Tag: Anna Campbell

Three Times Tempted by Anna Campbell

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

Three Times Tempted (A Scandal in Mayfair, #3)Three Times Tempted by Anna Campbell

Tracy’s rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: A Scandal in Mayfair, #3

Release Date: January 26, 2022

Desperate times call for desperate measures, so upon learning that her father, the Earl of Deerforth plans to marry her off to the cringe-worthy Lord Chippenham, Lady Imogen Ridley takes matters into her own hands and sets out to ruin herself. She invites the Earl of Halston, a renowned rake, to meet her in the gazebo while attending a ball – but to her surprise, it is not the earl who is there, but an American. They chat and have an instant connection, they even make plans to meet again at another function, thus beginning their secret love affair.

Caleb Black is a successful landscape artist in New York, who has come to England to design a garden for Lord Tierney. He came hoping to expand his family business but is shocked to find love instead. But unlike America where Caleb is considered a “catch” here in England, he is considered little more than a servant, making courtship with an earl’s daughter all but impossible. But the heart wants what the heart wants and Caleb won’t let anyone or anything keep him from the love of his life.

This is the final book in the A Scandal in Mayfair series and it ties up the series nicely. The book is not as steamy as the previous books and it is definitely more angsty. The first part of the book was a bit slow as it is the same timeline as the first two books, but from Imogen’s POV – kudos to Ms. Campbell for keeping Imogen’s secret love affair so well hidden in the first two books – I read them both and honestly had no idea Imogen was in love! As I mentioned, this book is less steamy, but it is filled with emotion, a truly vile villain, a hero and heroine willing to lose everything for their love and the long, painful road to their HEA. This is the third (and final) book in the series and while it could be read as a standalone, I would recommend reading the series in order.

*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.*

Two Secret Sins by Anna Campbell

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

Two Secret Sins (A Scandal in Mayfair, #2)Two Secret Sins by Anna Campbell

Tracy’s rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Series: A Scandal in Mayfair, #2

Release Date: August 31, 2021

The ton would be shocked to learn that the oh-so-proper Eliot Ridley, Viscount Colville is having a passionate affair with the oh-so-scandalous widow, Lady Verena Gerard, but this unlikely couple has been burning up the sheets for half a year and their passion shows no signs of waning! But all that changes when Eliot is called away and they don’t see each other for a month. Eliot returns and realizes that a secret affair is no longer what he wants – he wants Verena as his wife and will accept nothing less.

Lady Verena has suffered at the hands of men, first her father and then her husband, even her brothers failed her by ignoring her pain and suffering. So as soon as her abusive husband died Verena vowed to never cede control of her life to another man – she would live life on her terms, take lovers and never remarry. Taking Eliot as her lover was something she never would have imagined and her feelings for him border on dangerous to her peace of mind, on more than one occasion she has thought about ending their affair, but can’t bring herself to part from him – that is until he proposes!

Verena refuses his proposal and tries to make him see reason, that marriage to her would ruin him and by extension his sister, but Eliot doesn’t care and is sure that they can weather the scandal together. Still, Verena refuses and ends their affair. Something that makes them both miserable, but is necessary in her mind. Will Eliot convince her that love is worth the scandal or will he realize that to prove his love, he will have to give up on his dream of HEA and let her go?

What a great read! It is a well-written, fast-moving story with wonderful characters and steamy love scenes (YAY!!!) The story has a lot of emotion, a bruised-but-not-broken heroine, a heart of gold hero, steamy love scenes, horse races, great secondary characters, a little heartache, and then a great ending complete with an epilogue. My only complaint with this book is that there is a very intriguing character introduced at the end of the book and then that storyline is dropped without any closure, I thought she might pop up in the epilogue, but sadly she didn’t – I have my fingers crossed that she and Shelburn will make an appearance in the next book and I will get my answers. Other than that very minor point, this was a great book, the timeline runs parallel to the first book, but you definitely don’t need to read that book to enjoy this one (but you should read it anyway because it is awesome). I would happily recommend this story and cannot wait for the next installment!