Tag: Anna Harrington

No Dukes Allowed by Grace Burrowes, Kelly Bowen, Anna Harrington

On By BarbaraIn Anthology, Georgian Era (1714-1837)1 Comment

No Dukes AllowedNo Dukes Allowed by Grace Burrowes

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: Stand Alone
Publication Date: 5/15/18

What a delightful concept – none of the heroes are titled gentlemen. As a matter of fact, all of them seem to have a distinct dislike, for some or all, of the titled, privileged folks of the ton. Include that three of my favorite authors (Grace Burrowes, Kelly Bowen and Anna Harrington) wrote the stories and you have a keeper. I really do have to congratulate a couple of the authors on the names they chose for their dukes – Riddington (because they wanted to get rid of him?) Pomperly (because he was pompous?) Sorry, those names just tickled my fancy.

Architect of My Dreams by Grace Burrowes – 3.5 Stars

I enjoyed this story but thought it was a bit too modern for the time in which it is set.

The Dowager Duchess of Tindale is twenty-eight years old and free from a less than happy marriage. Her husband didn’t mistreat her, he was just oblivious to her. He married her for one reason only – her money and to produce an heir. She feels guilty because she never produced that heir – and now he is gone. However, she really likes his cousin who inherited the title – he always treated her with fondness and respect.

Eugenia ‘Genie’, Dowager Duchess of Tindale, has absolutely had it with her new neighbor in Mayfair. He’s building a gentleman’s club and there is constant hammering, shouting, banging and all of the other sounds of construction going on at all hours. So, the tiny little woman marches out her door and into his yard and confronts him. The ensuing conversation is wonderful as she takes him to task.

Three days later, she has traveled to Brighton – only to discover that her noisy neighbor is there as well. There is an instant attraction and they spend time together and come to love each other. However, there is a very nasty fly in the ointment. Someone else wants to marry her (for her money, of course) and has threatened to ruin the man who inherited her former husband’s title as well as her neighbor, Adam Morecambe.

The solution is delightful and there is even an epilogue – I just love epilogues – and this one is just perfect.

Pursuit of Honor by Kelly Bowen – 4 Stars

Diana Thompson and Oliver Graham were childhood friends who did everything together. Oliver’s family had contracted a betrothal for him with Hannah when they were just children. So, Oliver and Diana always knew he’d marry someone else – but – well – they were only friends anyway. Oliver leaves England to pursue his fortune and is gone for ten years. When he returns, he learns that his sister disappeared six years ago and he is determined to find her. The only clue he has is that, at one point, she was in Brighton.

Oliver travels to Brighton to find his sister and sees Diana at a ball. It is a funny scene because Diana looks as if she is having a conversation with a potted plant. She is really talking to Hannah who does NOT want to see Oliver. She’s not happy with the betrothal.

Diana has long been pursued by a duke (Riddington) who is determined to make Diana his mistress. Diana refuses him, but he won’t take no for an answer. This same duke also hates Oliver – so you can imagine that he wants to thwart the growing recognition of love between Diana and Oliver.

Of course, there is also the little matter of Hannah. How can Diana and Oliver pursue their love and still be honorable toward Hannah? Well – turns out Hannah solves that little issue for them.

All seems lost when Oliver leaves Diana to punish the man who seduced his sister. However, we have all learned how clever and resourceful Oliver is. Oliver’s way of punishing the seducer is absolutely priceless. You will love it!

The Double Duchess by Anna Harrington 4-Stars

This is a lovely, poignant, second-chances love story.

Maxwell Thorpe is the son, but not the heir, of a minor baron and he has to make his own way in the world. He joins the army and is gravely injured early on and is sent to the Royal Hospital in Brighton to heal. While there, he meets and falls in love with Belinda who is all heart, filled with sweetness. She helps heal his soul as well as his body. The wondrous thing is – Belinda loves Maxwell as much as he loves her.

After release from the hospital, Maxwell is posted to India. He receives two letters on the same day – one is from Belinda begging him to come home and save her from having to marry someone else in order to save her family from ruin – the second one is from the brother of a duke, who asks Maxwell to please give Belinda up because he wants to offer for her and he promises that he will do all in his power to see that Belinda has everything in life. Maxwell knew that he didn’t have the money to save her family and that if he married her and brought her with him, she’d be living in poverty. So, he makes the hardest decision he’s ever – or will ever – make. He writes to Belinda and tells her that the army is his life and she should forget him.

Belinda marries the duke’s brother – and he later becomes the duke. He does all in his power to make Belinda’s life happy and when he dies, he leaves her a very wealthy woman. Belinda has always loved Maxwell – no matter what – but she hates him. He betrayed her at the worst time in her life.

As Belinda walks into a meeting at the Royal Hospital in Brighton she is shocked and dismayed to see Maxwell across the table. Her anger flares and then gets even hotter when she finds out why he is at her beloved hospital. She’ll fight him tooth and nail to keep him from succeeding in his mission.

You’ll love both Belinda and Maxwell. Their love was truly epic and it was wonderful to see how they worked their way back toward each other. The fact that they thwarted another duke (Pomperly) in the process just puts the icing on the cake.

These lovely stories are all well written and complete within themselves. The only thing that would have made it better would have been a group epilogue showing all of the couples at a get together a year or so later than the stories in the book. Maybe a re-visit to Brighton for all of them – and all of them with babies and happy family stories.

Please check out my reviews at:
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“I requested and received this e-book at no cost to me and volunteered to read it; my review is my honest opinion and given without any influence by the author or publisher.”

As the Devil Dares by Anna Harrington

On By BarbaraIn Barb's Reviews, Georgian Era (1714-1837)2 Comments

As the Devil Dares (Capturing the Carlisles, #3)As the Devil Dares by Anna Harrington

Barbara’s rating: 5 of 5 stars

Series: Capturing the Carlisles #3
Publication Date: 3/6/18

Hellion meets Hellion and it is off to the races we go. I had a hard time figuring out who I liked better in this book – the hero or the heroine. I finally just decided it was a toss-up because they were both wonderfully engaging characters. As always, Ms. Harrington’s writing was superb and the story was well plotted and didn’t leave us with any loose ends. Well – except – I was left wondering toward the end – which of the outcomes befell Robert’s brothers? Did they pay the innkeeper or did they end of in gaol? They obviously didn’t end up dead. Sorry – I won’t explain – you’ll just have to read it. ** smiles **. I’d also like to see an HEA for Evie, Mariah’s sister – maybe that will be an upcoming book! I loved this quote from Mariah – while she is talking with her sister – “Glass slippers will cut you, Cinderella.”

Robert Carlisle is the middle of the three brothers. Like his brothers, he is an Adonis, tall, blonde, broad of shoulder and handsome as the devil. Also like his brothers, he took the death of his father very, very hard and blamed himself for it. Since that awful night when his father died, Robert has been trying to prove himself to his father by becoming the responsible and successful man his father would be proud of. Robert is also a very, very intelligent man and has made great strides in developing his own fortune. One thing he wants above all others is a partnership in Winslow Shipping, the largest privately owned merchant company in the British Empire. Finally, he has a meeting with Henry Winslow and is offered a partnership – but – there is a caveat to that partnership. Robert must provide Winslow’s oldest daughter with a season AND have her married the end of the season. Robert blanches when he hears that news – after all – Winslow’s daughter is known as The Hellion for a very, very good reason. The Carlisle brothers were the scourge of Mayfair, and the Winslow sisters are their female equivalents.

Mariah Winslow was still very young when her mother died. She adored her mother and for a very long time, she blamed herself for her mother’s death from fever. If only she hadn’t begged her mother to take them to the park on that damp day … But she finally came to realize that it wasn’t her fault. She also adored her father and had followed him around like a little puppy since she was very, very young. Since he loved having her around, he allowed it. That fostered her interest in the company and she learned all she could about the business hoping and praying that someday he’d make her a partner. She loved the business, it was part of her heart and soul and she was better at it than any man she knew – not bragging, just truth. Just imagine her mortification when, after her latest escapade, her father tells her that he’s brought in a partner and that partner will be providing her with a season and that she WILL be married by the end of the season. Crushed, heartbroken and very determined to assure that doesn’t happen, Mariah begins her season. Her favorite thing and her best revenge is to do everything she can to enrage, aggravate, embarrass, etc. Robert – and she is very good at her favorite thing!

These two are on a real roller coaster ride. They want to despise each other – and they are sure that they do – but there is an attraction there. They spend time together and get to know each other and start to admit they actually care – and then betrayal (or not) raises its ugly head.

This is a lovely read with page-turning excitement throughout. You’ll want to read it straight through because you’ll just have to know what happens next. Will she pour mop water over his head? Embarrass him into climbing a tree and getting scratched by a cat? Deliberate spill champagne on his jacket? Who knows – all sorts of shenanigans happen and you won’t be able to keep up with them unless you read the book.

Please check out my reviews at:
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“I requested and received this e-book at no cost to me and volunteered to read it; my review is my honest opinion and given without any influence by the author or publisher.”