Tag: #ShapeshiftersOfTheBeauMonde

A Duke at the Door by Susanna Allen

On By TracyIn Georgian Era (1714-1837), Historical Paranormal/Fantasy, Paranormal / Fantasy, Part of a Series, Regency Era (1811-1820), Tracy's ReviewsLeave a comment

A Duke at the Door (Shapeshifters of the Beau Monde, #3)A Duke at the Door by Susanna Allen

Tracy’s rating:  3.5/4 of 5 stars

Series: Shapeshifters of the Beau Monde, #3

Release Date: August 23, 2022

After years of being held captive in his animal form, Alwyn ap Lewin, the Duke of Llewellyn was finally able to free himself from his captors and made his way to Carlton House and the Prince of Wales. Alwyn is not well, he was not treated well, and now that he is back in his human form, his Lion is nowhere to be found, causing him more suffering. Anxious to help, the Prince sends him to recuperate at Lowell Close and then summons Miss Tabitha Barrington.

Tabitha and her younger brother Timothy have recently returned to England after 10 years of traveling abroad. During that time, Tabitha a gifted healer and apothecary honed her skills and knowledge and was much sought after. And now it is those skills that the Prince asks her to use to heal Alwyn. He explains the situation to her and tells her of the “versipelles” (shifters), something few humans are privileged to know. Not sure what she can do, she and her brother travel to Lowell Close and settle in. They are immediately welcomed by the “pack” and Tabitha meets Alwyn. She makes no move to “cure” him and just spends time with him, which intrigues him. Soon, Alwyn is making progress and begins to think that Tabitha might be his fated mate, but before things progress too far, Tabitha begins to shy away from him, afraid to face her growing feelings. But when the villain who captured Alwyn comes back for him, she can no longer deny what she feels and will risk her life to save him, but is she willing to risk her heart as well?

I liked the story, but I am not a huge fan of the author’s writing style or her inflated/obscure vocabulary. For me, the story was very slow-moving for a good part of the book, but once the villain is unmasked, the story takes off and doesn’t stop until the very end. I think what I enjoyed the most was the relationship between Tabitha and her brother Timothy, and her “suitors” were amusing and added some much-needed levity to the book. Overall, this was a very emotional read with a resilient hero, a reluctant heroine, a lot of secondary characters, healing, acceptance, warm love scenes, and finally a hard-won HEA. This is the third book in the series, but I believe this story could be read as a standalone title.

*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.*

A Most Unusual Duke by Susanna Allen

On By TracyIn Book Publicity, Georgian Era (1714-1837), Paranormal / Fantasy, Part of a Series, Regency Era (1811-1820), Tracy's ReviewsLeave a comment

A Most Unusual Duke (Shapeshifters of the Beau Monde, #2)A Most Unusual Duke by Susanna Allen

Tracy’s rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Series: Shapeshifters of the Beau Monde, #2

Release Date: December 28, 2021

When Beatrice, the widow of the Marquess of Castleton sought to secure her independence by blackmailing the Prince Regent of England, things did not go as planned. Not only did she find herself married again, but her reluctant groom is also a Shifter. But unlike her first husband, Arthur Humphries, the Duke of Osborn is not a decrepit old man and neither is he a wolf.

When Arthur’s father was challenged and lost his life to the challenger, Arthur vowed to never claim his position as Alpha in his bear sleuth. But his cousin, Prince George (also a bear Shifter) demands that Arthur do his duty, if not he will make sure that Arthur’s brother and his young family will suffer. With no choice, Arthur agrees to marry Beatrice but insists theirs will be a white marriage. At the prince’s command, they retire to Arthur’s family estate, a place that Arthur hasn’t seen since the night he lost his father. He manages to keep his feelings for the sleuth and his new bride in check, that is until his brother and his family show up, making him long for things he has sworn to never have.

This was a very interesting, well-plotted, thoughtful story about second chances, love, and acceptance. Beatrice and Arthur are wonderful characters, both with painful pasts, yet they haven’t lost themselves to bitterness. I enjoyed watching their slow-burn romance unfold and loved the secondary characters who added lightness and levity to the story. I liked the story, but the reading was slow-going, the author has and utilizes an amazing (if somewhat obscure) vocabulary, which did break the flow for me, as I had to continually stop to look up a word, or foreign language phrase (which were not italicized) to understand the story and many times the author chose to use a very archaic/obscure word instead of a common word, and while I love to learn new words, I don’t need to learn one on just about every page. Overall, it was entertaining to read with a somewhat anti-climatic ending but did manage to set up the next book rather nicely. This is the second book in the series, but it can be read as a standalone title with no issue.

*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.*