Category: Part of a Series

The Marquess Move by Valerie Bowman

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

The Marquess Move (The Whitmorelands #2)The Marquess Move by Valerie Bowman

Tracy’s rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Series: The Whitmorelands, #2

Release Date: April 25, 2023

When her father dies Madeline Atwood has two choices to fulfill her promise to him to always care for her younger sister Molly, the first is to marry her vile cousin and the second is to go into service, and she chooses the latter. She becomes a lady’s maid to Lady Henrietta Hazelton. She tries to be content with her lot, but on the night of the Hazelton’s annual Twelfth Night Ball arrive, she can’t help but think of all she has lost and decides to sneak into the ball just to have a taste of what she is missing. But instead of the ballroom, she ducks into a drawing room and meets a handsome man, and shares a dance with him before running back to her room berating herself for her reckless behavior. Fast forward a year, and she hasn’t stopped thinking of her handsome stranger and even though doing so is a risk, she borrows another gown from her employer’s wardrobe as well as a pair of diamond earrings and returns to the place where she met him last year. To her shock and surprise, he is there again and this time they share a kiss before she runs off, but this year her luck runs out and she is fired when her employer finds out. But fate has plans for her and she finds herself employed by the sister of her mystery man!

Justin Whitmoreland, the Marquess of Whitmore only attended the Hazelton’s ball to help his brother-in-law, he never expected to meet a beautiful and mysterious stranger while hiding from desperate debutantes with marriage on the brain! That meeting is the reason he has returned to the ball this year and when he finds her again he is elated, but when she takes off again after a mind-altering kiss, he tries to find her and then decides it is probably for the best, as he isn’t ready to marry and doesn’t want a love match anyway. But when his efforts to find her end with her employed in his household as his sister’s lady’s maid – he knows he is in trouble. Because as hard as they try to behave, sparks fly when they are together and Justin believes that it can only end in heartbreak, fortunately for this star-crossed couple, his sisters think otherwise.

Based on the blurb, I wasn’t sure what to expect when I started this book and I was worried it might be angsty or even creepy – but thankfully, I couldn’t have been more wrong! Madeline and Justin share an intense chemistry, yet for different reasons, they both believed that love was not for them. The result of their erroneous beliefs was a charming story filled with wonderful characters, steamyish love scenes, forbidden attraction, secrets, a hero who needed a wakeup call (and got it), blackmail, a nasty debutante that gets her comeuppance, sisters who know better, expert level groveling, and a HEA with an ending that nicely sets up the next book. This is the second book in the series, and it could be read as a standalone title, but I would recommend reading the series in order for the best reader experience.

*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.*

A Problem Princess by Anna Harrington

On By BarbaraIn Barb's Reviews, Part of a Series, Regency Era (1811-1820), Top Pick - Highly RecommendedLeave a comment

A Problem Princess (Lords of the Armory #6)

Barbara’s rating: 5 of 5 Stars
Series: Lords of the Armory #6
Publication Date: 4/11/23
Period: Regency London
Number of Pages: 355

This was an exciting, breath-holding, fingernail-biting, couldn’t-put-it-down, romantic end to an equally exciting and romantic series. While there is a complete end to Scepter and its leader, it comes at a large cost. It also brings our two wonderful protagonists together to find a very hard-earned HEA. Great writing, a great story, great characters, an exciting plot, and a sigh-worthy romance. With a story as exciting as this one, you need little pockets of heartwarming moments and a tad of wit – and you get all of that. One of my particular favorites was in the epilogue where they received word about the birth of the young princess Alexandrina Victoria to the Prince Regents’ uncle, Edward Augustus, the Duke of Kent. You’ll absolutely love our protagonists who are both exceptional people in their own right, but who each feel the need to be loved by a parent who is no longer there – a parent who, to their knowledge, was not all they should have been.

General Clayton Elliott, Home Office Undersecretary, and soon-to-be Viscount is NOT at all satisfied that the hanging of the Marquess of Hawking (A Remarkable Rogue) was actually the end of Scepter. He has no proof, he just feels it in his bones, and he is usually right about these things. He’s sure the real leader is on the continent – somewhere – but where? He’s also sure the remainder of the organization on English soil is just waiting for a signal from that leader before they rise up to overthrow the monarchy and the English way of life.

Her Serene Highness, Princess Cordelia of Monrovia, has accompanied her Uncle Ernest (Uncle Monrovia) on a state visit to England. Cordelia is quite sure that her reason for being told to accompany her uncle was so she could be paraded before England’s Royal Dukes in order to promote a royal marriage between their two countries. While Cordelia chafes at the restrictions on her, she knows it is her fate and she has no say in the matter. She obediently follows directions, shows no emotions, and offers no opinions – until she is left alone in a room and someone makes an attempt on her life. Thoroughly shaken, she profusely thanks her rescuer – and then has to rescue him! He’s a handsome and intriguing soul – and he rescued her – and . . . did we mention handsome?????

Cordelia can think of no reason why anyone would wish to murder her – but Clayton can. Could it be part of Scepter’s plan? What would it gain though? It would seem if it was Scepter’s plan, they would be attempting to take the lives of cabinet members, the Prince Regent, King George, one of the Royal Dukes – not a princess from a small, insignificant country on the continent.

Clayton does his best to keep Cordelia safe, but with more attempts on her life, he knows it is time for desperate measures – even at the risk of his own life. It may very well cost him his life because everybody from the Crown to the Home Office is blaming him – not to mention the villains are after him as well.

I highly recommend this excellently written story. The attraction between Cordelia and Clayton was intense and immediate – as was the danger – and it was a delight to watch it all play out to its final conclusion. Be sure to read the author’s notes at the end because they shed light on where some of the ideas for the scenarios came from. I love how the author took those real-life events and seamlessly wove them into this exciting work of fiction. Great job!

View all my reviews