Genre: Historical Romance

Audio Review ~ Heiress Without a Cause ~ Sara Ramsey

Audio Review ~ Heiress Without a Cause ~ Sara Ramsey

Oh boy did I enjoy Heiress Without a Cause! This is the first installment of the Muses of Mayfair series. Three women, all heiresses, and all essentially on the shelf, have unconventional interests which they engage in. These interests would cause quite the scandal in the ton. 😉 Heiress Without a Cause specifically revolves around Madeleine, who has a love of acting. She’s so talented that she won a role and has been performing on stage under an alias. However, when the theater manager becomes greedy and threatens Madeleine into performing past their agreed timeline, she’s at risk of being ruined. Enter Ferguson, the newly minted Duke of Rothwell. He’s returned to London from exile following his father’s death. He […]

Posted 8 September, 2022 by Brandee @ (un)Conventional Bookworms in Reviews / 2 Comments
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Audio Review ~ The Duchess Deal ~ Tessa Dare

Audio Review ~ The Duchess Deal ~ Tessa Dare

I was giggle-snorting in the first few minutes of The Duchess Deal. Between Emma’s antics and Ashbury’s reactions to them, I knew I was in for an entertaining romp. Mary Jane Wells once again impressed me with her narrating skill. All in all, this was an aural delight! Emma Gladstone, a seamstress, has darkened the doorstep of the Duke of Ashbury in order to demand payment for the wedding gown of his former fiancee. Emma is rather in dire straits, as her rent is due and her cupboards are bare. She happens upon the Duke at a serendipitous moment as he’s just determined he’s in need of a wife with a few qualifications. All of which Emma meets – most […]

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Review ~ The Duke I Tempted ~ Scarlett Peckham

Review ~ The Duke I Tempted ~ Scarlett Peckham

Scarlett Peckham is a new-to-me author who I found at the library when I was, *ahem* looking for another duke. (Do I need to specify which duke I was looking for?!? LOL) I’m happy to have made SPeckham’s acquaintance though as I enjoyed The Duke I Tempted. I found the story to be well-written overall and I’ll happily be continuing the series. Poppy Cavendish is an orphan nurserywoman whose spent the last decade of her life ensuring her independence. Marriage is the last thing on her to-do list. So upon meeting the Duke of Westmead and his sister, Constance, the attraction she feels towards the Duke is highly inconvenient. Spending time in close proximity while planning the greenery and flowers […]

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Audio Review ~ The Rogue Not Taken ~ Sarah MacLean, Justine Eyre

Audio Review ~ The Rogue Not Taken ~ Sarah MacLean, Justine Eyre

The Rogue Not Taken was in my introduction to both SMacLean and JEyre and the meeting was a pure delight! SMacLean crafted a story that was riveting, humorous, exciting, heartbreaking and heartwarming while JEyre brought the characters to life. I’m eager to continue this series in audio. Highlights Plot I really enjoyed the circumstances under which Sophie and Eversley meet. SMacLean employed both humor and heartbreak in their meeting and in their subsequent journey together. There was also quite a bit of suspense due to the fact that Sophie was gallivanting around England unchaperoned. All these elements were well balanced and made for an exciting story as both Sophie and Eversley worked towards what they wanted in life – to […]

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Review ~ The MacKinnon’s Bride ~ Tanya Anne Crosby #COYER

Review ~ The MacKinnon’s Bride ~ Tanya Anne Crosby #COYER

I read The MacKinnon’s Bride as part of the Honoring Lost Friends RaT. It was on both my list (I owned it) and Tiffany’s list. I enjoyed my introduction to Tanya Anne Crosby and will read more of her. I happen to own a few…go figure. 😉 What Worked: Characters Both Iain and Page were well-drawn, compelling characters. TACrosby did well in giving them both histories that meant they had trouble opening their hearts to others. Their pasts and the subsequent effects on their personalities made me curious about and sympathetic toward them both. They were each strong, resilient, loyal, and compassionate. And I was cheering for the blossoming romance. Mystery/Intrigue From the start I was interested in Iain’s deceased […]

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Review ~ The Highwayman ~ Kerrigan Byrne

Review ~ The Highwayman ~ Kerrigan Byrne

The Highwayman was so good. Soooo good. That is all.   You didn’t believe I’d leave it at that, did you? 😉 KByrne – a new-to-me author – bowled me over with this gripping, intense, and emotional story. I’ll endeavor to do it justice. Farah met Dougan MacKenzie in an orphanage when they were both young. They became fast friends thanks to Farah’s compassionate heart. One night, something terrible happens and Farah and Dougan are separated. But not before Dougan performs a hand-fasting. Years later…maybe 15 years?…Farah his living as a widow – Farah MacKenzie – and working as a clerk at Scotland Yard. She’s lived a chaste life despite the liberties she’d be afforded as a widow but she’s […]

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ARC Review ~ At the Mountain’s Edge ~ Genevieve Graham #NewRelease2019

ARC Review ~ At the Mountain’s Edge ~ Genevieve Graham #NewRelease2019

At the Mountain’s Edge was a gripping story. GGraham once again takes on a period of time in Canadian history but one that is linked to American history as well. While I knew of the Klondike Gold Rush, I’d never given much thought to the treacherous conditions faced by the miners and merchants in chasing their fortune. Having read GGraham’s account here, I’m quite certain I’d not have had the mettle to survive. 😉 Liza Peterson’s family set off to Dawson City in hopes of prospering by opening a shop to sell supplies to the miners during the Klondike Gold Rush. Her father had sold the family on the idea of an “adventure of a lifetime”, which turned out to […]

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Audio Review ~ Beauty Like the Night ~ Joanna Bourne

Audio Review ~ Beauty Like the Night ~ Joanna Bourne

Beauty Like the Night was just what I was needing. This is my second listen in Bourne’s Spymasters series – which I’ve read out of order – and the story as well as the narration were both fabulous! One of my favorite things in historical romance is an unconventional heroine. Severine is the epitome of unconventional. An orphan of the French Revolution, she was adopted by the head of British intelligence. If I remember correctly, she’d spied during the revolution – at a single-digit age – and continued honing those skills no matter her Papa’s objections. Severine is smart, independent, strong-willed, outspoken, and tenacious. All things I greatly admire. 🙂 With no war being fought, Severine currently works as a […]

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Audio Review ~ No Earls Allowed ~ Shana Galen

Audio Review ~ No Earls Allowed ~ Shana Galen

No Earls Allowed was a wonderful addition to The Survivors series. The story revolves around Neil Wraxall – the Major – and Lady Juliana. I loved the ways in which SGalen illustrated the vulnerabilities of Neil and Juliana, how they guilt they each carried affected them. And, of course, the way in which they fell for one another was a pleasure. Highlights: Main Characters Having met Neil in Third Son’s a Charm, I was curious about his story. He’s the recognized bastard of an Earl which left him with many insecurities. His role in his specialized corps of soldiers left him with much guilt. Getting a better understanding of him made my heart ache for him and I rooted for […]

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Audio Review ~ Third Son’s a Charm ~ Shana Galen

Audio Review ~ Third Son’s a Charm ~ Shana Galen

Third Son’s a Charm served as my introduction to Shana Galen and what an intro it was! The main plot was well crafted and the characters, both main and secondary, were painstakingly fleshed out.  The underlying story of “The Survivors” was also deftly woven in adding complexity to Ewan and his comrades. All the characters were delightfully brought to life by the talented narrator, Victoria Aston. She was also new-to-me and I will seek out more from her. Highlights: Main Plot Lady Lorraine’s father fears someone unworthy stealing her heart to get to her dowry. He hires Ewan Mostyn to ensure no one, least of all Mostyn’s cousin who is pursuing Lorrie, manages to put her in a compromising position. Fortunately […]

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