Tag: historical romance

Book Review: A Modest Independence (Parish Orphans of Devon #2) by Mimi Matthews

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Historical Romance
Length: 400 pages
Author: Mimi Matthews
Publisher: Perfectly Proper Press
Release Date: April 23rd, 2019
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

He Needed Peace…

Solicitor Tom Finchley has spent his life using his devious intellect to solve the problems of others. As for his own problems, they’re nothing that a bit of calculated vengeance can’t remedy. But that’s all over now. He’s finally ready to put the past behind him and settle down to a quiet, uncomplicated life. If only he could find an equally uncomplicated woman.

She Wanted Adventure…

Former lady’s companion Jenny Holloway has just been given a modest independence. Now, all she wants is a bit of adventure. A chance to see the world and experience life far outside the restrictive limits of Victorian England. If she can discover the fate of the missing Earl of Castleton while she’s at it, so much the better.

From the gaslit streets of London to the lush tea gardens of colonial India, Jenny and Tom embark on an epic quest—and an equally epic romance. But even at the farthest edges of the British Empire, the past has a way of catching up with you…

SWOONY READ.

I enjoyed so much of this book. I liked all of the traveling aspects and seeing Jenny find her own sort of path in the world. Tom was GONE for her from the get-go and the way he looked after her made me weak.

The banter and soft teasing between them really lit their chemistry on fire. I loved their interactions and how much forced proximity was squeezed out of this adventure.

I struggled a bit with Jenny’s hard headedness during the third act, but I found the final moments super sweet and romantic. Another great read from Mimi Matthews. She is a wonderful comfort author for me.

Overall audience notes:

  • Historial Romance
  • Language: none
  • Romance: heated kisses
  • Violence: moderate
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: colonialism, mentions of war, loss of loved ones, mentions of child abuse (recounted)

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ARC Book Review: Beyond the Crescent Sky (The Balkan Legends #2) by A.L. Sowards

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Rating: ★★★★★
Genre: Historical Romance
Length: 368 pages
Author: A.L. Sowards
Publisher: Shadow Mountain
Release Date: January 7th, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Helena is a healer. Ivan is her prisoner. Caught in the crossfire of war, they must choose: loyalty, or love.

The Balkans, 1383

A sudden conflict between Serbs and Greeks has forced Ivan to join his brother and fight with the Serbian army. On the battlefield, Ivan is wounded and captured by the hostile Greeks, becoming a hostage in a deadly bid for power.

Helena, a Greek midwife, is tasked to care for Ivan, a request that will not only test her healing abilities but also her loyalty. Though war has made her reluctant patient an enemy, she can’t help but forge a connection with him, yet falling in love with him could turn her world upside down and brand her a traitor.

As the Ottoman Empire extends its grip into the Balkans, events beyond their control force Ivan and Helena to choose between loyalty to their families and people or following the longings of their hearts.

Award-winning historical novelist A. L. Sowards creates an engaging world of overlords and spies, rebellions and battlefields, and forbidden love.

Thank you to A.L. Sowards and Shadow Mountain for my gifted copy.

MY HEART.

I feel like I barely survived this book y’all. It took my heart out of my chest, smashed it on the ground a few times, and then picked up all the pieces and put it back together. So you know, YOU SHOULD READ IT TOO. This really took me on a historical journey. I love that the author doesn’t shy away from the hard truths of life in a different time period. It is not a linear path. The crossroads are imminent and the valleys are deep. But I loved how Helena and Ivan climbed the mountain together. As many times as it took, to find each other again.

It’s a slower paced book that really builds the journey. I loved the multiple points of view. There’s something about getting the antagonist POV that helps seal the deal on a great read. I loved seeing the mindsets and interpretations of the time period and setting. It’s gritty and the emotions are raw and also incredibly romantic.

I loved seeing how everything came together in the end. The hits kept coming and the characters kept rising. And that’s what it is all about. I CAN’T WAIT for book three!!!

Overall audience notes:

  • Historical Romance
  • Language: none
  • Romance: closed door
  • Violence: moderate
  • Content Warnings: miscarriage (from a fall), many childbirth scenes (and loss of mother/child moments as well), war violence and battle themes, blood/gore/injury depictions

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Monthly Reading Wrap-Up: December 2024

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How is it the end of the year again? I wrapped it up with a few less books (reading Rhythm of War and Wind and Truth will do that to you). But a good month to end 2024.

Favorites of the month:

  • Rhythm of War (reread)
  • A Monsoon Rising
  • Beg, Borrow, or Steal
  • O Goalie Night
  • Wind and Truth
  • Exes Don’t
  • Holiday Hostilities
  • Is She Really Going Out with Him?
  • All the Missing Pieces
  • In the Wake of the Wicked

Least favorites:

  • The Island House
  • Merry Little Match by Celine Rachelle
  • [Reread] Rhythm of War (The Stormlight Archives #4) by Brandon Sanderson
  • Stranger Skies (Drowned Gods #2) by Pascale Lacelle
  • [ARC/ALC] A Monsoon Rising (The Hurricane Wars #2) by Thea Guanzon
  • Since We’ve No Place to Go
  • Servant of the Earth (The Shards of Magic #1) by Sarah Hawley
  • [ARC] Beg, Borrow, or Steal (When in Rome #3) by Sarah Adams
  • Have Yourself a Married Little Christmas by Claire Cain
  • The Serpent and the Wolf (Dark Inheritance Trilogy #1) by Rebecca Robinson
  • [ARC] Lady Anna’s Favor by Karen Tuft
  • O Goalie Night by K.M. Gillis
  • My December Darling by Lauren Asher
  • One Night Two Holidays by Ali Brady
  • [ARC] A Cruel Thirst by Angela Montoya
  • [ARC] Dating and Dragons (Dungeons and Drama #1) by Kristy Boyce
  • 12 Days of Mistletoe by Jen Atkinson
  • That Time We Kissed Under the Mistletoe (Abieville Love Stories #4) by Julie Christianson
  • Wind and Truth (The Stormlight Archive #5) by Brandon Sanderson
  • Games Untold (The Inheritance Games #4.5) by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
  • [ALC] Immortal by Sue Lynn Tan
  • A Kingdom of Shadows (A City of Flames #2) by Rina Vasquez
  • An Honorable Deception (The Imposters #3) by Roseanna M. White
  • We Could Be Villains (The Vigil & Ante Files #1) by Megan McCullough
  • Twenty-Four Seconds from Now… by Jason Reynolds
  • [ALC] Breath of the Dragon (Breathmarked #1) by Fonda Lee and Shannon Lee
  • Exes Don’t (Fall in Love #3) by Leah Dobrinska
  • Holiday Hostilities (Cyclones Christmas #2) by Katie Bailey
  • The Island House (Getaway Bay Romances #1) by Elana Johnson
  • Is She Really Going Out with Him? by Sophie Cousens
  • [ARC] All the Missing Pieces by Catherine Cowles
  • In the Wake of the Wicked by V.B. Lacey
  • The Scholar and the Last Faerie Door by H.G. Parry

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Book Review: Merry Little Match by Celine Rachelle

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Christmas Historical Romance
Length: 406 pages
Author: Celine Rachelle
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: November 24th, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Inspired by Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, this closed-door christmas regency romance follows Lady Clara Ashford as she turns her Yuletide house party into a daring scheme to save her family from ruin. When her plans clash with the infuriating and devastatingly handsome Nicolaus Croft, a battle of wits ensues—one laced with simmering attraction, festive chaos, and unexpected alliances.

An earl’s daughter should never be caught gasping at gossip, let alone cause it. But Lady Clara Ashford has always been a rule-breaker. Whispers of Clara’s scandalous schemes swirl through the drawing rooms of London’s elite.

Infamous for her wild antics—from clandestine book clubs devouring Byron’s most daring works to her perpetually muddied hems — Clara’s escapades leave every mother in the marriage mart clutching their pearls in horror. But her reckless freedom comes to a crashing halt when she returns home to find her father gravely ill.

Suddenly, her family’s earldom is poised to slip into the grasp of a conniving cousin. Clara and her sister Evie stand on the brink of ruin right as Christmas approaches. Before their cousin Rupert can force Evie to marry him, Clara must meddle her way into a love-match for her sister during the Yuletide festivities at their estate.

However, she didn’t account for someone determined to thwart her at every turn. When the infuriating Nicolaus Croft uncovers Clara’s plans to ensnare his friend, they are caught in a battle of wits.

As Christmas balls turn into scandalous disasters and mistletoe mischief abounds, Clara must battle both her cousin’s dastardly plans and her own attraction to Nicolaus to save her family before it’s too late.

NEW AUTHOR ALERT.

Well this was utterly charming and a great debut and an author I can’t wait to read more books from. I loved the holiday setting with the house party and all the moments in between. I often think a house party plot lacks something and I did not feel that here at all. It was well balanced with moments that kept you engaged.

The writing style did take me a bit to get into and I kind of wish it was all from one POV. It constantly rotated from paragraph to paragraph and it interrupted the flow a little. And I just found the antagonist to be trying a bit too hard.

I loooved Clara and Nicolaus’ romance and how swoony it was!! The kisses were HEATED and I was given a ball scene that made me melt. All top notches for me. I loved the little dash of enemies banter and how sweet and strong both characters were. There’s solid character progression and growth throughout.

Plenty of Christmas cheer and this is your friendly reminder that historical romances are worth the read!!

Overall audience notes:

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

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