Tag: Julia London

A Princess by Christmas by Julia London

On By TracyIn Christmas, Tracy's Reviews, Victorian Era (1837-1901)Leave a comment

A Princess by Christmas (A Royal Wedding, #3)A Princess by Christmas by Julia London

Tracy’s rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Series: A Royal Wedding, #3

Release Date: October 13, 2020

When owner of Honeycutt’s Gazette of Fashion & Domesticity for Ladies, widow Hollis Honeycutt, overhears a rumor concerning the peace accord between the counties of Alucia and Wesloria – she is immediately intrigued. Hollis’ sister Eliza is married to Prince Sebastian, the heir to the throne of Alucia. She is sure there is more to the story and won’t stop digging. She is pondering how to get information from the Weslorian delegation, when purely by chance she meets Marek Brendan, an advisor to the Minister of Trade for Wesloria.

Marek has secrets which make his life very solitary, he is a loner and straddles two worlds. He is deaf in one ear and so when he meets Hollis, he has a hard time understanding her and isn’t sure what to make of her! He tries to keep her at arm’s length, but she isn’t having it, she pulls him in to her investigation and by extension; her life. At first, he thinks she is crazy, but soon realizes she may be on to something – something that could not only destroy peace between Alucia and Wesloria, but could be a plot to assassinate his King!

This book was not at all what I was expecting, the romance is a very slow burn and almost secondary to the mystery. Hollis truly loved her first husband and has felt like life is beginning to pass her by, slowly she lets go of her mourning and opens her heart to the possibility of loving again. Marek is a subdued character, he is clearly overwhelmed by Hollis at first, but they soon discover a shared love of Shakespeare and as they work together, she discovers his secret and he begins to realize that she is what has been missing in his life. The book is the final installment in the series and it does nicely wrap up several ongoing plot points from the previous books. I felt the book did drag a bit, there are still title errors and mistakes (that may – fingers crossed – be corrected prior to publication) and the romance is on the back burner until almost the end of the book – but it was a nice read and the ending was very romantic and the epilogue was very sweet. While I would suggest reading the series in order, this could be read as a standalone title without a problem.

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that was provided to me by the publisher.*

Royal Kiss and Tell by Julia London

On By TracyIn Tracy's Reviews, Victorian Era (1837-1901)Leave a comment

A Royal Kiss and Tell (A Royal Wedding, #2)A Royal Kiss and Tell by Julia London

Tracy’s rating: 2.5/3 of 5 stars

Series: A Royal Wedding, #2

Release Date: May 19, 2020

Caroline Hawkes and Prince Leopold met long before her dearest friend and his brother wed, but clearly the introduction meant more to Caroline than it did to Leo. Caroline is used to being admired and pursued, so she can’t seem to accept that Leo not only doesn’t remember her, but isn’t interested and finds her to be annoying, conceited and ill mannered.

A royal prince in Alucia, Leo is the younger son and has never had any real responsibility, he is well liked, well received and welcome everywhere. But lately he has been discontented and bored, he enjoys his life in England, but wants more. While attending his brother’s wedding, his father tells him that he has arranged a political marriage for Leo and that he can return to England to button up his affairs and then return to Alucia by summer’s end to announce his betrothal. Leo is not happy with this turn of events, but will do his duty. He is preparing to return to England when he is approached by a man and told of a serious and concerning situation involving several young women from Wesloria (the neighboring country to Alucia) who have gone missing. The man askes Leo to look into it because he thinks the men involved are members of the upper echelons of society.

Caroline is miffed that Leo doesn’t remember her, it is unacceptable and she goes out of her way to make him acknowledge her. But it isn’t until they return to England that things between them begin to heat up. Leo is having a hard time with his “mission” thanks to gossip written about him in the Honeycutt Gazette – gossip supplied by Caroline. But even as his reputation is tanking, Leo doesn’t give up trying to save the women and bring the men responsible to justice. As Leo continues his investigation, he begins to rely on Caroline for help and they both begin to develop deeper feelings, but theirs is a love that can never be, or can it?

I have to admit, I didn’t like this book as much as the first one, it is a decent read, but I just never really felt the connection between Leo and Caroline. The book itself is well written and the “mystery” portion is well done and paced nicely, but unfortunately, the romance definitely took a backseat and didn’t develop at the same pace. The book does have a bit of witty dialogue, a hero who is misunderstood and underestimated, a very conceited, yet likeable heroine, warmish love scenes, cameos from previous characters, a decent mystery concerning slave trade and some surprising twists and turns that make an impossible HEA, possible. The incorrect title use that annoyed me in the first book is sadly still running rampage in this book and the romance leaves much to be desired – so for me, this was an “OK” read, nothing to get excited about, but still entertaining. This is the second book in the series, but it can be read as a stand-alone title with no problem at all.

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that was provided to me by NetGalley and the publisher.*