Marquess of Fortune 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 Fortune by Tammy Andresen to review.

Here is the book blurb.

The Marquess of Fortune is too dangerously wicked to ignore…

Tall, dark, and handsome, the mysterious Lord Smith is the exact kind of man with which the sister of a baron should never consort. But he captures Miss Emily Cross’s interest at every turn, her heart fluttering wildly in her chest whenever their eyes meet. Is this how a woman falls into ruin?

One delicious step at a time…

Ace knows he’s a bad man.

He has far too many transgressions to name them all, but the list of dirty deeds grows longer by the day. His only consolation is that he’s done each and every one of them to protect his family and he’d do them all again. Still, it’s only a matter of time before the law, or a criminal he’s wronged, makes him pay for his crimes. His one hope is to secure his family’s future before that day comes.

Until he meets her.

His sister’s friend, Miss Emily Cross is everything he can never touch. Beautiful, kind, wholesome, and of the peerage, she could never be his, especially with the noose around his neck tightening by the day. He ought to leave her well enough alone, except that Miss Cross knows far too many of his secrets. Can he trust her to keep them? There’s only one way to find out. Staying close to Miss Cross is a necessity…but now it’s not just his life at risk, but his heart.

***This is a bridge novella between Lords of Scandal and the spin off series, Lords of Temptation. find out how Lords of Scandal ends and a new chapter begins in the seedy underworld of Regency London gaming hells.

So we’ve now reached the final instalment in the Lords of Scandal series, namely book 22 and I’ve read all of them. Just like the rest, this works perfectly as a stand-alone read.

The story begins at a ball, where Miss Emily Cross introduces herself to Ace, Lord Smith. She knows that he is the brother of her friend Mirabelle. Ace has a long list of secrets and is worried what Mirabelle may have revealed to Miss Cross. As she drags him on to the dance floor, he discovers it seems to be everything.

Meanwhile, he wants to meet her brother Lord Boxby. He has a business proposal for Boxby. But now he has Emily on his mind too.

How will things play out?

Marquess of Fortune is available on Amazon in both Kindle format and paperback. Another nice light short romantic story from Tammy Andresen and great how it opens up ready for a new 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.

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The Fountain 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 The Fountain by John A Heldt. And to find out more about the author you may visit his website.

Here is the book blurb.

Portland, Oregon. In May 2022, the Carpenters are a sad lot. Bill, 81, has just buried his beloved wife. Paul, 75, has terminal lung cancer. Annie, 72, is a paraplegic with broken dreams. Childless and directionless, the siblings face an uncertain future in their childhood home.

Then Bill, a retired folklore professor, learns from a dying man that the legendary Fountain of Youth, his obsession for decades, may be more than a myth. He races to Mexico to find the truth.

Within weeks, the Carpenters, with nothing to lose, enter a mysterious cave and exit in July 1905 as healthy young adults. They begin new lives in Oakland, California, only vaguely aware of a devastating earthquake that will rock the San Francisco Bay Area on April 18, 1906.

In THE FOUNTAIN, the first book in the Second Chance trilogy, three siblings find opportunity, romance, and heartbreak as they make the most of a new lease on life.

Readers’ Advisory: The Fountain is the first novel in a family saga that spans several years. While some storylines are resolved, others are not. They are addressed in subsequent books.

This is the first book in a new series which has a different twist to the author’s previous series. Still time travel, but age changing too via the supposedly mythological Fountain of Youth.

The main characters are siblings in their twilight years and things are not looking rosy in 2022. Bill has just buried his wife, Paul has terminal cancer and Annie is in a wheelchair. The early part of the book concentrates on Bill finding out that the Fountain is indeed real and located in a remote area of Mexico. And then convincing Paul and Annie that they should all take a dip, along with the logistics of winding up their affairs, getting there and disappearing without other campers seeing. Not an easy feat, especially for Bill carrying Annie once the wheelchair is left behind.

They emerge from the Fountain in 1905, young and healthy. Bill is in his early 20s and Paul and Annie are in their teens. It works well how they have their life experiences behind them in their characterisation, now in young bodies. They travel from Mexico, settling in Oakland, California and have vague memories from their previous knowledge of “history” that there will be a serious earthquake in San Francisco in 1906, but can’t recall when exactly.

This is a great feature of all John Heldt’s stories. He is always painstaking at weaving historical facts into his books, with fantastic attention to detail. I didn’t know about the earthquake and nor did I know the geographical proximity of Oakland and San Francisco. The story indicates that they are across a bay navigated by ferry, which I could easily see is about 10 miles on GoogleMaps.

Their new life revolves around Oakland Preparatory Academy where Paul and Annie are students and Bill gets a job. Friendships and romance blossom as we meet new characters including Cassie Lee, a teacher along with her younger adopted brother Andy, who is in Paul’s class. More classmates including Pauline Wagner.

Chapters alternate as to from whose perspective. But there is always the looming threat of the pending earthquake. When will the disaster strike? And what will ensue? A brilliant page turner.

For those who are fascinated like me, I looked up the Fountain of Youth on Wikipedia. It appears to feature in many legends and I love how the author made it focal to this tale. And yes of course I researched the 1906 San Francisco earthquake too.

The Fountain is available on Amazon, in Kindle format and paperback. I highly recommend this excellent time travel tale and am eagerly awaiting the publication of book 2.

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

Then all of the Time Box series.
The Lane Betrayal
The Fair
Sea Spray
The Refuge
Crown City

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

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Lost: The Love of a Lord 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 Lost: The Love of a Lord by Tammy Andresen to review.

Here is the book blurb.

He’s just been made an earl but he can’t tell a soul…

Mr. Ralph Fitzroy is about to receive an entire earldom for good deeds done. The catch? He needs to perform one more. Go to the funeral of the Earl of Kinross and figure out if foul play is involved. Easy enough. Except for that from the first, one major complication is making the entire affair very difficult, Miss Clara Welby. Beautiful, vivacious, and promised to his lead suspect. She’s in his way at every turn and muddling his investigation and his senses. There’s only one thing to do. Use Clara and her connection to Kinross to his advantage.
Because only a fool would let desire stand in the way of an earldom.

Which is why, he will not succumb to the guilt niggling in his gut. Even if he were willing to sacrifice his future for love, the lies he’s told are piling up so high and so thick, how could a woman as perfect as Clara ever trust a man like him?

Spoiler alert warning for previous title Vacancy: Viscount Preferred.

This is the fifth 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. These are romantic tales, all with a touch of mystery.
Wanted: An Earl For Hire
Needed: A Dishonorable Duke
Found: Bare with a Baron
Vacancy: Viscount Preferred

The book begins by introducing us to the back-story of Miss Clara Melby who has been smitten since age 13 with Viscount Aslin, son of the Earl of Kinross, so now she is anxious to attend the late Earl’s funeral. She is chaperoned there by her married friend Priscilla and husband, but she is not sure why Mr Fitzroy shares their carriage.

Meanwhile Ralph Fitzroy has been tasked by the Queen with investigating the cause of the Earl’s death, after which he will be elevated to the peerage himself. Can he find any information via Clara? But to do so, he weaves a web of lies. Will this backfire on him?

Clara is getting more confused. And does she still feel the same about Aslin?

Lost: The Love of a Lord is available on Amazon in both Kindle format and paperback. A nice short romantic story plus a dash 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 Welsh Dragon by K M Butler – book review

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

I have received a free e-copy of the book The Welsh Dragon by K M Butler to review. You may find out more about the author on his website.

Here is the book blurb.

England, AD 1471. Henry Tudor’s drop of royal blood had never mattered, considering the scores of noblemen with stronger claims to the throne. But when Edward IV becomes king during the Wars of the Roses, that drop threatens Henry’s life and forces him into exile.

Though his mother labors to restore his position, Henry would rather spend his days with his beloved Jehane, a quick-witted Breton widow, than reclaim a title that promises only further hardship. Content with humble pleasures far from the dangers of court, Henry enjoys a simple life of anonymity.

Yet, his enemies continue to conspire against him. Survival may require embracing the very birthright that drove him into exile, though it threatens his happiness with Jehane. The path to safety is littered with tangled conspiracies, narrow escapes, and a Welsh dragon banner fluttering over an English battlefield.

Bosworth earned Henry Tudor a crown, but the trials of a forgotten fourteen-year exile transformed a penniless fugitive into the man who ended the Wars of the Roses.

Years ago before I started my blog, I used to read a fair amount of historical fiction from both the 12th and 16th centuries before drifting onto other genres, so I was looking forward to reading this book set in-between during the late 15th century, about Henry Tudor, the future King Henry VII.

The story begins in 1471 when 14 year old Henry and his uncle Jasper and the Earl of Oxford flee after the news that Edward IV has defeated and captured Henry VI and executed the prince. Henry’s life is in danger due to a tiny drop of Royal blood. They head to France via Wales where Henry sees his mother Margaret Beaufort. However she refuses to come too, saying she can be more useful to their Lancastrian cause by remaining at court. But bad weather at sea means Henry and Jasper have to berth in Brittany, where Duke Francis detains them as his “guests”, under his protection.

We then follow the story in several parts over many years exiled, whilst Henry develops a relationship with Jehane, a widowed tailor. But enemies follow him even in exile.

Plenty of the chapters are also from Margaret’s viewpoint and it is interesting how they communicate, when their letters are probably intercepted.

The tale  concludes at the battle of Bosworth. But the epilogue a few years later adds another quirk to the tale.

All the major events of the time are covered including the death of the princes in the Tower of London, with a different fictional twist. I knew the broad details of this era  but after I finished reading the book I had a look online and it was fascinating to see which parts of the story had been based on actual history. Henry in the book seemed quite a different character to what I imagined before I started reading this.

The Welsh Dragon, newly published today is available on Amazon in kindle format. A brilliant historical read.

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The Baron and the Bluestocking 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 Baron and the Bluestocking by Katherine Ann Madison to review.

Here is the book blurb.

She’ll do anything to avoid marriage…anything…

Even climb from a second story balcony and onto the top of a trellis. All right. Perhaps that was a bit too far, especially considering Lady Matilda winds up stuck. But why does it have to be him that rescues her? Her brother’s best friend the Baron Greenburg has always disapproved of her behavior. This is just one more example of how imperfect she truly is.

He just wants a simple life…

And Lady Matilda is anything but simple. Tillie brims over with life, love, and intelligence. In fact, she’s been making a fool of him since childhood. But this time around, it’s her who looks silly and him that manages the dashing rescue. And when he holds her in his arms…

Is it possible that their many battles were a prelude to romance?

Katherine Ann Madison is a pseudonym of prolific author Tammy Andresen and this is the third title in her sweet Regency Romance series Matchmaking on the Marriage Mart. The story works perfectly as a stand-alone read, but is linked to earlier titles through some of the characters. In particular, I am already acquainted with the heroine of this book, Tille, Lady Matilda Crosby, through her much smaller appearances in the earlier two titles The Duke and the Debutante and The Earl and the Incomparable.

The story begins with Tillie annoyed because her mother is trying to make a match for her, although she won’t tell Tillie who. She wants to preferably remain a spinster and study insects or at the least, marry on her own terms. Surely her mother can’t mean the dreadful Viscount Bancroft?

Meanwhile Baron Alex Greenburg is late to the party and he simply must set up his telescope first as Venus is due to pass in front of Jupiter any day now, for the first time in 300 years. But as he heads past the pergola, he spots someone stuck on the top. It is Tillie, desperate to escape from the ballroom. She needs rescuing, but she would rather it had not been by Alex, her brother’s best friend, who always used to call her a hoyden as a child. She didn’t even realise he was at the party and he is surprised to discover that she knows about the occultation.

So childhood friends or enemies? science interests, scheming mothers plus the odious Lord Bancroft. How will this pan out?

I hadn’t previously come across the term occultation, but as one of my sons is very keen on astronomy, I thought I would look this up. It also encompasses solar eclipses, but indeed the author is correct that the Venus / Jupiter occultations are few and far between. The next one is forecast to be in 2065 but too near the sun to be visible. I loved how she wove this into the tale.

The Baron and the Bluestocking is available on Amazon in Kindle format. A nice light sweet romantic read from Katherine Ann Madison.

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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

King of Thieves 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 King of Thieves by Tammy Andresen to review.

Here is the book blurb.

Pippa Bancroft knows that trouble is circling. Between her brother’s odd behavior, the whispers of massive debts, and the old and awful man her brother keeps thrusting at her, she assumes things are very bad. But just how awful… there is only one way to find out. She’s going to have to do some good old-fashioned spying.

The problem? When she positions herself to eavesdrop, she’s not the only one! A large and ornery Scot is also listening in on her brother’s conversation. And when Laird Lockton offers her an exchange of favors to benefit them both, she’s left to wonder, can she trust this giant of a man? Is he the devil or a grumpy angel in disguise?

Laird Lockton has a life waiting for him in Scotland. Granted, that life is full of boring drudgery, the sort he never wished for himself. Which is why he decides one last adventure is in order. He’ll help his friends with an investigation into the thefts plaguing their gaming hell, secure his future, and then return to Scotland.

But he didn’t count on one pretty wallflower inserting herself into his life and his final adventure. Nor did he plan on finding her quite so irresistible. And as her own situation grows more desperate, Lockton knows he has to help. What sort of man would he be if he didn’t?

But the more time he spends with her the more he wonders…does that mean he has to lose his heart too?

This is book 21 in the Lords of Scandal series, which keeps going and going, but it works fine as a stand-alone read too.

The story begins with Pippa and her faithful dog Trixie taking a walk in the public gardens. She is hoping to eavesdrop a conversation between her debt-ridden brother James, Baron Bancroft and the odious Cornelius Blackpalm. She hears that he wants to marry her, but that is not all. Trixie has led her to a stranger, who is also spying on James and Cornelius.

This is Lord Angus Lockton, one of the owners of The Den of Sins gaming club, who has been following the Governor (Blackpalm) because the Governor stole from the club. He wants to see the Governor put in prison, and then return to Scotland.

He hatches a plan with Pippa so that he can continue to spy on the next meeting between James and Blackpalm in the house. Where will she hide him? Can he help her avoid marrying Blackpalm? How will things turn out?

I particularly enjoyed the Scottish connection to this tale, meeting Lockton’s family. It reminded me of an excellent earlier series of Tammy’s, Brethren of Stone. I’m not keen on the cover though; so glad that I read these books on my phone, as no way would I sit on a train reading a paperback with a cover like this.

King of Thieves is available on Amazon in both Kindle format and paperback. Once again another light short 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

Earl of Spades 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 Earl of Spades by Tammy Andresen to review.

Here is the book blurb.

She’s a beauty beyond compare…

Ash can’t deny that her fragile beauty holds him captive. And then there’s the fact that he stands between her and the danger circling ever closer. What man doesn’t wish to save a woman like Lily? He’d protect her with his last breath even he can’t give her a future. They are worlds apart and deep down he knows that love isn’t for a man like him. Not even with a woman as perfect as Lily.

But when fate and chance conspire, can this earl learn to share his heart with the one woman who’s ever tempted him?

He’s a larger-than-life hero…

Lily knows an earl would never marry her, but as he protects her time again, a woman has to ask herself. How could she not fall in love with him? And when he inevitably leaves her life, how will she put the pieces of her heart back together?

So only two and a half years on from when the first title was published, we are now at book 20 in the Lords of Scandal series. Like the other titles, it works perfectly well as a stand-alone book too, although I prefer reading them all.

The story begins with Ash, the Earl of Easton helping Lily to escape from her 4 kidnappers. But one evades him and may bring reinforcements. Ash had been tracking the carriage for several days from London and this had been his first opportunity. They ride as fast as they can north, hoping to meet Lily’s sister Arabella, the Queen of Hearts in Gretna Green. Lily and Arabella are both half sisters to the Duke of Devonshire and the Earl of Baxter but it is news to both of them that they each have a sister too.

Ash has always viewed Arabella like a sister since childhood, but he quickly realises he does not feel the same regarding Lily. Meanwhile Lily is wondering why she feels attracted to Ash, when she had vowed to let no man close.

Why had Lily been kidnapped? Who are the kidnappers working for? Can they avoid the bad guys and reach Arabella in time?

Earl of Spades is available on Amazon in both Kindle format and paperback. Another light short romantic story with plenty 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.

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The Earl and the Incomparable 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 Earl and the Incomparable by Katherine Ann Madison to review.

Here is the book blurb.

He needs a bride quickly…

Lord Rangeley is on a mission. Secure a wealthy bride to save his earldom. He’s a handsome, former rake. Convincing one bluestocking, Lady Matilda, to be his bride should be easy enough. But the problems begin almost immediately. The worst one? He might have accidentally fallen in love with her younger sister…

Even she knows to resist a rogue in need…

Millie’s knees go weak the first time she sees the handsome earl despite knowing he’s completely wrong for her. Her mother has grand plans for Millie’s future and they don’t involve an impoverished earl. Not to mention, he’s here to court her older sister. Now if she can only keep her heart in check long enough to see her beloved sister happily wed, she will have done her duty to everyone else.

But that leaves one question. When she’s done making the rest of her family happy, where will that leave her?

This is the second title in Katherine Ann Madison’s 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.

This book has some continuity from the previous title The Duke and the Debutante, where both Parker, the Earl of Rangeley and serious bluestocking, Lady Matilda Crosby had cameo roles, but it works well as a stand-alone read.

Parker has secured an invitation to the Marquess of Farthington’s house party, where he hopes to woo the Marquess’s sister Lady Matilda, as her dowry would go a long way to rebuilding his Earldom, which his late father gambled into debt. Will he be able to convince Tillie, Lady Matilda, an avid biologist to tie the knot in this marriage of convenience?

But when he arrives, he can’t take his eyes off Tillie’s younger sister Millie, Lady Millicent. Oops this could be a problem as he has already made his intentions clear to Tillie.

Meanwhile Millie has been forewarned by her sister of the rakish Earl who is after a dowry, but goodness she is attracted to him.

And then Tillie shares a secret, but only with one of them. Things are getting complicated. Where will this all lead?

The Earl and the Incomparable is available on Amazon in Kindle format. A nice light sweet romantic read from Katherine Ann Madison.

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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

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

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