Review: The Devil and the Heiress (The Gilded Age Heiresses #2) by Harper St. George

After reading The Heiress Gets a Duke earlier this year, Harper St George was on my ‘one to watch’ list. I immediately preordered this book and was eager to find out what happened to the more reserved Crenshaw sister, Violet. In the first book, August was more headstrong and a little more bold than her sister so I was eager to see how Violet’s character was explored in this one.

Not only do St George’s novels boast fantastic covers but they boast non conventional heroines and dashing heroes with an edge. If you love historical romances I would highly recommend checking this new series out. I found that this book (like the first) was a quick read and you could easily pick it up and put it down and pick it up again and not feel lost. It makes a great read for busy moms who are trying to watch their kids but simply can’t watch another episode of Blippi!

Since it’s summer break, my son is home with me and on those hot days when we are stuck inside we are often watching Blippi—however, I would rather be reading something else more entertaining. So while he’s watching tv, I am able to read a bit. This was the perfect novel to distract me and enjoy but when he needed a snack I could set it down and then pick right back up where I left off and not feel lost in the story or going back to read a page of two because I forgot what was happening!

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Review: John Eyre: A Tale of Darkness and Shadow by Mimi Matthews

Mimi Matthews is an auto buy author for me. I love all of her books and always make room for them on my calendar. She never disappoints and when I saw she was going to write a novel that was a little darker and more gothic than her standard feel good historical romances made me elated!

I couldn’t say yes fast enough to this one! I know that some times when an author branches out of their typical genre to try something new, there is always hesitation that it won’t be well received, but she is such a talented writer that I knew this was going to be another outstanding read. You can tell it’s a retelling of Jae Eyre based on the title and I think a number of readers will be thrilled to pick this one up and give it a go.

In the last book I read by Matthews, Gentleman Jim, she did a bit of a twist on The Count of Monte Cristo, so I couldn’t wait to see how this retelling would develop. And you guys know I am a huge fan of gothic romances so this book was practically made for me! While I am not a huge Jane Eyre fan, I appreciate the story and couldn’t wait for Matthew’s take on this classic gothic tale!

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Special Feature: A Duke in Time (The Widow Rules #1) by Janna MacGregor

A Duke in Time by Janna MacGregor

Katherine Vareck is in for the shock of her life when she learns upon her husband Meri’s accidental death that he had married two other women. Her entire business, along with a once-in-a-lifetime chance to be a royal supplier, is everything she’s been working for and now could be destroyed if word leaks about the three wives.

Meri’s far more upstanding brother, Christian, Duke of Randford has no earthly clue how to be of assistance. He spent the better part of his adult years avoiding Meri and the rest of his good-for-nothing family, so to be dragged back into the fold is…problematic. Even more so is the intrepid and beautiful Katherine, whom he cannot be falling for because she’s Meri’s widow. Or can he?

With a textile business to run and a strong friendship forming with Meri’s two other wives, Katherine doesn’t have time for much else. But there’s something about the warm, but compellingly taciturn Christian that draws her to him. When an opportunity to partner in a business venture brings them even closer, they’ll have to face their pasts if they want to share each other’s hearts and futures.

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Review: The Ice Swan by J’nell Ciesielski

I have read three of J’nell Ciesielski’s novels and each one has been absolutely fantastic! I love how well she writes romance as well as historical fiction and I always seem to breeze through her books because I am so captivated. When I saw this one was coming out, I knew it was going to be an easy ‘yes’ for me. I mean—take one look at that cover and tell me you would pass? No. The author as well as this cover are truly sunning!

This one is set in Russia which I thought brought some variance to the historical fiction genre. The last novel I read by Ciesielski was set in Scotland, and I was eager to see how she would describe the opulence of the Russian court as well as the streets of Paris. And you all know how much I love WWI so having this book set during a very uncertain and tumultuous time in Russian history.

So yes, I was chomping at the bit to read this one and with good reason—-this one was excellent! Ciesielski writing just keeps getting better and better. This book has been seen on a number of ‘most anticipated books’ this summer and with good reason! While it might have a cold setting, it’s the perfect book to cool off with this summer!

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Special Feature: Have We Met? by Camille Baker

This hot new release was featured last month on Amazon’s First Reads program and so many readers fell in love with Camille Baker’s writing style! This is Baker’s debut novel and it promises to be a good one sure to draw fans who enjoy women’s fiction as well as romance. I am so excited to read this one later on this summer but right now I want to share about this one and I also have a giveaway happening over on my IG where you can win a copy of this book!

This debut promises heart, romance, social relevance, as well as humor and that sounds like an incredible mash up to me! While it has a serious component (the main character loses her best friend to cancer) there is also a focus on friendships as well as some comedy to break things up and keep it light enough for readers to sit back and relax with.

If you have been looking for a novel with current relevance with a fresh voice, then this is the book for you. I know a lot of readers have loved this one and are eager for more novels by this hot new author and I am pleased to read that from other reviewers that this book set the stage for follow up books so if you read this one and enjoy it then you can rest assured that more books will be coming! Now hop on over to my IG and enter the giveaway!

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