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

Diamond in the Rogue by Wendy LaCapra

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

Diamond in the RogueDiamond in the Rogue by Wendy LaCapra

Tracy’s rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: Lords of Chance #3

Release Date: November 11, 2019

Graham Laithe, Earl of Rayne is back from New York to give his sister Clarissa away in marriage to Lord Markham. He has been gone for a year and a half, but has no intentions of staying, he just wants to take care of estate details and return to America. He left suddenly and under a cloud, his long friendships with Markham and Bromton seemly over and his relationship with Farring strained. But the thing that truly haunts him and has kept him away is Markham’s sister, Lady Julia Stanley. The woman who declared she loved him and whose kiss changed him – the woman he can never have.

Julia had worked hard to put her broken heart back together and to forget Rayne, but now he is back and all those feelings come rushing back. But it is clear he doesn’t want her – or does he? With a little meddling by Farring and a bit of daring by Julia, she will find out one way or the other if there is a future for them.

Farring wheedles Rayne into delivering the carriage to his step-grandmother, the dowager duchess, at her estate – Periwinkle Gate and while he would rather not, Farring is the only one of his friends who hasn’t turned on him and besides, he really likes the dowager duchess. He agrees and sets off. But Farring isn’t done – he convinces Julia to tag along – disguised as a footman. He tells her that Rayne has feelings for her, but doesn’t feel worthy, if Julia loves him, as Farring believes she does, she needs to go with him and convince him that their love is worth fighting for.

All goes well at first, but when weather turns bad and Julia is discovered sooner than she hoped, Rayne has to decide – keep her with him or send her home. She tells him that she is going to Scotland to elope and gives him the first name that pops in her head – Viscount Belhaven, her former governess’s lost love. Rayne is gentle with Julia that first night, caring for her and making sure she is warmed. He agrees to take her with him to Periwinkle Gate and hopes that he can keep his feelings for her in check. For her part, Julia wants Rayne, she has always wanted Rayne, but as an innocent, she is not prepared for his raw sexuality and is a little frighten by the feelings he invokes in her. But, as they travel, she becomes convinced that they are meant to be, but is having a hard time convincing Rayne.

Finally, they reach Periwinkle Gate and finally they give into the sexual tension that has been simmering between them and Rayne asks her to marry him – YES! They set out for Gretna Green, but before they even wed, her lies are revealed and Rayne begins to close himself off from her. And when her family finally catches up with them, it seems like their HEA will be over before it even begins.

This was a well written, complex story of second chances. Rayne is a tortured soul with a tendency to brood, while Julia is a happy soul with a knack for seeing the bright side. They are proof that opposites attract and have the potential to have soulmate type love story – that is if Rayne can get out of his own way and Julia doesn’t give up. I really enjoyed this story, it was a bit heavier than I expected, but not depressing or dark and I did feel like Rayne’s poor self-worth issues dragged a little too long, but in the end, I was happy with the outcome, liked the characters, delighted in the steamy love scenes and I am now even more anxious to read Farring’s story than I was before!! This is the third book in the series and while it could be read as a stand-alone, this is an interconnected series and for maximum enjoyment and character understanding, I would recommend reading the books in order.

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that was provided to me by NetGalley and the publisher.*

Joy To The Duke by Darcy Burke

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

Joy to the Duke (Love is All Around #3)Barbara’s rating: 5 of 5 stars

Series: Love is All Around #3
Publication Date: 11/12/19
Number of Pages: Novella

Earlier this year, 2019, Darcy Burke realized that she didn’t have any Christmas books to her credit – and she promptly set about righting that grievous error. The wonderful result is the Love Is All Around trilogy. Each book is based somewhat on old Christmas tales. The first book, The Red Hot Earl, is loosely based on Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, the second book, The Gift of the Marquess, is loosely based on The Gift of the Magi, and this, the third book is based on A Christmas Carol. They are a lovely, lovely set of books – and while each can be read as a stand-alone, I highly recommend reading all three.

The series features the three Stafford siblings – Bianca, Poppy, and Calder – with an overarching theme of the St. Stephens Day celebration and support for Hartwell House which is a home for impoverished women and children. In Bianca and Poppy’s books, while they are finding their HEA’s, they are also wrangling with their brother about his canceling the St. Stephens Day celebration and discontinuing the dukedoms support of Hartwell House.

If you read the other books, you totally understand that Calder IS Ebenezer Scrooge. He’s cold, unfeeling, joyless, distrustful, miserly – you name it. As I was reading those earlier books, I had to wonder how this author could possibly redeem and reform Calder. It seemed to me there was little hope for such a man as he. Never fear – his story was wonderfully written and his redemption was heartwarming. As we learned more about his childhood and what his father did to him as a young man, it is easy to see how he became the cold, unfeeling man he was – much like Ebenezer Scrooge. As I read the last words, I let out a big sigh and smiled because Calder’s HEA was beautiful and so well deserved. It is hours later, and I still smile when I think of him.

Calder’s sisters have just told him that Felicity Templeton Garland is back in Hartwell. He can hardly believe it – what is she doing back here. She’s the cold-hearted woman who took his father’s money and then went away and left Calder with a broken heart. He has to see for himself and sets out for town where, sure enough, he sees her. He can’t take his eyes off her. He devours her with his eyes.

After Calder’s cruel rejection of her, Felicity and her family moved away from Hartwell and she did eventually marry. While she cared for her husband, she was never in love with him. Now she’s a widow and has come to Hartwell to care for her ill mother. She’s only there temporarily, but it is good to spend Christmas there and she’s looking forward to the St. Stephen’s Day festival. Well, she’s looking forward to it until she learns that the cold-hearted duke isn’t sponsoring it anymore.

Felicity can’t reconcile the warm, sweet, happy young man with whom she’d fallen in love and the cold, selfish, joyless, miserly man he appears to be today. The man she loved (loves) has to be in there somewhere and for his sake, she’s determined to find him.

It was a joy to see Calder realize that his father was still controlling him – even from the grave. It doesn’t take long for him to know that he still loves Felicity – what takes a while is for him to learn that he deserves to be loved.

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