Category: Historical Fiction

Books 1 & 2, by Lorraine Heath

Book 1, The Counterfeit Scoundrel, 4*s

Pub Synopsis:

“Born into an aristocratic family, yearning for a life beyond Society’s strictures, Marguerite “Daisy” Townsend is an enterprising sleuth. Hired to obtain proof of a wife’s infidelity, she secures a position in the household of the woman’s lover, never expecting to be lured into the seductive blackguard’s arms herself.

Devilishly handsome, David Blackwood, known widely as Bishop, quickly realizes the enticing maid is interested in far more than dusting. She aims to uncover his sins. Although tempted by the dangerous beauty, he can’t risk her learning the truth: his affairs are chaste. As a boy who witnessed his mother’s abusive relationship, Bishop now helps desperate wives escape unhappy marriages.

Yet when he is accused of murdering the husband of a “paramour,” he is forced to seek Daisy’s assistance in proving his innocence. As their perilous search draws them into a web of deceits, they can no longer deny their simmering desire. Once secrets are revealed, will Daisy’s counterfeit scoundrel give up the scandalous games he plays and surrender his heart into her keeping?“

REVIEW:

Lorraine Heath never ceases to entertain me with her romances, which are always packed to the gills with intrigue and tension, the two things I find most important in a romance. 

As an investor, Bishop understands how a well planned investment now can lead to a big payoff later, and that’s why he took all the hurt from his childhood and is now secretly getting back at his father for the pain and heartache he caused him by buying everything out from under him and ruining his reputation as much as possible. That includes helping women like his mother get out of abusive or loveless marriages by posing as their lover to help them obtain a divorce from their spouse. No one knows these affairs are facades and are affairs in name only. If anyone knew they weren’t, the women would be in trouble and he would no longer be branded as a rake. This is why his newest servant, Daisy, is a bit of a problem for him. The moment he sees the strangely poised and incredibly beautiful maidservant, he knows he’s in trouble.

Daisy is far more trouble than he realizes, however. After all, Daisy isn’t simple maidservant. She’s a Private investigator who has been hired by the husband of one of his fake mistresses to sus out what is really going on with his wife, and the best way for her to do that is to infiltrate his household. What she wasn’t prepared for during this undercover mission was to discover this sensuous and intriguing man who makes her weak in the knees and heated in all the wrong places. 

As they circle one another, slowly uncovering one anothers’ secrets, they will soon uncover a secret danger that indelibly ties them together. Will exploring the heat between them only lead to heartbreak and danger? Or is it the one thing that will save them both?

This was an excellent start to a new series by Lorraine Heath, a true mistress of historical romance. I’m so happy this is the first in a series, and I had to read this one before I started on the story of Lord Knightly. So glad I did. 

Book 2, The Notorious Lord Knightly, 4*s, Pub Date 7/27/23

Pub Synopsis:

“A scandalous book by an anonymous author takes London by storm, and everyone is convinced its villainous “Lord K” is the greatly admired Earl of Knightly. Heartbroken that he left her at the altar, Miss Regina Leyland impulsively sought revenge by revealing the true Knightly to the world but never expected the uproar to bring enemies to her door. To keep her identity hidden, she must trust the one man with the power to destroy her.

Furious to be the object of notoriety and gossip, Knightly confronts the lady he suspects of penning the tome only to discover she is no longer the naïve innocent he was forced to betray, but a woman of strength and conviction, who will bow before no man.

Knightly and Regina pretend a reconciliation to salvage their reputations and throw the ton off their scent. But false friendship soon turns to powerful passion. When truths emerge, threatening all they hold dear, they must face the consequences of their past if their story is ever to deserve its happily ever after.”

REVIEW:

After finishing this one, I really can’t wait for the next book in the Chessmen series. Listen, I have major respect for Lorraine Heath. She’s been one of my favorite romance authors since…ever. I’m a big Historical Romance fan. Okay, you caught me. I’m just a romance fan. Historical…Romantasy…etc… I think it’s the tension. It must be, because I love thrillers and horror also. And Heath? She knows tension. She knows intrigue. I sometimes feel like she may know me, because she gets real down deep in there and pulls me straight in. I’m a poor fish hopelessly caught in her word net. 

The story of Knight and Regina starts off far before the events of the book. The story does jump timelines and perspectives, so we get to see what went wrong between them that caused such broken hearts and hurt feelings. Now, Regina wants to move on, but not without some small revenge. But this small revenge may have a profound effect on her future prospects, unbeknownst to her when she anonymously publishes a rather erotic tale of a young lady and her adventures in love with a certain Lord K. 

Obviously, everyone thinks that Lord K is Knightly. And they have their suspicions eventually on who the author could be. He still cares about Regina in a big way, and calling off their wedding was a little…outside of his hands. He had a good reason, but he can’t tell her what that is. He’s been sworn to secrecy by the person who caused their greatest heartbreak.

And because he still loves her, he is going to make sure he does his part to secure her a better future, an olive branch that Regina reluctantly grabs onto. Because she still has feelings, too. Dangerous feelings. And Regina and Knightly may need to explore those feelings if they ever plan to move on from one another. But what if those feelings are more than just surface? Are they setting themselves up for more hurt, or are they setting themselves up for a chance at a future neither thought they could ever have?

This one was GOOD. The complex relationships, navigating society’s strict structures. Avoiding the pitfalls of finding one another in the dark of a garden at a party? Fantastic. This one is all ‘Love is messy’ and ‘Is Revenge served cold really a thing?’ Yeah. I read it one night. I may not have slept more than three hours. Was it worth it? Yup. 100%. And I’d do it again, Heath. Matter of fact, I may insist on it when the next Chessmen is within reach! 

Thank you Lorraine Heath, Netgalley, and Avon and Harper Voyager for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for this review. It was a delight and I cannot wait for the next installment!

By Eloisa James. Pub Date 03/29/2022.

5 stars. Best enjoyed when you want some romance and hilarity with a tough business woman who bucks tradition and a male love interest that is rough around the edges in all the right ways.

Jacob Astor Addison is in England mainly for business. He wishes to obtain some new people and assets for his growing theatre operation in the states, and London seems to be the prime spot to find such assets given its rich theatrical history. His next venture lies in costuming, specifically obtaining Quimby’s Costume Emporium and its extremely talented proprietor, Martha Quimby. However, his efforts are soundly thwarted when Quimby decides that she would rather sell to another than to move her entire operation and its dedicated employees all the way across the Atlantic. 

When Cleopatra Lewis–whose fanciful name does not match the shrewd business woman who goes by it—realizes that the proprietor of the very establishment in which she stands is at a dire crossroads between closing shop and moving it far from its intended home, she feels she must do something to save it. She purchases the business right out from under the American for more than his original offer. After all, she needs Quimby’s costuming to help her escape the marriage mart so she can continue to run Lewis Commodes as she has since her father died and left it to her when she was 19. Who better to  help her dress as a wallflower than the prominent costumier? 

When Jacob, or Jake to his friends, finds out that Ms. Lewis has upturned his deal with Ms. Quimby, he is both furious and intrigued by the lady who stands in the middle of the shop. Her sharp gaze and lovely façade is hardly what he would expect to find in a business rival. As they enter a tango of wills, they find that their mutual interest in the Emporium is not the only thing that they have in common. As rivalry gives way to revelry and hearts begin to get involved, will this business deal lead to something far more lasting?

One aspect I found entirely different from many other historical romance works set in England was the hero. It was very refreshing to have a less than polished American being the love interest and I felt a lot more connection to Cleopatra Lewis having come from a business background. The H reminded me of my own H and I really saw myself in this story, which made it all the more intriguing and real. I loved how she had her own mind and they both had their own traumas that shaped their shared principles and moral code. It was new and refreshing. 

And the carriage scenes? Delightful!

Eloisa James is a very popular name on the HR scene and for very good reason. Her settings are lush, her descriptions are excellent without being overly flowery, and her characters are well thought out and even the smallest ones add to the story. This was another excellent example of her work and you’d be remiss not to pick this one up!

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon + Harper for the advanced copy in exchange for this fair and honest review. 

By Melanie Dickerson, Pub Date 12/3/2019

3 Stars. Best enjoyed when you want a light fairy tale with a chaste romance.

Thanks to Thomas Nelson Publishing and Netgalley for the advanced copy in exchange for a fair and honest review.

The Piper’s Pursuit takes place in Hamlin in 1424. The city has been overtaken by rats and a beast stalks the forest outside the city gates, snatching children who wander too far from their parents. Katerina, the step daughter of the less than honorable Bürgermeister, will do anything to save her city. When the Duke’s son, Stefan, strolls into the city, Katerina is less than impressed. However, a partnership quickly forms between the two as sinister plots and plans begin to reveal themselves. It will take all their cunning and faith to save Hamlin and its people from the hands of evil that have enclosed themselves around them.

I enjoy Dickerson’s writings for a multitude of reasons. They almost always contain fairy tale element, and I’m a sucker for retellings, and the heroines are often dealing with some trauma or abuse that has happened in their life, and I love to see survivors rise. The Piper’s Pursuit contains all of this and more. There is personal sacrifice, atonement, a heartwarming romance, and young woman who would do anything to save her town from the beasts that have threatened it, regardless of who they may be.

K

Katerina and Stefan were both battling their own demons throughout the book. Some were ghosts of the past, a fight for redemption, while yet others were clear and present. I love these kinds of stories, where one must overcome something to gain something more, and learn to forgive in order to rise from the chains of the past. All of the characters were well fleshed out, and the setting felt very real, although I would have enjoyed a more in depth description of the town itself.

The twists and turns were often predictable, but it really didn’t even matter. The ride was still amazing and fun and you just 100% want things to turn out okay for the main characters. I was so there for it.

By Sherry D. Ficklin, Pub date 9/23/2019. Stolen Empire #5

3 Stars. Best enjoyed with a…um, prior knowledge…of how noble relationships worked back in the day.

Let me start this off by saying that Sherry Ficklin is a very talented author for three very good reasons. One, this is my first book by her and it wasn’t exactly clear that I had jumped into the second half of the series a book too late until I was well into it. She provides enough backstory to catch the reader up on what is going on, though. Two, She is able to tackle what some might find to be very dry material in a way that makes it still pretty interesting. Then again, I love reading about political intrigue in historical fiction. Lastly, she is able to take some usually unpalatable material slightly less palatable.

The Hollow Queen is the second book in the story of Princess Elizabeth, one of the last remaining Romanovs of the royal line. After the murder of her mother, Elizabeth wants to find out who is responsible. However, she is brutally stripped of her title and all its trappings when the throne is passed down to Elizabeth’s half nephew, Peter II. She is then sent to serve him at court, currently hosted by the brutal tyrant, Prince Meshikov. Expecting the worst of the new king, Elizabeth is pleasantly surprised by Peter’s disposition and character. Despite this revelation, her vengeance has yet to be satisfied, and as Peter and Elizabeth grow closer, it becomes clear the person behind her mother’s murder is closer than either of them think. As their feelings become stronger, so does the threat to their lives.

Although the story kept my attention, my interest was not exactly in the romance. Actually, the romance made me uncomfortable so I had to take a couple of stars off. I get it, though, this kind of thing happened pretty frequently back then. Everyone was pretty laissez-faire about it, which probably checks. However, for a modern reader who recognizes that this story is supposed to be a romantic historical retelling, I’m was not here for it and it literally made me squirm a few times. It just felt wrong.

Even if the romance was a little off putting, the overall story was still one that I wanted to finish and figure out. I probably will read the next one just to see Ficklin’s take on Elizabeth’s journey to the regency. I’m a fan of historic fiction, after all!

Thank you to Netgalley and Clean Teen Publishing for an advanced copy of The Hollow Queen in exchange for a fair and honest review.

By Alyson McLayne

4 Stars. Best enjoyed with a glass of wine behind a locked door. 

This book is #4 in The Sons of Gregor MacLeod series, although it can be read as a standalone, which is exactly how I read it. 

Laird Gavin MacLeod is looking for his son who has been lost the last two years after being taken away from the site of a clan gathering following the death of his distant and cold wife from the plague. His single minded search for Ewan MacLeod has turned him into a bitter and angry man, blind to anything other than finding his heir and holding him in his arms again. Little does he know that his young son has been given to the care of Lady Deidre MacIntyre under the guise of him being a bastard son of her own husband. Lady MacIntyre has grown to deeply love the young boy who so lovingly calls her ‘mother’ and the child is the only thing in the MacIntyre estate—in her very life—that she cares about. When Laird MacLeod storms the estate for the boy, Deidre refuses to let the child go without her, and Gavin MacLeod is forced to take his son’s adoptive mother with him, albeit reluctantly. 

As Gavin gets to know Deidre and sees the love she has for his son, feelings begin to stir deeply within his heart—and lower—feelings he hasn’t had for anyone in quite a few years. Feelings that Deidre’s own body echoes back in secret. However, the kidnapping of Deidre begins the stirrings of a war between the patriarch of the MacIntyre clan and that of her family, while there are also parties in the shadows who have been scheming against Gregor MacLeod and his foster sons, including Gavin. Will Deidre and Gavin’s feelings remain unrequited or will the growing feelings of love and physical attraction give them the strength to conquer all?

I really did love this story and I’ll tell you what—Alyson McLayne knows how to write a steamy love scene! Good Glory! The characterizations were deep and meaningful and the growing feelings between Deidre and Gavin weren’t instant, which I always appreciate. Both of the main characters had a lot of their own demons to overcome, both inner and outer. I also love stories where the heroine is well read and the Highland Captive delivered this, along with a fierce and protective hero who could seriously rev some engines! 

The plot was fast paced and many of the characters were both relatable and likeable when they needed to be, and repulsive and unlikeable when it called for it. I had a ton of sympathy for Deidre’s life—she had it rough—but she also more than overcame it with a little encouragement from Gavin and grew to be less timid as the story went on, which is believable and often happens when someone who is pushed into the shadows is brought back into the sun. 

Although I have not read McLayne’s other works, you can bet that I’ll be picking up the others in short order!

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca in exchange for a fair and honest review.

By Jane Goodger, Pub July 9, 2019

4.5 Stars, Best enjoyed in one sitting.

Rebecca Caine never planned to be a duchess. She never planned to have to be sold to settle her father’s gambling debts. She never expected that she would be brought far north of her St. Ives home and into a dark and foreboding estate, one in which the master, her own husband, was believed to be cursed and ghosts could be heard in the walls. She also never expected the passion she would experience with the man who hid himself in darkness.

Oliver Sterling, Duke of Kendal, was cursed with an affliction that pushed him into the dark, scurrying about the hidden passages in his own estate, and causing rumors and fear in the servants and nearby villagers alike, who were convinced that to look in the Cursed Duke’s face would turn them to stone. The only person who saw the Duke was his guardian and estate caretaker, Mr. Winters. His affliction made him a very lonely man, wishing only for a wife, a companion, when he sees a painting of a girl from St. Ives and requests that Mr. Winters find her, marry her in proxy, and bring him back to the estate. He only expected a wife in Rebecca. He never expected to find love, and he most definitely didn’t expect that this union would allow him the chance to walk in the light once again.

This was my first Jane Goodger book, but it will not be my last. I absolutely loved the rich atmosphere and the overall story. The undertones of Beauty & the Beast, one of my personal best-loved fairy tales, only further enhanced it. The characters are well thought out when needed. Rebecca is resilient, Oliver is empathetic, and Mr. Winters is someone you absolutely grow to hate for the part he has played and the other things that he’s done. Rebecca finds her feet under her rather quickly, which says something given that she’s been thrust into a new world and new, much more lofty social status than she ever could have imagined. I’ve always loved a good gothic tale, and this had plenty of that feel even if the cover itself is rather deceptive. It’s atmospheric, creepy at times, scary in others, and both heartbreaking and undeniably romantic. The very estate itself felt real, even with all of its hidden passages and dark chambers, and the reveal of Oliver’s affliction was very surprising and the build up to it kept this reader on her toes. This was an absolutely amazing read. I devoured it in one sitting. ENCORE!

I received an advanced copy of this book courtesy of Netgalley and Kensington Books in return for a fair and honest review.