The Duke’s Rules of Engagement by Jennifer Haymore

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

The Duke's Rules Of EngagementThe Duke’s Rules Of Engagement by Jennifer Haymore

Tracy’s rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Series: The Lions and the Lilies, #1

Release Date: September 27, 2022

After the death of her father, Joanna “Jo” Porter moved her family to London and started a matchmaking service. Over the years, her reputation for excellent matches has grown and she is now very sought-after and is able to support her family. If that means that she is destined to be alone, so be it, at least her dearest friend and companion, Lilly has made a love match and is expecting a proposal any day. But when Lilly’s beau Charles suddenly ends their courtship, Lilly is heartbroken and Jo is furious. Jo confronts Charles and learns the truth – he loves Lilly, but he is broke and has five sisters to dower, so he needs a rich bride, but sadly, Lilly has no dowry, so he broke things off with her. Jo understands his dilemma, but she is heartbroken for Lilly. But when Matthew Leighton, the Duke of Crestmont hires Jo to find him a “perfect duchess” and insists that he doesn’t believe in love and he certainly isn’t looking for a love match, Jo wonders if she can kill two birds with one stone by matching the duke with Charles’ sister, Harriet, she would make a perfect duchess, and then Charles will be able to marry Lilly – it’s perfect! What could possibly go wrong?

Matthew is intrigued by the matchmaker and to his complete surprise, he finds himself telling her things that he has only told his closest friends. He tells her of hobbies and his parent’s death and his grief, he even tells her of the girl who pulled him out of despair, showed him love, and then crushed his heart all over again, when his uncle revealed her deception. Heartbroken once again, Matthew decided then and there, that there would be no love for him, but he needs an heir and for that, he needs a wife and he decides that Harriet will make an acceptable duchess. Jo can’t believe that he doesn’t want love and hopes that he will find love with Harriet. But the more time they spend together, the more they dread his eventual betrothal to Harriet. Will Matthew let his heart take a chance on love or will the past repeat itself and leave him heartbroken yet again?

This was a well-written, fast-paced story with a familiar trope, wrapped in fresh ideas. Jo and Matthew are both very likable characters and have instant chemistry. I really enjoyed Matthew’s hobbies of rowing and meteorology – those are things that I don’t recall ever reading about before and it was an interesting and fun change from the “norm”. This book is filled with secrets, great secondary characters, steamy love scenes, the most uncomfortable chair in London, a little heartache, a duke getting a dressing down, and finally a HEA complete with an epilogue. This was a fun start to a new series and now I am anxiously awaiting the next book in the series and wonder who will be the next Rowing Club Lion to find their HEA!

*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 Highlander’s Holiday Wife by Vanessa Kelly

On By BarbaraIn Barb's Reviews, Part of a Series, Regency Era (1811-1820), Scottish/HighlanderLeave a comment

The Highlander's Holiday Wife (Clan Kendrick, #5)Barbara’s rating: 3.5 of 5 Stars
Series: Clan Kendrick #5
Publication Date: 9/27/22
Period: Regency Edinburgh – 1826
Number of Pages: 352

I have loved the Kendrick brothers since the very first book in the series. You know I love them because I’m reading them despite all of the very modern language in them. Frankly, it is off-putting, but I like the brothers and I like their HEAs, so I ignore the anachronisms the books are filled with – bottle rockets, billfold, mad about, dodgy, money laundering, blood bank, loonies – to name just a few. Things like that are so very simple to research . . . sigh.

When we first met Braden Kendrick (in the first book), he was a boy who dreamt of becoming a physician so he could heal his younger brother, Kade. Now, we see him as a man and a gifted, seasoned, physician. Braden has always been quiet and serious, but for the last few years, he’s done nothing but work – day and night. There is a reason for that.

Lady Samantha Penwith’s husband, Roger, was murdered two years ago. His murder caused another tragedy, which then caused another tragedy. Samantha is just beginning to come back to life – if you can call it that. Her life has a single focus – find Roger’s murderers – and the children who have gone missing from the orphanage they run. At night, Samantha and her trusted servant, Donny, haunt the labyrinth of passages in Old Town Edinburgh looking for the children and the killers. One night, she and Donny save the life of the young, handsome physician who runs a clinic in the roughest streets of Old Town. Oh, My!

When Braden and Samantha’s paths cross again, Samantha is definitely NOT in favor of him having any entanglements with her orphanage, her charity, her school, or her foundation. However, something is amiss and she knows she needs help to solve it.

Braden and Samantha both have secrets and hurts in their pasts, and they have to get past those before they can find their HEA. Because I liked Braden so very much, I hated to see him marry under the circumstances he did. It was nice that it all worked out, but I’d have liked a much more toe-curling romance for him.

Figuring out who the villain(s) are isn’t a hard task at all. So, if you are a mystery buff, don’t read this for the mystery. It really isn’t much of a spine-tingling romance either, but it is a nice story and I’m glad I’ve read it. I think there is only one more book in this series – Kade’s book. I’m not sure about that, but I look forward to seeing him get his HEA.

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

View all my reviews