After reading the first book, A Duke for Diana, I just couldn't wait for Eliza and Nathanial's story especially after since they had such little interaction with each other in book 1. I was eager to see how their relationship was going to happen.

I really loved watching them both work through their own struggles and wounds both on their own at first, and then they were able to come together and tackle the obstacles together. Normally I don't like it when the romance hinges on a lie(s), but there was just so much underlying genuine warmth and tenderness between them that I felt confident by the end that they were strong enough to face the ugly truths when the time came.

The reason I give 4 stars and not 5 is that I did not feel like there was very much plot going on. There was a lot of telling and not showing here. I was bored of the actual storyline - if there really was one? The lies/truth were juicy enough to carry the book, but I could have used more "action." But I think we may just get that with Verity and her Phantom Fellow in the next book and I can't wait!

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own. ( )

A Troubadour to Serenade

Sabrina Jeffries returns with a second Designing Debutantes Novel, with witty banter and a passionate romance, in What Happens in the Ballroom. Eliza Harper Pierce is now experiencing the freedom of widowhood after the death of her lying husband Samuel. She is content with helping her sisters run their shared company Elegant Occasions. When her late husband’s friend Nathaniel Stanton, the Earl of Foxstead returns from the war with a ward and her two-year-old son, she is prepared to refuse him. Lord Foxstead’s reputation as a notorious rake makes their situation at risk from society’s judgment. Except his flirting and clever whit stirs up feelings she thought she would never have. Nathaniel made a vow to help Jocelin no matter the cost, but his secrets could cost him Eliza.

This book follows A Duke for Diana very well, without overly repeating the history of the founding of Elegant Occasions, and their parent’s scandal. Diana still has a big part in the happenings of this book, so reading her story may fill in some different perspectives.

Sabrina Jeffries jumps into Nathanial’s situation right away, as he makes his case to Eliza to help his ward Jocelin find a suitable husband. Eliza can tell he is keeping secrets from the start, but helps them for the sake Jocelin and her child. Eliza’s compassion for those in difficult situations is apparent in all she does in both her business, and volunteering for the Fallen Females. But it is her suspicious disposition, created after her late husband’s constant lies, that lead her to distrust Nathaniel’s every intention.

Nathaniel is aware his reputation and secrets make it difficult for Eliza to trust him. They both also have to come to terms with their memories of Samuel, and the harm he caused them. Despite Nathaniel’s intentions of protecting Jocelin and his budding love for Eliza, he must learn to trust others with his family’s secrets.

Elia and Nathaniel’s flirty banter is a lot of fun to read. They are both strong and quick-witted characters, who have a shared sense of loss and need for trust. They grow together, finding what they want in life as they start over. While choosing each other when society and even family disprove of them. This book also hints at the next book’s romance about Verity’s Phantom Fellow. ( )

What Happens in the Ballroom by Sabrina Jeffries
2nd book in the Designing Debutants series. Historical romance. Can be read as a stand-alone.
Widow Eliza Pierce helps run Elegant Occasions. Nathaniel Stanton, the Earl of Foxstead, goes to Elegant Occasions to find a husband in society for a young military widow. The two are attracted to each other but secrets can cause misunderstandings.

This couple has sparks! He’s trying to help at a cost to himself and does it unselfishly. The carriage ride was amusingly frisky. The added depth of a storyline beyond the ton and balls and debutantes was refreshing.

I received a copy of this from NetGalley. ( )

What do you get when you pair a secret-hating heroine with a hero who has more big secrets than you can count? You get an excellently written, well-paced story that is filled with characters that are both likable and relatable. I thought Geoffrey from the first book had a lot of secrets, but his can’t hold a candle to Nathaniel’s – especially for life-altering consequences should they be revealed.

Mrs. Eliza Pierce is – the disowned daughter of an earl, a widow, a loving sister, an owner of Elegant Occasions, and a despiser of secrets and deceit. Yes, she despises secrets and deceit because they were constantly present during her marriage. When her husband was killed died during battle, she mourned who she thought he was when she married him, but not who she found him really to be. She wasn’t provided for after his death and only had a home because her grandmother left it to her, so she started Elegant Occasions to provide for herself and her sisters. When Nathaniel Stanton, Earl of Foxstead wants to hire Elegant Occasions to bring-out his ward who is also a war widow, Eliza senses he isn’t sharing everything she needs to know – and she doesn’t like it. Is Jocelin really Nathaniel’s mistress and not his ward? Is James(Jimmy) actually Nathaniel’s son? He certainly seems inordinately attached to Jocelin and Jimmy – and they to him. If she is his mistress and Elegant Occasions sponsors her, it will ruin their reputation and livelihood.

Nathaniel is a man of secrets. Those secrets, if revealed, could ruin the lives of a great many people – people he cares about. He’s fabricated a stack of lies and half-truths to explain so many things that it is nearly impossible not to slip up. Many of those secrets revolve around his commanding officer, the best man he’s ever met, Major General James Anson – who died in the same battle as Eliza’s husband. The General tasked Nathaniel with the guardianship of his daughter, Jocelin, and Nathaniel will honor that pledge no matter the cost. Nathaniel will also keep General Anson’s other secrets as well – no matter the cost – and the cost might just be his future happiness.

There is a long-time attraction between Nathaniel and Eliza and now that she is a widow, that attraction blooms into – lust definitely – but maybe more? It doesn’t matter because she doesn’t trust him – or any other man – and never plans to remarry. He doesn’t plan to marry either – at least not until he has to – and at least not until long after Jocelin and Jimmy are settled. Can Nathaniel come to trust Eliza enough to tell her his secrets? How can he profess to love her if he doesn’t trust her? Can Eliza come to trust Nathaniel if he can’t/won’t share his secrets? You’ll just have to read this lovely book to find the answers.

There is so much to enjoy in this book – a delightful 3-year-old boy, wonderful visits with Diana and Geoffrey from the first book, two romances, and mysterious appearances by a Fantom Fellow. Could the Fantom Fellow be the match for Verity in the next book? She is certainly intrigued by him. While this book is part of a series, it holds up well as a standalone. However, the origins of Elegant Occasions and how three aristocratic sisters came together to start the business are excellently told in the first book.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. ( )

An Earl for Eliza
5 Stars

This is the second book in Jeffries’ Designing Debutantes series focussing on three sisters who open an agency to help young debutantes make their debuts into society. We had middle sister, Diana’s story in A Duke for Diana and now we have the story of oldest sister Eliza (which was originally to be titled An Earl for Eliza). As to whether the stories stand alone - in terms of the romance, absolutely, yes. However there were characters mentioned, and discussions of things that had happened in the first book that weren’t re-explained. Having said that, I have read the first book and I couldn’t remember some of the things I was expected to remember.

Eliza Pierce is a young widow whose marriage has put her off men for good. Well, except for her husband’s best friend, Nathaniel Stanton, the Earl of Foxstead - the last man she should really fall for, and not just because he’s the biggest rogue that ever lived. I liked Eliza as a heroine and it’s always fun to have a widow as a heroine as they definitely were able to have the most fun of all women of the Regency. Eliza’s plans to have an affair with Nathaniel were totally understandable - as was her failure at keeping herself from falling in love.

I had a bit more trouble figuring out Nathaniel’s motivations. At times he seemed to be following his lust in wanting only an affair with Eliza. At other times, I wondered whether he had some sort of unrequited love for Eliza even before she had been married. I think I would have been happier if that angle had been pursued. Nathanial also had a whole host of secrets which were ultimately the reason for the conflict between our couple. These weren’t too egregious although I admit to getting myself all confused when things were came out.

With Eliza being a widow, there were many more possibilities for Nathaniel and Eliza to be together. We still got some nice teasing and building of the sexual tension before their first encounter - in a carriage in a carriage house - oh my! It was fun and sexy, and I liked our pair as a couple both in and outside the bedroom - or the carriage house!

Sabrina Jeffries always manages to suck me into the lives of her characters and the dazzling world of Regency England. She weaves her words so seamlessly that you don’t even realise that you’ve fallen in love with the characters and have such rich detail of the world around them as they themselves fall in love. She’s one of, if not my favourite Regency romance authors and I’m always delighted to read a book of hers. While this book might not be my favourite of hers, and it also has one or two niggles, it still entertained me and I was always happy to pick it up and read just a bit more. And now I can’t wait to read Verity’s story - presumably with the dastardly Phantom Fellow that’s been following her around for two whole books now. But for Eliza’s story, still a solid 5 stars and a recommended read if you enjoy rich, detailed Regency romances. ( )