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 Lady Plays with Fire by Susanna Craig

On By BarbaraIn Barb's Reviews, Part of a Series, Regency Era (1811-1820)2 Comments

The Lady Plays with Fire (Goode's Guide to Misconduct #2)Barbara’s rating: 4.5 out of 5 Stars
Series: Goode’s Guide to Misconduct #2
Publication Date: 4/23/24
Period: Regency London
Number of Pages: 293

A Miss and a Lord – both have secrets and secret identities – One wants revenge – and the other wants protection. I loved this book from the meet-cute to the last word in the epilogue and I hope you will love it too.

Miss Julia Addison is the daughter of a clergyman and she always longed for more freedom than a young lady of that period was allowed – especially a clergyman’s daughter. The opportunity to gain a small measure of freedom came when Mrs. Mildred Hayes’s niece (and companion) married Julia’s brother. Julia stepped in to become Mrs. Hayes’s companion – and in doing so, she gained the freedom to become the theater reviewer for Goode’s magazine.  No, nobody knows she is writing the reviews – it is all done under a secret identity, but she is very happy with that arrangement. At least she’s happy with it until she discovers that Ransom Blackadder, a satirical playwright, is seeking revenge against her for a review she wrote about one of his plays. Oh!

Graham McKay, the Earl of Dunstane, writes satirical plays under the pseudonym Ransom Blackadder. Those plays are always great successes and bring in lots of much-needed money to save his estates. All the reviewers are writing scathing reviews (which he wants as they bring in the audience) – all except one who writes something different. He absolutely cannot have that and he’ll go to great lengths to identify and unmask that reviewer. How dare she!

Julia intrigues Graham from the first time he meets her at the theater. Will their secrets keep them apart even though they care for one another? Can either or both of them come to trust the other enough to share their secret?

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this fast-paced, witty, entertaining book and can recommend it. So, grab a cup of tea, find a cozy nook, and be prepared for a lovely afternoon spent with Graham and Julia. You’ll be glad you did.

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

My Season of Scandal by Julie Anne Long

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

My Season of Scandal (The Palace of Rogues, #7)My Season of Scandal by Julie Anne Long

Tracy’s rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Series: Palace of Rogues, #7

Release Date: April 23. 2024

The jaded MP, Dominic Kirke, Baron Kirke takes a room at the Grand Palace on the Thames hotel when his house is nearly burned down by his now ex-mistress. Dominic just wants peace and quiet to do his work, but his first night is disturbed by his downstairs “neighbor”. He is surprised to find the neighbor is a lovely young woman, fresh from the country and set to spend her first season in London. Innocents are not his thing and he plans to steer clear of her, but thanks to the rules of the hotel and social engagements, their paths keep crossing and soon Dominic finds himself enchanted with Catherine Keating, but he still keeps her at an arm’s length by calling her Keating and but still feels protective of her and warns her of the dangers of the ton. Dominic knows he is wrong for her, he has loved before and has secrets, but the chemistry between them is strong. He knows letting her go is the right thing to do and tries to distance himself. But when a well-intentioned act goes horribly wrong, her season is ruined, he offers to make things right, only to be rejected. Can he make it right or is he doomed to living with a broken heart forever?

Catherine Keating comes to London with high hopes of finding a husband, but nothing is going right, first her aunt is injured, leaving her alone at the Grand Palace on the Thames, then her chaperone is more interested in gambling than making introductions, her wardrobe is outdated and makes her the subject of cruel jabs, and the only man that makes her heart beat faster is grumpy Lord Kirke, who has made it abundantly clear that there cannot and will not be anything beyond friendship between them. To make matters worse the more time she spends with him, the deeper she falls for him, but once he shares his past with her, she knows that she cannot be his future and tries to move on. But when viscous gossip ruins her season, she confronts Lord Kirke and is horrified by his martyr-like proposal. She had hoped for love and was crushed, leaving her no choice but to return home in disgrace. But separation only increases her heartache and Kirke makes no attempt to contact her. Will she find her HEA or is she too doomed to live with a broken heart?

This was another great, well-written installment of the Palace of Rogues series and might be the most emotional one yet! Catherine and Dominic are such wonderful characters and I was rooting for them right from the start, but their journey to happily ever after is not an easy one, but what a ride it is!!! The book has witty banter, lots of emotion, secrets, great secondary characters, steamyish love scenes, heartbreaking revelations, slow burn age-gap romance, uncertainty, heartache, tears, a healthy dose of angst and finally an amazing ending complete with an epilogue. I just loved this book so much and highly recommend it – it is the seventh book in the series, but it can 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. All opinions in this review are my own.*