The Misadventures Of Super Librarian

Summertime Breeze: Unusual Historicals for June 2026

2026-06-22T05:00:00.000-07:00

I'm in that time of year when The Day Job gets complicated and busy, leaving me barely functional and desperate that August would just get here already. It makes reading and maintaining this blog that much harder than it already feels these days and eyeballing my Unusual Historical tracking spreadsheet I was already exhausted before even starting to draft this post - but hey, good problem to have AMIRITE?!

We have 16 titles this month (2 of which are reprints) and appearances by trad publishers St. Martin's, Grand Central, Harpercollins and Kensington. Even though I'm old enough to remember the days when Harpercollins Avon was releasing a pile of historical romances every month, this still feels like a bonanza.

Scandal of the Summer by Alexandra Vasti

Eccentric heiress Lady Ruby Ballimore has had enough of the Marriage Mart. After offending yet another Very Important Marquess―and imperiling her father’s diplomatic career―Ruby flees London for the holiday house of a glamorous (and better yet, absent) princess. Armed with a forged invitation and accompanied by her like-minded friends, Ruby arrives at the Cornwall estate expecting a summer of blissful freedom.
Instead, she discovers a derelict mansion and the most suspiciously charming man she’s ever met.
Former privateer and current con artist Captain Malcolm Archer has dragged his ramshackle crew into a new life. Posing as staff at a princess’s abandoned estate provides the perfect cover for Archer’s smuggling scheme (not to mention free rent). Everything’s going according to plan―until an unorthodox London heiress crashes the party.
But when Archer and his crew attempt to frighten off their uninvited guests, Ruby’s unfazed by insect invasions and sham sea monsters. Harder to ignore? The scorching heat between the rakish pirate and the debutante who can see right through him. As sparks fly, deceptions run wild―because in this Great Cornish Fake Off, the only thing riskier than telling the truth is falling in love.

This appears to be the start of a new trilogy for Vasti (Flirty Rotten Scoundrels), and finds our heiress heroine looking for a respite from the marriage mart only to discover the country accommodations are derelict and a con artist hero in residence, leading to rom/com shenanigans.

Game of Rogues by Julie Anne Long

One disastrous night. One devastating man. One diabolical proposition.

Gabriel Marchand ruthlessly fought his way up from the gutters of St. Giles to preside over London’s most exclusive gaming hell. Few dare cross him. But when a young earl gambles away his inheritance, Marchand makes an enemy: a woman with wit like a dagger and the softest eyes he’s ever seen.

Spend a night in his bed, and he’ll call off the debt. This is the offer he makes Guinevere Woodville, the earl’s sister, when she blames him for her brother’s disaster. She’d rather die, of course. But when their seething enmity gives way to sizzling attraction at The Grand Palace on the Thames, his offer haunts them. Soon it seems a matter of not if, but when.

It's not long before Ginny is facing two stark truths: the so-called worst man in London is the best man she’s ever known....and keeping him would mean losing everything and everyone else she loves. But Marchand has one final card to play…and losing everything is a risk he’s willing to take if it means a chance to love her forever.

The 9th (!) book in the reader favorite The Palace of Rogues series features a wrong-side-of-the-tracks gaming hell owner hero and a heroine who has to pull her family back from the brink after her idiot brother gambles away his inheritance. The hero's answer to this problem? An indecent proposal, of course!

A Shop Girl's Guide to Wooing a Lord by Shana Galen

Tamsin Archer might just be having the worst year of her life. And that’s saying something, considering her father is dead, her mother was maimed at work, and her family regularly sleeps under London’s bridges. But when her younger siblings go missing, Tamsin decides it’s time to step up and fight.

Desperate times call for desperate measures, and Tamsin’s more than willing to take a few risks to reunite with her siblings. But while disguising herself to sneak into homes and steal from the rich, Tamsin is caught by Garret Kildare, the second son of an earl. Much to Tamsin’s surprise, Garret doesn’t want to turn her in. He wants to help her. Though Tamsin’s wary—she’s learned to never trust supposed “good luck”—the unlikely pair form an alliance, one that quickly muddles their class differences.

Garret knows he must be careful. Falling for a woman of a lower class could be the nail in the coffin for his family’s tenuous social standing, and there are eyes everywhere. Ignoring their attraction proves impossible, though, and soon the lines they’ve drawn around their partnership begin to blur. As more focus lands on Tamsin and Garret, they wonder if their red-hot connection means giving up everything—and everyone—they’ve ever known.

The start of a new series (The Heiress Hunters), a desperate heroine turns to cat burglary only to catch the attentions of a second son who wants to form an alliance. As they fall for each other, class difference raise their ugly head.

You Had Me at Heist by Christina Britton

Widow Iris Rumford has faced her fair share of hardships. Joining the Wimpole Street Widows Society has helped her start to heal—until she learns that her late mother's groundbreaking botanical work was stolen by her greatest adversary, who is about to publish the findings as his own.
Determined to stop the thief at all costs, Iris refuses to let the dashing guard protecting the research threaten her plans. Even if he does tempt her in new, intriguing ways ...
After a scandal cost Oliver Beckett his job as a Bow Street Runner, he’s spent the last year struggling to provide for his mother and sister. Guarding a lord's precious botanical collection seems too good to be true—who would steal a bunch of plants? But the appearance of a beautiful, maddening woman throws his hopes for a quiet future right out the window.
As the two find themselves constantly thrown together, their resolve is tested—and so are their hearts.

The second book in the Wimpole Street Widows Society finds our heroine desperate to save her mother's groundbreaking botanical work from a charlatan, only to run up against a former Bow Street Runner felled by scandal who was not expecting a job guarding plants to take such a turn.

Dearest Beast by Felicia Grossman

Despite an unhappy first marriage, Roger Berab always took pride in being a good father. When his daughter's reckless behavior damages both their neighbor and her home, he's forced to reconsider. To pay reparations, he agrees to provide lodgings until the repairs are complete. Unfortunately for Roger, the victim is the same woman with whom he foolishly once shared a night of passion ... and then scorned for her lack of status.

With her sharp tongue and disdain for fashion, Rebecca Adler is not exactly a community darling. What she does have going for her are her midwifery skills. That is, until she injures herself saving Roger Berab's daughter.

With her profession at a halt and her haven in disrepair, she has no choice but to accept Roger's offer of shelter ... but never again will she believe a man of substance lies beyond his pretty face.

Trapped in the same house, neither Rebecca nor Roger can avoid each other—or the passion still burning between them. But their time together has a deadline, and Rebecca no longer trusts Roger.

Can he convince her his feelings are true? Or is their tale doomed before it's truly started?

We've had Cinderella and Snow White, so it's only fitting that the third book in Grossman's Once Upon the East End series gives us Beauty and the Beast. She's the beast in this scenario, but the hero is the one who did her wrong. I still have the previous book buried in my TBR, I need to catch up because this one sounds great!

Her Forbidden Irish Warrior by Michelle Willingham

A dangerous mission…

A distracting temptation!

As the daughter of an Irish King, Mairead MacEgan has dozens of suitors competing for her hand in marriage. And exiled warrior Balor Ó Phelan, the Demon of Éireann, knows he’s the last man on earth worthy of claiming it. But Balor isn’t a man who follows the rules and when Mairead’s brother is taken by the enemy, he agrees to help her find him. Worlds apart, he should have nothing in common with the forbidden lady, but the cold nights on the road are warmed by a shared passion neither can ignore… Yet falling for Mairead means going against the King, risking everything – including their lives!

This is the fourth book in Willingham's Legendary Warriors series that also shares some ties with her early MacEagan Brothers series. She's the daughter of a King who taps him, a lowly, exiled warrior, to rescue her brother, leading us down the path of my favorite medieval romance trope - a road romance!

A Deal at Dawn by Vanessa Riley

Katherine Wilcox Palmers, the Viscountess of Hampton, has lost custody of the daughter she secretly bore to Jahleel Charles, now the Duke of Torrance. The bitter court ruling was engineered by the duke himself, but now he is gravely ill. If he dies, Katherine, branded a scandalous bigamist by her late husband’s vengeful family, may never see her child again—unless she makes a bold offer...

Desperate, Katherine swallows her pride and proposes that she will nurse the Jahleel back to health, serve his every need, and keep up appearances, on one condition: he will secure her a respectable husband to silence society’s gossip. In private, she will be his mistress. . . .

But Jahleel has plans of his own. Pressured to produce an heir, he resolves to marry someone else. The hereditary blood sickness that plagues them both means Katherine can never be his bride again—no matter how fiercely their old passions reignite.

As dangerous forces gather, composed of those who would erase their child from the peerage for her mixed heritage, Jahleel and Katherine must confront the betrayals and deceptions that tore them apart. To protect their daughter, and fight for the future they were denied, they must jeopardize everything. Especially their hearts.

The third book in Riley's Betting Against the Duke trilogy, this is the book fans have been waiting for. She lost custody of her child thanks to him, and now he's gravely ill. She sees a way out of scandal, and all she has to do is be his nurse. Complications abound in the form of sickle cell anemia, and the fact that these two still love each other.

Maid for the Duke by Viola Thorne

May Carr stopped dreaming of her future long ago, content with her position as a lady's maid to her closest friend. But when one of England's richest dukes mistakes her for a lady at a masquerade, he offers her the deal of a lifetime: pretend to be his rich cousin for a month to test the intentions of his sister's suitor and earn an unfathomable sum, big enough for May to restore her mother’s only remaining heirloom into her possession. Except, May cannot keep the handsome Elias out of her head and out of her heart. As Elias' tantalizing proximity cracks her carefully curated façade and lights her body on fire, the entire ruse is in danger. But what will he do should he discover that she was an impostor all along...?

Elias Abigner, Duke of Southam is used to ladies pursuing him for his riches. But when a backwater member of the gentry wins the hand of his beloved sister, he knows he must make sure the match is true, for he won't let her fall for a ruse as he once did. Lady May is perfect for the job: recommended by a friend, charmingly witty and irresistibly beautiful, she is the one woman who could prove the truth of the pretender's affections. So why does she keep disturbing Elias' carefully guarded peace with her presence? Every time she's near, he cannot think of anything else but making her his. But dare he love a woman who would seduce another for money? And can he live with himself if he lets her go?

The first in The Fated Fetes series features a lady's maid heroine who agrees to a Duke's bargain so he can ferret out the true intentions of his sister's suitor. The problem, of course, is that these two crazy kids can't stop thinking about each other - putting the whole charade in jeopardy.

The Viscountess in Bloom by Kirsten S. Blacketer

Passion blooms when the viscountess falls for the gardener.

Hyacinth Corby, Dowager Viscountess Corby, adored her husband. When he died, a part of her heart remained with him. She mourned her loss while she raised their four children, but when her youngest finally leaves home, Hyacinth struggles to find purpose and companionship. She accepts her loneliness and tends to her flowers, pouring her heart and soul into her cherished gardens.

Oliver Blackwell returns from military service desperate to find employment. When he takes on the role of gardener at Viscount Corby’s country estate, he never expects to fall for the vivacious and passionate dowager viscountess. A dangerous prospect for a man hiding his heart as well as a sordid past.

Afraid to betray the memory of her first love, Hyacinth attempts to keep a distance from the handsome young gardener. But when a friend from her youth reappears seeking her affection, she realizes how much she truly cares for Oliver. Their passion blooms like a rare flower until a lifetime of secrets threatens to ruin not only their happiness—but end their lives.

Can they weather such a storm?

A widowed heroine madly in love with her first husband struggles after her youngest child leaves home (so she's "older!") and loses herself in tending to her prized gardens. Enter the hero, a former military man desperate for a job who becomes her "handsome young gardener." This is the second book in The Society of Wanton Widows series and needs to get in my eyeballs right now.

Where Mountains Pierce the Highland Heart by Paula Quinn

She saved his life and it cost her everything.

On a night meant for mercy, Elspeth Woodburn risks all to save a dying Highland prisoner in her father’s dungeon. By dawn, her home is ash, her family slaughtered, and the name burned into her soul is one she will never forget. Logan Cameron. For six long years, vengeance has been the only thing keeping her alive.

He should have died that night. Instead, he cannot forget the girl who saved him.

Logan Cameron remembers little of his rescue, only a fleeting glimpse of gentle hands and a soft voice that refused to let him die. He never expected to see her again, least of all as a lass with fire in her eyes and murder in her heart.

Trapped within the unforgiving Highlands, they are bound together by decree. She waits for the perfect moment to strike. He watches her with a growing awareness he cannot explain.

Because beneath her fury is the same compassion that once saved him. And beneath his control is a pull he cannot deny.

In a land shaped by blood and loyalty, where enemies are not meant to forgive, let alone desire each other, Elspeth must decide if vengeance will claim her heart…

Or if the man she swore to destroy is the only one who can reach it.

She saved him from death in her father's dungeon and as thanks her home is burnt to the ground and her family killed. She's not very happy about this and swears vengeance. Seriously, no subgenre does enemy to lovers quite like medieval romances y'all. This is the second book in the Where Heaven and Earth Collide series.

The Very Definition of Love by Sophia Benoit

1816—Harriet Bancroft doesn’t mind that she’s on her fifth season with no marriage prospects, it gives her more time to write her dictionary of modern slang. Words are her passion, especially the exciting, filthy ones men have kept hidden from women for far too long.
Enter the ultimate teacher . . .
When Harriet accidentally finds herself in a compromising situation with the notorious rake Lord Alexander, she has no choice but to sort of kidnap him and strong-arm him into an elopement. This arranged marriage has a very particular condition—it will be in-name-only, leaving each of them to follow their own interests. For Harriet that’s her work; for Alexander, that’s women.
But love has a different lesson in mind . . .
But soon Alexander’s rakish lifestyle is not nearly as fun as spending time with Harriet, and Harriet’s beginning to worry that she might actually like her husband. Behind the closed doors of their respectable home, things become a little . . . complicated. After all, who better teach her the very thorough meaning of these indecent words than the renowned lover, Lord Alexander Stirling? 
Perhaps this marriage will teach them both a little more about that word they’ve been avoiding—love.

She's obsessed with words, working on a dictionary of modern slang, and lands in a compromising position with a rake who she then strong-arms into an elopement...as you do. She proposes a marriage of convenience in order for them to blissfully follow their own pursuits, which of course doesn't turn out the way either of them expected.

The Lyon Dares to Dream by Elizabeth Heights

All Marianne wants is to provide a safe and happy childhood for her young son. Instead, danger stalks them both.

Following the death of her husband, suspicious events force her to flee to London. But gossip clings and the ton will not accept a young woman labelled an adulteress, however unfair the allegations. With whispers—and strange men—following her wherever she goes, Marianne reluctantly accepts that she needs a male protector. Determined to secure her son’s future, she enlists the services of a renowned matchmaker.

Benedict is a soldier returned from France, with wounds both visible and invisible. He has long been the black sheep of his exalted family, but now his late grandmother has bequeathed him her country estate and with it the chance of the peace and privacy he longs for. However, he is in desperate need of funds and the lure of a big win in the Lyon’s Den is impossible to resist.

A marriage of convenience, decreed by Bessie Dove-Lyon, soon promises more, with sparks of attraction burning brightly between two individuals who had given up on love. But dark secrets and insecurities threaten the foundations of their fledgling relationship. And then a figure from the past steps from the shadows to stake his claim on Marianne’s future.

Part of the sprawling Lyon's Den continuity series, she's a woman in peril determined to protect her son and he's a wounded soldier in need of funds and with a country estate. I mean, what could go wrong in this marriage of convenience, other than the apparent danger stalking the heroine?

The Lyon's Sweet Temptation by Sara Adrien

Rosine Cassis has mastered the art of blending in. As a Jewish baker in Regency London, her survival depends on her unparalleled skill in creating pastries that are the talk of the ton, and her ability to conceal her true identity. Safe within the kitchen of the Lyon’s Den, she works toward her dream of opening her own bakery and living freely—until a hateful enemy threatens to shatter the world she has carefully built.

The threats risk Rosine's livelihood, her chance at love, and the legacy of Mrs. Dove-Lyon's gambling hell.

Sander is more than just a staff member at the Lyon's Den; he is a chess master with a brilliant strategic mind, and the Den's silent guardian, protecting those who cannot protect themselves. He has to guard Rosine and she challenges his control in ways no game ever has. But when the master of strategy finally loses his heart, is it a winning move or the ultimate sacrifice?

This isn’t a love story about clients of the Den—it’s the staff themselves whose fates hang in the balance. As danger approaches and secrets threaten to unravel, the romance between Rosine and Sander could upend everything the Den stands for.

With the Den under siege and their secrets on the brink of exposure, the baker and her protector must forge a partnership as heated as it is dangerous. To win their happy ending, they must stop hiding who they are and trust that their love is strong enough to conquer the hate standing in their way.

More Lyon's Den shenanigans, but this time it's all below stairs. She's a baker laying low working in the kitchens and he's a brilliant chess master tasked with protecting her, and ultimately the future of the Lyon's Den itself.

The Lady and the Lost Heir by Fil Reid

Miranda, Lady Madeley, was married at eighteen to Sir Geoffrey Madeley, a man far older than her. He left her a young widow with three growing daughters who are all much keener on their horses than on meeting suitable gentlemen. Unfortunately, Sir Geoffrey neglected to provide for his family in his will, and his dutiful solicitor has discovered a distant cousin who is to inherit his title, the Windrush estate, and even the inheritance Miranda herself brought to the marriage. She's left with just an old farmhouse.

Captain Harry Madeley, late of Wellington's army and veteran of Waterloo, where he was an army doctor, has no idea there's a title of any sort in his father's family. He’s been badly wounded and is very much in recovery—in no condition to run a country estate. However, he decides to go and see what he's so unexpectedly inherited. He learns Sir Geoffrey’s widow has vacated Windrush, a house far bigger than any he's ever known.

Soon enough, he encounters the youngest of her strong-willed daughters and is invited back to the farmhouse, where he discovers Lady Madeley is anything but the woman he was expecting. Miranda, upon finding out the lost heir is not married, determines to engineer a match between him and her oldest. However, her daughters have other ideas.

And to make matters even more complicated, Miranda's not-quite-sane neighbor launches himself into the fray: he’s been waiting to claim Miranda as his own. With a duel between him and Harry in the offing, everything begins to look dangerous in the extreme.

The 5th book in The Mismatched Lovers series features a widow with three daughters and bare coffers and a former Army doctor hero who saw action at Waterloo who unexpectedly inherits her dead husband's title - a bit of a shock for him since he had no clue there was any sort of title in his family tree. Our heroine thinks, hey - he's not married, maybe I can arrange a match with my oldest daughter - only for her daughters to have other ideas.

Princess of Shadows by Susan King (Reprint)

A Highland legend, an ancient curse, and a dangerous love . . .
Scandal nearly destroyed Christina Blackburn when she posed for a provocative painting that shocked Victorian Scotland. Now, a widow and antiquarian for the National Museum, she hides her beauty and her past behind prim spectacles and cool reserve. Sent to a Highland estate to authenticate an Arthurian site, she encounters the infamous painting, owned by handsome, compelling Sir Aedan MacBride of Dundrennan, who intends to build a government road through the site even if the museum tries to stop him.
Laird, civil engineer, and avowed bachelor, Aedan is fascinated by the painting depicting a legendary Dundrennan princess, yet dismisses its curse, which forbids his line from marrying for love. When he meets the painting’s model, the prim scholar determined to halt his plans, she challenges his beliefs—and his heart.

Originally published by Signet in 2003 under the title Waking the Princess, this is second book in the Hearts in the Highlands series features a scandalous antiquarian heroine sent to authenticate an Arthurian site owned by the hero, who just so happens to own the scandalous painting she posed for years before.

Warrior of Fire by Michelle Willingham (Reprint)

The only man she ever wanted… was the man sworn to betray her.

Lady Carice believes she has only a few weeks left to live. Promised to a cruel king she cannot bear to wed, she flees the court, wanting to live her last days to the fullest… until a fierce Norman warrior looks at her as though she is something precious.

Raine de Garenne cannot afford distractions. If he fails to assassinate the king, his sisters will suffer the consequences. Helping Carice escape was never part of his mission…but every mile they travel together deepens their desire.

But when the moment comes to strike, Raine must choose between protecting his family…or the only woman who has ever set his soul on fire.

Originally published by Harlequin Historical in 2015, under the same title, this second book in a duology features a heroine who believes she only has weeks to live and flees a betrothal to live her final days in peace. He's the Norman warrior who has vowed to assassinate her betrothed in order to protect his sisters. He hadn't signed on to help the heroine escape, but well...here they are.

Whew! I don't know about you but I feel like I just ran a marathon. I hope you found some titles to add to your TBR this month. What are you looking forward to?

Review: The Librarians

2026-06-20T15:53:32.017-07:00

This was not good.

I know what you're thinking. The Librarians was written by Sherry Thomas, how can it not be good?

Folks, trust me - this was not good. I can say with 100% certainty had I tried to read the languishing ARC I had on my Kindle it would have been a DNF. As is, I cannot believe I didn't DNF the audiobook. I have no excuse for this other than it was Sherry Thomas and surely it couldn't be this bad, could it?

Narrator: it was, indeed, that bad.

The story takes place in a suburb of Austin, Texas at a branch library of the Austin Public Library. The staff includes: Sophie, the branch manager, and lesbian single mom; Jonathan, a librarian, former standout high school athlete, former Navy man and gay; Astrid, another librarian who for completely inane reasons presents herself as Swedish, right down a fake accent and Hazel, the new library clerk who used to live in Singapore but moved to Austin to help take care of her grandmother after her husband was arrested for financial shenanigans.

It's a couple days before Halloween and the library is gearing up for it's first ever game night (as in board games) and it turns out to be a success - that is until after hours that same night, two people are found dead. The first one is Perry, a British man who had a "situationship" with Astrid before he ghosted her and just recently returned to the scene of that crime, and another woman who had attended game night and whose appearance left Sophie (who has plenty to hide...) all spun up.

The plot doesn't go anywhere for the first 50% of the book. What happens in that first 50%? Basically it's a big ol' character study, complete with shifting points-of-view, internal musings, and a non-linear timeline, complete with flashbacks. Boring. What it is is boring.

Then at 50% the two dead bodies thing ramps up with enough police pressure that the characters end up sitting down, spilling their various secrets, and decide to play Scooby Doo, without the talking Great Dane bit. I think what Thomas was shooting for here was a Secret Lives of Librarians vibe, but it's all just so boring and clunky. The pop culture references are especially lumpy and egregious. Seriously, don't play a drinking game with this book and Game of Thrones references - you'll be dead from alcohol poisoning before you get to the final chapters.

This could work if you find the characters compelling, but only Jonathan and Hazel manage to elevate themselves to marginally interesting. Sophie is a panicked mess for the entire book and Astrid is so twee you just want to smack her into next Tuesday. Seriously, she fakes being Swedish - it's all just so...stupid. Astrid, girl, you know why you don't have any friends? Because you smell like desperation after it's rolled in a hot mess. And after a while even Jonathan gets to be too much. Look, I bought the former Navy thing but there's a throwaway bit near the end where we find out he was a NAVY EFFIN' SEAL. Y'all, if this guy was a SEAL start calling me Your Majesty because I'm the Queen of England. I'm not saying gay men can't be SEALs, what I am saying is Jonathan as a character carries himself through life with all the confidence of wet tissue paper. He barely carries himself like former military let alone a NAVY EFFIN' SEAL!

It all turns out right as rain in the end and Thomas even gives readers two romantic storylines, which are nice inclusions but honestly a detriment to the mystery which hinges on a pile of coincidences. As I sit here typing this up I still can't tell you why I didn't DNF this. Honestly, that would make a more compelling mystery.

Final Grade = D

TBR Challenge 2026: Mr. and Mr. Smith

2026-06-17T05:00:00.000-07:00

The Book: Mr. and Mr. Smith by HelenKay Dimon

The Particulars: Romantic suspense, Penguin Random House Loveswept, 2016, first book in Tough Love trilogy, digital only

Why Was It In Wendy's TBR?: I'm not sure I'd classify Dimon as an autobuy (she is an autobuy under her Darby Kane moniker) but I do tend to pick up most of her books. The details are extremely hazy now what with 2016 being 10 years ago (yes, I woke up this morning and chose violence) - but I think this might have been her first foray into writing an m/m romance, a romantic suspense at that. I was intrigued - but still left this languishing in my digital TBR for 10 years because I am not well.

The Review: I made up my mind long ago that I was going to read something LGBTQ+ for this month's Pride theme and while I try to focus on my print TBR for this challenge, my choices are simply more diverse with options on my Kindle. I went diving in and unearthed this first book in an m/m romantic suspense trilogy that Dimon published with Loveswept 10 years ago. Y'all my TBR is a sickness, truly. However I am happy to report that even though I've done zero eyeball reading since mid-May, I read this story cover to cover in a couple hours on a lazy Sunday afternoon. It's not perfect, but y'all it's a win.

Fisher Braun is a CIA operative whose silent alarm at his secret townhouse has just gone off. When he gets there he finds the place ransacked and his BFF and partner, Nathan March, already on the scene. Who is not on the scene? Fisher's live-in boyfriend, Zachary Allen - the live-in boyfriend nobody knows about (heck his team in the CIA didn't even know about the second house....). Fisher is in the closet with his coworkers, although turns out it's not much of a secret. Anyway, it becomes apparent rather quickly that Zach has been taken and once Nathan stops busting his balls, he agrees to an impromptu rescue mission.

One small fly in the ointment, Zach isn't who Fisher thinks he is - it's revealed he's in bed with a super secret criminal organization that specializes in kidnapping for hire. This group takes a job, scoops up the victim (dead or alive - depending on the clients' wishes) and gets paid. Someone has hired this group to nab Fisher and Zach was ordered to "get close" to him. Fisher, needless to say, is pretty pissed off about this turn of events, but he's positively incandescent when Zach tries to sell him on the truth - which is that he's actually undercover CIA working to infiltrate this group and went rogue by getting close to Fisher in order to protect him. None of this is spoiler territory by the way, the whole thing is out in the open by the third chapter.

Anyway, bang-bang fists of fury and they escape - but Fisher and Nathan do not believe Zach, whose cover is now officially blown. It's not until they make their way to a safe house, the rest of the team shows up, and Zach's boss arrives that the whole thing spills out into the open. Doesn't change the fact that Fisher is still butt hurt about being lied to - never mind he was also lying to Zach. Semantics, AMIRITE?!

Stylistically this reminded me quite a bit of Dimon's work for Harlequin Intrigue. She doesn't waste any time and hits the ground running. It's an action movie, with that level of character development, in book format. Oh, the reader will get some character development over the course of the story, but it's fairly light in the pants, sprinkled in between gunfire, explosions and sexy bits. Most of the heavy lifting is done in the middle part of the book, when the entire team is stuck in a safe house together trying to figure out how to take down the bad guys. While there's several secondary characters running around, this middle portion takes on a claustrophobic feel similar to a snowed-in cabin vibe and keeps throwing our couple together to work out their problems and acknowledge their fee-fees. Seriously, these two dudes have baggage, but Fisher is especially pig-headed. The book clocks in at category length and that's a good thing - because all the mistrust and stubbornness would have worn me down to the nub had this been a single title.

It's not deep and it's not perfect but like any decent action movie it is entertaining. Also it does a very amiable job of setting up the second book in the series, which I plan on starting next. My reading mojo has been nonexistent and here's a wave coming along to take me out to sea. I'm grabbing my surf board.

Final Grade = B-

Reminder: #TBRChallenge Day is June 17

2026-06-11T05:00:00.000-07:00

Hey, so you've probably noticed that this blog has been a dead zone of late - and I have no excuses other than 1) I haven't been reading and 2) Work is kicking my butt into next Tuesday. That's right ladies and gents - it's End Of Fiscal Year Time, which is a big hairy deal for the type of librarian I am. I've now been through this process 12 times with my current employer - which would imply it's gotten easier. Narrator: It has, in fact, not gotten easier. Every year there's some new fresh hell of unexpected shenanigans to throw a wrench in my plans for a low-stress, totally ordered Year End. Hence, my reading being in the toilet. At the end of the day I only seem to have bandwidth for Law & Order reruns and crushing candies. However...

The TBR Challenge waits for no librarian, especially when she's the hostess, and our next Challenge is set for June 17. This month's optional theme is Pride.

This was another suggestion that came out of my annual theme poll and June is Pride month. The obvious choice here would be an LGBTQ+ romance. Or you could spine this into pride as an emotion - as in a prideful main character. Basically every Harlequin Presents hero ever written 🤣

That said, I can totally relate to the fragile state of reading mojo - and sometimes you just have to go with the book calling your name in the hopes of finding something to lose yourself in for a few hours. If you just want to pick a random book out of your pile and call it good? That's OK! The goal of the Challenge is to read something, anything, that has been languishing.

It's never too late to sign up for the Challenge. You can learn more about it, and see a list of who is participating, over at the #TBRChallenge 2026 information page.

#TBRChallenge 2026: Gray Hair Don't Care

2026-05-20T05:00:00.000-07:00

The Book: Gray Hair Don't Care by Karen Booth

The Particulars: Contemporary romance, Self-published, 2021, Book 1 in Never Too Late series, In Print, Kindle Unlimited for digital (as of when this post went live)

Why Was It In Wendy's TBR?: There was a decent amount of chatter in Romancelandia about this book back in 2021, but it mainly ended up in my TBR because at some point in 2022 Booth made it a freebie. Free + her experience in writing category romance (she published quite a few books with Harlequin Desire before that line folded) was enough for me to one-click this bad boy.

The Review: I normally try to focus on my print TBR for the Challenge, but I failed to prepare (typical) and being out of town last week meant a dive into my Kindle to see what I could unearth to fit this month's New Beginnings theme. Folks, this book could not have been more perfect.

Our story opens with our heroine, 47-year-old make-up artist Lela Bennett - fresh off a divorce she's still a bit fragile over, coming across a wedding in a New York City park. Despite the divorce, Lela is a sucker for weddings and stops to watch. Imagine her surprise when another on-looker to the proceedings is Donovan James, her best friend and unrequited crush from college, when they attended NYU together. Oh, and they slept together once - which turned out to be a bit of a disaster. Donovan ended up marrying his on-again-off-again girlfriend shortly thereafter and slipped out of Lela's life "for reasons."

Donovan is also divorced (three times over...) and is in town for his daughter's college graduation. Echo was the product of Marriage #1, that on-again-off-again girlfriend from his college days. Marrying Genevieve meant cutting ties with Lela, plus he's moved around a lot in the intervening years - so these two literally haven't spoken in 20+ years. They decide to spend the day together and whoopsie doodle - have sex for the second time, only to have Lela blurt out her unrequited feelings for Donovan from all those years ago and this guy runs scared the minute Lela is asleep.

My hero AMIRITE?!

Fast forward 3 years, Lela is now 50 and has completely changed her life. Something broke in her when Donovan slunk out of her apartment after the mind-blowing orgasm. She decided to own her age, went completely gray, and started her own make-up line. She gets word that a lifestyle brand wants to bring her make-up line on board - and it's just the thing that could really launch her. So she meets with the owner only to discover that it's Echo, Donovan's daughter. And who is back in New York helping his daughter with the marketing side of her business? Yep, you guessed it.

Donovan may have been married three times, but this guy does not do well when it comes to "feelings" - which is why he's been divorced three times and keeps bungling things so badly with Lela. He's completely in love with her (has been for years) but is too dense to figure it out. 50-year-old Lela is strikingly beautiful, with a newfound confidence, but nothing brings out her vulnerability quite like Donovan does. And now here's the universe throwing him back into her orbit. As Lela looks to the future, she keeps getting confronted with her past - will these two crazy kids figure it out the third time around?

The answer, of course, is yes - and this is a well-done, well-paced contemporary romance featuring grown-ups. Oh, they're still a bit messy, but there's not a lot of silly contrivances or big misunderstandings mucking up the works. The main conflict here is Donovan, who is a hot mess when it comes to emotions - feeling them, owning them, you name it - this guy is clueless. For that reason I felt rather strongly that he didn't remotely deserve Lela for the first 1/3 of this story because Lela is a wonderful heroine. Especially after her disastrous morning after with Donovan when she decides eff all men, I'm growing gray, I'm starting my own make-up line, it's Lela Time!

There's so much Booth does right with this story. Donovan's journey to catching a clue is satisfying. Lela is confident and sexy, but with an underlying streak of vulnerability that makes her extremely appealing. There's Donovan's daughter, Echo, and her fiancé on the cusp of a wedding being planned into submission by Donovan's ex, who is NOT painted as the shrew other woman who back-bites and spares with Lela (thank you sweet baby Jeebus), and Lela's BFF who is getting ready to propose to her girlfriend. All set against a well-done New York City backdrop - I inhaled every word in a greedy gulp.

This was a very well done contemporary romance that kept me entertained on a cross country flight. It's worth a read regardless, but if you're desperate for an "older" romantic couple, you need to drop everything and read this now. Why aren't all romances I pick up for free this good?

Final Grade = B+

May Days: Unusual Historicals for May 2026

2026-05-18T05:00:00.000-07:00

On one hand our crop of Unusual Historicals making their debut in May feels positively hopeful. On the other hand I can't help but wonder if this is the last gasp of "unusual" for the Harlequin Historical line, even though it's not discontinuing until fall of 2027. That line publishes five books a month, and four of them landed in this post. Ah, don't question it Wendy. Just enjoy the bonanza of options and applaud authors for keeping up the good fight even as traditional publishing continues to turn their backs on historicals. I'm hopeful there's still a readership out there, it's just going to take a little elbow grease to bring it all back around. Hence, me doing my very teeny tiny part. Now sit back, relax and enjoy the browsing!

The Dove and the Rogue by Harper St. George

American heiress Jenny Dove thought a marriage of convenience would solve all her problems, until her heart decided to rewrite the terms…
Jenny Dove has spent her life training to become an opera singer, determined not to repeat her mother’s mistake of sacrificing her career for love. But when her younger sister needs her help, Jenny strikes a daring bargain. To save her sister’s future, she’ll marry a titled gentleman long enough to unlock both their inheritances, then return to Paris to live out her dream.
Lord David Felding, heir to a dukedom and unapologetic rake, has no interest in finding a wife, until Jenny walks into his life with an audacious marriage proposal. She’ll give him one night in her bed in exchange for the protection of his name. It’s supposed to be a simple transaction—no emotions, no complications. But when their wedding night reveals unexpected passion and a startling connection, walking away is anything but easy.
Instead of continuing his roguish life in London, David follows Jenny to Paris—and begins to court his own wife. As their sham marriage deepens into something real, Jenny glimpses the wounded man behind his charm and feels her carefully guarded heart begin to yield. But falling in love means a slow, irresistible unraveling of everything they thought they wanted…and trusting in something neither dared to hope for.

The first two books in The Doves of New York series were published by Penguin Random House, and publishing being what it currently is, they declined this third book, which St. George opted to self-publish (may she be richly rewarded!). Late Victorian / Gilded Age set with an opera singer heroine who strikes a marriage of convenience bargain with a rakish Lord. I've seen some early chatter from folks who scored ARCs and word on the street is that there's plenty of steamy sizzle.

The Scandalous Lady Mina by Lara Temple

Setting sail with the enemy…

and a reckless temptation!

Lady Wilhelmina, once the darling of the ton, fled England in shame after jilting her fiancé. Following a decade in disgrace, Mina’s returning to Society’s ballrooms on a luxury steamship…and encounters her ex-fiancé’s distractingly handsome cousin, Max Cavendish—her once friend, now enemy!

Max’s guard is up, yet being in close quarters with Mina sparks a wave of dangerous attraction that makes him want to discover the truth behind the scandal. Wealthy engineer Max is used to being in command of his world and his emotions, but his complicated feelings for Mina are making him feel decidedly out of control…

Engineer hero reunites with the heroine, once his friend until she jilted his cousin and fled England on a wave of scandal. Now she's back, along with his attraction towards her - which just will not do.

Navy Captain's Convenient Wife by Carla Kelly

A favor for the Captain…

A new life as wife and mother?

Battle-worn Captain John Beattie is dealt another blow on his return from Trafalgar. His motherless young son, Allan, has been heartlessly abandoned by those hired to care for him. Required to return immediately to active duty, John throws himself at the mercy of his late friend's sister, Anna Fontaine…

Anna can’t say no—the Captain’s desperate struggle to protect his son and his country touches her gentle heart. But temporarily caring for Allan backfires when rumors threaten unwed Anna’s reputation. Honorable John insists on marriage—but will Anna’s place in his family ever be more than convenient?

Woot! A new Carla Kelly! Navy Captain hero back from Trafalgar discovers the folks caring for his motherless son have abandoned the child. He needs help, and fast, given he's expected to return to active duty. The answer to his prayers? The heroine. Until the rumors kick into high gear and a marriage of convenience is born.

Fighting for His Forbidden Maiden by Ella Matthews

Finding freedom…

in her prisoner’s arms!

Comtesse Jehanne de Balladur is desperate to avoid marrying a cruel knight. Escaping her father’s French fortress is impossible—until an opportunity arises to flee with an escaping prisoner, a dashing English baron!

Lucan must make it home to his young son. His accomplice, Jehanne, might be enchanting, but with her father, fiancé and the French army chasing them, she’s nothing but trouble! Yet, if they are to survive the journey, he must earn Jehanne’s trust—not easy, as she seems wary of all men. Lucan swore never to complicate duty with emotion, but now the biggest fight on his hands is resisting Jehanne!

Medieval France! Wanting to avoid an undesirable marriage, the heroine escapes her father's fortress with a prisoner, who happens to be an English baron!, in tow. He just wants to get home to his son and having the heroine along for the ride, when her father, fiancé and an army are chasing after them complicates his goal mightily. As does their growing attraction...

Rescued by the Rakish Lord by Sarah Mallory

A man of such dubious reputation…

that he was called Devil Blackbourne!

When Lord Deveril Blackbourne meets Selina Wynter, he is intrigued. For she has all the accomplishments of a lady, but the fiery temper and spirit of a tavern maid! Then she is abducted by a dastardly suitor, and Deveril—for all his roguish reputation—can't stand idly by…

Lord Deveril is Selina’s least likely rescuer, but when they’re stranded together in a snowstorm and her reputation is at risk, he surprises her with a gallant proposal! Deveril’s no honorable suitor, yet his actions say otherwise… Just who is the real Devil Blackbourne? Selina’s determined to find out!

If he doesn't have the nickname of "Devil" are we even reading a historical romance? Late Georgian set, he rescues her from a "suitor" and is rewarded by becoming stranded in a snowstorm with her. I mean, whatever shall they do?

The Lawman's Fiery Pugilist by Nicki Pascarella

One feminine fist to his nose and his heart would never be the same.

Five years ago, a beautiful pugilist broke Bow Street Runner Edward Robinson’s nose and stole his heart. When someone tries to burn down her new gymnasium, he shows up ready to lend assistance.

Not only has someone tried to burn down Frances Valentine’s business and injured her loved ones, but an infuriatingly arrogant man she wants nothing to do with has also inserted himself in her life and she can’t seem to get rid of him.

Sparks sizzle and romance blooms as the unlikely couple battle their dangerous enemies to save The Silk Knuckles Saloon.

He's a Bow Street Runner and five years ago she broke his nose. If that isn't he start of true love nothing is! They're reunited when someone tries to burn down her gym. This is the first book in a new series about Regency era female pugilists.

Favors from a Gentleman by Lauren M. Hayworth

Duty is her strength . . .
Sophie St. Quinton’s life did not end when her brother died, but her purpose for living diminished considerably: marry a nobleman to protect the family estate and ease her parents’ worries. Armed with wit, beauty, and a charitable heart, Sophie expects the task will be simple—until a ghostly reminder of the past resurfaces to rattle her world. She will stop at nothing, not even blackmailing the handsome stranger she just met, to bid her brother farewell one last time.

And his worst enemy . . .
Merchants’ sons are not welcomed in polite society, but Rafe Balfour elbows his way in for the same reason he does all things—to do the bidding of his tyrannical father. If his loyalty proves successful one last time, he’ll earn his long-sought independence. But when his secrets land him in a dark room and a second stint in servitude with a beautiful woman far above his touch, the effect could be disastrous.

What begins as a threat to their goals soon expands to more: a threat to duty, to decency, and to two grieving hearts that promised never to risk love.

He's a merchant's son well aware of his place in society (which is to say, nowhere) and she's her family's last hope since her fool brother, the heir, got himself killed after joining the Navy. This is being marketed as "perfect for fans of Meredith Duran and Cecilia Grant" which is a tall order - but certainly does intrigue.

Whispers and Spies by Sheridan Jeane

To stop a conspiracy, they must become lovers. To survive it, they must become partners.

The Black Rose Society is plotting treason, and the Crown needs agents inside. Lady Helena Ashford—diplomat's daughter, brilliant observer, and keeper of too many secrets—is the perfect choice. But infiltrating the Society's inner circle requires the one thing she's never had to fake before: a devoted fiancé.

Enter Major James Westwood, a war-scarred soldier with ghosts he can't outrun and a limp that reminds him daily of the men he failed to save. He'll play Helena's devoted fiancé. He'll charm Society matrons and infiltrate treasonous gatherings. What he won't do is fall for a woman who deserves far better than a broken soldier with nothing left to lose.

But as Helena and James wade deeper into the conspiracy—navigating masked balls, decoding secret meetings, and dodging the Society's suspicions—their pretend devotion starts feeling dangerously real. The Raven, the Society's enigmatic leader, is planning something catastrophic: the assassination of a Crown diplomat that could plunge Britain into chaos.

Racing against time, Helena and James must unmask the traitor before the Society strikes. But in a world where one wrong move means exposure and death, the greatest danger isn't the conspiracy they're hunting—it's the feelings they can no longer deny.

This is being marketed as a mystery, but there's enough of a whiff of romance in the blurb that I'm including it. It's also the first book in The Shadow of the Black Rose series. She's a diplomat's daughter and the perfect choice to ferret out a treasonous plot - but a fake fiancé would go a long way in helping keep her cover from getting blown. Enter our hero, a war-scarred soldier with plenty of ghosts and a limp to remind him of his various failures.

A Secret Elixir by Katherine Lyons

By day, Janelle Caddick is the perfect baron's daughter—elegant, demure, and newly engaged to the powerful Lord Benedict. By night, she becomes Betty Gill, a skilled midwife slipping through London's tenements to deliver babies in places where no respectable lady would go. She's kept her dangerous double life hidden for years, until Major Gabriel Vance is assigned as her bodyguard.

Gabriel is Lord Benedict's right-hand man. When he discovers Janelle sneaking around, he expects scandal. What he finds instead is a woman risking everything to save lives that society has deemed unworthy.

Now Gabriel must choose: destroy Janelle by exposing her secret or protect her from dangers she can’t even see. Worse, the more time he spends guarding her, the harder it becomes to remember she belongs to his closest friend.

As Janelle fights to save mothers and babies, Gabriel fights his growing feelings for a woman he can never have. And Lord Benedict watches them both, hiding secrets of his own—secrets that could either shatter their world or forge something far more extraordinary than any of them dared to imagine.

In Regency London, a lady's reputation is everything. But some secrets are worth protecting... and some loves are worth every risk.

This is the fourth book in My Lady's Potions series and features a baron's daughter who has a secret life as a midwife. She's been successful at keeping her secret for years, until he fiancé hires her a bodyguard....

Laird of Storms by Susan King (Reprint)

On the misty Hebridean Isle of Caransay, legend holds that when a kelpie, a sea-god who can take the form of a man, claims a bride on a sea rock, the isle will be blessed with great fortune. Honoring the ancient tradition one stormy night, Meg MacNeill expects nothing eventful–until she is swept into the arms of the handsome stranger who rises from the waves. When danger and passion both vanish with the dawn, Meg is left with a powerful memory–and a secret.

Seven years later, Dougal Stewart returns to the isle where he was once a castaway in a storm. Now a brilliant engineer and deep-sea diver assigned to build a lighthouse on the very rock that changed his life, his only obstacle is the wealthy baroness who fiercely opposes his plans. Soon Dougal discovers that the proud baroness is the mysterious girl who once saved his life and stole his heart—and the golden-haired child by her side is his son. To protect her child and the people of her island from unwanted change, Meg must keep her secrets, knowing that Stewart once claimed her heart and soul, then betrayed her . . .

Originally published as Taming the Heiress by Signet in 2003, this reprint features newly added content. Mid-Victorian Scotland, legends, plenty of secrets (namely, a son!) and a hero assigned to build a lighthouse. What romance reader worth their salt doesn't love a lighthouse?!

How to Lose a Laird by Anna Bradley

Despite their village's wild, insistent rumors, middle sister Freya MacLeod is no more a witch than her extraordinary siblings. Quiet and observant, she can't control the weather—although her magnificently skilled drawings often predict it. But now a very different sort of storm has besieged their home of Castle Cairncross. When Freya’s fearless younger sister disappears and is accused of murder, Freya is determined to prove her innocence—and bring her back. That means matching wits with a warrior—no matter how dangerous he may be . . .

A reluctant laird, Callum is glad to escape his clan’s intrigues. But helping to protect Castle Cairncross as a favor to a friend is far more difficult than he thought. Especially when the seemingly timid Freya eludes him, his battle-honed instincts—and enrages the village into putting a bounty on both their heads . . .

As they flee, Freya is stunned to see how caring—and vulnerable—Callum can be. . . . But he must keep his growing feelings for her hidden in order to honor a secret promise to his clan. Yet as their peril increases, they may find that battling side-by-side will uncover something more precious than gold . . .

Set in Georgian Scotland, the heroine's biggest problem used to be that everyone thought she and her sisters were witches. Well, now her younger sister has vanished and is being accused of murder. Proving her innocence means teaming up with the hero, a reluctant laird who has been tasked with protecting Castle Cairncross, only to find himself fleeing with the heroine when the village fully turns on them. This is the second book in the Cairncross Castle trilogy.

Tangled Up in Tartan by Matilda Madison

Jane Atherton and her sister Cora have been turned out by their half-brother and sent to live with their deceased mother’s family in Scotland. But upon their arrival they learn a terrible family secret that leaves them disinherited. But all is not lost. Mrs. Milton, mother to millionaire Samuel Milton needs a secretary, and Jane is perfect for the job.

Samuel Milton is on a mission. Having grown up poor, he believes he can change the world for the better by building a state of the art hospital in his beloved Glasgow. But to do so, he needs to get support for the latest reform bill. While Jane is the perfect hostess for Samuel’s guest, he can’t concentrate whenever she’s in the room.

As Jane and Samuel work side by side, they grow closer as an underlying passion begins to bubble just below the surface. But Samuel is a man of principles, and he won’t take advantage of his position as Jane’s employer. Though Jane has been warned her entire life not to trust men, she can’t help but fall for Samuel, who slowly chips away at her fears.

Turned out by her half-brother, the heroine learns upon her arrival in Scotland that she and her sister are disinherited. Luckily she soon secures employment as a secretary and enters the orbit of our hero, determined to build a hospital in Glasgow, and while our heroine might be the perfect hostess to help him wine and dine politicians, she's mighty distracting. This is the fourth book in the Seduced in Scotland series.

When Jack Fell by Anna Valleria

A stolen kiss, a family secret, and a second chance at love in Victorian London.

Jillian was always the wild thing.

The daughter of the notorious Bad Baron Beckforth, a girl with racing thoughts and a heart too big for her father’s cruelty and crumbling estate. Her only sanctuary was her childhood best friend, John Longley, the future Marquess of Camborne.

But when a May Day kiss under the fireworks turns into a nightmare of murder and accusation, Jillian’s world shatters. Her brother is branded a killer, and Jillian is forced to flee into a marriage of convenience in a distant land, led to believe that a man of John’s station would only ever have her as a mistress.

Years later, Jillian returns as a widow, hardened by loss and convinced she is an albatross who brings only sorrow to those she loves. John, now a powerful shipping magnate, has never stopped looking for her. Driven by a promise to clear her brother’s name, he finds that the girl he loved is now a woman shrouded in mystery.

From the treacherous ballrooms of the ton to the bustling docks of Gibraltar and a mysterious volcanic island, they embark on a perilous journey to uncover the truth. But as the shadows of the past threaten to sink them both, Jillian must decide: is she destined to bring only ruin, or is John the stopping place her heart has always craved?

Torn apart when they were younger, our heroine returns to England as a widow and our hero has made himself over into a shipping magnate. She's determined to clear her brother's name and he's confronted by a woman markedly different from the girl he once knew. Settings include Gibraltar (!) and "a mysterious volcanic island" so expect these two to set sail as they search for the truth. First in the Lords Fall First series.

Merciful Surrender by Violetta Rand

A woman who prayed for a hero… and found her enemy instead.

Orphaned young and left to fend for herself in a harsh and unforgiving England, Rachelle Fiennes has long dreamed of rescue. When her only surviving kinsman vanishes in the wake of the Battle of Stamford Bridge, she defies fear—and propriety—to search the blood-soaked battlefield herself.

A warrior cursed to survive…

Jarl Tyr Sigurdsson should have died with his men. Branded by guilt and haunted by the gods’ cruel favor, he hides among the fallen, waiting for nightfall to make his escape. But when a bold and determined Saxon woman discovers him, his fate takes an unexpected turn.

Bound by necessity, divided by bloodshed…

With enemies on every side, Rachelle and Tyr are forced into an uneasy alliance—one that soon ignites into something far more dangerous than war. As vengeance, loyalty, and desire collide, they must decide if love is worth betraying everything they’ve ever known…

Or if some wounds—and some wars—can never truly end.

Second in the Heart of a Viking series, our heroine resorts to searching a bloody battlefield to look for her only surviving kinsman, and instead meets the hero, essentially playing dead among his fallen men to make his escape come nightfall. Desperate times make for strange bedfellows...

A Bride for Griffin by Jacqui Nelson

Can a sister who’s lost her voice find harmony with the right man?

Singing with her sisters was Wren’s refuge until they tried to flee their sadistic troupe manager, who retaliated by choking her until he crushed her voice. She only survived because a huge Welshman, with a personality as fiery as his red hair, taught her how to fight. She’s dreamed of sharing a future with him—if she can alter his misconceptions about both of them. Can she convince him they belong together, or is she destined to a silent life alone?

Working with his two brothers to raise their younger sister was Griffin Llewellyn’s purpose until all three of his siblings got married in the space of a month, leaving him alone to safeguard the woman he’s dreamed of marrying. But he can’t because she’s lived a life of oppression, only asked for his help, and he’s vowed to protect her from every threat, including himself. Can he save her from his temper and the violence that first fractured his family, or will he be her ultimate downfall?

A western (!) and third book in the Songbird Junction series. The first two books were published in 2019 and 2020 - so there's been a bit of a wait for this final book about singing sisters fleeing a villainous manager. Our hero is the last single man among his brothers, and despite being in love with the heroine, he has vowed to protect her - and that includes from himself.

Whew! Fifteen books for May and I feel like I just ran a marathon getting this post written. What books are you looking forward to?

Reminder: #TBRChallenge Day is May 20

2026-05-15T05:00:00.000-07:00

I have a knack for scheduling time off in advance at The Day Job, only to discover that when the time comes, it's the absolute worst possible time for me to be away from the office. Oh well, there's nothing for it, and by the time this post goes live I'll be packing up and flying back to reality after enjoying a week visiting family in lovely Michigan. Did I think about the TBR Challenge before I left on my trip? Of course not, which means a dumpster dive into my Kindle to find something suitable for our next Challenge, which is set for May 20. This month's optional theme is New Beginnings.

This was another suggestion that came out of my annual theme poll and there's a lot of flexibility with this one! Some ideas off the top of my head - Second chance, starting over or marriage in trouble tropes, characters coming off bad relationships / jobs / family situations, or the first book in a series.

That said, if you don't feel like digging or twisting this theme into a pretzel, remember the themes are completely optional. If you just want to pick a random book out of your pile and call it good? That's OK! The goal of the Challenge is to read something, anything, that has been languishing.

It's never too late to sign up for the Challenge. You can learn more about it, and see a list of who is participating, over at the #TBRChallenge 2026 information page.

Review: How to Wed a Courtesan

2026-05-09T11:30:00.000-07:00

When it comes to romance my top two pet peeves are 1) Fated Mates and 2) Cop-Out Endings. Fated Mates is pretty self-explanatory (free will is sexy, I'll die on that hill). Cop-Out Endings as I define them are endings when the conflict, the same conflict that the couple has been fighting tooth-and-nail to overcome to get to the hard-fought happy ending is hand-waved away, washing away all the angsty-goodness that came before.

Lord above, I hate a Cop-Out Ending and the last two chapters of How To Wed a Courtesan by Madeline Martin irritated me no end.

The timeline of the story hops around a bit, but for all intents and purposes, the story begins in 1809 when Charlotte "Lottie" Rossington makes the acquaintance of Evander, Baron Murray at a ball in Bedfordshire. How did Lottie, the daughter of a poor country vicar, score an invite? Because she's friends with Charles, Duke of Somerville (see first book in series), whose country manor is in tiny Binsey where Lottie and her father live. They were childhood playmates and have remained friends. Evander and Charles are friends, and when Evander is introduced to Lottie he's immediately smitten.

What follows is a courtship and a proposal, never mind Lottie's father opposes Evander even courting his daughter. Gretna Green is in their future, until just as they begin to make plans, Evander's father dies and he's now the Earl of Westix. Even more troublesome? Dear Old Dad left the coffers bare. Evander can't very well wed Lottie as a pauper, so he sets plans in motion to head overseas to make money. He promises Lottie he'll only be gone 6 months to 1 year. She begs him not to leave.

Four years later....

Evander returns to London filthy stinking rich and Lottie, the poor vicar's daughter, became a courtesan. She didn't have much of a choice. Her father died shortly after Evander took off and nobody was going to hire her as a governess without references. That led to work in an opera house, which then led to being a courtesan. She has since gotten out of that life thanks, in part, to Evander's mother of all people. Lottie now schools young ladies in the art of seduction and snagging a man - although in reality it's more like lessons in confidence and self-worth with some matchmaking thrown in on the side.

Evander is still besotted and determined to wed Lottie. Lottie is, quite frankly, pissed. Four years and no letters. In reality Evander, gem that he is, wrote her TWO LETTERS (LIKE WTF DUDE?!) that never got to her because, see dead father, becoming a courtesan yada yada yada. But, fool that she is, she still loves him. What's standing in their way? Her unresolved rage at him (there's a lot of backstory related to her becoming a courtesan) and the fact that her reputation is in tatters. A courtesan does not wed an Earl. It just is not done.

What follows is Evander persistence in love-bombing Lottie (weekly hot house flowers, among other things) and Lottie opening up to him about what her life truly became while he was off making a fortune that she never truly wanted or asked for in the first place. We've got her grief and his pride, and there are more than a few scenes in this book that damn near ripped my guts out.

So where does it all go wrong? Lottie's reputation. Look, here's the thing - these two have a legit, true blue circle of friends. Certainly there will be corners of upper crust society that will always snub Lottie and look down their nose at her, but ultimately these two are not friendless. Their family members aren't friendless. So who gives a flying fig if some small minded folks snub you? These two would never truly be cast out into the wilderness. And yet? That's not enough apparently because soon a Big Secret comes to light that makes it all right as rain. Was it sort of fun to see snobs get their commuppance? I mean, a little I guess. But it's so unnecessary and sweeps all the conflict and challenges that preceded the revelation completely aside. I mean, why did I read this book and struggle along with these fictional characters if you're just going to hand wave it away in the end? Ugh.

I think most romance readers can read between the lines here because these sorts of Cop-Out Endings are fairly common in historical romance. It is why, to this day, when readers rejoice in their love for The Proposition by Judith Ivory my lip immediately curls (no amount of beautiful writing makes up for that travesty of an ending, says me)

A book that was easily going to land in my B range (OMG, so much angsty goodness!) immediately ran right off the cliff like a horde of lemmings with that ending. What a disappointment.

Final Grace = C-

Review: Sheriff's Honor

2026-04-27T05:00:00.000-07:00

I put Sheriff's Honor by Jill Sorenson on my Goodreads "currently reading" shelf two weeks ago but hadn't actually started reading it. Why? Because my continued slump of just not reading much of anything continues to hold me in a vice grip that is getting exceedingly hard to shake. But with a lazy Sunday ahead of me, with no commitments or chores standing in my way, I was bound and determined to try to read something. The half-finished celebrity memoir I'm trying to decide if I want to finish held little appeal - so what the hell, I'll start the Sorenson. Gentle reader, I didn't read this book so much as inhale it. Like a woman who has been wandering the desert and just stumbled across a refreshing oasis. Lord almighty, I love being in the hands of a professional.

This is the second book in the His to Protect trilogy and while it stands alone okay, I do think the reading experience is richer when you have the background of the first book under your belt. The reason for that is because our hero is Wade Hendricks, former sheriff's deputy of Last Chance, Texas who fancied himself in love with the heroine of the first book - which obviously didn't work out in his favor. His father was the sheriff, and not to put too fine a point on it, a real son of a bitch. So Wade accepts a job offer in Lost Lake, Texas, but it's not a completely fresh start. He's trading in Dear Old Dad for his alcoholic, pill-popping mother.

He arrives on his mother's family ranch only to get greeted by the wrong end of a shotgun. Meredith Rose (going by the assumed name of Mary Meadows) is a stray Wynona picked up and hired as a caretaker. Mary feeds the animals and takes care of the property. She had no idea that Wynona had a son, so a strange man drinking a can of soda in the kitchen, coupled with her past - of course she fired a warning shot. But these two don't have much time to dwell on their "meet cute" because just as they're sorting all that out? Tornado sirens start blaring.

It hits the ground running from there. Wade has a new job to settle into and enough familial baggage to keep a team of psychiatrists busy for years. "Mary" is pretty as a picture but skittish as hell, and most definitely running from something. On top of this you have the aftermath of the tornado, including skeletal remains found near the lake. Think of a messy small town contemporary romance with a light suspense thread featuring Messy AF characters and more angsty drama than you can shake a stick at - well, is it any wonder I tore through this in a day?

However, much like the first book, it's not perfect. I read it in a day, so I'm not really sure how much I care that it's not perfect? But let's just say there are some sticking points here. To be honest, the author takes the easy way out with Meredith's Big Secret. I mean, she kind of has to I think or else this book would need about 200 more pages to resolve it. Also, the resolution to the skeletal remains raised both my eyebrows. Why? Two words. Or maybe it's one hyphenated word? Cover-up. Is justice served? Ummm. Was what happened justified? Ummm. To be honest I'm not even sure how I feel about this ending, but Wade being a sheriff's deputy, plus given how the first book ended, let's just say nothing here is black and white. As much as I enjoyed this book start to finish, even I'm conflicted as I sit down to write this half-assed cryptic review. Bad people get what's coming to them, so there is that - but in true Sorenson fashion, it's messy.

But there's no denying that Sorenson excels at world-building, melding contemporary romance with suspense, and creating Messy AF characters. I was swept away in this story from the first sentence and I was gripped to the final page. I'm so glad Sorenson is back after a hiatus - because good heavens, I've missed her.

Final Grade = B+

April Showers: Unusual Historicals for April 2026

2026-04-19T06:00:00.000-07:00

Y'all, I recommend before you start reading this post that you hydrate, stretch and do some breathing exercises because we have 17 (!) titles featured in this month's Unusual Historicals post. Even if I discount the two late March releases that I didn't catch in time for last month, and the one reprint, we're still looking at 14 (!) titles. I feel a little like a car salesman advertising on local television in a loud plaid jacket declaring a bonanza of choices! Everything must go! Done with stretching? Have something drink? OK then, let's dive in...

How to Fake It in Society by KJ Charles

It is 1821 and Nicolas-Marc, Comte de Valois de La Motte is making a splash in London Society. The son of Jeanne de Valois de La Motte, infamous for stealing a priceless diamond necklace meant for Marie Antoinette, Nico hopes to restore his wronged mother's reputation, if only he can raise the funds. But he must operate with great secrecy, because the Bourbon dynasty murdered his mother, and he fears for his life.

At least, that's what he tells Titus Pilcrow. Titus was a simple shopkeeper, making and selling artists' paints, when he found himself suddenly married to an immensely wealthy woman who wanted to disinherit her nephew on her deathbed. As word spreads of his fortune, Titus finds himself a target of every scammer and beggar in London...including one Nicolas-Marc, Comte de Valois de La Motte.

Nico is on his last legs, out of money, and on the run from some terrifying gangsters. When Titus offers Nico a space in his household, it's the perfect chance for him to exploit London's newest golden purse--until he falls in love with the man he needs to cheat. Still, Nico is sure they can have a happy ending together. If he can just find his way out of his own web of lies...

We've got a con man with gangsters on his tail and a shopkeeper who comes into a windfall who has every fortune hunter gunning for him - including the con man. Naturally the con man ends up falling for his mark, and complications ensue. As if gangsters weren't complicated enough...

Never After by Alexis Hall

On the grim streets of London, a young man succumbs to his demons. Discarded by his lover and left penniless and alone, Michael “Micha” Dashwood uses sex to pay the bills and opium to numb the pain.

When a sudden illness strikes, all seems lost. But hope finds Micha in the shape of the Reverend Thomas Mandeville. Haunted by grief of his own, Thomas cannot bear to ignore another man’s plight. He brings the ailing Micha home to heal in his parish at Nettlefield.

As Micha recovers under Thomas’s care, he begins to realize that some people in this world are worthy of trust. Thomas, in turn, learns the truth of his own needs and desires. Between the secrets of the past and the burdens of the present, their future together seems impossible. Questions of faith and the shadow of opium continue to haunt them both.

Yet possibilities, like miracles, can be found wherever you look for them.

An opium addicted hustler falls ill (surprise!) and is rescued by a grieving Reverend. Y'all I just....

Stolen by Her Viking Enemy by Roxy Harper

Swords are drawn…

sparks will fly!

For years, shieldmaiden Kara has suffered her stepfather’s cruelties to ensure her secret daughter’s safety. So being seized at swordpoint by Aksel, her stepfather’s ruthless enemy, feels like switching one captivity for another. Until glimpses of the man beneath the armor have her wondering if her captor could be her savior…

Raised in Constantinople, Aksel has returned to his Viking roots to avenge the destruction of his grandfather’s jarldom. Taking Kara was just part of his revenge. But when he realizes they have a common enemy, can his betrayal-scarred heart learn to trust—and love—again?

Shieldmaiden heroine under the thumb of a wicked stepfather is taken captive by an enemy of said stepfather, and well this situation is not any better...or is it?

The Duke's Got Mail by Samara Parish

Anonymous love letters are all well and good… until you discover you’ve been flirting with the enemy.

Eleanor Wright is the best compositor in London and in high demand with every printing press in town. But when whispers spread of a new machine that could put her out of a job, writing to a mysterious pen pal quickly becomes her only relief from a life that’s coming apart like a badly bound book.

Peter Montgomery, Duke of Strafford, has spent years trying to get his estate out of debt. Now he finally has the solution in a machine set to revolutionize the publishing industry. If only finding a wife was as straightforward. Peter wants a lady who cares about him, not his title. Someone like his charming, witty pen pal—the only person in London who knows his most intimate secrets but not his real name. But when Peter’s invention makes them bitter rivals in person, can the bond they’ve created on paper survive the test?

A riff on The Shop Around the Corner (or You Got Mail - whatever) featuring a typesetter heroine and a hero hoping that his invention that would make her job obsolete will haul his estate out of debt. It's straight up enemies to lovers with the added the wrinkle that neither of them realize they're pen pals.

Becoming His Dollar Duchess by Bronwyn Scott

She’s entirely unsuitable…

but everything he desires!

To gain control of her family’s sourdough empire, American heiress Zephyrine Duval must marry a titled Englishman—or her father’s dubious choice! Beginning her husband hunt among London’s high society, she encounters the divinely handsome, British as tea, but thoroughly disapproving Hale Eberley, Duke of Sunderland…

Hale has no desire or need for a dollar princess bride. Except the grumpy duke is begrudgingly drawn to vivacious Zephy’s sunny charm! So when Zephy sets her sights on a rakehell for a husband, Hale is compelled to step in…but will he meet her at the altar himself?

Repeat after me: SOURDOUGH HEIRESS!!!!!

The Undercover Heiress by Catherine Tinley

An innocent deception…

could cost her everything!

Voyaging to England and the fiancé she’s never met, Manhattan heiress Sophia Van Bergen is desperate for one last adventure before becoming an ornamental wife. She convinces her late aunt’s maid to swap places temporarily, giving her access to an exciting new below stairs world at the Earl of Hartington’s estate. But when she starts to fall for her employer, Sophia realizes she’s in for a bigger adventure than she bargained for! Hart is in search of a wealthy wife, and Sophia has the money to save him, but will the cost of revealing her deception prove too high?

This is the second book in Tinley's The Prince and the Pauper inspired duet. She's an American heiress looking for one last adventure, posing as her late aunt's maid - and then she has to go and fall in love with her employer. Um, oops!

A Dangerous Chemistry by Jo Benedict

The bastard daughter of an underworld crime lord wouldn't usually be a candidate to deliver vengeance, but she’s never been conventional…
London 1888
Frankie Smith has waited long years to bring her father, a powerful crime lord, to justice after he murdered someone she loved. Now that he’s kidnapped a high-profile heiress, Frankie teams up with the girl’s fiancé to make sure the crime doesn’t go unpunished.
Scientist Thaddeus Bruce, Viscount Caldwell, is on the verge of developing a method to sanitize public water. He’s also flat broke. To finance his research, he’s agreed to marry a sweet-tempered heiress who shares his passion for chemistry. So when a strange woman arrives in his washroom and claims his new fiancée has been kidnapped, he’ll do whatever he must to recover her--even follow this street rat into the St. Giles underworld.
Together, they search for answers and discover secrets that span oceans. But though pursuing criminals proves increasingly dangerous, their greatest risk may be the chemistry between them.

Illegitimate daughter of a late Victorian crime lord has vowed vengeance against Dear Old Dad. When Daddy kidnaps an heiress, our heroine teams up with the chit's scientist fiancée to rescue her - and then they have to go and do a silly thing like fall in love.

The Heart of a Rake by Abigail Bridges

Their primary goal in Society is just to have fun. Until two four-year-olds—and the possibility of economic ruin—change everything.

Lord Mark Rydell is a rakehell known for entertaining the widows and lonely wives of the ton, with no interest in marriage. A veteran of the Peninsular War, he is rumored to have been involved in more than a few boxing matches and duels, most arising from his sarcastic wit and lack of respect for all things Society. He has a mistress, the controlling interest in a gaming hell, and no desire to change any of it.

Lady Judith Lovelace, now the dowager countess of Sculthorpe, has turned her widowhood into an ongoing party. Thirty-eight and dedicated to making the best of her beauty and stamina while they last, she is determined to entertain as many of the young blades of Society as possible. Her only other focus is her three sons, whom she adores with her whole heart.

So when her devious stepson pointedly introduces her to the charming Lord Mark Rydell, Judith knew some wicked scheme was afoot. She remains suspicious even as she’s inexplicably drawn to the handsome rogue’s clever wit. She knows he has secrets—what man doesn’t? So does she.

But it will be her stepson’s secrets that threaten everything they hold dear. As their lives unravel, Mark and Judith join forces to prevent the impending ruin, even if it means all the secrets will be brought into the light.

He's a rake, she's a merry widow, and they're introduced by her wicked stepson who is up to something, but what exactly? With ruin about to rain down upon their heads they have no choice but to join forces.

The Trouble with Seduction by Jess Michaels

After watching her two sisters fall in love and marry, courtesan Julia Comerford is ready to get out of the life. She thinks the best way to do it is to marry her current protector, a viscount whose sweet words are everything she longs to hear. Only one problem: he has a serious, nosy and entirely too attractive cousin who is trying to tear them apart.

Despite being younger, Alexander has been trying to clean up his cousin's messes for years. This engagement to an infamous courtesan is just the latest. Only the more he gets to know Julia, the more he sees her for the irresistible, intelligent person she is. And the most he realizes that it isn’t his cousin who needs to be saved from her…but her who needs to be saved from family.

As the engagement falls apart, the anger and passion between these two opposites bubbles over, leading to a passion that is as unexpected as it is explosive. But there are going to be consequences to what Alexander has done. And it may only be Julia who can save him in the end.

This is the third book in the authors Comerford Courtesans series that features, well - courtesan heroines. She's looking for a way out and thinks marrying her current protector is the way to do that. Standing in her way? The man's highly annoying, and attractive, cousin.

Duchess in Diamonds by Jennifer Ashley

London, 1816

When Eamon calls on the widowed Duchess of Aylesmore to assess her late husband’s art collection, he hardly imagines she’ll be young, lovely, and in desperate straits. Caro Aylesmore, raising her nine-year-old son alone and drowning in her husband’s debts, hopes the paintings will save them.

Dragged across Europe by his trickster father, Eamon learned all about art, including frauds and forgeries. He hates disappointing the late duke’s beautiful second wife—so much so that he impulsively offers to search the entire house for anything of value.

He's not certain why he's being so gallant. But Caro’s quiet resilience reaches him in ways he can’t explain, and young Leo, the new duke, is already finding a place in Eamon’s heart.

Caro faces more than stern debt-collectors. Her husband’s ambitious nephew aims to claim Leo for himself, and is all too eager to expose Eamon as the fraud he once was. If scandal touches Caro, she could lose her beloved son to a man who covets the title more than the boy.

As Caro falls for the disarming Eamon, she faces an impossible choice: her heart, or her son’s future.

Eamon may have to sacrifice his own happiness to keep her safe—even if it means losing the wager and his heart.

It's been a minute since Ashley has published a new historical romance and this is the start of a new series. She's a penniless widow hoping her late husband's art collection will pay off his creditors. He's the son of a con man who knows a whole lot about art thanks to Dear Old Dad. Falling in love is a complication neither needs, but of course they do.

Seven Brides for Beau McBride by Amy Barry

Beau McBride reckons he’s ready for marriage. But his ego is bigger than his brain, and his little sister Junebug can’t trust him to find the right woman. So they make a bet, both placing ads in the Matrimonial News for mail-order brides. But when she discovers that Beau has already made his pick, Junebug decides to even the odds ... by inviting six more brides to meet her brother.

Ellie Neale doesn’t expect much from life – and life hasn’t given her much, except a head full of daydreams and her beautiful best friend Diana. And now Diana has answered an ad to be a mail-order bride – with some letter-writing help from Ellie – and she's leaving for Montana. Unwilling to lose her only friend, Ellie answers an ad of her own, which will take her to the same town Diana is headed for. But there's a hitch: when they arrive, Ellie and Diana realise they're here for the same husband. Along with five other women!

With seven brides vying for Beau’s attention, he needs to make a decision – fast. The only problem is, his heart longs for the one woman who wants nothing to do with him.

Barry wraps up her McBrides of Montana series and once again sister Junebug has to save one of her brothers from himself. The complication? Junebug invites out six more potential brides for our hero and our heroine discovers her and her BFF both answered the ad for the exact same husband! Well that's OK, because turns out our heroine isn't interested once she meets the hero - and of course that means she's now the only one for him.

The Highlander's English Rose by Elizabeth Heights

Betrothed to the Lord and in love with the Highlander.

1333 A.D. The English have proclaimed triumph over the Scots in their long-waging war. Far from the scene of battle is a beautiful widow who has everything… except her vanishing youth and the family she’s always longed for.

Isabella will do whatever it takes to become a mother. Despite her misgivings, she accepts a marriage proposal from the new Laird of Greenock—a man she barely knows—and embarks on the long journey north to Scotland.

She is blithely unaware that Hamish, the rightful Laird of Greenock, is lying in wait for her at her ancestral home, Ember Hall.

Hamish will spend his last breath reclaiming his birthright. He intends to kidnap Isabella and negotiate terms with the English usurper who has stolen his lands, his title and his younger sister. He isn’t anticipating that the woman known as The Rose of England will turn his plans upside down with her surprising courage and steely determination.

As temperatures plunge and snow makes both a prisoner, passion sparks between the Highland warrior and the earl’s daughter. Against all the odds, they begin to believe in the possibility of happiness. But the course of true love never runs smooth, and Isabella and Hamish soon discover that their problems are only just beginning.

This is the fourth book in the author's Sisters of Ember Hall series. A widowed heroine desperate for children takes a flier and agrees to marry a new laird. Except turns out the man she's planning on marrying isn't the rightful heir. That man, our hero, ends up kidnapping her. As you do.

A Courtship in the Highlands by Kate Robbins

Love may demand the ultimate betrayal of loyalty.

Agnes Sinclair, daughter to the Earl of Caithness, has been sent to Stirling Castle to make her debut and become one of the queen’s ladies in waiting. Traveling with her uncle, John Sinclair, she scarce pays attention to his prattling on about how the king is hell bent on turning the country soft with his flowery poets and pretty parties. She’s far more interested in discovering all the delights the King’s Court has to offer. Upon her arrival, she is grateful for the respite from her uncle and ever more intrigued by the enigmatic Earl of Montrose.

William Graham, Earl of Montrose, hails from a long line of nobles aligned with the monarchy of Scotland to maintain its independence from England. Fully supportive of the king’s new approach, he offers to assist when the king informs him of a band of rebels rumored to make an attempt on the monarchs. Prepared for a confrontation with brawny Highlanders, he is shocked to discover, at the center is a seemingly innocent yet confident young woman the like he has never seen in King James’s court.

Agnes and William’s journey is wrought with passion, betrayal, and deceit requiring a giant leap of faith. Attempt it they shall, but the question remains, where will their loyalties fall?

This is the second book in the Thistle and Rose series and features a heroine looking forward to experiencing life at court. Our hero is looking to ferret out a band of rebels and is surprised to discover that the heroine is somehow at the center of it all.

Fashioning a Knight by Eva Starling

A draper’s daughter with high ambition, a troubled knight who can help her, and a gown that could make or break them and their tempestuous relationship.

Alyson Fox has one goal: to serve as a dressmaker to a highborn lady. And as the daughter of a successful cloth merchant in the bustling English town of Thetford, she believes she has the skill to achieve this lofty ambition. Her father, however, would rather see his only daughter marry and marry soon. Opportunity arrives when the town bailiff and Alyson’s awkward suitor arranges a great coronation banquet to honor King Richard the Lionheart, who has just reclaimed his throne. But when a poor, taciturn knight on the outs with the king for reasons only he knows unexpectedly joins the Fox household, the young dressmaker finds herself distracted and annoyed–until she concocts a scheme that will benefit them both.

Lord Berengar of Ashenham killed for his faith and king on the bloody sands of the Holy Land—and more. Now in disgrace, he seeks redemption, although he doesn’t know what to do other than await the king’s call. In dire need of cash, he agrees to teach the son of cloth merchant a few tricks of his trade. It’s only when his brazen daughter makes him a strange offer that he sees a spark of hope for himself.

But things get complicated as the lives of the dressmaker and the knight become increasingly entwined and what once seemed like a simple trade of favors leads to revelations that neither had bargained for—and might be too much to bear. The coronation banquet—the greatest fete Thetford has seen in a generation—will make or break Alyson’s ambition, but the untimely spilling of secrets could threaten all. Not everything can be neatly sewn up!

First in a new series, we have another medieval - this time featuring a dressmaker heroine and a disgraced knight, returned from the Crusades, looking to get back into King Richard's good graces.

Highland Enchantment by Brenna Ash

He lives for solitude. She was promised to another. But on a rugged Highland path, their hearts lose their way.

Rory Hart prefers cliffs to castles, silence to conversation, and freedom to duty. So when his father commands him to escort an abandoned woman through the Highlands, he’s prepared for a miserable journey. But Alana Duran is not what he expects. She’s sharp-tongued, stubborn, and utterly unprepared for the wild—and yet, her spirit sparks something both fierce and tender within him.

Alana has no choice. Her father’s arranged a marriage to secure her family’s future, and she’s determined to obey—even if it means trekking through unfamiliar terrain with the brooding Highlander who wants nothing to do with her. Rory’s rough, unkempt, and infuriating—and yet her heart begins to betray her.

Their journey is one of barbed banter, stolen glances, and growing desire. The Highlands begin to feel less like a prison and more like a promise. As trust turns to attraction and attraction kindles something deeper, one truth becomes impossible to deny—some paths are meant to be walked together.

But Alana is still promised to another. Rory is still bound by duty to his clan. And love, no matter how wild or fierce, may not be enough to rewrite their fate. In a land where alliances are forged by marriage and loyalty can cost them everything, can two hearts choose love over obligation?

Yes, truly - April is apparently Medieval Month! The second book in the Highland Heartstrings series features a loner hero ordered to escort our heroine to her future's husband home, a marriage she's not thrilled about but is entering into because medieval, alliances, her family's future, yada yada yada. This one is a road romance and I love me a road romance wrapped up in a medieval setting.

Fluently Speaking Baron by Ava Devlin

Harriet "Hattie" French speaks over a dozen languages—but none of them prepared her for this.

Seven years ago, Dowager Baroness Selwyn vanished without a trace. Now she's been declared dead, and her will is a masterpiece of meddling: Hattie, the first of the seven prodigies the baroness took under her wing during her prime, inherits Starling’s Rest, the manor where they were honed from wayward fledglings into world-renowned talents.

That would be well and fine, but for the baron. The dowager baroness’s taciturn and stormy nephew owns the land the house stands on.

The solution? Marriage. Orchestrated from beyond the grave by a woman who never met a prodigy she couldn't manipulate.

Elias Selwyn spent years proving he wasn't useless.

Elias fled Starling’s Rest as soon as he was old enough and hasn’t been back since. He left behind the pudgy, unremarkable child, with only a title to hold up against the sparkling genius of his foster siblings. In the years since, he forged himself into a disciplined cavalry officer, building a life far from the manor full of brilliant wards who made him feel invisible. The last thing he wants is to be dragged back to Brighton and shackled to the girl who once made him feel small—no matter how brilliant, beautiful, or infuriatingly fluent she's become.

But his aunt’s will has one final demand: a reunion carnival showcase, performed under the pavilion where the Starling prodigies once dazzled crowds. It's meant to be her funeral. Instead, it becomes the stage where Hattie and Elias must reconcile years of rivalry, resentment, and feelings neither wants to name.

As old wounds resurface and buried secrets spark to life, the pair discovers that some inheritances can't be divided—and that together, they might just be stronger than they are apart.

First in a new series featuring prodigies. She's a linguist who can speak over a dozen languages, and he's her benefactor's unremarkable nephew, all grown up. He's not happy to be home and she's less than thrilled with the idea of marrying him - which has been orchestrated from beyond the grave.

Warrior of Ice by Michelle Willingham (Reprint)

No man ever wanted her…except the man no one ever loved.
Lady Taryn of Ossoria has survived betrayal, pain, and scars that make people turn away from her. She’s accepted the truth: no man will want her. But when her father is imprisoned by a merciless overlord, Taryn strikes a dangerous bargain with Irish warrior Killian MacDubh.
A bastard by birth, Killian has fought for every scrap of respect—and challenging the High King could finally secure the future he’s earned. The last thing he needs is a bold noblewoman complicating his plans… especially one who awakens a forbidden hunger.
As secrets unravel and enemies step from the shadows, Taryn and Killian are forced to make a choice: save their loved ones—or risk everything on a love worth dying for.

First published by Harlequin Historical in 2015, this is the first book in a duet. A scarred and wounded heroine strikes a bargain with our warrior hero in order to rescue her father. Sigh, I still have the HH edition buried somewhere in my TBR because I just suck like that.

Whew! Y'all this is A LOT. Historical romance is dying my Aunt Fanny. I hope you had fun browsing this post and that you found one (or two, or ten...) books to add to your TBR pile. What Unusual Historicals are you looking forward to reading soon?

#TBRChallenge 2026: Sex, Lies & Secret Lives

2026-04-15T05:00:00.000-07:00

The Book: Sex, Lies & Secret Lives by Thea Devine

The Particulars: Contemporary erotic romance, Simon & Schuster Gallery Books, 2010, In Print

Why Was It In Wendy's TBR?: I'm not going to apologize for loving Thea Devine. Frankly, I don't think she gets enough credit for coming up through the Bodice Ripper Era and helping to kick off the first wave of Erotic Romance (as a subgenre) in the early 2000s (as one of the writers to help launch the Kensington Brava line). She also was writing unapologetic bad girl heroines back in the day when that was unheard of (and still is, mores the pity). Her writing and plots tend to be nonsensical but this woman has never met a soap opera plot she didn't love. Do I universally recommend her books? No. Do I get sucked in all the same? Yes. Look, I love me some trash, and Devine excels at writing trash.

I have an autographed print copy of this, which means I picked it up at an RWA conference and probably made a fool of myself meeting her.

The Review: Y'all, this book is trash and it features a heroine who suffers from magical thinking. It also has so many seedy sex scenes in it that I lost count - not only of the number of men the heroine boinks, but also how many scenes there actually were. One every chapter would not be hyperbole.

Jillian Durant has disappeared, but not before she sent out a SOS text message to her twin sister Justine Durant. "Justine Time" - a play on the phrase "just in time," and developed during their hard scrabble childhood. An abusive household and an alcoholic father led to the girls getting split up in foster care. When Jillian used "Justine Time" - Justine knew her sister needed her and came running.

Justine goes to Jillian's apartment and soon learns the truth about her sister's life. She's Jillian Dare, high priced prostitute to powerful and wealthy men. Jillian's way of dealing with the trauma of their childhood? Get your hands on money, a lot of it. However when your clients are billionaire assholes you find yourself (sometimes unintentionally) privy to a lot of secrets - which is why Jillian has gotten in the habit of leaving behind bread crumbs for her twin every time she takes a new job.

So what does Justine do exactly to help find her sister? She falls into her life and pretends to be Jillian. That means moving into Jillian's New York City apartment and having a lot of sex with a lot of different men. Never mind that she learns in fairly short order that the last known whereabouts of Jillian was in London. I mean, staying in New York City and banging a bunch of random rich dudes will surely lead her to finding her sister - um, somehow. God, I love magical thinking in a heroine! Anyway, she eventually ends up in bed with Doug Rawls who rocks her world for two straight days then treats her with contempt by literally throwing money at her - so of course he's our hero.

The plot, if we want to call it that, is basically Justine walking a tightrope of pretending to be Jillian and hoping to fool people long enough to try to find out what's going on even though she's not actively doing anything to search for her sister other than banging a bunch of dudes. We eventually learn that Doug has ties to a dead billionaire back in London and one of the last times he was seen alive and well? Yeah, he was with Jillian. So when "Jillian" resurfaces, everyone, including our villain, start to become worried and Dougie boy steps into the protector role even though he's a sneering asshole who treats the heroine with contempt while banging her brains out. He's not too good for sleeping with a whore but he's going to remind her constantly of what and who she is.

You've got a heroine impersonating her twin and enough sex in this book to make you think about making a doctor's appointment to get multiple shots of penicillin. The whole thing is completely over the top, from the plotting to the characters to the sex. Seriously, I began to wonder how the heroine was able to walk around over the course of this book and every man in this story had to be drinking at least 3 gallons of water a day to stay hydrated. Is it remotely "realistic?" No. Is it utter trash? Yes. Can I recommend this book to anyone? I mean....

Devine's books take up space in a very Id part of brain. It's Thea Devine and 90% Harlequin Presents. It's pure escapist camp and I inhaled this book in a few hours. I also didn't skim, even though, and this cannot be overstated, this book is basically one giant sex scene. One after another. Take the sex scenes out and you probably have a 50 page short story left.

Do I like myself for reading this? Hey, life is too short and the world is on fire. How I feel about myself after reading this book is the least of my worries. Is this high art? No. Could I tear myself away? Also, no. I may have felt a little cheap and a lot dirty after, but I ain't mad.

Final Grade = C+

Review: Lowdown Road

2026-04-11T13:24:00.000-07:00

This is likely going to be one of those blog posts that 99% of my regular readers have zero interest in, but y'all - I can't help it. I've got a thing for pulp crime novels and Scott Von Doviak, while not terribly prolific, writes really good ones. In the case of Charlesgate Confidential it was his plotting, but in Lowdown Road it's the world-building. There's only one redeemable character in this entire book (who ends up dead - honestly, that bit did annoy me...) but it's such an immersive ride through the 1970s I couldn't help but get sucked in.

Think of this like a much darker Smokey and the Bandit. Or better yet, if Guy Ritchie made movies set in the 1970s about Texas rednecks only to have the whole thing careen into a blood-soaked Quentin Tarantino extravaganza at the finish line.

Chuck Melville has only been out of prison for six months when he once again finds himself in trouble. Stopping to enjoy a beer at a local Texas icehouse, he spies a beautiful woman at the bar and soon they're leaving together. One teensy problem. Said woman is married to a local Sheriff's deputy, who just so happens to pull them over doing 100+ mph. He's not terribly happy to see his wife in the passenger seat and ends up less happy when she shoots him dead. Chuck knows he's been fingered for the role of patsy and before she can get the drop on him, he shoots her dead. Second problem? The dead deputy radioed in his license plate prior to pulling them over and, um, Chuck may have "borrowed" his cousin Dean's car.

Dean is a pretty boy manwhore who was working a taco truck near the university campus. He was making a killing for his boss at it too since Dean was also selling marijuana with the tacos for his supplier, Antoine, who owns a local salvage yard. Dean owes Antoine money, which normally would not be a problem, except his taco truck boss gave his primo location to a family member - and now Antoine wants his money that Dean doesn't have. Then his cousin shows up and even though Dean had nothing to do with the dead Sheriff's deputy and his wife business, he's now dragged into it. That's when Chuck tells him his great idea. Hey, we have to get out of Dodge anyway, let's take 250 pounds of marijuana off of Antoine, load up the taco truck, and head to Twin Falls, Idaho. Evel Knieval is going to jump Snake River Canyon, and Chuck is working a deal with the guy who is running the concessions. They'll make a killing, enough to start whole new lives.

After stealing the marijuana and loading up the now stolen taco truck, our "heroes" hit the road - only to have a lot of company trailing after them. Bud Giddings, the County Sheriff out for vengeance, not for killing his deputy, but the man's wife. Bud was having an affair with her and fancied himself in love, but turns out he's a psychopath. Then there's Antoine, the salvage yard-slash-marijuana-kingpin. He wants his product back. And of course along the way the Melville cousins make lots of new "friends" - including a now pissed off member of an outlaw biker gang.

The whole thing culminates when the motley crew arrives at Snake River Canyon and further devolves into a stew of drugs, booze and violence. By this point the Sheriff has run totally off the rails, Chuck is still trying to work a deal that's now gone south (surprise!) and Dean keeps getting further sucked into the undertow. This is where the one sympathetic character ends up dead (again, not happy) but how else was this 1970s petty criminal swimming with the sharks story going to end up? Frankly, no other way. It ends the only way it probably could have.

This was a book that started out like a house on fire for me but did peter out a bit towards the end in the blood-soaked final chapters. That said, Von Doviak is a heck of a writer and the world-building is excellent. If the film rights haven't sold the author needs to find a new agent because in this doe-eyed romance reader's opinion, this would make a dynamite throwback style movie. The kind that makes you wish drive-in movie double features were still a thing.

Final Grade = B+

Reminder: #TBRChallenge Day is April 15

2026-04-10T05:00:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure how it's April and now the fourth month in our 2026 #TBRChallenge, but here we are. I'm still struggling to get eyeball reading done (audiobooks seem to be going OK for the moment ::knock on wood::) so if nothing else my self-imposed monthly deadline for this Challenge is at least making me get one book read every month. Success? Not quite, but I'll take it. Anyway, our next TBR Challenge is set for April 15, and this month's optional theme is Fool's Errand.

This came out of the yearly Theme Suggestion poll. Basically any book where one of the characters comes up with some harebrained idea or scheme, some sort of desperate Hail Mary idea to worm their way out of a situation. A lot of Fake Relationship / Engagement stories fall here. Also, if reading a Presents, what I call Presents Hero Logic - the elaborate plan for revenge that makes no sense to anyone other than our hero and inevitably it involves using the heroine to get back at her father. Absolute no clue what I'm going to yank out of my pile for this month, but I'm sure I'll have fun digging for something.

It's never too late to sign up for the Challenge. You can learn more about it, and see a list of who is participating, over at the #TBRChallenge 2026 information page.

Library Loot Review: The Harvey Girl

2026-04-05T12:24:00.000-07:00

Never let it be said that blog reviews can't still get eyeballs in front of books. I first heard about The Harvey Girl by Dana Stabenow thanks to a review over at Books of My Heart. You don't read mysteries for long as I have, nor been a librarian for as long as I have, and not know who Dana Stabenow is. That said, I don't think I've ever read her before (I know, slightly surprising). But I'm only human and frankly I can't be expected to resist a historical mystery novel about a female Pinkerton agent who goes undercover as a Harvey Girl. That was enough for me and I secured myself an audiobook copy leveraging one of my library cards.

It's 1890 and Fred Harvey has a newer Harvey House located in the burgeoning city of Montaña Roja in New Mexico Territory. It's proving to be just as successful as his other Houses, just one small fly in the ointment - someone keeps robbing the trains carrying his supplies. There's been several robberies, always occurring during a full moon, occurring at such track junctures where the robbers can have an engine waiting to conveniently hook up the cars and ride away. Besides losing a fair bit of money, the train's conductor was murdered during the last robbery, so Harvey heads to Chicago to retain the services of the Pinkerton Agency.

He gets Clare Wright, coming off a successful assignment. Clare will go undercover in Montaña Roja as Fred's latest Harvey Girl and start snooping around. What she didn't plan on? The amount of backbreaking work required of her to maintain her cover, that the local law is more than useless (and drunk half the time) and that a fresh dead body is going to turn up to complicate matters.

This is a story that runs on the shorter side, clocking in around 270 pages and just 7 hours on audiobook. Nothing wrong with that, it works at this length, but there are a ton of characters. The print version features a printed cast of characters and there are 26 of them. It did take a little while to find my sea legs and keep track of who was who and what was what - but I got there.

This is one of those books where real historical figures and events are featured in the story. Historical events in fiction usually work for me, but historical figures? It depends. Mightily. Here it's a mixed bag. Fred Harvey is necessary to the story given the plot. As are William and Robert Pinkerton, now running the agency after their father's passing. There's also Bat Masterton, a charming, interesting addition who is marginally needed for the proceedings. But Mark Twain? Totally unnecessary. Like why is he even in this book if only to add historical flavor where it's not really needed. Because by this point Stabenow has totally nailed the world-building. It's honestly the best part about this book. I never used to be a reader who would harp on things like world-building and craft but the older I get, the more I appreciate it - and Stabenow really immerses the reader in this world. Mark Twain may feel like filler, but so many other historical figures and tidbits do not.

What doesn't feel like filler? The historical events that play a role in this story. Robber Barons doing their scummy Robber Baron things. US relations with Mexico. All the talk about the McKinley Tariff. I also appreciated that the author didn't whitewash the business of the Pinkerton Agency. Fun fact: they went where the money was, and if that money wanted them to break strikes and bust unions? Guess what happened.

The story moves along at a good clip and Clare is an agreeable and amiable sleuth. That said, this is not a neat and tidy ending. The mystery is solved - sort of. Clare has discovered what's going on, she just can't prove it. Will this carry over into a future book featuring Clare or will she move on to her next assignment? Time will tell, because all indications as of right now say this is the first book in a new series.

Final Grade = B

Review: We Are Watching

2026-03-25T05:00:00.000-07:00

I believe that Alison Gaylin is one of the very best suspense writers working today, but it still took me a year to finally read We Are Watching (actually, longer than that - I had an ARC). Why? Because I knew this book was likely to be intense and it took me that long to pull up my big girl panties and just start it already. Is this my favorite of Gaylin's work so far? No. Was I still white-knuckling my way to the end? Yes.

Meg Russo and her husband, Justin, run a bookstore in a tiny upstate New York town and are driving their only daughter, Lily, to Ithaca College. She's an accomplished bass player and is attending on a music scholarship. Suddenly, out of nowhere, a car of skinheads pulls up along side them, their phones hanging out the window filming them. In the chaos of trying to get away from them there's an accident, Lily is OK, Meg's arm sustains some permanent damage, but Justin? Justin is dead.

Fast forward several months and Lily is taking a "gap year" and dodging therapy. For that matter, so is Meg - but she is finally reopening the bookstore, although the shadow of Justin is everywhere. Not only that, bizarre things start happening. Out-of-town customers making weird accusations, vandalism, strangers starring at the store, holding out their phones and filming them. As the incidents increase and become more disturbing, Meg and Lily soon stumble across the truth - there's a group of paranoid conspiracy theorists targeting them. Meg's father, a former musician in a moderately successful rock band in the 1970s, was accused of being a Satanist. And Meg, having won a writing contest as a teenager, published a long out of print book titled The Prophesy, that these people think foretold climate change, COVID, and ultimately the end of the world on 12/12/2022. And with 12/12/2022 fast approaching, Meg and Lily begin to suspect that the car accident that killed Justin was no accident at all...

This one takes a while to get going, and it's an instance where I lay much of that blame at the feet of the publisher. Whoever wrote the back cover copy for this book didn't do the author any favors. The first 40% of the book is basically what is set up on the back cover copy - meaning I spent the first 40% going "yeah, yeah, this is all on the back cover - let's move it along." What the reader is waiting for here is the second half, which is when things really start to cook. It's when the conspiracy theorists get much more brazen and we get into life or death stuff. Because these people believe that the only way to save the world from ending on 12/12/2022? Is for Meg and her father to "repent." And repent in this case basically means death. This family has to die in order for the world to survive.

Once we're past the set-up this one basically turns into a white-knuckled paranoia-inducing fever dream. Meg has always felt safe in her small town, the town where she built a life with her family, but it soon becomes evident that some people she thought she could trust? Yeah, she can't trust them. Because this group has members everywhere, even in Meg's own back yard.

I'll be honest, I knew where this one was going before it got there - which just goes to show that either I have serious trust issues or I've read too many suspense novels (probably both). But despite that? I still could not tear myself away. Gaylin can write tension and she slathers it on with a trowel here.

I've been a public librarian for more years than I care to admit and when working a public service desk I used to joke that there wasn't a conspiracy theory I hadn't heard before. But the reality is we live in a world where everything can and is manipulated. That seemingly sane people fall down these rabbit holes and believe the most bizarre nonsense - which is what makes this book so terrifying. It's also a suspense novel that ends on a question - which I normally loathe with every fiber of my being, but Gaylin is getting a pass from me on this one. Why? I mean, how else can you end a book about a group of conspiracy theorists targeting innocent people?

Not my favorite by Gaylin thus far, but well worth the time and a genre book that would make a dynamite book club pick.

Final Grade = B

Hope Springs Eternal: Unusual Historicals for March 2026

2026-03-22T06:00:00.000-07:00

I realize I say this every month, but March is coming on strong with the historical romance offerings. I also realize that even though I purport to be a champion of historical romance, I haven't been reading much of it lately. To be fair, I haven't been reading much of anything lately - so there you go. But I'm determined to get myself back on track, and just like the offerings this month, hope does spring eternal. Now, let's get on to writing our shopping lists....

A Lady for All Seasons by TJ Alexander

It is a truth universally acknowledged that a woman who has lost her fortune must be in need (not want) of a husband. Beautiful, cunning Verbena Montrose must marry to save herself and her odious family from abject poverty. Fortunately, what she lacks in a dowry, she makes up for in the currency of gossip.
When she hears an alarming rumor about her very dear, very queer friend Étienne that could ruin him, she comes to his aid with a proposal—for a marriage of convenience, that is. But when Verbena discovers that a mysterious and celebrated poet by the name of Flora Witcombe has been publishing verses that hint she is onto their scheme, Verbena has no choice but to pretend to be a poet herself to confront her in a local salon. And—unexpectedly—be charmed by her.
Flora, in turn, is terrified by and smitten with Verbena in equal measure. But she holds a secret of her own: he is also William Forsyth, a struggling novelist and fifth son of a minor noble family. And if circumstances don’t allow Flora to woo Verbena, perhaps William can. Faced with two suitors and a fiancé, Verbena, who has always had to be clever to survive in society, starts to realize she may need to think outside of society’s constraints to find true happiness.

Y'all this book sounds like a straight up comedy of errors mixed with a healthy dose of farce. She needs to marry to save her family from poverty and proposes a lavender marriage of convenience - only to fall for a female poet who is transgender - and she in turn is captivated by our heroine and knows she cannot woo her as a woman, but maybe she can as a man. Oh, and for good measure? Toss in Lord Byron. The Smut Report has a review for this one up already and apparently there is much pining to be had 😍

A Scoundrel for the Suffragist by Melissa Oliver

Can a rebel with a cause…

Love a rogue without a care?

As an ardent campaigner for women’s rights, Cecily Duddlecott is accustomed to exasperating men. But gaming-hell proprietor Dominic Marsden beats them all! Wherever she goes, he’s there—smirking. Most infuriating of all? Their friction makes sparks fly…

Then Dominic reveals why he’s tailing her: He suspects her latest suitor of conducting criminal activity in his club. Cecy joins his cause, and the attraction between them becomes impossible to ignore! As do Dominic’s hidden depths… Cecy determined long ago she’d never again risk her heart. So why is she tempted to stake it all on a scoundrel?

She's a champion for women's rights and he's a roguish, disreputable owner of a gaming hell. Seriously, how quickly can this get into my eyeballs?

Never Spar with a Viscount by Lindsay Lovise

The rules are simple: fake a relationship and solve a mystery. That should be easy ... right?

Ivy Bennett has escaped the marriage mart once already—by becoming a governess to the new Lord Brackley’s unruly little sisters. Spending her days in the schoolroom and her nights running a secret self-defense class for women, she has absolutely no interest in a husband. So when Ivy is handed a secret assignment by the spymaster known as the Dove, she sees an opportunity: fake a courtship with the enigmatic Owen Brackley to avoid her conniving father’s attempts to marry her off, complete the mission, and finally secure her freedom. Simple. Until it’s not.

Women across London are succumbing to a strange madness, and they all share a connection to Brackley—the same man who looks at Ivy like he sees right through her and is none too bothered by her lack of ladylike charm. As Ivy gathers gossip like breadcrumbs and dodges increasingly dangerous attempts on Brackley’s life, she realizes two things: someone wants the viscount gone, and the closer she gets to the truth, the harder it is to tell what’s real and what’s just part of the game.

She's a governess and self-defense teacher with zero interest in marriage who falls into a fake courtship to solve a mystery and thwart her father's plans to marry her off. Our hero is the other half of the fake courtship and at the center of said mystery - oh it sure seems like someone wants him dead.

The Warrior's Rescued Bride by Denise Lynn

The warrior’s mission:

rescue his first love!

The King can order Edan of Roul to rescue Lady Amice but, years after she jilted him on their wedding eve, Edan doesn’t have to like it. Though he embarks on the dangerous journey to bring the stubborn beauty to safety, Edan must resist the undying pull between them…

When her loved ones were threatened, Amice fled her betrothal to protect Edan. Now reunited, she still sees pain, anger—and desire—burning in his eyes. Telling him the truth will only stoke the fire that once consumed them… And with battle approaching, can they risk everything to make the vows they always intended?

She jilted him on the eve before their wedding and now he's tasked by the King (no less!) to rescue her. Awkward! This medieval is set in 12th century England.

The Irish Midwife at War by Seána Tinley

1939. Kathleen Gallagher is training to be a handywoman - an illegal midwife in West Belfast - when war is declared. As soon as a call goes out for volunteers to join the home front, she jumps at the chance to aid the ambulance service. She won't let her community down when they need her the most.
When Liam Flynn, the older brother of her best friend - and her very first kiss - also volunteers, the two of them are suddenly thrown together once more. Kathleen still dreams of the bells ringing in the New Year and the snow falling as their lips brushed, all those years ago. But she has a secret. And it's one that means they can never be together . . .
But with the Belfast Blitz raining chaos and destruction, and the volunteers pushed to their limits, the pair can't help but grow closer, the secrets of their past starting to feel insignificant against the backdrop of war.

This is the second book in Tinley's Irish Midwives trilogy that straddles that line between historical saga and historical romance. A heroine training to be a midwife (illegally I might add) at the start of World War II volunteers for the ambulance service and is thrown together with her BFF's brother, who just so happened to be her very first kiss. Then comes the Belfast Blitz....

The Scoundrel and the Siren by Christy Carlyle

Dominic Prince is passionate, tenacious, and determined to carve out a legendary name for himself—just like his famous treasure-hunting father. When an American tycoon funds his expedition to uncover a Viking hoard in Norfolk and ship it across the Atlantic, Dominic sees his chance to claim glory. If he can unearth a treasure trove so magnificent it lands him on the front pages of newspapers in both England and America, his success will finally be undeniable.

Tess Hawthorne doesn’t quite know what to make of the entirely too handsome scoundrel who shows up in her village seeking the very treasure she's been hoping to find all her life. When he asks to employ her knowledge and familiarity with the locals to assist on the dig, she accepts.

But she doesn't want whatever treasure they find to leave England, and she certainly doesn't want to lose her heart to the man determined to claim it…

The hero in Carlyle's second book in the Princes of London series is hired by a wealthy American to uncover a Viking hoard in Norwalk and he sees his own chance at fame and fortune. Our heroine is a local Norfolk girl who has dreamed of finding that rumored hoard her whole life and now here's this scoundrel purposing she assist with the dig and smooth things over with the locals. She agrees, if only to try to find a way to make sure the treasure never leaves England.

The Duchess Pursues Her Pleasure by Kirsten S. Blacketer

Cassandra Sterling, Dowager Duchess of Tolland, despised her husband. When he died, she mourned her wasted youth and not the man who abused her. With her son now the new duke, she emerges from mourning and joins the ranks of the Mayfair Widows, who encourage her to embrace her newfound freedoms.

Reuben Evans desires a woman he cannot possess. After serving as the Duke of Tolland’s valet, he sets his sights on seduction, intent on showing the dowager duchess the true meaning of passion. However, the differences in their ages and social status may be too vast to overcome. Still, he remains in her loyal service as her new butler.

When the late duke’s indiscretions come to light, the duchess and the former valet will have to face the demons of their own pasts in order to forge their future. When Cassandra and Reuben surrender to the simmering desire pulling them together, a lifetime of secrets bubble to the surface—including murder. Can their love survive such a scandal?

She's a very happy widow not mourning the death of her abusive husband. He's her despicable dead husband's former valet who has pined after her for years. This needs to get in my eyeballs like yesterday. I am utter trash for cross-class romances - and for a nice change of pace, our heroine is the one with all the social standing and power.

My Fair Scot by Sara Bennett

Callum MacKenzie, the Marquess of Morven, is sent south to London by his father, the Duke of Bonnyrigg, to find the sort of wife who will bring the family the respectability it needs to rise in the world. After a disastrous start, and with invitations drying up, his aunt decides Callum needs a tutor in social etiquette, rules, and manners. And the best tutor in London is Penelope Armstrong.

Penelope is not just any tutor. She is a fallen woman with a murky past who is trying to reinvent herself. Turning Callum from a Scottish barbarian to a charming gentleman might be her biggest challenge yet.

As soon as Penelope and Callum set eyes on each other, sparks fly. Can Penelope tutor the highlander to appeal to London ladies without falling in love with him herself? And can Callum do his father’s bidding and find a suitable wife, when he knows he would rather marry his teacher?

You know why author's keeping writing Pygmalion romances? Because readers love them. He needs to find a wife but is making a disaster out of his poor attempts. She's a fallen woman (!!) trying to reinvent herself, and turning this "Scottish barbarian" into a charming gentleman is just the sort of feather she needs in her cap. Then these two silly kids fall for each other and it gets complicated (as it does).

Oath of Blood by Sophia Nye

Broccan, a notorious grump, finally crosses the line when he insults a beloved friend of the Fianna. Though he’s the first to admit it wasn’t his finest hour, the punishment his companions force upon him does not—in Broccan’s estimation—fit the crime. As penance for his beastly behavior, Broccan is assigned to guard the incorrigible woman and help her run the inn—or lose his place among the Fianna.

Emer’s life isn’t always easy, but she has no trouble making the best of it—until she crosses paths with Broccan. Angry, loud, and rude to boot, he’s the first person to break through her sunny personality and make her lose her temper. The only reason Emer agrees to put up with the brute is because of the guilt she feels over their first meeting.

Forced to run the inn together, this beauty has no choice but to try to tame the beast.

This is the sixth book in the Warriors of Fianna series, and features a Beauty and the Beast, grumpy/sunshine thang going on. He's uncouth and insults a friend of the group. Said friend is the heroine, a cheerful innkeeper who finally snaps when said hero is uncouth. To make up for his behavior, the group assigns him to stay behind, guard the heroine and help her run the inn. I mean, what could possibly go wrong?

Merciful Conquest by Violetta Rand

Noelle Sinclair has always fought for what she believes in. But when her treacherous brother bargains her away to save himself from a ruthless Viking raid, she is forced into the unthinkable—becoming the unwilling captive of Jarl Randvior Sigurdsson.

Cold, powerful, and dangerously compelling, Randvior is nothing like the savage brute she expected. As he takes her across the wild, unforgiving landscapes of Norway, Noelle vows to resist him at every turn and find a way back home.

Yet the longer she remains at his side, the harder it becomes to deny the truth. Beneath his commanding presence lies a fierce honor—and a passion that awakens desires she cannot control.

Torn between loyalty to the life she lost and the powerful pull of the man who claimed her, Noelle must decide: will she risk everything to escape… or surrender to the Viking who is steadily conquering her heart?

A heroine who is shuttled off to marry a Viking Jarl by her brother looking to save his own neck. Romancelandia brothers are the worst, AMIRITE?! This sounds like we have a bit of old school captive romance tossed into the mix but Norway! Vikings! Always worth a shot.

A Knight on Duchess Square by Meara Platt

Love has never been a consideration for hardened and cynical Gideon Knight until he meets his lovely neighbor, Lady Berry Thane, a woman completely out of his reach. Gideon grew up in an orphanage, never knowing who he was or where he came from, while the lovely Lady Berry has a lineage to rival the kings of England. Clearly, they are never meant to be together. But that is not going to stop him from showing the ton he is as good as any of them, for he has worked his way up from nothing to now owning the most profitable gambling clubs across London. Purchasing the elegant townhouse next door to Berry’s on Duchess Square in the heart of elite Mayfair is his way of thumbing his nose at all those titled lords and ladies who consider him worthless and dismiss his success. Yet Lady Berry is different. She accepts him and cheers him on. All the barriers he has erected around his heart crumble before this innocent spinster, and he knows he will risk everything to keep her safe when her life is suddenly in danger. But even after saving her, will he ever stand a chance with her?

Lady Berengaria Thane, known as Berry to her friends, is certain she will never find love now that she is nearing thirty and has never had a serious beau. She is not short of gentlemen callers, but most only want her for her fortune and she has felt not even a tingle of excitement for the others who might be worthy. Then Gideon Thane moves in next door, and her heart melts, her body tingles, and hope springs awake. But she and her new neighbor, an impossibly gorgeous man with a dangerous reputation, are worlds apart. She represents everything in elite Society that he detests. Can they ever be a true love match? When Berry is abducted by a fortune-hunting viscount and her life is placed in danger, it is Gideon who risks all to save her. Is it possible this rough and rugged man is her knight in shining armor?

He's a poor little orphan boy who pulled himself up by his bootstraps, smitten with a heroine way above his station. She's a Lady who is firmly on the shelf at 30, although still turning away suitors who are only interested in her fortune. When our hero moves in next door, sparks fly. Dollars to donuts this guy probably turns out to be the by-blow of some Duke but there's unrequited love and kidnapping. Romances have been built on less.

To Tempt a Viking by Michelle Willingham (Reprint)

She belongs to another man. But he’s about to claim her heart…
Ragnar Olafsson has lived with the torment of watching his best friend claim the woman he secretly loves. To bury his desire, he’s become a ruthless warrior, his heart locked behind iron walls.
When Elena is kidnapped, Ragnar risks everything to save her—only to find themselves stranded together, far from rescue. Alone in the wilds, every stolen glance and forbidden touch awakens a hunger neither can deny.
She belongs to another man, and he has sworn an oath to protect her. But temptation burns hotter than loyalty… and some passions cannot be caged.

Originally published by Harlequin Historical in 2014, this is the second book in a duet, the first being To Sin with a Viking, which was featured in February's Unusual Historical post. The heroine, married to the hero in the first book, is kidnapped - and riding to her rescue is her husband's BFF who has been in love with her for years. Her marriage is in it's final death throes and ultimately dissolves - but the hero's pride, his lack of standing, and the fact that he's her ex's BFF complicate matters. I reviewed this back in 2014 and gave it a B-, mostly because the first half runs on a parallel timeline to the first book (which I had read) and I was impatient to move on to "new stuff." The second half though? Dynamite. Willingham can really slather on the angst. Anyway, go read my review because while this new reprint cover is very nice, the originally Harlequin Historical cover is quite lickable.

I hope you enjoyed browsing this month's offerings and if you're struggling with your reading mojo as I am, here are to sunny days ahead.

#TBRChallenge 2026: His Diamond of Convenience

2026-03-18T05:00:00.000-07:00

The Book: His Diamond of Convenience by Maisey Yates

The Particulars: Contemporary romance, Harlequin Presents #3324, 2015, Out of print, Available digitally, Book 4 in The Call of Duty series

Why Was It In Wendy's TBR?: Yates is an autobuy for me in the Presents universe because she understands the assignment. The emotions run intense and she leans in hard on the fairy tale. I have a signed print copy of this, which means I picked it up at an RWA conference back in the day.

The Review: There was never any doubt that I would dig up a Presents for this month's Tropetastic! theme. This is the very definition of low-hanging fruit. That said, given my reading mood and output of late (dreadful), I knew if I was going to pick up a Presents I was going to entrust my fragile reading mojo to a pro - and Yates is, if nothing else, a total pro in the Presents line. She's since moved on to single title glory, but I feel strongly that if you strapped her into an office chair and tied one hand behind her back, she could still churn out a total banger Presents.

Twelve years ago an impressionable 16-year-old Victoria Calder fancied herself in love with a much older man, a business associate of her father's. While the relationship never turned sexual, this man used Victoria's naivete to his advantage, breaking her heart and stealing away her father's business. And ever since then? Victoria has been throwing herself on the pyre, determined to win back the business and Daddy's love. And now? She's landed on the perfect plan.

Dmitri Markin is a former mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter, plucked from the streets and underground fighting scene in Moscow by his mentor, since passed. Dmitri parlayed his success in the ring into a thriving business portfolio (because of course he did...) and one of those businesses? You guessed it, Victoria's family business. What Victoria also finds out is that Dmitri wants to start his own charity to honor his late mentor, but his reputation is preceding him. Nobody's real anxious to throw money at a guy who wants to help children when said guy has a reputation for being a hot-headed, uncouth man-whore. Victoria, being of the silver spoon set, with loads of experience stumping for various charities, knows this - and proposes a deal. She'll help him drum up support for his charity by hosting various galas and putting a little polish on his tarnished reputation by pretending to be his oh-so-suitable fiancé. In return? He gives her back Daddy's business.

On the surface these two couldn't be more different. Dmitri from the streets, fighting his way through just to survive. Victoria, the blue-blooded princess, raised to want for nothing, only to be scorned by Daddy the minute she steps out of line. However, as Yates peels back the layers, you realize how alike these two characters are. Not to put too fine a point on it - they're both fighters - and honestly, my money is on Victoria. Cruelly used by a villain taking advantage of a 16-year-old girl (!), faced with Daddy's disapproval after the fallout, she wraps herself in an Ice Princess cloak and wears it with style. This heroine puts the cold in cold fish - because when she wasn't cold, when she wasn't the Ice Princess? The people who should have loved and protected her turned their backs on her. Eventually through Dmitri she learns that she can't keep paying for one past "mistake," and on top of that she's not the bad guy in that scenario (not by a long shot). She's vulnerable, and certainly falling in love with Dmitri makes her more so, but does that mean when the third act break-up hits she curls into a little ball and cries her eyes out?

No.

Because she's a fighter. And she's past taking shit from anyone - and that includes Dmitri.

Dmitri is an OK sort, prototypical Presents hero with a wounded past that's practically slathered on with a trowel. I mean, if you didn't think the street kid fighting in seedy Moscow bars was tragic enough, we find out later how he ended up in such a predicament (Daddy and Mommy issues - because, Presents). He has serious self-worth issues, despite the success he's had in MMA and in business, so naturally the third act break-up is all his doing - not being good enough for Victoria, control issues stemming from those Mommy and Daddy issues, along with the general Presents ickyness surrounding Victoria's "innocence" (of course she's a virgin before they do the mattress mambo, this is a Presents y'all).

Ultimately Victoria is the bigger, more mature person even though her heart is broken and Dmitri comes crawling back begging for forgiveness. It doesn't exactly tread new ground, but that's not what I want in a Presents. I want the intensity, I want the passion, yes I want the drama llama third act break-up where the hero comes crawling back in order to ultimately win the heroine's heart. Yates understands this, and delivers.

Final Grade = B

Library Loot Review: The Place Where They Buried Your Heart

2026-03-14T06:00:00.000-07:00

Apparently the horror genre is having a moment, although like romance now being marketed as "women's fiction," I suspect horror is sliding over into suspense and thriller marketing. Not so with The Place Where They Buried Your Heart by Christina Henry, the book cover having caught my eye recently and had me thinking, "I might like that as an audiobook listen." So much about the cover of this book reminds me of those lurid-looking horror paperbacks you'd see on drugstore shelves in the 1980s - and in many ways, that's what this book ultimately achieves. It's a throwback y'all.

The story opens in 1993 when Jessie Campanelli is a sulky 13-year-old whose mother has just grounded her after a nosy neighbor saw her smoking a cigarette at a nearby playground. Life is so unfair in that special way only 13-year-olds think it's unfair, and here comes her baby brother, 8-year-old Paul, pestering her to play a board game. Jessie is not having it and just wants to be left alone, so after a sibling spat (where she keeps calling him "Paulie" and he tells her to stop calling him that - he's grown-up now!) Jessie dares him to go into the old, abandoned McIntyre house. The house sticks out like a sore thumb on their quiet Chicago street, and it's been abandoned for years - ever since the McIntyre patriarch brutally murdered his family and then committed suicide. Kids have broken into the creepy house before, including a boy who fell through the rotting staircase and almost lost his leg. But a dare is a dare - so Paul gathers up his courage, takes along his friends, Richie and Jake, and enters the house. When neighbors hear the terrified screams of Richie and Jake, they break down the front door. Richie is relatively OK, Jake has lost his arm, and Paul is nowhere to be found. It's like the house swallowed him whole.

Paul's disappearance shatters Jessie's family in unimaginable ways and as the story moves forward in time there are more victims. The house particularly seems to have a taste for children and with more "disappearances" the house becomes stronger, a malevolent force with tentacles reaching out for more victims. Nobody seems to be able to stop it, not Jessie's father who tried to burn it down, not the city who finally shows up to demolish it. The house continues to stand, continues to claim victims, until Jessie, now an adult, thinks she's found a way.

It is a truth universally acknowledged that I can't say no to a house story - be it the English house party, the Gothic manor, or the creepy haunted house. Henry builds good atmosphere with this story - the house is suitably creepy, with a high body count and moderately high levels of gore (look, this is a horror story...). The Chicago setting is pitch-perfect, and there's a Gen X feel to the story and characters that tickled me - although Jessie being born in 1980, I guess you can make the argument she's a millennial, but whatever - the book starts out in the 1990s I'm calling it Gen X.

The audiobook was engaging and this story did keep me entertained, but...

C'mon, you knew that was coming...

Y'all this is Tell-y AF. Tell, tell, tell. Endless telling. Everything about this story feels relayed to the reader, like we're all sitting around a campfire roasting marshmallows. I was never immersed in the action of the book as events were unfolding. It's all relayed to the reader. It's just not terribly immersive or well-written y'all - yes, even though the story is engaging and the characters are interesting. All the telling feels extremely paint-by-numbers. In fact, I'm convinced that even though I was engaged by the audiobook version, I think had I tried to read this it would have been more of a slog.

So where does that leave me? Lord, I don't know. Again, I love me a haunted house story and the vibes are suitably creepy here. Also it damn near made me nostalgic for the 1990s even though that decade was not all sunshine and lollipops. Entertaining, yes. Gushing adoration, no. Would I recommend it? Eh, it depends. No regrets, but this one could have a been a showstopper and just...wasn't.

Final Grade = B-

Reminder: #TBRChallenge Day is March 18

2026-03-13T05:00:00.000-07:00

Well, it's now March, I'm still not reading much, and this blog is dangerously close to having a neon Vacancy sign affixed to it. It's a good thing I don't have delusions of grandeur to make fame and fortune as an influencer because I'd be starving to death within a matter of days. But I can always count on my own self-imposed monthly TBR Challenge deadline to kick my butt into gear. Speaking of, our next TBR Challenge is set for March 18, and this month's optional theme is Tropetastic!

I mean, this is kind of a free pick month if you think about it since all romances contain one trope or another, but this is the month to let your Trope Freak Flag fly! Maybe it's the guilty pleasure trope you won't apologize for loving (hello, Wendy likes Boss/Secretary stories...). Maybe you want to go with a book chock-full of all the angsty, tropey, drama llama. Or maybe you just want to pick a book out of the pile that features a comforting trope you return to again and again. No matter how you run with the theme this month, it's all fair game!

But no matter what direction you choose this month remember that the goal of the TBR Challenge has always been read something, anything, that has been languishing in your pile of unread books.

It's never too late to sign up for the Challenge. You can learn more about it, and see a list of who is participating, over at the #TBRChallenge 2026 information page.

Hearts & Flowers: Unusual Historicals for February 2026

2026-02-20T15:06:00.000-08:00

It's only February and I feel like we're all already exhausted by 2026. On the bright side, we've had the Olympics to watch, I'm fully past whatever hellish plague I had last month, and as of February 15 we're in HALF PRICED CANDY MONTH! Seriously, February 15, November 1 and whatever Monday falls after Easter are my favorite times of year. Also, while it's the shortest month of the year, it's a bonanza for romance (despite the terrible "think pieces" we all must suffer through) and we have 15 (!) unusual historicals (OK, two reprints) to tempt us. And yes, I am front-loading this post with the Harlequin Historicals for reasons. Wendy's still Salty AF.

Forbidden to the Banished Laird by Marguerite Kaye

Alone with the laird

…and their forbidden passion!

For landscape gardener Jessica, accepting a post on a remote Scottish island means escape—from her broken dreams and tattered reputation. But meeting the brooding laird who hired her, disturbingly attractive Murdo, Jessica wonders if she’s made a dangerous miscalculation…

Murdo has only had the furious ghosts of his past for company, until Jessica’s sweetness and inner steel offers a way out of the darkness. As her employer, and with his heart destroyed, she is utterly forbidden. But with nowhere to hide from their simmering connection, will Murdo play by Society’s rules, or burn everything down?

A new stand alone from Kaye - she's a landscape gardener (!) with a reputation (my favorite kind of heroine!) and he's a broody Scottish Laird. Harlequin is marketing this as a Victorian Gothic and y'all I am here for it.

Wed in Haste to the Prince by Heba Helmy

A hasty proposal

…leads to a fiery union!

Prince Adnan’s convenient new bride is everything he never wanted—reckless, vexing and distractingly beautiful! So he offers Lady Olive a deal: play the part of loving wife in front of his ailing mother, and he’ll help her find what she’s looking for in Egypt. Then they’ll part ways…

Olive, desperate to stay in Egypt and unearth her family secret, agrees. Except she uncovers another side to her supposedly stoic and unreachable husband. As she learns the burdens he carries, she’s tempted to share hers, but more shocking is her temptation to share his bed!

The second book (likely the last?) in Helmy's Princes of Egypt series, set in Egypt (duh) features a marriage of convenience (inconvenience?) and a couple who both have their own burdens. This is why I'm going to miss Harlequin Historical y'all. Here we get an Egyptian prince hero while in other historical romances it would be a British dude robbing tombs and stealing antiquities.

The Viking She Shouldn't Crave by Sarah Rodi

Their forbidden tryst…

Is treason!

Helena’s spent her life preparing to be the Byzantine Prince’s bride. But when his cruel disinterest turns her position perilous, she finds salvation in fierce warrior Viggo. As the Prince’s personal guard, he knows her betrothed like no other. Could Viggo help her win his affections?

Only, Helena swiftly discovers the man she craves is not her husband-to-be…but thrillingly rugged Viggo! To act on their desires would be committing treason. Getting caught could be fatal. And yet, resisting their illicit connection feels like a fate worse than death…

This is why I love Viking and medieval romances y'all - loyalty was everything and picking the wrong side could get you killed. Anyway, heroine who has spent her whole life "training" to marry a prince is in a bind when her groom-to-be ain't all that into her. She's desperate for help, and there's the hero - her betrothed's loyal guard like right there! Surely he can help her catch her soon-to-be husband's eye! I mean, what could possibly go wrong?

Sweetest Taboo by Joan Vassar

Queens, New York, 1952–Detective Bruce Smith’s life is far darker than his loved ones can comprehend. Passing for a straight white man leaves him feeling empty. His sexuality, colored mother, and self-imposed loneliness lead him to make a mistake he can’t afford.

Scott Wilkins is an unmoored soul, who drifts across a segregated America, working as a porter. In a time when it’s illegal and dangerous to be his authentic self, Scott’s existence as a colored, homosexual man is nothing short of unapologetic.

When their paths cross, both men learn the meaning of unconditional love. Sweetest Taboo is an African American, M/M romance that celebrates black love without regret.

In the event you're new to this blog, let it be known that Wendy is an Angst Junkie, and this stand alone by Vassar sounds like Angst-A-Rama-Jama. You've got an in-the-closet, passing as white, cop in 1952 Queens who falls for a man drifting across the country working as a porter (!). I'll be honest, the porter thing is what hooked me hardcore here. Like boardinghouses, I can't quite get enough of trains in my historical romances (and yes, I'm aware - 1952, but I wasn't alive then so historical it is!)

Scandal Amidst the Stacks by Sandra Sookoo

Major Cornelius Montgomery is suffering from ennui since his days in the military are over. Just turned forty, he is searching for something meaningful to fill his life, for empty romantic liaisons and scandalous pursuits have lost their charm. One February evening, he peers into a bookshop for a glimpse of the only woman who’d managed to capture his heart, but she is off limits because she’s his best friend’s sister. Does it matter?

Lady Penelope Needham—the Marchioness of Weymouth—is searching for purpose. Her husband proved sterile, which thwarted her dream of being a mother, then he died in a hunting accident, leaving her widowed at the age of thirty. To keep busy, she happily works at a book shop because books are old friends and they never disappoint, yet when she happens to glance outside one cold night and spies an old crush—her brother’s best friend—life has the potential to change. Doesn’t it?

The moment Cornelius steps into the bookshop, he’s beset with familiar attraction. As for Penny, since she’s afforded more freedom in society as a widow, she’s keen on pursuing something with the rogue, even if it’s only a bit of wickedness amidst the stacks she never had in the past. When emotions between them are far too strong, and whispers of scandal bring her brother’s ire, they are both brought to a crossroads. If they wish to have a second chance at a romance, they’ll stop hiding behind excuses. Won’t they?

Book two in Sookoo's Dashing Rogues and Ruined Librarians (!) series gives us an older hero (40!) who is pining for his best friend's sister. Our heroine, said sister, is a 30-year-old widow who, turns out, has been pining for our hero. There's nothing for it - they'll have to carry on a torrid affair.

A Most Peculiar Courtship by Mihwa Lee

Amelia Thornton never expected her wedding day to involve quite so many tears—her own. Married to the notorious Marquess of Hereford in a business arrangement that benefits everyone except her heart, she's determined to keep her distance from the insufferable rake. But Charles has an annoying habit of appearing when she least wants him. When her investigation into dangerous factory conditions leads her straight into the arms of a monster from her past, Amelia discovers that her scandalous husband might be the only man brave enough to help her seek justice—if she can resist falling for his unexpected kindness first.

Charles Bartholomew Hereford has perfected the art of living down to society's expectations, but his sharp-tongued wife sees right through his carefully constructed façade. The brilliant writer who compared his moral compass to a weathervane is driving him to distraction with her stubborn refusal to accept his protection. Between her mysterious late-night disappearances, her talent for attracting dangerous enemies, and the way she makes his pulse race during their fencing lessons, Charles finds himself fighting battles on multiple fronts. When Amelia's crusade for workers' rights puts her in mortal danger, he'll have to choose between maintaining his reputation as London's most notorious rake and becoming the hero she never knew she needed.

The third book in Lee's Daring Damsels features a marriage of convenience (inconvenience?) that gives birth to an enemies to lovers romance. She's a crusader leading the charge against dangerous factory conditions, and he's the notorious wastrel rake who, turns out, actually might be able to help her.

Felicity's Eloquent Earl by Maeve Greyson

She gave him a meal; he offered her poetry—and both hungered for more.

Lady Felicity has mastered the fine art of disappearing. The sixth of eight siblings, she’s long been labeled the “cull of the litter” by Society’s sharpest tongues. Shy, curvaceous, and far more comfortable in a kitchen than a ballroom, she slips away from every soiree her matchmaking brother forces her to attend—preferably toward the comforting scent of butter and warm bread just pulled from the oven. Food, after all, is her love language.

But the night she finds a ravenous stranger prowling a host’s kitchen, her quiet world tilts. The handsome, silver-tongued intruder devours the food she prepares with poetic praise that leaves her cheeks—and her heart—unexpectedly warm.

Drake Pemberton, newly minted seventh Earl of Wakefield, didn’t plan on falling for the charming “kitchen angel” who saved him from starvation. Nor did he expect her to be a duke’s sister—with a dowry that could rescue him from the debt and danger left by his not-so-dead uncle, the sixth Earl of Wakefield. But Felicity is determined to marry for love, not money, and Drake knows the truth about his circumstances could send her running.

As a delicious attraction simmers into something deeper, lies of omission, malicious gossip, and dangerous creditors threaten to scorch their budding romance. Only trust—and a love worth every risk—can save them before it all boils over.

The fifth book in Greyson's Seven Unsuitable Sisters series features a wallflower more comfortable in kitchens than ballrooms and a mysterious stranger, who she feeds, and then offers her poetry in return. I love the sound of everything about this back cover blurb, please Lord, be good.

The Lyon's Pretty Pugilist by Nicki Pascarella

Female pugilist Josephine Martin dreams of opening a gymnasium to teach woman how to defend themselves. But first, she needs the blunt. The best way to get it would be to become the next champion of the prestigious Duke’s and Dame’s Mill, but first she needs to convince the duke to sponsor her. If only the fretful heir of a destitute earl didn't stick his nose in her business. Now, thanks to him and the mysterious Mrs. Dove-Lyon, she must win an absurd, and implausible bet before she can garner the duke’s attention and make her dreams come true. Except the duke is not the peer she wishes she could win.

Nicolas Wentworth, the heir to the cursed Shiredale Earldom, is given one last chance to settle his father’s gambling debts and save his family from ruin. All he has to do is fulfill the terms of Mrs. Dove-Lyon's deal: turn the beautiful pugilist from a side-show guttersnipe into a lady acceptable to ton standards and present her to his rakish ducal friend at the event of the season. If only the lady he's helped to create for the duke wasn't the lady of his heart.

Part of the never-ending (100+ books!) Lyon's Den world, Pascarella introduces her "Scandalous Ladies of the Silk Knuckles Saloon," a series featuring a group of women pugilists (there's covers for an upcoming trilogy listed on her website!). Our heroine wants to open her own gym to teach self-defense to women, but for that she needs money. However, she needs a sponsor, which lands her in a Pygmalion trope. As it would - I mean, naturally!

Where Highland Thistles Bloom by Paula Quinn

In the wild Highlands of Lochaber, Constantine Cameron reigns as Lochiel, warrior, leader, and legend. Merciless in battle and moody in spirit, he is a force few dare challenge. When a mysterious young woman, disguised as a lad, stumbles onto his land, he saves her. But he doesn’t know that she carries secrets darker than the Highland nights. Secrets that can start another war.

Ismay MacPherson has spent her life running from cruelty, from chains, and from the truth that could destroy her. Yet under Constantine’s watchful eyes, she finds a sanctuary that feels impossibly safe, even as she weeps into her supper, her pain unspoken but not unnoticed. Can she dare to trust the Cameron Lochiel with the secret she has carried all her life? And will her past finally catch her in its merciless grip?

In a land where loyalty and vengeance collide, Constantine and Ismay must navigate the treacherous path between love and survival, where the greatest danger may be opening one’s heart.

A 17th century Scottish historical and the first book in Quinn's new Where Heaven and Earth Collide series. He's a legend, she's a Chick In Pants with a dark secret. Reviews on this one indicate it's a closed door, fade to black romance featuring a couple working through trauma.

When He Was a Rogue by Tess Thompson

He's determined to restore his family's honor. She's desperate to secure her sister's future. Neither expected to find a love that would change everything.

James Ashford has survived disgrace, war, and years on the edges of society. Now he is determined to reclaim his family’s honor by restoring Ashford Manor, the crumbling estate that once defined his family’s legacy. To see it rise again, he turns to Georgiana Hartwell—a widowed lady bold enough to continue her late husband’s architectural practice.

For Georgiana, the commission is more than a livelihood. It is her chance to prove her worth in a world that would rather dismiss her, while earning the dowry her younger sister needs to secure a good match. Yet even as her passion for the project grows, so too does the pull she feels toward the roguish man who defies every rule of society.

But their budding partnership faces powerful enemies: Georgiana’s manipulative mother, determined to control her future, and a predatory figure from her past who refuses to let her go. With scandal circling and danger drawing near, James and Georgiana must decide if they will risk reputations, safety, and the carefully built walls around their hearts—for a love strong enough to redeem them both.

Book 2 in The Duke's Legacy series features a wounded hero looking to save his crumbling estate and a widowed heroine bold enough to have carried on with her dead husband's architectural business. She needs the money and wants to prove herself and he's a rogue who thumbs his nose at society. Looks like we can also expect a heaping dose of external conflict here.

Mistress for Wyndview by Jane Charles

At the age of eight and twenty, Sterling Wynd, Earl of Wyndham, left England.

Duty weighed heavily on him, and solemnity filled his soul. However, before he turned thirty, chose a suitable wife and went about begetting heirs, he wanted to do something for himself—see the world. Or at least the part that had made his family wealthy.

Caroline Sutcliffe had once loved deeply. She’d married quickly and her husband soon went off to war. But after receiving word of his death, and finding herself alone, she returned to her father and the Cape Good Hope to carve out a new life for herself and her daughter.

She had not expected to meet a handsome English Lord filled with duty and in possession of so little humor. Further, she could not understand why she was drawn to him. Yet, Caroline knew that she could love Sterling deeply and passionately, but she feared he was not capable of either.

Will Sterling find a way to open his heart and let go of his control or will he lose the one woman who could fill the emptiness within?

First book in a new series, a fairly typical sounding romance between a wounded hero and a widowed, single mother heroine who falls in love with him (against her better judgement). Nothing terribly unusual here other than it's set in Cape Good Hope, South Africa!

Taciturn in the Ton by Emily Royal

A marriage of necessity…with a man who shuns her.

Despite being a duke’s sister, Olivia Whitcombe is shunned by Society due to one insurmountable flaw: her illegitimacy. Taunted by debutantes and rejected by suitors, her debut Season couldn’t get any worse—until she’s caught in a compromising position with a taciturn stranger.

To save the Whitcombe name, Olivia yields to her brother’s demands and finds herself transported to a neglected manor and forced to marry a silent, brooding earl with pain and anger in his eyes, who shuns her at every turn.

Charles Devereaux hasn’t spoken a word since witnessing his mother’s violent death as a child. On inheriting the earldom and a mountain of debts, he returns to Penham Park, his hated childhood home, and reluctantly enters the Marriage Mart. When a debutante of doubtful birth falls—literally—into his arms, Charles curses himself for being snared so easily.

But dark secrets and the specter of Death linger within the walls of Penham Park, and when Charles’s heart begins to soften toward his bride, it may be too late.

Book 9 (!) in the Misfits of the Ton series, features an illegitimate heroine "compromised" by a hero who suffers from selective mutism. He's broody with the requisite neglected manor who thinks she orchestrated the whole thing, and used to being shunned she's trying to carry on. Then, naturally, the past comes roaring back to haunt them.

The Duke's Somerset Sins by Anne Knight, Colleen Kelly and Kay K Denner

This is your invitation to the Bastards’ Ball.
All of London knows the sixth Duke of Somerset for his sprawling wealth, stern demeanor, and the antics of his five (mostly) illegitimate children, known in ballrooms and gossip rags as the Somerset Sins.

But each of the Sins is soon in for a surprise. The duke is dying, and he has one demand for his children: marriage. If they can’t secure a spouse that meets his approval, he’ll find one for them with a glittering ball on Valentine’s Day.

Christened the Bastards’ Ball, the beaumonde will turn out in droves to watch one of the most powerful men in England play matchmaker for his unruly brood.

Except, much like their father, the Sins have their own schemes.

William - the duty-bound heir finds himself locked in a room with a beautiful, free-spirited woman he shouldn’t want but desperately does.

Alex - the charming rake hatches the perfect plan to wed the lovely flowerseller, and annul the marriage later.

Addy - the hellion likes all the things a duke’s daughter shouldn’t: gambling, wearing waistcoats, and a certain lovely proprietress of a gaming hell.

Sebastien - the independent industrialist will do anything to further his financial interests, even marry an intriguing older woman in exchange for a share in her family’s business.

Sophie - the darling of the family decides to break free and find her own adventure, alongside a gruff, working man with the eyes of a poet traveling the same direction.

Discover each Sin’s story in this steamy anthology of interconnected novellas. One family, five stories, a thousand ways to start a scandal.

Hey, so remember anthologies?! We have a new one, featuring six illegitimate children of a dying Duke determined to see his by-blows make good matches. The fly in the ointment? I mean, other than being the product of various affairs? They're all unspeakably unconventional in their own ways.

The Halifax Hellions by Alexandra Vasti (Reprint)

From the day of their debut, when Matilda smoked a cheroot and Margo tied a cherry stem in a knot with her tongue, the Halifax twins have flouted convention at every turn. But when Matilda runs off with the dangerous Marquess of Ashford—who has every reason to hate her—she may have gone a bit too far.
Determined to stop Matilda’s inexplicable elopement, her sister Margo turns to her oldest friend for help: because if anyone can get her to Scotland in time, it’s starchy solicitor Henry Mortimer. But the road to Scotland is paved with secrets. Beneath his buttoned-up exterior, Henry is ardently, wildly, miserably in love with Margo. And Matilda and Ashford’s relationship too may not be quite what it seems.
Between salacious engravings, secret identities, and demanding feral cats, nothing about the journey goes as planned. With the Halifax Hellions at the reins, a week in a carriage is exactly enough time to turn the world upside down . . . and, perhaps, find the love stories they never expected.

Originally published in digital and audio as separate novellas, Vasti's Halifax Hellions are now together in a print edition with an newly added epilogue. One twin running off to marry a man who should hate her and another twin who gives chase with a "starchy solicitor." Vasti leans into romantic comedy and this sounds fun.

To Sin With a Viking by Michelle Willingham (Reprint)

She holds him prisoner. But he’s about to claim her heart…

Caragh O’Brannon never expected to survive a Viking raid—let alone capture a warrior. Fierce, bound, and utterly dangerous, Styr Hardrata should be her enemy. Instead, he awakens forbidden desires she cannot deny.

Styr came to Ireland seeking trade, not a battle. But the fiery Irish maiden who holds him captive stirs a hunger more powerful than freedom itself. Though honor binds him to another, Styr harbors a secret that could change everything.

Caught between loyalty and longing, Caragh and Styr must choose—betray their hearts or surrender to a passion strong enough to defy fate.

Originally published by Harlequin Historical in 2013, this self-published reprint, first in a duet, features an already-married (!) hero whose arranged marriage is in the final death throes when he's taken captive by the literally-starving heroine. Oh, and Viking hero, story set in Ireland. God bless having 20+ years worth of blog archives, I read and reviewed this back in the day. The subject matter is very tricky, but Willingham does a great job with it, and the hero's wife gets her own romance in the second book, which is being reprinted in March.

Whew! And here we are, at the end. Seriously, I won't tell you how long it took me to draft this post. The least you could do to show your appreciation? Go forth, read a historical romance. Then tell all your friends about it.

#TBRChallenge 2026: The Pirate and His Lady

2026-02-18T05:00:00.000-08:00

The Book: The Pirate and His Lady by Margaret St. George

The Particulars: Contemporary romance, Harlequin American Romance #462, 1992, Out of print - including digital, reprinted 2002 as part of Harlequin's defunct Dreamscapes line - also out of print, including digital. If you want this book y'all, you're buying a used print copy.

What Was It In Wendy's TBR?: So for you young'uns running across this post, once upon a time there was an author named Maggie Osborne who wrote some dynamite historical westerns. Well, she also wrote category romance under the name Margaret St. George. I didn't make the same concerted effort to hunt down the St. George books as I did the Osborne titles, but I tend to pick them up when I stumble across them at library used book sales or charity shops. I'm not sure how long I've had this one though since it appears I failed to catalog it (yes, I have my print TBR cataloged - don't hate the player, hate the game).

The Review: Back in 1992 there weren't monster romances featuring heroes with tentacles, nor Kindle Unlimited for that matter, to give readers their WTFBBQ fix, there was just category romance. Now this may seem like a sad and long ago bygone era, but let me assure you, Harlequin got a lot of mileage out of throwing wacky at the wall and sometimes you'd stumble across stories with plots you could only compare to a fever dream. Ladies and gents, I present to you The Pirate and His Lady - a time travel romance featuring an 18th century privateer who washes up on the shore of Key West and is rescued by a modern, 20th century heroine. Published in the Harlequin American Romance line. Dear God, what a time it was to be alive!

Elizabeth Rawley and her Uncle Cappy (seriously) run a salvage / treasure hunting business in Key West, Florida. Her and the guy she's about to break up with are getting ready to attend Cappy's annual "Pirate's Ball" costume party when she spies a ship battle from the beach and she knows it's a "reenactment" of the battle between The Black Cutter and the Madre Louisa. Elizabeth knows this because she and Cappy have been hoping to find the Madre Louisa, which sank shortly after she defeated the Black Cutter in battle so they can claim the riches that were on board. The problem? Instead of catching a clue where on the vast ocean floor the Madre Louisa is located, all Elizabeth has accomplished is an unhealthy obsession with Richard Colter, Captain of the Black Cutter. She's deeply moved by the reenactment which is happening on the 200th anniversary of the battle - except there's one minor detail. Her boyfriend that she's about to break up with? Doesn't see a thing. Did Elizabeth hallucinate the reenactment?

After returning from the party, and breaking it off with the dud, she heads down to the beach only to stumble across a man. That man? None other than Captain Richard Colter, wounded and likely suffering a concussion. He suspects nothing is amiss other than having just lost his ship and crew, what with Elizabeth rescuing him while wearing period colonial clothing. However once he's inside her house? Well, witchcraft comes to mind.

What follows is the comedy of errors one would expect in a time travel romance with some icky gender expectations tossed in for good measure. Richard talks like a pirate and has definite notions on a woman's place in the world - so single Elizabeth living alone, unchaperoned, never married, I mean she's probably a whore right? And he's flabbergasted to discover she's in her late 20s and not 18. Then there's of course modern day small appliances like the coffee maker and toaster - never mind the bathroom. Honestly I've never been the ideal audience for time travel because I find these requisite scenes rather tedious, but I got some chuckles when, needing to distract him, Elizabeth turns on the television. Needless to say she slips out of the house unnoticed and when she returns? He's right there on the couch where she left him and he's amazed that "King Larry" will be interviewing "the Madonna" later that evening. I couldn't help it, I laughed.

I'll hand it to St. George, she really threw herself into the question "What would happen if you threw a man with 18th century sensibilities into the 20th century?" Unfortunately, it's icky. All I could think of is that certain segment of Romancelandia who decries historical romance heroes who happen to have one enlightened idea about a woman's place in the world wringing their hands and crying anachronism! Anachronism!!!!!! Seriously, they'd love this book. To put it bluntly, Richard is a bit of a Neanderthal. Not the most offensive of this ilk I've read over the years, but Alan Alda this guy ain't. (And if you get that reference, congratulations - you're officially old)

For a good portion of this book Richard is the sort of romance hero who bemoans that Elizabeth won't simply do as she's told and then is flabbergasted that he can't do much about it. "So it's true. 'E can't discipline a woman, even if she needs a strong hand." My hero 🤮

Unfortunately Elizabeth didn't pick up the slack for me. She dumps the guy she's seeing at the start of the book because the next step would be them taking the relationship to the next level (yes, sex) and while she has every indication he'd be a gentle and considerate lover, sometimes a woman just needs to be "taken." And yet, once Richard is in her life? She struggles with the push-pull factor to their relationship.

There was the rub. Elizabeth would fight like a tiger to be the dominant partner in any relationship. But in her heart, she couldn't respect a man who would let her dominate him. And she sure as hell didn't intend to allow any man to dominate her.

Why is Elizabeth like this? Daddy issues. It was the 1990s folks, you shouldn't need to ask.

These gender roles, how masculinity and femininity are defined, make up the bulk of the conflict in this book and, likely not seeing anyway around this, St. George then moves the conflict to Richard potentially returning to his own time, will Elizabeth go with him, Cappy needing to close the business because they're broke, and the potential possible discovery of Richard's sunken ship which was carrying a boatload of gold - not the Madre Louisa. Unfortunately even as she moves off of it, it's still there. Lurking between the lines, bleeding into the margins.

Where does that leave us? Well, even taking into account this was published in 1992, I found the gender dynamics and "expectations" pretty gross for most of this story. On the other hand? St. George slathers on the angst in the last third and how the time travel aspect is resolved and the discovery of Richard's sunken ship made those chapters sail (ha!) by for me.

Would I recommend this? I mean, maybe if you were interested in gender and power dynamics in early 1990s romance, but trust me - you'd be better served to pick up a Maggie Osborne western if you're looking for unconventional, strong yet vulnerable heroines and the men who lose their hearts to them. If there's a Grossness Scale to be applied to vintage romance, this is 1990s Gross as opposed to Bodice Ripper Era Gross - but all of it's not great, we're just talking varying degrees. Very much a product of it's time.

Final Grade = C-

Reminder: #TBRChallenge Day is February 18

2026-02-13T05:00:00.000-08:00

It's now February and I'm still not reading, although I seem to have fallen into a re-listening groove with audiobooks, so maybe that's a step in the right direction? Well I better get it together because our next TBR Challenge is set for February 18. This month's optional theme is Vintage.

A perennial favorite that consistently shows up in annual theme poll responses, vintage can mean anything from Old School to a genre classic you might have buried in your TBR. Or maybe it can just mean a main character who likes vintage clothing - creativity with the monthly suggested themes is highly encouraged.

However if the idea of sticking to a theme is more than you can deal with right now (and really, can't blame you), remember that these themes are always optional. The goal of the TBR Challenge has always been read something, anything, that has been languishing in your pile of unread books.

It's never too late to sign up for the Challenge. You can learn more about it, and see a list of who is participating, over at the #TBRChallenge 2026 information page.

Little Miss Crabby Pants Pours One Out: RIP Harlequin Historical

2026-02-06T14:11:00.000-08:00

Y'all it's a dire timeline we currently find ourselves in and it's spilling over into Romancelandia. Word got out this week that Harlequin is killing the Harlequin Historical line. I follow longtime HH writers Terri Brisbin and Amanda McCabe on Facebook and they both posted the news - so that's good enough for me when it comes verify your sources. Terri's post has the most thorough information so I'll embed that below:

There have been rumors that Harlequin was going to kill the Historical for over a decade now, with things ramping up to a fever pitch when Harlequin was acquired by Harpercollins in 2014. Surely with the juggernaut that was Avon, Harpercollins would jettison Harlequin Historical. I mean why put up with red-headed stepchild HH when you got Julia Quinn, Lisa Kleypas and Eloisa James? Fast forward to 2026 and Avon has thrown all their weight behind contemporary romance with cartoon covers and the only historical on my radar is the upcoming Julie Anne Long, coming in June 2026 (with an illustrated cover, natch). Harlequin Historical hung on a lot longer than I think anyone gave them credit for, even as Harlequin bungled their way through the marketing of that line (legit, there was a stretch where they stopped distributing HH to physical retail spaces - like, you could not find an HH in a bookstore!)

I've been out in these Harlequin streets a long time but it's getting hard to love them. Look, I understand the economics of the situation. Inflation and rising costs - not to mention the economics of big box stores and our Evil Overlords at Amazon - have killed the mass market paperback format. Then you look at the fact that romance readers were the first to truly embrace digital reading, in droves, which I think also helped hasten the demise of mass market but also caught the industry by "surprise" and, having learned nothing from the music industry, they bungled their way through the transition to digital - which, honestly, they're still bungling. Digital gave rise to self-publishing, which gave rise to "cheaper books," which larger conglomerate publishers just cannot compete with because of overhead costs. A romance reader buying retail (and reading 100+ books every year) was going to take a flier on a 99 cent book, even if that traditional publisher priced their digital formats at a reasonable price point (and many of them didn't - how many times have we seen ebook editions that are more expensive than the print?). Compounding this? Publishers dug in their heels with libraries when it came to digital lending. Early on this wasn't an issue with Harlequin, who were REALLY friendly with library digital buying and borrowing until they were sold to Harpercollins (hello, metered access), but it's another reason why we're in the boat we're in folks.

All of these economic factors, plus shifting reader tastes, has led to Harlequin jettisoning several lines. I'm still pissed about SuperRomance y'all. However, it was when they killed the Desire and Love Inspired Historical lines that I knew things were about to get real - and here we are. In a genre chasing TikTok popularity, the days of going into a bookstore and walking to the register to buy a category romance, a historical, an erotic romance, a contemporary romcom, and a gritty paranormal romance are fading fast. If it's not a romantasy or a women's fiction novel masquerading as a contemporary romance publishers just have no frickin' clue what to do with it. The days of being able to read a back cover blurb and look at the cover art to determine what you were actually buying or reading are long gone. All the packaging looks the same now to the point you could stack the books face out against a wall and basically get something resembling a wallpaper pattern.

Am I old and cranky? Yes. But it's my blog and I can crank all I want.

It's hard to stress what Harlequin Historical brought to Romancelandia but I've been single-handedly trying to remind y'all for years now. When Regency England wallpaper took over, you could still find some variety and history with Harlequin. They were the last historical publisher to abandon westerns (albeit they too eventually did), you could routinely find medievals there along with Vikings. Oh sure, they had Regencies, but they also had Victorians that read like actual Victorian era settings and not Regency 2.0: The Revenge. And then they'd slip in some off-the-beaten path gems, like Jeannie Lin's Tang Dynasty books or Michelle Styles' stories set in Ancient Rome.

I realize we have many more books to come until the line shuts down in 2027, and the backlist will live on for a long time (although backlist also has a shelf life...) but I'm vacillating between sadness and pure rage that this moment has come. I'm mad publishers keep fumbling their business so poorly. I'm mad at the state of the world we live in where nobody can or even wants to read a book anymore. I'm mad at the state of my chosen profession for continuing to stress that Libraries Are More Than Books while the world burns down all around us because NOBODY IS READING BOOKS ANYMORE AND WHY AREN'T WE ADDRESSING THAT AS A PROFESSION?! I'm mad at everyone who felt abandoned by historical romance and stopped reading it even though I understand why you feel that way. In general I'm just cranky and mad about all of it right now, even as my TBR can be seen from space.

So, what to do in the meantime? I need to spend more time focusing on my own Harlequin Historical pile and sharing that love. I also hope that you all go out and pick up an HH title that tickles your fancy - then talk it up to where ever it is you may talk books.

When I was a wee baby romance reader I remember how frustrated I would get with Old Lady Romance Readers lamenting the demise of the genre because of erotic romance, and now, as they say, the shoe just may be on the other foot. For I am lamenting the demise of the genre thanks to TikTok, publishers not knowing what the hell they're doing, and a world that has rendered most of us incapable of doing much outside of trudging through our daily existence hoping to keep our heads above water even as we all feel like slipping under. Books can be a life preserver in a lot of ways, but the market is narrowing and shrinking, at least in traditional publishing spaces, and it doesn't instill much hope. Can self-publishing save us? With so much of it grossly dependent on Amazon? Doubts, I have them.

Edited to add: Many thanks to Eurohackie for providing the link to the official Harlequin announcement. Also, they're reducing the number of Presents they publish every month which HOLY SH*T YOU GUYS!

New Year, New Unusual Historicals for January 2026

2026-01-26T05:00:00.000-08:00

Welcome January 2026 - I guess. Besides the current news cycle, which is all bad all the time, I'm still sick. Am I getting better? I mean, sort of? I'm back to sleeping in bed (and not sitting up on the couch) and the cough is better (I guess?) although it's still here. At this point there's nothing for it, I have to go back to work this week and figure out how to string words together to tell y'all about this month's crop of Unusual Historicals (be gentle). I don't hold out much hope for my ability to do that right now, but if nothing else new historical romances are something we can hold on to - a small glowing light burning in what is currently the very dark cave we find ourselves in. Be good to each other Romancelandia and romance will be good to you.

Reclaiming His Viking Queen by Lucy Morris

He will have his queen…

For better or worse!

Viking Agnar has had many names: Usurper. Warlord. Wolf Slayer. Still, there’s one role he’s hell-bent on claiming—Skadi Friggsdottir’s husband! Rejected by Skadi years ago, he’ll be denied no longer. Storming her hall is easy. Taming his warrior queen will be much harder…
Young Skadi chose survival by marrying another over honoring her promise to Agnar. Now, believing Agnar has killed her husband, she’ll surrender her hand but never submit! Yet behind Agnar’s fury lies a man deeply wronged…one she can’t help but want. Is her enemy husband her doom, or her greatest desire?

A new stand-alone Viking romance from Morris featuring a hero ready to claim the heroine who threw him over for another years before. I'm hoping for lots of sizzling Enemies to Lovers tension in this one, which is already locked and loaded on my Kindle.

How to Get Away With Scandal by Caroline Linden

Don’t fall in love with me . . .

Evangeline, Lady Courtenay, has flirted with scandal her entire life, and paid a steep price for it, with two unhappy marriages and a tarnished reputation. She’s vowed never to get entangled with another man—until a dashing explorer, just passing through London, smiles at her and sends her heart leaping. Just one night, she tells herself; that’s all she wants from him or any man.

Sir Richard Campion is entranced by Evangeline the moment they meet, even before she takes him home with her for a night of pleasure, only to be gone when he wakes. When he encounters her again years later, he is just as fascinated—and elated to find that she still feels the attraction, too. But this time, he intends to persuade her that he’s worth getting entangled with . . . forever.

I can't say no to a scandalous heroine and Linden's latest features a twice-married heroine who sounds like she's earned every bit of her reputation. She's vowed to stay away from men, but then meets the "dashing explorer" hero and really, what's one night? Turns out enough to ensnare them both.

When the Earl Was Wicked by Jess Michaels

Popular courtesan Evelina Comerford thought she had her life in order. She had been with her protector, a powerful duke, for years and believed they would be together forever, even if he was forced to marry and produce legitimate heirs. And then he broke her heart by walking out of her with no feeling to be with someone else’s wife.

Vaughn is the Earl of Blackburn and he is enduring a scandal to end all scandals. His wife of three years has not only begun a public affair with a duke he once called friend, but she’s demanding a divorce. He’s angry and hurt and he wants a little revenge, which is how he finds himself on Evelina’s door, asking her to pretend to enter an affair with him to make both of their former loves jealous.

But a fake affair swiftly turns to something more powerfully passionate. And spying and trying to undermine their former partners begins to lose its shine. But can they both overcome loves that were never meant to be and recognize the true love that is looking right at them? Or will it all be too late when they finally figure it out?

The second book in Michaels' Comerford Courtesans series features a heroine dumped by her protector Duke and a hero whose wife wants a divorce because she's in love with his friend, that same Duke. So naturally hero and heroine decide to enter into a fake affair in the name of revenge - only to get more than they bargained for.

Hollywood Glitz and Glamour by Ariella Talix

It's 1939, the Golden Age of Hollywood, and the major movie studios make all the rules.

Only a very lucky few receive the coveted contracts from Hollywood producers—but they come with heavy strings attached. Actors and actresses are beautiful, talented, and treated like pawns on a chessboard. It's all about image, income, and hedonism.

Troy Kingsley is a handsome, gifted actor who explodes onto the Hollywood scene, gathering fans from all walks of life. Little does anyone know that Troy is a lawbreaker and morally corrupt by society's standards.

When the studio determines it's time for Troy to marry, he’s not at all happy about it and gives the studio his own ultimatum.

Rosalie Channing came to Hollywood to pursue her lifelong dream of becoming an actress. She doesn’t know anything about Troy other than he’s a terrific movie star who’s captured her attention in the past couple of years, and now she’s ordered to marry this stranger if they both want to keep their jobs.

She doesn’t know that Troy is a package deal.

If you're going to write a MMF historical, there may not be a better setting than 1930s Hollywood. Studios ran everything, spun stories out of whole cloth, and for the price of fame and fortune many an actor found themselves in one closet or another. Which is what we have in Talix's latest. I'm intrigued by this one for sure.

Waves of Desire by Lauren Everly

Two enemies bound by danger—and undone by desire.

Savannah socialite Samantha Warstein has finally been given the chance to earn her place within her family’s secret pirating legacy. Her first obstacle as a captain? An ambitious—and annoyingly handsome—navy lieutenant tasked with destroying the pirate trade. And she’s not sure which challenge appeals more: proving her worth or putting him in his place.

Having lost his parents to pirates, Lieutenant Christian Thompson takes his assignment seriously, determined to spend his life married only to the sea. But when a mysterious, red-headed beauty bests him in battle, the mission becomes personal. He’ll see her brought to justice, no matter how her laughter haunts him... or how her courage stirs something he thought long buried.

When a notorious pirate kidnaps Samantha, her uncle hires Christian to track her down. Little does he know, the woman he’s chasing and the woman he’s rescuing are one and the same. Bound together by danger and deception, they must work together to take down the most ruthless man on the seas. But as treacherous waters and buried secrets close in, their greatest peril may be the desire neither can resist.

This is Everly's debut and according to the bio listed on her web site she "first discovered her love for historical romance at the age of twelve, when she stumbled upon a hidden box of Johanna Lindsey novels in her mom’s closet..." I mean, I've never been less surprised by anything in my life after reading this blurb which is pure, unadulterated throwback featuring a pirate heroine and the hero determined to run her to ground, only to fall in love with her not realizing her true identity. The only thing missing is the heroine rocking blue eyeshadow on the cover 😂

Wife Wanted by Wren St. Claire

He advertised for a wife and found his soulmate.

Renowned antiquities scholar, Deodonatus (Deo) Kinninmounth Earl of Pendrell, needs a secretary to help him with a new project, but the lonely, socially awkward, bespectacled giant, also wants a wife. He decides to advertise for a lady to fill both roles.

Miss Emily Grenfell is a closet antiquities enthusiast, heiress, and social disaster. Escaping from her draconian mother and a suitor she doesn’t want, Emily arrives a day late for the job interview and is shocked to discover she has applied for a post working for a man.

However, when the enormous, hawkish-featured man with red hair and freckles, proposes a marriage of convenience, Emily is happy to accept, rather than return to a home where she is mistreated and misunderstood.

Embarking on a project to dig up a Celtic burial site on the Duke of Troubridge’s estate, Deo and Emily discover they have more in common than a shared passion for antiquities. As desire sparks between them, Deo struggles to come to terms with physical and emotional intimacy, and Emily falls for her adorably nerdish and irresistibly attractive husband. And when Emily’s rejected suitor tries to cause trouble for the pair, Emily must learn to understand the harsh childhood that has robbed Deo of normal emotional responses and help him discover what his heart is for.

A red-headed hero (with freckles! I love this guy already!) proposes a marriage of convenience to a heroine who will fill his need for a secretary and a wife. Our heroine, a social disaster, accepts in order to escape a family and suitor determined to keep her under their collective thumbs. This is the final book in the author's All for Love trilogy.

The Explorer Returns by Ramona Elmes

Love hadn’t been enough years ago; would it be now?

Lisbeth, the widowed Duchess of Lusby, travels to Syria to deliver an ancient map that will allow her antiquities club in London to find important artifacts. She expects to deliver them to her colleague, but instead comes face to face with the man whose heart she broke years ago. Gone is the quiet man she once loved, and in his place is a brash, famous explorer. She is unimpressed.

Thomas Easton is astounded when Lisbeth appears in the Syrian café where he is spending time with friends. He never planned to see her again after she ended their betrothal with a letter. Gone is the daring young woman he once knew, and in her place is a regal duchess. This different Lisbeth annoys him. Shocking them both, Thomas goads her into staying for one more adventure. He insists to himself it isn’t because of any lingering feelings.

As they hunt for artifacts, feelings and temptations start to grow between them. Could they have another chance at love? Perhaps, but secrets and dangers both in Syria and England have a way of derailing even the most certain happily-ever-afters.

Want more antiquities? January seems to be the month for it, with this third book in Elmes' Brazen Curators trilogy. She's a widowed Duchess come to Syria to deliver an ancient map and he's the explorer whose heart she broke years before. They agree to one last adventure and complications, naturally, ensue.

Envy Unchecked by Alyson Chase

London’s first gentlewoman’s club — Tea, On Dit, and …. Murder.

London, 1820. Lady Mary Cavindish has scandalized society by opening her Minerva Club, a place where women can escape the constraints of propriety. But when a prominent member is found strangled inside its elegant walls, the club’s future teeters on the brink of ruin.

Already under siege by a moral crusade decrying her establishment as a den of vice, Lady Mary knows this murder could spell its doom. Refusing to let her creation perish, Lady Mary launches her own inquiry, probing the dark secrets of her members and the ton’s elite.

Frustrating her efforts is the arrival of a Bow Street Runner, a by-the-book investigator whose moral code doesn’t want the involvement of an eccentric widow in his case. Complicating the matter, as the investigation deepens, so do his feelings for the daughter of one of the prime suspects, a liaison that blurs the lines between duty and desire.

As they search for answers, Lady Mary and her fellow sleuths uncover a tapestry of betrayal, envy, and revenge. When scandal surrounds her, Lady Mary is forced to decide just where her allegiances lie.

The first in the Lady Mary Mysteries series, the publisher is marketing this as a mystery - but this blurb teases readers with plenty of romance-related shenanigans. She needs to find a killer in order to keep her club open and he's a "by the book" Bow Street Runner. One suspects that this romance may end up playing out over future entries.

Once Upon a Wicked Wager by Cassandra Samuels

If love is a gamble, this is one wager they cannot afford to lose.

Notorious widow and social pariah, Lisbeth Carslake, Countess of Blackhurst, was acquitted of her husband's murder, but no one believes in her innocence. Known as the Black Raven, bringer of bad luck and death, she is the topic of gossip and wagers. She knows the only way to prove her innocence beyond doubt is to return to society and find her husband's killer.

Oliver Whitely, Earl of Bellamy, is well and truly in dun territory and drunkenly takes on The Black Raven Wager and ends up agreeing to a business proposal at the end of a fire poker, to escort Lisbeth back into the viper's pit known as the ton. Together, they must find her husband's killer before the killer finds them. That is, if her schedule allows and they don't kill each other first.

If antiquities aren't your thing, this month's Unusual Historicals also give you murder as an second option 😂. She's a social pariah thanks to everyone thinking she murdered her husband and the only way to get her life back is to find the real killer. For that she's going to need help, which shows up in the form of our hero, who foolishly accepted a wager only to end up on the wrong side of a fire poker. A heroine with spirit - I like that.

The Earl's Indifferent Daughter by Elizabeth Heights

Lady Esme de Neville has found true love… or has she?

Among the flatterers and fortune-hunters lining up for her hand, one man alone has captured her heart - and she will do whatever it takes to convince him of her affections. But after surrendering her virtue, Esme finds herself unceremoniously abandoned and forced to await her lover’s return at the country home of her sister, Frida, and brother-in-law, Callum.
Adam is a seasoned warrior, tasked with bringing Callum home to the highlands to his father’s deathbed. Upon arriving at Ember Hall, he unwillingly accepts a new assignment; to guard Lady Esme – whose youth and beauty threaten to topple the high barricades that have protected his heart for many years.

For Esme, the long days of waiting pass slowly, with her brooding bodyguard providing her only source of distraction. Despite his best efforts, Adam is unable to resist her overtures of friendship. Opposites attract and soon the sparks of romance begin to fly.

But fate has an extra surprise in store. Just as Esme recognises the depths of her feelings for Adam, a figure from the past threatens the future she longs to embrace. Her happiness – and Adam’s too – depends on two things: de Neville family loyalty and the power of true love.

Heights wraps up her Sisters of Ember Hall medieval trilogy with a heroine who fancies herself in love and only managed to ruin herself in the process. Now she's moldering away at her sister's country home being guarded by the hero, not the man she fancies herself in love with but the the one who ultimately ends up capturing her heart.

Hopefully by the time I start thinking about February's Unusual Historicals post I'll be past whatever plague I managed to catch and we'll all have had some measure of good news to hold on to. In the meantime, share what Unusual Historicals you're looking forward to in the comments section.

Review: Such a Clever Girl

2026-01-23T05:00:00.000-08:00

Half the fun of a Darby Kane thriller is getting to the point where the vile antagonist gets exactly what's coming to them. I think that was my issue with Such a Clever Girl, there's not an antagonist per se. I mean, there kind of is, but while she's definitely leans hard into sociopathic behavior, her main goal in this book is get everyone else to finally tell the truth.

Sleepy Hollow, New York, a small town steeped in ghost stories and legends, was the scene of the Tanner family disappearance fifteen years ago. Historian, Patrick, his wife, Victoria, and their two kids - Aubrey and Noah. No bodies, no word, simply vanished. A blood stain on the floor of the entryway in their home and a fire at the bookstore they owned the only clues.

Xavier Tanner, Patrick's father, has finally died. A man no one will mourn, but his death means the reading of his will, and that brings together three women who know more about the disappearance of the Tanner family than they are letting on. There's Stella, a local psychologist and Xavier's great-niece. Her marriage imploded after the Tanners vanished, she's a single mother to a toddler daughter, and dealing with her grasping mother. Marni is a local elementary school teacher who was Victoria's best friend and then there is a Hanna, owner of a local café and single mother to Jeremy, now in college. All three of these women were at the Tanner home the day the family disappeared. All three of them have secrets they want to stay buried - and then Aubrey Tanner, prodigal daughter who has been missing along with her family for the past 15 years walks through the doors of the courthouse.

This story started slow for me. Probably the first 30% is Stella, Marni and Hanna unspooling when Aubrey reappears, and then in waltzes a guy who claims he's writing a book on the Tanner family disappearance and wants to interview them. Kane then spends some time introducing a few more secondary characters, including Stella's ex, her exhausting mother, Hanna's son Jeremy, etc. etc.

This one didn't really sink it's claws into me until Hanna begins to emerge as the character you want to root for. Her life has not been easy, raising Jeremy on her own, building and running her own business. She's the queen of the side hustle, which is how she comes into the orbit of the Tanner family - she does some work as Patrick's research assistant. Aubrey's reappearance sends her into a spiral and when the past threatens her son she goes into full blown mama bear protector mode. Hanna taking charge is what gets this story to cook.

The story is told in alternating points of view between Hanna, Marni and Stella as the author starts laying out the puzzle pieces and getting everything to fit together. Aubrey is definitely playing the long game here - and as the reader you waffle between wondering if she's the villain or the wronged party.

This story was a slower build than some of Kane's other books, so while I enjoyed it once the plot started to simmer, it's probably not the book I'll recommend to folks who want to start reading her work. Still, it was entertaining and I'm nothing if not a sucker for small town secrets - of which Kane's Sleepy Hollow has plenty.

Final Grade = B