Author: Tracy Anne Warren

Throwback Thursday Review: At the Duke’s Pleasure by Tracy Anne Warren

Posted February 20, 2020 by Rowena in Reviews | 6 Comments

Throwback Thursday Review: At the Duke’s Pleasure by Tracy Anne WarrenReviewer: Rowena
At the Duke's Pleasure by Tracy Anne Warren
Series: The Byrons of Braebourne #3
Also in this series: Seduced by His Touch, At the Duke's Pleasure, Wicked Delights of a Bridal Bed, The Bed and the Bachelor, Tempted by His Kiss
Publisher: Avon
Publication Date: January 12, 2010
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher
Point-of-View: Alternating Third
Cliffhanger: View Spoiler »
Genres: Historical Romance
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four-stars
Series Rating: four-stars

All the Byrons are just as "mad, bad, and dangerous to know" as their famous non-relation . . . but now the time has come for the eldest son to marry . . . Edward Byron, Duke of Clybourne, has everything a man in Society needs . . . except a wife.

Duty requires he wed, so he decides that a long-standing arranged marriage will do nicely. He knows his bride is beautiful, biddable, and bright enough to run his household and nursery. He expects his betrothed, Lady Claire Marsden, will be thrilled with his decision—unfortunately, she's not!

Claire has longed for Edward since she was sixteen, but how can he expect her to agree to his proposal when he barely knows her and doesn't love her? Nothing will convince her to accept a loveless marriage. And so she begins a battle of outrageous resistance, forcing Edward to learn that he must lose his heart in order to win his bride.

*** Every Thursday, we’ll be posting throwback reviews of our favorite and not-so-favorite books. Enjoy! ***

This review was originally posted on February 2, 2010.

There seems to be a theme in my reading right now. This is the third book that I’ve read with this kind of storyline and while I enjoyed the book, it wasn’t my favorite Byron book. I really enjoyed it though but while I enjoyed this book, Jack’s book holds a special place in my heart. I heart Jack.

However, I did enjoy Edward’s book as well. I’m a sucker for those unrequited love storylines and this was one of them. Edward and Clare have been betrothed ever since Edward was a young boy and Clare was a, well, a baby. There wasn’t a moment that Clare didn’t know where her future would take place and seeing who she was engaged to was easy as a young girl to paint white picket fences around her future. But when your groom takes his time coming to fetch his bride and when an overheard comment from that groom makes its way to you, it’s hard to get over that heartbreak.

Watching Clare try to manipulate Edward into breaking off their engagement and then seeing Edward try to make sense of everything and keep their engagement intact, all the while fighting his attraction to the woman that his young fiance turned out to be was a delight to read. It wasn’t a very original plot (as I have stated, this is the third book with this storyline that I’ve read in the past few months) but Warren made the story work for both Edward and Clare. I thought she did a great job of keeping the reader entertained and she definitely made me want more from the Byrons.

Edward came off kind of stuffy at first but I thought he was a great match for Clare. Their chemistry was what had me coming back for more and I thought it was a good read. I loved watching Edward with his family, with the twins and then with his sister, even his mother. He was one of those honorable men who kept his word and he was smexy to boot. Watching him fall for Clare was a treat.

Then there was Clare, she’s still young enough to be rebellious yet old enough to desire a man and I thought that Warren balanced her different emotions rather well. She didn’t make Clare a hateful cow and I appreciated that. I thought the way that Clare came around where Edward was concerned made the story fun to read and I loved how they fell in love over time and not right away.

Overall, this story did its job. It entertained me, it made me sigh a little and laugh a little. It took me away from my real life for the hours that it took me to read it and I came away from this book, entertained and happy. Would I recommend this? Sure, to all of the Byron fans out there and to other historical lovers who want a fun, romantic story to pass the time. This is a good one.

4 out of 5

Byrons of Braebourne

Book Cover Book Cover Book Cover Book Cover

four-stars


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Guest Review: Happily Bedded Bliss by Tracy Anne Warren

Posted March 7, 2016 by Tracy in Reviews | 0 Comments

Guest Review: Happily Bedded Bliss by Tracy Anne WarrenReviewer: Tracy
Happily Bedded Bliss by Tracy Anne Warren
Series: The Rakes of Cavendish Square #2
Publisher: Penguin
Publication Date: March 1st 2016
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four-stars
Series Rating: four-stars

When Lady Esme Byron happens upon a gorgeous naked man sleeping beside a secluded country lake, she can’t resist the impulse to sketch him. But when her highly improper drawing is mistakenly revealed at a party, she finds her once-pristine reputation in tatters.

Gabriel, Lord Northcote, may be a notorious rakehell, but he is still stunned to find himself accused of despoiling a duke’s sister—especially since he's never set eyes on her. When Esme’s six irate brothers demand a hurried trip down the aisle, he has no choice but to comply. He thinks he can forget about his inconvenient bride but Esme Byron is no ordinary woman and Gabriel is about to learn just how unforgettable she can be.

Lady Esme is out and about trying to find some new item in nature to sketch. When she goes to her favorite spot on a neighbors land she finds a naked man swimming. She’s shocked but then when he heads to the grass and promptly falls asleep she’s intrigued by him and sketches him. When the sketch is discovered in a roundabout way Esme’s brothers assume the worst – that she’s been compromised. Fortunately, that’s not true but since the Byron’s were having a house party and there were many people around when the sketch was discovered the Byron’s have to hurry and try to make the upcoming scandal disappear. The best way to do that is to force Gabriel, the naked subject of the sketch, and Esme marry asap. Gabriel’s not thrilled about the marriage but he knows it must be done. Esme is even more stubborn when she finds out that her brothers are forcing her but eventually she concedes that this is the best way to avoid scandal.

Now Gabriel’s parents were a pair. They were either madly in love or fighting. The fighting eventually won out and both parents ended up cheating on each other. This did not end well and they both died at his father’s hand. Gabriel and his brother were then raised by an abusive uncle and to Gabriel this proved to him that there is no good in people. His parents showed him that marriage is a mistake and that he can’t let himself love anyone because it leads to grief and devastation.

Gabriel and Esme spend an idyllic time at one of his estates for about a month. Unfortunately, one of his friends mentions how happy he is that Gabriel found love and Gabriel didn’t like that at all. He then practically exiles Esme to his family seat and takes himself off to London. Esme isn’t sure what she did wrong but she knows that she has to work hard to get back the wonderful man she saw in him and so she takes it upon herself to do what needs to be done in order to get the family she’s always dreamed of.

This was a very sweet book. Warren always does a great job of pulling the reader into the story and keeping them on the edge of their seat to see what happens next. I honestly wasn’t sure how she was going to get Esme and Gabriel to see eye to eye but she managed it, and in a way that made me sigh with happiness.

Esme and Gabriel were so good together and even though he was an ass in more than a few parts of the book the reader knew that it was just him trying to protect his heart. For such a young lady Esme was very strong-willed and determined and I loved that about her. For all her strength she was still very kindhearted and she was a really great blend of strength and softness.

I hadn’t read book one in this series but this book stood well on its own. If you love a good scandal turned forced marriage turned love story then this is a good one for you.

Rating: 4 out of 5

four-stars


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Guest Review: The Man Plan by Tracy Anne Warren

Posted August 15, 2014 by Natalia S in Reviews | 0 Comments

Guest Review: The  Man Plan by Tracy Anne WarrenReviewer: Natalia
The Man Plan by Tracy Anne Warren
Series: The Grayson's series #2
Publisher: Signet
Publication Date: August 5, 2014
Genres: Contemporary Romance
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five-stars
Series Rating: five-stars

 

What’s a girl to do when the man she’s loved her entire life thinks of her as a little sister? Worse, her own big sister was the one who broke his heart years earlier. For Ivy Grayson, the chance to get him to see her in a different light comes when she receives an unexpected invitation to move into his luxury New York apartment building. Manhattan also just happens to be the perfect place to pursue her wish to become a successful artist. But how many dreams can one woman expect to come true?

Billionaire financier James Jordon has everything a man could want—except love. When Ivy’s family asks him to keep an eye on their “little girl” in the big city, he agrees. But the innocent girl he knew is now a dynamic woman who knows what she wants, and how to get it. He may have promised himself to keep things platonic, but ignoring the game of love isn’t an option. Especially when Ivy is so eager to play.

Natalia’s review of The Man Plan  (The Graysons, #2) by Tracy Anne Warren

 

The first book in this series, the last man on earth, was absolutely fantastic! When I finished it, I was left with an emptiness in my heart because I just needed to read the next book. I couldn’t believe when this day was finally here!

In certain romance novels, there are characters that come off the page in such a way, that they need their own story. Ivy and James Jordan were 2 of them.  After Madelyn jilted James in The last man on earth, we all felt a hole in our hearts for him. I for one wanted him to find someone to love, and of course, Ivy was the charismatic baby sister we all adored, so who better? One thing that surprised me about this book was the major age difference between James and Ivy. I thought she was 20 and he 30, but in fact they have a 15 year age difference! For some reason we are ok with that in historicals, but somehow in the generation where such big differences are leered at, it’s a little hard to get around… The author did a great job getting around it though. From beginning to end, Tracy Anne Warren proved to us that Ivy and James were perfect for each other in spite of their ages. James needed a woman who was happy, artistic and fun loving to balance out his serious workaholic personality, and Ivy also needed a loving and serious man to balance her out, and of course, who doesn’t need the man they’ve love  their entire life?

I loved the chemistry between Ivy and James. It was nice to see the heroin doing the chasing, and I must admit, she did it brilliantly. Ivy was the kind of kick ass, go getter, and fearless kind of girl we all admire in our books. I must add that I adored her friends! Josh and Neill were warm, funny, and all the things we want in true friends. James was the best kind of Hero. Rich, handsome, and clean hearted. What more could we ask for in our main characters?

I actually read this book in one sitting without distractions, something that is rare for me, and a tribute to how good it was. I hope the author will continue writing books in this series. I enjoyed revisiting the world of the grasons. They’re such a dynamic family!  I am very much looking forwards to Bri Grason’s story! She to, should find somebody to love.

Rating: 5 out of 5

The Series:
Book Cover Book Cover

This book is available from Signet.  You can purchase the book here or here in e-format.  This book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

five-stars


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Guest Review: Tempted by His Kiss by Tracy Anne Warren

Posted August 6, 2013 by Book Binge Guest Blogger in Reviews | 2 Comments

Guest Review: Tempted by His Kiss by Tracy Anne WarrenReviewer: Erica
Tempted by His Kiss by Tracy Anne Warren
Series: The Byrons of Braebourne #1
Also in this series: Seduced by His Touch, At the Duke's Pleasure, Wicked Delights of a Bridal Bed, The Bed and the Bachelor, At the Duke's Pleasure
Publisher: Avon, Harper Collins
Publication Date: February 24, 2009
Genres: Historical Romance
Add It: Goodreads
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three-stars
Series Rating: four-stars

London Society knows the Byrons are “mad, bad, and dangerous,” and every bit as fascinating as their poetic non-relation. Join the fun as New York Times bestselling author Tracy Anne Warren presents the first tale of this tempestuous family––famous for scandal and legendary at love…

Orphaned beauty Meg Amberley never planned to pose as Lord Cade Byron’s fiancée. Caught in a snowstorm, she takes refuge at his estate. Stranded together, Meg soon finds herself falling under Cade’s spell. When the roads clear, she intends to leave, but fate intervenes.

Haunted by his past, Cade Byron has buried himself in the country. Then Meg—with her lush curves and soft, blonde hair—invades his house and his life. With her reputation compromised, he proposes a pretend engagement and a London Season where she can find a husband.

But as their charade deepens, Cade can’t let her go . . . vowing to tempt her with a kiss that just may lead to forever.

Erica’s review of Tempted by His Kiss (The Byron’s of Braebourne, Book 1) by Tracy Anne Warren

 

Cade Byron is one of the Byron brood, another one who is “mad, bad, and dangerous to know.” He’s horrifically injured fighting in France, and has PTSD, avoids his family, and drinks too much. Meg Ambersley is heading to north to Scotland to go stay with her last living relative, but a snowstorm prompts her to seek shelter from Cade’s house. She cajoles him into actually being slightly social, and they become friendly, and then one night when Cade is super-doped up and has no idea what’s going on, he puts Meg into a slightly compromising situation. So, they decide to pose as engaged, have a London season, and Meg will meet someone else, “jilt” Cade, and life will go on.Well, obviously, that’s not going to happen. I mean, seriously, you silly people, can’t you see you’re in a romance novel?The problem with this story, was that I never lost sight of the fact that I was in a romance novel. I was never really worried that they were going to screw up so massively that they could miss their happy ending. I was never totally swept away on the journey you take when reading a good love story. You may know intellectually that the happily-ever-after is an assured thing, but you sweat, worrying that that the characters will do something dumb if you put the book down. And I was never, ever once so swept up that I could forget the structure of the romance and worry about the characters and their emotions.

Which really totally sucks, because there was some interesting stuff going on. Cade’s PTSD was something worth talking about, but it was acknowledged that he’s been through some crazy bad stuff in the war, and… that was it. It seemed brushed under the rug. Cade and Meg were so well-matched in the beginning: mocking each other gently, playing each other at chess, matching wits perfectly equally. And then later… Well, I can’t get into the details. But basically Meg could have been shown as this total badass, but the opportunity is dropped and she’s just another girl who does extremely dumb things. And it affects my enjoyment of her relationship with Cade, because they had been so well-matched, and then she’s just a silly girl, and I was disappointed. The Bryon family dynamics seemed like the typical big, slightly crazy family, and I wanted more details about what exactly makes the BYRONS so crazy and awesome. Because they could have been any big family.

I dunno what to tell you. It wasn’t bad. There were some lovely things that I really appreciated. But I felt like everything was framework. Everything was on the surface, and there wasn’t enough behind it for me. There were lovely things that I wanted to see explored, and they were dropped. The relationship started amazingly, and then it got a bit off-kilter. That being said, I may try out another book in the series to see if maybe it was just this hero-heroine combination. I’m giving this one 3 stars — it’s okay to read, there are good times to be had, but I’m not going to gush or tell people that they have to read it immediately or suffer my wrath.

Rating: 3 out of 5

This title is available from Avon Books.  You can buy it here or here in e-format.

three-stars


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Guest Review: Her Highness and the Highlander by Tracy Anne Warren

Posted November 5, 2012 by Tracy in Reviews | 0 Comments

Guest Review: Her Highness and the Highlander by Tracy Anne WarrenReviewer: Tracy
Her Highness and the Highlander by Tracy Anne Warren
Series: The Princess Brides #2
Publisher: Signet
Publication Date: November 6, 2012
Genres: Historical Romance
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three-stars
Series Rating: three-stars

While journeying home from Scotland, Princess Mercedes of Alden’s coach is set upon and her personal guard killed. Barely escaping with her life, she seeks help at a nearby inn. But with no money and looking little better than a beggar, the townsfolk think her claims of being a princess to be nothing more than a far-fetched tale. Utterly forsaken, Mercedes wonders what is to become of her.

After years of soldiering, dispossessed Laird Daniel MacKinnon is finally coming home. At an inn he is confronted by a bedraggled young woman claiming to be of royal blood. Daniel doesn’t believe her wild tale, but when she asks for his protection, he agrees to serve as her bodyguard—in turn she promises to reward him handsomely once they reach London. But Mercedes is still being pursued by ruthless hunters whose motives remain unclear.

As the danger increases, so does the desire she and Daniel feel for each other, until the two of them must face the greatest danger of all—falling in love.

Tracy’s review of Her Highness and the Highlander (The Princess Brides #2) by Tracy Anne Warren

Princess Mercedes of Alden is traveling by coach from Scotland – where her school is located – to London. On the road the coach is attacked. One of the footman tells Mercedes that they are after her and she should run into the woods to save herself. While running she turns back and bears witness to the murder of her entire entourage, including her uncle. She’s devastated and scared out of her mind but she manages to escape her attackers. She runs and runs and ends up at an inn/tavern where she explains herself. When she states she’s a princess the proprietor and then everyone else laughs at her thinking she’s crazy. She has no money and no resources to get home but luckily one of the travelers at the inn, Daniel MacKinnon, takes pity on her and has the inn take care of her.

Daniel’s on his way home to Skye and just happens to be at the inn. He really doesn’t think that Mercedes is any saner than the rest of the people but he feels sorry for her. He gets her a room, a bath, orders a dress or two, money for the stagecoach to London and then he’ll be on his way in the morning. That actually happens but he starts to feel guilty and turns around to escort Mercedes to London himself. While they are traveling the couple start to fall in love – Mercedes more than Daniel – but he wants to bed her, so they end up getting married.

Getting to London Daniel is shocked to learn that Mercedes was telling the truth and now he’s not sure what will happen with the marriage. Mercedes’ father isn’t pleased with the marriage and wants Daniel gone. But is the danger to Mercedes in the past or is there still reason to believe she’s in danger. Daniel won’t leave until he knows.

When I read the blurb on this book I thought it sounded interesting. I love books set in Scotland and especially with Highlanders. I love books where the hero and heroine are traveling together as it seems to create a particular bond between the characters. While all of that was involved the execution of the story didn’t bowl me over in the end. I found myself skimming the story at times and then realizing what I was doing would go back and read fully. If a story can’t keep my attention all that well there’s probably something missing as I’m a pretty forgiving reader.

The story was good but improbable. Possible, yes. But probable? Not so much. Throughout the story we’re led to believe that Mercedes was viewing a world that she’d never seen before. The way OTHERS lived was quite shocking but she surprisingly was open to this. I’m not saying that it couldn’t happen but she was just too accepting of it for me to believe.

When it came to Daniel asking her to marry him I was happy for them but yet, I couldn’t help but think that this girl (she was only 19), who had been raised to follow everything her parent said and knew that her father wouldn’t approve, accepted so easily. Of course when it came to telling her father she acted like a child and completely hurt Daniel’s feelings.

Daniel was really a great guy. He may have asked Mercedes to marry him for all the wrong reasons but he was still an honorable man. He was strong, protective, had a good moral compass and really was a stand up guy. I frankly didn’t like him and Mercedes together until the end of the book – probably because I didn’t like her all that much and wanted him to be with a different heroine! lol

In the end it was cute. I normally like Warren books a lot but this one just didn’t work as well for me.

Rating: 3 out of 5

The Series:
Book Cover Book Cover

This book is available from Signet. You can buy it here or here in e-format. This book was provided by the publisher for an honest review.

three-stars


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