Review: A Deal with the Devil

Last year I read Alyxandra Harvey's The Scandalous Spinster, the first book in The Spinster Society series about a group of women in Regency London who use their smarts, cunning, and spinsterhood to protect women from predatory men - of which there are more than a few. Despite some plot busyness, it was an enjoyable historical romance by a new-to-me author and I was captivated enough to preorder the second book in the series, A Deal with the Devil. Once I realized who the hero and heroine were going to be I was all in.

I think this book can still be enjoyed if you read out of order, but I also think it helps to start with Book 1 - mainly because the opening chapter starts during that timeline and some of the backstory might be a little less confusing.  Kitty Caldecott owns the most scandalous bookshop in all of London, a purveyor of filth sure to bring ruin to the women who dare darken her doorstep - because of course Kitty sells "naughty books." Outraged vicars and people throwing rotten vegetables at her front door are nothing new. It's a living, and it would probably be an OK one if not for the fact that her father is a degenerate gambler. To add insult to injury, he's not very good at it. Kitty is barely keeping the family, which consists of Daddy, a vile aunt and her younger sister afloat when Daddy and Auntie make a match for sister Evie with Lord Portsmouth, a man who has buried three wives already. Kitty is so desperate to protect her sister she does the one thing a girl should never, ever do - she steals from the Devil himself.

Lord Birmingham (Rhys) is the aforementioned Devil. He has money but what he really wants is power, and he's been gathering that currency by collecting debt vowels and building a fabulous gaming hell. He runs into Kitty, literally, at a Devil's Night extravaganza hosted by the villain of the first book. It's only after that run-in he realizes the captivating redhead picked his pocket, stealing a debt vowel.  Honestly now, this will not do. He has a reputation to uphold and honestly, a woman who sells naughty books got the jump on him? Totally unacceptable. 

Kitty is desperate but not stupid, and figures making a deal with the Devil is the only way to keep her sister safe and out of the clutches of Lord Portsmouth.  After stashing Evie in a safehouse (with The Spinster Society, but of course!) she strikes a deal with Rhys.  Help me save my sister from a fate that will surely mean death and you get back your debt vowel. Rhys agrees mainly because our guy is gobsmacked from the jump and Kitty kicks up all his dormant protective instincts. 

There's a fair amount of set-up in this story and it does take a minute for our couple to spend quality time on the page together, but getting there is all good stuff.  If you're a heroine-centric romance reader, Kitty is the gal for you. I just adored her. She's smart, resourceful and won't back down from a fight. The interactions she has with her bookstore clientele are priceless, as are her run-ins with outraged vicars and society matrons. She's a badass spinster with a soft vulnerable center and y'all - these are my favorite types of heroines. More than half the books in my keeper stash are littered with them.

Rhys is also an interesting hero - accepting a commission during the war and surrounding himself with a motley, yet loveable, crew as he builds the finest gambling hell in all of London.  He also is completely smitten with Kitty and is ready to slay dragons for her.

"...I just want you to have everything you need. Let me take care of you.” 

“Why?” 

“Because no one else does,” he said severely. “And because it would be my fucking privilege.”

I mean, swoon.  Also, and this cannot be overstated, the banter these two share, the chemistry, it's truly delicious.

That being said, this is a book you can't think about too much otherwise it takes on unsavory overtones. Rhys is in the gambling business and collects debt vowels. The author doesn't spend any time in these weeds but it stands to reason that while some of these vowels belong to villains just as many belong to gambling addicts and desperate people.  All this in a bid to collect power and influence. And the motley band surrounding Rhys at his gambling hell?  Oh sure, men he served with on the Continent, but some of them are essentially hired muscle. There's definitely mob-like implications going on here. Look, I was intrigued by Rhys - I even liked him and Kitty together - the chemistry sizzles and I wanted them to live happily ever after. None of that changes the fact that Rhys can easily be a villain in someone else's story.

But, look - Romancelandia is riddled with morally gray heroes and a lot of readers don't bother to bat an eyelash. I liked Rhys as a hero but I'm also well aware that he's Problematic AF - his devotion to the heroine notwithstanding.

There's the plot of saving Kitty's sister and what happened to Lord Portsmouth's last wife (who is actually only presumed dead...) but this story is definitely more romance than romantic suspense. This bit of the plot serves the purpose of moving things along and throwing our couple together but it's not terribly complex.  The meat and potatoes here is Kitty being generally fabulous and the chemistry between her and Rhys. Have I mentioned the sizzle? 

I had a good time reading this, problematic elements I'm trying not to dwell on aside. I'll be ready to pre-order Book 3 once it's announced.

Final Grade = B

Candy Hearts: Unusual Historicals for February 2025

If January felt six months long, February has been blinked and you missed it - and yes, I realize February is the shortest month of the year, but still. I'm gearing up for my busy season at work (end of the fiscal year, June 30, is big hairy deal in my job and I basically start that process around this time) and I'll be going in for outpatient surgery the first week in March to take care of the hiatal hernia that has made my life miserable for the past couple of years. But, we still have books (well, at least for now...) and while February is a short month, it's a bonanza of options for unusual historicals - which, dead my ass. Again, historicals will only die on our watch, so if any of these look good to you - give them a whirl and spread the good word far and wide.  Here's what caught my eye this month:

A Tropical Rebel Gets the Duke by Adriana Herrera

Paris, 1889

Physician Aurora Montalban Wright takes risks in her career, but never with her heart. Running an underground women’s clinic exposes her to certain dangers, but help arrives in the unexpected form of the infuriating Duke of Annan. Begrudgingly, Aurora accepts his protection, then promptly finds herself in his bed.   

New to his role as a duke, Apollo César Sinclair Robles struggles to embrace his position. With half of society waiting for him to misstep and the other half looking to discredit him, Apollo never imagined that his enthralling bedmate would become his most trusted adviser. Soon, he realizes the rebellious doctor could be the perfect duchess for him. But Aurora won’t give up her independence, and her secrets make her unsuitable for the aristocracy.

When dangerous figures from their pasts return to threaten them, Apollo whisks Aurora away to the French Riviera. Far from the reproachful eye of Parisian society, can Apollo convince Aurora that their bond is stronger than the forces keeping them apart?    

This is the third and final book in the author's Las Leonas trilogy and this back cover blurb positively sings for me. Paris, a physician heroine in the crosshairs for having the gall to provide women with health care and a Duke hero who is very much on the outside looking in. He's determined to make her his duchess and she's less than thrilled with the idea - sign me up!

Never Gamble Your Heart by Lindsay Lovise

When the genteelly born, impoverished Frankie Turner's impulsive younger sister goes missing, Frankie has no idea where to begin the search to find her. But when she discovers hasty marriages materializing between “troublemaking” women and men who don’t deserve them, she knows her sister is somehow involved. The only thread connecting the groomsmen is a membership to Rockford’s, an exclusive gambling hell owned by the devilish Jasper Jones. And it just so happens that Jasper has recently become the guardian of a sullen fifteen-year-old.

Jasper suspects his new governess has an ulterior motive for being in his household, but he can hardly find the time to uncover it when his life is in a constant uproar. First, Frankie teaches his niece how to count cards and then she tries to break into his study. When he finally learns Frankie’s true reason for being there, he agrees to help the brilliant mathematician find her missing sister, even if it means giving her a fake dowry and watching men trip over themselves in her presence. As he and Frankie work together to dismantle a nefarious scheme, Jasper realizes that for the first time in his life, he’s gambled his heart—and possibly lost it.

Lovise is one of the few new writers working in historicals right now and this is the second book in her Secret Society of Governess Spies series.  A heroine with a penchant for numbers looking for her missing sister finds a connection at the hero's gambling hall, the same hero who has a sullen teenage ward. They're soon working together to bring down a dastardly plot, as one does...

The Viking's Princess Bride by Sarah Rodi

He’s won the throne… 

But she’s his royal prize! 

Victorious in his quest for revenge, Viking Njal takes the Saxon crown—and their princess! But while he’s wedding Cwen in the name of peace, he cannot deny the way she entices him. Even if it’s clear she’s holding something back… 

Princess Cwen has long accepted being used for her kingdom’s gain, but taking the enemy’s hand is the most outrageous request yet! Still, the rugged warrior ignites a fire inside her… Cwen just can't let Njal storm her carefully constructed walls. Because she’s harboring a secret that could rock the foundations of their marriage!

Rodi's latest stand-alone features a Viking hero who has taken a crown by force and decides to wed a princess in the name of "peace," while she, understandably is less than thrilled with the idea, even if she's always known that what she wants has very little to do with anything - oh, and look, she has a Big Secret!  Because what's a princess without a secret?

The Confessions of a Lady by Darcy McGuire

Dare she risk her secrets?

In the world of upstairs/downstairs, Housemaid Penny Smith anticipates her employer’s needs and blends into the background making her the perfect spy for the prime minister against a suspected member of the Devil’s Sons. There’s only one problem. When she meets the guilty marquess, his actions don’t match the evidence against him. Lord William Renquist defies her every expectation and sets her traitorous heart racing.

Lord William Renquist, Marquess of Stoneway and secret spy to Queen Victoria, must infiltrate the Devil’s Sons, tearing the brotherhood apart from the inside. His mission – to bring evil men to justice while atoning for the sins of his family, proving honour is stronger than tainted blood. There’s only one problem. A canny maid who is always in the right place at the wrong time and who deliciously challenges his every order.

Liam and Penny are unknowingly playing a dangerous game from opposite sides of justice. And at a masked ball, forbidden attraction burns into something far more complex as their secrets spin into daring confessions. This battle against their enemy will only be won if Penny and Liam can work together. But can a maid from downstairs ever trust an upstairs marquess?

This is the third book in the author's Queen's Deadly Damsels series and features a housemaid, who is a spy and a Marquess, who is a spy. Do either of them know the other is a spy? Of course not - there's no fun in that!  Also, and this cannot be overstated, I am trash for upstairs/downstairs "stuff" in historical romance.

Benefactor to the Baroness by Melissa Kendall

In a world of rules, surrendering to love is the only rebellion that matters.

Plagued by survivors’ guilt after escaping her impoverished childhood selling matchsticks, Fontaine Shepherd, the Dowager Lady Kerry, uses her position on the board of a charitable foundation to relocate starving orphans to the new world—until contact with the new office is abruptly lost. Fearing the foundation will discover she’s been clandestinely using funds to bribe workhouse owners to release children, she decides to travel across the ocean and re-establish communication herself.

Except the only captain who can transport her in time insists that she not travel alone.

Facing a lonely life after marrying off her nieces, Rosemary Summersby reluctantly agrees to attend a ladies’ charity group. There, she meets the vivacious Lady Kerry, who challenges her long-held beliefs of how a lady should look and act. Compelled by a desire to experience the excitement of which her niece often speaks, Rosemary accompanies the dowager baroness to a workhouse and witnesses the cruelty of poverty firsthand.

Then Lady Kerry stumbles into Rosemary’s cottage one night with an outrageous request: to travel across the ocean as her companion and help her uncover the mystery behind the missing orphans.

Unable to convince the dowager baroness of the dangers of her plan and remembering the sense of responsibility that drove her to accept three orphans into her life fifteen years prior, Rosemary decides to join Lady Kerry on her trip. But as the vast ocean and a noble mission stretches before them, a shared purpose and a single bunk ignite an unexpected passion that makes both women question what they truly want for themselves.

I'm going to be honest, I find this back cover blurb for the third book in the author's Seductive Sleuths series entirely too messy, but we've got a Dowager noblewoman who has known poverty, freeing children from deplorable workhouse conditions who needs a companion to travel across an ocean to unravel a mess. Also, while people are neither genre nor trope (says Wendy) - it's also Sapphic. At the very least it's worth reading a sample.

Complications in Paris by Melinda Copp

It was supposed to be a season in France, but then she decided not to go home.

Diane Talbot is an American in Paris and desperately wants to stay that way. Instead of returning to Woollett, New York, she and her sister didn't get on the boat. Now, nearly a year later, their father's fiancée and her stepson—at Daddy's behest—have come to Paris to bring them home. When they surprise Diane in a compromising situation with French party boy Guillaume Allard, she improvises and claims they're engaged.

It's the perfect plan. As long as she can convince her family that she's getting married and has established herself in Paris, they can't take her home. The best part is that Diane won't really have to get married—not to the man her father wants or to Guillaume.

Handsome and charming Guillaume barely knows Diane. But she's fun, and he owes her a favor. He goes along with the fake engagement, but that's a decision he soon regrets.

As Diane and Guillaume spend more time together, the ruse gets harder to perpetuate, and her family gets more involved. Soon, this perfect solution is far trickier than anticipated, and their feelings for each other have grown so complicated that it can only be love. Ultimately, they're forced to face an impossible obstacle to their happily ever after: he wants a lifelong commitment, and she believes marriage is a trap best avoided.

Three words: Belle. Époque. Paris. If that isn't enough, an American heiress in Paris not all that anxious to return home (I mean, I'd stay in Paris just for the croissants and macaroons, so I hear you girl!) fakes an engagement with a "French party boy," as one does.  Of course it all soon gets complicated, as it always does.

The Mysteries of Pendowar Hall by Syrie James

She vowed to solve a murder.

Now she’s in danger of losing her heart … and her very life.

Diana Taylor, a bright and spirited governess who has sworn off love, is sent to Pendowar Hall in Cornwall to honor a pledge. She vows to teach her godmother’s niece and to find out who was behind the suspicious death of the former baronet. But her new charge is also a mystery, as is the man who inherited the ancient coastal estate—the charismatic but brooding Royal Navy Captain William Fallbrook, who is home on leave to recover from an injury.

As Diana investigates, her feelings for the enigmatic Captain Fallbrook blossom, and her guard goes up. Pendowar Hall is brimming with secrets as well as a frightening legend about a Mermaid’s Curse. What is behind the mysterious footsteps in the night? Is there more to the story of the tragic deaths of the former baronet’s wife and son? What secrets is Captain Fallbrook hiding? Can she trust the man who has stolen her heart?

He looks to be entranced by Diana, even though her determination to dig up the past seems to get on his last nerve. Soon, Diana’s bold quest to unmask his uncle’s killer leads her into terrifying danger, for someone is determined to end her life before she can discover the truth.

The first book in the Audacious Sisterhood of Smoke & Fire series has all the touchstones of a Gothic - Cornwall, a suspicious death, a governess, and a brooding hero (in this case a Navy Captain!) who has inherited an "ancient coastal estate." Also there's a curse, because of course there's a curse.  I am trash for Gothics, so this one is more than worth a look.

Evidence of Evil by Mary Lancaster

Pursuing murder and fighting love…

Several weeks after they parted company, courtesan Constance calls on the wealthy business-man Solomon Grey to request his help solving another mystery. Her old friend Elizabeth, now the wife of respected magistrate Sir Humphrey Maule, is being accused of murder.

Solomon, bored and restless, happily agrees, before he realizes they are expected to pose as husband and wife. While this presents its own challenges, the case itself is elusive. The young woman fished out of the lake in her nightgown is the Maules’ neighbor, and there is nothing to show how she died except that it was not by drowning.

Hunting for evidence, Constance and Solomon turn their attention to the complicated victim herself, who may have harboured more than one deadly secret.

Sigh. The second book in the Silver and Grey trilogy and I've had Book 1 in my immediate TBR for the past two months. Soon, my pet, soon. Anyway, our couple, a courtesan heroine and a wealthy businessman hero, pose as husband and wife to find a killer. 

A Diamond in the Rough by Andrea Pickens (Reprint)

Determined not to follow in the footsteps of his weak-willed wastrel father, Adrian, Lord Marquand, has designed a life for himself based on order and reason . . . and a passion for creating the most beautiful gardens in England. However, he must keep his true identity as England’s most acclaimed landscape designer a secret. But when his father gambles away Adrian’s beloved ancestral estate, he’s sure all is lost . . . until he’s offered a way to win it back.

Adrian isn’t the only one keeping secrets. Derrien McClellan, a fiery, unconventional Scottish lass must disguise herself as a boy to play golf on the hallowed course at St. Andrews. She’s the best golfer. . . which is why a dear family friend asks her help in teaching Adrian how to play so he can beat an unprincipled cad at his own game and win back Woolsey Hall. Derrien has good reason to dislike an English lord, but she grudgingly agrees.

And so the games begin! Secrets tangle with misunderstandings as the mismatched pair struggle to work together. And suddenly the stakes are higher as they head into the final match . . . with their hearts now in play, will Love conquer all?

Pickens has written a lot of books (she's also published under the names Cara Elliott and Andrea Penrose) and my sleuthing confirms this is a reprint of a Traditional Regency published by Signet in 2001.  This is a sports romance (golf!) and a Trad. I mean, if that's not an unusual historical nothing is. Also, god bless All About Romance, I was able to find a review they published for the book back in 2001, written by old friend of the blog, Blythe.

A Rogue to Watch Over Me by Tara Kingston

A woman in danger . . . a bold Scot who’s vowed to protect her . . .

AMELIA STEWART is no man’s damsel in distress. When a dashing Scottish rogue storms into her orderly library claiming he is there to defend her from a mysterious threat—summoned by a letter her brother wrote before his death—she rebuffs him as a cruel fraud. Amelia has had her fill of charlatans seeking to profit off her raw grief. But when she’s targeted by ruthless criminals hunting a treasure tied to her brother’s suspicious death, Amelia joins forces with the brash rake to bring the cutthroats to justice. As danger closes in, Amelia and the tempting Scot are brought together, day and night. She knows better than to fall for a man like him, but Logan MacLain might well be the rogue she’d never dreamed she wanted . . . never dreamed she needed . . . with—or without—his kilt.

Honor bound to watch over her, he’ll risk everything . . . except his heart . . .

LOGAN MacLAIN made his fortune taking risks. Now settled into a comfortable life running his tavern in Queen Victoria’s London, he’s content with a rogue’s existence and the hard-won certainty that love is mere fantasy. Until a message from a dead man calls upon him to repay a debt of honor. Now, Logan must risk his life to shield his murdered friend’s sister from the sinister menace which stalks her. But soon, protecting Amelia is no longer about a duty spawned by a long-ago vow. Drawn to her, he desires the clever beauty above all others. He wants Amelia in his arms. By his side. And in his bed.

A rogue’s passion . . . a woman’s heartfelt need . . .

But Amelia needs more than his desire. More than his passion. She believes in love. She trusts that Logan will watch over her. He will defend her, no matter the cost. But can he give her the heart he encased in ice all those years ago?

She's in danger from criminals looking for treasure and he's a OMG TAVERN OWNER (!!!!) who has vowed to protect her having been summoned by her brother from beyond the grave. She believes in love, he of course does not. And, you know, there's that whole minor threat on her life thing....

The Detective and the Baroness by Karyn Gerrard

Detective Sergeant Mitchell Simpson’s only purpose is his job with London’s Metropolitan Police. But when he’s seriously injured in the line of duty, he has no idea what to do. So, when he’s offered a private investigation to work on while he recovers, he jumps at it. The problem? His client is the baroness who nursed him back to health…and stole his heart while doing it. And worse, she’s newly married…

After tirelessly working as a nurse for a decade, Lady Corrine Addington entered an arranged marriage to save her family from financial ruin. But it’s not long before she realizes her estranged husband is up to something, so she hires Mitchell to follow him. But even she realizes that she enjoys Mitchell’s company a little too much. Then a murderous turn of events changes everything…

Suddenly a widow, Corrine is free to follow her heart. But Mitchell has figured out what the baron’s murderer was looking for, and fears that Corrine will be the killer’s next target. While Mitchell desperately wants to make her his, it’s more important that he keep her safe, even if it kills him. And it might…

The first in the Duke's Bastards series features a detective hero taking a private job while recovering from an injury. Minor detail that his client is the woman who nursed him back to health and she needs him to follow her estranged husband to find out what he's up to.  Turns out hubby soon gets up to getting dead and our heroine is in danger.

Heartbreaker of the Ton by Emily Royal

A ruined woman, a virgin vicar, a forbidden love.

Debutante Juliette Howard’s attempt to ruin her sister out of envy and spite ended badly—with Juliette herself ruined, disgraced, and pregnant. Consumed by regret, and reviled by Society, Juliette fled her family’s disappointment to hide in obscurity in a remote seaside village. As an outsider, she’s viewed with suspicion by all except the vicar with the gentle voice and kind eyes, whose compassionate soul threatens to breach her defenses.

Andrew Staines followed his calling when he entered the church. But his faith is continually tested in the country parish where the gentry consider those of lower rank to be disposable commodities. His is a lone voice speaking out against the injustices of the world—until a mysterious widow arrives with her young son. Her soulful eyes speak of past tragedy, but despite the hardships she endures, she becomes a champion for the cause of the downtrodden, and Andrew finds himself in danger of falling in love.

Despite vowing to protect her heart, Juliette finds a soul mate in Andrew—a man struggling with his faith, as she struggles to reconcile herself with her past sins.

But a fallen woman with an illegitimate child is no suitable match for a chaste vicar, a man revered as the model of morality. And when Juliette discovers Andrew’s connection to her family, she realizes that some sins can never be forgiven.

Y'all, this book was written just for me - I'm convinced of it. I am trash for a virgin hero paired with a heroine who has "a reputation." Also, it sounds like this heroine was a villain in a previous book and just get in my eyeballs already!   This is the sixth book in the author's Misfits of the Ton series.

Whew! I feel like we all just ran a marathon - 12 unusual historicals for our consideration to keep us warm during the remaining winter months.  What are you looking forward to picking up?

#TBRChallenge 2025: Snowdrops and Scandalbroth

The Book: Snowdrops and Scandalbroth by Barbara Metzger

The Particulars: Traditional Regency, Fawcett Crest, 1997, Out of print, eBook publication by Belgrave House 2010.

Why Was It In Wendy's TBR?: This one has been in my TBR for literal decades because of two words: Virgin. Hero.

The Review: For this month's optional theme, Previously, In Romance..., I decided to not only go Old School, but to go with a subgenre that no longer exists - Traditional Regency. For you young'uns, Trads were category length, Regency-set historicals often defined by the manners of the era and "just kisses" romances. They had a hearty following back in their day with numerous publishers having their own lines. By the early 2000s however we were in the final death throes and once Signet killed their line in 2006 it was pretty much over. But you can still find many of them floating around in digital reprints, and, of course, in all the places you can find used books.

I picked up Snowdrops and Scandalbroth, quite literally, decades ago because I am nothing if not trash for a virgin hero - and this story has one. What I didn't realize is that this turns out to be one virgin hero who does his damnedest to turn me off his brethren entirely. A more sanctimonious prig you'll never meet - despite the fact he has one really great scene where he talks about the common double standard between men and women being "pure" until the marriage bed. It's not enough to make up for how insufferable I generally found him.

Kathlyn Partland is in a bind. Her mother, gone for many years, was disowned by her blue-blooded family when she married Kathlyn's father, a poor tutor. He, in the fine tradition of Romancelandia Fathers, makes no arrangements for Kathlyn, financially or otherwise, so when he dies she's quite literally on her own. She manages to secure a job as a governess in London but her mail coach is quite delayed through a series of misadventures and when she finally arrives she finds out the family has given up on her, gone to the country and hired someone else.

Riding to her rescue is Courtney Choate, Viscount Chase, who can't just leave the damsel in distress when he spies her lost, carrying her own luggage, down a seedy London street. She's pretty much accosted in no time flat. Courtney is in a bind of his own. He was engaged, but unceremoniously dumped his betrothed after finding out she's had two lovers already. Our Courtney is very principled and having witnessed the pain his father's infidelities caused his mother has vowed to 1) wait until marriage and 2) to never, ever take a mistress. He has vowed to stay true to his future wife, whomever she turns out to be.  Of course the broken engagement gets tongues wagging, and soon Courtney's manliness and sexual preference is called into question (the author doesn't come out and say "everybody thinks he's queer" but it's definitely implied between the lines). Anyway, Courtney goes off to war, and despite coming back a hero with a bullet wound and gimpy leg, the rumors persist. 

We all can guess what happens next. Kathlyn is flat broke with no options. Courtney needs to convince the gossipmongers and the ton he likes girls. She puts up a token resistance but before you can say bingo-bango, she's going by an assumed name and masquerading as Courtney's mistress - for a new wardrobe and a pile of coins, of course.

This sounds pretty straight-forward but it's actually an Everything and the Kitchen Sink romance. It's a farce y'all. Not only do you have the Fake Mistress thing going on, there's also a jewel heist involved (remember Kathlyn's delayed mail coach?) which brings Bow Street calling, along with the dead thief's compatriots he swindled - and they all think that Kathlyn knows where the missing jewels are. There's also a misunderstanding thrown in - Kathlyn thinks Courtney needs a fake mistress to convince the ton he's "still a man" because she speculates the wartime bullet wound damaged his, uh, "little soldier." Courtney, of course, isn't forthcoming as to the why he needs the fake mistress subterfuge so speculation is all our girl has.

The cast soon bloats like a drunk on a 3-day bender to include future appearances and mentions of Courtney's former fiancée (hello, slut-shaming, followed by fat-shaming - because of course she married a decrepit old man after Courtney dumped her and put on some pounds), Courtney's former nanny, two rascally Lords he pals around with (well, sort of), two Bow Street Runners, three members of the jewel thief gang, the nannie's grandchildren, Kathlyn's loathsome aunt, Courtney's mother, and a partridge in a pear tree.

For the record, Trad Regencies are category length, and this one clocks in at a little over 200 pages. The author takes many writing short-cuts to trim down word count (a lot is mentioned but takes place off page), coupled with the farce and the large secondary cast means very little time is given to the actual romance. Which probably isn't a bad thing since what is on page largely didn't work for me. Courtney has one good scene where he talks about "purity" and the double-standard between men and women and why aren't men held to the same standards, yada yada yada - but otherwise he's entirely too smug and self-righteous for my tastes. There's one really good scene where Kathlyn fires both barrels at him - but otherwise there's just not enough here to make be buy into these two falling in love. A lot of what I would consider "courtship moments" take place off page.  The whole thing is entirely too overcrowded by the farcical comedy (Kathlyn gets kidnapped TWICE!) and the wide cast of secondary characters.  Basically folks what we have here is a screwball comedy set in Regency England and it just didn't work for me.

That said, I know there's a readership out there for farce and certainly it can work very well in a Trad Regency setting. However, Courtney nearly putting me off virgin heroes entirely (which I thought was basically impossible - who knew?) coupled with the strong Not Like Other Girls vibe to Kathlyn and the general overall writing of Courtney's former fiancée (deplorable) means that this is a Old School romance that just hasn't aged all that well.

Final Grade = D+

Note: It's not lost on me that I have referred to a book published in 1997 as "old school." Excuse me while I go crawl into my coffin...

Mini-Reviews: Bring On The Fluff!

I recently had my first DNF of 2025, a suspense novel featuring vile, hateful characters and y'all I just couldn't even. What's a girl to do? Well this girl decided to dive head first into a pile of cotton candy fluff and it was just what the doctor ordered.

Confessions of a Forty-Something F**k Up by Alexandra Potter was the inspiration for a short-lived American sitcom, Not Yet Dead, that lasted two seasons. I never watched the show, but based on the synopsis of it I'm fairly confident in saying it diverges wildly from the book - other than some of the characters sharing the same names and the obituary writing job thing. 

Nell is on the other side of forty and her life has imploded. Her business (a bookstore / café) went bust right along with her engagement. She's now single, broke, and with no other option than to tuck tail and head back to London. A couple of problems with that is she has no prospect of a job, she's broke, and rents in London are through the roof. All her friends are happily married with a couple of kids meaning not only is she a fifth wheel, she can't impose on them by couch surfing until she gets her shit together. Nothing for it, she answers an ad to rent a room from a wound-tight eco-warrior wannabe who controls the thermostat like the Gestapo, borrows a little money from her parents, and tries to work her contacts to find a job. Which she does - writing obituaries. That's how she meets Cricket, an 80-something widow with her own challenges. The two become fast friends and naturally help each other heal and commiserate along the way.

I came back to the romance genre in the late 1990s through Chick Lit, and that's what this is. Chick Lit with a 40-something heroine. She wants a husband and children, and well life hasn't exactly turned out the way she's planned. Having been in the States (New York, then California) for the last several years, she's now back home to lick her wounds and has discovered life (along with her friends and family) has kept on moving along without her.

It's a very character driven read and you're inside Nell's head for the duration. If you don't find her funny and interesting from the jump, save yourself some time and DNF early. I've always been one of those readers who can find Chick Lit great fun so long as I don't consume a steady diet of it, and this book largely worked for me - but like a lot of romantic comedy stuff these days, readers should be warned there's some heavy themes underpinning the story that, even with foreshadowing, still pop out to slam the brakes on the overall fluffy mood. That said, the author does say some interesting things about the expectations placed on women by themselves and society that still stand out even with the lighter tone. I had a good time with this and it's a crackin' good listen on audiobook, which I highly recommend. 

Content warning: infertility, miscarriage

Final Grade = B+

Everybody's favorite rich girl social media influencer and part-time serial killer, Kitty Collins, is back for her second adventure in I Bet You'd Look Good in a Coffin by Katy Brent.

Poor Kitty. She really doesn't want to kill men, but they make abstinence so darn difficult! She's trying to break her social media addiction, has pretty much stopped her work as an influencer, is attending an anger management group, and settling into a blissful existence with her boyfriend Charlie. A Chick Lit version of Dexter, Kitty only ever killed men who really, really deserved to die but she's determined to be good - until a social media influencer, a misogynistically vile incel going by the name of "Blaze Bundy" starts targeting her. On top of that her vulnerable gang rape survivor friend has just declared she's fallen in love with her therapist (but it's OK since he's no longer seeing me as a patient, so why aren't you happy for us Kitty?!) and Kitty's estranged, fabulously wealthy mother is getting married to a man Kitty didn't know existed until the wedding invitation showed up in the mail.

Can you take this book seriously? Absolutely not. Kitty continues to think she's smart but bungles her way through her murder spree - and in this day and age of cell phone tracking and DNA it's a wonder the cops don't at least know she exists. But it's not that kind of book. It's a female rage book with an undercurrent of dark humor - and that's either going to work for you or not. It naturally doesn't take Kitty long to get up to her old tricks and soon her relationship with Charlie is on life support.  Be advised this does not stand alone well at all, with events from the first book playing a heavy role and the ending got a little bit "out there" even for me - the moral of the story apparently being the family that kills and covers up murders together apparently stays together.  But it all goes down like a candy-flavored cocktail even when it turns bleakly dark.  The ending isn't entirely "happy" as far as the romance goes, but the author leaves the door wide open for potential future books. It's not high art but I had a good time reading it and inhaled it in a couple of greedy gulps. Also, and this cannot be overstated - terrible, awful, asshole men getting exactly what they deserve....

Content warning: Murder, violence, attempted rape

Final Grade = B

Reminder: #TBRChallenge Day is February 19

Here we are, Happy 2025 and the start of another #TBRChallenge! Our inaugural #TBRChallenge day is set for Wednesday, February 19 and our theme is Previously, In Romance...

This suggestion came out of my annual theme poll, and was one my favorites because it tickled the long buried part of myself that used to gobble up daytime soap operas. Some suggestion ideas for this theme include, a book that's part of a series, an author you haven't read in a while, or something Old School.

However, remember the themes are completely optional. If this all sounds like too much work and you'd rather blindly reach for a random book in my pile, go to work!  Remember our goal with this challenge is always to read something, anything, that has been languishing in her your TBR piles.

Also, a reminder that it's not too late to sign-up for the Challenge (fun fact: it's never too late to sign up!).  For more details and for a list of participants, you can check out the 2025 #TBRChallenge page.

Library Loot Review: A Dangerous Game

I took a flier last month and featured A Dangerous Game by Mandy Robotham on my January 2025 Unusual Historicals post with the caveat that it was probably "historical fiction with romantic elements" and I was crossing my fingers while I typed that. Turns out my instincts were correct. After reading, I'd call this more historical suspense with romantic elements and it was mostly successful for me.

Unbeknownst to me when I picked this up, it's actually Book 2 in a series (or maybe just a duet?) featuring Inspector Harri Schroder of the Kriminalpolizei, the German Criminal Police stationed in Hamburg. He first appears in The Hidden Storyteller, and the heroine of that book, Georgie Young, puts in a few brief appearances in this story in a secondary character capacity. I definitely got the clear message that this book was part of a series, but it stood alone well and I had not trouble keeping up.

It's 1952 and much of Europe is still recovering from the devastation of World War II.  Harri spent the war years working as a cop, and was SS by default. 

"All Kripo employees were SS - that bastard Himmler saw to that, tainting us with his vile ideology. I was a police officer through the entire war, nothing more. God knows how, but I managed to stay out of all that shit."

The war over, his wife and young daughter dead, the widower Harri is still a cop, until he's called into his superior's office and told he's going to London. He was personally requested and Harri chalks it up to a goodwill mission. Utterly pointless really when he has a pile of cases on his desk. But off he goes to London because it's a chance to catch up with friends and have a little holiday.

He's told to report to London Metropolitan Police's West End Central station and that's where he meets WPC (woman police constable) Helen "Dexie" Dexter. Widowed during the war, Dexie becomes a police officer and dreams of joining the Criminal Investigative Division (CID), the road block, of course, being that she's a woman. Sexist colleagues, glass ceiling, yada yada yada.  Dexie spends her days walking a beat, dealing with hookers and johns, and intervening on "domestic cases." 

Harri soon finds out why he was personally requested. MI5 wants him to find James Remington, an influential money man with connections in British political circles. They think this Remington is really Helmut Praxer, a former high ranking Nazi official who ran underground after Germany's surrender. 

"He was the Nazis' money man, the key to juggling millions in Reichsmarks and dollars, turning stolen gold and artwork into hard currency. It's not an overstatement to say that, without him, Hitler could never have financed the war."

The wrinkle is that if Remington is Praxer he's had extensive cosmetic surgery and worked on changing his accent and speech patterns. Harri and Praxer went to the police academy together and knew each other fairly well before their ideologies took them on very divergent courses. MI5 is hoping Harri can find and confirm Remington is Praxer, and do so discreetly before he becomes further entrenched in British politics and matters of governmental finance. 

Harri agrees to help but knows he'll need someone riding shotgun. Someone who knows London better than he does. Someone who knows the streets. And that someone turns out to be Dexie, who jumps at the chance to prove her mettle and hopefully move a step closer to CID.

Of course it all gets complicated in short order. They have a very short window to find Remington, confirm his true identity and just as they start to run him to ground, the Great Smog of 1952 descends on London, a four day event of toxic pollution that killed thousands of people. 

This started a little slow for me as the author lays the groundwork to get Harri to London, meet Dexie, and get his case. Once they're dispatched to find Remington things pick up steam and I had no trouble staying invested and flipping the pages. The setting against the Great Smog was truly inspired and really adds to the overall atmosphere of the story.  

The suspense and hunt for Remington/Praxer is really the driving force of the story, but as promised we get "romantic elements" in the relationship between Harri and Dexie. These are two characters who fit together well. They like and respect each other, and this is nothing to overlook with Harri - who is the first man (well, ever) who treats Dexie as a valued colleague. Someone who is good at her job, with a keen mind, and capable of more than just making tea and filing reports. 

That said, liking and respecting is a good foundation but getting from that to romance and love isn't developed as well. I totally got that they liked each other, even admired each other, but getting tingly in their private bits? Not at all. You can't even call this book "just kisses" because there are no kisses. There's not even "heated looks," or "sparks" when their hands accidentally brush up against each other. They share a bed a couple of times out of necessity, and warmth, but literally that's all it is. I mean, I'm happy they're together at the end. I wanted them together at the end. I just wasn't really sure when or how they "fell in love."   Yes, the romantic component of their relationship is secondary to the overall story, but just a stolen kiss, a heated glance - a couple of small moments was really all that was missing. 

Some "telling" does creep into moments of the narrative, but it's not egregious and the overall story is well executed. I'm not sorry I read it in the least and I enjoyed it enough that I likely will read the first book at some point. But oh, if only a little teensy oomph had been added to the romance. Just a smidge. A mere modicum. And well, it would have been closer to perfect.

Final Grade = B-

Library Loot Review: When I Think Of You

There is nothing better then when a book that flew completely under your radar falls into your lap "for reasons" and you end up loving it to pieces.  When I Think of You is Myah Ariel's debut and was published in April 2024. I maybe saw some reviews for it back then? Maybe? (I mean, what is time?) But since I'm no longer actively in the role of selecting books for The Day Job and with the sheer explosion of self-publishing, y'all I just can't keep up anymore. However, Ariel will soon by doing a virtual library program and while I won't be moderating, I was asked to do the introductions, so I snagged copy using one of my handy library cards and proceeded to inhale this in two greedy gulps. 

Kaliya Wilson has paid her dues ten times over. A small town Southern girl with dreams of producing movies she's stuck in a dead end receptionist job at a Los Angeles film studio, working for privileged assholes who dismiss her talent and ambition. It's just another soul-sucking day at the office when opportunity waltzes through the door in the form of the man who shattered her heart. Danny Prescott. Son of Hollywood royalty. The boy she fell hopelessly in love with when they met in NYC film school. The boy who now has a CW-like soap opera princess on his arm. 

Danny is the son of an award-winning, now deceased, white Hollywood director and a black mother - his parents childhood sweethearts who grew up and fell in love in Tennessee, naturally against all odds. Danny was their "miracle baby" and he is determined to bring his parents' love story to the big screen. Danny has garnered a lot of buzz around town and people are already talking about how this movie is major Oscar bait. He certainly did not expect to see Kaliya working a crummy receptionist job when he came to the studio to meet with execs. Kaliya, the girl who championed his film school thesis movie, the girl he was hopelessly in love with, the girl he pushed away but never forgot.

Danny knows he needs Kaliya on this project and after a series of misadventures and heartbreak (Hollywood politics yo) she ends up agreeing. Kaliya has only heard no. She can't get anyone to consider giving her a shot working on a film, and while seeing Danny rips open a lot of old wounds, she sees it as an opportunity she cannot pass up - her movie-making dreams having been on life support for so long.

Second chance romances can be very tricky to write because the author has to straddle the line of having the couple breaking up for credible reasons and still make them redeemable so that you root for them getting back together. This was honestly a tricky tightrope for me early on since all I could think to do was tell Kaliya "Run Girl! He destroyed your heart once and this smacks of him using you for his own gain."  But as the story unfolds you realize that Danny recognizes that while he does need Kaliya by his side to make this movie, just like her he's been in a state of emotional limbo since they split. There's a mess of unfinished business between them.  The fly in the ointment? He's got a girlfriend who has thrown some of her money into his movie, plus the overall general bullshit of Hollywood politics. 

This book does feature two plot elements that normally drive me batshit insane in other books. Of course Danny's girlfriend plays The Evil Other Woman role and of course the first time Danny and Kaliya have sex there's no condom and we get the "I'm safe, I'm clean" nonsense. But you know what? I loved this book anyway. Subdued isn't quite the right word, but The Evil Other Woman stuff isn't drenched all over the narrative, it's more like a snide-ness that creeps in when the plot dictates it. Also, Danny doesn't drag that relationship out over the course of the entire book. Once the unfinished business between him and Kaliya becomes undeniable, they break-up. But she's still invested in his movie, hence the added bits of conflict with her sticking around.

There are also underpinnings of grief and privilege to the conflict. Danny, who idolizes both of his parents, who is determined to make this movie about their love story, while staying true to his vision, has had to process the loss and grief of losing his father. Kaliya is stuck in limbo with her career, still hopelessly in love with Danny, and has maybe lost a bit of herself along the way. Danny, while biracial, has been afforded certain privileges because of who his father was, while Kaliya has seen nothing but struggle and doors slammed in her face. 

What struck me most about this book is how great the world-building is (this story could only take place in Los Angeles and reads like it - brava!) and the emotional heft, especially in the second half. There's a heart-stopping scene between Danny's mother and Kaliya, and the climactic reunion between our couple at the end after the third act break-up is one of the best I've read in a long, long time. 

Quibbles and my pet peeves aside, this was such a great read and a wonderful debut. I'm already crossing my fingers and hoping permission is granted for me to score an advanced copy of Ariel's upcoming second book.

Final Grade = A