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

Four Weddings and a Duke by Michelle McLean

On By TracyIn Georgian Era (1714-1837), Regency Era (1811-1820), Standalone Title, Top Pick - Highly Recommended, Tracy's ReviewsLeave a comment

Four Weddings and a DukeFour Weddings and a Duke by Michelle McLean

Tracy’s rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Series: Standalone

Release Date: May 23, 2023

Alexander Reddington never expected to be the Duke of Beaubrooke, he was born the second son and had dedicated his life to botany – specifically grafting to create hybrid plants. But when his father and brother die close to one another, Alex finds himself the new duke with a host of obligations and duties he never planned for, especially marriage. But a promise is a promise and while attending the wedding of his cousin, he is to make the acquaintance of the Wynnburn sisters and choose one to be his bride, but it is the woman hiding in the back of the church reading that piques his interest when they chat. But it isn’t until the next day that he learns his wallflower is the middle Wynnburn sister, making his decision much easier. She is perfect for him, she is smart, and pretty and hates the social whirl as much as he does, so she will not expect him to socialize, leaving him with plenty of time to prepare his research for the Royal Society, what more could he want?

Lady Lavinia Wynnburn is the middle child of the Earl and Countess of Abberforth, she is often overlooked and feels lacking when compared to her two sisters Harriet and Kitty, who are both lovely and socially sophisticated, while Livy never feels like she fits in. She too is surprised to learn that the mystery man she met at the wedding is the duke and hides during the wedding ball. She is joined by her dearest friend and pseudo-brother Lord Nigel Bainbridge, who has known Alex for years and shares his interest in botany, they are rivals of a sort, but more like frenemies. Livy is thrilled when Alex wants to marry her, and for a while, it seems like they are well on their way to a love match, but obligations, expectations, and assumptions halt their HEA before it even begins. Can they find their way back to each other or will theirs just be another society marriage in name only?

What a delightful read, I found this story to be not only well-written and nicely paced, but the story felt original and fresh, even though it utilizes more than one commonly used HR trope. I really liked Livy and Alex and was frustrated for them each time they wronged each other, it was obvious to me that they were “meant to be” which made their setbacks a bit heartbreaking. The story has so much going on, a former wallflower finding her stride, a brilliant botanist, steamyish love scenes, great secondary characters, lots of plants, careless words, hurt feelings, grand gestures, collaboration with the “enemy”, and finally a hard-won HEA. I don’t know if this book is the start of new series or a standalone title – I am hoping it is the beginning of a new series, because there are several characters that I would love to see get their own HEAs. In any event, this is a fun story that I am happy to recommend!

*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 Last Lord Standing by Diana Lloyd

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

The Last Lord StandingThe Last Lord Standing by Diana Lloyd

Tracy’s rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: What Happens In The Ballroom, #3

Release Date: May 15, 2023

Lady Olivia Liberty “Libby” Chalford is the youngest child of the Earl and Countess of Winchcombe and the only child who is still unmarried, she is sure her parents want to marry her off, which is something to which she is adamantly opposed, she has other plans for her future, plans her parents and society at large would probably balk at, she wants to start a “modern” charity for the poor. She has given this a lot of thought and plans to put herself in the shoes of the poor to truly understand their plight and thanks to the help of her maid, she has been given the opportunity to work as a shopgirl in the theater district. She just needs to figure out how to work there without her family learning of it. The answer to that dilemma comes in the form of a handsome man spilling punch on her and then insisting they dance as if nothing happened. That dance leads to a kiss and the start of an unusual friendship.

Kerrigan “Kerr” Northam is the second son of a second son, he hasn’t decided what he wants to do with his life and currently runs a charity for widows of sailors, he also claims to be England’s greatest liar. He meets Libby when he accidentally spills punch on her at her birthday ball, an event he was not invited to. He notices her distress over a friend giving her the cut direct and insists that they dance, despite the punch staining her gown. When they part, she kisses him and he believes that they will never meet again, but fate has plans, and when three different friends approach him thinking he is acquainted with Libby. Each of them expresses interest in courting her, but for different reasons cannot court her for a few weeks and want Kerr to “watch” her and keep other potential suitors away. Kerr thinks this is hilarious and agrees because it will give him some more time with her, but his lies are piling up and when their feelings deepen, he doesn’t know how to make things right. Can he prove to her that not everything was a lie or is it too late?

This was an interesting read, I have never read this author before and her writing style took me a little time to acclimate to, but once I did, I found her approach to dialogue very refreshing. This book has a lot going on, there are lies, secrets, witty banter, wonderful secondary characters, social differences, more lies, steamyish love scenes, a guillotine that causes marriage, a couple of triggers, misassumptions, surprising twists, and finally a HEA complete with an epilogue. This is the third book in the series, but I had no problem reading this book without the benefit of reading the first two, however, now I want to read them too… I enjoyed this book and am happy to recommend it, but be warned that there are some triggers that may upset sensitive readers such as sexual assault and physical abuse – I thought the author handled them very well and with sensitivity, but they are both a bit graphic.

*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.*