Tag: historical romance

Book Review: Yuletide Bride (Regency Christmas Brides) by Kasey Stockton

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Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: Historical Romance
Length: 245 pages
Author: Kasey Stockton
Publisher: Golden Owl Press
Release Date: November 18th, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

When a marriage of convenience becomes inconveniently complicated…

Mercy Caldwell, the vicar’s eldest daughter, has watched her younger sisters march down the aisle while she remains resolutely on the shelf. When a chance at matrimony arrives mere hours after her youngest sister’s engagement, Mercy seizes the opportunity—and the man she’s secretly admired for years.

Colin Birchall’s grand estate is crumbling, and his aunt’s generous inheritance comes with one he must be married by Twelfth Night. In Mercy, he finds the perfect candidate to meet his aunt’s exacting standards. It seems an ideal arrangement—until they’re forced to actually live together.

From differing views on marriage to clashing Christmas traditions, Mercy and Colin discover that convenience and compatibility are two very different things. But when Colin’s aunt arrives unannounced demanding proof of their love, they must convince her—and perhaps themselves—that their hastily forged union is more than just a festive facade.

Can Mercy and Colin turn their paper marriage into a love match before Twelfth Night? Or will their convenient arrangement crumble faster than Colin’s ancestral home?

Book three in the Regency Christmas Brides series,Yuletide Bride is a heartwarming holiday romance that proves love often arrives in the most unexpected packages—no bow required.

A DELIGHT.

I loved this book. I loved how fast pace it was and that it was just the right length to convey a full story and make for a quick read during a busy season. I haven’t read a regency in a minute and this reminded me of why I love them.

The holiday charm was in full swing and I love all of the historical aspects of those moments. And y’all know I’m a sucker for marriage of convenience so I knew I had to pick this one up. I looooved Mercy and Colin. They had a lot of differences to work through and I appreciated them learning how to communicate and be friends as that turned into love.

I appreciated that the aunt was eccentric but not overly dramatic. She provided the little spark for Colin and Mercy that really got the romance swinging and I loved all of the little tender moments and the slow burn on the kissing scenes brought the tension. You won’t regret picking this one up.

Overall audience notes:

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

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Monthly Reading Wrap-Up: November 2025

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Celebrating another turn around the sun! I hit it hard with holiday romances and found a couple new gems! Future reviews will be out soon or check my socials to see more breakdowns.

  • Princess of Blood (The Shards of Magic #2) by Sarah Hawley
  • [ARC] We Fell Apart (We Were Liars) by E. Lockhart
  • [ARC] Coldwire (Coldwire #1) by Chloe Gong
  • Check the Halls (The Ottawa Otters #2) by K.M. Gillis
  • The Things Gods Break (The Crucible #2) by Abigail Owen
  • [ARC] The Wild Card (Sheet Cake #4) by Emma St. Clair
  • Soul Searching (Sweetwater Peak #1) by Lyla Sage
  • How He Got the Girl (Sweeter Than Fiction #2) by Amanda Schimmoeller
  • Mate (Bride #2) by Ali Hazelwood
  • Moth Dark by Kika Hatzopoulou
  • My Merry Mistake (Holidays with Hart #3) by Courtney Walsh
  • Thorn Season (Thorn Season #1) by Kiera Azar
  • A Wraith Beneath the Tides (Beyond the Tides #1) by Emilia Jae
  • Smoke and Scar (Shattered Crown #1) by Gretchen Powell Fox
  • The Princess Knight by Cait Jacobs
  • About Last Christmas by Rachel Scott McDaniel
  • Never Over by Clare Gilmore
  • [ALC] Arrow of Fortune (The Raiders of the Arcana #3) by Jacquelyn Benson
  • Highland Holiday by Kasey Stockton
  • [ARC/ALC] The Marriage Method by Mimi Matthews
  • That’s A Great Question, I’d Love to Tell You by Elyse Myers
  • Big Nick Energy by Kristen Bailey
  • Sleigh Bells and Snowstorms by Claire Kingsley
  • [ALC] Moms of Mayhem (Mayhem Hockey Club #1) by Aimee Vance
  • Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend (Catching Feelings #1) by Kate Watson
  • Brimstone (Fae & Alchemy #2) by Callie Hart
  • Silent Heist by Jenessa Fayeth
  • [ARC/ALC] Better in Black (Shadowhunter Chronicles) by Cassandra Clare
  • [ARC] The Bodyguard Affair by Amy Lea
  • [Novella] The Holidate Switch by Torie Jean
  • [ARC/ALC] Dawn of the Firebird by Sarah Mughal Rana
  • [Novella] Mistletoe Fall Out by Larissa Hommes
  • A Little Holiday Fling by Farrah Heron
  • [Novella/ARC] How to Kiss on Christmas Morning by Jenny Proctor
  • [Novella] Merrily Ever After by Catherine Walsh
  • Eclipse of the Crown (Villains & Virtues #3) by A.K. Caggiano
  • Please Don’t Go (Midnight Strike #1) by E. Salvador
  • [Novella] Snow Place Like Home (Home Sweet Holidays) by Laura Pavlov
  • [Novella] Merry and Bright (Home Sweet Holidays) by Ali Rosen
  • [Novella] All Wrapped Up in You (Home Sweet Holidays) by Rosie Danan

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ARC Book Review: The Marriage Method (The Crinoline Academy #2) by Mimi Matthews

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Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: Historical Romance
Length: 416 pages
Author: Mimi Matthews
Publisher: Berkley
Release Date: November 25th, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

The Academy always comes first . . . which makes marriage to its most formidable adversary an exceedingly inconvenient arrangement.

Well removed from London’s more curious eyes, the Benevolent Academy for the Betterment of Young Ladies strives toward one clandestine to distract, disrupt, and discredit men in power who would seek to harm the advancement of women—by appropriate means, of course.

When intrepid newspaper editor Miles Quincy starts to question the school’s intentions, the Academy appoints Penelope “Nell” Trewlove, one of their brightest graduates, to put this nuisance to rest. An easy enough mission, she supposes. Or it would be, if Miles wasn’t so fascinating—too fascinating to resist—and if Nell’s visit to London didn’t perfectly coincide with the murder of one of Miles’s reporters.

When the inexorable claws of fate trap Nell and Miles in a compromising situation, they agree to an arrangement that will save their reputations while enabling them to investigate the story that led to a man’s death, as well as the surprising chemistry between them.

Thank you to Mimi Matthews and Berkley for the gifted copy and PRH Audio for the audiobook.

MY LATEST OBESSION.

Oh this EASILY is now in my top five favorite book from Mimi Matthews. I was OBESSED from the first chapter. I don’t think anyone does marriage of convenience romances better. I will be unable to think of anything else for the foreseeable future.

Miles. Miles. Miles. I could have highlighted half of this book just listening to him talk. The man was so far gone and all sorts of protective and could not be a step away from Nell and I LOVED IT ALL. And I loved Nell too. I loved seeing her find her strength and inner fire from having to be away from the academy. Miles helped her genuinely blossom and grow and I loved the way they played off of each other.

Matthews also writes some of the best romantic scenes everrrrr. The way emotion and love is conveyed through every moment. It’s heated and sensual and lights my kindle on fire every time.

I loved the suspense elements and mystery. The plot is engaging and balanced just right. It’s a book worth devouring.

Overall audience notes:

  • Historical Romance
  • Language: none
  • Romance: vague fade to black
  • Violence: moderate
  • Content warnings: kidnapping, murder, attempted murder, physical and weapons based altercations, near death experiences

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ALC Book Review: Arrow of Fortune (Raiders of the Arcana #3) by Jacquelyn Benson

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Historical Fantasy
Length: 538 pages
Author: Jacquelyn Benson
Publisher: Vaughan Woods Publishing
Release Date: November 18th, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

A well-behaved lady historian ought to avoid haunted forests… not plunge into them seeking an invincible weapon of the gods. Ellie Mallory didn’t exactly volunteer to prevent the most dangerous artifact of the Ramayana from falling into the wrong hands—but if one has been coerced into an adventure, the least one can do is bring along a few friends.

Constance Tyrrell has new daggers stuffed in her garters, a thirst to discover everything India has to offer… and absolutely no interest in Dr. Neil Fairfax, Ellie’s scholarly stepbrother. Meanwhile, Neil finds himself wrangling a magical sword along with his increasingly tangled feelings about a certain doe-eyed danger gnome.

Then there’s Adam Bates—handy with a machete, perpetually shirtless, and about to face some unsettling ghosts of his past.

Together, they must follow the footsteps of an ancient hero from the festivals of Puri to the shadowy depths of a legendary forest, racing a brutal colonial administrator with allies of his own—including the complicated and mysterious Mr. Jacobs.

It will take all Ellie’s resources—from a working knowledge of practical chemistry to a highly excitable dog—to beat a new sort of demon to the place where a holy power has lain hidden for two thousand years… alongside the secret history of the woman at the heart of India’s greatest story.

Pick up Arrow of Fortune and plunge into the next epic historical fantasy adventure in the Raiders of the Arcana series.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an ALC.

IT WAS GOOD.

I loved the first two books in this series so when I heard ALC’s were on Netgalley, I RAN and then binged this as fast as I could. It was another wild adventure and I loved being back with these characters.

This book did highlight one frustrating thing for me. If there’s going to be a series I don’t love seeing a couple fully endgame by book one. So now that I’m in book three there’s a distinct lack of tension and angst between Ellie and Adam because they’re together. I just wish the burn had been spread out through at least two books.

I did enjoy the romance between Constance and Neil. The dynamic between them was amped up more and I loooove a good argument turn make-out session.

Some of the plot felt a bit repetitive to the other books. Go to a new location, find an ancient artifact and try not to die. And do that a few more times. It’s still easy to read and covers multiple important topics, I’m just hoping book four brings a different edge.

Overall audience notes:

  • Historical fantasy romance
  • Language: mild
  • Romance: fade to black
  • Violence: moderate

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