Mini Book Review: The Duke Gets Desperate by Diana Quincy

The Duke Gets Desperate (Sirens in Silk #1)
Publisher: Avon
Pub Date: 26 September 2023
Genre: Historical Romance

Panda Rating:

(4 pandas)

📖 SYNOPSIS

Diana Quincy returns with a steamy affair between an Arab-American woman who inherits a run-down castle in the English countryside and the duke who asserts the castle is his, in the first book in a brand-new Victorian historical romance series.

Anthony Cary, Duke of Strickland, inherits his spendthrift father’s title and can finally restore the family castle to its former glory. But at the reading of the will, Strick is stunned to learn that his father has secretly disentailed him, leaving the family manor–home to twelve generations of dukes–to Strick’s American stepmother. Everyone knows Strick detests the dowager duchess, and when she dies mysteriously, damning rumors start to surface.

When Raya Darwish unexpectedly inherits her glamorous late cousin’s castle in the English countryside, she clashes with the charismatic young duke who insists the castle is rightfully his. The estate is practically bankrupt, so she must find a way to work with the duke in order to save both of their futures.

The two cannot stand each other, but mutual disdain soon gives way to desire. When questions arise about how her cousin died, Raya cannot help wondering if Strick’s sudden unbridled passion for her is part of a scheme to get his castle back…

⚠️ CONTENT/TRIGGER WARNINGS

Misogyny, racism, xenophobia, attempted murder

TL;DR: The Duke Gets Desperate was not what I expected in the best way! I have to admit that this got off to a bit of a rocky start for me but my feelings (thankfully) changed along the way. Raya and (eventually) Anthony were so easy to root for. I love it when an MMC falls first and this man falls hard and fast for Raya and not in an instalove way because they properly couldn’t stand each other to start. And the mouth on him was quite a surprise! 😂🥵 Overall, this was a feisty and sexy historical romance and I’m excited to read more by this author.

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Book Review: Bombshell by Sarah MacLean

Bombshell (Hell’s Belles #1)
Publisher: Piatkus
Pub Date: 24 August 2021
Genre: Historical Romance

Panda Rating:

(4.5 pandas)

📖 SYNOPSIS

New York Times bestselling author Sarah MacLean returns with a blazingly sexy, unapologetically feminist new series, Hell’s Belles, beginning with a bold, bombshell of a heroine, able to dispose of a scoundrel – or seduce one – in a single night.

Sometimes the best gentleman for the job is a lady.

After years of living as London’s brightest scandal, Lady Sesily Talbot has embraced the reputation and the freedom that comes with the title. No one looks twice when she lures a gentleman into the dark gardens beyond a Mayfair ballroom…and no one realizes those trysts are not what they seem. No one, that is, but Caleb Calhoun, who has spent years trying not to notice his best friend’s beautiful, brash, brilliant sister. If you ask him, he’s been a saint about it, considering the way she looks at him…and the way she talks to him…and the way she’d felt in his arms during their one ill-advised kiss.

Except someone has to keep Sesily from tumbling into trouble during her dangerous late-night escapades, and maybe close proximity is exactly what Caleb needs to get this infuriating, outrageous woman out of his system. But now Caleb is the one in trouble, because he’s fast realizing that Sesily isn’t for forgetting…she’s forever. And forever isn’t something he can risk.

TL;DR: Bombshell was such a fun, empowering, sexy, and totally swoony historical romance! MacLean’s writing is so entertaining and made it incredibly easy to devour this in one sitting. I loved this group of powerful society ladies working to smash the patriarchy, one power-hungry, corrupt and deplorable man of the ton at a time. Sesily and Caleb were a fantastic couple who had incendiary chemistry and a deliciously angsty romance full of pining, and that had me feeling giddy with delight. I can’t wait to continue this series and see what else these Hell’s Belles get up to!

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Book Review: The Duke Effect by Sophie Jordan

The Duke Effect (The Rogue Files #7)
Publisher: Avon
Pub Date: 27 October 2020
Genre: Historical Romance

Panda Rating:

(4 pandas)

📖 SYNOPSIS

Young Rhea is a miller’s daughter of low birth, so she is understandably surprised when a mysterious nobleman, Lord Crevan, shows up on her doorstep and proposes marriage. Since commoners don’t turn down lords—no matter how sinister they may seem—Rhea is forced to agree to the engagement.

Lord Crevan demands that Rhea visit his remote manor before their wedding. Upon arrival, she discovers that not only was her betrothed married six times before, but his previous wives are all imprisoned in his enchanted castle. Determined not to share their same fate, Rhea asserts her desire for freedom. In answer, Lord Crevan gives Rhea a series of magical tasks to complete, with the threat “Come back before dawn, or else I’ll marry you.”

With time running out and each task more dangerous and bizarre than the last, Rhea must use her resourcefulness, compassion, and bravery to rally the other wives and defeat the sorcerer before he binds her to him forever.

TL;DR: The Duke Effect was a fun historical romp that features an opposites-attract romance featuring a sassy whip-smart FMC and a starchy do-gooder MMC. I loved the evolution of Nora and Constantine’s relationship from antagonistic acquaintances due to the mistaken/hidden identity trope but eventually grows into mutual respect, trust, friendship, and eventually, love. It was angsty, swoony, and a bit cheesy but so good!

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Mini Book Reviews: Highland Brides 1-2 by Lynsay Sands

An English Bride in Scotland (Highland Brides #1)
Pub Date: 25 June 2013
Genre: Historical Romance

Panda Rating:

(3.5 pandas)

📖 SYNOPSIS

From New York Times bestselling author of The Husband Hunt , The Heiress , and other beloved historical romances, comes Lynsay Sands’s An English Bride in Scotland, the first book in a new series set in the wilds of the Highlands.

Annabel had planned to become a nun. But when her mother arrives at the Abbey to bring her home to marry a Scottish laird—her runaway sister’s intended husband—her life takes a decidedly different turn.

And though Annabel isn’t the wife he’d planned for, strong, sexy Ross McKay is taken with his shy, sweet bride.

Annabel knows nothing about being a wife, running a castle—or the marriage bed. But her handsome new husband makes her want to learn. When Annabel’s life is threatened, Ross vows to move the highlands itself to save her and preserve the passion that’s only beginning to bloom.

TL;DR: This book doesn’t seem to take itself too seriously and neither did I, so therefore, neither should you! It’s simply a good, silly, fun and sexy time. If you go into this expecting the plot to be serious and the characters to be anything more than one-dimensional, you’re bound to be disappointed and you might as well skip it. BUT if you want a quick and mostly painless (though not for the characters) romance to pass the time and aren’t averse to general ridiculousness, multiple concussions and orgasms, then why not give it a go?

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#FirstLinesFriday: 21 July 2023

Happy Friday book lovers! We’re back with another First Lines Friday, a weekly feature for book lovers hosted by Wandering Words. What if instead of judging a book by its cover, its author or its prestige, we judged it by its opening lines? Here are the rules:

  • Pick a book off your shelf (it could be your current read or on your TBR) and open to the first page
  • Copy the first few lines, but don’t give anything else about the book away just yet – you need to hook the reader first
  • Finally… reveal the book!

First lines:

“Oh, Mis Whitmore. Just look at this horrid place.”
As she alighted from the coach, Clio took in the narrow, cobbled passage between two rows of warehouses. “It looks like an alleyway, Anna.”
“It smells of blood. Lord preserve us. We’ll be
murdered.”

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Book Review: A Marvellous Light by Freya Marske

A Marvellous Light (The Last Binding #1)
Publisher: Tor
Pub Date: 26 October 2021
Genre: Historical Fantasy/Romance

Panda Rating:

(4 pandas)

📖 SYNOPSIS

Set in an alternative Edwardian England, this is a comedy of manners, manor houses, and hedge mazes: including a magic-infused murder mystery and a delightful queer romance.

Young baronet Robin Blyth thought he was taking up a minor governmental post. However, he’s actually been appointed parliamentary liaison to a secret magical society. If it weren’t for this administrative error, he’d never have discovered the incredible magic underlying his world.

Cursed by mysterious attackers and plagued by visions, Robin becomes determined to drag answers from his missing predecessor – but he’ll need the help of Edwin Courcey, his hostile magical-society counterpart. Unwillingly thrown together, Robin and Edwin will discover a plot that threatens every magician in the British Isles.

The Binding meets Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell in debut author Freya Marske’s A Marvellous Light.

⚠️ CONTENT/TRIGGER WARNINGS

Homomisia, sexism, racism, death of a parent, murder, attempted murder, torture, kidnapping, bullying, on-page sex

TL;DR: Despite a bit of a rocky and slow start, I did end up enjoying this book! This was a fun historical fantasy set in the Regency era that balanced the romance and mystery well. Although the mystery wasn’t entirely surprising, there were still some neat little twists that had me eager to learn more! Robin and Edwin were wonderful main characters and I loved their dynamic and romance—I found it swoony, romantic and sweet. 🥰 Not to mention, it got unexpectedly steamy! Overall, a great read and I can’t wait to pick up the next book!

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ARC Review: Romancing the Heiress by Darcy Burke

Special thanks to Zealous Quill Press for providing a digital ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review!

Romancing the Heiress (Lords in Love #3)
Publisher: Zealous Quill Press
Publication Date: 04 April 2023
Genre: Historical Romance

Panda Rating:

(2.5 pandas)

📖 SYNOPSIS

Thanks to his profligate father, Phineas Radford is in dire straits. His estate verges on bankruptcy, and he doesn’t have the funds to maintain his family’s botanical gardens–an intrinsic part of Marrywell’s annual May Day Matchmaking Festival. He prays no one learns of his secret desperation or there will be a panic about the future of the festival, which everyone relies on to fill their own coffers. The only way to save his estate and the town is to find an heiress to wed before time runs out.

After five years away, Leah Webster returns home as the companion to a wealthy young Society lady who is in search of a husband. Her employer quickly captures the attention of Leah’s oldest friend…and longtime secret tendre. Leah is determined to prevent the terrible mismatch between the provincial Phin and the High Society jewel until she discovers Phin’s noble reasons for the courtship. Though her own heart will surely break, Leah hatches an imprudent plan to save her town and the man she still loves.

⚠️ CONTENT/TRIGGER WARNINGS

Child abuse (recounted-emotional, verbal, physical), death of parent (recounted), murder (recounted), gambling debts, on-page sex, gaslighting

TL;DR: I’ve enjoyed quite a few of Darcy Burke’s books, most recently her Phoenix Club series. so I was looking forward to trying one of her stories from a different series. Sadly, I didn’t end up enjoying this at all. My biggest issue is that I didn’t feel the chemistry between Phin and Leah, and I found that there was too much “telling” and not nearly enough “showing”, which left the characters and romance feeling shallow. That said, I know I’m very much in the minority with my feelings if the other reviews and ratings are anything to go by, so I have no doubt that others could end up loving this more than I did!

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#FirstLinesFriday: 10 March 2023

Happy Friday book lovers! We’re back with another First Lines Friday, a weekly feature for book lovers hosted by Wandering Words. What if instead of judging a book by its cover, its author or its prestige, we judged it by its opening lines? Here are the rules:

  • Pick a book off your shelf (it could be your current read or on your TBR) and open to the first page
  • Copy the first few lines, but don’t give anything else about the book away just yet – you need to hook the reader first
  • Finally… reveal the book!
Read More »

Book Reviews: Halifax Hellions Series by Alexandra Vasti

Halifax Hellions #1

In Which Margo Halifax Earns Her Shocking Reputation
Pub Date: 19 September 2022
Genre: Historical Romance

Panda Rating:

(4.5 pandas)

📖 SYNOPSIS

The Halifax Hellions are the most scandalous, outrageous, ungovernable ladies in London. From the day of their debut—in which Matilda smoked a cheroot and Margo tied a cherry stem in a knot with her tongue—they’ve turned the ton upside down. But when Matilda elopes with a dangerous aristocrat, Margo must stop her twin before this new misadventure becomes a permanent marriage. For help, Margo turns to her brother’s best friend—because if anyone can get them to Scotland in time, it’s starchy solicitor Henry Mortimer.

Henry Mortimer has precisely one secret in his otherwise buttoned-up life: he’s been in love with Margo for seven wonderful, agonizing years. When she turns up at his doorstep, soaked to the skin and desperate for his help, he cannot turn her down. A week alone in a carriage with the object of his desires an arm’s length away? Surely he can survive that. He hopes.

But the road to Scotland is paved with disasters—caves and crashes and the bloody rain that keeps forcing Henry to hold a damp, shivering, sinfully tempting Margo in his arms. Only an unstoppable force could drag the truth of Henry’s affection from his lips. Unfortunately for him, Margo Halifax has yet to be stopped.

⚠️ CONTENT/TRIGGER WARNINGS

On-page sex, road accident

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Book Review: A Lady’s Guide to Fortune-Hunting by Sophie Irwin

A Lady’s Guide to Fortune-Hunting
Publisher: HarperCollinsPublishers
Published: 12 July 2022
Genre: Historical (Regency) Romance

Panda Rating:

(4 pandas)

📖 SYNOPSIS

Kitty Talbot needs a fortune. Or rather, she needs a husband who has a fortune. Left with her father’s massive debts, she has only twelve weeks to save her family from ruin.

Kitty has never been one to back down from a challenge, so she leaves home and heads toward the most dangerous battleground in all of England: the London season.

Kitty may be neither accomplished nor especially genteel—but she is utterly single-minded; imbued with cunning and ingenuity, she knows that risk is just part of the game.

The only thing she doesn’t anticipate is Lord Radcliffe. The worldly Radcliffe sees Kitty for the mercenary fortune-hunter that she really is and is determined to scotch her plans at all costs, until their parrying takes a completely different turn…

This is a frothy pleasure, full of brilliant repartee and enticing wit—one that readers will find an irresistible delight.

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