‘A delightful but troublesome pair!’ Rosie’s #Bookreview Of #HistoricalRomance How Not to Chaperon A Lady @VirginiaHeath_ @MillsandBoon

How Not to Chaperon a Lady by Virginia Heath

5 stars

How Not to Chaperon a Lady is the third book in the Talk of the Beau Monde trilogy, a series of historical romances.

Charity Brookes is an opera singer who is following in the footsteps of her very succesful mother. Charity’s rise to stardom offers her a tour of some Northern theatres and she has asked her best friend, Dottie, to travel with her.

Charity’s reputation for mischief and spontinaity worries Dottie’s brother Griffin and he insists on chaperoning the ladies. This sparks yet another argument between Charity and Gruff Griff, as she calls him. They have sparred for almost seventeen years of family friendship and it looks like it will be a very long and tedious trip for them both.

I am not going to give away the rest of the story, except to say that these two characters must have fought with the author as well as each other all the way to the end of the book; what a delightful but troublesome pair. I was engrossed with the tale and loved every moment of the conflict, which made for a very satisfying ending.

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His childhood nemesis…

…is the woman he can’t resist!

Chaperoning Charity Brookes while she’s on a singing tour should be easy for Griffith Philpot—he’s spent his whole life sparring with her over her flighty ways! But as he discovers that she’s much more than the impetuous girl he thought he knew, a passion ignites between them… Sharing a steamy kiss leaves him torn—he’s supposed to be responsible for guarding her virtue!

From Harlequin Historical: Your romantic escape to the past.

The Talk of the Beau Monde

Book 1: The Viscount’s Unconventional Lady
Book 2: The Marquess Next Door
Book 3: How Not to Chaperon a Lady

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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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Rosie’s #Bookreview Of #RegencyRomance THE SCOUNDREL’S BARTERED BRIDE by @VirginiaHeath_

The Scoundrel’s Bartered Bride by Virginia Heath

4.5 stars

The Scoundrel’s Bartered Bride is a Regency style historical romance. Lady Lydia Barton’s family are desperate; they plan a marriage contract for Lydia to pay off their multiple debts. Their only choice is an odious lecher – the Marquess of Kelvedon would certainly have enough money to clear the family debts and, sadly, Lydia’s family care little that he would be a dreadful husband for her.

Owen Wolfe spent seven years in a penal colony for a crime he didn’t commit. Now he owns a high end gambling hall in London, but he began life as a stable-hand. Lydia Barton’s impending nuptials interest him, enough for him to put his own offer of marriage on the table. Now there is a choice: an old man with bad breath and a wandering eye, or an ex-convict.

I liked the dark brooding and mysterious Owen Wolfe; his years spent in the Antipodes were an unusual theme for this genre. I also enjoyed the sub-characters who were part of his ‘new family’; they were a fun and lively mix.

Lydia and Owen’s relationship had several expected highs and lows, but they still managed to add a fresh feel to the story arc with their surprising responses to situations. I liked this and read almost all of it in one sitting; a very easy book with which to escape for a few hours.

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Marriage…to the highest bidder!

Lady Lydia Barton cannot seem to avoid Owen Wolfe since he’s returned after being wrongly transported for stealing her family’s jewels! But Lydia has more pressing problems, like her impending arranged marriage. Until Owen makes her father a counteroffer for her hand. Is Owen purely after her society connections, or dare Lydia hope that the charming stable boy she once loved is still within her ruthless, wealthy new husband?

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Rosie’s #Bookreview Of #RegencyRomance BEAUTY AND THE BROODING LORD by @SarahMRomance

Beauty and the Brooding Lord by Sarah Mallory

4 stars

Beauty And The Brooding Lord is a Regency romance. Serena is fast approaching spinsterhood unless she can find a husband. However, she doesn’t want to marry someone stable and conventional; she is drawn to men of rakish behaviour, although she knows that they may be too much of a risk. What she would really like to do is ‘sample the goods’ before choosing.

Serena arranges an unchaperoned visit to the Vauxhall pleasure gardens with Sir Timothy, but events take a sinister turn. Luckily, Lord Rufus Quinn, known for his rudeness and cold-heart, uses his sense of honour to make a daring rescue and save Serena’s reputation.

I enjoyed the story of Serena and Quinn and how their relationship grew. My only regret was that the ending felt rushed and a little unconvincing, which was a shame as the rest of the story suited the genre well.

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Ruined by a rake

Rescued by the reclusive baron!

Following the death of his fiancée, Lord Quinn swore off all matters of the heart.

But when he happens upon an innocent lady being assaulted, his sense of honor insists he step in and rescue her…even if that means marriage to protect Serena’s reputation!

But his new wife remains distant, a stranger to his bed. Can Quinn help Serena fight her demons, and finally defeat his own?

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#NewRelease My #Bookreview of #RegencyRomance Scandal And Miss Markham by @JaniceGPreston

Scandal and Miss Markham by Janice Preston
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Scandal And Miss Markham is book #2 of the Beauchamp Brides series of Regency romances. It can be read as part of the series or as a stand-alone novel.

Fiery redhead Thea Markham is the daughter of a Worcestershire crystal glass maker. With her father left an invalid after a stroke, Thea and her brother Daniel run the business. But Daniel’s behaviour recently changed and now he’s been missing for five days with no word of his whereabouts.

A stranger arrives at Stourwell Court answering a letter sent by Daniel before his disappearance, but the stranger, Vernon Beauchamp, can see Thea is agitated; when she confesses that she cannot trouble her parents with her concerns, Vernon offers to help find her missing brother.

Thea refuses to wait patiently at home, and disguises herself so that she may follow Vernon. When Vernon discovers her subterfuge a battle of wills occurs, until he reluctantly allows Thea to continue with him as long as she stays dressed as a boy.

The pair travel to Birmingham and Worcester on Daniel’s trail, becoming friends and then discovering that they have stronger feelings for each other.

This is another delightful book in the series and ticks all the boxes of this particular genre.

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A scandalous journey… 

Glassmaker’s daughter Thea Markham is devastated when her brother Daniel goes missing. Then a mysterious lord turns up asking questions about Daniel and offers to find him. Unsure she can trust the handsome peer, Thea dresses up as a boy and follows him!
Lord Vernon Beauchamp feels his life lacks direction. Meeting Thea gives him a renewed purpose. And when they are thrown together on their scandalous adventure, friendship soon gives way to desire…
The Beauchamp Betrothals.

I grew up in Wembley, North London, with a love of reading, writing stories and animals. After leaving school at eighteen, I moved to Devon and any thoughts of writing became lost in the hectic rush of life as a farmer’s wife, with two children and many animals to care for. When my children left home for university, I discovered a love of history and of the Regency period in particular and began to write seriously for the first time since my teens.
Real life then got in the way and I didn’t write again until 2009. I joined the Romantic Novelists’ Association in 2012 and my first Regency romance was accepted for publication by Harlequin Mills & Boon in late 2013.
I now live in the West Midlands with my second husband and two cats and I continue to write Regency romances for Harlequin Mills & Boon.

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