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

A Sweet Obsession by Lana Williams

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A Sweet Obsession (The Mayfair Literary League Book 7)A Sweet Obsession by Lana Williams

Tracy’s Rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Series: The Mayfair Literary League, #7

Release Date: May 16, 2024

Three years ago, Lady Winifred Barnes was jilted by the man she thought she loved a week before her wedding and her dear friend Lord Caleb Godwin offered her a marriage of convenience to save her reputation. Winifred turned him down because she wanted a true marriage and as a result Caleb left England and journeyed to America. It wasn’t until after he left and they exchanged letters that Winifred realized her feeling for him had changed, but it was too late – or was it? When his brother dies in an accident, Caleb returns to England to assume the title and Winifred is waiting for him, but Caleb seems cold and distant. At the urging of her friends in the Mayfair Literary League, Winifred decides to be bold and tries to capture Caleb’s interest, despite the fact that her family expects her to enter into a marry of convenience with a man of their choice. But when a scheme to entrap her goes wrong, she finds herself betrothed to Caleb, but the journey to HEA won’t be easy when the man she loves thinks she only wanted his title and could never love him for himself.

Lord Caleb Godwin was the younger son of the Marquess of Montfort and never dreamed he would ever inherit, so when Winifred broke his heart by refusing his proposal, he set out to start a new life in America, determined to forget her and make something of himself away from his hyper-critical mother. But now he is back and confused as to why Winifred is seeking him out, she made her feelings clear years ago, so what could she possibly want with him now. He is tempted and is trying to convince himself that he no longer cares for her, but when he overhears a plan to compromise her, he rushes to warn her, only to be trapped himself. Now he will have to marry the woman who has the power to crush his heart if he lets himself get too close to her. So, while he will marry her and give her his name, he will never ever give her his heart. At least that is the plan…

I have mixed feelings about this book, I loved the idea of it, after all who doesn’t love a Second Chance / Friends to Lovers romance? I absolutely loved Winifred and wanted her to succeed at her turn to push the For Better or For Worse agenda, but dear God Caleb was a huge PITA – more than once I wanted to slap him and ask what the heck is wrong with you? I also questioned his mental and intellectual acuity as he seemed to forget that she wrote to him practically weekly for YEARS – yet kept harping that she only seemed interested in him once he inherited the title – What? Seriously, I had a Jenny/Forrest “Are you stupid or something” moment with him more than once throughout this book. Thankfully, he finally pulled his head out of his butt and realized that she wasn’t the title-monger he was trying to convince himself she was and let his guard down enough to confess his feelings before their relationship was completely destroyed. But OMG – it was a near thing. This book is filled with second chances, friendship, learning self-worth, a slow burn romance, acceptance, very mild love scenes, a stupid hero, a wonderful heroine, great secondary characters, a few villainous relatives, and finally a HEA that I wasn’t sure was going to happen! This is the seventh book in the series, but it could easily be read as a standalone title.

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that I requested and was provided to me by the publisher. All opinions in this review are my own. *

Never Trust A Scoundrel by Gaylen Callen

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Never Trust a Scoundrel by Gayle Callen

Tracy’s Rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Series: Sons of Scandal, #1

Release Date: March 2008, Updated and Rereleasing May 14, 2024

After learning that her mother gambled away not only their late father’s prized violin, but also their country manor and their London townhouse before leaving with no hint of where she’d gone, Grace Banbury rushes to London to inform Edward, her younger brother. But when she arrives, she finds the house open, bare of any valuables and no servants, she immediately realizes that her brother is gambling too and is desperate to find a way to save them from ruin and restore her brother’s birthright. She gets ready for bed and hears someone entering the house, thinking it is Edward, she runs downstairs in her nightclothes to confront him, but instead of Edward, she finds a handsome stranger who claims the house is his. It is then she learns that her mother wagered with three men and in her desperation to win, lost not only the family homes, and her late husband’s priceless violin, but she also wagered the right to marry her daughter. Grace is horrified and when the winner, Daniel Throckmorten, informs her he is not in the market for a wife, but would take her as his mistress, a new wager is made. She will give Daniel two weeks to seduce her into agreeing to be his mistress, but if he fails, he will return her father’s violin to her. So with his promise not to tell anyone of the wager, which would ruin her, Grace is sure she can beat him, after all, she is not as innocent as he thinks she is, so what could possibly go wrong?

Daniel Throckmorten never had any intention of marrying Grace, he didn’t even what the houses, he wagered with her mother strictly to get the violin, which reminded him of one his father had owned and was lost after his death. He wasn’t even going to contact Grace, but when he meets her, he is intrigued and can’t seem to sever their acquaintanceship quite yet. So, he agrees to their wager, confident that he will win. But he has never met a woman like Grace, and the more time he spends with her, the more he wants, and what started as a “can’t lose” bet, has turned into a battle of the wills, one he is not sure he can win.

I read this book years ago when it was first released and I loved it, it is probably my favorite Gaylen Callen book ever. The story is well-written, nicely paced and is not quite as cut and dry as the blurb leads readers to believe. The story is filled with witty banter, blatant sexual overtures, steamy love scenes, secrets, scandal, stalkers, wonderful secondary characters, familiar faces from previous books, blackmail, healing and finally a very sweet ending with the promise of HEA. This book has an “old-school” historical romance feel to it (which I personally love but acknowledge might not be for everyone), featuring a strong heroine and a scoundrel with a heart of gold as well as lots of steam. I loved it when it first came out and I love it now. Highly recommended!

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that I requested and was provided to me by the publisher. All opinions in this review are my own. *