Category: Victorian Era (1837-1901)

In the history of the United Kingdom, the Victorian era was the period of Queen Victoria’s reign, from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. The era followed the Georgian period and preceded the Edwardian period, and its later half overlaps with the first part of the Belle Époque era of continental Europe.
Preceded by: Regency era
Followed by: Edwardian era
Monarch: Victoria

The Unexpected Wife by Caroline Warfield

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The Unexpected Wife (Children of Empire Book 3)The Unexpected Wife by Caroline Warfield

Barbara’s rating: 5 of 5 stars

Series: Children of Empire Book #3
Publication Date: 7/25/18

Oh! This book reached out, grabbed me by both ears and pulled me into this wonderful story that takes place just at the beginning of the first Opium War in the Pearl Delta area of China. I rarely read anything that doesn’t mostly take place in England, Scotland or Ireland, so I was a little hesitant about reading this. Well, I certainly shouldn’t have been – the author’s descriptions of the place, the tensions, and the people made me feel as if I were right there surrounded by those Chinese junks waiting to see what would happen next. One of the things that I thought was wonderful is that the author didn’t try to whitewash the English and their participation in the opium trade into China. She showed the terrible effects of opium on people and it’s near impossibility to get away from – and she did all of that without writing a dark story.

I absolutely adored both the hero and the heroine. One of the things I liked about the hero was that he wasn’t the tallest male in any room nor were his shoulders so wide that he filled a door as he walked through. He was a normal, everyday kind of person. Wow – imagine that! I also liked that he loved unashamedly – no denials, no angst, and no terrible dark secrets. How absolutely refreshing. Now, for the heroine – I loved her strength and determination. However – there is a very fine line between being strong and determined and being TSTL and this heroine was teetering right on the knife edge of that line. She was thoughtless on occasion – not considering how her actions could adversely affect someone else. She is presented as much smarter than that.

Zambak Hayden is the oldest child of the Duke of Sudbury. She chafes at the restraints placed on her by society just because she is a female. Why can’t she be the heir since she is the oldest child – instead it goes to her younger brother? Why can’t she be included in the discussions on politics and strategy, etc. – after all it fascinates her and she is better at it than anybody else. There is a woman on the throne, so why can’t women have more prominent roles in society? Why is her only option to marry and become an irrelevant broodmare?

Charles Wheatly, the Duke of Murnane, has spent the last year in deep mourning for his son. He’s still mourning and he needs something to do to pull him out of his fugue. When his uncle, the Earl of Chadburn and his mentor, the Duke of Sudbury deliver a missive to him – from Queen Victoria – he cannot refuse the mission that it contains. He must go to Macao, China and gather information on the rising tensions between the Chinese and the English over the opium trade. Opium is totally illegal in China, yet the English keep filling the Chinese ports with opium and addicting the Chinese population. The Chinese pay for the opium with silver – and then the English use that silver to pay for Chinese tea. For the English, it is all about the tea and the Chinese be-damned. The Chinese government is starting to make noises about taking firm action to cut out the opium trade and Charles must investigate for the Queen to see where things really stand.

It really turns out that his mission is threefold.
• First, of course, is the Queen’s mission.
• Second is to find and keep safe the Duke of Sudbury’s two children. Sudbury’s son and heir, Thorn, became addicted to laudanum when it was given to him as a painkiller after a very serious accident. He can’t shake it and has taken a ship to Macao, China – supposedly to work for the East India Company, but it is really for the access to opium. Zambak knew what Thorn was doing and dressed as a male and snuck aboard the same ship.
• The third is added after Charles is underway to China. He discovers that his wayward wife, Julia, is in the area. It is his intention to find her and drag her back to England and divorce her. She left him after a few months and has whored herself out all over the continent for the last twelve years. He hasn’t dealt with her before now, because he didn’t want his son Jonny to go through the scandal of a divorce because Jonny had a congenital heart condition. However, Jonny died a year ago and his mother didn’t even come to see him or to attend his funeral. “The woman who deserted her son for a lover, who found Jonny’s illness disgusting.”

At first Charles and Zambak are at odds with each other because she believes that Charles is there because her father sent him to spy on her and to take her back to England. As they come into contact more and more, they become attracted to each other. It was nice to see that they fell in love slowly and each knew that they couldn’t do anything about it because of Charles’ marriage. No, there is no adultery (other than Julia’s) – so if adultery is one of your trigger points, know that you are safe with this one. They do get their HEA, but it isn’t in the way you think it might be.

The tensions are palpable, the danger will make your heart beat faster and the love that grows between Zambak and Charles is lovely. I highly recommend this wonderful book!

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“I requested and received this e-book at no cost to me and volunteered to read it; my review is my honest opinion and given without any influence by the author or publisher.”

 

Six Weeks with a Lord by Eve Pendle

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

 

Meet the Author:

Eve lives in England and writes angsty, snarky and passionate Victorian era romance. She has National Trust membership, a big-boned cat, and a crazy dog. She loves wearing dresses and eating chocolate.

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About the Book:

 

Grace Alnott is out of time. To save her younger brother from an abusive guardian, her merchant father’s will demands she must marry a peer. Handsome but destitute Everett Hetherington, Earl of Westbury agrees to her offer of a marriage of convenience but stipulates she must live with him for six weeks. No matter how honorable he seems she can’t allow him to get too close, because the aristocracy cannot be trusted.
Six weeks. Major Everett Hetherington, new Earl of Westbury, has exactly six weeks to convince the very independent Grace Alnott to spend the rest of her life with him. Despite her belief she doesn’t belong in his world, he must tempt the alluring Grace into staying, because he has fallen for her. Hard. He just has to ensure she never discovers his secret.
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Tracy’s Review:

Six Weeks with a LordSix Weeks with a Lord by Eve Pendle
Tracy’s rating: 4 of 5 stars

Grace Alnott returns from finishing school to learn that her father is dead and has left her nothing but her dowry, a dowry she will only get upon her marriage to a peer. Her father named Lord Rayner as guardian to her young brother and expects Grace to marry him.

Grace despises Lord Rayner, he is an awful man and she plans to petition the Chancery court for guardianship of her brother Henry. But to do that, she needs money. She makes it known that she is looking for a marriage of convenience and is willing to split her dowry with her new husband.

Everett Hetheringon, the Earl of Westbury needs a rich bride. His father and older brother both neglected the estate and left behind huge debts, when his younger brother tells him of Grace with her dowry of 50,000 pounds, it seems like the answer to his prayers. He offers for Grace and learns that he will only get half of the dowry and she doesn’t plan to live with him. They make a bargain – she will live with him for six weeks and he will not take his “husbandly rights” – he agrees but he is not completely honest with her – he plans to seduce her into staying and claiming her entire dowry to pay off his brother’s debt.

They marry and return to his estate, she doesn’t trust men and tries to keep Everett at arms length, she hasn’t told him what she plans to do with her half of the dowry instead she told him that she wants to be an independent woman and travel. But over the course of the first few weeks, they form a friendship and she tells him about her brother and Lord Rayner. He offers to help her with her problem, but still doesn’t disclose his plan to keep her entire dowry. He woos her with kindness and kisses.

Grace begins to fall in love with him and thinks that he may be a man she can trust with her heart, and after a visit from Lord Rayner, she is sure of it. She decides to wait until the six weeks is up to tell him of her feelings, but lets him consummate the marriage.

The morning after the six weeks is up, she is excited and in love, she wants to tell him and is just waiting for the perfect moment. But everything goes terribly wrong and Grace is heartbroken. Everett tries to explain and swears that his love for her is true, but he needs the money to pay the debt and thinks that is more important than getting guardianship of Henry. Grace decides to return to London and Everett doesn’t stop her. But a visit from his mother makes him realize what he has given up and what he has to do to win back Grace. But is it too late?

This was a well written book that moves along at a steady pace, with likable characters, steamy love scenes, a nasty villain, interesting secondary characters and a true chemistry between Grace and Everett. I really enjoyed the book and would happily recommend!

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