The Spinster and the Rake by Eva Devon

On By BarbaraIn Barb's Reviews, Regency Era (1811-1820)Leave a comment

The Spinster and the Rake (Never a Wallflower, #1)
Barbara’s rating: 5 of 5 stars

Series: Never A Wallflower #1
Publication Date: 2/9/21
Number of Pages: 400

This was the first book I’ve read by Eva Devon and it was an absolutely marvelous introduction to her. The writing was excellent, the story was excellently plotted and delivered, and the characters were absolutely perfect. I totally adored our flawed hero who did everything in his power to change himself, to make himself ‘acceptable’ for his lady. We definitely see his life-long struggle with fitting in and coping with what definitely has to be Asperger’s/autism.

Edward Stanhope, the Duke of Thornfield, is known for being icy and uncaring. That isn’t exactly the case – he just doesn’t pick up on subtle social cues such as facial expressions, he is hypersensitive to sounds and crowds, and likes things in a certain order. Luckily, he had loving parents – and then a loving aunt – who helped him develop coping mechanisms. I loved watching him learn to cope with his very unexpected new wife. He was such a lovely man.

Edward’s Aunt Agatha knows it is time for him to marry and she has arranged a house party filled with eligible debutantes to see if any pique his interest. (NOTE: For a loving understanding aunt, this seems like a really bad thing to do to him.) After one of those debutantes makes a particularly blatant attempt to trap him into marriage, he escapes to his ‘special’ room with his ‘special’ chair in order to calm himself before having to deal with the crowded ballroom that evening. He has to have the time to himself or he won’t be able to function at the ball. Yet, when he arrives in HIS room, someone is sitting in HIS chair. He has to make her leave – he has to have his time. He orders her to leave and, mistaking him for a servant, she refuses. He tells her he’ll kiss her if she doesn’t leave – and she dares him. He thinks the threat will scare her away – and she thinks no servant would do such a thing. They were both wrong. And the kiss – OMGoodness – sparks flew. Unfortunately, the door also opened and the kiss was witnessed. They don’t even know each other’s names – and now they are to marry.

Miss Georgiana Bly is a spinster – and intends to remain one. Her family is genteel, but only just barely. She isn’t comfortable dancing and has a terrible tendency to say exactly what she thinks. She is much, much more comfortable in a library – among books wherever they are. So, when she finds a small nook of a room filled with so many lovely books – and the most comfortable chair ever – she settles in for a nice evening of reading while her parents and sisters are dancing at the ball. Imagine the impertinence of a servant coming in and actually ordering her to leave! Well, she won’t have it. How dare he threaten her with a kiss! Then he does – kiss her.

I loved seeing the growth of the two main characters. He was the most honorable man and did his best to make his marriage work. I loved watching him go from believing she had deliberately trapped him into marriage to loving her beyond measure. I also loved watching her move from the hurt his seeming indifference caused her – to learning about and understanding his difficulties. Then, to put the icing on the cake, there is the most delightful epilogue.

I can definitely recommend this book and I do so look forward to my next read by this new-to-me author.

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

Sweet Rogue of Mine by Shana Galen

On By TracyIn Georgian Era (1714-1837), Regency Era (1811-1820), Top Pick - Highly Recommended, Tracy's ReviewsLeave a comment

Sweet Rogue of MineSweet Rogue of Mine by Shana Galen

Tracy’s rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Series: The Survivors, #9

Release Date: February 9, 2021

Nash Pope was a sharpshooter in Draven’s company and lost his sight when debris damaged his left eye – his right eye was spared, but he can barely see anything out of it, just vague shapes, and no color. Nash did not take well to blindness and as a result was sent to Wentmore, one of his father’s lesser estates in Milcroft to convalesce. But Nash did not find peace in the country, instead, he sunk deeper into despair, drinking to forget, and refusing anyone’s help. But it wasn’t until he hit rock bottom and shot one of his friends and threatened to shoot others that his father, the Earl of Beaufort, finally had enough and sent Rowden Payne in a final attempt to straighten Nash out. If Rowden fails, the earl has made it clear that he will have no choice but to commit Nash to an asylum. Angry about his father’s interference and Rowden’s willingness to do his bidding – which includes removing all the liquor from the house and hiring men to make repairs. Nash escapes the house and goes for a walk and ends up getting stuck in the mud. He is wondering how he will get out when he hears a woman singing, a very bawdy song and making effort to not be heard.

Prudence “Pru” Howard is new to the village of Milcroft, her parents are missionaries and have decided to take a post in the far East – without Pru. They leave her in the care of the local vicar, Mr. Higginbotham, and take off without a backward glance. Pru knows they are disappointed with her after she caused a scandal and her own ruin by engaging in an affair in Cairo, but she really didn’t think they would go as far as to abandon her. But Pru is a survivor and determined to be happy, so she does her best to fit in, but sadly, she is not well received and spends much of her time alone. Today she is wandering in the gardens of Wentmore, singing to herself when she notices a man stuck in the mud. She offers to help him, but her efforts are rejected and Nash threatens to have her charged with trespassing. Not one to be deterred, Pru changes her tactic and manages to get Nash back on solid ground. Afterward, Pru learns that Nash is blind and she decides to help him, after all, she has a blind sister and a talent that will help him – she learned “Ecriture Nocturne” or night writing, which was invented to help the French army, but also enables the blind to read and write – and she offers to teach it to him. An offer that he accepts, much to everyone’s surprise.

Pru and Nash begin his lessons and a true friendship develops, she soothes his anxiety and slowly he begins to realize that his life is not over, it has changed, but now the future doesn’t seem as dismal. But he is far from healed and still suffers from flashbacks. Not to mention he still has the threat of being committed hanging over his head. As his feeling for Pru deepens, Nash begins to think that he should let her go, as he can’t give her a future – but Nash grossly underestimates Pru, Rowden, and his own heart. For her part, Pru seems to have found her place in Milcroft and even befriended the curmudgeonly elderly Mrs. Northgate. And even though she doesn’t think they have any chance for a future, she loves him and will do all she can to keep him out of an asylum.

When I finished the last book, The Highlander’s Excellent Adventure, I really didn’t like Nash and wondered if it was even possible to redeem him – so I am thrilled to report – Yes, he can be redeemed, and Yes, I not only forgave him, I fell a little in love with him! This book was so good, it is well-written, interesting, emotional, uplifting, and fun. There are warm love scenes, a villain who gets his due, wonderful secondary characters, redemption, acceptance, forgiveness, a peacock, and a very sweet ending. This is the ninth book in the series, but it can easily be read as a standalone title, I would however recommend reading the previous book in the series because it gives you a glimpse of how far Nash had fallen before his father sent Rowden to him.

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