Category: Tracy’s Reviews

The Accidental Duke by Barbara Devlin

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

The Accidental Duke (The Mad Matchmaking Men of Waterloo, #1)The Accidental Duke by Barbara Devlin

Tracy’s rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: The Mad Matchmaking Men of Waterloo, #1

Release Date: April 14, 2021

Anthony Bartlett lost much more than just his arm in the war, he lost the life he knew as the “spare” to the Duke of Swansborough. With the death of his older brother, Anthony became the duke’s heir and inherited not only his brother’s courtesy title of Marquess of Rockingham, but his brother’s fiancée as well, and he wants neither – much to his father’s dismay. But after almost a year of convalescing – the duke is done coddling Anthony and makes his position clear – Anthony will marry and produce an heir. Anthony seemingly agrees but plans to find a way out of his unwanted betrothal.

Lady Arabella Gibbs is the only child of the Earl of Ainsworth and is equally determined to escape the bonds of matrimony. But when she meets Anthony, she sees a wounded soul and her sweet, caring nature cannot turn her back on his suffering. She offers Anthony her friendship, which he immediately rebuffs. And while Arabella doesn’t want to marry and agrees to work with him to end the engagement, she is still set on helping Anthony overcome the deep, unseen wounds that are still festering in his soul.

Slowly, Anthony realizes his mistake in trying to push away Arabella, and she soon becomes his lifeline in his struggle to be “normal” while dealing with flashbacks to the war. They have formed a true bond and are exploring their shared attraction when they are outmaneuvered by their parents and marriage becomes unavoidable. But marriage is the least of their problems when it becomes clear that Anthony’s father has betrayed him and they are taken captive by an evil man set on “fixing” Anthony. After months of confinement, they are finally able to escape but to save his love, Anthony will sacrifice himself to see her free – a sacrifice Arabella is not willing to let him make as long as she has breath in her body – with the help of Anthony’s friends, she declares war on the duke to save the man she loves!

This was a very deep and emotional story, written with startling and heartwrenching detail. As always the author has researched her subject matter and produced a well-plotted, original, interesting story with wonderful characters, warm love scenes, great secondary characters, accurate historical detail, and a beautiful love story complete with a happy ending. I did enjoy the story, but in all honestly, I found the book a little bit on the wordy side and was guilty of skimming through excessive dialogue that really did nothing to progress the story. All in all, it was a good book that I would be happy to recommend.

*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. *

The Highlander’s Rescued Maiden by Anna Campbell

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

The Highlander's Rescued Maiden (The Lairds Most Likely, #9)The Highlander’s Rescued Maiden by Anna Campbell

Tracy’s rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: The Lairds Most Likely, #9

Release Date: March 31, 2021

When Will Mackinnon, the heir to Achnasheen is caught in a storm and takes shelter on a seemingly deserted isle, he is shocked to find a well-built tower. He can tell the dwelling is occupied, but when no one answers and the door is locked, Will gains entry by climbing the walls and entering a window. There his shock is magnified when he finds himself face to face with a pistol and even more shocked when he realizes the pistol-wielding beauty is none other than a woman he believed to be a myth – Fair Ellen of the Isles.

If Will was surprised to find Ellen, it was nothing compared to the shock she felt when the handsome highlanders climbed in her window! Normally she is not alone, but due to the storm, her maid and guards were not able to return from her father’s castle at Inchgallen, across the channel. Ellen Cameron has lived on the Isle of Bortha for ten years, banished by her father for the offense of being lame. Over the years Ellen has created a life for herself, researching and writing stories of the Highlands and even though several men have tried to “save” her, Ellen believes she will live out her days alone in her tower.

Ellen demands that Will leave, but he turns on the charm and convinces her to let him stay until the storm passes, he swears he means her no harm and finally Ellen grudgingly agrees to let him stay. The storm rages for days and during that time, Will learns that Ellen is far more than a pretty face and begins to fall in love with the brave, intelligent woman. For her part, Ellen is falling for Will but knows nothing can come of it and that he will be leaving as soon as the storm ends, but she can’t ignore the desire she feels for him and welcomes his kisses and caresses, thinking it will be her only chance in life to experience passion.

By the time the storm ended, Will knows that Ellen is the love of his life and the only woman he wants for his wife, but convincing her that her lameness doesn’t matter will be harder than he thought and may call for extreme action. Will he be able to convince her to leave Bortha or will her insecurity cost her the love of a lifetime?

This was a delightful, well-written, fast-paced story with wonderful characters, steamy love scenes, and a lovely HEA. This is the ninth book in the series, but it can easily be read as a standalone title with no problems.

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