Category: Standalone Title

Four Weddings and a Duke by Michelle McLean

On By TracyIn Georgian Era (1714-1837), Regency Era (1811-1820), Standalone Title, Top Pick - Highly Recommended, Tracy's ReviewsLeave a comment

Four Weddings and a DukeFour Weddings and a Duke by Michelle McLean

Tracy’s rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Series: Standalone

Release Date: May 23, 2023

Alexander Reddington never expected to be the Duke of Beaubrooke, he was born the second son and had dedicated his life to botany – specifically grafting to create hybrid plants. But when his father and brother die close to one another, Alex finds himself the new duke with a host of obligations and duties he never planned for, especially marriage. But a promise is a promise and while attending the wedding of his cousin, he is to make the acquaintance of the Wynnburn sisters and choose one to be his bride, but it is the woman hiding in the back of the church reading that piques his interest when they chat. But it isn’t until the next day that he learns his wallflower is the middle Wynnburn sister, making his decision much easier. She is perfect for him, she is smart, and pretty and hates the social whirl as much as he does, so she will not expect him to socialize, leaving him with plenty of time to prepare his research for the Royal Society, what more could he want?

Lady Lavinia Wynnburn is the middle child of the Earl and Countess of Abberforth, she is often overlooked and feels lacking when compared to her two sisters Harriet and Kitty, who are both lovely and socially sophisticated, while Livy never feels like she fits in. She too is surprised to learn that the mystery man she met at the wedding is the duke and hides during the wedding ball. She is joined by her dearest friend and pseudo-brother Lord Nigel Bainbridge, who has known Alex for years and shares his interest in botany, they are rivals of a sort, but more like frenemies. Livy is thrilled when Alex wants to marry her, and for a while, it seems like they are well on their way to a love match, but obligations, expectations, and assumptions halt their HEA before it even begins. Can they find their way back to each other or will theirs just be another society marriage in name only?

What a delightful read, I found this story to be not only well-written and nicely paced, but the story felt original and fresh, even though it utilizes more than one commonly used HR trope. I really liked Livy and Alex and was frustrated for them each time they wronged each other, it was obvious to me that they were “meant to be” which made their setbacks a bit heartbreaking. The story has so much going on, a former wallflower finding her stride, a brilliant botanist, steamyish love scenes, great secondary characters, lots of plants, careless words, hurt feelings, grand gestures, collaboration with the “enemy”, and finally a hard-won HEA. I don’t know if this book is the start of new series or a standalone title – I am hoping it is the beginning of a new series, because there are several characters that I would love to see get their own HEAs. In any event, this is a fun story that I am happy to recommend!

*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.*

Earls Rush In by Jennifer Haymore

On By TracyIn Georgian Era (1714-1837), Regency Era (1811-1820), Standalone Title, Tracy's Reviews1 Comment

Earls Rush InEarls Rush In by Jennifer Haymore

Tracy’s rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: Standalone

Release Date: May 8, 2023

Life has not been easy for Miss Charlotte Chapman after the death of her beloved brother Chris, the Baron Chapman almost two years ago. Making matters worse, her uncle, the new baron has made it clear that Charlotte and her younger sister, Celine are no longer welcome in the house and must leave by the two-year anniversary of Chris’ passing in just a few months. Charlotte had always hoped for a love match and turned down suitors prior to her brother’s death, but now with the threat of homelessness looming, she can’t afford to hold on to that dream, and to save her sister, she is willing to accept the proposal of her only suitor, Reginald Bagshaw. But unbeknownst to her, her brother’s best friend, Finn will never let her marry Bagshaw, and he is willing to do whatever is necessary to ensure that doesn’t happen, which is exactly how she ended up stranded with him at an inn during a blizzard, pretending to be his wife.

Finneas “Finn” Jones, the Earl of Trevelyan has loved Charlotte for as long as he can remember but knows he is not worthy of her and that if she ever found out the truth of her brother’s death, she would hate him. But there is no way he will let her make the mistake of a lifetime by marrying Reginald Bagshaw. Without his usual thoughtful planning, Finn rushes to stop her by basically kidnapping her. He planned to take her to Scotland, but the weather has other plans and when they are forced to share a room as husband and wife, Finn will be tempted beyond measure. A temptation Charlotte would happily make a reality, but Finn hasn’t been totally honest with Charlotte and as much as he would love to spend his life with her by his side, he knows the truth will make her hate him and he will lose her completely. So he holds her at arm’s length and promises to find her a husband before her uncle’s deadline. But can he actually hand her over to another man or is there a way to keep her without telling her everything about her brother’s death?

This well-written, nicely-paced story was an enjoyable read even though parts of it were a bit hard to believe. I thought that Finn and Charlotte were both likable characters, who seemed to balance each other nicely, making them an easy couple to root for. The story did have a few things happening that I personally had a hard time believing, such as her uncle kicking them out without a penny; his own nieces who are young unmarried women, one of whom is just 16 years old. There were other things that were a bit far-fetched, but I don’t want to spoil the story and they were not earth-shattering, but did make me shake my head in disbelief. The book was filled with lies, secrets, wonderful secondary characters, steamyish love scenes, duels, a bit of heartache, and finally a HEA including an epilogue. This book is a standalone title ( I am hoping that the author decides to give some of the secondary characters their own HEA) so if you are new to this author, this is the perfect book to start with.

*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.*