Rags To Riches Wife by Catherine Tinley

On February 2, 2020 By DebbieIn Historical RomanceLeave a comment

‘A true lady would have found a way to extricate herself gently.
But I am not a lady. I am me. Jane Bailey. Serving maid.’

Blurb:

Lady’s maid…
To wedded Lady?
Lady’s maid Jane Bailey’s life is turned upside down by the arrival of wealthy gentleman Robert Kendal. He’s come to take Jane to visit her long-lost, aristocratic grandfather. Travelling together, they succumb to a mutual attraction. Yet Jane knows a maid should not hope to love a gentleman, even if she’s suddenly wearing silk dresses and dining with the Family. Society decrees they cannot marry, but how long can Jane deny her heart?

Review:

Hi everyone, welcome to the third, and penultimate review of my final four blog tours. This time it’s for the wonderful Rags to Riches Wife by the equally wonderful Catherine Tinley.

Jane Bailey is a lady’s maid, daughter of a marriage between a servant and an aristocrat whose family disowned him. Jane is happy, she knows her place, but then a summons from her estranged grandfather catapults her into the world of the elite she serves.

Robert Kendal is the man chosen to bring Jane to meet her grandfather. He’s not expecting her to be a servant, so it comes as a bit of a shock when he finally meets her.

Jane and Robert are perfect for each other. During the journey, they become friends which helps put Jane at her ease, but a spark of attraction also flares up, which both of them will have to deal with. The internal conflict this chemistry causes in Jane is particularly hard. She knows how some men of the elite classes treat their female servants, the ostracisation of her parents hurt deeper than she knows, but above all, she’s perfectly happy and fulfilled as a lady’s maid. She doesn’t want to ‘move up in the world’.

This is an extremely poignant, and romantic story. Ms Tinley has captured the ‘Upstairs, Downstairs’ society so well. Jane’s insecurities and courage are realistically and empathetically portrayed, while the snobbish attitudes towards servants and those of a lower class are totally believable. It’s full of emotional conflict, external opposition, and forbidden love. Yet it’s slow, and gentle, a true Cinderella romance which tugs at your heartstrings. You’ll need tissues for this one!

Buy:

Author Bio:

Catherine Tinley is an award winning author who writes witty, heartwarming, Regency love stories for Harlequin Mills & Boon. She has loved reading and writing since childhood, and has a particular fondness for love, romance, and happy endings. After a career encompassing speech & language therapy, NHS management, maternity campaigning and being President of a charity, she now works in Sure Start. She lives in Ireland with her husband, children, and dog.

Catherine’s Website Catherine on Twitter Catherine on Facebook

The Princess Plan by Julia London

On January 16, 2020 By DebbieIn Historical RomanceLeave a comment

‘ “If you know who I am, then you surely must know you cannot refuse me.”

‘ “This is a free country Your Highness. And while you may be someone’s

prince somewhere, you are not mine….” ‘

Blurb:

London’s high society loves nothing more than a scandal. And when the personal secretary of the visiting Prince Sebastian of Alucia is found murdered, it’s all anyone can talk about, including Eliza Tricklebank. Her unapologetic gossip gazette has benefited from an anonymous tip off about the crime, forcing Sebastian to ask for her help in his quest to find his friend’s killer.
With a trade deal on the line and mounting pressure to secure a noble bride, there’s nothing more dangerous than a prince socialising with a commoner. Sebastian finds Eliza’s contrary manner as frustrating as it is seductive, but they’ll have to work together if they’re going to catch the culprit. And soon, as temptation becomes harder to ignore, it’s the prince who’ll have to decide what comes first―his country or his heart.

Review:

Hi everyone, I’m delighted to welcome you to my stop on the Princess Plan blog tour. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did……

Eliza Tricklebank, her sister Mrs Hollis Honeycutt, and their friend Lady Caroline Hawke have been invited to the Duke of Marlborough’s masquerade ball. Separated from her companions, Eliza inadvertently meets Prince Sebastian of Alucia in a series of ‘comedy of errors’ moments. While he leaves a lasting impression upon her, (and her foot), he apparently later dismisses her from his mind. The next day, although Eliza’s thoughts keep turning to a pair of moss green eyes, she is under no illusions she’ll ever move in such high circles again. However, reminiscing about the Ball soon gives way to talking about the murder of Prince Sebastian’s personal secretary. And then someone sends an anonymous tip about the murder to Eliza’s blind father, which she gets printed in her sister’s newspaper, ‘Honeycutt’s Gazette of Fashion and Domesticity for Ladies’. It’s a shock when the Prince appears on her doorstep because of it, demanding to see her father….

This moment is pure comedy gold! The scene is one of the best I’ve read in a long while – Sebastian’s bewilderment, his pomposity, and sense of entitlement are extremely well drawn, while Eliza’s anger, and her entirely reasonable and justified behaviour made me cheer. And from this moment on, you know they really are made for each other. She’s intelligent, independent, very opinionated, and a real delight; he’s old fashioned, and privileged, but very endearing, and oh so easy to tease and fall in love with. The way he emerges from the cocoon of privilege, to turn into his true self is sympathetically done; and the ending is realistic, satisfying, and quite simply breathtaking.

It really is an enjoyable read. It’s got romance, intrigue, and a murder. I loved the interplay between friends as well as the main characters, and I especially loved the snippets from ‘Honeycutt’s Gazette of Fashion and Domesticity for Ladies‘ at the start of each chapter. I felt they really added to the flavour and charm of the period. For me though, the best part of the book is the deft and humorous banter between Eliza and Sebastian which elevates them into real people you can genuinely care about.

It’s fun, it’s refreshing, and it’s quirky. True escapism at its best!

One final word: Eliza is very much a modern, contemporary heroine, rather than a woman of the time, and while I enjoyed this, I am aware that others may not.

Buy:

The Lord’s Inconvenient Vow by Lara Temple

On November 1, 2019 By DebbieIn Egypt, Historical RomanceLeave a comment

‘ “Bunny…” she murmured again, pressing kisses to his throat, her laughing breath spreading over his skin like sun-warmed silk. “Warm. Cuddly. Bunny.”
‘How the devil did she make something so humiliating sound so erotic?’

Blurb:

‘I have a favour to ask…
I want you to marry me.’
Part of The Sinful Sinclairs. Samantha Sinclair has always been Lord Edgerton’s complete opposite. But when Edge meets Sam again in Egypt it’s clear the years have changed her as much as him. So when she blurts out an impulsive convenient proposal his protective urge compels him to accept. Is it possible for two such different people to be together and find the happiness they both deserve?

Review:

Hi everyone. I know I’ve been a bit quiet recently, so I am delighted to be back and taking part in another blog tour. Welcome to my stop for The Lord’s Inconvenient Vow.

This is the third, and sadly, final book in the wonderful Sinful Sinclairs series.
Samantha Sinclair and Edward Edgerton, have known each other from childhood, and there are some wonderful early scenes that perfectly capture the bickering, exploring, and laughter between friends of different temperaments.

Therefore, present day Sam is a complete surprise to Edge, (and us), when they meet again eight years later in Egypt. She’s nothing like the girl he remembered: the Sam he knew was fearless, aggravating, and completely unconcerned about propriety, now however, she seems beaten down, withdrawn.
Thankfully, she’s not allowed to stay that way in the story for long, and the old Sam soon reappears.

Edge’s childhood was one of misery, and confusion. He thought his mother didn’t want him, so doesn’t know what love feels like. When he experienced a kiss from the teenage Sam years earlier, he ran from it and her. However, he can’t deny he wants her, and so accepts her proposal of marriage.

Sam believes their childhood trust and friendship is a good foundation for their marriage. However, childhood trust cannot survive secrets, and lies of adulthood, and they realise a new and deeper, more adult trust based on honesty and vulnerability, has to be forged if they are to have a future together.

Oh my word, I loved this. It’s swashbuckling in parts, serious in others; the dialogue sparkles with humour, and emotion; the descriptions of the scenery and settings are so breathtakingly realistic, I was disappointed when we had to leave Egypt to come back to England. And there’s so much sexual chemistry, I’m surprised my book didn’t burst into flames!
I’ve always thought Ms Temple’s heroines comparable to those of Georgette Heyer, and Sam is no exception. Sam’s snappy comebacks, witty exchanges, and opinionated conversations make her a heroine after Ms Heyer’s own heart.

Incidentally, It was lovely to read the different Desert Boy epigraphs at the beginning of each chapter. Both for enjoying in their own right, and also because they subtly suggest a particular theme to follow which will unfold in Sam’s & Edge’s relationship.
I would love Ms Temple to actually write these books hint hint.

Buy:

Author Bio:

Lara Temple writes strong, sexy regency romances for Harlequin Mills & Boon about complex individuals who give no quarter but do so with plenty of passion.
When she was fifteen Lara found a very grubby copy of Georgette Heyer’s Faro’s Daughter in an equally grubby book store. Several blissful hours later she emerged, blinking, into the light of day completely in love with Regency Romance but it took three decades of various fascinating but completely unrelated careers in finance and high tech before she returned to her first love.
Lara lives with her husband and two children who are very good about her taking over the kitchen table for her writing (so she can look out over the garden and dream). She loves to travel (especially to places steeped in history) and read as many books as possible. She recently went looking for that crowded little bookstore but couldn’t quite remember around what corner it was…hopefully it is still there and another girl is in the corner by the window, reading and dreaming…

Lara on Twitter Lara’s Facebook Page Lara’s Website

The Wallflower Wager by Tessa Dare

On August 29, 2019 By DebbieIn Historical Romance, RegencyLeave a comment

‘….Where was I?’

‘At Almack’s for your grand social debut, eating dry biscuits

and hiding a hedgehog in your pocket.’

Blurb:

They call him the Duke of Ruin.
To an undaunted wallflower, he’s just the beast next door.
Wealthy and ruthless, Gabriel Duke clawed his way from the lowliest slums to the pinnacle of high society–and now he wants to get even.
Loyal and passionate, Lady Penelope Campion never met a lost or wounded creature she wouldn’t take into her home and her heart.
When her imposing–and attractive–new neighbor demands she clear out the rescued animals, Penny sets him a challenge. She will part with her precious charges, if he can find them loving homes.
Done, Gabriel says. How hard can it be to find homes for a few kittens?
And a two-legged dog.
And a foul-mouthed parrot.
And a goat, an otter, a hedgehog . . .
Easier said than done, for a cold-blooded bastard who wouldn’t know a loving home from a workhouse. Soon he’s covered in cat hair, knee-deep in adorable, and bewitched by a shyly pretty spinster who defies his every attempt to resist. Now she’s set her mind and heart on saving him.
Not if he ruins her first.

Review:

Hi everyone. I am beyond excited and delighted to welcome you to my stop on the Wallflower Wager blog tour!

The Wallflower Wager is part of the Girl Meets Duke series, and is Penny’s story. Gabriel Duke and Lady Penelope Campion meet when she breaks into an apparently empty house to catch a runaway (flyaway?) parrot. And it just gets better, sexier, and funnier from here.

Penny is an amazing heroine. She’s spent the time since her disastrous debut in rescuing all kinds of animals. However, she’s now forced into finding homes for them when her aunt decides to give her one last chance to re-enter society . If she doesn’t, then she will have to return to the family home to become a spinster aunt. She’s apparently scatty, naïve, ditzy – but hidden underneath is a truly strong character with a caring heart.
Gabriel is…he’s…what can I say about a hero this wonderful? He’s from the slums, self made, and as sexy as hell! Called the Duke of Ruin because he financially ruins members of the aristocracy, he decides to help Penny with her aunt’s wager, because he knows that having a real ‘Lady’ living next door, will add value to his house. He’s apparently got a heart of stone, but it soon becomes clear he’s got integrity, as well as morals.

They both have secrets, both are scarred by their past, and lonely. Yet, they are equals and so perfect for each other.

This review wouldn’t be complete without mentioning Delilah the parrot. I have a sneaky affection for her – she’s such a brilliant creation. The interaction between them had me in stitches.
It is a glorious caper of a book! Tessa Dare has the rare ability to write real romantic comedy. It’s effortless, unforced, and done in such a way that you really will cry with laughter. The interaction between hero and heroine veers between witty dialogue and sexy shenanigans, but always with that underlying spark of real, sensual, attraction. It’s breath-taking!

The Wallflower Wager is the first Tessa Dare I’ve ever read. I loved it! So much so, I went and bought the first two in this series.

*Don’t buy this if you are a traditionalist, and don’t like ‘modernised’ language and characters.

*DO buy this if you love humour, fun, sexy, and parrots brought up in brothels!

Buy:

Author Bio:

Tessa Dare is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of more than twenty historical romances. Her books have received numerous accolades, including Romance Writers of America’s prestigious RITA® award (twice) and multiple RT Book Reviews Reviewer’s Choice Awards. Booklist magazine named her one of the “new stars of historical romance,” and her books have been contracted for translation in a dozen languages.

A librarian by training and a booklover at heart, Tessa makes her home in Southern California, where she lives with her husband, their two children, and a trio of cosmic kitties.

Tessa’s Website Tessa on Twitter Tessa on Facebook Tessa on Instagram

Mrs Sommersby’s Second Chance by Laurie Benson

On August 11, 2019 By DebbieIn Historical Romance, RegencyLeave a comment

‘I don’t want to be beholden to any man again. It’s why I will never marry again and place my future in the hands of a husband.’

‘She was everything he could ever want in a woman and that thought frightened him down to his soul.’

Blurb:

She’s played Cupid for others
Now she’s met her own unlikely match!
Part of The Sommersby Brides. Widowed society matchmaker Mrs Clara Sommersby thinks handsome self-made businessman Mr William Lane is just the man for her neighbour’s overlooked daughter. He’s successful and confident, if somewhat emotionally distant, until suddenly―shockingly―his attention turns to Clara herself! She thought her days of romance were over, but is this dashing younger man intent on giving her a second chance?

Review:

Hi everyone. I’m thrilled to be part of another blog tour. This time, I’m delighted to welcome you to my stop on the Mrs Sommersby’s Second Chance blog tour!

Mrs Sommersby’s Second Chance is the fourth book in the Sommersby Brides series, but although some linked characters appear in this book, don’t worry, you won’t be left scratching your head saying ‘huh?’. It is very much a stand-alone if you haven’t read any of the others, (and why haven’t you?)

So, on to the book proper. Set in Bath, it’s the story of Clara Sommersby, widowed aunt of the Sommersby girls of books 1-3. Now she’s on her own, it might be assumed that Clara will be bored and lonely, but she has a secret which is unknown to even her closest friends. A secret which could ruin her and her nieces if it got out. She owns a hotel which in those days was scandalous. She meets William Lane over a glass of spa water, and there’s an instant, and mutual, attraction between them. However, William is in Bath on business, and is determined to buy Clara’s hotel from the assumed owner.

Clara is a total joy as a heroine. She’s fun, shrewd, but real. She still carries some baggage from the past, which is why she’s determined never to hand over herself, or her business to another man, ever again. She’s also realistic about her ‘charms’, and her age.

William is a self made man. He’s serious, hard working, and intelligent. However, his heritage/upbringing, (he’s a foundling), has caused him to protect himself by developing a very hard shell indeed. He has a huge chip on his shoulder which Clara delights in trying to knock off every chance she gets. It’s wonderful to watch.

Laurie Benson has the gift of writing unconventional characters in a way takes our preconceived ideas, turns them upside down and inside out, and hands them back to us completely transformed. And we are the richer, more fulfilled, for it. She makes us care! She accurately reflects the fears, insecurities, and very real choices that are peculiarly associated with second marriages – particularly those embarked on in later life. Her love for the period shines through every word, as she brings the regency to life with a humour, and vividness that’s breath-taking.

Finally, this is a very different kind of Romance in that the heroine is older than the hero, (Clara is 45, and William is 37). Don’t let it put you off. It is a wonderfully gentle, and tender read, yet still has all the emotion you’d expect.

Buy:

Author Bio:

Laurie Benson is an award-winning author who writes flirty and frisky Regency romances. She began her writing career as an advertising copywriter, where she learned more than you could ever want to know about hot dogs and credit score reports. Now, she is happy to put that behind her and spend her time writing stories that take her and her readers on a romantic adventure. When she isn’t at her laptop avoiding laundry, Laurie can be found browsing antique shops, going on ridiculously long hikes, or sitting in her car on the school pickup line. She lives with her husband and two sons in a house filled with testosterone—even her bunny is a boy.

Laurie’s Website Laurie on Facebook Laurie on Twitter Laurie on Pinterest

Reclaimed by Her Rebel Knight by Jenni Fletcher

On August 1, 2019August 10, 2019 By DebbieIn Historical Romance, Medieval, PlantagenetLeave a comment

‘No! You said honesty was important to you, too. You said that you didn’t have any more secrets!’

Blurb:

Married to a perfect stranger
Reunited with her warrior husband
When Constance inherited her father’s lands she had no choice but to marry cold-hearted Matthew Wintour. He left her for the battlefield without even a wedding night. Five years later Matthew has returned―a valiant knight! But Constance is no longer a frightened girl. And this time she must reach out to discover the honourable man behind the armour and what pleasures await them in the marriage bed…

Review:

Hi everyone. I’m delighted to welcome you to my stop on the Reclaimed by Her Rebel Knight blog tour! I’m really thrilled to be part of this.

I really loved this book! Both for the storyline, and the time in which it is set. Reclaimed by Her Rebel Knight is set in the reign of King John, amid the backdrop of the barons revolt and the Magna Carta.

The hero, and heroine were married five years earlier, only they have never exchanged so much as a single word. Ever! Matthew left England as soon as the wedding was over, while Constance was sent to live with her uncle. The story begins as Constance’s life is once again disrupted, because Matthew has returned for her. However, the tables are soon turned, when Constance begins to disrupt the barriers he has carefully constructed around his heart.

Constance is a wonderful heroine. She’s hurt and bewildered by what she sees as Matthew’s rejection and abandonment of her five years ago. Orphaned, torn from the home she loves, married to a man who she thinks only wanted her inheritance, it’s not surprising she’s angry. Nevertheless, her integrity and sense of honour, together with her underlying strength, resilience, and courage enable her to treat Matthew better than she feels he deserves.

I fell in love with Matthew right from the start. His surprising offer at the beginning proves he is trustworthy, and causes him to stand far above the other men. He is honourable, loyal, and determined to do the right thing, regardless of what it could cost him. He does make many mistakes with Constance because of the secrets he’s keeping, but in spite of all this, his own sense of honour, integrity, courage, and strength are always apparent.

This is such a powerful story. We get a wonderful sense of that tentative, sometimes fearful, and intricate dance of two people who are learning to know, and trust one another, as they journey together towards healing, and wholeness.

Jenni Fletcher is one of the best Medieval romance authors I have ever read. She knows her history, her research is extensive and thorough, yet it isn’t intrusive. She creates a vivid and authentic sense of the time, by seamlessly weaving her knowledge into the book in a way that’s reminiscent of Nora Roberts. Ms Fletcher’s characters fairly leap off the page, and draw you into their lives – you really do care what happens to them. Her ability to write very evocative, vivid, and moving stories, her understanding of emotion, and what it means to be human, her ability to write flawed characters with skillful compassion, all combine to make Ms Fletcher one of Mills & Boon’s best. A definite auto-buy author.

Buy:

Author Bio:

Jenni Fletcher was born on the north coast of Scotland and now lives in Yorkshire where she writes historical romance novels set in several different eras. She studied English at Cambridge University before doing a PhD on Edwardian literature & psychology at Hull. She has been nominated for 3 RoNA awards and has a day-job teaching creative writing. In her spare time she loves baking, eating the results of baking and, obviously, reading.

Jenni’s Website Jenni on Twitter Jennie on Facebook

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Touch of Innocence

Tag: England

Rags To Riches Wife by Catherine Tinley

The Princess Plan by Julia London

The Lord’s Inconvenient Vow by Lara Temple

The Wallflower Wager by Tessa Dare

Mrs Sommersby’s Second Chance by Laurie Benson

Reclaimed by Her Rebel Knight by Jenni Fletcher