Anything But a Duke is a heartwarming romance that suffers from a lack of compelling conflict. The heroine is an inventor. The hero worked his way up from poverty in a Dickensian manner. There is banter, there is food, there are clothes. It’s enjoyable but largely forgettable. The story begins in 1845, which places it in the Victorian Era and amid the Industrial Revolution. Aidan Iverson grew up in the workhouse where his mother left … Continue reading Anything But a Duke by Christy Carlyle→
Many of the Bitchery have been talking about Any Old Diamonds by K.J. Charles. Well, now we have a great guest review of it by Claudia. A bit about Claudia: “At sixteen, I found my older cousin’s stash of Barbara Cartlands and assorted Harlequin-type romance housed in an old sewing cabinet and life was never the same! I love history, so I mostly read historical romance. Favorite authors include Meredith Duran, Mary Balogh, Miranda Neville, … Continue reading Guest Review: Any Old Diamonds by K.J. Charles→
This review is by Claudia. At sixteen, I found my older cousin’s stash of Barbara Cartlands and assorted Harlequin-type romance housed in an old sewing cabinet and life was never the same! I love history, so I mostly read historical romance. Favorite authors include Meredith Duran, Mary Balogh, Miranda Neville, Elizabeth Kingston, and Rose Lerner. … Elizabeth Kingston accomplishes a great deal with this book, and gives us a medieval world that feels fully fleshed … Continue reading Guest Review: Desire Lines by Elizabeth Kingston→
This guest review is by Catherine Heloise. Previously, Catherine ranted about Shakespearean rockstars and loved Chase Me by Laura Florand. She has a food blog called Cate’s Cates, where she creates allergy-friendly treats, and she also runs the Stories Under Paris website, where she creates fictional stories based on the names of Paris Metro stations. How cool is that? … This novella gets an A for all the fun. Courtney Milan’s new novella, Mrs Martin’s Incomparable … Continue reading Guest Review: Mrs Martin’s Incomparable Adventure by Courtney Milan→
The Governess by Christi Caldwell is the third book in the Wicked Wallflowers series, and I found out the hard way that this series really, really has to be read in order. I found myself confused by the first three chapters; as a reader unfamiliar with the world or the characters, I was dropped in without a lot of explanation. By chapter four I’d gotten my bearings, but the book never quite clicked with me. … Continue reading The Governess by Christi Caldwell→
We have a guest review for you all! This review comes from Claudia. Thanks, Claudia! At sixteen, Claudia found her older cousin’s stash of Barbara Cartlands and assorted Harlequin-type romance housed in an old sewing cabinet and life was never the same! Claudia loves history, so she mostly reads historical romance. Favorite authors include Meredith Duran, Mary Balogh, Miranda Neville, Elizabeth Kingston, and Rose Lerner. … Elizabeth (Bess) Stoughton is a widow and a lady-in-waiting … Continue reading Guest Review: Forsaking All Other by Catherine Meyrick→
Reviewing Romain is a tricky proposition for me because her writing works so well on my brain, and on my emotions. I’ve talked about getting the “chest tingles” when a line or a piece of dialogue hits me dead center in the squishy feels, and this book had plenty of those. Romain excels at writing deliberate, careful moments between the characters so that a scene that seems unimportant at first later carries additional meaning and emotional … Continue reading Lady Notorious by Theresa Romain→
NB: Not the Duke’s Darling by Elizabeth Hoyt is the start to a new historical romance and we know many of you are curious about this one! Well big thanks to Ellen McCammon for submitting this guest review, so we don’t have to keep you waiting any longer. Ellen researches gender, sexuality, and sexual health in her day job and spends her free time reading, writing, and making textile crafts. You can follow her on Twitter … Continue reading Guest Review: Not the Duke’s Darling by Elizabeth Hoyt→
I have to admit, I liked most of this book, except for the hero’s backstory. I’m getting really tired of “hero cannot love because of abusive parent,” even when it’s reasonably well done. It just feels overdone to me. Nicholas Lyon was never meant to be a duke. He was the unfavorite second son, and after leaving his childhood home of Enderley, he made his own fortune by opening a gambling den and collecting the … Continue reading A Duke Changes Everything by Christy Carlyle→
Sophie Appersett is engaged to Edward (Ned) Sharpe. She’s the daughter of a baron; he’s a very wealthy merchant, and their alliance is built over a massive class chasm, one that she’s trying to cross with continued conversation, while he remains silent and withdrawn in all of their outings together. Sophie decides she’s not willing to continue the engagement because they don’t suit. She wants more for herself, and from his behavior she’s pretty sure … Continue reading A Holiday by Gaslight by Mimi Matthews→
For the Duke’s Eyes Only is a historically ridiculous but deeply satisfying romance novel between an archeologist named India (and inevitably nicknamed “Indy”) who thinks that treasures belong in museums and a spy named Daniel Ravenwood (!) who in the past broke her heart. Daniel and India are rivals because Daniel’s cover is that he is a treasure hunter who collects artifacts for his own personal enjoyment. He also pretends to be a shallow rake. … Continue reading For the Duke’s Eyes Only by Leonora Bell→
