It’s one thing when your mother is an eccentric lady with a penchant for live poultry; it’s quite another when you’re the Duke of Worth, your mother is the dowager duchess, and the haute ton is gleefully gossiping about her. He’s been loathe to deal with the situation, but then he arrives at her home for a dinner party to find the guests fleeing, the dining room in shambles, chickens roosting on the sideboard and a woman with a live snake around her neck. It […]
Nope, Francesca’s book still leaves me merely whelmed, at most
Francesca Bridgerton marries John Stirling, the Earl of Kilmartin and they share a blissful two years together, until he suddenly dies in his sleep. To make matters worse, she’s in the early stages of pregnancy and loses the baby shortly after. For support, she desperately wants to turn to Michael Stirling, John’s cousin and best friend, but he’s so overwhelmed that he can’t really be there for her. Because Francesca miscarries, Michael is suddenly the heir to the Kilmartin title, a fate he never wanted. […]
A historical romance with a dead wife, angry brothers and badly behaved plot moppets
Eloise Bridgerton has reached the age of 28 and while she has received six different marriage proposals, she was quite happy with the idea of ending up a spinster. That was, of course, when she believed her best friend, Penelope Featherington, was going to be there, spinstering alongside her. Then Penelope ends up marrying the man of her dreams, Eloise’s brother Colin, and suddenly spinsterhood isn’t looking quite so rosy. On impulse, Eloise decides to run off to the countryside to visit Sir Phillip Crane, […]
An Almost-Duke to the Rescue
This book, the first in the “Lords of Worth” trilogy, covers a lot of topics not usually found in Regency romance. This was Ms Bowen’s debut novel, and it’s a strong start to be sure. The title and cover are rather misleading – you’d think it was a fluffy holiday themed story, and it’s nothing like that. Once again, the publishers seem to be playing fast and loose with the presentation. Also, the hero isn’t a duke, just a close relation to one, so it […]