Susan's Review of My Once and Future Duke by Caroline Linden

What happens at the infamous Vega Club . . .

Sophie Campbell is determined to be mistress of her own fate. Surviving on her skill at cards, she never risks what she can’t afford to lose. Yet when the Duke of Ware proposes a scandalous wager that’s too extravagant to refuse, she can’t resist. If she wins, she’ll get five thousand pounds, enough to secure her independence forever.

Stays at the Vega Club . . .

Jack Lindeville, Duke of Ware, tells himself he’s at the Vega Club merely to save his reckless brother from losing everything, but he knows it’s a lie. He can’t keep his eyes off Sophie, and to get her he breaks his ironclad rule against gambling. If he wins, he wants her—for a week.

Until now.

A week with Jack could ruin what’s left of Sophie’s reputation. It might even cost her her heart. But when it comes to love, all bets are off . . .

About the Book

My Once And Future Duke

by Caroline Linden

Series

The Wagers of Sin

Genre

Adult

Historical Romance

Publisher

Avon Books

Publication Date

February 27, 2018

Amazon  |  Avon Romance  |  Barnes & Noble  |  Google Play  |  iBooks

Pinspirations!

Click here to check out Caroline Linden’s My Once And Future Duke Pinterest board!

Tour Wide Giveaway

To celebrate the release of MY ONCE AND FUTURE DUKE, we’re giving away five paperback sets of WHAT A WOMAN NEEDS and WHAT A GENTLEMAN WANTS by Caroline Linden!

GIVEAWAY TERMS & CONDITIONS:  Open to US shipping addresses only. Five winners will each receive a paperback set of What a Woman Needs and What a Gentleman Wants by Caroline Linden.  This giveaway is administered by Pure Textuality PR on behalf of Avon Romance. Giveaway ends 3/9/2018 @ 11:59pm EST. Avon Romance will send the winning copies out to the winner directly. Limit one entry per reader and mailing address.  Duplicates will be deleted.  CLICK HERE TO ENTER!

About Caroline Linden

Caroline Linden was born a reader, not a writer. She earned a math degree from Harvard University and wrote computer code before discovering that writing fiction was far more fun. Since then, the Boston Red Sox have won the World Series three times, which is not related but still worth mentioning. Her books have been translated into seventeen languages, and have won the NEC-RWA Reader’s Choice Award, the Daphne du Maurier Award, the NJRW Golden Leaf Award, and RWA’s RITA Award. She lives in New England.

Author Links

    

Sophie Campbell is a smart, beautiful woman who supports herself by gambling. Her ability to calculate the odds combined with her ability to know when walk away from a game or a challenge has served her well. Jack Lindeville, the Duke of Ware, arrives at the Vega Club to pay his brother Philip’s substantial marker. He is captivated when he sees a woman in a crimson dress playing cards with his brother’s friends. Jack doesn’t see her face but, he acknowledges that something about her intrigues him.

Philip returns to the Vega club and insists that Sophie gamble with him. Sophie chooses the complicated game of hazard, figuring Philip would tire of the quick dice game. Sophie knew that hazard was a fool’s game—too many rules and the odds were too high. She was trouncing Philip until the Duke of Ware entered the room and stopped the game. Jack and Philip almost come to blows over Philip’s refusal to stop gambling. Sophie throws caution to the wind and accepts the Duke’s challenge to play hazard with him. Sophie’s reckless choice pushes the storyline in a new direction. Even though she knows she should walk away, Sophie accepts a final round of hazard with a 5,000 pound payout. Jack tells Sophie he desires a week of her time if he wins---which he does. Jack orders his coachman to take them to Alwyn, his country home.

At first, Caroline Linden’s decision to have Jack challenge Sophie to gamble with him seems out of character for him. Was he trying to teach Philip a lesson? Jack takes his responsibilities seriously. Has his desire for Sophie overruled his common sense? The challenge and its outcome drew me into the story and I read it in one sitting.

Caroline Linden’s descriptive writing style and the dialogue between the characters shines during Sophie and Jack’s stay at Alwyn. The author does a fabulous job creating sexual tension between the characters as they explore the country house. I loved the scene when Jack asks Sophie to play the piano for him. As Jack listens and watches Sophie play, he observes that the music piece means something to her. When Sophie leaves the room in tears, Jack realizes he has upset her. The banter between Sophie and Jack as they explore the attics is well done; they get into a detailed discussion of love and marriage. Jack’s desire for Sophie is apparent as the couple rummage through the attic—will he act upon it?

I have been waiting for the Duke of Ware’s story as he has appeared in several of the author’s novels. I had pictured him as a serious man. I was surprised when Jack made the bet with Sophie, it seemed so out of character. I enjoyed getting to know Jack and seeing him fall head over heels for Sophie. Love brought out the best in Jack. Setting the story at a gambling club provides a unique storyline opportunity; it allows the couple to meet and enables Jack to make a decision based on desire, not facts and figures. I adore Caroline Linden’s writing style. Jack and Sophie’s sensuous love scenes are perfectly written—filled with desire, passion and emotion. My Once and Future Duke has all the feels—it’s an exquisitely told deeply passionate story with fabulous characters and their journey proves that love is worth the gamble!

Reviewed by Susan Gorman
ARC provided by publisher

This promotion is brought to you by Pure Textuality PR.

No Earls Allowed by Shana Galen

by Shana Galen

☆☆☆☆☆



And now moving on in the Survivors Series.

Lady Juliana is determined to make a safe
and successful place of this Sunnybrooke
Home for Boys. At all costs. These boys need
her. They need a safe place to live and grow
and become men. But it is the 'costs' part that
is making it so very difficult for her.

Major Neil Wraxall has been enlisted to convince
Juliana that she must return home. She must let
someone else manage the home for boys.
Major Wraxall believes he can easily
solve this problem. And make everyone happy
at the same time.  But then, he does not know
how much Juliana has invested herself in
the home and the boys.
Wraxall finds out very quickly that this is not
going to be resolved as he had hoped.

No Earls Allowed is a sweet story of romance
unexpected. Generosity of the soul.
Strength of spirit. We all must decide what
matters most to us. And if we are very lucky,
that person will make their way into your
life. The person that will show you that 
you are worthy. You are worthy of love.

Shana Galen has written a deeply
emotional story. With very unusual and
unique characters.

Review written by Lisa Hutson
I got my copy from NetGalley

About No Earls Allowed......

It is not necessary to have read Third Son's a Charm. 
(But you should! You would like it!)

There are funny parts as well as critters.

It's a great story if you are feeling sorry for

yourself for some reason. Reading it will

lift your spirits.

My favorite character may have been

Juliana. Stubborn. Motherly. Generous.

If you have any questions about No Earls Allowed or

Shana Galen and her books in general, please

ask in the comments.

To read Lisa's review of Third Son's A Charm click here!

Susan's Review of One Fine Day by Cindy Kirk

Abigail Fine learned early in life it’s hard to get ahead when you start with nothing. She hoped serving as a surrogate would allow her to not only help a friend, but jump-start living her own dreams.

Jonah Rollins always considered himself a loyal friend and an honorable man. Until he made a decision that destroyed a long-standing friendship and eventually, his marriage.

When life threw her a curveball, Abby did the only thing she knew how: the right thing. Her life might look a whole lot different than she imagined, but she wouldn’t have it any other way.

Now, five years later, the past has come calling. Life’s presented Abby with an even bigger challenge: one that will test her capacity to forgive . . . or force her to close her heart forever. But Abby and Jonah just might discover that there are no bounds to how wide her heart can open or how deep his love can run.

Have you ever read a book that you thought about for days after you finished it?

One Fine Day is a book about friendship, broken promises and a mother’s love for her child. These themes resonated with me and I read Abby and Jonah’s story in one day. Abby and Jonah are given a once in a life time chance for a do over— an opportunity to come to terms with their past and move ahead.

The prologue draws the reader into the story immediately. Abby Fine agreed to be a surrogate for her childhood friend Jonah Rollins and his wife Veronica. Complications with the pregnancy are discovered; the Rollins’ decide to walk away from their special needs child. Abby is determined to continue with the pregnancy. This decision impacts every aspect of Abby’s life—she is cut off financially and emotionally from the entire Rollins family—she is on her own.

Five years later, Abby is running the Inn at Hazel Green which she inherited from distant relative. She and her daughter Eva Grace are part of the tight- knit Hazel Green community. Eva Grace captured my heart. She reminded me of a doll—blue eyes and curly blond hair. Eva Grace has big personality and her enthusiasm for life jumps off the pages! Abby’s devotion and patience with her daughter shines through in each page of this novel.

Cindy Kirk’s descriptive writing style enables the reader to connect to Abby. I could hear the joy in Abby’s voice when she talked about her child and feel the hurt when she reminisced about Eva Grace’s surgeries. My heart broke when Abby’s thoughts brought her back to the day that Eva Grace was born. Frightened and alone, she reached out to Jonah. I felt her pain and severe disappointment –Jonah never responded to her phone call or her text. I understood Abby’s desire to raise Eva Grace and provide a happy safe life for her. Abby has been there every day for child—through many painful surgeries and sleepless nights. Jonah’s monthly letters to Eva Grace and Abby and the support money he sent in the letters provided a connection between Abby and Jonah. The fact that Abby didn’t read the letters but saved them intrigued me – why did she keep them?

Abby’s ability to put her child’s best interests first and to forgive are tested when Jonah becomes the new police officer of Hazel Green. Her inner strength is tested when Jonah makes it clear that he has moved to Hazel Green to get to know his child and repair his relationship with Abby. Jonah mentions that he wrote to Abby that he had accepted the position in Hazel Green and that he was divorced. He is amazed when Abby tells him that she has not opened his letters.

Cindy Kirk uses the backstory technique to provide insight into both Abby and Jonah’s history. Jonah’s backstory is woven into the story and it allowed the reader to gain perspective on his choices, his situation. Loved the scenes when Jonah explains to Abby what factors led him to side with his wife. This revelation is important as it gave insight into Jonah’s situation and his decision making. The author subtly introduces the idea that not all choices are black and white and that life experiences impact the choices you make. My favorite scene in the book is when Abby decides to read each one of Jonah’s letters—this decision opens her heart towards forgiveness.

One Fine Day has all the feels; it’s an emotional story which tugs at your heart from the first page. The characters are honest and the dialogue is superb—and Eva Grace will capture your heart. The themes of loss, forgiveness and love are told with compassion and humor.

Reviewed by Susan Gorman

ARC provided by the publisher