The Worst Duke in London by Amalie Howard

Tracy’s Rating: 2/2.5 of 5 stars

Series: Taming of the Dukes, #3

Release Date: September 24, 2024

Lady Evangeline Raine is a bluestocking through and through, she has no patience for those don’t agree with her and she chafes against the patriarchy, leading her to distain both society and marriage and focus her passion on saving animals. But when her younger sister wants to be courted by her beau, their father decides that if Viola wants to be courted then Evangeline must also be courted. Evangeline has no desire to be courted or married, but she is interested in what she might be missing in the boudoir. So, when Gage Croft, Duke of Vale shows interest in her, she offers him proposition, he may court her if he agrees to show her the delights of the marriage bed sans marriage.

Gage Croft, Duke of Vale inherited a rundown, debt-ridden estate thanks to his father and older brother, he tries to turn the estates finances around, but the debt is enormous. So when the holder of the majority of his debts offers to reduce the debt in exchange for a favor, Gage agrees. The favor is for Gage to court Lady Evangeline so Lady Viola will be able to be courted. Simple enough, that is until he meets her and finds himself embroiled in yet another deal. Everything would be fine, if he hadn’t fallen for her and if she hadn’t learned about his previous arrangement. Now he has to convince her that his love is true and worth the risk.

Sigh, this had the potential to be a great story and the author’s writing style is very good, but sadly instead of romance, this book is more like women’s fiction with sex, corsets, and no electricity or indoor plumbing. These days, a bit of anachronism and creative license are to be expected in historical romance, to make characters more relatable to contemporary readers, but this was over the top – it was a contemporary story in period dress. I have read other books by this author and felt the same way but have given her several chances to prove that she can in fact write historical romance – and have been disappointed time and time again. If I wanted to read about feminism and 21st century ideals and morals, I would read a contemporary romance. I am sure there will be plenty of readers who will read and love this book, but it just doesn’t work for me. This is the third book in the series, but it could easily be read as a standalone title without any issues.
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*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. *

Hex and Hexability by Kate Johnson

Tracy’s Rating: 2.5/3 of 5 stars

Series: Standalone

Release Date: September 12, 2024

Lady Theophania “Tiffany” Worthington has been raised by her much older half-brother and his wife, she can’t even remember her parents, despite the fact that they are both alive. She spent most of her life not truly understanding who she was or why drawings/paintings seemed to come to life around her. She has no desire to marry and wants nothing more than to live a quiet life. But as determined as she is to remain unwed, her sister-in-law is doubly determined to marry her off. Forced to attend a ball, Tiffany is mortified when the chalked floors seem to come to life, and she tries to escape the ballroom unnoticed, this is when she meets Santiago, a man who clearly belongs in the ballroom even less than she does. After a bit of verbal sparring, they part ways, but it is the beginning of big changes in Tiffany’s life when she learns that she is a witch and soon crosses paths with Santiago again, a man she could fall for, but one who has secrets of his own.

Santiago is actually the Duke of St. James, even though he was born in Chile and spent most of his life fending for himself. His father abandoned him and his mother, and his mother left Santiago when he was a young boy to enter a convent. He survived and worked hard, and after years of work, he is a successful merchant with a fleet of ships. He never planned to come to England, but when his grandfather died, his solicitors found Santiago and convinced him to come to England and claim the title and take over the dukedom. He planned to just find someone to run the estate and leave again, but then he met Tiffany and is caught up in the magic of her and some actual magic, making leaving the last thing on his mind. Too bad she doesn’t want to marry, because she would be the perfect bride for a pirate/merchant/duke. Clearly, the road to their HEA is not going to be easy.

I loved the idea of this book, I liked the characters and appreciated that the author took the time to actually learn about the period and used titles correctly but felt that the book moved too slow. The story just dragged for me and while the author acknowledged the proper etiquette and expectations for the period, a lot of it was ignored in favor of giving the story more of a contemporary edge (but at least she didn’t butcher the titles). And while the book promised to be “oh so spicy” and there were hints about the hero’s sexuality at the beginning, they don’t even kiss until well past the three-quarters mark. Overall, this was just another contemporary in period dress, ultra-feminist story with a little bit of romance and a splash of magic. If that is your thing – give this book a try, you will probably enjoy it. For me, it wasn’t bad, but definitely not a book I would read again.
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*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. *