The Struggle Is Real: Unusual Historicals for September 2023

I sold my soul to Amazon sometime in the early 2000s because it was the one place I could feed my Black Lace addiction. I've given Bezos plenty of money over the years for him to to fund his Evil Empire projects, like shooting himself into the sun (hey, a librarian can dream...).  Really, it shouldn't be too much to ask that the site's search features not suck harder than a Hoover.  Because of Amazon's dominance in the self-publishing market, I rely on them mightily for pulling together these unusual historical posts. However, the past couple of months the "search feature" has been so dreadful I've finally thrown up my hands and gone directly to publisher web sites.  Sorry self-published historical romance authors, I couldn't find your books but I found plenty of porn thanks to Bezos. Look, I got nothing against porn, but Daddy kink and words like "creampie" should not be displaying when I'm looking for historical romance published during September 2023. 

Rant over, now let's get on to featuring the books I did manage to find with zero help from our Evil Overlord.

Surrender to an Irish Warrior by Michelle Willingham (Reprint)

An Irish warrior who craves vengeance...

After losing the woman he loved, Trahern MacEgan will stop at nothing to avenge her death. His body is honed for battle, his soul tortured—and he has sworn never to love again. 

A woman who has endured suffering...

Morren Ó Reilly sacrificed herself for her sister’s sake, but she holds her head high even as she recoils from a man’s touch. When Trahern saves her life, their tentative friendship begins to heal the loneliness inside. 

A passionate redemption... 

Can Morren be the light to Trahern’s darkness and be made whole again by her surrender?

I don't normally lead these posts off with reprints, but this book was made for rule-breaking. Willingham's sixth book in her MacEgan Brothers series that was first published by Harlequin Historical in 2010 just might be my favorite of hers to date. This is a very heavy read, featuring a former bard/storyteller hero seeking vengeance against the Vikings who murdered his betrothed and the heroine, who survived a gang rape and subsequent miscarriage, thanks to the exact same Viking raid. So yeah, this isn't happy, fluffy, sunshine time but this book damn near ripped my guts out when I read it over 10 years ago.  You can find my review over at The Good, The Bad and the Unread.

The Warrior's Reluctant Wife by Lissa Morgan

An arranged marriage 

An unexpected love…? 

Recently widowed, Rhianon had hoped to never find herself bound to a man again after being raised by a violent father and married to an unpredictable husband. But to seal a strategic alliance, she’s forced to marry Peredur ab Eilyr—a warrior lord with a formidable reputation! Rhianon may be a reluctant wife…but ruling with Peredur is revealing a passionate side to her new husband Rhianon is anything but reluctant to explore… 

Morgan's third book is also the first in a new series, The Warriors of Wales.  Unlike her neighbors on the exact same island, Wales is not a setting we see all that often in historical romance and I enjoyed Morgan's debut. Seriously, I need to dive into my Harlequin Historical TBR and not come up for air for like 3 years...

A Viking Heir to Bind Them by Michelle Styles   

An unexpected family 

For the lone-wolf warrior 

Nothing daunts Viking Tylir, until unassuming Melkorka Helmsdottar upends his life by revealing he has a secret heir! Mel has looked after little Katla since the girl’s mother died, but now Tylir intends to claim his child. Yet this battle-hardened jarl has no idea how to be a father. Mel is the perfect person to help him. Only, spending time with the captivating Mel binds him closer to her than he ever thought possible…

Woot! A new book from Michelle Styles, an author I typically find quite reliable. Her latest appears to be a stand-alone and puts a new spin (Vikings!) on a familiar trope (a secret baby!).  Also, look at that cute little moppet on the book cover - how can I say no to that face?!

The Duchess and the Wolf by Lydia Drake     

Susannah Fletcher has everything a young lady could desire: wealth, the attentions of well-to-do duke, and a reputation as spotless as an angel’s petticoats. Yet, she would throw it all away for one opportunity to perform her music on stage–scandalous as that may be. Which is precisely when the rich and menacing “Wolf of Mayfair” makes her an offer she couldn’t possibly refuse… 

Born on the streets of London, Rafe Winters knows only ruthless ambition. But he’s missing one thing: respectability. It’s within reach…if he can draw the polished aristocrats to his establishment with a classically trained musician, and just a soupçon of mystery—like the flame-haired Susannah. Of course, he’ll have to make it worth her while. After all, he’s not a complete beast. 

Now Susannah performs in a red cloak as the enigmatic “Red Duchess,” and all of London is entranced—along with Rafe. He promised her he’d do everything to protect her reputation on stage. But off-stage, the wolf is waiting for Susannah to stray from the path and into his arms. No matter the risk… 

Described as Little Red Riding Hood meets Moulin Rouge, this stand alone from Drake features an ambitious "low born" hero and a well-bred lady heroine with the scandalous desire to perform.  This is a recipe many a historical romance fan has a hard time resisting, myself included...

Debutante with a Dangerous Past by Samantha Hastings   

She’s a counterfeit lady 

But he’s stolen her heart! 

After her criminal father is killed, Miss Nancy Black is forced to seek out her estranged aristocratic grandfather. He offers her a new life as a debutante, but only if she stays out of trouble! Easier said than done when she starts to fall for rebellious Lord Matthew Stringham. Can Nancy risk her heart by telling Matthew the truth about her identity before her dangerous past catches up with her?

It is a truth universally acknowledged that I cannot say no to historical romance heroines with secret identities and playing dangerous games. Hastings' second book for Harlequin featuring a heroine pretending to be someone she most definitely is not, who then compounds her precarious situation by getting tangled up with a Lord.

Miss Fairfax's Notorious Duke by Eva Shepherd      

A scandalous way 

…to meet a duke! 

Having tarnished her reputation, Irene Fairfax flees to Devon to focus on her art. Her latest life drawing is going well until her naked subject reveals he’s not the man she thinks he is. He is, in fact, the Duke of Redcliff, a notorious rogue who seems amused by her discomfiture! This duke may be even more of a threat to her reputation, yet she can’t help craving more… 

Besides heroines with secrets? I cannot say no to heroines with "reputations." The second book in Shepherd's Rebellious Young Ladies series features an artist heroine licking her wounds in Devon and a model who turns out to be...a Duke?!  Good luck sweetheart, you're gonna need it...

The Duke and the Dressmaker by Eva Devon    

Dressmaker Miss Lily Martin knows too well the sordid dealings of London’s corrupt underbelly. She should have known borrowing from one of the city’s most reviled moneylenders was risky. Horribly so. Now the loan has come due—and there’s nothing standing between Miss Lily and her darling sister’s ruin. Until a dashing American with flashing, defiant eyes intervenes… 

Ship captain James Blakefield may be the new Duke of Ashbridge, but he’s only in London for six weeks to secure his estate before returning to America, and far from the watchful eye of the ton. He’ll be damned if he’ll attend another society event where eligible ladies fling themselves at his title. But when he discovers Miss Lily’s desperate predicament, James realizes he might have the perfect arrangement. 

By assuming the legal guardianship of Lily’s sister, he can keep them both safe and ensure someone cares for the estate. But it means having Lily under the same roof for the next six weeks. No chaperones. No betrothal. As their undeniable attraction charges the very air between them, both propriety and restraint are threatened. But scandal is the least of their concerns when James’s secret threatens to pull everything apart at the seams...

This is the second book in Devon's Once Upon a Wallflower series and it caught my eye because the dressmaker heroine (I'm guessing desperate...) borrowed money from the wrong man and now she's in the soup.  Throw in an American ship captain who finds himself the uncomfortable new heir to a title (a Duke no less) and arrangement is struck that should address both their current circumstances.  Naturally I think it's easy to assume that nothing goes according to plan.

What Unusual Historicals are you looking forward to?

Wendy's Unusual Historical Picks for August 2020

We’re almost through 8 months of the hellscape that is 2020, congratulations I guess? It’s something to wake up every day and wonder what new WTF’ery awaits us, and given the stress of, you know, life right now I’m doing my best to snatch moments of joy where I can. Which, hello, books are my go-to for that. Well, and wine - but books aren’t bad for my liver. So let’s look at what indulgences caught my eye this month: 

Lady of Disguise by G.S. Carr 

Death and deception are the backbones of war.​ 

Find a way to make a difference for the Union. This is the agreement Ruth Allen made with her best friends. The reason she disguised herself as a man and enlisted as a soldier in the War among States. The reason she met Gabriel, a Confederate deserter. Logic told her to kill him, but something wouldn't let her. 

Gabriel Bailey couldn't continue killing for a cause he didn't believe in. He didn't have a plan when he left his regiment and went on the run, but fate did. Ruth should have killed him. Instead, she spared him. For now. 

Can two people from opposite sides of the divide put aside their differences to find love despite being enemies? 

This is the second book in Carr’s Ladies of the Civil War series and honestly this plot can go one of two ways: it’ll either be a disaster or full of all sorts of awesome. Looking at that cover? I’m hoping for awesome. Plus I’m curious to find out why our hero is fighting for the Confederacy when he doesn’t believe in the cause - there’s a story there for sure! 

The Sugared Game by K.J. Charles 

It's been two months since Will Darling saw Kim Secretan, and he doesn't expect to see him again. What do a rough and ready soldier-turned-bookseller and a disgraced, shady aristocrat have to do with each other anyway? 

But when Will encounters a face from the past in a disreputable nightclub, Kim turns up, as shifty, unreliable, and irresistible as ever. And before Will knows it, he's been dragged back into Kim's shadowy world of secrets, criminal conspiracies, and underhand dealings. 

This time, though, things are underhanded even by Kim standards. This time, the danger is too close to home. And if Will and Kim can't find common ground against unseen enemies, they risk losing everything. 

Set post-World War I, Charles’ second book in the Will Darling series finds our bookseller hero separated from aristocrat of dubious reputation, Kim Secretan for two months - only to have the man reappear at the most unexpected moment. 

Aspirations of a Lady’s Maid by Eva Shepherd 

Separated by class 

Brought together by passion 

Having finally fulfilled her dream of opening a hairdressing parlor, Nellie Regan has no interest in love ruining her plans. After Nellie is caught mocking landowner Dominic Lockhart’s lifeless engagement to Lady Cecily, she’s not expecting him to defend her in a tavern brawl. Now the frustratingly handsome gentleman must recuperate in her home! Close quarters stir simmering attraction…but Nellie’s determined to follow her head, not her heart. Is Dominic willing to do the same? 

OMG, a working heroine who owns her own hairdressing salon? I honestly can’t think of the last time I’ve seen that in a historical romance (OK, never). I’m a sucker for a cross-class romance and Shepherd is a new-to-me-author. This looks promising. 

The Enticing of Miss Standish by Julia Justiss 

A meeting of minds… 

But a most unsuitable match! 

When lady’s companion Sara Standish meets Cameron Fitzallen, he has his jacket off and he’s mending mill machinery. He is manly, capable—though it’s most improper for him to set her heart aflutter! He is a mill owner—trade—after all. They share the same aim to help impoverished children, but in the eyes of the ton, she must not mix with him. That doesn’t stop her craving his company, or his touch… 

Justiss has a long backlist and is a reliable writer, having enjoyed her books in the past. This third book in the Cinderella Spinsters series features a lady’s maid falling for a mill owner. More cross-class conflict - sign me up! 

A Counterfeit Heart by K.C. Bateman (Reprint) 

A feisty counterfeiter and a cocky British agent clash in this sultry Secrets and Spies novel by K. C. Bateman, whose witty, intelligent, and sexy historical romances have become her signature. 

As Sabine de la Tour tosses piles of forged banknotes onto a bonfire in a Paris park, she bids a reluctant farewell to her double life as a notorious criminal. Over the course of Napoleon’s reign, her counterfeits destabilized the continent and turned scoundrels into rich men, but now she and her business partner must escape France—or face the guillotine. Her only hope of surviving in England is to strike a deal with the very spy she’s spent her career outrunning. Now after meeting the arrogant operative in the flesh, Sabine longs to throw herself upon his mercy—and into his arms. 

Richard Hampden, Viscount Lovell, is prepared to take any risk to safeguard England from the horrors of the French Revolution. To lure the insurgents out from the shadows, he’s even willing to make a pact with his archenemy: Philippe Lacorte, the greatest counterfeiter in Europe. But when a cheeky, gamine-faced beauty proves herself to be Lacorte, Richard is shocked—and more than a little aroused. Unlike the debutantes who so often hurl themselves at him, this cunning minx offers a unique and irresistible challenge. Richard will help her. But in return, he wants something that even Sabine cannot fake. 

Originally published by Loveswept in 2017 (check your TBR!) rights have reverted back to the author and we’ve now got a self-published edition. This is the third book in a series that I obviously missed the first go-around. Yes, the hero is a spy blah, blah, blah - but a counterfeiter heroine! And naturally the hero is such a man it doesn’t cross his mind that the notorious counterfeiter he has spent a career hunting is….well, a woman. HOW DID I MISS THIS THE FIRST TIME AROUND?!?! 

What Unusual Historicals are you looking forward to reading?