 Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the complimentary ARC. All opinions provided are my own. #SundayShelfie + Review You know that thrill you get when someone’s writing is just really, really good? I had it often when reading Cat Sebastian’s The Perfect Crimes of Marian Hayes. Sebastian is someone who’s writing I just *delight* in, to an extravagant amount. There are so many lines in this ARC that I wanted to share as evidence of how good it is—like one about cake & religious icons—so many moments when I felt a smile growing & also greedily thought, I *H A V E* to get a copy of this for my shelves. This book picks up action-wise during and after The Queer Principles of Kit Webb, taking Marian Hayes and Rob Brooks as its focus. After shooting her duke bigamist-husband, Marian “kidnaps” the charming Rob Brooks (formerly a highwayman who has been presumed dead for a year) & they travel to visit her sick father & prepare for any fallout from the shooting. TPCoMH is a rich & sexy cornucopia of tropes: 🖤 Road Trip 🖤 Some Epistolary 🖤 Forced Proximity 🖤 Oops I blackmailed you to lovers 🖤 A tiny bit of the forbidden (though that’s not really a big dissuasion bc our leads have big IDGAF energy) 🖤Some Deception Plot & a dynamic between MCs that honestly makes my wings soar & my whole reading persona lusty: she is severe & uptight & authoritative & he LOVES IT & thinks she is PERFECT. When I tell you I loved how this became part of their intimate moments... There’s so much to love about this romance: the humor (honestly I cracked up all the time), the care (from both of them), Marian’s fierceness & what this book says about motherhood & parenting in general, the found family this group makes 🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺, & what it means to choose yourself. I loved it & adored it. 5 ⭐️. Release date: 06/07.
0 Comments
 Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the complimentary ARC. All opinions provided are my own. I had never read Vivienne Lorret before but I took the leap after a trusted friend’s recommendation. How to Steal a Scoundrel’s Heart has a lot to offer with a former rake hero who’s all **this is just temporary, of course it’s not love** energy, a heroine who really tries to wrangle control over her “ruin” fallout, & a sweet & sensual love story that delights. In the eyes of (most of) Society Prudence Thorogood has been ruined. She approaches known rake, Leo, Marquess of Savage, & asks him to shortlist her as a possible mistress option. They’ve met before though, & unbeknownst to Prudence Leo is so smitten (I mean it’s only lust, nothing more 🤣) with her that he agrees immediately. She moves in with him & basically the rest of the book is them navigating that arrangement & their unexpected emotions toward the other. The basic interactions between Prudence & Leo give me everything I’m looking for. I stan a resourceful, determined heroine who’s willing to do what it takes to survive in a society that wants her to crumple, to stay down. & I’m all heart eyes for a hero who is gone from the word go but fights it every step of the way. The friendship rep in here made me happy & intrigued (looking at you, Sterling), the hero’s protective streak is 👏🏻, & I love some heisting. What doesn’t work for me so much is how a weightier topic is handled, specifically Prudence’s lingering trauma over her first sexual experience, which was painful physically & emotionally. Honestly I even felt unsettled about Prudence & Leo’s basic arrangement given that fact & Prudence’s feelings about having sex with someone again. I think it’s a matter of how it’s executed for me. Setting aside that aspect of the plot, as well as the random dog on the cover which @angelareadsromance mentioned in earlier Stories 🤣, overall this romance is a lot of fun & I’ll definitely think about picking up another Lorret book in the future. 4 ⭐️. Release date: 05/24
 Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the complimentary ARC. All opinions provided are my own. I think Alexis Hall is one of the best banter writers I’ve read & it’s very apparent in A Lady for a Duke. Wouldn’t it be so great if we were as quick, funny, & astute as an Alexis Hall character? Let me just say I welcomed those moments of humor with open arms because so much of the romance is a rich, dense, & incredibly thoughtful plumbing of emotions, heart, & friendship. Which is amazing…& also served really well by an occasional bon mot for levity. A Lady for a Duke has everything & it just feels so colorful to me. I don’t think I’m in danger of forgetting the characters—they’re truly magnificent in their own ways, from the leads—indomitable Viola Carroll & the sternly principled & honorable Justin, duke of Gracewood—to Viola’s brother, a not very bright but also affable person called Badger who is beloved by his wife, (a magnificent would-be puppet master with a heart) Louise. The story, too, is unforgettable, featuring a trans heroine who, as she says, made choices that severed her from her old life—as a beloved best friend to Gracewood—but that allowed her to live as herself. This childhood best friends, class difference (Viola is a lady’s companion) romance has bold & romantic speeches & moments, stunning descriptions, a devastating sense of drama, & an absolutely lovely Epilogue that serves up major feels. Check out the CWs but this book is soo good & highly recommended! 5 ⭐️. Release date: 05/24.
 Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the complimentary ARC. All opinions provided are my own.I had never read a Caroline Linden book before All the Duke I Need but I loved this romance. Seriously loved it. From the hot leads to the hot chemistry between them, from the surrounding familial drama to the estate workings, from the cute little moments—throwing apple cores & walnuts to the almost-kisses—this book is a total delight. Did I mention that one of the MCs is compared to a pirate in appearance & total charmer but is sometimes moved to blushes and/or stupification (is that a word?) by the heroine’s sass?! Other things I love: 💛 Class difference. He’s an estate steward & she’s the duchess’s ward (& almost grand-daughter) & heiress. 💛 Secrets & a twist I didn’t anticipate 💛 A consideration of the brutality of colonization (though I wanted the consideration to be even more assertive) 💛 Angst. Kind of kidding here bc you might know I’m not one for angst but it’s really well done here & I could feel the pain & rawness of their separation. This is a wonderful book & this couple made me so happy. I feel like I had the biggest smile in my heart/possibly on my face reading their interactions. So good! 5 ⭐️. Release date: 04/26
 Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the complimentary ARC. All opinions provided are my own.A commode heiress named Cleopatra Lewis with an unconventional upbringing who’s also the granddaughter of a viscount. A self-made brawny American businessman, Jacob Astor Addison, who is the possessor of a formidable jawline. What kind of trouble could they get into when they both want the same costume business? I always enjoy Eloisa James romances. They seem so sophisticated—I think it’s how her characters banter— & they’re sexy & bold. She’s keeping the streak alive for me with How to be a Wallflower, a romance featuring a lead whom every other character knows is *not* a wallflower. Cleopatra is a standout of the book. Every time she does something without permission, like staying in a hotel while unwed, smoking a cheroot, deciding to buy a business, I cheered internally. As Jacob comes to appreciate the same qualities that once bedeviled him & stops being as misogynistic 🙄😆 he grew on me too. Do you remember how I described him earlier? He’s a real fox. But one development in the romance arc happens abruptly for me & overall the arc isn’t quite as smooth & straightforward as I would like, particularly when it comes to potential other entanglements like the woman in America Jacob has “an understanding” with. All things considered How to be a Wallflower is invigorating, refreshing, sensual fun & the epilogue has me 👀 for what I assume is book 2. 4 ⭐️. Release date: 03/29.
 Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the complimentary ARC. All opinions provided are my own. I’ve written this before (way to be original, Jess 🙄) but every single time I’ve read a Grace Burrowes book I think, it feels like I’m watching Downtown Abbey right now. Restraint & repartee meets drama!!! (Why am I feeling like that koala in the movie Sing right now?! 😬). Never a Duke has that same Downton Abby-ness. Also a truly nice hero, an unconventional heroine who isn’t liked by many of her contemporaries, & sweet love story that wavers a little for me toward the end but for the most part soundly holds my interest. Burrowes explores class boundaries & the legal system compellingly with this one when she repeatedly relays how poor people are punished for trying to exist, trying to keep themselves & their families alive & fed & provided for. It’s a belief that the leads Ned Wentworth & Lady Rosalind Kinworth share & that draws them together, despite the fact that Ned was born on the rougher side of London & was sent to Newgate for crimes & also nearly transported for them & Lady Rosalind is the daughter of an Earl. Binding everything together is a stirring mystery focusing on missing young women in service & an attraction that shimmers between Ned & Rosalind, despite the many obstacles between them. Rosalind occasionally comes across as somewhat high-handed to me but watching her pursue him & challenge the seemingly indomitable Wentworths also has its fun recompenses. Never a Duke is another strong installment in this series. It’s been really fun meeting such an unconventional & powerful family that straddles class lines & seeing them shake the aristocracy—& my own reader expectations—up a bit. 4 ⭐️. Release date: 04/26.
 Thanks to the publisher & Netgalley for the complimentary ARC. All opinions provided are my own.Bethany Bennett’s lovely debut Any Rogue Will Do had me so excited about this new voice in historical romance. While West End Earl falls somewhat flat for me, I’m really looking forward to seeing what Bennett writes next. Adam Hardwick has worked as a land steward for Lord Calvin Carlyle for two years. They’ve developed a close friendship, Cal even referring to his amiable, red-haired friend as Puppy. But after Adam is attacked, Cal realizes that Adam is a woman, Phee, who has assumed her brother’s identity & the dress & mannerisms associated with men during the time so she can hide from her nefarious uncle & guardian. Cal’s there for her, even as this development causes him to develop romantic feelings for his employee/friend. There are lots of things standing between them but can they make it work? Kudos to Bennett for writing a sweet, beta hero who’s a good friend, a bold heroine, & an unconventional story. On balance I think Bennett writes with grace & sensitivity, & as I mentioned before, I think more great things are in our romance-reading future. But I was disconcerted by Cal’s rapid transition in thinking regarding Phee. As Adam, Phee garners none of Cal’s romantic interest; Cal even muses on how unattractive a sister of Adam’s would have been. But basically as soon as Phee reveals she’s a woman, soon after Cal’s aforementioned musing, she becomes attractive to him. The turnaround is very quick & it just feels odd to me. The story also goes in a very unexpected direction & while it eventually gets smoothed away, some of those vaguely rough edges took me out of the story somewhat. I love the sweet friendship between Cal and Phee & that the story (& Bennett) are willing to be daring, but sadly West End Earl doesn’t always work for me. 3.5 ⭐️. Release date: 06/29 Thanks to the publisher & Netgalley for the complimentary ARC. All opinions provided are my own. Q: what’s one of your fave 2021 covers? I think this one is gorgeous! Shout-out to Diana Quincy for writing a viscount/bonesetter couple in The Viscount Made Me Do It, a daring combo that was fun to read for the first time. Hanna Zaydan is the bonesetter in question, a woman who faces discrimination on account of her profession, her sex, & her Arabic ancestry & culture. But she’s not bowing down to anyone’s idea of what she should do, not even her mother & grandmother, who want her to marry an Arabic man & stop practicing bonesetting. Viscount Thomas Ellis “Griff” has spent the last couple of years in tremendous pain but that’s not why he visits Hanna. It’s because he sees her wearing his murdered mother’s necklace & wants to question her about its providence. The fact that she heals his arm when others haven’t been able to garners his respect for life & her beauty & demeanor capture his more romantic admiration. But there are big obstacles between them & tbh, I had my doubts about how it would all work out. The characterization of Hanna is often delightful. She’s ambitious, skilled, & she really isn’t afraid of much. There’s a flower scene with Griff—where she really lets her feelings go— that I adore. But Griff is frequently frustrating to me. One mark in his favor is his appreciation for Hanna’s skill, but I find his overall attitude toward her & their relationship to be not as romantic as I would like. There are a couple of moments where I feel like he’s somewhat cold. Hanna is a compelling heroine but sadly the romance in this one is a little lackluster for me. 3.5 ⭐️. Release date: 07/27.CW:
 Thanks to the publisher & Netgalley for the complimentary ARC. All opinions provided are my own. When I saw who the author of this book is—not to mention the delightfully soft seafoam cover & read the synopsis—I wanted it fiercely. Cat Sebastian books are one of my love languages. The Queer Principles of Kit Webb by Cat Sebastian did *not* disappoint. It gave me everything I was looking for: outstanding chemistry, emotional intimacy, & smooching, *&* even some things I didn’t know I was looking for, & it’s a big HURRAY for me. There’s a ballad about an indomitable, almost heroic highwayman, Kit Webb. He actually exists, minus some of the song details. But after a leg injury took him out of the highwayman business, he’s a coffeehouse owner. That doesn’t stop him from being tempted though—in more ways than one—when Edward Percy Talbot, supposed heir to a dukedom, invites him to rob his father the Duke of a precious book he carries in exchange for funds. You see Percy has just learned that his father is a bigamist & he’s being blackmailed to keep it a secret. But he & his stepmother, who grew up close, have hatched a plan that the supremely reluctant Kit Webb can help them pull off. The magnetic attraction between Kit & Percy from the get-go gives me butterflies: two intimidating, seemingly unreachable people who can’t help but stare at the other. Can’t help but want. I love how Percy is bratty—I believe the text says—but lovable, & how Kit gives him hard truths about what his family’s wealth has cost & is costing others. How the legacy Percy is so tied to has tied down others & thrown them away when they’re deemed useless. The scene at the estate Percy faces losing is so moving to me. (With that being said, I do feel feel the text’s two references to the Duke’s “property” in the West Indies & the deeds of manumissions Percy later commissions are too briefly considered.) Overall the dynamic between Kit & Percy is everything I love in romance. Kissing because they can’t help but kiss each other / emotional truths between people who just can’t keep it casual / & a HEA kind of love. 5 ⭐️. Release Date: 06/08
 Thanks to the publisher & Netgalley for the complimentary ARC. All opinions provided are my own.I’ve seen so many rave reviews of Kerrigan Byrne’s Tempting Fate & honestly I don’t know that I can add anything to the conversation . But if you love beauty & the beast/she’s an angel on Earth & I will do anything I can to protect her & keep unpleasantness from her door/virgin leads/a redemption arc, etc. this book is good to snatch up. Felicity Goode is a shy, beautiful, bespectacled heiress who must marry an aristocrat to fulfill the terms of her parents’ will. But she must find a bodyguard first, someone to prevent further threats & attacks against her. Enter Gareth Severand, who is actually Gabriel Sauvageau, former leader of the criminal Fauves. Extremely scarred & with a disfigured face, Gabriel faked his own death, took on an alias, & went through a series of facial surgeries. He’s about to leave England but he’s hired by Felicity when she mistakenly believes him to be an applicant. She has no idea of his real identity, a blessing Gabriel thinks, since she fainted from terror during his previous rescue attempt. Gabriel’s feelings for Felicity are STRONG from the beginning. She is everything to him & she sees him both imperfectly—she has horrible vision & her spectacles are initially broken—but also very well indeed—as someone who can protect her & use his violence & physical prowess for good. This is classic Kerrigan Byrne to me (and therefore quite enjoyable!): an absolutely devoted hero who’s possessive & uber protective & a heroine who is such an ideal that she can bring him into the light somewhat. Make him someone who can feel joy. I’m all about drama but there are moments when the prose feels somewhat heavy-handed, & I felt surprised & a little disconcerted by the ease of the shy Felicity’s intimate emotional revelations with Gabriel. Or maybe just her lack of awareness/surprise of how revelatory she was being. But I really enjoyed my time spent with these two sweeties, especially the Epilogue, which is sweet & lighthearted & made me happy for Gabriel. 4 ⭐️. Release date: 5/11. |
About me.Give me that HEA, please.
Join my mailing list.Want to receive a weekly email with links to my latest blog posts? Sign up below!
Archives
November 2021
Categories
All
|
RSS Feed
