A Lady for a Duke
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED: A Lady for a Duke by Alexis Hall is $1.99! Not sure if this is a leftover KDD from yesterday, so snap this one up if you can. Shana reviewed this one and gave it a Squee grade:
Many of the book’s themes are around friendship–loving a friend but hiding parts of yourself, learning to connect with other women, and the perils of competitive friendships. I loved A Lady for a Duke, it’s a must-read for historical romance fans looking for a new take on Regency friends-to-lovers.
When Viola Carroll was presumed dead at Waterloo she took the opportunity to live, at last, as herself. But freedom does not come without a price, and Viola paid for hers with the loss of her wealth, her title, and her closest companion, Justin de Vere, the Duke of Gracewood.
Only when their families reconnect, years after the war, does Viola learn how deep that loss truly was. Shattered without her, Gracewood has retreated so far into grief that Viola barely recognises her old friend in the lonely, brooding man he has become.
As Viola strives to bring Gracewood back to himself, fresh desires give new names to old feelings. Feelings that would have been impossible once and may be impossible still, but which Viola cannot deny. Even if they cost her everything, all over again.
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The Wedding Party by Jasmine Guillory is $1.99! I feel like at this point, all of Guillory’s romances have been on sale at least once. I hope you’re collecting them all! Do you have a favorite Guillory?
The new exhilarating romance from The New York Times bestselling author of The Proposal!
Maddie and Theo have two things in common:
1. Alexa is their best friend
2. They hate each other
After an “oops, we made a mistake” night together, neither one can stop thinking about the other. With Alexa’s wedding rapidly approaching, Maddie and Theo both share bridal party responsibilities that require more interaction with each other than they’re comfortable with. Underneath the sharp barbs they toss at each other is a simmering attraction that won’t fade. It builds until they find themselves sneaking off together to release some tension when Alexa isn’t looking, agreeing they would end it once the wedding is over. When it’s suddenly pushed up and they only have a few months left of secret rendezvouses, they find themselves regretting that the end is near. Two people this different can’t possibly have a connection other than the purely physical, right?But as with any engagement with a nemesis, there are unspoken rules that must be abided by. First and foremost, don’t fall in love.
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As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
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A Lady’s Guide to Mischief and Mayhem by Manda Collins is $1.99! Some readers loved the balance of romance and mystery, while others wanted more excitement from the plot.
An intrepid female reporter matches wits with a serious, sexy detective in award-winning author Manda Collin’s fun and flirty historical rom-com, perfect for readers of Evie Dunmore, Julia Quinn, and Tessa Dare!
England, 1865 : As one of England’s most notorious newspaper columnists, Lady Katherine Bascomb believes knowledge is power. And she’s determined to inform and educate the ladies of London on the nefarious-and deadly-criminals who are praying on the fairer sex. When her reporting leads to the arrest of a notorious killer, however, Katherine flees to a country house party to escape her newfound notoriety-only to witness a murder on her very first night. And when the lead detective accuses Katherine of inflaming-rather than informing-the public with her column, she vows to prove him wrong.
Detective Inspector Andrew Eversham’s refusal to compromise his investigations nearly cost him his own career, and he blames Katherine. To avoid bad publicity, his superiors are pressuring him to solve cases quickly rather than correctly. When he discovers she’s the key witness in a new crime, he’s determined to prevent the beautiful widow from once again wreaking havoc on his case. Yet as Katherine proves surprisingly insightful and Andrew impresses Katherine with his lethal competency, both are forced to admit the fire between them is more flirtatious than furious. But to explore the passion between them, they’ll need to catch a killer.
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Come As You Are by Jess K. Hardy is $2.99 at Amazon and a Kindle Daily Deal! This is labeled as a “Gen X” romance, which I take to mean the main characters are older and it seems like there will be lots of music nostalgia. Anyone have experience with this book or author?
He’ll win her heart one mixtape at a time.
Ashley Cooke will do just about anything to save her struggling ski hill. When she hires the men from a local sober living home for the season to cut costs, even she thinks she’s gone too far. With her credit cards maxed, her cheating ex-husband intent on buying the mountain out from under her, and record-breaking snow in the forecast, she can’t afford to be distracted by the six-foot-tall bearded and tattooed sober living home owner moving onto her mountain.
Recovering addict and ex-grunge rocker Matthew Madigan has devoted every minute of the last decade to the men residing at his sober living home. When he meets tightly wound and adorably flustered Ashley, desires he’s put on the back burner for years start to simmer. Immune to his infamous albeit rusty charm, Ashley presents a challenge he can’t resist. When she offers to give him skiing lessons in exchange for his help training her St. Bernard rescue dog, he jumps at the chance to ride next to her on the chairlift despite his debilitating fear of heights.
During bunny hill shenanigans, chairlift confessions, and steamy cabin serenades, Madigan teaches Ashley that a person’s past doesn’t define them, and Ashley shows Madigan that the men he helps aren’t the only people who deserve a second chance. When sabotage threatens both the men and the mountain, Ashley and Madigan will have to decide if they’re only having a winter fling, or if the mountain isn’t the only thing worth fighting for.
Content Notes: Addiction, divorce, mourning loss of parent
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I enjoyed A LADY FOR A DUKE—Hall’s trademark banter is on full display and there are some fun secondary character too—especially liked Viola’s brother, Badger, and his wife, Lady Marleigh. There’s a villain who emerges late in the book and I was hoping that he’d end up being more interesting (there was definitely potential to make him an anti-hero or principled/internally consistent), but he’s the worst kind of villain: boring.
The Manda Collins was fine—I liked all the pieces but it didn’t quite hang together for me mostly because the heroine was so opaque.
I wanted to like Come as You Are because it’s so hard to find romance novels with characters that aren’t in their 20s/30s, but it was one where characters that are supposed to be in 40s are still acting far too immature and inexperienced to be that age and they ultimately felt more like college students.
I liked Come as You Are up until the main couple got together. Then I just lost interest.
At first I found it funny to think about the “the nefarious-and deadly-criminals who are praying on the fairer sex”. But then as I really thought about it, it just reminded me how mad I am and I just donated to a couple of organizations supporting reproductive rights.
I found the Manda Collins OK, and it was the solution to the mystery that brought down the grade. When the killer is revealed, the motive is a twisted attempt to shame an abusive family member. However, the idea that anyone would understand the reason why specific victims had been killed and then understand the pattern connecting the murders is rather farfetched. Also, the way the murderer is depicted from the moment he is introduced makes it clear that he’s a prime suspect. Not terrible but not good either.
I’m a big fan of Alexis Hall but I also find him very hit or miss (because he has a such a wide range) A Lady For A Duke was a huge miss for me. I gave it 2/5 stars on GR.
I thought both the pacing and character development was off. I didn’t connect to either main character, which really made it drag for me. It also features one of my very least favorite romance tropes / stock characters – the strong minded busy-body who knows what’s best for everyone and sets the plot in motion by interfering with the MC’s life. I don’t like this trope in general, and it gets cringey when there’s a big difference in power / social standing between the two characters, in this case a cis woman trying to manage a trans woman’s life.