Category: Tracy’s Reviews

The Earl Takes a Fancy by Lorraine Heath

On By TracyIn Tracy's Reviews, Victorian Era (1837-1901)1 Comment

The Earl Takes a Fancy (Sins for All Seasons, #5)The Earl Takes a Fancy by Lorraine Heath

Tracy’s rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: Sins for All Seasons, #5

Release Date: March 31, 2020

Fancy Trewlove has known her entire life that her family wants the best for her and that they have all worked and sacrificed to give her a better life than they had. They dream of her marrying a lord and living a fancy life and for her part, Fancy has done everything to make that dream come true. She has agreed to have a season in London and is open to wedding a lord, but when she meets Matthew Sommersby in her book shop, she is no longer sure if she can fulfil her family’s wish.

Matthew Sommersby, the Earl of Rosemont needs to escape. He was tricked into a loveless marriage and was trapped for years. When his deceitful wife dies, she arranges to have a letter published a year after her demise – a letter full of lies that paints their marriage in very romantic light and has her begging the unmarried ladies of London to save him from a lonely, loveless existence. Terrified of being trapped again, Matthew bolts and hides out in a terrace house that is in the same neighborhood as Fancy’s shop. When he first meets Fancy, he is taken by her beauty and her kindness, but he is put off when he learns she has a copy of the letter his wife had published and leaves. They meet again at the pub and share a table, he begins to rethink his position, but when he learns her plans to marry a lord “by any means necessary” he assumes the worst and thinks she is just like his wife. He plans to stay far away from her, but can’t seem to walk away and he soon realizes how wrong he was about her.

The more time they spend together, the more they want, but she needs to fulfill the dream her family has for her and he still hasn’t been honest with her about who he really is. He tries to justify his deceit by telling himself that he wants to know that she loves him for himself and not his title. He is falling in love and is planning on telling her the truth – but when she is tricked by a lord and is compromised, he is quick to judge her and leaves without a backward glance. She is heartbroken when she learns he is gone and even more so when she learns who he is, but Fancy Trewlove is stronger than anyone gives her credit for and she will deal with this on her own terms!

This was a really good story, well written, fast paced and definitely a page turner! There is a lot to like about the book, such as wonderful characters, cameos of the Trewlove siblings, steamy love scenes, some surprises, a villain you don’t end up hating, a bad guy who gets his comeuppance and a HEA complete with an epilogue. However, I felt that Matthew was something of a hypocrite – he is so sure Fancy is deceitful and judges her harshly, but the whole time he is deceiving her about his identity and while he did score big points for grand gestures at the end – I personally think he didn’t come close to the serious groveling his actions called for and I felt that Fancy was way too quick to make excuses and forgive. Overall, it was an excellent story that I immensely enjoyed and I happily recommend. This is the fifth book in the series and while it could be read as a standalone title, do yourself a favor and read the series in order.

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an uncorrected eARC that was provided to me by Edelweiss and the publisher.*

An Heiress to Remember by Maya Rodale

On By TracyIn America's Gilded Age (1870-1900), American Historical, Tracy's Reviews2 Comments

An Heiress to Remember (The Gilded Age Girls Club, #3)An Heiress to Remember by Maya Rodale

Tracy’s rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Series: The Gilded Age Girls Club, #3

Release Date: March 31, 2020

Young and in love with Wes Dalton, Beatrice Goodwin makes a decision that changes her life and sets Dalton on a journey to gain revenge. Years have passed since Wes asked her to run away with him and she has barely thought of him in the sixteen years she has been gone – but now she is back in New York, a scandalous divorcee who threw over a duke and dared to be her own woman. She is stunned to learn the poor boy she loved is now one of New York’s richest men and is trying to buy her family’s store – the store she has come back to run – the store that is to be her dream, her mission, her independence! Former love or not, there is no way Beatrice is going to surrender without a fight!

For sixteen long years, Wes Dalton has devoted his entire life to revenge against the woman who broke his heart and her family. He took the payoff her mother offered when she got engaged to the duke and turned it into an empire. He is now the third richest man in New York City and has a department store that is so well known, he doesn’t even have his name on the building. His crowning achievement is at hand – Edward Goodwin (Bea’s brother and current President of Goodwin’s) wants to sell the store and Dalton is going to buy it and destroy it. But his grand plans are thwarted when Bea sweeps in and says that she will not let Edward sell the store – she checked with a lawyer and it was clear in her father’s will that both she and her mother have to agree to a sale. She then takes things further and has her brother committed to get treatment for his drinking and takes over as President in his absence.

Dalton finds himself exhilarated by the prospect of going up against Bea and welcomes the competition. But soon he realizes that revenge was never what he really wanted and he needs to decide what he is willing to pay to get what he really wants. For her part, Bea will find herself and hopefully realize that her dreams and success won’t keep her warm at night or ward off loneliness before it’s too late and she is left with nothing.

I really enjoyed this story, I loved that they didn’t have a misunderstanding in their past – they both made choices and stood by them. I loved catching up with the Ladies of Liberty and I thought some of Bea’s stunts were awesome. I was rooting for her at the beginning and loved that she didn’t give up on her dream. And Wes – OMG – LOVED HIM, he was funny, smart and pretty much perfect. The book has a lot of emotion, a little intrigue, a villain I didn’t see coming, some steamy love scenes, some serious girl power and a very sweet HEA. My only complaint is I felt Bea held onto her past experience a little too long and had an all or nothing attitude – like there is no compromising when you love someone – it made her come off a bit selfish – but it all works out in the end. This is the third book in the series, but it can easily be read as a stand-alone. I am happy to recommend this book and hope there are more installments to come!!

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an uncorrected eARC that was provided to me by NetGalley/Edelweiss and the publisher.*