Publisher: Harlequin Historical

Guest Review: A Marquis in Want of a Wife by Louise Allen

Posted December 2, 2020 by Tracy in Reviews | 1 Comment

Guest Review: A Marquis in Want of a Wife by Louise AllenReviewer: Tracy
A Marquis In Want Of A Wife by Louise Allen
Series: Liberated Ladies #3
Publisher: Harlequin Historical
Publication Date: December 1, 2020
Format: eARC
Source: NetGalley
Point-of-View: Third person
Genres: Historical Romance
Pages: 288
Add It: Goodreads
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three-half-stars
Series Rating: four-stars

A Marquis scarred by life, a lady in distress and a baby without a mother

Miss Prudence Scott has been most imprudent and now she’s facing ruin. Ross Vincent, privateer and reluctant Marquis of Cranford, is scarred by life in both body and soul. But there is one thing he knows he needs – a mother for his baby son.

It should have been a passionless marriage of mutual convenience but physical attraction flares and then, for Prue, a love she dare not admit for the hard, ruthless man she is married to.

When Ross, caught up in the battle of Waterloo, forgets his promise to keep out of danger for the sake of his family Prue has to make the hardest choice of her life between the child she has come to treasure as her own or the life of the husband who does not want her love.

Prudence believed herself in love with a man and slept with him.  He then informed her that she was just a bet between him and his friends.  Hurt and not knowing if she’s pregnant, Prue asks her friends for advice.  One of her friends knows of a man who is in want of a mother for his baby son.

Ross is a man who was raised in the east end of London and became a privateer.  Since inheriting the title he has given up privateering and now uses his ships for trade. Though he is a marquis, he is looked down upon for not only his upbringing, but the fact that he works – oh the horror!  He is also scarred and only six months a widower so women aren’t clamoring to be his bride.

Prue and Ross make an agreement that they will get married and it will be a marriage of convenience.  He has no desire to have a relationship and no desire for sex.  Of course, once they are married, they find that they desire each other.

This was a lovely little romance. I really liked both Ross and Prue and liked them together as a couple as well.  Ross tried everything he could to stay away from Prue because of course emotions make you stupid and reckless insert eye roll, but he never quite managed to stay completely unemotional with Prue. I loved that she could bring out emotion in him, whether it was desire, frustration or anger.

The baby, Jon, was absolutely a highlight in this book.  He was such a good-natured boy and I loved it when he was on-page.  There was a part of that has to do with Jon and his maternal grandparents that I thought was quite well and I appreciated that the author didn’t blow this up more than it was.

Overall a quick read and a satisfying historical romance.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

three-half-stars


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Guest Review: Tempted by Her Viking Enemy by Terri Brisbin

Posted November 2, 2020 by Tracy in Reviews | 0 Comments

Guest Review: Tempted by Her Viking Enemy by Terri BrisbinReviewer: Tracy
Tempted by Her Viking Enemy by Terri Brisbin
Series: Sons of Sigurd #5
Publisher: Harlequin Historical
Publication Date: November 1, 2020
Format: eARC
Source: NetGalley
Point-of-View: Third
Genres: Historical Romance
Pages: 288
Add It: Goodreads
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three-half-stars
Series Rating: four-stars


USA TODAY
Bestselling Author
“What do I get if I help you?”

“Whatever I have to give…”

The only person who can help Katla flee a violent marriage is the Viking in her father’s dungeon, the strong and honorable Brandt Sigurdsson. Except Brandt is hungry to see justice done for his family’s destruction, the final vengeance on behalf of all the sons of Sigurd. Is there any persuasion she can offer that will free them both to live—and love—together?
From Harlequin Historical: Your romantic escape to the past.
Sons of Sigurd

Driven by revenge, redeemed by love
Book 1: Stolen by the Viking by Michelle Willingham
Book 2: Falling for Her Viking Captive by Harper St. George
Book 3: Conveniently Wed to the Viking by Michelle Styles
Book 4: Redeeming Her Viking Warrior by Jenni Fletcher
Book 5: Tempted by Her Viking Enemy by Terri Brisbin

Katla Thorfinnsdottir is the oldest daughter of a Pict woman and a Norse man.  Her father has promised her in marriage to a horrible man and Katla is devastated.  She is a widow from her first marriage and doesn’t want to marry another ogre.

Brandt shows up at the Pict stronghold to kill Katla’s father, Thorfinn Bjornsson.  He wants revenge as he believes that Thorfinn is responsible for the raid on his Norse village that ended up killing his father, Brandt’s pregnant wife, and the crown taking their titles and their land.  They fight, but eventually Brandt is wounded and taken prisoner.  Katla is the castle’s healer and is ordered by her father to save Brandt.  As he’s healing, Katla gets to know Brandt and stats to like him a great deal.  She asks him to help her and her younger sister escape from the castle and Brandt agrees, but not before he gets his revenge.  Brandt is leery of Katla at first but soon finds himself falling in love with her.

Brandt tells Katla the story of his village and Katla discusses some weird happenings that are taking place in the castle.  Between the two of them they solve the mystery of what’s going on, but that doesn’t help Brandt who is still a prisoner. They make a plan, but they’re not sure if they can execute it without, well, getting executed.

This was a decent read.  I liked Katla but felt bad for her for the life she’d had after her mother died and her father had gotten remarried. She came back home after her husband died with the intent of staying at the castle for the rest of her life.  In the Pict lands the right of inheritance is through the women.  For the Norse, the right of inheritance goes through the male line.  Her father marrying her off again was something she certainly didn’t want.  She’d been abused by her first husband and didn’t want to have to deal with that again.  Unfortunately, her father wasn’t listening, because of his new wife and her machinations.

Brandt was a good character, but he didn’t have much depth.  He was so focused on revenge that we didn’t get to know a whole lot about him or his background. I certainly liked him with Katla,and loved that he could love her despite his hate for her father.  Katla was kind and giving and I loved her determination in getting the heck out of Dodge.

The story did have a ton of introspection as the characters were trying to figure out their lives, and the mystery that entwined the two of them, and that slowed things down a bit for me.  Despite that I enjoyed the story and recommend it if you like a good Viking story. This is the 5th book in the Sons of Sigurd series – all the books are written by different authors.  I didn’t read any of the books in the series besides this one but didn’t feel that I needed to do so in order to figure out what was going on in this one.  I obviously can’t say if that applies for all the books in the series, but for this one, it worked.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 

three-half-stars


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Guest Review: A Healer for the Highlander by Terri Brisbin

Posted September 20, 2019 by Tracy in Reviews | 1 Comment

Guest Review: A Healer for the Highlander by Terri BrisbinReviewer: Tracy
A Healer for the Highlander by Terri Brisbin
Series: A Highland Feuding #5
Also in this series: The Highlander's Runaway Bride, Claiming His Highland Bride
Publisher: Harlequin Historical
Publication Date: October 16, 2018
Format: eARC
Source: NetGalley
Point-of-View: Third
Cliffhanger: View Spoiler »
Genres: Historical Romance
Pages: 288
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two-half-stars
Series Rating: three-stars

She can save his son

But can she resist the Highland warrior?

In this A Highland Feuding story, famed healer Anna MacKenzie is moved by Davidh of Clan Cameron’s request to help his ailing young son. She wants to help—and the commander has unknowingly provided the introduction to the clan she’s been looking for. But Anna has a secret, one that could jeopardize the fast-growing, heated passion between them…

Anna and her mother live in a small house above a waterfall – her mother is sometimes called the witch of Caig Falls. Anna is learning everything her mother knows so that she too could be a healer one day. She falls in love with Malcolm Cameron, the chieftain’s son and hopes to marry him one day. When her mother discovers that Anna’s pregnant she moves them to live with her mother’s family, far away from Malcolm.

Now it’s 13 years later and Anna has returned to Caig Falls. She has become the healer her mother hoped she would be, but she is sad because she learned not long after a bearing a son that the father, Malcolm, had died. Now Anna wants her son, Iain, to take his rightful place as the chieftain of clan Cameron.

Davidh Cameron was Malcolm‘s best friend. Thirteen years ago he knew something was up with Malcolm, but he never learned about Anna. When he searches out the healer of Caig Falls to heal his son, he never expects a beautiful young woman to be the healer. Malcolm’s son Colm, named after Malcolm, is terribly ill and Davidh would like Anna to treat him. The longer Davidh and Anna spend together the more she starts to fall for him. He eventually finds out about Iain’s existence and recognizes immediately that he is a Cameron, but he still doesn’t know that he is Malcolm‘s son.  Anna is not sure how she can take care of her son, take care of Colm, fall in love with Davidh, and still get her son to take his rightful place when the current chieftain seems to be such a good guy.

This book wasn’t great, let me just say that. I didn’t really like Anna all that much. I didn’t like that she kept her plans from Davidh even after he married her. I was almost disgusted when both of their sons get kidnapped, because nothing keeps a couple together like a good kidnapping, right? The whole thing kind of just left a bad taste in my mouth. Anna pissed me off on a regular basis and that’s never a good thing. Davidh seemed to be a good guy which was a plus.

I’ve read a few of Brisbane‘s books and really enjoyed them. This one just did not work for me.

Rating: 2.5 out of 5

A Highland Feuding

two-half-stars


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Guest Review: The Highlander and the Governess by Michelle Willingham

Posted September 10, 2019 by Tracy in Reviews | 1 Comment

Guest Review: The Highlander and the Governess by Michelle WillinghamReviewer: Tracy
The Highlander and the Governess by Michelle Willingham
Series: Untamed Highlanders #1
Publisher: Harlequin Historical
Publication Date: September 17, 2019
Format: eARC
Source: NetGalley
Point-of-View: Third
Genres: Historical Romance
Pages: 288
Add It: Goodreads
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three-stars
Series Rating: three-stars

A ruined lady turned governess

Can she tame the Highlander?

Part of Untamed Highlanders. When Frances Goodson is summoned to Scotland to give etiquette lessons, she’s not expecting to tutor a handsome laird! The scandal of her past means going home is not an option, so she must help wild, scarred Lachlan MacKinloch win a wealthy London heiress. She’s determined to fulfill her task and not get distracted by the passion she sees in the powerful laird’s eyes…

Frances Goodson arrives in Scotland and is impressed by the grandeur of the castle where she’s been hired to be a governess.  She’s been told nothing about her charges, but she can’t wait to get started.

When she finally is admitted to the home, she finds out that the Laird’s mother had hired a governess behind her son’s back because she thought he needed help with his manners and etiquette.  He’s to hopefully get engaged to a London lady soon, and the mother wants nothing to get in the way of that happening.

The Laird, Lachlan McKinloch, wants nothing to do with the governess or her etiquette lessons.  He orders her out of the house at once.  She talks him into letting her stay one day but then he insists she must leave.  One day turns to two and then soon she’s there for a month.

Frances is running from a scandal and poverty.  She was from a good family but they turned their backs on her when scandal hit.  Frances will do anything to stay away from London, even stay in Scotland and work for no wages.

Frances is able to get the Laird to work on etiquette like the proper fork to use, dancing, and the biggie: the need to always have a chaperone. Of course they don’t always, and next thing you know the two are falling in love.  Unfortunately the London hopeful has 20,000 pounds as a dowry so Lachlan can’t marry Frances as he needs the money the marriage will bring to save his people, who are starving.  His father wasn’t good with money before he died and made the arrangements with his best friend for their kids to marry.

I really liked this book up until the point where Frances and Lachlan return to London, then it just turned into a disaster.  I knew that Lachlan didn’t want to marry the other girl, but he knew that he was going to, no matter what.  That didn’t stop him from sleeping with Frances right after he asked the other woman to marry him! My God, Lachlan, have some honor!  Frances wasn’t much better but letting him when her brain was saying “no, this isn’t right.” Smart brain.  It all works out in the end but not before some serious issues that I really didn’t think made up for Lachlan’s behavior.

Overall it was a decent story, but not one I loved. You’ll probably have to read it for yourself and see what you think about Lachlan’s actions as well as some of the secondary characters.  If you do, please let me know your thoughts, I’d love to hear them.

Rating: 3 out of 5

three-stars


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Guest Review: Forbidden Night with the Prince by Michelle Willingham

Posted July 5, 2018 by Tracy in Reviews | 0 Comments

Guest Review: Forbidden Night with the Prince by Michelle WillinghamReviewer: Tracy
Forbidden Night with the Prince (Warriors of the Night #3) by Michelle Willingham
Series: Warriors of the Night #3
Also in this series: Forbidden Night with the Warrior
Publisher: Harlequin Historical
Publication Date: August 1, 2018
Format: eARC
Point-of-View: Third
Genres: Historical Romance
Pages: 288
Add It: Goodreads
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three-half-stars
Series Rating: four-stars

A lifetime of being good…

One night of sin!

A Warriors of the Night story: virtuous Joan de Laurent is fated never to marry. Three betrothals, each ending in the groom’s death, have convinced her she’s cursed! But only her hand in marriage can help darkly brooding Irish prince Ronan win back his fortress. To break the curse, Joan must risk all to spend one forbidden night with the royal warrior…

Joan de Laurent believes she’s cursed.  She has had two betrothals and both of her intendeds died before the wedding!  She heads off to Ireland to meet her third betrothed and guess what?  He’s dead too!  Of course he was older, but still!

Ronan Ó Callaghan is an Irish prince who heads to the MacEgan holding to gather reinforcements.  His step-brother staged a coup and took over his father’s throne, taking his father hostage.  Ronan cannot let this stand and asks the MacEgan’s for warriors.  They say they’ll provide them but the de Laurent brothers can also provide warriors.  Unfortunately they’ll only do so if Ronan marries their sister.  Ronan isn’t interested in marrying but when he meets Joan he is quite taken with her.

Joan doesn’t want to get betrothed again.  She doesn’t want to take the chance of killing another man.  When she starts to have feelings for Ronan, she especially doesn’t want him to die.  She gets desperate and goes to an old medicine woman to ask how to break the curse.  The woman tells her to have Ronan drink a potion and then Joan is to lay with him and once they have the curse will be broken.  Joan is skeptical but she’s also desperate, so she goes for it.  They spend a wonderful night together and Ronan even agrees to marry Joan, but Joan won’t marry him as he refuses to have kids.  (He believes he killed his brother and nephew.)  The two need to come to an agreement so that Ronan can get the warriors he needs and save his father like he couldn’t save his other family members.

This was a good story.  I felt so bad for Joan!  With her believing that she’s cursed and everyone acting like she’s the devil, I’d want to leave as well.  Ronan was good for her as he brought her out of her self-induced shell.  She wasn’t a meek and mild person but felt she needed to act like one in order to break the curse.  I loved how Ronan dealt with Joan and she with him., they were really perfect for each other.

I felt that the part of the story that dealt with Ronan and his step-brother was also well done.  It seemed very realistic – something that I could imagine happening (even though I’m not really up on my Irish medieval history).

In the end I enjoyed the book and found it entertaining – a nice way to spend a quiet evening.

Rating: 3.75 out of 5

Warriors of the Night

three-half-stars


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