Nearly a Bride by Sabrina Jeffries

Tracy’s Rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Series: Lords of Hazard, #2

Release Date: April 28, 2026

When a fellow French emigrant began to question Miss Giselle Bernard about her travel papers, she became concerned and needed help, but since her brother-in-law the Duke of Falconridge and her half-sister are out of town, she turns to Rupert “Heath” Oakden, the Earl of Heathbrook for help. Giselle has known Heath for many years, as she worked in her cousin’s boarding house in Verdun, the French town where thousands of English citizens were detained during the war. She once shared a kiss with him, but he seemed to lose interest in her almost immediately after, breaking her young heart. But while he remained aloof, she still considered him a friend and has turned to him to help her secure legitimate papers for her and her mother. She never imagined that he would need her help in return, and that help would involve her having to pretend to be his fiancée!

After an impetuous mistake as a young man, Rupert “Heath”, his father, the previous Earl took him to France to get him away from England, but as luck would have it, Napoleon decided to detain them, and Heath ended up spending the next 11 years trapped in France and losing his father, before he was free to return to England. But upon returning home, he learned that his father did not make him the guardian of his younger brothers, one of whom he has never met, as he was born shortly after Heath and his father were detained. Custody of the boys was given to his mother’s cousin, and Heath has not even been able to visit them. He hired a lawyer to fight for custody, but with his previous reputation as a rake, his lawyer thinks he will have a hard time winning. His attorney suggests that Heath marry or at the very least get betrothed to an upstanding woman. He has just about given up hope when Giselle approaches him for help. It is the perfect solution! All he has to do is keep his hands (and lips) to himself until his brothers are back in his care and he can help Giselle, what could go wrong?

I loved the idea of this series about a group of men who formed a bond of brotherhood when they were detained in France and became what was known as “the detenu”, the history about this is fascinating and I was eager to learn more about it! In this installment, readers get to know Rupert Oaken aka Heath and Giselle Bernard, who have a history together, but who have not been close for many years, they get reacquainted when Giselle feels threatened and seeks out Heath for help. They agree to help each other and hope they can do so without making their relationship complicated. Giselle tries hard to keep her feelings out of it, especially after he rejected her years ago – or did he? Heath believes that he cannot love, but that is clearly untrue considering how hard he is working to get custody of his brothers. Overall, this was fast paced story with lots of history, emotion, secrets, shocking surprises, some steamyish love scenes, wonderful characters, and finally a happy ending complete with a sweet epilogue. I will be honest that I didn’t like this book as much as the first book, but it was still a good story and one I would be happy to recommend. This is the second book in a connected series, but it could be read and enjoyed as a standalone title with no problems.

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that I requested and was provided to me by the publisher/author. All opinions in this review are my own. *

 

Hazardous to a Duke’s Heart: Lords of Hazard, Book 1 by Sabrina Jeffries

Tracy’s Rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: Lords of Hazard, #1

Release Date: April 29, 2025

At the age of 18, Lord Jonathan “Jon” Leighton, the third son of the Duke of Falconridge set out on his Grand Tour with his tutor/mentor, Dr. Issac Morris, but while in France, war breaks out and he and Morris are captured by Napoleon’s soldiers and held as prisoners for 11 long years. On the day of their release, Morris lays dying from an injury sustained while attempting an escape with Jon and two of his friends, 3 years ago, an escape that was ruined when they were betrayed. He begs Jon to make sure his daughter Victoria is taken care of, as it is clear he will not be returning to England. Morris’ death lays heavy on Jon, he blames himself, believing Morris only tried to escape because of Jon. Jon returns to England to learn that he is now the Duke of Falconridge and Victoria “Tory” Morris is his sister Chloe’s governess. Jon is stunned by Tory and knows that if she ever knew that it was his fault her father died, she would want nothing to do with him, so it would be best if he married her off as soon as possible. He tells her that her father left her some money for a dowry and convinces his mother to sponsor her “come out”. It should be simple, but he wants her for himself and is having trouble keeping track of his lies, while trying to learn his new duties and tracking down the person who betrayed him and his friends in France, oh and there is the small fact that Tory doesn’t want to marry.

Victoria “Tory” Morris began working the Duchess after her mother died and knows that her time is coming to an end as Chloe is in her second season and has no need for a governess. She is shocked (and a bit suspicious) when Jon tells her of the “dowry” her father left for her, but she doesn’t want to marry, what she wants is to open a school for women artists. Tory is an artist and specializes in sculpture. Tells Jon of her dream and is surprised when he says he will consider giving her the money, IF she attends the rest of the season and tries to find a husband. She agrees if he will take sculpture lessons with her. He agrees and she presses him for information about her father; not sure she believes his stories. But Tory has secrets of her own and her reason for not wanting to marry is due to much more than just wanting to pursue her art. She falls hard for Jon, but he is keeping things from her, and she isn’t sure she can trust him with her heart. But can she live without him?

This was a good start to a new series, steeped with history and enlightening readers of the challenges and hardships of the English détenus held in France during the Napoleonic wars. But is much more than an history lesson, it is a charming romance filled with wonderful characters, lies, secrets, heartache, betrayal, witty banter, a slightly ditzy duchess, great secondary characters, warmish love scenes, surprises that ends with an HEA and includes an epilogue. I had this book in audiobook format and thought the narrator (Beverley A. Crick) did a very good job, although she did make Jon sound like an old man – but overall, her voices were great, and her reading cadence was paced perfectly. I really enjoyed this story, and I highly recommend this book. In fact, I am already looking forward to the next installment!

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that I requested and was provided to me by the publisher/author. All opinions in this review are my own. *