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

Gentlemen and Gloves Anthology by Various Authors

On By TracyIn Anthology, Author Collaboration Series, Georgian Era (1714-1837), Novella, Regency Era (1811-1820)Leave a comment

Gentlemen & GlovesGentlemen & Gloves by Various Authors

Tracy’s rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: Lords and Ladies of St. James, #5

Release Date: February 20, 2024

This fun new anthology features six new exclusive novellas by some of your favorite historical romance authors all featuring gentlemen and gloves. Here are a few of my favorite novellas, each with varying steam levels and tropes, but each an enjoyable read! In my opinion, this collection is worth buying, not only is the price amazing, but even if you only read one or two of the selections included in the anthology you will be delighted and know that it was money well spent.

Unmasked at Midnight by Collette Cameron, 4 stars – Lord Darius Westbrook has sold his commission in the Navy, moved to Woodhaven, and is the proud owner of Westbrook’s Book & Coffee Emporium. He will be opening the shop in a couple of months and plans to celebrate the opening with a masked event, featuring several authors reading their works. But despite the work he has to do, he has already set his sights on his next task – courting the lovely Eudora Clarke, regardless of his twin brother’s objections. In fact, he was watching the beauteous Miss Clarke when he met the vicar’s daughter, Araminta Weldon, thanks to her pet goose, Sir Waddlesby. Miss Weldon convinces him to let her operate her lending library in his shop and suggests that he stock books by Madame Quillheart (her secret nom de plume). Will Darius realize that Araminta is the true treasure or will he continue to pursue a beautiful but poisonous viper? Heat Level: Sweet/No Steam

The Virgin Widow by Robyn Dehart, 4 stars – Agatha Pennybrook, the widowed Countess of Tolley, has just completed her mourning period and her parents are pushing for her to remarry, but Agatha has decided that she doesn’t want to marry again, but without a fortune to support herself, she will need a way to make a living and believes that being a mistress would be her best bet, the problem is her late husband was sick and died shortly after they married, leaving her a virgin. So to learn about the profession she plans to enter, she seeks out the knowledge of London’s most infamous madame, Lady Leblanc. But it is not the madame who offers to teach her, it is the madame’s gorgeous son Sebastian St. Claire, one of the “Notorious Bastards”. Sebastian and Agatha burn up the pages and fall in love, but there are things they don’t know about each other – things that could rip them apart and break their hearts. Heat Level: Steamy/Open Door

Kiss the Duke Goodbye by Tracy Sumner, 4 stars, – Thanks to his late father’s mismanagement and poor financial sense, Knoxville DeWitt, the Duke of Herschel needs to find a rich bride to save the dukedom and he knows he has a duty to his family, tenants, and servants, but his heart longs to marry for love. He suspects that he has already found that love, Clarissa Marlowe, but she is completely unsuitable, not because she is a milliner, but because she doesn’t have a fortune. He has been visiting her and flirting for months, and when he finally suggests an affair, he is surprised when she agrees. They meet at her cottage and end up spending several days together thanks to a snowstorm. It is clear that they are perfect for each other, but love doesn’t pay the bills, will they find a way to save the estate and be together or will they sacrifice their love for duty? Heat Level: Very Warm to Steamy/Open Door.

This was a great collection with several different tropes, and heat levels at a great price – I enjoyed this book and definitely recommend it to my fellow HR readers.

*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.*

A Gentleman in Pursuit of Truth by Grace Burrowes

On By BarbaraIn Barb's Reviews, Historical Mystery, Part of a Series, Regency Era (1811-1820)Leave a comment

A Gentleman in Pursuit of Truth (The Lord Julian Mysteries #4)Barbara’s rating: 5 out of 5 Stars
Series: The Lord Julian Mysteries #4
Publication Date: 2/27/24
Period: Regency
Number of Pages: 243

I absolutely love this series. It has a unique premise in that the protagonist has come home from the Napoleonic wars as a very broken man – mentally and physically. He holed himself up in a darkened house for almost a year after his return. He was taken prisoner and tortured by the French and somehow managed to escape but wandered injured and helpless through the Pyrenees until he reached friendly territory. His hair has turned pure white, his eyesight is poor and cannot tolerate bright light, he is emaciated, and . . . worst of all . . . his fellow citizens have branded him a traitor and accused him of leaving his older brother to die in the prison camp. He is not a traitor – but the rumors persist nevertheless. I believe that you should read the whole series, in order, so you get and follow the entire background of the characters and their relationships.

Lord Julian, who has solved several mysteries lately, has been summoned to the estate of Osgood Banter to solve the disappearance of a large, prized, foxhound named Thales. Yes, we have the case of the Purloined Puppy. However, when he arrives at the estate and meets all the players, Lord Julian realizes there is much more to solve than a missing canine. Tensions are high – both on the estate and in the surrounding village. It seems the dog’s owner is not greatly esteemed by any of the residents – at home or in the village. So, if Thales’s owner – Anaximander (Nax) Silforth (I know, it is a mouthful, right?) is so disliked by everyone, why is Osgood Banter leaving Nax in total charge of his vast, wealthy estate while he travels the continent? Hmmmm – you will just need to read the story to see, but it is a doozie!

In this book, we have a bit less page time with Arthur, the Duke of Waltham (Julian’s brother), Hyperia (Perry) West (Julian’s love interest), Lady Ophelia (Julian’s Godmother), and Atticus, Julian’s pint-sized outspoken Tiger. They were there but just didn’t have a lot of page time. I really love it when Julian and Perry are bouncing thoughts and ideas off each other.

Trigger warnings – the Duke of Waltham and Osgood Banter are male lovers. I love their relationship as it is longstanding, true, mature, and thoughtful – and that is what is focused on. I also love that the author depicts what a same-gender couple had to deal with during that time rather than writing like it was all buttercups, unicorns, and roses with everyone accepting and celebrating the relationship. Being in a same-gender relationship during that time often got you hanged, but if it didn’t, you were socially ostracized by all levels of society. This author shows that without being preachy about it.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and all of the others in the series. I am already anxiously awaiting the next book,
A Gentleman In Search of A Wife. Happy Reading!

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

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