Month: September 2017

Falling for a Duke (Timeless Regency Collection) – Review

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dukeby Rebecca Connolly, Nichole Van, and Janelle Daniels

  • Print Length: 241 pages
  • Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
  • Publisher: Mirror Press (September 19, 2017)
  • Publication Date: September 19, 2017
  • Sold by: Amazon Digital Services LLC
  • Language: English
  • ASIN: B073T4F86B

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From the publisher of the USA TODAY bestselling & #1 Amazon bestselling Timeless Romance Anthology series in Clean & Wholesome Romance, comes FALLING FOR A DUKE.

Three brand new Regency Romance novellas by Rebecca Connolly, Nichole Van, and Janelle Daniels

ON THE DUKE’S ERRAND by Rebecca Connolly. Lord David Chambers has one goal—to put his father’s Scotland estate to rights. Even if it means leaving in the middle of the London Season and avoiding the matchmakers. As the second son of a duke, David looks forward to facing the wilds of Scotland, and trying to make something of himself and prove his worth to his father. But David’s not prepared for the censure he receives from the local Scottish gentry, especially Ceana Shaw, the baronet’s daughter who not only mistakes him for the duke himself, she seems determined to think the worst of David.

VINGT-ET-UN | TWENTY-ONE by Nichole Van. Eliza Mail had found the perfect place to live out her days as a young widow, away from the pain of her past and lost love. Seemingly by chance, Eliza’s childhood neighbor, Liam Trebor, Duke of Chawton, comes to her village for a visit. Eliza hasn’t seen Liam in over five years, and his presence panics her. Will he reveal what he knows to her friends and neighbors, destroying her current life? Eliza must avoid Liam at all costs, but he seems equally determined to flush her out of hiding. What happens if Eliza’s past does not stay where it belongs . . . in her past?

I KISSED A DUKE by Janelle Daniels. Madeline Maybury will do anything to be invited into the inner circles of the ton. She takes on a challenge from a high society lady to kiss the Duke of Hargrave. When she finds Ethan alone and explains that she needs to kiss him, instead of turning her away, he’s amused. He also obliges. Madeline believes she can report back and achieve all of her ambitions. Instead, she’s given an even greater task. Once she accomplishes it, she realizes that the Duke of Hargrave is a very different man than she expected, and she’s in grave danger of falling in love

I am a big fan of the Timeless Romance Anthology series, especially the Regency collections.  They bring together really great authors who write excellent stories.

ON THE DUKE’S ERRAND by Rebecca Connolly

-I have really enjoyed Rebecca’s Arrangement Series and I love that this is connected to that series.

-Let me just say that the main character David is hilarious! Rebecca said that he “made me laugh a lot” and I completely agree.

-Ceana is a spitfire and I love that she isn’t all ladylike. She has a fun personality.

-The two main characters have a great relationship and I love seeing the two of them together.

-I look forward to more interconnected stories to come.

VINGT-ET-UN | TWENTY-ONE by Nichole Van

-I love when characters meet as children and their first meeting was adorable.

-I felt oddly personally invested in Eliza and Liam.

-There were certain elements of my favorite book Persuasion.

-I liked how the scenes would switch back and forth between present and the past and how the reader was only given small pieces of the past at a time. It built up the mystery surrounding their past.

-I usually predict a lot of things in books but the truth of Eliza’s husband surprised me.

 

I KISSED A DUKE by Janelle Daniels

-This was my least favorite in the set.

-I felt that the way they fell in love was too rushed.

-I did like the general storyline and characters

-It seemed confusing that Ethan hates people who are after his title but he has no problem with Madeline’s dare and the fact that she was after a title even though it wasn’t his.

-I would have liked to find out what happened after the book ended, especially in regards to the other character’s reactions.

 

12 Days at Bleakly Manor (Once Upon a Dickens Christmas #1) – Review

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bleaklycoverby Michelle Griep

  • Series: Once Upon a Dickens Christmas
  • Paperback: 192 pages
  • Publisher: Shiloh Run Press (September 1, 2017)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 168322258X
  • ISBN-13: 978-1683222583

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A mysterious invitation to spend Christmas at an English manor home may bring danger…and love?

England, 1851: When Clara Chapman receives an intriguing invitation to spend Christmas at an English manor home, she is hesitant yet feels compelled to attend—for if she remains the duration of the twelve-day celebration, she is promised a sum of five hundred pounds.

But is she walking into danger? It appears so, especially when she comes face to face with one of the other guests—her former fiancé, Benjamin Lane.

Imprisoned unjustly, Ben wants revenge on whoever stole his honor. When he’s given the chance to gain his freedom, he jumps at it—and is faced with the anger of the woman he stood up at the altar. Brought together under mysterious circumstances, Clara and Ben discover that what they’ve been striving for isn’t what ultimately matters.

What matters most is what Christmas is all about . . . love.

Pour a cup of tea and settle in for Book 1 of the Once Upon a Dickens Christmas series–a page-turning Victorian-era holiday tale–by Michelle Griep, a reader and critic favorite.

Ben and Clara have had a hard last year and Clara is not yet ready to trust Ben again with her heart. Ben has to choose between redemption and revenge. Will Ben and Clara get their second chance?

bleakly

This really is such a great book on so many levels.  The storyline is very unique and interesting. I love the characters and all the mystery; there was a lot of things that kept me guessing. The characters are so eclectic and kooky, especially Miss Scurry with her mice.

I like how the chapters were broken down by the days of Christmas. This would make an excellent story to read around Christmas but is still enjoyable any time of year.  I highly recommend this book!

 

Love Held Captive (Lone Star Hero #3) – Review

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lovecaptiveby Shelley Shepard Gray

  • Series: A Lone Star Hero’s Love Story
  • Paperback: 320 pages
  • Publisher: Zondervan (October 10, 2017)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0310345472
  • ISBN-13: 978-0310345473

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After the War Between the States, a Confederate officer longs to heal the heart of a beautiful woman—but first he’ll have to right the wrongs that were done to her.

Major Ethan Kelly has never been able to absolve himself of the guilt he feels for raiding a woman’s home shortly before he was taken prisoner during the Civil War. He is struggling to get through each day until he once again crosses paths with Lizbeth Barclay—the very woman he is trying to forget.

Life after the war is not much different for former Captain Devin Monroe until he meets Julianne VanFleet. He knows she is the woman he’s been waiting for, but he struggles to come to terms with the sacrifices she made to survive the war.

When Ethan and Devin discover that their former colonel, Adam Bushnell, is responsible for both Lizbeth’s and Julianne’s pain, they call on their former fellow soldiers to hunt him down. As the men band together to earn the trust of the women they love, Lizbeth and Julianne seek the justice they deserve in a country longing to heal.

I had mixed feelings about this book.  I found it to have too many points of views and story-lines. I would have enjoyed it more if the focus had been on Major Kelly and Lizbeth’s story.

Lizbeth provides the only good example. She is strong and tries to put her past behind her which includes not seeking vengeance. She also helps others even when it is hard on her. Ethan has a mixed sense of obligation. He is hung up on revenge but also wants to protect Lizbeth due to their past.

Julianne kept justifying her sin saying it was something she had to do instead of repenting. I don’t have a problem when someone repents of their sin and is turning their life to God, but they aren’t seeing it as a sin and she is not repenting. Devin falls in love with Julianne and wants to marry her when the only real conversation he had with her was about the fact she was a mistress and wasn’t ashamed of it.

The pace of the majority of the book was slow and the story-lines were not progressing. They seemed stuck in a loop.

Just about everyone is obsessed with revenge and murder when vengeance is the Lord’s. ““Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord.” -Romans 12:-19

My favorite part of the book was Lizbeth and Ethan’s storyline and the flashbacks.  While things were retold from the first and second book, I feel the reader would benefit from having read the first two before reading this one.

An Inconvenient Beauty (Hawthorne House #4) – Review

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beauty.jpgby Kristi Ann Hunter

Griffith, Duke of Riverton, likes order, logic, and control, and he naturally applies this rational approach to his search for a bride. He’s certain Miss Frederica St. Claire is the perfect wife for him, but while Frederica is strangely elusive, he can’t seem to stop running into her stunningly beautiful cousin, Miss Isabella Breckenridge.

Isabella should be enjoying her society debut, but with her family in difficult circumstances, her uncle will only help them if she’ll use her beauty to assist him in his political aims. Already uncomfortable with this agreement, the more she comes to know Griffith, the more she wishes to be free of her unfortunate obligation.

Will Griffith and Isabella be able to set aside their pride and face their fears in time to find their own happily-ever-after?

I have liked Griffith since I first read A Noble Masquerade and have really been looking forward to his story.  It did not disappoint!

I loved this book.  I wished that I could read it in one sitting but had to make due with reading it all in one day. I really didn’t want to put it down.

Griffith is such an interesting character. I love his little quirks. And Isabella was so perfect for him.

I love the scene where Griffith had to keep jumping to his feet every time Frederica suddenly leaves the room.  This book had me feeling all different emotions. I love when a book is funny as well as romantic.

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I also liked how actual historical events were interwoven throughout the book.

This book and A Noble Masquerade were my favorites from the series but I would recommend all of them.  I am sad to see the Hawthorne House series end but look forward to what is coming next.

“I love you. Whatever matters to you, matters to me. And I take care of what matters to me.”