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

The Captain’s Valentine by Jane Charles

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

The Captain's Valentine (The The Captain’s Valentine by Jane Charles

Tracy’s Rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: The Other Trents, #3

Release Date: February 11, 2025

Captain Harrison Trent is at a crossroads, after years of sailing and achieving professional success, he is no longer satisfied with life at sea, yet neither is he ready to walk away. He has a journey to Barbados planned and it may be his last, he will use this visit to London to make a decision about his future. When he finds a child next to a dead woman in an alley on the docks, he makes the acquaintance of Benedick Valentine, and he suggests that Harrison take the child to a foundling home – Westbrook House. It is here that he meets Miss Perdita Valentine and is immediately captivated by her. His growing attraction to Perdita adds to uncertainty about his future, but the more he gets to know her, the more convinced he is that she must play a role in his life. When a shocking revelation about Perdita comes to light, Harrison keeps his true feelings to himself and offers Perdita his friendship, but with his departure growing closer, he wonders if he has made a mistake and may lose the only woman he has ever loved.

Perdita Valentine is the youngest of the ten Valentine children and has come to London for a season with her sister, Rosalind, the Marchioness of Felding. While in London, Perdita began to work in the foundling home run by family friends, Lady Xavier Sinclair and Lady Victoria. Perdita finds the work rewarding and is in no rush to marry. But when she meets Harrison Trent, she begins to rethink that decision. She and Harrison agree to be friends and when he asks her to wait for him to return to England to court her, she happily agrees, but then life as she knows it takes an unexpected turn and waiting for Harrison might not be possible when her family is threatened.

This was a wonderful story, with lots of familiar characters and a very interesting plot. I loved the relationship between Harrison and Perdita, they are both very open and relatable characters and the chemistry between them is evident to the reader – even if it wasn’t quite so obvious to them. The story is filled with emotion, secrets, shocking revelations, low/no steam love scenes, cameos from many previous characters, a lot of twists and finally a surprising conclusion complete with an epilogue. I really enjoyed this story, but I did feel like it moved a lot slower than I am used to by this author and that might be because this novel was a bit longer than Ms. Charles usual offerings. Overall, this was a delightful read and I would be happy to recommend this title to my fellow historical romance readers, especially those who prefer kissing-only romances. This is the third book in the “Other Trents” series, but it also has ties to several other series and the Valentine family, but it could easily be read as a standalone title.

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that I requested and was provided to me by the publisher/author. All opinions in this review are my own. *

The Accidental Countess by Jess Michaels

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

The Accidental Countess (About An Earl #3)The Accidental Countess by Jess Michaels

My Rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Series: About An Earl, #3

Release Date: February 4, 2025

Clarissa Lockhart was raised to be a perfect lady, but after 3 three seasons she is still unwed, and her parents are growing impatient. They arrange a house party hoping to find a husband for her who will elevate them socially and support them financially. Clarissa is resigned, she knows it is her duty to honor her parents and to marry well, love is not something she expects or even desires, as strong emotions are not ladylike. In an effort to please her parents, Clarissa has always acted as expected and is a slave to proper etiquette, so when her rakish cousin George, Viscount Lockhart arrives at the house party with an uninvited guest in tow, she is annoyed, but much too polite to say anything to George’s friend and fellow rake, Roderick Stratford, the Earl of Kirkwood. She goes out of her way to avoid him, but he is not content to have her ignore him, which leads to them being caught in a compromising situation by her parents and they are forced to wed. Clarissa begins to fall for her husband but still holds tightly to her perfect comportment and still bends to her parents’ wishes. Can she let go of her rigid control and believe that she is worthy of love, or will she hold tight to old habits and forfeit the love of a lifetime?

Roderick Stratford, the Earl of Kirkwood, is a rake, but unlike other rakes, he actually believes in true love and is sure that one day he will find the love of his life. He thinks that when he meets the right woman it will be like a bolt of lightning, and he will know immediately that she is “the one”. So far, he hasn’t made that connection and when he is caught with Clarrisa, he believes that he has lost his chance at true love but plans to make the best of this forced union. The more time they spend together, the more he wants to make her happy and tries to help her relax a bit and see her own worth. He likes her and can’t deny his attraction to Clarissa or their compatibility in bed, but will that be enough or will he too learn to change the thinking of a lifetime and find love?

This was a delightful read with very likable characters and fresh plotlines. I liked Clarissa and Roderick, they each have ideals that they have nurtured all their lives and will each have to come to the realization those ideals may not be as absolute as they believed and that given a chance, love will find a way. Overall, this was a good read, with wonderful characters, cameos from previous characters, steamyish love scenes, a truly sigh worthy hero and a sweet heroine, great secondary characters, a forced marriage and finally a happy ending complete with an epilogue. This is the third book in the series, but it could easily be read as a standalone title without any problems. If you are looking for a steamyish historical romance with a storyline that is anything but run of the mill – look no further, you’ve found it!

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that I requested and was provided to me by the publisher/author. All opinions in this review are my own. *