The Scandalous Suffragette by Eliza Redgold
Votes for women!
Can she fight for freedom and for love?
When chocolate heiress Violet Coombes is caught hanging her suffragette banner in a most shocking place, Adam Beaufort, Esquire, proposes a marriage of convenience! His good name will avert scandal for her family, and her money will save the estate Adam’s father gambled away. Violet accepts, but she’s determined nothing will distract her from the Cause—including her oh-so-tempting husband!Reader: I totally judged a book by it’s cover. The Edwardian era has always been criminally under-utilized as a historical romance setting given what an interesting time in history it was for women. Redgold’s latest features an heiress whose scandalous suffragette leanings force her into a marriage of convenience to save her monied family from scandal. I one-clicked the heck out of this.
The nights were their secret.
The papers back home call Ben Potter a hero of the Philippine-American War, but he knows the truth. When his estranged brother-in-law offers him work slashing sugarcane, Ben seizes the opportunity to atone--one acre at a time. At the hacienda Ben meets schoolteacher Allegra Alazas. While Allegra bristles at her family's traditional expectations, the one man who appreciates her intelligence and independence seems to be the very worst marriage prospect on the island.
Neither Ben nor Allegra fit easily in their separate worlds, so together they must build one of their own. But when Ben's wartime past crashes down upon them, it threatens to break their elusive peace.Set in the Philippines at the dawn of the 20th century, the hero is the son of a tailor (he sews!), a baseball player, and war veteran. He’s also got issues. Given my continued hunt for Domme heroines, the author shared with me that there is some light D/s. Check out Kat’s (from BookThingo) Twitter thread and the author also has a handy page on her web site with content warnings on the entire series.
In 1897, the discovery of gold in the desolate reaches of the Yukon has the world abuzz with excitement, and thousands of prospectors swarm to the north seeking riches the likes of which have never been seen before.
For Liza Peterson and her family, the gold rush is a chance for them to make a fortune by moving their general store business from Vancouver to Dawson City, the only established town in the Yukon. For Constable Ben Turner, a recent recruit of the North-West Mounted Police, upholding the law in a place overrun with guns, liquor, prostitutes, and thieves is an opportunity to escape a dark past and become the man of integrity he has always wanted to be. But the long, difficult journey over icy mountain passes and whitewater rapids is much more treacherous than Liza or Ben imagined, and neither is completely prepared for the forbidding north.
As Liza’s family nears the mountain’s peak, a catastrophe strikes with fatal consequences, and not even the NWMP can help. Alone and desperate, Liza finally reaches Dawson City, only to find herself in a different kind of peril. Meanwhile, Ben, wracked with guilt over the accident on the trail, sees the chance to make things right. But just as love begins to grow, new dangers arise, threatening to separate the couple forever.I believe this is technically being marketed as historical fiction, but Graham has a romance past and reviews indicate it does have a happy-ever-after. However, reviews also indicate that it’s one of those old-school style books where there’s a fresh catastrophe awaiting our heroine nearly every other page. While that can be exhausting, it can also make for a page-turning read, plus the Yukon gold rush! A mountie hero! I’m going to see if I can score a copy from work.
Inverness, 1820
Perched on the North Sea, this port town—by turns legendary and mythological—is a place where Highland rebels and English authorities clash in a mortal struggle for survival and dominance. Among the fray is a lovely young widow who possesses rare and special gifts.
WANTED: Isabella Drummond
A true beauty and trained physician, Isabella has inspired longing and mystery—and fury—in a great many men. Hunted by both the British government and Scottish rebels, she came to the Highlands in search of survival. But a dying ship’s captain will steer her fate into even stormier waters. . .and her heart into flames.
FOUND: Cinaed MackintoshThe start of a new series, my ears perked up (or maybe it was my eyeballs) over a doctor heroine who is wanted on both sides of the conflict - by the British who want her to name names and by the Scots who fear she’ll do just that. Loyalty as conflict in historical romances always seems to work for me, and an unconventional hero paired with a ship’s captain is just the sort of jam I can’t say no to.
Cast from his home as a child, Cinaed is a fierce soul whose allegiance is only to himself. . . until Isabella saved his life—and added more risk to her own. Now, the only way Cinaed can keep her safe is to seek refuge at Dalmigavie Castle, the Mackintosh family seat. But when the scandalous truth of his past comes out, any chance of Cinaed having a bright future with Isabella is thrown into complete darkness. What will these two ill-fated lovers have to sacrifice to be together…for eternity?
What happens when a marriage of convenience isn’t so convenient?
Lieutenant Colonel Benedict Draven has retired from the army and spends most of his days either consulting for the Foreign Office or whiling away the hours at his club with his former comrades-in-arms. He rarely thinks about the fiery Portuguese woman he saved from an abusive marriage by wedding her himself. It was supposed to be a marriage in name only, but even five years later and a world away, he can’t seem to forget her.
Catarina Neves never forgot what it felt like to be scared, desperate, and subject to the whims of her cruel father. Thanks to a marriage of convenience and her incredible skill as a lacemaker, she’s become an independent and wealthy woman. But when she’s once again thrust into a dangerous situation, she finds herself in London and knocking on the door of the husband she hasn’t seen since those war-torn years in Portugal. Catarina tells Benedict she wants an annulment, but when he argues against it, can she trust him enough to ask for what she really needs?Galen continues with her Survivors series with another hero haunted by his war experiences and the wife he wed to protect. He never forgot the passionate kiss they shared, but it’s still a surprise when Catarina shows up on his London doorstep asking for an annulment - their marriage of convenience no longer being, well, convenient. Also, depending on which side of the fence you land on - this is a May-December romantic couple. I figure that will, in equal measure, have some of you one-clicking and others running far in the other direction.
What Unusual Historicals are you looking forward to?
2 comments:
I love the idea of unusual historicals to read! I have added all of these to my TBR pile. Thank you! I recently finished a fantastic book by author Donna Baier Stein called "Scenes from the Heartland." It is a wonderful collection of short stories about Midwesterners in the early 20th century. What makes it so unique is that these stories were inspired by lithographs from American artist Thomas Hart Benton (these sketches are included in the book too). The stories are about hardship, survival, passion, cruelty, and simple acts of kindness. It really is historical fiction at it's finest and one of the most interesting books I've found this year. I really hope you will give it a read. You can learn more about the book or the author here: https://donnabaierstein.com/
Ooh the gold rush/mountie one sounds very interesting!! And what do you know-- it's available Overdrive at my library. :)
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