Category: Part of a Series

Miss Barton’s Mysterious Husband by Anna Campbell

On By TracyIn Christmas, Georgian Era (1714-1837), Novella, Part of a Series, Regency Era (1811-1820), Series Crossover, Top Pick - Highly Recommended, Tracy's ReviewsLeave a comment

Miss Barton’s Mysterious Husband (Mayfair Christmas Romance, #1)Miss Barton’s Mysterious Husband by Anna Campbell

Tracy’s Rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Series: Mayfair Christmas Romance, #1 & Cinderellas of Mayfair, #0.5

Release Date: December 10, 2024

When Sir Roland Destry sets out from London to visit his friend Sir Hugo and his family for Christmas, he could never have imagined the turn his life was about to take. For the last three years, his life has been dark and joyless, but an epic storm and a washed-out bridge are about to bring him face to face with the only woman he has ever loved, Charmian Barton, his wife. Glaring at him as if he is the reason he hasn’t seen her in three years! Well, now that he has finally found her, and he isn’t leaving until he gets some answers!

Charmain Barton, the daughter of a wealthy self-made man, met Sir Roland Destry at a house party and fell head over heels in love with the charming young man. When he proposed, she happily agreed, and they eloped. But after only two weeks of wedded bliss, an argument separated our lovers and has kept them apart ever since. But now Roland is here at her aunt’s inn, and she wants answers, even if her aunt Janet seems to be trying to get rid of him as soon as possible!

This was a well-written, sweet (and spicy) second-chance romance. I loved Roland and Charmain, they were clearly in love and despite the betrayal that kept them apart for three years, neither gave up hope of one day reconciling. I loved that they actually talked to each other, rather than assuming they knew what happened and when they learned the truth of their long separation, I love that they confessed their love and regretted their youthful fight and the time it cost them. I do think they went easy on the person that kept them apart, but it was Christmas, and they got their happy ending (and an epilogue) so, all’s well that ends well in this delightful story. This is the prologue to a new series, so this is the perfect place to start. I loved this book and am happy to recommend the title to my fellow romance lovers (especially if you love a good second chance romance)!

*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. *

No Ordinary Duchess by Elizabeth Hoyt

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

No Ordinary Duchess (Greycourt, #3)No Ordinary Duchess by Elizabeth Hoyt

Tracy’s Rating: 3 of 5 stars

Series: Greycourt, #3

Release Date: December 10, 2024

Raised in Scotland by her Aunt, Lady Elspeth de Moray has come to England to find an ancient diary which she believes will reunited the Wise Women, a secret society sworn to help the women of Britian, trouble is the book is reported to be in the Duke of Windemere’s library, which puts her directly in the crosshairs of her brother Ranulf’s one time friend and now enemy, Julian Greycourt. And as fate would have it, she and Julian are thrown together at every turn. She isn’t sure what happened between Ranulf and Julian, but she knows she should stay away, too bad she finds him so intriguing and desirable! Can the bad blood between their families be laid to rest or is she doomed to love the one man she can’t have.

Julian Greycourt, the heir to his uncle, the Duke of Windemere, is sure that the duke killed his mother and believes she left proof in a book, but which one? Julian is determined to find the truth, but didn’t anticipate meeting Elspeth or falling for her. Dark and brooding, Julian has secrets that he is sure will repulse any woman, but with Elspeth his proclivities don’t seem to matter, in fact, being with her is a dream come true, too bad he thinks her brother killed his sister. Will they each find what they are looking for and find a way to be together or is the past just too much for them to overcome?

Sigh, this series isn’t what I was hoping for, but then the Maiden Lane series is a hard act to follow and left me with very high expectations. Expectations that sadly this series isn’t quite living up to. The book is well written, interesting, intriguing and different, which should make it a hit, but instead it is just OK. The story features a grumpy/sunshine couple, which is always fun, and Julian has some desires that make for interesting love scenes, but it just isn’t Maiden Lane caliber. In addition to that, the Wise Women story line is just not working for me and while I liked Elspeth and Julian as characters, I wasn’t really invested in their romance. Overall, I liked the book, but I wouldn’t read it again. This is the third 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/author. All opinions in this review are my own. *