Tag: Lenora Bell

You’re the Duke That I Want by Lenora Bell

On By TracyIn Georgian Era (1714-1837), Historical Rom-Com, Movie / Story Retelling, Part of a Series, Regency Era (1811-1820), Tracy's ReviewsLeave a comment

You're the Duke That I Want (The Thunderbolt Club, #1)You’re the Duke That I Want by Lenora Bell

Tracy’s rating: 3 of 5 stars

Series: The Thunderbolt Club, #1

Release Date: December 26, 2023

Sandrine Oliver lives in the quiet village of Squalton-On-Sea and is a devoted and dutiful daughter to her mother who is a paranoid pessimist who spouts the dangers of men and life in general, and who is bent on seeing Sandrine married to the town’s vicar. So when Sandrine is not being lectured by her mother, or pressured to marry the village vicar, she spends her time researching the crumbling Manor house that used to be owned by her father’s family but was lost centuries ago to the Duke of Rydell. Sandrine has tried to contact the duke many times, hoping he will fix up the house or give it to the Squalton Historicial Preservation and Improvement Society (of which she is the secretary), but much to her dismay, he has ignored her. But all that changes one hot afternoon when Sandrine uncharacteristically defies her mother and takes a dip in the sea, only to be accosted by a man claiming to be saving her from drowning. She soon finds herself falling for Danny, who disappears without a word. It is also the same man she sees later in London with a group of rakes, but this man is not the sweet, man she met in Squalton-on-Sea, nor is he Danny Smith, no, he is Dane Walker, the presumed Duke of Rydell and it that is not bad enough, he is pretending to not to know her!

Lord Dane Walker is the “spare heir” to his brother, the Duke of Rydell, and a founding member of the Thunderbolt Club, a group of young rakes who like racing carriages and fast women. He is in the sleepy town of Squalton-on-Sea to check out Squaltonn Manor, a property his father left him, but it is not long before he realizes his family is hated in the small town, so he tells the locals his name is Danny Smith. He sees the manor and knows that it is not the windfall he believed it to be, it is in dire need of repair and anyone buying it will probably want to raze the building and start from scratch, especially given the general air of neglect and disrepair of the entire town. Disappointed, he plans to return to Brighton but is stymied when his horse comes up lame. Instead, he wanders down to the manor and is shocked to see a woman splashing alone in the sea, he promptly saves her and finds himself captivated. Maybe staying in Squalton for a few days won’t be too bad. Sandrine is lovely, smart, and not his type at all, meaning, she is too good for him, yet that doesn’t stop him from craving her. But when he receives notice that his brother has died, he leaves without a second thought, never expecting to see her again.

When I saw that Lenora Bell was launching a new series I was excited. And when I read the blurb and requested this book from NetGalley, I was under the impression that this book was “Grease-inspired”, but a few chapters in I realized that was a huge understatement, this is a straight-up retelling of the 1970 movie classic set in Georgian England with only a few deviations. That said – if you have ever seen Grease then you will immediately see the similarities, from Danny to the Pink Ladies. And if you are a fan of the movie, you will probably be highly entertained. As for me, I liked the movie but didn’t LOVE it, and I felt the same as this book, it was OK, the writing was good and the love scenes were definitely steamier than the movie, but after waiting over a year for a new story, I felt a bit let down and wished Ms. Bell had put her own spin on the story instead of making minor alterations to adapt a well-known movie into an historical romance novel.

3 stars

*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.*

The Devil’s Own Duke by Lenora Bell

On By BarbaraIn Barb's Reviews, Regency Era (1811-1820)1 Comment

The Devil's Own Duke (Wallflowers vs. Rogues, #2)Barbara’s rating: 2.5 of 5 Stars
Series: Wallflowers vs. Rogues #2
Publication Date: 9/28/21
Period: Regency London
Number of Pages: 384

I fully intended to absolutely love this book because I have loved every book I’ve read by this author. I just couldn’t get there with this one and I’m so sorry to have to say that. Since I’m reading an advanced copy, there are several things I sincerely hope are corrected prior to publication – there are smaller things – like a completely naked man suddenly having blood on his sleeve – and there are huge things like the entire process of being declared the heir to a duke (which is the entire premise of the book). If you add in that I neither liked nor was invested in ANY of the characters, you’ll see why I just couldn’t love the book. The only character I found unobjectionable was Jax, who is our hero’s friend. The other characters in the book seem more like cardboard caricatures – even with Ash’s noble intentions, I couldn’t like him or what he did. He did have an epiphany, but – well – that didn’t make up for the rest of it – at least not to this reader.

Ash Ellis had a very, very hard life. He was raised in an orphanage and went to work in a bottling plant when he was eight. The work was grueling with long days, no sleep, little if any pay, the punishment was often and severe, and starvation-type hunger. When John Coakley offered him a chance to escape that existence, he jumped at it – only to find that he’d jumped from the frying pan into the fire. Coakley was cruel, took all of the goods they’d pickpocketed, beat them regularly, and virtually owned them. They’ve finally managed to escape Coakley and Ash and Jax now own their own gaming club, The Devil’s Staircase. That, however, isn’t enough for Ash. He wants revenge on the aristocracy for all of the mistreatment he and other children have suffered – and he’ll get it by fair means or foul. When the germs of an idea take hold, he acts and gets himself declared a ducal heir.

Lady Henrietta Prince is the daughter (and only child) of the Duke of Granville. Since her mother’s death, Hetty has secluded herself on their country estate, Rosehill Park, where her French mother had been revitalizing the vineyards. That became Hetty’s mission in life, she’d continue her mother’s work and make their wines a profitable entity. She loves Rosehill Park, it is her solace, her refuge – and she certainly isn’t going to allow that upstart rogue who claims to be her father’s heir to tear it apart.

Upon meeting Ash and hearing his claim, Hetty’s father accepts the claim as real – after about a 5-minute conversation. Hetty’s father and his lover are cartoonish – outlandish – and in no way believable. Then – he tells his new heir and Hetty that he wants them to marry. This man could be a pervert of the first order, and the duke wants him to marry his daughter just as soon as he meets him.

I found everything about this book to be implausible, improbable, and very, very unlikely, and since I also did not care for the characters, I cannot recommend the book. If you choose to read it, I hope you love it. The author is one I normally love; I just could not love this particular book.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

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