reading_historical_romance's reviews
446 reviews

 

I don't even know how many annotations I've made. I loved this novel so much! Where do I start?

❤️ARTHUR. This perfect, bearded, insecure bear of a reluctant Scottish Earl who looks fearsome, and is absolutely kind, gentle, sensitive, and earnest to his core. This man loves so deeply that he carved himself straight into my heart within the first few minutes of meeting him. There is nothing more swoonworthy to me in romance than a man who truly deserves to be loved to the depths of his partner's soul for being himself. Arthur must be saved at all costs. I would rescue this book from a fire for him. Every time he says "Dinna fash" I get lightheaded.

📚LYDIA. She's a feminist, an anonymous writer of political pamphlets, and she suffers from social anxiety. My Queen! By deciding to take charge of her own life, she is the seemingly insignificant pebble that drops into the pond, so the ripples of her bravery continue to get wider and impact more and more people. I love her independent spirit, her insecurities, her desire for love and acceptance. I love how much she loves Arthur. I love her relationships with her brothers and her friends Selina and Georgina. I love her intelligence and refusal to accept societal expectations for women.

🐎 The madcap caper of a premise, and subsequent mystery adventures that have all of the characters dashing all over Scotland and London, alone and in various groups, trying to discover and/or subvert unknown plans by unknown individuals who stole Arthur's new invention to permit more accurate long-range shooting. This book reminded me of classic Georgette Heyer novels given its comedic elements, and the good but misguided intentions of the characters that threaten the whole enterprise, but somehow, despite themselves, come together in triumph at the end.

🦓 Any historical romance novel featuring a gay animal rights activist who has rescued a herd of zebras from menageries throughout the British Isles automatically wins my forever devotion. Chef's kiss

🐶 Same goes for Sir Francis Bacon. Every time someone referred to Bacon I laughed.

🌈Bertie and Huw were true highlights of this novel for me. I loved that their partnership was seamlessly integrated into the landscape of the story and the lives of the other characters, rather than existing like an island that needs some kind of explanation for being there. They're woven into the fabric of the world, and no one would ever consider them to be otherwise.

😍 Lydia's brothers and mother are hysterically funny and I loved all of them. Ned most especially, and I need to read a story about him and Jasper!

🌷The 15/10 Epilogue. It brought me to the best of tears. It was perfect. I wouldn't change a single word.

This is without a doubt Alex Vasti's best work yet. The prose is sublime, the humor and dialogue are sparkling and real. The pacing is spot on. The characterizations are inspired. I will be recommending this bright, engaging, and truly entertaining historical romance to all of my followers and friends.

Thank you NetGalley and St Martin's Press for the opportunity to read and review this novel prior to publication. All opinions are my own. 

I am sad to report that I've DNF'd this title at 48%.  I really wanted to love it! 

I found Juliana to just be too frustrating, and Ben isn't much better.   I understand that Juliana has a lot of mixed feelings about herself, her future, and her grief, which leads her to be entirely conflicted over what type of relationship she wants or feels she should have with Ben.  Giving in her to attraction once and running away from those feelings he stirred is one thing.  When it happened again, I questioned whether I could consider her character as a supposedly mature, adult woman.  When the same thing happened for the third time and we weren't even halfway through the book, I was done.  

By 48%, I also realized that I still have no idea why Ben is somebody I should be rooting for.  We get it that he's H-O-T-T-O-G-O.  And... he's a good friend to Juliana's bestie?  And... he's a single dad?   That's all we've got?   Because he doesn't seem to have any self-respect and is content to let Juliana jerk his chain?

Ultimately my decision was made when there were no interesting plot developments, and Juliana and Ben's relationship, had still gone nowhere.  It was just a series of one step forward, one step back.   There weren't any emotional stakes for me as a reader.

I also think that Juliana and Ben were rude to each other for years for no acceptable reason when considering they are two professionals in the work place -- and she's in HR.  The underlying premise of this novel is too unrealistic in this year of our lord 2025.   Speaking of which, it's time for my annual required employee sexual harassment training.

The deliberate intention of this book! My experience reading it was like watching a distant tempest build over the ocean, and the pinpricks of sunset piercing through the clouds. And while it will satisfy every reader looking for a compelling romantic suspense, this novel is also an unexpectedly provocative and insightful discussion of the mental health crisis devastating our inner cities.

I am a licensed clinical social worker with years of experience working in community mental health in Los Angeles, and so many of the characters and plotlines in this novel are absolutely accurate to what clinicians and other service providers encounter on a daily basis. It's hard to believe that the author hasn't worked on the front lines herself given the portrayal of each character and the accurate descriptions of the physical, emotional, and psychological challenges they face throughout the narrative. One of my favorite aspects of the book is the podcast interviews conducted with people who have lived on San Francisco's streets, and how they have survived.

Reading this was such a personal experience, at times it was like Mia had written a biography. The whole novel felt like a love letter to the patients, and to all of the unsung providers who work tirelessly in community mental health and addiction services. This novel brings us and our everyday challenges into the light, in such a direct but reverent way. It is respectful to patients because it never minimizes their experiences or blames them for their impossible choices. I also loved that there were no apologies made for the broken system that not only perpetuates the public stigma of mental illness, but its abject failure to bring about any measurable change in treatment outcomes.

Because I believe that books and reading are inherently political, I am now including a list of political issues in each review that I write:

💙🌎💙 addiction and recovery, bodily autonomy, community activism, community mental health, feminism, homelessness, patient advocacy, policing, poverty, trauma, US health care system

Other special highlights:

🔎Twisty mystery
🍉 Wooing via fruit salad
🌉 Lennon's name
🔎 Jamal, Myrna, and Darius, for being helpers
🍉 Healing against all odds
🌉 Ambrose Mars who must be protected at all costs
🌙 The EPILOGUE 

Cheers to another 5-star entry to The Winemakers historical romance series set in Victorian-era Portugal! This holiday novella gifts a HEA to Beth Croft, a stalwart sacrificial lamb to her father's cruel ambition, who we initially met in the series' first novel. Beth has accepted her inevitable spinsterhood after her arranged engagement with Griffin Maxwell ends. Until she learns that her dying father intends for her to marry Boyd Sandeman, a wealthy, self-made vintner from the Scottish Highlands. What Beth doesn't know is that Boyd intends to publicly reject her as an act of revenge against the man who humiliated him when he first arrived in Portugal as a penniless young man.

Of course, all of Boyd's plans immediately go sideways after spending an afternoon with Beth in his vineyard.

This is a standalone novella, but readers of the series will enjoy getting to spend time with Griffin and Julia, and Pedro and Anne, and their children, who also attend Boyd's Duoro Valley vineyard Christmas celebration. I loved the band of brothers vibe between Boyd, Griffin, and Pedro; and Beth, Julia and Anne instantly become besties too.

One of my favorite aspects of the story is Beth's decision to take charge of her own destiny. It is through her interactions with Boyd that she begins to see herself as she truly is -- an independent woman with strength and determination, and the fearlessness to defy expectations. I love that Boyd is the first person who inspires her to go after what she wants in life, and to refuse to settle for whatever leftovers are cast off and can be scraped together.

Giovanna Siniscalchi is one of the best and brightest new talents in HR, and I would recommend her books to every reader looking for a beautifully written love story with emotional depth, and a rich, exotic, immersive setting. 

A sweet, charming, pocket-size Regency romance that reminded me so much of Georgette Heyer's style and sensibilities!   This is my first read by this author, so I didn't have any expectations going in, and I really was delighted by this quick read.  It is quite short, I would even say it's skirting novella-length, so it's a perfect choice for a relaxed Saturday afternoon with a warm cup of tea.

I love a good hidden/secret identity trope in historical romance, but it's rarely done well without gigantic plot holes.  I think the author pulled this off very well.  It's an unbelievably believable take on the identical twin swap idea, and it works!  I loved Issie and Bella, with Bella being the better developed and well-rounded character.  I loved Dr. Jordan.  I also loved Lord Brooke, and the fact that the reader is not given his Christian name is truly such a clever play to the main plotline. 

The only criticism I really have is that there were too many characters given the brevity of the narrative, and I think that I would have enjoyed a more in-depth character exploration of Issie and her backstory, in exchange for the time spent on Miss Adams, Sir Roger, Lady Dutton, and Bella's two suitors in her grandfather's village.   Mr. Peckham was fabulous, as was Lord Dutton,  I also loved Lady de Ros and Grandpa Perry.   The latter four characters really channeled those classic Heyer comedic vibes.

My hot take on this novel is that it really should be marketed as YA!  The plot and coming-of-age love stories are surface-level, and I would be more likely to recommend it to my YA readers who aren't ready for the mature sexual content of Bridgerton, but are looking for modern Jane Austen-esque novels.  

Thank you Berkley and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this novel.  All opinions are my own.

This angsty romantic suspense, featuring an emotionally battered single dad, is set in Regency London in 1813. It is a mature, complicated romance between a former ton debutante, Georgina Whitmore, and the second son of a genteel landowner, Simon Fancourt, who returns home as a grieving widower at rock bottom. I think the book is beautifully written, and gently explores a number of weighty themes. I appreciated that the darker, heavier content surrounding sacrifice, revenge, and grief, is well balanced with a brisk pace and a cast of interesting characters that flow between intersecting storylines.

Fun fact, I do not read fiction marketed specifically as Christian, EXCEPT for Hannah Linder! Her writing never feels preachy, or saccharine. Her characters read like real people, as they all exhibit strengths and weaknesses. Her novels are never a simple hero vs villain, judging the good guys versus bad guys. Her characters have complex motivations, and the choices they face are never as easy as "well the Bible says I should..."

This novel reminded me of the parable of the prodigal son, mixed with aspects of Pride & Prejudice. I enjoyed it very much.

Also, can we talk about our anti-hero Alexander Oswald for a minute? Or ten? He is so deliciously intriguing and I want to see him find his HEA!

My sincere appreciation to the author and to Barbour Publishing for the opportunity to read and review this novel. All opinions are my own. 

 I randomly discovered this book because Bookaholic Book Box is doing a SE and I had never heard of this author. The premise sounded intriguing, so I gave it a try and absolutely LOVED it! This is not a particularly involved or deep plot, but the psychology and respectful treatment of victims of s*x trafficking was so, so well done that I just fell in love with it. Daniel is a dream of a MMC, and he made me melt with his earnest, tender, gentleness with Hanna.

Random notes to help me remember:

❤️Daniel Daniel Daniel. I want him.

❤️Age gap that is NOT gross, it does not feel predatory at all in any way (26 to 40)

❤️Found family/bromance dynamic is really, really good. I love these guys!

 ❤️ Friends with benefits that really works

🤨The Voyeur live p*** club is certainly a choice as a foundation for an intense and emotional romance ARC about s*x trafficking. While certainly adding another layer of eroticism to the story, it took away from the intimacy between the MCs for me, because it wasn't needed. It was like that way-too-sweet dollop of dense milk chocolate ganache on top of the piece of delicate, soft chocolate mousse cheesecake. 

 As if I needed any more proof that Tarah DeWitt is really just out there writing the best contemporary romances one after another and another. We should be seeing her books on billboards. Her last book, Savor It, has been ranked in my Top 5 of 2024 and now it has a new bestie on that list.

Because writing and reading is ALWAYS political, I’m now going to be adding political themes and issues as part of each of my reviews, and I’m honored to start with The Co-Op!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️🌶️ (made me blush at one point 🥵 which is rare for me!)
💙🌎💙 Angry woman/female rage
💙🌎💙 Defying patriarchy
💙🌎💙 Lesbian joy and legacy
💙🌎💙 Anti-capitalism
💙🌎💙 Older adult visibility and caretaking

🛏️ Second chance + marriage of convenience

🚪 Forced proximity and while there is more than one bed, there are no doors 😂

🔥 Deacon is a 6’4” beach volleyball player and the most earnest and hottest of home reno Jonathan Scotts you can imagine. He loves dogs and they love him.

🖤 LaRynn is the fiercest, loyal protector of her humans and a 5’11” bad ass bitch

🌊 Santa Cruz, CA setting is its own character in the novel

🍆 Sex positive. The sex in all of Tarah’s novels is fun, affectionate, passionate, tender, and intimate, and it is no different in this one. It always belongs, flows organically into the narrative, and is true to the characters.

🌊 Grief and forgiveness

🌲Motion sickness is so real, folks. 💀

📚 THE EPILOGUE omg omg omg

Thank you SMP, NetGalley, and the author for the opportunity to read and review an eARC. But I absolutely bought a physical copy for my shelves of fame! 

SIX STARS! I don't even think it's possible at this point for Julie Anne Long to write anything other than a stellar swooner that'll have me all in the feels for days.

The Beast Takes a Bride, the latest entry in the author's Palace of Rogues series, is a delight from beginning to end. The tale of an arranged marriage between a legendary British soldier, and a sheltered society debutante offered up to the highest bidder to save her family from financial ruin, is plotted to perfection. Despite some emotionally weighty material, the novel never feels heavy because of its brisk pacing and bright, soaring prose.

The novel is a celebration of all of the seasons that make a love story, told through the eyes of the two main characters, as well as the supporting cast of permanent residents of The Grand Palace on the Thames -- the boarding house of elegant proportions located right in the middle of the rough and ready London docks. The reader experiences that first thrill of infatuation, bitter disappointments, flirtatious meet-cutes, madly hot for one another physical encounters, and the intense vulnerabilities of deepening intimacy.  We enjoy the honeymoon phase, the settling-in to real-life phase, and the being comfortable and secure in enduring love phase. But there are also the moments of paralyzing insecurity, fears of an unknown future, errors in judgment, hypocritical actions, harsh words thoughtlessly spoken, and devastating misunderstandings. There is the ultimate finality of the decision to stay or to let go.

There are so many precious things to love in this novel, that no review I could possibly write would do this thoughtful and fun read the justice that it really deserves. Julie Anne Long's ability to communicate the emotions of every high and every low, through profoundly beautiful prose and laugh-out-loud humor, is unmatched. There is an understated level of highly emotional intelligence woven through this book that truly deserves all of the critical recognition it has already and will undoubtedly continue to receive.

Thank you Avon and Harper Voyager, NetGalley, and Julie Anne Long for the opportunity to read and review this novel before its release. It was my honor and pleasure! 

Jane Austen's irrepressible Emma envisioned as a sleuth, eager to suss out the truth after a murder is discovered in Highbury? Sign me up because I am here for it!

I really enjoyed this fun cozy mystery that imagines Emma's life as newlywed Mrs. Knightley who, along with her loyal but dim friend, Harriet Smith, stumbles upon the dead body of her former nemesis and vicar's wife, Mrs. Elton. I appreciate that the author never tries to pretend to be writing anything other than what this is: a light, easy read that is really just trad-published fan fiction of the classic novel. For Austen and Emma fans, this is a lovely idea for a historical mystery. All of the beloved characters in the original novel make multiple appearances here, predictably doing as much helping as hindering the local magistrate, Mr. Knightley (of course), to solve the crime.

I thought the book was paced well and the mystery was plotted effectively, with the last half of the book being faster and more enjoyable as Emma and Knightley really hit their stride and got down to the business of uncovering the big clues. While the characterizations aren't exactly the way I have them all in my mind (my Emma would never call her Mr. Knightley "George" for example), there is enough of an effort to carry over the personalities from the source material that it worked ok anyway.

My hot take on this one is that the book would have been much better overall if Mrs. Elton wasn't the murder victim. Because Mrs. Elton is the primary source of conflict for most of the characters during a majority of the original novel, I found myself wishing that she was here in this one to stir everybody up and throw obstacles into the plotline. Emma should have had a good foil in this book, and Mrs. Elton would have been such great competion for Emma in the race to expose the real villain. I would have chosen a recognizable, but irrelevant character from Austen's work, like Mrs. Cox, Mrs. Elton's sister or brother-in-law, to be the victim, or an original character like a domestic servant or some distant cousin visiting family in Highbury.

Be that as it may, I would absolutely read another mystery featuring this detective Emma and her handsome Knightley -- perhaps starring Mr. Woodhouse as an unlikely hero.

Thank you Kensington Publishing, NetGalley, and Austenprose for the opportunity to read and review this novel. All opinions are my own.