[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.

[Review] The Discerning Gentleman's Guide, by Virginia Heath

Title The Discerning Gentleman's Guide
Series: --
Author: Virginia Heath
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Number of pages: 368
Publication date: 03 Nov 2016

Synopsis:

"Choosing a wife is not a task that should be undertaken lightly."

Bennett Montague, sixteenth Duke of Aveley, is seeking the perfect bride. He's narrowed his search to five worthy "Potentials"…until the arrival of his aunt's companion unravels his carefully laid plans.

Having fought for everything she has, Amelia Mansfield is incensed by Bennett's wife-selection methods. But as she's forced to spend time in his company, she begins to see another side to Bennett—and that man is infinitely more tantalizing and enticing…

Review:

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

First of all, I love the title. It makes me want to know more about the book right away.

Bennett Montague, sixteenth Duke of Aveley, is an interesting man. He wishes to follow his father’s footsteps, but he is so different from his father, that it doesn’t work. He wants a wife who is pretty much “perfect”, as in the perfect politician’s wife. And, of course, he has a list. And he’s narrowed it down.

Enter Amelia Mansfield, who definitely does not fit the mould his looking for. She’s stubborn, and feisty. And she becomes rather indignant with the way Bennett chooses to find and select a wife.

There’s lots of banter, and you could feel the tension between the two characters.

I really liked Bennett, how he grew to understand he was behaving in a way that did not match his personality, and he was trying to be someone he was not. And when he realized he could do his best by just being him, that’s when everything changed for both our main characters.

The book also discusses politics and how people of different stations lived in during the time period. It’s interesting to see how Amelia, who has been trying to adapt to her situation as much as she can, also battles herself about how to make the world, and especially Bennett, see the true life of the poor and weak.

An entertaining and romantic book, with just the right amount of conflict.