Category: Top Pick – Highly Recommended

Pretty in Plaid by Eliza Knight

On By TracyIn Georgian Era (1714-1837), Novella, Scottish/Highlander, Top Pick - Highly Recommended, Tracy's ReviewsLeave a comment

Pretty in PlaidPretty in Plaid by Eliza Knight

Tracy’s rating: 5 of 5 stars

Series: Prince Charlie’s Rebels, #2

Release Date: May 2, 2021

Kenna Forbes resides at Culloden House with her paternal Uncle Duncan, who took her in when her parents died fighting with the rebels years ago. While Kenna loves her uncle and cousin Elizabeth, she is not happy that her uncle is a Loyalist and supports King George. She is getting ready to join her uncle and his guests, primarily Redcoats, wearing a plaid gown that was her mother’s. But at the last moment, she changes her mind and decides to return to her room to change – this is when she meets Sorley MacLeod aka the Retriever – the man sent by her maternal uncle, Laird MacLeod to bring her to his home on Skye.

Sorley is immediately enchanted by Kenna, especially when she pulls a knife on him!! But she steals his heart when she saves him from being discovered and leads them out of the house through a secret passage. Kenna isn’t sure why, but she feels safe with Sorley and agrees to travel with him to meet with her uncle. But the longer she is with him, the deeper her feelings grow and makes them wonder, is it possible to fall in love with a stranger in a matter of days?

This was a well-written, fast-paced, fun novella that although it is short, was a satisfying, well-developed story. The story unfolds perfectly and left this reader very happy. Filled with wonderful characters, a bit of action, some warm love scenes, and a HEA that didn’t feel rushed. As a bonus, fans of the Prince Charlie’s Angels series will be in for a treat with cameos from several characters, both friend and foe! This novella is part of a series and has strong ties to the previously mentioned series, but it is easily read as a standalone title with no issues. I really enjoyed this book and am happy to recommend this 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. *

How to Survive a Scandal by Samara Parish

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

How to Survive a Scandal (Rebels with a Cause, #1)How to Survive a Scandal by Samara Parish

Tracy’s rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Series: Rebels with a Cause, #1

Release Date: May 25, 2021

Betrothed to the Duke of Wildeforde for most of her life, Lady Amelia Crofton, the only child of the Earl of Crofton and reigning belle of the ton is tired of waiting for the duke to finally set a wedding date and means to convince him that it is time to wed! In her rush to get to his estate, she leaves unprepared for winter travel and without her maid – mistakes that will change her life forever when she ends up stranded and half-frozen to death on the road. But, as luck would have it (or not), she is saved by Wildeforde’s neighbor and one-time friend, Mr. Benedict Asterly.

Benedict “Ben” Asterly is a self-made man, the son of a misalliance between the daughter of a marquess and a footman, Ben has no liking for the Aristocracy, especially when he saw how unhappy his mother was in his father’s world. His distrust for nobles increased when his mother left them and disintegrated, even more, when he found her alone and dying and her father refused to help. Since then, Ben has avoided interacting with the nobility – but when he is found in a state of undress with Lady Amelia by her father, her fiancé, and a gossipy neighbor, his honor will not let her be ruined, so much to her horror, he offers to marry her.

At first, their marriage seems like it will be just as awful as his parent’s was, but Amelia surprises him time and again and he finds himself agreeing to changes that he has always been adamantly opposed to. Additionally, Amelia’s connections and standing in the ton may be exactly what he needs to secure a lucrative contract to build trains for an American company. Things seem to be going well and Amelia feels like she has finally found her “place” and begins to open her heart to Ben and his young sister, but her happiness is cut short when a tragedy has Ben questioning his actions of late and placing the blame for everything squarely on Amelia. Can these two find their way back to the happiness they had just begun to share? Or will past hurts make a future together impossible?

What a great debut novel! It is a well-written, nicely-paced, fresh, and original story with very likable and relatable characters. This book is a great “fish out of water” type story with strong characters, warm love scenes, detailed character growth, wonderful secondary characters, betrayal, misassumptions, some shocking twists and turns, a dash of angst, some interesting historical facts woven into the story, and a very lovely HEA complete with a touching epilogue. I enjoyed the story despite some title errors and a couple of questionable timeline plot points (it is important to note that the copy I read was an ARC/Proof and any errors/inconsistencies I noted may well be corrected in the final, published copy.). Overall, for a debut, this book was outstanding and I believe Ms. Parish will quickly become a “must-read” author for historical romance lovers! This is the first book in the series and I am happy to recommend this title and will be impatiently waiting for the next installment!

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that I requested and was provided to me by NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions in this review are my own. *