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

Accidentally His by Sabrina Jeffries

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

Accidentally His (Designing Debutantes #3)

Barbara’s rating: 3.7 out of 5 Stars
Series: Designing Debutants #3
Publication Date: 1/23/24
Period: Regency
Number of Pages: 344

Finally, we have the identity of the Phantom who made cameo appearances throughout the second book. The Phantom had everyone fooled – or did he? Sly fellow that he was, he appeared in all sorts of roles and disguises – and nobody even noticed him. Well, nobody except Verity, and they all just thought she was imagining things. Who is the Phantom? Hmmm. . .

Rafe Wolfford is heir to a viscount, but he is also a Colonel in the army and a spy who is undercover to find a traitor who is feeding secrets to the French. His suspect is a peer who cannot be directly approached, so deception is called for. The traitor shot and grievously wounded Rafe’s uncle. Now, Rafe will do whatever it takes to catch this traitor – even pretend to court the man’s daughter. Hmmm . . . that daughter is witty, intelligent, and quite beautiful, so pretending to court her isn’t a real hardship. The hardship is in not truly falling for her. Can he do that? He has to because she hates secrets above all else and when she discovers what he has done and why, she’ll hate him forever.

Verity Harper, the estranged daughter of an Earl, is part owner of Elegant Occasions. Each of the owners, who are sisters, brings a special talent, and Verity’s talent is with food. Her menus, settings, and recipes are always unique and special for each occasion. Verity also never forgets a face – that is why she always knows when the Phantom is attending one of their affairs. Why is he showing up at their venues? What does he want? He never actually seems to do anything. And – why does the man she’s just met remind her of the Phantom? He can’t possibly be the Phantom – can he?

It was fun to watch Verity dance rings around Rafe. She saw right through him and the scene where he realized that was such fun to read. Yes, she had him at every turn, so I wondered how he became such a renowned, lauded spy. But, of course, Verity flustered him and he couldn’t keep his wits about him when she was around. Still, with as much experience as he had – one would think. . .

I enjoyed Verity and Rafe and thought they made a great couple. I know Verity hated secrets and lies, but Rafe was such a sweet liar – and he lied for all of the right reasons. I also enjoyed the mystery associated with the spy hunt. I thought it was interesting, but I have to admit, the identity of the spy threw me a bit – partially because we spent little time with them.

If you are looking for an entertaining romance with a mystery, spies, a romance, and a fun cast of characters, then you will likely enjoy this one.

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

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A Duke of Her Own by Stacy Reid

On By TracyIn Georgian Era (1714-1837), Novella, Part of a Series, Re-Release / Updated Edition, Regency Era (1811-1820), Tracy's ReviewsLeave a comment

A Duke Of Her Own (Wedded By Scandal Companion Series Book 1)A Duke Of Her Own by Stacy Reid

Tracy’s rating: 5 of 5 stars

Series: Wedding by Scandal Companion Series, #1 (Previously published in I Like Big Dukes and I Cannot Lie)

Released: December 16, 2023

After a scandal that ruined her reputation and nearly two years of exile, Lady Francie Walcott has finally been called back to London by her mother to marry the elderly Earl of Beresford, in the hopes that the marriage will salvage Francie’s reputation. But before she leaves, she wants to see her neighbor and friend, Alexander Crawford one last time and hopes she will have the courage to ask him for a very special favor. For the last year, Mr. Crawford has been a balm for her loneliness and she has come to care for him. But her past experience has made her wary of trusting her emotions and she fiercely guards her heart, especially since he doesn’t know who she really is or that she is ruined and is most likely not a suitable candidate for marriage (at least by her mother’s standards). But none of that stops her from seeking him out or secretly longing for him.

Alexander Crawford, the Duke of Merrick has been smitten with Francie from almost the first moment he met her when he fled to his father’s lake cottage to grieve his father’s passing. Francie was kind and compassionate, and a friendship blossomed, but it is clear that she is hiding something, but then, so is Alexander. Over the months they have known each other, he has come to believe that Francie is the woman for him and hopes she feels the same. When she tells him of her desire to experience true passion, he is overjoyed and is determined to win her over once and for all. But when her secrets are brought to light, their HEA may be over, before it ever began!

This novella was a delight to read! The story is well written, flows perfectly, and is filled with lots of emotion, secrets, wonderful characters, steamyish love scenes, a little heartache, and finally an ending that was everything I was hoping for! This novella was originally published in the I Like Big Dukes and I Cannot Lie anthology and is the first book in Ms. Reid’s Wedded by Scandal Companion series and has ties to Wicked in His Arms in the Wedded by Scandal series. I loved this novella and am happy to recommend it to Historical Romance lovers or anyone who enjoys a steamyish novella with a happy ending.

*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.*