Tag: regency

Blog Tour and Review: A Tenuous Betrothal

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by Jen Geigle Johnson

Publisher : Covenant Communications (August 8, 2022)
Language : English
ISBN-10 : 1524422576
ISBN-13 : 978-1524422578

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Orphaned and penniless, Rhianna has no hope of a happy ending-until she learns of a generations-old connection to the royal family of Oldenburg. But marrying a prince would come with its own set of problems.

Rhianna Davies is well-acquainted with heartache after the painful loss of her parents. At the arrival of her ghastly uncle, she is brought even lower: Rhi has been banished from her family’s estate home and must rely on the kindness of her tightly knit Welsh miners for help. Without the protective love of her parents, Rhi has no illusions that hers will be a happy ending-until an addendum to her father’s will arrives in the hands of a prince.

Marc Wilhelm, Prince of Oldenburg, is in Wales with one purpose: to claim his betrothed. A long-ago promise between their fathers forges an indelible link between Rhi and Marc, but there remains just one problem: neither wants to marry a stranger. With no remaining ties to Wales, Rhi agrees to accompany Marc to Oldenburg, where he will forfeit their betrothal so she may have her pick of husbands. But their journey takes them down unexpected paths, from the depths of a Welsh mine to the marriage mart of London to a warm reception in Oldenburg. Rhi and Marc discover that their connection and their challenges run deeper than either anticipated, but whether from their own hesitations or from danger that threatens without, the couple might be thwarted before they can even begin the happily ever after they so richly deserve.

Left an orphan and with an uncle who treats her poorly, Rhianna Davies is looking for a place to call home. I liked Rhi. She isn’t weak, and she cares about the workers at her family’s mine and wants to keep them safe. She doesn’t want to rush into an arranged marriage with someone she doesn’t love.

Marc Wilhelm has become betrothed to Rhianna through an agreement with their fathers. While he feels a certain sense of duty, he believed himself unable to wed. Marc bothered me at times. He knew his feelings for Rhi but feared for her safety so he didn’t want to pursue a relationship. That was understandable. However, he still played with her feelings and continued to flirt with her. I know he was battling with himself, but he made things a lot harder on her.

I like interconnected stories, and this group of brothers is fun. These books can all be read on their own, but I find them more enjoyable when you read them in order. I liked seeing more of Henri and Kristoff in this book as well as the other brothers. Kristoff’s book should be funny, but I think Henri’s is the one I most look forward to.

I always like reading the author’s notes, and I liked the inclusion of the author’s family connection to Wales and mining in the story.

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Blog Tour and Review: The Dreaming Beauty

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by Anneka R. Walker

Publisher : Covenant Communications (July 11, 2022)
Language : English
Paperback : 256 pages
ISBN-10 : 1524422061
ISBN-13 : 978-1524422066

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An Enchanted Regency Romance


Once upon a dream, two cursed people fell in love…


Tansy White doesn’t want to end up alone like her three aunts who raised her, but when she is betrayed by her would-be betrothed, she fears she might never change her fate. At her aunts’ suggestion, she seizes the chance to visit Rose Cottage, the country home of her late mother. For years, dreams of the cottage have haunted Tansy, and she is convinced it holds the answer to her hidden past. But after getting caught in a terrible storm, she meets a man who is just as determined as she is to learn all her secrets.


Marcus Taylor, brother to the Duke of Westmorland, is also troubled by vivid dreams. On a sleepless night, as a tempest rages outside his brother’s estate, he makes a discovery far more mysterious than any dream: a young woman, cold as ice, lies unconscious in the library, and he is sure she is the key to solving his problems. When she makes, what begins as a shared quest for information turns into an unexpected friendship. As they piece together the fragments of their past, they discover a tangled web of lies, and their feelings for each other become just as entwined. But is their love as strong as their dreams. . . or their fate?

Growing up, my favorite fairy tale was Sleeping Beauty. The Dreaming Beauty was such a great twist on this classic! I loved all the little nods to the original, but I liked the storyline and characters in this book even better. Anneka Walker is such a beautiful storyteller. This book has romance, mystery, and so many secrets.

Marcus Taylor has always had to live his life in his step brother’s shadow. His entire focus has been to help Simon with the Dukedom. Simon comes off as somewhat lazy and irresponsible, but his family are also enablers because they do everything for him and he never has a need to do it himself.

Tansy White has always been conflicted by her dreams. Her aunts have kept her parentage from her, and she feels like a large part of herself is missing.

Tansy and Marcus are both kind hearted people who struggle with finding the balance of family and putting their personal needs first. I loved them together. They had some beautiful scenes under the stars.

I loved that there were some appearances with characters from The Masked Baron. That is such a great book! I hope we have more books in this series. I would love for Simon to get his own story. The covers in this series are stunning!

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Blog Tour and Review: To Kiss a Wallflower

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by Jen Geigle Johnson, Heather B. Moore, Anneka R. Walker

Publisher : Mirror Press (June 21, 2022)
Language : English
ISBN-10 : 1952611261
ISBN-13 : 978-1952611261

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Eventually, all wallflowers will have their chance at love . . . This is where it begins.

The Wallflower’s Dance by Jen Geigle Johnson
Lottie Hughes likes people, as long as they aren’t too close. Does it bother her that no one asks her to dance? Yes, but she’s not sure how to drum up dance partners when she has almost no dowry, no title, and freezes up when anyone tries to talk to her. When she suddenly inherits a huge amount and is the new center of attention all over London, her secret dreams might come true but also her worst nightmares. Suddenly everyone wants to talk to her. Men ask her to dance. And she is inundated with interested suitors. She fights to stay close to the few friends she knows are true. One man saw her before her life changed forever. But does she want to accept his help when he, too, might be insincere?

Letters to a Wallflower by Heather B. Moore
Ellen might be beautiful and considered a diamond of the first water by Society, but she is so very tired of the pressure to marry a titled gentleman so that her beauty won’t go to waste. When her cousin Dinah dares Ellen to attend a ball with no frills and to stand with the wallflowers, Ellen takes on the dare. What’s in the wager for her? The prize cuttings of her aunt’s extraordinary roses. But what Ellen isn’t expecting is Lord Ravenshire to engage her in the most interesting conversation. When she confesses to him of her opposition in marrying for a title, he confesses his distaste of the London scene. They strike a bargain together, one which will either push them apart or lead to a future sweeter than either of them could have imagined.

To Marry a Wallflower by Anneka R. Walker
Charlotte Winters is destined to spinsterhood until she turns down an unwanted proposal and everything changes. With gossip rampant, her father attempts to salvage her reputation by betrothing her to another. Soon she is sent off to her aunt’s to meet Lord Templeton, her intended. Anxiety-ridden, Charlotte begs her aunt to let her observe Lord Templeton from afar before their introduction. She never planned to pretend to be her fictional cousin to learn more about him, or to fall in love with Lord Templeton’s friend in the process. Lord Templeton dreads returning to the empty halls of Newcliff Manor. When his father’s old friend, Mr. Winters reaches out for assistance, Lord Templeton finds himself returning home engaged to a woman he has never met. Desperate to learn more about Miss Winters, he befriends her cousin. He wouldn’t have spoken to her, or lied about his identity, if he’d known the quiet woman would sneak into his heart.

To Kiss a Wallflower brings together 3 great authors with stories about Wallflowers. They are often overlooked and in the background, but these stories give Wallflowers their happily ever afters.

The Wallflower’s Dance by Jen Geigle Johnson

Lottie Hughes has always been awkward in social situations. She feels most comfortable with her best friend Denny, a book, and a corner to hide in. When she is suddenly an heiress, her popularity rises overnight. She doesn’t know who she can trust. Even Denny.

Childhood friendship to realizing there is more as adults is always one of my favorite tropes, and this was a sweet story. I liked all the little memories they shared from childhood.

Letters to a Wallflower by Heather B. Moore

Ellen and Aaron both have mothers who wish for them to find spouses. Ellen makes a bet with her cousin that if she dresses like a wallflower, she won’t get many dances. Aaron makes a deal with his mother to dance with the wallflowers, then call upon one, and go for a carriage ride. This is how Ellen and Aaron meet. After the success of their first meeting, they decide in order to avoid all the trappings of the season, they will fake a courtship.

I adored this story. It was cute, and I liked the characters a lot. I like when relationships progress through letters, and I love the conversations they had. My favorite was the one in the London garden, and the lamb scene was sweet.

To Marry a Wallflower by Anneka R. Walker

After a spurned suitor starts rumors about Charlotte Winters, her father arranges a marriage for her with his friend’s son Luke.

Charlotte has a shy personality and hides behind fans, but she is a very kind and talented person. Luke has lost all his family and his friends are married leaving him to feel alone. When Luke and Charlotte meet, they are both hiding their identities, and they agree at exchange letters to learn more about their future spouse.

I loved watching Luke and Charlotte’s relationship develop. They were so cute together. While this arranged marriage was pushed for in the first place, it ended up being just what they both needed.

This story had what I believe to be what I think of the most with a wallflower. They may be quiet in social situations, but that doesn’t mean they don’t have important things to say. They just feel more comfortable in smaller groups and with people they know.

My favorite scenes were the painted fan scene and the talking with the horse scenes. I loved this sweet story, and I also loved the dedication.

Blog Tour and Review: Midnight’s Budding Morrow

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by Carolyn Miller

Publisher : Kregel Publications (May 31, 2022)
Language : English
Paperback : 312 pages
ISBN-10 : 0825446546
ISBN-13 : 978-0825446542

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Can real love grow between a wallflower and an unrepentant rogue?

Sarah Drayton is eager to spend time with her best friend at her crumbling Northumberland castle estate. Matrimony is the last thing on her mind and the last thing she expects to be faced with on a holiday. Yet she finds herself being inveigled into a marriage of convenience with her friend’s rakish brother.

When James Langley returns to his family’s estate, he can’t be bothered to pay attention to his responsibilities as the heir. War is raging and he wants only distraction, not serious tethers. But his roguish ways have backed him into a corner, and he has little choice but to obey his father’s stunning decree: marry before returning to war, or else. Suddenly he finds himself wedded to a clever and capable woman he does not love.

Sarah craves love and a place to belong, neither of which James offered before returning to the battlefront. Now everyone around her thinks she married above her station, and they have no intention of rewarding her for such impertinence. It isn’t until her husband returns from war seemingly changed that she begins to hope they may find real happiness. But can she trust that this rake has truly reformed?

When tragedy strikes, this pair must learn to trust God and his plans. Will they be destroyed . . . or will they discover that even in the darkest depths of night, the morning still holds hope?

Midnight’s Budding Morrow is a story of redemption, forgiveness, and finding love. I always like when characters are imperfect because it is more realistic, and I enjoy seeing their growth throughout the story.

After his father blames him for his mother’s death, James Langley struggles with drinking and gambling. To pay off a debt, he is forced into a marriage of convenience with his sister’s friend Sarah Drayton.

While we see James being disrespectful to Sarah, we never see him at his lowest point, so it seemed a little easier to be forgiving. Most of the time he came across as a really good guy who was trying to do better. I had more issues with his father. His father was unforgiving of an accident and held onto that grudge for years. Then the way he manipulates people is abominable.

I can’t go into detail because I don’t want to give away any spoilers, but I will just say that this was an incredibly hard book to read right now. I am going through a similar situation to Sarah, and to read it happening and then her emotions has been difficult. Sarah’s emotions were written as very raw and on point to the tragedy she was going through. I felt an instant connection to her. Though she handles them a lot more extremely than I do. I really felt for her.

I always like reading a story about forgiveness. No matter who a person is, we all need some type of forgiveness in our lives, and we need to forgive others.

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Games in a Ballroom – Review

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by Jentry Flint

Publisher : Shadow Mountain (May 3, 2022)
Language : English
Paperback : 272 pages
ISBN-10 : 1629729930
ISBN-13 : 978-1629729930

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She was forbidden to love him. He only wanted her heart. Can a childhood game bring them together?

London, 1815

Olivia Wilde has resigned herself to never finding a love match. Her father has insisted she marry a man with a title, but the men her father deems acceptable are either boring or are only interested in increasing their own diminishing coffers. With her future looking dismal, Olivia vows to enjoy the last few months of freedom with her childhood friends, including Emerson Latham. His devilish smile and flirtatious teasing stirs up feelings she knows she cannot entertain.

Emerson is struggling to rise to his responsibilities after his father’s death. Though he is still learning his place, one thing he knows for certain is that he wants Olivia Wilde to be his wife. Emerson had long ago fallen in love with her quick wit, beauty, and passionate heart. Yet, without a title, he will never be permitted to court Olivia openly. But he has a plan that may give him a chance to court her in secret.

As the Season kicks off, Emerson proposes a playful game of tag. Olivia’s friends are delighted by the idea, though Olivia is wary. After all, the game must be played in secret as they tag each other at dinners and balls. As the romance builds between Olivia and Emerson, so does the risk of being discovered. Not only are their reputations at stake, so is their safety if they are caught by Olivia’s strict father.

Can their love find a happily ever after before the game ends?

The name of the book was very appropriately titled. Overall I liked the games; it put a unique spin on things. However, there were a little too many scenes at different balls of them playing tag that seemed pretty similar for my taste. I also thought that the pig prank was juvenile. Though, I love that the brotherhood is always there for each other no questions asked.

What this book really thrived on were the characters. Each one is unique and interesting. I loved the brotherhood. I really hope that the brooding baron and Arabella get a story. They both seem fascinating and perfect for each other.

Blog Tour and Review: Summerhaven

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by Tiffany Odekirk

Publisher : Covenant Communications (February 14, 2022)
Language : English
Paperback : 274 pages
ISBN-10 : 1524421464
ISBN-13 : 978-1524421465

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Hannah Kent and Oliver Jennings pledged their hearts to each other as children. Now, years later, Hannah is thrilled to receive an invitation to spend the summer at Oliver’s family’s country estate. The path to wedded bliss is clear―so long as Oliver’s highbrow older brother, Damon, has ceased his juvenile antics, Hannah’s future looks bright indeed.

But from the moment Hannah arrives at Summerhaven, nothing is as she expected. Oliver seems disinterested in renewing their acquaintance, and Damon is not the brutish boy she remembers but a man intent on avoiding marriage. Although she has loathed Damon her whole life, when he contrives a ruse designed to win them both what they desire, Hannah warily agrees. All she has to do to reclaim Oliver’s attention is pretend to be madly in love with Damon. But when Damon is surprisingly convincing in his role as a suitor, it proves difficult to discern the line between pretense and true love.

Damon Jennings, Oliver Jennings, and Hannah Kent grew up together. At age 12, Oliver and Hannah promised to get married, and Hannah has loved him ever since. Damon and Hannah had always had a difficult relationship, with Hannah hating the tricks he played on her. Years later, she still considers him her adversary.

Oliver comes off as the fun loving brother, but he is often putting his own wants above other people. Damon doesn’t want to only be wanted for his future title, and he hides who he really is from others.

I love Damon and Hannah’s relationship. I adored their sweet moments and their funny moments, and I love their deeper moments. This book was really hard to put down. I love finding new authors I love!

Summerhaven is a twist on my favorite trope of childhood love, and I love it even more for the twist.

The main characters were strong and fully developed, and I felt a connection to them. I also liked the side characters. I really look forward to reading more from this author.

This book releases on Valentine’s Day, which is the perfect date for it. It’s the exact kind of romance I love.

P.S. There was less than an hour to go before my alarm would go off when I finished the book. Summerhaven 1 Sleep 0. I regret nothing.

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The Foibles and Follies of Miss Grace – Review

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by Jen Geigle Johnson

Publisher : Jen Geigle Johnson (February 6, 2022)
Language : English
Paperback : 268 pages
ISBN-10 : 1737592134
ISBN-13 : 978-1737592136

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A woman who can’t trust herself to make a good marriage choice asks for an arranged marriage, but then falls in love with someone else.


Grace standish is the youngest of the Standish sisters. Years ago, she became flattered by one of the men of the ton, only to find herself rescued from a carriage ride that could have ruined her forever. Since then, and watching each of her sisters marry, she isn’t confident in her ability to know what would be best for her. She trusts her eldest sister June completely and knows that she and her husband Morley, will help her. But a new, young, Vicar enters the scene and she finds herself so incredibly curious about him. He’s obviously handsome. But he’s so much more. Is she correct in her thinking? Her family talks of titles and wealth and security. They seem to overlook the excellent Vicar until it’s almost too late.

Lord Stewart has long since tired of the ton and their selfish ways. Though he’s only participated in two seasons, he’s watched brother after brother have their seasons. Nothing about the elaborate gowns, the entire waste of money on lavish balls, and the backbiting, gossiping ton appeals to him. And so he decides to do everything he can to steer clear of the lot of it. His family is in great need and so he takes a position as a Vicar and dedicates himself to his work. He does nothing to try to appeal to anyone socially, and even still, women are always near, their mothers, guardians and grandmothers as well as the new debutantes. As he attempts to navigate these new relationships while remaining single, he notices one woman who stands out in every way. As they find themselves thrown together, and he at last finds his heart yearning to make her his, he learns she is about to be betrothed to another in a match most anticipated by her entire family.

Enjoy this final book in the Lords for the Sisters of Sussex series and introduce yourselves to a new family of BROTHERS who might just might steal your heart.

After leaving London, Oliver Stewart lives a content but lonely life as a vicar taking care of his flock. He has always admired Grace Standish from the background. They work well together helping the poor, but she has only ever thought of him as her vicar.

Grace went through a traumatic experience years ago, and it has led her to believe that she does not know the true character of people. Rather than risk getting hurt by falling in love, she asks her family for an arranged marriage.

This book was a sweet, quick read, and I always like visiting the Standish family.

Grace and Oliver were so naturally perfect for each other. Grace seemed made to be a vicar’s wife and easily cared for her neighbors.

While clearly not right for Grace, I liked Lord Featherstone, and I’m glad he’s getting his own story.

Top 21 Books of 2021

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This year has been filled with so many amazing books! Every single book on this list earns a 5 star rating and comes highly recommended. Some of them are now even some of my favorite reads of all time. Thank you so much to all these authors, and all the other authors out there, for everything that goes into their books; the worlds they create for us to escape into, the characters we come to care for, the research needed for all the rich history. There is so much that I am deeply appreciative of. Thanks for an incredible year of books!

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