The Queen’s Man by Jess Michaels

Tracy’s rating: 5 of 5 stars

Series: Regency Royals, #5

Release Date: March 15, 2022

With all the changes happening in the country and with the monarchy, the soon-to-be-former King Grantham of Athawick asks his mother Queen Giabella to tour the southern part of their Island – to hopefully garner support for Grantham’s run for Prime Minister once he renounces his crown. He suggests that she take her long-time secretary and dearest friend Dashiell Talbot with her. She agrees without question and looks forward to time alone with Dash. She wonders if she will finally have the courage to be honest with him about her feelings, feelings she has had since she meet him and never acted upon, even after being widowed.

Dash has loved Giabella since the moment he met her, but he is a servant and she is a queen, no matter his feelings, he will never be worthy of her. But with the changes coming to their country and the offer of a position in Grantham’s cabinet, he might not be completely worthy, but he will be closer. When Grantham suggests he accompany Gia on her trip, he knows the time has come to tell her the truth of Grantham’s offer, that he will be leaving her employ. But when a moonlit kiss changes everything between them, will they finally give in to the passion that has always simmered between them or will they let duty keep them apart?

This was a fantastic end to this series, and I will be 100% honest – I was shocked to learn that these two were not already lovers – the close connection they have shared since the first book led me to believe they were already secret lovers – so I had a serious NFW moment when I learned that they have never even kissed! The book is short, but it does not skimp on the love scenes, emotion or angst. I loved seeing the past characters living their HEA and was absolutely thrilled for Gia and Dash – theirs was truly a hard-won HEA and rarely I have read that kind of chemistry between characters! This is the fifth and final book in the series and can be read as a standalone, but I would recommend reading the books in order for the best experience.

*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.*

To Kiss a King by Jess Michaels

Tracy’s rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: Regency Royals, #4

Release Date: January 11, 2022

Love at first sight, is most certainly not what happened between Lady Ophelia and King Grantham of Athawick. And while Ophelia thought the king was handsome, he was definitely not charming, at least not to her, in fact, he seems to ignore her whenever possible! She and her family are in Athawick for the royal wedding and she is looking forward to returning home to England, but when her dearest friend Priscilla falls in love with Prince Remington and asks her to stay a bit longer, she agrees and will even try to get along with the king.

Grantham is far from indifferent to Ophelia, but with his country in turmoil and his obligations to the crown, he doesn’t have time to be distracted by the lovely Englishwoman. But when most of the guests leave after the wedding and his siblings busy with their new spouses, Grantham finds himself in Ophelia’s company much more often and his desire for her only grows. They form a friendship and share secrets, then they finally give in to the attraction and become lovers, always knowing that it is temporary. But when the leader of the rebellion is found, things come to a head and Ophelia is caught up in the crossfire – will Grantham be able to save her or will he lose the woman he has come to realize is the love of his life?

This was an exciting and informative addition to the series. The book has secrets, shocking revelations, great characters, steamy love scenes, wonderful secondary characters, a nail-biter ending with a surprising twist, and finally a HEA. I enjoyed this installment, but I found the beginning a bit slow and dragged out, but it picked up the pace in the middle and finished with a bang, and nicely sets up the final book in the series. This is the fourth book in the series and they are all interconnected, but each book can be read as a standalone, however, I would recommend reading them in order for the best reader experience.

*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.*