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

Marry Me by Midnight by Felicia Grossman

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

Marry Me by Midnight (Once Upon the East End #1)Marry Me by Midnight by Felicia Grossman

Tracy’s rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: Once Upon the East End, #1

Release Date: August 8, 2023

After the death of her father, heiress Isabelle Lira finds herself being pushed out of the family business, the only way to maintain her position is to marry a man who she can control. But she can’t marry just anyone, she needs a respectable, well-placed Jewish man from a good family. She decides to host some events and invites several eligible Jewish men to attend, but she needs someone to check out these men to determine who will be the best man to fulfill her requirements or at least dig up some dirt on him making him easier to control. Enter Aaron Ellenberg, a custodian at the synagogue.

Aaron is a poor orphan who dreams of a better life, a life with a happy family. He is a genuinely nice person who just happens to be smoking hot too. He agrees to check out Isabelle’s suitors and report back to her. Falling in love was never part of the plan and clearly could never be, but the more time they spend together, the deeper they fall and the more hopeless it appears. But the heart wants what it wants, the question is, will they be brave enough to defy expectations and follow their hearts or will they stay true to social strictures and give up on any hope of a HEA together?

This was a well-written, nicely paced novel with a reverse Cinderella twist, featuring wonderful characters, steamyish love scenes, hard choices, and ending with HEA! I need to point out that this book is the reason I love reading historical romance, I love learning about the differences people dealt with in the past, and it gives me hope that we as a society will eventually learn to live without prejudice. I am not Jewish, and therefore cannot asset to the accuracy of the traditions, etc, but I thought the information given was interesting and I felt the author did an excellent job of explaining the issues that the Jewish communities faced in a predominately Christian society, including the prejudice, discrimination, and hatred they faced because of their faith, as well as the laws that affected their everyday lives and their business dealings. I had never read this author before, but this was the first book in new series, so I will certainly look forward to reading more from her in the future.

*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.*

Tall, Duke, and Scandalous by Amy Rose Bennett

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

Tall, Duke, and Scandalous (The Byronic Book Club, #3)Barbara’s rating: 4 out of 5 Stars
Series: The Byronic Book Club #3
Publication Date: 8/8/23
Period: Victorian London – 1859
Number of Pages: 408

I have enjoyed this series of books and I’m sorry to say that I believe this is the last book of the series. This book has a lovely story and a great epilogue – set 4 years in the future – that very nicely wraps up all of the characters and their HEAs. We have, of course, met the heroine in the previous book, so we already know her pretty well. The hero, on the other hand, is unknown to us and it was lovely to get to know him, his fears, his affliction, and to see the solution to the mystery around him. From the meet-cute to the HEA, this was a fun read.

Miss Jane Delaney is a lovely, intelligent young woman who believes, with good reason, that she will never marry because of the large scar on her face. Besides, she doesn’t trust men – because of what caused that large scar on her face. Since marriage isn’t an option, she’ll continue to help her beloved grandfather in his bookshop, Delaney’s, and she’ll work toward her goal of publishing a pamphlet on women’s health and well-being. Her life was progressing quite tranquilly – until she received the first blackmail demand. What, you ask, could anyone have to blackmail such a lovely lady? Well, it appears the pamphlet she wants to publish is quite explicit – quite scandalous – and her journal containing her notes (and her name) has been stolen. She has no money and she cannot (read that – will not) ask her friends or family for the money – so, where will she get it?

Christopher Marsden, the Duke of Roxby, displays a false front to the ton to cover up an affliction that would cause them to think he is mad. He’s not, but they would think anyone who couldn’t recognize friends, staff, or family, was mad. It all started when he was attacked and hit his head – now, even when he looks in the mirror, he sees a stranger. He throws debauched parties, acts vain and standoffish, and appears inebriated most of the time – all of which tends to keep polite society away – and if they do speak to him, they assign his lack of recognition to inebriation. He’s so tired of all of that – and – he needs to get on with discovering who is trying to murder him. What he needs is someone – someone he can truly trust – to be his eyes and let him know to whom he is speaking. ** Then, like magic, she quietly walks into his library one evening – totally intent upon stealing a very old, very valuable book – while he is sitting there in the dark watching her.

I thoroughly enjoyed watching Christopher and Jane come to trust each other and believe in each other. Each had serious past hurts to overcome and they each had to learn to trust again. Both were truly likable characters and I was happy they found their HEA.

There were a couple of things that kept me from rating it higher. One was Jane’s inability to tell Christopher the whole truth. I understand the author needed a device to cause conflict, but it just annoyed me. Another thing was Christopher’s over-the-top reaction to Jane asking Jack O’Connor to help her catch the blackmailer. I get his insecurity; I just think it went much too far. Both of those felt a bit contrived to me rather than a natural flow.

I thoroughly enjoyed the book and certainly recommend it. Their initial meeting in his library was one of my favorite things about the book and another was the entire epilogue. I love that it was set well out into the future with the families from all three books attending a gathering. The scenes were heartwarming and fed the romantic in me.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

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