Tuesday, December 6, 2022

Cover Reveal - What's a Duke Got to Do With It by Christina Britton

Lady Celeste is thrilled to share this beautiful cover with you!

WHAT'S A DUKE GOT TO DO WITH IT

Synneful Spinsters book 2

Available July 11, 2023!

Four years ago, a scandal cost Miss Katrina Denby everything. Now, companion to the irascible Lady Tesh and in possession of wonderful friends, she believes her luck has finally changed. Until the man responsible for her ruination returns to England and promptly dies in a fall from her bedroom window. Now the life she had begun to build for herself is in shambles. And not only is she ostracized and vilified, but her friends are suffering as well because of their association with her. Katrina will do anything to gain respectability again and protect those she cares for. But her plans to marry one of the few men who will still have her despite the stain on her name and lack of fortune are thrown into turmoil with the arrival of the only man Katrina ever loved. A man who is now about to become engaged to another.

Sebastian Thorne, Duke of Ramsleigh, was a carefree rogue when he first met and began to fall in love with Katrina. But his father’s horrible actions forced him to give up on his dreams of a future with her. Now, after years of trying to save the dukedom, there is only one option left: to marry, and marry well. But though he has nearly secured the woman—and her fortune—necessary to protect the people who are counting on him, his future father-in-law sends him on one final errand to earn his blessing. What Sebastian doesn’t expect while seeing that job through, however, is Katrina—or that his feelings for her have not faded. In fact, they have only grown stronger, Katrina’s hold on his heart even more powerful than before. With both of their futures on the line and so many lives at stake, will their passion for one another lead to the ruin of them both—or give them a happiness they never dared to dream of?

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Forever Website

Christina Britton developed a passion for writing romance novels shortly after buying her first at the tender age of thirteen. Though for several years she put brush instead of pen to paper, she has returned to her first love and is now writing full time. She spends her days dreaming of corsets and cravats and noblemen with tortured souls.

She lives with her husband and two children in the San Francisco Bay Area.

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Read Susan's review of the first book in this fabulous series.

Some Dukes Have All the Luck

"Have you ever read a book that you didn’t want to end?" -Susan

Wednesday, November 9, 2022

Susan's Review of Some Dukes Have All The Luck by Christina Britton *** Synneful Spinsters #1

Ash Hawkins, Duke of Buckley, no more wants to marry than he wants a stick in his eye. As the owner of a gaming hell, he is all too aware the odds of a happy marriage are against him. But raising his three rebellious wards alone is proving more than he can handle. He needs to find someone who stands to benefit from a marriage of convenience as much as he does. Someone logical, clinical, and rational. And in a stroke of luck, he quite literally stumbles over just such a woman.

After years of ridicule for being more interested in bugs than boys, Bronwyn has accepted that she’ll never marry for love. Her parents, however, are threatening to find her a husband. Bronwyn doesn’t need any scientific research to show her Ash has secrets. But his proposal would give her the freedom to continue her entomology research and perhaps finally get published. Just as long as she can keep her mind on her work and off his piercing eyes, broad shoulders, and wicked, wicked tongue.

Have you ever read a book that you didn’t want to end?

Some Dukes Have All The Luck is that book for me! The beautiful setting, engaging characters and the romance between Bronwyn and Ash captivated me .

At first, Bronwyn Pickering appears to be an unlikely heroine. She prefers studying nature to dancing and she doesn’t quite fit in with the London social scene. Her social climbing parents are exasperated with her because she has not married into society. Bronwyn’s parents did not understand that she was brilliant they put her down because she does not conform to their wishes. I adored this character; she was warm, kind and very intelligent.

Ash Hawkins surprised me! I thought the marriage was one of convenience—Ash got a governess for his wards and Bronwyn was able to move away from her family and continue her research. The couple’s journey changed my mind. The chemistry between the couple sizzled—they are drawn to each other emotionally and physically. Ash understood that his wife was gifted and supported and encouraged her research and her desire to document her findings.

Bronwyn, Ash, Regina, Nelly and Eliza have something in common—each one thought they were unlovable—and this resonated with me because everyone wants to be accepted and loved. Ash was weighed down with family drama, Bronwyn thought she was too different and Regina, Nelly and Eliza have abandonment issues. Loved how this piece of the novel unfolded-it added the perfect amount of drama to the storyline. I enjoyed reading how the relationship between Bronwyn, Ash and the girls developed. Loved that Bronwyn listened to each one of them and that she understood Regina’s concerns because she could relate to them!

The novel is infused with humor and lots of witty banter. Bronwyn’s admission to Ash on their wedding night made me laugh out loud, Nelly and Eliza’s antics made me smile and I loved the Oddments meetings—the author writes fabulous dialogue for them!

Christina Britton’s Some Dukes Have All the Luck begins as a marriage of convenience and culminates as a romance filled with passion, understanding and trust! It’s a well plotted, character driven novel filled with family drama, sizzling chemistry, love and hope—all the elements of a novel that I adore!

Reviewed by Susan Gorman

ARC from Forever

Gayle's Review of Never Rescue a Rogue

Never Rescue a Rogue is the second book in Virginia Heath's series The Merriwell Sisters. Never Rescue a Rogue is a lovely romance with a fantastic cast of memorable characters. I loved this book even more than the first one in the series. There is a believable romance in Never Rescue a Rogue and it has understated humor, mystery and witty dialogue which appealed to me.

The hero and heroine are first introduced in Never Fall for Your Fiancée. When Diana and Giles met and rubbed each other the wrong way but had obvious chemistry. I had hoped that they would be the main characters of the second book.

The heroine Diana Merriwell is the middle sister and she is such an interesting character. I love Diana's skill set and the way she handles family and professional situations in her life. Diana behaves in a manner that makes sense to me and I was thrilled with her development throughout the book. I like her spunk and determination. Her relationship with Giles develops in a believable way.

Giles Sinclair is the best friend of the hero from book one and he is a man with a reputation or is he? Giles has his reasons for his outlandish behaviors and the reader gets to discover the truth of the matter along with Diana. Giles is protective without being stifling and I enjoyed his character very much. I always end up adoring Virginia Heath's heroes and Giles is no exception.

There is intrigue, passion and humor along with the standard wit and character development that Virginia Heath consistently brings to her writing. I really liked how visual this book was for me and Virginia's descriptions brought the locations, history and situations to life. Never Rescue a Rogue a definite must read .

Reviewed by Gayle

ARC provided by St. Martin's Press, St. Martin's Griffin

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