The Accidental Countess by Jess Michaels

On By TracyIn Georgian Era (1714-1837), Part of a Series, Regency Era (1811-1820), Tracy's ReviewsLeave a comment

The Accidental Countess (About An Earl #3)The Accidental Countess by Jess Michaels

My Rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Series: About An Earl, #3

Release Date: February 4, 2025

Clarissa Lockhart was raised to be a perfect lady, but after 3 three seasons she is still unwed, and her parents are growing impatient. They arrange a house party hoping to find a husband for her who will elevate them socially and support them financially. Clarissa is resigned, she knows it is her duty to honor her parents and to marry well, love is not something she expects or even desires, as strong emotions are not ladylike. In an effort to please her parents, Clarissa has always acted as expected and is a slave to proper etiquette, so when her rakish cousin George, Viscount Lockhart arrives at the house party with an uninvited guest in tow, she is annoyed, but much too polite to say anything to George’s friend and fellow rake, Roderick Stratford, the Earl of Kirkwood. She goes out of her way to avoid him, but he is not content to have her ignore him, which leads to them being caught in a compromising situation by her parents and they are forced to wed. Clarissa begins to fall for her husband but still holds tightly to her perfect comportment and still bends to her parents’ wishes. Can she let go of her rigid control and believe that she is worthy of love, or will she hold tight to old habits and forfeit the love of a lifetime?

Roderick Stratford, the Earl of Kirkwood, is a rake, but unlike other rakes, he actually believes in true love and is sure that one day he will find the love of his life. He thinks that when he meets the right woman it will be like a bolt of lightning, and he will know immediately that she is “the one”. So far, he hasn’t made that connection and when he is caught with Clarrisa, he believes that he has lost his chance at true love but plans to make the best of this forced union. The more time they spend together, the more he wants to make her happy and tries to help her relax a bit and see her own worth. He likes her and can’t deny his attraction to Clarissa or their compatibility in bed, but will that be enough or will he too learn to change the thinking of a lifetime and find love?

This was a delightful read with very likable characters and fresh plotlines. I liked Clarissa and Roderick, they each have ideals that they have nurtured all their lives and will each have to come to the realization those ideals may not be as absolute as they believed and that given a chance, love will find a way. Overall, this was a good read, with wonderful characters, cameos from previous characters, steamyish love scenes, a truly sigh worthy hero and a sweet heroine, great secondary characters, a forced marriage and finally a happy ending complete with an epilogue. This is the third book in the series, but it could easily be read as a standalone title without any problems. If you are looking for a steamyish historical romance with a storyline that is anything but run of the mill – look no further, you’ve found it!

*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. *

Bonded in Death by J.D. Robb

On By BarbaraIn Audiobook, Barb's Reviews, Futuristic, Mystery, Part of a Series2 Comments

Bonded in Death (In Death, #60)Barbara’s rating: 5 out of 5 Stars
Series: In Death #60
Publication Date: 2/4/25
Period: Future New York 2061
Number of Pages: 368

Sixty books!!! I fell in love with this series with the first book – was that about 30 years ago (OMGoodness)? Each book since has been filled with exciting, breath-holding action, outstanding plots (this writer has an exceptional imagination), wonderful and formidable characters, wit and humor, and yes – a romance for the ages. No, this isn’t a romance book, but the relationship between Eve and Roarke outshines any romance book I have ever read.

Listening to the audiobooks is always a MUST for me because the narrator, Susan Ericksen, nails it every time. Her unique voice for each character brings them to life in a way no one else could – and she has narrated every book in the series. She IS Eve Dallas; She IS Roarke; She IS Peabody; She IS Feeney; She IS Mavis; Well, you get it – and the way she says “Darlin’ Eve” as Roarke will curl your toes and send shivers down your spine. I hope Susan Ericksen and J.D. Robb continue this series for at least another 60 books!

One of the things I love about the series is the character development – no cardboard, caricature characters to be found. We’ve always known there were many things hidden in Summerset’s past because we’ve seen glimpses of them. Bonded In Death gives us a closer look at Summerset during the Urban Wars when he was young. Those times have come back to haunt Summerset and the group of twelve patriots with whom he served – and it is up to Eve to find the enemy who is determined to pick them off one by one.

Robb quickly pulls us into the story with the murder of Giovanni Rossi who was a warm, loving, family man. Rossi was falsely lured to the US and was then murdered with a nasty, old-fashioned weapon from wars past. As the investigation continues, Eve realizes this particular murderer is determined to take out all of his targets – and he doesn’t care how much collateral damage he inflicts to do so. Eve is equally determined to protect the citizens of New York, Summerset and his group, and apprehend a very nasty villain.

This is one of my favorite books of the series – and I can easily say that because I have just re-listened to the first 59 books and they are all fresh in my mind. Overall, it is an exciting, breath-holding, tale filled with twists and action-filled turns that will keep you Flippin’ Pages as fast as you can read! This is a long series and to thoroughly enjoy the characters and their growth, you must read from the beginning. However! I fully believe you can jump in at any point in the series – but – you’ll quickly realize you WANT to go back and read all of those earlier books. So, if you haven’t tried the series (WHAT!!) jump in – and then you can use the time between this book and the 61st (coming in September) to read the first books in the series.

The publisher provided a complimentary digital copy of this novel via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

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