Category: Novella

Kiss of a Duke by Erica Ridley

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

Kiss of a Duke (12 Dukes of Christmas #2)Kiss of a Duke by Erica Ridley
Tracy’s rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Series: 12 Dukes of Christmas, #2

Release Date: November 6, 2018

Penelope Mitchell is Christmas’ resident chemist and newly minted celebrity – she created a cologne for men called “Duke” and it is wildly successful – based on science, Penelope formulated the scent to attract women and by all accounts it works. So well, that she has decided to create a scent for women and will call it “Duchess” – she has a base formula, she just needs to test it.

Mr. Nicholas Pringle, known by all as Saint Nick, is an unrepentant rake. He never spends more than one night with a woman and has no desire to settle down, he doesn’t believe in love and has only agreed to come to Christmas to keep his brother Christopher company. While attending a party at the castle, Chris mentions that the creator of “Duke” is there and immediately Nick wants to confront her. He wants her to stop production of “Duke”, it is unfair to real rakes.

He meets Penelope and offers to buy the formula, she has no intention of selling it to him, but tells him she will think on it and tells him to return the next day. Penelope decides that Nick is the perfect test subject for “Duchess”, she will wear it and see if it works on men as well as “Duke” works on women. A kiss from him should be all the proof she needs, but to make things fair, she will make herself as dowdy as possible.

When he returns, she learns that Nick loves cookies, she feeds him and she is sure the perfume is working, just a kiss is all she needs. When she finally gets that proof, she decides that it is not enough and will need further research to be sure. They spend time together and Nick begins to question himself, he likes Penelope and his relationship with her has taken him to uncharted waters, he wonders if she might be the woman who finally breaks through the wall and meets the real Nick – not sure he is ready for that step, he tries to keep her at arm’s length and fails.

Is it love or is it “Duchess”, Penelope knows she has fallen for him, and he seems to care for her, but is it real or will it end when he learns the truth?

This was a very cute story with two very likable people, lots of cookies, secrets, chemical reactions, warmish love scenes and some corny Christmas references. The book is well written, flows nicely and is extremely entertaining. It is the second book in the series, but can easily be read as a stand alone and while there are references to Christmas, this is definitely a year-round read.

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that was provided to me by NetGalley and the publisher.*

Mr. Hunt, I Presume by Valerie Bowman

On By BarbaraIn Barb's Reviews, Novella, Regency Era (1811-1820)3 Comments

Mr. Hunt, I Presume (Playful Brides, #10.5)Mr. Hunt, I Presume by Valerie Bowman

Barbara’s rating: 3.5/4 of 5 stars

Series: Playful Brides #11.5
Publication Date: 2/8/19
Number of Pages: 120

My rating is 3.5 stars rounded up to 4

This is a lovely second-chance romance novella. It is well-written, but I felt it was a bit rushed and I didn’t feel as if I were ‘finished’ with it at the end. I loved the storyline, I liked the main characters, I adored the secondary couple, and the children were wonderful. I just felt like there were chunks of story that were missing or things progressed much too fast. Too fast? Consider the scene during their first dinner and then moving to the library. I don’t want to say too much and spoil it, but when you read it you’ll see what I mean.

I loved that we got to spend time with Lucy and Derek again. Catching up with them and seeing their love and their life as a married couple was wonderful and their two children were a great addition to the story. It was nice to see that Derek has resigned himself to Lucy’s matchmaking and just loves her to distraction. This time, Lucy is matchmaking for Derek’s brother, Collin and their childhood neighbor Erienne Stone. I would have thought that Collin’s story would have come earlier in the series since Lucy and Derek were the featured H/h in the first book, but maybe it took a while to find just the right lady for him.

Collin and Erienne had a relationship of some sort when they were younger. You learn what that relationship was in bits and pieces as you move through the story. It is a story of family betrayal and feelings of unworthiness that cost these two fourteen years of being miserable and apart. Neither of them ever married.

Collin Hunt and his two brothers are basically ‘from the wrong side of the tracks’. Their father was put out of the army because of his overindulgence in alcohol. Their father was also cruel to them because he was training them to be soldiers. Both Collin and Derek were very good at soldiering. Derek’s success earned him the title of Duke of Claringdon for his heroism during the war and Collin is now a general and a high ranking member at the Home Office. Most of Collin’s career can’t be mentioned because he spent his time as a spy.

Erienne defied her parent’s marriage expectations and left home to become a governess. Now, fourteen years later, the children she was caring for are grown and it is time for her to move on to her next family. When the agency sets her up with an interview with the Duchess of Claringdon, she doesn’t feel she can turn it down. She’s truly surprised at herself when she finally – after much persuasion by the Duchess – accepts the job. She’s torn – she wants to know about Collin, but she’s afraid she can’t handle actually seeing him.

It really is a nice story, but I think I could have lived with a little less backstory if it bought me more time with the couple in the ‘now’. More time for me to know them and them to know each other and especially more time for a less abrupt ending. There was a distinct lack of conversation and discussion between them. They just go straight to lust and remain there. The proposal is entertaining but certainly lacks romance. As I read, I thought “What, this is it?” and it was.

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