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

Enticed by a Governess by Jane Charles

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

Enticed by a Governess (Love of a Governess #4)Enticed by a Governess by Jane Charles

Tracy’s rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Series: Love of a Governess, #4

Release Date: January 31, 2023

Charlotte Thompson, the daughter of a wealthy merchant was not quite sixteen when her father arranged her marriage to Victor Hawthorn, the son, and heir of Viscount Blackmar. Her father bought up the Viscount’s debts and threatened to ruin the family if Victor did not marry his daughter. Charlotte is mortified by her father’s actions and later humiliated when she overhears Victor’s parents talking about her. She is sure she will be trapped in an unhappy marriage and an embarrassment to Victor, who is the most handsome man she has ever seen. But to her surprise, Victor seeks her out in the garden and they talk and make plans – plans that will thwart her father and his parents. Victor proposes that they have a marriage in name only for a few years, and suggests that Charlotte move to an estate he owns in Willanton and let her have a bit of freedom (and time to grow up) before they make any decisions about their marriage. Charlotte agrees and despite the manor house being in disrepair, she is thrilled to have a place of her own. She and Victor begin to set the house to rights and a friendship blossoms but it is soon clear to Charlotte that Victor is restless and after of month, she tells him he is free to return to London. He hesitates, but she insists, he hires a companion for her and leaves, promising to write and visit soon.

Four years later, Victor and Charlotte have kept in contact via letters, but he has not seen his wife since the day he left. He had planned to, but when his father died unexpectedly, things always kept him from traveling to Willanton. But when he learns from a friend who met Charlotte at a ball held by her neighbor, the Earl of Melcombe, some of the things his wife has been up to, he is more than a little surprised. His friend Percy can’t believe that Victor lets his wife live alone, and Victor realizes that he doesn’t know his wife as well as he thought, something that is going to change now. He travels to Willanton and is floored when he sees her – gone is the awkward young girl, his wife is all grown up and is stunning! She is also keeping a lot of secrets and before they can have a real marriage, they will have to learn to trust one another, and maybe love will follow. But even love might not be enough to ensure this couple’s HEA.

What a great story! I have been waiting for this story since learning that Charlotte was married in the previous book, and this book did not disappoint! I adored Charlotte and Victor, they are likable, and don’t blame each other for the sins of their parents. This book has a lot going on, there are secrets, shocking revelations, great (and some not-so-great) secondary characters, murder, loss, warm love scenes, surprising twists, a bit of heartache, and finally a HEA that includes an epilogue. The story does contain some triggers that might be upsetting to some readers, including verbal abuse and the loss of a child, but the author handled both with compassion and minimal on-page details. This is the fourth book in the series, but like the previous books, it can be read as a standalone title, but I would suggest reading the series in order for the best reader experience. I loved this story and highly recommend it for historical romance lovers or anyone who loves an ugly duckling story with a HEA.

*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.*

One Duke Down by Anna Bennett

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One Duke Down (Rogues to Lovers, #2)

Barbara’s rating: 3.5 of 5 Stars
Series: Rogues to Lovers #2
Publication Date: 1/24/23
Period: Regency – Bellehaven Bay, England
Number of Pages: 352

Let me start by telling you I absolutely loved both Poppy and Keane. They were two lovely, caring, honest, up-front people who didn’t know how to be anyone other than themselves. There were no false fronts, no pretending – just love and acceptance along with wonderfully refreshing spirits.

Poppy Summers, a fisherman’s daughter, has been shouldering all the responsibilities for the care of her father and the family business for quite some time now. Very early every morning she arises to begin her day – she takes their rowboat out and casts the nets for the day’s catch; she makes breakfast for her ill father and serves him; she cleans and salts the fish, then takes them to town to sell. They are barely scraping by and scarcely know where the next meal will come from. She has one, just one, place to relax from the stress, so imagine her shock when she approaches her beach one day and finds a dark, handsome man lying lifeless in the surf. He insists he is a duke, but she doesn’t believe that for a minute. A pirate? Maybe. Whatever he is, he isn’t a duke!

Andrew Keane, Duke of Hawking, has been avoiding taking on his responsibilities since he inherited the title. Part of that avoidance included escaping to the lovely beach village of Bellehaven – where someone coshed him over the head and tossed him in the water. After being washed up on the beach, he regained consciousness to see a most delightful angel was there with him. Oops – how can she be an angel when she is challenging everything he says and demanding to know how he came to be on her beach? She asked if he was a pirate who’d fallen overboard for goodness’ sake!

Keane finally convinces Poppy to help him find out who tried to murder him – and to let him stay on her beach while they do. I love how they deal with each other – no doubt – no mistrust – no navel-gazing – just straight-up honesty. I also loved the Epilogue.

So, with all of this, why didn’t I give it 5-stars? I definitely could have based on the characters. However, there were so very many anachronisms and improbabilities that I couldn’t get past them – and, there wasn’t any reason for them to be there. A little research would have given the information to avoid them. Just one example:  In less than twenty-four hours, they made a round-trip to London (100 miles each way – so 200 miles) in a coach that averages about 7-10 MPH, and that trip included hunting down a witness, a visit to Hyde Park, and attending an evening entertainment. I’m not sure I could do that in one of today’s vehicles, much less a horse-drawn carriage. Still, I can recommend this read if anachronisms and improbabilities don’t bother you.

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

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