[Review] A Brush With Love, by Mazey Eddings

Title: A Brush With Love
Series: Untitled series #1
Author: Mazey Eddings
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Number of pages: 336
Publication date: March 1st 2022

Synopsis:

Harper is anxiously awaiting placement into a top oral surgery residency program when she crashes (literally) into Dan. Harper would rather endure a Novocaine-free root canal than face any distractions, even one this adorable.

A first-year dental student with a family legacy to contend with, Dan doesn’t have the same passion for pulling teeth that Harper does. Though he finds himself falling for her, he is willing to play by Harper’s rules.

So with the greatest of intentions and the poorest of follow-throughs, the two set out to be “just friends.” But as they get to know each other better, Harper fears that trading fillings for feelings may make her lose control and can't risk her carefully ordered life coming undone, no matter how drool-worthy Dan is.

Blood, gore, and extra-long roots? No problem. The idea of falling in love? Torture.

Review:

I received an eARC at no cost from the publisher, and I am leaving a voluntary and honest review. Thank you.

First things first. I’m friends with Mazey, so I might not be completely unbiased regarding HER FIRST PUBLISHED BOOK (so proud of you)!!!! Anyway, I’ll try and be fair.

One of the things I really liked was the depiction of anxiety and panic attacks in this book. We live in an age where we are constantly being bombarded with stimulus that keep putting our nerves on edge. With the added pressure of school, uni, jobs, LIFE – it gets to be too much. I related very much to Harper, and some of the descriptions of how she felt really hit close to home. Dan (or Dental Dan I should say!) is the best cinnamon roll ever. He may be a legacy, but not all legacies are horrible! Dan is very much a go-getter when it comes to Harper – not in a pushy way, but he knows he likes her, and he’s willing to fight for her, and make concessions for her. I did think sometimes that he allowed himself to be pushed over by others, and that he should stand up for himself a bit more, but I understand with was a difficult situation (although if you say you had a good relationship with someone, you should trust they will want you to be happy!).

                        

Harper is a bit more…more. She’s the person always thinking of her studies, for several reasons: she loves it, she knows it’s a competitive job market out there, and it’s easier to focus on your studies and control how you will do by how you study/practise, then to try and control your life (which, as we all know, we can’t. It just doesn’t work). She can be stubborn, and not very flexible, but her friends call her out on it, and it helps lighten the mood.

We have several sexy times, and they fit the story well. There is no rushing, even if there is an attraction right from the beginning.

Harper’s friends are always in the background, and I can’t wait to read their own books.

The main story flows with the growth of Harper and Dan’s relationship, and we get to know them a bit more and understand their motivations.

I’ll admit, I was a bit scared for Dan, that Harper leaning so much on him and being a bit toxic could harm him, so I was actually really happy that they were apart for a bit and that Harper got to the point where she embraced therapy and was dealing with her issues without dumping them on others and then emotionally hurting herself and others. So, yay for therapy! The ending was great, I liked the evolution the characters got, and now can’t wait for the next one!

[Review] The Prince of Broadway, by Joanna Shupe

Title: The Prince of Broadway
Series: Uptown Girls #2
Author: Joanna Shupe
Publisher: Avon
Number of pages: 384
Publication date: December 30th 2019

Synopsis:

In the second novel in Joanna Shupe's the Uptown Girl series, a ruthless casino owner bent on revenge finds his plans upended by a beautiful women who proves to be more determined than he is—and too irresistible to deny.

Powerful casino owner.
Ruthless mastermind.
Destroyer of men.

He lives in the shadows...

As the owner of the city's most exclusive casino, Clayton Madden holds the fortunes of prominent families in the palms of his hands every night. There is one particular family he burns to ruin, however, one that has escaped his grasp... until now.

She is society's darling...

Florence Greene is no one's fool. She knows Clayton Madden is using her to ruin her prestigious family... and she's using him right back. She plans to learn all she can from the mysterious casino owner—then open a casino of her own just for women.

With revenge on his mind, Clay agrees to mentor Florence. However, she soon proves more adept—and more alluring—than Clay bargained for. When his plans are threatened, Clay must decide if he is willing to gamble his empire on love.

Review:

I received an eARC at no cost from the author, and I am leaving a voluntary and honest review. Thank you.

Just under a 4 out of 5 rating, this book tells the story of Felicity Green, who wants to own a women’s casino during the Gilded Age. Smart woman that she is, she decided to ask Clayton, who already owns a casino, to teach her.

Clay has a revenge story against her father, and that gets in the way of the happy ending, but in the end he does the right thing – of course.

Although I enjoyed this book, it wasn’t a favourite. Clay’s revenge sometimes pushed things in a way that was too much, and Felicity was a bit annoying at parts, as she behaved in ways that didn’t feel very realistic.

I did love the voyeurism scene, it was super sexy! The good times delivered, as usual.

The end felt just right for everyone, and it’s very refreshing to have different goals and results than what we are used to – mind, it’s still a HEA, just not a “married with kids” HEA, which would not have suited our main couple.

Definitely a big part in this series, Felicity and Clay’s story is one of social class differences, revenge, following your goals, and knowing when to compromise without losing focus.

[Review] The Bachelor, by Sabrina Jeffries

Title The Bachelor
Series: Duke Dynasty #2
Author: Sabrina Jeffries
Publisher: Zebra Books
Number of pages: 259
Publication date: February 25th 2020

Synopsis:

New York Times bestselling author Sabrina Jeffries features an irresistible family in a series to savor, as the grown children of a thrice-married dowager duchess piece together the stories of their fathers--while pursuing passions of their own...

Lady Gwyn Drake has long protected her family's reputation by hiding an imprudent affair from her youth. But when her former suitor appears at Armitage Hall, manhandling the heiress and threatening to go public with her secrets, it's Gwyn who needs protecting. Her twin brother, Thorn, hires Joshua Wolfe, the estate's gamekeeper, to keep her safe in London during her debut. As a war hero, Joshua feels obligated to fulfill the assignment he has accepted. But as a man, it's torment to be so very close to the beauty he's fought to ignore...

With handsome Joshua monitoring her every move, Gwyn would prefer to forget both the past and the parade of money-seeking bachelors at her coming out. But Joshua is unmoved by her attempts at flirtation, and the threat of blackmail still hangs over her. With danger closing in, Gwyn must decide which is the greater risk: deflecting a scoundrel's attempts to sabotage her--or revealing her whole heart to the rugged bodyguard she can't resist...

Review:

I received an eARC at no cost from the author, and I am leaving a voluntary and honest review. Thank you.

I’m starting by saying I really like meeting Joshua in the previous book of this series, so I was very happy to see that he was the hero of this new book.

Joshua is hired as the “bodyguard” of Lady Gwyn Drake. But Gwyn has her own secrets that make it very hard for Joshua to protect her. I really enjoyed as Joshua wanted to protect her but didn’t invalidate her experiences, and believed her but not judged her.

They have a bit of a rough time in the beginning, but their attraction grows, and when they open up to each other everything falls into place.

Joshua clearly has PTS from the war, and his temper is not the best. Gwyn wants things done her way, and they collide until they start seeing the others’ perspective. When they both learn to trust, all the romance and sexy times get better.

It was a great romance, with characters that made you care about their outcome.

[Review] Act Your Age, Eve Brown, by Talia Hibbert

Title: Act Your Age, Eve Brown
Series: The Brown Sisters #3
Author: Talia Hibbert
Publisher: Avon
Number of pages: 400
Publication date: March 9th 2021

Synopsis:

In Act Your Age, Eve Brown the flightiest Brown sister crashes into the life of an uptight B&B owner and has him falling hard—literally.

Eve Brown is a certified hot mess. No matter how hard she strives to do right, her life always goes horribly wrong—so she’s given up trying. But when her personal brand of chaos ruins an expensive wedding (someone had to liberate those poor doves), her parents draw the line. It's time for Eve to grow up and prove herself—even though she's not entirely sure how…

Jacob Wayne is in control. Always. The bed and breakfast owner’s on a mission to dominate the hospitality industry—and he expects nothing less than perfection. So when a purple-haired tornado of a woman turns up out of the blue to interview for his open chef position, he tells her the brutal truth: not a chance in hell. Then she hits him with her car—supposedly by accident. Yeah, right.

Now his arm is broken, his B&B is understaffed, and the dangerously unpredictable Eve is fluttering around, trying to help. Before long, she’s infiltrated his work, his kitchen—and his spare bedroom. Jacob hates everything about it. Or rather, he should. Sunny, chaotic Eve is his natural-born nemesis, but the longer these two enemies spend in close quarters, the more their animosity turns into something else. Like Eve, the heat between them is impossible to ignore—and it’s melting Jacob’s frosty exterior.

Review:

We have the final instalment of the Brown Sisters! It was a delight to follow along Evie’s misadventures (even though Dani’s book is still my favourite!).

Eve has had an easy life, but not so easy as it might seem at first sight… She feels very much at drift, and it’s hard for her to fit in – only copying and mirroring social interactions is she able to try and connect with people. But not the right people! Her “friends” keep her around for help, but that’s about it.

When Eve’s family decide for her that she needs to stop living of her trust fund, she feels frustrated as she knows that she doesn’t do that on a whim, or on purpose, things just…don’t work out for her. And Eve realizes that she doesn’t really know who she is, or what she wants. And she ends up LITERALLY hit the person who will help her with that.

Meet Jacob, the owner of a B&B whose goal is to make sure people have a home away from home. When he meets Eve, who sings, and is a bit much, he doesn’t really know how to behave. He’s attracted to her, but at the same she pushes some of his buttons, and in the beginning, it’s slightly hard for him to cope with it.

Their relationship was very cute and adorable, and even though I thought it could have had a bit more interaction with high and lows, I did enjoy it.

On that note, I did feel the end was a bit… quick, I would say? Not the resolution, the “problem”. I get why they behaved the way they did, but I felt that Eve would have been different, she would have pushed Jacob right away, and maybe that would have been worse than what happened, but that’s just what felt a bit off for me.

I liked seeing Eve at the B&B, and discovering what really made her happy, but I would have liked to see some things happening between her and the guest, instead of just being told that Jacob noticed this and it made him and them happy.

Also, I liked seeing all the characters from the previous books, but again, I felt like the reactions that lead to the “problem” was a bit much… The sisters and their respective boyfriends are rational people, and the message they got from Eve didn’t have any HUGE triggers to make them do what they did. The guys say to just call Eve, but the sisters go full on PROTECTIVE MODE for their baby sister Eve (which denotes a bit how they still think of her, even though she is a grown woman – which they admit (isn’t it great when that happens?)!!!

This was such a fun book, with main characters who are Autistic (as I’m not, I will not comment on that depiction, as I don’t feel like I’m in a place where I could or should do it), and secondary characters that just made you laugh and helped the story going.

Talia Hibbert is great at giving her characters particular traits that are very visible with their behaviours, like the fact that Eve absolutely loves music, but we don’t just see her listening to it – she quotes music, sings, and hums, amongst other little things.

Anyway, I loved Eve, loved Jacob, and I can’t wait to read the spin-off series with all the other characters from Skybriar, the little town where his B&B is located.

[Review] Heiress In Red Silk, by Madeline Hunter

Title: Heiress In Red Silk
Series: Duke's Heiress #2
Author: Madeline Hunter
Publisher: Zebra
Number of pages: 304
Publication date: April 27th 2021

Synopsis:

In this sparkling series from New York Times bestselling author Madeline Hunter, a mysterious bequest brings a whole new life—and brand-new love—to three unsuspecting women...

In one life-changing windfall, Rosamund Jameson goes from struggling shopkeeper to heiress—and co-owner of a new business. Not only will her sudden fortune allow her to move her millinery shop to fashionable London, but Rosamund will be able to provide her younger sister with a proper entry into society. The only hitch for resourceful Rosamund is her arrogant, infuriatingly handsome business partner...

Kevin Radnor is shocked that his late uncle, the Duke of Hollinburgh, bequeathed half his company to a total stranger—worse, a beguiling beauty who can only hinder his enterprise. But Rosamund insists on an active, equal partnership, so Kevin embarks on a plan: a seduction that will lead to a marriage of convenience, giving Rosamund the social status she needs, and guaranteeing him the silent partner he desires. Yet as this charismatic gentleman sets his flirtation in motion, he begins to wonder who is seducing whom—and if he can learn to share himself body and mind, without losing his heart...

Review:

I received an eARC at no cost from the publisher, and I am leaving a voluntary and honest review. Thank you.

Heiress in Red Silk is the second book in the series A Duke’s Heiress. Here, we meet Rosamund Jameson, the milliner who receives a large inheritance from a Duke she barely knew.

I liked that Rosamund was very focused on her job, but also interested in the new enterprise that came with the inheritance. This, in turn, was something that made Kevin Radnor very upset.

Kevin is an inventor, and he created a model of something that would improve the trains at the time. But he doesn’t really trust anyone with his invention and its construction, which makes it very hard to move it forward.

This book attempts a bit of a My Fair Lady/Pygmalion trope, but for me it was left a bit incomplete.

Kevin annoyed me, and although I liked Rosamund, I didn’t really feel much of a connection between these two characters. The first little bump and they were done. It didn’t feel much like love…

I liked seeing Minerva and Chase, and their story from the first book had much more appeal to me. [Read the review for their book here.]

The mystery of the first book is still present here, but it even though the hero was definitely a suspect to some people, it just never felt like he was ever in dire need of help. And if in the first book I felt wrapped by the whole mystery, this one just made the story a bit boring.

I’m still interested in knowing what happened to the old duke, and who the next heiress is, but to be honest, Kevin and Rosamund’ story wasn’t the best.

[Romantic Covers] Rokesbys series, by Julia Quinn

Welcome back to Romantic Covers!

Today’s covers are of a prequel of a series which has become quite famous. Anyone seen the Bridgerton series?

Well, here's the covers for the prequels (although the books were published AFTER the Bridgerton book series!), the Rokesbys series, written by Julia Quinn.

On the left, the US covers all have strong, bold dress colours; on the right, the Portuguese (PT) covers, have a softer look. As you can see, the last Portuguese cover has a question mark on top of it, as the book hasn't been published yet, but the blog Algodão Doce Para O Cérebro shared the cover of the book, which we hope will be published this year.

Let me know which one is your favourite, and please comment about what you like (or dislike!) about each cover 😊

[Review] Hit Me With Your Best Scot, by Suzanne Enoch

Title: Hit Me With Your Best Scot
Series: Wild Wicked Highlanders #3
Author: Suzanne Enoch
Publisher: St. Martins Press
Number of pages: 336
Publication date: February 9th 2021

Synopsis:

The MacTaggert brothers have one task: Find English brides or lose their land!

Coll MacTaggert, Viscount Glendarril, is a big, brawny Highlander who doesn’t like being told what to do—not even by his exasperated English mother who is determined to see her eldest son wedded and bedded. However, when he comes to the rescue of an irresistibly beautiful woman, Coll discovers that he may have found his perfect match…

The challenge isn’t that Persephone Jones is famous, wealthy, independent, and smarter than anyone he knows. The problem is that she is not interested in marrying any man---especially not a hot-headed Scot—even if he is the only man who seems to understand who she really is even when she’s not sure herself. When Coll learns that Persephone is actually a lady-in-hiding and someone is willing to kill her for what she stands to inherit…Well, Coll has never been one to turn down a fight. When hearts are involved, nothing comes between a Highlander and his lady.

Review:

I received an eARC at no cost from the publisher, and I am leaving a voluntary and honest review. Thank you.

This is the last book of the Wild Wicked Highlanders series, and it brings us the story of the oldest MacTaggert brother, Coll.

Coll is a bit, like his sister Eloise likes to call him, an angry mountain. But, as most romance heroes, he has a soft heart, and is a very unselfish person.

Persephone Jones is an actress, but also more than that, and when her life is in jeopardy, Coll jumps in at the chance to help her, spend time with her, and also upset his very English mother.

What somewhat started as a pursuit of spite, turns into a lovely affair of the heart, with Coll falling in love and declaring himself to Persephone, despite his concerns regarding having here the mistress of his house, because, as he so pointedly says, “I love ye. I ken it doesn’t change a thing, you’re still an actress and I’m the oldest son of an earl (…). I have a duty, and ye have a life you’ve made for yourself. But I’ve looked for nine –weeks and longer than that in the Highlands – to find a woman with whom I’d care to spend my life, and I damned well know when I’ve found one. It’s someaught I’m willing to fight for. But not if dunnae feel the same about me.” (From Hit Me With Your Best Scot. Copyright © 2021 by Suzanne Enoch). I love this quote because it says yes, Colls loves Persephone, but he’s also giving her the opportunity to share her own feelings, no matter what they are. Because it’s only worth fighting against the world if you’re together.

We have several attempts to harm Persephone throughout the book, and I have to say, I did not see it coming until almost the end, when we found out who the person trying to harm our heroine was. Very well done plot wise.

I really enjoyed this book, it was fun to spend some time with the brothers again, and to see Lady Aldriss and Angus together for once. Maybe will get a book, or a novella about their reunion?

I also really liked that Coll admitted that Persephone absolutely loved the theatre and acting, and therefore never questioned removing her from that world after marrying her, which most of the times happens, so it was refreshing to find a hero who admitted this right away, and always said any change in profession would only be Persie’s choice.

In the end, it was an entertaining book, with a hero learning what falling in love meant for him, and what he was willing to abdicate in the name of love – because compromise, my friends is the key to a loving, happy relationship.

[Review] A Princess by Christmas, by Julia London

Title: A Princess by Christmas
Series: A Royal Wedding #3
Author: Julia London
Publisher: Mills&Boon
Number of pages: 384
Publication date: October 1st 2020

Synopsis:

A Secret. A Lie. A Revolution.

Hollis Honeycutt has written her London gazette since the death of her husband – featuring fashion plates, marriage advice, and the latest gossip in and around Mayfair. But now she feels her gazette should have more meaning, cover topics of more consequence than the latest curl cream.

The opportunity presents itself when Hollis overhears rumours of a potential coup in the Kingdom of Wesloria, a coup linked to the highest level of government in London. During her investigation Hollis spies a man with no business lurking around peace talks, and determines to expose him for the traitor he most certainly must be.

When Weslorian Marek Brendan was fifteen he was shocked to discover his heritage was not what he believed – he was whisked away from the Weslorian palace when he was born because there was fear that corrupt forces would try and kidnap him. Now he is determined to stop these corrupt forces staging a coup in his home country. Except for the beautiful woman whose questions are putting his own investigation at risk. Yet soon Marek realises that pretty Hollis can help him. But when he confides his suspicions, Hollis’s loyalties are tested and she must choose between her loyalties to her family, or her heart…

Review:

I received an eARC at no cost from the publisher, and I am leaving a voluntary and honest review. Thank you.

First of all, I have to admit it took me quite a bit of time to read this book (and if you follow me on Instagram, you might have seen a few stories about me being bored with the current book). However, I kept reading, and around the 75%, 80% mark, the book did improve.

I usually really enjoy Julia London’s writing and stories, but this series has been amiss with me (I’ve started the first one I don’t know how long ago, but since it wasn’t an ARC, I’ve put it aside to read at a different time).

I didn’t really like the heroine, Mrs Hollis Honeycutt, and I didn’t like that the author kept perpetuating this “oh corsets are bad, they squeeze you up, bla blab la” situation. If you’re interesting in knowing more about the subject, and why it’s wrong to keep saying this, check out Abby Cox, Bernadette Banner, and others on YouTube. It really annoyed me that even though we were given a curvy heroine, she was always complaining about the tight dresses, not wanting to wear a corset, and her family just kept harassing her about her extra weight. It just seemed unnecessary, and too much, too many times.

I wasn’t a fan of the heroine’s family, either. It just didn’t feel right how they treat Hollis, and how she sometimes behaved.

I actually liked Marek, even though it was hard to know him – but that was part of his charm. I felt the whole white hair/deaf situation (me trying not to spoil things!) was left unfinished, and in truth the title made me think something different would have happened.

I liked the main plot point, but boy did it drag on! It took a looong time for something to happen, which is one of the reasons why this book was just too boring for me.

At the end, it picked up the pace a bit, but that didn’t make up for everything before.

There really isn’t much more to say about the book, it wasn’t bad, it just was… boring.

[Excerpt] A Princess by Christmas, by Julia London

Today I bring you an excerpt of Julia London's new book,
A Princess by Christmas!

Title: A Princess By Christmas
Series: A Royal Wedding #3
Author: Julia London
Publisher: Mills&Boon
Number of pages: 384
Publication date: October 1st 2020

Synopsis:

A Secret. A Lie. A Revolution.

Hollis Honeycutt has written her London gazette since the death of her husband – featuring fashion plates, marriage advice, and the latest gossip in and around Mayfair. But now she feels her gazette should have more meaning, cover topics of more consequence than the latest curl cream.

The opportunity presents itself when Hollis overhears rumours of a potential coup in the Kingdom of Wesloria, a coup linked to the highest level of government in London. During her investigation Hollis spies a man with no business lurking around peace talks, and determines to expose him for the traitor he most certainly must be.

When Weslorian Marek Brendan was fifteen he was shocked to discover his heritage was not what he believed – he was whisked away from the Weslorian palace when he was born because there was fear that corrupt forces would try and kidnap him. Now he is determined to stop these corrupt forces staging a coup in his home country. Except for the beautiful woman whose questions are putting his own investigation at risk. Yet soon Marek realises that pretty Hollis can help him. But when he confides his suspicions, Hollis’s loyalties are tested and she must choose between her loyalties to her family, or her heart…

Chapter Three

He didn’t hear the woman approach him, didn’t see her until she leaned into his line of sight, which gave him such a start that he must have jumped a good foot in the air. This happened to him quite often when someone approached him from the left. He was deaf in that ear.

He recognized her right away, of course. She smiled. She had a very pretty smile that matched her very pretty face, which he had noticed earlier today. She had deep blue eyes that shone with the light of a generous spirit. Her hair was very dark, almost black. He’d once heard that the Welsh had very dark hair. He wouldn’t really know—he’d never met a Welshman in his life.

He realized, a beat too late, that she was speaking. Her voice was soft and he couldn’t quite make out what she said in the din of so many voices. He leaned forward as was his habit, his gaze on her lips. How do you do. Aha. “Very well,” he said. “Thank you.”

“I really must thank you, sir!” she said. “I was so startled earlier that I couldn’t utter a word after you saved me from all but tossing myself into the street.”

He wasn’t certain whether or not she meant she had deliberately tried to fall into the street, or if the expression was another English euphemism he didn’t understand.

“Isn’t this something?” she asked, shifting slightly closer. Now that he could see her lips, the words she spoke sounded clearer to him. “So many kings and queens and potential kings and queens in one room.”

He looked around them. The people gathered here ought to have been kings and queens, given the purpose of this event.

When he looked at her again, she smiled prettily and asked, rather loudly, even to him, “Do you speak English?”

He blinked. “I—I just spoke English to you.”

“Ah, so you did!” she said cheerfully. “You must be Weslorian. Are you Weslorian?”

Was she Weslorian? No, impossible—she had an English accent and wore no green. Why was she asking him this? Why was she asking anything at all? A dull throb of suspicion went through him.

“I spotted your patch of green,” she said, as if she was proud of this, as if it was a special talent of hers. The green was on his cuff, clearly visible. He felt conspicuous. And a wee bit duped, as if someone should have warned him this would happen, that a beautiful woman would approach him from the left and startle him. But, then again, no one had expected him to be at this tea at all, and least of all, him. He’d received an engraved invitation, addressed to Marek Brendan, at the behest, he suspected, of Lord Dromio, the minister of trade.

The woman suddenly laughed, as if he’d said something amusing. “Do you at least have a name, sir?”

He’d failed to introduce himself, he realized, and now he was a bit reluctant. There was something about her that was causing him to feel a bit vulnerable.

In the space of his hesitation, she stepped closer. He caught a whiff of lilac or rosewater—something sweet and pleasurable. “I beg your pardon, I should have introduced myself—Mrs. Honeycutt.” She held out her hand.

He hesitated, then took it, bowing over it. “A pleasure. Marek Brendan.”


From A Princess by Christmas. Copyright 2020 by Julia London and reprinted with permission from Mills&Boon.

What do you think? Are you excited to read it?
The review for this book will be published soon!

Order now!

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About the author:
Julia London is the New York Times and USA Today best-selling author of more than thirty romantic fiction novels. She is the author of the popular Cabot Sisters historical series, including The Trouble with Honor, The Devil Takes a Bride, and The Scoundrel and the Debutante. She is also the author of several contemporary romances, including Homecoming Ranch, Return to Homecoming Ranch and The Perfect Homecoming.

Julia is the recipient of the RT Bookclub Award for Best Historical Romance and a six-time finalist for the prestigious RITA award for excellence in romantic fiction.

She lives in Austin, Texas.

Connect with Julia London:

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[Review] Love Is a Rogue, by Lenora Bell

Title: Love is A Rogue
Series: Wallflowers vs. Rogues #1
Author: Lenora Bell
Publisher: Avon
Number of pages: 384
Publication date: October 27th 2020

Synopsis:

Once upon a time in Mayfair, a group of wallflowers formed a secret society with goals that had absolutely nothing to do with matrimony. Their most troublesome obstacle? Rogues!

They call her Beastly Beatrice.

Wallflower Lady Beatrice Bentley longs to remain in the wilds of Cornwall to complete her etymological dictionary. Too bad her brother's Gothic mansion is under renovation. How can she work with an annoyingly arrogant and too-handsome rogue swinging a hammer nearby?

Rogue. Scoundrel. Call him anything you like as long as you pay him.

Navy man Stamford Wright is leaving England soon, and renovating Thornhill House is just a job. It's not about the duke's bookish sister or her fiery copper hair. Or the etymology lessons the prim-yet-alluring lady insists on giving him. Or the forbidden things he'd love to teach her.

They say never mix business with pleasure. But when Beatrice and Ford aren't arguing, they're kissing.

Sometimes, temptation proves too strong to resist…even if the cost is a heart.

Review:

I received an eARC at no cost from the publisher, and I am leaving a voluntary and honest review. Thank you.

I absolutely loved this book. A hero that’s a carpenter and a heroine who is an etymologist – perfect combination!

One of the things that always makes my heart flutter is acts of service. Because acts of service mean that you’ve been paying attention to your partner (or your friend, or whoever the other person is in this situation) and it just makes me so happy that the characters listen to each other’s needs *swoon*.

This book is a bit of a Beauty and The Beast retelling, since our heroine “was born with palsy of the facial nerve caused by damage from the instruments the doctors used” (in Love is a Rogue, by Lenora Bell) during her birth, which means one side of her face does not move “normaly”, and her smile is lopsided.

Lady Beatrice Bentley, this beautiful, rich lady, who prefers a comfortable blue dress than the somewhat growing and starting to be exaggerated creations of the 1830’s, can’t help but feel the attraction to Stamford Wright, the roguish carpenter working on her brother’s estate.

I loved falling in love with Ford and Beatrice, and seeing their love develop and overcome what would be thought of as a barrier for the time, or if not a barrier, at least a strong detriment for their union.

Beatrice loves words, and she is fascinated with the words that disappear from our language, and the ones that are almost “chosen” to remain, and for Ford this is not an interest, but he becomes fascinated with how happy Beatrice is when she’s talking about writing her dictionary, and how caring he is for her and her love of books. I mean… he built her BOOKSHELVES!

Also, this book is full of feminism, sisterhood, all the things we want to see in this world. As I was reading this book, I found myself mirrored in the women of The Mayfair Ladies Knitting League, with the same wishes and desires: “Why should being female preclude me from being an entrepreneur? I say, smash down the barriers” (Love is A Rogue, by Lenora Bell). One of my favourite quotes from this book is exactly related to women (women as in anyone that identifies as female), and how we see ourselves in the world and society: “We women are all so critical of ourselves. We’re too plump, or too thin. Too tall, or too short. Our hair is too curly, or too straight. We live in a society that rewards conformity to a strict set of physical standards and an even more rigid set of rules for proper behaviour. We have these unpleasant thoughts running round and round in our minds. Wouldn’t it be revolutionary if we decided to love ourselves exactly the way we are?” (in Love is a Rogue, by Lenora Bell). Apologies for the long quote, but I loved it so much, that I remember shedding a tear when I read this. Self-love, and supporting ourselves and others, shouldn’t that be the ultimate goal?

Anyway, this book was also a love dedication to all of us readers, as I’m sure you can understand from the above mentioned love of books and words. As I was reading this book, I found myself highlighting these sentences that put into words a feeling that I’m sure most readers relate to: “But I can’t possibly read all of them [books]. It keeps me up at night sometimes, knowing that I can’t read every book I own. You should see how many books are stacked beside by bed just waiting to be read. And I don’t have the time to read them all” (in Love is A Rogue, by Lenora Bell).

Of course, this book is a romance, and the love story is the main element. But in this case, for me, it felt like there was more than ONE love story – there was the love between Beatrice and Ford, but also the love between these women supporting each other’s endeavours, and the love for words, and for your own passions!

All in all, I loved this book. It is romantic, sexy, powerful, all you want in a good book.



P.S. Make sure you read the acknowledgements at the end!

[Review] The Love Study, by Kris Ripper

Title: The Love Study
Series: --
Author: Kris Ripper
Publisher: Carina Press
Number of pages: 336
Publication date: September 29th 2020

Synopsis:

Declan has commitment issues. He’s been an office temp for literally years now, and his friends delight in telling people that he left his last boyfriend at the altar.

And that’s all true. But he’s starting to think it’s time to start working on his issues. Maybe.

When Declan meets Sidney—a popular nonbinary YouTuber with an advice show—an opportunity presents itself: as part of The Love Study, Declan will go on a series of dates arranged by Sidney and report back on how the date went in the next episode.

The dates are…sort of blah. It’s not Sidney’s fault; the folks participating are (mostly) great people, but there’s no chemistry there. Maybe Declan’s just broken.

Or maybe the problem is that the only person he’s feeling chemistry with is Sidney.

Review:

I received an eARC at no cost from the publisher, and I am leaving a voluntary and honest review. Thank you.

Although this is a 2.75* stars review, I feel like I should make a few distinctions, and mention a few things. First of all, I’m not queer/part of the LGBTQIA+ community. I do, however, have very good friends who are. Second, I feel like the story of the book and the meaning of the book almost deserve different ratings (intellectual chemistry anyone?).

For me, the best part of the book was closer to the end, when and after Declan, our main character, does this huge thing that changes his life immensely, as well as the life of Sidney, the person he was dating. And why? Because I think that’s when we had more emotion, when we actually saw who Declan was, and what he was dealing with.

The plot itself didn’t really clicked for me, I loved the chemistry between our characters, but I always felt like it was all a bit fake… Maybe that was the point? Because the end leads to that, to the question of what we want for us, for our lives, and the most important one of who we really are. No masks, no “doing what society thinks it’s right”, etc. This is the part I actually liked. So, for the questions it raised, I would probably give it a 4*. But for the enjoyment of the book… It just didn’t work for me. Maybe 2*?

I really liked the YouTube stuff, how they planned the love study, the dates, etc. It was interesting to see a project like that come to life. And it was fun to see Declan and Sidney connect. But that was about it.

I’m sure it’s a great book for many people, for me it just was a bit boring story wise, but great in pointing out the problems with society and with what society makes us feel.

[Review] Lady Sophie's Christmas Wish, by Grace Burrowes

Title: Lady Sophie's Christmas Wish
Series: Windham #4
Author: Grace Burrowes
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
Number of pages: 384
Publication date: September 24th 2019

Synopsis:

All she wants is a little peace...
But Sophie's holiday is about to heat up...

Lady Sophie Windham has maneuvered a few days to herself at the ducal mansion in London before she must join her family for Christmas in Kent. Suddenly trapped in Town by a snowstorm, she finds herself with an abandoned baby and only the assistance of a kind, handsome stranger standing between her and complete disaster.

With his estate in chaos, Vim Charpentier expected complications this holiday season, but he couldn't have predicted that Sophie Windham would be among them. His growing attraction for Sophie is the only thing that warms his spirits. But Sophie's been keeping secrets, and it will take more than a kiss under the mistletoe to make her wishes come true...

Review:

I received an eARC at no cost from the publisher, and I am leaving a voluntary and honest review. Thank you.

I loved this book! I’ve always really enjoyed Christmas/Holidays related books, and this one hit all the right spots.

Sophie is the sensible sister. She doesn’t give problems to anyone. So, when she decides to spend some time at Christmas with friends, her family doesn’t worry. But Sophie has a plan. She wants to spend some of her Christmas alone. But her plans get sidetracked when she is left stranded with someone else’s baby.

Queue Vim, our hero. I’ll admit right away, I love babies. I find them adorable, and I love holding them. And whenever I see someone who is good with a baby, I just feel happy. And Vim, well, he’s perfect with young Kit. How he helps Sophie without ever mocking her, or making feel like she’s doing something wrong, it’s just perfect.

I really enjoyed the relationship between both the hero and the heroine, and them with Kit. It was adorable, with our characters stuck due to a snow storm, learning about each other, and relating in a way they couldn’t with other people. Sometimes it’s just easier to talk to a stranger than someone who’s known you forever, right?

I also really liked how Sophie’s brothers didn’t try to decide for her, or just beat Vim. They understood that they were in love, but apparently there was some form of impediment, so they decided to do what they could to help them. Great brothers!

All in all, a great romance, with some steamy moments, very romantic, very adorable, and it just made me very happy.