Romance Anthology

This review is for The Duke Deception by Laura Trentham.
I think I’ve asked author Laura Trentham a couple of times already to do this; maybe if we all ask her nicely. I just want her to write a novella, a short story, a scene, or at least a couple of paragraphs every few days so we can get our fix. And not have to wait for the next heart-stopping, breathtaking, swoony, steamy, sexy – and laugh, laugh, laugh out loud trip back to Regency Land.

The Duke Deception is all those things and more, including a direct link to The Courtship Calculation, the first book in Trentham’s Laws of Attraction series, with a healthy dose of coincidence to boot. Perfect recipe for delightful, and delightful it is.

James “Duke” Barnes is in England to find his sister. Maddie was banished to England for her bad behavior (career aspirations?) to find a husband. One very suitable candidate (suitable in the eyes of her family, anyway) was found, but she ended up marrying someone else, a gambler and a rogue. As the eldest Barnes son James has responsibilities. One is to make sure his sister is all right. Another is to step up and join the family business, take over some day. Not how he'd like his future to look, but you know, responsibilities. As he’s preparing to follow his sister’s trail to Paris, someone he meets at his lodgings suggests they attend a local masquerade that night. Just one night, lots of beautiful masked women, no entanglements, the perfect way to spend his final evening in England. Remember, this is the Regency Period. Men rule, and more importantly, rules rule. Strict rules. Rules that don’t give women much freedom. No wonder there was so much intrigue and subterfuge. No wonder the idea of being masked, anonymous, unidentifiable is so appealing to both sexes. Otherwise nobody but the men would have any fun. And James “Duke” Barnes is all set for fun.

And off we go! James has been called Duke his whole life so he decides to go with it. After all, he’ll be gone in the morning. So he adopts an English accent and approaches a woman who appears to be an outsider like him. Tatania is enchanting, enthusiastic, pliable, eager. This is definitely his lucky night.

No spoilers, so I’ll let you read it for yourself and let the story unfold and the surprises – one after the other – pop up and delight you. The Duke Deception is smoldering and sweet and says a bit about women’s roles – and just what a smart, sassy woman can accomplish. Entertaining, wonderfully enjoyable. Highly recommend. I was given an advance copy of The Duke Deception by the author and I am so pleased. I voluntarily leave this review; all opinions are my own.… (more)

This review is about Measha Stone's story, His Stowaway, and Felicity Brandon's story, Edward's Law.

Measha Stone-His Stowaway

This is the story of Elizabeth and Sebastian. He is a pirate captain who is looking for a specific treasure and she is a young woman who is trying to escape from her "family" and that treasure can help her. I thought that Elizabeth was incredibly courageous. It took a lot to do what she did. I mean, how many young women back in the day would've gone to people who weren't on the lawful side to get the help that they needed? Sebastian is a good man, pirate or not. I think that they are really good people who work really well together.

Felicity Brandon-Edward's Law

This is story of Alice and Edward. They meet when they are both trying to get the same ship. She felt like she deserved it and he just wanted it. This, of course, puts them at odds with each other. Alice is brave, but I think that she's incredibly impulsive. She doesn't necessarily stop and think about what the consequences of her actions are, she just jumps and hopes that lands somewhere safe. She's lucky in this case that Edward is a safe place to land. I think that Edward is a better man than Alice would like to give him credit for.… (more)

A Christmas anthology of six easy reading stories can be just the thing even when it’s not Christmas. The joy of reading combined, perhaps, with “the joy of giving” and the joy of a world where a “gentleman always opens the door for a lady.” But it’s not all civilized dialog and obvious romance. And if you’re feeling down and someone compliments you, well, “Darlin’, a woman like you should hear that every day because it’s true.”

“Ugh, I really need this job,” says a women who clearly needs (and will find) much more than a job. Short, sweet, fun… maybe I really needed to sit back and enjoy these tales.

Disclosure: I got them on a deal and I enjoyed them.… (more)