Review: The Worst Duke in London (Taming of the Dukes #3) by Amalie Howard

*I received a copy of this book from Hachette Book Group Canada in exchange for an honest review.

The Worst Duke in London

(Taming of the Dukes #3)

by Amalie Howard 

September 24, 2024

Goodreads Summary:

Bridgerton meets 10 Things I Hate About You in this spicy enemies-to-lovers Regency romance.

Lady Evangeline Raine prefers animals to people and has no interest in marriage­--much to the dismay of her flirty younger sister, Viola. Because their father has one rule: Viola may be courted, only if Effie has a suitor as well.

Saddled with debt, Gage Croft, Duke of Vale, is determined to rebuild his estates. When the owner of his vowels offers him a fortune to charm the impervious Lady Evangeline for the season so Lady Viola can be courted, the game is on, even if it means pretending to seduce an unconventional wallflower.

But Gage gets much more than he bargains for in an adversary who wants to make her own scandalous arrangement. Effie will go to London for the season, but only if Gage agrees to be her lover. Yet when their fake courtship leads to passionate feelings, will their indecent proposal end with the season or be the start of something real?

Review: A Cruel Thirst by Angela Montoya

*I received a digital advance reading copy of this book from Penguin Random House Canada in exchange for an honest review.

A Cruel Thirst

by Angela Montoya

December 17, 2024

Goodreads Summary:

A fledgling vampire and a headstrong vampire huntress must work together--against their better judgment—to rid the world of monsters in this irresistible romantic fantasy.

Carolina Fuentes has always wanted to join her family in hunting down the bloodthirsty monsters that plague her pueblo. But these days, her father wants her out of town with a husband of his choosing. That’s not happening. Carolina plans to show everyone that she’d make a better vampire slayer than wife. But when she runs into a sediento that is not only handsome but kind, she questions everything.

Lalo Villalobos doesn’t act on impulses. As the eldest of two, his duties were to carry on the family business, marry, and have children. But then he is turned into a sediento and must flee the city, taking lives as he goes north, where he believes the first vampire was made. Surely, the pueblo there will have the answers to reverse this curse or end sedientos altogether. Another unexpected turn? Lalo runs right into a beautiful young woman who’d gladly stake him.

Fortunately, mostly for him, they share a common enemy. They can stop these evil beasts. Together. And if along the way, Lalo and Fernanda discover what it is to truly live and love, then they’ll have won anyway.

Review: Duchess Material by Emily Sullivan

*I received a copy of this book from Hachette Book Group Canada in exchange for an honest review.

Duchess Material

by Emily Sullivan

November 19, 2024

Goodreads Summary:

Fans of Netflix's Bridgerton series will love this captivating​ first book in a dazzling new Victorian historical romance series, perfect for fans of Evie Dunmore, Amalie Howard, and Martha Waters!

Ever since unexpectedly inheriting a dukedom over a decade ago, William Margrave, the Duke of Ellis has strived to silence his critics and please his disapproving relatives by being the perfect aristocrat —even though that meant leaving behind the progressive ideals he once held. Now the time has come for Will to wed and he intends to find his duchess using the same relentlessly clinical approach that has led to his success thus far. The only problem? His old friend’s unconventional younger sister keeps interrupting his carefully controlled life. And to make matters worse, Will discovers he rather likes it.

The Atkinson sisters are known for two their father’s self-made fortune and their disinterest in playing by society’s rules. Middle sister Phoebe Atkinson revels in her role as the outspoken bluestocking Bohemian, much to the exasperation of her older sister Alexandra, the budding economist, and the amusement of her younger sister Winifred, the endlessly charming social butterfly. Though her parents would love to see her married to an upstanding member of the ton, Phoebe traded the ballroom for the schoolroom years ago and now spends her days teaching working class girls. But when her most promising student goes missing, Phoebe reluctantly turns to the most powerful man she knows, the Duke of Ellis. He was once the object of her girlhood affections until he ascended to the dukedom and left his old life behind. But as they search across London, she discovers that perhaps Will hasn’t changed as much as she thought—and neither have her feelings.

Quick Thoughts: An Unlikely Proposition (Unexpected Seasons #2) by Rosalyn Eves

An Unlikely Proposition

(Unexpected Seasons #2)

by Rosalyn Eves

March 5, 2024

Goodreads Summary:

A standalone companion to An Improbable Season, this Regency romance ⁠― perfect for fans of Bridgerton ― is about following your heart, pursuing your dreams, and falling head over heels in love.

Eleanor did not come to London to be proper and boring. After the death of her husband and a year of mourning, the seventeen year old wants nothing more than her independence and to have a little fun. She’s hardly looking to remarry, despite pressures from her late husband’s nephew, who is keen on obtaining her inheritance. Eleanor quickly devises a plan that includes a fake engagement. What’s not a part of the plan? Falling for a dashing, quiet man outside of her social circle – a man who is not her betrothed. Can she survive the Season with her heart and her fortune intact?

Thalia is determined to begin afresh after a disastrous first Season in London. No romantic distractions, but only her work as a poet and newfound companion to Eleanor. Determined to get her poems published, she struggles to be taken seriously as a female writer. As the spring progresses, Thalia does not expect to take interest in a man from her past (a man who is engaged to her employer, no less!), but some feelings demand to be felt even if the timing isn’t quite right.

Rosalyn Eves's An Unlikely Proposition is a transportive Regency drama that captures the sparkle of London, thrill of friendship, and swoon of new love.