Category: Regency Era (1811-1820)

The Regency in Great Britain was a period when King George III was deemed unfit to rule and his son ruled as his proxy as Prince Regent. On the death of George III in 1820, the Prince Regent became George IV. The term Regency can refer to various stretches of time; some are longer than the decade of the formal Regency which lasted from 1811–1820.
Preceded by: Georgian era
Followed by: Victorian era
Monarch: George III, George IV, William IV

Not Another Duke by Jess Michaels

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Not Another Duke (The Kent's Row Duchesses, #2)Not Another Duke by Jess Michaels

Tracy’s rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Series: The Kent’s Row Duchesses, #2

Release Date: September 5, 2023

Due to poor investments by his father and then later by himself, Roarke Desmond is broke, and with an infirmed mother to care for, he needs funds. He meets with his cousin, the new Duke of Sidmouth hoping to get the money he needs to care for his mom, but as he tries to bring up the subject, his cousins all complain about their father’s widow, their step-mother, and the money their father left for her and the new bequest she is due to get at the third anniversary of the late duke’s death if she hasn’t remarried or taken a lover. The Duke offers to give Roarke the money he needs and then some if he agrees to spy on the widowed Duchess of Sidmouth and report back to him. But Flora is not what Roarke expected and soon he is falling for her, feelings it seems she returns, making it harder to tell her the truth. But when the duke ups the ante, Roarke will have to decide if saving her is worth losing her.

After the death of her beloved Stuart, the late Duke of Sidmouth, Flora moved to Kent’s Row and has lived in quiet mourning ever since. Unlike her friends, Flora actually loved her much older husband and has no desire to remarry, in fact, no other man has even tempted her to take a lover, at least that was true until she met Roarke. Roarke makes her long for things she never thought she would want again. But when she learns the truth, will she be able to forgive him and give love another chance, or will she close her heart and give up on love forever?

This was another well-written, nicely-paced story installment of the Kent’s Row Duchesses. This story features a down-on-his-luck hero who loves his mom, a heroine who never thought she would love again, greedy relatives, good friends, secrets, lies, lots of emotion, evil intentions, and finally a HEA including an epilogue. I liked this story, but it fell a bit short of my expectations, neither Roarke or Flora wowed me, I am hoping that Bernadette and Theo’s story will be the crown jewel of the series. This is the second book in the series and could be read as a standalone title, but I would recommend reading the series in order.

*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.*

The Duke and the Dressmaker by Eva Devon

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The Duke and the Dressmaker (Once Upon a Wallflower #2)The Duke and the Dressmaker by Eva Devon

Tracy’s rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: Once Upon a Wallflower, #2

Release Date: September 4, 2023

Despite being the granddaughter of a rich and powerful duke, Lily Martin has not had an easy life. Her grandfather disowned Lily’s mother when she married for love and she and her new husband fled to France. They raised a family and lived quite happily in France, but then the revolution claimed her parents, leaving Lily all alone. So Lily took her baby sister Violet and escaped the terror by returning to England, but England was no refuge for them when her grandfather refused to see them. Lily got work as a seamstress and soon found herself working long hours for pennies, and no matter what she does, there seems to be no way to stop being a drudge and fulfilling her dreams of owning her own shop. But all that changes when a very bad decision ends up changing her life for the better.

American shipping magnate, James Blakefield, never expected to become an English duke and had no desire to stay in England, but he too has dreams and knows that being a rich and powerful duke could come in handy for stopping the atrocities being done by the East India Company. He just needs to find a way to garner support in Parliament, and then find someone trustworthy to manage his estate, so he can return to Boston. But first, he must find his ward – the old duke’s granddaughter Violet Martin. So far he has had no luck, but a chance encounter in a tavern with a damsel whom he thought was in distress, turns out to be his ward’s sister and may be the answer to all his problems. He just needs to convince her that they can solve each other’s problems, without any messy emotions like love getting in the way. It is a perfect plan until it isn’t…

This is another well-written, nicely-paced installment of the “Once Upon a Wallflower” series, this time featuring Lily, the best friend of Elizabeth from the previous book. It is clear from the start that Lily and James share an amazing connection, but they have both been hurt by those who should have loved them, and both refuse to let themselves fall in love. But they both soon learn that love doesn’t always give you a choice and that trusting someone with your heart may be the scariest thing you have ever done, but the reward is far greater than the risk if you are willing to take a chance. This book is filled with dreams, fears, great secondary characters, bad choices, grand gestures, friends who tell it like it is, second chances, and finally a HEA complete with an epilogue. I enjoyed this story, not quite as much as the first book, but still a book I would be happy to recommend. This is the second book in the series, but it could easily be read as a standalone title as the books are loosely connected.

*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.*