Gayle's review of Love, The Duke by Amelia Grey

Coming April 1

 

LOVE, THE DUKE

Say I Do, Book 3

When the Duke of Hurstbourne receives a letter from his childhood friend asking him to marry his sister, Hurst declines. He’s not adverse to taking a bride, but he believes in love at first sight—not marriage sight-unseen. So it is with heightened interest that the well-heeled person standing in front of his desk, attired in tailored finery, challenges his quick instinct and tells him this is no man. Rather, a resourceful and fiery young lady disguised as a man. And a superb disguise at that.

Adhering to society’s strict propriety for ladies, Ophelia Stowe has no choice but to present herself as a man to seek the Duke of Hurstbourne’s favor. If not for the dire situation she finds herself in, she wouldn’t have asked for help from a man who had rebuffed her. When the handsome duke’s response is a plan of his own, Ophelia never dreams it would be a proposal of a marriage of convenience.

But the stakes are high, and the good name of the Stowe family will be damaged if a missing antiquity isn’t found. When she accepts his offer, she quickly finds she isn’t immune to the passion building between her and her new husband--or how real the marriage begins to feel.

Love, The Duke is a quick read, with a likable hero and heroine and is the third book in the Say I Do Series. I am not familiar with Amelia Grey's writing, and I haven't read the first two books in the series, but the book worked for me as a standalone. Love, The Duke is a very visual story, and I enjoyed the author’s description of the characters, clothing and objects. The story was entertaining overall and really started off strong. Ophelia Stowe and The Duke of Hurstbourne have an instant attraction once they get past the awkwardness of their initial meeting. There are several entertaining moments, and my favorite was when Hurst must extract Ophelia from an awkward situation of her own making. The story falters for me when the hero starts to parent Ophelia's behavior, and the couple argue about things they have gone over before. The end picks up with a mad dash to the finish as the couple must resolve the mystery as well as navigate their budding relationship. There is an emotional and touching moment between Hurst and Ophelia that wrap things up nicely.

Love, The Duke is perfect for existing fans of Amelia Gray and those who like a sweet romance with a bit of mystery.

Review by Gayle

Review ARC provided by St. Martin's Press, via Netgalley

Publication Date: 4/1/2025

#entertaining #funny #hea #readromance

Susan’s Review of Baking it Merry by Samantha Chase

For two months out of the year, Daphne Noelle got to live her dream of owning a bakery. Her little pop-up bake shop—one that looked just like a gingerbread house—brought joy to every customer who stopped by to enjoy her sweet treats. She loved meeting people and making them smile, and being in such a festive setting every day was just the icing on the cake! For the last three years, everything had gone smoothly, but this year, there was one guy who was determined to ruin it all.


One of the things Tristan appreciated most about the office complex where his architecture firm was located is how upscale and elegant it was. Unfortunately, every year for eight long weeks, a holiday shop set up in the lobby, turning it into the equivalent of a traveling circus, and the bake shop booth was the worst offender. The giant gingerbread house was an eyesore and the woman running it was too cheery for his liking. This year, he was determined to do everything he could to have her and her booth removed.

Samantha Chase is one of my favorite authors and I look forward to her holiday stories each year. Baking it Merry is a slow burn romance with great characters, a bit of drama and lots of sweet treats.

I loved that instead of a swoony, romantic hero Baking it Merry has a grumpy hero who has no holiday spirit!! Think Cindy Lou Who meets the Grinch on top of Mt. Crumpet!

Daphne Noel sets up her pop up bakery in the lobby of an upscale office building in Raleigh, North Carolina. Her storefront is a life size gingerbread house decorated with large candy canes, ornaments and colored twinkling lights.

Daphne has no idea that architect Tristan Knight cringes each year when the lobby is filled to capacity with the small Christmas shops. Tristan is a Grinch. He is not a fan of the holidays, decorations or the people who crowd the bake shop. He complains to the landlord about the bake shop and about Daphne’s cherry holiday spirit!

I loved Daphne and Tristan’s story. Samantha Chase has created two complex yet; relatable characters. Daphne is a graphic designer and her goal to save money from the holiday shop to open a bakery. Tristan loves order and structure. The holiday season and its chaos interferes with his work goals.

Loved the slow burn opposites attract romance. Tristan’s snarky attitude towards Daphne when she presents her ideas for his holiday parties is perfectly written—I imagined Tristan rolling his eyes and shaking his head.Tristan’s was speechless when his family and friends were wowed by the décor, food and cocktails and Daphne!

Baking it Merry is feel good story about celebrating the holidays and with family and friends. Daphne genuinely loves to spread the joy of Christmas. Tristin learns the true meaning of the season as he and Daphne work together on his holiday parties. Loved that Samantha Chase added several plot twists in this story – it made me root for the couple’s HEA!

With its holiday baking theme, charming characters and opposites attract romance—Baking it Merry would be the perfect Hallmark movie!

Reviewed by Susan Gorman
Purchased via Amazon kindle

Susan's Review of In The Air Tonight by Marie Force

The strong characters, suspenseful storyline and the small town setting immediately drew me into Marie Force's In The Air Tonight.

Denise, Blaise and Houston were strong, relatable and believable characters. I could relate to the teenage Blaise-the small town atmosphere, the peer pressure and how she internalized her experience. What she saw never left her—she was put in an untenable position.

Blaise’s decision moves the storyline forward and impacts every character in the novel. Houston makes the decision to contact Denise knowing that if she wanted justice; his relationship with his brother, friends and his standing in the community would never be the same. Everything would change—and it did.

The novel is fast paced and the suspense builds with each chapter. The chapters are told from alternating POVs which helped me gain insight into the characters thoughts and actions. The author perfectly captured the small town vibe and the high school popular kid mentality.There several unexpected plot twists throughout the story which kept me on the edge of my seat.

The story made me stop and think several times about what I would have done if I were Blaise. Would I have been too afraid to speak up? Would I have had the courage to speak up? Loved that the author explored the actions vs consequences theme this novel.

If you are looking for a suspenseful novel set in a small town filled with secrets - pick up a copy of In The Air Tonight!

Reviewed by Susan Gorman

Book provided by the author