Category: Tracy’s Reviews

Say You’ll Be My Lady by Kate Pembrooke

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

Say You'll Be My Lady (The Unconventional Ladies of Mayfair, #2)Say You’ll Be My Lady by Kate Pembrooke

Tracy’s rating: 2.5/3 of 5 stars

Series: The Unconventional Ladies of Mayfair, #2

Release Date: February 22, 2022

Lady Serena Wynter never plans to marry, she has focused her attention on her charitable causes and the ladies club she started – the Ladies Wednesday Afternoon Social Club. When she courts a bit of trouble while working on one of her causes, her friend Charles Townshend steps in to keep her safe. While she doesn’t want to marry, she doesn’t deny her attraction to Charles and in true Serena fashion, she sets out to explore that attraction but Charles is not willing to entertain a closer connection.

Charles loves Serena, but he doesn’t feel worthy of her and feels he has nothing to offer and harbors a secret that could be ruinous if the truth gets out. But as much as he knows he should stay away from her and knows nothing can come of his feelings, he just can’t deny her and when she puts herself in harm’s way, nothing will stop him from protecting her. He spends more time with her and his feelings deepen, but he still plans to keep her at arm’s length – too bad Serena doesn’t agree with that plan!

This was my first book by this author and I have mixed feelings, I thought the idea of the story was fun, I love a good friends-to-lovers trope, but the story lacked consistency and a steady pace. I also felt like I was missing something, I didn’t read the first book in the series and wonder if that would have given me a different perspective of the existing relationship between Serena and Charles. The book was OK, I don’t regret reading it, but it did have a lot of dropped plotlines, virtually no heat, and several story points that felt a bit clichéd, but on the other hand, it had wonderful characters and a great supporting cast. Overall, while this book was not a hit for me, you might want to give this book a try if you like a slow-burn, low-heat, friends-to-lovers 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.*

The Rake Gets Ravished by Sophie Jordan

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

The Rake Gets Ravished (The Duke Hunt, #2)The Rake Gets Ravished by Sophie Jordan

Tracy’s rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Series: The Duke Hunt, #2

Release Date: February 22, 2022

When her twin brother Bede recklessly gambles away their family farm, Mercy Kittinger travels to London and infiltrates the gaming hell, The Rogue’s Den with no real plan in mind other than to retrieve the voucher her brother gave Silas Masters, the hell’s owner. Once inside, Mercy unintentionally draws Silas’ attention and is stunned by her immediate attraction to him. But she has a job to do and drooling over Silas won’t save her family. She searches the club and finds Silas’ private rooms, finding the voucher. But as she is leaving, Silas enters, and rather than run, Mercy pretends that she was there to seduce him, an offer he turns down. Instead of being relieved, she is a bit miffed and starts to leave, but makes it clear that Silas is making a mistake.

When Silas finds Mercy in his rooms, his first instinct is to send her away, but her saucy nature intrigues him. Silas is a self-made man and a bit of a loner and if truth be told, he is a little bored, so he calls her bluff and invites Mercy to stay. And they share an incredible night of passion, but when he wakes, she is gone and he discovers the truth, she is a thief!

He tracks her down and is surprised to realize he doesn’t want to let her go, so he demands to stay at the farm until he knows that their night together didn’t produce any consequences. And they form a friendship, but beneath it all simmers the attraction they experienced in London. Despite their friendship and the respect he has come to have for her, Silas believes that marriage is not for him and Mercy is not willing to be a kept woman, so they are at a stalemate, but when it comes time for Silas to return to London, will he be able to walk away, and will she let him?

This was a great installment to the series and, I loved Silas and Mercy, they had such great chemistry and it was clear from the start, that they belonged together. The book has witty banter, steamyish love scenes, great secondary characters, elopements, shocking surprises, a loser brother who get his due, and finally a HEA. Silas is not a rake – far from it and I do wish Silas’ backstory had gotten a bit more page time, I also wish that he put up more of a fight in the end, but really those things are minor and I loved this story! The book is part of “The Duke Hunt” series but is it very loosely connected and this book 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.*