Sophie Reads YA: Julia London

2023 Beat the Backlist challenge

Review: Last Duke Standing (A Royal Match #1) by Julia London

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Last Duke Standing
Series: A Royal Match #1
Author: Julia London
Published March 3rd 2022 by Mills & Boon

Goodreads Synopsis
First in a sparkling all-new historical series by New York Times bestselling author Julia London

Deemed ‘unsuitable’ to rule by her parents, Princess Justine arrives in London to learn the ropes of royalty before she takes the throne. Here she must face the scrutiny of Queen Victoria herself as she learns what it means to be royal, including acquiring a suitable husband. Yet, a plan to marry her off to a convenient groom, is underway, and roguish bachelor William, Lord Douglas is given the task of ensuring a suitable husband is found.

But the longer William spends in Justine’s company the more the opinionated young woman inspires a protective instinct in him and soon he deems all potential suitors unacceptable. Yet Justine is expected to marry.

But what if the right man has been there all along…
Goodreads

Review
As the Crown Princess of Wesloria, Princess Justine has been raised to one day be queen. However, the country are not looking forward to a female monarch, and especially not one like Justine. With her father ill, her mother sends Justine and younger sister, Amelia, to London, to learn how to be royal, by Victoria herself, and find themselves husbands before it's too late. Justine has no intention of changing herself for a husband, especially not someone who covets the throne that is hers, and being chaperoned by Lord William Douglas, the future Duke of Hamilton, is an insult. But Justine finds that William brings out the best and worst in her, and when they start to critique her 'suitors' together, it's soon clear to everyone but themselves that they are the perfect match.

I adored Julia's A Royal Wedding series, and when I saw she had a new series, with some overlap of characters, I knew it would be one for me. Books like this, where the main couple have a history, and uses the enemies-to-lovers trope are always a win with me, and this book had it all. William was a stickler for the rules, though with a rakish reputation, and he saw Justine as too flighty and flirty, but his family needed the money he was given to be her chaperone. When they meet again, it was clear that they both hadn't forgotten the other, and were definitely attracted to each other. The banter and snarkiness of their conversations were so right for these characters, and the little asides and bets they made when Justine was faced with her suitors added a spark of humour in the story. Having the matchmaker appear, and provide some truly horrible options for her to choose from was funny, and the conclusion was just the piece de resistance! A wonderful story, and I can't wait to read Amelia's romance!

Dates Read:
July 28-31, 2023

Rating
4 Stars

Julia London

Waiting on Wednesday: Last Duke Standing (A Royal Match #1) by Julia London

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A Princess by Christmas

Waiting On Wednesday: A Princess by Christmas (A Royal Wedding #3) by Julia London

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2020 New Release challenge

ARC Review: A Princess by Christmas (A Royal Wedding #3) by Julia London

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A Princess by Christmas
Series: A Royal Wedding #3
Author: Julia London
Published October 1st 2020 by Mills & Boon

Goodreads Synopsis
A Secret. A Lie. A Revolution.

Hollis Honeycutt has written her London gazette since the death of her husband – featuring fashion plates, marriage advice, and the latest gossip in and around Mayfair. But now she feels her gazette should have more meaning, cover topics of more consequence than the latest curl cream.

The opportunity presents itself when Hollis overhears rumours of a potential coup in the Kingdom of Wesloria, a coup linked to the highest level of government in London. During her investigation Hollis spies a man with no business lurking around peace talks, and determines to expose him for the traitor he most certainly must be.

When Weslorian Marek Brendan was fifteen he was shocked to discover his heritage was not what he believed – he was whisked away from the Weslorian palace when he was born because there was fear that corrupt forces would try and kidnap him. Now he is determined to stop these corrupt forces staging a coup in his home country. Except for the beautiful woman whose questions are putting his own investigation at risk. Yet soon Marek realises that pretty Hollis can help him. But when he confides his suspicions, Hollis’s loyalties are tested and she must choose between her loyalties to her family, or her heart…
Goodreads

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

After her sister, Eliza, and best friend, Caroline, recently married, and to princes at that, the widowed Hollis Honeycutt has been wanting more for herself. She's loved running her late husbands gazette, which she transformed into one of the most popular papers in London, but she wants to focus on more hard hitting journalism now, and not just society gossip. During the upcoming Christmas period, she's invited to numerous royal events, as the guest of her sister, the Duchess of Tannymeade, and while observing the Westlorian entourage, she is intrigued by the quiet and mysterious Marek Brendan. He's a civil servant, but keeps a very close eye on the Westlorian king, and she's concerned that someone may be plotting to harm the royals, or even kidnap her young niece, just like the Westlorian prince was as an infant. Unbeknown to her, Marek is in fact that stolen prince, but no one knows, and this is the only time he can be anywhere near his father and siblings. He's more worried about the fact that the trade and peace talks between Westloria and Alucia seem to be more in Alucia's favour, and the ministers around his father, the King, are playing him a fool. Is a coup at play, and will Marek have to rely on the industrious Mrs Honeycutt to help in his investigations?

Now, ever since I finished the two previous books in this series, I've been desperate for Hollis' story. She's always been such a strong and supportive character, loving to her family, and I knew she deserved her own happy ending. Because she had loved her late husband, Percy, she felt guilty thinking about ever moving on and finding love again. She's more than content to live at home with her various members of staff, including devoted butler and friend, Donovan, who everyone thinks is her lover anyway. It's only when she meets Marek, and is drawn back to him again and again that she starts to consider what could be.

For Marek, an illness in his childhood, and then his following upbringing, left him deaf in one ear, so he seems aloof to most. He's wary around new people, especially during such important talks such as the peace talks, and when it seems as if his boss and another minister are working against the king, he needs to find the evidence to stop them. Hollis seems to be the perfect person to assist, and the more he's with her, the more he's wishing he could stay and not return to Westloria, and be separated from her.

Both the romance and the plot was as good as in the previous books, though I think that The Princess Plan will always be my favourite. I'm both gutted and overjoyed with this book, as I wish the series didn't have to end, but it all ended in such a perfect way, with everything tied together that I could've asked for. London is now a favourite of mine, and I look forward to her next book!

Dates Read:
September 24-26, 2020

Rating
4 Stars

2020 New Release challenge

ARC Review: A Royal Kiss and Tell (A Royal Wedding #2) by Julia London

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A Royal Kiss and Tell
Series: A Royal Wedding #2
Author: Julia London
Published May 28th 2020 by Mills and Boon

Goodreads Synopsis
Every prince has his secrets. And she’s determined to unravel his…

Every dashing young man in London’s ton is vying for Lady Caroline Hawke’s hand—except one. Handsome, delectable roué Prince Leopold of Alucia can’t quite remember who Caroline is, and the insult is not to be tolerated. So, Caroline does what any clever, resourceful lady of means would do to make sure a prince remembers her: sees that amusingly risqué morsels about Leo’s reputation are printed in a ladies’ gossip gazette…all the while secretly setting her cap for the rakish royal.

Someone has been painting Leo as a blackguard, but who? Socially, it could ruin him. More important, it jeopardizes his investigation into a contemptible scheme that reaches the highest levels of government in London. Now, Leo needs Lady Caroline’s help to regain access to society. But this charming prince is about to discover that enlisting the deceptively sweet and sexy Lady Caroline might just cost him his heart, his soul and both their reputations…
Goodreads

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

As soon as I finished The Princess Plan, I knew I needed to start book 2, so was so happy I was approved for A Royal Kiss and Tell on NetGalley. This time around, we are following Lady Caroline Hawke, who can't believe that of all the people who aren't impressed by her, it's Prince Leopold of Alucia. After some disastrous meetings while in Helanamar, at Eliza and Sebastian's wedding, Caroline is adamant she doesn't want to see Leopold again, but it seems he's made friends with her brother, Beck, and is always hanging around. Leopold, for his part, doesn't seem to know how to think about Caroline. She's brash and speaks her mind, and isn't deferential at all. After the royal wedding, his parents want him to marry soon, and to a Westlorian lady for diplomatic relations, which is not what Leo wants at all. He's also found himself entangled in a plot to find and recover a number of Westlorian women who have been sold into slavery in England, and all of his efforts to help them is leaving him with a reputation that is bound to ruin all his social standing, and hinder his future efforts to bring down the scheme. Will Caroline help him regain his reputation and save the girls, or will he be called back to Alucia before he can finish his task?

Now after adoring The Princess Plan so much, I was expecting the same for this one, but it took me a bit too long to warm to Caroline, so it's a four star read for me. The first 5 chapters or so, Caroline was a bit too annoying, but after an illness, she grew on me, and I found myself understanding her more than I had. Losing her parents so young, and being raised by her brother who wanted her to marry as soon as possible, I saw why she was a bit too much at first, because she'd always known she was beautiful, and hadn't really been parented enough. She also was acting a part, too, as society expected her to be one type of person, and it was easier acting as if she was, rather than changing their minds. The subplot of her creating gowns for other ladies was a nice one, as we saw something she really cared about, and with how Beck acted towards it, we saw their own relationship a bit more clearly.

I loved the character growth in Leopold, as he was quite rakish when we met him in The Princess Plan, but after we see how he was treated in Alucia by his parents, and then his care and compassion to recover the Westlorian women sold into slavery, or worse, in England, he was neigh on perfect. His actions might not have been the most thought out, but his intentions were pure, even if they could bring about his own downfall.

Both Caroline and Leopold together was enjoyable from the get go. Their banter and chemistry was undeniable, and we really saw their affection for one another grow the more time they spent together, and excessively so after Caroline was made aware of the heinous scheme and Leopold's rescue efforts. The ending of the book was fantastic, and really made me desperate for A Princess for Christmas because I need to see more of both these couples, and also need to see Hollis happy and in love!

Dates Read:

May 22, 2020

Rating
4 Stars

2020 Beat the Backlist challenge

ARC Review: The Princess Plan (A Royal Wedding #1) by Julia London

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The Princess Plan
Series: A Royal Wedding #1
Author: Julia London
Published November 19th 2019 by Mills & Boon

Goodreads Synopsis
Passion. Intrigue. Love.

London’s high society loves nothing more than a scandal. And when the personal secretary of the visiting Prince Sebastian of Alucia is found murdered, it’s all anyone can talk about, including Eliza Tricklebank. Her unapologetic gossip gazette has benefited from an anonymous tip off about the crime, forcing Sebastian to ask for her help in his quest to find his friend’s killer.

With a trade deal on the line and mounting pressure to secure a noble bride, there’s nothing more dangerous than a prince socialising with a commoner. Sebastian finds Eliza’s contrary manner as frustrating as it is seductive, but they’ll have to work together if they’re going to catch the culprit. And soon, as temptation becomes harder to ignore, it’s the prince who’ll have to decide what comes first—his country or his heart.
Goodreads

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

Scandal and gossip have always been supreme in Victorian London, and being a member of a group publishing the only women's gazette in London has been perfect for Miss Eliza Tricklebank. When the Crown Prince of Alucia, Sebastian, arrives in England to find a bride and secure a lucrative trade deal, Eliza and sister Hollis, want to get invited to the royal ball, to find out the gossip for their gazette. Eliza and Sebastian meet, but as it's a masquerade, he doesn't recognise her when he later barges into her home, demanding to know where she got her 'evidence' relating to the death of his close friend, and secretary. Eliza is immediately on edge, and can't stand Sebastian's high handedness and arrogance, and quickly puts him in his place. Somewhat chastised, they form an unlikely partnership, to find the culprit, and uncover a plot to kidnap Sebastian. However, their chemistry becomes too much, and the fact that one is the heir to his throne, and the other a spinster commoner, daughter of a blind judge, is one that is hard to overcome.

When I was first approved for this book in November, I started it, but wasn't in the right mood. However, during lock down, historical romances have been what's kept me going, and I remembered about this one. The Princess Plan, quite honestly, was fantastic! I started it about 3 pm, and other than eating, I didn't put it down until I was done at 9. I just adored Eliza, and she was feisty, strong character I could've asked for. After believing she would be engaged years ago, and publicly embarrassed when it fell through, she's embraced her spinsterhood and relishes in helping her father with his work, and her sister with her gazette. Going to the palace for the masquerade ball was a nice bit of fun for Eliza, but she never had any thoughts that anything would come from it, and meeting the prince was a buzz. However, their second meeting at home, when he was rude and arrogant, fully removed any hint of rose tinted glasses, and she could truly be a friend to Sebastian as he struggled with his grief and his sense of duty. Sebastian, on his part, grew so much as a character throughout this book. Understandable, he was an arrogant so and so at first, but it was refreshing to be treated as a normal person by Eliza, and be seen for himself, and not for his title. His love for Eliza came on so gently, but it was heartbreaking to see Sebastian at war with himself over his sense of duty and his desire to be with Eliza.

The romance between the two main characters was phenomenal, and I was rooting for them from the moment Eliza kicked him out of her house. The chemistry was always there, but their mutual love and respect for each other, which came gradually and naturally, made it all so much more believable. I was actually feeling a bit teary as we got towards the end and I couldn't see how they could be together, and thought they would be heartbroken and separate, but I adored the ending, and seriously hope that we see more from the pair in book 2, A Royal Kiss and Tell.

Dates Read:

May 14, 2020

Rating
5 Stars