[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!

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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.

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