To the Duke, With Love by Amelia Grey

To the Duke, With Love by Amelia Grey

⭐️⭐️

To be completely and totally honest, I shelved this book a few weeks ago with the intention of coming back to it...and I forgot. It was a chore just to get to 12% and I couldn't imagine finishing it. 

This was a definite case of lust at first sight as both characters were having fantasies about each other within the first few minutes of meeting each other. For me, this makes a tedious read. 

I didn't feel like the infamous letter from the first book was much of a threat given that Hawk already had a husband lined up for his sister. Take out that element and the fact that both characters want in each others' pants from the beginning and there's not much here to keep me reading. 

I MIGHT give the third in the series a shot. 

*I received an eARC from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. 

                                                                                      -Reader

A Devil in Scotland by Suzanne Enoch

A Devil in Scotland by Suzanne Enoch

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I always try to be upfront about my dislike of a certain trope (in this case second chance romance) and while this is technically not a second chance romance, the H/h still had a history. That being said, I thoroughly enjoyed this title anyway.

Callum MacCreath is immature and irresponsible. He has no plans beyond getting his next drink and it stunned to find it his brother is planning to marry his childhood friend, Rebecca. In a case of not realizing what he's got until its gone, Callum leaves Scotland for ten years.

Rebecca knows she made the right choice when she married Callum's brother, Ian, instead of Callum but she still misses Callum terribly while he's away. She is surprised but secretly glad when Callum returns after being away for so long. They begin working together to unravel the mystery surrounding Ian's death.

I highly enjoyed this title and had trouble putting it down. I couldn't wait to find the next clue about what really happened to Ian and that kept me reading probably more than anything. A lot happened in the novel, and I enjoyed almost every minute of it. I liked both Callum and Rebecca, though I thought Callum could be overbearing at times. Rebecca was an intelligent heroine throughout without having any TSTL moments.

I did feel like the romance itself was a bit tepid even with a few love scenes. Perhaps it was because of their history but there just wasn't much heat between Callum and Rebecca. I still found the love story believable (perhaps more so because of the lack of heat). I really enjoyed the fact that there wasn't a lot of "if only" from either character.

The major issue I had with this title was the use of "I reckon" over and over again. It was enough to drive me crazy but the story still managed to overshadow even that.

                                                           -Reader

*An eARC was provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

A Duke in Shining Armor by Loretta Chase

A Duke in Shining Armor by Loretta Chase

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I thought this title was a lot of fun and can't wait for the next!!

Lady Olympia Hightower is surprised to find herself at her wedding to the Duke of Ashmont and is suddenly incredibly unsure she wants to go through with said wedding. Hugh, the Duke of Ripley, is Ashmont's best friend and is determined to make sure Olympia marries Ashmont.

I thought this book was a fun road trip story. I laughed out loud (sometimes in my kid's Taekwondo class) several times. I loved all of the characters (I'm already looking forward to Ashmont's story) and found the situations the characters found themselves in to be fun and believable.

I will definitely be reading the next title in the series!!

                                                        -Reader

*An eARC was provided by Edelweiss and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

It's Hard Out Here for a Duke by Maya Rodale

Hard Out Here for a Duke by Maya Rodale

⭐️⭐️⭐️

While not my favorite of the series, I did enjoy this title.

Before I really begin this review I feel like I need to disclose something: second chance romances are my least favorite. I have turned away many books because the H/h were previously together and were being reunited. Having said that, this title wasn't exactly a second chance romance in the traditional sense but for the first half of the book it certainly felt like one. There was a lot of "if only" in the first half of the book and a few times I seriously considered giving up on it.

I didn't give up, however, and the second half of the book made up for it. It was so much better than the beginning of the book and I really enjoyed it. I liked both James and Miranda and felt like they went together so well.

I enjoyed getting to see James learning to deal with his new responsibilities (whether he wanted to or not). And I felt like there was a real obstacle to his and Miranda's relationship besides their (very brief) history together. It wasn't something a simple conversation could overcome and that's often the worst part of a second chance romance.

I felt like this title was missing much of Miss Rodale's light and fun storytelling but it was still an entertaining read and I look forward to whatever she has coming next!!

                                                          -Reader

*An eARC was provided by Edelweiss and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

A Daring Arrangement by Joanna Shupe

⭐️⭐️⭐️

I enjoyed this title and will be reading the next.

I really liked both the hero and heroine and found the plot to be fun, if sometimes a little slow.

                                                        -Reader

*An eARC was provided by Edelweiss and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

The Texan Duke by Karen Ranney Review

Sad to see this great series end but looking forward to what Ms. Ranney will publish in the future!

While I personally liked the second title in this series the best, this was still a very solid installment.

Dukes are all well and good but sometimes it's nice to meet one that wasn't born a duke. This is what we get with Connor. His reluctance to be duke makes for an enjoyable read and I really, really liked him.

I enjoyed the overall plot of this story and watching these two people come together and fall in love. There may have been a few slow spots, but nothing that I felt I had to force myself through to keep reading.

Will definitely be reading more from Karen Ranney!!

                                                      -Reader

*An eARC was provided by Edelweiss and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Wilde in Love by Eloisa James Review

I really enjoyed this title and can't wait for the next in the series!!

I absolutely loved Willa and thought she was a fantastic heroine. She was her own person and didn't need (or want) Alaric to validate her as a person. I did get a bit annoyed that he ignored her when she tried to ask him several times to leave her alone and kept persuing her anyway.

I thought Alaric's crazy family was a ton of fun and can't wait to read their stories too. And the secondary characters all added a fun element to the story too without being annoying.

Can't wait for the next one! Hope it's North's story!!

                                                     -Reader

*An eARC was provided by Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.