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 Duchess Takes A Husband by Harper St. George – #BlogBlitz

On By BarbaraIn Barb's Reviews, Book Publicity, Part of a Series, Victorian Era (1837-1901)Leave a comment

The Duchess Takes a Husband (The Gilded Age Heiresses, #4)Barbara’s rating: 4.5 of 5 Stars
Series: The Gilded Age Heiresses #4
Publication Date: 2/23/23
Period: Victorian/Gilded Age – 1878 London
Number of Pages: 336

Thank goodness for the book that wasn’t supposed to be! The series was originally supposed to be three books featuring the Crenshaw siblings, but once we and the author met Camille, Duchess of Hereford, we all knew she just had to have her own book. She endured emotional and physical abuse from the duke before he died and I absolutely loved seeing her find herself, her strength, her determination after he died. Then, there was Jacob, who was the perfect mate for her. His gentle, understanding, considerate, and kind ways were just what she needed to heal from the trauma she suffered. Yes, it is a sensitive subject, but I believe the author dealt with it in a way that makes Camille a heroine rather than a victim. This could have been a really angsty, woe-is-me book, but it wasn’t, and I’m so glad Camille was shown as a woman who was strong and working toward healing herself.

Camille was thoroughly controlled by the Duke of Hereford during their marriage, and now that he is gone, she’s showing a bit of rebellion. Her first rebellion was to join the Montague Club – owned by her best friend’s husband and his half-brother. Her next rebellion, though it won’t be made public, is to seek out Jacob, one of the owners of the club, and make a proposition. She wants to know if it is possible for her to enjoy intimacy – because she never has. He has a counter-proposition for her and they strike a deal. Her third rebellion is to embrace the suffragette movement – and that one almost costs her life.

Jacob very much wants to accomplish something on his own. Yes, he is part owner of the Montague Club, but he did that with the backing of his half-brother and a good friend who both hold lauded titles. He wants to do something on his own – without the backing of those titles. He has a business partner and just needs one more investor and he can get the project rolling. The fly in the ointment? The investor is very hesitant to invest because Jacob isn’t a settled, married man. So, what Jacob needs is a fiancé – or at least a pretend fiancé.

It was wonderful to watch Camille and Jacob find that love isn’t such a bad thing after all – especially when it is with the perfect person. Jacob’s tender care causes Camille to blossom and become who she was truly meant to be and Camille’s loving smiles and caring heart taught Jacob that loving someone doesn’t cause you to lose yourself.

This book was excellently written, and excellently plotted, and, for me, the flow was just perfect. I can definitely recommend it.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

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The Viscount Who Vexed Me by Julia London

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

The Viscount Who Vexed Me (A Royal Match #3)The Viscount Who Vexed Me by Julia London

Tracy’s rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: A Royal Match, #3

Release Date: May 23, 2023

After attending the Iddesleigh School of Exceptional Girls as a scholarship student, Miss Harriet “Hattie” Woodchurch started working right away, she worked as a bookkeeper to a local confectioner and acted as a companion of sorts to a former classmate and friend Miss Flora Raney, daughter of Viscount Raney. Hattie’s own family is a source of annoyance and embarrassment to her, her father is a wealthy man who is cheap and refuses to spend money on his only daughter, yet her mother is a compulsive collector, who has filled their modest home with grandfather clocks, tea services, and dress forms, and cats. Her older brother Daniel is a rake with a terrible reputation and her younger twin brothers are troublemakers. She began working in hopes of one day escaping her family, but that was before she met Rupert Masterson, her secret fiancé, now she plans to marry him and leave her family to become his partner in all things, including his business. So when her friend Flora mentions the arrival of the Santiavan duke to London to claim his English grandfather’s title of Viscount Abbott and settle his estates, and most likely selecting an English wife, she is not overly interested, that is until Flora breaks some bad news to her. Rupert asked Flora to have Hattie jilt him as he can’t marry into her family. Horrified, humiliated, and hurt, Hattie tries to act as if this news hasn’t broken her heart. Now more than ever she needs to get away from her family. So when Lord Iddesleigh invites her to tea and offers her a job working as a secretary to the new Lord Abbott, she is happy to accept. But Lord Abbott is not what she was expecting, he is stoic, reserved, and drop-dead gorgeous, it is enough to make a girl wish for things that can never be. They form a friendship, which makes things harder when it becomes clear that Flora is one of the women he is courting, and Flora wants her “insider” help in winning his proposal.

Mateo “Teo” Vincente, the sovereign Duke of Santiava and now the English Viscount Abbott, is having a hard time settling his grandfather’s estate, because although his spoken English is flawless, reading the language is not that easy for him, thus the need for a scribe. But Hattie is not what was expecting, she is vibrant, intelligent, and sticks up for herself – not to mention she gets prettier each time he sees her. Socializing is torture for him, but Hattie is like a port in the storm, helping him find a bit of calm. He becomes comfortable with her and shares his interest in baking and astronomy with her and a friendship is born. But soon it is clear that the only woman he wants to marry is the one woman he can’t or can he?

This was a terrific story with very likable characters, although I have to say that I don’t think I have ever felt as bad as I did for any heroine before Hattie – how she didn’t have a breakdown is beyond me, because each time I thought, this is as bad as it is going to get, it got worse and she was handed more pain and/or humiliation. I can’t think of a heroine who deserved a HEA more than Hattie, and let me tell you, she worked for it. This story is filled with emotion and features a much-beleaguered heroine, a shy, stoic hero, truly awful relatives, a well-meaning matchmaker, good friends, bad friends, surprising betrayals, warm kisses, twists and turns aplenty, and finally, a HEA that you didn’t even see coming. The story is not perfect and to enjoy the story, I had to force myself to accept the author’s convoluted version of primogeniture in regards to inheritance through the female line, as well as ignoring the fact that he is a sovereign duke but is addressed as my lord – since he is an English Viscount and is in England – cringe. I also would have liked a bit more steam, but that’s just my preference and the story is fine without it. This is the third book in the series, but it could easily be read as a standalone title. Overall, it was an enjoyable read that I am happy to recommend, and hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

*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.*