Vacancy: Viscount Preferred by Tammy Andresen – book review

Disclosure.  This post is a review of an e-book I was sent for free.  All opinions are my own.

I have received a free e-copy of the book Vacancy: Viscount Preferred by Tammy Andresen to review.

Here is the book blurb.

Lady Priscilla is in trouble…

When a cousin she didn’t even know existed inherits her father’s title, the new Earl of Purlington wants more than just the earldom, he want’s Priscilla too. Or at least, her dowry. What she needs is a hero. A man to swoop in and save her despite her cousin’s intimidating lurking. Well not an actual hero, not like the one currently being featured in the papers for all his heroic deeds, but perhaps a man willing to stand up to her cousin and marry her despite the odd circumstances. But how does she find a man like that?

The Viscount of Ware stalks the night…

He wears a mask of course. It wouldn’t do as a lord of the realm to also be discovered as a vigilante. And then there’s the issue of the large scar on his face. It’s better hidden under a mask. But the work is dangerous and as his brother so bluntly points out, he has certain obligations to the viscountcy. Like making an heir… It’s a fair point, but what lady would wish to marry him? His life as a lord isn’t exactly normal and neither is his appearance.

That is until he sees an ad in the paper. A woman in need of a hero? A man in need of a baby? It’s a simple transaction. Easy.

Except from the first, Priscilla is nothing that he imagines and the attraction that sizzles between them only complicates everything. His emotions have been frozen for years. Why do they threaten to defrost now?

And worse yet, what will he do if he loses the battle for Priscilla’s hand and heart?

This is the fourth book in the Calling All Rakes series, but works perfectly as a stand-alone read. Here are the links to my reviews of the previous titles.
Wanted: An Earl For Hire
Needed: A Dishonorable Duke
Found: Bare with a Baron

This story begins with Lady Priscilla taking the very unusual scandalous step of placing an ad in the newspaper for a husband, in a desperate bid to avoid marrying her odious distant cousin Eugene. Following Priscilla’s father’s death, Eugene had inherited the earldom, but he greedily wants the money to go with it, namely Priscilla’s large dowry.

Meanwhile, she and her mother are forced to live in the same house as Eugene and he has restricted their daily life so much, that she has no opportunity to meet other suitors, hence her last ditch plan, the ad naming a time and date in Hyde Park, where she and friend Clara plan to hide behind the rose bushes, to assess who might show up.

The ad is seen by Ralph, valet and illegitimate brother to Wyatt, Viscount Ware, secretly a heroic masked battle-scarred mysterious vigilante whose deeds also feature in the paper. Ralph is aways badgering Wyatt to marry, as he has a duty to sire an heir for the viscountcy, so he points out the ad to Wyatt.

How will things pan out when the ladies spot the handsome but scarred lord from their hiding place? And if he comes calling at the house, what might the the enraged Eugene do? Priscilla soon works out that Wyatt’s “footman” Ralph is his brother, but beyond that, Wyatt is very vague in answer to her questions. What might be the mystery?

Vacancy: Viscount Preferred is available on Amazon in both Kindle format and paperback. A nice short romantic story with a hint of mystery.

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About the author

USA Today Bestselling Author, Tammy Andresen lives with her husband and three children just outside of Boston, Massachusetts. She grew up on the Seacoast of Maine, where she spent countless days dreaming up stories in blueberry fields and among the scrub pines that line the coast. Her mother loved to spin a yarn and Tammy filled many hours listening to her mother retell the classics. It was inevitable that at the age of 18, she headed off to Simmons College, where she studied English literature and education. She never left Massachusetts but some of her heart still resides in Maine and her family visits often.

Visit Yet Another Blogging Mummy on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram

The Duke and the Debutante by Katherine Ann Madison – book review

Disclosure.  This post is a review of an e-book I was sent for free.  All opinions are my own.

I have received a free e-copy of the book The Duke and the Debutante by Katherine Ann Madison to review.

Here is the book blurb.

What happens when the most eligible bachelor in England mistakes a lady for a servant? Mayhem, of course.

And Lady Elizabeth dislikes anything that draws attention to herself. Which is why she’s hiding in the kitchen when the most distinguished and available guest arrives, The Duke of Wingate. It’s not as though she has a chance no matter how many match making schemes her mother and his aunt can cook up. Why would one of the most powerful men in England want her?

He’s too rough for someone as delicate as her…

As a duke, he’ll have to marry and make an heir. There’s no question about that. But he’s little patience for games and even less for courting. He’s busy and besides, he’ll not allow a few scheming biddies to dictate his future.

Which is why he sneaks into the kitchen of his aunt’s house rather than entering through the front door. He’ll show them… But his attempts to foil their plans send him crashing, literally, into Lady Evelyn.
Yes, she’s beautiful, and sweet, and gentle, and completely wrong for him. Isn’t she? Definitely. Possibly… perhaps a kiss will help him decide.

This is the first title in Katherine Ann Madison’s new sweet Regency Romance series Matchmaking on the Marriage Mart. From previous more steamy book reviews, the author may be more familiar to many of my followers as Tammy Andresen. But she uses the pseudonym Katherine Ann Madison for a sweet innocent read.

The story begins with the Duke of Wingate attempting to sneak into his Aunt’s house, the Countess of Greenburg, via the kitchen to avoid the crowd waiting in front of the house to greet him. There he scares a maid eating a spoonful of bread pudding mixture. But it is no maid, it is Lady Evie Dunstable hiding here to avoid attention and now she is covered in pudding!

Well that is certainly a different start to a story and made me laugh. But within minutes Evie’s mother and Lady Greenburg and other guests are arriving in the kitchen, flustering Evie further. And her mother is already in match-making mode. It seems that Lady Greenburg is too.

How will the Duke and Evie react?

The Duke and the Debutante is available on Amazon in Kindle format. A delightful read from Katherine Ann Madison.

However the blurb needs some proof-reading as it initially refers to Evie incorrectly as Lady Elizabeth and further on, correctly as Lady Evelyn.

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About Tammy Andresen

USA Today Bestselling Author, Tammy Andresen lives with her husband and three children just outside of Boston, Massachusetts. She grew up on the Seacoast of Maine, where she spent countless days dreaming up stories in blueberry fields and among the scrub pines that line the coast. Her mother loved to spin a yarn and Tammy filled many hours listening to her mother retell the classics. It was inevitable that at the age of 18, she headed off to Simmons College, where she studied English literature and education. She never left Massachusetts but some of her heart still resides in Maine and her family visits often.

Website – http://www.tammyandresen.com

Visit Yet Another Blogging Mummy on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram

Baron of Clubs by Tammy Andresen – book review

Disclosure.  This post is a review of an e-book I was sent for free.  All opinions are my own.

I have received a free e-copy of the book Baron of Clubs by Tammy Andresen to review.

Here is the book blurb.

Mysterious and larger than life, this baron might not have been the best choice for elopement…

Lady Elizabeth Stanton needed to wed quickly in order to save her brother but running away with a rakehell of a baron…. Cryptically quiet, the Baron of Clubs is the definition of the strong and silent sort of fellow. As frightening as he is handsome, he steals her breath with every penetrating glance from his hazel gaze.

There’s no turning back, however, once she leaves London with her new fiancé. Besides, he’s already protected her once, even she can attest to that. But as she leaves the security of her family and heads off on a larger-than-life adventure with a complete stranger, she has to wonder if this mad journey to Scotland was the largest mistake of her life or her first step toward becoming a woman all her own.

And as her fear heats into passion, she must also wonder about the man who’s swept into her life, carried her off from her home, and rewritten her entire world. Because, if she’s not careful, he might just steal her heart too.

We’re now upto book 19 in the Lords of Scandal series and the covers are continuing to get even more risque. I always read the kindle version so not an issue for me, but I have to say I don’t think I would sit on a train holding this one as a paperback. However the storyline is good and just like all the others, it works perfectly as a stand-alone read too.

The story starts by re-enacting a scene from the previous book, Queen of Hearts when Bella overpowered an intruder in her home, but this time from Lizzie’s viewpoint. Lizzie, Lady Elizabeth Stanton is the sister of Edge, hero of the last book and she is scared. But her brother and Clubs, Baron Purewater have just arrived. The Baron gives Lizzie his card, saying if anyone attacks again or she needs anything, he will help her.

So Lizzie comes up with a mad self-sacrificing plan to ask Clubs to elope, so that her brother wouldn’t have to marry for money in order to fund a dowry for Lizzie, but instead he could marry for love.

When she knocks on his door after midnight, what will Colton, the Baron of Clubs say to her proposal? She is dumb-founded by the immediate answer of yes and within an hour, is heading from London to Gretna Green in a carriage with the Baron, a total stranger. Has she made a big mistake? And what will Edge do, when he finds his sister gone?

Baron of Clubs is available on Amazon in both Kindle format and paperback. Another nice short light romantic story from Tammy Andresen.

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About the author

USA Today Bestselling Author, Tammy Andresen lives with her husband and three children just outside of Boston, Massachusetts. She grew up on the Seacoast of Maine, where she spent countless days dreaming up stories in blueberry fields and among the scrub pines that line the coast. Her mother loved to spin a yarn and Tammy filled many hours listening to her mother retell the classics. It was inevitable that at the age of 18, she headed off to Simmons College, where she studied English literature and education. She never left Massachusetts but some of her heart still resides in Maine and her family visits often.

Visit Yet Another Blogging Mummy on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram

Queen of Hearts by Tammy Andresen – book review

Disclosure.  This post is a review of an e-book I was sent for free.  All opinions are my own.

I have received a free e-copy of the book Queen of Hearts by Tammy Andresen to review.

Here is the book blurb.

She hates the Earl of Edgemere with a passion…

Arabella White can confess that if she’s going to root out the thief from her gaming hell, she’s going to need assistance. An idea she hates. But the dark and mysterious Earl of Edgemere is as conceited as he is dastardly. Never mind that he’s also handsome as sin. He’s the last man she’d allow into her business that she’s sacrificed everything to obtain. Because this earl? He might just steal it all…including her heart.

An unlikely earl…

The Earl of Edgemere has been living on the edge. Since he inherited an earldom, it’s been one problem after the other. Between beating off the creditors and the loss of his first wife, he can hardly see a way out of the deep pit to which he’s fallen. If he could just find an heiress to marry, perhaps he could breathe again.

But when he gets an offer to complete an investigation in exchange for a financial boon, he knows he has to take it. Never mind the woman giving the proposal is as beautiful as an angel, there’s not a damn thing he can do to pursue her. His future, and his family’s, are tied to the needs of the earldom. Still, a man can dream and Arabella, as strong as she is independent, is the sort his dreams are made of. She’s everything he wants but can never have.

The more time they spend together, however, the more he wonders… what would the future hold if, rather than listen to reason, he gave into temptation?

This is book 18 in the Lords of Scandal series, and I’ve been waiting for this particular title since a tantalising taster after book 15. Like the other titles, it works perfectly well as a stand-alone book too, although I prefer reading them all. However this is the first time in this particular series where the title is based on the female lead character rather than the male.

The story starts with Arabella White, the Queen of Hearts fuming, having just read a letter from Hart, the Marquess of Diamonds that he is not planning to return to the Den of Sins, the gaming club they all own a 7th share in. Instead he plans to freely give his stake to Edge, the improverished Earl of Edgemere, the very man who almost ruined his sister Daisy, Arabella’s best friend.

Bella, along with partners (Duke of) Chance, East and Clubs pay Edge a late-night visit to inform him, he is not welcome. The men are all for punching him, but Bella makes him a paltry counter-offer, to help them catch Sir Thomas who has been stealing from the club and in return they will buy him out along with a year’s worth profits.

Edge accepts the offer, but only if they help launch his sister Lizzie in society. Will Bella be able to pull strings with Chance to get Daisy to help Lizzie. Can they work out a deal? And is she seeing a different side to Edge to what she imagined? Perhaps they have more in common than she thought.

Plus I like how the books are linking their nicknames to a deck of cards, when the continuity link throughout the whole series has been a gaming club, the Den of Sins. So last time we had the Marquess of Diamonds and now we have the Queen of Hearts. The next title to look forward to will be the Baron of Clubs.

Queen of Hearts is available on Amazon in both Kindle format and paperback. Once again another light short romantic story with a dash of danger from Tammy.

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About the author

USA Today Bestselling Author, Tammy Andresen lives with her husband and three children just outside of Boston, Massachusetts. She grew up on the Seacoast of Maine, where she spent countless days dreaming up stories in blueberry fields and among the scrub pines that line the coast. Her mother loved to spin a yarn and Tammy filled many hours listening to her mother retell the classics. It was inevitable that at the age of 18, she headed off to Simmons College, where she studied English literature and education. She never left Massachusetts but some of her heart still resides in Maine and her family visits often.

Visit Yet Another Blogging Mummy on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram

Found: Bare with a Baron by Tammy Andresen – book review

Disclosure.  This post is a review of an e-book I was sent for free.  All opinions are my own.

I have received a free e-copy of the book Found: Bare with a Baron by Tammy Andresen to review.

Here is the book blurb.

The Baron Brightmore is the exact sort of rake a debutante should stay far away from…

Not that Miss Alexi Starlit need worry about rogues. She’s too busy blending into the wall to catch the eye of a man like that. That is until this wallflower stumbles across a derelict and drunk baron having a tryst in the garden with an unknown lady. And when that woman escapes into the dark, Alexi is left alone with the worst sort of lord. She can’t imagine the situation could get any worse until her hosts happen upon them and mistake her for the tryster. And then the entire affair gets published in the paper. And, of course, her father insists she weds Baron Brightmore.

Luck is not on her side.

But Alexi is determined to prove her innocence and change her fate. With the baron’s help, can they track down the mysterious woman who was breaking all the rules? And why is she tempted, every time she looks at Brightmore, to break them too?

They are only investigating together to escape a marriage, not become further embroiled.

Still, Alexi can’t deny, rakes are nothing if not tempting. When might she have an opportunity like this again?

And is there truth to the saying that rakes make the best husbands? Perhaps, she should find out…

This is the third book in the Calling All Rakes series and here are the links to my reviews of the previous titles.
Wanted: An Earl For Hire
Needed: A Dishonorable Duke
Besides the heroines all being friends, the common theme to this romantic series is that they all incorporate a mystery, which is a new style for Tammy, but blends perfectly with her delightful romances.

The story starts with Alexi upset at overhearing others jesting about her poor dancing, escaping out into the garden, where she inadvertantly interrupts a tryst. The lady speedily vanishes and Alexi founds herself briefly alone with a drunken man, Baron Brightmore. But only for a few short minutes, as soon they are discovered by the hosts, Lord and Lady Pankhurst.

To avoid a scandal and clear her name, Alexi must find the mysterious lady tryster. Otherwise it could be spinsterhood, or her father may force the baron to marry her. But who can she be? Worse still, there is an article in the press. Alexi ropes in her friend Charlotte, (heroine of Wanted: An Earl for Hire) to help. They start by visiting the baron to see what he remembers, which is very little, before dragging him along to comb the Pankhursts’ garden for clues.

What will they find? And what does Dillon, the Baron think about all this? Will they find the lady? Will everything work out?

Found: Bare with a Baron is available on Amazon in both Kindle format and paperback. Another nice short romantic story with a puzzle to solve from Tammy Andresen. Romance and mystery make a great combination. And this tale works fine as a stand-alone read.

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About the author

USA Today Bestselling Author, Tammy Andresen lives with her husband and three children just outside of Boston, Massachusetts. She grew up on the Seacoast of Maine, where she spent countless days dreaming up stories in blueberry fields and among the scrub pines that line the coast. Her mother loved to spin a yarn and Tammy filled many hours listening to her mother retell the classics. It was inevitable that at the age of 18, she headed off to Simmons College, where she studied English literature and education. She never left Massachusetts but some of her heart still resides in Maine and her family visits often.

Visit Yet Another Blogging Mummy on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram

Marquess of Diamonds by Tammy Andresen – book review

Disclosure.  This post is a review of an e-book I was sent for free.  All opinions are my own.

I have received a free e-copy of the book Marquess of Diamonds by Tammy Andresen to review.

Here is the book blurb.

This marquess is her surly hero in disguise…

Lady Abigail needs help. Her mother has great plans for her future but her lackluster performance as a debutante isn’t measuring up. Which is why she convinces her best friend’s brother to help her. A few dances is all she needs from the grumpy marquess and then the suitors will come calling. But the moment she steps into his arms, the trouble begins. He’s a former rake, after all, with more then a few tricks up his sleeve, and even if he doesn’t intend to, he captures Abigail’s interest from the first. What lady can resist tall, dark, and handsome? And when the other suitors do begin calling, she’s left to wonder if any of them will be able to hold her in their arms like the Marquess of Hartwell.

Lady Abigail is too sweet to be believed…

The Marquess of Hartwell, known to his friends as simply Hart, can’t believe that Lady Abigail is for real. She’s too kind, too gentle, and too sweet to be an actual woman. And he’s so jaded, even if she is that wholesome, she’d never want the likes of him. Except for underneath all that goodness is a person who shares his hurt and understands his past. And while Hart only agrees to help her to appease his sister, he finds himself, well, caring about Abby. Which is dangerous for this debaucherous rake. Worse still, the attraction between them grows with every meeting and that is deadly. And when he steals one kiss as a boon, he knows he’s in trouble, because the moment his lips touch hers, everything changes.

But as events out of their control begin to swirl around them, Hart must make a choice. Save what is good in this world and put his own battered heart at risk?

This is book 17 in the ongoing Lords of Scandal series, and yes I’ve read and reviewed all the titles, enjoying them all. As usual, it also works fine as a stand-alone read.

The story begins with Lady Abigail concocting a plan with her friend Lady Daisy (heroine of the previous title Duke of Chance) to try flirting with Daisy’s brother, the Marquess of Hartwell, as practice for meeting the right man.

Meanwhile Hart is at the Den of Sins, the gaming club he part owns, trying to figure out how to find Sir Thomas who has been stealing from the club, when he receives a summons from Daisy. She wants him to attend some balls and pay Lady Abigail some attention, an idea he finds absurd.

So when the two first meet at Daisy’s wedding it is awkward. Hart believes Daisy is trying to trick him into marrying Abigail. But what’s the harm in playing along?

Marquess of Diamonds is available on Amazon in both Kindle format and paperback. Tammy is on form with another good light short romantic story.

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About the author

USA Today Bestselling Author, Tammy Andresen lives with her husband and three children just outside of Boston, Massachusetts. She grew up on the Seacoast of Maine, where she spent countless days dreaming up stories in blueberry fields and among the scrub pines that line the coast. Her mother loved to spin a yarn and Tammy filled many hours listening to her mother retell the classics. It was inevitable that at the age of 18, she headed off to Simmons College, where she studied English literature and education. She never left Massachusetts but some of her heart still resides in Maine and her family visits often.

Visit Yet Another Blogging Mummy on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram

Needed: A Dishonorable Duke by Tammy Andresen – book review

Disclosure.  This post is a review of an e-book I was sent for free.  All opinions are my own.

I have received a free e-copy of the book Needed: A Dishonorable Duke by Tammy Andresen to review.

Here is the book blurb.

She is not stalking the duke. She’s just following him. Very closely…

When Miss Mona Ayers finds herself betrothed to a marquess older than her father’s father, there is only one thing to do. Find a better suitor. But who is better than a marquess? A duke, of course.

The problem is the only one currently on the market, the Duke of Durham, is as derelict as he is determined not to marry. She knows, she’s done her research. She’s read every article ever printed about him in the London Times. She might have even cut them out and saved them. And when the opportunity to catch him alone and make him an offer he hopefully can’t refuse, Mona doesn’t hesitate. Any fate is better than be married to an elderly marquess.

But that’s when things really start to get tricky.

He refuses the offer.

Worse yet, some woman from his past is seeking retribution and just because Mona’s saved a few articles, all right, several, he thinks she might be said lady. She’s determined, yes. But deranged? Most certainly not.

But how to prove that to the Duke of Durham, convince him her plan for a marriage of convenience is sound, and save him from whatever woman wishes him ill? It’s a big task.

Mona, however, is up for the challenge.

The only other dilemma? Her heart has decided that convenience just won’t do.

This is the second book in the Calling All Rakes series and you may see my review of the first title Wanted An Earl For Hire here.

The story begins with Mona coming up with an idea of how to avoid marrying the elderly marquess whom her mother wishes her to marry. It is currently her visiting hours and he has nodded off, whilst she cuts out articles from the newspaper to read later. These are all for her project to find someone her mother would consider an even better catch than a marquess, namely a duke.

Her plan is to find an occasion when she can speak to the Duke of Durham, a rake known as the Deplorable Duke and suggest a marriage of convenience. And she believes he might be in attendance at next week’s ball. Can she contrive a private word?

Indeed she can, spoiling Lady Sara’s planned tryst, but he says no. How can she convince him? Can her saved newspaper clippings help her?

And just like the first book in the series, Tammy has managed to weave a mystery into her usual style of romantic novel. As the story develops Mona helps Brax, the duke solve the mystery of who is threatening him and why. But now her orginal idea is unravelling, as she is starting to fall for this handsome rake. How will things pan out?

Needed: A Dishonorable Duke is available on Amazon in both Kindle format and paperback. Another nice short romantic story with a splash of intrigue from Tammy Andresen. I’m certainly liking this new dimension to her books.

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About the author

USA Today Bestselling Author, Tammy Andresen lives with her husband and three children just outside of Boston, Massachusetts. She grew up on the Seacoast of Maine, where she spent countless days dreaming up stories in blueberry fields and among the scrub pines that line the coast. Her mother loved to spin a yarn and Tammy filled many hours listening to her mother retell the classics. It was inevitable that at the age of 18, she headed off to Simmons College, where she studied English literature and education. She never left Massachusetts but some of her heart still resides in Maine and her family visits often.

Visit Yet Another Blogging Mummy on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram

Duke of Chance by Tammy Andresen – book review

Disclosure.  This post is a review of an e-book I was sent for free.  All opinions are my own.

I have received a free e-copy of the book Duke of Chance by Tammy Andresen to review.

Here is the book blurb.

This duke will chance anything…except his heart.

The Duke of Danesbury, better known as the Duke of Chance, is an unrepentant rake, a gambler, a club owner, and an all-around sinner. Which is why, taking over the gaming hell, the Den of Sins, suits him perfectly. And while he knows he’ll have to marry at some point, he looks upon the institution the way some might consider having a tooth extracted. The act is to be avoided until the last possible moment. But when an opportunity falls into his lap to have the best of both worlds, marriage and freedom, it’s an offer he can’t refuse.

She’s loved Chance forever…

How could Lady Daisy Longrove forget her childhood infatuation? He’s her brother’s best friend, after all. The handsome and powerful duke has never seen her as anything but a little girl. That is until she finally sets her silly girlhood fancy aside and falls in love with another man, one who also happens to be a rake. All right, perhaps she has a type. But when the Earl of Edgemere doesn’t keep his promise of marriage, she’s all but ruined. That’s when Chance makes her an offer. He’ll save her by marrying her, if she’ll provide him with an heir and then allow him the freedom to do as he chooses.

It’s an offer she likely can’t refuse.

But all those feelings she’d thought she’d forgotten long ago? They’re back with a vengeance. How can she be his wife when she’s in love with him, knowing he’ll never return her feelings?

There in only one answer. Daisy has to find a way to break down the high walls he’s constructed around his heart. Can she convince this duke to take a chance on love?

This is book 16 in the Lords of Scandal series, yes it just keeps going and going. I’ve read and reviewed all the titles. This one works fine as a stand-alone read, although it wasn’t the one I was expecting next from the titbit at the end of Laird of Longing (book 15). Tammy Andresen has obviously juggled things around and we’ll now have to wait until book 18 for that.

So the story starts with a prologue introducing the new owners of the Den of Sins. We meet Chance, the Duke of Danesbury, along with his friends Hart and East, plus Arabella known as the “Queen of Hearts” as they select 4 more lords to join their venture.

As we move to chapter 1, we meet Lady Daisy Longrove, Hart’s younger sister who has just been compromised by being kissed in public by the Baron of Edgemere. Her aunt Mildred is fuming but Daisy isn’t worried as she is in love and he has already proposed. He just needs her brother’s permission.

But Hart exposes Edgemere as a cad who is just after her dowry. And the heroic Chance steps in to save his best friend’s sister, whom he known since she was a little girl, from being ruined by asking permission to court her.

What a tangled triangle. Edge still professes to love her. And what do both Daisy and Chance really want?

Duke of Chance is available on Amazon in both Kindle format and paperback. Once again another light short romantic story from Tammy.

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About the author

USA Today Bestselling Author, Tammy Andresen lives with her husband and three children just outside of Boston, Massachusetts. She grew up on the Seacoast of Maine, where she spent countless days dreaming up stories in blueberry fields and among the scrub pines that line the coast. Her mother loved to spin a yarn and Tammy filled many hours listening to her mother retell the classics. It was inevitable that at the age of 18, she headed off to Simmons College, where she studied English literature and education. She never left Massachusetts but some of her heart still resides in Maine and her family visits often.

Visit Yet Another Blogging Mummy on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram

Wanted: An Earl for Hire by Tammy Andresen – book review

Disclosure.  This post is a review of an e-book I was sent for free.  All opinions are my own.

I have received a free e-copy of the book Wanted: An Earl for Hire by Tammy Andresen to review.

Here is the book blurb.

Just because this heiress can buy an earl of her very own, doesn’t necessarily mean that she should…

But then again, it’s not permanent. Just temporary. It’s more like an earl rental, really.

What’s the worst that might happen?

That’s what Miss Charlotte Pennington asks herself when she puts a notice in the paper. Her goal? To hire a lord to help her conduct an investigation into murder. And perhaps give her life it’s missing meaning. That’s not too much to ask is it? Surely there is an impoverished lord somewhere willing to help her. But when the handsome Earl of Westmoreland answers her ad, Charlotte didn’t count him being quite so dashing or mysterious. Does he know she’s the very heiress he’s been searching for?

But as the murder plot thickens so does the air between them. And Charlotte must answer the question…does she catch a murderer or allow herself to be caught by an earl?

Perhaps she should kiss him to find out…

If you are a regular follower of my blog, chances are you will have come across some of my reviews of Tammy Andresen titles. She is a very prolific author and publishes a new title nearly every month. I would call her books novellas, as although they are longer than short stories, they are still very quick to read.

So this time, we join at the start of a new series entitled Calling All Rakes, with a tale which has a slightly different twist to Tammy’s usual romantic genre, adding mystery to the mix.

The story set in 1837 starts with Charlotte Pennington, a wealthy spinster bluestocking who has been thwarted by Inspector Scully when she tried to glean information about the recent spate of murders. She comes up with the idea of placing a notice in the newspaper to hire a man to investigate on her behalf.

Meanwhile Tatum Tate has unexpectedly inherited the title of 6th Earl of Westmoreland along with a huge pile of debts. The only solution he can see will be to marry a rich woman but he doesn’t have a clue where to begin. As he mulls over the problem, he spots a notice in the paper “Wanted: Lord for hire”. Could the money from this job buy him some time?

So he goes along to answer the ad. But he wasn’t expecting it to have been placed by an unmarried woman. Nor was he imagining becoming an amateur detective. And she wasn’t envisaging such an attractive Lord.

Can Tate help Charlotte discover who the murderer is? And can he enlist her help in finding a rich wife? Will she keep her own inheritance a secret? Or does he already know? So many questions.

Wanted: An Earl for Hire is available on Amazon in both Kindle format and paperback. I’m loving Tammy’s foray into romantic mystery.

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About the author

USA Today Bestselling Author, Tammy Andresen lives with her husband and three children just outside of Boston, Massachusetts. She grew up on the Seacoast of Maine, where she spent countless days dreaming up stories in blueberry fields and among the scrub pines that line the coast. Her mother loved to spin a yarn and Tammy filled many hours listening to her mother retell the classics. It was inevitable that at the age of 18, she headed off to Simmons College, where she studied English literature and education. She never left Massachusetts but some of her heart still resides in Maine and her family visits often.

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Crown City by John A Heldt – book review

Disclosure.  This post is a review of an e-book I was sent for free.  All opinions are my own.

I have received a free copy of Crown City, the final installment in John Heldt’s Time Box series. And to find out more about the author you may visit his website.

Here is the book blurb.

Two years after stealing portable time machines, the Lanes, a family from the present day, stop running and start living. They settle in the seaside town of Coronado, California, in 1963.

For Jordan, Laura, and Jeremy, the oldest children, the respite is a chance to nurture relationships, start families, and explore the country. It is an opportunity to put down roots.

For Ashley, the youngest, it is a chance to thrive. Now fourteen, she is ready to start high school, make friends, and make up for lost time. She finds popularity and more after a classmate nominates her for freshman homecoming princess.

Robert Devereaux could not care less. The deranged billionaire wants his time machines back and is willing to do anything to get them. He sends a hit man to the past, setting into motion a final confrontation between a hunter and his prey.

In CROWN CITY, the suspenseful finale of the Time Box saga, a defiant family finds romance, friendship, and danger as it navigates the final months of the Kennedy presidency.

Crown City is the fifth and final book in the Time Box series. You can read it as a stand-alone read but it is much better in my opinion to read the whole series, so here are my reviews of the previous titles in this saga.
The Lane Betrayal
The Fair
Sea Spray
The Refuge

The story starts where The Refuge left off. The time-traveling Lane family have just arrived in 1963. Their numbers have been bolstered by close friend Randy Taylor from the modern day and Sarah Gustafson from 1941.

The clan splits in two with Laura, Jeremy, Randy and Sarah taking a train trip round the country, packing in a lot of both iconic and personal moments in history such as seeing Martin Luther King’s famous “I have a Dream” speech.

Meanwhile the others settle in 2 locations near San Diego. Mark, Mary and 14 year old Ashley are in Coronado. They have chosen this location because they are hoping to nudge the timeline of events in Robert Devereaux’s history, Mark Lane’s crazy ex-business partner. Ashley enrols in high school and makes new friends. Whilst Jordon, Jessie and baby Penny are about 20 miles away in Lakeside.

And of course Robert is still combing historical records for clues as to when and where they might be, in order to set his hitman Silas Bain on them again.

But Randy makes trips back to the modern day to try to prod things into action there.

Are they safe or does danger lurk? And what about their efforts to change Robert’s history? Another fantastic page turner including buckets of history, teenage rebellion and romance.

Crown City is available on Amazon, in Kindle format and paperback. I highly recommend this book which brings a brilliant series to its conclusion, (no spoilers). And do I sense Craig might feature in a new series?

And you may be interested to see my reviews of some of John Heldt’s other titles.
Firstly all of The Carson Chronicles series.
River Rising
The Memory Tree
Indian Paintbrush
Caitlin’s Song
Camp Lake

Plus some of his earlier titles.
The Mine
Indiana Belle
Hannah’s Moon

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