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

Lessons in Love; A Witches’ Ball Novella by Renee Bernard

On By TracyIn Author Collaboration Series, Georgian Era (1714-1837), Historical Paranormal/Fantasy, Novella, Paranormal / Fantasy, Part of a Series, Regency Era (1811-1820), Tracy's ReviewsLeave a comment

Lessons in Love: A Witches Ball NovellaLessons in Love: A Witches Ball Novella by Renee Bernard

Tracy’s rating: 3.5/4 of 5 stars

Series: The Witches’ Ball, #2

Release Date: August 26, 2023

Arianna Holt is the illegitimate orphaned granddaughter of the Marquis of Halleforte, and she has lived most of her life under the care of her beloved uncle Edmund, her father’s youngest brother. Arianna is sheltered and feels most comfortable in the woods, her uncle has tried to make her feel loved, but her grandfather despises her and demands that she keep her silver-white hair covered and her silver-lavender eyes hidden behind dark glasses. She is content with her life, but her uncle wants more for her, he wants her to marry and have a family of her own. He convinces his father and older brother to let Arianna accompany his other niece Lady Persephone to the Witches Ball in Bocka Morrow. Arianna agrees to go as long as her uncle agrees to stop trying to matchmake when she returns. Arianna sets out counting the days until she can return home to her solitude, but this trip will change Arianna’s life in ways that she didn’t even believe possible and suddenly the thought of living in solitude no longer holds any appeal.

Wren Willow is a Fairy or Fei, he is one of the few that crosses the Veil and interacts with humans in the Broken Realm, as the Fei call it. This time he has made the trip to stop Arianna from attending the Witches’ Ball because he knows something she doesn’t, Arianna is half Fei and has a power that many would love to manipulate. Wren’s only task is to stop her from going to the ball, but once he meets her, he is drawn to her and wants more time, he breaks many rules and tells Arianna the truth of her lineage and her powers. He breaks more rules when offers to teach her how to control her power, knowing full well there will be a price to pay. Their feelings deepen, but all too soon it is time for Wren to pay for his transgressions, leaving their future in question.

This was an interesting addition to the series, especially since they never actually made it to Bocka Morrow. But Arianna and Wren are wonderful characters and their story is both joyous and heartwrenching. The story is not quite what I was expecting, but it was still a very good, no steam, slow-burn romance filled with magic, great secondary characters, a few tears, a couple of toe-curling kisses, and the promise of happily ever after. This book is loosely connected to the Witches’ Ball series, but could easily be read as a standalone title.

Fatal By Design by Cara Devlin

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

Fatal by Design (Bow Street Duchess Mystery #5)

Barbara’s rating: 5 of 5 Stars
Series: Bow Street Duchess Mystery #5
Publication Date: 10/21/23
Period: Regency

Talk about an exciting read! We have another great mystery that will keep you guessing from page to page – perhaps not guessing about the who, but certainly the why. Then, there is Audrey and Hugh’s romance – there is lovely movement there, but I’m still apprehensive that Phillip will mess things up. That man just needs to REALLY die because pretending just doesn’t solve the moral issues for me.

This story picks up about four months after the last book ended. They received word about three months prior that Phillip had died after being lost in the sea after a storm. Audrey has spent the months since with Phillip’s brother and his wife – the new Duke and Duchess. Phillip’s family is mourning him deeply and, as usual, Phillip has left Audrey to clean up the mess and feel the guilt of not telling his family the truth.

The new Duke and Duchess are having a house party as the first entertainment since they were elevated, so Audrey is leaving their estate and heading back to Fournier. Not long after she leaves the estate, her driver discovers an abandoned coach on the side of the road – not only abandoned, but the driver is dead – shot. The passengers are missing, so Audrey decides to use her ‘gift’ to see if she can determine to whom the coach belongs and perhaps what happened. Shocker! The coach belongs to her estranged older sister, Millie, Viscountess Redding, and she’s been abducted – and . . .

Luckily, Hugh is attending the house party. Even though he is now a Viscount, he still has his sharp investigative talents – and besides – he misses it. Despite what is deemed appropriate and proper for a grieving spouse, Hugh and Audrey work together to find and hopefully rescue Millie from whoever has abducted her. They fear the worst when there is no ransom note and Millie’s maid is found floating in a nearby river.

Why would someone kidnap Millie? Why is there no ransom note? What does a ring with a very rare and valuable diamond have to do with it? Will they find Millie? Will she be alive if they do? Oh! My! Goodness! You’ll just have to read the book to find the answers to all of those questions – and more.

I can definitely recommend this book and this series. I will say that this probably wouldn’t be best read as a standalone book as you would be missing some very pertinent facts. I loved that we had more page time with some of the recurring characters and it was great to spend time and get to know them a bit more. Should you choose to read the book, I hope you will enjoy it as much as I did. Happy Reading!

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

View all my reviews