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While We Were Dating
RECOMMENDED: While We Were Dating by Jasmine Guillory is $1.99! Elyse and Shana reviewed this one and gave it an A:
Shana: Overall, I loved this low-conflict celebrity romance with all the fun of dating in the public eye, and little of the stress.
Elyse: I agree. This is a tropey, low angst read with hot sex scenes and supportive secondary characters.
Two people realize that it’s no longer an act when they veer off-script in this sizzling romantic comedy by New York Times bestselling author Jasmine Guillory.
Ben Stephens has never bothered with serious relationships. He has plenty of casual dates to keep him busy, family drama he’s trying to ignore and his advertising job to focus on. When Ben lands a huge ad campaign featuring movie star Anna Gardiner, however, it’s hard to keep it purely professional. Anna is not just gorgeous and sexy, she’s also down to earth and considerate, and he can’t help flirting a little…
Anna Gardiner is on a mission: to make herself a household name, and this ad campaign will be a great distraction while she waits to hear if she’s booked her next movie. However, she didn’t expect Ben Stephens to be her biggest distraction. She knows mixing business with pleasure never works out, but why not indulge in a harmless flirtation?
But their lighthearted banter takes a turn for the serious when Ben helps Anna in a family emergency, and they reveal truths about themselves to each other, truths they’ve barely shared with those closest to them.
When the opportunity comes to turn their real-life fling into something more for the Hollywood spotlight, will Ben be content to play the background role in Anna’s life and leave when the cameras stop rolling? Or could he be the leading man she needs to craft their own Hollywood ending?
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Yours Truly, The Duke
Yours Truly, The Duke by Amelia Grey is $2.99! This is book one in the Say I Do historical romance series. The heroine has become the guardian to her late sister’s three children and enters into a marriage of convenience to maintain custody.
Yours Truly, The Duke is the first novel in the historical romance Say I Do trilogy about dukes needing to wed to tap into their wealth by New York Times bestselling author Amelia Grey.
Fredericka Hale needs a husband, and fast. She’s been caring for her deceased sister’s three young children, and now a childless cousin has petitioned the court for custody. Fredericka is powerless to stop her, but having a husband might sway the ruling. The last thing Fredericka wants is a hurried-up marriage to a man she doesn’t know—much less love, but she’ll do it for the children. So when the handsome Duke of Wyatthaven shows up with a proposal, she accepts. He’ll help her, and in return, they’ll lead separate lives. But distance cannot keep them from their powerful attraction.
At the top of his game in London, the Duke of Wyatthaven has no interest in marriage. However, if Wyatt doesn’t marry by week’s end, he’ll lose a sizable inheritance from his grandmother. When Wyatt’s solicitor finds Miss Fredericka Hale, Wyatt considers this little hiccup solved. Miss Hale is lovely, and intelligent. Most importantly, she prefers country life to London, so he’s free to continue his life as usual. But when circumstances force Fredericka and the children to show up at the duke’s door, Wyatt can’t deny he’s always been under her spell. Will the duke give up his bachelor lifestyle and give into the fiery passion growing between them?
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How I Married a Marquess
How I Married the Marquess by Anna Harrington is $1.99! This is book three in the Secret Life of Scoundrels series. We ran two RITA Reader Challenge reviews of this one (wow, remember those?) and it earned a B and B+ respectively.
A SHOCKING DECEPTION . . .
Josephine Carlisle, adopted daughter of a baron, is officially on the shelf. But the silly, marriage-minded misses in the ton can have their frilly dresses and their seasons in London, for all she cares. Josie has her freedom and her family . . . until an encounter with a dark, devilishly handsome stranger leaves her utterly breathless at a house party. His wicked charm intrigues her, but that’s where it ends. For Josie has a little secret . . .. . . LEADS TO AN EXQUISITE SEDUCTION
Espionage was Thomas Matteson, Marquess of Chesney’s game-until a tragic accident cost him his career. Now to salvage his reputation and return to the life he loves, the marquess must find the criminal who’s been robbing London’s rich and powerful. He’s no fool-he knows Josie, with her wild chestnut hair and rapier-sharp wit, is hiding something and he won’t rest until he unravels her mysteries, one by one. But he never expected to be the one under arrest-body and soul . . .Add to Goodreads To-Read List →
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How to Steal a Scoundrel’s Heart
How to Steal a Scoundrel’s Heart by Vivienne Lorret is $1.99! This is book four in The Mating Habits of Scoundrels series. I’m not sure if we featured this on Cover Snark, but I definitely remember talking about that dog in the SBTB Slack.
In USA Today bestselling author Vivienne Lorret’s latest steamy romance, a determined debutante discovers that making a deal with a notorious rake might just give her more than she ever bargained for…
Ruined debutante Prudence Thorogood lost everything when she was ousted from polite society, including her inheritance. Now she’ll do anything to take back what’s hers… even if she has to steal it. Accepting a scandalous offer from Lord Savage seems like the perfect solution to disguise her criminal intentions from the ton. Until she discovers that there’s more to this scoundrel than meets the eye.
Leo Ramsgate, Marquess of Savage, has everything except for a heart. That organ dried up long ago after a devastating betrayal. Since then, he vowed never to trust or love again. He ensures that his dalliances are mutually satisfying, but always temporary… until he meets the reserved Miss Thorogood. Not one of his previous lovers has ever beguiled him the way she does. Not one has made him want to break his own rules. Not one has tempted him to keep her… forever.
Prue has every intention of disappearing from London after their affair ends. But her plan falters when she finds herself falling hopelessly in love with a man who may never love her in return. With time running out and so much at stake, she cannot help but wonder…
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I find some blurbs so dorky – for example, How I Married a Marquess – “the one under arrest-body and soul . . .” that I roll my eyes and lose interest.
Blurbs are interesting. Some book blurbs include “for fans of” language, and mention authors I’ve never heard of, or specifically don’t care to read. Others have glaring grammar or word choice errors. Every now and then a blurb doesn’t seem to be related to the book.
@LML: Yes, awkward.
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LONG WINTER by Rachel Ember (free, as noted by @flchen1 above) is so so good. It’s an m/m that includes the best friend’s older brother and enforced proximity in a snowstorm tropes. It’s melancholy, sweet, and hot in all the best ways. The MCs’ story does continue in the next book, SIGNS OF SPRING, but I’m sure you’ll want to continue reading about the characters after finishing LONG WINTER. Highly recommended.
WHILE WE WERE DATING is my favorite of Guillory’s that I’ve read—the dialogue really sparkles, the characters are great, and the whole thing is just a delight.
Amazon says I already own How I Married a Marquess. I have no memory of this book.
@LML agreed! Came here to say “How I Married a Marquess” is auto-disqualified (imo) with that blurb’s second sentence: “But the silly, marriage-minded misses in the ton can have their frilly dresses and—” nope, hard pass.
I try to keep in mind that, at least for trad-pubbed books, the author likely had little to no say in the blurb. But for self-pubbed, I always note when there are a lot of glaring mistakes. (I’m a neurodivergent editor; excessive errors in text can ruin the experience. Not a purist, just easily distracted, lol)
@Ellie I spent a while trying to organize my collections the other night, and well. I’d accumulated a ridiculous number of ebooks bc free/cheap before I finally realized my library was getting unwieldy. Anyway, seeing how many I have zero recollection of and can’t imagine willingly acquiring was … disconcerting
A book I just finished and absolutely loved, major slow burn arranged marriage, I Almost Do by Evangeline Williams is $1.49 on Amazon.
@Liz – I also think that bit about ‘silly, marriage-minded misses’ shows a fundamental lack of knowledge about the realities of the time for a lot of women in terms of education, rights and financial power.
EG Mrs Bennett wasn’t anxious about her daughters’ marriage prospects just because she was a silly woman (although she was that as well): it’s because when Mr Bennett died, their home and their income would be gone. A well-married daughter meant security for their family – see Sense and Sensibility for an example of what could happen in such a case.
I wonder if that sense of fear is not something that a lot of modern writers and readers would relate to or know about, that aspect of history doesn’t resonate with them – the consequences of not marrying well, or of defying society for example.
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@Empress of Blandings oh that’s a great point and, in my experience, typically overlooked. You’re right that it might not be relatable for a lot of modern readers. Being a sociology nerd, though, I also think a lot of people are reluctant to recognize the effects/realities of systemic misogyny. So many readers seem to get very concerned about historical accuracy only when they believe a FMC is too feminist, like it’s unthinkable that a young woman would see the patriarchy for what it was/is and try to live on her own terms.
To be fair, I’ve read historicals in which the author makes it clear that 1. If single female characters aren’t trying to get married, they only have that option bc of their privilege, and 2. Judging/ridiculing women (or any marginalized people) for how they live with being systemically oppressed just helps the oppressive system to continue. Amy Rose Bennett’s Byronic Book Club series (the only books of hers I’ve read so far) comes to mind. I think Kate Belli has done the same in her Gilded Gotham Mysteries—and Scarlett Peckham, though it’s been a while since I read her books.
Sorry for the long, ranty comment! Media rep is obv a major interest of mine, lol
God, I love seeing these historical covers that aren’t cartoons! Sad how that is so refreshing these days. Really interested in YOURS TRULY just for the cover, not gonna lie.
I bought Yours Truly, the Duke thanks to this sale post. Here’s my mini review: Both main characters have Issues. He hates poetry! Like really really hates it because Reasons from his childhood. She loves poetry and like to write poems about flowers. Some of her issues are due to Misunderstandings from her childhood. They both frequently think the other is Wrong but they are both really bad at communicating. The only sex scene is written in a hazy clouds and rainbows style that reminded me of when I used to read my grandmother’s Barbara Cartland books. Honestly at that point I didn’t even care about the main characters, I was just skimming through to see what happened with the kids. The kids were the best part. His friends are obvious sequel bait, but I was unimpressed with them too. I’m glad I bought this on sale.
@Liz when I don’t have a new book I’ll scan through my Kindle and if I don’t remember reading a book I figure it’s basically a new book. Sometimes I get partway through and remember what’s going on, other times it really is like a new book. I don’t have memory issues, I just read a lot of books.