Tag: Valerie Bowman

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.*

No Other Duke But You by Valerie Bowman #Blog Tour

On By TracyIn Georgian Era (1714-1837), Tracy's Reviews2 Comments

No Other Duke But You Banner

No Other Duke But You Cover

A lady with a love potion. A Duke who takes it by mistake. Romance and mischief ensues when plans go awry in No Other Duke But You by Valerie Bowman.
SINGLE LADY SEEKS DUKE
Lady Delilah Montebank has her marital sights set on the Duke of Branville. There’s just one problem: he barely knows she exists. But no matter, she’s got a plan to win him over with her charm, her wit—and perhaps the love potion she has in her possession wouldn’t hurt her cause…
Lord Thomas Hobbs, Duke of Huntley, thinks his best friend Delilah’s quest to become a duchess is ridiculous. He’s always said he’d rather give up all the brandy in London than commit to one person for life. Besides, he knows that Delilah’s love potion can’t possibly win over Branville…since she accidentally gave it to him instead. But perhaps this is the excuse he needs to show her he’s always loved her…
Delilah can’t believe she gave the potion to the wrong duke. Then again, Delilah could do a lot worse than win the hand of her handsome best friend. Could it be that the right duke has been before her eyes all along?

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Valerie Bowman

Author Bio:

Valerie Bowman grew up in Illinois with six sisters (she’s number seven) and a huge supply of historical romance novels. After a cold and snowy stint earning a degree in English with a minor in history at Smith College, she moved to Florida the first chance she got. Valerie now lives in Jacksonville with her family including her mini-schnauzers, Huckleberry and Violet. When she’s not writing, she keeps busy reading, traveling, or vacillating between watching crazy reality TV and PBS.

Tracy’s Review:

No Other Duke But You (Playful Brides, #11)No Other Duke But You by Valerie Bowman

Tracy’s rating: 2/2.5 of 5 stars

Series: Playful Brides, #11

Release Date: April 30, 2019

Lady Delilah Montebank, the daughter of the late Earl of Montford has been told in no uncertain terms by her vile mother that at almost 23, it is time Delilah weds, she has until her birthday in just over a month to secure a proposal or her mother will betroth her to Clarence, son of the Earl of Hilton (who happens to be courting her mother.) Delilah tells her mother that she will make a match with the most eligible bachelor of the ton – the Duke of Branville! Determined to succeed, she immediately talks to her friend Lucy, the Duchess of Claringdon, matchmaker extraordinaire, and Lucy assures her that it can be done and they begin to plan.

Thomas Hobbs, the Duke of Huntley, has been approached by his sister Lavinia, she wants a husband and expects Thomas to get her one, by the end of the season. Lavinia is a nasty, miserable person and Thomas will need help – so he asks Lucy and Delilah to find a match for Lavinia and learns that Lucy is also helping Delilah secure a match! Thomas has loved Delilah forever, but has kept his feelings to himself until she was ready to settle down. And so it begins…

I have read most of the books in the Playful Brides series and have enjoyed them, sadly, that was not the case with this book. I love a light, playful, funny historical, but this was just ridiculous and silly. The writing is good and the plot had potential, but the story dragged, had way too many primary characters, too many completely preposterous situations, a heroine who is immature, a hero who is too timid, misunderstandings that seemed forced and the complete butchering of almost all the titles. I was so looking forward to Delilah’s story and wish that I could have loved this book, but for me, this book just did not work. Valerie Bowman has written many, many wonderful stories and I respect her talent as an author and normally, have no problem recommending her to my friends, but unfortunately, unless you like completely slapstick farcical comedy, I would recommend picking something from her backlist and skipping this book.

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an e-ARC that was provided to me by NetGalley and the publisher.*