Bad Luck Vampire by Lynsay Sands book review

Ok. I’ll admit it. I am totally hooked on this series and I hope it never ends. I love the Argeneau/Notte families. I am always excited when Lynsay Sands books are on NetGalley and I get to read them 🙂 In fact, this book inspired me to go back and read a few other stories that I had forgotten the details to. One of the best aspects of this series is that we continually get introduced to new characters and we get to see how past characters are doing. This is one of my favorite worlds that has been created in paranormal romance. This book revolves around Sophie and Alasdair. Sophie is a mortal that Tybo and Valerian help while they are on a stakeout. Tybo thinks she is cute, so he asks her to be a wedding date. Unfortunately for Tybo, it turns out she is Alasdair's life mate. Alasdair recently came from Scotland. He has a twin brother. Because of the wedding, Alasdair’s uncles come into town. His four uncles add a lot of humor to the story. Alasdair’s entire extended family is plotting to help him get the girl. It’s definitely one of the highlights of this book, in addition to all the Scottish accents and kilts. 

There seems to be a run of bad luck in Alasdair’s life as he starts getting to know Sophie. First, he eats some bad shrimp and gets food poisoning and then shortly after that, someone tries to run him down with their car. His family starts to get suspicious that something other than bad luck is going on. I really do love all the twists and turns that happen during the “immortal”/ “life mate” discussions that happen in these stories. Sophie is funny, bold, smart and kind of feisty in the bedroom - which leads to some laugh out loud moments. 

There are definitely a lot of spicy scenes. Life mate sex is one of the best inventions of this series. There is some tragedy, humor, mystery and thrills. Nothing better than a big family to help unravel it all. This book will be published on September 26, 2023. If you have been reading them in order, you have something to look forward to. If you haven’t read any books in this series, now is the time to get caught up! I can’t recommend it enough. Thank you NetGalley and Avon Books For sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

A Lady's Guide to Scandal by Sophie Irwin book review

Ready for a regency love triangle? If so, this might be the book for you. Eliza Balfour is recently widowed and is getting ready to explore life without her controlling husband. She married her husband because of a duty to her family. It was not a love match. She was molded into what society expected a woman like her to be. She is now wealthy and ready to get on with her life. She asks for friend and cousin, Margaret, to go with her to Bath, where they rent some rooms. Eliza is a talented artist, but has not really been allowed to pursue a career as an artist. Eliza has a second chance to reunite with her first love (who is also related to the now deceased Lord Somerset). However, Eliza meets Lord Melville and is both frustrated, intrigued and attracted to him. Scandal follows him around, but with Eliza’s daring new life, she gets to know him better. There is some jealousy that definitely emerges and unpredictable twists and turns that involve a bit of mystery and scandal with the stipulations of Eliza’s inheritance. This is a slow burn romance that will hook you in and a perfect summer read.

Bookshop Cinderella by Laura Lee Guhrke book review

Oh man, the book cover on this book is amazing. It’s got the historical romance model standing in front of her bookshop. Love! I’ll admit, it sucked me in. 

Maximillian Shaw, the Duke of Westborune, has been in a disastrous marriage once and vowed to do things completely differently the second time around. He needs an heir and came to London to look for a bride. He starts being very particular to marry in the appropriate class for himself, that can handle British society. Evie Harlow is a bookshop owner. Proud of making a living for herself, during a time when that was not always the case for women, she still struggles a bit. Her shop needs work and she does not even consider any luxuries for herself. She is the opposite of what Max is looking for. 

As is alluded to in the title, Max tries to rescue Evie from a bad situation by helping her become the diamond of the season. She thinks it’s ridiculous, but also, it’s a nice change of pace from her life. Max is a bit like the fairy godmother in this situation. Things quickly take a turn. Max and Evie start to have feelings for each other. They definitely have the chemistry that starts to burn hotter the more they get to know each other. It is a slow burn romance, so the focus is on relationship building. Both of the characters grow throughout the story. They complement each other. This is just a really sweet romance that was fun to read. I highly recommend it.

The Heiress Bride by Madeline Hunter book review

The Heiress Bride wraps up this historical regency romance, thriller and mystery trilogy. I have been waiting for this book! Nicholas Radnor unexpectedly becomes Duke of Holinburgh after he inherited the title from his uncle. Most of the wealth was left to three mysterious women that Nicholas and his family have been trying to track down. The last of the inheritors, Iris Barrington, show up at his door. She is a rare book seller and has great success outside of England (because she is a woman), although she does do some business in England. She did not know she was named in the will and had just shown up because the previous duke might have had some information about a rare book. 

The chemistry between Nicholas and Iris sizzling, but he needs to know what role she might have played in the family mystery. Iris is an independent woman and spends most of her time in Italy. She travels, reads, has no strings attached lovers and is quite the opposite of what a ducal wife should be. Nicholas is immediately protective of Iris and her safety in that sexy, swoony way that romance readers will love. Trust is built first, before any sexy time ;) *swoon*. I really love that this historical romance was also all about books. A rare book is at the heart of this mystery. As Nicholas and Iris work together to piece together the mystery that brought them together, the pieces start to fall into place and readers will enjoy the twists and turns that the author wrote into this book. I highly recommend reading the books in order. It’s a perfect summer read and if you are a fan of historical romance, you will love this book!

The Heiress at Sea by Christi Caldwell book review

Lady Cassia McQuoid is about to be a spinster. She has suffered through three seasons and no one has noticed her. She decides it’s time to set off for some adventure that she has always dreamed about, but never been allowed to explore. Her brother's friend has a ship and she thinks it would be a good idea to stow away on it. Unfortunately, it’s the wrong ship and the wrong captain. Captain Nathaniel is about to be Duke of Roxburghe, but he is going to go on one more secret mission against the French before taking over ducal duties. Because this is a last minute mission, Nathaniel has to hire some temporary crew that he doesn’t know as well as his usual crew. Cassia has disguised herself as a boy and Nathaniel quickly recognizes this deception. He tries to keep her safe, but he also has to keep up the show because of various sailing superstitions. 

Cassia was extremely naïve about life on a ship and outside of the ton. The author makes that painfully clear in how many mistakes she makes and how she talks to the captain and crew. She gets a bit more serious once her life is threatened and realizes that it’s not a game and that it is, in fact, a dangerous mission. As you can imagine, feelings start to develop between Nathanial and Cassia. They start to realize that a life together might not be so bad. The chemistry between the two really starts to heat up. Overall, this is a great summer read, especially if you have a lake or ocean nearby to read at. This story is fun. It has some action, suspense, mystery and romance. If you are looking for a high seas adventure, this is a great choice.  I'm also loving the cover.  It's a great color palette and it reminds me of vintage romance covers.

Her Lessons in Persuasion: A School for Scoundrels Novel by Megan Frampton book review

This book is a great start to a new series! A school for scoundrels? Yes, please! Wilhelmina is 24 and she is determined not to marry. She does not want to participate in the marriage mart, but rather focus on her career as an astronomer. While she is hanging off a bridge, looking at the stars, she meets Bram. Bram tries to rescue her because he sees a damsel in distress hanging off the bridge. He “rescues” her and insists on escorting her home. She boldly kisses him thinking that they will never see each other again. Unfortunately, fate has other plans for them. 

Wilhelmina’s father and step-mother start to meddle in her love life and set up a fake dating scenario with Bram so that other men will take notice and also want to court her. That does not go as planned and feelings start to develop between them. They really did have a lot in common, they liked spending time with each other. They still both had healthy relationships with friends outside of their circle. They both are supportive of each other’s careers. Bram is a barrister that wants to be a judge and Wilhelmina is an astronomer who wants to be recognized for her contributions to the field. 

As a librarian, I LOVE that the men had a book club. What a delightful detail in the story. This book has a lot of focus on friendship. I love that the couple really gets to know each other. It is a slow burn romance with a couple that really complements each other. I love the title and I love the cover. That alone should suck you in. It was a fun read and I am looking forward to the rest of the series.