Be Mine: Unusual Historicals Landing in February 2022

We're in the final days of February and I already feel like 2022 is going for some sort of land speed record. The best thing about February besides it being the shortest month on the calendar is it's a half-priced candy month! Because I'm all about the candy.  I'm also all about unusual historicals and there's some interesting choices this month to browse while snarfing down another chocolate heart.

 

The Lady Tempts an Heir by Harper St. George

Tall, dark, and brooding—to say that American Maxwell Crenshaw stood out in the glittering ballrooms of London is an understatement. He vowed never to set foot in England again, but when a summons from his father along with an ultimatum to secure his legacy has him crossing the Atlantic for the last time, reuniting him with the delectable Lady Helena March, he can’t deny the temptation she presents. Or the ideas she inspires… 

Lady Helena March is flirting with scandal. Instead of spending her time at teas and balls in search of another husband, as is expected of a young widow, Helena pours her energy into The London Home for Young Women. But Society gives no quarter to unmarried radicals who associate with illegitimate children and fallen women, and Helena’s funding is almost run out. So when the sinfully seductive Crenshaw heir suggests a fake engagement to save them both—him from an unwanted marriage and her from scorn and financial ruin—Helena finds herself too fascinated to refuse the sexy American. 

As their arrangement of convenience melts oh so deliciously into nights of passion, their deception starts to become real. But if Max knew the true reason Helena can never remarry, he wouldn’t look at her with such heat in his eyes. Or might the Crenshaw heir be willing to do whatever it takes to win the one woman he’s never been able to forget…

A heroine flirting with ruin and a hero looking to escape the trap of an unwanted marriage enter into a fake engagement of convenience (I mean, is there any other kind?). The third book in St. George's Gilded Age Heiresses series also tosses a Big Secret into the mix - because what would a fake engagement be without one?

Perfect Equation by Elizabeth Everett

Six years ago, Miss Letitia Fenley made a mistake, and she’s lived with the consequences ever since. Readying herself to compete for the prestigious Rosewood Prize for Mathematics, she is suddenly asked to take on another responsibility—managing Athena’s Retreat, a secret haven for England’s women scientists. Having spent the last six years on her own, Letty doesn’t want the offers of friendship from other club members and certainly doesn’t need any help from the insufferably attractive Lord Greycliff. 

Lord William Hughes, the Viscount Greycliff cannot afford to make any mistakes. His lifelong dream of becoming the director of a powerful clandestine agency is within his grasp. Tasked with helping Letty safeguard Athena’s Retreat, Grey is positive that he can control the antics of the various scientists as well as manage the tiny mathematician—despite their historic animosity and simmering tension. 

As Grey and Letty are forced to work together, their mutual dislike turns to admiration and eventually to something...magnetic. When faced with the possibility that Athena’s Retreat will close forever, they must make a choice. Will Grey turn down a chance to change history, or can Letty get to the root of the problem and prove that love is the ultimate answer?

I'll be honest, I've seen a ton of reviews for this book floating around the blogs already but my eyes tend to skip right over illustrated covers (yes, I'm aware I shouldn't do this and yes, I'm aware I shouldn't judge books by their covers, but y'all illustrated covers annoy me that much). Anyway, this is a Regency but THE HEROINE IS A MATHEMATICIAN!  Plus she sounds like a bit of a loner and apparently (according to reviews) the hero is wound a little tight. Sounds like a perfect match to me!

A Valentine to Die For by Aver Rigsly (ETA 4/21/24 - no longer for sale via Amazon)

Having a secret admirer can be deadly. 

Ricky Morris, private investigator on New York's elite Upper East Side, has forged a shady yet profitable life as a gumshoe for wealthy Manhattanites after burning the bridge to his law enforcement past. When women in the city are targeted by a sweet-toothed murderer in the week leading up to Valentine's Day, the last thing Ricky expects is to be hired by the younger brother of the man who ruined his life. 

Timothy Ward, young, fresh patrolman for the N.Y.P.D. who never thought he'd have to step outside the law, finds himself in desperate need of Ricky's help when he fears his brother, James Ward, the Deputy Chief, could be behind the murdering spree. 

With Valentine's Day fast approaching, both men will have to work in the shadows, putting their careers and lives on the line to get to the bottom of the murderer's sickly sweet and cruel plans. That is, if the burning heat of the undeniable—and very forbidden—lust between them doesn't consume them in the flames of reckless desire first...

I had no clue about this book until I ran across an blog tour excerpt over at Smexy Books and between the words "noir" and "New York City" it was a given I was at least going to stop and take a look.  I'm past due for a romantic suspense read that I can really sink my teeth into - one click!

The Highlander's Substitute Wife by Terri Brisbin 

She's the best wife... 

...he never wanted! 

Ross MacMillan lifts his bride's veil...and discovers it's not the woman he'd agreed to marry but her beautiful younger sister, Ilysa MacDonnell! The new MacMillan chieftain must accept Ilysa as his wife, for retaining his clan's lands depends on her father's support. But why is she there? Are her aims to help him or her father? Drawing out Ilysa's secrets will kindle an alliance more powerful—and passionate!—than Ross ever imagined...

Brisbin is a solid writer and Harlequin has tapped her to kick off their new multi-author Highland Alliances series - which centers around the Macmillan clan and what else? Arranged marriages. Hence "Highland Alliances."  Anyway, I'm a sucker for the "Hey, you're not the woman I was supposed to marry" trope, plus it sounds like the heroine is hiding secrets. I can't refuse that.

What Unusual Historicals are you looking forward to reading?