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

Damned If I Duke by Anna Bradley

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

Damned If I Duke (Drop Dead Dukes)Barbara’s rating: 3.3 out of 5 Stars
Series: Drop Dead Dukes #2
Publication Date: 3/26/24
Period: Regency
Number of Pages: 368

Prudence Thorne has been raised differently than most females of her time. Her mother died when Prue was very young and she was then raised by her father – who allowed her to pursue skills that were different than other young ladies. While fashionable young women were restricted to dance, music, embroidery, etc., Prue learned to shoot, ride like a demon, and handle a rapier. She was strong-willed and not afraid of anything or anyone – even a duke. I liked Prue and was rooting for her and her HEA.

Jasper Vincent, Duke of Montford, lost both of his parents early in his life and was raised by his grandfather – his mother’s father. Jasper has a different view of himself than his friends and family do. Jasper sees the fearless rake who is always finding some new way for excitement, while his friends see through to the caring man with a good heart. They also see the rake and troublemaker – but believe that is his way of protecting his heart. So, what is he to make of a woman who goes toe-to-toe with him and even attempts to blackmail him? Strangely, I liked him from the beginning and that usually isn’t the case. I was rooting for his redemption and HEA.

For me, this was the typical ‘daughter/sister does whatever to save father/brother, etc from ruin after gambling debt trope. It was well written and a nice read, but nothing so attention-grabbing that I’d want a second read. For me, that isn’t unusual, so you might feel entirely different. I enjoyed the sniping/banter between Prue and Jasper, and I thoroughly enjoyed the scene where she shot him in the rear with buckshot. What I didn’t enjoy was where Prue acted totally out of character and ran away sniveling. I know the author needed a scene where there was a conflict – but – this was just too unbelievable given all we’d been led to believe about Pru. What I would have preferred was for her to stand up to the antagonist, then confront Jasper, and the two of them work together to exact revenge. One of the antagonists paid a price – but that was just the lackey – I wanted the real aggressor to pay – big time. The bottom line for me – I liked the characters, I liked the story, but wouldn’t care for a second read. However, I will read the next book in the series.

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

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One Dangerous Night by Cathy Maxwell

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

One Dangerous Night (The Gambler's Daughters, #2)One Dangerous Night by Cathy Maxwell

Tracy’s rating: 3.5/4 of 5 stars

Series: The Gambler’s Daughters, #2

Release Date: March 26, 2024

After arriving in London with high hopes of marrying a duke, Elise Lanscarr, the youngest (and loveliest) of the Lanscarr sisters, is leaving, betrayed, heartbroken and filled with rage. After her sister Dara married Michael, the man Elise loved and hoped to marry, she can no longer abide living with them and she has decided to return to Ireland. In a final fit of pique, she leaves a note in the sister’s money box after taking the funds she needs to make it back to Ireland, knowing her sisters will believe she has gone to stay with her friend Lady Whitby and won’t realize she is gone until one of them checks the money box. She is filled with self-righteous indignation, she sets out for Liverpool, but nothing goes as planned and she finds herself traveling with a stranger, in a mail coach driven by a drunk, in a storm. A horrific crash finds her alone with the stranger, a young man going by the name of Kit. Together they will have to find their way to the next coaching inn, while avoiding the many pitfalls that pop up along the way. At first, she is sure Kit is a ne’er-do-well, but the more time she spends with him, the more she likes him and respect him. She also begins to see her own shortcomings and faults, she knows she has fences to mend and apologies to make, and once that is done, will she give up her dream of a duke for a wanderer?

Christopher “Kit” Fitzhugh-Cox, the Duke of Winderton is also running away after experiencing heartbreak when the woman he loved married his uncle. He too left in a fit of pique, and he has been wandering for months under an assumed name, play out he version of Shakespeare’s Prince Hal. It isn’t until he meets Elise that he truly begins to change and see the error of his ways. She makes him want to be a better man, a man worthy of her love. But to do that he will have keep Elise safe while evading the men trying to kill him, then return home and make things right. And there is the small fact that he hasn’t revealed his true identity to her, but he is sure she will forgive him, well, mostly sure.

This was the well-written, nicely paced story of two young people who start out acting like spoiled brats, but through a series of misfortunes, seeing the error of their ways and maturing into adulthood while truly falling in love. The book is filled with emotion, some anger, indignation, hurt feelings, broken hearts, perceived betrayal, a sweet dog, danger, hidden identities, more heartache, a tiny bit of steam, shocking revelations, and finally a very sweet ending with a lovely declaration and a nice set up for the next book. Honestly, I didn’t like Elise in the last book and I didn’t like her for most of this book, but in the end, she won me over, as did Kit. I am happy to recommend this book, but I would strongly suggest reading the books in order. I didn’t love this story, but in the end, I enjoyed it and now I can’t wait for Gwendolyn and Steele’s story!

*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.*