🐉 Set in the Welsh Marches during the late 13th century. Rosie’s #Bookreview of #Histfic The Welsh Lord’s Convenient Bride by @LissaMorganAuth #TuesdayBookBlog

The Welsh Lord’s Convenient Bride by Lissa Morgan

4 stars

The Welsh Lord’s Convenient Bride is historical romance set in the Welsh Marches during the late 13^th century.

The Welsh Marches was a frontier land that straddled what we know today as the borders between England and Wales. In the middle ages it was a place of constant war and rebellion. As this story opens, Eleanor de Vraille travels to Castelle y Lleuad where she is to marry Rhun ab Owain as part of peace treaty deal. The treaty was agreed years ago between their respective fathers and now that Rhun is the Lord, he is ready to get married.

Both Rhun and the castle are, at first, hostile to Eleanor. She doesn’t speak Welsh and she is at a loss to know why Rhun dislikes her so much; she even considers returning to her English home, but there she would face a father who despises her. When a new uprising against the English king begins, Rhun will support his Welsh comrades, which forces Eleanor to choose sides.

I enjoyed Eleanor’s determination to break Rhun’s dislike of her. I haven’t read any other books in this setting and the author’s historical notes at the back were most interesting. A good debut novel.

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Book description

Enjoy the drama that unfolds in this medieval marriage of convenience…A wedding between enemiesA marriage to heal their scars

Hiding a disfigurement, Eleanor de Vraille is already lacking confidence when she arrives at her future husband’s cheerless Welsh castle. And Rhun ab Owain’s open disapproval of her does nothing to make her feel at ease. Their union is to seal peace between their families, nothing more. But Eleanor’s heart rebels—is she a fool to hope for any affection from this strong-willed nobleman with the dark glittering eyes?

From Harlequin Historical: Your romantic escape to the past.

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Regency #Romance Rosie’s #Bookreview of The Earl She Should Never Desire by @laratemple1

The Earl She Should Never Desire by Lara Temple

4 stars

The Earl She Should Never Desire is a Regency romance set in London. Lily Walsh is a widow living in Birmingham; her younger sister begs her to travel to London to spend a few summer weeks with her. Anne is engaged to be married and Lily is delighted for her, but she wonders if Anne is truly happy.

Lord Sherbourne is pleased to meet Anne’s sister after hearing much about her, but she isn’t the person he had imagined. It troubles him that he feels more drawn to Lily than Anne, but he’s a man of honour and he can’t back out of the wedding now.

I enjoyed getting to know Lily and finding that she had a passionate side under her practical dresses. The author has done a fine job of creating the sisters as opposites. Outwardly Anne is the pretty one who has been groomed to be a society wife. Lily is the black sheep, the one her mother finds a disappointment. I wasn’t sure how the story would work out at the half-way mark, but I was very keen to keep turning the pages to find out. Lily has a troubled past that she must work through and she needs a friend who she can trust to be there for her at all times. The little fears which kept popping up were understandable and I particularly liked the final setting; it felt very appropriate. A great story and a wonderful set of characters.

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Lara Temple offers you a taste of the forbidden in this sexy Regency romance.

This very handsome earl…Is the one man she cannot fall for…

War widow Lily Walsh has left her aristocratic family behind, but she can’t deny her younger sister’s request to come to London to meet her fiancé. Though not a love match, Lord Sherbourne is kind, amusing and ideal for her sister on paper. But as Lily gets to know him, she’s finding him alarmingly attractive! And the forbidden look in the earl’s eye shows the feeling is mutual…

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Partly Set Around Glasgow. Rosie’s #Bookreview of #HistoricalRomance Lady Armstrong’s Scandalous Awakening by @MargueriteKaye

Lady Armstrong’s Scandalous Awakening by Marguerite Kaye

4 stars

Lady Armstrong’s Scandalous Awakening is an historical romance. It is also book two in the Revelations of the Carstairs Sisters mini-series.

Mercy Armstrong’s husband has just died, which is quite a relief after seventeen years in a loveless relationship married to a bully. On the last day of her period of mourning, Mercy is almost knocked over by a carriage. The driver, an engineer from Glasgow, stops to help Mercy, and while she recovers their conversation leads to thoughts about how she will make a fresh start.

Jack Dalmuir will be in London to oversee his steam engines which are being installed in new water pumping stations. He enjoyed his afternoon with Mercy and offers to be her companion, should she need one, when she returns to London.

Mercy’s new life is far from her upbringing and her married life, now she enjoys her outings with Jack, but both agree it will lead to nothing more. So why do they find it harder to say goodbye each time they part?

Having enjoyed book one in this series, it was good to read more about Mercy. I particularly liked the parts set in and around Glasgow as I don’t know much about the history of the area. Jack was a great character and I enjoyed the author’s notes about Glasgow’s engineers.

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Be swept into a world of passion and emotion in this sexy Victorian romance!

Hers was a body of marble…

Until he brought it to life

After her tyrannical late husband ruined her reputation, Lady Mercy Armstrong is longing to reinvent herself. The perfect opportunity presents itself when rebellious self-made man Jack Dalmuir has a daring proposition—a fake dalliance that will change society’s view of her! Only, cavorting with the handsome Scotsman ignites a passion that could change both their lives forever…

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Saving Whittleston-on-the-Water. Rosie’s #Bookreview of #HistoricalRomance The Earl’s Inconvenient Houseguest by @VirginiaHeath_ #TuesdayBookBlog

The Earl’s Inconvenient Houseguest by Virginia Heath

4 stars

The Earl’s Inconvenient Houseguest is set in 1818. This is book one of A Very Village Scandal series of historical romances. It opens with villagers discussing the new lord of the manor and his possible plans for the estate. Many of the villagers fear that he will turn them out of their homes or sell the estate to a ruthless money-grabbing lord.

Rafe Hockley has inherited much of the land and village of Whittleston-on-the-Water, but what he really wants is a horse stud in a remote part of the country, far away from gossiping villagers; the quicker he can sell his inheritance, the better. However, he must first deal with Miss Sophie Gilbert, the leader of the Save Our Village brigade.

Sophie and her aunt live in a ramshackle cottage which the previous Lord Hockley refused to repair. She will do anything to save her aunt and the other villagers from being sent packing by any hard-hearted lord.

This is a fun story with some great battle lines between Rafe and the villagers. It took me a few chapters to get into the book and enjoy the characters, but once we began to learn more about them I soon became enchanted.

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The earl she loved to hate

…until she stayed in his mansion!

Sophie Gilbert has thwarted the standoffish new earl’s plans to sell his country estate and the quaint village that forms part of it. But when disaster strikes and he offers her refuge, she must reconsider everything about this vexing, determined man. After the heartbreak in her past, it’s a revelation to feel her pulse racing and her body yearning for his touch… 

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#HistoricalRomance Built Around Victorian Plumbing. Rosie’s #Bookreview of The Earl Who Sees Her Beauty by @MargueriteKaye

The Earl Who Sees Her Beauty by Marguerite Kaye

4.5 stars

The Earl Who Sees Her Beauty is the first book in a new duet series of historical romances.

Dominic Caldwell was hiding in a small Greek village when he discovered that he had a claim on an English Earldom. The news for Dominic of his likely inheritance was less thrilling than others may have thought.

He travelled to London with the full intention of selling all of his new gains as quickly as possible and returning to his peaceful Greek life.

Prudence Carstairs had spent her life hiding from society because of a hideous scar on her face. The only place outside her home where she felt comfortable was Hawthorn Manor, which is becoming dilapidated.

This is a tale built around Victorian plumbing and sanitation; an unusual theme, but one which worked well. Dominic and Prudence are likeable characters, each with demons that they must overcome. I enjoyed the way that the author moved the story away from ball rooms and high society often seen in this genre and gave attention to the plight of the lower classes. I shall look forward to the second book in the series.

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Unaware of her beauty…

Until he awakens her.

Prudence Carstairs knows her scars leave her with no romantic prospects—instead, she’s content revolutionizing her employer’s home with her technological marvels. Then he unexpectedly perishes and his mysterious younger brother, dashing Dominic Thorburn, reluctantly takes over. In the new earl, Prudence finally finds someone who meets her gaze without flinching. Might he see the beautiful, intelligent woman beyond her scars?

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Rosie’s #Bookreview Of #HistoricalRomance A MATCH FOR THE REBELLIOUS EARL by Lara Temple

A Match for the Rebellious Earl by Lara Temple

4 stars

A Match For The Rebellious Earl is book two of the Return Of The Rogues series of historical romances. It can easily be read as a stand-alone story.

Kit Carrington reluctantly returns from his time at sea to complete his duties as the new Lord Westford. Although he returned to England specifically to attend the wedding of his step-sister, he knows that he must face the challenges of his inheritance.

Genevieve (Genny) Maitland is on a mission to help her widowed sister find a new husband so that she can get away from harridan Lady Westford, Kit’s grandmother. Lady Westford’s one purpose is to make sure that one of her grandsons produces an heir; so far she has been disappointed.

An ambitious plan to fix all of their problems is agreed between Genny and Kit, but its execution means plenty of twists and bumps in the road—will they be successful?

This story opens with the introduction of quite a few characters and it took me a couple of chapters to get them all straight in my head. After a while they became more three dimensional, and I began to enjoy the story. I was intrigued by Kit’s life as a sailor and the many treasures that he had collected. I was also interested in Genny’s younger years when she lived with her Grandfather in Spain. Genny is a strong leader and her organisational skills and negotiation aptitudes were superb.

Overall, a good story and I enjoyed it once the story and characters became fixed in my mind.

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Dashing and disreputable…

Now, he’s back in Society’s ballrooms!

Whispers of Captain Kit Carrington—now Lord Westford—have long scandalised the ton…so his arrival at the season’s most-anticipated ball sends society’s gossips into a frenzy!

Miss Genevieve Maitland needs his help to find an eligible match for her sister but assumes he’ll be reluctant to help the family that rejected him. Yet after one spine tingling waltz with Kit, sensible Genny finds he’s not her opponent—but a very tempting ally…! 

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Rosie’s #BookReview Of #HistoricalRomance THE RAGS TO RICHES GOVERNESS by @JaniceGPreston

The Rags-to-Riches Governess by Janice Preston

4 stars

The Rags To Riches Governess is book one of Lady Tregowan’s Will series of historical romances.

The story opens with Leah Thame learning that she is to inherit a small fortune, which will allow her to leave her role as a governess and become a lady in society. However, the will has a few conditions that must be adhered to before Leah can claim her inheritance.

Currently Leah is governess to the three young children of Lord Dolphinstone. After their mother died and their father left for an extended trip to Europe, Leah is all that the children have and strong bonds have been created between them.

I enjoyed the direction of this storyline, and Leah’s character added extra elements that I thought worked well. Her boldness to speak her mind and her ability to soothe a situation made her an ideal person to begin this new series. This story introduces us to the main characters of the next two books which I shall look forward to reading.

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From impoverished governess…

…to wealthy heiressGoverness Leah Thame learns she’s inherited a fortune the day her employer, the enigmatic Earl of Dolphinstone, returns from abroad. They share an instant connection, but in order to claim her inheritance, Leah must resign and find a husband. The guarded widower offers a convenient marriage to stop her leaving, but Leah refuses. She won’t marry the man who’s captured her heart unless there’s a chance of her love being returned.

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Rosie’s #Bookreview #HistoricalRomance A FORBIDDEN LIAISON WITH MISS GRANT by @MargueriteKaye @MillsandBoon

A Forbidden Liaison with Miss Grant by Marguerite Kaye

4.5 stars

A Forbidden Liaison With Miss Grant is an historical romance set in Edinburgh. Constance Grant once lived in the Highlands and worked as a school teacher, but the Scottish Clearances caused the village she lived in to be destroyed in favour of sheep farming. A friend offered her a place to stay in the city; here she wrote outspoken articles against The Clearances.

Grayson Maddox, a shipbuilding Glaswegian, was visiting Edinburgh when he met Constance. Their time together was a romantic bubble in which both of their normal lives ceased to exist, but it was short lived.

Grayson returned to Edinburgh a second time with his family for King George IV’s royal visit. Both he and Constance had been miserable in the weeks since they’d been apart, but becoming anything more than friends seemed impossible to both of them. Could they possibly find a way for them to be together?

Although the will-they, won’t-they relationship between Grayson and Constance was frustrating at times, I quite enjoyed the subtle history lessons which were slipped in between their dilemmas. The Clearances of the Highlands and the royal visit were both events which I knew nothing about. Kaye also painted a colourful picture of Edinburgh in the 1820s, especially the festivities and pomp organised for the king’s visit, which was very realistic. I enjoyed seeing it through the eyes of her heroine’s nom de plume, journalist Flora MacDonald. This was another good story from this author.

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An unexpected encounter…

Will change everything!

Self-made gentleman and widower Grayson Maddox has devoted himself to his children and business, leaving no time for pleasure. Until he has an impulsive, thrillingly sensual encounter with lady’s companion Miss Constance Grant! Their passion gives Grayson hope of a happiness he never thought he’d feel again. But there’s still much in both their pasts to confront before they can turn their forbidden liaison into a new beginning…

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Rosie’s #Bookreview Of #HistoricalRomance UNEXPECTEDLY WED TO THE OFFICER by @JenniAuthor

Unexpectedly Wed to the Officer by Jenni Fletcher

4.5 stars

Unexpectedly Wed To The Officer is book two of The Regency Belles Of Bath, a series of historical romances. 

Henrietta is the manager of Belles Biscuit Shop; late one evening she confronts a man she believes is a burglar. However, he turns out to be Sebastian Fortini, the shop owner’s son who has returned from years serving in the navy. 

After long months without communication between Sebastian and his family, he had no idea that his sister and mother no longer lived above the shop. With a broken nose and his masculinity threatened by a pair of coal tongs, Sebastian grasps that Henrietta is quite capable of defending the shop and his fears turn to admiration. 

Henrietta has sworn off men after discovering that few can see past her pretty face and shop girl status, believing wrongly that she is easy to manipulate. But when she finds herself responsible for her three young nephews, she is grateful for Sebastian’s help to keep them entertained. With the shop being no place to raise energetic boys, Sebastian invites Henrietta and her nephews to accompany him to Yorkshire on a holiday where he reunites with his family. It’s a trip that he has concerns about as old family secrets and feuds test his loyalties. 

My own family always benefit when I read about Belles Biscuit Shop as it gets me into the kitchen baking goodies. The same happened when I read the first book in the series. The opening burglary scene was amusing and introduced us to the characters straightaway which had me turning the pages eager to read more. Nancy, the shop assistant, is great fun, and her plain speaking no-nonsense characteristics made me enjoy her even more. I shall look forward to seeing more of her, hopefully in the next book. The romance is sweet and runs smoothly to a point, while Henrietta’s nephews were excellent secondary characters who helped to keep the pace of the story brisk.  I would happily recommend this to others who enjoy Regency style romances.  

Warning! Reading this book may cause serious bouts of baking!  

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From shopkeeper…

To officer’s wife

With a scandal in her past, shopkeeper Henrietta Gardiner has become wary of men, including her friend’s brother, dashing officer Sebastian Fortini. When Henrietta is called upon to take in her three young nephews, Sebastian is on hand to help her, even offering a convenient marriage as a solution! Henrietta starts to realize her new husband’s carefree exterior hides a more intriguing interior…but where will that leave their hasty marriage?

From Harlequin Historical: Your romantic escape to the past.

Regency Belles of Bath

From shopkeepers…to Cinderella brides!Book 1: An Unconventional Countess

Book 2: Unexpectedly Wed to the Officer

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Rosie’s #Bookreview of #RegencyRomance THE EARL AND THE SECRET PAST by Janice Preston

The Earl With The Secret Past by Janice Preston

3.5 stars

The Earl And The Secret Past is a Regency style historical romance and opens with a prologue. Adam is an apprentice architect who has fallen in love with Kitty, the daughter of a peer, but they are too far apart socially for a serious relationship to be permitted, so Adam makes a decision that leaves Kitty broken-hearted.

Fifteen years later Adam is shocked to discover that he is the long lost son of an Earl. In London he meets Kitty again; she is now a widow and Adam wants to re-ignite their relationship, but a lot has happened in those lost years.

I have read quite a few books by this author and I usually like her style of writing, however, with this story I struggled to connect to the characters, which was a shame because the overall story arc worked well. There were a few occasions where very little happened and some of the detail felt a little repetitive.  Also I found Adam’s Scottish dialogue rather annoying; there was too much of it for my taste. So overall, an okay story in this genre, but it wasn’t my favourite novel from this author.

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An unexpected inheritance

An explosive reunion

Hardworking architect Adam Monroe’s world is shaken when he inherits an Earldom! Thrust into the ton, he bumps into widow, Kitty Fenton – his lost love. Years before, he’d refused to elope with Kitty to save her from ruin, and was heartbroken she’d married so soon after he left. Perhaps fate has given him a chance to discover the truth – after all beneath the hurt the sparks of attraction are as strong as ever…

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