Posts Tagged: victorian

The Return of the Duke by Lorraine Heath

05 Apr, 2022 by in Uncategorized Leave a comment

I received this book for free from in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Return of the Duke

Once Upon a Dukedom #3

by Lorraine Heath 

Hardcover, 304 pages

Expected publication: July 26th 2022

by Avon Books

ISBN: 0063243202 

Amazon (ad) * Goodreads

In the thrilling third book in New York Times bestselling author Lorraine Heath’s Once Upon a Dukedom series, the dashing son of a disgraced duke teams up with a sultry beauty to thwart an assassination plot against Queen Victoria.

When his father, the Duke of Wolfford, is hanged for an assassination attempt on Queen Victoria, Marcus Stanwick is stripped of everything. Vowing to return honor to his family, he seeks to expose the others involved in the treasonous plot and bring them to justice. His search forces him to turn to a woman he despises for her unforgiveable betrayal–a woman known as the heartless harlot.

Harboring secrets, Esme Lancaster has her own reasons for wanting to discover who’s behind the conspiracy that’s still afoot. She doesn’t trust Marcus but can’t deny the handsome devil makes her wonder if she does indeed possess a heart, one he could very easily steal.

As their hunt for the truth leads them into danger, Marcus finds Esme isn’t cold and calculating as he’d assumed but fire and brimstone, with courage and determination to match his own. Soon, they’re unable to deny their growing desire for each other. But giving into temptation comes at a cost, and they must decide if love is worth the risk of losing their one chance for redemption.

Review

Lorraine Heath is one of my all-time favorite go to authors for historical romance. Her Dutchess Hunt series installment number three starts with Wolff, Marcus Stanwick coming out of the shadows to confront his father’s mistress Esme. Living in hiding, he is out to clear his and his family’s names as accessories to treason. Esme is not at all what he is bargaining for. She’s younger than he thought, and the chemistry at their meeting in undeniable. Beneath the surface of her outward facade is much more than meets the eye. The two work together well as a team. There were a few stale moments with their informant “O,” but overall, I tore through this book. It’s good to see Marcus come out of his hardened shell.

Readers will also lean about the relationship between Queen Victoria and her personal guardsman as well as early spy trinkets in the final chapters/ epilogue. Victorian Romance with a twist! I cannot wait for the other characters to tell their stories and the Chessmen. Bring on more books.

Thank you to NetGalley, Avon and Harper Voyager for providing me with a free advanced reading copy of this book for review purposes.

Isabelle and Alexander

25 Nov, 2020 by in Uncategorized Leave a comment

I received this book for free from in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Isabelle and Alexander

Isabelle and Alexander

on May 4, 2021
Pages: 368
Format: eARC
three-stars
Buy the Book • Goodreads
London, 1850

Isabelle Rackham knows she will not marry for love. Though arranged marriages have fallen out of fashion, hers has been settled for some time to combine the upper-middle-class wealth of her father’s coal mines with Alexander Osgood’s prospering Northern country textile mills. Though not a man prone to romantic gestures, Alexander is well-known as an eligible bachelor. His good looks have turned more than one head, so Isabelle is content to think of herself as Alexander’s wife.

However, her marriage is not what she expected. Northern England is nothing like her home farther west in the lake country. Cold, dreary, and dark, the soot from the textile mills creates a gray hue that seems to cling to everything in the city of Manchester. Alexander is distant and aloof, preferring to spend his time at the mill rather than with her at home. Their few conversations are brief, polite, and lacking any emotion, leaving Isabelle lonely and desperately homesick.

Sensing his wife’s unhappiness, Alexander suggests a trip to his country estate. Isabelle hopes this will be an opportunity to get to know her new husband without the distractions of his business. But the change of scenery doesn’t bring them any closer. While riding together on horses, Alexander is thrown from his and becomes paralyzed. Tragedy or destiny? The help and care that Alexander now needs is Isabelle’s opportunity to forge a connection and create a deep and romantic love where nothing else could.
 

Review

Victorian Manchester England is an interesting place and time for a novel. I picked this one up expecting something different. The author details the nitty gritty every day life from the point of view of a caretaker. The main character is the wife of a businessman of a spinal injury.

One of the families has an autistic child and Glory’s family is amazing. They let their girl magnify her talents and abilities at home instead of sending her to an asylum. Isabelle and Alexander are thrown into an arranged marriage and it is awkward, slow to unfold knowing each other.

This felt more history and an exploration of medical practices than a romance. The end chapter where Isabelle and Alexander finally click felt like a tidy wrap up, since the rest of the novel their marriage is such a grind.

If you are looking for a light, fluffy escape, probably not for you. I enjoyed the talk of the mill and the elements of caring for one’s workers. The side characters who work there were well described. A completely clean book. Thanks Eidelweiss and Shadow Mountain for the read!

The Gentleman and the Thief by Sarah M. Eden

30 Sep, 2020 by in Uncategorized Leave a comment

The Gentleman and the Thief

Proper Romance Victorian

by Sarah M. Eden

Paperback : 368 pages

Publisher : Shadow Mountain

November 3, 2020

Amazon

A gentleman scribes penny dreadful novels by night and falls in love with a woman who is a music teacher by day—and a thief at night.

LONDON 1865

From the moment Hollis Darby meets Ana Newport, he’s smitten. Even though he’s from a wealthy, established family and she isn’t, he wishes he could have a life with her by his side. But Hollis has a secret: the deep coffers that have kept his family afloat for generations are bare, so he supports himself by writing penny dreadfuls under a pseudonym. If not for the income from his novels, he would be broke.

Ana Newport also has a secret. Though she once had a place in society thanks to her father’s successful business, bankruptcy and scandal reduced his fortune to nothing more than a crumbling town house. So Ana teaches music during the day, and at night she assumes the identity of the “Phantom Fox.” She breaks into the homes of the wealthy to reclaim trinkets and treasures she feels were unjustly stolen from her family when they were struggling.

When Hollis’s brother needs to hire a music tutor for his daughter, Hollis recommends Ana, giving him a chance to spend time with her. Ana needs the income and is eager for the opportunity to get to know the enigmatic gentleman. What neither of them expects is how difficult it will be to keep their respective secrets from each other.

When a spree of robberies rocks the city, Ana and Hollis join forces to solve the crimes, discovering that working together deepens the affection between them. After all, who better to save the day than a gentleman and a thief?

About the Author

Sarah M. Eden is the author of critically acclaimed and award-winning Proper Romance series novels including The Lady and the Highwayman and Ashes on the Moor. Combining her passion for history and an affinity for love stories, Sarah crafts smart, witty characters and heartfelt romances. She happily spends hours perusing the reference shelves of her local library and dreams of one day traveling to all the places she reads about.