Category: Women’s Fiction

A Most Worthy Husband by Faye Delacour

On By TracyIn Contemporary in Period Dress, Part of a Series, Tracy's Reviews, Victorian Era (1837-1901), Women's FictionLeave a comment

A Most Worthy Husband (The Lucky Ladies of London, #3)A Most Worthy Husband by Faye Delacour

Tracy’s Rating: 2.5/3 of 5 stars

Series: The Lucky Ladies of London

Release Date: December 16, 2025

Having no desire to marry and endure the unhappiness that her parents have, Miss Hannah Williams has thwarted any man that was even remotely interested in her for four seasons, she is sure if she can make it through this season, her mother will finally give up, and Hannah can live her life as a spinster. But when it becomes clear that her mother is not going to give up – Hannah takes matters into her own hands and bribes her brother’s friend Silas Corbyn to kiss her and “ruin” her – knowing full well he was not an acceptable match in her mother’s eyes, which means she will be sent back to the country in disgrace. Too bad she underestimated her mother!

Silas Corbyn is not having a good year, it started out good and things were going so well, he was due for a long-awaited promotion, but that hope is shattered when he punched his commanding officer and is dishonorably discharged from the Navy. He tries to return home, but his father wants nothing to do with him. So, he takes the little money he has and goes to London. His friend Eli Williams takes pity on him and convinces his wife to let Silas work as a dealer in her gaming salon. This is the second chance he has been hoping for, and things are once again going well – until he finds Eli’s sister Hannah hiding in a small office at the salon. She offers him a small fortune to kiss her in front of her mother, he agrees, but never expected that kiss would change his life! He knows he is not of Hannah’s class and would never be considered a suitor, but that doesn’t stop her from offering him more money to pretend to be in love with her – he refuses. He loses his job over the incident and has trouble finding work, so when his cousin and brother arrive with a business opportunity, he reconsiders Hannah’s offer, after all it’s not like they would ever actually marry!

After the disappointment of the previous book, I had high hopes for this installment. I actually liked the author’s writing style in the first book, but I have a problem with the characters and the plot in this book. It seems like the character’s personalities change from book to book – I liked Hannah in the previous books, but in this book, she came across as very self-absorbed, immature and at times TSTL. Silas was much more likable, and I was horrified that the author made him grovel to Hannah – when he had done nothing wrong. Overall, this book had great promise, but it dragged from almost the first page until the last chapter, when miraculously everything comes together and they both love each other (eye roll) and then it is over – I have no idea how or why they fell in love and honestly by the end, I didn’t even care. This is the third book in the series, but it could be read as a standalone book without a problem – for me, this book was a miss, but the author has a lot of potential and is worth checking out.

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

Uncharmed by Lucy Jane Wood

On By TracyIn Blog Tour, Book Publicity, Contemporary, Paranormal / Fantasy, Release Day Blitz, Romantasy, Standalone Title, Top Pick - Highly Recommended, Tracy's Reviews, Women's Fiction, Young AdultLeave a comment

Uncharmed (Rewitched, #2)Uncharmed by Lucy Jane Wood

Tracy’s Rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Series: Standalone

Release Date: September 16, 2025

Andromeda “Annie” Wildwood adores being a witch and uses her power to make other people happy. She owns The Celestial Bakehouse, a bakeshop/café called the Celeste by her patrons, where she spreads happiness and calming to all, via magically infused treats. She is also very involved in Selcouth (her local coven) as well as a member of a secret group of witches known as the Sorciety. To put it simply, Annie is perfect or at least that is what the world thinks, thanks to a complicated bit of magic, and she wants to make everyone happy. But Annie’s perfect world is about to come crashing down when the sage witch of the Selcouth asks her to mentor Maeve, a troubled young witch just coming into her powers.

Thrown out of her comfort zone and into an abandoned, rundown cabin in the woods, Annie struggles to connect with Maeve. But with patience, understanding and a lot of mistakes, the two women begin to form a bond, and Annie helps Maeve learn to control her magic, while Maeve teaches her how to be her true self. They have just begun to get comfortable in their secluded home when they are thrown another curve – in the form of Hal Bancroft, the cabin’s owner, warlock, and Head of Selcouth’s Mythical Beasts Department. Hal allows the women to stay and even helps in Maeve’s lessons. The three quickly settle into a peaceful routine and it soon becomes obvious that Maeve’s powers are extraordinary, and Annie and Hal are not the only ones to notice. Annie will be swept up in a web of secrets, lies, betrayal and heartbreak, leaving her wondering who she is and where she belongs.

This book was nothing like I was expecting, and it is very different from the first book. This story has a bit of a darker feel, with a lot more emotion and personal growth. I definitely would not call this a Romantasy, it is more women’s fantasy fiction (if that was a real genre). The book centers around most people’s innate need to be accepted and the struggles we face to find a way to “fit in” without losing ourselves. The story is filled with true friends, fake friends, greed, glitter, lots of pink, baked goods, magic, self-reflection, healing, found family, and just a hint of budding romance. The story might not be what I was expecting, but it was a truly lovely, rich read that had me laughing and crying in equal measure and a book that I would happily recommend!

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