Tag Archives: romance review

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Historical Romance Review: The Highlander Who Protected Me

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Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you.

The Highlander Who Protected Me
By Vanessa Kelly 
🎧 Narrated by: Ruth Urquhart
Clan Kendrick, Book 1 
Book 28 of 2024

✨ On Kindle Unlimited ✨

Last fall, I received an ARC of the final book in the Clan Kendrick series, and I loved it so much that I knew I wanted to go back and read the whole series from the beginning asap!

I have never met more stubborn people in fiction, and I absolutely loved them. All of Clan Kendrick is so much fun, and y’all know how I love to watch a giant family fall in love. Vanessa Kelly’s books give high drama and intrigue that I’ve been looking for ever since I watched the first season of Bridgerton!

My only complaint is that I didn’t do the research to realize that some of the main side characters in this one were featured in a book published before this one! I felt like I was coming in in the middle of a story, and while it was all explained well, I wanted to know ALL the juicy details the way you only can when you start at the beginning. So, I guess I’m going all the way back to read Vanessa Kelly’s books in publication order. 

🎧 The audiobook was great, Ruth Urquhart does a fantastic job bringing all of the characters to life. For Spotify subscribers, this is one of the books available with your subscription! 

Thank you @stephsbooktalk for getting me this for my birthday! 

[book synopsis]

Lady Ainsley Matthews, heiress and darling of the ton, was expected to make a magnificent match. Instead she’s hiding on a remote Scottish estate, terrified that her vicious former fiancé will use her pregnancy to force her into marriage. One man can help her–Royal Kendrick, son of a distinguished Highland clan. Though a mistake drove them apart long ago, Royal is the only person Ainsley trusts to protect her baby–even if that means agreeing to never see either of them again . . . Scarred in body and soul by war, Royal suddenly has a purpose–caring for an innocent babe and thereby helping the woman he can’t stop loving. But when Ainsley ultimately returns to Scotland, determined to be a real mother to her child in spite of the risk, there’s only one solution: marriage. And only one likely outcome: surrendering to the desire that’s simmered between them for so long, no matter how dangerous it may be . . . Contains mature themes.

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Historical Romance Review: Always Be My Duchess

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Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you.

Always Be My Duchess
By Amalie Howard 
🎧 Narrated by: Mary Jane Wells
Taming of the Dukes, Book 1 
Book 24 of 2024

I love when the marketing actually matches the book. This says it’s Pretty Woman meets Bridgerton, and that is exactly what was delivered. 

The beginning was a little rough for me, how they met wasn’t the cutest of meet cutes, but as they spent more time together I absolutely fell in love with their love story. 

I would read an entire book about every single one of the side characters, I loved them all so much. You definitely have to be willing to suspend your disbelief and just go with the concept of the story, but I love a far-fetched romcom, and I thought it was so much fun. 

🎧 This was fantastic on audio! 

[book synopsis]

Pretty Woman meets the Bridgertons in this witty, vivacious historical take on 90s romcoms by USA Today bestselling author Amalie Howard: 

Lord Lysander Blackstone, the stern Duke of Montcroix, has only one interest: increasing his considerable fortune. After a series of betrayals, he keeps his emotions buried deep. Money, after all, can’t break a man’s heart—or make promises it can’t keep. But when his reputation for being heartless jeopardizes a new business deal, he finds himself seeking a most unusual—and alluring—solution . . . 

Once an up-and-coming ballerina, Miss Geneviève Valery is now hopelessly out of work. After refusing to become a wealthy patron’s mistress, Nève was promptly shown the door to the streets. When she accidentally saves the life of a handsome duke, she doubts the encounter will go any better than her last brush with nobility. But instead of propositioning her, Montcroix makes Nève an offer she would be a fool to refuse: act as his fake fiancée in exchange for fortune enough to start over.

Only neither is prepared when very real feelings begin to grow between them. They both stand to win . . . but only if they’re willing to risk their hearts.

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Historical Romance Review: One Night in Hartswood

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Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you.

Thanks again to TLC Book Tours, Harper 360, & Emma Denny for my review / book tour copy – I finally read it!

One Night in Hartswood
By Emma Denny
🎧 Narrated by: Tom Alexander, Sebastian Humphreys
Book 21 of 2024

*chit chat semi related to the book*

We all know I read more with my ears than my eyes, so I’ve been waiting for my library to get the audiobook of this one…but they took too long so I finally got it from Libro! Some of my amazing booksta friends pooled money for my birthday and got me a year’s worth of credits! (For a normal person. A month’s worth for me, probably. Either way, an incredibly thoughtful gift!) I am really bad about hoarding audiobook credits because I have definitely gone through 4 in a week before. But now I have 15 so I probably should use them. 

*review*

I don’t know if it’s because of the 500 times I watched The Princess Bride or the popularity of the vibes in fantasy books, but I find the medieval period to be SO romantic. It is an under utilized time period in romance books, so I was so excited when I was offered a copy of One Night in Hartswood! 

This was a little bit of a slow burn with SO MUCH pining. And accidentally cuddling for body heat while traveling through the woods.  I absolutely loved it.

Check out the pinned comment for the plot synopsis. 

🎧 Raff’s voice is so swoony. Highly recommend.

[book synopsis]

Oxford 1360

When his sister’s betrothed vanishes the night before her politically arranged marriage, Raff Barden must track and return the elusive groom to restore his family’s honour. William de Foucart ― known to his friends as Penn ― had no choice but to abandon his fiancé, and with it his own earldom, when he fled the night before his enforced marriage. But ill-equipped to survive on the run he must trust the kindness of a stranger, Raff, to help him escape. Unaware their fates are already entwined, their unexpected bond deepens into a far more precious relationship, one that will test all that they hold dear. And when secrets are finally revealed, both men must decide what they will risk for the one they love…

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Historical Romance Review: Ten Ways to Be Adored

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Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you.

Ten Ways to Be Adored When Landing a Lord
By Sarah MacLean
🎧 Narrated by: Mary Jane Wells
Love By Numbers, Book 2 
Book 10 of 2024

Sarah MacLean is one of my favorite historical romance authors. Her setting and characters are the closest I’ve found to the Netflix version of Bridgerton, because they have some diversity and have some more modern sensibilities. 

Ten Ways to Be Adored… is the second book in the Love By Numbers series, which all follow the three St. John siblings. While we do hear some mention of the first book, these can be read out of order.

I absolutely adored the FMC, Lady Isabel Townsend, who has been running her family’s estate since the death of both her parents, as well as raising her brother, the 10 year old Earl. Her father was nicknamed the “Wastrearl” because he wasted the family fortune by gambling and generally running amok. Isabel kept the estate running by taking in women who found themselves in desperate circumstances. Isabel is the type of strong, hyper independent, protective heroine that I always relate to and find it easy to root for! 

Her love interest, Lord Nicholas St. John, is wonderfully swoony and pretty instantly devoted to the whole house. Some of my favorite interactions are between him and James, the young Earl. I might have teared up when Nick taught James to tie a cravat. 

While I generally adored all of the characters and the plot, I did feel like it got pretty repetitive in the middle. The end absolutely made up for it though!