Top Pick – Highly Recommended – Page 42 – Flippin' Pages Book Reviews

Reign of Wicked Temptation by Jen Bradlee

Tracy’s rating: 5 of 5 stars

Series: The Prince of Whispers, #3

Release Date: August 9, 2022

After the cliffhanger ending of book two, left the fate of Ruby, Henry, and Crispin in question, the wait for answers is finally over, and be prepared to pick your jaw up off the floor!!! Please be warned, if you have not read the previous installments and plan to, do not read this review as parts of it may be spoilerish to those who haven’t read books one and two.

At the end of the last book, Crispin’s older brother Francis returned from the dead, badly scarred and posing as Ruby’s friend the monk known as Brother James. Despite his return and his position as the rightful heir to the throne, he swears he has no desire to take his rightful place as king. Crispin doesn’t trust him but his fears seem pointless, especially when Francis/James returns to the Monastery. But shortly thereafter, Ruby and Henry disappear, leaving Crispin frantic.

Ruby wakes to learn she is being held captive by Francis, who has finally shown his true colors and does in fact plan to reclaim the throne and force Ruby to honor their betrothal – but first, he wants to make Crispin suffer. She soon learns that Francis is also holding Henry captive and that they were betrayed by Ivy.

Crispin questions Ivy and learns that she is an assassin from the “Guild” but she refuses to tell Crispin who her master is, she admits to helping him capture Ruby and Henry – he forces her to take him to her meeting place, but when a badly beaten Henry arrives in place of her master, she once again betrays them, by taking them by surprise and turning them over to Francis. It seems as if all is lost and Francis will succeed in his plan to destroy Crispin, force Ruby to marry him, and claim the crown. But help comes from an unexpected source and secrets are revealed that change everything.

OMG – this entire series has been fantastic and this final installment is by far the best of the collection. I loved Ruby and Crispin and especially loved watching Crispin transform from the self-centered lothario that he was into a just ruler. This book was filled with heartbreak, betrayal, secrets, lies, shocking revelations, forgiveness, healing, a soulmate-type love, and finally a hard-won HEA. This is the third installment of the series and the books really need to be read in order. I absolutely loved this entire series and if you like bad-boy heroes, then this is the series for you!

Important Note: This book does contain a scene that might be a trigger for some readers – I will not say what it is as it is a spoiler, but if you would like to know, feel free to contact me privately.

*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 Duchess by Midnight by Charis Michaels

Tracy’s rating: 5 of 5 stars

Series: Awakened by a Kiss, #3

Release Date: July 26, 2022

After years of being the “evil stepsister”, Drewsmina Trelayne has turned over a new leaf and has even begun to tutor young ladies who are getting ready to debut. At 28, she believes that love is not in the cards for her and she hopes to turn tutoring into a business and finally move out of her sister’s house. Thanks to her stepsister Princess Cynde, she might actually have a paying client. She is to meet with Cynde and her husband at the palace to be introduced to the duke, who is a bit notorious and apparently has twins that will require her services. She reports to the palace and is in the anteroom with the other people hoping to meet with the Prince and Princess when all hell breaks loose and a gift of birds for the Princess are accidentally released in the room! She tries to calm the crowd and find a way to capture the birds, when a man she noticed earlier in the corner, tries opening the door to release them, she stops him, explaining the birds would die in the palace, so he breaks a window and the birds fly out. She thanks him and starts chatting, nervous about her meeting she shares more than she should, telling the man of the duke and his twins, only to find out that he is in fact the duke!

Ian Clayback, the Duke of Lachlan is notorious, his name is linked with the Luddite riot and it is said that he conspired with his tenants and then turned on them by alerting the military of their intent to riot. And for the most part, this is true, but his intentions have been misinterpreted and the damage is done, his tenants don’t trust him and his peers think he is trouble. He has worked hard to rebuild the trust and has come to London to try and gather support to get rid of the levies on small craftsmen’s products as they are not able to compete with the mills. He has also decided to launch his twin nieces into society but admits they might need some help, even still, he is not thrilled when the Prince blackmails him into hiring Drew.

Drew meets the twins, Imogene and Ivy, and their mother Lady Tribble, and is shocked to learn that have had no preparation for a season at all, and then she learns that they have been with their mother in a cult/commune for the last five years – something that even Ian didn’t know. Impressed that the girls have opened up to Drew, he begs her to stay. Things are going well and the more Ian sees Drew, the more he likes her and is attracted to her, but his nieces need her and he has to concentrate on helping his tenants, so he will resist her! Until after dinner one night when he meets with her to talk about his niece Imogene and one thing leads to another and they are caught in a passionate embrace and are forced to marry! Can this forced marriage become a love match or are they doomed to a life of unhappiness?

I really enjoyed this story, it was well written and paced nicely, and had a lightness that made it entertaining and very easy to read. Drew and Ian share an almost instant chemistry, but that doesn’t mean they fall in love instantly, the romance develops at a slower pace, making it much more believable. This book has secrets, cults, familiar faces from previous books, including a very odd merchant, great secondary characters, steamyish love scenes, laugh-out-loud moments, and finally a HEA complete with an epilogue. This is the third book in the series, but the books are very loosely connected and can easily be read as standalone titles. I highly recommend this title, I think it might be my favorite in the series and a book I would happily read again.

*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.*

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