Tag: Amy Rose Bennett

Curled Up with an Earl by Amy Rose Bennett

On By TracyIn Part of a Series, Top Pick - Highly Recommended, Tracy's Reviews, Victorian Era (1837-1901)Leave a comment

Curled Up with an EarlCurled Up with an Earl by Amy Rose Bennett

Tracy’s rating: 5 of 5 stars

Series: The Byronic Book Club, #2

Release Date: February 7, 2023

At Twenty-Eight, Miss Lucinda “Lucy” Bertram is content with her life, she is a gifted botanist who acts as a research assistant to her father but she longs to travel and be recognized for her accomplishments, rather than be hidden by her father’s shadow. She is sure that marriage is not in her future, even if her dear friend Artemis has recently married and is now touting marital bliss. She is too busy to explore the possibility and has bigger things to worry about, such as her brother Monty’s disappearance and her father’s refusal to discuss him, not to mention their abysmal finances, so finding a husband is the last thing on her mind, especially when she has never met a man that even remotely tempted her. But when her gig gets stuck in the mud and her attempts to free it, land her in the mud as well, a stranger with blue eyes and a Scottish brogue takes charge and might just be the man to change her mind about men and marriage.

William “Will” Lockhart, the Earl of Kyle is on a mission for Scotland Yard, a member of the Linnean Society was poisoned and Lucy’s father, Sir Oswald, an expert in botanical poisons is their prime suspect. Will comes to Fleetwood Hall disguised as a groom, he expects this to be a simple case, he will investigate Sir Oswald and find proof that he is the killer, but he didn’t count on his reaction to Lucy. He met her months ago while posing as an American industrialist and was attracted to her, but now that he has gotten to know her, he will do whatever is necessary to keep her, especially when her father begins to pressure her to marry one of his fellow society members. She asks for his help in finding her brother, who she is sure will side with her against the marriage. But to keep Lucy, Will will have to reveal his true identity and hope she can forgive his deception and change her mind about marriage, but first, he has a killer to catch.

OMG – It is only February and I think I may have read the best book of the year already – Seriously. I loved this book so much, it was well-written, nicely paced, and was just such a delight to read. Lucy and Will are extremely likable and their relationship progressed at a believable pace, the attraction was immediate, but their love and their physical relationship developed a bit slower and felt stronger thanks to that wait. This book has a bit of everything; secrets, poison, spies, murder, steamy love scenes, cameos with the other members of the Byronic Book Club, a villain that is truly insane, blackmail, and finally a sigh-worthy ending with one of the best declaration scenes I have ever read, as well as an epilogue. This is the second book in the series, but could easily be read as a standalone title. I highly recommend this title, in my opinion, this book is a must-read and definitely a keeper that I plan to re-read many times. Think I am being overly gushing? Read the book and you will see why!

*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.*

Duke in a Box Anthology by Various Authors

On By TracyIn Anthology, Christmas, Georgian Era (1714-1837), Novella, Part of a Series, Regency Era (1811-1820), Scottish/Highlander, Top Pick - Highly Recommended, Tracy's ReviewsLeave a comment

Duke in a Box: Twelve Steamy Historical Holiday NovellasDuke in a Box: Twelve Steamy Historical Holiday Novellas by Various Authors

Tracy’s rating: 5 of 5 stars

Series: N/A, but many of the novellas have ties to their author’s series

Release Date: November 1, 2022 (only available until 12/31/22)

This Anthology is amazing, all 12 novellas are set around Christmas, and all feature either a Duke or a would-be Duke and even a case of mistaken Duke-identity. Below are a few of my favorites from the collection:

Yule Be My Duke by Darcy Burke, 4.5 stars – Cecilia Bromwell and John Rowley, Earl of Cosford and heir to the Duke of Ironbridge met 5 years ago at a house party and it was definitely not love at first sight, in fact, it was quite the opposite and involved snakes, capsized boats, jam-filled boots and a pitcher of lemonade. Now older and hopefully more mature, their parents believe that they will make a perfect match, too bad they are wrong! Or are they? Cecilia hatches a plan to lose John in the woods, but it backfires when they are caught in a snowstorm and end up spending the night together. Are they doomed to an unhappy marriage or will their time together lead to an unexpected HEA? This was a cute story of misconceptions and assumptions, Cecilia did seem a bit petty and immature at first, but she owns up to her past behavior and her transformation is believable. The novella features an Enemies to Lovers trope with steamyish love scenes and a HEA.

Her Duke with Benefits by Jess Michaels, 5 stars – When widow Alice Crandon arrives at the cottage she let for Christmas she never expected to find her childhood friend Leo, the Duke of Greenfield already in residence. Alice wanted to spend this Christmas alone, she is officially out of mourning, but needed a bit of time to herself before returning to society, she loved her husband and isn’t sure how to go on without him. Leo too was looking for some time alone, but when he realized that a scheduling mix-up led to both him and Alice renting the same cottage for the holiday, there is no way he is going to let the opportunity to woo the woman he has always loved pass him by! Alice is surprised to feel desire, but is she ready to open her heart to the possibility of new love, or will her past love hold her heart for eternity? This novella features a Second-Chance at Love trope, with steamy love scenes, a swoon-worthy hero, and a HEA.

Right Place, Wrong Duke by Elisa Braden, 5 stars – When her family learns they are being evicted from their farm by the Duke of Dingwall, widow Lucie Carmichael decides to take matters into her own hands by abducting the dastardly duke and forcing him to reconsider his plans – too bad Lucie’s schemes never work out the way she plans. Silas Northfield might be a younger, fitter, better-looking version of his elder half-brother, but he is not the duke and yet, he can’t be sorry that the lovely Scottish loon mistook him for Dingwall. For too long Silas has felt incomplete but after meeting Lucie, he knows two things for certain, 1 – she needs a keeper, and 2 – he is keeping her. This novella was my favorite and features a Love at First Sight/mistaken identity trope, very steamy love scenes, lovable characters, and a HEA.

My Duchess, My Wife by Sasha Cottman, 5 stars – After nearly 28 years of marriage, four children, scandals galore, and now the challenges of midlife, Ewan and Caroline Radley, the Duke and Duchess of Strathmore are still very much in love, but this holiday season will test them like never before. I love reading stories set after the HEA and this novella is a perfect example of love after the happily ever after. This novella features a mature couple, steamy love scenes, family, and the completely relatable trials of menopause, as well as, an even happier ever after.

I really enjoyed this collection of novellas and can’t recommend it enough, all the stories are well-written and there are a variety of tropes to enjoy. From what I understand, this anthology is only available for a limited time, so grab it while you can!

*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.*