Half a Soul by Olivia Atwater

It's got the fairy tale vibes + a little bit of Pride and Prejudice Mr. Darcy
Elias, the classic I'll be mean and grumpy so no one notices how much I care. Love it.
Commentary on the work houses and how people only see suffering if it's right in front of them and avoid talking about it because it's not polite conversation. Let's go.
Does Albert seem mildly queer-coded, or is that just me....
304 Pages

The Lord Sorcier (novella prequel)
We get to see how Elias and Albert met.... fsjkd
36 Pages

Bridgerton books by Julia Quinn

 

Colin Bridgerton is tired of being thought nothing but an empty-headed charmer, tired of everyone's preoccupation with the notorious gossip columnist Lady Whistledown, who can't seem to publish an edition without mentioning him in the first paragraph. But when Colin returns to London from a trip abroad he discovers nothing in his life is quite the same - especially Penelope Featherington! The girl haunting his dreams. But when he discovers that Penelope has secrets of her own, this elusive bachelor must decide...is she his biggest threat - or his promise of a happy ending?

Pages: 370

Eloise Bridgerton couldn't marry a man she had never met! But then she started thinking... and wondering... and before she knew it, she was in a hired carriage in the middle of the night, on her way to meet the man she hoped might be her perfect match. Except... he wasn't. Her perfect husband wouldn't be so moody and ill-mannered. And he certainly should have mentioned that he had two young - and decidedly unruly - children, as much in need of a mother as Phillip is in need of a wife.

Pages: 372

After a lifetime of chasing women, of smiling slyly as they chased him, of allowing himself to be caught but never permitting his heart to become engaged, he took one look at Francesca Bridgerton and fell so fast and hard into love it was a wonder he managed to remain standing. Unfortunately for Michael, however, Francesca's surname was to remain Bridgerton for only a mere thirty-six hours longer—the occasion of their meeting was, lamentably, a supper celebrating her imminent wedding to his cousin.

But that was then... Now Michael is the earl and Francesca is free, but still she thinks of him as nothing other than her dear friend and confidant. Michael dares not speak to her of his love... until one dangerous night, when she steps innocently into his arms, and passion proves stronger than even the most wicked of secrets...

Pages: 368

"Pride and Prejudice" by Jane Austen

I first read this classic many years ago as an undergraduate and really enjoyed it, so I thought I'd pull it out and reread it now that I'm more "mature" and have read many historical romances of that period written by modern writers.  However, I really can't compare them since the language and phrasing was so different when Austen wrote it in 1813.  I kept picturing Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy and Jennifer Ehle as Elizabeth Bennet from the 1995 BBC miniseries which was made after I read the book the first time.  I was surprised to read that Darcy was bewitched by Elizabeth so early in the novel; I certainly don't remember that.  It seems quite wordy but is still compelling in how it conveys the idea that sometimes our first impressions of others are all wrong.  292 pages.

"The Proposal" by Mary Balogh

After being yelled at by the friend she's staying with, Gwendoline, Lady Muir, takes a long walk to clear her head.  She slips on her way up a hill and badly twists her ankle; she's not sure how she's going to make it back to town a mile away.  Major Hugo Emes, Lord Trentham, is staying with other former soldiers from the Napoleonic wars in the nearby estate when he sees Lady Muir fall.  Although he's now a lord, he's a middle class man who earned the title through heroic military actions, not family.  He takes her back to the estate where she must recuperate for a week.  Even though he has close friends from the aristocracy, he doesn't like most titled people and thinks they look down on him.  He tries hard not to like Lady Muir, a vibrant widow, but he's so drawn to her that he can't stay away.  Gwendoline also finds him attractive after getting used to his scowling and blunt manner.

Eventually, she goes back to London where she lives, and although he lives in the country, he goes to London for business reasons and to visit his half-sister and step-mother.  Constance is her sickly mother's caretaker, but Hugo knows she needs to be out in the world where she can meet other young adults and make a good match.  She begs him to let her attend one society ball, but he has no idea how to get an invitation let alone what she will need to wear and not look silly.  He finds Lady Muir and asks her to sponsor Constance for one ball, and she agrees. Will their mutual attraction be able to overcome their very different backgrounds and personalities to let them find happiness together?

Balogh is a wonderful storyteller, and this book reminds me of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice.  There is not much overt action in her books but more internal and external dialog about feelings, past events, and relationships.  Hugo and Gwendoline are total opposites.  Although a war hero, he's an introvert with social anxiety who would rather spend time in the country with his farm animals and gardens than with people.  She's an extrovert who loves the social parts of life and genuinely enjoys being around people.  But as they get to know each other, they find that they might just be what the other one needs.  This is another winner from Balogh and the first in her new Survivor's Club series.  320 pages.

"The Handmaiden's Necklace" by Kat Martin

I did it again - read a book in a series out of order.  Oh well.  Rafael, the Duke of Sheffield, and Danielle Duval were madly in love and engaged to be married five years ago until he found one of his friends naked in her bed.  Danielle protested that the man had just barged in and had no idea why, but Rafael would not believe her and broke off their engagement.  Shunned and humiliated, she moved to the country with her aunt but has made one last surprise appearance at a society event before her move to America to marry a Pennsylvania widow with two young children.  Rafael confronts her but she continues to proclaim her innocence and even blames him for not believing her.  This encounter makes Rafael realize that he still has feelings for her and sets out to find the truth.  But Danielle has already left on the two month voyage to America; if he's been wrong all these years, will he go after her?

This is the first book I've read by Martin, and I have mixed feelings about it.  While she tells an intriguing story, Rafael was not a likable hero.  He's heavy-handed with Danielle and doesn't take her wishes into consideration because he thinks he knows best.  There are many deceptions in this book with multiple side stories and a large list of characters.  The couples featured in the two previous books in the series make appearances and sound more likable.  Still, it was an interesting read.  407 pages.

"A Bride Unveiled" by Jillian Hunter

Kit and Violet meet when they are young teens.  She's a sheltered, lonely miss living in a very small English town with her overprotective aunt and uncle.  He's an orphan at the local workhouse who escapes while he should be working to play in the old cemetery near Violet's house.  She sees him from her window and is fascinated.  Eventually, she and two local boys meet Kit at the cemetery where they have great adventures pretending to sword fight while looking for hidden treasure.  But right before Kit's 15th birthday, he's sold into servitude and leaves the area.  Violet is brokenhearted.

Ten years later, Violet and her now widowed aunt are in London where she's just become engaged to a boring but stable merchant.  They attend a party where there's a demonstration by the local fencing school, and the maitre d'armes is none other than Kit!  Once he and Violet discover each other, it's all they can do to keep their mutual feelings in check.

This was a light and breezy historical romance, the first that I've read by this author.  Her manner of writing dialog is very sparse, without much detail as the characters are talking.  But the story was unique, and both the hero and heroine were very likable and did not spend the entire book denying their feelings for each other, which was a nice change.  339 pages.

"Dark Angel" and "Lord Carew's Bride" by Mary Balogh

I really enjoy Mary Balogh's writing.  It's gentle yet intriguing and feels like it was written during the times her historical romances take place.  So I was happy to find this reissue of two of her earlier books at the big MRRL book sale a few months ago, because I had not heard of either one.  They were both published in 1994 and contain many of the same characters, including the awful villain.

In "Dark Angel," cousins Jennifer and Samantha travel from their country home to London to make their debuts in society.  Jennifer is 20 and has been betrothed to Viscount Kersey, a man she hardly knows but deeply loves, for five years.  After having to put off her debut for several years in order to wait for him to be in London at the same time, she and Samantha, who is 18, finally arrive.  Unfortunately, Gabriel, the Earl of Thornhill, is out for revenge against Kersey, and has set his sights on winning Jennifer away from him to do it.  Scandal, heartbreak, hidden secrets, and redemption make this another winner from Balogh.

"Lord Carew's Bride" is Samantha's story and takes place six years after the end of "Dark Angel."  During a visit to her cousin, Jennifer, she meets Hartley Wade while trespassing on the Marquess of Carew's vast estate.  They become fast friends, but only friends, and meet several more times before she has to return to London.  Samantha has put herself "on the shelf" in order to avoid a repeat of the tremendous pain of heartbreak that she suffered years ago, but Hartley has other ideas about their future.  Like other Balogh stories, this one features a hero with physical handicaps and average looks.  How he deals with them and the villain are quite unusual.

I enjoyed both stories and could see how Balogh's writing has improved over the years to make her one of the best historical romance authors working today.  593 pages.

"The Soldier" by Grace Burrowes

After fighting in the Napoleonic wars in Spain and France for eight years, Devlin St. Just, the new Earl of Rosecroft, moves into a neglected estate he's been given in the English countryside for his military duties.  His new neighbor is a young lady who makes her living by baking for the townspeople who otherwise look down on her for her family's social station and past sins.  Emmaline Farnum meets St. Just when she is looking for her six-year-old cousin, Winnie, who has a habit of roaming the countryside on her own.

This is an unusual historical romance that's a bit difficult to describe.  The three main characters, Devlin, Emmie, and Winnie, are fully formed but not the stereotypical ones usually found in these types of books.  Devlin suffers from PTSD and tries to work through it.  We're given details of the brutality he saw while fighting the French.  Emmie also suffers from mistakes she's made in the past, and does what she thinks is best for Winnie's future even though it may break all three of their hearts.  This was a lovely book, and I'm hoping to read more by this author.  403 pages.

"To Seduce an Angel" by Kate Moore

This is the final book in the Sons of Sin trilogy (I posted about the other two, "To Tempt a Saint" and "To Save the Devil," in 2011).  Kit Jones is the youngest son of an infamous London courtesan and her late husband, the son of a duke.  Kit was rescued four years ago from living on the streets after being kidnapped from his family as a young teen.  He's now been named the Marquess of Daventry, much to the consternation of his evil grandfather and dangerous cousin, who were behind the kidnapping.

Daventry hires Emma Portland as a tutor for his charges, youngsters who once lived on the streets of London with him.  But she has been blackmailed by his grandfather to spy on Daventry, something that she finds harder and harder to do as she discovers that they have much in common and begins to fall in love with him.

I enjoyed this story with its two unusual leads.  They're both only 20 but lived very harsh and difficult lives in their teens, and Emma is still living that life of fear.  Several twists in the plot kept me interested, as well as the author's unusual turns of phrase.  284 pages.

"Lady of Sin" by Madeline Hunter

This is a follow-up to "The Romantic" and tells the story of Charlotte, Baroness Mardenford, and Nathaniel Knightridge, a famed barrister.  The author uses the familiar romantic trope of two smart, sophisticated characters who do not like each other and can't seem to stop bickering.  Charlotte is the youngest of six siblings and has been a childless widow for six years.  Nathaniel is the youngest of five sons and wanted to be an actor, but his father forbade it.  Instead he has used the courtroom as his stage quite successfully.  One day he catches a glimpse of a street urchin who bears and uncanny resemblance to Charlotte's brother-in-law, the current Baron of Mardenford.  As secrets come to light about this child, Charlotte grapples with secrets of her own concerning a party where she concealed her identity and seduced Nathaniel.

This is another quick and enjoyable read from Hunter and is the end of her Seducer series.  The main reason I read it was to get a few more glimpses of the two lead characters from "The Romantic," which I did.  405 pages.

"The Romantic" by Madeline Hunter

I LOVED THIS BOOK!  I am a sucker for unrequited love stories and that's what this is.  It is the follow-up to "The Sinner" in Hunter's Seducer series and is my very favorite.  Penelope, the Countess of Glasbury, has been separated from her husband for over 10 years, but he is now threatening to use the law to force her back to him and produce his heir.  Desperate to prevent this, she turns to her family's solicitor, Julian Hampton, who had helped her escape from this cruel and depraved man all those years ago.  Julian has known Penelope and her family since childhood and has been in love with her for almost as long.  However, he has never let her or anyone else know his true feelings for her since he was of a lower class and she married the Earl of Glasbury soon after coming out in society.  Now he has the chance to help her force the earl to divorce her by carrying on a public affair.  Will he be able to go through with it even though she only sees him as a close friend and protector?

In the previous Seducer books, Julian was portrayed as a silent and mysterious man who used his knowledge of the law to help his friends and their families.  Penelope has always depended on him to keep secret why she left the earl, and eventually England, but now that she is back and set on forcing a divorce, Julian must decide if his feelings for her can stay hidden through their public affair.  Julian is the perfect hero, in my opinion, because he is strong but does not force his will on Penelope.  He advises her but supports her decisions regarding her life.  He tries very hard not to let his love for her become known because he doesn't believe that she would welcome it after her terrible marriage.  Penelope is a strong woman who has paid a price for marrying the wrong man but is blind to Julian's true feelings for her until a courtroom drama threatens to bring them into the open. Will she reciprocate his love or continue to only see him as her close friend?  You'll have to read it to see!  Highly recommended.  385 pages.

"The Sinner" by Madeline Hunter

"The Sinner" is the next in Hunter's Seducer series after "The Charmer."  Dante Duclairc is the younger brother of a viscount, handsome as sin, and deeply in debt due to a bad night of gambling.  When the trespasser dressed like a man and brandishing a gun on his family's estate turns out to be Fleur Monley, Dante is mortified.  She was courted by his older brother years ago, disappeared from society after their break-up, and is now recovering in Dante's bed after he grazes her with a bullet thinking she was going to shoot him.  On top of that, she claims that her stepfather has kept her imprisoned because he thinks she has an addled mind.

This is only the beginning of Fleur and Dante's relationship.  After she recovers and gets to know him better, she offers him a "white marriage," a chaste marriage of convenience, if he agrees to her unusual terms.  Fleur happens to be rich and in need of protection from her stepfather, and Dante is deeply in debt and doesn't want to be bailed out yet again by his family.  He agrees and so begins a story of two lonely people who end up needing each other for reasons other than they think.

I enjoyed this book as I have the others in the Seducer series, although it was not quite as believable.  Dante is described as "the most charming wastrel in England" yet seems to be tamed by his growing desire for Fleur rather easily.  Fleur trusts him right away, soon after she recovers from being shot, even though she doesn't seem to have any reasons except her intuition.  I still enjoyed the story, for the most part, and would recommend it to historical romance fans.  372 pages.

"The Charmer" by Madeline Hunter

Another winning historical romance by Madeline Hunter, who's becoming one of my favorite authors.  Sophia Raughley has been living in France for the past eight years when the death of her father makes her the Duchess of Everdon.  Adrian Burchard has been charged with bringing her back to England so she can take her place among her peers.  But Sophia has reasons for wanting to stay away, reasons that prove dangerous to both of them.  Intrigue and a scandalous twist kept me interested until the end.  Sophia's menagerie of pets added to my enjoyment.  366 pages.

"Four Dukes and a Devil" by Cathy Maxwell, Elaine Fox, Jeaniene Frost, Sophia Nash, and Tracy Anne Warren

This anthology of five short stories features what the title says, four dukes and a devil.  Three are historical romances and two are paranormal romances set in the present.  The former featured dukes in Regency England.  I did not enjoy these as much as the two latter stories, one of which featured a dog named Duke and the ghost of a dead duke.  The other revolved around an ordinary man who gets help from powerful vampires to exorcise the killer demon inside of him.  That story was by Jeaniene Frost, and I'd like to read more by her.  388 pages.

"The Seducer" by Madeline Hunter

This is yet another book that I picked up at the DBRL book sale last month.  I've really enjoyed the other novels that I've read by Madeline Hunter, and this was no exception.  Diane Albret is an orphan being raised at a private school in France.  Daniel St. John is her mysterious benefactor who has paid for her education since she was found abandoned years ago.  Now an adult, Diane moves in with Daniel and his invalid sister, who will introduce her as their cousin in the hopes of finding her a job with a good family as a governess.  But there are dangerous secrets surrounding the St. Johns related to Diane.  Can her and Daniel's attraction blossom into lasting love, or will these secrets tear them apart forever?  This was an intriguing story - another winner by Madeline Hunter.  419 pages.

"Tempted All Night" by Liz Carlyle

I picked up this book at the DBRL book sale this month after having read and enjoyed other historical romances by Liz Carlyle.  This one features Phaedra Northampton, a proper lady set on living out her life as a spinster due to a very traumatic event in her past.  When a mysterious Russian man falls dead at her feet while she is trying to locate her maid's missing sister, she becomes entangled in what could be a spy ring.  Former mercenary Tristan Talbot, whose father works for the Home Office, begins to investigate and uncovers a dangerous business that blackmails some of England's most powerful men.

I enjoyed the unusual plot and three-dimensional characters who had some surpising tastes.  A few characters from Carlyle's other books, such as "Never Deceive a Duke," play minor roles, and I always enjoy that.  This was another lovely and exciting story with a terrible title.  448 pages.

"Just Like Heaven" by Julia Quinn

The Smythe-Smith annual musicales are notorious for butchering the works of Mozart.  Julia Quinn wrote about them in her Bridgerton novels, and now the Smythe-Smith ladies get their own stories.  Honoria is featured in this one.  She's a dutiful daughter who continues to play her violin in the musicales even though she knows how bad they sound.  She does it because she loves her family and this yearly tradition. 

Marcus Holroyd has been friends with Honoria's brother since they met at Eton as boys.  Having only a cold and distant father for family, the Smythe-Smiths take Marcus into theirs and show him what it is to belong.  Now that Honoria and Marcus are adults, will an unexpected medical crisis threaten their budding romance?  That may make the novel sound like a downer, but it's full of snappy dialog and unusual characters.  In my opinion, I found the medical crisis to be the most interesting part.  374 pages.

"Dangerous in Diamonds" by Madeline Hunter

The fourth and final installment of the "Rarest Blooms" series features Daphne Joyes, the proprietor of The Rarest Blooms flower business and the Duke of Castleford, a rich, bored, and unrepentant rake.  He is immediately smitten with the beautiful and ethereal Daphne, but she wants nothing to do with him until her business and home are threatened by his unexpected inheritance of the land on which they sit.

I had been looking forward to this book because the Duke is so spectacularly bold in his delight of being scandalous and Daphne is so upstanding and does not suffer rakes with seduction in mind.  Unfortunately, it moved rather slowly and did not really hold my attention until about 150 pages into it when the two protagonists finally become three dimensional characters.  The evil Duke of Latham, who played a big part in Daphne's secret past, unites the couple in unexpected ways and brings the book to an intriguing and satisfying conclusion.  359 pages.

For my posts of the other three books in this series, see "Ravishing in Red," "Provocative in Pearls," and "Sinful in Satin."

"Provocative in Pearls" by Madeline Hunter

Second in the Rarest Blooms series, this story revolves around the relationship between the Earl of Hawkeswell and Verity Thompson, his bride who disappeared immediately after their wedding ceremony two years earlier.  Where and with whom has she been, and why did she leave?  Hawkeswell and Verity were virtual strangers on their wedding day, so neither knows what to expect from the other.  She wants an annulment while he needs her money.  Meanwhile, the ironworks that provided the large inheritance for Verity is being threatened by her evil cousin, and her childhood friend has disappeared.  Can she save them while trying to free herself from Hawkeswell? 

I didn't like the lead male character as much in this as I did in "Ravishing in Red," but Verity is a strong and likable leading lady who is courageous and independent.  Another quick and pleasant read from Madeline Hunter.  328 pages.

"Ravishing in Red" by Madeline Hunter

This book is the first in the Rarest Blooms series, which revolves around four female friends who share a home with a large greenhouse in Regency England.  Audrianna is trying to clear her dead father's name when she accidentally meets Lord Summerhays, one of his persecutors, as they are both trying to confront a mysterious man who may know the truth about the scandal that led to her father's death.  An accidental shooting and rumors ensue causing them to join together to solve the mystery of how worthless gunpowder found its way to the front lines of a recent war, a war which left Summerhays' older brother unable to walk. 

Audrianna is a likable and strong heroine who does not let the fact that she is female stop her from trying to clear her father's name. The reader roots for her and Summerhays to do that and find happiness together.  An enjoyable read.  341 pages.