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Sins for All Seasons, Book 2

I actually started this series with the first book (Beyond Scandal & Desire) which I really enjoyed, and this is an excellent continuation.

The series centers around a family of, for lack of a better word, bastards that a poor widow took in. None are related by blood but they are all as close as siblings usually are. The youngest is actually the mother’s only natural child, and one of two girls, and this book centers on the older girl, Gillie Trewlove.

Gillie is a most independent woman, raised to stand on her own two feet and take care of herself. Yes, she has four very tough brothers to look out for her, but even as a young child she was fiercely independent. In this story, she is thirtyish, unmarried and owns a tavern. She dressed as a boy for most of her childhood, and her mother’s dire warnings about getting pregnant have her binding her breasts and dressing in shapeless clothes as her regular attire. She is used to being ignored by men and is fine with that.

One night after closing the tavern, she hears a scuffle out back and goes to investigate. There she finds a man being beaten & robbed by four men, who run off as she approaches, leaving him for dead. He is severely wounded, and Gillie takes him upstairs to her apartment over the tavern and nurses him back to health. He is the most beautiful man she has ever seen, and he finds her most attractive and intriguing as well.

Turns out that man is Thorne, a Duke. He had been left at the altar earlier that day and was trying to find his runaway bride when he was attacked. Gillie helps him search for days, and they get to know one another in the process and fall in love. But neither can or will admit it or act upon it, at least not for a long while.

Gillie knows that the Duke must marry someone in duty to his family, not for love, and she has no interest in marrying into royalty or really anyone, as then her tavern would become her husband’s property. Eventually they work through their difficulties to find their happily ever after, and have some of the steamy love scenes that Heath is known for in the process.

I was a bit annoyed by the whole duke-can’t-marry-a-commoner issue as in my admittedly limited experience in the genre, Dukes generally do whatever the hell they want and the ton learns to deal with it. Beyond that minor quibble, it was a most enjoyable read and I’m looking forward to the next book in the series.

8/18 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

WHEN A DUKE LOVES A WOMAN by Lorraine Heath. Sourcebooks Casablanca (July 31, 2018).  ISBN 978-1492663355. 352p.

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The Brides of Belgravia, Book 2

Tessa St. Croix and two of her friends post an advertisement for husbands, offering a large dowry. They are hoping to find husbands who will take the money and basically run, leaving them to live their lives as they want, as respectable married women who happen to live by themselves.

Joseph Chance and two of his friends respond to the ad. Chance is a self made man, quite wealthy but he has an idea for a business venture that needs an infusion of cash. His friends are all in, so they marry the women, and plan to leave on their adventure. But for the couple of weeks they court, Joseph finds himself falling for Tessa, and she seems to be falling for him as well.

Then on their wedding night, Tessa reveals an ugly secret, and Joseph is heartbroken and furious. He leaves, their marriage unconsummated, and is gone for months. Tessa is also heartbroken but feels she had no choice. She would like to make amends, if possible, so when he returns they slowly, cautiously try and find their way back towards one another.

Love heals all wounds, of course, at least in romance novels and this is no exception. I enjoyed spending time with these characters, although Tessa was often maddening. I suppose that just added to the tension though. An enjoyable romance. I imagine the two friends will each get their own story in the next couple of books – or maybe they already did? Once again I didn’t read the first book in the series so I’m at a loss, sorry.

8/18 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

ALL DRESSED IN WHITE by Charis Michaels. Avon Impulse (August 21, 2018). ASIN: B07238XNZG. 384p. eBook only.

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The Way to a Lord’s Heart, Book 1

The Earl of Furness, Benjamin Romilly, was heartbroken when his wife died. Left behind was his son who looks so much like his lost wife, the Earl can barely stand to look at him. Left in the care of servants and an orphan boy slightly older than the child, he is a child run wild, to say the least. Then the countess’s cousin, Miss Jean Saunders arrives to determine whether or not to take the boy away, which seems to awaken the Earl to his surroundings.

Jean’s circumstances are not exactly what she purports them to be, and the Earl finds himself both intrigued and alarmed by the woman. Theirs is a tempestuous relationship, which lightens this read that deals primarily with grief.

The romance is on the sweet, sentimental side for sure with a bit of humor thrown in now and then, which it desperately needs as otherwise it would be a tad maudlin. I liked it and will read more of this series as it becomes available. Yes, I actually started a series with the first book (don’t get used to it, heaven knows I won’t!)

8/18 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

BRAVE NEW EARL by Jane Ashford. Sourcebooks Casablanca (July 31, 2018).  ISBN 978-1492663355. 352p.

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A Season for Scandal, Book 3

From the publisher:

Their love was always in the cards.
He should have thrown her out. But when club owner Alexander Lavoie catches a mysterious blonde counting cards at his vingt-et-un table, he’s more intrigued than angry. He has to see more of this beauty-in his club, in his office, in his bed. But first he’ll have to devise a proposition she can’t turn down.

Gossip said he was an assassin. Common sense told her to stay away. But Angelique Archer was desperate, and Lavoie’s club offered a surefire way to make quick money-until she got caught. Instead of throwing her out though, the devil offers her a deal: come work for him. Refusing him means facing starvation, but with a man so sinfully handsome and fiercely protective, keeping things professional might prove impossible…

This was a terrific historical romance, and a little different than most. The main characters aren’t trying to marry royalty, for starters. Alex has many rumors swirling around him but his main occupation is running a high end gambling establishment. Angelique is a brilliant woman with a gift for numbers, also most unusual, for this time period especially.

The setting is interesting, the characters are skillfully brought to life and believeable, and I loved their struggles. There are some good backstories here and a mystery. A very good read.

8/18 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

BETWEEN THE DEVIL AND THE DUKE by Kelly Bowen. Forever (January 31, 2017).  ISBN 978-1455563418. 352p.

Kindle