Sophie Reads YA: May 2024

ARC Review: Second Thoughts about the Heir (Second Time Brides #3) by Sky Purington

12:00

Second Thoughts about the Heir
Series: Second Time Brides #3
Author: Sky Purington
Published November 30th 2023 by Dragonblade Publishing, Inc.

Goodreads Synopsis
Blackmail turns to scandalous desire in this enemies-to-lovers romance.

Done mourning a husband who was three times her age, Lady Abigail Somerset is ready for adventure. She begins by pretending to be a commoner at a tavern. More daring still, when she bumps into a handsome American who appears equally as common, she gives him the impression that she is a lady of the night. Naturally, the moment she learns he is en route to the same Scottish castle as she, she sets the record straight and makes a hasty departure.

Determined to open unattainable doors to his businesses, Laurence Wright, heir to the Wright fortune, is determined to marry into the English peerage. Little does he know the beautiful commoner he runs into at a bar is an aristocrat in disguise. As ruthless in love as he is in business, he decides he will make Abigail his, no matter what. Even if it means threatening to share her naughty tavern persona and ruining her good name.

More than that, he’ll succeed even if making her his wife endangers the heart he’d had no idea existed.
Goodreads

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

Lady Abigail Somerset is finally out of mourning, but that doesn't mean she's ready to remarry, just for an adventure. Heading to her sister's estate in Scotland, she pretends to be a commoner, and meets a handsome American in a tavern, and flirts like she has never before. However, he is heading to the same place as her, and she flees quickly. Thankfully, Laurence, the heir to the Wright fortune, is willing to play along, but he wants Abby more than he has ever wanted a woman. In Britain to find an aristocratic wife, and to further his business, he's find that woman in Abby, but how can he, and the rest of her family, convince her that her late husband can't control her any more, and she's allowed to be happy?

I really enjoyed this book. In the previous one, we saw Abby's elderly husband die, and her begin her mourning period. Now out of it, she still bears the mental scars of her marriage, and it's going to take a lot of work to break down the walls she built up. Never allowed to dance or flirt with anyone other than her husband, and being a nursemaid more than anything, had left her unable to think that Laurence was anything other than a flirt and scoundrel. I loved how he pushed her out of her comfort zone, knowing she needed adventure, but would need a push to get there. The rest of her family loved her greatly, but also knew that if they left her to her own devices, she would remain a widow for life, and never find love or happiness. Laurence and Abby's banter and chemistry was fantastic, and their relationship just right for their characters.

Dates Read:
April 25-28, 2024

Rating
3 Stars

3 Stars

ARC Review: The Secondhand Earl (Second Time Brides #2) by Sky Purington

11:00

The Secondhand Earl
Series: Second Time Brides #2
Author: Sky Purington
Published September 26th 2023 by Dragonblade Publishing, Inc.

Goodreads Synopsis
What happens when a lady loses her heart to a tortured earl with a damning secret?

Lady Grace Howard and her ailing son have no choice but to move in with her sister Maude and her husband. Although welcome, she is too prideful to remain with them overly long. So when she crosses paths with a cynical war-wounded earl who needs her dowry but loathes the idea of falling in love again as much as she, Grace agrees to a marriage of convenience. Little does she know there is more to the bargain. Something she would not have liked one bit.

While Charles, Lord of Newcastle, needs Grace’s dowry, the business her brother-by-marriage brings to his port is the driving force behind marrying her. It’s something she must not know about, lest her pride land her in the arms of the wrong suitor. Despite preferring honesty, he agrees without understanding how much hiding the truth might cost him. But then, he could not anticipate how fond of each other they would become. How much they would help heal one another’s hearts. Moreover, he could have never foreseen passion—let alone love—igniting between them. Now his secret will likely become a damning truth.

Will Charles and Grace be able to weather the storm when it comes? Or is their marriage doomed to be as superficial as initially intended?
Goodreads

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

After her beloved husband died, leaving her and his ill son with gambling debts, Lady Grace Howard's only hope is to travel to her sister's estate in Scotland, and try and find something new. Grace is too proud to rely on charity for too long, but she will not marry unless she can find a husband who will care for her son as much as she does. So when the scarred Earl of Newcastle, who lost his wife and child before heading off to war, arrives to visit his old friends, knowing that he needs investment, and better yet, a wife, to save his estate, it's as if fate has something in store for Grace. Charles is kind, and though he has let his estate go to ruin, he cares for his people, and that's what she needs. However, will she be able to get over the baggage her late husband left her with to allow herself the chance to find love again?

I liked this book so much more than the previous one. The couple had a real connection, and both helped each other recover from their pasts in a safe and sensible way. It wasn't an instalove, but an attraction that formed into a true friendship and real love and affection for each other. Grace had to come to terms with her love for her late husband, while also hating that he gambled away their money, and risked their futures. Her love for Alex was plain for everyone to see, and Charles embodied the perfect stepfather figure in his life. This was a fantastic regency romance.

Dates Read:
April 22-23, 2024

Rating
3 Stars

3 Stars

ARC Review: Never Second Guess a Lord (Second Time Brides #1) by Sky Purington

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Never Second Guess a Lord
Series: Second Time Brides #1
Author: Sky Purington
Published July 25th 2023 by Dragonblade Publishing, Inc.

Goodreads Synopsis
She tried to ruin his good name, and he never forgot it. What could possibly go wrong?

Finally free of a cruel and loveless marriage, wealthy widower Lady Prudence Barrington is determined to make her own way without remarrying. What she does not expect upon arriving at her sister’s castle in Scotland is crossing paths with a duke whose name she once slandered for his flirtatious ways. Or that her sister intends to make a match of them.

When Jacob, the Duke of Argyll, learns coldhearted Lady Barrington will be visiting MacLauchlin Castle, he is eager to confront her and perhaps make amends. Forgive the rumors she once spread about him. Help her find her way free of whom she became when married to her late husband, then move on. Or so he thinks until he discovers an interesting, passionate woman underneath her uppity façade.

Friendship eventually turns to scandalous desire, but nothing is as easy as it seems. Not when Prudence refuses marriage but succumbs to love for the first time. A love that is soon threatened when Jacob keeps something from her that could very well end all they find together.
Goodreads

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

As she arrives at her sister's estate, the widowed Lady Prudence Barrington knows she will do anything to avoid remarrying and finding herself controlled again. Living on a remote Scottish estate with only her sister and brother-in-law will be a dream, but when Jacob, the Duke of Argyll, arrives at MacLauchlin Castle, it's more of a nightmare. Jacob's reputation was destroyed when Prudence spread rumours about his philandering ways, and he wants to know why. He can see that the Prudence the ton know is not her true self, but no one has been able to break through that wall she put up to protect herself. What Jacob never expects is that he is drawn to her for more than just friendship, but would she ever put herself through marrying again?

I hated this book to begin with. Prudence was such a harsh character, who had set out to hurt Jacob in the past, and it took some time for me to overcome that, and start to like her at least a little. Jacob, on the other hand, was a much better character. He had loved his late wife, and didn't deserve the hatred he got for the rumours Prudence had spread. Even so, he saw the good in her, and wanted to help her. For the first three quarters of the book, I was forcing myself through it, because I knew I had the other 2 books in the series to read and really wanted to clear my NG backlog, however, the last quarter redeemed it all, and made it worth it. Hopefully the other books are much better, otherwise I'll be in for some bad reads in my near future.

Dates Read:
April 21, 2024

Rating
3 Stars

May

Stacking the Shelves: May 18th 2024

10:00

Jane Ashford

Waiting On Wednesday: The Duke Has Done It Again (The Duke's Estates #6) by Jane Ashford

10:00

3 Stars

ARC Review: Blame it on Lord Raine (The Three Graces #3) by Alanna Lucas

12:00

Blame it on Lord Raine
Series: The Three Graces #3
Author: Alanna Lucas
Published March 30th 2024 by Dragonblade Publishing, Inc.

Goodreads Synopsis
And then there was one…

Evelina Grace, the last of the three Grace sisters, has vowed to only marry for love, and nothing less. But Fate intervenes.

Notorious rake, Lord James Raine, never overreacts. His sister may have eloped with the lowly third son of a viscount, but the situation provides him an opportunity to seduce Evelina Grace, Daisy’s friend. Since the moment he met her, he’s been unable to get the alluring beauty out of his mind.

When Evelina met James, she decided to avoid him at all cost, but through no fault of her own, he’s present at every turn, disrupting her thoughts and stirring unwanted feelings. However, when James confronts her at a social event regarding her involvement in his sister’s elopement, anger quickly turns to passion, then almost immediately sours. With just one touch of his lips, her fate is sealed when they’re caught in the act and James declares they’ll marry.

Evelina has vowed to wait for true love, and will not go into a forced marriage without a fight. She has her conditions—she’ll keep her freedom, engaging in a salon with the ladies of the ton she and her sisters entertain, as well as her dowry. James has no other choice but to agree, although he makes a demand of his own—he wants an heir. Now Evelina’s stuck between a rock and a hard place.

She may be a wife in name only, but she despises her husband, and she’ll never allow him into her bed!
Goodreads

Review
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher, via NetGalley. This in no way impacted on my view.

Evelina Grace has seen her sisters find love and happiness, and that is all she wants for herself. Unfortunately, the only man who has caught her eye is the infuriating Lord James Raine, who ever fails to get her blood boiling, or her heart singing. Trying to avoid him at every turn has failed, and when a moment's passion leads to them being seen by the ton, and forced to marry, Evelina will not go down the altar without a fight. Vowing to marry only if she has her freedom, her dowry, and her own bed, Evelina refuses to be anything other than a wife in name only. Her heart has other thoughts though.

I have been waiting for this book since I read the first in the series. Evelina and James' romance had the perfect buildup of tension in the background of the previous books, and their story did not disappoint! Both were very passionate and headstrong characters, and clashed regularly. However, they weren't really "enemies-to-lovers", but rather fighting their attractions. I loved that James seemed to be the one the most affected by his feelings, and though his lapse of judgement in kissing her at a ton event forced them to marry, he was always true to his feelings. He even went so far as to stay away from her after they married because that's what she wanted, even though being away from her was breaking his heart. Evelina just needed a push to realise she wanted him, always, and was already in love, but just in denial. James' mother was vindictive, and I hated everything she did, but luckily the couples love was strong enough to overcome it.

Dates Read:
April 20, 2024

Rating
3 Stars

3 Stars

ARC Review: Never Judge a Beast By His Cover (The Three Graces #2) by Alanna Lucas

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Never Judge a Beast By His Cover
Series: The Three Graces #2
Author: Alanna Lucas
Published October 17th 2023 by Dragonblade Publishing, Inc.

Goodreads Synopsis
Can scars soothed by music of the night lead a beast to passion and plenty?

Theodora Grace is determined she’ll only marry for true love, so her invitation to a summer house party at Grimsby Hall could have been a chore. But with plenty of festivities to enjoy and the opportunity for her and her sister, Evelina, to matchmake on behalf of their friends, she’s happy to attend. It’ll also be a chance get to know more about their intriguing but elusive host, Lord Grimsby.

Damian, Earl of Grimsby has no intention of spending any more time with his guests than he has to. He’s merely there to help his younger cousin find a bride and secure the family line. For he himself will never marry. How can he when he’s known in Society as the Beast, on account of the dreadful scars he suffered after attempting to rescue his father and brother from a fire?

But he cannot help but be drawn to Miss Theodora Grace, with her bewitching beauty and passion for music—something he shares. For years, he’s stayed in the shadows, but is Theodora the one who will finally succeed in leading him into the light?
Goodreads

Review
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher, via NetGalley. This in no way impacted on my view.

Ever since the fire which left him scarred, and killed his father and brother, Damian, Earl of Grimsby, has hidden himself away from the world. Knowing that his estate needs to be secure with an heir, Damian plans on finding his nephew a bride, and agrees to host a summer house party to do that. He’s accepted that he will never find love, and will never put a woman or children through seeing his scars, but wherever he is around Theodora Grace, he wants to be with her. Theodora finds herself intrigued by the mysterious earl, and though his nephew is handsome to be sure, she wants to find a husband who is kind and caring. She knows that Damian is hiding more than just his physical scars, and she's not going to back down without a fight.

I loved the chemistry between Damian and Theodora so much in this book. They were both sensitive characters, and hid a lot of themselves behind their masks - both literal and figurative. Theodora was a sensitive soul, and it was obvious that only someone who shared her love of music would be the man for her. Damian knew that hosting the house party would take him out of his comfort zone, but he would do it for the good of his earldom. Because of his injuries and the scars, he was jilted by his fiancee, and would never want to put another woman, or even children through seeing a man as scarred as him. Hiding in his hidden music room, with his faithful dog, Shadow, is his only reprieve, so Theodora stumbling into the room and invading his every thought is too much. Theodora made him realise that he needed to come out of the shadows and was deserving of love.

Dates Read:
April 20, 2024

Rating
3 Stars

3 Stars

ARC Review: A Most Improper Duchess (The Three Graces #1) by Alanna Lucas

10:00

A Most Improper Duchess
Series: The Three Graces #1
Author: Alanna Lucas
Published July 5th 2023 by Dragonblade Publishing, Inc.

Goodreads Synopsis
Secret salons and forbidden tendres. The Season promises to be scandalous.

After their parents’ deaths, the three Grace sisters must leave their family home for their first season in London. But how will Alexandra, the eldest Miss Grace, fare in the ton’s infamous marriage mart? She’s determined to marry for love. If only she could find a husband like her childhood friend, Niall, Duke of Blackburn, but with added passion.

Caught up in Society’s whirlwind, Alexandra soon realizes eligible gentlemen may want to make suitable matches, but once wed, their true desires will be reserved for their mistresses. Enlisting her sisters’ support, she sets up secret salons with trusted female acquaintances at which they can discuss the conundrum of men’s true nature versus finding a happy marriage.

However, the salons raise more questions than answers, and realizing she will only gain the knowledge the ladies seek by talking with a man, Alexandra approaches Niall. But discussing matters of an intimate nature proves very different from talking about art and architecture, and the friendship Alexandra has always felt rapidly turns into something more. Can she really be falling for her very proper childhood friend?

Niall takes his role in life seriously. He’s a proper fellow, decided in his ways to stand up for those unable to protect themselves. That’s what dukes do—sustain traditions and serve with dignity. When an old friend from Eton asks Niall to watch over his three sisters, how can he refuse? If anyone can assist ladies in their entrance to Society, it’s a duke.

Strict and timely, practiced, and nuanced, Niall knows just what it takes to master the ins and outs of civilization. But sometimes the most proper thing to do is give in.
Goodreads

Review
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher, via NetGalley. This in no way impacted on my view.

Entering her debut season at the age of 24, Miss Alexandra Grace and her sisters are embarking on a new adventure. Losing their parents, and being told by their brother that they have a season to find husbands, the three Grace sisters need all the help they can get. So when they realise that they don't know anywhere near as much as they need to about men, and intimacy, Alexandra turns to her best friend, and the only one who has ever been there for her, Niall, Duke of Blackburn. But she's always had feelings for him, and he for her, and he's due to announce his engagement to a more 'suitable' bride any day now. Talking to him about intimacy, knowing they can never be together is heartbreaking, but is there a way for them to be together?

I was scrolling through my kindle shelf and realised I had the entire Three Graces series on my to-read shelf, and they sounded perfect to read this weekend. I loved the idea of the three sisters forming a salon group to help all young women before they were married, and ensure that they weren't forced into unwanted marriages. They had all suffered during their parents' illnesses, and only really had each other for love and affection. I felt for Alexandra so much. She was the eldest sister, so she had dealt with a lot, and didn't want to burden anyone, so kept it all to herself. Niall knew a little, but even he, a duke, could only help so much. Their romance was so sweet, and it was so hard seeing them pining for each other. I wished it was easier for them to be together, but they had to combat all of the outside pressures to be able to be together. It made them a better couple, and I hope we get to see a lot more of them in the sequels.

Dates Read:
April 19, 2024

Rating
3 Stars