Better Late Than Never: Unusual Historicals for July 2023

Yes, I'm well aware it's July 29.  A huge chunk of my day job involves "the budget" - specifically the book budget.  June 30 it's out with the old fiscal year, in with the new fiscal year beginning July 1.  It's closing out one set of books, allocating and setting up a new set of books. And I have hard deadlines that need to be met, along with making sure all our Purchase Orders are buttoned up for Year End renewals, and oh yeah - I had to go out to bid for a contract expiring in August.  So is it any wonder I've hit the slump of all reading slumps?  Work has hollowed out my skull and I just don't have the spoons - which hasn't been helped by the fact that most of what I've been reading has been "meh, it's OK...I guess." But hope springs eternal and maybe this month's chop of Unusual Historicals will light a fire under me?  If that doesn't work, I might need to resort to a truly banana-pants Harlequin Presents...

How to Tame a Wild Rogue by Julie Anne Long

He clawed his way up from the gutters of St. Giles to the top of a shadowy empire. Feared and fearsome, battered and brilliant, nothing shocks Lorcan St. Leger—not even the discovery of an aristocratic woman escaping out a window near the London docks on the eve of the storm of the decade. They find shelter at a boarding house called the Grand Palace on the Thames—only to find greater dangers await inside. 

Desperate, destitute, and jilted, Lady Daphne Worth knows the clock is ticking on her last chance to save herself and her family: an offer of a loveless marriage. But while the storm rages and roads flood, she and the rogue who rescued her must pose as husband and wife in order to share the only available suite. 

Crackling enmity gives way to incendiary desire—and certain heartbreak: Lorcan is everything she never dreamed she’d wanted, but he can never be what she needs. But risk is child’s play to St. Leger. And if the stakes are a lifetime of loving and being loved by Daphne, he’ll move any mountain, confront any old nemesis, to turn “never” into forever.

I am so far behind on this series. I read the first book and rather liked it and now here we are at Book 6!  This one makes the list for that most noble of reasons....uh, the non-noble hero.  Also the entire premise of this series is centered around a boarding house near the London docks and I am nothing if not a sucker for boarding house settings in historical romance novels.

A Rulebook for Restless Rogues by Jess Everlee

London, 1885 

David Forester and Noah Clarke have been best friends since boarding school. All grown up now, clever, eccentric Noah is Savile Row’s most promising young tailor, while former socialite David runs an underground queer club, The Curious Fox. 

Nothing makes David happier than to keep the incense lit, the pianist playing and all his people comfortable, happy and safe until they stumble out into the dawn. But when the unscrupulous baron who owns the Fox moves to close it, David’s world comes crashing down. 

Noah’s never feared a little high-stakes gambling, but as he risks his own career in hopes of helping David, he realizes two things: 

One: David has not been honest about how he ended up at The Curious Fox in the first place. 

Two: Noah’s feelings for David have become far more than friendly. 

What future lies beyond those first furtive kisses? Noah and David can hardly wait to find out…if they can untangle David from his web of deception without losing everything Noah has worked for.

I somehow missed book one in this series which also neatly falls into the parameters of an "unusual historical" - my only defense was getting thrown off by "gentleman" in the title and the cartoon cover (have I mentioned how much I hate these on historical romances?).  Anyway, book two we have a tailor hero, another secret-keeping hero and a friends-to-lovers romance (one of my favorite tropes!)

The Earl's Egyptian Heiress by Heba Helmy

 

A season with the earl 

For the Egyptian heiress 

Ranya Radwan’s mission is clear: restore her family’s honor by retrieving the deed to their business from the Earl of Warrington. Until she finds herself enthralled by the new earl, Owen. Accompanying him from Egypt to England to find the deed, Ranya’s swept into an unfamiliar world of society balls and luncheons, but is captivated waltzing in Owen’s arms. Yet her duty to her family means returning to Egypt, not following her heart…

A heroine bound by family and duty gets swept up by Victorian London and our hero.  I took one look at this cover and fell in love (the pop of color with the heroine's dress, the hero with a slightly bashful, painfully British look on his face 😂).  This is also a debut!  You can read more about Helmy and her "getting the call" over at Write for Harlequin.

The Poetics of Passion by Delphine Ross

A secret identity means secret desires—and not-so-secret scandals...

Musa Bartham has a secret. To support her destitute family after her father’s disappearance, she’s been publishing steamy poetry under the pen name of Felicity Vita. As Felicity Vita, Musa’s scandalous books have won legions of devoted fans—including an anonymous gentleman pen pal whose letters spark unruly desires she would never ever succumb to in her orderly daily life. But when Musa’s cherished younger sister, Angela, is offered sponsorship by their aristocratic great-aunt for an advantageous marriage, Musa realizes her dangerous double life as Felicity must come to an end. Instead, she’ll write books for children. 

Sebastian Atkinson is a passionate artist reduced to working nights as a printer. Though Seb is infuriated by the prim yet alluring young woman who corners him into illustrating her insipid children’s book, he can’t turn Musa away: he suspects she may be Felicity Vita, the seductive poetess with whom he’s been exchanging love letters for the past year. Egged on by his best friend, an ambitious journalist desperate for a break, Seb seeks to unmask Musa’s secret identity. But the closer Seb comes to the truth, the more Musa entices him—and the more Musa finds Seb curiously attractive and even more curiously familiar. Could he have anything to do with her anonymous gentleman pen pal? 

Unable to resist each other, the two shift from enemies to lovers just as their love letters are stolen, setting Angela's future at risk. As Seb and Musa frantically come together to contain the damage before it's too late, it’s uncertain whose hearts and lives will be broken amid the most sensational scandal of all.

I'm going to be honest here, I know absolutely nothing about this book or this author. It's small press, a debut (far as I can tell) and the first book in a series. It also features a bunch of Wendy Catnip.  A bluestocking heroine with a secret identity, a passionate, artistic hero, and what the author describes as a "Victorian You've Got Mail vibe."  Yeah, I have to try this and lucky me, looks like I can leverage one of my library cards for a copy. 

A Knight for the Runaway Nun by Carol Townend

 

From novice nun… 

To unexpected bride! 

Lady Bernadette is poised to take Holy Orders when Sir Hugo of Nérac, her father’s captain of the guards, arrives with news that her sister is expecting. Petrified of childbirth since her mother died, Bernadette races home. But now that she’s left the convent, her father wants her wed! There’s only one solution: marry Hugo, her childhood friend. But can she risk consummating their marriage and conceiving…even if his kisses are unbearably tempting?

This second book in Townend's Convent Brides, has the novice heroine hastily returning home to be by her sister's side only to get hornswaggled into matrimony by Daddy. The only solution to this pickle would be to marry the dashing Hugo, her BFF.  The second friends to lovers trope to land on the list this month, this one is also set in medieval France.

Taming Her Irish Warrior by Michelle Willingham (Reprint)

Honora St. Leger would much rather wield a sword than a needle. But when her girlhood infatuation, Ewan MacEgan, returns to compete for her younger sister’s hand in marriage, she’s startled by the unexpected yearning the Irish warrior awakens. As a widow, she found no pleasure in the marriage bed, but she cannot deny the forbidden spark between them. 

All his life, Ewan struggled to become a fighter like his brothers and now, he’s competing for land of his own. Despite his plans to wed a wealthy bride, he finds himself drawn to Honora—who continues to provoke him, just as she did when they were young. 

Honora keeps him at a distance for her sister’s sake…yet she cannot deny the way Ewan makes her heart race…

Another self-published reprint from Willingham's Irish medieval MacEgan brothers series, this one being Book 5. This was a RITA finalist and I found it compulsively readable albeit my final grade back in 2009 (!) was a C+.  Reading through my old review, at the time I got frustrated by both characters not thinking the either was "good enough" for the other, and the fact that hero is woo'ing one sister while entranced by the other.  All that conflict spun out a little too long for my personal tastes.  This is very much a Your Mileage May Vary thing, IMHO.

This reprint also features a previously published Harlequin Historical Undone, The Warrior's Forbidden Virgin - which is Honora's sister's story. So don't worry - she finds her own soft landing. I also read this story back in 2009 and ended up rating it a B.

What Unusual Historicals are catching your eye?

So Many Books: Unusual Historicals For May 2023

I've been doing these Unusual Historical round-ups for a long time, but it wasn't until 2020 that I wrote something about how I generate these posts which included this gem: "...some months offer more variety, more diversity, and just plain 'more' than others."  Folks, this is a "just plain more" month.  This month I'm featuring 11 books. Yes - 11! Honestly, I can't remember the last time my cup ran this much over.

The Dueling Duchess by Minerva Spencer 

When Cecile Tremblay lost everyone and everything in the French Revolution, she never imagined that she'd earn her living as a markswoman in a London circus. But Farnham's Fantastical Female Fayre has become her home, her family, and her future. Another thing Cecile never imagined was becoming entangled with the man gossip columns call The Darling of the Ton. But mere weeks after her rejection of his insulting carte blanche—and his infuriating engagement to an heiress—Darlington is back, this time to beg Cecile for help. And help him she will, by teaching him about honest work—and the right way to treat a woman. 

Gaius Darlington has always led a charmed life. Until now. Suddenly, a long-lost heir has appeared to claim his title, possessions, and property, Not only that, but Guy's fiancée has jilted him to marry the usurper! Yet there is a silver lining: it's no longer Guy’s duty to marry an heiress to save the dukedom. He’s free to wed the woman he loves—if only he can earn her forgiveness. 

They say hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. But fury is just a step away from passion, and Guy knows just how to arouse Cecile’s...

This is the second book in the author's Wicked Women of Whitechapel series (yes, I still need to read book one - I'm staying on brand over here...) and this description has me moving up book one in my TBR! A hero who has gotten knocked down a few pegs and a scorned heroine who is not about to let him forget it.  Oh, and she's got a haunted past courtesy of the French Revolution and she's a markswoman?  Gimme this now!

Alliance with his Stolen Heiress by Lydia San Andres

He must earn her trust... 

before he wins her heart! 

In distancing himself from his nefarious wealthy family, Julian Fuentes has gained a rebellious reputation. Still, he’s shocked when heiress Amalia Troncoso hires him to stage her kidnapping! Julian doesn’t mind masquerading as a bandit to help Amalia get her inheritance from her tyrannical uncle, or spending time with the bold heiress who’s captured his imagination. But will the truth that ties their families together prevent their alliance from becoming more? 

 

This is San Andres' second book for Harlequin Historical and the second one to be set in early 20th century Dominican Republic. A hero from a notorious family who gets roped into a scheme by the heroine to claim her inheritance.  Another author I need to move up my TBR and not for nothing - the hero on this cover is wearing a hat!  There are too few hat-less dudes on historical romance covers, says me.

The Duchess Takes a Husband by Harper St. George

Despite her illustrious title, Camille, Duchess of Hereford, remains what she has always been—a pariah. Though her title means she’s technically accepted by London Society, the rebellious widow with her burgeoning interest in the suffrage movement and her American ways isn’t exactly high on every hostess’s guest list. But Camille starts to wonder if being an outcast is not without its perks when the tantalizing answer to her secret fear appears in the shape of Jacob Thorne, the illegitimate son of an earl and co-owner of London’s infamous Montague Club. 

Jacob is used to making deals with his club members—he’s just not accustomed to them being beautiful women. Nor have the terms ever been so sweetly seductive as Camille’s shocking proposition. To finally buy his own club and gain the crucial backing of investors, Camille offers Jacob the respectability of a fake engagement with a duchess. In return, the tempting widow has one condition: she wants Jacob to show her if it’s possible for her to experience pleasure in bed. 

The lure of such a bargain proves too delicious to resist, drawing the enterprising rogue and the wallflower duchess into a scandalous game and an even more dangerous gamble of the heart.

St. George is back with this fourth book in her Gilded Age Heiresses series. I'm really intrigued by this one - I've got a thing for social outcast heroines with a rebellious streak and she enters into a devil's bargain with the hero because honestly - whenever there are sexy shenanigans involved, nobody ever comes away unscathed.

The Housekeeper's Forbidden Earl by Laura Martin

A position too good to refuse… 

A desire too strong to deny! 

After being abandoned at the altar, housekeeper Kate Winters has finally found peace working at a grand house. Until her new employer, Lord Henderson, unexpectedly returns, resolved to sell his estate. Determined to remind the brooding earl of the beauty of his home, Kate’s discovering the allure of the man behind the title. Scarred by her past, dare Kate risk her future by surrendering to this forbidden attraction?

I'm a sucker for a good cross-class romance (I'm always curious to see if the author can pull it off in a way that makes me believe it won't be utter disaster-ever-after for the couple) and this one features a housekeeper heroine falling for an Earl.  I read a book by Martin last month and while it didn't wow me, it was pleasant - so I'm going to give this one a whirl.

Marrying Off Morgan McBride by Amy Barry

 As the oldest of the McBride siblings, Morgan had to be protector and shepherd since Ma died and Pa ran off. It hasn't always been easy, especially when his heart longs to roam on the trail. But now that his brother Kit is married and settled, the time is right for Morgan to leave Buck's Creek. Little does he know that his hellcat of a little sister Junebug is dead set on keeping him at home and getting more help around the house – all with one honest advertisement in The Matrimonial News. 

Epiphany Hopgood has always had a gift for doing the exact wrong thing. She’s too tall, too loud, too opinionated, and too contrary for her family and community. Staring down the barrel of spinsterhood, she and her grandmother answer a seemingly straightforward ad for a bride. 

But when Pip shows up to Buck’s Creek, she finds that Morgan McBride is not the husband she expected. In fact, he doesn’t even want to be a husband. But maybe there’s a way to make everyone happy out on the Montana frontier… 

Sigh. Look, I've got a very checkered past with what I call Funny Ha Ha Historical Western Romances. They're normally not my thing.  I like Dark, Angsty, Are They Going to Starve and/or Freeze to Death Come Winter Historical Western Romances. But, historical western romance. I'm only human.  This is the second book in the McBride Brothers series and it's a mail order bride he wasn't expecting story - those are always good for a little fun.

The Heiress Bride by Madeline Hunter 

Now the new Duke of Hollinburgh, Nicholas Radnor has two duties to fulfill: locate the mysterious woman mentioned in his late uncle’s will and acquire a suitable bride. When bedazzling, unconventional Iris Barrington shows up at the estate, Nicholas believes he may have found the missing beneficiary—unless she is a charlatan, or worse. But as for his second duty—he is finding it difficult to think of any other woman while tantalizing thoughts of Iris occupy his mind. He agrees to fulfill the late duke’s promise to her, even as he grows suspicious of both her motives and the danger that seems to surround her. All of which keeps her temptingly close at hand… 

Iris will do anything to restore honor to her beloved grandfather’s name. Even tangle with the likes of Nicholas, a man whose formidable intellect and good looks lure her like no other. But all her years on the continent have not prepared her for the sensual onslaught she discovers in his embrace—or the devastation of almost losing him to malicious intentions. Now Iris’s desire to unearth the scandal behind the dukedom burns ever brighter: for doing so might also protect the man who has stolen her heart...

 

There is nothing remotely "unusual" about this plot description, which would be why when I was browsing May releases I tripped right past this third book in Hunter's Duke's Heiress series. Yet for the second month in a row, AztecLady is looking out for us! She let me know that the heroine is A RARE BOOKS DEALER! Even better? She's posted her review for it!

The Viscount's Daring Miss by Lotte R. James

May the best viscount or miss… 

…Win! 

When her best friend and employer is injured, groom Roberta "Bobby" Kinsley feels compelled to help him. She agrees to step into the saddle and compete in an endurance horse race to help secure his ancestral home. Yet the minute that Bobby comes face-to-face with her opponent—arrogant yet infuriatingly charismatic Lawrence, Viscount Hayes—it’s clear that it won’t just be the competition that has her heart racing! 

When tragedy strikes the heroine steps in to compete in horse race only to get distracted by her competition.  This could be watching my niece compete in an equestrian event last month talking, but dang it all, I'm intrigued.

An Island Princess Starts a Scandal by Adriana Herrera

 One last summer. 

For Manuela del Carmen Caceres Galvan, the invitation to show her paintings at the 1889 Exposition Universelle came at the perfect time. Soon to be trapped in a loveless marriage, Manuela has given herself one last summer of freedom—in Paris, with her two best friends. 

One scandalous encounter. 

Cora Kempf Bristol, Duchess of Sundridge, is known for her ruthlessness in business. It's not money she chases, but power. When she sees the opportunity to secure her position among her rivals, she does not hesitate. How difficult could it be to convince the mercurial Miss Caceres Galvan to part with a parcel of land she’s sworn never to sell? 

One life-changing bargain. 

Tempted by Cora’s offer, Manuela proposes a trade: her beloved land for a summer with the duchess in her corner of Paris. A taste of the wild, carefree world that will soon be out of her reach. What follows thrills and terrifies Cora, igniting desires the duchess long thought dead. As they fill their days indulging in a shared passion for the arts and their nights with dark and delicious deeds, the happiness that seemed impossible moves within reach…though claiming it would cause the greatest scandal Paris has seen in decades. 

The second book in Herrera's Las Leonas series takes the reader back to Paris for the 1889 Exposition Universelle. An artist heroine grabbing her last chance at freedom before marrying a man she doesn't love meets a heroine driven by power who wants her land. A bargain is struck, and as it always goes in Romancelandia, everyone gets more than they bargained for.

A Knight for the Defiant Lady by Carol Townend

Sworn to protect her

But she’s threatening his guarded heart… 

Retrieving Lady Allis from a convent is no easy task, as mercenary knight Sir Leon soon discovers… Brave and beautiful, Allis awakens emotions Leon thought he’d long buried after losing his family. Yet upon their return to her castle, the social gulf between them widens when Allis’s father demands she marry a nobleman. Leon has always believed love is an illusion, but will he be able to watch his defiant lady marry another?

Another cross-class romance, this one featuring a titled heroine retrieved from a convent and the lowly mercenary knight who literally has nothing to offer other than his heart.  Townend is another Harlequin Historical author I don't think I've read before, so I'm curious to try this.

Winnie West Has an Agenda by Kat Sterling (Kindle Unlimited)

It's 1908, and Washington state suffrage is back on the docket. The newest Suffrage Society is sashed, pinned, and ready for action... 

Winnie West is sick of know-it-all men and ready for adventure, so she sets her sights on becoming one of Seattle’s pioneering female journalists. But when her ridiculously sexy and equally obnoxious editor plants himself in the way of her first editorial on the suffrage movement, the games begin. Little does he know, but Winnie plays for keeps. 

Mack Donnelly will do anything to inherit the family newspaper, including following orders he doesn’t believe in. His goal is within sight when the fiery new girl rocks the boat. Mack has nothing against women’s rights, but the redhead with curves for days could cost him everything. So why can’t he stop pining over her? When he hops a ferry and follows Winnie on assignment, their rivalry explodes into passion. Can love survive a little subterfuge? 

Honestly? I know nothing about this book. The cover caught my eye as I was trolling through the Messy AF Amazon Algorithm when I was putting this post together and then I read the description and stopped dead in my tracks. Early 20th century? The Pacific Northwest? A hero and heroine at cross purposes?  Color me intrigued.  Since I stumbled across this book, I caught this brief review from Plot Trysts on their Instagram page and now I'll be downloading a sample to check out.

The Warrior's Touch by Michelle Willingham (Reprint)

When Irish healer Aileen Ó Duinne finds a wounded man on her lands, she will do anything to save his life. But after she sees the broken body of Connor MacEgan, it evokes memories of a stolen night of passion. 

Connor is grateful to the beautiful healer for saving his life, but he nearly died as punishment for another man’s crime. His hands were crushed in a brutal attack, and he fears he may never lift a sword again. 

Aileen fights to help him regain his strength, but as their attraction grows, she’s terrified of losing more than her heart…she fears losing the daughter Connor knows nothing about.

Originally published by Harlequin Historical in 2007 under the same title, this is the fourth book in the author's MacEgan Brothers series, medieval romances set in Ireland. It's also, brace yourselves, a secret baby book!  This is an entry in the series I haven't read yet. I really need to prioritize finally finishing this series this year. The books I've read, I've enjoyed.

Whew! Dear Lord, are y'all as exhausted as I am? That's a mess of books this month. Enjoy them now because who knows when we'll see a cornucopia like this again.