Sophie Reads YA: October 2020

October Summary

11:00

What I've read this month:

Least Likely to Marry a Duke
Series: Liberated Ladies #1
Author: Louise Allen
March 21st 2019 by Mills & Boon
Read: September 29-October 3 2020
My Rating: 3 Stars
Challenge: 2020 Beat the Backlist Challenge

The Redemption of a Rogue
Series: The Duke's By-Blows #4
Author: Jess Michaels
Published October 13th 2020 by The Passionate Pen LLC (eARC)
Read: October 3-4 2020
My Rating: 4 stars
Challenge: 2020 New Release Challenge

One Dance with a Duke
Series: Stud Club #1
Author: Tessa Dare
February 16th 2012 by Ebury Press
Read: October 3-5 2020
My Rating: 4 Stars
Challenge: 2020 Beat the Backlist Challenge

One Night with the Laird
Series: Scottish Brides #2
Author: Nicola Cornick
April 4th 2014 by MIRA
Read: October 6-7 2020
My Rating: 4 Stars
Challenge: 2020 Beat the Backlist Challenge

Capturing the Earl
Series: The Wallflowers of West Lane #3
Author: A.S. Fenichel
January 26th 2021 by Lyrical Press
Read: October 10 2020
My Rating: 4 Stars

Claimed by the Laird
Series: Scottish Brides #3
Author: Nicola Cornick
August 1st 2014 by MIRA
Read: October 8-10 2020
My Rating: 4 Stars
Challenge: 2020 Beat the Backlist Challenge

A Duke for Miss Townsbridge
Series: The Townsbridges #4
Author: Sophie Barnes
Published October 20th 2020 by Sophie Barnes (eARC)
Read: October 11 2020
My Rating: 3 stars
Challenge: 2020 New Release Challenge

An Unexpected Temptation
Series: The Townsbridges #5
Author: Sophie Barnes
Published December 8th 2020 by Sophie Barnes (eARC)
Read: October 11 2020
My Rating: 3 stars
Challenge: 2020 New Release Challenge

Wilde in Love
Series: The Wildes of Lindow Castle #1
Author: Eloisa James
October 31st 2017 by Piatkus
Read: October 10-11 2020
My Rating: 4 Stars
Challenge: 2020 Beat the Backlist Challenge

Too Wilde to Wed
Series: The Wildes of Lindow Castle #2
Author: Eloisa James
May 29th 2018 by Piatkus Books
Read: October 12-14 2020
My Rating: 4 Stars
Challenge: 2020 Beat the Backlist Challenge

Born to Be Wilde
Series: The Wildes of Lindow Castle #3
Author: Eloisa James
July 24th 2018 by Piatkus Books
Read: October 15-16 2020
My Rating: 4 Stars
Challenge: 2020 Beat the Backlist Challenge

Always the Rival
Series: Never the Bride #7
Author: Emily E.K. Murdoch
Published October 29th 2020 by Dragonblade Publishing, Inc. (eARC)
Read: October 17 2020
My Rating: 3 stars
Challenge: 2020 New Release Challenge

Say No to the Duke
Series: The Wildes of Lindow Castle #4
Author: Eloisa James
June 25th 2019 by Piatkus Books
Read: October 17-18 2020
My Rating: 4 Stars
Challenge: 2020 Beat the Backlist Challenge

Say Yes to the Duke
Series: The Wildes of Lindow Castle #5
Author: Eloisa James
May 26th 2020 by Piatkus
Read: October 18 2020
My Rating: 4 Stars

Seducing the Heiress
Series: Heiress in London #1
Author: Olivia Drake
August 16th 2012 by Ebury Press
Read: October 19-20 2020
My Rating: 3 Stars
Challenge: 2020 Beat the Backlist Challenge

Someday My Duke Will Come
Series: Isle of Synne #2
Author: Christina Britton
January 26th 2021 by Forever
Read: October 18-20 2020
My Rating: 4 Stars

The Arrangement
Series: The Survivors' Club #2
Author: Mary Balogh
August 27th 2013 by Piatkus
Read: October 20-21 2020
My Rating: 4 Stars
Challenge: 2020 Beat the Backlist Challenge

My One and Only Duke
Series: Rogues to Riches #1
Author: Grace Burrowes
November 6th 2018 by Piatkus
Read: October 22-23 2020
My Rating: 4 Stars
Challenge: 2020 Beat the Backlist Challenge

Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake
Series: Love By Numbers #1
Author: Sarah MacLean
February 14th 2012 by Piatkus
Read: October 23 2020
My Rating: 4 Stars
Challenge: 2020 Beat the Backlist Challenge

Ten Ways to be Adored When Landing a Lord
Series: Love By Numbers #2
Author: Sarah MacLean
May 1st 2012 by Piatkus
Read: October 24 2020
My Rating: 4 Stars
Challenge: 2020 Beat the Backlist Challenge

A Lady's Guide to Mischief and Mayhem
Series: A Lady's Guide #1
Author: Manda Collins
Published November 10th 2020 by Forever (eARC)
Read: October 24-25 2020
My Rating: 4 stars
Challenge: 2020 New Release Challenge

Eleven Scandals to Start to Win a Duke's Heart
Series: Love By Numbers #3
Author: Sarah MacLean
May 1st 2012 by Piatkus
Read: October 25-26 2020
My Rating: 4 Stars
Challenge: 2020 Beat the Backlist Challenge

Rules for an Unmarried Lady
Series: Once Upon a Bride #3
Author: Wilma Counts
Published December 29th 2020 by Lyrical Press (eARC)
Read: October 26 2020
My Rating: 3 stars
Challenge: 2020 New Release Challenge

Notorious
Series: Rebels of the Ton #1
Author: Minerva Spencer
Published November 24th 2020 by Kensington (eARC)
Read: October 27 2020
My Rating: 1 stars
Challenge: 2020 New Release Challenge

'Twas the Night After Christmas
Series: Hellions of Halstead Hall #6
Author: Sabrina Jeffries
October 29th 2013 by Pocket Books
Read: October 27-28 2020
My Rating: 4 Stars
Challenge: 2020 Beat the Backlist Challenge

Married to the Rogue
Series: Season of Scandal #3
Author: Mary Lancaster
Published November 10th 2020 by Dragonblade Publishing, Inc. (eARC)
Read: October 29 2020
My Rating: 4 stars
Challenge: 2020 New Release Challenge

The Escape
Series: The Survivors' Club #3
Author: Mary Balogh
July 1st 2014 by Piatkus
Read: October 29-30 2020
My Rating: 4 Stars
Challenge: 2020 Beat the Backlist Challenge

Challenges Update:
2020 Contemporary Romance Challenge: (30 total)
2020 New Release Challenge: 8 (95 total)
2020 Beat the Backlist Challenge: 16 (88 total)

Summary:

I've done extremely well this month, reading wise, and the majority have been library holds that I requested during lock down, that all came it at the same time. I think the fact that two of my colleagues tested positive, and I had to isolate for 2 weeks at home helped me read this much.

How have you done this month? Let me know below.

October

Stacking the Shelves: October 31st 2020

10:00

2020 Beat the Backlist challenge

Review: A Good Debutante's Guide to Ruin (The Debutante Files #1) by Sophie Jordan

10:00

A Good Debutante's Guide to Ruin
Series: The Debutante Files #1
Author: Sophie Jordan
Published July 29th 2014 by Avon

Goodreads Synopsis
The last woman on earth he would ever touch . . .

Declan, the Duke of Banbury, has no interest in ushering Rosalie Hughes, his stepsister, into society. Dumped on him with nowhere else to go, he's determined to rid himself of the headstrong debutante by bestowing on her an obscenely large dowry . . . making her the most sought-after heiress of the Season.

. . . is about to become the only one he wants.

But Rosalie isn't about to go along with Declan's plans. Surrounded by fortune hunters, how is she supposed to find a man who truly wants her? Taking control of her fate, Rosalie dons a disguise and sneaks into Sodom, a private club host to all manner of illicit activity—and frequented by her infuriatingly handsome stepbrother.

In a shadowed alcove, Declan can't resist the masked temptress who sets his blood afire . . . any more than Rosalie can deny her longing for a man who will send her into ruin.
Goodreads

Review
I've recently read one of Sophie's newest historical romances, The Virgin and the Rogue, and when I noticed that her Debutante Files series was available through my library, I knew that was my weekend reading planned!

A Good Debutante's Guide to Ruin follows Rosalie Hughes after she is dumped on her stepbrother's door step after being abandoned at school, two years after graduating. Now twenty, she hasn't seen stepbrother Declan, the Duke of Banbury, in years, not since his father kicked him out when he was fifteen, and to say they have a good relationship would be a lie. Declan doesn't want to waste any time on Rosalie, or anyone related to his time in his youth. A consummate rake and proclaimed bachelor, he decides the best course of action is to get rid of Rosalie as soon as possible. So, he asks his aunt Peregrine and cousin, Aurelia, to move in, sets Rosalie up with a £50,000 dowry, and organises for her to be married by the end of the Season. Rosalie has always been somewhat in love with Declan, and knowing that he despises her and thinks she's just another villain like her mother, Melisande, is heartbreaking. She's not ready to accept any of the fortune hunters who are hounding her, and plots with Aurelia to sneak into the exclusive club, Sodom, in disguise, before they are married off. The person the proprietress chooses for her to have her first kiss is, is none other than Declan himself, and he can't resist her.

I loved this book, and was hooked from the first page. Rosalie was just a wonderful character, and I adored reading from her point of view. Being dumped at the school, and then forgotten about for years and having to rely on the charity of others was galling, and then being thrust at Declan's door, again having to rely on others, was hard for her to accept. She didn't seem to understand why he hated her so much, and learning more about their history was wonderful. Declan's character was so well rounded and full of layers that were pulled back as the story progressed. I really felt for him, and how his life had been once his stepmother came into his life.

The subplot of Melisande and her plotting and conniving was a nice side to the story, and helped us to get to know Rosalie and Declan more. Melisande is a Villain with a capital V, and I was disgusted by her at most points in the book for how she treated both her own daughter, and her step son, and was only interested in number one, and didn't care who she hurt on the way.

The chemistry between Rosalie and Declan was there from very early on, but it took some time for it to turn to lust and then love, as both really got to know the other now, and not from how they remember as children. Their scenes at Sodom were swoony, and just fantastic. This mutual understanding really helped to cement their relationship, and make it real. The way it ended made me desperate for the others in the series, which luckily I could start straight away! Hopefully we'll see more of Declan and Rosalie in those instalments.

Dates Read:

May 23, 2020

Rating
4 Stars

#RockMyTBR 2017 Challenge

Review: Kissing Max Holden by Katy Upperman

10:00

Kissing Max Holden
Series: None
Author: Katy Upperman
Published August 1st 2017 by Swoon Reads

Goodreads Synopsis
Kissing Max Holden was a terrible idea...

After his father has a life-altering stroke, Max Holden isn't himself. As his long-time friend, Jillian Eldridge only wants to help him, but she doesn't know how. When Max climbs through her window one night, Jill knows that she shouldn't let him kiss her. But she can't resist, and when they're caught in the act by her dad, Jill swears it'll never happen again. Because kissing Max Holden is a terrible idea.

With a new baby sibling on the way, her parents fighting all the time, and her dream of culinary school up in the air, Jill starts spending more and more time with Max. And even though her father disapproves and Max still has a girlfriend, not kissing Max is easier said than done. Will Jill follow her heart and allow their friendship to blossom into something more, or will she listen to her head and stop kissing Max Holden once and for all?
Goodreads

Review
I can't even remember how I heard about this book, but had it pre-ordered for quite some time, and read it as soon as it came. Kissing Max Holden is about Jill, who has been friends with Max for years, and after a series of family difficulties, it soon becomes something a bit more. Max's dad had a stroke in the recent months, and he doesn't know how to cope with it. He turns to best friend, Jill, climbing through her window to vent and be heard, and they soon find themselves kissing, even though they really shouldn't. Max has a girlfriend, and Jill's dad and new step-mother really dislike him, but neither can seem to stop it. Is Jill thinking clearly, or is the impeding birth of her new sibling and the fact that she might not be able to go to the university she wants because of parental decisions clouding her judgement.

Now, I read this book nearly 3 years ago, so the main details are a little vague with me, but I do remember having some issues with the cheating story line. I really dislike reading that in a book, and not even the use of one of my favourite tropes - friends to lovers - could take away from that. Also, as much as I shipped Max and Jill together, I couldn't see their relationship actually working. They were just in the right place, at the right time, and needed someone safe to help them through the difficulties they were facing. Maybe if I re-read it, I might find myself enjoying it more, but I could also perhaps find myself disliking it even more.

Dates Read:

August 5, 2017

Rating
3 Stars

Jillian Cantor

Waiting On Wednesday: The Code for Love and Heartbreak by Jillian Cantor

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2017 Contemporary Romance Challenge

ARC Review: The Breakup Support Group by Cheyanne Young

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The Breakup Support Group
Series: None
Author: Cheyanne Young
Published December 1st 2016 by Swoon Romance

Goodreads Synopsis
After four years of first love bliss, Isla Rush just got dumped.

Any hope she has of winning her ex-boyfriend back is shattered when the town rezones her neighborhood, forcing her to spend senior year at a wealthy high school in the next town over.

With a broken heart consuming her soul, Isla can’t focus on anything, except maybe Emory Underwood—a ridiculously hot guy who dates a new girl almost every day. She can’t help but crush on him, even though it’s wrong.

When memories of her ex make her cry in second period, the school counselor sends Isla to a club that meets during lunch. The Break-Up Support Group is a collection of broken-hearted misfits who are all helping each other heal.

Just when Isla’s heart is finally on the mend, Emory shows up, forced to atone for all the broken hearts he’s caused over the years. While hiding her massive crush, she helps him understand the seriousness of breaking a heart.

In turn, Emory offers to help Isla get back on the dating scene by agreeing to be her fake date for the homecoming dance. Isla gladly accepts the ruse, because if anyone can make her into a desirable girlfriend, Emory can! There's just one small problem.

Isla's little crush on Emory might be exactly full blown. And a homecoming fake date with him could push her over the edge to possibly uttering the "L Word!"

Isla can't afford another heartbreak so soon after the last one. She will have to resist his charms, refuse to look into those dreamy eyes, and above all else, not make the mistake of letting him kiss her.

If only she hadn't let her guard down at the end of the night, under the light of her porch in a toe-curling kiss moment of weakness. And now, after months of Break-Up Support Group therapy, and with a heart fully on the mend, Isla has just handed it over to a guy who knows full well just how to break it.
Goodreads

Review
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the author. This in no way impacted on my view.

This book I first saw on twitter, and was offered the chance of reviewing it by the author. In The Breakup Support Group, there is just that - a breakup support group. Isla has been dumped after 4 years, and now she is forced to go to a different school for her senior year due to a rezoning in her town. She had hoped to be able to get back together with her boyfriend, but now that they aren't at the same school, she thinks it'll be difficult. After breaking down on one of her first days at school, the counsellor sent her to a support group for other teens struggling with break ups, and the guy she's now crushing on, and who seems to be with a new girl every week, turns up too. It ends up that Emory is more that just what he seems, and they are really good together. He wants to help her get over her heartbreak, and uses his persona and bad boy attitude to bring her onto the scene at school. The only issue is that her crush has turned into something more, and she's at risk of having her heart broken all over again.

This book was just really enjoyable. Isla is funny and real, and the Break Up Support Group was dead supportive. At her old school, she did have friends and that, but none that seemed to really care about her, and all dropped her when she started at the new school. The new group of friends though, and Emory in particular, do seem to care about her, and she's embraced by all.

The romantic aspect of this book, that was one of the biggest parts, was really well done. The chemistry between Isla and Emory was off the charts. Their friendship was developed naturally, and I loved that they were proper friends first, before it came to romance. I felt like this made it more realistic, and I believed in their relationship more that I would've done without them being friends. I definitely liked Cheyanne's writing style, and will read more from her again.

Dates Read:

May 19-20, 2017

Rating
4 Stars