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

Seduced by a Scot by Julia London

On By TracyIn Regency Era (1811-1820), Scottish/Highlander, Tracy's Reviews1 Comment

Seduced by a Scot (Highland Grooms, #6)Seduced by a Scot by Julia London
Tracy’s rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: Highland Grooms, #6

Release Date: October 30, 2018

When Calum Garbett’s ward, the lovely Miss Maura Danby is embroiled in a scandal that may cost him a lucrative business deal, the Duke of Montrose recommends that he summon Nichol Bain.

If you have been following the series, you will remember Nichol as the secretary of the Duke of Montrose – the man who tried his darnedest to keep Hamlin and Catriona apart. Nichol is a “fixer”, he has an uncanny knack for finding solutions to the toughest problems and Garbett’s problem seems like a walk in the park. He will help Garbett’s daughter Sorcha and her fiancé reconcile and then he will marry Miss Danby off to a former client, collect his fee and be off to Wales.

Maura is done being the demure, complacent young lady she promised her father she would be. The Garbetts took her in as a girl and made her life hell. She has borne it for years, staying out of the way and never complaining – but when Sorcha’s would be husband kisses her and then proclaims her a temptress, she is cast out of the house and her only true possession is stolen from her. She will not blindly follow Nichol to a marriage – she will get her necklace back and then she will figure out the rest of her life – she doesn’t need a too good looking, too smart man meddling in her affairs! She escapes from Nichol and heads back to the Garbett’s, she is bound and determined to get her necklace and perhaps a pound of flesh. Nichol catches up with her and convinces her to let him fix this – he is more enamored with her than he should be, but knows that nothing can come of it – he has no home to offer her, he will marry her off to Dunnan Cockburn and try to forget her.

They reclaim her necklace and set off to meet Dunnan – Maura knows she is falling for him, but has promised to go along with his plans for her. They sidetrack to his family estate and Nichol is dealt a blow he never expected. Maura understands Nichol’s pain, she too has been betrayed by those who should have loved her. She comforts him and their relationship takes a turn. She knows she cannot marry Dunnan, but Nichol is adamant, he has NOTHING to offer her and she deserves a good life.

They arrive at Dunnan’s and things go from bad to worse. By the time Nichol comes to his senses and realizes that he needs Maura, it may be too late for a HEA.

This was a well written, well paced book with two very wounded souls, the story is in turns emotional and amusing, Maura is a force to be reckoned with and Nichol is much more approachable in this book than he was in the previous story, once you learn about his past, his action and manner make a lot more sense. The book is a bit steamier than the others I have read by Ms. London (THAT IS NOT A COMPLAINT!) and the story a bit more complex and maybe a bit overly dramatic. There is some question in my mind as to the resolution with Nichol’s family and the same title error from the last book reappears in this one, but overall it was a good read and I would be happy to recommend it.

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

Barbarous by Minerva Spencer

On By TracyIn Regency Era (1811-1820), Top Pick - Highly Recommended, Tracy's Reviews1 Comment

Barbarous (The Outcasts, #2)Barbarous by Minerva Spencer
Tracy’s rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Series: The Outcasts, #2

Release Date: October 30,2018

If you read the previous book, Dangerous, then you already have met Hugh and Daphne – the story begins a short time before that book and seems to run concurrently.

Daphne Redvers, Lady Davenport is fending off an attack by her vile cousin Sir Malcolm when her late husband’s nephew, Hugh Redvers, Baron Ramsey returns from the dead. The man from whom she has stolen everything from.

Hugh has returned to England (and from the dead) for one reason, to protect Daphne and her sons. He was sent away by his uncle almost 20 years ago and when he was captured by corsairs and enslaved, he let everyone believe he had died. The stablemaster and Hugh’s childhood friend, Will is the only one who knew the truth – he contacted Hugh because he has been receiving anonymous letters saying Daphne and her boys are in danger. Hugh is surprised by his immediate attraction to Daphne, but tries to fight it – there can be nothing between them, not only because she is technically his aunt and forbidden by ecclesiastical law but because he has no plans on staying in England – he will leave once the threat to her is taken care of and continue on his quest for vengeance against the man that betrayed him – Emile Calitain. Calitain was a slave with Hugh and turned on him, costing Hugh his eye, freedom and the lives of his friends. Hugh escaped and became the privateer “One Eyed Standish”, and for the last 15 years he has been roaming the seas in search of Calitain.

Daphne is being blackmailed by Sir Malcolm, her marriage to Hugh’s uncle Thomas was in name only – she was raped by her cousin at 17 and Thomas married her to protect her. Sir Malcolm threatens to expose the truth of the boys birth if she doesn’t marry him. But now that Hugh is back, she knows that she must tell him the truth – her sons Lucien and Richard are not Thomas’, so Hugh is really the new Earl of Davenport – she is sure he will think that she duped his uncle and wishes she had proof that he was aware that the boys were not his. For this reason, she holds off telling him. She needs to make plans for herself and the twins before she confesses.

They grow closer after an attempt on Hugh’s life and she is on the verge of telling him the truth when an unexpected visitor arrives and Daphne catches Hugh with the woman in his arms. Unable to tell her the truth about Mia, he leaves her a vague note and takes Mia to London. Daphne believes the worst about Hugh and Mia, which motivates her to step up her plans to move to Yorkshire. She takes the boys and goes to London. They are reunited with Hugh and she gets the proof she needs to confess to Hugh. When Hugh saves her from an attack by Malcolm, she knows she has run out of time and confesses. Hugh assures her that he doesn’t want the earldom and that Thomas’ considered the boys his and Hugh will never challenge Lucien’s right to the title. He is in love with Daphne and asks her to marry him. She agrees and it seems like a HEA is within sight. But ghosts from both their pasts will return and threaten their newfound happiness.

I loved this story, it has a bit of everything, mystery, action, pirates, secrets, steamy love scenes, likable characters, betrayal, blackmail, laugh out loud moments, really nasty and demented villains and finally a very hard earned HEA. My only complaint would be that while this story seems to run concurrently with Mia’s story, major scenes involving Hugh from her story are not in this story, which I found a little odd – but not enough to diminish my enjoyment. This is the second book in the Outcast series and while there is a connection to the first book, this title can easily be read as a standalone. I would happily recommend this book and am eagerly awaiting the next book!!

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