ARC Reviews

28/10/2021

The Dark Conqueror (Battle Lords of de Velt #5) by Kathryn Le Veque . Medieval Romance Release & ARC Review.

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Titan Medieval Houses go head to head in this sweeping and poignant Medieval Romance!

When the House of de Lohr (Rise of the Defender) and the House of de Velt (The Dark Lord) come together through their children, anything can happen—and anything does!


Cassian de Velt came to foster with Christopher de Lohr at a young age. From nearly the first day he arrived at Lioncross Abbey Castle, his gaze was drawn to Brielle de Lohr, Christopher’s second eldest daughter. As children, they shared a friendship that was strong and innocent—enjoying the same things, having the same sense of humor. All of the things that made a strong friendship develop into a love that could not be broken.

Unfortunately, they were only teenagers when Cassian asked Brielle to run away with him so they could be married. That lapse in judgement brought the wrath of Brielle’s father and Cassian was banished. Ashamed and angered, Cassian refused to return home to his family, instead, finding a lucrative position with the elderly Earl of Colchester. When the earl suffers a reversal of fortune at the hands of the king, Cassian is out of a job.

He finds his calling—and his fortune—on the tournament circuit as the knight known as The Dark Conqueror.

Cassian always hoped to build his fortune, and his reputation, and return for Brielle. That has been his one goal. Ten years later, he returns for her, rich and powerful. Brielle is thrilled to see him again, for in all those years, she never married. She refused to entertain suitors. But Cassian returns with a secret, something he won’t speak of, something Brielle only becomes aware of through his odd behavior. When Brielle’s sister, a former spy for William Marshal, begins to probe, an astonishing story begins to emerge. What was thought to be a secret is really, in truth, a duty.

To another woman.

Will Cassian’s duty to one woman be enough to prevent the marriage to the only woman he’s ever loved?

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐


Cassius De Velt and Brielle De Lohr have been in love since they met as children.  Everyone knows they will eventually marry, but their fathers insist they must wait.  
That decision doesn't go down well with our emotional hero.  Devastating news a few months later turns his world upside down and he hates himself. 
Our heroine will have life changing matters to face herself.  Luckily she has a large and loving family to lean on.  
This medieval romance will have you reaching for a big box of tissues in more than one place.  Our author knows how to make us feel all the emotions of her characters.  We giggle over the silliness and cry at the sadness.  I have read so many of her books that the characters feel like a huge family I go back to visit time and time again.  Although we often meet characters from other books,  no two books are even remotely similar. We get fresh adventures everytime.  I don't even bother to read the blurb for her books. I just automatically buy them,  because I know I will love it.  
Great book as always.  
I loved it.  


AMAZON.US * AMAZON.UK * AMAZON.ES




Juggernaut Indie author Kathryn Le Veque is a 'tour de force' in publishing.

Kathryn is a critically acclaimed 21-time USA TODAY Bestselling author, a charter Amazon All-Star author, an Indie Reader top seller, and a #1 bestselling, award-winning, multi-published author in Medieval Historical Romance with over 100 published novels.

Among her many accomplishments, she is the CEO of Dragonblade Publishing, the #1 Historical Romance e-book publisher on Amazon. In 2020, Kathryn collaborated with Sourcebooks publishing for a Medieval Fight Club series set in Scotland.



26/10/2021

Unmasking Deception (Pleasure Garden #2) by Mary Lancaster. Historical Romance Release & ARC Review.

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“Exactly how desperate are you?”

Escaping to Maida Pleasure Gardens for an evening of anonymous moonlight waltzing is bliss for Viola Dove, compared to the strained formality of her first London Season. But the excitement reaches fever pitch when an escaped convict is pursued through the gardens—wounded and in desperate need of help.

So, of course, Viola hides him in her family’s cellar.

Lord Dominic Gorse, the rakehell son of a marquis, is ill-suited to confinement, whether in Newgate or a surprisingly comfortable cellar, cared for by the beautiful, intriguing Viola, a parcel of lively children, and a very large puppy.

Viola sees beneath Dominic’s layers of charm and trouble to the man beneath, and sets out to help prove his innocence. But is she right to trust the handsome, volatile stranger with whom she is falling hopelessly in love? Is he using her for his own ends, or is there a deeper, deadlier deceit at work?

One they need to expose to have any chance of happiness...

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐


Miss Viola Dove doesn't enjoy all the rules surrounding her first season.  She feels stifled and bored,  but excitement is soon to come her way. 
Lord Dominic Gorse is on the run from a murder conviction.  If he hadn't been so drunk that night,  maybe he would remember what happened. 
This is an exciting historical romance with a murder/mystery to solve.  Our characters are all great fun.  There is a lot of humour and a little danger in the story.  
This is the second book in the series but easily read on it's own.  
I loved it.  


AMAZON.US * AMAZON.UK * AMAZON.ES



Mary Lancaster's first love was historical fiction. Since then she has grown to love coffee, chocolate, red wine and black and white films - simultaneously where possible. She hates housework.

As a direct consequence of the first love, she studied history at St. Andrews University, after which she worked variously as editorial assistant, researcher and librarian. Although she has always written stories for her own entertainment, she began to make serious efforts toward publication in order to distract herself from a job she disliked. She now writes full time at her seaside home in Scotland, which she shares with her husband and three children.

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Rules for Heiresses by Amalie Howard. Historical Romance Release & ARC Review.

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Amalie Howard whisks you away with a historical romance full of drama, true love, and the perfect happily ever after.

Sometimes, finding love means flouting the rules...

Born to a life of privilege, Lady Ravenna Huntley rues the day that she must marry. She's refused dozens of suitors and cried off multiple betrothals, but running away—even if brash and foolhardy—is the only option left to secure her independence.

Lord Courtland Chase, grandson of the Duke of Ashton, was driven from England at the behest of his cruel stepmother. Scorned and shunned, he swore never to return to the land of his birth. But when a twist of bad luck throws a rebellious heiress into his arms, at the very moment he finds out he's the new Duke, marriage is the only alternative to massive scandal.

Both are quick to deny it, but a wedding might be the only way out for both of them. And the attraction that burns between them makes Ravenna and Courtland wonder if it'll truly only be a marriage of convenience after all...


⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐


Lady Ravenna Huntley has escaped from an unwanted betrothal by telling her family she's going to visit a friend. She actually hopped on a ship to the Carribean dressed as a man. That's where we meet her in a gambling den.  
Lord Courtland Chase was banished from home as a boy, but has flourished and become a very wealthy man in his own right.  One trouble filled night will see him having to return and claim his birthright. 
This is an action packed historical romance filled with fun characters.  Our overly independent heroine never wants to conform to the normal rules for young ladies.  Our troubled hero can't seem to let go of the hurt caused by his stepmother and half brother. 
There is heartbreak, giggles and danger.  Everything you could want in a story.  
I loved it.  


AMAZON.US * AMAZON.UK * AMAZON.ES



Amalie Howard’s love of romance developed after she started pilfering her grandmother’s novels in high school when she should have been studying. She has no regrets. A #1 Amazon bestseller and a national IPPY silver medalist, she is the author of My Rogue, My Ruin, the first in the Lords of Essex historical romance series, as well as several award-winning young adult novels critically acclaimed by Kirkus, Publishers Weekly, VOYA, School Library Journal, and Booklist, including WaterfellThe Almost Girl, and Alpha Goddess, a Kid’s IndieNext pick. She currently resides in Colorado with her husband and three children. Visit her website for the latest news and information.





25/10/2021

The Wedding Wager by Eva Devon. Historical Romance Release & ARC Review.

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The Wedding Wager is the first of a fun new sexy historical romance series from USA Today bestselling author Eva Devon.

When a gambler wagers his grown daughter as the winner’s wife, a duke who has sworn off marriage is so disturbed by the bet that he ensures the woman’s safety by making certain he wins her.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐


Derek Kent, the Duke of Chase cannot believe it when he sees a certain Lord prepared to gambol his daughter's hand in marriage.  Worse still is the man he is betting with.  Our hero has never been able to see a woman misused in any way.  
Lady Victoria Kirby has no interest in marriage.  She knows what the people in society think of her looks and personality.  She's happy digging in the dirt for antiquities and cataloguing them.  
Both our characters have a good reason not to want marriage, maybe it can be useful to both.  
A very entertaining historical romance with fabulous characters.  It makes a nice change to have a heroine who is not the most beautiful woman around.  
This is the first in a series that I will definitely be reading more of.  
Great fun. 


AMAZON.US * AMAZON.UK * AMAZON.ES




USA TODAY BESTSELLING AUTHOR, Eva Devon, was raised on literary fiction, but quite accidentally and thankfully, she was introduced to romance one Christmas by Johanna Lindsey's Mallory novella, The Present. A romance addict was born. She devoured every single Lindsey novel within a few months and moved on to contemporary and paranormal with gusto. Now, she loves to write her own roguish dukes, alpha males and the heroines who tame them. She loves to hear from her readers. So please pen her a note! evadevonauthor@gmail.com




21/10/2021

The Defiant Daughter (The Ashmead Heirs #2) by Caroline Warfield. Historical Romance Release & ARC Review.

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Madelyn assumed marriage as an old man’s ornament would be better than life with her abusive mother. She was wrong.

Now the widowed Duchess of Glenmoor, she wrestles with ugly memories and cultivates a simple life. She is content. At least, she was until her half-brother returned to Ashmead bringing a friend with knowing eyes and coal black hair to capture her thoughts.

Colonel Brynn Morgan’s days as an engineer in his father’s coal mines in Wales are long behind him. With peace come at last and Napoleon gone, he makes a life for himself analyzing the reports about military and naval facilities worldwide for a shadowy government department. What income he has is committed elsewhere. He has nothing to offer a wife, much less a dowager duchess.

More lies between the duchess and the man she wants than money and class. They have personal demons to slay.


⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐



Madelyn, the widowed Duchess of Glenmoor is at last living a peaceful life without being under the control of horrible men.  She is not about to let any man control her again,  even her well meaning family. When someone turns up to threaten the peace and possibly turn other peoples lives upside down she only has one person to turn to. 
Colonel Brynn Morgan long ago left behind his life in the mines of Wales. That doesn't mean he's forgotten the painful memories.  When a friend asks for help there's only one answer,  even if it might cause him heartache. 
Our heroine really wants to be independent but our hero wants to look after her. 
This is a very entertaining historical romance that is full of great characters dealing with difficult family issues.  
This is the second book in the series,  and while you don't have to have read the first one to enjoy this, I personally think it would be better.  
A very enjoyable read. 


AMAZON.US * AMAZON.UK * AMAZON.ES



Caroline Warfield is the pseudonym of a writer who wishes she had walked through fascinating times in the shoes of one of her characters—but which one?

Caro has at various times been an army brat, a librarian, a poet, a raiser of children, a nun, a bird watcher, an Internet and Web services manager, a conference speaker, an indexer, a tech writer, a genealogist, and, of course, a romantic. She has sailed through the English channel while it was still mined from WWII, stood on the walls of Troy, searched Scotland for the location of an entirely fictional castle (and found it), climbed the steps to the Parthenon, floated down the Thames from the tower to Greenwich, shopped in the Ginza, lost herself in the Louvre, gone on a night tour of the Singapore zoo, walked in the Black Forest, and explored the underground cistern of Istanbul.

By far the biggest adventure has been forty-five years of marriage to a prince among men.

She sits in front of a keyboard at a desk surrounded by windows, looks out at the trees and imagines. Her greatest joy is when one of those imaginings comes to life on the page and in the imagination of her readers.