You know what they say — leave no stone unturned, no Tessa Dare unread. With this noble goal occupying valued space at the top of my priorities, every book that comes off hold at the library is a step closer to enlightenment. After my barely coherent fangirling over the second book in the Castles Ever After series, I was really looking forward to working backward to this one before #3 is released later this year (squee!) And I was not disappointed — Romancing the Duke (4.5 stars, tbh) is […]
I wanted more ships; I got more ships
It wasn’t too long ago that, upon reading a highly enjoyable seaward romance, I thought to myself “this is a niche I want to explore.” Lo and behold, I happen upon a recommendation for Almost a Scandal, only to find it was already on my TBR, and away we go! This was a true delight — about 4.5 stars, and I honestly can’t think of a good reason why I’m leaving off that last .5, other than some nebulous form of contrarianism. But let’s not quibble — […]
A Tessa Dare book with reformed pirates!
I call this one a solid 3.5 stars. It started out really strong for me, and finished slightly less so for reasons I can’t put a finger on, but I’ll get into nitty-gritties after a quick plot summary from Goodreads: “Desperate to escape a loveless marriage and society’s constraints, pampered heiress Sophia Hathaway jilts her groom, packs up her paints and sketchbook, and assumes a new identity, posing as a governess to secure passage on the Aphrodite. She wants a life of her own: unsheltered, […]
A Lovely and Sincere Carla Kelly Historical Romance? Shocking!
The Wedding Journey is another lovely and highly recommendable Carla Kelly Regency romance about genuinely kind and likable people falling in love against the backdrop of war. I really enjoyed it at the same time as I realised that I have read too many of her novels too close together. All of Kelly’s best elements can be found here, as well as her one besetting sin minor shortcoming. Profoundly shy, Doctor Jesse Randall has loved Nell Mason for years. She and her family have followed […]