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 Lady Tempts an Heir by Harper St. George

On By TracyIn America's Gilded Age (1870-1900), Part of a Series, Tracy's Reviews, Victorian Era (1837-1901)Leave a comment

The Lady Tempts an Heir (The Gilded Age Heiresses, #3)The Lady Tempts an Heir by Harper St. George

Tracy’s rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: The Gilded Age Heiresses, #3

Release Date: February 22, 2022

Lady Helena March and Maxwell “Max” Crenshaw met when Helena befriended his sisters, but their relationship took a turn when she helped him save his sister Violet from certain ruin. And while they shared a mutual attraction, nothing came of it and Maxwell returned to New York. Now a year later, Max is back in England to see his father who has had some serious health issues. Thankfully his father pulls through, but their relationship that was already strained by his father’s treatment of his sisters takes another hit when his father demands that Max marries by the new year or he will pull the funding for his sister August’s project. Unwilling to let his sister suffer or let his father win, Max hatches a plan – he just hopes that Helena is willing to play along.

Helena has been widowed and living independently for years, she loved her husband, but has decided that marriage is not for her. She spends her time working on her charitable projects, the newest being a home for unwed mothers and their children. At first, she gained a lot of support, but one by one her patrons are backing away. Apparently, her father has been poisoning the minds of her donors, he wants Helena to marry again and believes that her association with this project will ruin her chances. So when Max proposed that they fake a betrothal, just until August’s project is underway and Helena’s charity house is up and running, it seems like the perfect solution. As long as she guards her heart because, despite the passion that burns between them, Helena has a secret that she believes will prevent them from ever having a HEA…

This well-written book is a great addition to the series, Max and Helena have an undeniable on-page chemistry, making it very easy to root for their happy ending. The book does drag a bit in the middle and the come-and-go tension between them became a bit wearisome around the 70% mark, I also began to get annoyed with Helena’s insistence that she knew Max’s feelings better than he did and the solution that she came up with didn’t really work for me – I felt like she still didn’t believe that Max could unconditionally love her. That said, the book is filled with secrets, wonderful characters, great secondary characters, steamy love scenes, meddling parents, matchmaking sisters, and finally, an ending with a HEA that didn’t seem possible complete with an epilogue. I liked this book and I am looking forward to the next installment! This is the third book in the series, it can be read as a standalone title, but I would recommend reading the series in order for the best reader experience.

*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.*

The Rake Gets Ravished by Sophie Jordan

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The Rake Gets Ravished (The Duke Hunt, #2)The Rake Gets Ravished by Sophie Jordan

Tracy’s rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Series: The Duke Hunt, #2

Release Date: February 22, 2022

When her twin brother Bede recklessly gambles away their family farm, Mercy Kittinger travels to London and infiltrates the gaming hell, The Rogue’s Den with no real plan in mind other than to retrieve the voucher her brother gave Silas Masters, the hell’s owner. Once inside, Mercy unintentionally draws Silas’ attention and is stunned by her immediate attraction to him. But she has a job to do and drooling over Silas won’t save her family. She searches the club and finds Silas’ private rooms, finding the voucher. But as she is leaving, Silas enters, and rather than run, Mercy pretends that she was there to seduce him, an offer he turns down. Instead of being relieved, she is a bit miffed and starts to leave, but makes it clear that Silas is making a mistake.

When Silas finds Mercy in his rooms, his first instinct is to send her away, but her saucy nature intrigues him. Silas is a self-made man and a bit of a loner and if truth be told, he is a little bored, so he calls her bluff and invites Mercy to stay. And they share an incredible night of passion, but when he wakes, she is gone and he discovers the truth, she is a thief!

He tracks her down and is surprised to realize he doesn’t want to let her go, so he demands to stay at the farm until he knows that their night together didn’t produce any consequences. And they form a friendship, but beneath it all simmers the attraction they experienced in London. Despite their friendship and the respect he has come to have for her, Silas believes that marriage is not for him and Mercy is not willing to be a kept woman, so they are at a stalemate, but when it comes time for Silas to return to London, will he be able to walk away, and will she let him?

This was a great installment to the series and, I loved Silas and Mercy, they had such great chemistry and it was clear from the start, that they belonged together. The book has witty banter, steamyish love scenes, great secondary characters, elopements, shocking surprises, a loser brother who get his due, and finally a HEA. Silas is not a rake – far from it and I do wish Silas’ backstory had gotten a bit more page time, I also wish that he put up more of a fight in the end, but really those things are minor and I loved this story! The book is part of “The Duke Hunt” series but is it very loosely connected and this book can 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.*