Category: Top Pick – Highly Recommended

A Daring Pursuit by Kate Bateman

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

A Daring Pursuit: The Ruthless RivalsA Daring Pursuit: The Ruthless Rivals by Kate Bateman

Tracy’s rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Series: The Ruthless Rivals, #2

Release Date: May 24, 20222

Lady Carys Davies is being blackmailed by a man she thought she loved and believed she would marry, but instead he left her ruined and married another, and then had the gall to demand she pay him if she didn’t want the ton to learn of her fall from grace. Carys would rather pay than let her brothers learn of her ruin and has decided to either remain a spinster or agree to a white marriage with her friend Lord Ellington. And besides that, the only man she really wants is the one she could never have, Tristan Montgomery, her neighbor, and lifelong enemy.

Tristan is everything that Carys is not, he is restrained, proper, and meticulous, in short, her complete opposite. But despite his outward disdain for her, Carys is never far from his thoughts and though he would never admit it, she inhabits many of his dreams and fantasies. However, she is not someone he would ever consider marrying, he needs a “proper” wife and he has already found the woman he plans to court. But when Tristan learns Carys’s secret, it changes everything between them and activates his protective instincts. And when the blackmail takes a turn into treason and Carys’s life is in danger, Tristan realizes that “proper” isn’t what he needs after all, but has he missed his chance?

What a fun, well-written, fast-paced read this was! Carys and Tristan are wonderful, relatable, and very likable characters who fill the pages of this enemies-to-lovers book with witty banter and barely contained passion. The book has secrets, blackmail, bears, treason, steamyish love scenes, lots of witty banter, great secondary characters, a couple of nail-biting, run-for-your-life moments, and finally a very satisfying HEA. Personally, I thought the villains got off a little easy, but overall, this was a fantastic read and though it is the second book in the series, it could easily be read as a standalone title.

*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.*

The Bride Goes Rogue by Joanna Shupe

On By TracyIn America's Gilded Age (1870-1900), American Historical, Part of a Series, Top Pick - Highly Recommended, Tracy's ReviewsLeave a comment

The Bride Goes Rogue (The Fifth Avenue Rebels, #3)The Bride Goes Rogue by Joanna Shupe

Tracy’s rating: 5 of 5 stars

Series: The Fifth Avenue Rebels, #3

Release Date: May 24, 2022

After a year of watching Preston Clarke, her betrothed, galavant about town and ignore her instead of making plans for their wedding, Katherine Delafield takes matters into her own hands and confronts him. But things do not go as planned when Preston informs her they are not betrothed and never will be. Hurt and humiliated Kat leaves, but returns moments later to give Preston a proper setdown, informing him that he will come to regret losing her, he tries to stop her when she turns to go, but Kat is done, she has wasted enough time on Preston Clarke and she won’t waste another second on him! She visits her friend Nellie Young and makes plans to start living her life on her terms, starting with attending the scandalous masquerade known as the French Ball and maybe even taking a lover!

Preston Clarke is sorry that Katherine was hurt by his refusal to marry her, but he refuses to honor any agreement made by her father, the man he blames for his family’s near ruin. His father and Kat’s father were business partners and Kat’s father dissolved their partnership and did nothing to help Preston when his father died and Preston learned the truth about his finances – his father had gambled away everything and if not for the help of his friend Forrest, Preston and his mother would have been homeless. Through sheer determination and hard work, Preston has rebuilt his fortune and he is now poised to build the largest building in the world, that is until he learns Kat’s dad has once again betrayed him and that he may have stolen the property Preston plans to use for his project. That is something Preston will not let happen, he will get the property back by whatever means necessary.

His day goes from bad to worse when his mistress wants more than he is willing to give, they part ways and with the hope of finding a diversion, Preston attends the French Ball and meets an enchanting woman, shares a steamy encounter, and makes plans to meet the next day. Imagine their surprise when they meet the next night and discover the truth! Needless to say, they exchange some heated words and part ways – but they keep running into each other and despite his vow to stay away from her, these two are drawn to one another and embark on an affair. But when his business dealings come between them and he hurts Kat, will he be able to make things right, or has he lost her for good?

This was a well-written, nicely paced story set in America’s Gilded Age with wonderfully complex characters. The book has a lot going on, but it is so well done that it doesn’t feel busy and Kat and Preston’s personal struggles don’t diminish their romance, in fact, their struggles actually enhance their journey to HEA. The book is filled with steamy love scenes, questionable business dealings, great secondary characters, some heartache, a bit of grief, betrayal, a dash of jealousy, and finally a HEA. This is the third book in the series, but it could easily be read as a standalone title and if you love a steamy romance with strong, yet likable characters, then this is a book you do not want to miss!

*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.*