historical romance

Review: A Captain for Caroline Gray by Julie Wright

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Caroline has had three very unsuccessful seasons and is left with no choice but to sail to India in hopes that she’ll snag a husband there. She doesn’t want this but being a woman in those times often had them doing things they didn’t want.


Thomas has been saving for his own fleet and in doing so he makes this three month trip to India every year. He sees all type of women who hope to find a better life and it makes him sad to think that this is a last resort for many of them. India is not a safe place for gentle bred women. But the money is good, so he continues to do so.


This trip is different however. Thomas meets Caroline and his world is flipped. He’s never felt anything for the girls he’s traveled with before but there’s something about her spirit that draws him. He has a plan for his life and she doesn’t fit in it so he tries to stay away and force himself to stick to the job. But life has a funny way of messing things up.


Caroline isn’t your typical genteel woman which is why she’s here and why she has a harder time making friends. So she sticks by the captain. Even if it kills him.


Soon innocent feelings start to blossom and they both know what her plans are once she arrives in India but again, life happens…


This was a sweet romance to watch unfold. I get so bad for those girls who were made to travel in hopes of finding their HEAs. You know that some didn’t work out for the better but thankfully this one did.


~Melpomene

Grab a copy here: https://amzn.to/2Odc97I

Review: Dancing with Danger by Kerrigan Byrne

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Let me tell you, after reading the previous book, Courting Trouble, I was so hoping that Raphael would get a story soon. We met him briefly but he had this quiet danger and that I was just itching to get more of.

While Mercy Goode is a twin, she’s one of a kind. At least in her time. She strong willed and passionate and doesn’t want or need a man to define her. She’s fascinated with crimes and solving them but she doesn’t realize that this current mission might just destroy everything she ever thought about herself.

Raphael was struck dumbfounded when he first caught the eye of Mercy Goode. There’s something about her that pulls him. And unfortunately that’s something he doesn’t have time for. He has a plan and it doesn’t include falling for this beautiful woman with a knack for being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

I would call this rivals to lovers most definitely. They both want the same thing and that pushes them together until they explode. From the moment these two stumble upon each other, in the beginning of the book, I couldn’t stop reading. You could feel the passion even through their arguments. I love these types of romances!

Kerrigan Byrne knows how to write love stories. Some that start out slow and some that are immediately burning. This was a bit of both. It was simmering underneath. While you could read this as a standalone, it’s so much better if you read the series in order. Heck, start with the Victorian Rebels and then to the Goode Girls. You’ll meet everyone and then become just as obsessed with Kerrigan’s work as I am.

~Melpomene

Grab a copy here: https://amzn.to/2Mom4GJ

Review: Sea of Ruin by Pam Godwin

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I adore pirate books. I wish there were more. Not YA, but historical romance ones. And if they were like Sea of Ruin, I would never read anything else.

I’ll admit, it takes me a while to try a new to me author. I have so many auto-buy ones that I just don’t make the time for new ones. But when one of my auto buy authors raved about a super dark and sexy pirate story, I knew I needed to give it a try.

While Bennett runs from one pirate she ends up caught by a pirate hunter. Planning her escape has her doing things she never thought she’d be doing. Her life ends up being one twist after another. That is til everything comes to an explosive end.

The crazy thing is that the cover is very deceiving. It looks all whimsical, but in reality far from that. Let me tell you, it’s dark. I mean super dark. Triggers all over the place. But since I don’t have any, I was game for it. Were there places that made me cringe? Heck yeah. Super dark parts. But again, I had faith that things would work out.

If you like adventure with dark and twisty mixed in then this book is definitely something you will like! Go forth and grab it!

~Melpomene

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Review: The Earl of Christmas Past

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She’d only known him one night. And that was all it took to fall.

If you’re in the mood for a quick Christmas read then The Earl of Christmas Past is just what you need!


I’ll admit, ghost stories aren’t usually my thing, but a Kerrigan Byrne book most definitely is. I was sucked in almost immediately and very intrigued with the idea of a ghost haunting, especially one such as handsome as the Earl.


Finding a ghost in her lodging room wasn’t exactly what Venessa had planned but when one is traveling alone for the holidays, you won’t hear her complaining about the added excitement. And of course after hearing his story she wants nothing more than to help him.


Let me tell you, I could feel the sparks, between these two, through the pages. My heart even got a bit of a squeeze a time or two.


While this is technically 1.5 in the Goode Girls series, it can be read as a standalone. But I recommend reading the series though. Kerrigan is a wizard when it comes to historical romances.

~Melpomene

Grab a copy here: https://amzn.to/3m371Pe

Review: Brass Carriages and Glass Hearts by Nancy Campbell Allen

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This is the 4th book in the Proper Romance Steampunk series. While it’s technically an interconnected standalone, I highly recommend you read the others first to get the full effect. Plus you’ll get to meet some of the current characters.

Emme is all about full rights for everyone, including shifters. Unfortunately there are those who disagree and have made their feelings known, in the way of a death threat. So Inspector Oliver Reed is charged with being her bodyguard. After dealing with the aftermath of her many protests, he is less than thrilled with being forced to be around her even more.

Watching these two together was so fun. They circled around each other for a while. It was bit like enemies to lovers, which is my favorite sub genre of romance. They clearly didn’t feel good and happy thoughts in the beginning. But the more they’re put together the more they come to the realization that they care for each other.

Plenty of butterflies in the belly moments sprinkled with a few heart stopping ones makes this the perfect sweet romance. I really hope we got more from this world!

~Melpomene

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Quick review: To Catch an Earl by Kate Bateman

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I love stories like this! They’re not exactly enemies to lovers but more like hero and villain in a sense. She’s a thief and he’s a Bow Street Runner set out to capture her, only he doesn’t know it’s her. When he realizes it is, that’s when things get fun.

Their chemistry was off the charts. But it’s hard to stay on the right side of the law when you’re falling for someone who’s on the wrong side. These two were made for each other. It was so fun watching their game of cat and mouse.

And of course the side characters are always a nice addition. I look forward to their stories as well.

This was book two in a series, but they’re interconnected standalones, so you can read them in any order. But I definitely recommend you read in order. It’s more fun that way.

~Melpomene

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Review: Daring and the Duke by Sarah MacLean

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I have been dying for Ewan, the Duke of Marwick, and Grace’s story ever since I read the last book, Brazen and the Beast. There was so much hurt and emotions, you could feel it through the pages.

Ewan’s father was an evil man. He forced Ewan to make decisions that changed Grace and his brothers’ lives forever. So my stomach was in knots most of the time. The Bareknuckle Bastards have created this life for themselves, without the Duke’s help. They don’t need him or want him. They don’t want the heartache again, especially not for Grace. The brothers have protected her from him and they don’t want to see her hurt again.

No matter 20 years or 20 days, being separated from Grace has taken it’s toll on Ewan. He’ll do anything to find her and explain what happened all those years ago.

Grace has learned to live without him. She’s had a lot of experience making due. But she’s merely surviving, not living. She fulfills everyone’s dreams but her own. When the Duke finds her, her world is flipped. Everything she thought she knew about that night long ago, was wrong.

I loved these characters. They grew up together and know when to push each other and when to hold back. Watching them find their HEAs was definitely not easy, but in the end all things worked out.

~Melpomene

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Review: A Dark and Stormy Knight by Kerrigan Byrne

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Boy does Kerrigan know how to pack a powerful punch in her prologues!! But we needed to see what motivated Morley to become the man he was today.

I’ve been anxiously waiting for his story since we first met him. He’s been there from the beginning and I wanted him to find his HEA. Morley has lived his life without attachments. Anyone could be used against him so he stayed away from them, but one chance meeting flipped his life upside down.

Prudence has been told what she must do all her life, as women of those times were. But she decided to take one night and choose her own fate. Too bad, fate has a way of messing around with people. Little did she know how much her life would change.

Morley and Pru had an instant attraction. From that fateful day they were destined for each other. I loved watching him fight it because he thought that would be best but the heart wants what the heart wants.

This story had so many swoony moments, I was in heaven. I am extremely happy that after helping others find love, it was Morley’s turn and he found his.

While this could be read as a standalone, it’s better enjoyed if you read the full series. These Victorian Rebels are one of the my favorite historical romance series ever! Filled with anti heroes that you can’t help but fall in love with.

~Melpomene

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Review: Where the Lost Wander by Amy Harmon

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A beautiful story about life and love on the Oregon Trail.

Now, I’m not usually one to stay up too late reading. My eyes wanna close around 10:30. But when I read Where the Lost Wander, I couldn’t stop reading. I stayed up til almost 1 am anxiously flipping pages and trying to keep my tears from dropping onto them. I don’t remember the last time I read a book with so much overwhelming obstacles that had me glued to each word.

Life in a wagon train is brutal, both the land and people. But the May family set out with a train for a better life. With everything they own they are determined to make a better life from the one they are leaving behind. They knew it would be hard but they didn’t expect this.

Naomi May is a 19 yr old recent widow who is ready for a new life. She wants a family of her own so she sets out with her parents, and four brothers, for what will be a new beginning. She had no idea that traveling on this trail would change her forever. Nothing could prepare her for all the hardship and death she would surrounded by. But among that was also love.

“I worry sometimes that you will get tired of carrying all of us, John.”

“I would carry you to the ends of the earth.”

John Lowry is a man from two worlds. He’s a half Pawnee and half white man trying to balance between them both. But he had no idea when he was signing up for the trail how his life would change forever.

This story was harrowing and heartbreaking and yet so very inspiring. There were parts that had tears pouring down my face and some wishing I could reach in and hug Naomi. Honestly, the suffering was unfathomable. I don’t think I could’ve been as strong as she was. No matter what what thrown at her, she fought, even when she felt like giving up. If you read From Sand and Ash then this is right up your alley. Another story based on real people. These are types of stories I wish more writers would write. Amy Harmon will always be one of my favorites and I will always recommend her books.

~Melpomene

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