Tag: Caroline Linden

Guest Review: When the Marquess was Mine by Caroline Linden

Posted December 31, 2019 by Tracy in Reviews | 2 Comments

Guest Review: When the Marquess was Mine by Caroline LindenReviewer: Tracy
When the Marquess Was Mine by Caroline Linden
Series: The Wagers of Sin #3
Publisher: Avon
Publication Date: September 24, 2019
Format: eARC
Source: Edelweiss
Point-of-View: Third
Genres: Historical Romance
Pages: 400
Add It: Goodreads
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Ripped Bodice | Google Play Books
four-stars
Series Rating: four-stars

In the game of love…

Georgiana Lucas despises the arrogant and cruel Marquess of Westmorland even before learning that he's won the deed to her friend Kitty's home in a card game. Still, Georgiana assures Kitty the marquess wouldn't possibly come all the way to Derbyshire to throw them out—until he shows up, bloody and unconscious. Fearing that Kitty would rather see him die, Georgiana blurts out that he's her fiancé. She'll nurse the hateful man back to health and make him vow to leave and never return. The man who wakes up, though, is nothing like the heartless rogue Georgiana thought she knew…

You have to risk it all

He wakes up with no memory of being assaulted—or of who he is. The bewitching beauty tending him so devotedly calls him Rob and claims she's his fiancée even as she avoids his touch. Though he can't remember how he won her hand, he's now determined to win her heart. But as his memory returns and the truth is revealed, Rob must decide if the game is up—or if he'll take a chance on a love that defies all odds.

Georgiana Lucas is visiting her friend Kitty and her family when they receive a message from Kitty’s husband.  It just says that by no means are they to let the Marquess of Westmorland into the house.  The family has no idea what’s going on as Kitty’s husband is non-specific as to why.  When Georgiana is out riding with a groom, she sees a man being attacked and insists on scaring off the attackers and helping the man back to Kitty’s house.

When they finally get the man back to the house, some of the mud from the road rubs off and Georgiana sees that it’s the Marquess of Westmorland.  Georgiana knows that Kitty can be vindictive (at least she could be when they were in school together) and since her husband told her not to let Westmorland enter the house, Georgiana knows that Kitty might not help him, even though he’s injured.  Georgiana panics and tells Kitty that the man is her fiancé Robert Sterling.

Georgiana stays with Westmorland day and night while he fights for his life, and the family is touched by how dedicated she is when in fact she’s just scared he’ll wake up and utter his true identity.  Fortunately for Georgiana, Westmorland wakes up and has no idea who he is.  Before Georgiana can tell him the truth, the doctor spouts that he is Robert Sterling and that he’s Georgiana’s fiancé.  Oops.

So begins the romance of Georgiana and Rob. Rob believes that Georgiana is his fiance, so he treats as he would a fiance – with kindness, compliments and love. He’s also amazed that the beautiful woman by his side is his.  I loved watching Georgiana fall in love with Westmorland and learn that he wasn’t the complete ass she believed him to be. He’s actually very sweet and kind and I loved him to pieces! Yes, he liked to gamble and drink, but what young buck of that time didn’t?  Their time spent together was lovely and Linden did a great job with this couple.

When Rob gets some of his memory back, he’s not upset at Georgiana for not telling him the truth – he’s too in love with her by that time.  He’s encouraged by his family to forget her, but he just can’t.  He heads back to London and his friend reminds him how he had agreed to help him catch a smuggler.  This was subtly mentioned at the beginning of the book but not in any detail.  Though there was that mention, it still felt as if this part of the book was tacked on and I didn’t really care for it.

Overall I really enjoyed this book.  When I read a Linden book it reminds me of how much I like her as an author and now I need to go read more of her stories.

Rating: 4 out of 5

The Wagers of Sin

four-stars

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Booksgiving with Book Binge: Day 21

Posted November 29, 2018 by Rowena in Giveaways | 11 Comments

November is a month of giving and a month of sharing so we had a thought. We’ve been at this book blogging thing for over eleven years now and to show our appreciation for all of you lovely readers taking this journey with us, we’ve got books to give away! We’re making this a month of Booksgiving and we hope you’ll join us.

Today’s giveaway includes the following:

When a Duke Loves a Woman by Lorraine Heath
An Earl Like You by Caroline Linden
The Lady is Daring by Megan Frampton

To enter, please use the Gleam widget below. All you have to do is leave a comment on this blog post, answering the question included in the widget and you are good to go.

Booksgiving with Book Binge, Day 21

What was the prettiest book cover that you’ve seen lately?

Good luck!

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Review: Love and Other Scandals by Caroline Linden

Posted July 26, 2013 by Tracy in Reviews | 3 Comments

Publisher: Avon, Harper Collins

Joan Bennet is tired of being a wallflower. Thanks to some deliciously scandalous—and infamous—stories, she has a pretty good idea of what she’s missing as a spinster. Is even a short flirtation too much to ask for?

Tristan, Lord Burke, recognizes Joan at once for what she is: trouble. Not only is she his best friend’s sister, she always seems to catch him at a disadvantage. The only way he can win an argument is by kissing her senseless. He’d give anything to get her out of her unflattering gowns. But either one of those could cost him his bachelor status, which would be dreadful—wouldn’t it?

When Tristan Burke meets Joan Bennet once again, after not seeing her for years, he’s not really impressed. Yes she’s a tall woman, which he actually likes, but he hates the dresses she wears and the way she styles her hair – it’s just not flattering. She’s also extremely impertinent and he soon dubs her the Fury. Her impertinence doesn’t stop him from seeking out her company, however.

Joan isn’t impressed with Tristan Burke at all. He’s a known rake and her mother has said for years that she doesn’t approve of him. When her mother takes sick and has to leave town and then her brother gets sent off to help with reconstruction on a house Joan’s brother, Douglas, asks Tristan to watch over his sister. You know, got to tea, dance with her at a ball – generally make sure she’s not moping about their mothers’ health. He only asks Tristan because his other friends are even worse reprobates than Tristan. He’s not thrilled at his new task but it seems that every time he sees Joan there’s one more thing about her that he notices.

The pair become friends of a sort and Tristan asks Joan out for a drive and surprises her with an adventure. He finally realizes that he’s fallen in love with Joan but he’s not sure her family will approve.

This was a lovely story that I loved reading. When I think back on the story it was quite a simple one in that there weren’t villains to worry about or anything of that sort. It was just the story of two people meeting and falling in love. Now for some people that’s not exciting enough for them but for me it was wonderful. The simplicity of the romance is what I loved about this story. The feelings that are stirred, the chances that are taken to be together, the tension between the couple as they metaphorically feel their way around each other – just so good.

There was so much about Tristan that I liked. One of the things was that he was quite an intelligent man. Now it’s not like a lightbulb went off in Joan’s head telling her this but as the story evolves we see Tristan’s curiosity with mechanical things and his ideas that he uses. I loved that a big deal wasn’t made of this but it was definitely brought to our attention. His admiration for Joan was slow and steady and I loved seeing his indecision when it came to her – even though it was mixed with cockiness. 🙂

Overall the story was one I definitely recommend.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Caroline Linden 

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What I Read Last Week

Posted July 4, 2013 by Tracy in Features | 3 Comments

Hey there

I bet you didn’t think you’d be seeing this post this week, did you? I was kind of wondering myself, to be quite honest. Lol But here I am – yay! Lol

So let’s see, last week was pretty good. I’ve been going to physical therapy for a rotator cuff issue and that’s been quite painful. Luckily it’s getting better so that’s good.

On Saturday morning I sent my oldest off on a youth group mission trip for a whole week. I think she’s having fun – hopefully she is.

After I dropped her off I then drove with my youngest to Rancho Cucamonga where I met some Southern California bloggers for lunch. I met with Wendy, Rosie, Holly, Nikki, Renee and Lori and we had a great lunch and a great talk. I love getting together and talking about books! We just don’t do it often enough and I always get such great book recommendations! We were all nuts and neglected to get a picture, but oh well. We’re dorks. 🙂

As you can see I’m helping to host the 2nd annual digital first read-a-thon and it’s been great. All month I’ll be having excerpts and giveaways for digital first books so check back daily to check out the books.

So on to what I read last week:

I’m really behind on my Book Binge review books so I’ve been trying to catch up lately. My first read for the week was One Night Rodeo by Lorelei James. This is book 4 in the Blacktop Cowboys series and it’s about Celia and Kyle. They get married in Vegas one drunken night but then end up agreeing to stay together for 6 months so that Celia can help Kyle with the ranch he inherited. I really liked the story and thought it was a good addition to the series. You can read my full review on Book Binge here.4 out of 5

Next up was Freefall by Jill Sorenson. This was a great book about Sam Rutherford who was in Aftershock, the first book in the Aftershock series. Sam ends up helping Hope Banning who is a park ranger who is determined to catch a killer and save her sister at the same time. During this time Sam and Hope end up falling for each other. A really good story that I really enjoyed reading. You can read my full review here. 4 out of 5

My next read was Love and Other Scandals by Caroline Linden. This story is about Tristan who is a bit of rake. He tells his friend that he will look after his sister while his friend is out of town. Tristan is only ready to do his duty and visit a time or two but the more time he spends with Joan the more he likes her. The story was very sweet and I loved seeing the wallflower come out of her shell. 4 out of 5
Finding Billie by Priscilla Brown is the story of a man who comes back to the town he lived in up through high school and ends up meeting up with his good friend Billie who runs the only gas station in town. Billie and Zac are very attracted to each other but Zac is still dealing with the death of his family a couple of years ago and Billie is dealing with some stuff in her town. The story had a good idea but I didn’t care for the writing at all. You can read my full review here. 2 out of 5

The Ever Knight by Georgia Fox is a short novella about Jisella who is determined to get out of the convent that she’s been in for years. Her intended husband is about to come get her and she’s not willing to be there when he arrives. She picks out her knight from some warriors who are at the convent and seduces him. When she finds out that the knight, Remy, is there to get her to take to his half brother, Renard, she’s not deterred from her mission. When Renard shows up to escort his bride himself and Remy tells him what happened Renard’s not as upset as one would think – he just joins in. Now this could so easily have been a completely cheesy story but I thought it was done well for as short as it was. I would love to see what happens to the trio later after they left the convent. I’ll have to hope that happens. Lol 3.5 out of 5

Last for the week was the Wagered Wench by Georgia Fox which is a novel about a earl’s daughter who is wagered, along with her father’s land, in a game of cards. She’s not sure she wants to comply but is attracted to the Saxon warrior. The problems really start when the neighbor, who believed that HE would get the girls hand in marriage decides to try stake his claim. The story was another good one. I didn’t care for the neighbor so seeing him with the woman was a bit uncomfortable. I didn’t find him a sexual character so when the menage started it was more awkward to read for me than erotic. The rest of it was good though. 3.5 out of 5

My Book Binge reviews that posted last week:
The Secrets of Mia Danvers by Robyn DeHart
A Rural Affair by Catherine Alliott

Happy Reading!

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Review: The Way to a Duke’s Heart by Caroline Linden

Posted August 27, 2012 by Rowena in Reviews | 0 Comments

Review: The Way to a Duke’s Heart by Caroline LindenReviewer: Rowena
The Way to a Duke's Heart (The Truth About the Duke, #3) by Caroline Linden
Series: The Truth About the Duke #3
Publisher: Harper Collins, Avon
Publication Date: August 28th 2012
Genres: Historical Romance
Pages: 384
Add It: Goodreads
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Ripped Bodice | Google Play Books
four-half-stars
Series Rating: five-stars

Charles de Lacey, Lord Gresham, is running out of time, running from his responsibilities, and running from love.

Destined to be a duke, Charles de Lacey has led a life of decadent pleasure, free of any care for propriety or responsibility. It comes as a terrible shock to learn that he might be stripped of everything, thanks to his father's scandalous past. He has no choice but to find the blackmailer who would ruin him—and his only link to the villain is a woman who may be part of the plot…

To save his fortune and title, he vows he'll stop at nothing—in fact, he's all too eager to unravel the beautiful, tart-tongued Tessa Neville. She intrigues him and tempts him like no other lady ever has. With only his heart to guide him, and keenly aware that his entire future is at stake, Charles must decide: is she the woman of his dreams, or an enemy in disguise?

I haven’t read too many books by Caroline Linden but I should really fix that. I really enjoyed this book and it looks like there are some books that came before this one so I’ll definitely be reading those.

This book follows Charlie de Lacey, the estranged heir to the Duke of Durham. When his father dies and his secrets are unraveled, Charlie’s title is at risk. It is one thing for the secret to have been buried with his father but Charlie and his brothers find out that their father was being blackmailed and in order to keep the title in the family, they have to find the blackmailer and put an end to the blackmail. Charlie’s two brothers Edward and Gerard have been on the case since they found out but because Charlie (who is the actual heir) was estranged from his father, he didn’t find out about anything until now. Both Edward and Gerard have their own families to take care of so the job of finding the blackmailer falls back onto Charlie’s shoulders.

Charlie follows the clues that Gerard left for him to Bath, where he meets the lovely Lady Tessa Neville. Tessa is an odd woman. She’s a widow with a secret, a secret that will bring the life that she’s built for herself crumbling all around her. She’s got a good head on her shoulders and a good head for numbers so her brother uses her to research potential investments and then report back to him on her findings. She’s in Bath trying to investigate a canal that her brother is interested in investing in when she comes across the Earl of Gresham. Immediately, she’s not a fan because everyone dropped her and her chaperone like a ton of bricks the minute he came into the building and flocked to him, in an effort to please him. She immediately thinks that he’s an entitled and indolent aristocrat and says as much.

Charlie finds out that the key to getting him close to the blackmailer is through Tessa Neville and he jumps at the chance to do so. He charms his way into his life and the more they get to know each other, the more they like each other. I really enjoyed the romance that blossomed between the two main characters because it was sweet. They really did come to know each other quite well and I adored each scene with the both of them in it.

Tessa was strong and smart and just the kind of person that I could see myself being friends with. She was also funny and I loved the way that she treated those around her, even when she was wrong. She knew her own mind and she went after the information that she sought with a single-minded determination that was admirable. I really enjoyed getting to know her and thought Charlie was the perfect match for her.

As for Charlie, there was a lot more to him than meets the eye and I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know him. Seeing why he left home, why he was estranged from his father and seeing him come back with regrets and what not, made for a great read and I ate it all up. I loved Charlie. I thought he was dashing and charming and I wanted to marry him myself. The way that he fell in love with Tessa for who she was and not what she looked like or what she could bring to him and his estate was too adorable for words.

The mystery behind who the blackmailer was didn’t really do much for me but it didn’t take away from my enjoyment of the romance between Charlie and Tessa. It wasn’t hard to figure out who the blackmailer was and I’m terrible at figuring those things out. I was a bit bummed that this book came to a close because I was enjoying the characters so much that I didn’t want the story to end. I totally recommend this book to lovers of the author’s previous work and to fans of historical romance. This was a good one.

Grade: 4.5 out of 5

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

four-half-stars

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