A Delicate Deception by Cat Sebastian

Amelia Allenby runs away from a scandal to the countryside where all she seeks is peace and quiet, not a giant of a man who keeps disturbing her daily walks. Sydney would rather be anywhere but Pelham Hall, but he’s waiting after a summons from his friend, the Duke of Hereford. After meeting Amelia on her walks, Sydney is captivated by her but keeps his ownership of Pelham Hall a secret. As they begin getting to know one another, each must decide if they can divulge their secrets. 

The first half of this book was just delightful: there were two socially awkward people learning to be friends and maybe more. The side characters were fun and engaging. I couldn’t wait to see Sydney and Amelia interact more. And then...the complete lack of a plot caught up with the story and it became completely character driven. I am not a fan of stories that have no real plot going on (or several small ones) and it turned into a rather boring read for me. 

I really enjoyed the other title of Cat Sebastian’s that I’ve read and I will give her another try. 

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

The Duke’s Embrace by Erica Ridley

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Another very enjoyable story set in the town of Christmas!!

Sébastien le Duc wants nothing more than to help his brother get back to their beloved France. Miss Eve Shelling wants nothing more than to prove to her father what a serious journalist she can be. Together they work to reach their respective goals and begin falling in love along the way. 

This was such a fun read! I’m a big fan of enemies to lovers stories and even though Bastien and Eve didn’t outright dislike each other, they were more antagonistic towards each other to begin with. The progression from  not friends to friends to lovers took time, and I love that. 

I thought Bastien was a lot of fun and liked that there was more to him than being a dandy. I enjoyed discovering his other side right alongside Eve. Every heroine in this series has been fabulous, and Eve is no exception. She grew into her own person more as the story progressed and that is a joy to read. 

Of course, I CANNOT wait for Lucien’s story!!

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

Joy to the Duke by Darcy Burke

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This was a very enjoyable take on A Christmas Carol. Calder was a perfect Scrooge, and I felt his thawing out was pretty believable given the short timeline. I thought the nightmares were a very nice touch. I enjoyed reading about Felicity, too, and liked her persistence.  I enjoyed seeing the characters from the previous books and felt this was a great way to end a great series!

*I received an eARC from the author in exchange for an honest review. 

The Duke’s Bride by Erica Ridley

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While this title wasn’t my favorite of the series, it was still an enjoyable read. 

Désirée le Duc doesn’t feel as if she’s English despite living in England most of her life but doesn’t feel French either since she barely remembers even living in France. All she really wants is to find a place she feels she belongs. Jack Skeffington has two children that need a governess and a smuggling business that needs his attention. Together, can they solve each other’s problems?

I liked both Désirée and Jack, even if neither really stood out like Erica Ridley’s characters usually do. As far as her heroines, Désirée was rather bland but nice enough. Jack didn’t really stand out much as a hero, either, but he was a nice guy and a good father. 

I feel like the smuggling business was kind of glossed over and it certainly didn’t seem overly dangerous. It seemed like it was an attempt to make Jack more interesting. It didn’t take away from my enjoyment of the story, though. 

I found the story to be an overall pleasant read. There wasn’t a lot of conflict, which I’m okay with. I prefer my romances without a lot of angst. 

It’s always nice to visit Cressmouth again and see characters from other books! Lucien and Bastien stole the show in the scenes that featured them, and I can’t wait to read their stories!!

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

Dukes, Actually by Erica Ridley

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Adam Farland, Duke of Azureford, has been mistaken for an arrogant, aloof lord. What he actually is, however, is a quiet and shy lord. Adam devises a plan guaranteed to help him break out of his shell and find the society bride he needs. Miss Carole Quincy is as outgoing as she is unconventional, and will be the perfect practice for Adam’s flirting. Until that practice starts to feel very real...

I absolutely ADORED this title. Erica Ridley excels at creating heroes and heroines that are more than rakish lords or society ladies. And I love those heroes and heroines. Adam is one of my favorites for this series because I’m a sucker for a shy guy. Even better if people have assumed him to be arrogant because of his shyness. He was a great guy and I think Carole was the best heroine for him. She was fabulous in her own right and I enjoyed reading her emotional journey through the story. 

This was not a very plot driven title but I found myself turning page after page regardless. I just could not wait for more moments between Adam and Carole. I was not a huge fan of the billiards games but they didn’t take away from the story at all. 

Of course I cannot wait for the next title in this series! This title was well worth waiting a year for!!

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

The Prince of Broadway by Joanna Shupe

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I seriously have to wonder what I missed in this book. I disliked Florence from the very beginning so I honestly didn’t care what happened to her. She very much came across (to me, at least) like a sullen teenager behaving badly to try and get attention, not a grown woman. 

Insta-lust reared it’s ugly head very early on and that makes a boring read for me, especially when they don’t fight that attraction all that long. 

I also found the casino lessons and all the talk of the different games at casinos to be boring scenes. I guess I expected more. 

I’m not sure if I’ll be continuing with this series since I didn’t particularly like Mamie either so I can’t imagine I’ll like the third sister. I still think Joanna Shupe is an enjoyable author to read, however. 

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

When the Marquess was Mine by Caroline Linden

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Caroline Linden manages a feat few other authors have accomplished and makes a sickroom entertaining! I had trouble putting this down!!

Amnesia stories can be tricky, especially if the person that suffers from it is not the nicest person to begin with. I thought Caroline Linden handled a hero that was a jerk in his past changing and becoming a better man due to amnesia very well. Rob’s change after waking seemed very plausible to me and I loved the guy he woke up to be. He was such a nice guy after waking up, and I loved his transformation. 

Because of some of her actions, I was a little on the fence about Georgiana for the first part of the book but she won me over in the end and I really liked her, too. 

The First Kiss was teased several times before it actually happened and I just adore that. It sets up so much tension for when it finally does happen and it’s just fantastic when it does. 

Probably my favorite thing in this title was Rob’s determination to be worthy of Georgiana. I love it when a hero falls first and it made it even better that Rob had been such a jerk before. He kind of reminded me a bit of Darcy, to be honest. 

I really liked Rob’s brother, Tom, and hope he gets his own story at some point! Can’t wait until the next title in this series!!