Category: Re-Release / Updated Edition

A Duke of Her Own by Stacy Reid

On By TracyIn Georgian Era (1714-1837), Novella, Part of a Series, Re-Release / Updated Edition, Regency Era (1811-1820), Tracy's ReviewsLeave a comment

A Duke Of Her Own (Wedded By Scandal Companion Series Book 1)A Duke Of Her Own by Stacy Reid

Tracy’s rating: 5 of 5 stars

Series: Wedding by Scandal Companion Series, #1 (Previously published in I Like Big Dukes and I Cannot Lie)

Released: December 16, 2023

After a scandal that ruined her reputation and nearly two years of exile, Lady Francie Walcott has finally been called back to London by her mother to marry the elderly Earl of Beresford, in the hopes that the marriage will salvage Francie’s reputation. But before she leaves, she wants to see her neighbor and friend, Alexander Crawford one last time and hopes she will have the courage to ask him for a very special favor. For the last year, Mr. Crawford has been a balm for her loneliness and she has come to care for him. But her past experience has made her wary of trusting her emotions and she fiercely guards her heart, especially since he doesn’t know who she really is or that she is ruined and is most likely not a suitable candidate for marriage (at least by her mother’s standards). But none of that stops her from seeking him out or secretly longing for him.

Alexander Crawford, the Duke of Merrick has been smitten with Francie from almost the first moment he met her when he fled to his father’s lake cottage to grieve his father’s passing. Francie was kind and compassionate, and a friendship blossomed, but it is clear that she is hiding something, but then, so is Alexander. Over the months they have known each other, he has come to believe that Francie is the woman for him and hopes she feels the same. When she tells him of her desire to experience true passion, he is overjoyed and is determined to win her over once and for all. But when her secrets are brought to light, their HEA may be over, before it ever began!

This novella was a delight to read! The story is well written, flows perfectly, and is filled with lots of emotion, secrets, wonderful characters, steamyish love scenes, a little heartache, and finally an ending that was everything I was hoping for! This novella was originally published in the I Like Big Dukes and I Cannot Lie anthology and is the first book in Ms. Reid’s Wedded by Scandal Companion series and has ties to Wicked in His Arms in the Wedded by Scandal series. I loved this novella and am happy to recommend it to Historical Romance lovers or anyone who enjoys a steamyish novella with a happy ending.

*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.*

My Dearest Duke by Collette Cameron

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

My Dearest Duke (Seductive Scoundrels #13)My Dearest Duke by Collette Cameron

Tracy’s rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: Seductive Scoundrels, #13 (Originally Published as Loved by the Lyon)

Release Date: November 20, 2023 (reissued)

Vanessa Becket is mere days away from gaining her inheritance when her odious step-brother Owen Elligon goes too far. For weeks Vanessa has known that Owen has been stealing from her, but she has turned a blind eye, until now, when he stole an heirloom left to her by her mother, that has passed from mother to daughter for generations, and with the recent death of both her brother and mother, she cannot lose anything else connected to her true family. So Vanessa tracks Owen to Fortuna, a notorious gaming hell and social club, owned by the infamous Mrs. Dorrian-Lane aka The Wicked Widow of Whitechapel, a well-known matchmaker for the elite. Vanessa makes her way into the club and manages to find Owen, but before she can confront him, she is caught by an employee and comes face to face with a man she hasn’t seen in years – Kingston Barclay, her late brother Gabriel’s best friend. When Owen arrives on the scene, declaring himself Vanessa’s guardian and promptly informs her he has promised her in marriage, Mrs. Dorrian-Lane gets involved and offers another idea, that Vanessa marry Kingston, after all, he was there to hire her to find him an heiress.

Kingston returned from the war a changed man, not just because of the wounds he endured, he also harbors incredible guilt over the death of his best friend, Gabriel Becket, that guilt was magnified upon learning that his father passed away leaving his siblings penniless and alone to fend for themselves. Kingston is the heir presumptive to the Duke of Caerleon, but the duke hates him and won’t help his family, leaving Kingston with no choice but to marry a heiress. But because of the vow he made upon Gabriel’s death and the secret Kingston must keep from her, there is no way he can marry Vanessa, or is there? When Vanessa proposes a temporary marriage, it seems like the perfect solution, until he falls in love with the one woman he can never have.

This was a well-written, nicely-paced story with very likable characters and a lot of emotion. Kingston and Vanessa have a great rapport, making it very easy to root for their happily ever after. The story has a lot of emotion, some heartache, secrets, family, healing, very mild to almost closed-door love scenes, forgiveness, and finally their HEA complete with an epilogue. I did feel like Kingston’s secret was built up to be a major plot point and ended up being anti-climatic, but ultimately it didn’t diminish my enjoyment and I would happily recommend this book to my fellow HR readers. This book was originally published as Loved by the Lyon and is now being republished as a part of the Seductive Scoundrels series, with ties to several other series.

4 stars

*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.*