Tag: #WickedWidowsLeague

Season of the Rake (Wicked Widows League, #15) by Jane Charles

On By TracyIn Author Collaboration Series, Georgian Era (1714-1837), Part of a Series, Regency Era (1811-1820), Tracy's Reviews2 Comments

Season of the Rake (Wicked Widows' League #15)Season of the Rake by Jane Charles

Tracy’s rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Series: Wicked Widows’ League, #15 with ties to Wedding Wagers and the Trent Series

Release Date: June 20, 2023

After rusticating for over a year thanks to scandal and then mourning their brother and husbands, Octavia Murphy, the widowed Countess of Kepple, and her sister Lavinia, the widowed Marchioness of Teviot are finally out of mourning and returning to London to launch their younger sisters into society. But aside from acting as a chaperon and hopefully saving her sisters from making the same mistakes she made, Octavia plans to find herself a lover. Octavia’s marriage left her bitter and determined to never marry again, but that doesn’t mean she wants to be alone, so to safeguard her heart she has come up with ten rules that will ensure that not only will she protect her heart, but protect her family from yet more scandal. Angelo Evans, Earl of Bolton is rumored to be the best lover in England, but the latest gossip says he is in the market for a bride, which should eliminate him from the running but Angelo is not willing to be denied, so will he agree to her rules?

Angelo’s father the Marquess of Dargate is not well, causing his mother to pressure him into agreeing to marry by Christmas. Angelo agrees to marry but plans to enjoy his freedom to the fullest before he has to enter the bonds of matrimony. He sets his sites on Octavia as his first lover of the season, when she rejects him, it only makes him want her more, but when he learns of her rules, he is not he is willing to comply. But once they come to terms, their affair is more than either ever expected and they find their hearts engaged. But Octavia has more than just a bad marriage keeping her from committing completely to Angelo, and with promises made to his parents, Angelo may have to let her go, even if it breaks both their hearts.

As usual, this is well written, nicely-paced story about a charming rake and a lovely widow who despite their best intentions, fall in love. The story is filled with witty banter, rules, promises, secrets, steamyish love scenes, a bit of angst, great secondary characters, family members who feel the need to give their opinions, surprises and finally a happy ending that didn’t seem possible, complete with an epilogue. I liked this story, and I loved both Octavia and Angelo, but I wasn’t thrilled by the ending, I was happy for them, but I wasn’t left with a “love conquers all” feeling. While this book is part of a large author collaboration series, it also has ties to other series by Ms. Charles and can easily 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.*

To Bargain with a Rogue by Lana Williams

On By TracyIn Author Collaboration Series, Book Publicity, Part of a Series, Tracy's Reviews, Victorian Era (1837-1901)Leave a comment

To Bargain with a Rogue (Wicked Widows' League, #3)To Bargain with a Rogue by Lana Williams

Tracy’s rating: 4/4.5 of 5 stars

Series: Wicked Widows’ League, #3 (Author Collaboration Series)

Release Date: March 28, 2023

Alicia Radcliff, the widowed Countess of Hawthorne is finally finished with her year of mourning and is ready to reenter society. She has decided that she deserves to enjoy the freedom being a young widow affords her, namely taking a lover to find out what she was missing all years she was married. But she needs to take care, because she has no desire to marry again nor does she want to shame her young son, nor does she want to fall in love. She is sure she will be able to avoid that trap, but that was before her son was in danger and she met him.

Matthew Aston, the new Earl of Slayton, never expected to inherit, in fact, he never planned on returning to England. But with the unexpected death of both his father and his older brother, Matthew had no choice but to return and take care of his younger sister Clarissa and the estate. He had no idea that the estate was in such dire straights or that his father and brother had wracked up such high debts. Even with the money that Matthew made while in the Caribbean, he realizes that he will have to marry an heiress and fast if he has any hope of saving the estate and giving Clarissa a season. He is delighted when he meets Alicia, she is everything he has ever wanted in a wife, she is kind, lovely, and rich. But she makes it clear that she will not marry again, but she isn’t averse to an affair and is willing to help launch Clarissa into society. Their affair is sizzling, but Matthew knows he has to marry to protect his sister and ends things, but soon wonders if he gave up too soon, can he convince Alicia that his heart is hers for the taking or will he have to settle for a loveless marriage?

This was a delightful, well-written short novel with very likable characters. The book has a little of everything, interfering relatives, spying servants, a once-bitten, twice-shy heroine, a hero thrown into an impossible situation, a creepy villain, a bit of angst, steamyish love scenes, a bit of heartache, and finally a very satisfying ending that leads to HEA. I did feel like there were some loose ends that didn’t get addressed, but overall they were minor and didn’t really impact the story. This book is part of a loosely connected author collaboration series and it does feature secondary characters from one of the author’s previous series, but the book can easily be read as a standalone title. I enjoyed this story and would be happy to recommend it and am looking forward to more stories in this series!

*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.*