoverished sisters. Their great-grandfather was a Viscount and they are the wards of the Duke of Snowden. However, they have never met the Duke and he has made no effort to contact them or provide for them in the year since their father passed away. They are totally on their own. Josephine, the oldest at twenty-six has employment as a bookkeeper. Louise, the middle sister left just yesterday to take employment as a governess (that was the first book in the series – see my review here). This novella features Eve, the youngest at twenty. The two older sisters want very much to give Eve the season they never got to have and are working hard to do just that.

Eve’s childhood friend, Margaret, has invited Eve to spend the Christmas holidays at Amberley Hall. Eve is hesitant to leave Josephine all alone during the holidays, but Josephine encourages her to go because of the contacts and exposure to eligible bachelors. Eve understands how very hard her sisters are working for her and how very much they want her to marry well, so she agrees to make the journey.

Eve’s mail coach made excellent time on the trip to Amberley Hall and arrived about half an hour early – before Margaret’s coach was to meet her. So, Eve decides to walk. It is dusk and Eve heads toward the lights in the distance. When she arrives – she finds she is at the wrong house. Her destination lies six miles in the other direction and the roadways have now turned to ice. Neither man nor beast can make the trip. This means she must spend the night in the home of the bachelor who lives there.

There is an instant attraction between Eve and Bryce Harlowe, the Earl of Ravenworth. He collects, books, coins and . . . . . . flowers. He is also rusticating at his estate – for the last three years – because he’s being shunned by society for a scandalous transgression. He’s really a kind and lovable man and you come to feel his pain as you get to know him. He and Eve make a great pair and their journey to an HEA isn’t a smooth or easy one.

The characters are fully developed and very robust and that is something that is hard to do in a novella. The book is interesting and filled with twists and turns. When you finish, you feel as if you have read a full-length novel rather than a shorter novella. It is excellently done. The plot is solid, the characters are full and the romance is convincing. Well done Sophie Barnes!

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“I requested and received this e-book at no cost to me and volunteered to read it; my review is my honest opinion and given without any influence by the author or publisher.”