Tag: the penn-leiths of thistle muir

ARC Book Review: A Heart Devoted (The Penn-Leiths of Thistle Muir #5) by Nichole Van

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Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: Historical Romance
Length: 250 pages
Author: Nichole Van
Publisher: Fiorenza Publishing
Release Date: January 28th, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Living happily ever after should be easy. After all, Tristan and Isolde Gilbert, the new Duke and Duchess of Kendall, have overcome obstacles, confessed their love, married, and are eager to sail off into the sunset of their glorious future. But, of course, life rarely offers smooth sailing. After their honeymoon tour, an unexpected return to London sends the new couple reeling.

Tristan struggles to balance his new Isolde-loving self with his former role as the autocratic Duke of Kendall. Upstart relatives and scurrilous accusations complicate his efforts to find a purpose and settle into his altered standing within the ton. Worse, the still-scandalous Isolde—who never expected to be at the center of Polite Society—now finds she has to navigate meetings with the Queen, dodge vile rumors, and fend off the jealous attacks of other aristocratic ladies.

For Tristan and Isolde, falling in love was simple. But merging two disparate former lives into one proves more fraught. Can the newlyweds find a way to remain both true to themselves and one another in their new life together?

Thank you to Nichole Van for the eARC.

OBSESSED IS AN UNDERSTATEMENT.

You know when you have those FAVORITE characters? The story you can’t stop thinking about? And you would do just about anything to get more stories about them? THIS IS THAT BOOK. It felt like this beautifully crafted extended epilogue where I got to fall in love all over again with Tristan and Isolde.

Please please make sure you have read A Heart Sufficient (at minimum) before reading this book!

It was EVERYTHING. I soaked up these pages loving the communication and teamwork and the I would burn the world down for you vibes that only come from two enemies who became lovers (e2l supremacy). I appreciated how the conflict came from the outside and allowed Tristan and Isolde to only become closer as they leaned on each other to solve the problems before them.

And WOOOOO this was heated. In the best, closed door books can still be heated, kind of way. I just AHH. I can’t form the right words. I loved this story. I am obsessed with these two (A Heart Sufficient was the only book I read twice in 2024).

READ IT AND THANK ME LATER.

Overall audience notes:

  • Historical romance
  • Language: low
  • Romance: closed door
  • Violence: low

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ARC Book Review: A Heart Sufficient (The Penn-Lieths of Thistle Muir #4) by Nichole Van

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Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: Historical Romance
Length: 430 pages
Author: Nichole Van
Publisher: Indie Published
Release Date: February 7th, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Tristan Gilbert, the autocratic Duke of Kendall, has a clear plan for his future—destroy his father’s memory, obliterate his enemies, and become Prime Minister. Fortunately, he can accomplish all three goals by convincing Parliament to prosecute the Scottish Earl of Hadley. Once Hadley is vanquished, surely the Queen will recognize Kendall’s readiness for the role of Prime Minister.But in order to succeed, Kendall must first conquer his own unnerving attraction to Hadley’s hoyden of a daughter—Lady Isolde Langston. No matter his efforts, Lady Isolde lingers in his blood, a sort of love-potion madness Kendall struggles to suppress.Lady Isolde Langston knows impulsivity will be her downfall. Case in point, her heedless actions triggered the Duke of Kendall’s current vendetta against her father. Isolde needs to right the wrongs she caused and force the duke to surrender before Hadley ends up jailed. To do this, she decides to torment Kendall at every turn—at balls and musicales and even in his own library. The arrogant Sassenach will rue the day he crossed her.But when an unfortunate accident fractures both their lives, Kendall and Isolde unexpectedly face a future neither of them wished. Adrift, they are forced to call a truce. As their romance deepens, can Kendall change his heart sufficiently and Isolde forgive past hurts in order to form a love all their own?

Thank you to Nichole Van for the eARC.

ONE OF THE BEST.

This is without a doubt, one of the best books I have read and will ever read. It was one of those soul altering books for me y’all. This redemption arc for Tristan is everything I was hoping to see and then blew all of those expectations out of the water.

I will say, I think this book is best read blind and after reading the previous books in the series. The way things came together to provide this beautiful and engaging story of hope, grief at a loss of childhood, and the acknowledgement that you are worthy of love.

When I read, I’m not really a highlighter and I marked 10x more passages than I have with a book in a long time. The amount of moments that made me swoon, want to cry, and made me kick my feet giddy all deserved to be tabbed so I can return to this story again and again and again. This is a reread book.

I love these characters eternally, I love this story with my whole heart and will be begging everyone that I can to read A Heart Sufficient. My review will never do it justice. READ IT.

Overall audience notes:

  • Historical Romance
  • Language: very low
  • Romance: closed door
  • Violence: low
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: child abuse (recounted), near death experience

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ARC Book Review: One Kiss Alone (The Penn-Leiths of Thistle Muir #3) by Nichole Van

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Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: Historical Romance
Length: 390 pages
Author: Nichole Van
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: July 26th, 2023
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Ethan Penn-Leith is the most renowned poet of his day—his likeness so widely recognized, he is regularly accosted by adoring admirers. Everyone wants something from him—his time, words, charm, torn bits of his kilt . . . Everyone, that is, but Lady Allegra Gilbert.

Twin sister to the authoritarian Duke of Kendall, Lady Allegra fights for freedom from her brother’s iron-gripped control. She has a plan for her future, after all, one that does not involve her ducal twin. Ethan Penn-Leith with his knee-melting smiles and boyish charm is merely a pretty distraction along the path to independence.

The problem? Ethan and Lady Allegra once shared a life-altering kiss on a rugged mountain road in Italy when she was disguised as someone else entirely. Ever the poet, Ethan turned their romantic kiss into a scandalous, best-selling poem. Now, all of London is clamoring to know the identity of the poet’s unnamed lady.

If she wishes her freedom, Lady Allegra needs to keep her secrets, well . . . secret. Ethan wants nothing more than to uncover all of Allegra’s truths.

In between outrunning legions of Ethan’s admirers, becoming stranded in a seaside village, and journeying by ducal decree to rural Scotland, Ethan and Allegra struggle to decide what they each truly want. Or perhaps, in the end, Fate will turn turn on one kiss alone?

Thank you to the author for an eARC.

IMMACULATE.

Y’all. Y’ALL. THIS BOOK WAS PERFECT. I’ve got no notes. I was utterly obsessed with every single page and every single interaction between Ethan and Allie. And I can’t go any further without mentioning how on fire those kissing scenes were. I am still a hot puddle of a mess over here thinking about them. YAY FOR KISSING BOOKS.

The banter between Ethan and Allie was amazing. I laughed, smiled like a fool and was utterly drawn in. I loved how they both worked at opening up to one another and leaning on each other with their current grievances. It was friends to lovers (with an obvious note of, we’ll never be friends because we’re too busy falling in love). I highlighted and marked the heck out of my copy and there’s no way I could narrow down a favorite part. Every single moment is needed. This plot and general story line was fresh in this genre and I adored the way it played out. A little bit of action, a whole lot of forgiveness and a magnificent love story.

Side-ish note: I must have my hands on the next book ASAP. The redemption arc is one of my favorites.

READ THIS SERIES. YOU WILL LOVE IT.

Overall audience notes:

  • Historical Romance
  • Language: none
  • Romance: kisses
  • Violence: low – moderate
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: mentions of loss of parents (off-page), gun violence, robbery, strained sibling relationship

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ARC Book Review: Adjacent But Only Just (The Penn-Leiths of Thistle Muir #2) by Nichole Van

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Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: Historical Romance
Length: 400 pages
Author: Nichole Van
Publisher: Fiorenza Publishing
Release Date: September 14th, 2022
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Viola Brodure, gentlewoman and celebrated authoress, faces a personal dilemma suited for a novel—everyone wishes for her to make a love match with Ethan Penn-Leith, the famous Highland Poet. And by everyone, she means everyone—her father, her adoring readers, the gossip columnists, and her patron, the overbearing Duke of Kendall. Why, even Queen Victoria herself has given a nod of approval to the match. After all, the popular novelist and the famous poet are the perfect heroine and hero for their own love story. A literary dynasty waiting to be born.

The problem, of course, is that Viola has never met Ethan, not in the flesh, at least. She has read about him and devoured his poetic writings, but does the man himself live up to his dashing reputation?

Malcolm Penn-Leith exists in twilight. He manages his farm, Thistle Muir, in the shadow of the Scottish Highlands. As the older brother of the renowned Ethan Penn-Leith, Malcolm tends to his prized cows while Ethan basks in the limelight. Harder still, Malcolm lives under a cloud of grief after the death of his wife five years ago.

But then Miss Viola Brodure arrives in Malcolm’s wee village, intent on meeting Ethan and beginning a courtship. Viola—petite, blond, shy, and English—is nothing like Malcolm’s late wife. And yet, Viola awakens a piece of his heart that he thought lost in the abyss of his grief.

For her part, Viola is surprised to find herself more attracted to the stoic Malcolm than the charming Ethan. So now what? She isn’t meant to fall in love with the man adjacent to Ethan Penn-Leith. That’s not the plot she had outlined. After all, Malcolm and Viola are not the match made in heaven that everyone wishes to see. As social pressures mount, can Malcolm and Viola overcome the weight of his past and the expectations of her future to forge a new path together?

Please note that the basic elements of this story first appeared in a novella entitled A Ring of Gold. This current novel is a greatly-expanded adaptation of that novella.

Thank you to Nichole Van for the eARC.

ALL THE DANG FEELS.

OHMYGOSHILOVEDTHISBOOKSOMUCH.

I don’t even know how coherent this will be because I am fully obsessed with all things Nichole Van and this book was another five star read from one of my favorite historical romance authors.

This book holds one of my biggest triggers: a widow/widower. I loved the way Van handled Malcom and his tender heart. The heart that missed his wife but also was starting to beat for someone new. I can’t count how many scenes and conversations had my eyes going misty. There were profound sentiments towards grief that I think would resonate with anyone who’s experienced a loss in their life.

AND VIOLA. She is my new favorite female main character. Because guess what? Being shy does NOT mean you are not also fierce and tenacious. It does not mean you’ll stand to be walked all over. I LOOOOOOVE that I got to read about a shy (hi, it’s me) woman who was a force and showing all that it’s not a weakness.

THE ROMANCE??? Holy heck. The fire between these two was off the charts. I loved the slow build. The nuanced looks and casual run-ins that turned to deep conversations. And when Viola went after what she wanted? I was squealing with joy at how an entire scene played out.

There’s even some cameos from some of the best men of The Brotherhood of the Black Tartan series. The epilogue is EVERYTHING. And I am in desperate need of Ethan’s book.

Overall audience notes:

  • Historical Romance
  • Language: very little
  • Romance: make-outs
  • Violence: low
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: blackmail, loss of a spouse (recounted), depictions of grief, asthmatic attacks

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