The Few, The Proud, The Mighty: Unusual Historicals for August 2023

As I'm finalizing this post my part of the world is under a Tropical Storm warning thanks to Hurricane Hilary.  I was in the process of trying to decide how freaked out I should be, when My Man suggested I call my sister, a former Florida resident who had been through several hurricanes.  She talked me down off the ledge and said "Make sure your cars have full tanks of gas and gather supplies like you could be without power for an extended period of time."  So that's what I've been up to for the last 48 hours. I feel about as ready as I can be, so that means moving on to other storm preparation tasks, oh like reading!  August is a pretty thin month in the unusual historicals department, not helped any further by Amazon's search "function" which has been even more dreadful than usual the past couple of months. It's a small list, but still with some intriguing titles to share!

Marry Me By Midnight by Felicia Grossman

London, 1832: Isabelle Lira may be in distress, but she's no damsel. Since her father’s death, his former partners have sought to oust her from their joint equity business. Her only choice is to marry—and fast—to a powerful ally outside the respected Berab family’s sphere of influence. Only finding the right spouse will require casting a wide net. So she’ll host a series of festivals, to which every eligible Jewish man is invited. 

Once, Aaron Ellenberg longed to have a family of his own. But as the synagogue custodian, he is too poor for wishes and not foolish enough for dreams. Until the bold, beautiful Isabelle Lira presents him with an irresistible offer . . . if he ensures her favored suitors have no hidden loyalties to the Berabs, she will provide him with money for a new life. 

Yet the transaction provides surprising temptation, as Aaron and Isabelle find caring and passion in the last person they each expected. Only a future for them is impossible—for heiresses don’t marry orphans, and love only conquers in children’s tales. But if Isabelle can find the courage to trust her heart, she'll discover anything is possible, if only she says yes.

I craft these Unusual Historical posts around the edict that "people are neither genre nor trope" so while having Jewish main characters in a historical romance isn't something you see every day of the week, that isn't what makes this role reversal Cinderella/Pygmalion romance "unusual."  Nope.  It's the fact that THE HERO IS A CUSTODIAN OMG!!!  Ahem, anywoodle. The delightful Miss Bates recently posted a dynamite review for this one and she rarely steers me wrong. 

 

The Viking She Loves to Hate by Lucy Morris 

Her rival 

Is her most dangerous temptation! 

Astrid Viggosdottir’s father has ordered a competition between her and new arrival Viking Ulrik to prove who is the better boat builder! If she loses, Princess Astrid will be duty-bound to marry a jarl. If Ulrik loses, he will be banished, leaving his motherless daughter homeless. With the stakes so high, Astrid should hate this man, but during the long hot summer, their rivalry turns to a heated passion that neither can ignore!

 

I still need to read the third book in Morris' Shieldmaiden Sisters trilogy that released in February (😭) and here's a new book, this one a stand alone.  Ship-building! A cross-class romance! A single father hero! And a competition that rivals a 21st century reality TV show!  This sounds great and it's getting tossed onto my TBR pile.

The Lady Behind the Masquerade by Diane Gaston 

The ton’s newest member 

Is not all she seems… 

Diplomat Marcus Wolfdon can’t forget the alluring woman he met in Paris, the passionate night they shared or that she stole his money and disappeared! A year later, Wolf meets Juliana again in Brighton, seemingly a member of the ton. She begs him to keep their former liaison secret, and the emotion in her eyes compels him to agree. Desire still flares between them, but first Wolf must uncover the lady behind the masquerade… 

 

This second book in Gaston's Family of Scandals series is Regency-set but the plot description is giving me life! A heroine who liberated the hero from some money "reunites" with him in England where he catches her passing herself off as a member of the ton.  I'm always up for a good masquerade and I'm itching to uncover all the heroine's secrets now.

The Gunslinger and the Lady by Anne Stuart (novella, reprint)

The Gunslinger... 

Mad Billy Maddox, aka the Angel of Death, comes to the tiny town in Johnson County, Wyoming as a gun for hire to scare away the settlers. He’s a man who makes his living with his guns, and he never expects to find someone to make him want to change his ways. 

The Lady... 

Sara is the sweet and shy wife of the biggest bully in town. She’s learned not to let anything scare her, but the way Will Maddox looks at her shakes her up far worse than her husband’s heavy fists. She knows she should hate him, but she can’t. 

Together... 

He’s a bad man, and she’s a good woman. There’s no future for them in the wild Wyoming territory. But Maddox is a man who gets what he wants, no matter how high the price, and he wants Sara. Not even the fact that he killed her husband will get in his way.

This novella was first published in the St. Martin's Press anthology One Night With a Rogue back in 1995. This is your first clue that this story could feature some WTF'ery shenanigans, and the name Anne Stuart would be your second clue 😂. I missed this when it was first published and there's enough in this description (and the hope for some Grade A WTF'ery) that I'll give this baby a whirl.

Stay safe out there Romancelandia and feel free to share what Unusual Historicals have caught your eye lately in the comments section.