Tag: Lila DiPasqua

Duke in a Box Anthology by Various Authors

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

Duke in a Box: Twelve Steamy Historical Holiday NovellasDuke in a Box: Twelve Steamy Historical Holiday Novellas by Various Authors

Tracy’s rating: 5 of 5 stars

Series: N/A, but many of the novellas have ties to their author’s series

Release Date: November 1, 2022 (only available until 12/31/22)

This Anthology is amazing, all 12 novellas are set around Christmas, and all feature either a Duke or a would-be Duke and even a case of mistaken Duke-identity. Below are a few of my favorites from the collection:

Yule Be My Duke by Darcy Burke, 4.5 stars – Cecilia Bromwell and John Rowley, Earl of Cosford and heir to the Duke of Ironbridge met 5 years ago at a house party and it was definitely not love at first sight, in fact, it was quite the opposite and involved snakes, capsized boats, jam-filled boots and a pitcher of lemonade. Now older and hopefully more mature, their parents believe that they will make a perfect match, too bad they are wrong! Or are they? Cecilia hatches a plan to lose John in the woods, but it backfires when they are caught in a snowstorm and end up spending the night together. Are they doomed to an unhappy marriage or will their time together lead to an unexpected HEA? This was a cute story of misconceptions and assumptions, Cecilia did seem a bit petty and immature at first, but she owns up to her past behavior and her transformation is believable. The novella features an Enemies to Lovers trope with steamyish love scenes and a HEA.

Her Duke with Benefits by Jess Michaels, 5 stars – When widow Alice Crandon arrives at the cottage she let for Christmas she never expected to find her childhood friend Leo, the Duke of Greenfield already in residence. Alice wanted to spend this Christmas alone, she is officially out of mourning, but needed a bit of time to herself before returning to society, she loved her husband and isn’t sure how to go on without him. Leo too was looking for some time alone, but when he realized that a scheduling mix-up led to both him and Alice renting the same cottage for the holiday, there is no way he is going to let the opportunity to woo the woman he has always loved pass him by! Alice is surprised to feel desire, but is she ready to open her heart to the possibility of new love, or will her past love hold her heart for eternity? This novella features a Second-Chance at Love trope, with steamy love scenes, a swoon-worthy hero, and a HEA.

Right Place, Wrong Duke by Elisa Braden, 5 stars – When her family learns they are being evicted from their farm by the Duke of Dingwall, widow Lucie Carmichael decides to take matters into her own hands by abducting the dastardly duke and forcing him to reconsider his plans – too bad Lucie’s schemes never work out the way she plans. Silas Northfield might be a younger, fitter, better-looking version of his elder half-brother, but he is not the duke and yet, he can’t be sorry that the lovely Scottish loon mistook him for Dingwall. For too long Silas has felt incomplete but after meeting Lucie, he knows two things for certain, 1 – she needs a keeper, and 2 – he is keeping her. This novella was my favorite and features a Love at First Sight/mistaken identity trope, very steamy love scenes, lovable characters, and a HEA.

My Duchess, My Wife by Sasha Cottman, 5 stars – After nearly 28 years of marriage, four children, scandals galore, and now the challenges of midlife, Ewan and Caroline Radley, the Duke and Duchess of Strathmore are still very much in love, but this holiday season will test them like never before. I love reading stories set after the HEA and this novella is a perfect example of love after the happily ever after. This novella features a mature couple, steamy love scenes, family, and the completely relatable trials of menopause, as well as, an even happier ever after.

I really enjoyed this collection of novellas and can’t recommend it enough, all the stories are well-written and there are a variety of tropes to enjoy. From what I understand, this anthology is only available for a limited time, so grab it while you can!

*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.*

Historical Hellions – Box Set, Various Authors.

On By TracyIn Tracy's Reviews1 Comment

Historical HellionsHistorical Hellions by Elizabeth Essex

Tracy’s rating: 5 of 5 stars

Release Date: 4/11/17

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for a copy of this book that was provided to me by the author*

This was a great set!

The Pursuit of Pleasure – Elizabeth Essex – Full Length Novel – 4 Stars: This is the story of Lizzie and James. They were friends in their youth before James disappeared for 10 years. He is back and offers Lizzie what she has always wanted – to be a widow! The book is good, but feels a little disjointed. I know Lizzie and Jamie are in love, but the story really lacked romance – but that was more about the personalities of Lizzie and Jamie than any flaw in the writing. They simply are not lovey-dovey type of characters.

The Thief Steals Her Earl – Christina McKnight – Full Length Novel – No Rating – I did not read this book.

Secrets In Scarlet – Erica Monroe – Full Length Novel – 5 Stars: This is the story of Poppy and Thaddaeus. Poppy is a single mother trying to do the best she can for her daughter and Thaddaeus is the police sergeant trying to solve a murder. Poppy tries hard to keep Thaddaeus out of her life, but he will not be swayed. When danger threatens and secrets are revealed – I fell in love with Thaddaeus – he was a perfect hero. His love for Poppy was beautiful and unconditional. He made this book for me. Poppy was a good heroine and I understand her need to protect her daughter – but I think she could have trusted Thaddaeus with the truth much sooner than she did.

Sleeping Beau – Lila DiPasqua – Novella – 5 Stars: This book was scorching hot – I a surprised my kindle didn’t melt – HOT! I loved this story – it might be my favorite in the set! This is a very, very loose interpretation of Sleeping Beauty. Adrien and Catherine shared a night of passion years ago – but Adrien never knew who the woman was and she has haunted his dreams since then. Catherine had her reasons for seducing Adrien 5 years ago – but she had no idea who he was. She is now a widow on the cusp of remarriage when she meets Adrien again. They immediately recognize each other, but Catherine steadfastly refuses to acknowledge their prior meeting. When Adrien finally gets the truth, Catherine agrees to be his lover until her betrothed arrives. They spend several HOT nights and days together and when Catherine’s intended shows up early, they are dismayed – neither is ready to say good-bye. Adrien lets Catherine go and it seems that there will be no HEA – but the author throws in a shocking twist that changes everything!

The Art of Seduction – Eileen Richards – Long Novella – 4 Stars: This book was a bit different than I imagined it would be from the blurb. It is about lost loves reuniting, Beth and Michael were in love but lost touch when Michael was called home to attend his dying mother. Five years later they meet again by chance and this time Michael is not going to let Beth slip away. This book really explored the social class differences in the era and the struggles young unmarried women faced. There is a love story, but it seemed downplayed in comparison to the social issues. I really liked Ms. Richards writing style and will definitely read more of her work!

The Madam’s Highlander – Madeline Martin – Long Novella – 5 Stars: This was the lone Scottish offering in the collection and it was fantastic! Ewan Fraser is a member of the Black Watch, he joined in hopes of redeeming his honor after his father was hung as a traitor. Freya is the owner of a brothel and loathes the English and the Black Watch – so when Ewan asks Freya for help – she refuses. Desperate to save his mother he does the only thing he can – he threatens hers! Furious Freya has no choice but to agree. When she goes to his home and finds it burned and his mother hiding from the Redcoats, she takes his mother to her home. When Ewan learns of her fate, he renounces his service to the Black Watch and becomes a fugitive. Freya agrees to take him to his mother. When they arrive at her home they are confronted with an English solider and Freya tells him Ewan is her husband. These two slowly form a bond and fall in love. When Ewan is discovered and all hell breaks loose – he sacrifices his freedom to save the woman he loves. It seems all hope is lost and months pass without word of his fate. I don’t know how she did it – but Ms. Martin turned it all around in the last chapter and accomplished what seemed impossible just a few pages before – a touching and believable HEA!

Reckless Wager – Christy Carlyle – Long Novella – 5 stars: This story was amazing! Set in Victorian England in Whitechapel – it was not your traditional Victorian romance. Kate has been widowed for 10 years and is considering getting married, but the abuse she suffered in her first marriage still haunts her and she doesn’t really want to give up her volunteer work in Whitechapel has her second guessing her decision. She meets Detective Sergeant Benjamin Quinn when a young woman comes into the clinic and claims she was assaulted by Jack the Ripper. The young woman, Rose, refuses to talk to anyone from the police, save Ben. Kate tracks him down at a pub and agrees to go to his flat to talk. Ben is drunk and ends up passing out, when Kate goes to leave, he briefly wakes and they share a heart stopping kiss. Kate leaves never expecting to see him again – but she wants to! These two cross paths again and Kate concocts the “wager” to make Ben include her in the search for Rose. The more time they spend together – the more they want. Ben has been hurt before, by choosing to join the MET, he lost the woman he hoped to marry and the relationship with his family became estranged. He has sworn off women and love, but he is drawn to Kate. I really loved this story, it is well written, well researched and paced perfectly.

I really enjoyed this collection and would highly recommend it!

At the time of this post (4/23/17), this collection was on sale for $0.99 at Amazon.com!