Tracy’s Reviews – Page 155 – Flippin' Pages Book Reviews

The Warrior’s Reluctant Wife by Lissa Morgan

Series: The Warriors of Wales, #1

Release Date: August 22, 2023

When recently widowed Rhianon is ordered to marry Peredur ab Eilyr, she has no choice but to comply, however, she refuses to be a biddable bride, especially to another warrior. She will marry him, but after enduring a brutal childhood and an equally brutal, yet thankfully short marriage, she doesn’t trust men, especially not one like Peredur, a warrior lord with a fierce reputation and who is whispered to have no heart. No, she can’t trust him, despite his kindness to her or her uncle’s admonishment not to believe the things said about him. She is sure that he will eventually show his true colors and it will be a cold day in hell before she yields to him. However, it becomes clear that she is wrong about Peredur, can she overcome her fears and open her heart to him? And more importantly, will he let her?

Known as Peredur Galon Gudd – Peredur of the Hidden Heart, for good reason, just not the one most assume. Peredur was taken in by Eilyr as a young boy and raised as a beloved son, he strives to make his adoptive father proud, and even though he never wanted to marry, he agreed to wed Rhianon when Lord Rhys ap Gruffudd, Prince of Deneubrath and their overlord ordered the marriage between the warring families. He married her to save her from his brutal younger brother, but he plans to keep theirs a marriage in name only. They travel to Castell Abereinion to man the fortress, but when they arrive it is clear that trouble is brewing, starting with the fact that no one is there to greet them. Peredur must find out what is afoot a task made all the harder when his unwanted wife tempts him as no woman ever has!

This was a great start to a new series! The book is well-written, nicely paced, and filled with intrigue. Rhianon and Peredur are both wounded souls who have been ill-used by those who should have loved them, it has made them both wary of trusting others, but they both have good hearts and slowly they begin to open their hearts to the other – but that doesn’t mean that their demons won’t still rear their heads and cause a bit of heartache. Throw in a bit of intrigue, treason, murder, suppressed desire, sassy servants, and evil relatives and you have an excellent story! I loved this book and can’t wait for the next installment!!

*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.*

An Earl to Remember by Stacy Reid

Tracy’s rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: Unforgettable Love, #2

Release Date: August 22, 2023

Things have not been easy for the Heyford girls since the death of their father, but Georgianna Heyford is determined to keep the sisters together in the family home and she has a plan. She loves to cook and has been hired to cater a party for the Earl of Stannis, the payment for the job will shore up the family’s finances for the next year, but more importantly, she hopes the partygoers will love her food and hire her for future events. The job is going well and she is excited, but all that changes when a chance encounter with the earl ends with Georgianna being fired and sent away without being paid. Humiliated and angry Georgianna returns home, but fate seems to be playing with her when days later the earl is found washed up on the beach of her village. She goes to her cousin’s office, where he was taken, and learns that he has no memory of who he is, she is going to tell them who he is when he burst out that he knows her – intimately. Horrified and furious, Georgianna claims that he is her husband. Her cousin is sure that his memory will eventually return and demands that she take him with her. She resists at first, but then a new plan forms. She is going to make the earl work off his debt to her. What could possibly go wrong?

Daniel Rutherford, the Earl of Stannis, can’t believe that he has married Georgianna, but he also knows she is the other thing familiar to him. He knows something this wrong, but with no options, he goes along with Georgianna’s story. Soon he finds himself falling into his new life, and falling for his new “wife”. But when his memory returns, he is furious and burning for vengeance. He plans to make Georgianna pay for her deception, but you know what they say about the best-laid plans…

This was a well-written, fun Victorian twist on the movie “Overboard”. I love that movie and thoroughly enjoyed Stacy Reid’s retelling. The book is filled with lies, secrets, an arrogant hero who gets taken down a few pegs, an enterprising heroine, laugh-out-loud moments, steamy love scenes, great secondary characters, cameos from previous protagonists, a bit of heartache, and finally a HEA complete with an epilogue. I feel like for the most part, the author stayed true to the original plot, however, I would have been happier if Georgianna had been a widow because Daniel’s actions after recalling his memories left me feeling like he hadn’t really changed from the man he was at the beginning of the book. This is the second book in the series, but it could easily be read as a standalone title. Overall, this was a fun retelling with its own twist and hints to the next story, I enjoyed the book and would recommend it to my fellow HR readers.

*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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