Tag: audra wells

Book Review: A Beguiled Gentleman (The Bradley Brothers #1) by Audra Wells

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Historical Romance
Length: 316 pages
Author: Audra Wells
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: May 6th, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Hannah Gibbons is no stranger to being seen as little more than her dowry—a prize to be claimed by eager suitors for their own gain and a tool to be used by her parents to elevate their social status. So whenever Hannah’s impetuous nature strikes, her parents assume their name sullied, and pack up and move away to start fresh. But now Hannah has more at stake—friendships, and even love, are on the table, and she is determined not to lose it this time.

Lord Noah Bradley, a man of kindness and quiet integrity, has long dreamed of marrying, but when his heartfelt proposal to Miss Margaret Lewiston is rejected, his spirit is shattered. Left to face the sting of heartbreak, he struggles to regain his footing as life’s unexpected challenges—both in his relationships and his work—threaten to overwhelm him. But his new friendship with Miss Hannah Gibbons begins to help him find comfort and solace.

Will Noah’s heart find new hope in the woman who has become his greatest ally? Or will he remain too lost in the shadows of his past to recognize the love right in front of him?

THIS WAS SWEET.

Audra Wells is easily one of my favorite historical romance authors. Her books hit so well every time and I adored the soft and gentle nature in Noah. And I loved his mindset about being who he wanted to be and figuring things out on his own. Noah had this endearing quality that was easy to love. I wish he was a bit less oblivious to Hannah (and a little less of his ex) though.

Hannah was easy to love. I loved her quirky nature and relatable characteristics. There was a genuine nature to the friends to lovers trope that I did like a lot.

Truly though it was a charming read with many memorable moments. It was swoony and fast paced and so much ground was covered. I loved the hints towards future books and I am just happy to be here with another Audra Wells series.

Overall audience notes:

  • Historical Romance
  • Language: none
  • Romance: kisses
  • Violence: low

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Book Review: An Improper Scheme (Improper Agreements #3) by Audra Wells

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Regency Romance
Length: 292 pages
Author: Audra Wells
Publisher: Self published
Release Date: October 10th, 2023
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Sleep—something Henry longs for yet cannot seem to attain. It had never been the case before, but since his younger sister Louisa has been out in society, he is plagued by dreams of failure. And to top it all off, an old acquaintance has asked for his assistance in watching out for another young lady during her first season. He should say no. But his good nature will not allow it.

Violet dreams of lords and balls, and is all that is innocent and naive. Soon after arriving in town, she finds out her brother-in-law has arranged for another man to keep an eye on her. In a moment of boldness, she turns the tables and asks for a favor of her own. But when she sees how much Lord Wood does for others, and not for himself, she decides to help him instead. Only, he does not know of her secret scheme, and would likely not approve of her methods if he did.

But what happens when they gain feelings for the one they are supposed to be helping?

An Improper Scheme is a clean Regency romance and the third in Audra Wells’ Improper Agreements series. It can be read as a stand-alone, but it best enjoyed in order.

CHARMING.

This was another fun read in the Improper series. I adore Audra Wells writing style and I’m happy that I finally decided to pick them up. I love that they are shorter, lighter reads that bring plenty of swoon and heart. I loved Henry and Violet. They had a great opposites attract vibe and lots of good forced proximity moments.

I enjoyed the plot. I didn’t looove the shenanigans Violet and Louisa got up to, but that’s okay. I liked the growth from Henry and Violet and that they both got resolutions to things they were working through.

A cute read and I’m looking forward to the next book!

Overall audience notes:

  • Regency Romance
  • Language: none
  • Romance: kisses
  • Violence: low

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Book Review: An Improper Gentleman (Improper Agreements #2) by Audra Wells

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Historical Romance
Length: 271 pages
Author: Audra Wells
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: February 28th, 2023
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Bridget has learned not to trust an easy smile or flattering tongue, and Lord Archibald has both in spades. To make her time with him at Brookside Manor more tolerable–and to use it to her benefit–she agrees to do one activity with him every day in exchange for a fact about their host, Lord Eaton. However, she will only agree on one condition: there must be no touching of any kind.

Archie is used to young women swooning whenever he is near, so Miss Hall’s obvious reticence intrigues him. He has never had to prove himself and is more than willing to try to win her over. Much to his chagrin, his efforts only seem to make him look foolish while in her company.

When a woman once scorned refuses to fall victim to charm, and a man of leisure finds himself falling short at every turn, a hilarious battle of wills ensues.

An Improper Gentleman is a clean romance and is the second book in the Improper Agreements series. It can be read as a stand-alone but is best enjoyed in order.

LOVE THE BANTER.

Two books read from Audra Wells and I am becoming an absolute fan. I love the way she writes banter and dialogue between the love interests. It’s cheeky, yet there’s so much sincerity as the romance develops that the swoon factor is also high.

I did want to shake the FMC a little bit towards the end. I understood her difficulty trusting, but I thought she’d stop running away at last. With very little change in setting I thought the plot moved well. It’s short and fast paced and I loooved Archie. The opposites attract was in full force here and I love love love when there’s lots of forced proximity.

Overall audience notes:

  • Regency Romance
  • Language: none
  • Romance: kisses

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Book Review: An Improper Agreement (Improper Agreements #1) by Audra Wells

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Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: Historical Romance
Length: 237 pages
Author: Audra Wells
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: October 4th, 2022
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

She refused to meet his eye, but he heard her quiet words, ground out behind clenched teeth. “I accept, Lord Eaton. And I plan to win.”

Clara has been missing from the London marriage mart for six years and is reluctant to return. That feeling only grows when she happens to meet Lord Eaton–a rather arrogant, proud Earl who vexes her from the moment they first meet. Not wanting to allow herself to be put down by a pompous, self-righteous man, she agrees to the silly game he proposes. The first to make the better match by the end of the season…wins.

Wesley had not intended to meet Miss Carrow in the hedge maze in the dark of night–but that is precisely what happened. He can’t help but get a rise out of her when he finds that she is entirely too entertaining to tease. Now, they are stuck in a cut-throat competition to see who can land the better match by the end of the season.

There are no rules in their secret game–a fact that Wesley overlooked when proposing the idea. Now his plan to pursue the daughter of a duke is quickly crumbling before his very eyes…and not just because of Miss Carrow’s meddling. Miss Carrow herself begins to prove to be an unwanted and unplanned distraction.

Will either opponent succeed? Or will they stumble upon something deeper as they spend more and more time in each other’s company?

LOVED THIS.

This is the first book by Audra Wells I have read and it won’t be my last. I thought this was an absolute gem of a read and had such a great time with it. It had this very slight modern tone to it and a bit of a rom-com vibe in the midst of a regency romance and I was all over how well it was written.

Wesley and Clara had my attention from the beginning. I loved the banter and the predicament they put themselves into. There were balls and forced proximity and carriage rides and all the things I love seeing that shows the development in a relationship I crave. Some of those moments in the second half had me SWOONING. And wow do I love a great kissing scene too.

I had a hard time putting this one down and thought it was beautifully paced and had the right level of drama and pull that kept me coming back for more. Can’t wait to read more books in this series!

Overall audience notes:

  • Regency Romance
  • Language: none
  • Romance: kisses
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: brief mentions of past child abuse, loss of a mother, recounted

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