Full Bloom: Unusual Historicals for May 2025

Y'all I felt like January was three months long and ever since the year seems to be zipping by. My unheard of, super rare, two planned vacations this year are coming up fast (July and September) and I'm starring down the barrel of end of fiscal year deadlines at work. Also, after a rough slump in late April / early May, I'm hoping to stay inspired and get some reading done through the summer months.  Just in time for that? A really interesting crop of Unusual Historicals landing in May, some of which are already in my TBR.

Copper Script by KJ Charles

Detective Sergeant Aaron Fowler of the Metropolitan Police doesn’t count himself a gullible man. When he encounters a graphologist who deduces people’s lives and personalities from their handwriting with impossible accuracy, he needs to find out how the trick is done. Even if that involves spending more time with the intriguing, flirtatious Joel Wildsmith than feels quite safe.

Joel’s not an admirer of the police, but DS Fowler has the most irresistible handwriting he’s ever seen. If the policeman’s tests let him spend time unnerving the handsome copper, why not play along?

But when Joel looks at a powerful man's handwriting and sees a murderer, the policeman and the graphologist are plunged into deadly danger. Their enemy will protect himself at any cost--unless the sparring pair can come together to prove his guilt and save each other.

A new KJ Charles is always cause for celebration, and this stand-alone romantic suspense is set in 1924 London. Also color me intrigued by the pairing of a police detective and a handwriting expert!

A Showgirl's Rules for Falling in Love by Alice Murphy

It’s 1897, and a new fashion for thin threatens to end the career of proudly fat vaudeville performer Evelyn Cross. Enter Thomas Gallier, the man behind the new palace of entertainment promising to be the apex of New York City’s theatrical scene. He’s in search of a star for his vaudeville spectacular, and when he hears Evelyn sing, he knows exactly who he needs to grace his stage.

 In a grand finale, present-day narrator Phoebe steps in to reveal secrets and show readers what it really means to claim self-love. Inspired by the true story of a Progressive Era troop of plus-size dancers, this is a story about the spirit of community and the power of romance.

A late-Victorian set against the New York City vaudeville scene that features a present-day narrator as a framing device. I'm not sure how this is gonna work, but I'm intrigued by the premise enough to already have this book locked and loaded on my Kindle. This one is what I call a "pseudo-debut" the author being a "pseudonym of a bestselling author."

Seduced by a Scoundrel by Alyxandra Harvey

Sometimes all you need is a nefarious plot.

And a handsome marquess.

Sybil Taunton has no interest in resting after her last mission, never mind that it left her chained in a cellar. Rest is boring. And when someone begins targeting members of the Spinster Society, Sybil is ready to storm London’s most exclusive gentlemen’s club, steal the infamous betting book, and force her grumpy, oh-so-proper neighbor into helping her.

Keir Montgomery, Marquess Blackburn, prefers order, quiet, and a scandal-free life. Sybil is none of those things. But when her latest scheme pulls them both into the sights of a rival society, he’ll do anything to protect her… including breaking every rule he holds dear.

::Kermit flail:: The third book in Harvey's The Spinster Society series about a secret society of women who protect other women from unscrupulous and dastardly men. Sybil was the "agent" who went missing in the first book in the series, so it's only natural she would eventually turn up as a heroine in her own story.  In order to protect The Spinsters she needs to team up with her neighbor, who I can guarantee is not prepared for the likes of Sybil....

Manic Pixie Dream Earl by Jenny Holiday

When not writing, poet Edward Astley, Viscount Featherfinch, spends his time fending off the young ladies of the ton—and some of its young men—and avoiding his cruel father. As heir to the earldom, Edward knows he must marry someday. Alas, he is already hopelessly in love with someone. Hopeless because not only is Miss Julianna Evans not a member of the aristocracy, she is employed. She is a magazine editor—the only one to publish his work. Also, in all their years of increasingly personal correspondence, they’ve never met.

 

Also, she thinks he’s a woman. Named Euphemia.

 

Julianna is baffled. How can her soul mate not want to meet? Could it be that Euphemia is not the simple country girl she claims to be? Perhaps she’s wealthy. After all, she’s never cashed any of the bank drafts Julianna has sent. Perhaps Euphemia simply doesn’t want rank to come between them. Well, no more. Having extracted the details of a trip Euphemia is planning, Julianna squanders her meager savings and surprises her at the scene.

 

He is very, very surprised. As is she.

 

Now the two will have to decide what is true, what is not, and whether the truest thing of all—love—just might be worth an earldom . . .

He's an heir and secret poet, in love with a wholly unsuitable woman.  The woman in question is his magazine editor, feels as if they are soul mates and slight wrinkle here - thinks he's a woman.  I mean, what could possibly go wrong?  This is the second book in Holiday's Earls Trip series.

Doxy of the Ton by Emily Royal

Mimi La Fleur has survived heartbreak and destitution. The girl she once was is long gone and she never wants to be owned by a man again. She uses her body to earn a living, but her heart, and her pleasure, are not for sale. When she saves the life of a drunken duke, she’s reminded of a world long forgotten. He makes her an offer she can’t refuse—enough money to set her free, provided she agrees to be his mistress for six months.

Alexander Ffortescue, fifth Duke of Sawbridge, is notorious among the ton for indulging in all the vices London has to offer, but after he causes the death of his best friend in an accident, he’s disowned by all. When he’s set upon by brigands outside a tavern, he finds an unlikely saviour in a doxy, whose warm embrace and soft body give him much-needed comfort.

But Mimi is no ordinary doxy. Beneath the façade is a caring, compassionate woman who sees through Alexander’s rakish exterior to the lost soul within.

OMG SHE'S A DOXY!!!!!!!  He's a Duke on the outs with society after a tragic accident, it's the seventh book in the Misfits of the Ton series blah, blah, blah. THIS IS NOT A DRILL, SHE'S A DOXY!!!!!  I broke a nail one-clicking this.

The Lady Makes Her Mark by Susanna Craig

Known only as “Miss C.” Constantia Cooper creates satirical cartoons for Mrs. Goode’s. But her anonymity hides a more shocking secret—one that requires she remain elusive. When a scandal at the magazine threatens to expose her, Constantia packs up and flees. But in her haste, she is struck by a carriage and suffers a blow to the head. Fortunately, she’s rescued by a gentleman. Unfortunately, he is all too familiar. Feigning amnesia seems Constantia’s best strategy . . .

 

Alistair Haythorne, Earl of Ryland, would never turn away a lady in distress—even if he’s often the target of said lady’s biting satire. In fact, while “Miss C.” recuperates, he will have her teach his sisters to draw. Perhaps it will inspire a more flattering portrait of him . . .

 

But secrets make interesting bedfellows and as Constantia and Alistair grow closer, their opinions of one another change—drastically. With love in the air, two things stand between them: Alistair’s need to marry an heiress to keep his family’s estate intact . . . and a series of threats that endanger Constantia’s life. Can what keeps them apart ultimately bring them together?

She's a cartoonist who fakes amnesia when she comes face to face with her favorite subject, the hero. While he's not a fan of her satire, he sees the opportunity to have her teach his sisters to draw while she recuperates from her accident. I mean, what could possibly go wrong? This is the, presumably, final book in the Goode's Guide to Misconduct series / trilogy.

The Chef and the Countess by Karyn Gerrard

Liam Hallahan, illegitimate son of a disreputable duke, carries hidden scars from a childhood living on the streets. Through sheer determination, he acquired an education, took the gaming hall he’d inherited and successfully turned it into a respectable restaurant. Liam isn’t usually surprised by life’s twists and turns…until a widowed Countess is unceremoniously dumped on his doorstep.

Men have ruled Celia Gillingham’s life for as long as she could remember. Orphaned at a young age, her uncle negotiated a marriage for her with an old earl. After her husband’s death, Celia, now alone and penniless, goes back to her uncle’s home, only to find herself dropped off at an East End business by her viscount cousin. He tells Liam that Celia will work off his gaming debt. Instead, Celia asks Liam for a job. And Liam reluctantly agrees, putting the countess to work in his kitchen.

The unlikely pair soon discover a growing respect and a simmering passion—not only for cooking, but each other. Only Celia’s loathsome uncle and cousin haven’t forgotten about her.

An illegitimate son of a Duke inherits a gaming hell and decides to turn it into a restaurant. I mean, a hero who inherits a gaming hell and doesn't make his living off enflaming gambling addictions? WHAT MAGIC IS THIS?!?!?  She's a discarded widow dumped off to pay an odious cousin's gambling debts. This is the second book in The Duke's Bastards series.

The Lady Needs a Rogue by Tara Kingston

She’s happily on the shelf . . .

Heiress MARY CATHERINE MASON has no need of a husband. Shipped off to London to hunt a title—and the pasty lord who would unfortunately come with it—the talented photographer has dodged every suitor her tycoon father has thrown at her. A minor scandal here, a costume malfunction there—Macie has outsmarted the heiress-hunters at every turn. But she doesn’t count on being saddled with a bodyguard, much less a rogue like her brother’s friend, Finn Caldwell. Years earlier, the young rake had been the bane of Macie’s girlish existence. Now, Finn is a man. Taller. More handsome. And even more infuriating. Striking a bargain with her tempting protector, Macie enlists Finn in a romantic charade—surely a besotted bodyguard would deter the stuffy nobles hungry for a taste of her father’s fortune. But when a mysterious threat forces them together, Macie realizes Finn might just be the rogue her secretly tender heart craves.

Her rogue and protector . . .

FINN CALDWELL had one job—seal a crucial business deal with an old friend. But now, the bargain rides on Finn’s ability to keep his friend's sister out of trouble, a feat easier said than done. Macie attracts wolves in gentleman’s clothing and stumbles upon danger while toting her camera through the city. Macie’s unlike any woman he’s ever known—as clever and independent as she is beautiful, she challenges and intrigues him like no other. He wants her in his arms. In his bed. In his heart. But Macie is off-limits—especially to a rogue like him. Until she’s caught up in a perilous mystery, and Finn must put everything on the line to protect her.

Can he prove he’s the man she wants . . . the man she needs? Not for one night, but for the rest of their lives.

This is the second book in the Rogue of Her Own series and features a late Victorian heiress heroine who has no desire to marry and just wants to be left alone to pursue her photography.  She didn't plan on getting stuck with a bodyguard, especially when it's her brother's friend tasked to keep her out of trouble.

Miss Tiffany Has a Secret by Bronwen Evans (Reprint, Updated)

Miss Tiffany Deveraux is more than just a bluestocking, she’s a financial genius hiding behind the plain façade of an orphaned ward. Society sees a penniless, unremarkable girl under the Earl of Marlowe’s care, and Tiffany intends to keep it that way. Her quiet fortune, earned through sharp wit and savvy investments, is a secret she’ll protect at all costs. Because the only way to know if a man truly loves her… is if he believes she has nothing to offer but her heart.

Slade Ware, Marquess of Wolfarth, has the Midas touch, or so the ton believes. Lauded as a brilliant investor, his success is largely luck, and that luck may have just run out. When he learns of Tiffany’s hidden talents and growing wealth, a marriage of convenience seems the ideal solution. She gains protection. He gains stability. Simple. Logical. Unemotional.

But emotions have never followed logic.

As friendship deepens and hidden wounds come to light, what begins as a calculated match risks turning into something neither of them anticipated. Because what Tiffany truly wants isn’t his title or protection, it’s his heart. And that’s the one thing Wolfarth swore he’d never give again.

The first book in The Season of Secrets series is an updated reprint of A Lady Never Surrenders, and this edition also includes the prequel novella, Miss Serena Wakes Up which was previously published as A Lady Never Concedes. Confused yet? Anyway, she's a financial wizard hiding her talents to protect her heart from dishonest men and he's a Marquess whose luck in the financial markets has finally run out. He discovers her secret and a marriage of convenience is born.

A Rogue in Firelight by Susan King (Reissue, Updated)

Ronan MacGregor, laird of Glenbrae, lawyer, distiller, and sometime smuggler, cools his heels in Edinburgh’s dungeon as the city prepares for King George IV’s visit. But when the king asks to meet the distiller of his favorite Highland whisky, Ronan is released into the custody of the deputy lord provost. The Gaelic-speaking Highland rogue must be tidied up for the royal occasion—but he is not what he appears to be.

Ellison Graham, the deputy provost’s widowed, reclusive daughter, agrees to transform the rugged Highlander into a gentleman before the king arrives. Sequestered in the Highlands with MacGregor, she discovers he is highly educated, needs no lessons, refuses a royal audience—and has quickly stolen her heart.

Temporarily free, Ronan strives to help his friends and save his whisky business, never expecting to fall in love with beautiful Ellison, a secret novelist longing for passion and excitement. When a bitter rivalry threatens them, Ellison must face her fears while Ronan must choose between his freedom and his heart.

He's a lawyer, whisky distiller and smuggler rotting in a cell until he's sprung because of King George IV's impending visit. She's a heroine who thinks she's in a Pygmalion trope, but turns out our hero does not need a makeover, and he also has no desire to meet the King.  This is an updated reprint of Laird of Rogues, which is the third book in an out of print trilogy, the first two books featuring fantasy elements (fairies, legends, blah blah blah). However, this updated reissue is now listed as Book 1 in The Whisky Rogues series and nothing in this blurb screams fantasy elements to me. All this to say, I have no idea but it's already downloaded on my Kindle.

Another month with a bonanza crop of Unusual Historicals to be intrigued by and investigate. What are you looking forward to adding to your TBR?

New Year, New Unusual Historicals for January 2025

While I generally like to be hopeful at the start of the new year, January 2025 has been testing my patience mightily. It's been a rough start for many of us here in Romancelandia and doesn't exactly instill much hope - but there's still books and there are still unusual historicals, despite the continued pronouncements by publishers and readers that the historical is "dead." It's only dead if we allow it to die on our watch folks! And to that end, let's take a look at some of the unusual historicals making their debut to bring us a little sunshine in this darkest of Januarys....

Remember When by Mary Balogh

The Dowager Countess of Stratton, Clarissa Ware, née Greenfield, has just presented her younger daughter to the ton, and the rest of her life belongs only to herself. She returns to Ravenswood, intending to spend the summer alone there. But the summer has other plans for her.

Born a gentleman, Matthew Taylor has chosen to spend his life as the village carpenter. Growing up, he and Clarissa were close—dangerously so, considering his family’s modest fortune. As a young man, he never would have been a suitable match for the daughter of the wealthy Greenfields. Clarissa married Caleb Ware, the Earl of Stratton, so Matthew married another, though he was widowed soon after.

Now everything is different—Clarissa has already lived the life expected of her by society. And Matthew is as attractive and intriguing as he was when they were young. As their summer friendship deepens into romance, they stand together on the precipice of change—essentially the same man and woman they remember being back then, but with renewed passion and the potential to take their lives in an entirely new direction.

Balogh has made a career in the Regency era and not writing much that's "unusual" by my definition, but this fourth book in the Ravenswood series ticks a major unusual box - her couple is older. A Dowager Countess with grown-ass children reunites with the hero, the one who got away thanks to societal pressures and class differences. Now, no longer in the bloom of youth, with those pressures largely passed, they're thrown together for the summer.

A Deal with the Devil by Alyxandra Harvey

When you steal from the Devil, getting burned is half the fun!

When Kitty’s gambler father sells her sister into marriage to a notoriously cruel lord with three dead wives, Kitty will do anything to stop it. Including steal from the Devil himself.

What else is a bookseller to do? Kitty's talents include giving literary tours of London and selling scandalous novels. If she has to find a murderer, she's going to need all of the help she can get. Even if Devil is as disreputable and handsome as…well… the devil.

The earl created an empire for himself based on collecting debt vowels. Fortunes, inheritances, secrets… anything is fair game. No one crosses him.

Until Kitty.

She steals a vowel right from his pocket—and uses it to blackmail him into helping her save her sister. But no one steals from the Devil and gets away with it.

People beg for his mercy, his attention—anything he is willing to give. He might enjoy having Kitty beg. Even if he already knows she’d rather punch him in the eye. It only makes her more tempting. Irritating. Perfect.

Sometimes it takes both a Devil and a Spinster to stop a murderer…

After reading the first book in this series, The Scandalous Spinster, last year I began stalking Amazon for the release date on book 2 and ended up hitting the preorder button so fast I broke a fingernail. Bookseller Kitty is desperate to save her sister from an "arranged" marriage to an odious man and sees no other way than to steal from the hero, a morally flexible Earl who has made his fortune collecting debt vowels. I'm really looking forward to this one.

Wedding Night with Her Viking Enemy by Lucy Morris

Wedded and bedded by her Viking enemy!

Her vows with the Viking?

To have and to hate!

The idea of Sigrid joining hands with Viking Grimr Eriksson is laughable—they’re sworn enemies after all!—until her half brother’s treachery reignites the feud between their rival families. Now Sigrid must silence the war drums by wedding the new Eriksson jarl.

Yet even resourceful Sigrid’s diplomacy is tested by a husband whose stubbornness infuriates her even if his battle-honed body entices… There seems to be no getting past the distrustful warrior’s defenses, but when the king demands they produce an heir, can they put aside their loathing and give in to their longing?

A new stand-alone Viking romance from Lucy Morris, who has proven herself to this reader to be very capable in the time period. We have a time honored enemy to lovers trope here, along with a heroine throwing herself to the wolves thanks to something her idiot brother did. 

The Guardian's Bride by Susan King

She once saved his life and stole his heart. Now he must return the favor.

Accused of poisoning the English king, healer Lady Rowena Keith ends up in a dungeon beside a brawny, snoring Highlander. After he dispatches an assailant, he escapes into the Scottish hills, hauling her with him. To her surprise, she recognizes the rogue as her childhood betrothed and the knight whose life she once saved. Now he is her only hope.

Accused of treason, Sir Aedan MacDuff, a loyal knight and guardian of Scotland, must secure a legendary treasure. He doesn’t need the hindrance of a prim, beautiful healer, even one who captivates him. Traveling in disguise to avoid capture, they soon discover passion together—and find a mysterious link between Rowena’s healing stone and the treasure Aedan is protecting—one that could change the future of Scotland forever.

But can they avoid the king’s wrath long enough to see it happen?

A new medieval from King, the third book in her Highland Secrets series, features a heroine accused of poisoning the King being rescued from the dungeon by a fellow cellmate, who turns out to be none other than her childhood betrothed. Ah, reunited and it feels so good....

Lord Ravenscroft is Not a Gentleman by Barbara Russell

Edith wants only one thing: to become a surgeon like her father. Who has time to make friends when she has anatomy books to study? Who wants to go to a ball when she has medical conferences to attend?

Peregrine, Perry to his friends, doesn’t share her enthusiasm for books. He’s the brother of the Earl of Ravenscroft, titled, and powerful. Studying? Why would he need to study? He’s the spare. With no title comes no responsibilities.

But after they risk their lives on the sinking steamship Princess Alice, they start to reconsider their priorities. Edith tries every pleasure London has to offer. Perry works hard to become a good earl after the title passes to him. Sudden seizures have plagued him since the incident, and he must keep his condition secret, not to be marked as deranged or worse, cursed, and locked up in an institution.

Edith’s hedonistic life comes to a grinding halt after the almost-nude painting she posed for is bought by Perry, now Lord Ravenscroft. She’s furious. The artist promised not to sell the compromising painting, and now she wants it back before a scandal ensues.

Perry proposes a deal. If she works for him as his secretary, he’ll give her the painting.

Except their attraction may cause another scandal.

When you love a sub genre that's waning because of publishing and reader foibles, sometimes you need to take a flier, and this sixth book in Russell's Victorian Outcasts series is that for me, because I'm not gonna lie, I find this back cover blurb a mess. But within the mess there's a lot that intrigues including two characters whose priorities change after they survive a disaster. Then, of course, the chickens come home to roost.

Forced to Marry the Earl by Elizabeth Heights

1298A.D. Merciless warrior Otto Sarragnac becomes Earl of Darkmoor upon his father’s death in battle. As part of the peace treaty, Otto’s long-standing enemy offers his daughter’s hand in marriage…

Ariana of Kenmar faces her forced marriage without flinching. Not because she aspires to be a wealthy countess, but because her beloved aunt is being held captive in the imposing fortress at Darkmoor. Ariana intends to use her new position to find and free Ysmay, even if that means double-crossing her new husband; the infamous Feared One.

Show no weakness; show no mercy. This is the Knights’ Code which Otto has lived and breathed since birth. His father’s brutal death has caused him to question its wisdom, but his closest advisors whisper of a growing rebellion within the ranks of his own men. This is the wrong time for The Feared One to discover his humanity. Nevertheless, Otto’s new bride impresses him with her steady courage and backbone of steel. Soon he is seeking out her company, surprising her with gifts and beginning to suspect that he may have a softer side after all.

Ariana can’t allow herself to be distracted from her true purpose. She must rescue Ysmay, no matter how her heart pounds in Otto’s presence. Despite his kindness towards her, she can’t allow herself to trust the man she was raised to fear. And so, behind his back, she plots her betrayal.

Unbeknownst to Ariana, there are even darker forces at play. Soon her duplicity will be revealed, but she stands accused of a grave crime she did not commit. Will Otto uncover the truth and forgive her? Or will their burgeoning love fall victim to the bloodlust of their feuding families?

The second book in The Earls of the North series features a heroine willing to face a forced marriage in order to save her captive aunt and to do that she has to double-cross her new husband, who has his own brewing rebellion to deal with. 

Disarming the Baron by Lexi Post

Mademoiselle Lissette Fontaine knows she doesn’t belong among the ton, yet finds herself fast friends with many people of that status, specifically those in the Belinda School for Curious Ladies. As much as she enjoys her new friends, and the easy life of being a lady as opposed to her days of stealing food to survive, she will do anything to avoid marrying a peer, even enlisting the help of her old friend Mr. Anthony Taylour to find a wealthy middle-class spouse.

Anthony Taylour, the Baron of Bellamore, is rarely what he appears because as a fourth son, he knows he’s expendable. So he uses his fortune to make the world a better place, whether it’s as a Bow Street runner, a soldier against Napoleon, or a detective for his friends among the aristocracy. Needing a weapons expert, he visits the Belinda School for Curious Ladies and is pleased to rekindle his friendship with Lissa, but he’s cautious about teaming up with her once again. After all, when last they traipsed about France, she was younger and always dressed as a man.

It doesn’t take long to accept that Lissa is a critical asset in his current investigation, so when she manipulates him into posing as his mistress at a secret house party he needs to attend, he’s determined to keep her safe. However, it’s impossible to keep her innocent, and his feelings for her begin to change. Unfortunately, the lord they’re investigating is far more dangerous than Anthony realized. He can think of only one way to save Lissa.

The third book in the Courting a Curious Lady gives us another messy back cover blurb this month, but that's why Baby Jesus invented reading samples. Apparently the Belinda School of Curious Ladies is teaching more than pianoforte and embroidery, and our main couple has a past together that involved the heroine traipsing through the French countryside dressed as a man. 

 

A Dangerous Game by Mandy Robotham

London, 1952. Seven years after the chaotic aftermath of World War II, London has is coming alive again, with jazz clubs and flickering cinema awnings lighting up the night sky.

But for widowed Helen ‘Dexie’ Dexter, she’s still a woman in a man’s world. She longs to prove herself as an officer in the London Metropolitan Police, yet she’s stuck intervening in domestics and making tea for her male colleagues.

Then Harri Schroder arrives, seconded from Hamburg to the Met. Haunted by the loss of his wife and child, Harri is unlike any man Dexie has ever known. Compassionate and sharp-witted, he sees her not as a threat, but as an intelligent, canny officer full of potential.

And when Harri is tasked with hunting down a Nazi war criminal-turned-respected-businessman, with connections to the upper echelons of British society, it’s Dexie he turns to for help.

But as their bond deepens, a deadly fog engulfs London. Dexie and Harri must expose the fugitive before he vanishes, risking everything for justice – and each other…

Another flier for this month, I can't swear to anyone this is a romance in the strictest sense of the genre definition. It may end up being historical fiction with romantic elements, but there's enough promise on the back cover blurb that I'm including it. A widowed heroine bumping her head against the glass ceiling at her job with the London Metropolitan Police teams up with our hero to hunt down a Nazi war criminal. 

May we all reach the light ahead as we navigate through a gloomy January. Be good to each other Romancelandia, and please share what unusual historicals you're looking forward to in the comments.

Spring Has Sprung: Unusual Historicals for April 2024

Looking at this month's crop of unusual historical offerings it's safe to say spring has sprung in Romancelandia!  This bumper crop of 12 books is actually whittled down, if you can believe it. I know the rage the last few years has been contemporary romance, all of them slapped with interchangeable cartoon covers (don't at me, y'all know I'm right) but these unusual historical posts always give me a bit of hope every month that maybe the dearth of interest in historical romance in this moment is greatly exaggerated. Now sit back, relax and feast your eyes...

The Lady He Lost by Faye Delacour

Her only interest is in making her own way in the world. Luckily, he can help.

Lieutenant Eli Williams was supposed to be dead. In the two years since his shipwreck, his friends and family mourned him, his brother spent his savings, and his fiancée married someone else. So, when he turns up in the middle of the London social season, he quickly becomes the talk of the town. All Eli wants is to set his life back in order and reconnect with Jane Bishop, a friend who has always meant so much more to him, before returning to sea.

Jane refuses to waste any more of her life pining over Eli, who chose her cousin instead of her. She needs to focus on gaining her financial independence by establishing a ladies' gambling club. Never mind that Eli keeps trying to atone for his past mistake by bringing in new members. He's obviously keeping secrets about his disappearance, which means that she can't trust him with her heart even if she did kiss him in a moment of weakness. Or three.

As Eli works to regain her trust, Jane's defensive walls begin to crumble. But when Eli faces a court of inquiry on suspicion of desertion, Jane must decide if she can let go of the past to build a future with Eli, or risk losing him for good.

A debut and the first in The Lucky Ladies of London series features a presumed dead hero who returns in the middle of the whirl of the London Season to discover everyone has moved on - including the woman he always considered a friend. That friend is our heroine, who is working to establish a ladies' gambling club and she apparently has no interest is getting stuck back in the hero's Friend Zone.

Wake Me Most Wickedly by Felicia Grossman

Solomon Weiss has little interest in power, but to repay the half-brother who raised him, he pursues money, influence, and now—a respectable wife. That is, until outcast Hannah Moses saves his life, and Sol finds himself helplessly drawn to the beautiful pawnshop owner.  

Forever tainted by her parents' crimes, Hannah sees only a villain when she looks in the mirror—no one a prince would choose. To survive, she must care for herself, even if that means illegally hunting down whatever her clients wish. So, no matter how fair or charming she finds Sol, he belongs to a world far too distant from her own.   

Only neither can resist their desires, and each meeting weakens Hannah’s resolve to stay away. But when Hannah discovers a shocking betrayal in Sol’s inner circle, can she convince him to trust her? Or will fear and doubt poison their love for good? 

The second book in Grossman's Once Upon the East End series features a pawnshop owner heroine and a riff on the Snow White fairy tale. I found the first book in this series a little uneven, but I was so taken in by the worldbuilding I knew I'd pick up this one (which, hello, already have...)

Alliance with the Notorious Lord by Bronwyn Scott

Mixing business…

…with rakish pleasure!

Recently widowed Antonia Lytton-Popplewell is determined to carve her place in a man’s world. Yet turning a ramshackle property in London into a world-class department store isn’t easy. Especially when her inheritance comes with strings in the form of her late husband’s business partner, infuriatingly attractive Lord Cullen Allardyce. To ensure success, Antonia needs Cullen’s guidance. But her alliance with society’s most notorious rebel becomes even more complicated when begrudging respect turns into mutual desire…   

The second book Scott's Enterprising Widows series features another widowed heroine who lost her husband in the 1852 Homfirth Flood.  Determined to open her own department store in London, she finds herself saddled with her late husband's business partner, our hero, who is not only attractive (naturally) but also a bit of a maverick.

The Orchids of Ashthorne Hall by Rebecca Anderson

For years, rumors have flown through the village of Suttonsbury about Ashthorne Hall—that its occupants hoard pirate treasure, that a ghost walks its halls—but botanist Hyacinth Bell only cares about the estate's extensive, one-of-a-kind orchid collection. As an independent woman, she is eager to focus on her career, even if it means waiting to pursue a romantic relationship. After all, love—like an orchid—must be nurtured and tended before it can bloom.

What she doesn't expect is to be swept away by Lucas Harding, the manor's caretaker, upon their first meeting. He is handsome and charming, and the connection between the two is nearly instantaneous. Hyacinth is certain this autumn will be the season that everything good in her life takes root

But then strange things start happening in the seemingly empty halls of the estate: unexplainable noises, items appearing then disappearing from her room, threatening messages, and glimpses of a woman in white who vanishes into the dark. Lucas dismisses Hyacinth's worries, insisting that there is no ghost at Ashthorne Hall, but she suspects he is withholding information and decides to investigate the mystery herself.

Armed with little more than her instincts and her courage, Hyacinth must venture deep into the shadows of Ashthorne Hall to uncover the truth Lucas is keeping secret before she herself falls victim to the dangers hidden in the estate.

A botanist heroine, a caretaker hero, an estate in Cornwall shrouded in rumors and mystery - folks, it's textbook Gothic and I am HERE for it. 

The Lady Plays with Fire by Susanna Craig

As the daughter of a clergyman, Julia Addison knows she’ll never be able to fulfill her lifelong dream of acting on the stage. But writing forthright reviews of the Season’s most popular plays for Mrs. Goode’s Magazine for Misses, popularly known as Goode’s Guide to Misconduct is surely the next best thing. Even better, she’s got a ticket to Ransom Blackadder’s latest irritating satire about English society. Best of all, she’s sharing a theater box with the gruff but handsome Lord Dunstane, which is enough to make Julia call for an encore . . .

Graham McKay, the Earl of Dunstane, rarely leaves his home in the Scottish Highlands. Why would he? Nothing about London has ever held his interest—until he meets Julia. But when Graham realizes she is the critic who panned his last play—and she discovers he is in fact the man behind Blackadder’s wicked pen—will it bring down the curtain on their romance—not to mention the magazine that published the humiliating review? Or can an unexpected collaboration set the stage for a scandalous love affair?

The second book in Craig's Goode's Guide to Misconduct has our daughter of a clergyman penning theater reviews for a ladies' magazine and running afoul of an Earl whose last play she panned. Unfortunately for both of them feelings are caught before true identities are revealed - who said love isn't complicated?

A Perfect Match by Margaux Thorne

Marriage and babies are the farthest things from Miss Myfanwy Wright’s mind. Cricket is her one and only love, which is why she created the Single Ladies’ Cricket Club. A club where like-minded single women can bond together over sport; it is a sanctuary for those who don’t wish to spend endless hours gossiping over tea and needlepoint or compromise their interest with a husband’s.

But after three straight years of losing to the Matron’s Club, Myfanwy’s team is showing signs of collapse. And the fact that her best friend might be next in line to get married—and desert the club—is too much to bear.

If Myfanwy’s going to beat the Matrons and save her team, she will have to find a coach who can lead the Single Ladies to victory. Luckily, she doesn’t have to search far. Her guardian is one of the best cricketers to ever play the game. Unfortunately, he can only see out of one eye, walks with a limp, is drunk half the day, and is the most disagreeable—and handsome—man she’s ever met …

Ex-cricketer, Samuel Everett is resting on his laurels. Injury might have taken him out of the game he loved, but he is a rich man now who can retire into a quiet life of mini-celebrity. He is done with the crowds, done with the constant traveling and living on the road. Cricket might have been his life; however, that life is now over.

But when Myfanwy nags him into coaching her little club, Samuel finds that old habits die hard. And the more time he spends with the talented team—and Myfanwy—the more he realizes that there is still some fight left in him. With Myfanwy’s help, Samuel rehabilitates his mind and body, gaining a fresh perspective on what he still has to offer the sport—and his opinionated, obstinate, gorgeous ward.

Banding together Myfanwy and Samuel butt heads and hearts as they prepare the club for victory. But as the match with the Matrons draws near and their love grows, Myfanwy faces the ultimate conundrum. As team captain of the Single Ladies’ Cricket Club, she made the rules, and she knows them better than anyone—there’s no room for married women.

Lord help me A LADIES' CRICKET CLUB?!?!??!  I once had a college professor try to explain cricket to me and I was so hopelessly lost that I'm half convinced that's why the sport isn't seen more in romances - but hot damn, I'm willing to learn. A LADIES' CRICKET CLUB Y'ALL!!!!!

A Lyon to Die For by E.L. Johnson

Crossed in love and sent to London for almost ruining her reputation, Emmeline is the only female proprietor in an exclusive row of London shops whose owners aren’t the most welcoming. But with a sharp tongue and fiery temper, Emmeline can deal with her unfriendly neighbors, even Mr. Horatio Whittaker, an arrogant, reserved, opinionated young man with fixed opinions and cold manners.

Horatio Whittaker has given up on happiness. Abandoned at the altar for his scheming best friend, he never expected to find love again. He hardly notices women until he crosses paths with Miss Emmeline Harcourt.

Emmeline hopes to never encounter Mr. Whittaker again, but when she accepts an invitation to the Lyon’s Den, they find themselves at the heart of a mystery, entangled with Horatio’s former fiancée and deceitful best friend.

From false accusations, rumored affairs, and even a deadly party game, Emmeline and Horatio must work together to prove their innocence and find the culprit. Pretending they are courting should make investigating easier, so long as they don’t fall in love.

Part of the extended Lyon's Den universe, a betrayed hero who has sworn off women and a shop owner heroine with a "reputation" get swept up in a mystery.  I am nothing but a sucker for heroines with a reputation and grumpy heroes with valid reasons for being grumpy.  Bring it on.

The Sailor Without a Sweetheart by Katherine Grant

Six years ago, Amy Lamplugh decided not to elope with Nate Preston. Ever since, she has been working hard to convince herself she was right to choose her family over Nate.

Now, Nate is back. After an illustrious career as a naval captain, he faces a court martial for disobeying orders while fighting the slave trade. He accepts an invitation to await the trial at a country estate outside of Portsmouth - and discovers he is suddenly neighbors with Amy.

Nate is shocked to find that Amy didn’t end up marrying someone rich and titled. Instead, she is a glorified companion to her younger sister - and is clearly battling some unnamed illness.

Thrown together by circumstances outside their control, Nate and Amy try to be friends. Soon, it becomes clear that their feelings for each other never died.

This fourth book in The Prestons series features a naval captain hero on trial for following his conscience and defying orders being reunited with the heroine who refused to elope with him years earlier. A reunion romance against a compelling backdrop of uncertainty (will the hero hang or will they live happily ever after?) 

The Wrath of the Marquess by Barbara Russell

An earthquake brings Cora and Ethan close. Literally.

They find themselves trapped together under an altar in a half-collapsed church. With nothing better to do but wait for the rescue party to free them, they form a bond of friendship and shared secrets.

She endures a loveless marriage with her abusive husband, Lord Roxbury, who mistreats and neglects her and their son, David. Ethan, a soldier and the next Marquess of Hertford, is about to be deployed to a Pacific island to fight against pirates.

Cora and Ethan meet again a few years later after he returns to London to keep open the centre for veterans his father founded. Not an easy task since he needs Lord Roxbury’s support for legal reasons.

When Cora tries to leave her husband to start a new life and protect her son, he shoots her. Desperate to help his mama and scared, David takes Cora to Ethan’s house and begs him to save her.

Ethan hides them in his house and takes care of Cora’s injury. Helping Cora leave England and hiding her from Lord Roxbury proves to be a challenge for Ethan. The future of dozens of soldiers, who suffer from permanent physical and mental problems, depends on his good relationship with Lord Roxbury.

On top of that, he didn’t expect to develop strong feelings for both Cora and David. As they carve their places into his heart, he has to decide which path is the worst. If he helps Cora and David move somewhere Lord Roxbury won’t find them, he won’t see them again. But if Cora gets a divorce, Lord Roxbury will take his revenge on Ethan, destroying everything important to him. Including Cora.

This third book in the author's Victorian Outcasts series features a heroine trapped in an abusive marriage being reunited with a hero who needs her odious husband's support to help the country's veterans. Things get complicated when the heroine tries to leave said husband...

A Duke a Day Keeps the Doctor Away by Emily EK Murdoch

Moses Warwick, Duke of Chetnole, is not going to allow a literal stab in the back to slow him down. Getting robbed and left for dead? That might do it.

Thankfully, someone finds him, drags him to their cottage, and tends to his wounds. When Moses comes round, he wants to thank the doctor who so expertly cared for him. That was when the woman he knew as Jenny Powell revealed that she was a doctor.

Unable to call her such a ridiculous title, and trapped by his lost memory in her cottage until it returns, Moses struggles against his growing admiration for the woman who surprises time and again. But Jenny can’t have this stranger in her home forever. She’s hiding a secret no one has been told for three years—a secret that will change the way Moses looks at her.

Good thing she gave him a good slap the first time he stole a kiss…right?

With traitors in France on one hand, mistrust of a woman doctor on the other, and fierce attraction growing between the two unlikely friends, will a duke each day manage to keep away from this delightful doctor?

Part of the author's long-running Dukes in Danger series, a Duke left for dead is saved by our doctor heroine, and if we can read between the lines of the back cover blurb, unsurprisingly behaves like a jackass that a mere woman saved his life 🙄.  That said, I have this sick fascination for reading about heroes like this having their notions about "womanhood" challenged and of course I'm now intrigued by the heroine's "secret." Oh, and traitors in France you say?

The Swan Laird by Susan King (Reprint)

Scottish-born Sir Gawain Avenel, raised in England and pledged to the English king, keeps his Highland origins secret when sent north to rout Scottish rebels. Saving a Highland girl from drowning, he recognizes her years later as a Scottish captive in the English court. In a cruel jest, the king orders Gawain to marry her and command her Highland castle as a warning to rebels.

Juliana Lindsay risks her life each time she disguises as a legendary swan maiden to lead the English enemy away from rebels. Captured and forced to marry a mysterious English knight and relinquish her castle, she recognizes her rescuer–who now poses danger. Drawn back to the rebellion, Juliana begins to trust Gawain–yet as love grows passionately between them, he must guard his secrets or lose all.

The hero is reunited with the Scottish heroine when the King orders him to marry the rebel and take over her Highland castle. Originally published under Penguin's Signet imprint in 2001 with the title, The Swan Maiden, this reprint features newly added content.

The Madness of Miss Grey by Julia Bennet (Reprint)

Everyone thinks Helen Grey is mad but, despite ten years imprisoned in a crumbling Yorkshire asylum, she’s managed to cling to sanity. When a new doctor arrives, she sees an opportunity. William Carter may seem like an honorable man but she's sure he'll prove easy to seduce…and trick into helping her escape.

Will would never bed a patient, no matter how tempting she might be. But once he realises Helen's been imprisoned for no good reason, he's determined to save her. They need to work together but freeing her won’t be easy, not when her mysterious benefactor is determined to keep her locked up and hidden from society forever.

When Helen is entangled in her own trap and begins to fall for Will too, she must fight not only for her liberty but for her right to love.

Originally published in 2019 by Entangled (with a clinch cover), this Gothic romance features a presumed "mad" heroine (whose only illness is probably having a mind of her own 🙄) finding in an ally in the hero who she was planning to seduce in her bid for freedom. I somehow missed this one back in 2019 and bland illustrated cover aside (come for the unusual historicals, stay for Wendy hating on illustrated covers....) this sounds great.  

Whew! That was a lot. Here's hoping we all find something delicious to read among this bountiful crop of unusual historicals.  What are you looking forward to reading?

Like a Box of Chocolates: Unusual Historicals for February 2024

February always seems to be a bit of a "slump month" for me and this year that manifested in both reading and blogging. I've had a terrible case of the blahs.  Which is why this month's Unusual Historicals post is a little later than usual - I couldn't find the spoons to draft it up last weekend because I knew it was going to be long. Hey, it's a good problem to have but long blog post means Wendy has to find words, and words have been hard.  Luckily I seem to have adopted Azteclady to my unusual historical payroll, who has been doing a bang-up job on sending me suggestions as she comes across them - it's why these posts have been so robust of late. So if you've been enjoying these posts lately, raise a glass to AL who has been a tremendous help!

The Temple of Persephone by Isabella Kamal

Persephone Honeyfield is witty, intelligent, and very aware that the only way to escape the monotony of the life she shares with her father and sister in the English countryside—and the wagging, ever-critical tongues of the people around her—is through marriage. She also knows the likelihood of it being a love match is nearly zero.

Aidon Barrington has carried on the legacy of his family’s funeral furnishing business, losing himself in the process. A shell of his former charming self, he’s traded his reputation as a rake for that of a recluse and regularly appears in the scandal sheets as London’s mysterious Lord of the Dead.

When Persephone finds herself at Gallowsgate—the old Barrington estate—on a seemingly simple errand, an unexpected run-in with the Lord of the Dead himself leaves her on the brink of ruination. With no other way to silence the village rumor mill, or save her sister’s reputation, Persephone agrees to marry Aidon, becoming the wife of a man she hardly knows.

Persephone finds herself increasingly fascinated by her new husband, whose kind, patient nature stands in stark contrast to the ever-swirling rumors about him. But when the gossip begins to sound more like reality than fiction, she attempts to uncover the truth behind the Lord of the Dead while discovering she may have already lost her most guarded possession: her heart.

OMG, the hero is essentially a funeral director y'all! Go ahead, try to think of the last time you read that in a romance novel, let along a historical romance novel. Essentially the Persephone myth dropped in Regency England, this also happens to be the author's debut.

A Gentleman Never Tells by Jodi Ellen Malpas

Frank Melrose is on the cusp of taking his father's printing business global—the last thing he needs is the distraction of any woman, let alone the dazzling Taya Winters.

He's under pressure from the newspaper to unmask the mysterious highwayman causing havoc in Belmore Square, but his infuriating clashes with Taya keep slowing him down.

What's more, he's sure that the highwayman is right under their noses—and that exposing their identity will end not only his story, but ruin his family, too...

The second book in the author's Belmore Square series features a hero running the family's printing business whose work gets tangled up with the heroine. How much you want to bet she knows more about the mysterious highwayman than she's letting on?

Knight of Darkness by Sherry Ewing

Sometimes finding love can become our biggest weakness…

Wymar Norwood understands responsibility. His two brothers have been in his care since his parent’s death. With his title and lands stripped from him by the usurper Stephen, he aligns himself with the Empress Matilda, the rightful Queen of England. If he can win her favor and become her champion knight, he prays all will be returned to him.

Lady Ceridwen Ward of Norwich is out to prove not only to herself but the Empress that she is more than capable of protecting those she loves. She hides herself in the guise of a knight and follows along with her men to Lincoln to raise her sword for the Empress’s cause. But life can become complicated, especially after your identity is revealed.

::Kermit flailing:: ENGLAND DURING THE ANARCHY OMG! I'm hard-pressed to think of another medieval that mines this period in English history. A hero who lost everything and a heroine (a chick in pants story!) with something to prove. This also appears to be the first book in a series (I mean, the hero does have two brothers so...

In Want of a Viscount by Lorraine Heath

American Leonora Garrison has come to England in desperate search of investors to keep her family business afloat but instead finds surprising pleasure when she visits an exclusive ladies’ club and dares to kiss a stranger, who leaves her yearning for more.

With a libertine for a father, Viscount Wyeth, more commonly known as Rook, vowed to live his life above reproach, with nary a hint of disgrace. Until one night, he takes a mysterious beauty into his arms, a lady who tempts him to cast his sterling reputation aside in favor of more wicked pursuits.

When fate reunites the couple, they are torn between desire and duty. Leonora may want the viscount, but she needs a stakeholder not a lover. When caught in a compromising situation that places everything they hold dear at risk, they must determine how best to win. However, in this scandalous game, nothing except love takes all.

The third book in Heath's Chessmen series has a nice twist on the American heroine traveling to England - she's not looking for a titled husband, she's looking for a investor to save the family business. Adding a hero who is overcompensating to live down the sins of his father and I'm intrigued...

Margins of Love by Sara Adrien

When Feivel “Fave” Pearler, is the golden boy of the Ton, but the haute-couture jeweler has a secret. Rachel Newman, a debutante who dares to defy societal expectations for a chance at true love. Their spicy romance is a perilous journey of love against all odds, challenging the confines of their world. When a gossiping blackmailer puts their impossible hope for a future together in jeopardy, they both navigate the greed and scorn of the aristocracy. Read their story and find out how they find a way to sidestep fate and gain a chance at forever in this historical romance that captures your heart?

If all illustrated covers looked this one I wouldn't hate them so much. Someone make a note of that, will you?  Anyway, this is the first in Adrien's Infiltrating the Ton trilogy, and while I firmly believe that people are "neither genre nor trope" I want to point out the series features Jewish characters; although what makes this first book unusual is that the hero is a jeweler who, naturally, has a secret. Because what's a romance without some secrets?

The Return of His Caribbean Heiress by Lydia San Andres

An unforgettable first kiss 

An unexpected second chance… 

It’s been five years since the night Leandro Díaz kissed heiress Lucía Troncoso before she left for Europe. He’d known they were from different worlds and would have to part, yet losing her still hurt… Now she’s returned but Leo isn’t the man he once was. Hardened by life, he holds Lucía at a distance and refuses to give in to their reignited attraction. Until danger hits and they’re forced closer than ever before…  

Every month I look at the new Harlequin Historical offerings and every month I resolve to go on a binge of them through my TBR. Set in the early 20th century, San Andres' latest Caribbean-set historical features a reunion, cross-class romance.

The Husband Heist by Alyxandra Harvey

As a duke’s twin sister, Lady Summer is used to being both noticed and ignored---and she finally means to use it to her advantage.

First, she steals art from The Mayfair Art Collectors Society with none the wiser. Well, except for Eliot Howard, the Earl of Blackpool, a rakehell and the bane of her existence. But as the art she steals with her madcap friends rightfully belongs to Eliot’s aunt, Summer is certain he will not get in the way.

The trouble is, she has also accidentally stolen a list of women spies working for the Crown. Someone is using the art exhibit to pass messages about an auction to sell off the code that will reveal the names and put them all in danger. Summer is determined to protect them.

A heist gone wrong when the heroine steals from the wrong person and unwittingly stumbles across espionage. This is the third book in Harvey's Dainty Devils series featuring unconventional heroines. 

To Steal a Marquess by Maeve Greyson

Alec Douglas, Duke of Lionwraith, a war hero betrayed on the home front while he was away at battle, trusts no one and prefers his solitude. But when his sister begs for help because she is ruined, he vows to make the man responsible pay. When the vile rakehell proves impossible to find, Alec isn’t swayed. He can just as easily destroy his enemy with a subtler attack. The Marquess of Ardsmere’s business provides the best wines and rarest imports to the finest houses in all the realm—but by the time Alec is finished, West Belgium International will cease to exist.

But the despicable marquess can’t be the ruination of Alec’s sister, because the man does not exist. However, Lady Francis, better known as Frannie and sometimes as the Marchioness of Ardsmere, is quite real. Born in Belgium after a terrible accident killed her father, Frannie was introduced to the world as the family’s ward rather than an Ardsmere daughter, and a fake Ardsmere son was fabricated for her to marry to keep the wealth, lands, and privileges of the title away from a heartless cousin. The ruse has served quite well, but now some quarrelsome duke threatens everything because his lightskirt sister tossed her reputation to the wind and ridiculously named the pretend marquess responsible.

Frannie is not about to lose her lucrative empire or expose herself as a fraud. There’s naught to be done but assume her usual role as the imaginary marquess’s wife and put the deplorable duke in his place. However, when she meets Alec’s sweet, trusting sister, she can’t bring herself to finish the poor girl off or take down her handsome brother. Cursing her soft-heartedness, Frannie agrees to help Alec. Not just because he’s a tempting challenge she can’t resist, but also because his sister is kindness itself.

While tracking down the real foe responsible, Alec and Frannie come together in a complicated dance that not only risks riches and reputations but also their hearts. Frannie’s life of lies has always provided everything she needs—except love. What’s she to do when the man who steals her heart despises anything that isn’t true?

OK, I'll be honest - back cover blurbs that are long enough to be the novel tend to annoy me - but I'm still intrigued. This is the second book in Greyson's Sisterhood of Independent Ladies series and features a hero bent on avenging his sister's honor except for the minor detail that the man who did her dirty doesn't actually exist. He's a fabrication created so the heroine wouldn't lose everything after her father's death. Now the heroine is a quandary, her delicate house of cards about to topple.

Convenient Vows with a Viking by Lucy Morris and Sarah Rodi

Two Viking short stories

Two alliances at the altar!

In Her Bought Viking Husband by Lucy Morris, Orla strikes a deal with enslaved Jarl Hakon to protect her land. She’ll buy his freedom if the handsome warrior marries her! In Chosen as the Warrior's Wife by Sarah Rodi, at the emperor’s bride show, Viking Fiske must choose noblewoman Kassia to save her from an unhappy fate. But his new bride holds a secret that threatens their newfound desire…

What's better than one Viking? Well two Vikings of course! Every Morris book I've read so far I've enjoyed and Rodi is an author I still need to try.  Both of these stories sound great, so in the pile it goes!

The Lady of a Lyon by Linda Rae Sande

She's a former courtesan. He was once her favorite client. Will a conniving earl thwart a matchmaker's efforts to see them reunited?

Newly widowed viscountess and mother to a young boy, Annabelle reluctantly returns to London in the hopes of securing invitations to Society events. Although she’s more than able to run the Burwick viscountcy on behalf of her son, Benton is in need of a titled father to help him along in life. Worried someone will recognize her—she was one of the ladies of The Elegant Courtesan before Burwick made her his viscountess and took her off to his country estate—Annabelle soon realizes she can’t hide her identity when one of her former clients confronts her. Embarrassed and angered by his overtures, Annabelle decides to leave her fate in the hands of matchmaker Bessie Dove-Lyon.

As a lieutenant colonel in the British Army and the second son of an earl, Jeffrey never expected to inherit an earldom and have to marry. Now he's in a quandary. He’s in desperate need of funds, for the Year of No Summer has left the earldom’s coffers empty. When he spies his favorite flame-haired courtesan in a tailor’s shop with a young boy, Jeffrey doesn’t realize she’s become a respectable lady. His comment about her son is mistaken as an insult, and he fears he may have missed his opportunity with the woman he still finds irresistible.

Learning he can win a wealthy woman in a game of chance at The Lyon’s Den, Jeffrey agrees to the Black Widow of Whitehall’s matchmaking method.

When he discovers Annabelle is the prize, the stakes may be more than he can afford, for if she ends up in the arms of a man he trusts, his heart—and a friendship—will surely be broken.

A former courtesan who married well, now widowed, in need of a new titled husband to aid in her young son's development and a second son who suddenly finds himself inheriting the keys to the kingdom. Oh, and it just so happens that he was once her favorite client.  This is another entry in the larger "Lyon's Den" world and I am nothing but trash for heroines who have "reputations." 

The Hawk Laird by Susan King (Reprint)

When a haunting prophecy leads to revenge - will the truth lead to love?

From the moment Isobel of Aberlady sees the stranger emerge from the shadows to spirit her away from a besieged Scottish castle, she knows it is at the cost of her freedom—and his. Renowned for her visions, the lovely, isolated Isobel has been protected until the Scottish rebel takes her hostage for his own ends. Outlawed and unjustly accused of betraying his leader, falconer Sir James Lindsay needs his good name restored—and Lady Isobel, whose prophecy caused his undoing, is his only weapon.

Intending to exchange the valuable lady for another hostage, James takes Isobel deep into his forest lair. He does not count on finding an abandoned goshawk who needs his help—nor does he expect to fall in love with the beautiful prophetess. Amid treachery and hope, passion and betrayal, their love becomes the one shining light, a source of retribution, renewal, and finally destiny foretold—and forever ....

For us old farts who still read blogs (😂), King is one of the authors part of the long-running Word Wenches blog. This medieval is a reprint of her 1998 book Laird of the Wind that was published by  Penguin's long-running Topaz line. A heroine who has a vision of her own abduction and a falconer (!) hero desperate to clear his name. This sounds like my favorite kind of a medieval - one you can really sink your teeth into, swooning along the way.

Whew! Another robust month.  What Unusual Historicals are landing in your TBR this month?