Category: Tracy’s Reviews

The Knight’s Substitute Bride by Melissa Oliver ~ #BlogTour

On By TracyIn Blog Tour, Medieval (1066-1540), Middle Ages / Medieval (476-1454), Part of a Series, Tracy's ReviewsLeave a comment

The Knight’s Substitute Bride

Could the wrong bride…

Be right for him after all!

For the sake of his family name, Lord Robert must marry to seal an alliance with an Irish clan. Only, the woman at the altar isn’t who he was promised! Instead, it’s her sister, Lady Mairenn! The sharp-tongued Irish beauty is as reluctant to wed as Robert, but as friction turns to fire between them, she’s further derailing Robert’s plans for this purely pragmatic arrangement…

Purchase Links:

US – UK

Author Bio:

Melissa Oliver is from south-west London where she writes sweeping historical romance and is the winner of The Romantic Novelists’ Association’s Joan Hessayon Award for New Writers 2020 for her debut, The Rebel Heiress and the Knight.

Connect with Melissa:

Instagram ~ Twitter ~ Facebook ~ Website

Tracy’s Review:

The Knight's Substitute Bride (Brothers and Rivals #2)The Knight’s Substitute Bride by Melissa Oliver

Tracy’s rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: Brothers and Rivals, # 2

Release Date: November 28, 2023

Mairenn Ni Tiernan, the younger daughter of Clan Darach’s chief, Tiernan MacGlenadh goes behind her dying father’s back and helps her sister Cliodhna marry the man she loves, which means the alliance that her father has brokered with Norman-Saxon Lord Robert de Brunville will be ruined unless he will accept Mairenn in her stead. Mairenn has long acted as her father’s counsel with clan matters and should have been her father’s choice as Robert’s bride, but she suffers from debilitating migraines and her father believes that makes her a liability and a way for their enemies to use her against them. But Mairenn had once been in love and lost that love, she didn’t believe that she would ever love again and couldn’t bear for her sister to be forced to marry a stranger and abandon her love. Mairenn and Robert marry and sadly her father passes away and she suffers a migraine, she is touched by the way Robert cares for her and soon finds herself beginning to fall for him. But when the past comes calling and someone close betrays them, will she lose her second chance at love?

Lord Robert de Brunville’s life has been full of surprises lately, first meeting the twin brother he never knew he had and learning that his brother John, was raised in Ireland and is known as Ruaidhir the Ruthless. He is still trying to understand how their father could have abandoned his son and why Ruaidhir dislikes their uncle Sir Anselm, when he is dealt another blow by Tiernan of Darach when he seemingly betrays him by switching brides at the last minute. But that switch may be the best thing that ever happened to him and he finds himself drawn to his reckless and passionate wife. So much so that he decides that he must keep himself in check around her, especially when his uncle begins to comment on the amount of time he is spending with her. Robert tries to distance himself and fails but when danger comes to their gates and loyalties are questioned, will he realize that his feelings for her are not a weakness or will he lose everything, including the woman he has come to love more than life itself?

What a great story! The writing was great and the story was nicely paced and included several intriguing twists and turns as well as a wonderful cast of characters. I enjoyed the interaction between Mairenn and Robert and was delighted by the instant attraction they shared. The story is filled with emotion, secrets, surprises, steamyish love scenes, betrayal, and finally HEA complete with an epilogue. I did feel like there was a bit too much unnecessary angst at the very end, but overall it was a great story. I didn’t realize this was the second book in a two-book connected series and while I wish I had read the first book before I read this one, I didn’t have any problem following the connected storyline. I will certainly be reading Ruaidhir’s story and would happily recommend this series to lovers of medieval romance.

*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.*

 

Never Met a Duke Like You by Amalie Howard

On By TracyIn Movie / Story Retelling, Part of a Series, Tracy's Reviews, Victorian Era (1837-1901)2 Comments

Never Met a Duke Like You (Taming of the Dukes, #2)Never Met a Duke Like You by Amalie Howard

Tracy’s rating: 2.5/3 of 5 stars

Series: Taming of the Dukes, #2

Release Date: November 14, 2023

Lady Vesper Lyndhurst is pretty, popular and secretly nursing a broken heart. Once upon a time, she fell in love with her best friend and neighbor, Aspen Drake but a falling out when they were children and his shabby treatment of her during her debut, followed by his departure from England, effectively quashed any hope she might have still held for a happily ever after with him. But instead of turning her back on romance, she has embraced her love of love and plays matchmaker for her friends. She is happy with her lot in life, content to be a spinster, and dedicate herself to charitable works and match-making. But when Aspen returns and asks her help in finding a match for his ward, how can she say no, even if he is still an arrogant ass.

Aspen Drake, the Duke of Greydon has reluctantly returned to England after spending years in America leading archaeological digs. He knows he has neglected his duties for too long, but the loss of his father and his mother’s betrayal cut him deeply and kept him away. But upon learning the duchess planned to have him declared dead, he was finally forced to return and now he is on a mission, to find the proof of his mother’s evilness and to change the Lunacy Acts that made it too easy for her to carry out her dastardly plan. He has a plan, he has goals and he won’t be distracted, but when he finds himself trapped in an attic with her he realizes several things, she is even more beautiful than she had been the last time he saw her, she is even more annoying and he is in trouble.

Sigh, I had high hopes for this book, since Emma is my favorite Jane Austen book and I love a good retelling. Sadly, this book fell short for me. Personally, I felt that there was too much modern verbiage, too many contemporary ideals, and miscommunications to make this an enjoyable historical read. And don’t even get me started on the fact that the villainess wasn’t punished anywhere close to enough. But those things aside, I will give the author credit for taking on difficult issues and I found that part of the book to be well-researched and handled appropriately. I also enjoyed the snarky banter between Vesper and Aspen, the steamyish love scenes as well as the author’s notes. Overall, it wasn’t the story I hoped for and not a book I would read again, but I didn’t hate it and I’m sure it would appeal to many HR readers. And while this story didn’t really work for me, I would definitely read the next book. This is the second book in the series, but it can 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.*