Category: Tracy’s Reviews

The Scoundrel Falls Hard by Sophie Jordan

On By TracyIn Part of a Series, Tracy's Reviews, Victorian Era (1837-1901)Leave a comment

The Scoundrel Falls Hard (The Duke Hunt #3)The Scoundrel Falls Hard by Sophie Jordan

Tracy’s rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Series: The Duke Hunt, #3

Release Date: August 23, 2022

The last thing Gwen Cully expected when she went to work in her smith that day was to save a conman from being hanged and then end up betrothed to him – but that’s exactly what happened! Gwen was working in her smith when the man she knew to be the scoundrel impersonating the Duke of Penning’s heir entered and begged her to hide him from the angry mob chasing him. She thought he was exaggerating, but when she sees the townsfolk baring down on them, she lets him hide. Unfortunately for him, someone comes into the smith and sees him and he is dragged away. With the townsfolk intent on hanging him!

Kellan Fox knows what he did was wrong and to be honest, he is tired of his nomadic life, but he made a deathbed promise to his mother to watch over his father and has felt duty-bound to keep his word. But this is the last straw, his father scammed the people of the town into believing that he was the long-lost Duke of Penning and that Kellan was his heir, but when his con was exposed, he took off, leaving Kellan to take the fall. And now with a rope around his neck, it seems like he will indeed pay the price for their sins. But to his surprise, the lovely blacksmith tries to stop the mob from killing him. Going as far as to proclaim her love for him. And it works, sort of…because they end up betrothed to prove that they really love each other.

Gwen and Kellan don’t want to marry, but she knows if she doesn’t marry him, she will be ruined and her business will suffer even more than it has since her father and uncle died. So she suggests a compromise, they marry and spend one year together, in an in-name-only platonic marriage – and then he will be free to leave. Kellan agrees, as he owes her his life, and even offers to help her around the house and the blacksmith shop. It seems like an ideal partnership until it becomes clear that the platonic part is going to be harder to adhere to than either of them thought. Is it possible that this relationship built on a lie could be a love match? Can Gwen trust him or is Kellan just playing her for a fool?

This was a fun, fast-paced story with extremely likable characters and a fresh twist on the marriage of convenience trope. This story has witty banter, believable character development, a marriage of convenience, lies, dodgy relatives, a bully, great secondary characters, trust issues, steamy love scenes, and finally a very lovely HEA complete with an epilogue. This is the third book in the series, but they are very loosely connected and can easily be read as standalone titles. I enjoyed this story and would happily 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.*

The Scot Who Loved Her by Eliza Knight

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

The Scot Who Loved Her (Scots of Honor, #4)The Scot Who Loved Her by Eliza Knight

Tracy’s rating: 5 of 5 stars

Series: Scots of Honor, #4

Release Date: August 16, 2022

When a scandal cuts short her London Season and her father sends her to Scotland until things settle down, Olivia Aston, the daughter of Viscount Halvellyn, couldn’t be happier! She loves Scotland and can’t understand why her father hates it so, especially since he is half-Scot. She looks forward to hunting, and riding and also hopes to visit her older sister Marian, who is currently in Scotland in an asylum after going mad. But she never expected to get caught up in the search for a traitor!

Malcolm Gordon, the Earl of Dunlyon and agent in HRM Secret Scots and is hot on the trail of a traitor when his path crosses with Olivia’s. He is on his way back to London with a suspect and a stolen manifesto from the traitor’s ship when he is attacked by a boar and in the process of killing it, is shot. He sees Olivia coming towards him with a gun and is sure she is the traitor or at least a spy, he pulls his dagger to hold her at bay and then passes out. Unable to let him die, she leaves him to get help. Olivia finds the groundkeeper’s son, David and together they tend his wound, she notices that the sole of the man’s boot is gone, as is his horse and her gun. Worried her dad will discover she was hunting in defiance of his orders, she asks David to take care of the man. But while David is gone to get a wagon, Malcolm wakes and realizes the manifesto is gone and so is his horse! When David returns, Malcolm learns Olivia’s name and knocks out David, steals his horse and shirt, and sets out for London to meet with his superior and to find Olivia. But finding Olivia means going into society, which means he will have to ask the last woman he ever wanted to see again for help – his mother. And so begins this wild adventure to find a traitor and if they survive, maybe even the love of a lifetime!

This is the final installment in the Scots of Honor series and WOW, readers are in for a treat! This well-written, fast-paced book has something for everyone; spies, traitors, sibling reunions, rumors of madness, great secondary characters, steamyish love scenes, shocking revelations, more than one twist that will keep you guessing until the very end, and finally a lovely HEA complete with an epilogue. All four books were so good that it is almost impossible to pick a favorite, but if I had to choose, I think this one would be my pick. This is the fourth and final book in the series, but it could easily be read as a standalone title, but do yourself a favor and read the series in order – you won’t be disappointed!

*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.*