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

Return to Satterthwaite Court by Mimi Matthews

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Return to Satterthwaite Court (Somerset Stories, #3)Return to Satterthwaite Court by Mimi Matthews

Tracy’s rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Series: Somerset Stories, #3

Release Date: April 11, 2023

After almost a decade in Her Majesty’s Navy, Charles Heywood is disenchanted and resigns his commission, he plans to find an estate and settle down into the life of a country gentleman, but first, he needs to reconcile with his family – he didn’t leave under the best of terms and that weighs heavily on him. So after a quick stop in London to purchase some Christmas gifts, he will return to Heywood House in Somersetshire and try to mend his fences, then find his own estate and then maybe, he will think about marriage. But fate has other plans for Charles and thanks to a mangy mutt, Charles crosses paths with one of the most lovely women he has ever seen. But Charles doesn’t have time for ladies, no matter how lovely, and after a brief exchange, Charles is off, with the dog, not the lady.

Lady Katherine Beresford has just met the only man in London that has interested her, too bad she doesn’t know his name or situation. Kate is in town for the season and to find a husband, her family has a bit of scandal attached to their name, and they are hoping that if Kate marries well, it will help ease the gossip that still surrounds them, but she wants a love like her parents have and so far men have only been interested in her looks or her fortune. The man she met today didn’t seem interested in either, making him almost irresistible to Kate. A little digging provides her with his name and direction, he lives near her parent’s estate, which as luck would have it, she is traveling to for Christmas in a few days. Once home, she writes to him and then finagles her youngest brother to escort her to his family estate. The reception she receives was not what she expected and she learns that a threatening letter was sent and Charles thought she sent it! Undaunted, Kate makes it her business to help Charles figure out who sent the letter and what it means. Because despite Charles’ frosty demeanor, Kate hasn’t given up on finding her HEA with him! Now she just needs to help him solve his mystery and convince him that she is the perfect woman for him! Too bad she forgot that the course of true love never did run smooth.

This was a delightful read, it was well written and flowed nicely with wonderful characters and an interesting plot. I hadn’t read the previous books in the series, which were their parent’s love stories, but since the author did such a great job explaining their backstories, I had no problem understanding the connections in this book. I was hoping for a bit of steam, but this book is kisses only and didn’t need the smexy stuff to give the reader romance between Kate and Charles. The book has revenge, lots of dogs, wonderful secondary characters, a possible secondary romance, mystery, a heroine who knows what she wants and isn’t afraid to “chase him until he catches her”, a hero who thinks he knows what he wants until she shows him he is wrong, gunshots, surprising discoveries, disappointments, kisses and finally a HEA complete with an epilogue. I did feel like the ending was a bit rushed and a little anti-climatic, but it was still good and I would happily recommend this title. This is the third 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.*

To Bargain with a Rogue by Lana Williams

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To Bargain with a Rogue (Wicked Widows' League, #3)To Bargain with a Rogue by Lana Williams

Tracy’s rating: 4/4.5 of 5 stars

Series: Wicked Widows’ League, #3 (Author Collaboration Series)

Release Date: March 28, 2023

Alicia Radcliff, the widowed Countess of Hawthorne is finally finished with her year of mourning and is ready to reenter society. She has decided that she deserves to enjoy the freedom being a young widow affords her, namely taking a lover to find out what she was missing all years she was married. But she needs to take care, because she has no desire to marry again nor does she want to shame her young son, nor does she want to fall in love. She is sure she will be able to avoid that trap, but that was before her son was in danger and she met him.

Matthew Aston, the new Earl of Slayton, never expected to inherit, in fact, he never planned on returning to England. But with the unexpected death of both his father and his older brother, Matthew had no choice but to return and take care of his younger sister Clarissa and the estate. He had no idea that the estate was in such dire straights or that his father and brother had wracked up such high debts. Even with the money that Matthew made while in the Caribbean, he realizes that he will have to marry an heiress and fast if he has any hope of saving the estate and giving Clarissa a season. He is delighted when he meets Alicia, she is everything he has ever wanted in a wife, she is kind, lovely, and rich. But she makes it clear that she will not marry again, but she isn’t averse to an affair and is willing to help launch Clarissa into society. Their affair is sizzling, but Matthew knows he has to marry to protect his sister and ends things, but soon wonders if he gave up too soon, can he convince Alicia that his heart is hers for the taking or will he have to settle for a loveless marriage?

This was a delightful, well-written short novel with very likable characters. The book has a little of everything, interfering relatives, spying servants, a once-bitten, twice-shy heroine, a hero thrown into an impossible situation, a creepy villain, a bit of angst, steamyish love scenes, a bit of heartache, and finally a very satisfying ending that leads to HEA. I did feel like there were some loose ends that didn’t get addressed, but overall they were minor and didn’t really impact the story. This book is part of a loosely connected author collaboration series and it does feature secondary characters from one of the author’s previous series, but the book can easily be read as a standalone title. I enjoyed this story and would be happy to recommend it and am looking forward to more stories in this series!

*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.*