Jade Lee

Intriguing story about two people from very different backgrounds. Declan recently inherited the dukedom and feels he's done little but solve other people's problems. The latest issue is his mother's and aunt's claim that his cousin Cedric is about to disgrace the family by marrying an unsuitable woman.

Grace is the illegitimate daughter of an earl and a Chinese woman. She and her sister were recently found by the earl and brought to England. Grace knows she needs to make a good marriage to show more protect herself and her sister.

Grace was a fascinating woman. She disguised herself as a boy in her early life and became a ship's navigator. But when revealed to be a woman, she returned to the temple orphanage where she was raised, where her father found her. She knows Cedric only wants to marry her for her dowry, especially the ship, but she accepts its necessity. Unfortunately, being illegitimate and biracial makes acceptance into Society nearly impossible.

Declan initially agrees with the ladies that Grace is unsuitable as a wife for a man who will eventually be an earl. But his first meeting with Grace leaves him astounded and intrigued. In his attempts to convince Cedric to back off, he offers to introduce Grace to society so she can find a more suitable mate. He uses a pretend courtship to make her more appealing to other men.

But prejudice and pettiness complicate matters, and Declan becomes more and more protective of Grace. There were some terrific scenes during which he stood up for or protected her from harm. Declan is a man who never stops learning, and Grace's life fascinates him. I loved the respect he showed her knowledge and customs.

Grace is drawn to Declan even though she knows there is no way a duke can marry a woman like her. I liked her willingness to stand up for herself and her sister, and loved her self-defense scene. She is equally protective of Declan and is afraid of doing anything that could harm him, including believing they could have a future together.

The ending was fantastic. I loved Declan's "aha" moment and the awesome scene at Almack's. The epilogue was an excellent lead-in for Lucy's story - I can't wait to read it. show less

For a NY Times bestseller, this was not too bad as it attempted to do something different. Fantine is the illegitimate child of Lord Penworthy and lives amongst the poor, but she chooses to use her unique skills to help her father to protect Lord Wilberforce who has introduced a bill to ban slavery. She also supports her friends with food and money when she can.

One of the interesting things about the book is the way it shows the tension between Marcus Kane, Lord Chadwick and Fantine. He show more wants her to be his mistress as he cannot contemplate her being his wife and she does not want to end up like her mother, an actress who gave her away. When she is taken in by his sister to train as a lady to uncover the plot behind who is trying to kill Wilberforce the dynamic between Fantine and Marcus changes. Even the seedy gangsters who seek to punish Fantine for her deception pale in comparison to the Lords who think they are above the law.

There is some nice historical detail that adds to the atmosphere and authenticity of the book. Also, Fantine’s use of dialect to show how she straddles two worlds adds colour to the book. Like all good romances there is a satisfying happy ending. From Dickens to George Bernard Shaw this a refreshing and entertaining read. show less

This is my second book from [a:Jade Lee|177048|Jade Lee|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1383768369p2/177048.jpg], and I think she will be on my auto-buy list for historical romances in the future. Her characters are really engaging and I get lost in the story easily.

Our hero in this installment is Bramwell Hallowsby, the bastard son of a duke. Bram is the half-brother of Elinor, who you may remember as the horrible snob from [b:50 Ways to Ruin a Rake|23552247|50 Ways to Ruin a Rake (Rakes show more and Rogues, #1)|Jade Lee|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1429376801s/23552247.jpg|43151916]. Bram is a historical bad boy. The circumstances of his birth have forced him to live on the edges of the Ton, and he has taken to protecting others. Stories of his heroic deeds abound, yet he is still not accepted in the inner circles of society. I really didn't like Bram at first - he was so cynical and it seemed like he was really only looking out for his wants and needs. At one point he performs a such a masterful seduction of our heroine using Bible references and feet washing of all things, that I felt sorry for her. But by the end Bram had totally won me over and even made me shed a tear or two.

Similar to [b:50 Ways to Ruin a Rake|23552247|50 Ways to Ruin a Rake (Rakes and Rogues, #1)|Jade Lee|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1429376801s/23552247.jpg|43151916], our heroine in this installment is also a country girl. Maybelle Ballenger is granddaughter to an earl, but has been hidden away in the country because her mother was a simple housemaid. Growing up in the small town of Hull has been very hard on Maybelle because everyone speculates about her birth and assumes she is a bastard. She has tried her whole life to prove that she is just as good as everyone else in town. And now that her mother has passed and she is a female all alone, she also has to fend off lecherous advances from every man she passes. I admired Maybelle's determination to right the wrong done to her mother, and prove herself a lady. I was frustrated right along with her when Bram was being a dunderhead, but was so happy when they got their HEA. And that proposal - OMG super romantic and caused a few happy tears.

As far as secondary characters, Bram has a few annoying ones to deal with. Then we have Elinor in this story again, and she was not as bad this time as she was in the first book. If you remember from that book, she was always putting Mellie down and I just really didn't like her. But maybe Elinor's snobbishness is tempering a little because she didn't deliver as many cutting remarks this time. It will be really interesting to see if Elinor herself falls for someone who is not considered "good ton."

I received an advanced copy of this book from Sourcebooks Casablanca via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Although I received the free copy, I ran across the audiobook on Hoopla and decided to listen while I was cleaning the house today. This series has translated well to audio and the narrators have done a really good job keeping my attention from wandering. I am looking forward to the next book, The Richer the Rogue. show less

License to Shift by Kathy Lyons

A light hearted shifter romance.
I laughed out loud (in public!) several times in this amusing story of a bear shifter who is, at times, closer to bear than human. I loved the whole first scene where he is trying to open the door after being asleep for three days. And when he hands her the coffee and his bear is so proud of feeding his mate. Then the point where she agrees to have dinner with him but she asks him to put on pants first for her own sanity. show more Priceless.
The story takes on a bit of suspense that puts the hero and heroine together to solve a pack problem.
So much fun and quite a bit sexy too.
I can't wait to read the next in this series. show less