Book Reviews Archives - Page 21 of 115

The Duchess and The Bachelor | Mini-Reviews

Aug 15, 2020

As I have been reading more and more historical romance I thought it would be a good idea to share some mini-reviews of ones that I have read lately. I love writing mini-reviews. They are a great way to be short and snap about the things I did or didn’t like about a book. They are also a way to either give a book my love or maybe not so.

Anyway today I’m sharing my thoughts on Project Duchess by Sabrina Jeffries and The Bachelor by Sabrina Jeffries. A quick note. I loved both of these.

Project Duchess (Duke Dynasty #1) by Sabrina Jeffries

Pages: 352
Publish date: June 25th 2019
Publisher: by Zebra
ISBN: 9781420148558
Purchase: Book Depository – Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU – QBD

A series of stepfathers and a difficult childhood have left Fletcher “Grey” Pryde, 5th Duke of Greycourt, with a guarded heart, enviable wealth, and the undeserved reputation of a rogue. Grey’s focus on expanding his dukedom allows him little time to find a wife. But when his mother is widowed yet again and he meets the charmingly unconventional woman managing his stepfather’s funeral, he’s shocked to discover how much they have in common. Still, Grey isn’t interested in love, no matter how pretty, or delightfully outspoken, the lady . . .

Beatrice Wolfe gave up on romance long ago, and the arrogant Duke of Greycourt with his rakish reputation isn’t exactly changing her mind. Then Grey agrees to assist his grief-stricken mother with her latest “project” schooling spirited, unfashionable Beatrice for her debut. Now that Beatrice is seeing through Grey’s charms to his wounded heart, she’s having trouble keeping him at arm’s length. But once Grey starts digging into her family’s secrets, she must decide whether her loyalties lie with her family . . . or with the man whose lessons capture her heart . . .

Project Duchess:

I’ve been wanting to pick up Sabrina Jeffries for some time now and when I received the third book in this series for review, I knew it was time. I loved Project Duchess so much. It’s entering, swoon-worthy and I could not put it down.

Fletcher “Grey” Pryde, 5th Duke of Greycourt has a guarded heart. And instead of finding a wife, his goal is to expand his dukedom. But that all might change when he meets Beatrice Wolfe, the women helping his mother with this stepfather funeral. When Beatrice gave up on love, she didn’t expect to meet Grey. Now his mother has taken Beatrice on as her latest project and Grey agrees to help. Each has their secrets, but they have also both captured each other’s hearts.

The romance in Project Duchess is swoon-worthy to the max. I love the angst that builds up between Grey and Beatrice. It made me smile the whole book. While it isn’t strong hate, Project Duchess also has a ‘hate to love romance’ and gosh was it done well. Sabrina Jeffries is excellent at writing tension and a build-up without me hating every minute of it.

Grey and Beatrice are also such great characters. I loved their arcs, both as individuals and as a couple. Both have had heartache and difficult lives growing up. But together they both can understand one another, even if they don’t see it at first.

I also enjoyed the overarching plotline that we do see later in the series. While I do like standalone romances sometimes. I love when historical romances series are bonded together but this overarching story.

Overall, I loved reading Project Duchess by Sabrina Jeffries. It has a fantastic romance, endearing characters and a plot that keeps on giving. If you are looking for a new historical romance series – start here.

The Bachelor (Duke Dynasty #2) by Sabrina Jeffries

Pages: 275
Publish date: February 25th 2020
Publisher: Zebra
ISBN: 9781420148565
Purchase: Book Depository – Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU

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 fulfil 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 . . .

The Bachelor:

As soon as I finished book 1, I had to read more and I’m so glad that I did. Because The Bachelor was fantastic. While I didn’t love it as much as Project Duchess, it was still such an enjoyable read and added to the overall story.

The Bachelor continues to follow the same family and this time it’s Lady Gwyn Drake turn. When a past suitor appears and threatens to go public with her secrets, she needs protection. That is when her twin hires Joshua Wolfe. With Joshua watching her ever move Gwyn has to be even more careful, but she can’t seem to resist his charm or his heart.

This was a delight to read. I love Lady Gwyn so much. She was such a fantastic protagonist. She added some brightness to this story that at times could be very dark. In the first book, I wasn’t sure how I felt about her, but in this one Lady Gwyn shines. The reader gets to see her vulnerable and that adds to her characterisation.

Joshua Wolfe was the grumpy male hero and I love him. Seriously he gave me such a good laugh.

The Bachelor explores the nature of the world at the time. What some men would do just to bring up their standing or to get money. It explores the inequality that women had at the time and how they either had to rely on their husband or their family for anything in life.

In saying all this I did feel that something was missing from this one, I can’t pinpoint what it was. I just didn’t love it as much as the first book.

Overall, I enjoyed reading The Bachelor by Sabrina Jeffries quite a lot. It was full of angst, blackmail and tension. The romance was adorable, and I enjoyed both protagonists. It was a great second book in a series and I can’t wait to read more.

And those are some historical romance mini-reviews! Have you checked out this series yet? What did you think of them? Are you planning on reading it? Let’s Chat!

Book Review: Inked In Lies by Giana Darling

Aug 5, 2020

Inked in Lies (The Fallen Men #5) by Giana Darling

Pages: 474
Publish date: July 31st 2020
Publisher: –
ISBN: 9781774440087
Purchase: Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU

He moved in next door.
Handsome as sin, older in a way that meant forbidden.
He had tattoos on his hands and wickedness tucked in his grin.
I was a goner as girl to a man they called Casanova for a reason. He would never love me, at least not the way I needed him to.
I tried to move on. But I couldn’t turn my back on him or The Fallen MC.
So when they needed me most, I offered the only thing of value I could use to help them.
My body.
And when helping them meant putting my life on the line, Nova had to decide just how much he was willing to do to get me out alive.

Inked in Lies:

As soon as I finished the last book in this series a couple of months ago, Inked In Lies jumped up high on my most anticipated list. And you know what, I’m not disappointed. There was some aspect that I didn’t particularly like, but overall I really enjoyed reading Inked In Lies. You can check out my series review of the rest of The Fallen Men Series now.

Inked In Lies by Giana Darling follows Lila and Nova as they grow up, go through heartbreak, death, and falling in and out of love. When Nova, known as Johnathon move in across the road from Lila and her family both of their lives change forever. Through the years Lila and Nova grow closer together and both go through heartbreak. But they also drift apart. And when trouble falls upon The Fallen Men things are about to get even more dangerous.

Photo by Yousef Espanioly on Unsplash

Lila was such a fantastic female protagonist. I loved getting to know more and more about her. The reader knows both protagonists pretty well. But we get to see their stories now. Lila was a real pleasure to read, I loved that she didn’t take anything from anyone and just did what she wanted to. I liked that she was strong and even though she had been through hell she made a life for her own. One of the things that I loved most about Lila in Inked In Lies is the fact that we get to see her grow, her character arc was fantastic.

Nova was interesting that is for sure. There were times where I loved him and times where I wanted to wring this neck. The reader is able to see that Nova is holding his feelings back for Lila and while it does this, he does hurt her. But we also know that he also cares about her so much. From the previous books, we already have this image of Nova, but it goes into his life at a deeper level. Nova is a charmer for sure. Darling is able to write him in a way that he isn’t always a pain in the ass.

The romance had many ups and downs. For the most part, I loved Lila and Nova together. I loved that we get to see them from the start. We get to see them meet each other, know each, care for one another. And then we get to see Lila fall in love. But we also see her go through heartbreak, most of it to do with Nova. Lila and Nova are pretty fantastic together. The interactions between these two were pretty great. The dynamics between the two were just so good.

Photo by Lucas Lenzi on Unsplash

I normally don’t love when books time jump, but I think it played it’s part so well in Inked In Lies. The reader is not only able to see the progression in Lila and Nova’s relationship but also see how their lives played out. Giana Darling was able to write the time jumps well. I do wish at the start of each time jump we were told a little about what time we were jumping to. A year or even how many years passed. After reading a little bit, I was able to make that distinction.

One of the things that made me smile in Inked In Lies was seeing Nova’s family. They just squeezed my heart. And I wish that we were able to see more of them. I adored how much they supported not only Nova and their boys. But Lila and her brother Dane as well.

I also wish we got to see more to do with tattooing. I love my tattoo’s and I was expecting to see more of it throughout the book and it wasn’t all there.

Another thing that I loved is that we got to see so many characters that we know and love from previous books in the series. But that means we also have to go through the heartbreak again. Oh gosh, that did hurt. I loved that we got to see The Fallen Men in action. Both when they were younger and when we know them from the current books. I can’t wait to see what happens next with these bad boys.

Photo by Stas Svechnikov on Unsplash

Overall, I loved reading Inked In Lies by Giana Darling. It was a great addition to The Fallen Men series. Lila and Nova were fantastic together. I love seeing their relationship build slowly over the years. At times it was messy and complicated. But the reader can see right from the start how much they care for one another. It’s the most different from the other ones in the series but that was a nice change in pace. I can’t wait to see whose book is next. Things are started to heat up and I can’t wait for more.

Have you read Inked In Lies by Giana Darling yet? What did you think of it? Are you planning on reading this series? Let’s Chat!

Book Review: A Widow’s Guide to Scandal by Hallie Alexander

Jul 30, 2020

A Widow’s Guide to Scandal (The Sons of Neptune #1) by Hallie Alexander

Pages: 269
Publish date: July 22nd 2020
Publisher: Soul Mate Publishing
ASIN: B08C95LHMK
Purchase: Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU

Henrietta Smith was fifteen when she stole a kiss from Marcus Hardwicke. Over a decade later, she’s still waiting to be kissed back…

Henrietta learned the hard way that when you get what you pay for you might end up with a British soldier quartering in your home threatening your friends, an enormous dog tracking mud through your house and stealing the chickens, and Marcus Hardwicke disrupting your uncomplicated life by trying to improve it. And to think she just wanted her roof fixed.

Marcus, wickedly handsome carpenter and rebel rogue, fell off Henrietta’s leaking roof. He can’t leave until his broken ankle heals, giving him plenty of time to consider his past mistakes, including Henrietta’s indelible kiss from a lifetime ago. But Henrietta could lose more than her home if she doesn’t encrypt British secrets, and the latest puts Marcus in the crosshairs.

A Widow’s Guide to Scandal:

I received an earc of A Widow’s Guide to Scandal by Hallie Alexander from the author in exchange for an honest review. This has in no way influenced my thoughts and feelings about books.

I didn’t know what to expect when I started reading A Widow’s Guide to Scandal. there weren’t any reviews about it, and I hadn’t heard about the book or author before. However, the synopsis grabbed me from the start. I was intrigued and I can never say no to a historical romance. But let me tell you I was pleasantly surprised. I enjoyed the characters, the romance and the story and I can’t wait to read more.

After the loss of her husband, Henrietta Smith is struggling in a world run by men. But she doesn’t want that to stop her. Life at the moment isn’t easy, but Henrietta will get through it. When she requires some help to fix a leaking roof, Marcus Hardwicke is too the rescue. But then he needs some assistance himself when he falls through her roof and breaks his leg. Now Henrietta must deal with a British soldier’s threats, new and old friends and Marcus Hardwicke.

Photo by Carolyn V on Unsplash

Henrietta was such a delight of a protagonist in A Widow’s Guide to Scandal. From the start, she was easy to get along with. I loved how strong Henrietta was and that was presented throughout the whole book. But we also get to see the horrors that she also had to go through. I liked how Hallie Alexandra dealt with it in the book. It didn’t take over the plot. And it also made Henrietta who she was. And while Henrietta does have a more serious side, Marus, his friends and even her reading group, bring out a different side to her and I love that. She is funny and witty and that just makes the reading the book such a good experience.

Marcus was also such an interesting male protagonist. He was funny and was able to ease the tension throughout the novel. Like Henrietta, Marcus was easy to get along with. I liked that he had to depend on Henrietta after breaking his leg. It just made everything that much better. Marcus was also quite funny and that made for some fantastic conversations. Another thing that made me enjoy Marcus as a protagonist was that the reader can see from the start how much he cares for Henrietta and that was just fantastic to see.

Photo by Debby Hudson on Unsplash

The romance in A Widow’s Guide to Scandal was absolutely adorable and I can’t wait to see more of this from Hallie Alexander. It was slow-burning but very sweet and made me smile – a lot. Marcus and Henrietta both tried to stay away from each other, but they were both able to connect with one another in different ways. At times Henrietta struggled with her feelings with Marcus. She has a hard past and she didn’t want to let herself fall for me. But the connection between them was too strong. It was a second chance, friends to lovers and I adored that.

I have said this before but I haven’t read many historical romances set during, before or even after the American Revelation. I’ve only ever read a few historical romance books set in the states and this has to be one of my favourites. It was really interesting and I can’t wait to see more of it in the next books in the series.

The writing style of A Widow’s Guide to Scandal was something that I enjoyed a lot. I did struggle with the first few chapters, but as soon as I got into the story it was totally fine. I do find that sometimes it takes me a few chapters to get into historical romance, especially if I don’t know the world I’m jumping into. Hallie Alexander is great at creating emotions and character arcs.

Photo by Austin Neill on Unsplash

Overall, I loved reading A Widow’s Guide to Scandal by Hallie Alexander. It includes not only a fantastic romance but also great characters. Henrietta was such a pleasure of a protagonist. I loved knowing about her life and I loved getting to know her more. Marcus was a character and he added another dimension to the novel that lifted it. This is a fantastic debut and I can’t wait to read more from Hallie Alexander.

Have you read A Widow’s Guide to Scandal by Hallie Alexander yet? Are you planning on reading it? Let’s Chat!