Tag: Charis Michaels

Say Yes to the Princess by Charis Michaels

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

Say Yes to the Princess (Hidden Royals, #1)Say Yes to the Princess by Charis Michaels

Tracy’s rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: Hidden Royals, #1

Release Date: July 11, 2023

Killian Crewes, the second son of the late Earl Dunlock, is a bit of an entrepreneur, he acquires rundown properties in the hopes of renovating them and leasing them out. But to do this, he needs funds, so to support his dream of becoming a real estate mogul, he does decreet work for the royal family. He has become known as the “Royal Fixer”, fixing things: gambling debts, recovering runaway lovers, bribing judges, covering up escapades in public fountains, and has disposed of more than one dead body. So it came as no surprise when one of the Royal Dukes, called him to take care of the problem being caused by an exiled French princess; to distract her, enchant her and if necessary seduce her. Killian isn’t privy to the problem she is causing, and doesn’t really care, doing this job will win him first dibs on some warehouses in Limehouse he has been wanting to buy. So he will do whatever is needed to “fix” the problem of Her Serene Highness, Princess Regine Elise Adelaide d’Orleans, or he will, once he figures out who she is.

Princess Elise has lived with the Royal family for the last ten years, ever since she and her siblings escaped France after her father, the brother of the King, was executed. But the siblings were separated and Elise has lived a lonely, isolated existence since then, she has not seen or heard from her brother, Prince Gabriel, and her sister, Princess Danielle in all the time she has been in England. Her mother is in Spain with her family, but rarely communicates with her and ignores her queries about her younger siblings, as does the rest of her limited family. But all that changed when traveling back from Weymouth with the Queen, she saw a young man who she is sure is her brother. The problem is she doesn’t know where they were and no one seems willing to help her, in fact, everyone seems to be discouraging her from finding him! So when the “Royal Fixer” is sent to deal with her, she is happy to let him “distract” her, as it enables her to leave the palace and search for Gabriel. She just didn’t expect to enjoy getting to know him or kissing him or falling in love with him, nor did she expect him to fight their obvious connection so much. Killian is a puzzle and Elise loves a puzzle, but will figuring him out lead to HEA or will it end in heartbreak?

This was not your typical historical romance, it was an interesting story with lots of likable characters and tons of witty banter, but honestly, it didn’t feel as smooth and cohesive as this author’s previous works. Don’t misunderstand, I enjoyed the book, but I feel like I was given a lot of information that didn’t move the story along, information that actually seemed to slow the story down. The story is filled with secrets, intrigue, witty banter, court politics, great secondary characters, a slow-burning, low-steam romance, betrayal, and finally, a surprising ending that leads to their HEA. This is the first book in a new series and I am already looking forward to the next book!

*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.*

A Duchess by Midnight by Charis Michaels

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

A Duchess by Midnight (Awakened by a Kiss, #3)A Duchess by Midnight by Charis Michaels

Tracy’s rating: 5 of 5 stars

Series: Awakened by a Kiss, #3

Release Date: July 26, 2022

After years of being the “evil stepsister”, Drewsmina Trelayne has turned over a new leaf and has even begun to tutor young ladies who are getting ready to debut. At 28, she believes that love is not in the cards for her and she hopes to turn tutoring into a business and finally move out of her sister’s house. Thanks to her stepsister Princess Cynde, she might actually have a paying client. She is to meet with Cynde and her husband at the palace to be introduced to the duke, who is a bit notorious and apparently has twins that will require her services. She reports to the palace and is in the anteroom with the other people hoping to meet with the Prince and Princess when all hell breaks loose and a gift of birds for the Princess are accidentally released in the room! She tries to calm the crowd and find a way to capture the birds, when a man she noticed earlier in the corner, tries opening the door to release them, she stops him, explaining the birds would die in the palace, so he breaks a window and the birds fly out. She thanks him and starts chatting, nervous about her meeting she shares more than she should, telling the man of the duke and his twins, only to find out that he is in fact the duke!

Ian Clayback, the Duke of Lachlan is notorious, his name is linked with the Luddite riot and it is said that he conspired with his tenants and then turned on them by alerting the military of their intent to riot. And for the most part, this is true, but his intentions have been misinterpreted and the damage is done, his tenants don’t trust him and his peers think he is trouble. He has worked hard to rebuild the trust and has come to London to try and gather support to get rid of the levies on small craftsmen’s products as they are not able to compete with the mills. He has also decided to launch his twin nieces into society but admits they might need some help, even still, he is not thrilled when the Prince blackmails him into hiring Drew.

Drew meets the twins, Imogene and Ivy, and their mother Lady Tribble, and is shocked to learn that have had no preparation for a season at all, and then she learns that they have been with their mother in a cult/commune for the last five years – something that even Ian didn’t know. Impressed that the girls have opened up to Drew, he begs her to stay. Things are going well and the more Ian sees Drew, the more he likes her and is attracted to her, but his nieces need her and he has to concentrate on helping his tenants, so he will resist her! Until after dinner one night when he meets with her to talk about his niece Imogene and one thing leads to another and they are caught in a passionate embrace and are forced to marry! Can this forced marriage become a love match or are they doomed to a life of unhappiness?

I really enjoyed this story, it was well written and paced nicely, and had a lightness that made it entertaining and very easy to read. Drew and Ian share an almost instant chemistry, but that doesn’t mean they fall in love instantly, the romance develops at a slower pace, making it much more believable. This book has secrets, cults, familiar faces from previous books, including a very odd merchant, great secondary characters, steamyish love scenes, laugh-out-loud moments, and finally a HEA complete with an epilogue. This is the third book in the series, but the books are very loosely connected and can easily be read as standalone titles. I highly recommend this title, I think it might be my favorite in the series and a book I would happily read again.

*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.*