Emily Greenwood (2)

Felicity Wilcox has a profligate uncle who has lost her home gambling, the home she promised her mother she'd take care of on her mother's death bed. With a scatterbrained father, she has had to grow up faster than most, managing the estate until the new owner arrives and scrimping to stretch their resources so they can survive.

James Collington is determined to rescue his family's estate and redeem the family name from the scandal his brother created. In so doing, he enters into a gamble and wins a country estate, which he plans to fix up and sell in order to pay off the debt on his own family home. What he doesn't plan on is the plucky young woman who appeals to his sense of honor and tries to talk him into refusing his prize, something he can't do.

Felicity embarks on several plans to drive the new owner away, unaware of his long-term plans to sell her family home, but James Collington is far too appealing, and in spite of her desire to thwart him at every move, she finds her feelings ensnared as he matches her game of wits, incident by incident.

I found Felicity to be endearing, mainly because she was unapologetically who she was. Not fashionable, not wealthy - ruined. Her playful spirit buoys her up through difficult times, along with her "I can do anything" attitude. And James is an alluring man who has issues of his own. A worthy foil, he isn't aware of his own faults until his aunt delicately points them out to him, and then he has to come to terms with them on his own.

I found this to be well written, well plotted, and a thoroughly enjoyable romp with secret passages inside a manor house, a hero and a heroine who play well off each other, both with strong personalities. Excellent characterizations. This is one I would read a second (and potentially more) times.… (mehr)

Duchess in the Wild - Grace Burrowes
Greyville Trent and Francesca Pomponio

Francesca has been widowed for several years. Her Italian husband was extremely wealthy and exceedingly unfaithful. She returned to England, where her only remaining family lives, only to be beset by fortune hunters. She and two similarly widowed duchesses decided to leave London for some peace. When their coach is in an accident, they are rescued by three passing gentlemen. Francesca's rescuer is Greyville Trent, a scientist who recently returned from an Amazonian expedition that lasted several years. He plans to use his time at his friend's home to organize his notes and seek funding for his next trip. He didn't count on meeting Francesca.

There were sparks between Grey and Francesca from the moment they met. As a scientist, Grey tends to be inquisitive, and his curiosity is aroused by Francesca and the slight air of mystery around her. Francesca's attraction to Grey surprises her, as no one has stirred her interest since her husband's death. I enjoyed their first evening together, as Francesca unknowingly appropriated his supper, comments upon his notes (that she was told not to touch), and ends up making herself quite useful to Grey. I loved how he freely admitted that his French wasn't very good and that he is terrible at writing letters asking for funding. Francesca's offer to help (I loved his reaction to her first letter) opened the way to them spending their days together. I loved their interactions as she helped him organize his notes, both of them being plain-spoken.

They also got to know a little about each other's lives. Grey was less than complimentary about how Francesca's husband treated her. He is fascinated and attracted by her, but feels unable to do anything about it. In his eyes, he has nothing to offer her. Francesca is equally outspoken as she learns more about Grey's family. I loved her pithy comments about their lack of support for him. She has ideas to help him, but suspects he won't accept.

I liked watching the development of their relationship. The attraction continues to build each day that they spend together. Though she has never done so before, Francesca decides to take advantage of her status as a widow and propositions Grey. They connect so deeply that it scares both of them, and they start to pull back. I ached for both of them as they each realized their feelings, but hesitated to say anything. When the coach was finally repaired after two weeks, the ladies left. Francesca still had one ace up her sleeve to help the man she loved. I loved the ending, with Grey's surprise and Francesca's intentions. I especially enjoyed it when she gave up on her disguise and flipped back her veil to confront him.

To Tempt a Duchess - Emily Greenwood
Kit Stirling and Olivia Thorpe

Kit is an earl's heir who has a reputation for gambling and keeping questionable company. He already regrets joining his friends in the country as he misses the activity of his life in London. The quiet of the countryside leaves him restless. When the three men happen upon a coach accident with three stranded ladies, Kit takes the middle one, a Miss Olivia Thorpe, to transport to the house.

Olivia, aka the Duchess of Coldbrook, joined her friends for a holiday away from London. All three are tired of dodging fortune hunters and are traveling incognito to avoid trouble. Olivia is a woman who enjoys quiet pleasures such as long walks, reading by the fire, and the peace of the country. She considers herself unattractive and is a little on the prim sides. She is familiar with Kit's reputation though they have never met before.

Their initial interactions do not bode well for a pleasant time while the ladies are stranded. Kit is a touch sarcastic in his responses to the things she says, and sees her as a dried-up spinster with multiple cats, living in a cottage in the country. An encounter in the library later that evening begins the process of opening their eyes to the truth that first impressions are not always the whole truth. I ached for Olivia, whose fear of water revealed a vulnerability she preferred to keep hidden. Kit surprised me a little with his patience and understanding, though he also stayed true to his reputation with some of the things he said. I was a little surprised by their actions, as they seemed out of character for the time.

From this point, Kit finds himself seeking out Olivia whenever he can, ostensibly to get under her skirts again. Olivia was disturbed by the way he made her feel and is equally determined to resist him. Sparks fly between them as Kit pushes against her primness, and Olivia discovers that Kit isn't quite the rogue he pretends to be. There are some moving scenes between them, such as when Olivia cares for Kit after he hurts his ankle. I liked seeing the changes in Kit as his time with Olivia made him take a new look at his life. I hurt for Olivia when he told her how he felt. His reputation was tangled up with her memories of her father, and she was afraid to trust him. I loved the steps she inspired him to take that helped him put his past behind him. At the same time, Olivia was able to look at her fears and admit that Kit was different. I loved the ending and the surprise he had for her. I admit that I would like to have seen an epilogue of Society's reaction to the pairing of Kit and Olivia.

The Love of His Life - Susanna Ives
Colonel Nathaniel Stratton and Mary Alice Pymworth

This was the most emotional of the three stories. Mary Alice is a widow with three children, the youngest of whom is autistic. She loved her late husband deeply and still grieves for him. She reluctantly allowed her two friends to talk her into going on holiday with them but felt guilty about leaving her children. The fates seem to agree with her when the coach is involved in an accident. Three passing gentlemen stop to offer assistance. Mary Alice's friends each leave with one of the men, leaving Mary Alice to be rescued by the last man. She is horrified when she discovers that her rescuer in Colonel Stratton, the same man whose cruelty made her first season miserable.

Nathaniel knows he deserves every ounce of the disdain that Mary Alice throws at him. In his younger years, he was an arrogant, entitled rogue who went along with his friends when they behaved badly. Then Nathaniel joined the war against Napoleon. The things that he saw and experienced destroyed that arrogance and made him ashamed of who he had been. Then he discovered that he had an illegitimate daughter. Horrified by the conditions he found her in, he took her home to his country estate. Finding Mary Alice in the wrecked coach brought him full circle to face his past.

Mary Alice's anger when she recognized her rescuer was completely understandable. Unfortunately for her, he was her only option for rescue, especially considering she was injured. I was impressed with Nathaniel's patience and his belief that her attitude was justified. I ached for him as he realized the seriousness of her injuries, as he saw many head injuries during the war. His fear for her was evident, and I liked his determination to save her. His apology to her for his past actions was emotional, and his confession of his reasons was surprising. Though she tried to maintain her anger, Mary Alice couldn't help but be moved by his sincerity.

As Mary Alice and the others settled in to wait for their coach to be repaired, she had the chance to spend more time with Nathaniel. He previously witnessed her love and patience with her youngest daughter, Anna, and begged for her help with his daughter. Eleanor had suffered through terrible abuse before he found her, and Nathaniel has a hard time trying to break through the walls around the little girl's heart. He won my heart with gentleness and patience. It was so sweet to see how she opened up when introduced to Mary Alice's story world, and the joy it brought to Nathaniel's heart.

As they spent time together, the love he had always felt for Mary Alice continued to grow. He desperately wanted to have her and her children in his life. Mary Alice's feelings for him were changing and growing, but the strength of those feelings scared her. She also felt guilty because she had loved her husband, and loving Nathaniel felt like she was betraying Jonas. I liked the advice she received from her friend Francesca, but overcoming her fears was difficult. I liked that Nathaniel gave her the time she asked for, and ached for him when it seemed like all was lost. The ending was a nail-biter as young Anna disappeared. I loved Nathaniel's level-headed response and following his method of finding her. The ending was heartwarming and beautifully described.

I enjoyed all three stories very much. There were a few inconsistencies among them, which grated a little but did not dim my enjoyment by much.… (mehr)

I love Grace Burrowes and so when I saw this book I had to have it. Three widowed duchesses decide to take a vacation away from the season and go undercover as regular women. When their coach breaks down they are found by three single gentlemen who just happen to be living down the road.
Each duchess is swept off her feet by one of the handsome men and each author does a masterful job of telling the story.All three stories were a delightful, delicious treat on their own and they all held together under the roof of Rose Heath.… (mehr)

Sarah Porter is a refined, intelligent, and pretty lady with a large nose. Her nose has ruled her life, causing her to be resigned to a single life at the age of twenty-five. She's acting as a guide into society for her younger cousin, warning her away from rogues like Lord Jack Hallaway. Jack had insulted her two years earlier at a ball, and Sarah hasn't forgotten.
This is a sweet romance, one that grows slowly as Sarah and Jack get to know each other better. Jack has hidden depths as Sarah finds out, and he helps her trust people a little better. There's no major contretemps - no spies or abductions; just the story of two people falling in love. It's a quick read and a lovely story with nice people, and sometimes that's all you need to read.… (mehr)