Category: Tracy’s Reviews

No Earls Allowed by Shana Galen

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

No Earls Allowed (The Survivors, #2)No Earls Allowed by Shana Galen

Tracy’s rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: The Survivors, #2

Release Date: March 6, 2018

I liked this book, but not as much as the previous book.

Lady Juliana St. Maur aka Julia, last surviving daughter of the Earl of St. Maur has taken over the St. Dismas Home for Wayward Youth or as she calls it Sunnybrooke Home for Boys, an orphanage in Spitalfields. Her father has allowed her to continue her work there believing that it was part of her grieving the loss of her sister, but now he has had enough and he wants her to come home.

Enter Major Neil Wraxall, aka Warrior, war hero, member of the Survivor’s Club and illegitimate son of the Marquess of Kensington. His father and Juliana’s father are friends and the Earl has asked Kensington to have his son bring Julia home. Neil believes this will be an easy “mission” and he will be back in his club drinking gin before dinner.

Neil’s first encounter with Julia is certainly not what he expected, he didn’t expect a gorgeous woman in a ball gown covered in flour, he didn’t expect rats and he didn’t expect to have to wrangle boys and get breakfast. He tells Julia he is here to escort her home and she tells him she isn’t leaving. Her maid has quit, her cook has quit and now her teacher is leaving, she cannot leave the boys alone. Neil decides to help her get things in shape at the orphanage, so he can keep her safe until he can get her to leave.

Julia’s father has let Julia stay at the orphanage as long as she agrees to participate in ton events and she doesn’t cause a scandal. Julia really could care less about the ton, she has no desire to marry and doesn’t trust men. Her heart was broken when her sister died and she lost her nephew Davy. She pours all the love she had for them into the orphanage and she will not leave. She is not exactly thrilled to have Neil there, but considering the unforeseen threats she has received from the local crime boss Slag, she isn’t in a rush to get rid of him.

What began as a simple mission to bring a pampered earl’s daughter home has morphed into an epic battle of wills and neither Julia or Neil is willing to give an inch. Neil makes repairs and unwillingly helps with the boys, earning Julia’s respect. There is an immediate attraction between them, but they both fight it. Slowly Julia begins to trust Neil and finally shares the threats Slag has made. Neil vows to keep her and the boys safe and promises that he will take care of Slag.

When it appears that Slag is no longer a threat and Julia is safe, Neil decides to leave. Julia asks him to stay, she knows she loves him, but Neil can’t seem to let go of the past and enjoy the future. He cares for Julia, but he is not the man for her. Julia is left broken hearted and Neil returns to his “life”. It seems there will be no HEA for these two, until Rafe steps in and Slag reappears and Neil realizes that he loves her, but it might be too late.

This was a very well written book, the story moves right along and there is no lagging, the secondary characters are wonderful – loved the boys! There are cameos by Rafe & Ewan (yes!), steamy love scenes, some amusing moments, some nail biting moments and finally a very, very hard earned HEA. There is much to recommend this book, but the idea that a young unmarried woman could do what Julia was doing and still be accepted in polite society defies belief and Neil’s overwhelming guilt and his negative outlook got to be a bit tiresome.

This is the second book in the Survivors series, but it could easily be read as a stand alone title with no problems. I would happily recommend this book and can’t wait for Rafe’s book!!!

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

Lady Be Reckless by Megan Frampton

On By TracyIn Tracy's Reviews, Victorian Era (1837-1901)Leave a comment

Lady Be Reckless (Duke's Daughters, #2)Lady Be Reckless by Megan Frampton
Tracy’s rating: 3.5/4 of 5 stars

Series: The Duke’s Daughters, #2

Release Date: February 27, 2018

Lady Olivia Howett wants to make everyone happy, she also hates injustice in any form, so she believes that she is the perfect woman to marry Lord Carson, the man her sister Eleanor was supposed to marry, and it doesn’t hurt that Olivia is in love with Bennett, Lord Carson. Convinced that marrying him is the perfect solution, she gets him alone and proposes. When he tells her that he is not interested, she is angry and humiliated. He leaves and she is ready to indulge in a good cry when someone in the back of the room speaks up.

Edward Wolcott is the acknowledged bastard son of financier Mr.Beechcroft and best friend to Bennett. He was in the room avoiding the snide remarks about his birth and the not so discreet snubs. He overheard the entire interlude with Olivia and Bennett and offers her some advice, when she asks who he is, she ends up insulting him and he leaves.

Later they meet again when she is trying to find her sister, Bennett introduces them, Edward offers to help her find her sister and Olivia apologizes, she asks if everyone snubs him and is upset to learn that they do. She decides that she can help him (after all helping is what she does best), and then Bennett will see how wonderful she is and realize that he should marry her.

When Edward gets home that night, his father tells him that he is ill and only has months to live. He wants to see Edward settled and accepted before he dies and makes him promise to find a suitable wife. Edward agrees to try. The next day Bennett asks him to distract Lady Olivia and turn her interest elsewhere. Edward doesn’t understand why Bennett is not as captivated by her as he is, but he agrees.

When Olivia sees Edward later, she launches her plan to help him. He confesses that he needs to find a bride and offers her a large donation to her favorite charity if she will help him.

Olivia dives into this project head first and make every effort to see Edward accepted. They spend time together and Olivia begins to doubt her feelings for Bennett, because she is attracted to Edward. Olivia loves spending time with Edward, for the first time in her life she is completely free to be herself and she likes it. She invites him and his father to dinner and hopes to further his social acceptance and find him a bride – a plan that isn’t nearly as appealing as it started out being.

When her mother humiliates her at dinner and she runs out, Edward comes to comfort her and she kisses him. Later she tries to remind herself that it is Bennett she loves and she is trying to find a wife for Edward, not marry him herself. When Edward announces that he is returning to the country with his father and says that he will send her the donation, she kisses him – again. He kisses her back and then tells her this is goodbye. Olivia doesn’t understand what she is feeling and she goes to see him and brings him a gift and collects the donation.

A week passes and Olivia admits that she misses him and that she is not in love with Bennett, but Edward is gone and she will most likely not see him again. She also begins to make some discoveries about herself. She is ashamed to realize that she doesn’t really listen to people and always assumes that she knows what is best for everyone. She wants to change and becomes closer to her twin. When her mother tells her that Bennett has invited them to the country and is sure that he is going to propose, Olivia isn’t sure how she feels or what she will do if Bennett does propose.

They arrive and learn that they are staying at Mr. Beechcroft’s home and not Bennett’s – Olivia is overjoyed to see Edward and when they are alone, sparks fly. Olivia returns to the others and finds her sister Pearl, she tells Pearl that she kissed him (again) and that she might love him. Pearl suggests she tell him how she feels. She makes a plan but is sidetracked when they visit the village, she saw some children and assumed they needed help and charged in to “save” them. Her efforts are not well received and she is humiliated. Edward comforts her as they walk back and tells her she needs to learn to ask if someone needs help, not just act like she knows what is best for everyone, she agrees. When rain threatens, they detour to a vacant shed and one thing leads to another – but before they go too far, she tells him they should marry and lists the reasons why it is a good idea. Edward takes offense and leaves her – he is incredibly sensitive about his birth and felt like she was taking pity on him. He loves her, but he can’t be with her.

Olivia is bewildered and doesn’t know what she did wrong, then realizes that while she listed all the benefits marriage would have for them both – she never told him how she feels about him. Her sisters urge her to speak to him and when they speak the misunderstanding is quickly resolved.

But Edward still has demons to conquer and Olivia has to stand up to her parents, who are ready to marry her off to Bennett.

This was an interesting story, not what I was expecting and not like any other Megan Frampton book I have ever read. The story moves at a quick pace and while there is definitely significant change in Olivia, I didn’t really see the same change in Edward. I don’t know exactly what I felt was missing from the story, but I didn’t feel like it was everything it could have been. The writing is good, the love scenes steamy, the conflicts don’t drag out and there is a very nice HEA. It is the second book in the series, but it can absolutely be read as a stand alone title.

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