Category: Tracy’s Reviews

Brazen & The Beast by Sarah MacLean

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

Brazen and the Beast (The Bareknuckle Bastards, #2)Brazen and the Beast by Sarah MacLean
Tracy’s rating: 5 of 5 stars

Series: Bareknuckle Bastards #2

Release Date: July 30, 2019

Lady Henrietta “Hattie” Sedley is preparing for a very special night out, but her plans are derailed even before they begin when she finds a gorgeous, unconscious man tied up in her carriage. Tonight was supposed to be the beginning of the “Year of Hattie”, this her 29th year will be the year she finally made her dreams come true and she refuses to let this man ruin it! She wakes him up and asks why he is in her carriage (even though she has a pretty good idea who put him there) – when he is less than cooperative, she unties him, he steals a kiss and she pushes him out of the carriage – problem solved and she can carry on with her night! Hattie wants nothing more than to take over her father’s shipping business, but her father wants her to marry and for her brother Augie to run the business, so she forms a plan to change his mind, Hattie is not opposed to marriage, but she has spent many seasons on the marriage mart and has never had an offer, she knows she is not what men consider attractive, she is too tall, too plump and too outspoken, but her father just refuses to believe it, so she will make herself unmarriageable and for that she needs to be ruined.

Saviour “Whit” Whittington AKA the Beast is revered in Covent Gardens, he along with his brother Devil are known as the Bareknuckle Bastards and there is nothing that happens in Covent Gardens that they don’t know about – so when he wakes in a carriage and remembers that he was driving a shipment of goods and was attacked, he wants answers and he is pretty sure the intriguing woman who just pushed him out of her carriage is the key to discovering who robbed him.

He finds her in a brothel for women and strikes a deal – she will find and return his goods and he will help her set her plan in motion by bedding her. Hattie knows her brother Augie stole Whit’s property and fears for his life, she returns home and finds her brother, stabbed and whining – she learns why he stole from the Bareknuckle Bastards and the staggering amount that he has taken.
Hattie figures out a way to repay Whit and can’t wait for him to find her, instead she goes looking for him in Covent Gardens. He learns she is looking for him and tails her for a bit, he only intervenes when he believes she is in dangers, but much to his surprise, Hattie isn’t the one who needs saving! Who is this goddess and why does he want her so badly?

I really loved this book, it is a well written, fast paced story with lots of emotion, action, great secondary characters, a heroine who can hold her own and doesn’t need saving, steamy love scenes, a bit of heartache, betrayal and dreams coming true! This is the second book in the series, but it can definitely be read as a stand-alone with no problem and I am happy to recommend it!

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

Temptation’s Darling by Johanna Lindsey

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

Temptation's DarlingTemptation’s Darling by Johanna Lindsey

Tracy’s rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Series: Stand Alone

Release Date: July 16, 2019

Lady Vanessa “Nessi” Blackburn has lived in Scotland with her exiled father, the Earl of Ketterham for the last six years, but now she is going to Cheshire to be reunited with her mother and twin sisters and plans to go to London for the season where she hopes to find a way to lift her father’s banishment.

Montgomery “Monty” Townsend, the youngest son of the Earl of Marlham, retired from the army at his father’s request and out of sheer boredom, started “fixing” potential scandals for the Prince Regent by acting as scapegoat for him. Currently Prince George’s amorous liaisons have set more than one angry husband after him and the Prince has yet another problem he needs handled, a problem that requires Monty to rusticate in the country. Lucky for Monty, the Prince has arranged accommodations with an old friend, Kathleen Blackburn.

Nessi and Monty meet on the road to her mother’s house, Nessi is disguised as a boy and appears to be traveling alone, so Monty invites her to join their party and quickly figures out she is not a boy. The shared secret begins a friendship between them and Monty’s support is invaluable to her once they reach her mother’s estate.

Once Nessi confronts her mother, she learns that her mom may have already found a way to bring her father back to England and Nessi immediately agrees to marry the son of the man that banished her father. The catch is the man – Daniel Rathban – doesn’t want to marry, he is an unrepentant rake who is completely jaded and has no interest in innocents. And for all her bravado, Nessi is an innocent and will need a teacher and she had the perfect man in mind – Monty! For his part, Monty is not happy about the engagement to Daniel, but Nessi will not reveal why she is so hell-bent on marrying him. All too soon, Monty realizes he wants Nessi for himself, but until he learns why she needs to marry Daniel, their chance fir love is doomed.

This was a cute story and I did enjoy it, but there is A LOT going on and most of it is ridiculous, plus just about every nobility title is used incorrectly and her mother’s title is so odd, that I can’t even begin to figure it out, the love scenes are tepid, the reason for Nessi’s father’s exile is lame and Monty is a bit hard to figure out – but for some reason, these things did not bother me nearly as much as I would have expected. The banter between Nessi and Monty is great, Nessi’s interaction with her sisters is spot on perfect, for the most part the book is just a lighthearted romp with a dash of drama and heartache, it is not perfect, but if you don’t try to take it too seriously, it is a very entertaining and enjoyable read.

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an e-ARC that was provided to me by NetGalley and the publisher.*