Miss Butterworth and the Mad Baron by Julia Quinn & Violet Charles

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The 2nd book I picked up for the Historical Romance Readathon was the graphic novel Miss Butterworth and the Mad Baron. This was written by Julia Quinn and illustrated by her sister Violet Charles. It covered the prompts standalone, single parent and clinch cover. I also was able to apply this to the prompts diverse hero for the second board of Love has Sprung and Mine (book you own) for the Taylor Swift Quarterly Challenge.

Miss Butterworth has led a hard life with lots of crazy happenstances. When she ends up as a companion to the "Mad" Baron's grandmother, their paths intertwine once more. This is a graphic novel that's the novel from within the novel. Miss Butterworth and the Mad Baron by Sarah Gorely is mentioned in several books by Julia Quinn.

Okay, so there's not too much to the summary because the graphic novel is really short and a lot of the events are mentioned where the "book" is mentioned in Julia's novels. This was just a fun romp and just as crazy and fun as expected. I loved that it still had an HEA in it's own right. Now, it was really well illustrated, but it's not the type of illustration I'm really drawn too (heh). I did get used to it after a few pages. I think my favorite parts of the novel were when we saw their inner-selves. It reminded me a lot of Skip Beat (my favorite manga) and I always love seeing the inner-struggle/thoughts of characters. It's a great literary technique, especially for graphic novels/comics.

I know I didn't really say too much about Miss Butterworth and the Mad Baron, but it was super short. If you enjoyed Julia Quinn's books, definitely check this out. It's a great addition to her backlist and just super fun. It's also a super quick read.

I do also want to extend my condolences to Julia Quinn and her family. Before this was published Julia lost her father, her sister Violet and Violet's husband when they were hit by a drunk driver. My heart goes out to her and her family. I've experienced grief before, but to have that many people in your family gone at once and from something that is so stoppable (DON'T DRINK AND DRIVE PEOPLE!), broke my heart when I first heard the news. There is a lovely note at the end of the book were Julia touches on what happened and I love that she's been somewhat open about what she experienced. 

Have you read Miss Butterworth and the Mad Baron?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: Miss Butterworth and the Mad Baron, Julia Quinn & Violet Charles, 4-star, 0 days, Paperback, 144 pages, published traditionally

Historical Romance Readathon Wrap Up

Happy Thursday!

Today we are wrapping up the latest round of the Historical Romance Readathon! It was once again hosted by the lovely Jessica, Lacey and Lisa. The readathon ran from Monday May 9th through the 15th. If you missed my tbr post, below is the bingo board they created.

So, coming into the readathon I was really excited and managed to finish my first book Tuesday night. Then I had a reading slump. I just was dealing with emotional and mental things and needed to spend my time being more actively engaged. I did manage to squeeze in one more book (that's actually a graphic novel) so I at least read two. I'm sad that I didn't read more, but only because I was so excited and as you could probably tell from my tbr had a lot of ideas of books I wanted to get too. Below is my finished bingo board the books I read.

🌺 How to Abduct a Highland Lord by Karen Hawkins - Covered second chance romance, in a series, marriage of convenience, rake, highlander and enemies to lovers

🌺 Miss Butterworth and the Mad Baron by Julia Quinn and Violet Charles - Covered single parent, standalone and clinch cover

Even though I only read two books, I was able to at least get a bingo. Usually I try not to set too high of standards for my readathons and only push my reading for what I want. I just really needed to do what felt right for my mental and emotional health. I usually pick up a few historical romances a month anyway, so I'm not too perturbed about needing to take a break. Hopefully when the next round happens I'll be good to go!

Did you participate in the Historical Romance Readathon?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

How to Abduct a Highland Lord by Karen Hawkins

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After the Mafia Romance Readathon, I immediately jumped into the Historical Romance Readathon! The first book I decided to pick up was How to Abduct a Highland Lord by Karen Hawkins. This is the first book in her MacLean Curse series. This covered the prompts second chance romance, in a series, marriage of convenience, rake, highlander and enemies to lovers. This also worked for the prompts one person on the cover and Miss Americana and the Heartbreak Prince ("heartbreaker" in the story) for Love Has Sprung board 2 and the Taylor Swift Quarterly Challenge respectively. I also finally found a book to cover the prompt Englandtimes Highlander Vegas for the Heaving Bosom's 2022 Reading Embrace.

After Fiona is struggling to keep her brothers from killing people in Clan Kincaid after their younger brother Callum is killed. There hasn't been that type of warring for a while and it's not time to start. To help keep everybody in line Fiona plans to marry her old flame Jack Kincaid. When she finds him on the side of the road she takes him to the pastor and convinces him to marry them. When Jack sobers up, he's surprised to see the one woman he wanted more than as a mistress suddenly his wife and bucks against the marriage.

This was a lot of fun and I loved how zany the plot was at times. Now, this wasn't quite a full 5-stars for me, but mostly because I felt like I was missing a little bit more of the emotional development. It did feel like a lot of that emotional development between Fiona and Jack happened when they were younger, but we didn't see any of that. I would've loved just a couple (not too many) flashbacks or even a prologue or the first couple chapters set in the past before a time jump. I just was left wanting more emotionally between them at the end.

I pretty much loved everything else. I really enjoyed the push and pull between Jack and Fiona; as well as the mutual pining. Fiona's brothers were hilarious and just as expected as angry older brothers. I also found the curse aspect really interesting. Before each chapter there were a couple lines or little blurbs of an older grandmother teaching three girls about the MacLean curse. I'm not sure if it's going to be resolved in this series, but I loved that they can effect the weather. What made it even better was that even though they could cause rain or hail, it couldn't be controlled. There were moments where local villages would be in threat of flooding and the brothers would have to really control their feelings to keep their tenants and locals safe from sudden thunderstorms. It was just a fun extra element added throughout!

I really loved this book and can't wait to read more in the series. I'm super intrigued to see who the brothers get paired with and have a new series to get into! I'm not sure when I'll be able to pick them up, but I can't wait. This was such a good book to start the readathon with and it gave me a bingo single-handedly!

Have you read How to Abduct a Highland Lord?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: How to Abduct a Highland Lord, Karen Hawkins, 4.5-stars, 2 days, Paperback, 313 pages, published in 2007, traditionally published

Historical Romance Readathon TBR

Update: Wrap Up is posted! 

It's time for another readathon announcement! This time it's for the next round of the Historical Romance Readathon. As always, it's hosted by Jessica, Lisa and Lacey. They've made some pretty instagram templates, so check them out there. It will run from May 9th through the 15th. They usually do a live show on the last day, but I haven't seen an announcement about date and time yet. Below is the bingo board they've put together for this round!

I once again have a lot of ideas, so we'll see what I end up reading. The first two are books that are at the top of my list, followed by books I picked to fit prompts still left open. Then I added what I would read if I went full mood reader. Too many option once again, but I also tried to pick a lot I have in paperback! I also want to note that I will use books for multiple prompts once again.

🌺 The group book chosen for this round is the first book in Julie Garwood's Crown's Spies series, The Lion's Lady. From what I can tell, it will cover in a series, rake, clinch cover, spies, Julie Garwood and flowers on the cover.

🌺 The May Rake Appreciation Society book is The Marquess Makes His Move by Diana Quincy. The meeting is the following Thursday and it would cover at least part of a series, clinch cover and flowers on the cover.

🌺 A Lisa Kleypas I have yet to pick up that is a popular book of hers is Again the Magic. This is the prequel to her fabulous Wallflowers series. It can cover rags to riches hero, 2nd chance and in a series.

🌺 Looking through my paperbacks for a highlander book I hadn't read yet, I found How to Abduct a Highland Lord by Karen Hawkins. It would cover that but also part of a series, marriage of convenience and enemies to lovers.

🌺 Looking for a Western to pick up, I still have to read Lorraine Heath's Rogues in Texas series. The first book is Rogue in Texas and would cover single parent, part of a series and flowers on the cover as well.

🌺 Most of the historical romances I own are apart of a series, so I had to do some digging to find a standalone. I finally stumbled across a recent acquire; Scandalous by Jenna Petersen. This would cover standalone plus rake, clinch cover, marriage of convenience and flowers on the cover.

🌺 The final prompt I had to cover when putting together my list was heiress. This one took a while, but I finally decided on The Heiress Effect by Courtney Milan. It would also work for part of a series and indie published.

🌺 Some final quickfire ideas of historicals I want to read regardless of prompts are The Wife Trap by Tracy Anne Warren, The Good Girl's Guide to Rakes by Eva Leigh and Hitched to the Gunslinger by Michelle McLean.

It'll be fun to jump right from the Mafia Romance Readathon into this one. If you are looking for more ideas, check out my hrreadathon tag to see what I read the previous rounds I've participated in. You could also look at the historical romance tag too! I'm so excited to participate once again and am happy it's in the beginning of the month so I won't have a bunch of book club and readalong books to get to yet!

Will you be participating in the Historical Romance Readathon?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

Any Rogue Will Do by Bethany Bennett

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The fourth and final book I read for the Historical Romance Readathon was Any Rogue Will Do by Bethany Bennett. This is the first book in her Misfits of Mayfair series and covered the prompts green/red on cover, in a series, new to you author, clinch cover, rogue in the title, rec'd to you, lady heroine and book you own. I was also able to apply this to the Winter's Kiss prompt green on cover, Merry + Bright prompt Baby It's Cold Outside (dual perspective) and Banging Through the Snow Prompt red or green cover.

Charlotte, aka Lottie, is returning to London from her country home. Her father has started to come out of mourning and has decided it's time for her to marry. He arranges for her to marry friend's second son, but she is not in agreement. She has until November to find another acceptable husband. When there's an accident on the way, she runs into Viscount Amesbury, Ethan. He was a suitor during her first season, but ends up ruining her with a nickname. As they continue to run into each other, they propose a fake engagement to at least get Lottie's father to stop pushing the horrible man he wants her to marry.

Oh my gosh, this book was so wonderful. I mentioned this during my wrap up, but I own this because I heard good things about the second book, West End Earl, and picked it up at Walmart. When I got home and realized it was book 2 in the series, I immediately added the first book so I would have them both. I pulled this as a secondary option for my readathon tbr. Someone commented on my post and mentioned that they really loved this and that the hero was Scottish. I immediately raised it up in my tbr and when I saw it would be a book that would give me a bingo, I knew it would be my last book for the readathon. Even though this isn't a Christmas book, it at least gives the vibes with a green and red cover!

But about the book. First off, this is Bethany Bennett's debut novel and that just blows me away even more. I absolutely adored Ethan. He was so sweet and pining for Lottie. I loved how he kept putting her first, at first due to his guilt but at the same time knowing and trying to ignore the attraction he's had for her from before. Lottie was such a great heroine. I feel like a lot of the more recent historical romances push the feminism threads more than needed and it almost becomes the focal point to the story and not the romance. While there is that here, at the same time I enjoyed how Lottie immediately regrets pushing Ethan away and tries to make it up to him. They both agree to come to a compromise to be in a healthy relationship but also give her what she wants in life. It didn't bother me as much here outside of that I wish that her father wasn't as against Ethan. That would be my only downside of the books was that her father was an antagonist on top of the villain of the guy he's trying to marrying her off to. Then that leads to her breaking up with Ethan and I just didn't like that as the extra conflict. It just felt like a little too much for the final conflict, but I did like how it also forced Lottie to really open up to Ethan and figure out what she really wanted.

I really enjoyed this book and immediately pulled West End Earl. I want to pick it up soon and am so intrigued by who Cal is going to be paired with. I have an idea, but I don't want to read the blurb before going in. I am so happy to find another new author and am excited to see how her writing is going to grow and evolve. Such a great debut!

Have you read Any Rogue Will Do?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: Any Rogue Will Do, Bethany Bennett, 5-stars, 1 day, Paperback, 352 pages, published in 2020

My American Duchess by Eloisa James

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The third book I read for the Historical Romance Readathon was Eloisa James's standalone My American Duchess. This is also the December pick for the Rake Appreciation Society hosted by Crystal and Jen! I was able to apply this to the prompts green/red on cover, new to you author, rec'd to you and book I owned. I also was able to use this for the friend gave 5-stars prompt for Winter's Kiss, and Last Christmas (bought last year and never read) prompt for the Merry + Bright Readathon.

Merry is in London after two failed engagements in Boston. As an American Heiress, she's having trouble fitting in and ends up agreeing to marry a duke's second son, Cedric. At the same ball, she goes to get some air on the balcony and ends up running into the Duke of Trent without knowing he is the duke and also her future brother-in-law. When their cute banter is over, Trent decides to approach Merry as the woman he want to court as his wife. When he goes to get an official introduction, he is surprised to see that the woman he wants as his wife is his future sister-in-law. As Cedric continues to belittle Merry, both her and Trent fight the feelings forming between each other. Merry just can't break a third engagement and bring the scandal upon her Aunt and Uncle.

I have been wanting to read Eloisa James for a while now, but just didn't quite know where to start. I own quite a few of her books (for the gorgeous stepbacks) and have heard good things about her books. When the Rake Appreciation Society announced this was December's book I was pleased. It's a standalone so a good way to try her writing. Now, this is my favorite trope wrong sibling. It just usually hits all my buttons. However, even though I gave this book 5-stars, I don't know if it hit everything I want from that type of trope. If I were to be really specific, I would rate this more 4.5-stars.

I loved the connection between Merry and Trent and how their relationship just kept evolving, even when they were trying so hard to stay friendly as future siblings. It doesn't always happen this way, but Eloisa was very smart in how their relationship was progressing but didn't really get physical until it seemed that Cedric and Merry were no longer together. I did want that to come sooner in the book. I also didn't like how mean Cedric was. I've read other historicals with this prompt and much more prefer the version where the other partner is just agreeing to the marriage for business reasons and has no romantic or even platonic feelings for the heroine. I understand that part of the reason he was shown like this is to get the reader to be okay with Merry breaking off their engagement, but he was just a little too much for me. I'm going to try to be as spoiler free as possible, but I also didn't really like the wedding scene. I was very much in my feels and feeling so bad for Merry and that she didn't have anyone to turn to and as a reader I didn't like being thrown for a loop as much as Merry. What made that an issue for me was I was left wanting more from Trent in apology/explanation. Merry was more accepting of what happened, which is fine. Since it was written in a way that really put you in Merry's perspective and blindness to what was happening I felt like the grovel/explanation also needed to be partly towards the reader. I don't know, maybe it's just me. Either that or make her veil easier to see through so she had even a moment more to deal with what was happening.

Despite my rantings over those two things, I really did enjoy the book overall. I will definitely be picking up more of Eloisa James's books. I'm not sure where I'll start next, but there's quite a few options. I'm thinking one of her older series that's already complete. If you haven't tried her before, I don't know if this is the place to start since it's definitely more angsty and I'm not sure how her other books are, but it is a standalone so there's that. I had a lot of fun (as always) chatting with everyone about the book. If you weren't able to make the live the video has been posted!

Have you read My American Duchess?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: My American Duchess, Eloisa James, 5-stars, 2 days, Paperback, 402 pages, published in 2016

Daring Miss Danvers by Vivienne Lorret

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The 2nd book I read for the Historical Romance Readathon is Daring Miss Danvers. This is the first book (outside of the prequel novella) for Vivienne Lorret's Wallflower Wedding series. This counted for the prompts in a series, wallflower, book you own and clinch cover. I also read applied Daring Miss Danvers to the Winter's Kiss board 1  prompt fake dating, Merry + Bright Readathon prompt Elf on the Shelf and Banging Through the Snow prompt hot chocolate (warm, steamy and cozy).

Emma is the straight-laced daughter of two peerage turned artists. After her parents were snubbed after her father starting painting those not in the ton, they've been pushed out. Emma has fought against the prejudice and tries to be the perfect debutante to not bring further shame upon her family. Oliver, Viscount Rathburn, has been friends with both Emma and her brother for the longest time. His grandmother has froze the inheritance he was supposed to receive upon gaining his majority, but has put several conditions on it's receival. The most recent is to marry someone that she approves. Emma is the only one so Oliver proposes a fake-engagement scenario to her parents. They whole-heartedly agree and Emma agrees to help. When they seal the agreement with a kiss they become aware of each other in a new way and are forced to face the feelings that they've been denying.

I really loved this story. Such a great mix of friends-to-lovers, fake-dating and mutual pining. I loved seeing both perspectives and how much they noticed about each other. I also loved that they both constantly were still finding out new aspects of each other and became insatiable. Especially Oliver; he just wanted to see the core of Emma and get her to open up to him completely. If I were to be really strict with myself, maybe this is closer to a 4.5-star rating, but the way that I feel when I read Vivienne Lorret's writing just gives me more excuses to round it up to 5.

I did think that the final conflict was a little stereotypical, but at the same time the way it was resolved was not. Spoilers incoming: Emma hears a rumor that the actress that was Oliver's former mistress ran away with a man with a lot of money. Since at this point Emma is still under the impression that Oliver only received his inheritance after marriage, she worries that it was Oliver. Even more so since he was cold in the morning because he wants her so bad to say she loves him. (Nevermind he hasn't quite said it yet either.) I loved that it wasn't drawn out. Emma came home, he was there and was open about where he was all day. Emma trusts and believes him and it's not made into a bigger deal than it should've been. I just loved that it didn't follow the typical plot line.

Back from spoilers! I did glance at the other two books in the series and it looks like we are focusing on Emma's other two friends in their needlework club Merribeth and Delaney. I wasn't sure if her brother would have a book or not, but I did see a Mr. Danvers on my shelf as well. When I pulled it to find the names he is book two in The Rakes of Fallow Hall series. That's a series I haven't read yet either and am happy that I am reading these in order. I think I might reread the ones I already have and just go through her backlist in order. It might take a bit, but maybe I can get through everything by May 24th. It was recently announced that that'll be the release date of book 4 in her Mating Habits of Scoundrels series and I've already preordered it! I can't wait!

Have you read Daring Miss Danvers?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: Daring Miss Danvers, Vivienne Lorret, 5-stars, 3 days, Paperback, 288 pages, published in 2014

Tempting Mr. Weatherstone by Vivienne Lorret

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The first book I read for the Historical Romance Readathon was Tempting Mr. Weatherstone by Vivienne Lorret. This is the first book in her Wallflower Weddings series and was originally released in the Five Golden Rings anthology, and how I read it. It covers the prompts takes place during winter, non-titled hero, in a series, clinch cover and book I already owned. I was also able to use this for the first board of Winter's Kiss covering the holiday novella prompt. For Banging Through the Snow it applied to characters exchange gifts.

Penelope is feeling worn and after her sister heads home for the holidays is left feeling lonely. She has been feeling melancholy lately and is finally coming to terms that she's in love with her best friend Ethan. They have been friends and neighbors since childhood after their families connected by sharing in grief. Ethan is a second son and very meticulous. He tries to keep everything in it's place and likes knowing what things will happen when. After Pen decides to change her life and mentions going on an adventure (to gain some distance from Ethan and hopefully get over him), his regimented life is thrown into chaos.

Oh my gosh. This was the prefect way to start the Historical Romance Readathon and I've missed Vivienne's writing. There's something about it that just hits what I want and need from a historical author. I loved the mutual pining on both sides, although there's more angst from Pen since Ethan fights his feelings. I think the childhood friends-to-lovers trope was really well done and worked perfectly for a shorter book. I was immediately drawn in and was able to connect with the characters fairly quickly. Also, I could really relate to Pen when she's talking about the handkerchiefs she embroiders for Ethan every year. Since I usually try to just make present for Christmas and not buy much (outside of assisting Santa with stockings), I really understood and empathized with her. Even though she's not expecting a gift in return, sometimes it's hurtful when appreciation isn't expressed; especially when it's a gift for someone that's seen or knows the amount of time and care that went into it.

This little novella had me smiling and tearing up and was just the perfect read to get me into a historical mood. I'm so happy to finally be reading more Vivienne Lorret and am hoping that I can get through the rest of her backlist next year. I'll definitely be picking up book 1, Daring Miss Danvers, next for the readathon and can't wait to read more. If you are looking for a modern historical romance author and are frustrated with a lot of the newer releases, definitely give Vivienne Lorret a try. She's one of my favorites!

Have you read Tempting Mr. Weatherstone?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

    STATISTICS: Tempting Mr. Weatherstone, Vivienne Lorret, 5-stars, 0 days, paperback, 96 pages, published in 2012

Historical Romance Readathon Wrap Up

Happy Tuesday! Last week was another round of the Historical Romance Readathon! I love historical romance, it's one of my go to subgenres. I feel especially drawn to it during winter since it usually sweeps me away and just feels so cozy. I ended up not reading as much as I thought I might, but there was a lot going on with work and Christmas and such. I did manage to get a couple bingos! After I read my third book I tried to find something that would give me a bingo and went from there.

I didn't end up reading the group book, Lady Sophie's Christmas Wish by Grace Burrowes. I thought about picking it up over the weekend and wasn't too grabbed by the blurb. Then I saw a few of my friends on goodreads either gave it 2-stars or dnf'd. I might pick it up in the future, but I'd prefer to start at the beginning of the Windham series. If you missed my tbr, here is the blank bingo board.

Below is my finished bingo board! I'll list books in order read and any prompts they covered. Reviews will be linked once they are posted! All reviews are linked!

❄️ Tempting Mr. Weatherstone by Vivienne Lorret - cover takes place during winter, non-titled hero, in a series, clinch cover and book you already own (via the Five Golden Rings anthology)

❄️ Daring Miss Danvers by Vivienne Lorret - covered in a series, clinch cover, wallflower and book you already own

❄️ My American Duchess by Eloisa James - covered green/red on cover, new to you author, rec'd to you and book you already own

❄️ Any Rogue Will Do by Bethany Bennett - covered green/red on cover, in a series, new to you author, clinch cover, rogue in the title, rec'd to you, lady heroine and book you already own

Because I didn't read the group book, I did meet my goal of only reading books I already owned in paperback. I had such a great readathon, all of these books were 5-stars. I knew I would love the Vivienne Lorrets since she's one of my favorite authors and I had a good feeling I'd enjoy the Eloisa James after hearing a lot about her books. What threw me for a loop was Bethany Bennett. I had purchased her books when I found the West End Earl at Walmart. Of course I had to then go back and buy the first book in paperback so I at least had them both. It's hard to choose, but I think I'd go with Any Rogue Will Do as my favorite. I wasn't quite sure what I was getting into and I couldn't put it down. I was even more surprised since this is a newer historical and those haven't quite been hitting the spot for me. I partly picked it up since I had it as a secondary option if I got through what was priority, but someone commented on my post talking up this book and I had to move it up my tbr. I am definitely picking up book 2 soon, maybe even before the end of the year.

I had a lot of fun once again getting back to historical and can really see myself mostly sticking to historical through the end of the year. I have a couple other books I really want to read this month for book clubs and a new release, but I can see myself gravitating. I was thinking of trying to get more holiday romances read... I don't know if that'll happen at this point. We'll see.

Did you participate in the Historical Romance Readathon?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

Historical Romance Readathon TBR

Update: Wrap up is posted! 

Another readathon announcement! We are back with the next round of the Historical Romance Readathon! When I saw the announcement videos go up from Jessica, Lacey and Lisa, I was a little worried it was another late November readathon. Since I was already planning on doing the Black FaRoFriday, I was a little worried. Thankfully they posted the announcement early and this round runs from December 6th through the 12th. It's a week long and hosted by the same lovely ladies as before. They did another bingo board and I have it below! Also, they also just launched a merch store and I definitely want to get a couple of the designs when I have some extra income.

They are also doing instagram prompts again, so I'll try to do at least a couple of them. I'll have the schedule at the end of this post. All of the ladies have said they'll post some newer recommendation videos, but they have a lot of older ones to check out as well. They are also going to continue to use the #hrreadathon on all social medias. I'll also be working on the start of my Winter's Kiss challenge, so any historical romances I was thinking of using there I'll try to squeeze in during this readathon. I have a lot of other ideas, again, and I'll list some of them below.

❄️ First off, there is a group book again. This time it's Grace Burrowes's Lady Sophie's Christmas Wish. This is the fourth book in her Windham series, but also the first in The Duke's Daughters. The Windham series is three interconnected series and is recommended to be read in order, but I'm not sure if I'm going to read the first three books. I might try to squeeze them in before the readathon starts, but we'll see. I think since it's the start of it's own series, it won't rely on the previous books heavily, but I know you tend to get a lot more out of interconnected series reading them in order.

❄️ There are quite a few historical anthologies that are holiday focused that come out every year. I have quite a few in paperback and in eBook. I'm not sure which one I'll pick up specifically, but the ones I'm most intrigued by at this time are: Five Golden Rings,  All I Want for Christmas is a Duke and Mistletoe Christmas. Also there was duet of anthologies recently released called Star of Wonder and Star of Light.

❄️ As for Christmas related books, I do also still have to read Lisa Kleypas's Wallflower novella, A Wallflower Christmas.

❄️ I've been thinking about backlists I want to get caught up on and one big author that I own all paperbacks (that are available) is Vivienne Lorret. She's one of my favorite modern historical romance authors and I need to read a couple more of her series to catch up. She's has novellas in a couple of the Anthologies above, one containing the prequel to her Wallflower Weddings series. I'm thinking I might read the Five Golden Rings anthology and then the first book in that series.

❄️ For a new to me author, I was looking at the more recent releases from debut or new series that I've bought recently. I'm not sure who I'll pick up, but I really want to try Emily Sullivan's debut novel A Rogue to Remember, Bethany Bennett's Misfits of Mayfair series and Christina Britton's Isle of Synne.

❄️ Another harder to meet prompt is outside of Europe. I could go back to the usual readathon author Joanna Shupe since I have some of her gilded age books to still read, but I also might try to finally try Jeannie Lin's Chinese historical romances. We'll see what I end up picking up.

❄️ A last idea is to read at least one Donna Fletcher. I've read quite a few of her books and would love to get another one off my to-do list. She's one of my favorite highlander romance writers.

Once again I have almost too many ideas. I might end up trying to get another audiobook in, but we'll see what happens. I've kind of been in a contemporary mood the past little bit, but historical is starting to fit my mood better. I don't know why, but the coziness really gets me more with historicals. I'm excited to try to pair them with the Winter's Kiss prompts and know there'll be easy crossover between them. I can't wait for December! If you need any other recs, feel free to check out what historicals I've read this past year!

Will you be participating in the next round of the Historical Romance Readathon?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

The Rogue of Fifth Avenue by Joanna Shupe

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The 6th and final book I read for the Historical Romance Readathon was The Rogue of Fifth Avenue by Joanna Shupe. This is the first in her Uptown Girls series. I've been wanting to read Joanna Shupe for a while, but during the previous round of the readathon I was finally able to try her out. I knew then I wanted to read more of her work and this was the perfect time to start one of her most popular series! This covered the class difference, self-made man, not in Europe, clinch cover and series prompts for the readathon. I was also able to apply this to the gilded age prompt for the Ripped Bodice Summer Bingo and 5-star prediction for the Summer of Swoon Board 2!

Going into this, I totally didn't realize that Frank Tripp, our intrepid lawyer from the Four-hundred Series, got his own book! I had hoped he would get one and was so pleasantly surprised that he did and he was book 1 in this series! He is doing his normal lawyer things, but the eldest daughter of Mr. Greene, Mamie, has been running around and causing trouble at casinos. Frank has rescued her a few times. This time he also notices her picking a pocket. Things get a little crazy and they both finally start to admit and realize the attraction they have for each other. Things intensify when Mamie asks him to take the case of one of her charity families.

I absolutely loved this book! As per usual for Joanna Shupe, but I feel more so with this series (there's a whole thing about Florence and book 2), she has very strong and independent women. This is really set in a time where women's rights and freedoms are really starting to be fought for publicly and you can feel the pushback Mamie has about getting married and becoming a kept woman. While I loved how strong she was in her convictions, I did feel it was a little over the top sometimes. It didn't bother me too much though since it's hard to really put myself in a place where I wouldn't have any rights. I also wish that Mamie and her father would've patched things up between them earlier. Communication is key in any relationship and I was so torn on liking and hating her father. Frank understood just what to do to show Mamie his feelings. Another thing that bothered me a little was how upset she was about Frank's big secret. I understand the pain, but I also feel like she could've been a touch more understanding, especially being raised in that society. 

That's a lot of nitpicks, but I really did enjoy this book. Despite the little things it was really touching. Some of the things that Frank said to Mamie were so swoony and sweet. They were also pretty steamy together and Joanna Shupe doesn't disappoint. I am intrigued by the hints we get about book 2 and Florence's romance and certainly will continue the series. I am loving my reads from Joanna Shupe so far and can't wait to get into more of her backlist as well as her new releases. Can we all just take a minute to absorb the gorgeousness of her book that is set to come out in October? I can't wait to have it on my shelves!

Have you read The Rogue of Fifth Avenue?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: The Rogue of Fifth Avenue, Joanna Shupe, 5-stars, 2 days, paperback, 382 pages, published in 2018

The Earl I Ruined by Scarlett Peckham

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The 2nd audio book and 5th book overall I read for the Historical Romance Readathon was The Earl I Ruined by Scarlett Peckham. This is the 2nd book in her Secrets of Charlotte Street series. This is also the July book for the Rake Appreciation Society book club hosted by Jen and Crystal! That was the main reason I wanted to squeeze this into my readathon tbr. The prompts this covered for the readathon are one person on the cover, series and indie published. I was also able to apply this to the fake dating prompt for the Ripped Bodice Summer Bingo and hate the cover prompt for the Summer of Swoon. I feel like I should say, what I have about this cover is the feather boa/neck piece thing. Why? Just why with the feathers? It breaks the time-period dress and stylings to me.

Anyways, this book we focus on Constance (Archer's younger sister from book 1). She wrote a poem to her friend about a rumor she heard about the Earl of Apthorp, Julian. They have known each other for years and their respective cousins are married. However, they have both rubbed each other wrong and have a slightly antagonistic relationship that hides them both pining for each other and a lot of misunderstandings. To protect a friend, she warns her that she heard rumors of Julian's inclinations as a member of a certain whipping club. Of course her proclivities cause her to write it in poem form. Somehow this poem gets published in a local newspaper. To help save Julian's reputation, she proposes (pun intended) to have a fake engagement until the bill that was about to be passed in the house of the lords is recovered.

I loved this so much more than the first book. The mutual pining really got me and I loved the natural way that they realized how things that happened in the past came across to each other. There were many moments for them both where they learn the other's perspective. It tore my heart when we were in either's point of view and they were talking about being in love with the other for so long. For example, when Archer learns of their engagement he doesn't believe it. Constance explains how she's been attracted to him since their first meeting and when she started to fall for him. She is telling the truth, however her heart hurts because she knows that Julian thinks it's just a lie and he can't just learn the truth. While this kind of angst usually doesn't do it for me, the fact that it was mutual made it a lot easier to handle. My heart went out to them both. I did feel a connection with Constance and how much she had to hide her vulnerability and hurts. She put on a persona when dealing with everyone and when Julian starts to realize that's not her true self and starts seeing the real Constance it was so beautiful.

If I were to be stickler once again, my rating would be more of a 4.5-stars rounded up to 5. I really enjoyed this so much and even though it was more angsty than I prefer, it was so well done. There was a little more push and pull between them than I usually prefer, especially at the end, but it was really well done and made sense. I also loved how Constance had said to Julian that love is about actions and how he was able to look back and see that even though he was saying the right words his actions didn't match. 

I'll probably read the last book in the trilogy (and the novella) at some point. It's not super high on my list right now though. I'm just not sure I really want to read an hea for Henry Evesham right now. I was kind of hoping the third hero would've been someone else. I'm sure I'll read it at some point though. Now that I think about it though, there's snow on the cover which would cover a prompt for the Ripped Bodice Summer Bingo. Maybe I'll get to it this summer? I had a lot of fun last night during the live show and enjoyed the conversations about not only this book, but the first in the series and historical romances in general! It's always a fun time with Jen and Crystal!

Have you read The Earl I Ruined?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: The Earl I Ruined, Scarlett Peckham, 5-stars, 4 days, audiobook, 314 pages, published in 2018

Olivia and the Masked Duke by Grace Callaway

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The fourth book I finished for the Historical Romance Readathon was Olivia and the Masked Duke by Grace Callaway. This is the first book in her Lady Charlotte's Society of Angels series. This was also chosen as the group book for the readathon! It covered the prompts wallflower, purple cover, Grace Callaway novel, indie published, clinch cover, duke in the title, part of a series, Scottish and spy! I was also able to apply this to the Summer of Swoon prompt BIPOC author on board 2.

Our main heroin is Olivia. She is in group of three friends that are known as the willflowers. She has had a crush on one of her dad's friends. When she was young he saved her from drowning and since then they have had a special connection. When she was in her late teens, but before coming out in society, she finds him in a tryst with a widow and from that moment on wants him as more than a friend. Our Duke of Hadleigh, Ben has always been there to look after and take care of Olivia. He's been through a lot in his time, including a marriage gone wrong and dealing with addiction. Of course with the age gap he tries to push against the relationship and feels too old for her.

This was really fun! It took me entirely too long to get the Charlie's Angels references though. Once it finally hit me though it was kind of obvious. Where this fell for me a little bit was in the age gap part of the romance and how much Ben pushed against the relationship and then put his wife's machinations on Olivia. I understood the trauma and grief that he was still dealing with from that time. It just felt like it happened more than I wanted it to. I mean Olivia saves his life and he pushes her away right after talking about how different she is. I wanted him to come to terms earlier and for the major conflict at the end to be more external than a mix.

I loved Olivia's friends and will definitely continue the series. I'm also hoping Charlotte gets a novella or an hea as well. Maybe woven into the other books in the background or something? This was a lot steamier than I was expecting and it was sweet to see how perfect their needs matched each other. Ben prefers a more dominant style in bed and Olivia is more than happy to submit to him in the bedroom. I also wished that they would've reconciled the work they were both doing earlier, but I understood why it was laid out the way it was. I just wanted them to work together to solved the case earlier than they did.

I'm happy to finally get to read a Grace Callaway book. She's been on my tbr forever and I'm so happy to not only finally try her out, but add another indie author to my list. She is an indie author and I'm always happy to find more historical indie authors. They're a lot harder to find than the other subgenres, but there are a lot more lately. The next book is set to release in September of this year and I can't wait! 

Have you read Olivia and the Masked Duke?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: Olivia and the Masked Duke, Grace Callaway, 4-stars, 1 day, paperback, 368 pages, published in 2021

Historical Romance Readathon Wrap Up

 Another readathon is over. I had a lot of fun last week bingeing historical romances for the Historical Romance Readathon. It was hosted by the lovely Jess, Lacey and Lisa once again. I also participated in most of the instagram prompts this time as well which was a lot of fun. There was a live wrap up on Sunday the 4th, but I did miss it. I had 4th of July plans. I did extend the readathon until Monday night though since not only did I have my Sunday afternoon planned, but we ended up going to the Greeley Stampede on Saturday afternoon. I only had a half-day of work on Monday, so I gave myself that afternoon to finish any books I had started.

Below is my final bingo board and I'll list out my books in order of completion. Since I finally started and got through an audiobook, those I was able to start but took a little longer to get through since at home I just stuck to reading in paperback. That's another fun thing I was able to accomplish this readathon, all of my reads were either books I already owned in paperback or audiobooks I rented through my library via hoopla!

1. A Lady of Rooksgrave Manor by Kathryn Moon 🍎🍎🍎🍎

2. The Duke I Tempted by Scarlett Peckham 🍎🍎🍎🍎

3. The Wrong Marquess by Vivienne Lorret 🍎🍎🍎🍎🍎

4. Olivia and the Masked Duke by Grace Callaway 🍎🍎🍎🍎

5. The Earl I Ruined by Scarlett Peckham 🍎🍎🍎🍎🍎

6. The Rogue of Fifth Avenue by Joanna Shupe 🍎🍎🍎🍎🍎

Overall my favorite is hands down The Wrong Marquess. Like I've mentioned before, it was one of my most anticipated releases this year and it surpassed all of my expectations. Vivienne Lorret is quickly becoming one of my favorite modern day historical authors and I can't wait for more! I need to finish up her backlist as well. I also want to reread the first series I read from her since it's been a few years. The most disappointing would have to be The Duke I Tempted. I enjoyed it, but I feel like the hype let me down a little bit. The dynamics between Poppy and Archer I didn't enjoy sometimes, especially with his constant push and pull with her.

I'm super happy to get more historicals read and also get to some new authors. I'm excited for the next round if they have another one later this year! Jess, Lacey and Lisa always do such a great job and have such gorgeous graphics. I'll definitely have to catch up on the live show when I have a chance. Historical is one of my favorite romance subgenres and I'll take any excuse to binge it! While I didn't quite meet my goal of 7 books, I feel like all the books I read were on the longer side. Also with all the other plans I had going on I definitely felt short on time. I'm still pleased with what I was able to get through.

Did you participate in the Historical Romance Readathon this round?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

The Wrong Marquess by Vivienne Lorret

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The final book I read for June was a new release on the 29th, The Wrong Marquess by Vivienne Lorret. This is the 3rd book in her Mating Habits of Scoundrels series and one of my most anticipated releases of 2021. This is my 3rd read of the Historical Romance Readathon. The Wrong Marquess covers the prompts spinster, wallflower, clinch cover and in a series. I am also able to apply it to the prompts summer release for the Romancing Summer Challenge, anticipated 2021 release for Summer of Swoon and fiends to lovers for the Ripped Bodice Summer Bingo.

This book is centered around Ellie. Of the friend group she's been tasked to write the portion of their book on marriage-minded gentlemen. She's thought to be perfect for this because she has had an understanding with her childhood neighbor and friend George, a Marquess. Since it has always been there, she's never really pursued anyone. As Ellie is 25 now, she is out for one last season and hoping that George finally gets his act together and proposes. At a garden party, she runs into Brandon, the Marquess of Hullsworth. He has been monikered the "most elusive bachelor" of the ton and is constantly fending off marriage-minded mamas and debutantes. They literally run into each other and Brandon assumes Ellie is like everyone else and gives her the cut. She however isn't and gets the worst first impression of Brandon. She soon meets his sister Meg and they become fast friends.

As mentioned above, this is one of my most anticipated books of the year and Vivienne Lorret did not disappoint. This surpassed all of my expectations. I was laughing at the antics of Ellie's Aunts and everyone's banter. I was tearing up when George was treating Ellie so horribly. He just expected that she'd always be there when he was ready and really didn't treat her how she deserved. Brandon and Ellie had such a visceral connection and I loved every moment they were together, even when he was still pushing against her when he thought her friendship was all a ploy to be near him. While I can see how others might not enjoy it as much, Vivienne just writes in a way that speaks to me. Stepping back I can see how others might not enjoy how obsessed she was about being 25 years old and on the precipice of "old age." I just found it humorous because it was a little over the top.

I also loved how once they had their encounter at the zoo, Brandon was straight out just saying that he was going to pursue Ellie. Granted at that point he still thought George was imaginary. He didn't push too much and when Ellie needed him to back off he did. This just hit all of the notes I like in the more modern historicals and can't wait for the next two books. I knew from her newsletter that book 4 is supposed to be Prue's book and that there would be a 5th book about a character we met her. The instant Ellie met Meg I was really hoping that she was the new heroine. I also was really drawn to Lord Savage and was guessing maybe he'd be paired with Meg. The end of the epilogue teases that Prue and Lord Savage will be the couple for book 4. I can't wait for the next installment and it looks like it'll be out sometime next year.

This book has further cemented Vivienne Lorret as a favorite author and I really need to get to the few remaining books I have in her backlist to read. I loved this book so much and almost want to reread it again after the readathon. I might wait until later in the year though. This is definitely one of my favorite reads of the year and I went through a little bit of a book hangover after getting through it. I almost feel like I should've saved it as my last read for the readathon. If you haven't tried Vivienne Lorret, certainly give her a try. If anything maybe start with this book. The only thing I thing that's not really covered as much is the set-up of the book they're writing. You get the basics about Ellie's portion though. Also, I received a pre-order bonus of a short story from Avon about Aunt Lolly and Pirate, Sir Roderick Divine. They were both in the first book of the series, Lord Holt Takes a Bride. I can't wait to get to it as well!

Have you read The Wrong Marquess?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: The Wrong Marquess, Vivienne Lorret, 5-stars, 0 days, Paperback, 384 pages, published in 2021

The Duke I Tempted by Scarlett Peckham

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The second book I started for the Historical Romance Readathon was The Duke I Tempted by Scarlett Peckham. This is the first book in her indie published series The Secrets of Charlotte Street. This is also her debut novel! I chose this book because book two in the series is the Rake Appreciation (hosted by Jen and Crystal) pick for July. When the readathon was announced, I though what a perfect way to read ahead for the club! The Duke I Tempted covers the prompts class difference, spinster, indie, duke in the title, one person on the cover, series and marriage of convenience for the readathon. I was also able to apply it to the prompts scientific pursuit for the Ripped Bodice Summer Bingo and backlist for the Summer of Swoon board two.

So this was also my first success in an audiobook. After Jessen had a live video I've been wanting to try and get into them again. It would be so helpful in getting to all the book I want to read but don't have time for. Also knowing that I'll have a lot of crafting to start in the next couple months, I thought it'd be good to see if it was something I could use instead of tv. This was a success, but there were a lot of times that I found myself suddenly surprised with what was happening and having to rewind a little bit. Maybe it's a new multi-tasking skill I need to learn. Also, I did only listen to it at normal speed (in case you were wondering). 

Poppy is a botanist and hired to decorate the ballroom for the Duke of Westmead, Archer. Things kind of get a little wild and she ends up in the newspaper and scandal ensues. Archer decides that he will save her reputation, especially since all her nursery business tapered off after the scandal, and marry her. This is Archer's second marriage, having lost his wife and young son 13 years prior. He is one of those heroes that "doesn't feel love anymore" but desires Poppy.

This is were this book fell for me a little. I didn't like how much he pushed and pulled Poppy. While she pushed back against him and didn't just allow him to treat her like that without any repercussions, I wish it didn't last as long as it did. It just bothered me because when he wasn't pushing her away he was so sweet and loving. Such a drastic change in his moods. There is also a sense of BDSM here in that Archer likes to be dominated and whipped. While I'm glad the BDSM wasn't too overdone here, I didn't like how he kept it a secret from her so long. Also, a big thing that I didn't like is his big romantic act during his grovel is to give her divorce papers. I understand the reasoning behind it and how it's giving the heroine some agency, but I really wish it wasn't a thing. Divorce papers are not romantic and I really disliked that Poppy said it was the most romantic thing she's ever had happen to her. No! Just no. How about the hero actually grovels. She also accepted him back far too quickly for how much hurt she felt. If I was to be stricter, the rating would be 3.5 rounded up to 4-stars. What saved it was that the writing was nice and I thought the narrator Holly Chandler did a good job.

I'll definitely continue the series, but mainly because not only does the blurb for the second book interest me more, but it's for the Rake Appreciation Society. They haven't let me down yet! Her big traditionally published book is The Rakess and it's had polarizing reviews. I'm not sure if I'll pick it up. I have marked it as "want to read" on goodreads, but from the reviews I've heard I feel like it would end up on the lower rating for me. Eventually I do want to try it at some point. There's just too many books above it on my ever-expanding tbr.

Have you read The Duke I Tempted?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: The Duke I Tempted, Scarlett Peckham, 4-stars, Audiobook, 318 pages, published in 2018

A Lady of Rooksgrave Manor by Kathryn Moon

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The June patreon exclusive review theme for the Smart Women Read Romance was monster romance. A Lady of Rooksgrave Manor by Kathryn Moon was the winning book. This is book one in her Tempting Monsters series and a newer release. This is a reverse harem. Another fun thing to note, this is both a historical romance and a paranormal romance. I was able to apply this to the Summer of Swoon trope outside of comfort zone prompt and the Historical Romance Readathon class difference, indie published, part of a series and one person on the cover prompts.

Esther is a maid at a house that ends up suffering from debt. She is known for being more of a sexually active woman with a lot of desires. When the Dr. Underwood comes to take care of the lady of the house, Esther likes to eavesdrop. One time, Dr. Underwood catches her. When she doesn't have employment anymore, he suggests she try coming to the Rooksgrave Manor. A sort of personalized brothel for monsters. The witch Magdelena that runs this house reads auras and helps match a woman with the monster(s) that would fit with them. She also provides a sense of security for the ladies and works with the monsters and ladies to make sure they have everything they need.

Esther, as I mentioned before, has a very high sex drive and it feels like was made to be in this house. She ends up putting together a harem with a sphinx, vampire, Dr. Underwood (a kind of jekyll & hyde), marble golem and invisible man. This book is very steamy and honestly felt more like erotica to me than a romance. That could just be my struggle with multiple partner relationships. I've always struggled with ménages and poly relationships, so this is the first harem I've read. While I did like the emphasis placed on the equality of everyone in Esther's harem and how adamant she was that she only felt complete with everyone there, I still struggled believing she was in love with everyone. There a lot of sexy times and I found myself at about 40% just starting to skim it. While I enjoy steam, this definitely felt more erotica with almost constant sex on the page. If Esther wasn't participating in it herself, I felt like she was watching other people have it.

There are a lot of kinks in this book and I can see a lot of people enjoying this. The biggest one I had an issue with was all of the voyeurism. Esther really enjoyed being watched and I'm not into that. At all. I did like the reasoning behind why she enjoyed it though, that she was showing that monsters could find someone to accept them as they are and crave to be with them. I really like how Esther made it point throughout to show that monsters needed love (and loving) too. I did feel for some of the other monsters that were just there but not actively cared for in many ways by their women. That's were I'm struggling with rating this book. Objectively, this would be a 4 or 5-star. The writing is well done and if you're looking for monster smut, this hits it out of the park. My enjoyment though was a complete roller coaster and I feel like closer to a 3-star. Honestly, I kept wanting Amon, the sphinx, to steal Esther from the others and taker her for himself. I was really intrigued by the mythos. I think the world building and reasoning behind of the kink makes me lean towards a 3.5-star rating, but I'll round up to 4 on goodreads. I mainly rate on my enjoyment, so it's hard for me to knock it too much because I knew what I was getting into beforehand.

I will probably read more of the series when it's out and when I'm in the mood. I hope one of the books is a single couple. It's just what I prefer, possessive alphas. I think that there are a lot of different kinds of stories that could be told with the world that Kathryn Moon set up and I hope she goes that route instead of them being mostly the same trope. I'm certainly intrigued. It was interesting to see what everyone else thought about it on the live show last night. This kind of book always seems to get varied opinions, which makes for fun conversations.

Have you read A Lady of Rooksgrave Manor?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: A Lady of Rooksgrave Manor, Kathryn Moon, 4-stars, eBook, 379 pages, published in 2021

Historical Romance Readathon TBR

Wrap up is posted!

Happy Hump Day! 

I have another readathon tbr today! Announced earlier this month, Jess, Lacey and Lisa are hosting another round of the Historical Romance Readathon. I participated in the 2nd round earlier this year and had a lot of fun! As I'm sure you're aware if you've been following me, Historical Romance is one of my favorite sub-genres and in the past few years has been my default when picking up something to read when I don't have something specific in mind. This round runs from June 28th through July 4th with a live wrap up on July 4th on Lacey's channel. Once again they are using the hashtag #hrreadathon on social media. They have various templates on their instagrams, but I'll post the bingo board below.

They went for some different prompts this round, but all are pretty easily found in historical romance. I will list some ideas I have below. A lot of these will cover multiple prompts which is also nice!

🏰 The group read is Olivia and the Masked Duke by Grace Callaway. This book covers prompts Grace Callaway, duke in the title, purple cover, series and clinch cover. This also might cover indie published and spy I believe. I've had Grace Callaway's other series on my tbr for a bit, so I'm excited to finally try one of her books. I also want to mention that Olivia and the Masked Duke is a newer release (came out February this year) and she is an Asian author!

🏰 I've also been working on re-reading Lisa Kleypas's Ravenels series in preparation for the 7th book to release in July. My original plan is to read books 3 & 4, Devil in Spring & Hello Stranger, this month. These two would cover marriage of convenience, one person on the cover, series, self-made (wo)man, spinster and wallflower.

🏰 I can also read ahead for the Rake Appreciation Society (hosted by Jen and Crystal). The July book is The Earl I Ruined by Scarlett Peckham. It's the second in her Secrets of Charlotte Street series. I prefer to read in order though, so I'll also want to read The Duke I Tempted. These would both cover indie published, class difference, marriage of convenience, one person on the cover and series.

🏰 There are a couple new releases that drop June 29th that I have preordered. The first is The Wrong Marquess by Vivienne Lorret. This is the 3rd book in her Mating Habits of Scoundrels series. This should cover the prompts clinch cover, wallflower, spinster and series.

🏰 Another June 29th release is Amelie Howard's The Princess Stakes. This is a multi-cultural/interracial romance that was postponed from last year. It covers at least clinch cover and depending on how much time is spent in India and at sea, could also cover not in Europe. I also can't quite tell if the cover is pink or purple, so we'll see what it looks like in person. Another Amelie Howard still on my tbr is The Rakehell of Roth. I actually mentioned wanting to reread The Beast of Beswick in the 2nd round of the readathon, but never got around to it or the new release. This for sure covers purple cover, series, and clinch cover.

🏰 The last June 29th release I have preordered is An Extraordinary Lord by Anna Harrington. Anna is one of my favorite historical authors and I'm excited for the 3rd book in her Lords of the Armory series. I own but haven't read the first two in the series, but am hoping to get through at least one this readathon, if not all three! They should cover the prompts duke in the title, purple cover, spinster, wallflower, clinch cover and series. They might also cover the spy prompt.

🏰 For the Scottish prompt my go to is always Donna Fletcher. I have a couple thoughts there, but I still have a lot of her backlist to get through. I have two books I'm debating between. The first is the second book in her Warrior duology, Dark Warrior. The other option I'm debating is the next book in her Warrior King series, Loved by a Warrior. I read Bound to a Warrior earlier this year and it really kicked off my love for Donna Fletcher. She also has some other duologies and smaller series I'd love to get to, most of them also set in Scotland. The two options I'm debating between would also cover the spy, clinch cover and series prompts.

🏰 For the not in Europe prompt, I have a couple ideas. One is to finally return to Joanna Shupe and more specifically start her Uptown Girls or Knickerbocker Club series. These are both set in the USA. They would also cover class difference, self-made man, clinch cover, series and one person on the cover. The other option I'm thinking of for not in Europe is finally starting Jeannie Lin's Tang Dynasty series. This is historical romance set during the, wait for it, Tang Dynasty (618AD-907AD) in China.

🏰 Another just random option for me to get to is Melody Thomas. I bought all of her books (only 12) earlier this year, complete cover buys, and would like to finally try her. I'm sure her books would cover most of the prompts as well.

🏰 My final idea for the readathon that I might try to leave until Monday (or start the readathon early on Sunday) is A Lady of Rooksgrave Manor by Kathryn Moon. This is the June pick for the Smart Women Read Romance patreon live review (that's Tuesday night). I usually read it the weekend before (which is technically before the readathon starts), but I'm thinking of starting it late Sunday night and then trying to finish on Monday. I might just read it earlier though. This is another dual sub-genre, historical and paranormal. It's a reverse harem (which I'm not the biggest fan of) monster romance and should be a fun read. If I do read it for the readathon as well it would cover the indie published, series and one person on the cover. It also might be class difference depending on who is in her harem. I know the main character is originally a maid before joining the house where she forms her harem. 

I have a lot of options once again, but it's helpful that most of these prompts are easily met. The only one that I don't have an idea for off the top of my head is single parent, but there are quite a few single parent historicals out there and I'm sure there are quite a few on my massive tbr. It could also be later on in a series I might end up starting. I'm really looking forward to going on another historical binge and can't wait! Last time I ended up with 7 books, so my goal is to try to do the same and at least get one bingo. I haven't decided if I'm going to use a book for multiple or one prompt yet, but I'll most likely go with one prompt per book. I'm also excited to fit a lot of these into my summer reading challenges and hopefully it'll help me get an even better jump in getting some of the easier prompts covered before my check-ins next month. 

Will you be participating the the Historical Romance Readathon?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎