Category: Tracy’s Reviews

The Duke and I by Heather Boyd

On By TracyIn Novella, Regency Era (1811-1820), Tracy's Reviews2 Comments

The Duke and I (Saints and Sinners Book 1)The Duke and I by Heather Boyd
Tracy’s rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Series: Saints and Sinners, #1

Release Date: July 5, 2018

3.5 stars – rounded up because this was an ARC and will probably (hopefully) be corrected before release.

Nicolas Westfall, the Duke of Stapleton is a widower with several grown children, his youngest daughter Jessica is almost ready to make her come out and he needs someone to guide her. Enter Gillian Thorpe.

Gillian is a widow and has just lost her position as a governess when she meets Nic. She agrees to be Jessica’s companion and will help prepare her for her upcoming season. She and Nic get on very well together and keep their relationship strictly professional for almost nine months, then a kiss under the mistletoe opens the flood gates and their relationship takes a steamy turn!

Nic is falling hard for Gillian and decides to ask her to marry him once all his houseguests leave. Gillian is also falling for Nic, but he has made no promises or spoken of a future, so when Nic’s eldest daughter Rebecca says that Nic is going to marry and Gillian is no longer needed, she has no reason to believe it is not true and agrees to take another job.

I thought this was a very sweet story of second chance love, it was well paced for a novella and very steamy without being gratuitous, the characters were likable (except his daughter Rebecca) and the ending was very sweet and satisfying. There were a lot of typos, title errors and an inconsistent timeline – but they didn’t really ruin the story for me, but they were distracting if you are a detail oriented reader (and I am). But overall it was a nice short book and I will be looking forward to the next installment.

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

A Lady’s Guide to Passion and Property by Kate Moore

On By TracyIn Georgian Era (1714-1837), Historical Mystery, Tracy's Reviews3 Comments

A Lady's Guide to Passion and Property (Husband Hunters, #2)A Lady’s Guide to Passion and Property by Kate Moore
Tracy’s rating: 3.5/4 of 5 stars

Series: Husband Hunters, #2

Release Date: July 3, 2018

Lucy Holbrook has inherited the Tooth and Nail inn from her father as well as the responsibility of Adam, an old blind man that has been at the inn for as long as Lucy can remember. Adam was injured years ago and taken in by her father, Adam is mentally disabled and suffered an horrific event, one that her father took great pains to keep secret. Now that Lucy has inherited the inn, her friends from London think she should find a husband, they offer to bring her to town and sponsor her for a season. But Lucy is not sure she wants a husband and can’t leave Adam or the inn. They leave her a copy of the Husband Hunter’s Guide and encourage her to reconsider.

Captain Harry Clare has been staying at the inn since the Pantheon Club closed, he needs to finish his final case and reap his reward. Harry is sure that Adam is the man he has been tasked in finding – a blind man who witnessed a murder. Harry is sure that if he can unlock Adam’s secrets, he will find the person responsible for leaking information to England’s enemies and will finally finish his mission, get his promised reward, save his family home and get the Pantheon club re-opened. But first he has to get Lucy to trust him enough to leave Adam and go to London. Simple, right?

This is a complex story with lots of secrets, surprises and twists. I felt that it would more accurately be described as an historical intrigue novel rather than an historical romance – the romance in this book is VERY light and subtle – I have no idea how Harry and Lucy fell in love as their relationship really it wasn’t the primary focus of the book. But there is a really great mystery to solve and a lot of surprising revelations made. There are cameos from characters in the previous book that tie up some loose ends and the introduction of a new character that will make you want to read the next book!

*I am voluntarily leaving a review of an eARC that was provided to me by NetGalley and the publisher*