I realize I say this every month, but March is coming on strong with the historical romance offerings. I also realize that even though I purport to be a champion of historical romance, I haven't been reading much of it lately. To be fair, I haven't been reading much of anything lately - so there you go. But I'm determined to get myself back on track, and just like the offerings this month, hope does spring eternal. Now, let's get on to writing our shopping lists....
It is a truth universally acknowledged that a woman who has lost her fortune must be in need (not want) of a husband. Beautiful, cunning Verbena Montrose must marry to save herself and her odious family from abject poverty. Fortunately, what she lacks in a dowry, she makes up for in the currency of gossip.
When she hears an alarming rumor about her very dear, very queer friend Étienne that could ruin him, she comes to his aid with a proposal—for a marriage of convenience, that is. But when Verbena discovers that a mysterious and celebrated poet by the name of Flora Witcombe has been publishing verses that hint she is onto their scheme, Verbena has no choice but to pretend to be a poet herself to confront her in a local salon. And—unexpectedly—be charmed by her.
Flora, in turn, is terrified by and smitten with Verbena in equal measure. But she holds a secret of her own: he is also William Forsyth, a struggling novelist and fifth son of a minor noble family. And if circumstances don’t allow Flora to woo Verbena, perhaps William can. Faced with two suitors and a fiancé, Verbena, who has always had to be clever to survive in society, starts to realize she may need to think outside of society’s constraints to find true happiness.
Y'all this book sounds like a straight up comedy of errors mixed with a healthy dose of farce. She needs to marry to save her family from poverty and proposes a lavender marriage of convenience - only to fall for a female poet who is transgender - and she in turn is captivated by our heroine and knows she cannot woo her as a woman, but maybe she can as a man. Oh, and for good measure? Toss in Lord Byron. The Smut Report has a review for this one up already and apparently there is much pining to be had 😍
Can a rebel with a cause…Love a rogue without a care?As an ardent campaigner for women’s rights, Cecily Duddlecott is accustomed to exasperating men. But gaming-hell proprietor Dominic Marsden beats them all! Wherever she goes, he’s there—smirking. Most infuriating of all? Their friction makes sparks fly…Then Dominic reveals why he’s tailing her: He suspects her latest suitor of conducting criminal activity in his club. Cecy joins his cause, and the attraction between them becomes impossible to ignore! As do Dominic’s hidden depths… Cecy determined long ago she’d never again risk her heart. So why is she tempted to stake it all on a scoundrel?
She's a champion for women's rights and he's a roguish, disreputable owner of a gaming hell. Seriously, how quickly can this get into my eyeballs?
The rules are simple: fake a relationship and solve a mystery. That should be easy ... right?Ivy Bennett has escaped the marriage mart once already—by becoming a governess to the new Lord Brackley’s unruly little sisters. Spending her days in the schoolroom and her nights running a secret self-defense class for women, she has absolutely no interest in a husband. So when Ivy is handed a secret assignment by the spymaster known as the Dove, she sees an opportunity: fake a courtship with the enigmatic Owen Brackley to avoid her conniving father’s attempts to marry her off, complete the mission, and finally secure her freedom. Simple. Until it’s not.Women across London are succumbing to a strange madness, and they all share a connection to Brackley—the same man who looks at Ivy like he sees right through her and is none too bothered by her lack of ladylike charm. As Ivy gathers gossip like breadcrumbs and dodges increasingly dangerous attempts on Brackley’s life, she realizes two things: someone wants the viscount gone, and the closer she gets to the truth, the harder it is to tell what’s real and what’s just part of the game.
She's a governess and self-defense teacher with zero interest in marriage who falls into a fake courtship to solve a mystery and thwart her father's plans to marry her off. Our hero is the other half of the fake courtship and at the center of said mystery - oh it sure seems like someone wants him dead.
The warrior’s mission:rescue his first love!The King can order Edan of Roul to rescue Lady Amice but, years after she jilted him on their wedding eve, Edan doesn’t have to like it. Though he embarks on the dangerous journey to bring the stubborn beauty to safety, Edan must resist the undying pull between them…When her loved ones were threatened, Amice fled her betrothal to protect Edan. Now reunited, she still sees pain, anger—and desire—burning in his eyes. Telling him the truth will only stoke the fire that once consumed them… And with battle approaching, can they risk everything to make the vows they always intended?
She jilted him on the eve before their wedding and now he's tasked by the King (no less!) to rescue her. Awkward! This medieval is set in 12th century England.
1939. Kathleen Gallagher is training to be a handywoman - an illegal midwife in West Belfast - when war is declared. As soon as a call goes out for volunteers to join the home front, she jumps at the chance to aid the ambulance service. She won't let her community down when they need her the most.
When Liam Flynn, the older brother of her best friend - and her very first kiss - also volunteers, the two of them are suddenly thrown together once more. Kathleen still dreams of the bells ringing in the New Year and the snow falling as their lips brushed, all those years ago. But she has a secret. And it's one that means they can never be together . . .
But with the Belfast Blitz raining chaos and destruction, and the volunteers pushed to their limits, the pair can't help but grow closer, the secrets of their past starting to feel insignificant against the backdrop of war.
This is the second book in Tinley's Irish Midwives trilogy that straddles that line between historical saga and historical romance. A heroine training to be a midwife (illegally I might add) at the start of World War II volunteers for the ambulance service and is thrown together with her BFF's brother, who just so happened to be her very first kiss. Then comes the Belfast Blitz....
Dominic Prince is passionate, tenacious, and determined to carve out a legendary name for himself—just like his famous treasure-hunting father. When an American tycoon funds his expedition to uncover a Viking hoard in Norfolk and ship it across the Atlantic, Dominic sees his chance to claim glory. If he can unearth a treasure trove so magnificent it lands him on the front pages of newspapers in both England and America, his success will finally be undeniable.Tess Hawthorne doesn’t quite know what to make of the entirely too handsome scoundrel who shows up in her village seeking the very treasure she's been hoping to find all her life. When he asks to employ her knowledge and familiarity with the locals to assist on the dig, she accepts.But she doesn't want whatever treasure they find to leave England, and she certainly doesn't want to lose her heart to the man determined to claim it…
Cassandra Sterling, Dowager Duchess of Tolland, despised her husband. When he died, she mourned her wasted youth and not the man who abused her. With her son now the new duke, she emerges from mourning and joins the ranks of the Mayfair Widows, who encourage her to embrace her newfound freedoms.Reuben Evans desires a woman he cannot possess. After serving as the Duke of Tolland’s valet, he sets his sights on seduction, intent on showing the dowager duchess the true meaning of passion. However, the differences in their ages and social status may be too vast to overcome. Still, he remains in her loyal service as her new butler.When the late duke’s indiscretions come to light, the duchess and the former valet will have to face the demons of their own pasts in order to forge their future. When Cassandra and Reuben surrender to the simmering desire pulling them together, a lifetime of secrets bubble to the surface—including murder. Can their love survive such a scandal?
She's a very happy widow not mourning the death of her abusive husband. He's her despicable dead husband's former valet who has pined after her for years. This needs to get in my eyeballs like yesterday. I am utter trash for cross-class romances - and for a nice change of pace, our heroine is the one with all the social standing and power.
Callum MacKenzie, the Marquess of Morven, is sent south to London by his father, the Duke of Bonnyrigg, to find the sort of wife who will bring the family the respectability it needs to rise in the world. After a disastrous start, and with invitations drying up, his aunt decides Callum needs a tutor in social etiquette, rules, and manners. And the best tutor in London is Penelope Armstrong.Penelope is not just any tutor. She is a fallen woman with a murky past who is trying to reinvent herself. Turning Callum from a Scottish barbarian to a charming gentleman might be her biggest challenge yet.As soon as Penelope and Callum set eyes on each other, sparks fly. Can Penelope tutor the highlander to appeal to London ladies without falling in love with him herself? And can Callum do his father’s bidding and find a suitable wife, when he knows he would rather marry his teacher?
You know why author's keeping writing Pygmalion romances? Because readers love them. He needs to find a wife but is making a disaster out of his poor attempts. She's a fallen woman (!!) trying to reinvent herself, and turning this "Scottish barbarian" into a charming gentleman is just the sort of feather she needs in her cap. Then these two silly kids fall for each other and it gets complicated (as it does).
Broccan, a notorious grump, finally crosses the line when he insults a beloved friend of the Fianna. Though he’s the first to admit it wasn’t his finest hour, the punishment his companions force upon him does not—in Broccan’s estimation—fit the crime. As penance for his beastly behavior, Broccan is assigned to guard the incorrigible woman and help her run the inn—or lose his place among the Fianna.Emer’s life isn’t always easy, but she has no trouble making the best of it—until she crosses paths with Broccan. Angry, loud, and rude to boot, he’s the first person to break through her sunny personality and make her lose her temper. The only reason Emer agrees to put up with the brute is because of the guilt she feels over their first meeting.Forced to run the inn together, this beauty has no choice but to try to tame the beast.
This is the sixth book in the Warriors of Fianna series, and features a Beauty and the Beast, grumpy/sunshine thang going on. He's uncouth and insults a friend of the group. Said friend is the heroine, a cheerful innkeeper who finally snaps when said hero is uncouth. To make up for his behavior, the group assigns him to stay behind, guard the heroine and help her run the inn. I mean, what could possibly go wrong?
Noelle Sinclair has always fought for what she believes in. But when her treacherous brother bargains her away to save himself from a ruthless Viking raid, she is forced into the unthinkable—becoming the unwilling captive of Jarl Randvior Sigurdsson.Cold, powerful, and dangerously compelling, Randvior is nothing like the savage brute she expected. As he takes her across the wild, unforgiving landscapes of Norway, Noelle vows to resist him at every turn and find a way back home.
Yet the longer she remains at his side, the harder it becomes to deny the truth. Beneath his commanding presence lies a fierce honor—and a passion that awakens desires she cannot control.Torn between loyalty to the life she lost and the powerful pull of the man who claimed her, Noelle must decide: will she risk everything to escape… or surrender to the Viking who is steadily conquering her heart?
Love has never been a consideration for hardened and cynical Gideon Knight until he meets his lovely neighbor, Lady Berry Thane, a woman completely out of his reach. Gideon grew up in an orphanage, never knowing who he was or where he came from, while the lovely Lady Berry has a lineage to rival the kings of England. Clearly, they are never meant to be together. But that is not going to stop him from showing the ton he is as good as any of them, for he has worked his way up from nothing to now owning the most profitable gambling clubs across London. Purchasing the elegant townhouse next door to Berry’s on Duchess Square in the heart of elite Mayfair is his way of thumbing his nose at all those titled lords and ladies who consider him worthless and dismiss his success. Yet Lady Berry is different. She accepts him and cheers him on. All the barriers he has erected around his heart crumble before this innocent spinster, and he knows he will risk everything to keep her safe when her life is suddenly in danger. But even after saving her, will he ever stand a chance with her?Lady Berengaria Thane, known as Berry to her friends, is certain she will never find love now that she is nearing thirty and has never had a serious beau. She is not short of gentlemen callers, but most only want her for her fortune and she has felt not even a tingle of excitement for the others who might be worthy. Then Gideon Thane moves in next door, and her heart melts, her body tingles, and hope springs awake. But she and her new neighbor, an impossibly gorgeous man with a dangerous reputation, are worlds apart. She represents everything in elite Society that he detests. Can they ever be a true love match? When Berry is abducted by a fortune-hunting viscount and her life is placed in danger, it is Gideon who risks all to save her. Is it possible this rough and rugged man is her knight in shining armor?
She belongs to another man. But he’s about to claim her heart…
Ragnar Olafsson has lived with the torment of watching his best friend claim the woman he secretly loves. To bury his desire, he’s become a ruthless warrior, his heart locked behind iron walls.
When Elena is kidnapped, Ragnar risks everything to save her—only to find themselves stranded together, far from rescue. Alone in the wilds, every stolen glance and forbidden touch awakens a hunger neither can deny.
She belongs to another man, and he has sworn an oath to protect her. But temptation burns hotter than loyalty… and some passions cannot be caged.
Originally published by Harlequin Historical in 2014, this is the second book in a duet, the first being To Sin with a Viking, which was featured in February's Unusual Historical post. The heroine, married to the hero in the first book, is kidnapped - and riding to her rescue is her husband's BFF who has been in love with her for years. Her marriage is in it's final death throes and ultimately dissolves - but the hero's pride, his lack of standing, and the fact that he's her ex's BFF complicate matters. I reviewed this back in 2014 and gave it a B-, mostly because the first half runs on a parallel timeline to the first book (which I had read) and I was impatient to move on to "new stuff." The second half though? Dynamite. Willingham can really slather on the angst. Anyway, go read my review because while this new reprint cover is very nice, the originally Harlequin Historical cover is quite lickable.
I hope you enjoyed browsing this month's offerings and if you're struggling with your reading mojo as I am, here are to sunny days ahead.
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