Never Trust an Errant Earl by Tammy Andresen

I have received a free e-copy of the book Never Trust an Errant Earl by Tammy Andresen to review.

Here is the book blurb.

A surly rake and a desperate lady…

Lady Cristina Ducat might not be as clever as her sisters, but she knows when action is required. Her mother seems set on arranging an unwanted marriage for Cristina, but Cristina has plans of her own. She’s got the perfect man all picked out. The problem? The Earl of Clearwood, Sirius Renwall, keeps getting in her way. Not only is Si annoying beyond measure with his dark and brooding demeanor, but he makes her heart beat in the most curious and exhilarating way.

Lady Cristina is a spoiled brat. Si wants nothing to do with her, or with the bet he made weeks ago that requires him to collect a kiss from her. So what if she’s stunningly beautiful? Who cares that she’s in trouble? Except…Si does care. For the more he gets to know her, the more he realizes that her brash façade hides a heart that loves fiercely. The question then becomes, is her love strong enough to fight back the demons that have plagued him since the last time he gave away his heart? Or is he destined to have his heart for the second and final time?

Never Trust an Errant Earl is book 3 in the How to Reform a Rake series featuring the Ducat sisters, but works fine as a stand-alone read too.

However I do recommend that you read the introductory “How to Reform a Rake” novella first, especially as it is available for free. It helps put later stories into context.

The book starts with Si, Earl of Clearwood attempting to withdraw from a bet to kiss Lady Cristina Ducat whom he views as a spoilt princess when she interrupts her own sister’s wedding, having run away from home. Cristina is in love with Lord Hubert Jameson but her mother is trying to arrange a marriage for her with another man. Her sisters escort her back home before their mother realises her absence. Meanwhile Cristina arranges invitations to a social event, so they can meet Hubert. Si gets roped into attending too.

Cristina is not at all happy to see Si in the carriage, but as the evening progresses their views of each other start to improve. Where is this all heading? And who will Cristina marry?

Never Trust an Errant Earl is available on Amazon, currently priced at £2.31 in Kindle format. Another nice short romantic read, which although part of a series, works fine as a stand-alone read too.

Here are the links to my reviews of the prequel and books 1 and 2 in this series.
How to Reform a Rake
Don’t Tell a Duke You Love Him
Meddle in a Marquess’s Affairs

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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

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

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Meddle in a Marquess’s Affairs by Tammy Andresen

I have received a free e-copy of the book Meddle in a Marquess’s Affairs by Tammy Andresen to review.

Here is the book blurb.

Rakes make the worst husbands…

Not that Rex Baluster, the Marquess of Highwater would want her anyway. But when he arrived at Lady Camille Ducat’s door shot and near death, she didn’t hesitate to help him. She had no reputation to preserve after all. She’d given that up when she ended her engagement to another rake. And though her heart beat wildly every time she looked at Rex, she knew that to involve herself with such a man would only lead to heartache.

When the Duke of Longley asked him to help right a wrong, Rex agreed without question. He wasn’t like most lords, having grown up as a street urchin in London’s notorious Docklands. He talked best with his fists. Nor was he afraid when he was wounded. Somehow, Rex had always assumed his end would be as violent as his beginning. What he didn’t expect was for a beautiful angel with the gentlest touch he’s ever known to nurse him back to health. If only he were the type of man who could be a good husband to Lady Camille.

The more time Rex spends with Camille, however, the harder it is to deny his feelings. Can they put their pasts aside? Rakes, after all, make the BEST husbands.

Meddle in a Marquess’s Affairs is book 2 in the How to Reform a Rake series featuring the Ducat sisters, but works fine as a stand-alone read too.

However I do recommend that you read the introductory “How to Reform a Rake” novella first, especially as it is available for free. It helps put later stories into context.

The story starts with Rex, Marquess of Highwater getting shot in the stomach by Lord Michael Ralston, Lady Camille Ducat’s ex-fiancé. Camille, with her reputation already in tatters since the end of her engagement, insists on nursing Rex back to health herself, against all advice. However Rex is still a rake, even if seriously injured. Where will this all head?

Meddle in a Marquess’s Affairs is available on Amazon, currently priced at £2.28 in Kindle format. Once again, Tammy delivers another nice short romantic story.

Here are the links to my reviews of the prequel and book 1 in this series.
How to Reform a Rake
Don’t Tell a Duke You Love Him

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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

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

Kilted Sin by Tammy Andresen

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

Here is the book blurb.

All’s fair in love and war. Now they just have to decide which this is…

Laird William Sinclair is a good man. Like all his brothers he helps those around him, takes care of the less fortunate. So why does Gemma McClaren think she can take advantage of his kind nature and just ride off? He’s good but he isn’t a saint. And he’s certainly not above teaching that tricky little imp a lesson she’ll never forget.

Gemma McLaren has learned the hard way that men are scum. She won’t ever fall prey to one again. Yet, even she feels a little guilty when she steals a handsome laird’s money and horse. He hadn’t actually done a thing to harm her…yet. Her guilt quickly evaporates when he tracks her down with two small children in tow and demands she repay him by becoming nanny to the children. If she doesn’t, he’ll report her to the authorities.

What choice does she have? Except Gemma hasn’t the first clue how to care for children or handle a very large and angry laird. And honestly, she didn’t’ come to the Highlands to play with wee bairns no matter how cute. Nor does she want to notice how her heartbeat quickens every time Will steps into the room. She’s got a debt to settle and a life to reclaim.

Kilted Sin is the third story in the Brethren of Stone series which I have been reading. It is set in the Scottish highlands in the late 1700’s. And I have to say, this is the first one which I feel Tammy can actually justify her usual style of cover design showing Laird William’s bare torso.

This is because it starts with Will stripping off, about to take a swim in the loch when a strange female turns up cheekily calling out “I didn’t expect to see the moon so early in the day”. He manages to grab his shirt as she approaches nearer. She is very saucy, mesmerising him with her words and touch, before she pushes him backwards into the loch. By the time he has the water out of his eyes, he sees her riding away on his horse, holding onto his trousers, which contained all the money he had left. Personally I was surprised it was trousers, not a kilt. All that remains for modesty to walk home, is a sopping wet shirt and his boots.

So that was our introduction to Gemma McLaren, a widow who has come to Aberdeen from Kirkaldy in order to claim her inheritance from her late husband Sean who had abandoned her 3 years ago.

Meanwhile Will arrives home to find 2 very young orphans, Fiona and Ewan have been dropped at his door. They don’t want him to send them back to the orphanage. What a day!

So how will things turn out, when Will next encounters thief Gemma? What will happen to Fiona and Ewan? And what is Gemma’s inheritance?

Kilted Sin is available on Amazon, currently priced at £2.31 in Kindle format. Yet another nice short romantic story from Tammy.

Here are the links to my reviews of the prequel and books 1 and 2 in this series.
The Duke’s Scottish Lass
Scottish Devil
Wicked Laird

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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

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

Don’t Tell a Duke You Love Him by Tammy Andresen

I have received a free e-copy of the book Don’t Tell a Duke You Love Him by Tammy Andresen to review.

Here is the book blurb.

He was too dangerous to be denied…

The Duke of Longley was a rake and should be left well enough alone. At least that is what Lady Lily Ducat’s mother continually said. As far as Lily could tell, she was correct. His Grace had a devilish air about him and a brooding silence that no debutante should attempt to tame and certainly not grow an affection for. He was too much man and beyond redemption. Except once they are tossed together after a winter storm, she is dangerously close to declaring her love because in the dark of night, he was all Lily could see.

Maximillian Masters learned long ago to stay far away from dewy eyed maidens. He was too cynical, too experienced, and much too adverse to marriage for such a lady. Which is why he must never see the lovely Lily again no matter what some ridiculous gypsy predicted. Except, when he is stranded and at the mercy of winter, Lily is there and the more he sees her, the harder it is to deny temptation.

This is a standalone romance but is part of a five book series with a prologue:

How to Reform a Rake
Don’t Tell a Duke You Love Him
Meddle in a Marquess’s Affairs
Never Trust an Errant Earl
Never Kiss an Earl at Midnight
Make a Viscount Beg

This is the first main title in the “How to Reform a Rake” Regency series and I received it at the same time as the introductory novella, so having had my appetite whet, I was very pleased to be able to read it immediately afterwards.

The book starts with Max, the Duke of Longley parting on bad terms with his four best friends after a night with the fortune teller. He is fuming because they have inveigled him into a bet to claim a kiss from innocent Lily Ducat. He vows to avoid her. But his carriage gets stuck in the snow again, this time outside the Mayfield Canterbury estate, where lo and behold half the Ducat family are staying for Christmas, including Lily.

He is forced to stay, so ends up accompanying them all to fell a Christmas tree. But Lily falls into a stream, hidden under the snow. Max rescues her. Meanwhile Lily’s mother is eying him up, with another of Lily’s sisters in mind. Where will this all end?

Don’t Tell a Duke You Love Him is available on Amazon, currently priced at £2.33 in Kindle format. A nice short romantic read, which although part of a series, works fine as a stand-alone read too.

However I do recommend that you read the introductory “How to Reform a Rake” novella first, especially as it is available for free.

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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

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

How to Reform a Rake by Tammy Andresen

I have received a free e-copy of the book How to Reform a Rake by Tammy Andresen to review.

Here is the book blurb.

Five rakes and a brothel…

A rogue’s reform can have the most unlikely beginning. When a duke and his friends are forced to stay at the only available accommodations in a snow covered Canterbury, their lives take a dramatic turn. A gypsy convinces them to tempt fate and enter a bet.
The terms? They must each collect a kiss from one lady of worth. What could be the harm in that? After all, once a rake always a rake. Right? The trouble is, these ladies have rules and plans of their own.
How to Reform a Rake is a short prologue. Find out how fate ensares the Duke of Longley, the Marquess of Highwater, the Earl of Kissinger, the Earl of Clearwood, and the Viscount of Averstone in this five book series.

This is a very short novella to introduce the new “How to Reform a Rake” Regency series by Tammy and best of all, you can get it totally free.

The story begins with five inebriated friends deciding they are going to spend Christmas together in Dover. They set off with hangovers the next morning, but due to the weather only get as far as Canterbury that day. All the inns are full, so they decide to stay overnight at the brothel. There they enter a pact with gypsy Vadoma to each collect a kiss from a Ducat sister based on a deck of cards.

How to Reform a Rake is available on Amazon, currently for free. I read this in less than 30 minutes. It is just a very short taster, setting the scene to whet your appetite and leave you wanting to read the series.

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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

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

My Wicked Earl by Tammy Andresen

I have received a free e-copy of the book My Wicked Earl by Tammy Andresen to review.

Here is the book blurb.

Lord Rex Abelman, Earl of Casterly, has no intention of marrying. His life is that of an adventurer. But he cannot deny that Lady Daffodil is as sweet and funny as she is beautiful. Nor can help but wonder what life might be like if he were a better man.

Rex is a rake and a rogue who has sworn off marriage. He is the last man Daffodil should give her attention. So why do her eyes drift to him at every opportunity?

This is the fifth book in the Wicked Lords of London series, a set that I have been enjoying. This one continues where the previous title My Duke’s Desire ended, but would also work well as a stand-alone read.

It begins with Lady Daffodil trying to cook a meal for herself and her 15 year old brother Jacob, as the only servant left, their housekeeper Mrs Fields is now bedridden due to a fall. Their family is in a financial crisis due to her late father’s debts. They are alone as their mother and sister Violette have left to meet several potential suitors. But all Daffodil has succeeded in, is burning the meat and filling the kitchen with smoke, when a strange handsome man enters and carries her upstairs with Jacob following. Who is this rogue taking liberties?

It is Rex, the Earl of Casterly who has been sent by his best friend Theo, the Duke of Waverly to escort Daffodil and Jacob to attend their sister Violette’s marriage to Theo, since their mother has now fallen ill and cannot travel. But they can’t go yet, as who will look after Mrs Fields?

It will take a few days to put a plan into place, so having been thrown together by circumstances, each learns about the other. You can sense the attraction buzzing. What will ensue?

My Wicked Earl is available on Amazon, currently priced at £2.27 in Kindle format. As usual, Tammy has delivered another nice short romantic story.

Here are the links to my reviews of the previous four titles.
My Duke’s Seduction
My Duke’s Deception
My Earl’s Entrapment
My Duke’s Desire

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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

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

Her Deceptive Duke by Scarlett Scott

I have received a free e-copy of the book Her Deceptive Duke by Scarlett Scott to review. You may find out more about the author on her website.

Here is the book blurb.

Georgiana, Duchess of Leeds, hasn’t seen her husband since he left her on their wedding day for an extended hunting expedition and never returned. But she isn’t the sort to wait around pining for an arrogant oaf who can’t bother to recall he has a wife, no matter how sinfully handsome he may be.

She finds all the fulfillment she requires in caring for the stray cats and dogs of London’s streets. Until, that is, the duke returns, and she uncovers the truth about where he’s been…

Kit, Duke of Leeds, never wanted to be duke. He was content with his life as one of Her Majesty’s most dedicated spies until his brother’s unexpected demise left him forced to marry an American heiress to save the family estate from ruin. The day he married her, he left for a secret assignment in America, with no intention of returning.

Seriously wounded and his cover ruined, Kit’s forced back to London where he finds a townhouse brimming with creatures and a wife who can’t bear the sight of him.

With husband and wife beneath the same roof at last, their marriage of convenience sparks into a passion that’s as undeniable as it is unexpected. But is desire enough to bring two wary hearts together? And once Kit’s wounds are healed, will Georgiana’s love be enough to make him stay?

Her Deceptive Duke is the fourth book in the Wicked Husbands series and can be enjoyed as a stand-alone novel or read as part of the series.

If you love steamy Regency and Victorian romance and second chance love stories, don’t miss the Wicked Husbands.

Fiercely independent, dazzlingly beautiful, and married to handsome scoundrels, these American heiresses are ready to turn the tables on the insufferable English lords they’ve wed.

What happens when their wicked husbands start falling for the wives they never thought they wanted?

Corsets come off, bed chambers ignite, the passion sizzles,and more than one stubborn English rake gets reformed by love.

This is the fourth book in the Wicked Husbands series. I haven’t read any of the previous titles, but I did find that this worked well as a stand-alone read. It is set in 1880/81.

It starts with a prologue where American heiress Georgiana and impoverished Kit, Duke of Leeds have just married. But it is a marriage of convenience. Kit needs her dowry and Georgiana’s father wants into the aristocracy. Kit is leaving the country straight after the ceremony, supposedly on a hunting expedition. Georgiana can’t persuade him otherwise, so she tells him not to bother returning.

But 6 months later Kit is back in London, severely injured from a gunshot wound, double-crossed, his cover as a spy ruined, and the new butler Ludlow tries to deny him entrance. The house is now full of animals as Georgiana is caring for all the stray cats and dogs she finds, even mice and a squirrel too. He collapses unconscious into Georgiana’s arms. The doctor’s treatment does not seem to be helping, so Georgiana summons the vet instead. She wants him better before she plans to demand a divorce.

Meanwhile Ludlow does not seem like a typical butler. And then the Duke of Carlisle turns up demanding an audience with Kit, even though he is still on his sick bed. What is going on? As Kit convalesces, a spark of attraction is flaring between him and Georgiana, even though he alternates between being very rude to her, or formally addressing her as Duchess. Will he stay or go?

Warning there is very strong explicit language throughout this book, plus steamy sex scenes.

Her Deceptive Duke is available on Amazon, currently priced at £3.10 in Kindle format and is also available in paperback. The fourth book in the Wicked Husbands series. Plenty of danger and intrigue in this romantic story.

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About the author

Amazon bestselling author Scarlett Scott writes steamy Victorian and Regency historical romances with strong, intelligent heroines and sexy alpha heroes. She lives in Pennsylvania with her Canadian husband, their adorable identical twins, and one TV-loving dog.

A self-professed literary junkie and nerd, she loves reading anything but especially romance novels, poetry, and Middle English verse. When she’s not reading, writing, wrangling toddlers, or camping, you can catch up with her on her website. Hearing from readers never fails to make her day.

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

Indian Paintbrush by John A Heldt

When you’re really enjoying a book series and eagerly awaiting the next title to be written, it is always a delight to discover that the new book is ready. One series that this applies to for me, is The Carson Chronicles by John Heldt. So I was very happy when John emailed me to say that the next story Indian Paintbrush had been published and would I like to review it. Of course I said yes please. To find out more about the author you may visit his website.

Here is the book blurb.

Arizona, December 1943. After surviving perilous six-month journeys to 1889 and 1918, the Carsons, five siblings from the present day, seek a respite in their home state. While Adam and Greg settle down with their Progressive Era brides, Natalie and Caitlin start romances with wartime aviators and Cody befriends a Japanese family in an internment camp. The time travelers regroup, bury some ghosts, and continue their search for their missing parents. Then old problems return, new ones emerge, and a peaceful hiatus becomes a race for survival. In INDIAN PAINTBRUSH, the sequel to RIVER RISING and THE MEMORY TREE, several young adults find love and adventure as they navigate the home front during the height of World War II.

Indian Paintbrush is the third book in the series – The Carson Chronicles. You may see my reviews of the first two titles River Rising and The Memory Tree here and here. Both fantastic books so I had high expectations for this one too.

The story begins as the time-travelling Carson family step through a portal in Arizona in 1918 on the December solstice. These portals only open on the solstices and they had to get their timing correct to the minute to end up at the planned December 1943 in the same location destination. Get it wrong and they might emerge through a different portal like the one in Pennsylvania or even worse on a different date.

They are trying to reunite with their missing time-travelling parents, Tim and Caroline and then return safely back to modern day. Tim and Caroline left behind a travel itinerary which features December 1943 as the third destination. Can they get lucky this time, having failed to find them in 1889 and 1918 in the previous two books?

Equally Tim and Caroline know from clues that their family are on their trail but luck hasn’t been on their side previously. And things seem to get off to a shaky start this time when Tim and Caroline end up at September 1943 instead of December, on a different timeline. Oops. Can they travel again to March 1944 to get onto the correct timeline?

Meanwhile can their sons avoid being drafted into the army during WW2 and will there be repercussions from events back in 1889 and 1918? We meet up with characters who have aged 25 years since the last book whilst the Carsons are only a year older since the series began. Although they have gained two brides along the way. And in this book, their numbers are swelled by a new baby. Of course, there are more romantic relationships forged for those still single. How will those pan out?

Once again John has delivered a brilliant story in this series, which also works well as a stand-alone read. He continues to weave fact into the tales, having researched his subject matter excellently, even throwing a few celebrities into the mix. And the title is integral to the story too. For those of us like me from the UK who haven’t heard of an Indian Paintbrush, it is a flower native to America.

Indian Paintbrush is available on Amazon, currently priced at £3.85 in Kindle format. I loved this book and of course, it had some fantastic twists. A brilliant read which once again lived up to my high expectations of a John Heldt novel, And as always, I highly recommend this author. Once again I have to begin another long wait, this time for book 4 in this series.

And you may be interested to see my reviews of some of John Heldt’s other titles.
The Mine
Indiana Belle
Hannah’s Moon

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

Wicked Laird by Tammy Andresen

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

Here is the book blurb.

Laird Blair Sinclair doesn’t need help from any man. Though the second son in the Alban line, he is as strong as his brother Stone and even more determined to build a shipping empire with his own two hands. He doesn’t have time for anything or anyone else. But when he rescue’s a beautiful woman, he can’t deny that Elle needs him. Nor can he rid himself of the feeling that he wants to need her too.

Elspith McIntre learned the hard way to only rely on herself. Which is why it’s infuriating that she requires help from the arrogant new laird. It’s even more maddening that she can’t get rid of him. She wants no man and especially not a powerful one who could decide to crush her at any moment. She will not make that mistake again no matter how tempting the thought of leaning against his powerful chest.

After the death of their parents, six siblings unite around their eldest brother, Stone. They consider blood a binding oath and vow to protect one another. They all must face their own demons as they find love and their places in the world.

This is the second story in the Brethren of Stone series of which I have previously read the prequel, The Duke’s Scottish Lass and book one Scottish Devil. It is set in the Scottish highlands in the late 1700’s.

It begins with Blair Sinclair, the new laird and brother of the Earl of Alban spotting someone in difficulty in the sea. He rushes down to the beach and swims out to the boat, rescuing someone in the nick of time, just as the boat sinks. It turns out to be Elle Mcintyre, who had borrowed the boat from her neighbour to go fishing to catch something for dinner for her 12 year old brother Ailean and herself, as they had run out of money.

Elle wonders how she is going to pay back her neighbour for the loss of the boat and what will Blair want in recompense. She knows nothing comes free from her previous experience with nasty landlord Malcolm McKenzie. Even with her injured ankle, she tries to cook a meal in Blair’s cottage whilst he fetches Ailean and other boys to help drag the boat up at low tide.

How will things turn out, especially with Malcolm wreaking havoc everywhere?

Wicked Laird is available on Amazon, currently priced at £3.06 in Kindle format. As per usual, Tammy has lived up to expectation, with this nice 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, Google+ and Instagram

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

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A Dream of Steam by James W Barry

I have received a free e-copy of the book A Dream of Steam by James W Barry to review. For more information on the author, you may see his website.

Here is the book blurb.

“It was the end of dread, at least in its first and most paralyzing form. Each brother knew that the gnawing worry that had lay siege to the backs of their minds for the past six months had finally broken through the walls, emerging in their midst. It was something that could no longer be dodged, or suppressed, or unimagined.”As the autumn shipping season draws to a close, Captain Thomas McGrath steps ashore to help his ambitious brother William rebuild the family sawmill. Despite Thomas’ aversion to debt, William convinces him to borrow heavily so they might convert their ailing, water-powered mill to steam. While adapting to the new technology, Thomas finds himself navigating between ax-wielding log pirates, hostile longshoremen, and his brother’s obsession with finding his estranged wife.The newly retooled mill is ramping up lumber production when the winds of fortune turn. Thomas has set sail again when a financial crisis hits, running the brothers afoul of John Fitzpatrick, a crooked bank officer employed by their lender. Fitzpatrick’s crimes push the McGrath Brothers Lumber Company to the edge of ruin, forcing Thomas to consider a high risk proposal if he wants to save their livelihood and get out of debt.Set in 1890s Michigan, A Dream of Steam is a story of sailing ships and lumberjacks, aspirations and disappointment, love and heartbreak, peopled by men and women who take control of their destinies in an era of rapid change.

This book is set by the Great Lakes in the early 1890s. A slow start as we are introduced to all the characters, of whom the main ones are brothers William and Thomas McGrath. William runs the sawmill whilst Thomas transports the cargo in his ship Genevieve across Lake Huron to destinations such as Detroit. William is trying to convince Thomas that they need to modernise to steam power in order to remain competitive, but this will require substantial financing.

There are several threads to the story, so we also meet those who work at the bank in Detroit, where the McGrath brothers secure a loan. There crooked bank clerk Fitzpatrick is skimming bank funds to meet his personal gambling debts.

Plenty going on throughout this book – fights, rescues, intimidation, annoying neighbours, an estranged wife and even a murder.

At the end of the book, we discover that a true story inspired the author to write this novel. There is also a glossary of mill and ship terminology at the end, which might have been better at the beginning in my opinion, so that the reader would be more aware of it.

A Dream of Steam is available on Amazon, currently priced at £3.82 in Kindle format and is also available in paperback. Not my usual genre, but an interesting historical read.

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