Stacy Alesi's BookBitch.com™

Click book cover to purchase

School for Dukes, Book 2

Did you know if you pre-order a book from Amazon, they will have it at your door on publication day?

From the publisher:

If adventure has a name…it must be Lady India Rochester. The intrepid archaeologist possesses a sharp blade and an even sharper knack for uncovering history’s forgotten women. Unfortunately, she has one annoying weakness: the dangerously handsome Duke of Ravenwood. Former best friend. Current enemy. And the man who dared to break her heart.

Daniel Bonds, the Duke of Ravenwood, is a thrill-seeking antiquities hunter who only plays by one rule: Never fall in love. He’s in it for the fortune and glory. At least that’s what he wants the world to think. He’s sworn to hide his tangled web of secrets, especially from the one woman he cares about and will protect at any cost.

But when a priceless relic is stolen from the British Museum, the rivals must align forces. Racing to recover the stolen antiquity and avert an international disaster? All in a day’s work. Avoiding their buried feelings? More and more impossible. For love is about to become the greatest treasure of all.

This was more a tale of intrigue than romance, but neither premise was fulfilled. Lady Danger, a fabulous nickname, is undoubtedly one of the strongest yet least believable characters in a historical romance. I think I’ve just read too many of these to buy her story. She takes a lover because she wants to. She is an archaeologist traveling the world unaccompanied by any sort of chaperone, and her brother is a duke. She has a marriage contract with the Duke of Ravenwood that she has no desire to fulfill. Or does she?

The Duke is a spy, a rather unlikely one at that. His reputation of being an incorrigible rake is a fabulous disguise, but when it comes to his childhood friend Indy, all bets are off. If he can’t keep his distance from her, he is a goner and in this book, they are thrust together until they figure out how to get to their happy ending.

There is a pervasive feeling of suspense throughout this story, with multiple bad guys and danger lurking around every corner. Despite the feminist heavy handedness, which is certainly odd in this time period, I did enjoy this book but I would have liked it more had it been more believable.

Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

FOR THE DUKE’S EYES ONLY by Lenora Bell. Avon (September 18, 2018).  ISBN 978-0062692498. 384p.

Kindle

Audible

Click book cover to purchase

Widow’s Brew Series, Book 1

From the publisher:

Scandal does not define the “fallen” ladies of Puddledon Manor’s Benevolent Home. Instead, it’s a recipe for an intoxicating new future as the women combine their talents—to operate their own brewery and alehouse . . .

When Penelope Barnes arrived at the Home with her young daughter, she discovered a knack for horticulture—and for cultivating the hops needed to produce a superlative pint. She put her scandalous affair with Harry Graham firmly in the past, along with the wrenching pain she felt when he went off to war. After all, she’d always known a farmer’s daughter had no future with an earl’s son. Now she has the pleasant memory of their passion, and she has little Harriet, for whom she would do anything—even marry a boring country vicar . . .

Harry went off to fight for the Crown unaware that his delightful interlude with his childhood friend had permanent consequences. Now he’s back in England, catapulted into the title by his brother’s untimely death. He sorely misses his former life of unfettered adventure, so when he has reason to explore Little Puddledon, he jumps at the chance. But what he finds there is something—and someone—he never knew he’d lost, and a once forbidden love whose time has come, if only he can persuade Pen he’s home to stay.

This was my first time reading this author. I had read a review that emphasized the strong female character, which intrigued me, so I borrowed the book from my library.

I did like these characters but I would have liked the secondary characters fleshed out a bit more, especially since this is an introduction to a new series. There are a few strong women here but we don’t learn much about them other than the bare basics. Same with all the other characters in this book, other than the main characters they are just names on a page.

At this point, I have read many historical romances of the “royalty can’t marry a commoner, or can he/she” ilk and it is not my favorite. The royalty in question here, the Earl, is bound and determined to marry another royal for the purposes of breeding, but he also plans to live his own life. A loveless marriage, but one that ensures the line continues, and in this case, an example set by the Earl’s parents. This one suffers from the same problem I have with many of these, the sudden light bulb moment near the end of the book of “I’m a  ____ (insert title of your choice) so I can marry whomever I please” moment which leads to the happy ending.

This book ends rather abruptly but with the requisite happy ending. While it wasn’t my favorite, I liked it well enough to look for the next book in the series. I always remain hopeful.

9/18 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

WHAT ALES THE EARL by Sally MacKenzie. Zebra (July 31, 2018).  ISBN 978-1420146714. 352p.

Kindle